What do you think?
The Freed Hunt #1
Forged in Flames
Very little fazes blacksmith Kenna, so accidentally awakening a Goddess barely gives her pause, until she discovers what gifts Belisama has bestowed in her. She finds herself in the midst of a power struggle between two Gods that she didn’t even know existed, but it’s the fact that this isn’t a challenge she can face alone that will almost get her killed.
Morcant has been trapped as part of the Wild Hunt for centuries: he’s seen his brother die as part of the curse; friends give up; and he’ll do just about anything to keep the remaining members safe. So when he’s promised their freedom, he agrees to do what the god Nodens asks, and stop the Godstouched from unwittingly creating more mayhem.
But the Godstouched is Kenna, the first woman to touch his heart in millennia, which leaves him with a horrendous choice: her happiness, or freedom for those he thinks of as family.
Morcant has been trapped as part of the Wild Hunt for centuries: he’s seen his brother die as part of the curse; friends give up; and he’ll do just about anything to keep the remaining members safe. So when he’s promised their freedom, he agrees to do what the god Nodens asks, and stop the Godstouched from unwittingly creating more mayhem.
But the Godstouched is Kenna, the first woman to touch his heart in millennia, which leaves him with a horrendous choice: her happiness, or freedom for those he thinks of as family.
- GenresRomance
190 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 14, 2022
About the author
Ali Williams
27 books67 followersAli Williams' inner romance reader is never quite satisfied, which is why she oscillates between writing romance, editing romance, and studying it as part of her PhD.
She can be found at the foot of the South Downs in the UK, either nerding out over local mythologies or drinking cocktails on the beach.
She believes with all of her bifurious heart that writing romance is an act of rebellion and that academia will be so much better when studying diverse HEAs is naturally part of the curriculum.
She can be found at the foot of the South Downs in the UK, either nerding out over local mythologies or drinking cocktails on the beach.
She believes with all of her bifurious heart that writing romance is an act of rebellion and that academia will be so much better when studying diverse HEAs is naturally part of the curriculum.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 20, 2022
So, I wanted to love this book. Fantasy with a soft, service-type MMC? Right up my alley. This just didn't quote come together for me
⚒️ I liked that the FMC was a blacksmith with muscles
⚒️ I liked the ultra gentle femdom (I'd have loved to see more of it though)
⚒️ The FMC has friends who played a part in the story, which is nice. I really like when the main characters have relations outside of the romantic displayed in a story.
⚒️ The goddess was really cool. If she gets a book I might give it a go.
⚒️ That the conflict didn't get soured by miscommunication was real fucking nice.
⚒️ What really dragged this down for me, was the insta-love. While not the worst case I've seen of it, it was still too much for my taste. It disconnected me from the romance, and didn't manage to grab hold of me again.
⚒️ Another thing that didn't work for me, was that a few time "over explaining" was used as a crutch. The story does show, but after showing you the characters will also monologue/have an inner debate about it for pages. Please trust me to gather what an interaction means to a character just to some degree. It really bogs the flow down and makes me bored.
Final thoughts
I hate, hate, hate that I didn't love this book. I want to support authors who write submissive and soft MMC, and strong, capable FMCs. But this book just didn't really do it for me. It's not bad. It's really not, but it just sits at the place of "boring with a few nice moments" for me. So I'm giving it 2,5 stars and rounding up.
⚒️ I liked that the FMC was a blacksmith with muscles
⚒️ I liked the ultra gentle femdom (I'd have loved to see more of it though)
He wanted to worship the altar that was Kenna.
⚒️ The FMC has friends who played a part in the story, which is nice. I really like when the main characters have relations outside of the romantic displayed in a story.
⚒️ The goddess was really cool. If she gets a book I might give it a go.
⚒️ That the conflict didn't get soured by miscommunication was real fucking nice.
⚒️ What really dragged this down for me, was the insta-love. While not the worst case I've seen of it, it was still too much for my taste. It disconnected me from the romance, and didn't manage to grab hold of me again.
He may have only known her for a few glorious hours, but he knew that at least.
⚒️ Another thing that didn't work for me, was that a few time "over explaining" was used as a crutch. The story does show, but after showing you the characters will also monologue/have an inner debate about it for pages. Please trust me to gather what an interaction means to a character just to some degree. It really bogs the flow down and makes me bored.
Final thoughts
I hate, hate, hate that I didn't love this book. I want to support authors who write submissive and soft MMC, and strong, capable FMCs. But this book just didn't really do it for me. It's not bad. It's really not, but it just sits at the place of "boring with a few nice moments" for me. So I'm giving it 2,5 stars and rounding up.
May 10, 2022
Words cannot express just how much I enjoyed this book, but I'm going to try, because I received an ARC and I promised to review it!
Ali Williams has such a way with words. So sensuous, so sexy without being over-the-top in her prose. This book reminded me a lot of 80s fantasy movies. If you're into stuff like Ladyhawk, Legend, and all that good stuff, you will probably like this. Idk, just the vibes I got from it.
A+ worldbuilding. Very unique! If you're getting fatigued by the Greek pantheon stories, then this is a wonderful panacea for that.
A+ sex, although I wish there was more of it. Yeah, I know, I know. I am a horndog and just wanted to read more scenes with Morcant going down on Kenna.
I loved Morcant and Kenna. What a wonderful couple. This book is also perfect for fans of Milla Vane, who enjoyed the Barbarian romances. This is not a Barbarian romance, but it gave similar vibes. The main difference is that this is WAY shorter than HEART OF BLOOD AND ASHES (which is a good thing, at least for me?) and the male MC, Morcant, is not an alphahole. I have trouble with reading alphaholes these days. Morcant is a sweetheart from start to finish and knows what consent is, which is really important to me.
I have marked this as LGBT because there's an enby character! Fantastic!
I'm looking forward to the next books in this series!
Ali Williams has such a way with words. So sensuous, so sexy without being over-the-top in her prose. This book reminded me a lot of 80s fantasy movies. If you're into stuff like Ladyhawk, Legend, and all that good stuff, you will probably like this. Idk, just the vibes I got from it.
A+ worldbuilding. Very unique! If you're getting fatigued by the Greek pantheon stories, then this is a wonderful panacea for that.
A+ sex, although I wish there was more of it. Yeah, I know, I know. I am a horndog and just wanted to read more scenes with Morcant going down on Kenna.
I loved Morcant and Kenna. What a wonderful couple. This book is also perfect for fans of Milla Vane, who enjoyed the Barbarian romances. This is not a Barbarian romance, but it gave similar vibes. The main difference is that this is WAY shorter than HEART OF BLOOD AND ASHES (which is a good thing, at least for me?) and the male MC, Morcant, is not an alphahole. I have trouble with reading alphaholes these days. Morcant is a sweetheart from start to finish and knows what consent is, which is really important to me.
I have marked this as LGBT because there's an enby character! Fantastic!
I'm looking forward to the next books in this series!
December 18, 2024
It’s kind of a weird thing to say, but I really think the romance plot in this romance novel was out of place.
The FMC is this super-strong, independent metalsmith who seems to like nothing more than the MMC taking a step back and letting her be in charge. For his part, he’s this ancient cursed person thrown out of time by a god and tasked with “stopping her”, but since he’s not sure what exactly that means, nor is he all that motivated to continue serving the capricious god, despite the fact that failure means a return to the cursed existence he suffered in for centuries prior to this.
I wanted MMC to be either A) a bullheaded “see here missy, I’ll not be spoken to like that by a woman!” type who needs to be put in his place (perhaps by becoming the damsel in distress, since her goddess has recently gifted her some cool new powers, whereas his god seems not all that invested in seeing him succeed), or B) an unexpected ally who exerts time pressure on the FMC to work together to figure out how to thwart his capricious master and save him from the god’s curse or C) a touch-starved sad-boy whose cursed life has caused unspeakable heartache, who has an enormous, aching NEED for the FMC and her grounding influence.
It seems like the author was probably going for option C, but was afraid to emasculate MMC by making him too needy, so he ends up being this super-chill non-entity who just stands around until she’s in the mood to climb him like a tree.
(Sometimes he’s even *literally* standing around, like when he dropped her off at the and she went in alone, and then right after that when she wanted to practice and he again just stood there.)
Another time, he spends the night sleeping at her door and we get this lovely moment where she discovers him out there and feeds him, puts him to bed, etc, but instead of him being touched, or grateful, we get this lukewarm reaction:
That’s it?! He says thank you with a question mark like he’s too cool for real gratitude. This is his first home-cooked meal and his first time sleeping in a bed since Roman times. I’d be SOBBING, y’all. But nope, they just move on to discussing the topic at hand:
Erm… what is this yassified nonsense?? Sir, this is not the time for you to get all “you go girl” on her! You should be SCREAMING at this obnoxious, in-over-her-head MORTAL that the gods had you trapped in a cursed half-life for CEN-TUR-IES and she’s next on the hit list if she doesn’t redirect her energies right freaking now!
When they split up and he goes back to his crew to talk about how to achieve the god’s objective, the strategy conversation fades to black (no need to actually demonstrate any real thinking or strategizing there, huh?) and then we pick back up just in time for the most awkward sitcom conversation of all time, where 5 thousand-year-old Britons try to work out how to woo a twenty-first century woman.
🙄 Spare me! At first I thought they cut away from the strategy meeting and then picked back up on the idea of courting the FMC to imply that the plan was to seduce FMC or trick her in some way to get rid of her magic—perhaps leading to a third-act breakup—but nope. It just took all of them putting their heads together to come up with the fantastic idea of a beach picnic date.
The romantic scenes are so lukewarm, too; shallow characters trying to dig deep and coming up empty:
Stellar dialogue if the book was written by a fifth-grader. (Honorable mention goes to this one: “I have food.” “Food is good.”)
The book culminates in an absolutely snore-inducing battle between the MMC’s crew and a bunch of shadows which can be knocked away if you hit them with stuff. It’s the god’s last stand and he’s racing against time to stop FMC from forging the piece that’s going to… release her goddess (or whatever?) to… defeat him (or something)? Big baddie comes in with zero strats, zero tricks and zero plan, just walked in to the forge, MCs form a semicircle around FMC, and then just wave shadows away til she’s done. I think I did this exact battle plan with dolls when I was literally 8 years old. Including the part where they all stand in one place and vaguely whack at the enemy without getting hurt. 😂
So yeah, lame plot, shallow characters, boring dialogue, dull prose. Do not recommend.
The FMC is this super-strong, independent metalsmith who seems to like nothing more than the MMC taking a step back and letting her be in charge. For his part, he’s this ancient cursed person thrown out of time by a god and tasked with “stopping her”, but since he’s not sure what exactly that means, nor is he all that motivated to continue serving the capricious god, despite the fact that failure means a return to the cursed existence he suffered in for centuries prior to this.
I wanted MMC to be either A) a bullheaded “see here missy, I’ll not be spoken to like that by a woman!” type who needs to be put in his place (perhaps by becoming the damsel in distress, since her goddess has recently gifted her some cool new powers, whereas his god seems not all that invested in seeing him succeed), or B) an unexpected ally who exerts time pressure on the FMC to work together to figure out how to thwart his capricious master and save him from the god’s curse or C) a touch-starved sad-boy whose cursed life has caused unspeakable heartache, who has an enormous, aching NEED for the FMC and her grounding influence.
It seems like the author was probably going for option C, but was afraid to emasculate MMC by making him too needy, so he ends up being this super-chill non-entity who just stands around until she’s in the mood to climb him like a tree.
(Sometimes he’s even *literally* standing around, like when he dropped her off at the and she went in alone, and then right after that when she wanted to practice and he again just stood there.)
Another time, he spends the night sleeping at her door and we get this lovely moment where she discovers him out there and feeds him, puts him to bed, etc, but instead of him being touched, or grateful, we get this lukewarm reaction:
But all that ale the night before had had a bigger impact on him than he’d realized. He was alarmed when Kenna woke him, clearly some hours later, by shoving a bowl of broth under his nose.
“That should help bring you back to the land of the living.”
He nodded and took it from her, glad the world was no longer dancing a jig that would send him stumbling across the room. One spoonful and he was overcome with hunger, barely stopping to thank her as he scoffed down the entire bowl. When he finished, he looked up to see her eyeing him curiously. “Thank you?”
“You’re welcome.” She took the dish from him and placed it on the side. “This is a one-off thing though; don’t expect to be fed every time you turn up here like a lost puppy.”
That’s it?! He says thank you with a question mark like he’s too cool for real gratitude. This is his first home-cooked meal and his first time sleeping in a bed since Roman times. I’d be SOBBING, y’all. But nope, they just move on to discussing the topic at hand:
“I think you’re in danger.”
“From Belisama, yeah, you said.” She ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. “Is there anything I can say that’ll persuade you that a) I’m a big girl, I can look after myself, and b) she’s the last person I need protecting from?”
“You’re…very strong. And independent.”
“Of course!” She sounded indignant that he’d ever doubted this would be the case. In fact, Morcant couldn’t imagine this fireball of a woman being anything but strong. It was imbued in every line of her body, from the way she held herself, to her confidence. It was even in the way she met his eyes; challenging and completely unafraid. “I make my own decisions, and you don’t get to make those for me.”
This was going wrong. Fast. He needed to say something, anything, that showed he was listening. That he did believe her. “No, of course.”
Erm… what is this yassified nonsense?? Sir, this is not the time for you to get all “you go girl” on her! You should be SCREAMING at this obnoxious, in-over-her-head MORTAL that the gods had you trapped in a cursed half-life for CEN-TUR-IES and she’s next on the hit list if she doesn’t redirect her energies right freaking now!
When they split up and he goes back to his crew to talk about how to achieve the god’s objective, the strategy conversation fades to black (no need to actually demonstrate any real thinking or strategizing there, huh?) and then we pick back up just in time for the most awkward sitcom conversation of all time, where 5 thousand-year-old Britons try to work out how to woo a twenty-first century woman.
“I should fix that. What do women these days like?”
“I can help with that,” suggested Deuroc. He looked vaguely aggrieved as they all burst out laughing. “What?”
“You need a little help yourself,” explained Herla. “Sure, Tegan likes you, but that’s more because you amuse her than anything. Morcant, how about gifts? Flowers, jewels?”
“Flowers and jewels are commonplace,” Aerten said. “You want something that’s going to really make you stand out.” They waited for her to continue, and she just shrugged. “No, that’s really all I’ve got. No-one said I was actually any good at this.”
🙄 Spare me! At first I thought they cut away from the strategy meeting and then picked back up on the idea of courting the FMC to imply that the plan was to seduce FMC or trick her in some way to get rid of her magic—perhaps leading to a third-act breakup—but nope. It just took all of them putting their heads together to come up with the fantastic idea of a beach picnic date.
The romantic scenes are so lukewarm, too; shallow characters trying to dig deep and coming up empty:
Kenna found herself getting terribly shy, wanting to turn away from his gaze and hide under the covers, but he caught her hand as she moved.
“Why?”
“‘Why?’” She didn’t know what he was asking of her.
“Why do you turn away when I look at you? You are magnificent.”
She laughed, a brittle sound that screamed vulnerability. “Let’s put my magnificence to one side for a moment—though truer words have never been spoken—for honesty. You see me. All of me. And that’s scary.”
Stellar dialogue if the book was written by a fifth-grader. (Honorable mention goes to this one: “I have food.” “Food is good.”)
The book culminates in an absolutely snore-inducing battle between the MMC’s crew and a bunch of shadows which can be knocked away if you hit them with stuff. It’s the god’s last stand and he’s racing against time to stop FMC from forging the piece that’s going to… release her goddess (or whatever?) to… defeat him (or something)? Big baddie comes in with zero strats, zero tricks and zero plan, just walked in to the forge, MCs form a semicircle around FMC, and then just wave shadows away til she’s done. I think I did this exact battle plan with dolls when I was literally 8 years old. Including the part where they all stand in one place and vaguely whack at the enemy without getting hurt. 😂
So yeah, lame plot, shallow characters, boring dialogue, dull prose. Do not recommend.
May 9, 2022
I’d read some of the author’s contemporary romances before so when I found out she had a shifter romance coming out? Heck yes! And it’s absolutely delightful, with a strong heroine and the exact opposite of an alphahole hero.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Kenna is very surprised when the statue she’s working on suddenly turns into Belisama, a goddess she’s never heard of, and proclaims that she’s her priestess. But the blacksmith figures she can just shrug it off and finish off the commission… at least until the side effects of being Godstouched by the goddess of forges and fire show up. Morcant’s having an equally surprising day. Cursed to ride for centuries as part of the Wild Hunt, the god who trapped him has freed him and the rest of the Hunt. The catch? To stay free, they’ll have to hunt down the Godstouched and stop them from using their power. But the minute Morcant sees Kenna, he realizes he can’t harm her. But with the fate of himself and his friends hanging in the balance, what choice does he have?
Kenna’s a delightful character. After the death of her father, she took over as blacksmith for her small village in England and it’s obvious how much she loves her work. She’s strong physically and mentally, and she has no problem talking back to a living statue/goddess. Dealing with a goddess-sent compulsion to finish the statue while trying to figure out how not to set her friends on fire is a bit much for even her, though. Luckily, Morcant’s willing to be there and support her, though Kenna’s not sure she wants the help. Morcant’s ok with following her lead though, because while he’s strong and capable on his own, he also very much appreciates how strong and in control Kenna is. Kenna in return admires his muscles, of course, but most of all that he respects her boundaries and her decisions, that he doesn’t attempt to run her life. Of course, hanging over it all is the god’s threat to return Morcant and his friends to the Hunt if he doesn’t stop Kenna.
This is all set in the South Downs, an area the author obviously loves and that transfers to the characters and her descriptions of the countryside. Besides the worldbuilding, I also liked the side characters. While Morcant’s found family was interesting, my favorite characters were Kenna’s friends. Rina’s a librarian who attempts to fix everything with either books or food, and Arlee’s the highly excitable primary teacher (and nonbinary). I very much hope the next books in the series involve them! I also really liked that this drew from the pre-Roman English pantheon rather then usual Greek one.
Overall, it’s short, sweet and very delightful and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series!
I received an advance review copy of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content notes:
It’s no exaggeration to say that Kenna is very surprised when the statue she’s working on suddenly turns into Belisama, a goddess she’s never heard of, and proclaims that she’s her priestess. But the blacksmith figures she can just shrug it off and finish off the commission… at least until the side effects of being Godstouched by the goddess of forges and fire show up. Morcant’s having an equally surprising day. Cursed to ride for centuries as part of the Wild Hunt, the god who trapped him has freed him and the rest of the Hunt. The catch? To stay free, they’ll have to hunt down the Godstouched and stop them from using their power. But the minute Morcant sees Kenna, he realizes he can’t harm her. But with the fate of himself and his friends hanging in the balance, what choice does he have?
“There was magic in the metal, magic that needed to be let out, and she was the only one that could release it.”
Kenna’s a delightful character. After the death of her father, she took over as blacksmith for her small village in England and it’s obvious how much she loves her work. She’s strong physically and mentally, and she has no problem talking back to a living statue/goddess. Dealing with a goddess-sent compulsion to finish the statue while trying to figure out how not to set her friends on fire is a bit much for even her, though. Luckily, Morcant’s willing to be there and support her, though Kenna’s not sure she wants the help. Morcant’s ok with following her lead though, because while he’s strong and capable on his own, he also very much appreciates how strong and in control Kenna is. Kenna in return admires his muscles, of course, but most of all that he respects her boundaries and her decisions, that he doesn’t attempt to run her life. Of course, hanging over it all is the god’s threat to return Morcant and his friends to the Hunt if he doesn’t stop Kenna.
This is all set in the South Downs, an area the author obviously loves and that transfers to the characters and her descriptions of the countryside. Besides the worldbuilding, I also liked the side characters. While Morcant’s found family was interesting, my favorite characters were Kenna’s friends. Rina’s a librarian who attempts to fix everything with either books or food, and Arlee’s the highly excitable primary teacher (and nonbinary). I very much hope the next books in the series involve them! I also really liked that this drew from the pre-Roman English pantheon rather then usual Greek one.
“Telling her best friends about accidentally summoning a goddess, being named her priestess, and being blessed with the ability to breathe fire wasn’t something that Kenna would like to repeat[.]”
Overall, it’s short, sweet and very delightful and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series!
I received an advance review copy of this book from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Content notes:
May 14, 2022
This is my first Ali Williams title. I have been intrigued by her plots and characters for a while, so when I had a chance to read and review an ARC for Forged in Flames, I jumped at it.
The story is on the shorter side, consider it a long novella or short novel. It uses that length to put focus on the characters and plot. Blacksmith Kenna and her two best friends meet the last members of the Wild Hunt in the South Downs as they face off against warring gods.
When I read a new author one of my frequent fears is stilted language and bad grammar. None of that is here at all. Immediately, I could relax and enjoy the story instead of being distracted by the bad mechanics of it all. There are a few typos, maybe 5 that jumped out at me, and none of them get in the way of enjoying the story.
The pace of the story is tight. The events happen over a four-day or so time period. The characters are really great. Kenna is a strong woman in the sense that she is both physically healthy (and a blacksmith!) and mentally resilient. She reacts with joy and kindness, but even with gods, controls her own fate.
Morcant is a leader who’s carried a heavy burden. He’s not a “my way or the highway” alphahole kind of hero. His personality works with Kenna’s because he doesn’t try to control her, only support her.
Yes, there are sex and physical intimacy scenes, but they don’t overpower the story.
The bottom line is that I enjoyed reading this book so much that I immediately messaged a friend of mine who is interested in dragons and told her she had to get this book.
If anything in the description appeals to your interests, definitely get this book. You’ll spend a few easy hours reading something fun.
The story is on the shorter side, consider it a long novella or short novel. It uses that length to put focus on the characters and plot. Blacksmith Kenna and her two best friends meet the last members of the Wild Hunt in the South Downs as they face off against warring gods.
When I read a new author one of my frequent fears is stilted language and bad grammar. None of that is here at all. Immediately, I could relax and enjoy the story instead of being distracted by the bad mechanics of it all. There are a few typos, maybe 5 that jumped out at me, and none of them get in the way of enjoying the story.
The pace of the story is tight. The events happen over a four-day or so time period. The characters are really great. Kenna is a strong woman in the sense that she is both physically healthy (and a blacksmith!) and mentally resilient. She reacts with joy and kindness, but even with gods, controls her own fate.
Morcant is a leader who’s carried a heavy burden. He’s not a “my way or the highway” alphahole kind of hero. His personality works with Kenna’s because he doesn’t try to control her, only support her.
Yes, there are sex and physical intimacy scenes, but they don’t overpower the story.
The bottom line is that I enjoyed reading this book so much that I immediately messaged a friend of mine who is interested in dragons and told her she had to get this book.
If anything in the description appeals to your interests, definitely get this book. You’ll spend a few easy hours reading something fun.
May 12, 2022
I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
While I’m still a pretty reluctant reader of paranormal romance or urban fantasy, a great premise will get me to step out of my comfort zone, and Forged in Flames absolutely does that. There’s a simultaneous sense of being grounded in some version of our world, while also being infused with a very original pantheon of gods, setting it apart from other books that develop mythology-based storylines with the Greeks or the Norse as a direct source of inspiration. Those have been great lately, but I love getting something pretty much completely new and taking the time to organically explore that.
Kenna is a great heroine, and I love the balance of her being strong (I love that she’s a blacksmith!) and still being vulnerable. And Morcant is the real treat of the book. So much mainstream paranormal/fantasy romance features alphahole heroes, but Morcant is a complete softie as a romantic lead, respecting Kenna’s boundaries, and also being incredibly competent as a partner in all ways.
It’s short, but sweet, hitting all the right notes, immersing you in the world, the characters, and what’s going on fairly well. If you’re looking to try a different take on the mythology-inspired/fantasy romance, I recommend this one.
While I’m still a pretty reluctant reader of paranormal romance or urban fantasy, a great premise will get me to step out of my comfort zone, and Forged in Flames absolutely does that. There’s a simultaneous sense of being grounded in some version of our world, while also being infused with a very original pantheon of gods, setting it apart from other books that develop mythology-based storylines with the Greeks or the Norse as a direct source of inspiration. Those have been great lately, but I love getting something pretty much completely new and taking the time to organically explore that.
Kenna is a great heroine, and I love the balance of her being strong (I love that she’s a blacksmith!) and still being vulnerable. And Morcant is the real treat of the book. So much mainstream paranormal/fantasy romance features alphahole heroes, but Morcant is a complete softie as a romantic lead, respecting Kenna’s boundaries, and also being incredibly competent as a partner in all ways.
It’s short, but sweet, hitting all the right notes, immersing you in the world, the characters, and what’s going on fairly well. If you’re looking to try a different take on the mythology-inspired/fantasy romance, I recommend this one.
June 8, 2022
So I already knew I'd like this book, but I wasn't quite prepared for how much. The worldbuilding is fascinating and thorough, introducing a pantheon based on gods and goddesses of the ancient Britons, along with a cast of amazing characters. These include the main characters: Kenna, a feisty, independent blacksmith who gets a shock when she somehow forges an ancient goddess into life, and Morcant, a man cursed to ride in the Wild Hunt for eternity, who is unexpectedly freed and wants to stay that way. Kenna and Morcant's chemistry is clear from the start - although it's not quite instalove it's definitely instalust. The sex scenes are hot, but with a sensual edge that's perfect for fantasy/paranormal romance.
For me, a real highlight of this book was the English countryside setting. The descriptions were perfect - funny and self-deprecating yet deeply affectionate. They suited the pantheon and the characters down to a T, and I can't imagine the story being set anywhere else.
There's nothing better than starting a new series which makes it obvious that the supporting characters will be given stories of their own later on. This story showcases those characters with confidence, giving them well-rounded personalitiesand making it clear Ali Williams knows exactly where she's going with this series. I can't wait for the next release and would recommend this series to all paranormal romance fans.
(PS I'm also hoping the amazing dragon Leofric will get their monster romance HEA at some point! crosses fingers)
For me, a real highlight of this book was the English countryside setting. The descriptions were perfect - funny and self-deprecating yet deeply affectionate. They suited the pantheon and the characters down to a T, and I can't imagine the story being set anywhere else.
There's nothing better than starting a new series which makes it obvious that the supporting characters will be given stories of their own later on. This story showcases those characters with confidence, giving them well-rounded personalitiesand making it clear Ali Williams knows exactly where she's going with this series. I can't wait for the next release and would recommend this series to all paranormal romance fans.
(PS I'm also hoping the amazing dragon Leofric will get their monster romance HEA at some point! crosses fingers)
June 14, 2026
I don’t know what to make of this book if I’m honest the story has promise and I enjoyed the lore involved in it but I really struggled to connect with the writing, it was a strange mix of modern setting but the characters who were meant to be from the modern world spoke in olden tongue in places and it made it feel disjointed. I liked Kenna and she was a great FMC who was strong but vulnerable and I loved the way Morcant appreciated her strength and stood by her when needed and their connection was fiery.
May 2, 2022
A good story. Short, but it tells a complete story. It leaves room for the next book in the series, without feeling unfinished.
I received an ARC to read.
I received an ARC to read.
May 5, 2022
RTC
*** ARC received in exchange for an honest review***
*** ARC received in exchange for an honest review***
July 20, 2022
Wow this book was soooo different thanything ive ever read the author did a great job i so enjoyed this book.
August 10, 2022
Yes yes hot dragon stuff!!!!!
May 9, 2024
Such a fun little shifter read! Loved Kenna & Morcants growth. The plot was fun and easy to follow. Will definitely be reading more in this series!
April 11, 2024
Just meh. Not interested enough to go further into the series
January 1, 2024
I was gifted this book and was really impressed by it. The story and mythology is very unique and well thought out. The writing itself is mature and well edited. A pleasantly surprising fantasy romance with the right amount of spice and an author who writes with inclusive and modern characters in mind. Only downside was it was shorter than I would have liked!
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