Blood Queen (Lharmell Series book 3) by Rhiannon Hart

Rating 4 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: Curtis Brown Unlimited (21 March 2015) Sold by: Amazon Australia Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00VEFCWEC
Series: Yes

Release date 21 April 2015 through Amazon Kindle initially and paperback later.

Summary
After losing Rodden at the last Turning, Zeraphina is alone. Or she would be, if her mother and Prince Folsum would leave her in peace. The prince, blind in one eye after an attack by Zeraphina’s brant, has taken up residence in her home and is insisting she marry him. When an accident happens, Zeraphina flees – straight into the arms of a waiting harming. Now a captive, she discovers she’s being taken to Lharmell. But not to be executed. To be crowned queen. The identity of the one who has given the orders is shrouded in mystery, and Zeraphina can’t help but be suspicious. After everything she’s done the Lharmellins should want her dead. Just who is awaiting her in Lharmell?

Fall out from the events in books one (Blood Song) and two (Blood Storm) start to impact the characters in this book which culminates into an action packed show down. This was a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It kept me entertained the whole way through. There is so much that I want to write and discuss about this book, however I wont so this review will not spoil the book for those who will read it. So this review will be quite broad and general.

Zeraphina is broken in this book. She is a pretty self obsessed, miserable, addict. Consumed with grief for the loss of Rodden. But with the help of Raufo she begins to put her life back together even though she is being led to her doom.

There is a whole lot of action going on but there is a slowish start first (you know only one person died and nothing got destroyed), but from the middle of the book things start to really get moving. From there on it is action packed and fast moving the rest of the way. The slow start does make sense and it isn't frustrating.

I found a new respect for Zeraphinas mother and sister who were more then met the eye. In the previous two books her mother seemed shallow, cold, and self serving and her sister shallow and to concerned about what others thought. In this book we get to see more depth to their characters.

This was a satisfying ending to the trilogy and didn't feel rushed, forced or skipped over.  If you are a fan of the series you should like this book and be happy with the ending (though I'm really not happy the trilogy has ended).

Blood Phantom - A Story of Lharmell by Rhiannon Hart

Rating 4 out of 5
Title: Blood Phantom - A story of Lharmell
Author: Rhiannon Hart
Format: Ebook - Short story
ASIN:B00H5RBSC0

Summary

"Life in tatters and far from home, Rodden Lothskorn struggles to cope with the harming menace and his own harming nature. When an offer of marriage reaches his friend, Prince Amis, Rodden discovers that the bride’s inhospitable homeland might contain one part of the harming poison he would dearly like to get his hands on. But if summoned northwards, will Princess Lilith bring something – or someone – he dreads most with her? Locked in a years-long struggle with the Lharmellins, Rodden senses the battle is only now about to begin."

Review

I discovered the Lharmell series last year and I loved the first two books, Blood Song and Blood Storm.  So when I learned there was going to be a Rodden short story I was pretty excited. Then the author Rhiannon asked me if I would like to review her short story and, well, I can neither confirm nor deny, but pretty sure I squealed.

Blood Phantom is the prequel to the first book in the Lharmell series Blood Song. The story is told from Rodden's perspective and is set in the period just before, and at the start of, the events in Blood Song.

As you would expect from a short story, this is a quick read and not too in depth. There is no major plot development or story reveals here. It is short, sweet, and gives us a glimpse into the world of Rodden and Amis.

There are a couple of story nuggets revealed that help us understand Rodden better, and explains a couple of events that happened in Blood Song. 

I liked that we got to learn more about Amis. I got a better understanding of the Prince which I had not gotten from the main series. In the main books he doesn't get a lot of "page time" as he is not a major character (yet, maybe in book 3 this may change? who knows).

Then it finished and I am afraid to say I did a bit of a minion impersonation "whaaaattt???". I even scrolled back through the book to make doubly sure it had finished and that my down loading of the ebook hadn't got stuffed up.

So my only complaint is that it ended way too soon. I know, I know "short story" should have alerted me to the fact that it was going to end far sooner than normal. It did, I knew it was coming, I still didn't like it. I was having too much of a good time to want it to stop.

Good news is I only have to wait till April 2014 for book 3 Blood Queen to come out.

If you are a fan of the series then this is a good complimentary read and I recommend giving it a go.

Want a copy? Get your copy from Amazon.

Want to know more about Rhiannon? You can follow Rhiannon at her blog Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered.

Lastly thank you Rhiannon Hart for letting me part of your blog tour.

Blood Storm (Lharmell Series Book 2) by Rhiannon Hart

Rating 5 out of 5
Title: Blood Storm
Author: Rhiannon Hart
Series: Book 2
File Size: 551 KB
Print Length: 227 pages
Publisher: Random House Australia (July 25, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00821K0JK
ISBN 1742754783
ISBN13: 9781742754789

It's official, I am now addicted to this series.

I enjoyed this book way more then the first. The first book Blood Song was good and I enjoyed it. But the second book is where I really went "wow".

In this book we see Zeraphina and Rodden go off adventuring into the sunset to go kill some baddies. Boo-yeah.

The action is fantastic, the story fast paced. I really enjoy Hart's writing and the more modern feel to her fantasy series. Hart's dry wit, is evident everywhere. Particularly in the banter between Zeraphina and Rodden. I admit I sniggered and chuckled through quite a few of the scenes. There were also some really creepy scenes as we learn more about the Harmings and Rodden's past (see the quote below).

The story doesn't set up a series  of convenient scenarios for the hero and heroine to have some alone time together that awakens their passions for each other ("oh dear only tavern around has one room and one bed we will just have to share, no no I wouldn't dare take advantage of you while sleeping", "oh opps we are high in the mountains camping and it is very cold and don't have enough warm clothes, how unfortunate we will just have to keep each other warm" and so on). They are not cold to each other, there is still tension, but there is no convenient set ups here to move the story in that direction.

Finally the ending, omg the ending, I have to say well played Rhiannon Hart. You sucked me in real good and I will be reading book three. I will even make sure I survive the Mayan Apocalypse in the event it does happen just so I can find out what happens in book three.

My reaction to the ending went something like this "wait, what just happened? no seriously that can't be the end. Did that just happen? no surely not I am sleep deprived and jet lagged so surely I imagined that ending. *re-reads the ending just do double check* Crap no that really did just happen *waaaaaaaa*" It's been a long time since I got to the end of a book in a series and want to throw an epic tantrum because the ending was so good, so cliff hangery, and all I wanted was the next book and it wasn't THERE! Seriously my toddler would have been proud of the internal tantrum I had and the old fashioned sulk after as I realised there is nothing I can do but wait till next year for the next book.

But I have it on good authority there is a Rodden short story being released soonish. So that should stave off the with drawl shakes, or make them worse. Either way I don't care and will be reading it.

Extras
Still doubtful about the awesomeness of this book weeellll here is an extract from Blood Storm.