The Arrows of the Heart by Jeffe Kennedy Series: The Uncharted Realms #4
Published by Indie on October 9, 2018
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 297
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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A STRANGER’S FAITH
As the Twelve Kingdoms and their allies are drawn toward war, a princess cast aside must discover a purpose she never dreamed of…
Karyn af Hardie behaved like a proper Dasnarian wife. She acquiesced, she accepted, she submitted. Until her husband gave her a choice: their loveless, unconsummated royal marriage—or her freedom. Karyn chose freedom. But with nowhere to run except into the arms of Dasnaria’s enemies, she wonders if she’s made a mistake. She wants love, security, a family. She can’t imagine finding any of it among the mercurial Tala.
Worst of all is Zyr. The uninhibited shapeshifter is everywhere she looks. He’s magnetic, relentless, teasing and tempting as if she’s free to take her pleasure where she wishes. As if there isn’t a war rising before them, against a vile and demanding force far stronger than they. But with Karyn’s loyalty far from certain, Zyr offers her only chance to aid the defense—a dangerous gambit to seek out a land not seen in centuries, using clues no one can decipher. Together, they’ll have every opportunity to fail—and one chance to steal something truly precious…
As Ms. Kennedy continues to expand the world she has created with The Twelve Kingdoms and The Uncharted Realms, we take two characters who’ve had minor roles in previous books and bring them together.
Zyr is one of the Tala and twin brother to Zynda (heroine from The Shift of the Tide). They have be involved in a bit of fun sibling rivalry from the beginning. Zyr’s first form was pretty spectacular in that it was mythical creature called a gríobhth (Zynda’s was a hummingbird). They also tried to have the most number of forms. But Zyr isn’t happy that Zynda is trying to take the final form, which is a dragon, as he doesn’t want to lose her into that form. But Zyr is a total flirt. He also works to teach the children to help them with shifting.
Karyn af Hardie is Kral’s ex-wife (hero from The Edge of the Blade). She was raised to be the perfect Dasnarian woman. She knew her marriage to Kral was nothing more than a political thing. He was not allowed to have any legitimate children who could challenge his brother or his brother’s heir for the throne. So, she was to stay a virgin her whole life. Then she asked for an annulment, to which the king granted and sentenced her to death for it. Then she escaped Dasnaria and back to Annfwn.
Now, Karyn and Zyr have been paired together by Andromeda, queen of Annfwn, to figure out these “map sticks”. They are basically little pieces of driftwood sticks that form a map which can be carried by flying Tala in their claws. Karyn rides him in his gríobhth form as they search for a hidden kingdom. Things get really tense when they are attacked the Deyrr, which has been going on for several books now.
I can’t say much more without giving out spoilers. Let’s just say things do get a bit dark in this story (when compared to the previous books in this series, but not quite as dark as the first book in the The Chronicles of Dasnaria series, Prisoner of the Crown). There is quite a bit of action. The romance is slow to start, as Karyn really wants to hold on to her virginity until marriage and Zyr has a hard time of thinking of monogamy (which he points out to her in the beginning). But things do finally go the right way in the end.
I continue to really love this fantasy romance series. It has great romances from a variety of different types of characters (warriors, princesses, kings, shifters, flirts, and more) from several different types of backgrounds. It really makes for interesting interactions with the cultural differences of all these different characters.It is also interesting to see into the heads of some of the characters, like how Karyn keeps thinking about Dasnaria and how she should react based on the Dasnarian rules, forgetting that she is bound by those rules anymore.
“I apologize,” I replied. These Tala with their lack of rank and titles—how did anyone know how to address anyone? I knew I’d never be able to call him baldly by his name. It also seemed equally as impolite to just truncate my apology like that. I truly longed for Dasnaria’s clear rules for behavior.
“Don’t apologize so much either,” he bit out, and I swallowed a sigh. Zynda had said the same. Even Thalia had remarked on it. I couldn’t say anything without apologizing again, so I stood there, waiting for him to lose his patience with me entirely, which usually didn’t take long, —I couldn’t imagine how he could be a teacher—so he’d quit blocking my path and let me go have my breakfast. “Where are you going so early anyway?” he asked, when the silence stretched out too long.
I could ask him the same. “I’m going down to the market to buy tea and a sweet roll,” I replied, adding a silent Lord Zyr to make myself feel better and satisfy the voice of my etiquette tutor in my head.
“I’m hungry, too. I’ll join you.”
I would have liked to protest, but I could hardly contradict the command. So I glumly followed along when he turned and headed back the way he’d come. He slowed, so I slowed, too. When he stopped, I stopped, peering at him peripherally to determine what the problem might be.
“Why are you trailing along behind me—something wrong with your feet?” he asked, looking me up and down.
“In Dasnaria, it’s proper for a woman to—”
“Well, you’re not in Dasnaria, are you? I don’t see any hulking brutes in armor like giant beetles anywhere around here, stinking up the place, do you?”
I had to suppress a giggle at the image, it shocked me so. “No,” I replied carefully. “We are in Annfwn.”
About Jeffe Kennedy
Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include novels, non-fiction, poetry, and short fiction. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award.
Her award-winning fantasy romance trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms hit the shelves starting in May 2014. Book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and was nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose received a Top Pick Gold and was nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2014. The third book, The Talon of the Hawk, won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2015. Two more books followed in this world, beginning the spin-off series The Uncharted Realms. Book one in that series, The Pages of the Mind, has also been nominated for the RT Reviewer’s Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2016 and won RWA’s 2017 RITA® Award. The second book, The Edge of the Blade, released December 27, 2016, and is a PRISM finalist, along with The Pages of the Mind. The next in the series, The Shift of the Tide, will be out in August, 2017. A high fantasy trilogy taking place in The Twelve Kingdoms world is forthcoming from Rebel Base books in 2018.
She also introduced a new fantasy romance series, Sorcerous Moons, which includes Lonen’s War, Oria’s Gambit, The Tides of Bàra, and The Forests of Dru. She’s begun releasing a new contemporary erotic romance series, Missed Connections, which started with Last Dance and continues in With a Prince.
In 2019, St. Martins Press will release the first book, The Orchid Throne, in a new fantasy romance series, The Forgotten Empires.
Her other works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion; an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera; and the erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, which includes Going Under, Under His Touch and Under Contract.
She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She is represented by Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.
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I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
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I enjoy when an author gives minor characters their own stories. Sometimes they are my favorite ones and I want to know more about them. Glad to see you are still enjoying this series. And that cover is superb!
That is something I love about PNR, secondary characters usually get their own stories at some point. Isn’t that cover great??
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
Sounds great and like something I’d like. Do you need to read The Twelve Kingdoms and The Uncharted Realms series first before going into this series? Thank’s for the review.
Melanie, I have the same question as Angela. I am strongly considering doing all these books and the related series for our Read-along next year. But I also want to start now. So I might move it into Read a Series in a Month for November which Michelle and Berls are doing. But I have a list of about 20 series for that so far. I’m going to post a poll to see what people think but I may choose what I want anyway because I’m a bit of a mood reader.
I think you will get the majority of what is going on. There is a overarching story arc for the series, you might miss some pieces of. They’re all great stories, so I would recommend reading them all.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
Thank’s for the reply.
The siblings with their rivalry sound fun. Oh, poor lady to be stuck in the political situation- glad she escaped and has her own adventure here. I keep saying it, but… someday.
Great review, Melanie!
I know the feeling. I feel like I say “someday” to so many series. I think we all need more time to read. 🙂
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
Yes I do like that there is so many kind of different people and personalities in them 😀
Every character is so completely different. It is so interesting. Add in the amazing world and I just love these stories.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
You know I’ve not read any fantasy romance, Melanie, or at least none I can recall. But I swear I’m going to read Kennedy. This installment sounds great. I like the sound of the supes and the action and intrigue. I also like the sound of the interaction among the different cultures. Someday, Melanie, someday…
I haven’t read a lot of fantasy romance, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read. It is a bit more whimsical with a setting nothing like what we have today. And I know exactly what you mean about the “someday” part. I feel I say that all the time too.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
This actually sounds good. I like the setup and the story premise of this one. Sounds like a book I might enjoy.
This is a really fun series. The world Kennedy built is pretty amazing. There’s magic and shifters and warriors. So much fun and the characters are great.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
Oh! I’m looking forward to reading this one. I didn’t realize who the pairing was… Should be good. Thanks for the review!
I really love this series. I didn’t know who the pairing was going into this one (since I rarely read blurbs). I really liked it.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
I have this series on a list of ones I’d like to take on. I laugh because i keep checking off series as I complete them and yet my list never seems to get any shorter!
I feel the exact same way. I have so many series I want read. The list is growing rather than shrinking.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart
I have been hearing so many good things about this author lately. I really do want to work her books in at some point. This sounds like a fantastic series, Melanie!
I really love Jeffe Kennedy’s fantasy series. I still need to try some of her contemporary works.
Melanie @ Hot Listens & Books of My Heart