[A quick note: While these books occur in succession, they can actually be read as stand-alones. Each one covers a different set of characters. I suppose the 4th book should probably be read last though. My set came from The Bookish Box, and while all 4 books are gorgeous, Warโs cover is probably my least favorite. The red foil doesnโt stand out quite as much. Unfortunate since it was my favorite of the four books.]
โ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ. ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ. ๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ โ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ, ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐, ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒโ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง.โ โLaura Thalassa
When War rides through Mariamโs city, she fails to kill him. Instead of killing her, he sees a divine sign that sheโs meant to be his wifeโgiven to him by God. This stills his hand. Mariam doesnโt agree. Not one bit! She isnโt going to submit to her new husband, no matter what the cost.
YESSS!!!! I liked this one even better than the first!!! Woot woot! War had so much more character development for both MCs! Mariamโs character was great. Sheโs suffered, experienced loss, and did everything she could to survive. The setting reminded me a lot of the Horde Kings of Drakkar too, which is a beloved spicy series.
The first thing that jumps out? The feel of this book is different. I liked that. My biggest concern was that each book was going to be the same. The most obvious difference was solitude vs camaraderie. While Pestilence travels the world alone on horseback spreading plague, War travels with an army, setting up camp everywhere he goes, killing all in his path. I admit, this took me by SURPRISE!!! Bonus points for that! Soโฆthis means that Mariam and War werenโt all alone the whole time. No worriesโthat didnโt take away from the romance. Mariam was able to make a friend, adding an additional character relationship to the mix.
The romance was also different from the first. Right from the start, War believes Mariam is his wife. Hah! Silly horseman. His character was the perfect alpha-hole. Heโs entitled, cocky, and full of it! Mariam certainly fights him at every turn, and he seems to like it?? Hubba hubba. Cue the romantic tension! Oh, and donโt worry, there is definitely some spicy scenes in the second half of the book. YUM.
As for the romantic growth? At first, War cares for Mariam to be a โgood husbandโ even though heโs clueless about love and what it actually means to have a successful marriage. But over time, both of them learn what it means to surrender. I really liked that it wasnโt โinstantโ even of the sex and attraction was. I especially liked that Mariam felt sexually attracted and teetered between guilt and want and desire and repulsion towards War. Her struggle was believable. War treated her tenderly, and yet, he was okay with murdering thousands (as long as it wasnโt her). That idea alone traversed both books and will probably be a common theme through all four.
Iโm enjoying this series SO much and I hope each book is as good or better than War. ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐/๐โญ๏ธ
Commentaires