Author: Thea Guanzon
Series: Standalone
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance
Publisher: DelRey
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
Edition: Digital
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's |
Synopsis:
As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere’s path has been predetermined: marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian Empire, raise her family’s station, and live quietly as a lordling’s obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure.
Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.
Unlike Guinevere, Oskar’s path is not so set in stone. With his mother dead and his apprenticeship abandoned, all that’s left is a long, lonely walk to a land he’s never seen to find family he’s never met. The last thing he needs is a spoiled waif like Guinevere slowing him down – even if the spark between them sizzles with promise.
Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave and thoughtful and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in him that he has never dared to feel before. As the flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.
Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.
Unlike Guinevere, Oskar’s path is not so set in stone. With his mother dead and his apprenticeship abandoned, all that’s left is a long, lonely walk to a land he’s never seen to find family he’s never met. The last thing he needs is a spoiled waif like Guinevere slowing him down – even if the spark between them sizzles with promise.
Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave and thoughtful and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in him that he has never dared to feel before. As the flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.
*******
The characters were also easy to like. Oskar and Guinevere are both really well rounded characters. Oskar is reasonably prickly with Guinevere at first. He finds her attractive right from the start, but also knows they are from different classes and is aware that under different circumstances they'd never have reason to speak to each other. But he still cares enough to make sure she stayed safe.
Guinevere is the very definition of naive. Her parents kept her sheltered to such a degree that she trusts too easily, and in spite of how they treated her has endless kindness for others. Kindness that nearly gets her in a lot of trouble through out the story. But it's her kindness that drew Oskar in, he was so used to people from the upper class talking down to him, that she shocked him. And while it did happen very fast, I did believe in their romance.
The stakes were evenly paced through the romance, which kept me engaged in both the romance and discovering who it was who sent the mercenaries after her, and what was in the mysterious chest. And I was actually surprised as to who it was. The book kept me guessing, and I really liked how things played out. Everyone got what they deserved in the end.
I had honestly been holding off on reading the Hurricane Wars because I heard a lot of people didn't like the romance. But if this is how she writes romance, I'm putting it on hold at the library and plan to read it as soon as I can. Oskar, deep down, is a hopeless romantic and respects women. And who doesn't love that in a male love interest?
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