Aeternum

Vincula Realm #2

by Jamie Applegate Hunter

MAJOR SPOILERS below if you have not read book one (The Umbra King).
This is NOT a standalone. It is the second and final book in the Vincula Realm duology and must be read after The Umbra King. The Vincula Realm duology is a series within the Realms of the Aether multiverse. Erdikoa After being released from the prison realm four-hundred and ninety-nine years early, Rory finds herself in Erdikoa with no memory of the last three months and orders to keep her release a secret. Feeling like an outsider looking in, she tries to acclimate to her new life, but she can't shake the feeling that something, or someone , is missing. She begins to question her reality when her sister's killer plagues her dreams, insisting he's innocent. But she knows what she saw all those years ago, and she's faced with a avenge her sister, potentially destroying her life again, or let go of revenge to embrace the second chance she's been given. Will she be able to retrieve her memories to help her decide, or will she stay in the dark forever, dreaming of a man she should hate? Vincula With a haunting prophecy hanging over his head, Caius races against time to break the magic barrier trapping him in his own realm. With the help of unlikely allies, they discover a solution, giving Caius hope for the first time since Rory's departure, but it comes at a steep price. However, the evil they face cannot be underestimated, and the evil within may become necessary.
For her, he will become a monster. For him, she will remain one . The last installment of the Vincula Realm duology is filled with mystery, romance, and twists to keep you guessing until the very end. This is book two in a duology and cannot be read as a standalone.

Not suitable for those under 18 years of age due to mature language and situations. Please see the author's website for a full list of content warnings.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Dark Romance, Fae, Dark

476 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2023

About the author

I love writing unhinged fantasy romance, but I hate writing bios.

Any books posted on my goodreads shelves are books I loved! I judge a book by the vibes and emotions I felt when I finished.

Reviews

[Rebecca (life's chaotic catching up) · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars rounding up bc Deema makes me a better person!

WHAT THE HELL WAS THIS?!!! Seriously, after having so much fun with the Umbra King we were so excited to jump into this conclusion and I feel like we were clowned bc this wasn't it guys.

I'm not giving this too much time bc I just want to be done with this book honestly, but basically this book was 90% filler and 10% WTF. The math didn't math when it came to the plot and all the prophecies, our MCs were separated for like 95% of the book except for a "dreamscape" they could communicate in where all they did was bone, and the rest of the book we were suffocated with side characters and subplots I could not care less about. We ended up skimming through at least half the book just to get through it.

HUGE thank you to my bestie Deema bc at least we could laugh together, and I think our chat thread was probably the most entertaining thing about this read! LUV U BABE!!

[Koisty · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Golden Child Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

This was a CW show of filler episodes and random shit that didn’t need to be there…
I didn’t hate it but gone was the production value and amazingness that was there in book 1. It’s just almost cliche pining and random scenes of friends doing mundane shit together like drinking and bowling.

This book starts exactly where book 1 ended with Rory having lost 3 months of her memory and back in Erdikoa. She and Caius are separated and he's pining to get back to her, as though it's been 15 years and not 3 days...

I don't know what on earth happened to this book, but everything that kept me intrigued, enraptured and utterly obsessed with book one just felt missing or forgotten for people doing mundane shit together.

When I say this book felt like a CW show I MEAN IT. ANY CW show (like The Flash, Supergirl, Riverdale etc) has a way of keeping you hooked on the episodes while lulled into this weird sense of brainwashing but deep down, 18 of the 24 episodes have nothing to do with the overall plot and are just there to add unnecessary drama. They could technically be removed with only the last 6 episodes left and the main plot would STILL be the same!!! You have 90% of this book, which is just random shit that doesn't add to the plot of the story. You could essentially just remove it, cut it out, or hit a metaphorical backspace and it doesn't change the narrative of what happens.

The main issue is that 90% was a complete 180-degree deviation of the style and vibe from book 1. I was reading a bunch of cliche pining that you would see in a 2010 YA novel. In most of the book, our characters are not together and they're discovering the SAME THINGS ON DIFFERENT SIDES. Yet they have VARIOUS means to communicate with each other and share this information BUT THEY DON'T. Two characters can cross the realms and Rory and Caius have the soulscape, but instead of talking it out and working it all out - dream sex happens. There is an absolute lack of communication with everybody and it's just really frustrating to deal with it as we discover things in DUPLICATE!

I wanted a little bit more. It just felt lacklustre. And it's disappointing to see that because Jamie Applegate Hunter wrote such an amazing book 1 that truly captivated me and showed what a fantastic author she is.

Unfortunately, once our characters were no longer fighting that "enemies to lovers" angst everything just lost appeal and I am just left underwhelmed.

[Gry ☾ · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was all over the place except where it needed to be.

rtc
________________
⌞Pre-read:⌝

This duology is honestly so mid, but I'm invested now lol

[Megan Amaral · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I would like the thank Jamie for allowing me to be a part of her eARC team for this entire series. And with that, please see my honest review -

I fell in love with the first book in this series, as it was new and exciting and the author had a way of pulling us in and falling in love with Slytherin characters and the way they f***ed.

This second installment though only kept one of the above two things.

I felt that this book was a lot of fluff for our main characters, and ended up being an introduction to a completely separate plot with Sam as its lead.

Instead, we got around 500-600 pages of;
Rory being back with her friends and family, and just "living a normal life" and
Caius trying to sort out his feelings after making a huge mistake, and learning that light and love are always better than hate and darkness

Honestly, the way this book was marketed on instagram story, and the way it was being presented to us, I felt that the HUGE mistake that Caius made at the end of book one was going to be a bigger plot point in this book... but no.

My honest review? I felt that a lot of the shopping with friends fluff chapters could have been replaced with getting to know Gedeon more than the one or two short chapters we got or even more chapters and encounters with Sam and Stassi. Because if I am being completely honest, I felt no real connection with any other characters in this book besides Sam and Rory's friendship. And that also includes how I felt about Caius and Rory. They had some cute moments here and there and their sex was pretty electric, but I thought that Rory and Sam had a lot more emotional scenes and a stronger connection than with any of her other friends and Caius himself in this book. I didn't care much about Stassi, except for how Sam felt about her. And honestly, Gedeon felt like such a random side character in this book, even though he was supposed to be the BIG villain. Besides killing Cora, I think the worst thing he had done was just being a huge dick and defunding a lot of programs. I would have loved to get to know him better and understand his motivations.

Besides the plot itself, I felt that the writing was repetitive and felt juvenile. Or I felt that I had read a first or second draft of something. I think a lot could have been cut out - I didn't need to be reminded of something in complete detail, over and over again. I think there could have been more added, including a more creative way of the prophecy being played out in the story vs a game of 20 questions near the end. And lastly, I wanted more of a fight between Gedeon and Caius. The end felt very anti-climatic even though it was a HEA. I honestly had a hard time not skimming the last 10%... including a very heartfelt but random one page epilogue.

[Finucha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this universe, characters and every relationship and bond they have with each other that I don’t have it in me to say anything bad about this. It was the biggest emotional rollercoaster and I was so anxious and in pain during every single page and what Rory and Caius kept going through that I’m still shaken up till now. I love them both so much, individually as their own person and together as a couple. Rory is everything to me and has a special place in my heart as fmc, and Caius…god, him in this book just got better. He tries so hard to act all psycho but is the biggest softie and lover deep down — when he befriended Rory’s friends and mom and went out with them was so cute. I’m so happy they got their deserved happy ending, and I’m gonna miss so much their povs😵‍💫
But, I need me Sam’s book right now. I cannot deal with the pain I am feeling for him and everything he went through with in this book. He’s something special to me, more so after how a good friend (and angel overall) he is to Rory, and I will riot if he does not end up with Stassie, happy and with babies. that’s all I have to say as I so not patiently wait for his story.

[Lauren.readsx_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Took me a while to pick this one up, but purely because I was scared after the first ones ending. 😂 I was glad I finally did thought because I was so happy to see Rory and Caius get their HEA. This one would have been a 5 star but I felt like the issues were dragged out a little too long for me, they happened so far towards the end of the book that it was over quite quickly after. I did love how it all panned out, just wish it had happened sooner.

I loved how everything came together, I adored the relationships they both had with Sam and Lauren, and I’m so excited for sams book. One thing I did really love about this duet is the multiple friendship groups. The spice was HOT, may have been a bit too much spice towards the end as it just felt a little repetitive (wild to say that I know)

I won’t say too much on this book because I don’t wanna spoil anything from how the last one ending or what went down in this one. I’m really surprised this duet isn’t spoken about more because it’s so good. If you haven’t read this one yet you really should.

[Brittany (booklybrittany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this sequel had me glued to the pages all day. this duology was so good and so much fun to read. i think the world is fascinating and unique, and I’m really looking forward to reading what’s coming up next. caius and rory have my heart, but I’m excited to read about the infamous samyaza. pick this up if you enjoy fantasy romance with a darker spin.

[Brynne Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read and finished this in just over 12 hours as a beta reader. Listen, I cannot LOVE this book enough and I cannot WAIT for everyone to get to see the rest of Caius and Rory’s story. It also has me so freaking excited for Sam’s book!

[Mikayla Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 on mid - this review will contain spoilers after the first paragraph

I think I liked Umbra King much more than I liked this book. I had a few months to hype up in my mind what this storyline would look like and it was just different than I expected. Rules were broken, exceptions were made, it was a long story but things were still too fast paced or just given easy solutions. There wasn't too much mystery, and the story took place in one week. I'll put it on my "middle of the road" shelf, fantasy elite tier for me are authors like SJM, Armentout, Roehrich, Kennedy, etc, and this just didn't compare with works like that.

Overall it's a fine work, I just had different expectations for what I thought it would be like.


Spoilers - please don't read unless you want the whole storyline to be exposed.

Umbra King established realm rules and expectations, and those kind of just became exceptions in Aeternum that I didn't so much care for. I didn't like that she got her memories back so soon, that she was able to spill vinicula secrets at all, that caius just conveniently could break the contract and is now free. It was all explained away, but I didn't like that those could happen.

I had imagined there being some type of storyline where Rory lost all her memory (which was supposed to happen and only did for like a day), somehow Gedeon becomes aware of her and starts some kind of friendship or romance. I would have liked to see a story where she stays clueless, grows close to Gedeon but still forms a relationship witih Ciaus in the soulscape, and then somehow in the end has to pick between which brother she thinks is the truth. That would have been much more interesting for me. Instead she just pretty much got all her memories back, Gedeon knew things and didn't know things in too convenient of ways, the darkness versus light thing with Caius just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. The entire book also takes place in like a week, and was just too fast paced for me.

I also was confused on how the entire prophecy ended up being about Stassi and Cora's soul. All she had to do was open the jar and she did. So Sam showing up and being the solution to the prophecy was just so that he could save Stassi from being stabbed. So it wasn't about Rory or Caius really at all.

[Ninon's library · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25⭐️
Au même titre que le tome 1, ce second tome était vraiment génial.

Quel plaisir de retrouver Rory, Caius, et tous les autres. J'avais été assez choquée de la fin du premier tome, et j'ai adoré la manière dont tout s'est déroulé dans cette première partie du 2. On ressentait à la fois de la frustration et une petite dose d'excitation. Et on pouvait bien voir à quel point les Anges faisaient tout leur possible pour rendre la situation vivable.
La relation entre Rory et Caius est toujours aussi belle, tellement puissante et pleine de tendresse.

L'objectif est vraiment de trouver des solutions aux nombreux problèmes qu'ils rencontrent, notamment mettre fin au règne de Gédeon (je le déteste).

Il n'y a pas un moment de lenteur, tout suit son cour avec finesse et mon attention a été captivée du début à la fin.

Le found family est exceptionnel, quelle trope incroyable... On a même à nouveau un soupçon d'ennemis to lovers...

Sam et Lauren ont vraiment un rôle important dans toute la duologie, et au même titre que Rory et Caius, je suis triste de les quitter.
Sam a su se faire une place importante dans mon cœur.
Si seulement on pouvait avoir des spin-off sur eux.

Bref, si vous cherchez une romantasy hyper bien construites, avec de la tension pendant 2 tomes, de la vengeance, des combats, des amitiés et des remises en question, cette duologie est faite pour vous.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say this but the book was a disappointment. My expectations were pretty high after reading The Umbra King but clearly I was wrong.

Starting out, the first 60-70% was the same thing repeating over and over again. Same conversations, actions, and thoughts. I was constantly hoping something- anything would happen. Though it wasn’t unbearable as the scenes between Sam and Rory were really cute. 🤭 But not even that can salvage how boring it was.

Then we have to whole Sam and Anastasia plot which I will say was not all bad. The problem was how unrealistic it was. The whole first book and majority of the second book depicted Sam as this strong, powerful, closed-off guy who was reluctant to show any emotion. Yet somehow a few interactions and he’s panting and this woman’s feet and crying/begging for her to live? Compared to much buildup we got with Rory and Caius it seemed really unrealistic.

Lastly, I felt the ending was super rushed and quite anticlimactic. You’re telling me we spent more than half the book looking for a way to get Caius out and the whole time he could’ve just broken himself out? It makes all the anticipation seem really pointless. And everyone worrying about how he was going to kill his brother only for him to quickly stab him in the heart? I was hoping for a thrilling battle not a quick wam-bam-yes-ma’am.

Alright cutting myself off now 😝

Don’t recommend

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I preferred book one to book two and though the first book wasn't quite what I was expecting I still felt engaged and connected even with some issues and I was certainly intrigued by the finale despite not being completely sold on it. Now with this things took a turn for the worse and though the writing was again fine I just felt completely disconnected and had zero emotional attachments to any of the characters involved. 

I feel bad rating this so low but I just didn't enjoy it and found it a slog to even finish. I had numerous issues and frankly, I was bored. There was just so much of nothing going on here a whole lot of seemingly random filler stuff that I just wasn't interested in. Rory after being reunited with her friends instead of lying low because of the danger she is in indulges in shopping trips excursions and bars galore. It was just the strangest behaviour, especially considering the circumstances. So much of this book could have been removed and what was left would have been miniscule that was actually connected to the main plot. 

Then there's Rory and Caius themselves well i just wasn't feeling the chemistry between them they have a lot of random hookups in their soulscape but it mostly felt contrived and unauthentic Rory had more of an emotional connection with Sam than she did her actual mate. Also, everyone apart from a handful of characters felt one dimensional and we never delve beneath the surface to learn their deeper motivations an example of this is Cauis siblings whom we only learn surface stuff about.

So basically up until the maybe last few chapters this book was mostly random fluff and sexy hookups and a whole lot of procrastinating. There was also major whining from both MCs but not very much action. Then all of that action was stuffed into the final few scenes which then felt rushed. It's disappointing as even though I wasn't blown away by book one I did enjoy myself and thought it had plenty of imagination, creativity that seems to be somewhat missing here. Look this duet wasn't awful it does have some positives to recommend it and book one is definitely the stronger of the two it just wasn't really great for me either though I did manage to finish it but I'm not sure this author is quite for me.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Koryne · Rating 5 out of 5]

OKAY so nothing really happened until like the last 10% of the book other than Caius and Rory boning and Caius being a sad emo boy and honestly…… i ate that shit up.

Caius was SUCHHHHHH an idiot for how he left things in the Umbra King and did he make up for it? no because he’s a man and thinks he knows what’s best for everyone WHEN HE DOESNT. but Rory put him in his place like the bad bitch she is 💁🏻‍♀️ but let’s be real here…. i would have folded like a piece of toilet paper for Caius the second he even took a breath in my direction 🥵 they were apart THE MAJORITY of the damn book but the soulscape was where the steam happened.

i have to give an honorable mention to my lord and savior Samyaza 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️ he’s grumpy and never smiles but loves with his whole giant body and i can’t wait for his book…. i’m kind of nervous because i KNOW there will be ow drama, but i’m hoping it’s the kind of ow i like….and not the kind that makes me want to puke. BUT he didn’t give me hoe vibes and i mean if i could forgive Caius for the first book, Sam could stab me in the heart and i’ll say thank you.

[Kimberlylovesreadingbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a duet this was a semi perfect ending ❤️.
It should have been a bit longer because the ending felt a little bit rushed but it didn't miss any of the main points from the story so I can't complain 🤷🏾‍♀️🙂.

The attention to detail was there how Rory got Caius a red bowl 🤭 if yk yk. The spice was there and Jesus was it spicy 🤣.

I will miss this fantasy world and Rory and Caius 🤭♥️ 🎀. Rory is also added to my BOOK BADDIES!!!!

I also hope Lauren gets a book and so does Cauis' sister 🤞🏾.

I wish we had seen Rory at work as The Scales of Justice and how they would have balanced their relationship maybe we'll see it in Sam's book or not 😭♥️

[elfishpresley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for sending me this ARC!

This duet really took me by surprise in the first book, and while I was super excited to read the second it fell a bit flat for me.

As we know from the first book, Rory and Caius get separated and can’t see each other. This lasts for about the entire book (besides when they can see each other in their dreams because they are mates).

I felt like two books wasn’t enough to truly grab my attention on all the world building and character development.

While I loved the storyline, I felt the ending was rushed and everything kind of happened so fast and was a bit predictable.

However, the characters were fun and had different personalities and the smut was great.

3.5/5

[BookWorm_Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the Umbra King- literally couldn’t put it down. I wish I could say the same for this one. I struggled a lot to keep going, not because it’s horrible, but because it just wasn’t as interesting.

The Umbra king left off with such a huge cliff hanger and I expected Aeternum to have the same level of high stakes, angst etc. and it fell flat.

There was so much potential with Rory’s lost memories.. to use that as a way to really add some charge to the story and I feel like her losing her memory added nothing to the plot. I also think she gained them way too easily. I kind of feel like many things happened too easily in this book tbh.

There was so much filler.. shopping trips and bar scenes that didn’t add to anything. I’d have rather seen more developing of the bad guy. There was so much repetition in similar scenes and Sam and Lauren having the same “no we can’t tell her” convo.

Gedeon is supposed to be this big bad guy and yet… he’s really just in the background. So much missed potential there. With the missing memories and Caius having a twin… Gedeon could have actually been in the story, causing chaos.

For me, there wasn’t much distinction between characters in this book especially the friend groups. I honestly couldn’t tell who was who. They didn’t have distinctive personalities etc. Rory lost a lot of her spark and Caius was a tad cringey. The dialogue also felt a bit juvenile at times

This book was mostly Rory and Caius in the soul scape having sex and setting up for Sam and Stassi’s story. And I’m also a little confused about why the prophecy ended up being about Sam and had nothing to do with Rory and Caius- when it’s literally their story.

I also feel as though Cora’s soul was just forgotten about.. like it’s talked about quite a bit- how Gedeon must have it, how he does have it and covets it despite being bad.. it gets released and then that’s it. That’s it? What was the purpose? I expected there to be some purpose for it being in the story tbh.

While I did have to push through this read, I did enjoy finding out what happened. I just don’t find this book as strong as the first, which saddens me because again, there was so much potential. The Umbra king was SO good and this one just isn’t on the same level in my opinion.

[♡•Madhu•♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

☆ Rating: 1.5/5
♤ Second book of the Vincula Realm duology

After such a good first book, seriously Jamie? This book had nothing. Like literally nothing😤

90% of the book was the dramatic FMC (Rory) hanging out with her friends and shopping dresses for having sex with the MMC(Caius) in her dream (it's called soulscape but still pls✋️). They were separated for the entire 90% of the book except in soulscape and the most annoying part was them having no important talks but just sex🤦‍♀️. This is a dark fantasy, for sure, but where's the damn story?

The book was supposed to have so much potential based on such a minimal ending in the first book. I hoped the entire story would actually unravel here, but NO! There was no story to discuss at all. I think the author had a world but not a story.

The side characters were okay but some were just too M-A-D-E U-P! Too much dramatic comments and unnecessary dialogues which the author thought funny, but NOT ME! The most annoying would be Rory's mother for me. She was literally having shots while discussing about her daughter's potential death...Ugh! I should have already guessed how low this could go and dnf-ed the book🤦‍♀️

However, there was this one side character - Sam, for whom I bared my entire annoyance from slamming this book down. Sam and Stassie deserved so much better🥺 and this is another entire story. Although, I loved seeing them, the author decided to show glimpses of her new story about these two rather than writing about the story in hand. At one point, Sam became the MC and nothing else.

However, this book is an utter waste of time.

[Pia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5✨
Spice: 3🌶

I would like to thank the author for the eARC opportunity. Like always, this review is voluntary & honest!

What can you give a book that made you feel all types of emotions & happiness besides 5 stars? This book was everything I needed it to be for the ending of this duology & it perfectly set up for the next standalone novel, A Silenced Fate! The ending was bittersweet for me. A part of my heart was warm because of how the story concluded with these characters I adored, but the other part was heartbroken. Which leaves me on the edge of my seat to see what happens next for other characters.

Rory, I adore her. The way she had me laughing majority of the time but then ready to fight people for her the next! I couldn't be happier with her growth individually as well as with Caius. Caius, he is an adorable bean who can completely destroy you, but that doesn't take the adorableness from him. Both of them had me swooning but also getting teary eyed at the angsty moments. Their love for one another was so beautiful and so infinite, it made you FEEL like nothing could win against it. Their growth as a couple in this book was one of my favorite parts about it for sure. They couldn't get enough of one another & I couldn't get enough of them!

Now listen, I LOVE Caius, but SAM! Samyaza had me falling harder in this book than in the first & once I realized it, I was FREE FALLING. His personality & the way he is just hilarious without wanting to be is just, AH. I don't care if he is an intimidating gigantic angel, he is a SOFTIE DEEP DOWN & I love him for it.

Lauren, what a Queen. Love her. I wanna be her when I grow up. I can't wait to see more of her! So many other side characters I could mention that I hold in my heart & I will miss. Definitely enjoyed seeing them all again for the big conclusion! This book and duology in general are must reads for sure!

[Alessandra Fediv · Rating 1 out of 5]

При тому що я мала претензії до першої книжки, друга наче взагалі про інших персонажів))

Настільки вони по іншому себе поводять, не відповідно до характерів, які були закладені в Umbra King(

Багато важливих питань- не мають логічного пояснення, все досить плоско і тупо(

90% книги гг не разом і бачаться лише в снах, тому якщо вам до вподоби еротичні сни то можливо це єдине що зайде)))

Не раджу

[tanith_justanotherchapter · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Fated mates
• Multiple POV
• HEA
• Spice
• Touch her and die
• Short Chapters
• Completed Duology

Aeternum starts off where The Umbra King ended and let me just say the soulscape was the real MVP in this book.

Caius and Rory will truly burn the world down for each other.

JAH gives us heartbreak but also gives us some really light hearted moments thrown in and shows us the unbreakable bonds of both friendship and fated mates. The pacing did throw me off quite a bit as it felt slow at times and then very rushed towards the end.

Aeternum also sets us up for JAH's next book which is about Sam and does a really good job of giving us the foundation for what I'm sure is going to be an amazing story. Sam was and is everything.

Thank you to the author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[evelynn kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Who are you?”
“I am a man who dreams of you, even if you don’t dream of me, and when you forget me and move on with your life, I will dream of you still.”

4.5⭐️

Plot 3.75/5⭐️
Spice 3.5/5🌶️
Vibes 5/5👏🏻
Dual 3rd person POV (with a few chapters from a couple side characters)

Tropes: urban fantasy, enemies to lovers, forced separation, female serial killer, royalty, open door spice 😈

Book 1 Review: The Umbra King - 5⭐️

GAHHHH this book!! I think I will forever be scarred by the phrase "Time to wake up now" 😭💔 After that brutal cliffhanger in book 1, we're dealing with the aftermath of Rory no longer remembering her time in Vincula and her love for Caius, while she is unknowingly being hunted because of that relationship.

This book delivered on emotional damage and I am on my knees wanting someone like Caius. Just ready to rip the fabric of the world apart and do whatever needs to be done to be with you. And even though it takes a while for Caius and Rory to reunite, Ms. JAH does not disappoint with the spice... I think there was more dream sex than real sex but it was still 🔥🔥🔥

“We can’t do anything for another few days.”
“Why? Are you hurt?”
“I’m on my period.”
“Did you think your blood would deter me? I have bathed in the blood of your enemies. What makes you think I would not paint myself with yours?”
Me:🥵

And while this book was a little on the longer side, I really enjoyed getting to see all of the side characters and watching their relationships develop. I am SO excited for Sam's book and I can already tell we are going to be put through the ringer with it... Please don't break my heart too much, Jamie!! 😭

The Umbra King was my #1 fantasy book of 2022 out of over 400 books - and while I am so sad to see these characters go, I am so glad I met them 💘 If you haven't read TUK yet - make this duology your next read!! Aeternum releases 3/28 -- you won't regret it :)

“It’s strange,” she murmured. “To have no memory of someone you love.”
His breath caught in his throat. “How do you know you love me?”
She brought her hand to her chest, pressing lightly. “Here. I know it as well as I know my name. I may not remember falling, but my heart remembers loving you.”

*ARC received for honest review*

[Faenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

★★,5

Quelle déception ! J’avais vraiment aimé le premier tome, alors j’en attendais beaucoup de celui-ci. J’avais hâte de le lire, d’autant plus que Le roi Umbra se terminait sur un cliffhanger.

Je ne vais pas reparler de la plume ni de l’univers, car mon avis reste inchangé par rapport au premier tome. Mais je vais parler du rythme. On est sur un livre de 550 pages qui aurait pu en faire 400 s’il avait été mieux construit. Je me suis ennuyée pendant une bonne partie du livre.

L’intrigue ne m’a pas captivée du tout : dès que j’avais l’impression que ça s’accélérait, ça repartait sur des passages pas vraiment intéressants, qui me faisaient décrocher. Et finalement, quand il y a enfin de l’action et des révélations, j’ai trouvé ça mal fait.. Trop rapide, et parfois incohérent avec le contexte.

J’ai eu du mal à accrocher avec les personnages que j’avais pourtant beaucoup aimés, notamment Caius. J’avais adoré son caractère dans le premier tome, mais ici, je l’ai trouvé immature, irréfléchi, et il n’apportait pas grand-chose au récit. Certes, on peut comprendre qu’il soit sous pression dans ce tome, ce qui explique certaines choses, mais là, il était difficilement appréciable.
Rory ne m’a pas tellement convaincue non plus : je n’ai pas retrouvé l’attache que j’avais pour elle, ni sa singularité. Je l’ai trouvée fade dans ce tome.

Néanmoins, il y a deux personnages que j’ai adorés : Sam et Lauren. Ils ont rendu ma lecture beaucoup plus agréable, heureusement qu’ils étaient là.

J’ai aussi eu du mal avec la relation entre Caius et Rory, que j’adorais dans le premier tome, mais qui ici ne m’a rien fait ressentir du tout. Je suis trop triste, car j’étais fan de leur alchimie.

Malgré tout, j’ai quand même aimé connaître le fin mot de cette histoire, mais je suis déçue de la manière dont ça a été fait. L’autrice aurait pu faire quelque chose de vraiment sympa.

En bref, cette conclusion ne m’a malheureusement pas convaincue, mais je vous invite quand même à vous faire votre propre avis sur ce tome 2.

produit offert

[TheBookPlatypus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Two
Not a Standalone!

Aurora may have lost her memory but her soul knows what’s up.
After being released from prison early, all her memories from Vinicula are gone. Her soulmate, the Umbra King took her sentence instead. And now she’s free but has a feeling that she left something behind. Not only that but she’s told she’s in danger and needs to stay in hiding with guards.. guards that see feels like she may already know.

“His smile faded. "You already hold my heart in your hands, Aurora Raven. One day you'll believe me, whether you remember me or not."

Book two is a bit slower than book one. We have the two main love interests separated from one another (except in their dreams).
Caius is desperate to be reunited with Aurora and doing everything he can to break the barrier of the different Realms. Aurora is in serious danger and as she tries to regain her memories, the danger is getting closer.

I absolutely loved this duet. Slightly obsessed. It’s a slew of badass characters. I’m so excited for the next characters story as their mates are revealed.



HEA with an opening for other characters storylines!

[Emma Creswell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers***
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I’m so sad — I absolutely loved the first book and had high expectations for this one. It lacked the relationships and personalities that were in the first, and every time Rory and Caius were together it was just a quick hookup. Also, they did Sam SO dirty!!!! I loved getting to be in his head more and there was so much opportunity for him. If there was a third book I’m sure it would be much better considering she reunites with her friends and Asher, and I’m just so sad because I loved the first one so much :(

[☾All of Meg☀]

Dnf @ 28% because no one knew whether or not they were or weren’t restoring Rory’s memories and they kept changing their minds and contradicting what they were saying previously and it was driving me absolutely mental.

[holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

i need rory and caius to come back to me right this second


edit: they finally came back to me and they slayed every second of it.

[Michelle Boucher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ I enjoyed the second book in this duology, just not as much as the first. I felt the plot was a bit all over the place. The ending felt rushed because the middle of the book was slower. Honestly, the time the MMC and FMC were apart felt more enjoyable to read about. It really bugged me that every time Caius and Rory were in the soul scape it was just about sex and their lust for each other. I know that what happened in the end with Sam and Stassi is setting up for another book, but that was infuriating. The hints throughout the book about who Sam made the reveal pointless, and the whole plot with his father felt like a last minute addition to make people want to read the spinoff book, while ruining the current plot. I find it really hard to believe that Sam wouldn’t have revealed himself multiple times in order to save Rory. He had the power to do something all along and he was selfless, he would have broken his deal with Moira if it meant saving his friends. I’m not mad at the ending and obviously I love a HEA, I just don’t feel like it was as satisfying as it could have been. Lauren leaving at the end was also not needed, that could have just been left alone until the spin-off. Overall it’s not a bad duology, but for a book with dark plot lines and spice it feels immaturely written. I wouldn’t re-read, but it was enjoyable in the moment.

[bella fazzati · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don’t know how am i supposed to live after finishing this, i loved these characters so fucking much… sam’s ending???? please i need his book more than i need oxygen. ❤️‍🩹

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

"'It was always going to be you, bond or not.’ She frowned. ‘Bond?’ A wry smile formed on his lips. ‘You are my Aeternum.'"

Sadness, fear, heartbreak, happiness, frustration. These are just a semblance of the emotions that Aeternum caused while I was reading it. The full rollercoaster effect. I needed to sit with this one for a few days the Umbra King was one of my top reads of 2022. So long story short, I loved it. The ending was bittersweet and sets up the next standalone novel perfectly.

WHAT I LOVED: The characters and romance, of course. Rory, the main FMC, can definitely be a handful. But she had me laughing at times throughout and was ready to do anything to fight for those she loves. Her growth after the shattering ending of book one is exponential…especially with Caius. Caius is such a cinnamon roll MMC, and you can’t help but love him. His love for Rory is really all-encompassing and we see him admit to mistakes that allow them to grow as a couple. I honestly couldn’t get enough.

'"I have waited for you my entire life,' he whispered. 'I’ve been waiting for you too,' she murmured back. 'I just didn’t know it.'"

Another shining star in Aeternum was SAM!! This man. I am so so happy he is getting his own standalone because he is FIRE. He may seem like a tough angel on the outside, but we really see a new side to him in this book and a glimpse at his past.

There’s nothing that I didn’t love and while I’m sad this duopoly has come to an end. I can’t see what’s cooked up in the next standalone, A Silenced Fate.

I want to thank Jamie Applegate Hunter for an e-ARC of this book. The thoughts in this review are my own.

[Myriam à livre ouVERT · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai préféré ce 2eme tome. Plus d'action, plus d'événements, plus de révélations.
Tjrs aussi 🌶️ par contre.
Je recommande cette duologie à ceux qui débutent dans la romantasy