Review: The Barbarian's Vow

The Barbarian's Vow by Keira Andrews and Michael Ferraiuolo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cador only married a pampered prince from a faraway land to save his people. He never expected he’d grow to respect Jem. He never expected to find comfort with him. Now Cador must secure his people’s future and win Jem’s heart. For without it, he has no future at all.

The Barbarian’s Vow is the second and final action-adventure romance in the Barbarian Duet. Wed to the Barbarian must be read first.

 

This was a great story and ending, not at all predictable. I liked all characters, their flaws, and their growth, and was captivated to find out what would happen next. The plot kept changing but never got incomprehensible. The narration was great.

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Review: Wed to the Barbarian

Wed to the Barbarian by Keira Andrews and Michael Ferraiuolo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sheltered in the palace with his books, Jem’s life is peaceful. Even if he’s lonely and yearning for romance, the big, strong men he wants don’t crave small, timid princes.
Then he’s forced to marry a mysterious barbarian. Jem must do his duty. Even if he must leave behind everything and everyone to journey to a forbidding island of ice and stone.


Wed to the Barbarian is the first action-adventure romance in the Barbarian Duet and must be read before The Barbarian’s Vow.

 
This was a nice surprise! I loved the flawed characters and their growth. This was not a sugarcoated fantasy and it kept me listening breathlessly. The only thing that bothered me, was Jem suddenly having a lot of physical strength. 

You can accept the happy-for-now ending of book #1 without listening to book #2, but then you miss out!
The narrator was great. Maybe, after a relisten, I change my rating to 5 stars.

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Review: Spring of the Wolf

Spring of the Wolf by Iris Foxglove and Kris Antham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the cold spring air of Lukos, a man wraps a cloak of fur around his shoulders and transforms into a sleek white wolf, racing across the countryside...

Zephyr has always been cursed. The same fur that gives him the ability to shift between wolf and man allows others the power to control his will. Doomed to follow any order given by one who holds his cloak, Zephyr steals it from his tyrannical foster-father and takes off into the wilderness.
Dragan Wolf-Breaker has spent his life leading the people of Lukos and raising his daughter, Elena, as a single father. When the injured white wolf who collapsed on his door turns out to be a man mistreated by those who were supposed to protect him, Dragan slowly begins to earn Zephyr’s trust by showing him that his submission is a gift, not a curse. 

A compelling story and well-narrated. As in the first audiobook, a few things niggle at me when listening. Like, a hare digging a burrow. Or a tub big enough for a grown man to float in, that is ready in half an hour, while all the water has to be made warm with a kettle above a fire.
But what counts most is: the society and characters are lovely. The narration was beautiful.

I loved this novel and would have rushed to the next, but those are MMF.

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Review: Winter of the Owl

Winter of the Owl by Iris Foxglove and Kris Antham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sava has the best house in all of Lukos. He built it himself, dreaming of the day when he and Milan, the man he loved, could live there and brave the harsh winters of Lukos together—only to be devastated when Milan was found dead in the spring. 

Victor is a scholar from Gerakia, a land known for its long summers and vibrant history, and he has never been more unprepared in his life. Abandoned on the inhospitable island of Lukos after a disastrous relationship, Victor has to adapt quickly to survive. Victor and Sava start to make a home together, growing close as snow falls outside, but the true danger of a Lukos winter is closer than they suspect...

 
I loved this MM romance and immediately bought audiobook #2.
The plot was quite simple and I did not care I could predict it. I wanted to keep listening because I cared about Victor's well-being. The writing was flawed in places. There were chapters where the author did not show but tell and at times the wording was in your face, where nuance would suffice.
The narrator was great at performing and voices but also not consistent. A few times he lost his inspiration and narrated like an enumeration, for a couple of sentences.

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