Book Review: Crimson Kingdom by Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison

Title: Crimson Kingdom

Author: Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison

Series/Standalone: The Lochlann Feuds Series (Book #3)

Genre: Young Adult, Romantasy

Pages: 346

Publisher: Indie Published

Year Published: 2022

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"Rowan thought she had escaped her life as a prisoner.

But even in Lochlan, she is chained by the memories of everything she left behind in Socair.

Of everyone she left behind.

With her people clamoring for war, the responsibility falls on Rowan to enter into a marriage alliance to keep her kingdom safe. That should be easy, considering she's already received proposals from half the clans in Socair.

But even with plenty of options, she's left with no good choices.

Will she play it safe? Or will she risk everything for the kind of love she never wanted to begin with?

The kind of love that could break her."

My Rating: 4.5/5

I absolutely love the characters in this book series. I love the wit, the jokes, but also the writing style. The only thing that I haven't enjoyed the most is sometimes the pacing in the middle. This book lost my interest in the middle due to the miscommunication used. While it makes sense that there would be communication lacking in the second book and leading into this one, I was getting a bit frustrated with the waiting to communicate important ideals until the end of the book . That being said, still an excellent book, and I will be continuing on. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Tarnished Crown by Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison

Title: Tarnished Crown

Author: Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison

Series/Standalone: The Lochlann Feuds Series (Book #2)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 398

Publisher: Indie Published (Self-Published)

Year Published: 2021

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"Rowan was finally going to do something right.

Marry for love and for her kingdom. Keep her people safe. Until an archaic law enslaved her to the most feared man in all of  Socair, a man who treats her like a pawn and calls her his pet.

But when enemies emerge from unexpected places, she's forced to realize that being Evander's property might just be the only thing keeping her alive.

Can she fulfill her blood debt to Bear, even if it means losing Theo forever?

Even if it means sacrificing her heart?"

My Rating: 5/5

If you had told me a year ago that I would be loving a steamy but not spicy young adult romantasy series, I would have been shocked. Not that I've completely shied away from young adult fantasy, but I feel that I've leaned more into adult content in the past few years, so to revisit this area feels both nostalgic and brand new all at once. The authors of this series know exactly how to write angsty, longing and enemies-to-lovers. While some emotions are going fast (it's kinda par for the course in the genre), the banter, the plot, all of it is phenomenal. Don't worry, the next book in the series, she's downloaded!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Scarlet Princess by Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison

Title: Scarlet Princess

Author(s): Robin D. Mahle & Elle Madison

Series/Standalone: The Lochlann Feuds (Book #1)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 324

Publisher: Indie Published

Year Published: 2021

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"A reckless princess. An enemy kingdom. And a mistake that could cost her everything.

Rowan only wanted a bit of adventure. She never meant to start a war.

But when a vodka smuggling trip goes wrong and lands her in the hands of the people she was brought up to hate, the Loclannian princess is forced to put her life on the line for the sake of her cousin and her kingdom. Her only ally is one of her captors, a man who is turning out to be so different from the barbarian she expected him to be.

Now she's in over her head with ancient vendettas, blood debts and the dangerous political games she's never been good at playing. Even Theo's help may not be enough to save her when Socairans still blame her for her parents' war... and when she's tempting fate by falling for one of their own. 

Rowan will have to find a way to smooth things over without causing more chaos, before she accidentally kicks off a conflict that could forever alter the fate of two kingdoms."

My Rating: 4.5/5

This first instalment follows Princess Rowan as she enters and remains trapped in a kingdom she knows next to nothing about, other than how they were enemies in the past and have remained barely cordial in the current tense. After a trip to get vodka (something unavailable in her own kingdom), she is caught smuggling and is left to deal with the consequences and a trial that could lead to her death. The authors do an excellent job of writing a fantasy world that is familiar enough to visualize but different enough to keep you on your toes. It almost feels medieval in time frame. The key factor to my enjoyment is Rowan's spunk and personality. Even when backed against a wall, she remains strong. I look forward to seeing how this series continues on, and who knows maybe we'll be reading a lot more from these authors. 

Thanks for reading

Sidny