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Broken Mirrors Duology #1
Broken Mirrors
What good is a broken Mirror? That's what Thane, Dread Lord of Eladria, is about to find out when he finds one named Kesara working in his Keep. The impulsive decision of a moment binds the two together in ways neither fully understands...or trusts. With the outside world in turmoil, old alliances crumbling and a traitor in their midst, the only hope for a broken Mirror and her broken Lord to survive is each other.
478 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 9, 2014
About the author
A.F. Dery
11 books34 followersA. F. Dery has loved the fantasy romance genre for many years. A voracious reader, when she had trouble finding the kind of stories she was craving- non-explicit but emotionally engaging romances, in interesting fantasy settings and featuring adult main characters with adult problems and responsibilities- she decided to write her own. She lives in the U.S. and enjoys reading, writing, music, and spending quality time with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 28, 2015
The plot was interesting. The palace/castle setting was pretty standard but very descriptive. The fantasy concept was fairly original. There were some unusual mechanical critters that you don't normally find in the fantasy genre and I suspect, although I am no expert; that this is something one would find in the steampunk genre. I have never actually read a steampunk novel. There was nothing I hated and overall I thought this was pretty good. What set it apart however and in my opinion warranted more than just an average rating was the very engaging and sometimes quite witty dialogue, and the very unique characterizations. There was no insta-love and if the second book in the series features romance it will be all the more believable for having been developed so slowly. What I read here felt more like a developing friendship than anything else and honestly it was a nice change.
April 25, 2021
I liked the fresh ideas in this book about the ‘Mirrors’. I enjoyed the story and the medieval feel to the world building and will read the second part of the duology. I do enjoy a story about a growing friendship.
The only thing I didn’t really like about the writing style was the timing of information. I felt like a lot of the time I wasn’t really learning enough about the mirrors to understand what was going on and the main character, Kesara, wasn’t forthcoming. I also thought the story would have been stronger with a bit more world building around the character Graunt, and the pigman.
The only thing I didn’t really like about the writing style was the timing of information. I felt like a lot of the time I wasn’t really learning enough about the mirrors to understand what was going on and the main character, Kesara, wasn’t forthcoming. I also thought the story would have been stronger with a bit more world building around the character Graunt, and the pigman.
July 18, 2015
I finished Broken Lords and decided to edit my review of Broken Mirrors....BUY THESE BOOKS!!
Grace Draven posted on Facebook that Broken Mirrors looked interesting. So, I tried a sample and was doomed. The humor, hints of steampunk, touches of fantasy, and gentle romance were irresistible; I bought Broken Mirrors. My mistake was in immediately reading it, knowing I would have to get Broken Lords. Thank the gods of bibliophiles for gift cards!
Fantasy has a new and unique voice in A.F. Dery. Her blurb said that she had trouble finding books to read, so she wrote her own. I am very glad she had these stories to tell. Bad things happen in Broken Mirrors and not always to bad people. I do not usually like multiple points of view, but Thane, Kesara, Malachi, and Margaret are so perfect together that I can only love this book. Malachi's love of hot irons is endlessly amusing. Thane's appearance and his awareness of his people's reactions to that appearance are both funny and painfully poignant. The story grabbed me and did not let go so that I begrudged every minute that I was not reading. I am very glad that both books were published at the same time, because I would have no patience to wait for Broken Lords.
Grace Draven posted on Facebook that Broken Mirrors looked interesting. So, I tried a sample and was doomed. The humor, hints of steampunk, touches of fantasy, and gentle romance were irresistible; I bought Broken Mirrors. My mistake was in immediately reading it, knowing I would have to get Broken Lords. Thank the gods of bibliophiles for gift cards!
Fantasy has a new and unique voice in A.F. Dery. Her blurb said that she had trouble finding books to read, so she wrote her own. I am very glad she had these stories to tell. Bad things happen in Broken Mirrors and not always to bad people. I do not usually like multiple points of view, but Thane, Kesara, Malachi, and Margaret are so perfect together that I can only love this book. Malachi's love of hot irons is endlessly amusing. Thane's appearance and his awareness of his people's reactions to that appearance are both funny and painfully poignant. The story grabbed me and did not let go so that I begrudged every minute that I was not reading. I am very glad that both books were published at the same time, because I would have no patience to wait for Broken Lords.
no-dnf-zzz-avoid
June 22, 2016DNF...not liking the h...
February 8, 2015
I was happily surprised by this book and its sequel. I was expecting a poorly written, trite, and boring book filled with perfect characters that could do no wrong. In the end I fell in love with these two books because they were the exact opposite of my expectations. Flawed characters with realistic emotions, actions, and a delightful magic system filled with a bit of steam punk.
Despite the desperate editing required for this book I thought everything else was wonderfully executed. The characters were interesting, intriguing, and realistic. I often skimmed through Malachi's parts, because I felt he was an unnecessary ancillary character, though his points did help progress the plot, and Malachi's action bleed into the next book. The concept of a Mirror was a wonderful addition and felt natural to the story, it didn't feel like a shoehorned piece of magic that was only there for pushing the plot. This book was a delight to read and I have no doubt I'll reread it and its sequel.
I'd love recommendations for more books like this!
Despite the desperate editing required for this book I thought everything else was wonderfully executed. The characters were interesting, intriguing, and realistic. I often skimmed through Malachi's parts, because I felt he was an unnecessary ancillary character, though his points did help progress the plot, and Malachi's action bleed into the next book. The concept of a Mirror was a wonderful addition and felt natural to the story, it didn't feel like a shoehorned piece of magic that was only there for pushing the plot. This book was a delight to read and I have no doubt I'll reread it and its sequel.
I'd love recommendations for more books like this!
February 11, 2020
Nice world building with an interesting cast of characters.
Kesara, is a mirror, an ability to remove pain and sometimes reflect it on others. She has run away from home, working as a servant in the Dread Lord,'s kitchen waiting to die. Thane, the Dread Lord suffers from debilitating headaches and is accidentally healed by a Broken Mirror.
But there are plots in the kingdom, forcing allies to fight allies, enemies becoming friends, a civil war seeming at the cusp of eruption.
I liked that even though Kesara, has lived a life of servitude, an object to be bartered and used, she has an amazing sense of self and humor. She doesn't do the whole 'woe is me' routine and isn't intimidated by Thane, a deformed warlord.
Kesara, is a mirror, an ability to remove pain and sometimes reflect it on others. She has run away from home, working as a servant in the Dread Lord,'s kitchen waiting to die. Thane, the Dread Lord suffers from debilitating headaches and is accidentally healed by a Broken Mirror.
But there are plots in the kingdom, forcing allies to fight allies, enemies becoming friends, a civil war seeming at the cusp of eruption.
I liked that even though Kesara, has lived a life of servitude, an object to be bartered and used, she has an amazing sense of self and humor. She doesn't do the whole 'woe is me' routine and isn't intimidated by Thane, a deformed warlord.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2015
5 with a caveat...This author badly needs an editor. While the problems were not enough to completely pull me from the story they did make me want to grab a red pen. The same goes for all of her other books. I read them in a short readathon last weekend and the same problems occur in all of her books. The characterizations are enough to make me keep reading though! Her characters are flawed, human and eminently interesting. The characters in this particular series were truly unique. I have to say I thought the flipping back and forth between the two lords was annoying. I tended to skip a bit of Malachi's story as the other characters were more interesting.
April 16, 2019
An interesting book, good character build for Thane and the relationship development was slow and steady and rated G :) I enjoyed it however the phrasing had an old world feel to it until I came to someone saying "What the hell ..." This was jarring. Also, Kesara seemed a little apathetic at times and I would have liked a little more gumption from her.
October 4, 2015
This was a little odd, a little confusing, but still an intriguing story. I am always excited to find an author that will write a fantasy romance that is not YA.
While there is a romance in the book, be forewarned that it's a super slow burner free of kissing and sexy times. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if done well, in fact, it can be lovely. And it was.
The story was fairly slow and seemed bloated with narrative that didn't serve the immediate story (I'm referring mainly to Malachi and his pregnant wife.) And there were several sub-plots that didn't go anywhere or never resolved, and that was frustrating. I mean, what's with the pig-man? He referred to having her complete a test for him, but then locked her in a cellar to be eaten by rats....to what end? What was in his cabin that freaked out Thane? Seriously, what the hell? You can't just plop that weirdness on me with no explanations! And what was Thane suffering from, what's up with his teeth? What was wrong with Margaret? Is no one concerned that they're still critically ill with mysterious ailments? Questions! I have them.
Thane is described as being huge, an almost giant-like war lord, while Kesana is small and fragile. She literally knocks herself out, injuries and all, by accidentally running into him. Why? Whhhhyyyy? Should we feel charmed that he has the strength and size to do her harm but doesn't? Should we swoon that he can pick her up like a wee babe? It's such a gender trope, and it does nothing interesting for the story. It just irritated me.
I thought the concept of mirrors reflecting away people's pain was the most interesting aspect here. To explore how it changes people, how those who chronically suffer are treated...I liked that a lot. I love seeing fantasy used to explore things in new ways.
I will definitely be reading the second book.
While there is a romance in the book, be forewarned that it's a super slow burner free of kissing and sexy times. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if done well, in fact, it can be lovely. And it was.
The story was fairly slow and seemed bloated with narrative that didn't serve the immediate story (I'm referring mainly to Malachi and his pregnant wife.) And there were several sub-plots that didn't go anywhere or never resolved, and that was frustrating. I mean, what's with the pig-man? He referred to having her complete a test for him, but then locked her in a cellar to be eaten by rats....to what end? What was in his cabin that freaked out Thane? Seriously, what the hell? You can't just plop that weirdness on me with no explanations! And what was Thane suffering from, what's up with his teeth? What was wrong with Margaret? Is no one concerned that they're still critically ill with mysterious ailments? Questions! I have them.
Thane is described as being huge, an almost giant-like war lord, while Kesana is small and fragile. She literally knocks herself out, injuries and all, by accidentally running into him. Why? Whhhhyyyy? Should we feel charmed that he has the strength and size to do her harm but doesn't? Should we swoon that he can pick her up like a wee babe? It's such a gender trope, and it does nothing interesting for the story. It just irritated me.
I thought the concept of mirrors reflecting away people's pain was the most interesting aspect here. To explore how it changes people, how those who chronically suffer are treated...I liked that a lot. I love seeing fantasy used to explore things in new ways.
I will definitely be reading the second book.
May 12, 2024
Did you ever bring out your winter stuff from the cedar closet and in the pocket of your parka is a twenty dollar bill and an old cough drop, and you think “YAY!”? Well that’s how this book was for me minus the cough drop. I am sorry to say I didn’t expect much b/c let’s face it when a book only has four people who reviewed it on Amazon, you kind of assume those to be the author’s family and friends. The synopsis sounded interesting and the book kept coming up on my “recommended for you” page, so I tried it expecting it to be mediocre at best. I certainly didn’t anticipate falling in love with the story and its characters, but I did! The author’s voice is lovely and compelling, while the story unique. I know people read for lots of different reasons and have a multitude of different things they look for in a book. My number one objective is a good story; it is the thing that drives me to pick up book after book. Things like typos and such will turn off certain people from a novel; I am not one of those people and while there were a few typos I didn’t feel it subtracted from the story at all.
November 21, 2018
Ausser der Tatsache, dass ich die Teile mit Malachi irgendwie nervig fand, kann ichs kaum erwarten den zweiten Band in meine Finger zu kommen!!! 😍 Bitte jetzt, bitte gleich 🤣
Eine großartige Geschichte. Vielleicht hätte eine zunehmende Liebesgeschichte das ganze nochmal eine Spur besser gemacht, aber das was man zwischen den Zeilen lesen kann und was ich mir vom zweiten Teil erwarte, ist einfach 🤯🤯🤯!
Eine großartige Geschichte. Vielleicht hätte eine zunehmende Liebesgeschichte das ganze nochmal eine Spur besser gemacht, aber das was man zwischen den Zeilen lesen kann und was ich mir vom zweiten Teil erwarte, ist einfach 🤯🤯🤯!
January 19, 2016
The tags for this are misleading about the romance. This is more friendship in this first book and we get to the romance in the second one.
February 23, 2018
Wow
The characters are well written. You care about them but they aren’t perfect. I hate perfect characters. The mirror idea rocks. Now I’ll be bing trading I imagine
The characters are well written. You care about them but they aren’t perfect. I hate perfect characters. The mirror idea rocks. Now I’ll be bing trading I imagine
September 29, 2018
3.5 stars. Generally OK. World building seems odd. On fence about reading sequel
Did Not Finish
June 21, 2023DNF at 9% because meh.
January 1, 2024
Good Book!
This is my first book by this author and it was really good. More depth of characters and plot then I was expecting. I can’t wait to read another of her books!
This is my first book by this author and it was really good. More depth of characters and plot then I was expecting. I can’t wait to read another of her books!
August 24, 2018
Der Dread Lord von Eladria staunt nicht schlecht, als seine penetranten Kopfschmerzen einfach so verschwinden. Das ist bisher noch nie passiert, denn schon seit Jahren plagen ihn immer wiederkehrende starke Kopfschmerzen. “Schuld” an dem Verschwinden scheint die Bedienstete Kesara zu sein. Kesara ist ein Spiegel und verfügt über eine ganz besondere Gabe, sie kann die Schmerzen anderer übernehmen, so das diese schmerzfrei sind. Aus diesem Grund wird sie in ihrem Land auch an den meistbietenden verkauft. Dies war auch der Grund, warum sie aus ihrem Land geflohen ist und in der Burg von Thane, dem Dread Lord, eine Stellung in der Küche angenommen hat. Kesara ist aus einem Reflext heraus, eine ganz besondere Bildung mit Thane eingegangen und die beiden müssen sich trotz ihrer Andersartigkeit damit arrangieren. Keine leichte Aufgabe.
Bei diesem Buch handelt es sich um den 1. Teil einer zweiteiligen Fantasy-Reihe. Erst einmal ist mir das Buch natürlich wegen des unglaublich schönes Covers aufgefallen. Das fand ich einfach nur schön und war einer der Gründe, warum ich dieses Buch unbedingt lesen wollte. Auch der Klappentext hat mich sehr angesprochen und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Die Autorin entführt den Leser in eine fiktive Welt, die mich vom Setting her an einen historischen Roman Anfang des 18. Jahrhunderts erinnert hat .
Am Anfang fand ich den Schreibstil sehr ungewöhnlich. Dieser ist eher förmlich und ausschweifend. passt aber zum Setting und zur Handlung. Erzählt wird die Geschichte aus verschiedenen Perspektiven in der 3. Person. Neben Kesara und Thane spielt noch ein zweites Paar eine sehr wichtige Rolle, Malachin und Maggie, wobei ich nach dem Ende noch nicht genau weiß, in welche Richtung die Autorin hier gehen wird.
Die Idee mit dem Spiegel fand ich sehr interessant. Kesera ist eine ungewöhnliche junge Frau. Sie ist auf der Flucht und sehr vorsichtig, wenn es um neue Freundschaften geht. Auf der Burg stößt sie erst einmal nur Ablehnung, denn sie gehört einem anderen Volk an und die Bewohner der Burg sind sehr misstrauisch.
Dann wird Thane auf ihre besondere Gabe aufmerksam und nimmt sich ihrer an. Für mich wirkt Thanes Krankheit wie Migräne, aber dieser Begriff wird nie genannt, immerhin spielt die Handlung in einer fiktiven Welt. Neben der Kopfschmerzen scheint sein Mund deformiert zu sein. Für mich klingt die Beschreibung ein wenig nach einer Lippen-Kiefer-Gaumenstaltung. Er lebt aufgrund seiner Krankheit und seiner Missbildung eher zurückgezogen und hat wenig Kontakt und gar keine Freunde. Zwischen den beiden entsteht auf zwei Arten ein Band, einmal durch Kesaras Gabe, aber auch ein freundschaftliches Band entsteht. Thane scheint sogar romantische Gefühle für sie zu entwickeln, aber diese werden nur angedeutet bisher. Ich kann mir aber vorstellen, dass diese Gefühle im zweiten Teil eine größere Rolle spielen werden.
Neben den beiden gibt es da noch Malachin und Maggie. Malachin ist ein Lord aus einem anderen Land und verbindet so eine Art Feindschaft mit Thane. Die Autorin geht hier aber noch nicht im Detail darauf ein, sondern beschreibt in erste Linie sein Leben mit seiner Frau Margaret, einer Bürgerlichen, die gerade ihr erstes Kind erwartet. Maggie hat es im Haushalt von Malachin nicht einfach, das Personal akzeptiert sie nicht aufgrund ihrer Herkunft. Malachin ist ein verrückter Erfinder und um einiges älter als Maggie, aber die beiden lieben sich. Ich bin sehr gespannt, was die Autorin mit den beiden im zweiten Teil noch vor hat.
Mich konnte diese Geschichte nach anfänglichen Schwierigkeiten regelrecht begeistern und ich vergebe deshalb die volle Punktzahl.
Bei diesem Buch handelt es sich um den 1. Teil einer zweiteiligen Fantasy-Reihe. Erst einmal ist mir das Buch natürlich wegen des unglaublich schönes Covers aufgefallen. Das fand ich einfach nur schön und war einer der Gründe, warum ich dieses Buch unbedingt lesen wollte. Auch der Klappentext hat mich sehr angesprochen und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Die Autorin entführt den Leser in eine fiktive Welt, die mich vom Setting her an einen historischen Roman Anfang des 18. Jahrhunderts erinnert hat .
Am Anfang fand ich den Schreibstil sehr ungewöhnlich. Dieser ist eher förmlich und ausschweifend. passt aber zum Setting und zur Handlung. Erzählt wird die Geschichte aus verschiedenen Perspektiven in der 3. Person. Neben Kesara und Thane spielt noch ein zweites Paar eine sehr wichtige Rolle, Malachin und Maggie, wobei ich nach dem Ende noch nicht genau weiß, in welche Richtung die Autorin hier gehen wird.
Die Idee mit dem Spiegel fand ich sehr interessant. Kesera ist eine ungewöhnliche junge Frau. Sie ist auf der Flucht und sehr vorsichtig, wenn es um neue Freundschaften geht. Auf der Burg stößt sie erst einmal nur Ablehnung, denn sie gehört einem anderen Volk an und die Bewohner der Burg sind sehr misstrauisch.
Dann wird Thane auf ihre besondere Gabe aufmerksam und nimmt sich ihrer an. Für mich wirkt Thanes Krankheit wie Migräne, aber dieser Begriff wird nie genannt, immerhin spielt die Handlung in einer fiktiven Welt. Neben der Kopfschmerzen scheint sein Mund deformiert zu sein. Für mich klingt die Beschreibung ein wenig nach einer Lippen-Kiefer-Gaumenstaltung. Er lebt aufgrund seiner Krankheit und seiner Missbildung eher zurückgezogen und hat wenig Kontakt und gar keine Freunde. Zwischen den beiden entsteht auf zwei Arten ein Band, einmal durch Kesaras Gabe, aber auch ein freundschaftliches Band entsteht. Thane scheint sogar romantische Gefühle für sie zu entwickeln, aber diese werden nur angedeutet bisher. Ich kann mir aber vorstellen, dass diese Gefühle im zweiten Teil eine größere Rolle spielen werden.
Neben den beiden gibt es da noch Malachin und Maggie. Malachin ist ein Lord aus einem anderen Land und verbindet so eine Art Feindschaft mit Thane. Die Autorin geht hier aber noch nicht im Detail darauf ein, sondern beschreibt in erste Linie sein Leben mit seiner Frau Margaret, einer Bürgerlichen, die gerade ihr erstes Kind erwartet. Maggie hat es im Haushalt von Malachin nicht einfach, das Personal akzeptiert sie nicht aufgrund ihrer Herkunft. Malachin ist ein verrückter Erfinder und um einiges älter als Maggie, aber die beiden lieben sich. Ich bin sehr gespannt, was die Autorin mit den beiden im zweiten Teil noch vor hat.
Mich konnte diese Geschichte nach anfänglichen Schwierigkeiten regelrecht begeistern und ich vergebe deshalb die volle Punktzahl.
January 29, 2015
This was an interesting read and I admit I was a little put off by the cover, but the synopsis is what pulled me in.
The story and ideas where unique in the fact that I had never heard of a Mirror before and it was nice to be introduced to this rich new world. Of course, it's nice having a well rounded cast of characters such as this one, although I will say that having it switch point of views to Lord Malachai and Maggie seemed a little uncalled-for. Personally I think it could have done without them at all. Nevertheless it was very interesting to see Thane and Kesara interact with each as we learn more about her powers and the world around them. Even as they slowly start to fall for each other and they don't even know it yet.
In actuality, fantasy books are my favorite to read and so I thought I would enjoy this one and I did, but it was still hard to get into it, even after having finished the book. There were a few faults in the book that really annoyed me and took from the storytelling- there were a few places where the editing needed work. There were missing words that had me confused, some grammar problems, etc. that were annoying to read but either I can't deny that it was a good story. It was a nice change of pace from my usual reads and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the sequel in the duology.
The story and ideas where unique in the fact that I had never heard of a Mirror before and it was nice to be introduced to this rich new world. Of course, it's nice having a well rounded cast of characters such as this one, although I will say that having it switch point of views to Lord Malachai and Maggie seemed a little uncalled-for. Personally I think it could have done without them at all. Nevertheless it was very interesting to see Thane and Kesara interact with each as we learn more about her powers and the world around them. Even as they slowly start to fall for each other and they don't even know it yet.
In actuality, fantasy books are my favorite to read and so I thought I would enjoy this one and I did, but it was still hard to get into it, even after having finished the book. There were a few faults in the book that really annoyed me and took from the storytelling- there were a few places where the editing needed work. There were missing words that had me confused, some grammar problems, etc. that were annoying to read but either I can't deny that it was a good story. It was a nice change of pace from my usual reads and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the sequel in the duology.
May 18, 2015
I loved this book. The series is excellent and the second book is even better.
The only thing I did not like is the story about Malachi and his wife. I found the Dread Lord and his story so much more interesting than the chapters about Malachi. I mean Malachi doesn't even sound interesting. Dread Lord, now that captures your attention, and this book will capture yours.
Overall you have two different men and two different women in separate countries finding love and dealing with political problems. Throw in a deformed giant, a broken mirror, a mad scientist, and a pregnant woman and you get one amazing, original adventure.
Quotes
It simply wasn’t normal. Everyone did something that could be interpreted in the worst possible light, he was sure of it.
“Have you done something I ought to know about to earn such treatment?” he asked lightly. Like evil, vile sorcery for instance?
~~~
"Are you all right?" Thane had moved to her bedside and was towering over her in a way she presumed was supposed to be concerned, but instead came off more like a very hassled looking mountain.
December 31, 2015
I've had this book on my Kindle for quite some time, I can't recall when or why I bought it, presumably because it was recommend. But I'm glad I did! It reminded me a little of Grace Draven's 'Entreat Me' at first, a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast, (which I loved BTW), but it is so much more. Dery has built a complex world with an interesting slant to the paranormal, Mirrors, outcasts in their own land who somehow ease the pain of others. I won't repeat the plot, but there is political intrigue aplenty, cultural differences and plain old prejudice to stymie the (hoped for) romance. I enjoyed this book so much, I immediately bought book 2, and read it in a day. Recommended!
June 26, 2016
This book was okay. I feel like it's necessary to read the second book in order to get the full story, but I keep putting it down to read something else.
Oh, I just remembered something that really irritated me about this book. The hero and heroine were always fighting the urge to smile or grin, and this was mentioned about 3 times in every chapter. For example:
He fought valiantly against the urge to grin.
He lost his battle with his lips.
Her lips trembled as she resisted smiling.
He triumphantly suppressed the impulse to smile.
This was repeated so often! It's like a writer's tic or something, lol. I hated it! It made them seem very childish and became a distraction.
Oh, I just remembered something that really irritated me about this book. The hero and heroine were always fighting the urge to smile or grin, and this was mentioned about 3 times in every chapter. For example:
He fought valiantly against the urge to grin.
He lost his battle with his lips.
Her lips trembled as she resisted smiling.
He triumphantly suppressed the impulse to smile.
This was repeated so often! It's like a writer's tic or something, lol. I hated it! It made them seem very childish and became a distraction.
April 16, 2016
Best fantasy romance I've found in a while. I loved Kessara and Thane's storyline, but didn't like Malachi or his story at all and ended up skimming most of it. I found the talking pig and machine people somewhat out of place and ridiculous. I was glad Malachi only showed up briefly in the second book. The plot was not terribly masterful, but the characters more than made up for that. Kessara and Thane's were great and their banter was fun. It was kinda nice to find a book that depicts how awful migraines are, too.
April 26, 2015
Kesara is a maid in the Dread Lords castle, but being a foreigner she is not well liked. Intending to have Kes fired (or more liked killed) Cook orders her to seve the Lord knowing that he won't be pleased especially since he has one of his headaches. When Kesara meets the Lord, Thane, his pain reaches out to her and she can't stop herself from reaching out to him and taking away his pain which she can do being a Mirror and all. Thane doesn't know about Mirrors, but he soon learns especially when Kes starts to form a bond with him. >_<
February 10, 2015
Awesome Story. Multi-dimensional characters that are relatable, with real-world problems and real-world solutions. Clearly carefully thought out, and engaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is tired of reading romance "pron" and what's something that is more engaging on the emotional level. The story follows Kesara and Thane's journey from complete strangers to passionate companions whilst also touching on the difficult lives of Lord and Mrs. Malachi and the impending birth of their first child.
February 21, 2015
A really different but sweet read; will immediately be moving onto book number two!
I can't tell you the number of times I found myself smiling over Kesara and Thane, really hope they get their happily ever after.
This book does however have dual POV's and I was considerably less enamoured with the Malachi's, unfortunately I tended to just want to get through their sections as quickly as possible.
I also thought Lord M should have maybe been a tad smarter with his conclusions in the evidence presented, although that's not to say the bad guy is who I think it is...
I can't tell you the number of times I found myself smiling over Kesara and Thane, really hope they get their happily ever after.
This book does however have dual POV's and I was considerably less enamoured with the Malachi's, unfortunately I tended to just want to get through their sections as quickly as possible.
I also thought Lord M should have maybe been a tad smarter with his conclusions in the evidence presented, although that's not to say the bad guy is who I think it is...
January 19, 2016
It's a fantasy with a tiny thread of romance. It has a beauty and the beast theme and a healer/patient theme.
I got sucked into the story and could not put it down. Mostly the story focuses on the heroine and her attempts to fit in as a scullery maid as a foreigner. The hero gets involved and I liked how they became friends.
There is not a cliffhanger ending but the story is definitely unfinished and I need to read book 2 soon.
I got sucked into the story and could not put it down. Mostly the story focuses on the heroine and her attempts to fit in as a scullery maid as a foreigner. The hero gets involved and I liked how they became friends.
There is not a cliffhanger ending but the story is definitely unfinished and I need to read book 2 soon.
April 1, 2015
Very enjoyable read. Kesara seemed compassionate, kind , intelligent and victimless. Thane was brute force, severe justice and gentle love . Graunt added an otherworldly flair to the mix with witty banter and impossible scheme. There was enough plot, savage scheming, wickedly sexy angst and tenderness to deserve an immediate delve into book 2. Fantastic read.
January 17, 2016
This was my first fantasy romance novel so I don't want to be too critical. It just didn't keep me engaged to be honest. I liked the concept. The last part of the book (25%) was a lot more engaging.
April 14, 2020
I don't usually go for clean romance, but this is very sweet. I love a big guy with tasteful insecurities, I love a heroine who isn't all hot temper and irrational decisions. Knew I would buy the sequel even before I was 60% through.
October 24, 2025
I don’t know how I really feel about this book. Not much really happens, I was somewhat confused a lot and I am deeply scared of pigs which didn’t help. I didn’t not like it and maybe it’s just out of my ‘comfort zone’.
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