Before I get into my review, I have exciting news! Samantha Marshall has generally accepted my invitation for an author Q&A, which you'll find at the bottom. :D

Review
Ever since she was soulmerged with Caelum, a dearken who speaks (and he speaks his own mind pretty often!), Arcana has been unable to find a place among her own people - or indeed anywhere. But then she meets Fenris, an injured Guardian from the Timeless Kingdom. Arcana's unusual magic may just be the key to saving Fenris' home - and maybe even the entire galaxy.

This reminded me of retro space/fantasy adventures - and that's a good thing! I've always had a soft spot for magic and stars sharing the same setting. Arcana is the snarkiest, kick-arse heroine since Aelin Galathynius (but a lot more mature!) and I adore Caelum. He had a particularly touching journey that I won't spoil, because it was really quite lovely. The storyline also took some delightfully unexpected turns.

I do think, however, that this might have been better as two books instead of one.

Click "read more" for a Q&A with the author!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bryston McPherson is a former privateer with a painful past. Branwen has been interested in him ever since they met, but she is unaware of how his secrets will soon endanger her - and has no idea that she's competing with a ghost for Bryston's affections.

As always with this series, you agree to compromise on background and buildup in exchange for a short, easy read that you can manage around a busy life. The pace was quick, Bryston's past intrigued me, and I enjoyed the action. Branwen was a wonderful heroine, but she honestly didn't deserve to be compared so much to Bryston's late wife. I cringed a little. I generally prefer romances that are a bit more tactful about past loves.

​Our intrepid heroes are hurting after losing one of their own and are now branded as terrorists, which makes moving about the galaxy somewhat difficult. What more can possibly go wrong? Oh, a LOT more. Kal's sister is super keen about hunting him down, Aurora might not be the first Trigger and war just might break out.

This book is pretty much The Empire Strikes Back of the Aurora Cycle. That is probably the highest compliment I can give it. Aurora Rising left me a little cold, but the problems I had with it are not present in the sequel. I'm also a huuuuge sucker for romance being imperilled by secrets. And I love mental-based powers. I will probably re-read this one a lot. Ughhh I need #3 right now.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tristan MacPherson is a cold-blooded killer on his way to take yet another life. He doesn't expect to come across Rose, a lass beset by the Black Plague and left for dead - and he doesn't expect to fall in love with her or discover that she is the daughter of the man he intends to kill.

Oh, I loved Tristan. He's a Medieval bad boy with a heart of gold and even I fell for him. He and Rose were so adorable together. I also thoroughly enjoyed all the twists and turns in this one; the mystery of who was trying to kill Rose kept me guessing right up until the end. Tempest Heart had a bit of a Tangled feel (a charming hero freeing the heroine from a life of captivity!), so if you love that movie you'll probably love this.

​Lily Bennet immediately catches Elias MacPherson's eye and only she can keep the terrors of his past at bay. But she is another man's wife - a man who is honourable and decent and Elias cannot wish any ill on him. Being near Lily is a torment and things will only worsen when the Black Death comes to town.

This series has been a bit uneven thus far, but Lion Heart is wonderful and everything I've come to love about Paula Quinn's books. The combination of an at-large villain and a plague made for some fantastic tension. And the pacing was practically perfect, a marked improvement from previous books. It was also nice to see how Elias is getting on - he's certainly grown since we last "saw" him.

I can't wait to get into Tempest Heart. In fact, I have an ARC that I should be reading right now...!