User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I really wish I could've loved this as much as book one, but there just wasn't enough romance here for me!
Rating: really liked it
2020 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo: Villain’s Love Story A review: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/r...
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First impressions:
Extremely annoyed right now because I neither have the time nor energy to glom Meljean Brook’s backlist (Brook is a PNR pseudonym for Vane). Woe is me.
FYI, this works as a stand-alone if you haven’t read book 1 (I have not read book 1).
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 StarsOverall Opinion: This was a good addition to the series. While I think you could probably follow along if you haven’t read the first book, A Heart of Blood and Ashes, I wouldn’t recommend it. I think the lands, people, and Gods would be easier to understand if you had that as a back story. I loved their love! I loved the pain I felt for them when circumstances make it hard for them to be together. I just wanted much more of it! Once they give in to their love it seems to go to the back burner to all the suspense and world drama. Which I get! But I loved their connection so much that I was super greedy for it. I struggled the most with the pacing. It took a while for me to get into it and I even had checked the overall length at one point because I was shocked that I was barely 30% in and figured it had to be super long — but it wasn’t. It felt slow and since it’s been a while since I read the first book I was constantly trying to remember if I knew these characters. The ending also was lackluster, but again — I understand why it was the way it was for the sake of the series. But! I’m looking forward to the rest of the series and I enjoyed it overall.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Lizzan and Aerax’s story. They’ve been each other’s closest ally for years but this story starts after Lizzan has been exiled from her home with Aerax pushing her away. Their world is falling apart, literally, as the ‘Destroyer’ has returned and is pure evil. Different lands start uniting to go against the Destroyer and Lizzan and Aerax reunite amongst this quest. There are some dark forces against them, some truths revealed, a few sexy times, and some suspenseful scenes...and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing on Lizzan and Aerax in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: My biggest issue. Not the best. I never skimmed though.
Instalove: No, they were already in love when this story begins
H (Hero) rating: 5 stars. Aerax. I loved him! I loved how he cared for the h and how he had a strong character despite all the wrongs that had been done to him.
h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Lizzan. I really liked her. I appreciated her strength, her loyalty, and how caring she was for others.
Sadness level: Low/moderate. I geared up a few times but I never needed tissues.
Push/Pull: Yes (view spoiler)
[ They both push away at times and I’d say that the H is the main pursuer of the relationship. (hide spoiler)]Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story. They are both virgins and there is kind of a slow burn type feel to it.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Not at all!
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes (view spoiler)
[This starts when they have been separated, but neither of them had other partners during this time. (hide spoiler)]Possible Triggers: Yes (view spoiler)
[Violence/murder (on page) and mentions of previous abuse (H - off page and not descriptive) (hide spoiler)]Closure: This ends in a good place with them as a couple but with still a lot looming for them in regards to their world. I would call this a HFN ending.
Safety: This one should be
Safe for most safety gang readers
(view spoiler)
[
- Does Not have cheating
- Does Not have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
- Does have both the h and H pushing away
- Does have a separation between the h and H
- Does Not have abuse by mcs
- Does Not have a HEA ending (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
What can I say? I will pledge my sword to Milla Vane forever!
This book has everything I could ever hope for. aHoBaA was hard to top but A Touch of Stone and Snow managed it quite easily. This series has truly been a revelation. Excellent world building with vividly drawn characters and a romance that broke my heart in its beauty.
This will be hard to top but I have a feeling Milla Vane will be able to do it in the next book. Again.
ARC provided by Berkley for an honest review
Rating: really liked it
First things first... the hero of this book has a pet snow cat, aka A SABER TOOTH TIGER. Do I really need to say more?
Okay, okay, I will. I feel like with this book, this series is really hitting its stride. The political intrigue is intriguing! The magical and mythical elements are interesting! The romances are targeted right at your feels! It's just a super solid fantasy romance series, though I will say, I tend to enjoy the fantasy elements of this a little more than the romance elements. Personally, I tend to like slightly less angst for my romances, and this series seems to be on the angstier end of things than the Iron Seas series was. That said-- this was a second chance romance that worked a lot better for me than that trope usually does because it was so clear from the hero's POV that he was utterly gone on the heroine... so I knew the reasoning behind the Big Misunderstanding was going to be good. It was, and I found the resolution of that part of the story very satisfying.
All in all- can't wait for the next one! Things are really heating up and the Destroyer is still coming!
Rating: really liked it
I can't get enough of Milla Vane's fantasy stories. This one had a great blend of such unique fantasy elements and a steamy, and sweet romance. Also I want a cat like Caeb 😍
Rating: really liked it
I definitely liked this more than book one but not more than the prequel (which you should read after book one, by the way). But there are definitely still parts I had to slog through. Thankfully this installment is significantly shorter than book one (almost six hundred pages vs just shy of four) but.. it still felt very long, particularly in the beginning.
I'm not sure I really liked either of the main characters, which is sad as I really liked book one's heroine, but unlike the hero in book one, at least no one annoyed me in this one. I think I struggled, mostly in the beginning, because there was just so much time bouncing between past events and current that it was hard to hold onto who they were now. And also likely not helped by just feeling a little lost and without any certain footing in said beginning. The middle to almost climax was definitely the highlight for me, both fast paced and interesting, but the actual big conflict seemed.. well, dumb. And over before I even realized. It resolved so quickly it actually took me a few pages to realize it was over and they hadn't just paused for an interlude.
That said, what helped me feel better about this one was, while I acknowledged and appreciated the worldbuilding Vane put in, from day on, this was the first time I felt proper understanding of some of the mythology. I don't know if it was poorly explained or we just weren't meant to know the whole picture up until now (or I'm dumb) but.. I'm diggin' it. I'm on board. And I like what has been set up for book three, too. Of course, now that I'm caught up I have to wait like everyone else but.. oh well.
Not quite sure this is going to be a series I would go out of my way to recommend but I definitely wouldn't talk you out of it if you're already interested in diving in.
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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Rating: really liked it
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
In The Touch of Stone and Snow we have a story that continues in the gritty world of Milla Vane of the Gathering of Dragons series. After reading the first book "A Heart of Blood and Ashes" I have been so intrigued by this style of fantasy and quite frankly I adore epic fantasy and so happy to see more authors writing in this genre. Its definitely one we need more books in. And I have been highly impressed with Milla Vane to be honest. I just love how she developed this story and I will say that I couldn't seem to get enough of this book and it turned out so different than I expected and most especially the romance turned a road I never expected and I was all in for it.
The Touch of Stone and Snow is a story that begins with a love story of two people....Lizzan and Aerax. Lizzan and Aerax were once best friends who turned into lovers, but then in a battle that Lizzan led, all of her men were killed and she was held to blame as the only survivor and she was cast out of Koth, her family living in disgrace and losing the man she loved and the only home she had ever known. Lizzan now works as a protector to lead innocent people through the dangers of bandits, and those touched by the 'destroyer'. Aerax has never stopped loving Lizzan, and will never tell her the full story but he and his pet snow cat (a saber tooth tiger) feel the loss of Lizzan in their lives. But while on the trail sent on a mission....Aerax finds her and even though there is a tension he feels more complete with her near. As Aerax and Lizzan work together and reconnect they will also have to face a danger, one they won't be ready for and it will take the both of them to destroy it and reach the HEA they so richly deserve....
I have to say that A Touch of Stone and Snow was such a endearing read. I just fell so hard for Aerax and Lizzan. Now I will say that Lizzan isn't your average heroine and not normally my cup of tea since I do have a hard time relating with such alpha females, but boy I adored her. Because even though she has such a tough exterior, she also possesses this sweetness and charming vulnerability I wanted to see more of. Now Aerax ...*sigh* he was delicious in every way. I love that even though he made his own share of mistakes, he owns up to them and isn't afraid to go after what he really wants. He has such a protective side but also appreciates Lizzan for the woman she is and supports her in every way and I found that so sexy. I was expecting so much ANGST in this book and I was pleased to see that it didn't turn out the way I expected or last as long as I was ready for which had my heart pleased. I don't care too much for angst to be throughout the whole story so to see it resolved more earlier on was quite refreshing.
Now as a plot line this story kicks booty let me tell y'all. Because wowzers, will she never cease to surprise me in that? Because I just couldn't get enough of seeing how she just pulls you into this suspense filled story. Both Aerax and Lizzan and their group have to battle off some enemies and the intensity in some of these scenes definitely keeps one on edge all the way through. Especially in the later half of the story, that is where it really picks up speed. The first half the focus tends to be the romance between Aerax and in the second half they are pushed to the test in saving the lives of their people. I found the style of seeing the growth of the story to be one that feeds your attention in the right manner.
A side note I ADORED Aerax having a pet saber tooth tiger, so so cool!! And quite frankly the bond between the three of them was adorable and I couldn't seem to get enough of it.
Overall I found A Touch of Stone and Snow to be a fantastic addition to the series that embodies thrilling adventure, the beauty of finding love again and good conquering evil ----an edgy, keep you on your toes read that will leave you eager for the next one.
Rating: really liked it
“Our path leads to the crystal palace. So on we go, to glorious battle, where my name will become legend.” And where he would never, ever let her go.
“If I have to become a monster to save you, that is what I will do.”A Touch of Stone and Snow by Milla Vane is the second book in A Gathering of Dragons, one of the best fantasy series we’ve read in a long time. Every single book is EPIC and so intricately woven into a mammoth story. It’s not often it takes us a week to read just one book, however, Milla Vane is literally the queen of fleshing out her storyline and her characters. Because of the continuing quest to defeat a common mythical enemy, we HIGHLY recommend reading in order, especially if you love barbaric and erotic fantasy romance as much as we do. This series speaks straight to our fantasy book-loving hearts. Intense, mysterious, harrowing, dramatic, action-filled and super passionate. This series is everything and the way in which it is written, SUPERB! We cannot even begin to adequately pay homage to this incredible series and Author.
“I must sacrifice myself while performing a feat so incredible that my name will reach their ears, and no longer will my family bear my shame.”
“If you leave me I will come for you. Wherever you go, I will find you, and we will be together again.” We first heard of The Destroyer in A Heart of Blood and Ashes, which was Ran Maddek and Queen Yvenne story, and his impending arrival to slay and defeat the realms is causing terror. Factions of warrior men and women not fleeing but rather instigating an uprising, whilst the rest seek refuge and protection from the mythical Gods. The world-building in this series by Milla Vane continues to astound us, this Author is outstanding! Honestly, if we could give her a standing ovation in person we would. It’s mesmerizing, addictive, flawless and compelling, the scenery easily conjured up in our minds from the vivid and eerily evocative writing.
“Always you would stop and listen to those who were alone, for you knew that is what they often needed the most – for someone to see them, to listen to them. And I have always loved that about you.”
“It matters not how quick or slow the days are. No matter what happens in the battle ahead, and even if every day afterward is spent with you, never will there be enough of them.” Lizzan, currently in exile, is on a personal quest to battle and clear her family’s name from the shame she has brought upon them. She’s a fighter with a heart that’s bigger than can be comprehended. We knew there was something incredibly special about her from the start, and we championed her till the end despite our worry over her wanting to die a hero. Whilst on her path she’s also running from the man she loves, Aerax, the troubled bastard prince of Koth, she grew to love with all her heart. The warrior monster of a man who owns her heart and now owns ours. Not only is this series a treat fantasy-wise, which would be amazing as a Netflix series, in A Touch of Stone and Snow the second chance romance is compelling, beautiful and incredibly passionate. The tension and the chemistry was scorching. The battle, the twists and the mythical aspect, enticing. This series is a masterpiece of epic proportions!
“You ease the pain in my heart, Aerax.”
“Given a choice no other purpose would I have.” Available to purchase below
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Rating: really liked it
A Touch of Stone and Snow is a fantastic addition to this series, one that ups the ante. Milla Vane shows us more of the world, brings in awesome new characters and creatures, and even more magic and danger.
A Gathering of Dragons series is a must read! This is fantasy romance at its best. It brings love, light, overcoming (intense) adversity, and conquering evil in a time when I desperately need to see it. If I could, I’d beg Vela for a quest to gain the reward of more. Luckily, the third book,
A Dance of Smoke and Steel, comes out early next year - until then I’m going to be reading and re-reading.
Entire review at The Alliterates
Rating: really liked it
I'm just cleaning up my 2020 reads. I loved this book and will write a full review in 2021
Rating: really liked it
I dove into A Touch of Stone and Snow as soon as I finished A Heart of Blood and Ashes. Lizzan and Aerax grew up together on Koth and were sweathearts until Lizzan was exiled in shame for telling the truth about how the soldiers she led were killed. They meet up again years later. The goddess Vela tasks Lizzan with protecting Aerax and promises to reward her with a glorious death in battle. Lizzan does not tell Aerax the truth about her quest or her reward. Aerax hasn’t told her the truth about why he didn’t leave with her.
Vane builds on the first book in so many interesting ways. One of the many things I didn’t talk about in my review was importance the Parsatheans put on speaking truth. I didn’t pay that much attention to it even though it was an important issue between Maddak and Yvenne. Maddak doesn’t fully become the man she deserves and the king his people deserve until he accepts Yvenne has not lied to him. Though Lizzan and Aerax are not Parsathean, they have to confront that the lies they’ve told each other and others in the past have harmed them and everyone around them. There is an even bigger lie that they have to confront about Koth.
Truth telling plays out in some of the side threads as well and those truths are likely to be resolved in the next book (or later books? Can this be an 8 book series?) One thread is carried from the first book: how will the truthful words spoken by the goddess Vela to various characters play out, because her truth is abstract. The other builds on the series arc of recovering from and preparing for the return of the Destroyer: an older woman Lizzan comes across is waiting for her son, who was taken by the Destroyer at age 4. She travelled the world trying to find him and now she waits for him to find her, even though she is certain he will hate her for failing to protect him.
I had a little bit of a rougher start with Lizzan and Aerax than I did with Maddak and Yvenne, but once I understood their conflict I fell in love with them. Lizzan might be rough for some readers at the start. She drinks too much and she is in the process of a long, slow implosion that will definitely end with her death. She is near the end of her rope emotionally, and that’s a hard place for me to connect with a character. Lizzan is a mirror of Yvenne in that she is a warrior and has the physical strength for which Yvenne longed. What she lacks is Yvenne’s knowledge of the world and understanding of all the ways people can be horrible. She lacks Yvenne’s fortitude.
It was interesting thinking about the big lie at the center of A Touch of Stone and Snow in this moment. White Americans, like the citizens of Koth, have been raised on a steady diet of comforting lies. To maintain itself, Koth must banish, shame and kill anyone who might reveal the truth. As a child Aerax and his mother almost die because they don’t fit comfortably into Kothan society. In the United States, the truth of our nation is right in front of us and some people are so hostile to seeing it that they will become monsters in order to be comfortable in the lies. Lizzan feels like she must be a monster to have been shunned and exiled. Aerax feels like he must become a monster to save the people of Koth. Neither of them are monsters, they operating in a monstrous system. That should be a familiar feeling to us all.
Vane really goes for the jugular in this book. She takes Lizzan and Aerax from the extremes of isolation and hopelessness, to deeply and happily in love, to all is lost before they get their happy ending.
“Never have you been restrained in the pleasure you give to me, and never have you held back your heart. So always I end here in this way, so utterly satisfied and fully loved, the most blessed of all women.”
She murdered me with beauty and emotion, and I liked it. If this moment had happened between two characters in A Game of Thrones, you could pretty much guarantee that one of them is about to die and the other will suffer horribly. Listening to an author panel recently one of them said that as a culture we assign greater value to misery than joy. I think there are lessons to be taken from the way we find joy. When Lizzan is suffering, the only redemption she can see is death in battle. When she chooses joy and community, her choices aren’t necessarily different, but the way she acts on those choices is directed towards a better world instead of self-absorbed misery. In this series of romances, the lovers aren’t just making choices for their own happiness or for their own family, but also for the world in which they live. They are choosing to move beyond their own myopic view and value people for who they are and not for how they fit preconceptions. They are choosing truth over comfort. Personally, I would like to live in a wold where lives were valued for themselves.
The worst thing about having read this now is that I have to wait a year before the next book.
I received this as an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It’s out July 7th, so if you haven’t read A Heart of Blood and Ashes, you have time. There is also a novella, “The Beast of Blackmore” which is referenced in the book, but I haven’t read it yet. I will though. Soon.
Rating: really liked it
Well it wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either. I read this because of a rave review I read on a blog site that I usually trust. But the story was slow and the plot and characters generally underwhelming. Truthfully, I was bored. This was a romantic fantasy. The fantasy was not riveting. The elements of the story are all over the place. I can't see a clearly thought out magic structure for example. The romance part was totally lame. The hero and heroine were apart for reasons, the heroine had become a drunk mercenary (in a super short time) but the minute they meet up again it's all better! Absolutely no conflict between them at all. Let's save the world together. And to top off this sundae of mediocrity the author still insists on using the awkward sentence structure which is meant to make me think this is a grand epic fantasy but in reality just makes me pissed every time she sticks it in.
Perhaps the goddess could not even hear them from the island, but no chances would Lizzan take. She prayed fiercely until Caeb licked her face, and then no more time could they waste.I read the first one to get to this one which I had read the glowing review for. This one wasn't nearly as good as that one. I mostly liked that story except for the stupid writing style. But I don't think I will go on with the series.
Rating: really liked it
DNF @ 37%
This pains me beyond belief - because I
LOVED book 1 - but I'm too underwhelmed to continue. Call me shallow, but without any romance to speak of, the world building just doesn't interest me. 😥
Rating: really liked it
4.5 starsOne thing I can say about this author that seems to be harder and harder to find these days… She can make me feel. I connected to these characters, particularly the heroine almost immediately and didn’t climb out of my feelings until after the book was over.
If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you will love this one too. Be warned, this is not another story about Maddek and Yvenne. This book features an entirely new couple, Lizzan and Aerax. And it is a second chance at love story which will rake your heart over the coals.
Lizzan is the kind of woman who is brave and honorable and fierce. Her only goals were to protect the island where she grew up and make a life with her childhood sweetheart. But she was betrayed in the worst way, by her own people and by the man she loved. Oh, how I hated Aerax... because what he and the king did to her broke her completely. When we meet Lizzan, she is a drunk. She takes on jobs protecting people along the road, but the world has beaten her down so thoroughly that the only thing she has to live for is lifting the shame she has brought on her family through no fault of her own. She’s willing to risk her life... no,
forfeit her life in order to do it. And I believed it totally.
Aerax grew up a bastard son of the king, but circumstances changed his fortune and he had to take a place among the royal family. Early on in their friendship, Lizzan thumbed her nose at the expectations of their people to open her heart to him, but when the chips fell and she became a pariah, he did not follow her. Now, he has left the island on a mission to form alliances to protect his people. But he’s also got a hidden agenda. And an explanation. I won’t spoil it, but I will say I did not hate him forever.
The reunion is awful, then bittersweet because there’s a clock ticking over it. They both have so much they need to do, but in their hearts what they really want for themselves is to be with each other. And I wanted it to, so much.
There is amazing world building here and an amazing story. My only complaint was that there were so many characters, particularly in the beginning. I was lost. And I read the first book. It didn’t matter. I reread the early chapters a couple of times and still could not place everyone. of course, this got better as the story progressed, but casual readers may not stick around. Which would be a shame, because this book has so much to offer.
I totally recommend for fans of fantasy romance, but be warned, you might want to take some notes along the way.
*ARC provided by publisher
