A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Published by Penguin on February 4th 2020
Genres: Epic, Fantasy, Fiction, General, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 560
Format: ARC
A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil—until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.
Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents’ murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king’s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.
Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones—because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own…
When I saw someone on Instagram sharing a picture of this book, I was immediately intrigued. That cover is amazing and the dude on the front sort of kind of vaguely reminds me of a buffer Charlie Hunnam which I’m totally okay with. Plus I rarely find fantasy romance out there that grabs my attention like this one did.
I’m just going to admit upfront that the beginning of this book was a bit slow for me and didn’t pull me in as much as I had hoped it would, but I didn’t give up and I’m so happy that I pushed through.
This is an enemies to lovers story like you’ve never seen before. The story begins with the deaths of the King and Queen and the parent of Parsathian warrior, Maddek. When he finds out what happens he refuses to believe what he’s been told and vows to find out the truth and get his revenge. That revenge shows itself in the form of Yvenne… daughter of the men who killed his parents and future Queen that no one even knows exists.
Yvenne has been locked away in a tower by her father King Zhalen – she’s never seen the outside world and she’s weak and unskilled. What she does have though is her determination to survive and to do whatever it takes to get her throne. Even if that means marrying Maddek and bearing his children.
There is no way to sugar coat this, this story is violent and bloody and brutal and I loved it. It’s so unlike anything I’ve read in the “romance’ genre and while violence is the norm in this world there is nothing non-consensual that happens in this story between Maddek & Yvenne. Yvenne is calculating and thinks like a Queen and needs to learn all the skills of a warrior to survive. Maddek is a warrior who doesn’t yet think and act like a King but needs those skills to maintain peace among his people and lead them against The Destroyer when it is time. Joining forces was the only way they both could get what they wanted they just didn’t expect there to be more to their relationship than that.
While I wouldn’t call the chemistry here sizzling I’d definitely agree to hot … lol – there were a lot of times that the intensity was so well done and absolutely believable. What I think I loved most though, was that you saw the changes in Maddek towards Yvenne. It was gradual and believable and he didn’t even realize what had happened until it had.
Overall, a great story with an opportunity to expand on the world and other characters. I’ll definitely grab the next one once it arrives.
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!
About Milla Vane
Milla Vane is an alternate name for author Meljean Brook.
Meljean was raised in the middle of the woods, and hid under her blankets at night with fairy tales, comic books, and romances. She left the forest and went on a misguided tour through the world of accounting before focusing on her first loves, reading and writing-and she realized that monsters, superheroes, and happily-ever-afters are easily found between the covers, as well as under them, so she set out to make her own.
Meljean lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and daughter.
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