Review: The Midnight Bride by Kati Wilde
SYNOPSIS:
To save her family from a tyrant king, Mara of Aremond must win a tournament—and she won’t let anyone stop her from claiming the prize. Especially not Strax, the barbarian warrior who has tormented her every step of the way. But when a sorcerer’s trap binds them together, Mara must decide whether Strax is her greatest enemy, or if everything she seeks can only be found in the barbarian’s arms…
Don’t miss Pretty Bride, featuring Aruk’s story!
REVIEW:
I have been in a major book funk lately, so I’ve been working my way through the Read Me Romance backlog I have of books. They are quick and I can listen to them at work, so it’s a win, win. This book was interesting, I don’t think I’ve listened to or read something this high fantasy before. It was a hybrid between barbarian, historical, fantasy, and romance. And to be honest, I am having some mixed feeling about it.
So I shall start off with what I liked, I liked that Mara and Strax have history and hardships behind them. This gives some substance to their relationship. The tension between these two, whether hatred or sexual tension, made for quick banter and turning points. Strax is a typical alpha male, all brute force and strength. Mara is unique and from her back story, it seems that she is molded from determination and willpower.
But I think I would have preferred this to be a full length story. There just isn’t enough time to incorporate the level of world building I want with a high fantasy, into a short novella. I want landscape descriptions, I want clothing details, I want hardship discussions. What do the characters eat, do they trade or barter, what are the classical weapons, how is their balance between strength and magic? There are so many details that could have flourished in a longer story.
Mara and Strax could have benefited from more character building. While Strax seemed to be watching Mara in their past, I am not sure if Mara was that aware of Strax. It seemed like both characters just did what they had to do to survive. But maybe that’s just how it was in barbarian times? Then their relationship accelerated very quickly from there. One minute enemies, and the next lovers. Overall, I didn’t hate the story, but I didn’t love it…
LINKS:
Read Me Romance | Goodreads | Amazon
