"They say being given the blood of a god is a gift. But it is a curse."
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ viking romantasy ✨ 4.5 ⭐️ Officially in my Viking Fantasy Era!
"They say being given the blood of a god is a gift. But it is a curse."
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ viking romantasy ✨ norse mythology ✨ meddling gods ✨ prophecies ✨ chosen one ✨ arranged marriage ✨ bodyguard x ‘princess’ trope ✨ forced proximity ✨ insta-lust ✨ friends to lovers ✨ forbidden romance ✨ slow burn ✨ one horse ✨ touch her and die ✨ 2/5 spice ✨ action packed ✨ cliffhanger ✨ single POV ✨ TW: war, violence, loss of family, gaslighting
My Thoughts:
I am a HUGE fan of Danielle L. Jensen's The Bridge Kingdom Series, so when I found out she was writing another fantasy series based on norse mythology, I was so excited. And rightly slow because this first book was fantastic!
PS: If you loved the Netflix show and book series, That Last Kingdom, but wished there was magic and more romance, this story is PERFECT for you!
What I loved:
Freya and Bjorn. Both MCs were likable characters that only got more interesting as we got to know them more. Freya is incredibly selfless, and while sometimes her devotion to others drove me mad (because it was often at her expense), I respect the hell out of her for caring for so many people. I also liked that her thoughts, feelings, and actions seemed realistic for a 'Viking' woman during this 'era'. Bjorn was everything I love in an MMC - charming, funny, strong, loyal, protective, and hellbent on getting revenge. Oh, and he has powers from one of the gods. Because the story is in Freya's POV, it takes time to get his backstory and understand his motives, but even then, there's always a little mystery to him. These characters were well developed and I think we're going to see a lot of growth and change from them in the next book.
The romance and spice. From the moment they meet, Freya and Bjorn have insane chemistry and are clearly meant to be together. However, there is a forbidden aspect to the story that prevents them from making any moves, so there's so much flirty banter, tension, and longing - and I ate it all up! I love how they resisted at first but ultimately, cave to their desires. And those spicy scenes . . . ...more
5 ⭐ Holy sh*t this one’s a banger!!!! Y’all are sleeping on The Clecanian series!!!
"You are but a Season. Calamitous, powerful, consuming. But like 5 ⭐ Holy sh*t this one’s a banger!!!! Y’all are sleeping on The Clecanian series!!!
"You are but a Season. Calamitous, powerful, consuming. But like the rains, you too will pass...I need only weather you."
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ sci-fi romance ✨ beauty and the beast vibes ✨ grumpy x sunshine ✨ he’s a paranoid alien king ✨ she’s his human captive ✨ enemies to lovers ✨ SLOW BURN ✨ arranged marriage ✨ hate to love ✨ "she's mine" ✨ fated mates ✨ longing / secret pining ✨ stalking ✨ open door spice (tail play, hand necklaces, and biting included) ✨ 2.5/5 ...more
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ mafia romance ✨ age-gap ✨ arranged marriage ✨ enemies to lovers ✨ traumatized, kind, silent (by choice) FMC ✨ dange2 ⭐️ meh, not for me
WHAT TO EXPECT: ✨ mafia romance ✨ age-gap ✨ arranged marriage ✨ enemies to lovers ✨ traumatized, kind, silent (by choice) FMC ✨ dangerous, possessive MMC ✨ political intrigue ✨ smut ✨ HEA
A mafia romance without much plot and surface-level character development. I couldn't get into the story and never got attached to the MCs. I only finished reading because I was bored, and it was a relatively quick, easy read.
What I didn't like:
- Conner and Noemi's reasoning was hardly ever sound. Whether it was their reason for falling in love or justifying some of their actions, the logic didn't quite add up.
- The dialogue between the MCs and people they were close to was not colloquial and often sounded forced or robotic.
- Conner's inner dialogue about Noemi and his feeling towards her was unbelievable or not how any man would describe a woman.
- A lot of the things Conner did was straight up psychotic, but Noemi refers to it as caveman behavior. Just felt like she was brushing off a pretty big part of Conner's job/personality in order to accept him romantically.
- Both Conner and Noemi would emotionally leap during this story. One minute they're just attracted to each other, but then the next, they randomly decide they want every part of them - their mind, body, and soul. I didn't understand where these deep feelings came from. Seems to me it was done to push the romance forward and give the characters a deeper connection than they really had. At one point, Conner even thinks, "How had I gone from begrudgingly agreeing to marry a woman to obsessing over her thoughts and feelings?". I'm here wondering the exact same thing!
- Noemi was always worried about what Conner would think of her whenever she got too emotional or freaked out.
- For some reason, waitresses LOVE to touch Conner, and Noemi gets extremely jealous. I have never personally been touched or seen anyone touched by the wait staff at a restaurant. But this happens every time they go out. This is an unbelievable situation that is only there to further the romantic plot.
- When Noemi is sobbing and tells Conner the truth, how does he respond? He commands her to take off her clothes, get on her knees, and close her eyes. Fuck this guy. I get this is a mafia romance where the guys are all about control and dominance, but Jesus Christ, can you take care of your girl first before forcing her to submit and sticking your dick in her?
- The fight scene at the end reminded me of the newscaster brawls in Anchorman, where bad guys from different gangs kept popping out to join the fight. I rolled my eyes so much.
Overall, Silent Vows had potential, but there were too many issues with the characters, romance, and plot for me to enjoy it. I really wanted to love this story, but unfortunately, it wasn't it for me.
Thank you to Jill Ramsoweer for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own....more
I devoured this book in 4 hours, so from that alone, you know it’s easy to read and enjoyable. However, I didn’t connec3.5 ⭐️ I had a pretty good time
I devoured this book in 4 hours, so from that alone, you know it’s easy to read and enjoyable. However, I didn’t connect with the characters, and I found both Aida (20-something) and Callum (early 30s) to be immature and emotionally unintelligent. I did like their chemistry, and the sex scenes were pretty good. For a mafia book, this wasn’t very dark either, which I expected, but I’m not mad about it.
I liked the overall romance and plot, but I’m really just looking forward to the rest of the series because of all the high praise of TikTok....more
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