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Tournament of Hearts: The Trial
In a world where magic is forbidden and destinies are rewritten, two souls find themselves bound by a trial that will change their lives forever.
Rhea, a lonely elementary school teacher, leads a quiet life, unaware of the enchanting secrets hidden within the realms of the fae. Little does she know that her world is about to collide with a forbidden love that defies the very fabric of fae society.
Enter Aramis, a male fae who dares to practice magic deemed illegal by the ironclad laws of their kingdom. When he is caught in the act and faces the daunting judgment of the fae council, the stage is set for a trial like no other. Condemned by tradition and fear, Aramis is tasked with a perilous to summon the future queen, a feat that has eluded even the most powerful members of the council.
With the odds stacked against him and his life hanging in the balance, Aramis embarks on a treacherous journey through realms, determined to complete the impossible.
Destiny has its own plans, and Rhea's path becomes intertwined with Aramis's in ways neither of them could have imagined. Their love story becomes a battleground for freedom, and the stakes are higher than ever before.
Reviewers say :
"Two fated souls that not even different worlds can keep separated. Tournament of Hearts is a story full of magic(k) and hope where love becomes the ultimate shield. Austin Valenzuela's world building and romance aspects are some of the most refreshing things I've read in a long time. This book will capture you from page one and you'll beg to have more as soon as you get to the last sentence." - Letizia Firmani, Author of The Crown's Soul Prophecy
"Tournament of Hearts has the perfect amount of angst and suspense while subverting the classic fantasy plot line of a female in a male dominated field. It has one of the most interesting magic systems I've ever read and the romance is *chef's kiss* perfection. This is a must read for any romantic fantasy lover!" - @redbullandkindle
Rhea, a lonely elementary school teacher, leads a quiet life, unaware of the enchanting secrets hidden within the realms of the fae. Little does she know that her world is about to collide with a forbidden love that defies the very fabric of fae society.
Enter Aramis, a male fae who dares to practice magic deemed illegal by the ironclad laws of their kingdom. When he is caught in the act and faces the daunting judgment of the fae council, the stage is set for a trial like no other. Condemned by tradition and fear, Aramis is tasked with a perilous to summon the future queen, a feat that has eluded even the most powerful members of the council.
With the odds stacked against him and his life hanging in the balance, Aramis embarks on a treacherous journey through realms, determined to complete the impossible.
Destiny has its own plans, and Rhea's path becomes intertwined with Aramis's in ways neither of them could have imagined. Their love story becomes a battleground for freedom, and the stakes are higher than ever before.
Reviewers say :
"Two fated souls that not even different worlds can keep separated. Tournament of Hearts is a story full of magic(k) and hope where love becomes the ultimate shield. Austin Valenzuela's world building and romance aspects are some of the most refreshing things I've read in a long time. This book will capture you from page one and you'll beg to have more as soon as you get to the last sentence." - Letizia Firmani, Author of The Crown's Soul Prophecy
"Tournament of Hearts has the perfect amount of angst and suspense while subverting the classic fantasy plot line of a female in a male dominated field. It has one of the most interesting magic systems I've ever read and the romance is *chef's kiss* perfection. This is a must read for any romantic fantasy lover!" - @redbullandkindle
140 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2023
About the author
Austin Valenzuela
11 books57 followersAustin Valenzuela is the author of the Dragonspeak series and other science-fiction/fantasy novels. He enjoys reading and writing fiction, learning about psychology and other non-fiction areas, immersing himself in other worlds, and most of all, spending time with family and friends. He grew up in the suburbs of Rosemount, Minnesota, then moved to his current residence in Tampa, Florida. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Grand Canyon University.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 21, 2023
This is a novella written by an up and coming author. The story is about events leading up to a world’s tournament to appoint their new king. Specifically, a young fae’s experiences, including finding himself in the middle of a trial.
It does include some fantasy romance elements- but they happen, in my opinion, lacking any real build.
It makes them seemingly occur very suddenly. I feel like this could be remedied if it was a bit longer of a book.
That being said, the writing itself is quality. Considering it is a self published book, it contains no glaring grammatical errors, which I’ve come to almost expect in self published stories.
I, personally, have a hard time with books that lack any real climax or resolution. I struggled to find the typical parts of plot in this book, and felt like the falling action really only occurred over the last few pages. My only consolation is that there are other subsequent books coming out- but I’m somewhat of the opinion that this one was incomplete, and so short it would’ve benefited from being combined all together- rather than being split into Novella versions.
Overall, it’s a solid read. The writing shows great potential, if the plot lines in future books were a bit more developed they would be really good. I will be looking for future books written by this author.
It does include some fantasy romance elements- but they happen, in my opinion, lacking any real build.
It makes them seemingly occur very suddenly. I feel like this could be remedied if it was a bit longer of a book.
That being said, the writing itself is quality. Considering it is a self published book, it contains no glaring grammatical errors, which I’ve come to almost expect in self published stories.
I, personally, have a hard time with books that lack any real climax or resolution. I struggled to find the typical parts of plot in this book, and felt like the falling action really only occurred over the last few pages. My only consolation is that there are other subsequent books coming out- but I’m somewhat of the opinion that this one was incomplete, and so short it would’ve benefited from being combined all together- rather than being split into Novella versions.
Overall, it’s a solid read. The writing shows great potential, if the plot lines in future books were a bit more developed they would be really good. I will be looking for future books written by this author.
November 19, 2023
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
This was a first in the romance genre, according to Valenzuela’s author note and I must say…. WELL. DONE. SIR. 👏🏻
This was a quick, fun read that left me absolutely wanting more. I didn’t give it 5 stars because the beginning for me was a bit of an info dump (tbh, I’m just jaded bc a CERTAIN new dragon series is literally ONLY info dump for two books and I am just DONE 🙄) but it was necessary to understand this new magyck system and it’s just my personal bias at this point.
Can I also just point out how refreshing it is to get a truly unique MALE mc who isn’t all muscles and know-how and “let me burn the world for you” ridiculousness and instead we were treated to someone softer and someone who followed his own path no matter the cost. I’ll take that over the cookie cutter booksta boyfriends any day. It’s just a breath of fresh air that this community could benefit from.
Overall, this was a 4.5 for me and a series I will continue!!! Well done, Austin! 🫡
This was a first in the romance genre, according to Valenzuela’s author note and I must say…. WELL. DONE. SIR. 👏🏻
This was a quick, fun read that left me absolutely wanting more. I didn’t give it 5 stars because the beginning for me was a bit of an info dump (tbh, I’m just jaded bc a CERTAIN new dragon series is literally ONLY info dump for two books and I am just DONE 🙄) but it was necessary to understand this new magyck system and it’s just my personal bias at this point.
Can I also just point out how refreshing it is to get a truly unique MALE mc who isn’t all muscles and know-how and “let me burn the world for you” ridiculousness and instead we were treated to someone softer and someone who followed his own path no matter the cost. I’ll take that over the cookie cutter booksta boyfriends any day. It’s just a breath of fresh air that this community could benefit from.
Overall, this was a 4.5 for me and a series I will continue!!! Well done, Austin! 🫡
November 5, 2023
I went into this book with high hopes. It’s a short novella which makes it a quick read but I couldn’t find myself interested in the characters, the world building was flat and the plot didn’t click with me. The whole concept that magic is illegal but everyone seemed to know Aramis was practicing confused me. Plus what is the purpose of the secret room if he’s just going to take books to his regular quarters and read in bed? Also, 80 plus story tower and no explanation of how to get up. Portals? Stairs? Is this a medieval world or slightly modernized? The writing itself is decent and with just a little more filler I could see this being a great read.
October 11, 2023
Two fated souls that not even different worlds can keep separated. Tournament of Hearts is a story full of magic(k) and hope where love becomes the ultimate shield. Austin Valenzuela's world building and romance aspects are some of the most refreshing things I've read in a long time. This book will capture you from page one and you'll beg to have more as soon as you get to the last sentence.
Can't wait for book 2 to come out!!!
Can't wait for book 2 to come out!!!
November 14, 2023
Quick read. Leaves on a cliffhanger.
I'm intrigued by the book, I found the series via BookIG and his reels pulled me in enough to try a male author that writes romantic fantasy.
For the first book I'd say I'm still a little confused about the world, their court dynamics and how romancie it will be. However, the characters, the overall arcing story and plot have me so intrigued that I'm looking forward to reading the next book and I think it will be good by the end.
I'm intrigued by the book, I found the series via BookIG and his reels pulled me in enough to try a male author that writes romantic fantasy.
For the first book I'd say I'm still a little confused about the world, their court dynamics and how romancie it will be. However, the characters, the overall arcing story and plot have me so intrigued that I'm looking forward to reading the next book and I think it will be good by the end.
October 11, 2023
I’m soooooooo excited to read more from this author, this fantasy romance has been highly anticipated (more fantasy romance, sign me up). I understand that this book doesn’t have smut in it but he did say that the next books in the series are seriously going to deliver, so I’m excited to read this setup/entry into this particular world
November 28, 2023
What a fantastic book! I loved it from the beginning and was so disappointed when I reached the end and then I realized that book 2 was already released and I was able to breathe again!! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did, but right now I have the next book to read so, see ya later! Enjoy!
February 6, 2024
Interesting
It was hard to finish this book and I skimmed through the end. There’s a lot of repetition on the characters feelings and thoughts. Sometimes it felt like we needed to just get straight to the point and continue with the plot. However, cutting through all of that - the story is creative and intriguing.
It was hard to finish this book and I skimmed through the end. There’s a lot of repetition on the characters feelings and thoughts. Sometimes it felt like we needed to just get straight to the point and continue with the plot. However, cutting through all of that - the story is creative and intriguing.
November 2, 2023
This is the first book in what I assume will be a series, or at the very least a duo.
Seamus is a far that lives in a realm where the male and female far are separated in the types of magical arts they practice. The male face compete every season for the chance to be king to their new Queen from a different realm. Aramis secretly practices female magic and it lands him in trouble. His punishment is finding and bringing back the new Queen for the tournament.
That description is what got me hooked on reading the story. That’s basically the whole book. The ending is a cliffhanger with not knowing what is going to happen next with the main characters. If I had been more invested in the book I may have wanted to read the next book but I just wasn’t.
Seamus is a far that lives in a realm where the male and female far are separated in the types of magical arts they practice. The male face compete every season for the chance to be king to their new Queen from a different realm. Aramis secretly practices female magic and it lands him in trouble. His punishment is finding and bringing back the new Queen for the tournament.
That description is what got me hooked on reading the story. That’s basically the whole book. The ending is a cliffhanger with not knowing what is going to happen next with the main characters. If I had been more invested in the book I may have wanted to read the next book but I just wasn’t.
November 21, 2023
A new, independent author! Originally gave it a 3 because I wanted it to be longer and a bit more detailed on the FMC but I know it’s a 3 book series so bumped it to a 4 for patience and holding out for more background.
December 21, 2023
I’ve haven’t come across a story like this one before. I couldn’t put it down. The characters are well thought out and the world building was quick but well developed. I can’t wait to get my hands on book two!
January 6, 2024
A great fantasy book with interesting characters and a great story. I really liked this story and look forward to future books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via StoryOrigin and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 28, 2023
When fate is there - not even worlds can keep them apart. Brilliant.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews