Vengeance Born (A Novel of the Light Blade, #1)

by Kylie Griffin

[Vicki]

I feel like I found a hidden gem with this book! Definitely more romance than fantasy, with some of my favorite tropes. I loved watching the romance blossom between Annika and Kalan. Coming from opposite worlds and forced to depend on each other as fugitives on the run, you can see them start to question all they know and overcome their prejudices. And, of course, their feelings for each other start to slowly grow into something more. The build-up was great....I loved it! The only thing that slightly bothered me was that once they both admitted their feelings for each other, they were immediately in love with each other. It just felt a little rushed, like they fell in love after a two week road trip, and afterwards Kalan was just a little too perfect.

Although I do love a heavy dose of romance, I did feel like the plot was a bit rushed at the end. Maybe it's supposed to set us up for the next book, but since the next book focuses on a different set of characters, I can't help but feel a little gypped. I really wish more book series would just stick with the main characters in the first book throughout the series instead of switching for each book. I never feel like I get enough of the characters that drew me into the series in the first place.