Carole's Monday: Serenade

Author: Heather McKenzie 
Title: Serenade
(The Nightmusic Trilogy #1)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Format: ebook
Pages: 346 
Published: April 17th 2017
Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon Freebie)

Teenage heiress Kaya experiences her first taste of freedom when she’s kidnapped from her sheltered life. But as she forms an unlikely connection with her abductor, Luke, her adventure takes a strange turn.

There is nothing magical about growing up in a mountainside castle, when it’s your prison. Kaya’s ruthless and powerful father keeps her under lock and key, watched every second of the day–and Kaya’s not really sure why. She’s just a normal girl…no one special. She doesn’t understand her father’s obsession with her safety – until she is kidnapped.

Dragged through a brutal wilderness, Kaya’s captor shows her the devastating truth, and even though he has dark secrets of his own, she is inexplicably drawn to him–when the stars are in your eyes, sometimes the line between right and wrong is blurred. Passion obliterates common sense. Love... makes you reckless.

As Kaya's father’s men and her devoted bodyguard scour the woods to find her, she wonders if staying in the arms of her abductor is the safer place to be. At least, that’s what her heart is saying—her head is saying run…

This has been collecting virtual dust on my kindle for a while now. Finally, time to buckle down and read this. 

The story follows Kaya who is held like a captive in her own home by her father. The moment she thinks she finds happiness in the arms of one of her guards, she is swept away by kidnappers. As she is being dragged through the wilderness, Kaya finds true freedom and love. 

OooooooOOOooooOOOoooo Kaya. You are a true victim here. She is a Stockholm queen. She falls in love with one of the guards at home and then immediately falls in love with one of her captors. Poor sweet girl. She is 17/18 so I get it. If I counted all the times I thought I was in love at that age I would still be counting by the end of this review. Oh the youth. 

I was intrigued by this story until about halfway and then I really couldn't get myself to care. I felt bad for Kaya. I want her to be alone and free for a while. Not surrounded by overly protective dudes. She is not truly free. Maybe book 2 she will rise as a strong independent woman. Yes, you can love someone and be a strong woman. 

But yea - this was not what I was hoping for. I feel meh about this overall. It wasn't horrible, but not for me. I'll give this 2 stars. 

Challenge(s):

- #13 for NOT US/UK setting