Highland Gladiator is the first book in the Scots and Swords series by Kathryn Le Veque and what a fabulous start to a series it is.

Lor Careston a blacksmith with his grandfather, first met Isabail Keith when they were just children. It was an unforgettable first meeting, one that neither of them has forgotten. When they meet again as adults their friendship rekindles and it isn't long before they realise that they are in love. She won't tell him which clan she is from which tells him it can't be one allied to his own, but regardless, he won't let allegiances come between them. Their love has to take a back seat though after Lor's home and village are burned to the ground and its people murdered by an enemy clan while Lor was away buying supplies for the blacksmith. He has never been a fighter but in his desolation and anger, Lor knows he must become one if he is to avenge his people and his grandfather.

He was told once about a place called the Ludus Caledonia the ultimate fighting guild where if you can find the place and are invited in you can be trained to be a strong warrior. Each man starts off as a novice and fights his way up the ranks. Lors knows he isn't a fighter but is determined to be trained to be the best so that he can get his revenge on the clan who he believes are the ones who ransacked his village. The clan that could very well be the one that Isabail is part of.

I am not going to say anything else about the storyline because I want you to read first-hand what happens after Lor leaves. Is he accepted into the Ludus, will he be a strong warrior, does he get his revenge? What of Isabail, will they see each other again, will their love be strong enough to survive if Lor is correct that she is part of an enemy clan?

This story is a real page-turner. I really enjoyed the scenes at the Ludus Caledonia. There were no fights to the death there, thank goodness. The fight scenes were really well written and I had to hold my breath a few times when some of those attacks landed between the fighters. I loved watching Lor develop throughout the story and yet still keep his more emotional side, the side that Isabail fell in love with. Their romance was beautiful, passionate and I couldn't help but read quickly to find out what the future would hold for them. There are also a couple of subplots in the book which are very emotional too. I won't say what they are, but suffice to say you might just need a tissue or two for both happy and sad tears.

I can't fault this story at all and I cannot wait to read the next books in the series as they are released.

Highland Gladiator is the first book in Kathryn Le Veque's Scots and Swords series. I love starting a new series! It's always exciting and full of possibilities. I have a ton of books by this author, but this is the first book of hers that I've read. It surely won't be the last.

Lor Careston is a smithy in the Highlands. One day he is accosted by a fiery redheaded lass and her brothers while walking alone. Thus begins a very sweet and true romance between Lor and Isabail Keith. They are warned by their families not to associate with one another, but they will not be separated. That is, until the day that Lor returns to his village after running an errand for his grandfather and finds it burned to the ground; Lor is unable to find his beloved grandfather and believes him to be dead. Vowing revenge but not being a fighter despite being very strong, he seeks the mysterious Ludus Caledonia, a fight guild that trains men to be warriors. There he is again reunited with Isabail, whose family is at the guild to purchase a fighter to help their clan fight against their enemies. Lor discovers Isabail is a Keith, the clan that he believes decimated his village. He is still determined to make the Keiths pay. How can Lor and Isabail possibly have a life together?

Despite the plot of the story, which includes burning villages, revenge, gladiators and betrayal, the love story itself is actually very sweet, though not without heat! Lor is a very tender man toward his Isabail, despite believing her clan killed all that he loved. Isabail was a stubborn and fiery young woman who knew how to fight better than her brothers and was a skilled strategist; yet she, too, had a soft heart. There was one thing I particularly loved about the story: When Lor and Isabail discovered the truth about the other, they actually talked it through and worked it out, instead of the usual "I can't be with you" line that runs through so many romance novels where there's conflict. There's also another side romance here that's an absolute delight. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the next warrior from the Ludus Caledonia!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A gentle blacksmith turned vengeful gladiator and a fiery clan chieftain’s daughter from rival clans must navigate a few storms to love in the medieval Scottish Highlands. Highland Gladiator caught my eye both for its title and author. I’ve been meaning to read something of hers since spotting fabulous reviews from fellow book lovers.
Review

Lor comes from a small Highland village and is content to learn his grandfather’s blacksmith trade and stay out of the always boiling clan conflicts until the day a vicious attack on his village sets him on a new path- the path to future revenge and the Ludus Caledonia. He once heard of this old Roman-style fight training school and he is determined to learn to fight and take an exacting price for the loss of his grandfather. It is only when he has a second encounter with the fiercely independent Isabail Keith that an equally strong conflicting emotion enters him and the straight path starts to twist and give him choices.

Isabail is taken with Lor from the beginning. He sees her warrior’s heart and doesn’t judge, but accepts. She sees his gentle soul, but also the steel running through him so doesn’t underestimate him like her brother and others. Her clan needs fighting men and a visit to the gladiator school brings her face to face with a now grown up and trained Lor who is hardened and determined. Can she make him see that they belong and that he can get to the heart of the betrayal by joining with her people instead of against them?

Highland Gladiator seemed like a great blend of two historic worlds that I enjoy. I loved that the setting is medieval Scotland, but the Ludus Caledonia also brings a smidge of the Roman Empire to things. This was my first experience with the author’s writing and I loved her attention to historical setting and that the gladiators side wasn’t just a flash in the pan. There was good action and fighting in the story and a good villain that had Lor fooled. That said, it was a well-built love story and character journey. The author paced it well and didn’t stint on developing an all-around strong first in series.

I liked both lead characters from the beginning. Lor was a sweet heart and I just knew this guy was going to go through some heartache. He wanted to be left alone at his simple life and it was obvious that some villain was going to come along and smash all that. It happens swiftly and Lor loses his grandfather in it all. He thinks he knows who is responsible, but to the reader, there is enough to see that it’s not cut and dry and that adds to the action side of the plot. Lor is willing to take a long-term approach by getting taught how to fight so he can do the job right. And, yes, he’s convinced that it’s Isabail’s clan and, that’s fair, because I wasn’t sure at first, either. They are a rowdy fighting group. I thought his training time and time with the other men was as fascinating and engaging as I hoped it would be while it set up for the rest of the series.

As to Isabail, she’s pretty special, too. She is a warrior at heart and it was funny how she has all the men cowed because she’s skilled and good at the craft, too. She has a good head on her shoulders though and is a worthy leader. I loved that she fell for Lor when she first thought he was a poor village blacksmith and then didn’t let this background change her feelings about him years later. They really saw each other and there was respect even when they were from rival clans and Lor was dead-set on his revenge. There is no sappy Romeo and Juliet going on here and I was grateful for that, but we do get some good spicy sexy times.

Highland Gladiator was even better than I anticipated and I was pretty excited about it. I can’t wait to see the other men of the Ludus Caledonia getting their stories. I loved the way the author blended action, suspense, historical backdrop, complex characters, and romance all together. I’ve had her books on my shelf for years and now I know what I’ve been missing. I can definitely recommend this one to other Highland romance fans.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kathryn Le Veque takes readers to Medieval Scotland for an emotional saga of clan feuds, a special place that trains only the best warriors, and a man and woman destined to love only one another. I couldn't put it down.

Le Veque created such a perfectly detailed sense of time and place in this book that I was immersed completely into the lives of those living in the fifteenth century Scottish Highlands. Her characters are fully formed, fully engaging me in their lives. I loved Lor (an endearing hero with a transformative journey) and Isabail (a formidable, take-no-prisoners warrior in her own right) and their sweet, some might say, destined romance. I experienced their journeys with them, laughing, crying, cringing, and loathing (a particularly despicable villain). I may have cheered at the way in which the author served up justice in the case of that despicable villain.

The first half of the book was a bit slow while stages were set and characters formed but by the time the action picked up around the mid-point I was fully invested in both Isabail and Lor and the challenges they faced. Surrounding the main couple is a vividly depicted cast of secondary characters who propel the story forward, helping to reveal characters' hidden depths, of Lor in particular. I enjoyed the brotherhood at Ludus Caledonia and the friendships Lor formed there. Isabail's family provided splashes of humor, with siblings who show pesky brothers have been around in every century, and a father whose reaction to a question from Lor had me laughing out loud. Then there's Lor's grandfather who adds a particularly poignant secondary story line to the mix.

The tag line for this series is "Gladiator meets Fight Club in the Scottish Highlands" which sets pretty high expectations for this lover of Scottish historical romance. Le Veque met my expectations in this emotion-packed story that left me sighing with satisfaction and eagerly anticipating the next book in her Scots and Swords series. That book, Highland Defender, is scheduled to be released January 21, 2021.
4.5 stars

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

This is my first book by Kathryn Le Veque. She is not new to the Medieval Historical Romance genre and you can certainly tell by reading this story, which is set in the Scottish Highlands during the late 1400’s . Highland Gladiator is the first book in the Scots and Swords series. It was a time period I had not read about in quite a while and the story really pulled me in. It has everything you could want including a romance with revenge, a sexy hero, great fight scenes, a creepy villain, and, most importantly, an epic love story. I recommend!

Highland Gladiator is the first book in the Scots and Swords series. This captivating story pulled me in from the beginning and kept me turning the pages until the end. It is a passionate story about love and honor. Isabail and Lor were wonderful characters with amazing chemistry. I can't wait to read the next book.

Rating: 4 Highland stars

Kathryn Le Veque is a new-to-me author, but she is not new to the Medieval Historical Romance genre. According to her biographical information on Goodreads, she is the “#1 ranked English Medieval Romance Author on Amazon.” She has multiple Historical Romance series, and they are ALL very highly rated. This book, “Highland Gladiator” is the first book in her new “Scot and Swords” series. This was a fun book that lived up to the stellar reputation Ms. Le Veque has built for herself.

Set in the Scottish Highlands during the late 1400’s, this book is at its heart a Historical Romance. Lor Careston and Isabail meet as teenagers. A band of hooligans accosts Lor. The hooligans turn out to be Keiths who are the sworn enemies of the Lor’s Lindsay clan. It is a brief encounter. Isabail lets Lor go after getting him to promise that he would return with promised birds’ eggs for her. Neither Lor nor the Keith clan teenagers reveal which clan they belong to.

Fast-forward eight years to when Lor sees the brilliant red hair of Isabail on market day. Lor helps her with a transaction, and their relationship is off and running. As the days progress, they learn more about each other. However, neither is willing to share their clan affiliation. They are star-crossed lovers without realizing it.

After just a few clandestine meetings, tragedy strikes. While he is away, Lor’s village of Careston is burned to the ground. His beloved grandfather is nowhere to be found in the ashes of the village. Heartbroken and without any kin, the even-tempered blacksmith is goaded into seeking out an organization that trains warriors. His ultimate goal is to wreak havoc against those he believes caused the ruin and bloodshed in his village, the Keiths. Lor is admitted to the Ludus Caledonia where he learns the skills of a gladiator.

That’s it for plotline details. Some things are better left unsaid. It is so much more fun to discover them on your own. This was romance did have fight scenes and a dastardly villain. It contains explicit adult content. The fight scenes were not gratuitous (I am squeamish about violence.) The love scenes were not overdone. I was pulled into the lives of Lor and Isabail as they tried to traverse the clan loyalties. They were both intelligent and honorable characters that I loved meeting.

This was a fun break from my current spate of dark psychological thrillers. I would recommend this for readers who enjoy well-written Historical Romances. The writing reputation that Kathryn Le Veque has made for herself is spot on. I enjoyed my jaunt to the Scottish Highlands. I eagerly await my return the Highlands when book two in this series is published. Until then, I am looking forward to reading some of the other books in Ms. Le Veque’s large catalog of books.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

Lor’s introduction to Isabail was not his finest moment. After finding the coveted bird eggs for his grandfather, he made the decision to cut through The Vale of Demons. The Demons found him and Isabail was the leader. With the promise of delivering bird eggs to her, he is allowed to leave.
Years later, Isabail and Lor meet again. This time, as adults and with more than admiration for the other. As the budding romance begins, tragedy brings grief and betrayal to both. Lor leaves for the Ludus Caledonia, to learn to fight, so that he can avenge his grandfather’s death.
When Isabail and her family arrive to hire a man to assist with protecting their keep, she and Lor find each other again. Proving his worth, he is hired by the Keiths and returns to Auchnacree with them. Fighting the Lindsay Clan, the men are almost destroyed and Isabail is taken. But, will Lor be able to rescue her without causing her death or his?
A good Highland romance and the beginning a great series.

When Lor Careston's quiet Highland village was attacked and burned, he felt helpless against the raiders who destroyed his home. Seeking revenge, but lacking the fighting skills he needs to execute his mission, he sets out to find the Ludus Caledonia—a mysterious fight guild that turns men into warriors. Lor trains hard, proves himself in the ring, and earns a place with the very clan that decimated his home, having decided to set his plan for revenge in motion from inside the clan. His plan didn't include Isabail Keith, a fiery lass who prefers broadswords to embroidery and isn't afraid to stand with the warriors of her clan.
The first book in a new series & what a series starter! Not a book to start late in the day if you want to sleep. I found it extremely hard to put down & read it in two sittings. Very well written with vivid descriptions & the characters practically jump out of the page at you. The pace is soo good & Lor & Isabail are wonderful, the chemistry is electric & I absolutely loved their journey to their HEA. I can't wait for the next book in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Highland Gladiator (Scots and Swords Book 1) by Kathryn Le Veque is a new and exciting series. A romance with, revenge, justice, a demented sociopath, familiar ties, great fight scenes, and an epic love story.
Take a trip to Medieval Scotland to meet, Lor Careston and Isabail Keith on an epic Medieval Scottish Romance. A gripping love story, that's sure to capture a reader's heart.
Filled with dramatic fight scenes, passion, greed, love, and romance. The ending is emotional and compelling.
Another well written and well crafted story, with characters that have depth and strength to endure all that's thrown their way. MAGNIFICENT read! I can't wait for Book 2 of this exciting and intriguing new series. Well done, Kathryn Le Veque!!
#NetGalley,#HighlandGadiator, #KathrynLeVeque,#SourcebooksCasablanca

"I voluntarily received a complimentary copy, however, these are my honest opinions. I was in no way required nor compensated to write a review."

Rating: 5
Heat rating: Mild
Reviewer: AprilR

Highland Gladiator by Kathryn Le Veque is a little different than most of her books. She tends to write about noble knights, which Lor is not. He is a blacksmith. He lives in small village as part of Clan Lindsay, although clans have little meaning for him. He falls in love with a girl form another clan. Not surprising for a romance by Le Veque. One day his grandfather send sends him on an errand to another village. He returns to find his own village burned to the ground and littered with bodies. He can find his grandfather nowhere. In his grief he goes to see the laird of his clan to demand he be given information on Ludus Caledonia, the fierce school for warriors of which he had heard. While the information is sketchy, Lor follows up on it leaving a message for his beloved, written in sand. Isabail, not surprisingly, never receives the message and believes Lor dead, along with the rest of the village. Eventually he is discovered by the scouts for Ludus Caledonia and admitted to the famous school, nothing but revenge on his mind. Down the road, Isabail, her father, and her brothers arrive at Ludus Caledonia to purchase a warrior to train and lead her father's men against Clan Lindsay, who continue to threaten their lives.

Both Lor and Isabail are wonderful characters, written as only Le Veque can, despite not being nobles as is her habit. The plot is complicated but all becomes clear in the end, the subplots solving themselves neatly as the main plot resolves. Highland Gladiator is a well-written and compelling story of greed, which consumes many lives and eventually destroys them. The violence rages as the love grows. Right wins in the most satisfying way as Lor saves the day. Despite the fact that these are all common folk, they are indeed noble as this story unfolds and the reader is able to see all for what they are. An excellent read, as we have come to expect from Le Veque, I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of Highland Gladiator by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #highlandgladiator

Lor is no warrior. A blacksmith that cares deeply for his father and village, but is also ready to find love. His village is attacked, burned and he is filled with rage. He has heard of a place that will make warriors of men, and he goes to hone his skills. There, he reunites with the lass Isabail, that has caught his heart.

Give this a try if you're in the mood for:
-Scottish romance – both the hero and heroine are from different highland clans
-Rival families – Lor is warned about the Keiths, who are Isabail's family
-Revenge plot – Lor seeks revenge due to the attack on his village
-Mixture of romance and action
-Medium steam – a few kisses and a few scenes. They are explicit but more poetry filled scenes than a detailed account of actions

This was my first Kathryn Le Veque. I have wanted to try her for so long. But I wasn't in love with this story. I wasn't really in love with either character, though they were okay. There were quite a few separations of the main characters. I guess I could see them falling in love with each other, but at the same time I felt zero sexual tension in their relationship. That is one of the most important features for me in a romance I love so that knocked stars for me.

Of clans, betrayals and revenge!______2.5

Sometimes I find medieval highland novels bleak. Given what's happening in Lor Careston's life, times are definitely bleak. The ray of sunshine is the feisty young girl child he'd met years before in 1476 when taking a short cut through the Vale of Morning dubbed by the locals as the Vale of Demons. Unknown to Lor, that child was Isabail Keith, the daughter of the chieftain of Auchnacree. As the years move forward to 1484 they renew their acquaintance, and the attraction between them blooms in secret.
When Lor returns from a neighboring town he discovers his village destroyed and his beloved grandfather dead, supposedly at the hands of Clan Keith. Lor's mind cannot get beyond his anguish and need for vengeance. He looks for help from Drostan Lindsay who suggests he seek warrior training at a gladiator school Lor had heard about years before.
The idea of a gladiator school in the highlands is an interesting hook for the series background. The school was established in 1453 by Sir Clegg de Lave. The "Ludus Caledonia quickly becomes the center of battles for entertainment, but also for opportunity—if a warrior wins, a lord may offer him a lucrative, military position."
Meanwhile Niall Keith, accompanied by Isabail and her brothers, journey to the Ludus seeking a warrior who can train their men and lead them to stave off the harassment of their people and the erosion of their lands at the hands of Clan Lindsay.
Lor sees a chance for his personal vendetta against Clan Keith to come to fruition, but what of his feelings for the fiery, independent Isabail?
Now I really appreciated the character of Isabail but I found Lor somewhat wooden.
I couldn't help but compare this first in the series of Scots and Swordsmen to Monica McCarty's series Highland Guard series about the training of highland warriors, although here in Scots and Swords we have the Roman gladiator school twist. Despite that interesting premise, for me this just wasn't a sleek enough story rendition to gain my undivided attention.

A Sourcebooks Casablanca ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I had never read Kathryn Le Veque before, and despite not being the biggest fan of Highlanders, I was intrigued to try her work, given she’s a well-known name in the historical romance community. And the comp titles (Gladiator meets Fight Club definitely intrigued me.

While vengeful heroes are usually not my cuppa, I feel Lor was justified in his pursuit, and I rooted for him to gain strength. And the fact that involving Isabail wasn’t part of his plans, yet he found himself falling for her, testing him and perhaps even making him rethink his plans, due to her being his enemy’s daughter? That shows his sweetness to his core, even as he tries to toughen up.

And Isabail is no shrinking flower; she’s independent and has her own opinions. While the time period could easily have dictated that she be in a stereotypically submissive role, she instead is the one that keeps the other men in line.

While the heavy use of Scots dialect did take some getting used to (I’ve read books that used it in the past, but not for a while and not to this degree), I ultimately settled into a steady rhythm with this story and its fairly fast pace. I love the wider historical context and world, and hope to see it fleshed out further in future installments.

This is a fun Highlanders-set romance, and one I think will delight fans of the subgenre and author, as well as serve as a great intro to someone like me who perhaps hasn’t read as much Highlander romance, but would like to give it a try.

A story of dedication to a cause. Isabail is a fierce girl who grows into a fierce and determined woman. She is protective and loyal to her family and the people she loves. Lor is a peaceful and gentle giant until provoked to roar. Despite being told they shouldn’t love each other they are determined to do so. The story is filled with deception that leads to heartbreak. There is lots of action as Lor becomes the fighter he needs to be. Love becomes the strongest motivator for breaking all the chains preventing them from having a very happily ever after.

***4 Stars***

Historical romance isn’t something I tend to be drawn to, at least not in recent years, but sometimes one pops up and my curiosity is peaked, or in this case, the author kept popping up on various sites and seeing that this was a first in series, I decided to give it a go and I gotta say, I really enjoyed it spending time in the Highlands and learning all about the Ludus Caledonia.

I loved Lor and Isabail. Lor is a sweetheart. I’m not sure if he’d be alright with that description, but he is. He is also a hard worker and once he gets his barings, he is a force to be reckoned with. Isabail is fierce. She isn’t a meek, stay at home type of woman. She is independent and honest and has no problem speaking her mind. Their journey to their HEA as, at it’s heart, a sweet one despite the circumstances surrounding them. I loved how they balanced each other out and how they simply liked the other for exactly who they were, not who they thought they should be.

This was a fun read. The writing was engaging, pacing good and I really liked being in both Lor and Isabail’s heads and getting to see how they viewed the world around them. The concept of the Ludus Caledonia was pretty cool and I definitely want to dig deeper into all that goes on there...and speaking digging deeper. There were quite a few characters that peaked my interest like Clegg, Axel, Milo and even Wendell, but it’s Galan I really want to know more about, so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series!

~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Enjoyed the story. It is well written and entertaining. Lor is a blacksmith who would rather talk his way out of a situation than fight until the day his village is burned and his beloved grandfather killed. Now he seeks revenge and training to become a warrior. While training he meets Isabail again and declares his love for her. Even though revenge is part of the story the romance between Lor and Isabail is equally a large part of the story. There is a lot going on in this story that makes for a great read. It was a little slow in the beginning but the pace picked up and I really liked the story. I would recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked with the story once I began and could not put it down until I finished it. I normally don’t read these types of books but something about it caught my attention and I am glad I took the time to read it.
Lor and Isabell met when they are young and are also from two different clans. He is a grandson of a blacksmith or smithy she from the clan in the hills. Though he was not to be where he is now caught, she lets him go after a little banter back and forth. They met again older and he is still attracted to her and she to him they agree to meet another day and this goes on for a few days. Until one day he is told by his grandfather to go to another town to exchange what they bought for the better. When he returns his town, the village has been destroyed and he believes his grandfather is dead. He also believes Isabel’s clan is the one who attacked his village.
He goes to a place he heard about when he was younger to hopefully train to be a fighter a warrior. Not knowing how you are picked. It is months later when Isabel and her father and brothers go to this same place for, they want to buy, purchase a warrior for their clan. when she sees him after thinking he had died in the attack as well, she meets him secretly and the fighter she is helping him to be a better one.
The story continues their and then when they leave. He finds out some other happenings that surprise him as well as when you get towards the end you are surprised at how everything is happening. There is so much to this story that you must read it to see and experience the journey yourself. Following Lor and Isabel was a fun and fantastic read and had everything you want in a book.

Fast paced romance with plenty of humor and adventure. Lor and Isabail are perfect together. Isabail definitely brings out the strong and protective side of Lor. She is witty, smart and one tough lady herself. I give HIGHLAND GLADIATOR 3.5 stars.

3.5 stars rounded up

Blacksmith Lor Careston has lived a simple, peaceful life in a quiet village in the Scottish Highlands with his grandfather, Nikolaus. But when he returns from a supply run to find his village burned and Nikolaus missing and presumed dead, Lor is determined to have vengeance. Even though it means leaving behind the girl he loves, Lor decides he must learn to fight and travels to the Lowlands to seek out the Ludus Caledonia, a fight flub shrouded in mystique and mystery, but known for turning out warriors.

Lor quickly proves himself as a fighter and soon finds himself swearing fealty to the clan who destroyed his home, the Keiths, with the intention of destroying them from within. But when he learns his love, Isabail, is the daughter of the Keith laird, Lor finds his drive for vengeance tested, especially when it seems he may have been totally wrong about the clan who has since welcomed him as one of their own.

Somehow this was my first read from Kathryn LeVeque and I really did enjoy it. This was refreshing and different from what I’ve read before and I loved Lor as a hero. I also appreciated that Isabail was such a strong, fierce heroine, but she never unmanned Lor; if anything, she only showed just how strong he really was. These two were sweet together, but this was definitely low on the romance side with more emphasis on the action and fights. Nonetheless, I loved that Lor and Isabail kept proving themselves and their love for each other, always choosing each other and refusing to be separated. That was lovely and I’ll likely continue the series hoping to see more examples of such strong devotion.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.