This was just okay for me. I love Shane East as a narrator, so that’s really what got me through this audiobook. I like the idea of this story, but it just missed the mark. There wasn’t enough of anything to make me care about the characters and I was pretty confused on what was even supposed to be happening.

Ok I had to DNF about 5 chapters in. It has nothing to do with the content of the book itself but with the audio. For some reason I just can’t focus when I listen to audiobooks with accents (this one being a British accent). I watch a ton of British TV and love it but with audiobooks I just can not focus and end up not retaining anything. So I will just have to pick up a physical copy of this one! What I did hear I was really enjoying!!

3.25/5⭐️
2/5🌶️
Narration 3.5/5

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Tantor audio for providing me with this audiobook!

Rising Sun was an emotional and action packed listen with tons of dramatics and one of my personal favorite tropes, naked cuddles for warmth 🔥
I liked that this was written mainly from the MMCs perspective because it’s less common In romance books and this MMC was so brudy and sweet. It had a little bit of enemies to lovers but they started catching feels pretty quick. I did feel like the feelings from the characters went from luke warm to burning hot love/lust very quickly and I wish we would have had a bit more build up and tension between them.
The plot in this was solid and interesting but the beginning was a bit of an info dump that I found hard to get through and I think we were lacking a bit of background/depth to the world and characters.
It gave big action/spy movie vibes but sadly I didn’t feel too invested in the storyline or characters hence my rating. For that reason I don’t think I will be continuing the series but I have a feeling I will be in the minority for this one since I can see a lot of things to love about this book!

If you’re a Romantasy fan, you need to add Rising Sun to your list of books to pick up. While the pacing is a little slow at the beginning, once it picks up you will not want to put it down. The plot was full of enough action, intrigue, and twists to captivate your attention. I really enjoyed how different and well developed the magic was particularly in relation to a certain characters ability to use stones. I’m a sucker for found family, and I absolutely loved how well Grant used the found family trope in Rising Sun. Additionally both the FMC, Yasmin, and MMC, Ravi, were complex, well fleshed out, and had interesting development arcs. Oddly enough, my favorite character was actually Dain and I can’t wait to see more of him. He has some truly sweet moments with children that are absolutely adorable and will melt your heart. I was also pleasantly surprised by how great a job the narrator, Shane East, did. I sometimes struggle to tell the difference in characters with male narrators but East did such a phenomenal job at distinguishing between Yasmin and Ravi. I really enjoyed his rendition of this story and would definitely listen to other narrations by East. I also recommend checking out Rising Sun as an audiobook to enhance your enjoyment.

Well okkkkkkay cliff hanger. Guess I'll just be sitting here on this ledge "patiently" waiting for the next book to come out.

Close proximity, enemies To lovers, romantasy for the win. What do you get when you add humans with elves, well mass destruction obviously but also a great plot line with a lot of unique twists. In a genre that has become so flush with options, it was nice to have some genuinely unique story lines to get hooked on! Can't wait for book two.

Rising Sun is a high fantasy romance. Set in a world with elves, dragons, humans, and an interesting magic system. It is the perfect blend of enemies to lovers and slow burn that made reading all the more enjoyable.

Yasmine, the main female character is a highly independent human whose backstory is tragic but flawlessly explained. With a forced quest, that takes her back to the place she wishes to forget, with the elf, Ravi, that is the definition of grumpy, arrogant, and untrusting.

While the beginning of the book is somewhat slow it picks the pace up once they begin their journey. The magic system, world, and character building is spot on and you will NEED the second book by the time you finish Rising Sun. There were so many unanswered questions that makes you want more.


Tropes in Rising Sun:
-Enemies to lovers
-Angsty Slow burn romance
-High stakes
-Forced proximity/one tent
-Found family
-SPICE 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tantor Audio for providing the ARC audiobook.

Rising Sun was a fantastic, enemies-to-lovers romance story that was full of suspense, anticipation, survival, sacrifices, honor, honesty, mystery, abuse, revenge, steamy scenes and more. I don't want to give anything away because I will definitely be recommending this book to all of my paranormal romance loving friends. There was never a dull moment in this story. It's a story worth reading as I loved everything about this story from beginning to end. Yazmin is one tough cookie and there's more to her than what meets the eyes. The more time Yas and Ravi spent together, the more they opened up to each other, and the more they opened up the more I fell in love with them. I was completely happy with the way this story ends with Yaz, Ravi and the kids, however, things are far from over as Gita wants revenge and she will not stop. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series and I have to say that the narrator did a fantastic job with the story and its characters. I'm truly hoping that the author uses the same narrator for the next book in this series.

This is hands-down one of the best fantasy books I've read in a long time! I was immediately drawn in by the impossible quest, hidden powers, and the chemistry between Yasmin and Ravi. Yasmin is tasked with taking Ravi, who is a secret agent, to a stronghold that only she has escaped. Returning is absolutely the last thing she wishes to do, but the chemistry between the two main characters becomes electric as the two face ever-dire circumstances. Their backgrounds and secrets are slowly revealed throughout the book. I DEVOURED this within 2 days. Absolutely recommended.

I also loved the audiobook of this. The narrator is a male with a sort-of British voice. It is very soothing and a delight to listen to. My only complaint is that I wish there was a female to narrate Yasmin's chapters. I would still highly recommend.

I had trouble getting into it at the beginning it was very slow. I am so glad that I stuck with it because it ended up being a really enjoyable read. I loved the characters and once it hook you it's very hard to put down or pause as I listened to the audiobook.

This starts off exceptionally slow and very similar to a lot of romantasy on the market right now, but once it picks up, it is so fun! I loved both of the main characters, who are worth rooting for (rare in the genre where wo many female main characters are flat or stupid). Shane East does the narration and as always he killed it

Rising Sun ARC Review
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Netgalley, author Donna Grant and RB Media for providing me with early access to the audiobook of Rising Sun in return for an honest review.

Rising Sun is a high fantasy romance. Set in a world with elves, dragons, humans and an interesting magic system. Need I say more? This is a book you will not want to sleep on!

The FMC is a strong, independent human woman who has survived traumatic experiences and now has no choice but to venture back into danger to protect herself and the ones she cares for, when she is caught stealing and given an ultimatum. She must go on a quest taking her back to the dangerous land she had escaped, partnered with a grumpy, arrogant (and handsome!) elf who doesn’t trust her (or pretty much anyone for that matter).

The tension between Yasmin, the FMC, and Ravi (the MMC) had me glued to this book! I couldn’t put it down and had to know how it ended!
I loved the magic system in this book. There is clearly so much more to unravel and a lot of questions are unanswered which is why I will be getting my hands on the second book as soon as it is available - the epilogue reminded me there is so much more going on and our MC’s quest is just one small part of a much bigger story!

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Shane East. Shane does a great job in capturing characters' personalities and had me fully immersed in the story from the beginning.

One final note. I really need a whole book on Dain! 🔥

Tropes in Rising Sun:
-Enemies to lovers
-Angsty Slow burn romance
-High stakes
-Forced proximity/one tent
-Found family
-SPICE 🌶️🌶️🌶️


Thank you for the ARC. I will post my review on Goodreads, Instagram and Audible.

I enjoyed listening to this book so much, the narrator transported me to another world. I could easily picture all of the characters. The story was magical, a human with the biggest heart had to go back to the most horrible place to save everyone from war. This was a very fun, easy to listen to, magical adventure.

Nothing could make Yasmin return to Shaldorn, the place of nightmares. But when she’s caught stealing, she’s given an ultimatum: take Ravi over the Dangerous Peaks to the stronghold or face imprisonment. She has no choice but to agree, though she intends to escape the elf as soon as she reaches the mountains. Yet, as they battle nature itself, the two enemies find common ground—and an all-consuming passion.

Donna Grant has crafted a high fantasy in elaborate world building and slow burning action and romance. The new style of magic system is well planned and very believable. The beginning was on the slower side, working very hard to build but then steadily picked up and kept a good pace until the end. The enemies-to-lovers goes hard in Rising Sun and it will be perfect for anyone who loves a good love story with some grade-a spice.

I listened to the audio for my read through, and Shane East did a wonderful job. He has a voice that I could listen to all day. I feel like I may have enjoyed the read more in print though, as I do feel like I missed things and had trouble putting names to faces at some points during the read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio and Donna Grant for an advanced copy for review. Rising Sun is set for release May 14th, 2024.

4⭐️
I chose to listen to this as an audiobook and I loved Shane East voice, He was a great fit. He really brought it to life for me and I really enjoyed it. Ravi and Yasmin must make it through the mountains. They must reach the place she most fears. It was entertaining and well written. It was a fantasy romance that made me happy.
I recommend listening to this one.
Thanks Tantor Audio via NetGalley.

First, I want to thank NetGalley, author Donna Grant, and publisher Tantor Audio for early access to this upcoming release. Keep an eye out for this romantasy adventure to be released in May!

This was such a fun read. It has an interesting world, that clearly has more yet to be discovered. As the first in the series, this book provides a glimpse of the politics, species, and conflicts that exist in this new fantasy world, but the epilogue hints that there is much more still to come.

The FMC is a strong, independent women who has survived through extremely difficult and traumatic experiences. She is partnered with a fiercely independent and distrustful elf to go on a dangerous mission. Think elf like Legolas, not elf like Dobby. 😄

I love the personality that is crafted into the two main characters. They are both wonderfully complex and work well together. The FMC has a lot of secrets, and their relationship deepens as she trust him enough to reveal more of herself. There are also several lovable side characters, who I hope will feature more prominently in future books in the series. This story is told in dual POV, and I loved how that gave a deeper look at the internal monologues of both of the main characters.

The big climax and third act breakup did feel a bit rushed, compared to the pacing and detail that is put into the beginning of the story. But it was still a really good read and I look forward to the sequel.

I listened to the audiobook, and narrator Shane East did a great job of giving the main characters distinct voices and the narration felt like a good fit for the story.

Key tropes: enemies-to-lovers, miscommunication, forced proximity, only one tent, hurt/comfort, (sort of) touch her and die.

Spice level: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️