| Series: | Uncharted Realms #4 |
| Pub. Date: | Oct 7, 2018 |
| Publisher: | Brightlynx Publishing |
| Length: | 297 pgs |
| Source: | Author |
It's no secret that The Uncharted Realms has been one of my very favorite fantasy romance series since its inception with The Pages of the Mind... and the series is still going strong with this fourth installment, The Arrows of the Heart.
The heroine of this installment is Karyn af Hardie, the former wife of Kral (hero from The Edge of the Blade). Karyn shocked everyone by acquiescing to an annulment of her marriage, and then barely escaped Dasnaria with Jepp and Kral by the skin of their teeth. Now Karyn is in Annfwn, on her own, and trying to become her own person. She has to unlearn the Dasnarian traditions, which are very oppressive toward women, and figure out what freedom is really about. I wasn't sure about Karyn at first, she seemed to be a bit of a stick in the mud and a little meek and mild for my tastes. But she proved me wrong fairly quickly and I liked her more and more as she came into her own. By the end of the story, Karyn has fully realized herself, her wants, desires and abilities.
Our hero is the fun and flirty Zyr, twin brother to Zynda (heroine from The Shift of the Tide). I have always had a soft spot for Zyr, with his devil-may-care attitude and flirty sensuality. He has never had a problem with women, and so never quite understands the standoffishness of these mossbacks, Daphne and Karyn, who have rebuffed his advances. Thinking Karyn is the mossbackiest of mossbacks, he nevertheless is drawn to her and is determined to be her friend if he can't be her lover. I seriously love Zyr even more now that we have gotten to know him, seen a touch of his vulnerability, and gotten more glimpses of his animal nature.
The relationship between these two was definitely not instalove. The relationship unfolded at a nice pace that flowed well with the story, and the true bonding didn't come until quite late in the book. This allowed us to see how Karyn and Zyr worked together on a common goal, and how they dealt with strife and crises.
In this installment, the High Priestess of Deyyr is again rearing her evil head and trying to take over the world. We learned much more about the disciples of Deyyr, how they came to be, and how the function as a group. The High Priestess makes a good villain, with grand scary plans and horrid methods of accomplishing those goals. The action in the story kept me riveted and I was able to finish this book in one sitting as I flew across the country.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the author.
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