Between Two Suns: Book One of the Ashven Kingdom Trilogy

by Bianca Vale

Elia has spent the last decade trapped in a desert labor camp, forced to hunt ancient magical relics to repay her parents’ debt. Isolated and alone, she clings to the hope that one day she might reunite with her family and finally find somewhere she belongs.

Callum, the King’s Hunter, swore long ago never to belong to anyone again. Ever since Rafe, the man he loved, walked out of his life five years earlier, Callum has buried his grief beneath duty and blind loyalty to the crown. But when the future of the kingdom depends on finding a powerful relic, he is forced to seek out Elia, the one person capable of helping him.

As they journey together, Elia’s quiet longing for connection begins to crack through Callum’s guarded heart, forging an unexpected and intimate bond between them. In Callum, Elia finds the comfort and safety she has always craved. In Elia, Callum rediscovers the innocence and hope that he thought he lost.

But love is rarely simple.

When Callum’s past collides with the future he’s begun to imagine, old wounds and buried truths rise to the surface, challenging everything Elia thought she knew. As Callum is forced to confront the pieces of his past, Elia must decide whether her love can endure the uncertainty, or if she is willing to walk away from the only person who’s felt like home.

In a kingdom that demands loyalty above all else, love may be the only thing capable of undoing them all.

217 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 19, 2026

Reviews

[Bookdragon_enchantress · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between two Suns - Advanced Reader Copy
I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me by surprise. I completely misread the plot. This is a character driven series. Complex characters with unique pasts all coming together. Being accustom to fantasy series that are more plot/adventure driven, I was naively blind to this.
HOWEVER, I was so engrossed by these characters that I read the book in a day.
Elia is a strong willed, stubborn FMC who I believe has more secrets to come in future books. Secrets she doesn’t even know. What she does have are just as many questions as Poppy in From Blood and Ash by JLA.
Cal is a heartbreaking MMC who seems to not know which way is up. A complicated past and a blind devotion to the wrong person leads to heartbreak.
This book contains lot of time jumps that let you into the memories of the characters. Giving a better understand their history’s and how they became who they are.
Overall I enjoyed it and look forward to the next.

[Destiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW!!! Minor spoilers incoming so read at your own risk!!


The closer I got to the end of this book I was sitting on the edge of my seatttttt! The love, the spice, the trauma, every inch of this book was amazing, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next one in the series! The ending made me SO MAD AT EVERYONE lol the miscommunication between Rafe and Cal, the lies Cal can’t seem to stop telling, the fact that he’s the entire reason for Elia’s backstory, I just 😭 I can’t wait for everyone to be united again, I NEEEEEED this “why choose” in my life lol

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author who provided me with an ARC.

4.5/5

This is a cozy romantasy that involves magical relics, all the emotions, and all the angst. I really enjoyed the dual POVs as well as the flashbacks scattered throughout the book as I thought it helped provide more background and insight into the characters. There is both M/M and M/F and it was 🥵 3.5/5 🌶️ (Love Rafe x Callum!) I also love how Elia and Callum are helping to heal each other 🥹

I thought it was well paced and kept me interested. I think the series will eventually be MMF which I’m super excited for. I do think the ending left some questions in order to open it up for the next book, so I’ll be excited to see how everything plays out.

[Eiji Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

In exchange for an honest review I got to read the ARC version of Between Two Suns by Bianca Vale.

At first I didn't think I would like this story but boy could I not have been further from the truth.  This is a MMF love story with a fantasy story about a girl that owned a farm that her parents bought for her to own when she got older and when the king announced a hunt for a missing relic her parents ended up leaving her at the age of 14 alone and with no support system around her. Forcing her into dept and into a work camp where she spent the next decade working more like a slave than anything else known for her good skills to find relics by digging in dirt, sand and mudd everyday. When Callum the Hunter and the loyal servant of the King finds her one day as he is in need of her relic finding skills he is not prepared for the person she is and the feelings that starts blooming from the moment he put his eyes on her.  Callum that had his heart broken when the prince and son of the King decided to up and leave him behind to never return.

And this is where the story starts, a story about a kingdom on the decline, a king that have fallen into madness that uses Callum as his puppet, Adrine a girl that were forced into salvery becuse her parents abonded her and Callum that is heartbroken and only want to find the relic that can save the Kingdom and the king.

I hope the Author will make a second book since this one ended on a cliffhanger and i need to know what will happen next since i really like this story!

Lastly i want to Thank Bianca Vale for this beautiful and edge of the seat story!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Bianca Vale for offering this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

For those that feel this book was more romance based than plot based, that’s why we call it character driven. And I love that about the story. The characters in this book has so much development with glimpses of their past sprinkled throughout the current events that are unfolding.

Elia is such a bright ball of sunshine and it makes her very fun to read. I also enjoy her honesty and lack of filter. It is refreshing to see an FMC that truly doesn’t want to keep the secrets and values communication. And poor Callum, this man can’t seem to figure out anything. He just wants to do right by everyone, unfortunately even those who may not deserve it. I am excited to see how the relationship grows and changes between Elia, Callum, and Rafe in the next book.

And of course the underlying plot behind it all that is driving the characters is quite interesting. I’m hoping we get to learn more about these relics, the king, and Elia’s gift in the next book.

So much potential for book two, and I’m very very excited!

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out very promising. I really enjoyed the back stories mixed into the present. The character descriptions and world building pulled me into this world. Elia the MFC was hinted to have witchy vibes with her fast healing and relic reading but as the story progresses we kind of lose this story line. One of the MMC Cal is bisexual and there are some parts of the book that touch on M on M 🌶️ encounters which I'm usually not into but the author did this very tastefully and kinda sexy so I didn't mind. The M on F 🌶️ scenes were also tastefully done and meshed well with the story line. Towards the end of the book I found it to be kind of choppy and the author was trying to add in new characters and further the back story lines but it didn't flow as well as I hoped. The ending was confusing and a little disappointing for me personally but I know this is going to be a trilogy with the potential to be really powerful in the next two books. I will be very interested to see how she brings the Queen the King and the Hunter full circle in the end. Worth a read.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prologue of this book absolutely broke my heart. I was so invested in the tragedy that was described I had to keep reading to see what happened.
This was a story of healing from past trauma and heart break (caused by ex-lovers and family), to finding new family paired with a little adventure.

It was so nice to have a romance in a book take it slow instead of insta-love. Going through all of the stages of "what's your favorite color" to "boyfriend and girlfriend" to the SPICY relationship scenes (and they were indeed very spicy).
The FMC is an absolute sunshine of a character. She's witty, and confident, without being arrogant that you can help but love her and want to root for her.
The MMC is slightly broody, with a past he's attempting to heal from, and the more you get to know him the more you're rooting for him to just take responsibility for his actions and move on.
I fell in love with Elia and Cal, and I can't wait for the second book already.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jennifer S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge thanks to Bianca Vale for the ARC of Between Two Suns.
I absolutely adored this book. I devoured it in under nine hours because I simply couldn’t put it down. The writing is strong, the pacing is addictive, and the magical elements hit all the notes I love in fantasy. Those alone made this book amazing for me.
Elia and Callum are a whole vibe — their chemistry, tension, and emotional pull kept me glued to the pages. I’m really hoping this becomes a series because I need more of them, more of this world, and more of the magic woven through it. I can’t get enough. Once you sprinkle in Rafe? Turns into a full-blown inferno.
What’s next, Bianca? Don’t keep us waiting – we need more! 😊
Triggers: none that stood out to me
Content note: includes biosexual characters and relationships
Spice: 4/5 — the scenes are hot

[Tsuki_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the ARC!

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This book started off really promising and I was instantly hooked! Ancient civilisations? Magical relics?? Sign me up! However, by the midpoint things started to unravel, and by the end the author had thrown the whole plot out the window to focus solely on the romance.

Which brings me on to the romance itself. It was pretty much insta-love between the FMC and the MMC, so if you're hoping for a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, this ain't it. There are also signs that this will end up being a "why choose", which I know not everyone is into.

I'll be continuing the series in the hopes that the next book focuses more on the plot - as well as any abilities the FMC might have, which was disappointingly glossed over in this book.

2.75 ⭐ rounded up to 3.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

This cozy romantasy is about character relationships first then world building second. There is a lot promise in this story and world. I enjoyed the search for magic relics, and I would’ve liked to know more about what they do. There was a big focus on searching for relics. It was interesting how treasure hunting was portrayed as detrimental to the kingdom and its families.

I’m hoping that book 2 dives deeper into the relics, and the communication between characters improves. I was expecting a different ending since the characters expressed how devoted they were to each other, and I was disappointed one character’s major secret wasn’t revealed to the others in this book.

[Heather-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Elia, she’s a ray of sunshine even though her life has been hard. She lets her optimism shine through all of the darkness. The dynamic with the Hunters is also another highlight for me, Ginna is a great friend and a steady presence throughout. The relationships explored between Callum & Elia and Callum & Rafe are so beautiful. I cannot wait for book 2, I need Callum to heal and come back with a vengeance against a certain member of royalty. I also can’t wait to find out more about the power Elia possesses, it wasn’t focused on much in this book and I am really interested in knowing more.

[Serenity Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC copy to me. I really loved this book and I’m excited to see more from the author . She is a great writer who was able to weave compelling characters and a captivating storyline. Elia is definitely one of my favourite FMC’s that I’ve read this year— I’m a sucker for strong female characters 🤭🤭 all in all. I definitely recommend and cannot wait for the next book.

[Taylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this world with relics from the ancients and magic. I was a little disappointed over the decisions made at the end. I am not a fan of miscommunication and all the decisions were made based off that. Otherwise, this was a great read!!!

[Silenced_Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was such an easy and fun read. It reminded me of the Black Mage series from years ago, just a little less YA. I really hope we have a "why choose" trope in the making.