Fearless

A Born Assassin #4

by Jacqueline Pawl

Beltharos may have won the battle against the Cirisians, but the true war is yet to come.

For the first time since breaking the Guild’s sacred oath, Mercy is under the control of the woman who has manipulated and tormented her all her life—and Illynor has no shortage of punishments awaiting Mercy for her crimes. All will be forgiven if she repents and dedicates herself to the Guild, but doing so means losing the family and life she left behind.

Chained and half-starved, she vows to never give Illynor the satisfaction of seeing her break, but her resolve weakens every day she must endure the Guildmother’s torture. She can only hope Tamriel finds a way to free her before it gives out entirely.

Genres: Fantasy

398 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 12, 2021

About the author

Jacqueline Pawl can be most often found reading, writing, or shopping for even more books to add to her ever-growing ‘to-read’ pile. (She swears, someday she’ll get a chance to read all of them.) MERCILESS is the first book in her Throne of Glass-esque fantasy series, complete with tough-as-nails assassins, snarky blacksmiths, a dreamy prince, and a mad king.

Reviews

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, what can I say about this book other than it was so severely powerful that I had to keep putting it down to be able to finish it. The emotions this drew out of me were beyond anything I've felt in a very very long time.

Mercy is in the hands of the monster that basically created her. Having finally gotten away, she thought she was safe, but safety is an illusion, and Mercy has no illusions any longer. All she has is hope.

Being back under Mother Ilynor's control, Mercy has to hold tight to the hope that someone will come to get her out of this unbelievable hell. Tamriel is doing everything he can to get together what he needs to go get her back, but with a kingdom that requires some major cleaning up after the war that they just barely won, he's having a hard time getting the army he needs together to go get her out. Mercy's family is chomping at the bit to go get her free so she can finally know the family she never even knew she had. And Faye, well, Faye has her own troubles.

There is action, heartfelt romance, friendship, and so much more in this book that there is no doubt that it is an epic fantasy. As the newest book in the Born Assassin series, this one really shows you what the Guild of Assassins is all about, what kind of kingdom Tam wants to have, what kind of people are in Mercy's life, and just exactly how much stamina you have for heart-crushing emotion. I didn't have much. It definitely crushed me.

Jacqueline Pawl will never stop amazing me with what she can do with an idea and a computer. I am so very much in love with this series that I spread the word wherever I can. This series is what epic action/romance fantasy is all about. The romance is in the love the characters have for each other, not in any unnecessary sex scenes. The action is in the evil that she knows is in the world, and portrays through wars, guilds, and evil characters that make up this story that is so very captivating. Jackie has a talent that we don't see much of anymore. The talent to pull you in and keep you there long after the story has ended.

Excellently done, Jacqueline Pawl! Excellently done, in-very-deed!

I received an ARC copy, and give this review of my own volition and in my own words. As always.

[SD Jericho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is not just a grab it and read any old time. This series evokes such strong reactions and emotions in me, and I can’t just let them go when I close the book. This is a series I read when I need to feel those deep feelings and to embrace them; this is what I read when I need to see how bad things can be but also, more importantly how much incredible hope there is; these books remind me of the importance of joy and an incredible fighting spirit.
Jacqueline Pawl is incredibly talented in her creation of a deeply layered and incredibly visually enticing book. It’s powerful and incredible.
I am blown away by the loyalty that Mercy instills in the people that care about her. There was so much heartache and healing in Fearless, so much sadness and moments of joy still to be found its midst.
And that cliffy at the end… WTF??? OMG… I can’t even!!

[LooseBoots · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say. I love this series and I know you will too. No spoilers from me. It is simply awesome. Mercy is so my favorite character as I’m sure you will find that too. You just read this book and this series. You’ll be sorry if you don’t.

[Ashlee Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal work!!! This series just keeps getting better with each book!

I love that we get a more in depth look at the Guild!

Jacqueline has done an amazing job on this world and created such beloved characters.

A more in depth review will be coming to my blog soon

[Leah Dynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story! Every book just keeps getting better and better. Can’t wait for more.

[ErinTurnsPages · Rating 5 out of 5]

No!!!!! Summer is too far away!! Fearless is a beautiful addition to the Series. Learning the truth about the Qadar and Illynor’s family was so neat. And I loved reading from so many viewpoints, especially Faye’s.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Rasha Siwonest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't been able to read this one yet, but I had a copy of the first book and it was amazing! I finished it in 2 days.
I loved the small references Jacqueline had for ToG.
The book was gripping and interesting. I loved Mercy.
Jacqueline made her an interesting character from the start. She made her different without being clumsy or arrogant. She was easy to love from the start.
I cant wait to get to this one.

[Lost in Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this series is good and very enjoyable. I'm in book 5 now and its been a good journey. Im not sure I care to finish book five because I think its fully baked at book 4. Book five seems to be seeking to extend the story a bit too far so I'm fast losing interest. The main problem that is consistent and really is disappointing is the main character is a weak female. There is a lot of diatribe about being a super assassin but there is no proof. There are no amazingly great physical feats. She is always injured, passing out and when the fight happens often "exhausted" so the passing out, needing rescue or critically injured after very little effort is somehow justified for craptastic action scenes. So maybe the author wants her to always require rescue or she is unaware how to write spectacular action scenes? I'm leaning towards "talks big but won't admit to always needing rescue". The MC being a super assassin is just not a believable constant throughout the series no matter how many times the term is mentioned. Series tired " Born assassin wannabe".

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible storytelling! Crazy cliffhanger😱😱😱

This series from the begging got my full attention. And it continues to surprise and amaze me, every single book. And the journey that this book taakes the characters in is beautiful, to see all the things they have been through and how much they have grown and evolve.
This book is so good, and I love that we got to see a new characters’ persperctive, I love Faye and to see her side of things was amazing!
But that end.... Oh My God! It’s killing me! I can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I wanted to write and post this review to share my honest experiences toward the story.

Fearless is book 4 in the Born Assassin series, and like the others preceding it, it does not disappoint. It was an incredible, fast paced read filled with so much action and fantasy adventure. I can only describe it as an emotional, page turning, captivating read that I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes YA fantasy. I am really enjoying Mercy’s journey so far and with the cliffhanger at the end of this book, I simply cannot wait until the next book comes out.

[corriganann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The battle was everything I had hoped for and seeing everyone’s bonds become stronger was beautiful. I knew the plot twist was coming due to some foreshadowing earlier in the book but it still made me sad for Tam, Mercy, and friends. Off to book 5!

[freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

well that’s a bit rude isn’t it. how dare the book end like that.

[Beba Andric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so powerful, so dramatic, I read it in one sitting. I started it this morning and before I knew it, most of the day had passed! I have mentioned in reviews on the prior books in this series, how every emotion I have is brought to the fore, but I was not expecting another such strong reaction! Well, now that my emotions have been scattered in every feasible direction, I'll take a deep breath to write something coherent.... After everything Mercy has gone through, her determination to get away from the Guild and start a new life with Tamriel, is taken from her when she finds herself captured by the very person she tried to escape from. Yet Mercy will not yield, she will not succumb as she desperately holds on to hope, hope that somehow she will escape. The evil of Illynor, her need to control Mercy is incredibly described, as is Mercy's handling of the torture she is forced to endure. It is honestly so well written, one can feel every blow, every emotion. The characters are so diverse, so real, so extremely raw. They are so human, they make mistakes, they seek redemption, they feel remorse, but ultimately, they know they need to stop Illynor. The love between Mercy and Tamriel is so appealing and their characters grow stronger throughout. Tamriel faces adversary at every turn, yet his convictions and caring nature never falters. I have loved Calum from the very beginning, even when he was charming and scheming the death of his cousin, he's extremely likeable and vulnerable. There were not a single moment I could predict what was going to happen, and I was taken aback by some of the events in this fast paced book. Event after event, emotion after emotion, battle after battle, I was invested every step of the way.And goodness me, that was quite the cliffhanger! I desperately need book 5...
It is such a compelling read, I felt like I had run and won a marathon by the end, all sweaty and exhausted, but elated, that I needed time to come off my high.