Between Shadows and Stars

by G.S. Louis

The waltz of shadows and stars is a lethal dance.

When 21- yr old swordswoman Reyna Oceanus is sent to spy in the immortal realms, she mistakenly indebts herself to the alluring royal advisor, Aldrin Eltridge. While facing deadly and mind-bending trials, she must choose to follow duty or her heart.

Fighting for the Faerie king's hand isn't Reyna's intention and a simple 'thank you' leads her to fall in love with the royal advisor. When she chooses her own fate, Reyna jeopardizes the odds of the treaty and her life. Will her new-found emotions be the cause of another war ?

Genres: Fantasy

332 pages, Hardcover

Published July 4, 2023

Reviews

[Tyler McCall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tired plot, weak writing, a classic amalgamation of tropes without any clear plot direction. Also, the main character was incredibly unlikeable. Reyna screams pick me without any actual character substance and all the lore surrounding her just reminded me of ACOTAR. Unoriginal, boring, not even enjoyable.

[Elissa_a22 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved this book as an ARC for an honest review!

I absolutely loved the characters in this book! I love the slow burn chemistry that takes place between Reyna and Aldrin, the kings adviser, while she is supposed to be fighting to win the kings hand in marriage! It started a little slow with great character & world building and then I couldn’t put it down!

I cannot believe the ending though 😅🙈 I need book 2, like now please! How could you do this to us 🥲😂

[Megan Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

G.S Louis has brought an extraordinary story to life. This novel was absolutely interesting. Louis has brought a mortal swordswoman to the fae realm to court a king in what feels like deadly competition. Reyna, the swordswoman becomes indebted to the royal advisor and creates a stir by falling for him. Will she be able to see her duty through and continue trying to win the king's hand?

Reyna, the main female character has gone through so much and I was pulling the whole time for her to catch a break and have her fairy tale ending. Aldrin, the royal advisor, made me feel things and wish he was more than just a character in a book. He feels so real and I want to know what goes on in that mind of his. The King seems like he is just going with the motion of things but wants something entirely different, and his sister, she's a real wildcard.
Louis, uses beautiful imagery and impressive details so you can surround yourself in the book. The only reason, I choose a 4 star is because I was left on a huge cliffhanger and I am so eager to know more and I rarely give out 5 stars but trust me, you should read this. Louis has proven to be a great, indie author and is sure to bring us lots of intriguing pieces of literature. The cover is stunning, you will want to get lost inside of this novel.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic debut by G.S. Louis!

Not only is the cover out-of-this-world beautiful, but there is also a map!! Between Shadows and Stars has everything you need in a fantasy book! A strong female lead, compelling world building, and high stakes that grip you from the very start. Add in magic, a delectable amount of angst and 3 POVs!

Imagine multi-dimensional characters such as a fierce spy compatible with Jude from Cruel Prince and Arya Stark from Game of Thrones, a mysterious advisor whose allure rivals The Darkling with a heavy dose of Geralt of Rivia, and a king who is the perfect blend of Tolkien's Legolas and Aragorn (YES WAY), then put them into a world brewing with treachery, forbidden romance, and war where they'll face obstacles and unexpected twists threatening to tear them apart.

Each POV is enthralling and authentic! You'll be falling in love with each character, and you'll be longing for the next book because the ending leaves you wanting more!!

G.S. Louis has brought together all the elements I love in fantasy and romance, and wove a tale that is as captivating as it is exciting! Highly recommend!

[Calliope's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you G.S Louis for providing me with an ARC of Between Shadows & Stars.

Let me start off by saying that 3 stars for me is not a bad rating at all and I would definitely recommend this book if you like epic fantasy, badass FMC and forbidden romance!

The reason I did not give it a higher rating is totally my fault and the fact that I could not get into it, the story was so interesting, the world was very unique and the characters are definitely fascinating but it unfortunately didn't grip me as hard as I wanted it to.

I had a hard time understanding the reasoning behind every character's actions and their relationship between one and another, but again, that is totally up to me and my mind!

I will definitely keep an eye out for the next book in this series!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! This book! It was a little slow for me at the start, but after a few chapters in I was fully hooked! By about 75% of the way through I had to force myself to put down the book and go to sleep for the night! I was so in love with the story that I finished the rest in one sitting! The book was just what I needed to get out of a reading slump! The depth and layers of the characters were just absolutely beautiful! I cannot wait for book two because that ending has me begging to know what comes next!

[Mar🍒 · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment i started this book, Reyna was tugging on my heart strings with everything that she was going through. This book put me through the motions, screaming at so many moments and the yearning that one particular thing would happen. That cliffhanger had me in awe and had me wanting to read the unreleased second book already. Once you start it, you don’t want to put i down until you’ve finished it. Reyna, Aldrin, Orren have my heart and hopefully they’ll all have their happy ending.

[Christabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. From start to finish, you are intrigued and yearning to learn more about each character. Each character holds a deeper story waiting to be unravelled. This book has a bit of everything in it and the ending has you wanting more. There was a moment where I was writing down each chapter I loved… until I realized I was writing down every chapter number. This was a fantastic debut novel and I cannot wait to see what is to come. Highly recommend.

[Melissa McSherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE CLIFFHANGER THOUGH!

This book was so well written for a debut novel! Reyna is that strong FMC we all love and the relationship between her and Aldrin was great! That push and pull tension that everyone craves from a good romance book! The world building was so good and made everything easy to picture while reading, I'm so excited for book two!

[Danelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story and felt like it was okay. I did struggle to get into the story with the style of writing. I feel like there was some grammar and structure errors that made it a little difficult to get into.

I do feel like this could be a great story though. I liked the characters very much and the loved the world.

[Amanda L · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know, I like trying new fantasy books. This cover sure drew me in too! Reyna seems a little young for her age, but she had a magnetism to her I couldn't ignore. I think this book would suit anyone in their teens into early twenties, as long as they don't mind some tried and true tropes, themes, and styles. I thought this was fun and fantastical.

[Francine · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE...What a super great book. Very well written and kept me one my toes. Love the characters and was having a hard time putting the book down. Now with the cliffhanger, I can't wait for the next book to come out.

[vy · Rating 1 out of 5]

not a fan of the story, though it sounds a little familiar

[Eli · Rating 1 out of 5]

To anyone who will see this please don’t take it as it’s a bad book! It’s just not my style, G.S Louis just happened to be in my city signing books. It’s just not my style

[Pascale Dupont-Mathieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book :) the cover is so cute.
Can't wait for the second book.

[Mrs A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the blurb and few posts I’d seen on social media. This was a pleasant read. The world building is really good. The plot flows at a medium pace and there is plenty of action and drama.

The main characters are well written, especially Reyna who is a strong and can hold her own. She become indebted to Aldrin who is the Kings advisor. Their chemistry and push/pull is fab Despite the fact that Reyna is meant to be fighting for a chance to marry the king.

Ends on a cliffhanger, would be interesting to see how the story progresses

[G.S. Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Reader,

It is with heartwarming glee that I announce the official release date of Between Shadows and Stars, the 4th of July 2023 (tomorrow). It is still very surreal to me to see how supportive everyone has been in my circle, both on social media and in my community. My friends and family have been the most supportive, leaving me on the edge of my seat to hear about their journey in the world of Faymoor and Tirmarwol.

I wanted to formally welcome new readers, fans and reviewers to the Goodreads page for Between Shadows and Stars. This journey takes you to the faerie realm, where you will witness Reyna, Festeria's most notorious spy, spiral in the taunts and traps of the Fae. Indebting herself to the royal advisor brings you in an emotional rollercoaster. Forbidden romance, competition trope, mortal x immortal, LGBTQ+, Celtic mythology, dark royalty core, good versus evil and so much more! This is the first of a series and I can't wait to dive into head first in this adventure with you all!

Thank you for all the support! It means so much to me to know that I can launch this book with an encouraging entourage.

Trigger warnings can be found on the copyrights page, and heads up, it does end on a cliffhanger!

Good news! Book 2 is set to come out early Fall 2024. Stay tuned for announcements and check out the newsletter on my website : www.gslouisauthor.com

Sincerely,
G.S.Louis
Fantasy Romance Author

[Tez · Rating 3 out of 5]

{ARC review}

“He makes me feel like I deserve love.”

When notorious spy Reyna is sent into the faerie realm to spy for her King she accidentally indebits herself to the faerie kings oldest friend and advisor Aldrin.

In paying off the debts Reyna glimpses the person Aldrin is behind his fierce mask and at risk of jeopardizing the treaty they both can’t help denying the feelings between them.

Between Shadow and Stars was an interesting read and a great debut novel.