The Bloodsworn - Erin Lindsey

Unbeknownst to most of Alden, Kbloodbinder, is locked away in his own palace, plotting revenge. To save her king, Lady Alix must journey behind enemy lines to destroy the bloodbinder. But her quest will demand sacrifices that may be more than she can bear.

ing Erik, in thrall to a cruel

Meanwhile, as the Warlord of Oridia tightens his grip on Alden, the men Alix loves face equally deadly tasks: her husband, Liam, must run a country at war while her brother, Rig, fights a losing battle on the front lines. If any one of them fails, Alden could be lost—and, even if they succeed, their efforts may be too late to save everyone Alix holds dear... 

My thoughts:

I do feel disappointed. Yes, the book was good, but neither this one or book 2 were as good as book 1. That one had promise, but it never got as good.

Alix in this one, well she did her thing.

Liam did not do a lot. I still do not see them together.

Eric, I still think Alix should have been with him, and yes that triangle kept popping up. It got tiresome. It should have been left in book 1 where it was resolved.

There is danger ahead. The army is approaching, and here we really see how this is light fantasy. Epic is was sure not. The final battle is in the very last pages and poof, 5 pages later the end, the battle was over in a few pages. Was there a battle. I do not know. They sure defeated them fast.

Ok so yes I only have negative things to say. But for a reeeeally light fantasy book it was good, a little adventure, some drama. Nothing serious. But it is hanging loose in that 3, that is does. It could have been so much more.

Cover
Good

Paperback, 352 pages
Published September 27th 2016 by Ace
Bloodbound #3
Fantasy
Own

The Bloodforged - Erin Lindsey

When the war began, Lady Alix Black played a minor role, scouting at the edge of the king’s retinue in relative anonymity. Though she’s once again facing an attacking Oridian force determined to destroy all she holds dear, she is now bodyguard to the king and wife to the prince.

Still, she is unprepared for what the revival of the war will mean. Erik is willing to take drastic measures to defend his domain, even if it means sending Prince Liam into a deadly web of intrigue and traveling into the perilous wild lands of Harram himself.

Only the biggest threat to the kingdom might be one that neither Alix nor Erik could have imagined, or prepared for…

My thoughts:

This book suffered from second book syndrome. Still good, but lacking that which made book 1 so good. This book felt mostly like, well they walked around a lot, not much happened, and then they walked some more.

Alix was changed in this one. She who was a kick-ass scout was now lovesick and not so kick-ass.

I still think she and the king should have married. Liam, eh, I am not a fan, and in this one he was like a lost puppy trying to find his way.

Team Eric!

Right Liam, well he was sent to this kingdom for support. And Eric to another. Why it was not vice versa I do not know. You do not send the king to the dangerous one. 

Conclusion:
I still liked it cos it was easy to read, but at the same time....barely a 3. So barely good then. Light fantasy.

Cover
Cool

Paperback, 368 pages
Published September 29th 2015 by Ace
Bloodbound #2
Fantasy
Own

The Bloodbound - Erin Lindsey

A cunning and impetuous scout, Alix only wishes to serve quietly on the edges of the action. But when the king is betrayed by his own brother and left to die at the hands of attacking Oridian forces, she winds up single-handedly saving her sovereign.

Suddenly, she is head of the king’s personal guard, an honor made all the more dubious by the king’s exile from his own court. Surrounded by enemies, Alix must help him reclaim his crown, all the while attempting to repel the relentless tide of invaders led by the Priest, most feared of Oridia’s lords.

But while Alix’s king commands her duty, both he and a fellow scout lay claim to her heart. And when the time comes, she may need to choose between the two men who need her most… 

My thoughts:

A fantasy romance, with a bit more fighting than romance. So the romance could have been left out entirely, cos Alix sure spent a lot of time thinking of her men. Focus on the war woman!

So this society lets it's women fight too. Ok good for them. But it did raise some questions. If you are allowed to fool around during your two year service, what happens if the woman get pregnant? I doubt the lords would like when their daughters come home with a bastards. So all bastards are just put into orphanages? Accidents do happen. And is it just highborn ladies that must do military service? Or lowborn too? Cos I did not see any lowborn ones? And then there is the fact that men are stronger, sure many women became scouts, but still. I sure would not want to do military service for 2 years, that would suck.

Back to the book. Alix is very good at sneaking around, so she is a good scout. She is highborn and serving during war. But then she spends lots of time thinking about the love triangle she created. She suddenly falls for 2 men, but might like one more. She should have put an end to it at once, I did not like how she played it. And even if the book does have a happy ending, I did not like how it ended for one. All parties can never be happy in a triangle.

For those who love fantasy romance and lots of romance, then it might not be enough. For those who does not want romance in fantasy then there will be too much ;) But for those who just enjoy a good story then give it a go.

Conclusion:

Politics, war, even some sort of zombies. I enjoyed the book and I want to read more. 

But! I so want a map, I want maps in fantasy, I want to take look where they live. 

cover

nice

Mass Market Paperback, 368 pages
Published September 30th 2014 by Ace
Bloodbound #1
Fantasy romance
Own