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Winter's Magic #4
Winter's Mother 2
Their love emerged from the ashes, but can they save the world from searing ruin?
An ancient power has awakened, and the world is burning. With humanity on the brink of extinction, the Council of Mages makes a desperate gamble that threatens to shatter the magical community.
As war ravages the land, Cailleach Estate becomes one of the few safehouses left standing. But safety is an illusion. Trapped inside with her friends, a swarm of refugees, and the man who still holds her heart, Alannah finds that the walls are closing in. With cabin fever rising and old grudges sparking to life, the estate becomes a powder keg of buried secrets and rekindled desires.
The fires outside are scorching the earth, but the friction inside the house is just as volatile. Alannah Winters has never been one to hide, and as the pressure mounts, she must decide how much she is willing to sacrifice to protect her people from the destruction waiting just outside the gates.
About the Series: Winter’s Mother 2 is the fourth instalment of the Winter’s Magic saga, an epic romantic fantasy journey that follows the evolution of power, sacrifice, and soul-bound love.
The series is structured through the three stages of the goddess—Maiden, Mother, and Crone—mapping Alannah’s transformation from a girl discovering her hidden inheritance into a woman capable of commanding the elements themselves. While each duology captures a distinct era of her life and can be enjoyed as a self-contained arc, the true depth of the magic is found in the sequence.
Suggested Reading Order:
Phase I: The Maiden Duology (The Awakening)
• Book 1: Winter’s Maiden 1
• Book 2: Winter’s Maiden 2
• Book 2.5: Winter’s Thrall (Brendan’s dark descent)
Phase II: The Mother Duology (The Ascendance)
• Book 3: Winter’s Mother 1
• Book 4: Winter’s Mother 2
• Book 4.5: Winter’s Bride (In Development)
Phase III: The Crone Duology (The Reckoning)
• Book 5: Winter’s Crone 1 (Future Release)
• Book 6: Winter’s Crone 2 (Future Release)
General Series Content Warnings: Across the saga, you can expect:
• Coarse Language: High-frequency use of profanity throughout all volumes.
• Explicit Content: Graphic and detailed sexual descriptions.
• Violence: Depictions of occult-related violence and physical peril.
Book-Specific Warnings
Phase I: The Maiden Duology
• Winter’s Maiden 1: Includes depictions of sexual violence.
• Winter’s Maiden 2: Features sexual violence and minor BDSM themes. Note: Includes a partial cliffhanger resolved in Winter’s Thrall.
• Winter’s Thrall: A dark paranormal romance that blurs the lines of consent. Contains graphic M/M content, BDSM, and themes of incest.
Note: Readers sensitive to these themes may skip ahead to Winter’s Mother 1 without losing the primary series thread.
Phase II: The Mother Duology
• Winter’s Mother 1: Themes of adultery within a failing marriage. Features explicit M/F/F content. Ends on a cliffhanger.
• Winter’s Mother 2: Includes explicit M/M/F and M/F/F content.
An ancient power has awakened, and the world is burning. With humanity on the brink of extinction, the Council of Mages makes a desperate gamble that threatens to shatter the magical community.
As war ravages the land, Cailleach Estate becomes one of the few safehouses left standing. But safety is an illusion. Trapped inside with her friends, a swarm of refugees, and the man who still holds her heart, Alannah finds that the walls are closing in. With cabin fever rising and old grudges sparking to life, the estate becomes a powder keg of buried secrets and rekindled desires.
The fires outside are scorching the earth, but the friction inside the house is just as volatile. Alannah Winters has never been one to hide, and as the pressure mounts, she must decide how much she is willing to sacrifice to protect her people from the destruction waiting just outside the gates.
About the Series: Winter’s Mother 2 is the fourth instalment of the Winter’s Magic saga, an epic romantic fantasy journey that follows the evolution of power, sacrifice, and soul-bound love.
The series is structured through the three stages of the goddess—Maiden, Mother, and Crone—mapping Alannah’s transformation from a girl discovering her hidden inheritance into a woman capable of commanding the elements themselves. While each duology captures a distinct era of her life and can be enjoyed as a self-contained arc, the true depth of the magic is found in the sequence.
Suggested Reading Order:
Phase I: The Maiden Duology (The Awakening)
• Book 1: Winter’s Maiden 1
• Book 2: Winter’s Maiden 2
• Book 2.5: Winter’s Thrall (Brendan’s dark descent)
Phase II: The Mother Duology (The Ascendance)
• Book 3: Winter’s Mother 1
• Book 4: Winter’s Mother 2
• Book 4.5: Winter’s Bride (In Development)
Phase III: The Crone Duology (The Reckoning)
• Book 5: Winter’s Crone 1 (Future Release)
• Book 6: Winter’s Crone 2 (Future Release)
General Series Content Warnings: Across the saga, you can expect:
• Coarse Language: High-frequency use of profanity throughout all volumes.
• Explicit Content: Graphic and detailed sexual descriptions.
• Violence: Depictions of occult-related violence and physical peril.
Book-Specific Warnings
Phase I: The Maiden Duology
• Winter’s Maiden 1: Includes depictions of sexual violence.
• Winter’s Maiden 2: Features sexual violence and minor BDSM themes. Note: Includes a partial cliffhanger resolved in Winter’s Thrall.
• Winter’s Thrall: A dark paranormal romance that blurs the lines of consent. Contains graphic M/M content, BDSM, and themes of incest.
Note: Readers sensitive to these themes may skip ahead to Winter’s Mother 1 without losing the primary series thread.
Phase II: The Mother Duology
• Winter’s Mother 1: Themes of adultery within a failing marriage. Features explicit M/F/F content. Ends on a cliffhanger.
• Winter’s Mother 2: Includes explicit M/M/F and M/F/F content.
ebook
Published November 4, 2023
About the author
L. Starla
17 books227 followersFind all of my links at: https://linktr.ee/L.Starla
L. Starla is an Australian author who realized early on that "happily ever after" is much more interesting when it’s preceded by a bloodbath or a deal with a demon.
She crafts worlds where the heroes are questionable and the heroines are worse. Whether readers are looking for the ancient magic of the Winter’s Magic Saga or the forbidden psychological tension of The Phoebe Braddock books, they will find stories built on visceral passion, lethal secrets, and the heavy price of desire.
When she isn’t weaving tales of shadows and steam, she’s likely dominating a tabletop board game or losing herself in a dark RPG—proving that her competitive streak is just as lethal as her plot twists.
L. Starla is an Australian author who realized early on that "happily ever after" is much more interesting when it’s preceded by a bloodbath or a deal with a demon.
She crafts worlds where the heroes are questionable and the heroines are worse. Whether readers are looking for the ancient magic of the Winter’s Magic Saga or the forbidden psychological tension of The Phoebe Braddock books, they will find stories built on visceral passion, lethal secrets, and the heavy price of desire.
When she isn’t weaving tales of shadows and steam, she’s likely dominating a tabletop board game or losing herself in a dark RPG—proving that her competitive streak is just as lethal as her plot twists.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 9, 2024
A rain of fire was coming down from the three giant dragons above who are determined to destroy everything in their path.
Liam was on the front lines wishing that Alanna was there. He understood that High Magus Kieran wanted to use her conjuration skills and protect her, but she was their only hope of winning this war. But that wasn't his only concern. He was scared that being holed up at the mansion together Brendan would work his way back into her heart.
Alanna is looking at the man before her in shock. Alvar Elofsson just handed her a betrothal contract between Neve and his son Erik demanding she agree or he will not help protect them from the dragon attacks. Except signing would guarantee her daughter's death since Neve had lied to him about her virginity and her virtue is needed for Erik to fight for the Seelie throne.
I loved this book! It is very well written and the characters are fully developed and relatable. This is book four of the Winter's Magic series and they are intended to be read in order as the backstory is told through the series. There are many characters and moving parts in this series that revolve around Alanna Winters.
The series begins after her mother's death and she finds out her true heritage as a Mage knowing nothing of the magical world or her destiny as her mother kept her from that life. Liam and Brendan may be brothers, but they have never liked each other and when Alanna entered their life their rivalry turned even more bitter.
Winter's Mother 2 gives you a vague understanding of everyone's background, but you truly need to read the previous books to understand how these relationships evolved and the betrayals that have torn them apart.
This book is action-packed and full of danger as the magical world is in a war that threatens to unveil them to humankind. Neve is heartbroken when she finds out the treachery behind her and Erik's relationship. Brendan tries to mend his relationship with Alanna and regain her trust after breaking their soul bond sixteen years before. Liam is trying to move on after losing Alanna.
This is a paranormal romance that has many triggering subjects so beware if you have issues with incestuous relationships, mmf menage, ff and really all sexual situations that you could think of. This story adds another character twist with a peek into a prophecy full of further surprises.
This book does not end with a happily ever after as the story continues on, but there is a shocking (a few actually), but a major cliffhanger that will show you that treachery is everywhere. There are multiple POVs which give this story even more depth. Highly recommend.
Liam was on the front lines wishing that Alanna was there. He understood that High Magus Kieran wanted to use her conjuration skills and protect her, but she was their only hope of winning this war. But that wasn't his only concern. He was scared that being holed up at the mansion together Brendan would work his way back into her heart.
Alanna is looking at the man before her in shock. Alvar Elofsson just handed her a betrothal contract between Neve and his son Erik demanding she agree or he will not help protect them from the dragon attacks. Except signing would guarantee her daughter's death since Neve had lied to him about her virginity and her virtue is needed for Erik to fight for the Seelie throne.
I loved this book! It is very well written and the characters are fully developed and relatable. This is book four of the Winter's Magic series and they are intended to be read in order as the backstory is told through the series. There are many characters and moving parts in this series that revolve around Alanna Winters.
The series begins after her mother's death and she finds out her true heritage as a Mage knowing nothing of the magical world or her destiny as her mother kept her from that life. Liam and Brendan may be brothers, but they have never liked each other and when Alanna entered their life their rivalry turned even more bitter.
Winter's Mother 2 gives you a vague understanding of everyone's background, but you truly need to read the previous books to understand how these relationships evolved and the betrayals that have torn them apart.
This book is action-packed and full of danger as the magical world is in a war that threatens to unveil them to humankind. Neve is heartbroken when she finds out the treachery behind her and Erik's relationship. Brendan tries to mend his relationship with Alanna and regain her trust after breaking their soul bond sixteen years before. Liam is trying to move on after losing Alanna.
This is a paranormal romance that has many triggering subjects so beware if you have issues with incestuous relationships, mmf menage, ff and really all sexual situations that you could think of. This story adds another character twist with a peek into a prophecy full of further surprises.
This book does not end with a happily ever after as the story continues on, but there is a shocking (a few actually), but a major cliffhanger that will show you that treachery is everywhere. There are multiple POVs which give this story even more depth. Highly recommend.
October 1, 2023
Winter’s Mother 2 starts right where the first part left off: It’s war against the dragons, and Alannah has to juggle her love life with her returned soulmate, her daughter’s betrothal, and new political responsibilities while finding a way to protect everyone she loves.
As always, Laelia Starla gives us lots of heat, various POVs, and an exciting plot. I enjoyed reading the continuation of Alannah’s story, but I felt like her daughter, who was an equally important character in the first book, lost part of her significance as a protagonist. The book solved most of the conflicts introduced in Winter’s Mother 1 while giving us new things to look forward to in the coming stories.
As always, Laelia Starla gives us lots of heat, various POVs, and an exciting plot. I enjoyed reading the continuation of Alannah’s story, but I felt like her daughter, who was an equally important character in the first book, lost part of her significance as a protagonist. The book solved most of the conflicts introduced in Winter’s Mother 1 while giving us new things to look forward to in the coming stories.
November 15, 2023
I considered it an honor and a privilege to be able to read an ARC(Advance Readers Copy) mostly because most authors only do eBooks.
I really appreciated the fact I had a print copy to read & really enjoyed reding the book. It certainly did not turn out the way I thought it would but then her books rarely do & that is what I like about them.
I do recommend the book.
Note- Read books in order because they make more sense at least in my opinion.
Will read again.
I really appreciated the fact I had a print copy to read & really enjoyed reding the book. It certainly did not turn out the way I thought it would but then her books rarely do & that is what I like about them.
I do recommend the book.
Note- Read books in order because they make more sense at least in my opinion.
Will read again.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews