by
Kacey Ezell
Fleeing her sheltered life, a noblewoman must trust a warrior, a forester, and a thief to unlock her true power and face her destiny.
Embrace Your Power and Forge Your Destiny
All her life, Aelys of Brionne had been weak. As the noble daughter of one of the empire’s most powerful magic-wielding families, it should have been easy for her to live her dream of bonding with a warrior protector and joining the Imperial Battlemage Corps. But when her weakness robs her of her dreams, her best friend, and the man she loves, Aelys makes the only choice she can see: she takes her fate into her own hands and she runs, leaving her safe, protected world behind.
Now she must find a way to work with three dangerous strangers—a warrior, a forester, and a thief—to escape the bandits stalking her, fight through the dangers of the untamed forest, and make her way back home, where her family and her destiny await.
Only . . . her violent protectors might be the key to the power and freedom she’s always craved. Can Aelys find the strength to choose her own destiny and become the sorceress she was born to be? Or lose herself on the path to power?
“I make a lot of mistakes,” Aelys said, squaring her shoulders. “Most of the time—well, often, anyway—I have no idea I’m doing it, but I make them anyway. I thought perhaps this was one of those times. Maybe I was walking too loudly, or too close to you, or—”
“I don’t think you could ever be too close to me.”
Daen hadn’t intended to say the words out loud, but he didn’t wish them back.
“Oh.” Her voice got smaller, quieter. “I see. I suppose that’s the geas as well.”
“Must it be? Cannot I just like you? Like having you near me?”
Aelys looked up at him, a flash of heat in her eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Not really.” He gave her a smile. “Men do, occasionally, decide that they like pretty women, you know.”
Aelys snorted, but then her shoulders drooped and she looked down again in what he was coming to think of as her “collapsed” posture. “At least I have that going for me, for a time.”
Daen let out a snort of his own. “Many women would—and do, in some places—pay quite a few Imperials to look half as beautiful as you. Perhaps you should consider a bit of gratitude for your natural luck, Bella.”
She sighed. “I know, and I am grateful. And thank you for the compliment. It’s just that . . . as you said. Anyone can be pretty. I wanted . . . something else.”
“And what was that?”
“Power.”
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Kacey Ezell writes emotionally charged adventure fantasy and science fiction. She is a two-time Dragon Award Finalist for Best Alternate History and won the 2018 Year’s Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction Readers’ Choice Award. She has written multiple bestselling novels published with Chris Kennedy Publishing, Baen Books, and Blackstone Publishing. Additionally, she is a retired helicopter pilot with 3000+ hours in the UH-1N Huey, Mi-171, and EC130 helicopters. She is married with two daughters. You can join her fan community and get free stories at this link.
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3.5 stars
Magelight by Kacey Ezell features Aelys, a young noblewoman
who has never really found her niche in life, despite big dreams. Her
unexpected rescue by a trio of harsh men results in an unwilling connection that
forces them all to decide what their mutual goals are and how they can achieve them,
despite the deadly challenges they face.
This fantasy romance is somewhat of a reverse harem story
that is combined with a coming-of-age theme. I was frustrated by the heroine because
she was so self-effacing and downtrodden at first, but she gradually evolved,
thankfully. The trio of men who have faced their own crucibles of life form a
harsh counterpoint to her experiences, and they also are pretty cranky and
resistant, but it was satisfying to watch them all find a way to integrate with
each other, even if the story is a slow-burn tale. There are multiple dangling
threads that pique the reader’s interest, and I suspect some of the folks
introduced at the beginning of the story will pop up again in the sequel. I
look forward to seeing this quartet refine their connection and learn to
utilize the powers that they have together.
A copy of this title was provided for review
Thank you for hosting and reviewing today.
ReplyDeleteSounds great. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very intriguing. Love the cover!
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt and giveaway. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favorite snack?
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