Vow of the Shadow King cover reveal!

May 4, 2022May 4, 2022

I’m fully sucked in to this romantic fantasy series by Sylvia Mercedes. Bride of the Shadow King (read my review here) took my breath away, and the cover was just as arresting. But I think the cover for Vow of the Shadow King is even better!

The Synopsis:

Warning: contains spoilers for book one!

A treacherous bride. A heartbroken groom. Is their marriage over before it’s begun?

Her deceit discovered, Faraine finds herself trapped in the Shadow Realm at the mercy of her new husband. She’s surrounded by enemies, far from any allies, and her best bet for survival is to convince Vor to send her home.

But to do so means to give up on the alliance. Which would spell disaster for her people.

With the tremors growing worse and poison spreading through his realm, Vor is more desperate than ever to find a solution. Only, it cannot involve his wife. Vor wants nothing to do with the woman he has inadvertently married. At one time, he thought he might love her, but now? How can love flourish where trust is broken?

When circumstances require them to spend more time together, however, Vor’s blood is stirred in ways he doesn’t like to acknowledge.

Can two lost hearts find healing and hope in one another? Or is their love already poisoned beyond recovery?

Book two of this epic romantasy trilogy, Vow of the Shadow King will sweep you away in a tale of betrayal, heartbreak, and forbidden love. Perfect for readers looking for their ideal “book husband” and a slow-burn romance ready to ignite!

Vow of the Shadow King is expected late summer 2022.

Without further eloquence…

Preorder from Amazon

That’s all for now!

Cheers,

– CKB

To learn more about this author, visit www.sylviamercedesbooks.com.

Bride of the Shadow King review

March 15, 2022March 14, 2022

If you’re looking for romantic fantasy where plot comes first, action is second and romance claws it’s way into third, with princesses, fae vs. humans, trolls (ahem, trolldefolk) and arranged marriage (or if you thought yes to any one of these things), might I enthusiastically suggest this Bride of the Shadow King review? Read on!

Bride of the Shadow King (Bride of the Shadow King #1), by Sylvia Mercedes (fantasy, romantic fantasy; March 15, 2022)

Note: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Farraine is a disgraced princess with a painful empath gods-gift; Vor is a hunky half-trollde, half-human king of an underground realm. These two hit it off right away, but unfortunately for them, it’s Faraine’s younger sister Ilsevel who’s destined to marry Vor in this twisty and exciting romantic fantasy.

If you’re hoping for a tidy romance, this book will leave you in agony! Farraine and Vor are truly star-crossed, and constant unexpected events (plus the great action sequences I now expect from author Sylvia Mercedes) keep the course of love rocky as a trollde hide. This is truly an eventful book, full of swoony touches and missed connections.

This excellent book’s plot is riveting, and the traditional fantasy feel of Vor’s perspective was a welcome surprise. I enjoyed both POVs equally and grew fond of supporting characters like Hael and a certain sister of Farraine. Beyond telling you I can’t wait for book two, I honestly don’t think I should tell you more! That’s how chuck full of plot twists it is.

My rating:

 5/5

To learn more about this author, visit sylviamercedesbooks.com.

More reviews of this author’s books

Daughter of Shades review

Of Silver and Secrets review

December 14, 2021December 13, 2021

Of Silver and Secrets (Once in Whispering Wood), by Sylvia Mercedes (fantasy novella, romantic fantasy; December 20, 2021)

(Note: I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This story also contains brief non-consentual kissing and nudity.)

If you haven’t realized it by now, I’m kind of an emotional reviewer. After book blogging for a couple years now, I also tend to mentally give stars to books as I go, knowing the rating will fluctuate at different parts of the story and then I can average them out, ideally so I don’t get swept away.

Of Silver and Secrets swept me away. I could squeal just thinking about it, and that is a noise I usually reserve for Pride and Prejudice, when Mr. Darcy finally remembers how a gentleman courts a lady.

Of Silver and Secrets is a shorter tale, once a serial release for author Sylvia Mercedes’ mailing list subscribers. It follows primary narrator Farryn’s trials as a ward witch’s dreamwalking apprentice who peeks into the wrong person’s enchanting dream. Farryn does not have the money and necessary connections to be trained as a Miphato, the erudite sorcerers of the Whispering Wood’s world. She has only the runes she’s learned from her mentor Mother Ulla (who is so perfectly described I instantly had a voice for her), and they are neither reliable nor powerful enough for the trouble she lands in.

The other narrator, Kellam, is a Miphato, and a new one at that. Worse still, he’s encroaching on Farryn’s mistress’s ward with his expensive, bookish ways (his spells, unlike Farryn’s, must be written on a page). And disastrously worse still, he’s Farryn’s childhood friend who almost kissed her at a dance, then shipped off to Miphato school and NEVER WROTE HER. When it comes to Kellam, Farryn hath some fury indeed.

The plot structure is happily unusual, with a smaller but high-stakes challenge for its narrators early on (in which Farryn and Kellam first collide). Then the mid-section of the book bucks the norm and features chapter after chapter of an in-depth battle so intense and authentically tricky for the protagonists that most authors would save it for the climax. There’s no “beginning, muddle and end” in Of Silver and Secrets.

Speaking of that end…

For much of the book, I figured a solid average of four stars, with an actual rating of 4.25 at times. The dreamwalking sequences were interesting and exciting, and contains Of Silver and Secrets‘ best imagery. But I also thought Kellam’s characterization could be stronger (especially with Mother Ulla stealing the show), and that Farryn tends to dissolve into fits of cursing instead of deeper thoughts. Then the ending approached. (Cue the belated Rumplestiltskin-inspired part of the plot.)

And it was…to borrow a popular phrase, *chef’s kiss.*

The conclusion Of Silver and Secrets is so darn satisfying. In the last quarter or so of the book, the author goes full-throttle with an extremely time-sensitive, tense plot development and it is exceptional—and clever and perfectly romantic. I was completely taken by it and mentally jumping with excitement and nerves on the characters’ behalfs. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending, and this one that had me rounding up to a swoony (and appreciative) 5 stars.