The truth is an illusion. Our allies are our enemies. We must trust only in our hearts.
Left with no choice but to serve in my aunt’s army, my mates and I are forced to navigate the perils of her demon-infested court while keeping my young nieces safe.
Before we become puppets in a mad mage’s scheme of vengeance, I must convince Queen Malvolia that she’s about to wage war based on an illusion. That almost twenty-five years ago an evil mage had tricked the sorceress queen into setting her country ablaze and hunting my mother, her dear twin sister. That deception and paranoia had led to my father’s unjust execution. And her real enemy is far more vengeful and deadly than her imagined one.
War is looming, and if we can’t find a way to stop it, we will be forced to battle King Fachnan’s thousand-dragon army and his powerful white witch ally, my own beloved twin. Even worse, we could all become demon fodder.
Tara West writes books about dragons, witches, and handsome heroes while eating chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate. She's willing to share her dragons, witches and heroes. Keep your hands off her chocolate.
Tara West's young adult and new adult romances have been Kindle bestsellers. A former high school English teacher, Tara is now a full-time writer and graphic artist. She enjoys spending time with her family, interacting with her fans, and fishing the Texas coast.
Like all of Tara's books, she gets you hooked on a set of characters, then with each passing book, you fall deeper in love and want to know everyone's story. With intrigue, passion, heroes, and heroines, I am once again drawn into Shiri's story. As you learn more about what people are like and why they are like that, you silently cheer them on. With shifters, magic and demons, mages, and siren voices, I was once more drawn into this world. Shiri battles to survive, with the ones she loves with the manipulation she has to contend with makes this an addictive book and series to read. A fantastic read!! Highly recommend it to everyone!!
What a fantastic mesmerising book. I was totally overwhelmed with the author's creativaty in this magical world with it's fascinating strong characters especially Malvolia's flesh eating horse familiar, etc. From start it was a page turner I could not put down. Once again the spice was off the charts. The suspense nail biting high and the end me in anticipation of much more to come. I received an advanced review copy and leave this review voluntary Thank you BookSirens
By the time you get to the ending of this book, you will have come full circle on Shiri's story and found the similar ending from book 2. Shiri's mates are just simply wonderful and the love, devotion, and care they have for Shiri and the twins is beautiful. Ember and Aurora are the sweetest little girls, and I live for Ember's bluntness when using her powers. She tells it how she hears it and has no concept of the consequences, and I LOVE it.
Through this book, we follow Shiri and her new family and find out how they came to be on the other side of the wall during the war. We also get quite the look into Malvolia and her mad court. Mal had some serious OUAT Evil Queen/Regina vibes, in both dress and attitude. She is hard to like most times, despite the book starting with Mal, 60 years prior, where she fought against evil. I will give it to the author; once the story of the Crimson Tide begins to unravel, I found myself shocked. I have so many questions about the end of the Dark Tide, which I am sure will be answered in the final conclusion of this amazing series. What a wild twist to this romantasy adventure.
If you have the opportunity to read this series straight through, I recommend it. The intricate storytelling and details woven through the POVs of the sisters and their mates is wonderfully executed. I really enjoyed matching up scenes in Shiri's story to what I read in Tari's story so I could follow everything in parallel plotlines. I am excited to read the thrilling conclusion and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a HEA across the board. Let's be honest, these amazing and powerful women deserve one!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As a dedicated follower of Tara West's Court of Fae and Firelight series, I had high hopes for "Madness of Her Mages." While West's writing continues to shine in this latest installment, I can't help but feel a sense of disappointment with the direction the series has taken.
The narrative structure of "Madness of Her Mages," along with its predecessor, has left me feeling conflicted. While the decision to focus on one character's perspective in each book offers depth to the story, I believe it has come at the cost of the series' momentum.
In my opinion, the first two books of the series would have benefitted from multiple points of view, allowing readers to experience the events from different perspectives simultaneously. This approach would have provided a more comprehensive understanding of the story and its characters, while also allowing for greater exploration of the world West has created.
Instead, by splitting the series into separate books for each sister and their respective mates, it feels as though the plot has become stagnant. While I appreciate the effort to delve deeper into each character's individual journey, I can't help but feel that the story is lacking the forward momentum that made the first two books so compelling.
That being said, West's writing remains as captivating as ever, and I continue to be impressed by her ability to craft intricate and immersive worlds. While "Madness of Her Mages" may not have lived up to my expectations, I remain hopeful that future installments will offer a return to the dynamic storytelling that initially drew me to the series.
Another amazing book which ties more of the overall story together.
Tara West has really done a great job in making sure all of the books so far feed into each other, without mixing any of the timelines up. As always she’s managed to mix humour, drama, action, and everything in between into the story without it affecting the quality of the story in any way.
A lot happens in this book, but not in an overwhelming way. It starts with showing a glimpse of the past again from Malvolias POV, which gives more of an insight into her true relationship with her sister, and what she did to save her.
Then Thorins POV shows why he helped keep Anya safe, and the relationship they came to have before the events of book 1 in this series.
So overall it’s tying all of the pieces together from the story as a whole.
Then we have Shirina, her first meeting with her Aunt, then moving to Thebes, dealing with demons, her “training” with her Aunt, learning of her fathers fate, new enemies, new allies, looking after the girls, going to war, then reuniting with her family as per the last chapter in book 2.
And finally back to Anya (I know she’s Tari, but I prefer to think of her as Anya), her mates, Helian and Radnor! It’s about time that grumpy dragon showed his face and went off to find Helian.
The way the story ended gives me hope that everyone in the family can fix their relationships, and defeat the demons… because let’s face it, Thorin is just a puppet and should be the least of their worries. Especially since he seems to have control of his senses and his demon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love the concept of Madness of Her Mages Court of Fae and Firelight: Book 4 by Tara West. It was very well written and thought out. I love how in this book by Tara West we get to discover about Shirina and see how and everything that it took for her to become a powerful white witch. After Shiri aunt, Queen Malvolia, arrives at Abyssus her life and the lives of her mates and her sister children are uprooted. Malvolia wants Shiri to serve in her army and defeat her sister in the process. Shiri agrees to serve in Malvolia army only so that she can keep her nieces safe while trying to convince her aunt that they have a bigger threat on their hands. The more Shiri tries to convince Malvolia that there is a bigger enemy at hand the more things start to fall apart for Malvolia. Will Shiri be able to convince her aunt that her mother and her sister aren’t a threat to them, or will Shiri end up having to go to war and kill her family in the process? I guess that you will have to read Madness of Her Mages to find out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
OMG I loved this continuance of Shiri and her 3 mage mates – Drae, Blaze, and Nikkos - but also getting to see a little more about Malvolia and Thorin’s history sprinkled in!! I also absolutely love Ember and Aurora in this book – they really start showing a lot more strength!
So, this book runs in tandem with what is going on with Tari and her mates, so you are getting to see the other side of the coin with what Shiri is going thru at the same time. They are taken to the palace court with Malvolia so Shiri can start being trained to use her siren voice… and they are able to finally show her that the demons have officially returned. Things at court don’t go exactly as planned, and someone who we thought was gone is being held prisoner… so that part is sooo exciting!
Lots of things happened in this book, so you MUST read it!!!! I can’t wait to see how the next book plays out!
I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
O.M.G! I love this series and couldn’t wait to get my hooks into this baby and it did not let me down! The author has an incredible way of drawing you into the story so much so that you are totally immersed and forget about the “real world”! Shiri and her mates are forced to work in Queen Malvolia’s army whilst Shiri tries to find a way to show her aunt that there is no threat to her, but she has her work cut out for her as Malvolia is heartless, cruel and paranoid. It’s an exciting story, action filled, drama filled, danger filled and so so addictive that once started, I just could not put this down. Our wonderful characters continue to grow and the twists and turns will have you on the edge of your seat biting your nails down to the quick! It’s an incredible read with the author weaving her magic and drawing us in hook, line and sinker and after that ending, our storylines merge and I am super excited to read book five!
Rcvd an advanced reader copy from booksirens for giving my two cents. It took Me a while to read this book. I wanted nothing more than to loathe Malvolia due to the previous books. However there is a side to every story. This story is about Tari's twin Shiri and how she met her 3 fated mates when they were dispatched to get ride of the parents. It all stopped when the mate bond went into place. Shiri is taking care of Taris girls Ember and and Aurora as she promised. She fled with her mates and ended up in thr clutches of her aunt. Shiri is all about family and knows the truth of what Thorin did to them all. It's all thanks to Ember being a spirit walker and being able to speak to Ghosts. Shiri is now in court anf must play by the rules in order to survive. There is so much destruction and sadness that Shiri knows she must trust her instincts and love. She doesn't believe Tari would join forces with the demon infested. She must keep one step ahead esp when more truths are uncovered.
OMG OMG OMG!!!!!! THIS BOOK- UGH HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN?
I'm not gonna spoil this for you so I'll just say this, if you are contemplating reading this book or series. DO IT. I promise you you won't regret it this is by far one of the best fantasy books I've read this year. How am I expected to wait until the next one comes out huh? I can't survive that long. I NEED THAT BOOK RN This book is such a rollercoaster of emotions like you think you know who's who then in the next 10 chapters you're made to question everything you've been told so far. And the writing- the writing was so good Tara is such a great writer 🤗
Anyway bye bye I'm gonna to crawl into a hole and cry and freak out over this book.
I received this book as an ARC through BookSirens. Thank you to both Tara West and BookSirens for giving me this book to read. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Book 4 of Court of Fae and Firelight has brought us to Shirina and Queen Malvolia working together, or maybe not. Shirina is trying to protect her nieces while learning how to act in court. There are secrets abound. This story brings all the other stories to the same point. Now we can look forward to the conclusion in the next book.
Each of these books have concentrated on a specific story so as to not leave gaps or make the book too long. We are finally all in the same place to see what is next.
I have enjoyed this story and am wondering what will happen next. Highly recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
OMG, this book. What a read. This book is fantastic and you will discover that once you start reading you are unable to put it down. It moves along at a really great pace that is perfect for the story. Speeding up and slowing down as needed. The characters are amazing and you feel as though you are there with them and no matter what happens you want to love them even if you think you hate them. This book is a must read and it needs to be on your TBR list, you will not be sorry that you did.
This installment in the series finds Shiri and her mates being forced to fight for Queen Malvolia...and boy is this chic unstable! We are talking crazy familiars, beliefs that people are after her and the drive to wage war in a fight that she likely can't win. Shiri must convince her that this is all an illusion and that attacking would mean death to countless people. Shiri is so strong, and she and her mates enjoy some spicy scenes! Overall, this is a good addition to the series but there seems to be lots left to wrap up before we read "The End"!
This book fits in the series so well, and is an absolute must to tie the whole series together. Tara has a way of developing plots and worlds that play like a movie in my mind. Shiri grows so much in this book, the only issue I have though, is her insecurities. She gets better, but I wanted to reach through the book and smack her a few times. The last chapter though, whoo!! It drop kicked me and smacked me with a brick. I absolutely can't wait for the next book. Tara, well done!! PS. Malvolia is a bitch.
Shiri and Tari are preparing for war. They both are unsure of what the future holds and what they will need to do to survive. But both know they will do anything in thier power to save the family.
The impending war will bring the truth to the surface. Problem is, Shiri and Tari need to figure out how to get rid of Thorin's mind spell and kill the demons. Will they be able to save thier family and restore what has been stolen from them? Only time will tell.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Shiri, her mates and her two nieces have have no choice but to align themselves with Queen Malvolia . To say that the queen is a tad unstable would be putting it mildly. Malvolia is paranoid and see enemies everywhere and this is reflected in her court. Shiri has to survive the tightrope walk that is court life. This is a great read there is plenty of intrigue, danger, madness and love. I could not put this book down
i cannot believe the turmoil my body has been going through reading through this book! i couldn't relax one bit. it was one thing after the other and i felt like a coiled spring ready to launch. but it's not only the amount of events that have got me at the edge of my seat, i also felt the emotional stress Shiri and her mates and even Malvolia are going through. This is a really good series and I am excited for how this all ends!
I waited for book 4 for what felt like forever! I know it wasn’t, but I dying to see how this series plays out! Book 4 was just as phenomenal as all of Tara’s other books! Great writing that draws you in, characters that you feel like you’d want to hang out with and a story that makes you feel the rainbow of emotions! Shiri and her guys are forced to fight for Queen Malvolia all while trying to prove there isn’t a threat! It was an amazing story and I cannot wait for book 5!!!!
What an amazing book. Shiri has her hands full as she tries to play nice with Malvolia while finding a way to tell her that Thorin mind-spelled her years ago. Her connection with her mates continues to grow and the politics within the court proves to be trying. This book will reveal hidden secrets, new magic and will force Shiri to make a decision regarding her sister. I look forward to reading the next book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I love these characters and the twisted and deceptive land they are wandering through. I was glad that this book gave us points of views from both sister even though it was just a few chapters at the end in Tari’s POV. The bit with Malvolia and Marius at the end, GOLDEN, just awesome that it’s finally clicking in. Ugh I just cannot wait to get my hands on the fifth book! Fantastic series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Another major win from Tara West. The plot twists, the character development, the character growth… all perfection. I really loved that this story showed the timeline of Shiri and her guys and ended in the same timeline as Tari’s perspectives. The only thing to be upset about is having wait until August for the next one. I truly hope this one will be in Malvolia’s perspective; I would love to know what’s going on in her head after the events of MOHM.
Madness of Her Mages is a prequel of sorts, that gives us the history of Shiri and Tary’s aunts and how they came to be enemies. It does well to help us understand the depth of the deception affecting the whole realm. As usual, we are endeared to the characters; worrying for them and rooting for them. This book contains equal parts suspense, action and spicy romance. I highly recommend it!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Honestly through this book I was just waiting to finish it to get to the last book. It enlightened me on a bunch of things. Shiri's relationships were stable and I love the way her mates were always there for her. There were many times throughout the book were I thought about Tari and felt sorry for her because she and her mates might not get the same bond with the girls. I hope they can properly get to know their parents and build a bond in the last book.
Shiri's journey continues... I didn't want to stop reading once I started. With twists and turns throughout, as well as lies and betrayals. Filled with adventure, suspense, spice, and drama. I think the series continues to impress. From the storyline to the characters and add in all of the delicious steam. I continue to love it!!
This is the fourth book in this series. This book continues Shirina's story as she and her three mates protect her nieces and attempt to bring peace to her family and the kingdoms. The book like the three previous had great characters and a compelling storyline.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Twins, who are able to mindspeak as twins often are. Loving each other until a demon infested mage takes all their memories and changes them to his input memories. Now it is sister against twin sister, spanning two generations. Can they resolve the false memories before an all out war?
This is book #4 in this very compelling series. We get more background on several of the characters. Loyalties are tested even more. Some truths are finally revealed. But is it in time? The intrigue, danger and action amp up! But Love carries them through. I can't wait to see what happens next!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Really? ...I took several more bites of my stew, wincing when I bit down on something hard. Was it a rock? I didn’t want to offend the cook and spit out the food so I swallowed what I assumed was a small piece of bone,... Raise your hand if you would be offended if someone spit out a bone or eggshell that managed to incorporate itself into whatever you prepared. You don’t have to spit the entire mouthful out. Think of cherry pits, watermelon seeds, etc.
Is there a reason Malvolia doesn’t have fated mates? Her sister had two and both of her nieces have three apiece. Just seems odd that she’s left out.
Spymaster witch: Her ability to tell if someone is being truthful has a flaw. What if the person actually believed an untruth, i.e., the earth is flat. The reality is that the earth is round but not to a flat earther. I believe this is at least one reason why polygraphs are not allowed as evidence in court.
Wing color: I thought they all were black although the older mage at Abyssus had silver hair and wings. I assumed that was due to age. Why do Felicity’s mates have russet colored wings?
This book primarily addresses Shirina and her mates attempts to circumvent the hazards of Malvolia’s court and its various factions. They’re also dedicated to keeping her two nieces safe. The niece’s magics contribute significantly.
I’ve returned the book so can’t cite exactly when this happens but Shirina and her boys have been going at it hot and heavy in bed. A demon appears where the nieces are sleeping and the four adults jump to the rescue. No mention is made of putting on a scrap of clothing. Are the nieces comfortable with nude males?
This book ends with the sisters and their families reuniting and escaping during the confusion of war. It’s interesting that Shirina and Anya’s parents don’t come across in a very positive light. Actually, Flora seems rather stupid.