Description
“A kingdom in turmoil or the love of her life. Which one will she save?
“Elementalist Rielle hasn’t heard from her best friend in far too long. Yet no one at the Tower of Magic seems to care about Olivia’s silence, or the curtain of secrecy surrounding the distant capital. Before Rielle can investigate, she’s assigned a strange new mission: escort a paladin named Jon across the kingdom.
“When whispers reveal mercenaries have killed the king, taken the capital, and that no one is coming to help, Rielle can’t leave Olivia in peril. But as infamous mages and deadly assassins hunt Jon, she can’t leave him unprotected either—especially as she finds herself falling for his strength, his passion, and his uncompromising goodness. Her past returns to haunt her, a werewolf stalks their steps, and an ancient evil is gathering, yet the restraints forbidding their love strain and snap one by one.
“Saving Olivia and the kingdom means defying orders and sacrificing her every ambition, and could mean losing the man who’s become so much more to her than a mission. Which will she choose: her best friend and the kingdom, or the love of her life?
“Dive into a medieval world sensual and dark, full of magic and greed, love and blades, where factions vie for influence and there are no easy choices.”
Review
Blade and Rose is an epic fantasy romance that can’t be read in one sitting, but I wanted to.
I confess, I got about a quarter of the way through it and had to stop from sheer exhaustion. Honfleur packs a lot into the first quarter of this book, lots of action, lots of romance. I’m used to shorter books and thought for sure I’d already reached the midpoint of the romance way before the actual midpoint.
I’m glad I took a break and came back to this book. It has to be this long to give the characters and plot the depth they need.
Rielle looks like the typical spunky heroine at first. The book opens with her sneaking off into the night to find out why her best friend isn’t responding to her letters. It was nice to see her reasons for her spontaneous actions and the complicated web that is her past. I found myself liking her more and more as the book progressed, with one scene in particular cementing my good opinion of her. Everything she does is with others in mind and she really does try to think through the consequences of her actions. I respected that, and wanted the best for her by the end of the book.
Jon is a rarity in the books I read: a truly good paladin who does his best to keep his oaths in a way that helps others. Sometimes an author will write a character like that with a snide undertone, or make him a bit pompous or arrogant, or constantly point out the silliness of the oath.
Not here. The oaths Jon has sworn are treated as sacred, the men who make them are human but good at heart, and that makes the conflict in his heart all the more real when he finds his oath in conflict with the world around him.
I loved watching him work out his feelings regarding his oaths and duty. And the respectful resolution of that arc caught me by surprise and made me very pleased.
I have to add here that I completely want Rielle and Jon to end up together. They work well together, respect each other, and are willing to sacrifice greatly for the other.
Brennan was a pleasant surprise. Cast as The Bad Guy in the romance part of this book, he had reasons for his horrible actions, and the reasons actually captured my sympathy. Raised to think himself better than others, he’s arrogant and a more typical sexy than Jon. But this book, though it explains his behavior, never excuses it. However, in spite of all the awful things he did, I still hope he’ll redeem himself by the end of the series. I like him.
The plot is epic, complex, magical, and wonderful. Can’t say anything more without risking spoiling it.
For those looking for sweet romance, there are sex scenes, but the focus is on the emotions and the relationship.
If you liked the politics and realism of Game of Thrones but wished there was more magic and a romance that would get your heart thumping, this is that book. Highly recommended!
Amy Keeley 