“I’m in no rush to go anywhere.” She’d traveled plenty during the war. Seen sights, burned them. Theira was happy to stay in this place she’d carved for herself.
Theira, the most powerful sorceress, is done with war. She’s done with facing off year after year against the same legions of soldiers. Varius, the legion commander, is the only thing that makes all of the murder and burning and devastation worthwhile. He is her only worthy opponent. Despite her success on the battlefield, Theira is done with all of it. She has a chance to ‘retire’ and she takes it. However, she knows that “abandoning” her post was yet another test by her master and keeper, one that she failed by taking the offer and hiding.
Despite her best efforts to remain hidden, Varius comes calling. His own king has turned on him and the only place where he might be safe is in the hands of his former worst enemy.
This isn’t really a romance, which is fine! It is sort of a fantasy story, but I think you could have plopped the story into another setting and it would have worked just as well. We don’t really get any world building other than there is a war. It has gone on for years. The humans want to kill the sorcerers for reasons. And neither side is giving in.
I’m not really sure how else to describe it. Maybe “cottage core with magical battles and enchanted gardens as guard dogs?”
The bones of the story are very good. But it feels like the writer hashed this out in a couple of weeks. For a story that was actually well-planned with some great twists, the interactions with the main characters really bored me. The banter was lacking. Their interactions relied on boring dialogue that is straight out of romance novels (but not the best ones). The heroine could have been so much more interesting. All we know is she was trapped. She is the most powerful and the smartest. And she is prepared, dammit!
Despite my complaints, I loved the cottage core, homemaker/retired general taking care of Theira by feeding her and making her home all cozy and nice. I wish there had been a bit more build up to their relationship. All of the flirting (and fighting) occurred in the past, so there is no real build up of tension. They were already on pretty even footing at the start of the book. It was incredibly sweet, which made Theira’s thirsty inner dialogue seem really out of place and unexpected.
I’m giving this two stars. I really wish she would have either made this cute and funny or plain sexy. The main characters were too perfect, which to me is too boring. I need a little messiness and misunderstanding in my romances. In fact, there was no angst whatsoever.
And that’s Cannonball, baby! Grab your knees and hold your breath!
