by Lexa Luthor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was full of so much plot I found myself really being invested from the beginning. The characters were intriguing and tho world-building was rich with plenty of easy-to-follow but in-depth politics. I enjoyed getting a look at Tharon and Roswynd, the two main protagonists’ history as the story unfolds. It was a really comfortable way to learn about the current situations both politically and personally without being overwhelmed with information all at once.
The friends-to-enemies-to-lovers relationship was handled well. The emotional and sexual development felt believable given what we know about them. I found myself enjoying both of them a great deal for different reasons and felt conflicted emotionally when the relationship was less than ideal for them.
The story doe not hit any resolution or completed arc in this book, as it is part one of the story. It stops in the middle of a rather complicated moment and I find myself anxious to know what happens with the rest of the story.
All My Thoughts
May contain spoilers.
There is a really good balance of romance and political intrigue in this book from page one. It was very engaging. When the story starts, you are thrown into a world in turmoil with little information. This book does a really good job of filling in the blanks as you read by including chapters that give you a glimpse into the history of the two main characters. Their relationship as children develops alongside a sudden political falling out of the two kingdoms in the book that leads to a lengthy ten-year war and lost friendship.
Tharon and Roswynd are best friends and princesses of kingdoms that at one point had good relations, though the murder of Tharon’s mother causes their kingdoms to go to war. There is a lot of unknown factors still by the end of the book as to what exactly happened, only that blame has been placed on Roswynd’s family even though they deny it. Roswynd and Tharon marrying in order to end the war, even if it is on false pretenses, made for really interesting character interactions. Both characters had changed and developed over their ten years apart, so it was really interesting to watch them rediscover who they are, who they are together, and who they are to each other. I really liked both characters a great deal. Tharon becoming a toughened warrior felt natural given her life as an alpha and everything she went through. I also loved Roswynd always being a bit unconventional and strong despite what was expected of her. Seeing them together and trying to understand each other was equal parts sweet, sexy and frustrating. As readers we are obviously more aware of the secret plots happening in the background, particularly on Tharon’s part, so it was sad to see them deny feelings and treat their marriage like the political action it was originally intended to be. Their emotions were intense on both sides even if they refused to admit to them.
As this is part one, nothing is resolved by the end of the book, nor does it have a smaller arc in the story that wraps up at all. In fact, the book ends on a very intense moment that we really don’t know the result of until the next book comes out. The author has definitely succeeded in grabbing my interest and making me anxious for the next book so I can find out what happened and how things with resolve with Tharon and Roswynd as well as their countries in regards to the war.
Overall
This was a very interesting book with rich lore/history and engaging characters. It’s worth noting that it is an Omegaverse story with sexual content of this fashion, so be aware if this is not your thing. I do feel the plot and characters really hold up throughout the book though.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Tome Reader Reviews 
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