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aprilreads_andwanders's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
Synopsis (from Amazon)
Though she is intended for the king, Calista Thorne picks up a crossbow to defend her ancestral home, Blackbriar Keep, from a gang of landless knights. She even manages to sink a poison-tipped arrow into their commander, who survives long enough to conquer the Keep and claim Calista for his own. Now, with her father’s life at stake, Calista must nurse the brigand back to health, and the strangest thing happens: She finds herself fascinated by his tautly muscled body, and enthralled by his hotly whispered demands.
Ever since his father’s death, the fearsome warrior they call Torch has been consumed by his quest for revenge. Taking Blackbriar Keep is the first step in that plan, and—by the three gods—it won’t be the last. But after taking one look into Calista’s smoldering gray eyes, Torch discovers a passion nobler than retribution. He will fulfill his destiny and take her from the usurper king, even in his weakened state. For with Calista’s love, no man has ever felt more powerful.
This story for me was good and entertaining; but not great and captivating. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t a chore to read it, but I wasn’t engrossed or completely immersed. Here’s a quick verdict:
Characters: I liked the characters…Especially Calista and Torch. They had some layers, some dimension. I liked their banter, and the tension; but I think there is room for development. There’s room for some complexity and character growth for the main and secondary characters.
World: I enjoy medieval settings and time periods and this for sure had that feel. Lords and Ladies, Knights, Kings and court intrigue, castles and keeps, and political intrigue and vying for power….this had all of that. But again, I think there was room for further development.
Pacing: The pacing for me was a bit slow. I enjoyed the battle scenes, and the intrigue, and the tense moments between Calista and Torch, however, I did find myself a little bored through a lot of the story. I was left a little wanting here.
In short…it was good. I would read a sequel, it just could have been more.
I received a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my thoughts or opinion on the book. Thank you Netgalley, and Loveswept-Random House for the review copy!
Synopsis (from Amazon)
Though she is intended for the king, Calista Thorne picks up a crossbow to defend her ancestral home, Blackbriar Keep, from a gang of landless knights. She even manages to sink a poison-tipped arrow into their commander, who survives long enough to conquer the Keep and claim Calista for his own. Now, with her father’s life at stake, Calista must nurse the brigand back to health, and the strangest thing happens: She finds herself fascinated by his tautly muscled body, and enthralled by his hotly whispered demands.
Ever since his father’s death, the fearsome warrior they call Torch has been consumed by his quest for revenge. Taking Blackbriar Keep is the first step in that plan, and—by the three gods—it won’t be the last. But after taking one look into Calista’s smoldering gray eyes, Torch discovers a passion nobler than retribution. He will fulfill his destiny and take her from the usurper king, even in his weakened state. For with Calista’s love, no man has ever felt more powerful.
This story for me was good and entertaining; but not great and captivating. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t a chore to read it, but I wasn’t engrossed or completely immersed. Here’s a quick verdict:
Characters: I liked the characters…Especially Calista and Torch. They had some layers, some dimension. I liked their banter, and the tension; but I think there is room for development. There’s room for some complexity and character growth for the main and secondary characters.
World: I enjoy medieval settings and time periods and this for sure had that feel. Lords and Ladies, Knights, Kings and court intrigue, castles and keeps, and political intrigue and vying for power….this had all of that. But again, I think there was room for further development.
Pacing: The pacing for me was a bit slow. I enjoyed the battle scenes, and the intrigue, and the tense moments between Calista and Torch, however, I did find myself a little bored through a lot of the story. I was left a little wanting here.
In short…it was good. I would read a sequel, it just could have been more.
I received a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my thoughts or opinion on the book. Thank you Netgalley, and Loveswept-Random House for the review copy!
ceena's review
3.0
*I received this book through Netgalley, but all thoughts and ideas are my own*
I'm trying to be stricter on my reviews and rating this year and this is a hard one to review. I really enjoyed reading this, but I was a little bored and did in fact roll my eyes a few times. Now, I can't say much for the sex scenes because I tend to skip them so, keep that in mind if you continue to read my review.
One factor I look for in books is a strong female, if they can kick ass too then I will usually read it. This heroine is definitely strong. Yet, I feel the author, in trying to make her appear strong and independent, also made her wishy-washy. How fast can a character go from having passionate lovemaking to never wanting to be with him again? Or realizing she may actually want to marry him because of her growing feelings to "I'm destined to marry a king so, I shouldn't marry him"? It took a page.
And her journey to wanting to be with the man she ended up with was SO ANNOYING. Like, decide if you care more about love or being queen!! In the end, I still dunno which reason actually made her marry him!
Torch is pretty cool. His badass-ness doesn't live up to the hype, unfortunately. He was always getting injuried and having to be rescued! He is the warrior with years of training, I would have liked that aspect to shine at least once.
Also, in the beginning of the book I could have SWORN that our heroine had magical healing powers she wasn't showing anyone-- I kept waiting (literally, the whole book) for her to use these powers. Somehow, I misunderstood.... I was super disappointed, but I can't remember for the life of me why I thought she was a magical healer...
And of course, I thought the story line was a bit overdone. Then again, if people didn't like it, then writers would stop writing it :)
So, I did enjoy the quick read. I'm not waiting on bated breath for the sequel (which I'm assuming/hoping is about Swift), but I'm not at the point to say I wouldn't read it. I am curious to see how things turn out.
If you like romances set in this medieval-esque setting I would recommend you read it. It was fun even if I did have some problems with it.
I'm trying to be stricter on my reviews and rating this year and this is a hard one to review. I really enjoyed reading this, but I was a little bored and did in fact roll my eyes a few times. Now, I can't say much for the sex scenes because I tend to skip them so, keep that in mind if you continue to read my review.
One factor I look for in books is a strong female, if they can kick ass too then I will usually read it. This heroine is definitely strong. Yet, I feel the author, in trying to make her appear strong and independent, also made her wishy-washy. How fast can a character go from having passionate lovemaking to never wanting to be with him again? Or realizing she may actually want to marry him because of her growing feelings to "I'm destined to marry a king so, I shouldn't marry him"? It took a page.
And her journey to wanting to be with the man she ended up with was SO ANNOYING. Like, decide if you care more about love or being queen!! In the end, I still dunno which reason actually made her marry him!
Torch is pretty cool. His badass-ness doesn't live up to the hype, unfortunately. He was always getting injuried and having to be rescued! He is the warrior with years of training, I would have liked that aspect to shine at least once.
Also, in the beginning of the book I could have SWORN that our heroine had magical healing powers she wasn't showing anyone-- I kept waiting (literally, the whole book) for her to use these powers. Somehow, I misunderstood.... I was super disappointed, but I can't remember for the life of me why I thought she was a magical healer...
And of course, I thought the story line was a bit overdone. Then again, if people didn't like it, then writers would stop writing it :)
So, I did enjoy the quick read. I'm not waiting on bated breath for the sequel (which I'm assuming/hoping is about Swift), but I'm not at the point to say I wouldn't read it. I am curious to see how things turn out.
If you like romances set in this medieval-esque setting I would recommend you read it. It was fun even if I did have some problems with it.
beckyrendon's review
4.0
Surely, you believe in the Three. You have to with the prophecy and stones in this tale...
Are you not aware of the tale in these pages? Well, let's remedy that, shall we...
She has been told she is destined for king. Her father had betrothed her to the king, a man she has never met.
An "upstart" force attacks their keep and she is left questioning many things.
The future...which king?
The past...which king?
The present...which groom?
Still confused, delightfully so, because the twists of fate in this story prove that only the past has been mapped out and the future is ever changing.
I had a blast reading this book. I am very excited to learn of the other adventures and tales of the Bastard Brotherhood. I can't bear waiting a sennight, but it seems we must wait much longer.
I can't possibly contain my glee in the unraveling of this adventure. I want to babble on but I refuse to ruin all the fun. Just know that you are not alone, I too am waiting for Kestrel's tale.
Book received in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon An Alpha
Are you not aware of the tale in these pages? Well, let's remedy that, shall we...
She has been told she is destined for king. Her father had betrothed her to the king, a man she has never met.
An "upstart" force attacks their keep and she is left questioning many things.
The future...which king?
The past...which king?
The present...which groom?
Still confused, delightfully so, because the twists of fate in this story prove that only the past has been mapped out and the future is ever changing.
I had a blast reading this book. I am very excited to learn of the other adventures and tales of the Bastard Brotherhood. I can't bear waiting a sennight, but it seems we must wait much longer.
I can't possibly contain my glee in the unraveling of this adventure. I want to babble on but I refuse to ruin all the fun. Just know that you are not alone, I too am waiting for Kestrel's tale.
Book received in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon An Alpha
raven168's review
4.0
3.5 stars
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I think the main characters were great and went together really well. Calista softened Torch's edges a bit sometimes and he helps her to decide what kind of woman she wants to be. Plus their occasional banter back and forth was entertaining. The world building wasn't all that great in that not a lot things were described that often. Still, that didn't really make a huge difference for me because it was good enough. There are some mystical aspects to parts of this story as well that were unexpected and interesting.
As the daughter of a Lord, Calista did have more than many and was raised a Lady. But she was not afraid to get dirty or even dress as a soldier and fight to protect what is hers. Torch is known for being a vicious and cruel bastard born. And while he can be at times when it calls for it, that's not who he really is. Plus, he is most definitely not a bastard. His father was king before the usurper Magnus murdered him. Having fled the palace with his mother, Torch has spent his whole life believing it's his destiny to take the throne back. From knowing a life of hardship, Torch is hard but fair leader and has earned the respect and loyalty of many.
The current step on Torch's path to reclaim his throne is to take a keep, marry the current Lord's daughter, then try to get as many other Lords on his side as he can. While taking Blackbriar keep was easy, he ends up wounded worst of all when Calista's bolt hits him in the leg. Which should not be life threatening, but little did she know that it was tipped in poison. Now her father's life hangs in the balance with Torch's and it's Calista's task to heal him or lose her father. After many tense days, Torch starts to recover. And Calista starts to learn that the rumors about him are not necessarily true, but more importantly, she starts to get wooed by his charm and demeanor. When a shared dream of horror affects them both, they seek solace in each other and seal their fate.
Torch knew it was only a matter of time until the usurper king would send his armies to Blackbriar to regain the fortress, but he was hoping for more time and it happens before he is prepared. An overwhelming number of enemies, coupled with a traitor from within, his army falls quickly. And his bonds with Calista are soon tested. He loses much at this point, but also gains some. By the end, he's more or less right back where he started in this story but now he's got his queen by his side and a path to follow.
I am definitely interested in continuing this series because I really want to see how Torch reclaims the throne.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I think the main characters were great and went together really well. Calista softened Torch's edges a bit sometimes and he helps her to decide what kind of woman she wants to be. Plus their occasional banter back and forth was entertaining. The world building wasn't all that great in that not a lot things were described that often. Still, that didn't really make a huge difference for me because it was good enough. There are some mystical aspects to parts of this story as well that were unexpected and interesting.
As the daughter of a Lord, Calista did have more than many and was raised a Lady. But she was not afraid to get dirty or even dress as a soldier and fight to protect what is hers. Torch is known for being a vicious and cruel bastard born. And while he can be at times when it calls for it, that's not who he really is. Plus, he is most definitely not a bastard. His father was king before the usurper Magnus murdered him. Having fled the palace with his mother, Torch has spent his whole life believing it's his destiny to take the throne back. From knowing a life of hardship, Torch is hard but fair leader and has earned the respect and loyalty of many.
The current step on Torch's path to reclaim his throne is to take a keep, marry the current Lord's daughter, then try to get as many other Lords on his side as he can. While taking Blackbriar keep was easy, he ends up wounded worst of all when Calista's bolt hits him in the leg. Which should not be life threatening, but little did she know that it was tipped in poison. Now her father's life hangs in the balance with Torch's and it's Calista's task to heal him or lose her father. After many tense days, Torch starts to recover. And Calista starts to learn that the rumors about him are not necessarily true, but more importantly, she starts to get wooed by his charm and demeanor. When a shared dream of horror affects them both, they seek solace in each other and seal their fate.
Torch knew it was only a matter of time until the usurper king would send his armies to Blackbriar to regain the fortress, but he was hoping for more time and it happens before he is prepared. An overwhelming number of enemies, coupled with a traitor from within, his army falls quickly. And his bonds with Calista are soon tested. He loses much at this point, but also gains some. By the end, he's more or less right back where he started in this story but now he's got his queen by his side and a path to follow.
I am definitely interested in continuing this series because I really want to see how Torch reclaims the throne.
ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.
butterfly626's review
4.0
I want to first starting by saying that I enjoyed this book. The fantasy/romance genre is fast becoming one of my favorites.
Destined for a King starts it's opening scene with Calista protecting her home from invaders, the Bastard Brotherhood. You see quickly that she is a strong character and will do anything to protect her home, even try to kill the enemy. When her attempt fails and Torch, leader of the Bastard Brotherhood, becomes sick, she must heal him. Her father's life is tied to the life of Torch. As time passes and interactions happen between the two characters, Calista starts softening towards Torch.
I absolutely loved Calista Thorne. She is a strong heroine who has to make a very hard choice between being the King's wife or married to Torch of the Bastard Brotherhood, who just invaded her home and announced he would marry her to steal her from the king. The question becomes who exactly is Torch.
This story is told from both Calista's & Torch's POV. It is easy to tell the difference between the two characters. It is set in it's own world and Ashlyn Macnamara does a decent job of world building. Based on how this book ended, it seems that this will indeed be a series. There are a few stories lines left unfinished.
Over all, I liked it and plan to read any subsequent books Macnamara decides to write in this series.
I received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Destined for a King starts it's opening scene with Calista protecting her home from invaders, the Bastard Brotherhood. You see quickly that she is a strong character and will do anything to protect her home, even try to kill the enemy. When her attempt fails and Torch, leader of the Bastard Brotherhood, becomes sick, she must heal him. Her father's life is tied to the life of Torch. As time passes and interactions happen between the two characters, Calista starts softening towards Torch.
I absolutely loved Calista Thorne. She is a strong heroine who has to make a very hard choice between being the King's wife or married to Torch of the Bastard Brotherhood, who just invaded her home and announced he would marry her to steal her from the king. The question becomes who exactly is Torch.
This story is told from both Calista's & Torch's POV. It is easy to tell the difference between the two characters. It is set in it's own world and Ashlyn Macnamara does a decent job of world building. Based on how this book ended, it seems that this will indeed be a series. There are a few stories lines left unfinished.
Over all, I liked it and plan to read any subsequent books Macnamara decides to write in this series.
I received this ARC from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
hezzann's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book, I'd give it 3.5 stars. It's a decent start to a series I will read.
loverofromance's review
4.0
Destiny For A King is a fantasy themed romance, although in many moments it almost felt like a historical themed romance at the same time so I feel like this would suit many HR fans as well even if your not huge on the fantasy themes. In Destined For A King, our heroine Calista is betrothed to the King. But her parent's plans for her marriage change, when their home is attacked and overrun by the enemy of the King, Torch. Torch is fighting not just for freedom and a better life, but to regain what his family lost and reclaim the throne that is rightfully is. Calista is in his future, he is led by a precious stone that hasn't led him wrong.
In this story we have two people that find love and destiny. What I really loved about this story was how strong the women are in this story. Our main heroine can use a bow to help fight when she can. But we also have other side characters that fight along side their men. And boy I loved that aspect, seeing how strong and passionate they can be. The romance that develops between Torch and Calista is priceless. I honestly couldn't get enough of their bantering, the sexy times and the way they grow for each other. The chemistry between them is powerful and quite intoxicating at times. I just couldn't put this book down and it had everything I look for in a romance. A full belly satisfying romance that is enchanting and a fantasy romance every reader will fall head heels in love with!!
In this story we have two people that find love and destiny. What I really loved about this story was how strong the women are in this story. Our main heroine can use a bow to help fight when she can. But we also have other side characters that fight along side their men. And boy I loved that aspect, seeing how strong and passionate they can be. The romance that develops between Torch and Calista is priceless. I honestly couldn't get enough of their bantering, the sexy times and the way they grow for each other. The chemistry between them is powerful and quite intoxicating at times. I just couldn't put this book down and it had everything I look for in a romance. A full belly satisfying romance that is enchanting and a fantasy romance every reader will fall head heels in love with!!
amandacole's review
3.0
Originally posted at Desert Island Book Reviews
Destined for a King is part romance, part historical fantasy, and I have to say that I preferred the parts that weren’t so much about romance. The romance between Calista and Torch is one of those super quick lusty attractions followed by a strangely quick declaration of love. That doesn’t work for me so much. The rest of the plot, though, I found really interesting. I won’t spoil the plot by saying too much, but there’s fighting and adventure and a little bit of magic.
Calista is a really strong character at times, though her personality does seem to clash a little with what we’re told she learned. If she was brought up to be a lady and a king’s wife, and supposedly wasn’t trained in fighting, how does she have so much ease with a crossbow? This bothered me, but I liked that she was always ready to jump in and defend the people she cared about.
Torch isn’t a bad character, either, and I could read a whole book just about him and his “quest for revenge,” such as it is. His band of loyal men and his determination to fulfill what he believes is his destiny contribute to the sense that this is a well-rounded character with an interesting story. He’s much more interesting than Calista, who hasn’t really faced challenges, but if this series continues and follows them, I can see her becoming much more interesting.
I really did enjoy this, though probably not enough to label it a favorite or a must-read. I’d recommend it for a quick read if you’re into this genre, though, and it’s definitely full of potential if the author continues the story.
*ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley
Destined for a King is part romance, part historical fantasy, and I have to say that I preferred the parts that weren’t so much about romance. The romance between Calista and Torch is one of those super quick lusty attractions followed by a strangely quick declaration of love. That doesn’t work for me so much. The rest of the plot, though, I found really interesting. I won’t spoil the plot by saying too much, but there’s fighting and adventure and a little bit of magic.
Calista is a really strong character at times, though her personality does seem to clash a little with what we’re told she learned. If she was brought up to be a lady and a king’s wife, and supposedly wasn’t trained in fighting, how does she have so much ease with a crossbow? This bothered me, but I liked that she was always ready to jump in and defend the people she cared about.
Torch isn’t a bad character, either, and I could read a whole book just about him and his “quest for revenge,” such as it is. His band of loyal men and his determination to fulfill what he believes is his destiny contribute to the sense that this is a well-rounded character with an interesting story. He’s much more interesting than Calista, who hasn’t really faced challenges, but if this series continues and follows them, I can see her becoming much more interesting.
I really did enjoy this, though probably not enough to label it a favorite or a must-read. I’d recommend it for a quick read if you’re into this genre, though, and it’s definitely full of potential if the author continues the story.
*ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley
fictioncourt's review
4.0
4 stars!
Destined for a King is yet another addition to my Historical Romance (with a Medieval feel to be exact) list of books I loved! I've mentioned how picky I am with the genre because it's my favorite and I can't read books that piss me off when it comes to historical settings and characteristics, this one was such an amazing read and so captivating!
Calista is promised to the King but that doesn't stop her from being a badass as well as a lady too. When one day a gang invades their Keep Calista doesn't hesitate to show them how good she is with a crossbow (one with poisoned arrows too). When she injures their Commander, Torch, his gang known as The Bastard Brotherhood - I just love Brotherhoods! - imprisons her father and force her to nurse him back to health. If Torch dies, her father dies. But there is more to Torch than just the head of a gang, he's on a mission and it involves the King; all the more reason for him to go a step further and take her from the King that has usurped the throne.
Destined for a King is a strong, well built book that reminded me of Game of Thrones with just a touch of magic; there's an amazing depth to the story, I was actually flipping pages like crazy and it combines Historical with Fantasy beautifully. There's more historical than Fantasy - don't want to spoil the Fantasy genre of the book but it seeps into the story so beautifully and it makes it so well put together!
Calista and Torch's romance develops gradually; there's no insta love, no love triangle, in fact the romance happens while the background story of this world takes shape and slowly it becomes another part of the story that fortunately doesn't overshadow the other genres. Historical, Fantasy or Romance, this book covers all three genres without overshadowing any of them, I was hooked from the first page and I'll be waiting for the next one!
Destined for a King is yet another addition to my Historical Romance (with a Medieval feel to be exact) list of books I loved! I've mentioned how picky I am with the genre because it's my favorite and I can't read books that piss me off when it comes to historical settings and characteristics, this one was such an amazing read and so captivating!
Calista is promised to the King but that doesn't stop her from being a badass as well as a lady too. When one day a gang invades their Keep Calista doesn't hesitate to show them how good she is with a crossbow (one with poisoned arrows too). When she injures their Commander, Torch, his gang known as The Bastard Brotherhood - I just love Brotherhoods! - imprisons her father and force her to nurse him back to health. If Torch dies, her father dies. But there is more to Torch than just the head of a gang, he's on a mission and it involves the King; all the more reason for him to go a step further and take her from the King that has usurped the throne.
Destined for a King is a strong, well built book that reminded me of Game of Thrones with just a touch of magic; there's an amazing depth to the story, I was actually flipping pages like crazy and it combines Historical with Fantasy beautifully. There's more historical than Fantasy - don't want to spoil the Fantasy genre of the book but it seeps into the story so beautifully and it makes it so well put together!
Calista and Torch's romance develops gradually; there's no insta love, no love triangle, in fact the romance happens while the background story of this world takes shape and slowly it becomes another part of the story that fortunately doesn't overshadow the other genres. Historical, Fantasy or Romance, this book covers all three genres without overshadowing any of them, I was hooked from the first page and I'll be waiting for the next one!
arireavis's review
5.0
*ARC received from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
This was a great story of claiming what is yours in so many ways. Torch is trying to reclaim his throne and claim the heart of his woman. There was a great balance of action, romance, and mystery throughout the book. Torch and Calista have such faith and loyalty to one another, even when placed in life or death situations (which happens pretty often). There were only 2 sex scenes, but boy, were they HOT. There was a lot of fighting and strategy going on. The battles were detailed and intense. I'm definitely looking forward to the next part of this story.
This was a great story of claiming what is yours in so many ways. Torch is trying to reclaim his throne and claim the heart of his woman. There was a great balance of action, romance, and mystery throughout the book. Torch and Calista have such faith and loyalty to one another, even when placed in life or death situations (which happens pretty often). There were only 2 sex scenes, but boy, were they HOT. There was a lot of fighting and strategy going on. The battles were detailed and intense. I'm definitely looking forward to the next part of this story.