Samantha Young (writing as S. Young) delivers again. War of Hearts had everything I expected in an adult paranormal romance: mystery, excitement, action and steam.

Samantha has said there’s a possibility of more books in this world. Here’s to hoping that possibility becomes a reality.

***ARC generously provided by Social Butterfly, via NetGally, in exchange for an honest review***

#WarOfHearts #NetGalley

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Scottish werewolves. Immortal Faes. Lots and lots of cringe-worthy violence. Unfortunately, I didn't realize what I was letting myself in for, never having read any of Samantha Young's paranormal stories before. (I've read a few her Young's YA novels - all well written.)

I figured I would give this one a chance: <u>War of Hearts</u> is equally well written, although certain sections felt a bit rushed and the F-bomb appeared on almost every page of this novel. Poor squeamish me: I had to skim over the many, many, many, many gruesome sections of this novel I'm still shuddering! The description of one character's transformation into a werewolf was particularly brutal - skin feeling like it was being burned in the fires of hell, bones elongating, snapping and dislocating. Yikes!

I wandered down this road unawares: this is certainly not a genre that I will return to. Back when I used to read vampire or werewolf-themed novels, I can recall that Anne Bishop's werewolf stories were less gruesome (but I grew tired of Bishop's "go nowhere"/sexually dysfunctional/asexual - story lines). Glad to report that S. Young's characters do not have a sexually dysfunctional or asexual bone in their bodies!. There is definitely a sequel in the offing (that I won't be reading). I'm sure fans of this violent, bloodthirsty genre with thoroughly love this story and will rate it much higher that I promise not to play in this playground anymore!!!
I do I rate this a 3.7 out of 5.

This is Samantha debut adult paranormal book under the pen name S. Young. I really enjoyed this one. It had vampires, werewolves, and something else (which I won't say because it will be spoilery). It was a good page-turner and same goes with the world building. So many action scenes. I'm glad this is a standalone, but I'm also looking forward to others in this series when Samantha gets to them hopefully. She sort of teases us with who the next book will be about. Love this cover.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a HUGE Samantha Young fan and I absolutely loved this book. I hadn't connected to her recent novels as much as her older books but this turned everything around. It's been awhile since i read a paranormal romance and War of Hearts made me wonder why I waited so long. This book had adventure, intrigue, love and friendship. The relationship between Thea and Connall was a steamy slow burn that left you wanting more. Thea and Connall were both really strong and relatable characters. Thea was a kick ass heroine and Connall was a sexy werewolf. What more could you want? It was so fun to join them on their trek around Europe! There were a lot of twists and turns in this book. Overall, this book was just really well written and difficult to put down. I definitely lost some precious hours of sleep last night devouring this book. I saw that Samantha Young wrote that there is a possibility for more books in this world and I am praying she writes them!

Another fabulous book from Samantha young different to what iv read by her before but still so good! Thankyou to netgalley for the arc!

It's not that often that I give five stars to a book, but War of Hearts was definitely deserving of them. This is a paranormal romance with enemies to friends storyline. Actually enemy is possibly too strong a word for the initial relationship between Thea and Conall. He is sent to find her, as he has tracking abilities which mean that he can follow anyone anywhere in the world once he has their scent. Thea doesn't know what she is, but she too has powers and she has been on the run for some time. Even though Conall is there to try and return Thea to the man that she fears beyond all others, Thea trusts Conall on some level. The more time that they spend together, the more that the bond between them grows until they can't resist it.
The relationship between Conall and Thea is lovely. As they learn more about each other and learn to trust one another they grow closer together. They are willing to sacrifice everything for one another, but they also understand what that might mean in the longer term.
There's quite a lot of back story here and while this book is a stand-alone there's certainly plenty of scope for more books within the same world. The story did deal with everything and didn't leave any loose ends. At the same time, there were other things that I think would be interesting to find out more about in future books.
This was a really good read and if there are to be more books by S.Young in this world, then I really want to make sure that I read them. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

War of Hearts is my first read by S. Young, and as a lover of paranormal romance, I was not disappointed. The author successfully incorporated a faultless blend of action, romance and the cultural shifter dynamic to make this story a true pleasure to read. The relationship between Thea and Conall had its ups and downs but was allowed to develop at a believable pace. Good world building, exceptional character portrayals and an overall engaging storyline made this an excellent first book by this author. Hopefully there will be more stories to come in the series, and I can happily recommend War of Hearts to all PNR readers and anyone considering a venture into this genre.

**I received a copy of War of Hearts from Social Butterfly PR and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.**

War of Hearts by S. Young is the first in what I hope will be several more featuring the McLennan Pack. This book had me wrapped into its story from the first page until the end and I truly didn't want it to end. If I hadn't kept falling asleep at night I would've had finished it sooner. My rating is 5 STARS and if I could give it 50 stars I would!!!

Thea Quinn has been on the run for 6 years from the one person that shouldn't have taken advantage of her healing blood. He convinces Conall to find her because he knows that his sister needs a miracle or she will die. Once he finds Thea they'll be on the run from vampires and werewolves across Europe but even though she'll try multiple times to flee from Conall )Who will find her) before they both realize that there is something more going on and it will be shocker that will make you go hmm now things are coming started to come together. But it will take both of Con and Thea to get to the truth of what she is and why everyone wants her dead or alive.

Conall McLennan has a talent for finding people but when Jasper Ashford offers him Thea's blood as a cure for his sister, Callie will he take the job? Knowing that Ashford will keep Callie and James as collateral send Conall to Europe to find Thea. When the truth is revealed both of them will be fighting for their lives and Conall will make a decision to save her that will change her life forever. When he realizes that during the final epic ending choosing to save her will be better than losing her forever.

I loved this book and I know that you'll love it as much as I did.

A new to me author. Even better she is a fellow Scot!

What a great start to what I really hope will be long series! There is a great mix of action/adventure, PNR and there is even some light hearted banter! Thea is truly mysterious as even she doesn't really know what she is or the extent of her powers. She has been on the run so long, she no longer knows who she can trust.

Conall knows there is something hinky to the offer made by the wealthy American. But desperate Alpha shifters do what they must to save their sisters. Conall may be big and growly but that covers a totally gooey centre of a big old teddy bear.

I just love that the Scottish characters "sound right" in my head. No matter how well researched sometimes non-Scots just can't get the pacing of the language right or use the wrong slang words for the area for example. Thea and Conall can't understand their connection but he makes her feel safe and she'll take a lot on face value for that feeling. Conall feels horrible that he is going to hand Thea over to a man that he discovers has abused her most of her young adult life.

I truly hope that this world expands. Maybe with some across the pond escapades with new allies? I really want to see more of Caledonia and James, they were like #couplegoals even though they were technically not a couple!

It had been a while since I had read a paranormal romance and I really enjoyed this one. It has all the ingredients to keep you entertained and invested in the story. I liked the heroine, Thea, a lot. And also Callie, the hero's sister, who I thought truly shined despite her few appearances. The development of Thea and Conall's relationship was very well done, the mithology was really interesting and I particularly loved acompanying the characters in their travels and visiting the different cities they find themselves in throughout the book. The settings are amazing and I now have added visiting Scotland and getting lost in nature there (preferably close to a lake) to my "Things to do before I die" list. Anyone who likes paranormal romances should definitely give this one a try.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

Samantha Young is one of my top 3 authors, I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have read On Dublin Street, if I'm ever in a lull, it will fix it. I haven't read her other paranormal books but her writing is such that I figured if anyone could get me reading fantasy, it would be her. War of Hearts has many of the standard features I've come to love from a Samantha Young book; a kickass heroine who knows her own mind, and a (very) alpha male. Unfortunately, beyond Thea and Connall's relationship, I really struggled with the story. I was trying to broaden my horizons but I'm a History graduate and the world is very black and white to me, so I really couldn't suspend reality long enough for the story to grip me to the end. Having said that, I'd read enough to be invested in Thea and Connall that I did make sure to read the last few chapters of the book to see where they ended up. I'm gutted I didn't enjoy it more because I adore this author's writing and will continue to one-click any of her standard romance/YA/NA books because she is just that good.

Wow, a total 6 star read for me. Definitely one of my top reads of 2019. This book was everything I wanted and more, starting off with an enemies to lovers sort of theme, I enjoyed the angst and misunderstandings. I loved the slowish burn of the chemistry between Thea and Conall and the storyline had me hooked right from the get go. The action is fast paced and though the storyline was definitely complex, I didn’t find it hard to follow like in some PNR books. Overall, such a fantastic read and I sincerely hope we see more of this series!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Social Butterfly Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. First time reading this author. I loved this book. I wanted it to end but then I was mad that it ended. Lol. I thought the plot was different. One of the first times I've enjoyed learning about fae. An interesting book. Well worth the read. If you like paranormal romance I think you should give this one a try. 4.5 stars