Pepper is one of my ride or die authors. I’m buying everything she puts out!! I didn’t even know what this was about but knew I had to have it.

Heartmates, alphas, SEXUAL TENSION. And it’s through the roof. This fantasy is thickkkkk and has all the elements I love to see. The world is amazing, whimsical. The characters make my heart pitter patter.

I can’t say too much without exploiting the whole plot but just trust me and read it. Pepper put her whole heart and soul into this and it shows! I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

WHEN A MOTH LOVED A BEE is the first instalment in Pepper Winters’ adult DESTINI CHRONICLES high fantasy series focusing on Girl aka Runa, and Stranger aka Darro.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Runa and Darro) WHEN A MOTH LOVES A BEE follows in the wake of the discovery of two injured and damaged souls, without memories of what happened or why. ‘Girl’ is rescued by a group of people who call themselves the Nhil, a ‘clan’ with affinity to fire, and as such their leader sees something in Girl that calls to his power. Meanwhile, the Stranger is discovered by a pack of wolves, wolves who will nurture and heal our story line hero but something is missing in both Girl and the Stranger, and not until they meet across the lands do they realize the part that is missing, is the other. The Nhil have plans for our heroine, plans foretold by the fires but the Nhil’s plans for Runa aka Bee are adversely affecting the Stranger, now called Darro aka Moth. Darro believes Runa is his mate, and refuses to allow anyone or anything to keep them apart, even if the cost is the death of everything and everyone.

WHEN A MOTH LOVED A BEE is a slow building, detailed, complex, complicated and ‘long winded’ (close to 1000 pages) story of power and magic; life and death; light and dark, love and loss. The saga is told in secrets and riddles; going around in circles as the ‘voices’ warn Runa and Darro without outright revealing the truth, as well as quite a bit of repetition, replaying many scenarios, recapitulating previous plot points. The premise is intricate, exhaustive and intriguing-the elements and nature (including animals) play a large roll in the lives of the characters; the romance is heart breaking and emotional; the characters are numerous, powerful, controlling and charismatic. WHEN A MOTH LOVED A BEE ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.



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The first 100 pages I was enthralled only to find I had almost 900 pages to go!

I requested this book on NetGalley! Thanks for the opportunity to read this story.

Genre: Fantasy
Pace: Slow
Summary: A girl with no memory wakes to find she had been found and unturned back to health by a wonderful vm village of people referred to as the Nihl people. A pack of wolves adopt a man who also has no memory and wants to be left for dead. The two worlds collide and the woman and man are drawn to each other and realize they share the same mark on their thigh. He has a feeling of knowing her, and they begin to uncover why they have no memory, why they were to remain lost and I found, why they were not meant to find each other. What happens when they realize what could happen if they claim to what’s out there for them?

I’ve never read anything by Pepper Winters. Her writing is so stunning. I couldn’t put the book down for the first 100 pages. It was like a wave of something new hitting my brain! Loved the imagery that came to mind while reading this book. I could almost smell and feel certain scenes. I have to say, as beautiful as this story was to read… the length was a problem for me. I felt like some more editing would have been helpful. This was a good read with incredible writing, but not enough editing for me to give it a 4/5 star review.

Note: This book I had some very adult content. Check recommended reading age and content warnings

I DNF’d. I couldn’t get past the first hundred pages. It felt like I was not making any progress, very slow read and nothing really stuck out to me or captivated me to keep going. I really wanna give this another try once it’s been revised.

When a Moth Loved a Bee is a new romantic fantasy, with angst, slow burn and star-crossed lovers. Winters is wonderful at creating great relationships and emotions for every book she writes. If you aren't a fan of Peppa, you will be after her leap into the Fantasy genre. I was very happy to learn that this is part of a series and not a standalone.

The only negative I could find here was the fact that Winters has fallen prey to the 'long book' craze that is happening right now. There was a lot of repetition that possibly didn't need to be there. It's part of the great 500 page book, but just a good higher page book club.

When a Moth Loved a Bee is perfect for you if you love a great and immersive Romantasy, while it is long, it is absolutely worth the time taken to read. Many thanks for an advanced copy for a review.

Thank you Netgalley for proving an eARC of When A Moth Loved A Bee!

It's a poetically written romance fantasy features elements like star-crossed lovers, magical creatures, angst and slowwww burn!

I'm genuinely interested in the world building and plot, as the writing is absolutely ABSOLUTELY (yes, I have to emphasise that twice) mesmerising and unique.

Although I did enjoyed majority of the book, there are some parts which I felt like way too slow & dragging (which few of the chapters can be concluded in a simple way instead of the all the unnecessary details?)

Wow!!! So much emotion, action and the description of scenes was unreal like you can picture it all while your glued to the pages. I could not stop it is pure brilliance.

My first high fantasy and oh boy what a journey, the words just flowed in the light and dark and was so beautifully written it consumes your every thought.

When a Moth Loved a Bee is the first installment in the Destini Chronicles Series.
This is Pepper Winters leap into the fantasy genre. And, I must say has done an extraordinary job creating this fantastic, fictional world. It’s one of the best I’ve read. This is not a quick read but well worth your investment of time. Winters sets a delicious and steady pace where you quickly get swept away in this world and with the characters. I was completely immersed from beginning to end. If you like fantasy, this is the book for you.

This book deserves 5 stars and so much more. The chokehold this book has me doesn’t surprise me at all. Because I have always been a big time fan of this author’s work. The elements of fantasy, the romance, the arc but mostly that ending..I can’t wait enough for the next one already!! I need it so bad.

I have been waiting for a new Ms. Winters book for quite some time after finishing the Goddess Isels series. This time we are taken on a journey to a high fantasy world where a moth loves a bee as in the title - opposites pulled to each other.
The Girl was found almost dead, but the tribe of Nhil took her in and nursed her back to health. This person has some affiliation to fire that connects with the chosen by it and guides people in the direction they (fire) find fit. Their way becomes the way of the Gril as she's not remembering her past and only some flashes that are not bringing her close to knowing who she was. She's light, but her story is kept under darkness - what will happen when a bee clashes with the moth?
The second main character is a man that we call The Stranger - that was rescued by creatures that were called wolves, which also nursed him back to health. He was only with those animals getting their way as predators. He feels there is someone he loves, but this is all he has, so when he sees her this feeling deepens and he needs to feel the Girl.
This book is the longest book I read in a LONG time, so if you are not into A LOT of developing characters and the world then I don't think this book would be for you. This story is definitely on the slower side of pace - but thanks to it we can do a lot of deep dives into relationships, customs, and what we can meet in this fantasy world - I hope that we will get to see more of this world in future books, as that Ms. Winters gave us is such a tease! This story is definitely on the beautiful side that will make your heart squeeze with pain for those characters and what they are put through. So the conclusion: I need book 2 ASAP! I hope Ms. Winters will not make us wait for a long time for it!

When a Moth Loved a Bee by Pepper Winters was a 5 star and I highly recommended it. It’s a High Fantasy Romance that had me emotionally all over the place! I wanted to throw this novel across the room, twice.
This journey was so captivating and I just didn’t want to put it down! I loved it so much and I’m going to be pining for book two until it’s released.
I loved the unique telling of this and loved the main characters. My heart broke a couple of times but the story left me hopeful.
I haven’t been moved like this in awhile and I’m not a huge fan of books longer than 500 pages but I never wanted it to end. The writing spoke to me and I felt everything.
I hope I’ve convinced you to get this novel. It’s really good, I promise.
Thanks Valentine PR via NetGalley.

This book definitely wasn't what I'd expected, except now I'm here, with a knot in my throat and refusing to cry (also yes, there are two chapters of the sequel available that helped a lot in forming that knot).

I must say, I did find the book long, and not just as in page numbers, but also the story was a bit too stretched. Then again, that's the thing with fantasy worlds, you have to introduce the reader, and Pepper Winters did it amazingly. Plus, in this story I'm fond of more creatures than characters, since I can only stand only the two main leads and just a few others.

I won't give away the names, that's also a part of the process, and god, do I have even more questions now!

Girl and Stranger are unique, and I loved the way Pepper differentiated them in a way that allows the reader to begin to form their own theories, but also the way that it renders them interesting, the precise two halves of a whole.

The fact that it's a dual POV made me get annoyed at both Girl and Stranger at times, though I felt more angst than anything else, so much that I wanted to throw my phone somewhere because of it.

Trying to say something about either character feels like it would be a spoile. It's so hard! I loved both their devotion, and the bonds they created with several creatures was probably the second most beautiful thing besides their forbidden romance, which is extreme in this book.

I wish I'd gotten more answers, and not only pissed off at some… things. I was about to reach into the damn book and tell them to fuck off in Girl's place.

For most of the read I was like, "weird, Pepper usually makes you suffer more than this" and while there was angst, once I reached the final chapter I regretted that thought deeply. And everything, I bet, will be even worse in the next book. I can barely wait already, because I need a happy ending for Girl and Stranger, I need it like I need life!

"I found him in the cloud-shrouded night. No moon to guide me. No stars to follow. Just my heart and the whispers it fed me of his anguish, torment, and misery."

I still don't know if I liked this book. I didn't really like Runa all that much.
Darro however, I grabbed on to him from the start. The way he was just complacent to die at the start. And the "monster" he becomes. His whole thing was quite interesting.

I don't think I'd continue reading this series. But it was nice to check out book one.

4.5 Stars

It’s no secret that Pepper Winters is one of my favorite authors. Her books just get to me … rock me … stay with me. And this behemoth of a book is no different. I fell deeply, madly in love with the girl and the stranger and this vast, unique, colorful fantasy world they live in. And the fact that Ms. Winters decided to write her first fantasy romance just shortly after I returned to that subgenre after years of abstinence … well, I’ll just call it fate.

Let’s get back to the sheer number of pages of this book. This book is massive – just like the best epic fantasy books are – and the longest I have read in a long while – and that even after Ms. Winters decided to cut out about 20% of the originally intended length. I probably took longer than usual to read my way through it, for one, because I was daunted by the massiveness of it, and secondly, because I did not want to miss the tiniest morsel of the world Ms. Winters created.

The love story. The slowest of slow burns with an underlying longing and desperation that almost drove me as bonkers as our couple. The number of intimate moments they shared, only to be interrupted by every living entity imaginable time and again, was vast. But there’s a reason, and an irrefutable at that, why every living, existing being keeps trying to keep them apart. No matter how frustrating it was. I felt every bit of that heartbreaking frustration, that excruciating hopelessness, right alongside the two of them. And with the way things ended here, I just know it’s only going to get more devastating before it – hopefully – gets better.

The side characters. Zetas, Natim and Zetas. Oh, and Salak. I loved them to pieces, the way they bonded with our star-crossed lovers on a spiritual level, no matter how much they did everything in their might to keep them apart. Then, the Nhil. They might have had good intentions, but even after the redemption arc of the most despicable of them, I’m still not as forgiving as the heroine is toward them, and I’m not sure I ever will be, but that remains to be seen in the upcoming book(s).

Full of vivid world building. Unique animals. Elements with a mind of their own. Two unknown people that could not be more star-crossed. Characters that crawl under your skin and make themselves at home there. An insane amount of sexual tension and longing, but relatively low spice. A story that spans eons of time and exceeds mortality. Filled to the brim with magic, mystery, and fated love. A story I’d love to see on the big screen one day. I’m fully invested in this wondrous would and ready for book two already.

I love fantasy romance. It's one of my favorite sub-genres, but unfortunately I couldn't get past the writing style and the length of this book. The writing still kept pulling me out, instead of submerging me and this wasn't helped by the extreme length of this book. There will be those out there that love this slow-burn, nature-esque fantasy romance with a forbidden couple and lots of darkness, but I am sadly not one of them. I wish I had more positive things to say.

I will start by saying I am not a reader of Fantasy books however I am an avid fan of Pepper Winters works and have read everything she has written since her debut novel.

So when she advised she was writing a fantasy novel I knew I was going to have to step outside my norm and go to a place where only Pepper could silently will me to go.

When A Moth Loved A Bee was beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. When you begin this journey you are met with nameless characters with no memory of their pasts. However they both feel a pull and a connection. As you dive between the pages their story comes to life before your eyes and engulfs you.

I felt a myriad of emotions reading this book. Sadness, hopelessness, joy, anger, relief, love, loss and defeat.

There were some parts of the book that seemed drawn out or repetitive but the characters and story was intriguing enough to push me forward.

The version of book I read was long and it took me many days to read but I finished and it ended how I expected….teetering on a cliff. But I knew going in that this was going to be a duet. I will be waiting to for the conclusion of this story to see how it all works out.

This story was crafted and interweaved so beautifully that I’m in sheer awe of Ms. winters. I simply loved it. The elements, the amazing story style, word building..everything was pure perfection

Pepper Winters has crafted a story that is incredibly haunting, beautifully romantic, and complex because it reveals everything and nothing all at once. Although we’re given certain clues and hints on what may have happened between the girl and her stranger, there is this inexplicable and instant connection that they cannot ignore despite their lost memories. Something or someone is trying to keep them apart—no matter what. What ensues is a tale of heartbreak and an attempt to uncover their memories to what may be a hopeless endeavor for these two star-crossed lovers. Dorra and Runa will have a long road ahead of them and there are forces that will attempt to tear them apart no matter what.

While I would have liked for more spice between our between Dorra and Runa, the angst and emotion that they had for each other was powerful enough to keep me intrigue and invested. Instead, the author has created a slow burn romance with plenty of sexual tension and longing for our main characters. This book will absolutely tug at your heart and keep readers enthralled because of the devotion, possession, and love that the moth has for his bee. I do want to note that I read the updated version with 20% of the book edited out. In the end, When a Moth Loved Bee is a story between star-crossed lovers who were never supposed to fall in love and paid a heavy price for it. Even though Dorra and Runa may come from different worlds, their soul remembered each other and this new journey might very well be their redemption and reunion.

I am hooked amazing world building and a story that draws you in from beginning to end. She awakens without any memory, found and nursed back to health by the Nhil. A man saved but with no memory and drawn to someone and doesn’t understand why. Lots of twists and turns with intense chemistry and emotion. Amazing characters and an entertaining story. I can’t wait for more. I loved it!

There are shining moments in When a Moth Loved a Bee that make me want to love it. But, unfortunately, these moments tend to be swallowed up by how unnecessarily long this book is.

I struggled to connect to the characters. Runa is naive and sweet and is so timid it’s painful. She lies poorly but still hides her truth, and so many obstacles could have been avoided if she just spoke up. Actually, most of everyone’s problems could’ve been avoided if they had used their words. Everyone - person, animal, and spirit alike - is so convinced they need to keep secrets that the drama it causes seems ridiculous. Hundreds of pages wasted, talking in circles and hiding things. But back to the characters - Darro is so possessive it's almost impossible to like him. He has many other terrible characteristics, but his possessiveness is overwhelming and distasteful.

Despite all this, I am very intrigued by Runa and Darro’s history and future, but I am not sure I will want to weed through hundreds of pages to find out what happens. I might peek at the page count before deciding whether I’ll continue this series or not.