5 Wine #Review of The Talon of the Hawk & #Giveaway!

The strongest of the three but not without the presence of the other three. This is both true of Ursula and book three, The Talon of the Hawk, a moving fantasy romance sure to make you want to own a sword.

Ursula has been the strong protector throughout Andi and Ami’s books. She is Captain of her Hawks and heir to the High Throne, cold and untouchable. Kennedy has upped her game and taken this hard honor driven Captain and revealed how passionate and determined she truly is. The strength Ursula needs to protect herself and those around her has to come with steel, you don’t expect her to break down and have the emotional conflicts that she does. Kennedy humanized Ursula so well without changing her into a completely different person.

In The Talon of the Hawk Ursula returns from leaving Ami and Ash to go after Ami's kidnapped daughter. The castle has new hired guards and there is a woman at court with dark power. King Uorsin forbids Ursula from leaving, continually demeans her with her failures, and publicly assaults her. And she still defends him. 

The new player in the game is the Captain of the Vervaldr, Harlan. He matches Ursula in combat skill and he knows exactly what he wants. Harlan knows love when he sees it and the symbolism of how he declares that will give you goosebumps. Yes, he falls fast but it is the way Ursula slowly crumbles that is the true love story. It speaks volumes when she can sleep beside Harlan without being armed.

Aside from the well written characters Kennedy fleshes out more of the Twelve Kingdoms world and brings a dramatic end to the story arc encompassing the three books. The Twelve Kingdoms and Annfwn have balance, we got to travel back to Annfwn and see some shapeshifting but not as much as the previous books, we get undead with Ursula's story. The three princesses have come into their own powers and yet there are still questions and stories yet to be told. Will the other kingdom's be healed right away or will the wave of magic have repercussions? What will happen to all the Tala that were imprisoned? And where oh where is High Priest Kir? 

So it is a great thing that there will be more from Kennedy in The Twelve Kingdom’s series! The Talon of the Hawk was an excellent fantasy romance read. If you enjoy new worlds, political intrigue, and love hard won you will enjoy this series and Ursula’s story.

The Talon of the Hawk
The Twelve Kingdoms #3
by Jeffe Kennedy
May 26th 2015 by Kensington
Paperback 352 pages of fantasy romance goodness

A HEAVY CROWN

Three daughters were born to High King Uorsin, in place of the son he wanted. The youngest, lovely and sweet. The middle, pretty and subtle, with an air of magic. And the eldest, the Heir. A girl grudgingly honed to leadership, not beauty, to bear the sword and honor of the king.

Ursula’s loyalty is as ingrained as her straight warrior’s spine. She protects the peace of the Twelve Kingdoms with sweat and blood, her sisters from threats far and near. And she protects her father to prove her worth. But she never imagined her loyalty would become an open question on palace grounds. That her father would receive her with a foreign witch at one side and a hireling captain at the other—that soldiers would look on her as a woman, not as a warrior. She also never expected to decide the destiny of her sisters, of her people, of the Twelve Kingdoms and the Thirteenth. Not with her father still on the throne and war in the air. But the choice is before her. And the Heir must lead…

GIVEAWAY

Since I love this series so much I will gift an copy of The Talon of the Hawk (or The Tears of the Rose if you haven't started the series) to one lucky commenter. To enter leave me a comment about this series or fantasy romance, leave your email ninja style. Open until May 24th!