This book came in one of my subscription boxes. I can't remember which one, honestly, and it was a bit of a bonus book. In starting my reads of 2023, I decided to tackle the thickest books first, and this one was definitely thick. I had no knowledge of the authors, but it was a fantasy romance, which sounded right up my alley.
This novel begins by introducing our two main characters: Rose and Wren. Twins, but Rose doesn't know that.
When Wren and her friend Shen infiltrate Princess Rose's bedroom to kidnap her, Wren stays behind to take her place.
You see, no one knows Wren exists. Their parents were killed the night of their birth and no one knows two babies were born that night. The Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, set the narrative that a witch midwife murdered them and fled in the night. This was a great example of how who controls the narrative can shape an entire world.
Shen steals Rose away in the night. She awakes in the middle of the desert, astride a horse with an unfamiliar man. They are traveling. To where? Rose has no idea.
Meanwhile, Wren is doing what she was raised to do: fit in to the castle and take down the Kingsbreath, then make Eana a safe place for witches.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. There were two romance arcs, and I really enjoyed it, but I would have liked to see the authors push a little harder to show the heat between both couples. They could have taken Wren's story much further and I think it would have made the ending satisfying.
Still, if you're looking for a good fantasy romance, I would absolutely recommend this one!
Abbie