I am so obsessed with this series, I cannot even begin to explain to you my love for it. First of all, when I realized there was a spin off to the original duet, I was ecstatic. Secondly, when I read book one in this duet, I was so, so grateful to have the ARC of Between These Broken Hearts because I had to know what was going to happen. So first, let me just say this, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that this plot is unguessable, because I'm sure it could be. There are tropes that exist in romantasy right now that drive me a little bit bananas because they're everywhere. However, this book gave me so much angst and so much joy all at the same time. This romantasy has stakes and there are consequences to peoples actions. If you're willing to have a good time, I definitely think this series is the series for you because it is truly compulsively readable and I am so glad I read it! I would also not be opposed to somehow having more in this world. Just in case anyone is interested in my opinion on the matter.

Between These Broken Hearts by Lexi Ryan is book 4 and the last in the These Hollow Vows series. This series is a portal fantasy story with fae, political intrigue, a variety of magical powers, a big bad, and romance. I really enjoyed the first duology which focused on Abriella, the elder sister. Then a spin-off duology came out that focused on Jasalyn, her younger sister. I was disappointed with book 3 because I didn't like Jasalyn as a character or her development. However, I wanted to read the last book to see how events turned out. Honestly, I was disappointed with how this book panned out as well. I think the story set up is interesting and fun, but the main characters are just so annoying to me. Jasalyn spends the whole book suffering the consequences of her choices in book 3 and I got tired of her woe is me attitude. Felicity had so much potential to be a really cool side character with her powers but spent the whole book focused on tearing herself down for her looks (she's c u r v y 😒). It would have been so much better if she had confidence being a bigger woman with her badass powers. The solution to the main problem in the story was so glaringly obvious that it just made all the characters seem dumb.

Okay, it seems like I'm shredding this book, but believe it or not, I did in fact enjoy it. I enjoyed the themes of sisterhood, chosen family, reluctant heroes, and coming of age. I enjoyed the magic and all the problems arising in the kingdoms. The villain was interesting even though his conclusion was anticlimactic. The romances were cute with some swoony scenes and lines. Honestly, Kendrick and Misha deserved better. 😂If you enjoyed ACOTAR, then I would recommend this series!

A really good ending to the second duology in this world. I would love if we can get more books in this world.

I enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained and will definitely read more by author. Thanks yo publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read!

Top tier read 🙌🏻 I loved getting to visit this world again, and loved every second with the characters. The romance brought swoon, and tension, and longing, and steam! The plot cane with mystery and intrigue, high stakes, low moments, and a sweet ending. Did I cry? Yep.
Lexi Ryan delivers another magical story filled with dark mystery, longing, and love. The audio of this book is fantastic bringing emotion to life in the story. I read this and listened. This world she has created will forever be my favorite. I’ll come back and as tripes shortly. The sweet and pain-filled healing after betrayal, gives this broken to healing perfection.

❤️‍🔥 Healing after Betrayal
❤️‍🔥 Sweet Longing
❤️‍🔥 Swoony MMCs
❤️‍🔥 Lost FMCs

🌶️ low spice, open door, not very descriptive

Actual Rating: 2.5/2.75 — Going into this I already wasn’t looking forward to it as much as the first duology following Abriela. I didn’t mind Beneath These Cursed Stars, but I couldn’t get connected to the characters in the same way I did in the beginning books. I was curious to see where this story would take us with where we left off in the first book. The beginning half for me lagged a lot and was hard for me to want to continue but after pushing through the second half was definitely better. Even something about the romance lacked for me even though I did overall like the pairs. I think this story would be more fitting for someone a little younger, who hasn’t read as many fantasy books as me, and therefore won’t be as picky with their preferences. The writing wasn’t bad, but the storyline just didn’t really do it for me, unfortunately.

I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The fourth book (or second in the spinoff duology from the These Hollow Vows duology,) Between These Broken Hearts wastes no time with backstory or reviewing what has happened in the books preceding it, plunging you immediately into the two heroines waking up out of their stasis or dream state (depending on the character) and finding they are within days of a deadline that will change everything. Princess Jasalyn barely has enough energy to stay awake and must figure out a way to defeat the evil fae king Mordeus before he uses a trickster's bargain to take over her sister's kingdom. Meanwhile, shifter Felicity has disappeared, and even if she is found, must overcome the heartbreak that found her in the wild fae king's dungeons and decide whether she is willing to brave the outcome of a long-feared prophecy to save her kingdom, friends and family.

I enjoyed this book much more than the one preceding it, which for the most part was laying a lot of groundwork and moving pieces that finally came together in this book and felt extremely slow. Even with a couple months' gap between reading the book preceding it, beginning this book was really disorienting. A reader would have to have freshly read the prior book, and the duology prior to that, to really have a grasp on the setting and characters. Who is Mordeus? Why is he dead? I had little idea, just that he was the Bad Guy, and not in the morally gray hot love interest sort of way. Because of this, I started this book a few times before I was able to get past the first few chapters. The writing is good, and I love seeing the author slowly slot things into place, although I felt there was a pretty egregious 8-month-gap where the heroines' friends were looking for them and somehow didn't make any headway. It felt like a plot hole and it really messed with the momentum of the story. When we were about 40% into the book, things finally got moving, and the book was much more interesting from that point onward. I think the author's effort to have the heroines struggle with aspects of their mental health was probably my favorite element of the story. I enjoyed the body positive romance of one of the characters as well. However, I would not recommend this as a book for teenagers (which is what I consider YA.) I feel like it should be categorized as New Adult. I would recommend this book to those who loved the These Hollow Vows duology, who are willing to read all four books straight through, which would be the least disorienting way to do it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I waited to give feedback because this one just wasn’t for me I couldn’t really get into it and wasn’t as in love with the characters as the first books it was nice to return to the world though

Look, I'm just a goner for this whole series. There isn't one book within these four books that I haven't loved with my whole heart. I love that this duology has the dual narrative with competing romantic timelines between the two heroines. This book is another winner for Lexi Ryan.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Lexi Ryan can do no wrong. I loved her These Hollow Vows series start and the next chapter in the saga ended perfectly. I'm so happy she expanded this world, it is so immersive, and there are so many facets to explore. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

Thank you so much for this Arc i have been waiting for this book! i loved that it picked up right where the first one left off. I thought the plot was good and i have to say this was a great ending to this series!

Thank you NetGalley for the early review copy! I was so excited to dive back into this world. With the large amount of fae books, reading one that had the Unseelie court is a go to for me. BTBH brings us back to Jaslyn and Felicity. Jaslyn, still stuck fighting the consequences of her bargain with a witch, has only 11 days until her human life and immortal life are forfeit. Felicity is working against her family’s prophecy and ends up in the thick of the fight against Erith and Mordeus.

Once again, I am thankful for Lexi Ryan’s duology. I love the change in POVs and the fact that they eventually are woven together. This story arc ends tragically and beautifully. I hope we aren’t done with this world. There are some tough themes in this book and Ryan approaches them with finesse and care.

This was such a good way to end Jasalyn and Felicity’s story. I was rooting for them the whole time. I think the best part was all the support that was shown throughout the characters. You could really tell how important family was (whether by blood or chosen), and that was such an integral aspect to this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

Between These Broken Hearts is the fourth book in the These Hollow Vows series. As with the previous books, this story is written in the third person and it features a dual POV with sisters Jaselyn and Felicity. Although they are all within the same universe, the first two books in this series center on one character, while the last two focus on another. Each half of the series can be read and enjoyed on its own, but I would suggest reading them all together for the best experience.

This final installment of the series picks up eight months after the end of book three. The writing itself is whimsical and full of heart, much like the first three books. World building, unique magical elements and the dialogue between characters all remained strong in this book. I found this specific book to be fast paced, and filled with a lot more action than the previous entries. I think that this pacing left a few plot holes along the way, but nothing that was unforgivable.

The romance is closed door, balanced with the plot and sweet. Light enemies to lovers, and a lot of chemistry. I loved that the couples communicated openly and honestly with each other, and lifted each other up in their own ways.

What I enjoyed most about the previous books in the series was the character development. Each character has their own unique personality that doesn't just fit the narrative and their character arc’s were explored with care and attention to detail. The same can be said about the way the author ended this story. It was a fabulous ending to a very richly detailed story. There is so much heart here, and I would highly recommend this series to any YA fantasy reader.

Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books, Storytide, and NetGalley for the ARC!

First off, I feel incredibly honored to have been selected to read this book, especially after reading the first in the duology through NetGalley as well. I’m so grateful I got to continue the journey with these characters and to return to the world Lexi Ryan created.

That said, I didn’t find myself as captivated by this installment as I was with the first (or third, depending on how you’re counting within the larger series). While I loved getting more time with the characters and watching their stories evolve, the pacing of this one felt noticeably slower. There were quite a few moments where problems could’ve been solved in a much more straightforward way, but instead were dragged out across multiple chapters or resolved in odd ways that didn’t always make sense.

Once again, I found myself much more engaged with Jasalyn’s storyline than Felicity’s. Jasalyn’s arc was full of tension and high-stakes moments. She always seemed to be in danger, and that kept her chapters moving at a brisk and exciting pace. Felicity’s chapters, on the other hand, often felt slower, with less urgency to keep me turning the pages.

Still, I have to give credit where it’s due: both Jasalyn and Felicity are strong, complex women who grow into their own power throughout the book. I loved that they didn’t feel like carbon copies of each other. Lexi Ryan gave them distinct personalities and trajectories, even though their stories were running on somewhat parallel tracks. And yes, they’re both very much “don’t-need-no-man” types, but while still kind of wanting a man.

There were a few loose ends that left me scratching my head (no spoilers, but… what happened to the flaming sword?), and a couple of plot holes that I wish had been addressed more cleanly. I don’t need everything tied up in a perfect bow, but a little more clarity would have been appreciated.

Despite its flaws, Between These Broken Hearts was still a satisfying conclusion to Jasalyn and Felicity’s journey. Lexi Ryan has a talent for crafting emotionally charged, twist-filled fantasy with strong heroines and just the right amount of romantic tension. I haven’t read the first two books in the larger series (Abriella’s story), but now I’m definitely planning to go back and give them a try!

3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

This series will always have such a place in my heart. Overall it’s such a good serie.

Now off to start about this book. I liked it. I got an e-arc, but I actually listened to the audiobook instead! Which was great, loved the narrators! They did such an amazing job. The story was great, very suspenseful, action and romance. Everything you want in a story! Also loved seeing old characters back!

Deception, fate, family, love and a final stand are all things to expect in Between These Broken Hearts. All the slow burn finally goes somewhere!! There are multiple POV and both story lines are strong. I never felt like anything dragged, there was always something happening to keep engagement throughout. I’m not sure if Ryan has an other plans for this world but I kinda hope she does, I’ve enjoyed both duologies with Brie and Jas.

I didn't really love book 1 but I thought that this would help redeem it. Sadly, I enjoyed this one even less than the first one. Probably the biggest reason I did not enjoy it was because of how insufferable I found the main character Jasalyn. None of her actions were justified, they were just idiotic. A girl with no powers, no combat training, who blacks out and kills people, and who gets overtaken and controlled by an evil king is constantly running away from the people devoting all of their time and energy into protecting her and who also happen to have all of the skills she lacks and don’t get possessed. But Jasalyn believes that she can go on these crazy quests by herself and always ends up needing rescuing. I was genuinely so frustrated with her for 85% of the book. My other big gripe is that it seemed like the author didn’t trust the readers to understand what was happening. We were told that Mordeus is going to take over Jasalyns body because jasalyn is a Phoenix and its all connected to the ring and to the blood magic over and over and over again. It took me out of the story because the characters were just repeating the conflict to each other constantly. Trust that your readers will know whats going on. It is okay to repeat something if its especially important or difficult to understand but one time is enough, not over and over again. Disappointed.

after the ending of beneath these cursed stars, i needed to pick this one up immediately!! even with danger on the rise, lexi ryan doesn’t let you forget about the romance.

jas and kendrick are a couple that you want to see defy fate. the push and pull they go through in this book made me want to pull my hair out. in the back of jas’ mind sits the fact that kendrick is meant to be king with a queen already chosen for him, but also how she’s on limited time. jas was always uncertain what the future would hold for them, but kendrick would always reassure her that he loved her and was there for her. jas went through the wringer, my poor girl. it hurt me that she was going through this all alone. i wanted her to trust that everyone wanted to help her and she didn’t need to do it on her own. from these hollow vows you see how trauma has changed her and also made her stronger.

leaving off at misha finding out felicity’s betrayal broke my heart. i loved misha and i wanted him to get his happy ending and finally find love. im not going to lie, misha frustrated me at times because it’s clear the way he feels for felicity, but he allows her to misunderstand for so long. she believes that he hates her when he clearly feels the opposite. their love was meant to be, with misha’s dreams and the alternate reality konner placed in felicity's mind. i love how felicity was able to open up to misha about her self doubt and her insecurities in the same way he had opened up about his. they knew each other better than anyone else.

i need more!!! even if it’s little novellas or glimpses into what the characters are doing. i want to see weddings and bonding ceremonies! i want to stay in this world forever, travel by goblin and through realms. im going to miss it and i will need to revisit!

this is seen as a duology in the same world as these hollow vows, BUT you HAVE to read these hollow vows before this, trust me. this duology builds on so much from those two books.

thank you harper collin’s children books and netgalley for the arc!

You know when two people clearly still love each other but life and pain got in the way? That’s this book. It’s emotional but not exhausting, and the second-chance romance is full of tension without being overdone. There’s grief, guilt, and healing—but also those little moments that remind you why they ever worked in the first place.

It’s complicated, in a good way. Both characters have been through it, but the story doesn’t drag you through unnecessary drama. It felt honest, especially in how it handled forgiveness. I was rooting for them, even when they made mistakes, because it felt like they were fighting for something worth fixing.