Blade & Rose: Blade and Rose, Volume 1

WOW! Amazing read!! This was definitely different than most other romantic fantasy in the past and let's just say I am very happy with the way it played out. Extremely entertaining, captivating and interesting sexy read. I could not put it down.Interesting magic system...complex plot...wonderful writing...deliciously conflicted characters...I was sucked by the great opening scene and was glad that it had a satified ending.A stirring epic tale...This book is swoon-worthy & definitely worth reading! I read this book in a day and would whole-heartedly recommend it

Absolutely, by far, in my opinion, one of the best epic fantasy romance series I’ve read over the years. Written before the market was saturated with Romantasy ACOTAR off-shoots. Seriously great! I skipped over this book series initially, because the artwork on the covers (though very nice) appeared very YA to me and I prefer more mature stories. I’m so glad I went back and gave it a chance! This series is definitely not young adult! The overall story has some very serious dark elements that take the reader on a very intense, emotional, rollercoaster ride. Definitely for adults 18+ (check trigger warnings). The authors writing style is clever and reminds me of GRRM and ASOIAF. Her story is original, well-thought out, and plot-driven; lots of intricacies and twists and turns. The characters and the magical world they live in is well developed; no excessive internal dialogue or redundant information. The pacing is excellent. The editing done well. Did I mention love-triangle? lol Quite honestly, I’d like to thank the author, because this series was a breath of fresh air that carried me through a dark time in my life. I was able to escape into her fantasy world, which helped me alleviate some stress, anxiety, and depression; I experienced a full range of emotions, living vicariously through her characters. Very cathartic. Which leads me to the only downside…. Much like GRRMs ASOIAF, this series is incomplete and shows no sign of being finished anytime soon. Very disappointing, because it really is such a great series. I’m guessing the author is experiencing some type of life difficulties of her own, and I’m hopeful she pulls through. Maybe at some point, she’ll be able to escape back into her fantasy world for some relief. Not so much for readers, but for herself. I hope she’s okay. In the meantime, I have no regret reading the Blade and Rose series; the available books are quite long and covered a lot of material, which was somewhat satisfying. I’ll check back periodically for the next book…. along with Georgie’s Winds of Winter, lol.

From the moment I began “Blade & Rose”, I realized I was being transported into a vibrant, marvelous world of magic, mystery and intrigue, told through the lens of the deeply relate-able, strong and engaging main character, Rielle, and I never looked back. The first in its series, “Blade & Rose” follows Rielle, a mage who practices magic, as she’s assigned to accompany Jon, a paladin – a religious warrior – on a harrowing journey. One she also hopes will lead her to her best friend and fellow mage, who’s strangely gone missing. But even as sparks fly and their understanding of each other deepens, both Jon and Rielle slowly discover that unforeseen complications that lie in their path can also exist between each other. They both have secrets, one of whom is the ever-lurking, menacing, captivating presence of Rielle’s betrothed, the werewolf, Brennan. Throughout the trek, countless dangers stand in their way, threatening not only their lives, but the safety and security of the entire kingdom. With a brilliant plot line and rich, exciting characters, and a very touching, beautiful, sensual, passionate and honest love story that speaks to the truth of what it means to find one’s soulmate, I never wanted “Blade & Rose” to end. I cannot wait for book two!!! If you’re a fan of “Game of Thrones”, “Black Jewels”, or “Lord of the Rings”, I wholeheartedly recommend this story, one which readers of adult fantasy -- or brilliant storytelling in general -- will love.

What can I say about the Blade & Rose? Most books a reader reads they can pretty much figure out the outcome or they can see the twists & turns before they happen. But not with Blade & Rose because everything was unpredictable. At times it felt like torture. Can torture be good? Because this was sweet torture, I enjoyed the journey. I was frustrated at times. I wanted to shake some sense into these characters. I wanted to scream, but ultimately, I wanted Jon and Rielle to overcome all the odds. Blade & Rose is an epic romantic fantasy. It's the kind of story in which the author doesn't mind allowing her readers to suffer so that she can bring forth a great story with depth and passion, a story that will stay with you for minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years. It's a story that you would love to see become a movie, a story in which you wish you were one of the characters. Miranda Honfleur puts all of her heart and soul into this story. The narration of the book is sublime, and the book is already magnificent. But the narration made me escape further and deeper into the fantasy world that Miranda Honfleur created. I didn't want to leave. It was as if the narrator was peeling back the layers to reveal to us readers the treasure that the story was. It is a treasure worth having, a treasure worth being tortured for.

3 1/2 contrary to popular perception, is in fact a positive review. This book I must confess is not my typical read. In fact this is indeed my first "romance" novel I've ever read. Fantasy being the typical place my mind resides in. What are have here though drew me in quite immediately and for the most part held my attention throughout the entire book. The characters are very well thought out and realized, the paladin was suitably paladinly, honest, sober, martial and quite celibate. Our heroine is a refreshing breath of fresh air. No shy virgin village girl. She truly drew my interest, she is flawed has a deep history of less than rosey decisions and honest, selfless and a powerful mage. Than brennan, well, let's just say he is not a good person. The action scenes surprised me in how thoughtfully realized they were, they were gritty, violent and easy to follow. My only gripe and this was just my personal opinion, was that there wasn't very much world building until the very end. There is a vast and interesting world out there you just kind of skim it in favor of a fast paced fun read, not a bad thing but something I thought to mention. All in all, I would recommend this to anyone, an entertaining read some very tense moments a real honest relationship developing in a realistic manner and some fun ass kicking scenes!

This was a really good story. Very well written, definitely in the Epic Fantasy class of fiction. Great romance with plenty of confused emotions, betrayal, lust, manipulation, and all the things that make you feel for the characters strongly. I loved all the characters... all of them... perhaps especially the most despicable of them. I think that particular one is going to manage to redeem himself... I suspect, but this is yet unproven. Here's the thing, this is my only critique, and the only reason this isn't five stars (for me personally, others won't find this to be a draw back), it could have been a solid 200 pages shorter... at least. Possibly more. It's very wordy, and very, very descriptive, down to rather minute details. And, we relive the same two or three memories through the eyes of different characters multiple times... like 3-4 times at least for each memory. I'm pretty sure I remember their memories better than they do at this point. Now that wouldn't bother me, except that the reiterations of those events doesn't actually shed any extra light on what happened. It's just another retelling that doesn't actually further the story, and so it's just kind of superfluous to me. I feel like if we're going to go through the same portion of story multiple times it should add something to what we already know and expand our understanding, but that doesn't really happen. They all pretty much feel the same way about past events... they sucked... bad. On the flip side, these characters are very well developed. You leave this story with an intense interest in their well being and their individual story arc, as well as collective. I'm committed to the story at this point! I really want to see how things continue to develop among them all, see who can redeem themselves, or if others may fall from grace. Although the story primarily centers on Rielle, I don't feel like the story is really just about her, which is something that truly marks Epic Fantasy. Its a beautifully woven tapestry of story. Another boon to a wordy author- she uses unusual vocabulary! I love unusual vocabulary. Most of it I know, but I admit to needing to use my dictionary a couple times, and that always makes me happy. Also, our author has a very clear picture of her setting and how her characters move through it. This means you really find yourself along for the ride, able feel the story in all five senses, as it were. I'm definitely interested in what happens next, however I'm not ready to commit another 700 pages just yet. So, I'll break for a bit before I jump in again. Honestly, it was just a lot more descriptive than I need, myself. I like dialogue and action, and a more fast paced story. This has a lot of intrigue, and some beguiling mystery, but too much description for my taste. Nonetheless, it's an excellent book, and a five star one for those who love all the details. I also listened to this one on Audible, and the narration was really good. If you decide to go that route, it definitely worth the purchase. I will certainly listen to this more than once.

This book grabbed me in all the feels and didn't let go. The characters are done exceptionally well, and they are reason enough for all 5 stars. Each POV is unique, consistent, and engaging. That can't be said enough. I wanted every character to succeed in some way, which just ups the tension, even more, when some of their interests conflict. The relationships between the characters are deep and detailed. The best part is the main female character, Rielle. She is ACTUALLY leading. No damsel in distress, she's a strong, smart, and reliable mage all on her own. She has flaws, but it makes her relatable. You cheer her on from start to finish. The plot is well-developed and hooks you hard. Death, magic, sword fights--it's never dull. I don't want to give out spoilers, but there are pitfalls around every corner. No page is easy for any character, and it kept me turning just to see what they'd do to resolve it. And whatever they come across, they deal with it in their own ways. The main plot is solved by the end, tying up loose ends and answering questions. And then, it makes a promise that the next book will be just as exciting and tense. I've read so many fantasy books for both adults and young adults, and this one kept surprising me. Can't wait for the next book!

I was happily thrilled with this book, looking forward to reading the next one! I wish they would have gone with a different synapsis for this story, it is so much more and I probably would have purchased and read sooner! All the characters in this book are well developed, and contribute something. I liked the drama of the complex relationships! The hero and the heroine's love for each other happens at a decent pace. The anti-hero was a love-to-hate-him through out the book but towards the end made me start to wonder... The pacing of the story is good, tons of action and slight drama to keep you interested. I was really surprised by the end, I thought I knew exactly who Jon was but the twist happened. There is so much build up to the end, with so many loose ends coming together and then its almost ridiculous how the author is able to start a whole new novel on one characters decision to go left instead of right and create TONS of new loose ends and character development in literally the last 5 pages. So many "leads" I kind of hope the characters follow....