The Storm King

by Sara Sellers

She was the Storm King’s bride. A summer princess banished from the sun. A prize offered up in a desperate bid for peace. And now, a servant to the enemy.

Valla Sunstar was offered up in marriage to the Storm King to end the war between their nations. But when an avalanche rids her of her escorts en route to her intended, Valla takes fate into her own hands. When she arrives at her betrothed’s fortress alone, she pretends to be the late princess’s servant instead of his future wife.

Rodrick Fjallgard doesn’t want to wed the daughter of his oldest enemy, but he’ll do it to keep his people from starving. But when his betrothed shows up at his hearth claiming to be a lady’s maid, he decides to play along with her deception.

Valla needs to survive until winter ends with her disguise intact. Rodrick is determined to make her confess. Neither planned to lose their hearts in the process.

This is a standalone novel.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Magic, Royalty

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2023

About the author

Sara Sellers lives in Georgia with her three cats. She likes the sound of rain, the smell of gasoline, and the taste of boiled peanuts. She has a soft spot in her heart for K-dramas and training montages.

Reviews

[MC · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.4 / 5.0

The Storm King by Sarah Sellers is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with little complexity and mediocre spice (3/5 open door).

This story does not advertise itself as a B&B retelling, which could have improved its rating since a reader would at least know the setup. Without that pre-established dynamic, Sellers should have built-out a world and political setting. She needed to give us more information on the world, the magic, and the way these characters would begin their interactions.

All these components of the atmosphere/setting are left out and the book focuses only on the relationship between the main characters. Like in the montage from the animated film, this book is only them going from trope to trope as this love develops, until the third act breakup. Even then, instead of getting drama and angst, it’s shallow and null because these characters have no chemistry. The best tension scene of the whole book is when she’s shaving his beard and that doesn’t capitalize on the slow burn, it just slumps it onto the reader and then has the MMC relieve himself.

The feel of the fantasy is ruined by the author’s use of modern vernacular throughout and poorly written dialogue. It is very awkward, though the book has been proofread if not also edited.

Overall, this wasn’t the quick bit of romantasy I was hoping for. There is an age gap and breeding trope utilized, neither are to my tastes. The story would be better with more background written into the world, characters, and the conflict. It has open door spice scenes but they are neither exploratory nor inventive.

Until Next Time,
MC

This review is based on a CAWPILE rating of 4.

[2TNWalkers · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are all about double standards and no owning your shit this is the book for you..at first liked Valla, but midway thru she found out the Rodrick knew her lies, she was all pissed and threw her double standards out there and did not own her own deception..was hoping she would die and someone better came along at that point.

[inès ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i usually like a bit of plot with my smut

[mary ❀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

buddy read w sabby. bad.

[iris [updating reviews] · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really have anything to say on this tbh. It wasn't great but I enjoyed it a lot.

[tina ʚɞ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 🌟

after almost a month away because of my finals, i am back.... to getting disappointment. ok, fine, it's not that bad, i will admit. however, i did expect something more.

the first half of this book was great. it had me giggling and laughing and all that stuff.

it started going downwards after that. the FMC valla was so hypocritical i wanted to kill her. additionally, everything in the second half was so rushed that you genuinely couldn't get a grip on anything.

was it the worst book i read lately? of course not. but i do think it could have been a lot better

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small 4, as it was distracting. A part in the middle was a bit too spicy for my taste, but other than that, the story was interesting, and the last third pretty tense, which had me invested in the story again. It's nothing that hasn't been done before, but the writing is pretty fluid and it was a short read. It's what I needed to prepare me for a longer read. I got it for free during a "stuff your kindle" day.

[☆ serethiel ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always had a fairly lenient rating system. If a book is good, I give it four stars. I never really questioned my rating system until I read The Storm King by Sara Sellers.

The Storm King is classic take on fresh romantasy. A princess is on her way to meet her betrothed — a stranger, the king of a winter land — when a devastating accident places her in a unique position. She seeks refuge at her betrothed’s castle, posing as her own maid. Unbeknownst to her, the king knows who she is.

From the premise, this book sounds sexy and adorable. And… I did like it… but, as much as I wish I could say otherwise, I didn’t like it that much.

I read romantasy for the balance of epic fantasy plot and romance (although I’ve started skipping smut scenes). The Storm King is just romance. Rather than following a character-driven plot, The Storm King focuses on the smut and the “will they or won’t they” with nothing else to back it up. There is a storyworld with fair storybuilding, but that has little impact on the characters (beyond bringing them together in the first place).

I ended up DNFing this book at 59%.

Which brings me back to my rating system.

I liked this book, but not enough to finish it. Four stars feels too high, but three stars — the same rating I gave The Cruel Prince by Holly Black — feels too low. So, consider this my new rating system (visible in the sidebar of my blog, as well):
5⭐ — I’M OBSESSED.
4⭐ — This was really good and deserves recognition for that, but I don’t love it.
3⭐ — This was good and I wish I liked it more!
2⭐ — This was mediocre.
1⭐ — I despise this with every fiber of my being.

(Let it be known that, under this system, I would’ve given The Cruel Prince about 1.5 stars.)

I give The Storm King three stars.

[Paginas da Gio · Rating 4 out of 5]

❄️MOTIVOS PARA LER: THE STORM KING❄️
Nota: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. Romantasia enemies to lovers
Para quem gosta de fantasia com romance e hot, e uma boa trope enemies to lovers, esse é perfeito demais!

2. Personagens cativantes
Tanto o Rodrick como a Valla são personagens muito bem escritos, temos o ponto de vista de ambos e podemos ver todas as indecisões e os momentos que começaram a se apaixonar.

3. Princesa Disfarçada
Valla é prometida em casamento contra sua vontade para Rodrick, o Rei da Tempestade. Mas quando ela tem a chance de passar a perna nele, ela mente dizendo que na verdade é uma empregada da princesa que acabou morrendo a caminho de encontrá-lo e só ela sobrou da comitiva.

4. Entrega o que é esperado.
O livro é uma fantasia fácil de ler, não tem milhões de personagens e nem diversas coisas para ficarmos lembrando. O livro é mais focado no romance com as pitadas de fantasia. Então se você quer algo curto, bom e com bastante romance, essa fantasia é para você.

5. Ambientação bem geladinha
O livro se passa em uma região em que o inverno domina o ano inteiro, sendo que Valla é a princesa do Verão. Então vemos ela vivendo em um lugar completamente diferente do que ela viveu a vida inteira, tendo que lidar com vários dilemas e o frio intenso ainda por cima. Toda a ambientação do frio é muito bem descrito para fazer o leitor sentir frio também e imaginar como deve ser morar naquele lugar.

[Exile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird.. that's all I gotta say

[Bianca Vecchio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, quick, very hot and easy read - good for curing a reading slump just a general hot plot to follow along no deep thought required

[Ebony Giselle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only got this on the free kindle stuffers day. Wanted to read more bipoc authors. It’s a decent story but I’d only read when I was struggling to sleep.

Started early July. Started and stopped over and over. Continuous. Not from the start. Eventually got to 35% sometime in September. And I haven’t touched it since.

It’s November.

This is giving Hades and Persephone. But the third person old times vibes isn’t for me.

[Sterre Kuijpers · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐

[Shannon Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable! Fairytale vibes

This story was enjoyable with an easy to follow magic system. Pacing was good and the FMC was strong without being annoying.

[A.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non ho visto recensioni italiane, quindi mi prenderò la libertà di dare la mia.

“The Storm King” è un libro classificabile come romantasy (romance+fantasy), in cui la protagonista — una principessa — è costretta a sposare il Re del Regno dell’Inverno (per comodità definiremo così il suo regno). Non volendo questo matrimonio, Valla (la MC) parte insieme a una piccola scorta e arriva, come unica superstite, alla corte di Rodrick (love interest) e si finge davanti a lui una serva.
Da questo momento in poi la storia va avanti con la sceneggiata di Valla, che Rodrick sa già dal principio essere tale poiché conosce la sua vera identità. Avvincente, no? L’inganno è il punto cardine della trama e ogni mossa dei protagonisti ruota attorno ad esso, in un gioco in cui Rodrick vuole spingerla a rivelare tutto mentre Valla tiene la verità sempre più stretta al petto.

Tuttavia, questo libro ha peccato in molti aspetti che la scrittrice, evidentemente, non ha saputo raffinare.


1. IL WORLD BUILDING:

Nella storia vengono presentati soltanto due Regni, quello del Sole/Estate e quello dell’Inverno, mentre di altri luoghi si sa poco e nulla. Questo, allora, dovrebbe significare che la loro strutturazione e caratterizzazione sia ben approfondita, no? NO?

No.

Le maggiori informazioni che abbiamo riguardano il Regno dell’Inverno, raccontateci dallo stesso Rodrick. Miti su miti riguardo il Regno e il suo popolo, sul freddo perenne e la difficoltà nell’ottenere risorse per tutto l’anno.
Del Regno del Sole/Estate si sanno tre cose soltanto: buono per la coltivazione, pieno di campi e pianure e abbondanza di harem e svariati figli.
Nonostante Valla venga da lì nemmeno tre storie ci vengono raccontate sul suo regno che, in tutto ciò, appare essere più razzista di quello di Rodrick.

Circa, almeno.


Tra i due popoli non scorre buon sangue, quindi la discriminazione e il razzismo sono ben presenti e si notano nel libro. Esempio è il trattamento riservato a Valla dai sudditi di Rodrick. Ciò lo ritengo una delle poche cose che la Seller ha saputo mostrarci.


2. SISTEMA MAGICO:

Tralasciando gli altri regni completamente inesistenti, concentriamoci sul Regno di Valla e su quello di Rodrick.
Innanzitutto la magia non è qualcosa che possiedono soltanto i reali, in quanto alla corte del Regno del Sole/Estate sono presenti maghi del fuoco. Eppure la protagonista non ha questi poteri, né mi è sembrato di capire che suo padre li avesse.

Nonostante Valla ci riveli di aver avuto un allenamento intenso da parte di suo padre, non ci viene detto in cosa né ci viene mostrato nella storia. Né lei né le sue sorelle hanno poteri. Allora, vista la differenza con il Regno dell’Inverno, sorge spontaneo pensare che la magia vada da maschio in maschio. È così? No. La figlia dei due protagonisti — femmina in tutto e per tutto — detiene i poteri di entrambe le stirpi.

Nessuno, però, ci spiega perché la protagonista e le sue sorelle non abbiano questi poteri.

Altro problema del sistema magico? I maghi del fuoco, a quanto pare, non possono utilizzare i loro poteri se non c’è il sole.

Questo avrebbe un senso qualora fosse mostrato chiaramente, tipo con qualche difficoltà di Valla ad adattarsi al freddo. Invece, Stefan — unico mago citato per nome e che torna successivamente nella storia — diventa inutile nel momento in cui deve scortare Valla nel Regno dell’Inverno.

Tutto ciò dovrebbe trovare un senso se anche per Rodrick e i suoi maghi fosse lo stesso. Invece no.

Innanzitutto Rodrick appare come maledetto per via del suo “cuore di ghiaccio” che non gli permette di lasciare il suo Regno per lunghi periodi di tempo (altrimenti muore). Il suo umore condiziona il tempo, causandone le tempeste, e rendendolo temuto dai nemici. Anche alla corte del Sole/Estate, però, è in grado di usare i suoi poteri (al contrario di Stefan l’inetto).

Altro soggetto capace di ciò? La figlia dei protagonisti. Ancora dentro la pancia della madre era capace di far NEVICARE. Un feto, un qualcosa che non dovrebbe nemmeno sopravvivere al caldo se pensiamo alla maledizione di Rodrick, batte su tutti i fronti Stefan l’inetto.

Ha senso? No.
È stato divertente? Assolutamente.


3. I PERSONAGGI SECONDARI:

Grandissima presa per il culo di questa storia. I personaggi appaiono a caso per poi scomparire nel nulla. I pochi che tornano frequentemente — per quanto ciò sia definibile tale — sono tre in croce. Tralasciamo la famiglia di Valla che, per ragioni di trama, appare soltanto nella parte finale del romanzi.

Il vero problema è nella corte di Rodrick.

La Seller — perdonatemi — ha deciso da sé che la storia dovesse riguardare soltanto Rodrick e Valla, il resto poteva essere un contorno regalatoci ogni tanto per carità.

Valla arriva al palazzo, viene assegnata a una delle domestiche a capo — unica su tre personaggi che continua ad apparire — che la discrimina e rende il lavoro come serva più difficile. Quando le ordina di portare a Rodrick il suo tè mattutino, Valla lo trova a letto con un’altra ragazza.

Scena questionabile, lo so, ha deluso pure me con questo gesto.

La ragazza in questione? Completamente inesistente. Appare due volte — quando Valla la vede e quando sue domestiche la citano davanti alla protagonista. Di lei non si sa praticamente nulla né appare per essere un’antagonista nei confronti di Valla.

Così poco presente che ho pensato fosse stata ammazzata dallo stesso Rodrick — per dire.

Le domestiche? Citate soltanto per quell’incarico condiviso con Valla, in cui hanno tentato di ammazzarla. Di loro non si è saputo più nulla.

Morte pure loro?

Valla non ci prova nemmeno a fare amicizia con il popolo di Rodrick.

I miti citati prima? Altri personaggi che appaiono un po’ a caso, per legare romanticamente Rodrick e Valla.

La trama ruota soltanto sulla relazione tra i due protagonisti, citando soltanto qualche volta delle comparse che appaiono pochi secondi.


4. SERAPHINA/VALLA:

No, non mi lamenterò di Rodrick. Soltanto di lei. Perché? Per la sua ipocrisia e stupidità.

Mi dispiace per la Seller, perché avrebbe veramente potuto scrivere un personaggio fatto bene, invece ha deciso di rimanere sul vago, per poi cadere nell’ipocrisia.


Valla, la primogenita, l’eletta per sposare Rodrick, che sostiene di aver subito allenamenti intensi sin da quando era bambina. La stessa ragazza che cavalca, sopravvive al gelo dell’inverno e ha le palle (passatemi il termine) di ingannare il Re del regno nemico pur di non doverlo sposare.

Questa Valla era una Diva, una Icona.

La stessa Valla che ha resistito alla vita da umile, che ha ingannato la corte rivale e ha bisticciato con Rodrick vincendo.

Purtroppo non è rimasta così.

Valla decide di mentire e fino all’ultimo non si smuove e quando lo fa, scoprendo che Rodrick già sapeva la verità, accusa LUI di essere il BUGIARDO.

Rodrick che prova in tutti i modi a dimostrarle il suo amore viene snobbato, insultato e abbandonato da lei, poiché non poteva sapere se i suoi gesti fossero mai stati sinceri.

L’unica a non essere mai stata sincera era lei, eppure la colpa è ricaduta su di lui.

Valla ha la costante paura che lui non la ami davvero quando Rodrick si dispera per il suo amore. Non importa quanto lui abbia fatto per lei, però, perché Valla rimane fedele al suo piano iniziale e lascia il Regno dell’Inverno.

A questo punto, costretta dalla trama a ritornare alla propria corte, viene isolata e trattata come una prigioniera. Nemmeno di fronte a questa situazione, però, vediamo i suoi allenamenti in atto.

Di ciò che Valla è capace non c’è dato saperlo, perché appare soltanto come una principessa bugiarda e capricciosa.

NONOSTANTE TUTTO PERÒ…

…ho deciso di dare tre stelle a questo libro, non perché sia buono, né perché sia brutto. È mediocre? Banale? Forse.

Lo definirei meglio come uno di quei libri che si leggono per noia, una lettura per passarsi il tempo, farsi una risata e magari uscire dal blocco del lettore.

Una delle cose che più mi sono piaciute di questo libro? I dialoghi.

Tralasciando il resto, i dialoghi erano delle perle in mezzo al deserto della storia. Mi hanno spinto loro a continuare questo libro, proprio per le perle che i protagonisti e i vari personaggi secondari sono riusciti a tirare fuori.

Per questo sono sicura che la Seller potrebbe scrivere un libro avvincente, se soltanto scegliesse di curare gli aspetti cardine della trama oltre che ai due protagonisti principali.

[Nelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Storm King," by Sarah Sellers, I must say, was an enthralling read. While there were certain aspects of the story that left me feeling frustrated, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

One of the standout characters in "The Storm King" was Roderick, the protagonist. I found him to be relatable and genuine, and I genuinely appreciated his integrity. Throughout the novel, Roderick displayed unwavering loyalty and concern for others, making him a likable and admirable character. His unwavering belief in Valla, despite his doubts, was commendable.

On the other hand, Valla, the other main character, left me feeling frustrated and disappointed. Her constant lying and manipulation of Roderick were entirely unnecessary and came across as petty spite. Instead of seeking resolution, Valla perpetuated unnecessary drama, which disrupted the otherwise captivating storyline.

One of the primary themes explored in "The Storm King" was the power of deception and the consequences it can have. Valla's lies not only affected her personal relationships but also had far-reaching consequences for the entire kingdom. This theme resonated throughout the story, shedding light on the importance of honesty in relationships and the consequences of deceit.

Both Roderick and Valla were forced to make difficult decisions throughout the novel, and these decisions often required sacrifice. Sacrifice for the greater good is a recurring theme in literature, and "The Storm King" did an excellent job exploring this theme in the context of a fantasy world.

While there were a few aspects of "The Storm King" that left me feeling frustrated, overall, it was an enjoyable read. Sarah Sellers' vivid descriptions and engaging storytelling kept me hooked throughout the book.

The exploration of themes of deception and sacrifice added depth to the story and made for an engaging read. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy fantasy novels with compelling characters and thought-provoking themes.

[Karin Budke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished it, so I will give it more than one star. But I struggle to find anything positive. It felt like cheap rip off of “The Winter King by C.L. Wilson”.

It was a boring read, not much action. Romance was mild and didnt make much sense (with the litlle to no relationship development) and neither did FMC decisions and thought process - being angry at MMC for something the FMC caused was just bizzare and annoying. MMC actions didnt make much sense either, he was lovesick puppy from start to finish and it didnt feel right.

Too much focus on the sex in the middle of the book. If the author focused with the same intensity on other aspects of the books, like depth of characters or some good plot, the rating would be much higher.

I feel like the most interesting drama was completely left out, no surprise betrayal or great plot twist and the “betrayal” that was there was not really a betrayal at all…

All in all - Very average and forgettable story.

Now the technical aspects: It was 3rd person narrator so marking chapters based on the character’s “PoV” was weird. The 3PN enables flexible movement from one character to another without having to separate it into chapters… It was rather wasted narration type and should be 1person POV instead. As it is, I would appreciate a little creativity with naming the chapters or not naming them at all.

Potential SPOILER ahead: pregnancy trope: I also disliked reffering to the unborn child as “they” as I wasnt sure if there are suddenly two babies or if it is some LGBTQ propaganda as other times it was just “child”… It was troving me off.

[isabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

another dodgy book read turned okay. the way sellers writes surroundings made me vividly imagine them too. would love to see fanarts of this just to bring the idea to life.

i was, however, stunned by the very modern dialogue going on. you would think if you’re reading fantasy books then the dialogue would be more… old? for a lack of better word i could think of right now.

also, valla having double standards when rodrick (please, why is his name like that? couldn’t we have come up with a scarier name for the supposed Storm King?) revealed he knew who she was. baby, you pretended to be a maid!!! be real now.

their baby being the strongest most powerful thing was quite funny at the end, tho. like, of course she is! checks out!

conclusion: breezed through this. was an enjoyable little read while taking a break from my heavier reads.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. Princess who has been controlled all her life takes the opportunity to try to escape her arranged marriage to the supposed cold, evil northerner by faking her death and posing as a lady’s maid. Except that he already knew what she looked like and so just played along with her ruse. It was fun reading along as they fell in love with each other seemingly forgetting their stations at times and just enjoying each other. I liked the ending with their daughter bringing the kingdoms together.

[Jael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this one because of the breeding kink tag – I'm a simple gal, what can I say? Grabbed a copy of this from a "stuff your kindle" day and I was quite pleased *insert quip about Valla being stuffed*

Jokes aside, I was immediately enthralled by the world and dynamics in this book: the duality of winter and summer/cold and hot in nations, people and magic.

A caged princess all her life, Valla Sunstar, just wants freedom from the chains that her father (and patriarchal society of her homeland Isaana) has placed on her. When she is essentially sold to Rodrick, the Storm King of the rival nation, to seal a peace treaty between their warring kingdoms, she makes the trek up the snowy, windy, blizzardous (not a word?) mountain only to be met with an avalanche and near death. Upon arriving at Rodrick's keep, her entire company thought to have perished, she believes no one knows who she is and decides to reinvent herself. She is clever and stubborn, which I'm always fond of in a FMC. But sometimes annoyingly so. Little does she know that the Storm King knows her secret and is seeing how long it'll take until she cracks.

I would disagree with some of the other reviews claiming these characters had no chemistry - I think they did, she being the light to his dark and him being the freedom, choice and love she wasn't given growing up. With that said, there could have been more space to explore their growth and feelings, the shifts felt very sudden, and I didn't quite get the "enemies" part from them.

I found myself wishing for more world-building and backstory into the magic and history of the warring kingdoms to inform Rodrick and Valla's initial dynamic. I also spent time rereading certain paragraphs, and sometimes chapters, thinking I had missed some key explanation or detail. Too much was assumed. I read in a different review that this was intended to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Thinking back, there are elements of the story where I agree but if that's the case, it wasn't fully fleshed out.

A wee spoiler is that, after reading a certain scene, I will never disagree that the act of shaving someone else can be intimate again.

The sexual tension was high but any other tension was lacking. I believe the intention was for suspense, not knowing if Valla would kill him (holding a blade to your father's enemy's throat since he asked you to), but I never had the thought that she'd actually harm him because by this point, I was not quite convinced they were enemies. She just wanted her freedom and didn't seem to hate him, just the idea of having no choice, which like, fair babe...So again, the enemies to lovers trope felt like a stretch at times.

Overall, giving this 3.5 ⭐️ (rounding up because I still enjoyed reading)
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (out of 5) –I enjoyed the smutty sections of this book! The author has a gift for writing spice. I wish there had been more! It relied heavily (and pretty exclusively) on possessiveness and Rodrick's breeding kink. Which I happen to like, but important to note for others expecting more.

There is an excessive use of modern language/phrases throughout the book that pulled me out of the world further than the lack of backstory as well as interrupted the ✨good✨ parts at times.

Excited to read some of the author's other works!

[Natalia Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars

might contain some spoilers, you've been warned!

‘The Storm King’ was not exactly what I was expecting. The promo I saw was that this has Persephone and Hades vibes mixed with Beauty and the Beast, and I kind of see it. It’s the delivery I wasn’t very into.

The story follows Valla and Rodrick, who are stuck in an arranged marriage that neither want, to bring peace between their Kingdoms. Valla loses her whole escort while on the way to Rodrick’s castle and once she arrives there, she claims to be one of the princess’ maids to avoid the marriage. Only Rodrick knows it’s her and he’s trying everything in his power to get her to say so.

The plot line was very intriguing and that was probably what kept me reading and what gave this book two and a half stars. The world-building was fascinating but it did lack in some departments (I think the author realised that as well because she was info dumping in some parts that made it hard to read). The main characters' relationship in the first half of the book was very good. It’s a fast-paced romance but I didn’t mind at all. I loved their interactions, their banter and the way they learned to live with one another.

They lost me in the third act though. I am not a fan of the pregnancy trope when it's used to keep the couple together. And no matter what the author did to try and convince me that this wasn't the case with this book, it very much was. Valla left Rodrick to pursue a life she always wanted and never thought possible and the reason that changed was because she was carrying his child. I did not enjoy the book after that.

Their reunion was meh at the very least. The epic final battle wasn't epic at all and everything felt incredibly rushed. It might be my fault for having bigger expectations but while I really enjoyed the first half of the book, the second half left me disappointed.

[Laverne Brewster · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 Stars. ( B W/ WM). Kindle Edition $4.99/240 page e-book.

Setting: Unstated era in fantastical locations...Frostheim, winter land or the north and Isaana, the south/sunny region.

Trope: Mixed race arranged marriage. Fire and ice magic.

Characters:
1. Valla Sunstar, Lady Seraphia the Summer Princess is the heroine of the story.
2. Rodrick Fjallgard, the 30-year-old Storm King and ruler of the Northern Kingdom is the hero.
3. Radagon Sunstar, Valla's father is the Sun King of Isaana the Southern Kingdom.
4. Brenna, Valla and Rodrick first born, is has a winter heart like her father and fire magic.
5. & 6.. Evangeline and Cora Sunstar are Valla's younger sisters
7. Stefan is one of Valla's father's most powerful and trusted fire mages.
8. Astrid is Rodrick's best friend, fierce warrior and consultant.
9. Frieda is Rodrick's mean Hearthkeeper.

The premise of the story is okay and similar to other stories where two warring kingdoms make a peace agreement secured by marriage. This story has been poorly executed...it's lacking in world building, character development and in the dialogue department. The vibe of this story's Northern Kingdom is Nortic :however, the use of present day slang and other present day expressions clash with the vibe of this setting. Unlike the Storm King, the Summer Princess borders on dislikable because she is worrisome, whiny and foolish. The magic system and how it works is a mystery.

[Bibliophaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read into a cool universe and magic system. If you want to enjoy a quick 2-3 hour read with some vivid, extremely detailed smut, then you will enjoy this. If you're looking for something deeper and more expansive, you may be disappointed. I would say this is on the level of a decent fanfic in terms of plot, smut, and angst.

That being said, this book would have benefited from a strong developmental edit to stretch out the pacing, do a little more world-building, and capitalize on both the personalities and motivations of the characters as well as the potential of the angst and longing between them. Further, the use of modern phrases like "what's up?" or "gives me the creeps" really took me out at times.

This has all the building blocks of a sweeping fantasy romance but there just was not enough yearning (too quickly resolved/moved past) and the stakes were relatively low. The father was a one-dimensional cartoon villain and the political/war landscape was there but not fully fleshed out enough to really raise the stakes and take some of the agency from the characters, or force them to make tougher decisions than they ultimately did.

Not terrible, but not my favorite. I hope the author keeps writing and pushing further - the potential is there!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A princess is sent to marry a prince as part of a peace treaty to end the war, but after a treacherous journey up the snowy mountains, she has an opportunity to hide who she is, and pretend to be a maid.. this would have worked out fine, if the prince hadn't already been sent a drawing of her likeness so knew exactly who she was as soon as he laid eyes on her, but he was willing to play along.

This was a cute, slow-burn romance with some ice and fire magic thrown in. The character development, world building, and magic system was lacklustre, the use of modern terminology really threw me off, you should not be speaking my language in a fantasy setting! When Vella finds out that Rodrick knew who she was this whole time she throws a massive hissy fit and feels betrayed... so cringe, honey you need to calm down.

Idk I kinda wish there was more build up of their relationship, it felt very one-sided.

Also, idk if her dad had fire magic, or not, that wasn't clear but surely for her kid to possess magic it needed to have been passed down right?

It was fun while it lasted, but nothing much to shout about.

[Mar Gin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So i was caught between a 3 and a 4 on this one but thought rounding up would be OK as it was a short and sweet story. I like the premise of the book, but would have probably liked it more if the Hero didn't actually know she was the princess immediately. There was a nice progression to the relationship, and enough spice/sexy time to keep me interested. I did enjoy that the heroine was not shy about sex and that she was vocal about having had experience. What I didn't like is in spoilers below.

*Spoiler*
The entire pregnancy arc was way too drawn out and the heroine never really chooses the hero. I would have preferred if there was a point where she could actually be free and she decided against it and chose to be with the Hero. Either that or really apologized for her stupid decision and stated she was wrong. He begged to be with her and for her not to leave and expressed his love multiple times and she barely returned the sentiment. He deserved a better "I love you and shouldn't have left" speech at the very least.

[Lindseyrenee · Rating 3 out of 5]

hitting the good tropes

This one really hits a lot of very satisfactory tropes; namely:

1. ‘Who did this to you??”
2. She’s suffering and he has no idea
3. He assumes she’s spoiled but she’s not
4. It’s supposed to be a punishment but it’s really her first taste of freedom
5. Accidental pregnancy with bonus morning sickness and hurt/some comfort (mostly kept apart during pregnancy though)
6. His people don’t trust her and are mean; he’s clueless until he’s not

What it doesn’t have going for it:

1. Somehow, this fantasy world with magic and no machinery/modern conveniences has our FMC wearing undies. White cotton undies. Sure?
2. Her wedding vows are a REAL bummer (‘I’m a prisoner bc I’m your prisoner and I’m learning to be ok with that’)
3. There aren’t really big crowd confrontations? He goes after the meanest woman but no one else; there’s no real public declaration of love until their ‘wedding’ and it’s all just a little unsatisfying.

All in all, not a bad read.

[S.L.Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really enjoying the set up of the story. Valla is pretty cleaver and her early hardships made me sympathize with her. Sadly after the half way point the story shifted in a way I didn't like. Valla's personality grew too guarded and I think there wasn't enough set up for me to understand why she wasn't communicating. I was pretty much on Roderic's side for their argument and it's frustrating to see her throw herself in harms way. It's one of my least favorite tropes.

The ending of the book moved blindingly fast and while I signed up for the breeding trigger warning, I did not sign up for half the book being Valla's pregnancy. I don't mind there being a jump in time and we have a baby, but I didn't enjoy having to deal with pregnancy stuff and I wish it was warned about in the trigger warning section.

By the mid part of the story all the character development is over and I felt like the book was checking off boxes to get to the end.

[DemetraP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The heroine is sent to marry the hero (a stranger) as part of a peace treaty to end a war. She does not want to get married. She wants to have freedom to make her own choices.

The heroine has no magic. The hero has snow and ice magic.

On the way to the winter kingdom, an avalanche occurs. She is the only survivor. She makes her way to the castle and tells everyone she is a lady's maid.

The hero knows immediately she is lying. But he decides to go along and puts her to work as a servant trying to break her, so she'll beg him to marry her.

She doesn't break. She does everything asked of her. They fall in love (slowly) and eventually are physically intimate. There are some very steamy scenes.

The hero and heroine live happily ever after, after some events that almost keep them apart.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hidden gem!!!

Starting the year off with a bang. Wow. I was not expecting to love this book so much. Sara did a great job of showing, not telling and i really truly believed in the connection between the MCs. The characters felt developed and their tension was AMAZING. Their love was so real and wholesome and honestly, I loved it. Must read.
I only wish that it was longer!! I wanted to know more about the characters and the world and EVERYTHING. It was so unique and I loved the viking vibes bc im a sucker for that.

I do want to point out that this isnt really enemies to lovers, although Vella and Rodrick do come from enemy kingdoms. I would say its more like dislike to friends to lovers. I did love the progression and it felt wholesome the way they would take coffee together and he kept trying to break down her walls. 🥹

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super-cute read that had me hooked from start to finish. The spice was just right. I loved the dramatic irony of both characters knowing the FMCs secret. I loved the MMC’s gentleness and the fact that he was unafraid to love her, unapologetically asking her to stay with him whilst being willing to let her go if that’s her wish.

The antagonists don’t get a ton of screen time, but their motivations were understandable, and even when their actions were evil, I never felt like they were cartoonishly villainous. This is something I don’t always comment on in my reviews, because a lot of authors struggle to get it right, but kudos where they’re due.

If I could change one thing about this novel, it would be the way the “big reveal” was handled—I had been hoping one of them would confess—but it’s such a small thing in the grand scheme.