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Broken Wings Duet #2
Haven
A knight who laid down her sword…
Lady Maddalena Montcaer is a knight no more. Lena knew what she gave up the night she freed the avian prince she was meant to keep imprisoned. Breaking her oath, choosing love over duty—she regrets none of it. But the wilderness is a vast, dangerous place, and Lena is far beyond the regimented world she knew. Without a heading or allies, she must rely only on her wits to finally find a safe place for her, Bel, and any future they hope to have together.
A prince who must take up his crown…
Bel is a prisoner no longer. Now bound irrevocably to the human knight who freed him and holds his heart, Bel is determined to deserve her. He would give her anything and choose her over anyone, even his own people. He wants to be a man to her, not just a cause. Her man. But what can he offer as a fugitive on the run, a prince with no crown?
Can a world at war withstand enemies becoming lovers…and lovers becoming mates.
Lost in the forest, dangers past and present hunt them across the edges of the map. Eastward is their only escape, deeper into the life stolen from Bel. Returning to his people may be their only hope, but bringing a human to the heart of avian country could destroy everything Bel wants to protect.
The only way to carve a place for themselves in this world is for Bel to finally reclaim his birthright as an Adiiron prince. But time does not heal all wounds and the past does not always stay there…
Part 2 of the Broken Wings Duet. Readers are highly encouraged to begin with Part 1, Aerie, before enjoying Haven.
This title contains strong language and intimate scenes and is therefore meant for readers 18+.
Lady Maddalena Montcaer is a knight no more. Lena knew what she gave up the night she freed the avian prince she was meant to keep imprisoned. Breaking her oath, choosing love over duty—she regrets none of it. But the wilderness is a vast, dangerous place, and Lena is far beyond the regimented world she knew. Without a heading or allies, she must rely only on her wits to finally find a safe place for her, Bel, and any future they hope to have together.
A prince who must take up his crown…
Bel is a prisoner no longer. Now bound irrevocably to the human knight who freed him and holds his heart, Bel is determined to deserve her. He would give her anything and choose her over anyone, even his own people. He wants to be a man to her, not just a cause. Her man. But what can he offer as a fugitive on the run, a prince with no crown?
Can a world at war withstand enemies becoming lovers…and lovers becoming mates.
Lost in the forest, dangers past and present hunt them across the edges of the map. Eastward is their only escape, deeper into the life stolen from Bel. Returning to his people may be their only hope, but bringing a human to the heart of avian country could destroy everything Bel wants to protect.
The only way to carve a place for themselves in this world is for Bel to finally reclaim his birthright as an Adiiron prince. But time does not heal all wounds and the past does not always stay there…
Part 2 of the Broken Wings Duet. Readers are highly encouraged to begin with Part 1, Aerie, before enjoying Haven.
This title contains strong language and intimate scenes and is therefore meant for readers 18+.
513 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 2023
108 people are currently reading
1055 people want to read
About the author
S.E. Wendel
22 books800 followersS.E. Wendel is a graduate of the MA Creative Writing program at the University of California, Davis. She loves maps, magic, and making epic fantasy worlds with romance thrown in. She has been writing fantasies since before she could even type (thankfully her mother was kind and patient enough to take dictation, but is relieved she can type for herself now)! From her first stories about raccoons hunting treasure on a haunted island to her latest sweeping epics, she loves to write strong heroines and noble heroes.
S.E. is a technical editor by day and in the evening loves to lose herself in her fantasy worlds and the stories of other amazing authors. She is currently working on the second part of the Broken Wings Duet. She loves her domineering orange tabby cat, true crime docs, tiramisu, pink nail polish, and swoony romantasies!
S.E. is a technical editor by day and in the evening loves to lose herself in her fantasy worlds and the stories of other amazing authors. She is currently working on the second part of the Broken Wings Duet. She loves her domineering orange tabby cat, true crime docs, tiramisu, pink nail polish, and swoony romantasies!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
April 4, 2025
Gros coup de cœur ❤️
January 28, 2023
"I hope one day you understand that duty doesn't outweigh compassion," she told him, "nor does following orders without question or conscience make you a good knight."
Goodness incarnate.
It's what Bel refers to Lena as and I couldn't think of a more fitting or accurate description for our heroine. At so many turns, she could have just done the easy thing - but she never did. She always did the right thing, even when it was hard, even when it was excruciating, even when it absolutely tore her up inside or practically damn near broke her. It's been a while since I've added a new lady to my list of favorite heroines; but after all of the events of Aerie and Haven, Lady Maddalena Montcaer has cracked the list.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
So let's start off with the important stuff: this book is amazing. This duology is amazing. It burns slow at times, but when it hits, it hits hard. Like - this book made me cry half a dozen times... often because my babies were hurting, but there are also just so many genuinely moving moments in this book.
Haven begins where Aerie left off - with Lena, Bel, and Alix on the run in the Northern territory, at first just in an attempt to find some semblance of safety so Bel's newfound freedom can stay fixed, but eventually their paths take them to the heart of the Avian territory, where both Lena and Bel - two souls from two separate sides of the board - not only face the stark and harrowing consequences of this costly war between their two people's, but they also must convince the Avian king, Bel's cousin, to agree to instigate a truce with the Valgorian people.
And it's one hell of an uphill battle for these two. They're not just trying to save their peoples and working against impossible odds, they're also finding their footing in their relationship, learning to lean on each other instead of giving in to that old trauma instinct of turning inward and relying only on oneself. It takes a while for Lena in particular to break that habit, and it hurts to watch at times. But that kind of growth is never comfortable or easy, and S.E. Wendel captures the ongoing character arcs of her mains to absolute perfection.
"I broke your wing," she sobbed in a voice he never wanted to hear from her.
He groaned and kissed up her chest, her neck, to her ear, where he said with lips pressed to the shell so he knew she'd hear every word and feel the vibrations of them too, "You healed my wing. You healed me and you freed me and you brought me back. You're good, the best of your kind."
The final installment in the Broken Wings Duet is fraught with tension, danger, high stakes, gutting revelations, intense moments of grief and pain and regret... but there's also so much beauty and goodness in here, too, and the way everything wraps up by the end... I couldn't have asked for a better ending that allowed these characters to stay true to themselves while also growing and achieving their own potential in such spectacular ways.
Some additional things to call out:
Alix remains a scene thief and I love that chaotic lesbian teenager. She is a joy and she's got so much heart, I adore her. She is more than just the sorely needed comic relief with her snark - her loyalty and love for Lena continues to burn bright in this book, and where Lena in particular has very little allies to draw from, Alix's steadiness has moments when its absolutely powerful. That, and I love her chemistry with Bel. The found family vibes are everything.
Bel's cousin, Dar, surprised me a lot, too. I went into this book expecting the worst from him and there were moments when he definitely lived up to those expectations. But even he underwent some excellently executed character growth and there were a number of moments between Dar and Bel in particular that had me in tears. The grief these two share over Maddok's death is an aching thread that runs throughout this entire duology.
Dar's wife, Queen Cira, and one of his most trusted soldiers, Phaedra, proved themselves to be standout characters, as well. I'm a sucker for the seemingly quiet ones that prove to have hearts of pure sunshine and fire. Anyone can give in to bigotry when they're scared or hurting from loss. But these two women proved their mettle time and again by being some of the good ones. I thoroughly enjoyed their characters.
"It's taken me a long time to realize that I have to meet the expectations or standards of no one but my own. I can't live someone else's life, only my own. So, I have to live it the way I want to live it."
I don't know what else to say except that I loved this book. This duology is so well written and just bleeds with so much feeling, I know I'll be processing all this for the next few days. For those that need high action and constantly quick pacing, this may not be the duology or book for you as it definitely has its slow burn/simmering sections, but personally I feel that those make the moments when the tension reaches its peak that much more impactful.
The spice is also good, but obviously not the main focal point, so if you're in the market for some hardcore smut, you may want to take that into consideration.
But from where I'm sitting? This book was excellent. A perfect follow-up to Aerie and the perfect ending to this duology. I will definitely be returning to this duet and these characters again someday... after I've recovered from all of the feels and the crying. Ughhhh... it's so good, though.
He'd always been fractured, broken inside, but those were his scars, proof that he'd survived. Every gnarl and scab was who he'd been and who he would become. He couldn't change them, only accept them, and accept the male they'd made him.
July 31, 2023
HAVEN was an amazing follow up to AERIE and it also really picked up the pace and dived deep into the avian and human war. I loved how solid and together Bel and Lena were in this one and their devotion to each other was beautiful. Even when they felt like everyone was against them they never doubted each other and their love was so hopeful and inspiring.
A lot happens in HAVEN and this was definitely a more plot heavy book compared to the previous one but it's still strongly driven by the characters. I especially enjoyed getting to meet all kinds of new avians, even when they were being jerks (looking at you Dar). After reading this duet I'm excited to try other books by this author.
Content Warning: past captivity and torture; grief over the past death of a brother
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
He’d never needed someone the way he needed her. And there was something utterly terrifying about that, but damnit if Bel wasn’t desperate to give her everything. He couldn’t stop himself even if he’d wanted to. She was the sun in his sky, and he was in freefall.
- - - - -
“I want a life. A real life,” Bel said. “I don’t know what that looks like yet, but it has you in it. I loved my brother and I want to help my kind, but you are my people, Lena. You are my home.”
- - - - -
“You have my heart, Lena, and I would be your mate. If you want me.”
“But I’m human.”
“You’re Lena. That’s what matters.”
A lot happens in HAVEN and this was definitely a more plot heavy book compared to the previous one but it's still strongly driven by the characters. I especially enjoyed getting to meet all kinds of new avians, even when they were being jerks (looking at you Dar). After reading this duet I'm excited to try other books by this author.
Content Warning: past captivity and torture; grief over the past death of a brother
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
He’d never needed someone the way he needed her. And there was something utterly terrifying about that, but damnit if Bel wasn’t desperate to give her everything. He couldn’t stop himself even if he’d wanted to. She was the sun in his sky, and he was in freefall.
- - - - -
“I want a life. A real life,” Bel said. “I don’t know what that looks like yet, but it has you in it. I loved my brother and I want to help my kind, but you are my people, Lena. You are my home.”
- - - - -
“You have my heart, Lena, and I would be your mate. If you want me.”
“But I’m human.”
“You’re Lena. That’s what matters.”
January 30, 2023
I was so excited to get an ARC of Haven and let me tell you it did NOT disappoint. This was the perfect second half to Lena and Bel’s story, and while I loved their ending, I wish we were getting more books so we could see more of their future together!!
Lena and Bel compliment each other perfectly and truly bring out the best in each other, and in Haven, we see their growth as a couple in an entirely new environment- the Avian city of Hadria. Everyone’s favorite squire Alix had lots of character growth as well. We meet some new characters such as Nina the caring Innkeeper and Dar, Bel’s brooding cousin along with Queen Cira who I adored. There may or may not be some beloved returning characters in the epilogue too!
All in all I fell in love with this duet and these characters and finishing Haven was so bittersweet. The author did an amazing job shaping this story and bringing us a pairing to root for. I miss them already ❤️
Lena and Bel compliment each other perfectly and truly bring out the best in each other, and in Haven, we see their growth as a couple in an entirely new environment- the Avian city of Hadria. Everyone’s favorite squire Alix had lots of character growth as well. We meet some new characters such as Nina the caring Innkeeper and Dar, Bel’s brooding cousin along with Queen Cira who I adored. There may or may not be some beloved returning characters in the epilogue too!
All in all I fell in love with this duet and these characters and finishing Haven was so bittersweet. The author did an amazing job shaping this story and bringing us a pairing to root for. I miss them already ❤️
June 17, 2024
This was such a ride!
I loved the first book (Aerie), and was lucky enough to be blessed with an ARC of this one! I was so excited to dive back into this world with these beloved characters!
Where the first book was a slow build plot, focusing more on building up the world, the history and the characters, this sequel was the complete opposite since all the groundwork had already been meticulously laid. This was such an emotional ride!
You have some of the sweetest moments ever in this (I’ve highlighted SO many quotes) and also funny banter. But at the heart of it this book is about healing, old wounds and new, and about saving the future and making it brighter for those upcoming fledglings.
From the get go, we follow our characters on the run into the mountainous wilds while being hunted down by knights of the realm for treason. You’re constantly on the edge of your seat, tense, waiting for what’s going to jump around the next corner. We see the utter destruction of war and the high costs it takes on a populace. And our characters are determined to stay at least a few steps ahead of their enemies while jumping right into the thick of the war in hopes of stopping it and bringing about longed for peace.
This book had me hooked from the beginning, tugging at my heart strings and just so emotionally invested in our dear little trio.
If you’re a fan of romantasy, winged hotties, forbidden love, and high stakes, then I highly recommend you pick up this amazing duet ASAP!
I loved the first book (Aerie), and was lucky enough to be blessed with an ARC of this one! I was so excited to dive back into this world with these beloved characters!
Where the first book was a slow build plot, focusing more on building up the world, the history and the characters, this sequel was the complete opposite since all the groundwork had already been meticulously laid. This was such an emotional ride!
You have some of the sweetest moments ever in this (I’ve highlighted SO many quotes) and also funny banter. But at the heart of it this book is about healing, old wounds and new, and about saving the future and making it brighter for those upcoming fledglings.
From the get go, we follow our characters on the run into the mountainous wilds while being hunted down by knights of the realm for treason. You’re constantly on the edge of your seat, tense, waiting for what’s going to jump around the next corner. We see the utter destruction of war and the high costs it takes on a populace. And our characters are determined to stay at least a few steps ahead of their enemies while jumping right into the thick of the war in hopes of stopping it and bringing about longed for peace.
This book had me hooked from the beginning, tugging at my heart strings and just so emotionally invested in our dear little trio.
If you’re a fan of romantasy, winged hotties, forbidden love, and high stakes, then I highly recommend you pick up this amazing duet ASAP!
February 23, 2024
I feel like nothing really happened in this book until you get to the last chapters. The pacing was off in this book, all those chapters spent traveling for the ending to be so rushed. The characters could’ve been so much more. Arion’s character was one i would’ve liked to know more of. Also, the relationship between several characters felt super superficial and therefore the story just did not get me ‘hooked’.
February 10, 2023
This sequel is all I hoped for and more!! I won't say too much detail wise because it is a sequel.
I found that I absolutely adore the way Sarah writes, to me, it has that perfect fantasy feel that makes your soul happy.
This sequel was equally heartwarming and heartbreaking and I cried for both of those reasons at least twice (okay probably more if you count misty eyes but shhh). I love when a book makes me so envested in characters that I can suffer or soar along with them and The Broken Wings Duet definitely did that.
The cast of characters were *chefs kiss*
Finally rejoining with what was left of the Avian society and how they interacted with Lena, Bel, and Alix was probably one of my favorite parts.
For all of you wanting to know spice levels, it was more on the steamy and romantic side rather than a raging inferno.
I want to live inside this book! I didn't want it to end and highly recommend Haven and Aerie
I found that I absolutely adore the way Sarah writes, to me, it has that perfect fantasy feel that makes your soul happy.
This sequel was equally heartwarming and heartbreaking and I cried for both of those reasons at least twice (okay probably more if you count misty eyes but shhh). I love when a book makes me so envested in characters that I can suffer or soar along with them and The Broken Wings Duet definitely did that.
The cast of characters were *chefs kiss*
Finally rejoining with what was left of the Avian society and how they interacted with Lena, Bel, and Alix was probably one of my favorite parts.
For all of you wanting to know spice levels, it was more on the steamy and romantic side rather than a raging inferno.
I want to live inside this book! I didn't want it to end and highly recommend Haven and Aerie
February 3, 2023
I didn’t think it was possible to get any better than the first book but I was wrong! I can’t express how amazing the amount of details and thought that went behind this book. The storyline is absolutely amazing. You get to learn so much from their past lives. This book gave me all the feels especially the ending. I grew to love the old characters as well as the new ones and I feel lost without them now that I’m done lol.
March 14, 2023
The same problems I had with the first book were present in the second, but even more pronounced. The pacing was atrocious, there were plot holes galore, and only the last 20% of the book had any substance. And yet, the ending felt rushed because the whole book should have been focused on that, not them traipsing through the wilderness and making random friends that never come back. I wanted to Dnf it so many times and regret not doing so
February 3, 2023
4.5🌟
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you are looking for an adventurous and heartwarming fantasy read with winged males, fiery knights, found family and fated mates, this duet is for you!
I will do my best to keep this review as spoiler free as possible but if you haven’t read Aerie the first book in the broken wings duet then I recommend reading that now before you proceed any further…
Haven was a perfect conclusion to Bel, Lena and Alix’s journey. Picking up where they left off in Aerie fleeing from Finhöln towards Aeriand… what could possibly go wrong? Haven has a completely different feel and setting to it. I loved the visuals this book left me with, I felt like I was trekking that cold misty mountain and among the ruins of war.
Haven is a slow paced read but has the perfect balance of plot and captivating characters. I appreciated the mix because it was a long journey and it kept me invested and on the edge of my seat wondering what could possibly be thrown at them next on the long trek to freedom.
S.E. Wendel has a knack for creating characters that you can connect with. Lena and Bel had great character development, with lots of layers and growth being revealed in the both of them. I was so relieved Bel found himself and finally gained the confidence and strength that I so desperately wanted for him in the first book. He was the rock in this book giving Lena the break she needed more than anything and a chance to show her vulnerable side.
“I’d bear your burdens, if you’d let me.”
After everything they’ve been through it was so rewarding to see Lena and Bel take back a place for themselves and create their own path in a divided world of humans and avians. Everyone is trying to tear their relationship apart and I applaud them for having such a strong, unbreakable bond. Lena and Bel shared some sweet and intimate moments but spice was only the side dish on their expedition.
“This what you wanted?” he rumbled in her ear. “You want to be so full of me you’ll break?”
As always Alix stole the show, providing her undying loyalty and humour to get the trio through the exhausting journey to avian territory. I feel deeply about many of the side characters, even though they were only introduced a handful of times and only given small glimpses of their story. Even the horses (Yvain, Miri and Ruan especially) hold a special place in my heart.
Haven was a fun and adventurous read and I am sad to see the duet come to an end when all I want is more Bel and Lena.🥲
For all my slow burn romantasy lovers this one’s for you. 🗡❤️🔥
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you are looking for an adventurous and heartwarming fantasy read with winged males, fiery knights, found family and fated mates, this duet is for you!
I will do my best to keep this review as spoiler free as possible but if you haven’t read Aerie the first book in the broken wings duet then I recommend reading that now before you proceed any further…
Haven was a perfect conclusion to Bel, Lena and Alix’s journey. Picking up where they left off in Aerie fleeing from Finhöln towards Aeriand… what could possibly go wrong? Haven has a completely different feel and setting to it. I loved the visuals this book left me with, I felt like I was trekking that cold misty mountain and among the ruins of war.
Haven is a slow paced read but has the perfect balance of plot and captivating characters. I appreciated the mix because it was a long journey and it kept me invested and on the edge of my seat wondering what could possibly be thrown at them next on the long trek to freedom.
S.E. Wendel has a knack for creating characters that you can connect with. Lena and Bel had great character development, with lots of layers and growth being revealed in the both of them. I was so relieved Bel found himself and finally gained the confidence and strength that I so desperately wanted for him in the first book. He was the rock in this book giving Lena the break she needed more than anything and a chance to show her vulnerable side.
“I’d bear your burdens, if you’d let me.”
After everything they’ve been through it was so rewarding to see Lena and Bel take back a place for themselves and create their own path in a divided world of humans and avians. Everyone is trying to tear their relationship apart and I applaud them for having such a strong, unbreakable bond. Lena and Bel shared some sweet and intimate moments but spice was only the side dish on their expedition.
“This what you wanted?” he rumbled in her ear. “You want to be so full of me you’ll break?”
As always Alix stole the show, providing her undying loyalty and humour to get the trio through the exhausting journey to avian territory. I feel deeply about many of the side characters, even though they were only introduced a handful of times and only given small glimpses of their story. Even the horses (Yvain, Miri and Ruan especially) hold a special place in my heart.
Haven was a fun and adventurous read and I am sad to see the duet come to an end when all I want is more Bel and Lena.🥲
For all my slow burn romantasy lovers this one’s for you. 🗡❤️🔥
February 1, 2023
****ARC***ARC***ARC****
“Whatever happens, I at least got to be your mate for a little while. Everything will have been worth it, just for that.”
The sequel to Arie is here and I am here and the moon is here.
You have NO IDEA how perfect this sequel is. Bel and Lena, including Alix, are on the run and they are far from safe. Whoever wants Bel will stop for nothing to get him. They decide to flee to Aeriand with mixed emotions and you as a reader you feel torn like them. Will their decision be a wise one or does it make everything worser, because the fact that Bel survived and not his Brother Maddok, has torn this country not only apart but in such despair, I fear the price to restore it to its former glory is high to pay. Even in all this darkness Bel and Lena still find moments of love. Bitter sweet heart wrenching love mixed with spicy passion. My fantasy romance lovers! Do not miss on this Duology!
****ARC***ARC***ARC****
“Whatever happens, I at least got to be your mate for a little while. Everything will have been worth it, just for that.”
The sequel to Arie is here and I am here and the moon is here.
You have NO IDEA how perfect this sequel is. Bel and Lena, including Alix, are on the run and they are far from safe. Whoever wants Bel will stop for nothing to get him. They decide to flee to Aeriand with mixed emotions and you as a reader you feel torn like them. Will their decision be a wise one or does it make everything worser, because the fact that Bel survived and not his Brother Maddok, has torn this country not only apart but in such despair, I fear the price to restore it to its former glory is high to pay. Even in all this darkness Bel and Lena still find moments of love. Bitter sweet heart wrenching love mixed with spicy passion. My fantasy romance lovers! Do not miss on this Duology!
****ARC***ARC***ARC****
February 7, 2023
Thank you, Sarah, for the ARC. This review is my own thoughts and opinions.
To start off, Aerie is absolutely a new favorite for me. I instantly started Haven and deeply fell in love with Bel and Lena more. They change and grow as they travel together to make a better life and world for both their people.
The author's writing is amazing, and I love the dual POV. The story is perfect with 2 POVS between Bel and Lena. Their fight to stay together with everyone fighting against them had me crying for them. This book hit me in my heart deeply. This series is a slow burn and forbidden love story, and I ate it up. Bel is now my favorite male character. The climax to the ending was perfect, and I soaked up the last 100 pages. It had a wonderful ending, and I'm so sad it's over. It was a wonderful sequel, and I have a new favorite duet!
To start off, Aerie is absolutely a new favorite for me. I instantly started Haven and deeply fell in love with Bel and Lena more. They change and grow as they travel together to make a better life and world for both their people.
The author's writing is amazing, and I love the dual POV. The story is perfect with 2 POVS between Bel and Lena. Their fight to stay together with everyone fighting against them had me crying for them. This book hit me in my heart deeply. This series is a slow burn and forbidden love story, and I ate it up. Bel is now my favorite male character. The climax to the ending was perfect, and I soaked up the last 100 pages. It had a wonderful ending, and I'm so sad it's over. It was a wonderful sequel, and I have a new favorite duet!
November 3, 2023
This book dragged on for most of the story, some books the journey is the story and it's made entertaining and exciting, this one the huge journey didn't feel impactful? Even with all the dangers it felt very slow and was hard to read through. Also Bel's reaction to Eamon's death was confusing... He just has no reaction really. And poor Arion, I was hoping he'd have his own HEA because it felt like Lena used and lead him on for a very long time, like that scene when he says she came back for him, ugh it broke my heart. Other then all that I did enjoy some of the book and the parts i didn't I thought they were okay but not bad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2024
A satisfying second half that culminates in a happy ending. All in all, a good read. A lot of what happened caught me by surprise (I anticipated Bel becoming king, for example), but it was nice that it wasn't predictable.
Not much to say beyond that, really. It was full of lots of loving scenes, good tension and action, all in all, a satisfying fantasy romance that didn't cheap out on the world building or intrigue.
Not much to say beyond that, really. It was full of lots of loving scenes, good tension and action, all in all, a satisfying fantasy romance that didn't cheap out on the world building or intrigue.
June 1, 2023
this should be a tv show
February 11, 2023
When I got asked to join this ARC team I shrieked with joy honestly :) I absolutely loved Aerie and couldn’t wait to read more of the story between Bel and Lena 😍
I gave this one a VERY high 4 star rating for so many reasons. Not only did we get to see justice where it was needed and the beautiful beings that are the Avians, but we also got more tender (and 🌶 🥵) moments between our fav couple. ALSO ONE OF MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS CAME BACK AND I SCREAMED CAUSE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!! 😭🙏🥰
The world building and how it was expanded in this sequel was stunning. The way the author describes all the landscapes and surroundings has my imagination in a chokehold and the way all these characters interact and develop is absolutely stunning. The level of love I have for this duology is so high. It has a special place in my heart and I want everyone to read it and go show all the love and support for @se.wendel.author
I gave this one a VERY high 4 star rating for so many reasons. Not only did we get to see justice where it was needed and the beautiful beings that are the Avians, but we also got more tender (and 🌶 🥵) moments between our fav couple. ALSO ONE OF MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS CAME BACK AND I SCREAMED CAUSE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!! 😭🙏🥰
The world building and how it was expanded in this sequel was stunning. The way the author describes all the landscapes and surroundings has my imagination in a chokehold and the way all these characters interact and develop is absolutely stunning. The level of love I have for this duology is so high. It has a special place in my heart and I want everyone to read it and go show all the love and support for @se.wendel.author
February 12, 2023
Representation: POC Heroine with anxiety, Lesbian supporting character
Overall: 4-stars
Safety Rating: Safe
Possible Triggers: Yes
Ending:
Overall: 4-stars
Safety Rating: Safe
Possible Triggers: Yes
Ending:
January 29, 2023
I literally just finished this book and oh my. Haven has me SPEECHLESS. I couldn't have asked for a better sequel and conclusion to this duology. The love between Lena and Bel has since grown stronger in Aerie and seeing Bel going feral when Lena is in danger is 😳🫶 And to see my babies come this far 🥺🩷 it was a long and hard journey (although dotted with plenty of sweet moments) for Lena and Bel, and there isn't a more perfect ending for these two. I really liked the new characters introduced in this book and would love to read a slice of life short/novella just to revisit this world and characters again. I can't wait to see what S.E. Wendel has to offer next!
July 21, 2023
holy shit i have so many thoughts about this book so bear with me.
normally it annoys me when a character refuses to kill people, and it did annoy me while reading this, there’s only so much you can do by choking someone til they’re unconscious instead of killing them. if lena had just killed joran and his knights when she had those many opportunities, this would have been way easier. BUT! i do understand that it was entirely in lena’s character not to do that, she is GOOD. she’s an actual good person. she doesn’t make excuses, she doesn’t whine and she doesn’t linger on the dumb useless details which is what normally annoys me when it comes to the “good heroic protagonist” archetype. lena had enough of killing after fighting in the war and aiding a genocide. i truly loved her character, i loved her self sacrificing stubborn self and i loved how loyal and strong she was. truly an amazing protagonist. bel was so right in calling her “goodness incarnate” every chance he could, lena was all that was righteous and just. a true knight.
i loved queen cira, she was a beautiful character. i love when gentle, kind and almost fragile looking female characters are done RIGHT. cira was strong in her own way, she was a good leader. every female character was written beautifully and they all had their lil thing. ( i also did not expect to like dar but i did, who would’ve thought i would’ve liked that grumpy fucker. )
but to be fucking honest every goddamn character here was so fucking good even the fucking HORSE bro. FUCKING YVAIN. I LOVED HIM.
the found family was BEAUTIFUL, i adored the relationship between lena, alix and bel. it was like they were alix’s parents it was so cute. the lil moments between bel and alix made me feel so mushy.
now, for the cringey philosophical part. i have a bit of an unpopular opinion, and it’s that i actually don’t really hate the “everything’s saved by the power of love and friendship��� ending. usually, it’s awfully lazy and badly done, but when it’s done right, it’s great. i read books to read about beautiful worlds that when everything seems lost, the characters manage to save it. i find it cute, love and friendship doesn’t fix shit in real life, it doesn’t stop wars or hunger, it doesn’t kill corrupt politicians or fix fucked up systems. but damn does it help you survive.
i find it nice when the power of love towards other beings is so strong, it can even stop hundred year old wars. cause yeah, this was a love story, this was supposed to happen, but the whole “we are supposed to be enemies but we fell in love and that brought peace” trope never goes wrong. it’s nice to read about love winning, and i think people can be a bit of a hater about it.
either way, the ending was perfect. love won. love stopped the war. i like to think most wars end because of love and friendship, at least in books they do. there was no fierce awful final battle to end it, there was no gut wrenching sacrifice, they had enough suffering in their pasts to make up for it, but sometimes just having the initiative to stop the cycle is enough.
all in all, this is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. it was a bit slow at times but i feel like it worked perfectly with the story. it wasn’t overly long or too short. it was perfect.
i cannot stress this enough, i need everyone to read these books.
normally it annoys me when a character refuses to kill people, and it did annoy me while reading this, there’s only so much you can do by choking someone til they’re unconscious instead of killing them. if lena had just killed joran and his knights when she had those many opportunities, this would have been way easier. BUT! i do understand that it was entirely in lena’s character not to do that, she is GOOD. she’s an actual good person. she doesn’t make excuses, she doesn’t whine and she doesn’t linger on the dumb useless details which is what normally annoys me when it comes to the “good heroic protagonist” archetype. lena had enough of killing after fighting in the war and aiding a genocide. i truly loved her character, i loved her self sacrificing stubborn self and i loved how loyal and strong she was. truly an amazing protagonist. bel was so right in calling her “goodness incarnate” every chance he could, lena was all that was righteous and just. a true knight.
i loved queen cira, she was a beautiful character. i love when gentle, kind and almost fragile looking female characters are done RIGHT. cira was strong in her own way, she was a good leader. every female character was written beautifully and they all had their lil thing. ( i also did not expect to like dar but i did, who would’ve thought i would’ve liked that grumpy fucker. )
but to be fucking honest every goddamn character here was so fucking good even the fucking HORSE bro. FUCKING YVAIN. I LOVED HIM.
the found family was BEAUTIFUL, i adored the relationship between lena, alix and bel. it was like they were alix’s parents it was so cute. the lil moments between bel and alix made me feel so mushy.
now, for the cringey philosophical part. i have a bit of an unpopular opinion, and it’s that i actually don’t really hate the “everything’s saved by the power of love and friendship��� ending. usually, it’s awfully lazy and badly done, but when it’s done right, it’s great. i read books to read about beautiful worlds that when everything seems lost, the characters manage to save it. i find it cute, love and friendship doesn’t fix shit in real life, it doesn’t stop wars or hunger, it doesn’t kill corrupt politicians or fix fucked up systems. but damn does it help you survive.
i find it nice when the power of love towards other beings is so strong, it can even stop hundred year old wars. cause yeah, this was a love story, this was supposed to happen, but the whole “we are supposed to be enemies but we fell in love and that brought peace” trope never goes wrong. it’s nice to read about love winning, and i think people can be a bit of a hater about it.
either way, the ending was perfect. love won. love stopped the war. i like to think most wars end because of love and friendship, at least in books they do. there was no fierce awful final battle to end it, there was no gut wrenching sacrifice, they had enough suffering in their pasts to make up for it, but sometimes just having the initiative to stop the cycle is enough.
all in all, this is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. it was a bit slow at times but i feel like it worked perfectly with the story. it wasn’t overly long or too short. it was perfect.
i cannot stress this enough, i need everyone to read these books.
March 27, 2025
Ahh, I LOVED that first book, it really did something for me, but even I am feeling the drag in this book. I enjoyed the slow burn and heavy emphasis on character building in Aerie, but figured the pace would pick up a bit in Haven, because there were a few things that needed to be explored and explained. It did, unfortunately, not pick up in pace. As much as I appreciated the slow burn and the cozy, comforting vibe of book 1, I was really feeling the slack in book 2.
It’s just one long traveling montage. It legitimately takes them hundreds of pages of journeying through the wilderness before they get anywhere or anything happens. You’re just sort of with them day and night as they travel from camp to camp, inn to inn, going about their day, chatting with the village people, making friends that we never hear or see from again. That is not the direction I thought we’d be going. 🥲
There’s also minor inconsistencies throughout both books. Bel’s wing color is ever changing. And it’s mentioned in Haven that Bel never had a mirror in Finhöln, but I SWEAR he checked the healing of his wing in a mirror at the end of book 1. There were a couple of other things I noticed while reading, nothing major, but enough for me to go 🤔 every time I spotted one.
In the end, all the things I THOUGHT I saw foreshadowed in Aerie didn’t happen. Not one. 🥲 I have two major ones I wanted to see, I’ll point them out below.
I suppose I was overall satisfied with the ending, I just kind of… hoped for more, I guess. I have to admit, I stopped at 80%, then skipped ahead to the epilogue.
I still really enjoyed this duology and I really grew to love Bel and Lena and Alix.
SPOILERS BELOW ↓
Now, as for the two major things I wanted to see and thought I saw hints for (read this ONLY if you’ve finished both books or if you don’t care about spoilers):
1. I genuinely thought we’d see Alix display some shapeshifting abilities. It was explained multiple times how different kind of magical creatures used to be abundant in the world, and Alix is described as feline, sly, feral, wrathful, even, so many times I lost count. Add the fact that she’s an orphan of unknown origin and seems extremely charismatic to everyone around her. It was stressed SO many times. Really thought I was on to something here. 🤡
2. This I thought FOR SURE (and I kept waiting for the reveal to happen, though it never did), I thought Dartegn betrayed Maddok and orchestrated his death, then had Bel captured by the humans, to secure Dartegn’s reign as avian king. It was mentioned over and over that Bel went over the plan meticulously and thought he knew for sure he had double and triple checked and he couldn’t explain how he and Maddok got ambushed. Yeah, nope. Dartegn is an asshole, but an innocent one, it seems. Just a guy trying to fill the void left behind. 🤡🤡🤡
It’s just one long traveling montage. It legitimately takes them hundreds of pages of journeying through the wilderness before they get anywhere or anything happens. You’re just sort of with them day and night as they travel from camp to camp, inn to inn, going about their day, chatting with the village people, making friends that we never hear or see from again. That is not the direction I thought we’d be going. 🥲
There’s also minor inconsistencies throughout both books. Bel’s wing color is ever changing. And it’s mentioned in Haven that Bel never had a mirror in Finhöln, but I SWEAR he checked the healing of his wing in a mirror at the end of book 1. There were a couple of other things I noticed while reading, nothing major, but enough for me to go 🤔 every time I spotted one.
In the end, all the things I THOUGHT I saw foreshadowed in Aerie didn’t happen. Not one. 🥲 I have two major ones I wanted to see, I’ll point them out below.
I suppose I was overall satisfied with the ending, I just kind of… hoped for more, I guess. I have to admit, I stopped at 80%, then skipped ahead to the epilogue.
I still really enjoyed this duology and I really grew to love Bel and Lena and Alix.
SPOILERS BELOW ↓
Now, as for the two major things I wanted to see and thought I saw hints for (read this ONLY if you’ve finished both books or if you don’t care about spoilers):
1. I genuinely thought we’d see Alix display some shapeshifting abilities. It was explained multiple times how different kind of magical creatures used to be abundant in the world, and Alix is described as feline, sly, feral, wrathful, even, so many times I lost count. Add the fact that she’s an orphan of unknown origin and seems extremely charismatic to everyone around her. It was stressed SO many times. Really thought I was on to something here. 🤡
2. This I thought FOR SURE (and I kept waiting for the reveal to happen, though it never did), I thought Dartegn betrayed Maddok and orchestrated his death, then had Bel captured by the humans, to secure Dartegn’s reign as avian king. It was mentioned over and over that Bel went over the plan meticulously and thought he knew for sure he had double and triple checked and he couldn’t explain how he and Maddok got ambushed. Yeah, nope. Dartegn is an asshole, but an innocent one, it seems. Just a guy trying to fill the void left behind. 🤡🤡🤡
February 25, 2023
What an interesting read this was. I must say though, I had a few issues with the story itself, so 3 stars it is.
Firstly, I enjoyed book one pretty well and was looking forward to book 2 and where the story would lead. The first half of this book is Lena, Alix and Bel traveling from Finhöln with no clear direction. They travel….. and travel…. And travel. During all their time…….. traveling……. They meet some great new characters I loved Nina and her husband and their nice little inn. When they finally made it to Hadria I was a little more invested, but still, something didn’t sit right….
Here’s the thing. I just didn’t find Lena and Bel’s relationship believable. They spoke of love for each other, were passionate, and took comfort in each other. But ultimately their relationship was lukewarm. Lena feels so terribly awful for what was done to Bel, and is so heartbroken when he finds Maddok’s wings mounted on king Artemian’s throne room wall, but she really won’t do anything about it. Jorun is a threat to the avians and Bel himself, but she will not kill him to keep Bel (her mate!) safe. In fact, no one wants to kill anyone in this war. I am surprised there has been so much loss of life with Bell and Lena’s tactics. I bet Vagoran’s and Avian’s alike just run around choking everyone till they pass out……… maybe when everyone wakes up they will magically not want to fight anymore. But I digress…. My point is, loss of life is what happens during war! I understand Lena’s loyalty to her people, but she literally just slaps people around and expects change without really standing beside Bel…. Even when he is heartbroken and being threatened. The relationship was just…… not deep. That’s the only way I can describe their lack of fight for each other (or rather Lena’s). She fights for Bel, but with no real purpose or passion.
Alix…. I LOVE Alix and her spitfire attitude. I love that she loves Lena and Bel, but won’t take crap from either of them. She was my favorite character throughout!
I am glad this was only a duology, because I most likely would NOT read a book 3 in this series.
Firstly, I enjoyed book one pretty well and was looking forward to book 2 and where the story would lead. The first half of this book is Lena, Alix and Bel traveling from Finhöln with no clear direction. They travel….. and travel…. And travel. During all their time…….. traveling……. They meet some great new characters I loved Nina and her husband and their nice little inn. When they finally made it to Hadria I was a little more invested, but still, something didn’t sit right….
Here’s the thing. I just didn’t find Lena and Bel’s relationship believable. They spoke of love for each other, were passionate, and took comfort in each other. But ultimately their relationship was lukewarm. Lena feels so terribly awful for what was done to Bel, and is so heartbroken when he finds Maddok’s wings mounted on king Artemian’s throne room wall, but she really won’t do anything about it. Jorun is a threat to the avians and Bel himself, but she will not kill him to keep Bel (her mate!) safe. In fact, no one wants to kill anyone in this war. I am surprised there has been so much loss of life with Bell and Lena’s tactics. I bet Vagoran’s and Avian’s alike just run around choking everyone till they pass out……… maybe when everyone wakes up they will magically not want to fight anymore. But I digress…. My point is, loss of life is what happens during war! I understand Lena’s loyalty to her people, but she literally just slaps people around and expects change without really standing beside Bel…. Even when he is heartbroken and being threatened. The relationship was just…… not deep. That’s the only way I can describe their lack of fight for each other (or rather Lena’s). She fights for Bel, but with no real purpose or passion.
Alix…. I LOVE Alix and her spitfire attitude. I love that she loves Lena and Bel, but won’t take crap from either of them. She was my favorite character throughout!
I am glad this was only a duology, because I most likely would NOT read a book 3 in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2024
Alright - so this duology is not bad by any means but it is slooooow. It’s also focused primarily on character growth rather than plot which I don’t mind, per se, but the action didn’t hit like I needed it to.
Pros:
- rational MCs acting and reacting based on their individual history in a way that makes sense
- they COMMUNICATE
- they’re so freaking sweet, it’s so lovely
- first 75% of Aerie is ultimate cozy vibes, in my opinion. Send me to an isolated, dilapidated castle with my own personal chef any day.
- Alix kissing girls and having great hair.
- Pol.
- actual enemies to lovers, actual slow burn
- the writing is good!
Cons:
- some errors missed by editing
- Lena is frustrating with the goody two shoes act sometimes. You’ve killed 15 enemy combatants but can’t kill people hunting you down even though your life depends on it? Girl, please. Kill someone.
- I couldn’t get into the smut because their love is just too pure. Like I’m so happy for them, but that’s all I feel about it.
- a loooooootttttttt of internal monologue
Overall I liked it and it was well-written and the character work was based. I think you need to be in the right mood for the slowness though.
Pros:
- rational MCs acting and reacting based on their individual history in a way that makes sense
- they COMMUNICATE
- they’re so freaking sweet, it’s so lovely
- first 75% of Aerie is ultimate cozy vibes, in my opinion. Send me to an isolated, dilapidated castle with my own personal chef any day.
- Alix kissing girls and having great hair.
- Pol.
- actual enemies to lovers, actual slow burn
- the writing is good!
Cons:
- some errors missed by editing
- Lena is frustrating with the goody two shoes act sometimes. You’ve killed 15 enemy combatants but can’t kill people hunting you down even though your life depends on it? Girl, please. Kill someone.
- I couldn’t get into the smut because their love is just too pure. Like I’m so happy for them, but that’s all I feel about it.
- a loooooootttttttt of internal monologue
Overall I liked it and it was well-written and the character work was based. I think you need to be in the right mood for the slowness though.
March 4, 2024
I called book 1 “super slow burn” and unfortunately Haven was just super slow.
This book really didn’t get started until 50%, and exciting until 70%. All of their time in the forest and being pursued by Joran just felt like filler that could have been condensed. I wish more time had been spent with the planning of the coup and the execution and aftermath of the peace treaty. The acceptance of the peace treaty and immediate integration of avians in human society felt rushed (you’re telling me Lena’s parents have spent their whole lives hating avians and fighting for king and country and see Bel stabbing the king and are like “yeah cool, our SIL can totally move in with us the next day”. Please.) Lena’s anxieties really took a front seat in this book more than in Aerie and it started to feel repetitive and annoying.
I did really enjoy Bel’s character development and his reintroduction to avian society. Loved getting reunited with Pol in the end! Enjoyed Phaedra’s character and her resistant acceptance of humans growing to love them. The HEA and epilogue was heartwarming.
This book really didn’t get started until 50%, and exciting until 70%. All of their time in the forest and being pursued by Joran just felt like filler that could have been condensed. I wish more time had been spent with the planning of the coup and the execution and aftermath of the peace treaty. The acceptance of the peace treaty and immediate integration of avians in human society felt rushed (you’re telling me Lena’s parents have spent their whole lives hating avians and fighting for king and country and see Bel stabbing the king and are like “yeah cool, our SIL can totally move in with us the next day”. Please.) Lena’s anxieties really took a front seat in this book more than in Aerie and it started to feel repetitive and annoying.
I did really enjoy Bel’s character development and his reintroduction to avian society. Loved getting reunited with Pol in the end! Enjoyed Phaedra’s character and her resistant acceptance of humans growing to love them. The HEA and epilogue was heartwarming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2023
I’m not really sure why specifically I liked this one less than the first one, the pacing is a bit all over the place and it felt a touch anti-climatic at the end.
I do however like the characters and the writing. Could have done with some more of that pining from the first one though (and there was ample opportunity)
I do however like the characters and the writing. Could have done with some more of that pining from the first one though (and there was ample opportunity)
January 31, 2023
I received an ARC copy of Haven by SE Wendel and I’m leaving an honest review about the book. Haven is the second book to the Broken Wings Duet. My review will mention new characters and will contain spoilers!
Wow…..thats it….just wow! This book took me on an emotional ride from start to finish. There was laughter, anger, tears…..lots of tears 😭 and tons of heart warming moments. I absolutely love our trio Lena, Bel and Alix, they grew so much through out this story!
I just want to start with how much I love Lena and Bel. We get to see so many different sides to them, some good, some bad. Lena struggled so much with loosing her knighthood and trying to fill that void with protecting Bel and Alix. Bel had to face his past and face his enemies for his future. I love how SE handled the growth in Bel and Lena’s relationship. I also want to mention how much I love the communication in this book. I don’t feel like we see it enough in romance stories (and I absolutely hate the miscommunication trope with a passion😂) Bel is so good at communicating, even when things get hard or uncertain, he’s very vocal about what he feels and I can’t get enough of it.❤️ Lena is still learning how best to communicate but it doesn’t stop her from loving Bel and showing him in her own way. And Bel is learning how to forgive himself and move on from the past. They just complement and challenge each other so well. They heal and comfort each other. They’re not perfect but they’re both growing together.
Now Alix….I can’t get enough of her and her loyalty to Lena, and now Bel. I love her relationship with Lena, but I LOVE her and Bel’s. Their friendship is so adorable and It’s like he gets to be her big brother🥹I was in absolute tears when Bel told her he would protect her and Lena both😭 I love them! She is a spitfire of a character and I enjoyed every page of her sass! She’s so funny and lovable and I enjoy her banter with everyone! She’s so easygoing and can be anyones friend. But I definitely wouldn’t want to get on her bad side😂
Now Dar, the Queen and side characters.
I knew I would hate Dar the minute him and Bel met again after 10 years. I knew he would be an absolute a** to them, and I was right! I was so mad that he kept the girls and Bel separated. However I loved the gradual character development Dar went through. He had to heal too and face the past and future, it can be overwhelming! He literally went through all the stages of grief before all that anger turned into acceptance, understanding and eventually forgiveness. I honestly would love a novella of King Dar and Queen Cira 😂. I did end up liking his character in the end. Cira and Phea were great characters too. I instantly knew I’d love Cira, especially for being that one person to take a chance on Lena and Alix. She’s like “I’ll make my own judgment, y’all can just back off”😂 I was literally praying they got through that battle scene. I knew all hell would break lose if Cira or Elia got hurt. I wasn’t sure about Phea at first because at the moment I just saw her as the guard. But I quickly warmed up to her because of her blunt personality and how she didn’t have any beef with Lena and Alix, she was just doing her job. Then they grew on her and she became more of a bodyguard 😂
ALSO!! THE ABSOLUTE JOY I FELT AT SEEING POL AT THE END!!!🥹🥹🥹 sweet cinnamon roll
If you enjoyed the first book I guarantee you’ll enjoy this one, if not more! I love this world so much and I’m so sad it’s over! If you haven’t read Aerie yet, what the heck are you doing here?! Go read it!😂
This book was highly anticipated by me and my first read of year. It absolutely surpassed all my expectations and ended beautifully. I was so excited to read this book and got a little teary eyed clicking through the last pages😭 The author has done it again! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to review Haven! It’s been a joy and a pleasure reading about this world and its lovable characters! I’ll be keeping a eye out for more of your work!❤️
Wow…..thats it….just wow! This book took me on an emotional ride from start to finish. There was laughter, anger, tears…..lots of tears 😭 and tons of heart warming moments. I absolutely love our trio Lena, Bel and Alix, they grew so much through out this story!
I just want to start with how much I love Lena and Bel. We get to see so many different sides to them, some good, some bad. Lena struggled so much with loosing her knighthood and trying to fill that void with protecting Bel and Alix. Bel had to face his past and face his enemies for his future. I love how SE handled the growth in Bel and Lena’s relationship. I also want to mention how much I love the communication in this book. I don’t feel like we see it enough in romance stories (and I absolutely hate the miscommunication trope with a passion😂) Bel is so good at communicating, even when things get hard or uncertain, he’s very vocal about what he feels and I can’t get enough of it.❤️ Lena is still learning how best to communicate but it doesn’t stop her from loving Bel and showing him in her own way. And Bel is learning how to forgive himself and move on from the past. They just complement and challenge each other so well. They heal and comfort each other. They’re not perfect but they’re both growing together.
Now Alix….I can’t get enough of her and her loyalty to Lena, and now Bel. I love her relationship with Lena, but I LOVE her and Bel’s. Their friendship is so adorable and It’s like he gets to be her big brother🥹I was in absolute tears when Bel told her he would protect her and Lena both😭 I love them! She is a spitfire of a character and I enjoyed every page of her sass! She’s so funny and lovable and I enjoy her banter with everyone! She’s so easygoing and can be anyones friend. But I definitely wouldn’t want to get on her bad side😂
Now Dar, the Queen and side characters.
I knew I would hate Dar the minute him and Bel met again after 10 years. I knew he would be an absolute a** to them, and I was right! I was so mad that he kept the girls and Bel separated. However I loved the gradual character development Dar went through. He had to heal too and face the past and future, it can be overwhelming! He literally went through all the stages of grief before all that anger turned into acceptance, understanding and eventually forgiveness. I honestly would love a novella of King Dar and Queen Cira 😂. I did end up liking his character in the end. Cira and Phea were great characters too. I instantly knew I’d love Cira, especially for being that one person to take a chance on Lena and Alix. She’s like “I’ll make my own judgment, y’all can just back off”😂 I was literally praying they got through that battle scene. I knew all hell would break lose if Cira or Elia got hurt. I wasn’t sure about Phea at first because at the moment I just saw her as the guard. But I quickly warmed up to her because of her blunt personality and how she didn’t have any beef with Lena and Alix, she was just doing her job. Then they grew on her and she became more of a bodyguard 😂
ALSO!! THE ABSOLUTE JOY I FELT AT SEEING POL AT THE END!!!🥹🥹🥹 sweet cinnamon roll
If you enjoyed the first book I guarantee you’ll enjoy this one, if not more! I love this world so much and I’m so sad it’s over! If you haven’t read Aerie yet, what the heck are you doing here?! Go read it!😂
This book was highly anticipated by me and my first read of year. It absolutely surpassed all my expectations and ended beautifully. I was so excited to read this book and got a little teary eyed clicking through the last pages😭 The author has done it again! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to review Haven! It’s been a joy and a pleasure reading about this world and its lovable characters! I’ll be keeping a eye out for more of your work!❤️
May 13, 2023
It's rare that a sequel is even better than the first book, but S. E. Wendel has absolutely achieved this with Haven - Wendel has completed knocked it out of the park and stepped up this duology to a whole new level! Haven is action-packed, page-turning and swashbuckling.
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅Daring escapes and adventure
✅World-building, including dramatic scenery
✅FMC hero
✅Power couple that takes on impossible odds
✅Mates
✅Swoon-worthy romance
✅Touch her and ☠️
✅Epic fantasy
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Pacing: The pacing in Haven was perfection - it sweeps you along for the ride, so that there is never a dragging moment - you barely have time to catch your breath! The writing or composition in no way feels rushed. Every scene is given time to breathe and the detailed descriptions that build out the world and story so convincingly (that are very much Wendel's style) are still present, but the plot just escalates in this perfect build and crescendo that makes the story feel like everything is happening at once. The action scenes are sweeping and cinematic. Lena and Bel turn out to be incredible badasses, without losing their very human characters/weaknesses.
Scenery: The world expands dramatically in Haven compared to Aerie - you encounter new lands and people and slowly the lore of the country and the different magical species are introduced. There are truly gorgeous descriptions of different locations and details about food, inn rooms, ruins, mountain strongholds, even clothes, that are so lush that you are absolutely drawn in to the story. There is a real feeling that the main characters are doing an intense amount of travelling supported by the attention to detail in each environment they encounter.
Romance/Spice: This is what we're really here for, right? The romance between Bel and Lena is amazing. A real hallmark of Wendel's work is the ability to craft believable, adult romantic relationships that somehow also fulfill all of our trope dreams. Despite trouble communicating at times and learning to trust each other, Bel becomes absolutely devoted to Lena and Lena learns how to let someone past all of the emotional barriers she's erected. The romance (and the spice, of which there is a very satisfying amount!) is never a subplot or a throwaway, even though the story line steps up in this book. They are so adorable! Also, after he escapes prison, Bel becomes a number 1 hottie, which is very fun.
Epic fantasy: This one came totally out of left field for me! Wendel took her debut of Broken Wings and somehow expanded it into something entirely on a different scale! The story starts out close, intimate and cozy in Aerie and somehow BAM, we are in an epic fantasy with battles and political intrigue, journeys and new lands. I am really impressed how Wendel, instead of just matching the tone of the first book, made the entire arc grow and evolve. It felt like one giant story where one book set up the foundation in tone and style for the other but the second evolved and developed well past what was introduced in the first.
I don't want to spoil the ending, but let's just say that Wendel continues kicking gender tropes to the curb and things resolve in a way that made me want to literally cheer out loud!
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅Daring escapes and adventure
✅World-building, including dramatic scenery
✅FMC hero
✅Power couple that takes on impossible odds
✅Mates
✅Swoon-worthy romance
✅Touch her and ☠️
✅Epic fantasy
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Pacing: The pacing in Haven was perfection - it sweeps you along for the ride, so that there is never a dragging moment - you barely have time to catch your breath! The writing or composition in no way feels rushed. Every scene is given time to breathe and the detailed descriptions that build out the world and story so convincingly (that are very much Wendel's style) are still present, but the plot just escalates in this perfect build and crescendo that makes the story feel like everything is happening at once. The action scenes are sweeping and cinematic. Lena and Bel turn out to be incredible badasses, without losing their very human characters/weaknesses.
Scenery: The world expands dramatically in Haven compared to Aerie - you encounter new lands and people and slowly the lore of the country and the different magical species are introduced. There are truly gorgeous descriptions of different locations and details about food, inn rooms, ruins, mountain strongholds, even clothes, that are so lush that you are absolutely drawn in to the story. There is a real feeling that the main characters are doing an intense amount of travelling supported by the attention to detail in each environment they encounter.
Romance/Spice: This is what we're really here for, right? The romance between Bel and Lena is amazing. A real hallmark of Wendel's work is the ability to craft believable, adult romantic relationships that somehow also fulfill all of our trope dreams. Despite trouble communicating at times and learning to trust each other, Bel becomes absolutely devoted to Lena and Lena learns how to let someone past all of the emotional barriers she's erected. The romance (and the spice, of which there is a very satisfying amount!) is never a subplot or a throwaway, even though the story line steps up in this book. They are so adorable! Also, after he escapes prison, Bel becomes a number 1 hottie, which is very fun.
Epic fantasy: This one came totally out of left field for me! Wendel took her debut of Broken Wings and somehow expanded it into something entirely on a different scale! The story starts out close, intimate and cozy in Aerie and somehow BAM, we are in an epic fantasy with battles and political intrigue, journeys and new lands. I am really impressed how Wendel, instead of just matching the tone of the first book, made the entire arc grow and evolve. It felt like one giant story where one book set up the foundation in tone and style for the other but the second evolved and developed well past what was introduced in the first.
I don't want to spoil the ending, but let's just say that Wendel continues kicking gender tropes to the curb and things resolve in a way that made me want to literally cheer out loud!
February 8, 2023
⚡️ I was provided an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review
🌟: 5 / 5
📚: Haven was probably one of my most anticipated releases this year, and I don’t want that statement to cloud the impression I had of this book, but I truly loved it. While I was most eager for the sequel to pick up on the unresolved storylines in Aerie, I was absolutely blown away by the reminder that SE Wendel can WRITE.
The Broken Wings Duet is by far one of my favorite fantasy duologies: it’s high fantasy feel without the wild mental gymnastics that I usually associate with high fantasy. The politics and strategy of the book are so seamlessly woven into the storyline in a way that is both fascinating but still easy to follow because of the approach that Wendel takes to guide you through it. The world building is so meticulous and well considered on all sides— even small details like the fairy tales and poetry that characters read in the book feel unique and slide seamlessly into the larger world.
It’s gorgeously written— all of the landscapes just come to life so beautifully. This is a duology that relies so much on the settings, and sweeping vistas and claustrophobic caves offset each other so nicely and add so much to the tensions within the story.
But you know what else is gorgeous? The two main characters in the slow burn of the century. It’s the political enemies to guard and prisoner to reluctant friends to lovers to found family to oh no I would do unspeakable things to protect all of these characters book of my dreams.
I really do believe the greatest strength in this duology is the characterization. There is so much tension looming over the characters, both romantic tension and in anticipation of a war, and their reactions and conflicts in these situations just feel so realistic that I cannot believe someone just wrote this. The use of flashbacks and somewhat alternating points of view that shape the characters is just so seamlessly woven in that the characters are some of the most well-rounded that I’ve ever read.
Bel being a broody bird boy who really blossoms into being a major major simp and Lena being a grumpy knight in exile who will always do the right thing even if it destroys her entire life who learns that she can be more than that absolutely destroyed me (in the best way possible). Folding in the sunshiney teen that essentially adopts them both whether they like it or not provides the perfect amount of levity and calling the two of them out.
Long story short, this book is so good. It’s the conclusion to a series that has been a long time coming, and was absolutely worth the wait. The Broken Wings Duet is a masterpiece and a fantasy epic that I will be recommending for a long time.
🌟: 5 / 5
📚: Haven was probably one of my most anticipated releases this year, and I don’t want that statement to cloud the impression I had of this book, but I truly loved it. While I was most eager for the sequel to pick up on the unresolved storylines in Aerie, I was absolutely blown away by the reminder that SE Wendel can WRITE.
The Broken Wings Duet is by far one of my favorite fantasy duologies: it’s high fantasy feel without the wild mental gymnastics that I usually associate with high fantasy. The politics and strategy of the book are so seamlessly woven into the storyline in a way that is both fascinating but still easy to follow because of the approach that Wendel takes to guide you through it. The world building is so meticulous and well considered on all sides— even small details like the fairy tales and poetry that characters read in the book feel unique and slide seamlessly into the larger world.
It’s gorgeously written— all of the landscapes just come to life so beautifully. This is a duology that relies so much on the settings, and sweeping vistas and claustrophobic caves offset each other so nicely and add so much to the tensions within the story.
But you know what else is gorgeous? The two main characters in the slow burn of the century. It’s the political enemies to guard and prisoner to reluctant friends to lovers to found family to oh no I would do unspeakable things to protect all of these characters book of my dreams.
I really do believe the greatest strength in this duology is the characterization. There is so much tension looming over the characters, both romantic tension and in anticipation of a war, and their reactions and conflicts in these situations just feel so realistic that I cannot believe someone just wrote this. The use of flashbacks and somewhat alternating points of view that shape the characters is just so seamlessly woven in that the characters are some of the most well-rounded that I’ve ever read.
Bel being a broody bird boy who really blossoms into being a major major simp and Lena being a grumpy knight in exile who will always do the right thing even if it destroys her entire life who learns that she can be more than that absolutely destroyed me (in the best way possible). Folding in the sunshiney teen that essentially adopts them both whether they like it or not provides the perfect amount of levity and calling the two of them out.
Long story short, this book is so good. It’s the conclusion to a series that has been a long time coming, and was absolutely worth the wait. The Broken Wings Duet is a masterpiece and a fantasy epic that I will be recommending for a long time.
February 12, 2024
These covers...
Came for the smut - stayed for the epic romance!
This picks up right where Book 1 left off
Bel, Lena, and Alix have escaped their prison and are running east - I don't recall if there was a map involved in these books but it really needed it. Kindle should fix that for fantasy reads.
This had less of a slow burn to it though it still delivered on the romance throughout. We follow our 3 MC's through Avian country and get a good look at what has happened to Bels home while he was in captivity. Its devastating and an emotionally painful homecoming and when we get there I was stunned at the realism and turn of events.
I finally get questions answered- regarding Bel's cousin It turns out i was wrong and this story refused to turn predictable. I was shocked and things were revealed yet there is no shocking reveal, this isn't that kind of story. Discovery and realization wasn't where i wanted it and that made things just feel epic and real while keeping me on the cusp of mistrusting the author. I wasn't being spoon fed red herrings but i wasn't sure exactly what i was gorging on either.
Like i said I came for the smut, but damn if i didn't stay to see these guys and their kind make it out alive.
I enjoyed the romance between these 2. There was some great love scenes peppered throughout and the story never felt stagnant or rushed but It was really hard to relate to an honorable girl knight. The parts of these books that resonated most to me involved the cruelty done to characters and the immense emotional pain that came of it. I think it made their relationships with each other (primary and secondary characters alike) so much more important in contrast and kept me riveted to the story as an epic tale more than a romantic fantasy. I was almost despondent at the idea the author might actually kill someone off or worse marry them off to the wrong person.
In hindsight This felt as though the entire story was meant to go one way but after sitting on it (through the pandemic) the author took it an entirely different direction and ended up fleshing out the world outside of our 2 main characters. It was a good move and hit a lot harder.
I Really wanted Bel to knock her up but it left that open to possibility so I'l let it slide.
Loved these 2 books.
Came for the smut - stayed for the epic romance!
This picks up right where Book 1 left off
Bel, Lena, and Alix have escaped their prison and are running east - I don't recall if there was a map involved in these books but it really needed it. Kindle should fix that for fantasy reads.
This had less of a slow burn to it though it still delivered on the romance throughout. We follow our 3 MC's through Avian country and get a good look at what has happened to Bels home while he was in captivity. Its devastating and an emotionally painful homecoming and when we get there I was stunned at the realism and turn of events.
I finally get questions answered- regarding Bel's cousin It turns out i was wrong and this story refused to turn predictable. I was shocked and things were revealed yet there is no shocking reveal, this isn't that kind of story. Discovery and realization wasn't where i wanted it and that made things just feel epic and real while keeping me on the cusp of mistrusting the author. I wasn't being spoon fed red herrings but i wasn't sure exactly what i was gorging on either.
Like i said I came for the smut, but damn if i didn't stay to see these guys and their kind make it out alive.
I enjoyed the romance between these 2. There was some great love scenes peppered throughout and the story never felt stagnant or rushed but It was really hard to relate to an honorable girl knight. The parts of these books that resonated most to me involved the cruelty done to characters and the immense emotional pain that came of it. I think it made their relationships with each other (primary and secondary characters alike) so much more important in contrast and kept me riveted to the story as an epic tale more than a romantic fantasy. I was almost despondent at the idea the author might actually kill someone off or worse marry them off to the wrong person.
In hindsight This felt as though the entire story was meant to go one way but after sitting on it (through the pandemic) the author took it an entirely different direction and ended up fleshing out the world outside of our 2 main characters. It was a good move and hit a lot harder.
I Really wanted Bel to knock her up but it left that open to possibility so I'l let it slide.
Loved these 2 books.
February 19, 2023
🪶𝟛,𝟝⭐️ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨⚔️
𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 (𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗗𝘂𝗲𝘁, #𝟮)
✍️ SE Wendel
🪶 Mate
⚔️ Healing
🪶Choice
⚔️Love , pain
🪶Politic
⚔️HEA
✨𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄✨
𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭……: ⭐️⭐️⭐️,5
𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 ……: 🌶️
𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳 ….: ⭐️⭐️
𝘗𝘭𝘰𝘵 ……..: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 ……: /
𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭.: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💬
If the first one frustrated me , this one exceeds it… there are so many good things in this book that to put only 3.5 hurts my heart.. unfortunately if I loved some parts, others bothered me too much ..
The plot is still good , addicting.. I couldn’t wait to discover Bel’s city , past and people.
The pacing and storytelling is the same ,long chapters for nothing , and « telling but not showing » for others ..
The romance is so much better in this book , full of emotions and love.. I loved every seconds of it .. Bel and Lena chose each other despite everything and it’s beautiful… However, as in the first book, the trope « touch her and die » isn’t as strong as I wished it would be .. they are separate during the time when Bel meet his people, Lena is put in prison .. and even if Bel asked for Lena to be free , he didn’t do anything else.. or not enough for my liking .. I wanted more…
The reunion with his family is full of pain, betrayal , revenge .. I hated his cousin, his hatred for Bel is misplaced and for no good reason.. I was excited to see Bel with his people, so the results disappointed me … However , the description of Bel's emotions and suffering is superbly well written, I loved that part.
The sex is a little more described in this one and still sweet … but another detail that disappointed me was , he shares his wings with all the people he considers his friends .. not just his mate .. and I didn’t like it .. it’s just a detail though .
The end is a HEA, but I was a little disappointed, I was expecting something else , for me it was bittersweet ..
𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻 (𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗗𝘂𝗲𝘁, #𝟮)
✍️ SE Wendel
🪶 Mate
⚔️ Healing
🪶Choice
⚔️Love , pain
🪶Politic
⚔️HEA
✨𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄✨
𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭……: ⭐️⭐️⭐️,5
𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 ……: 🌶️
𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳 ….: ⭐️⭐️
𝘗𝘭𝘰𝘵 ……..: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 ……: /
𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭.: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💬
If the first one frustrated me , this one exceeds it… there are so many good things in this book that to put only 3.5 hurts my heart.. unfortunately if I loved some parts, others bothered me too much ..
The plot is still good , addicting.. I couldn’t wait to discover Bel’s city , past and people.
The pacing and storytelling is the same ,long chapters for nothing , and « telling but not showing » for others ..
The romance is so much better in this book , full of emotions and love.. I loved every seconds of it .. Bel and Lena chose each other despite everything and it’s beautiful… However, as in the first book, the trope « touch her and die » isn’t as strong as I wished it would be .. they are separate during the time when Bel meet his people, Lena is put in prison .. and even if Bel asked for Lena to be free , he didn’t do anything else.. or not enough for my liking .. I wanted more…
The reunion with his family is full of pain, betrayal , revenge .. I hated his cousin, his hatred for Bel is misplaced and for no good reason.. I was excited to see Bel with his people, so the results disappointed me … However , the description of Bel's emotions and suffering is superbly well written, I loved that part.
The sex is a little more described in this one and still sweet … but another detail that disappointed me was , he shares his wings with all the people he considers his friends .. not just his mate .. and I didn’t like it .. it’s just a detail though .
The end is a HEA, but I was a little disappointed, I was expecting something else , for me it was bittersweet ..
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