Lovers-to-enemies-to-loves by miscommunication during war times meets Romeo & Juliet with cursed trials and riddles, is the best way I can describe this book without giving too much away.
If you enjoy the miscommunication trope then this book is up your alley. However, it is my least favorite of all the tropes, so I will do my best not to harp on the fact that having one sit down minus some vampire magic complications could have solved at least 85% of their issues.
“A Fated Reckoning” by Jamye Smith, follows Bryn, a fae warrior, who must survive deadly trials to break a soul-shattering curse before time runs out with Mikael, her vampire fated mate. All is not what it seems though. These fated mates have been separated for two hundred years, and Bryn desperately wants to keep it that way.
She loved him once. Now she clings to the hate, currently measured in the inches of steel she has driven into his chest.
Bryn’s soul has fractured into four pieces and in order to break the curse they must recover each fragment. Riddles are seared onto their skin, igniting with every touch-skin to skin, bond to bond-dragging them into the closeness she swore never to endure again.
As the curse frays, so does the magic suppressing their bond, unraveling every feeling she has spent two centuries trying to destroy. Each fragment recovered cracks the walls she has built wider, revealing truths she buried beneath denial and rage.
When the final riddle is solved, she will face the cruelest truth of all: breaking the curse may cost her the person she loves most.
The first couple of chapters were hard to get through only because I am not a big miscommunication trope lover. However, the banter, world and character building did flow very well with this trope.
Once the plot got going, I was hooked. I love riddles and trying to solve them was fun while reading this book.
However, Smith takes a different approach to her vampires. While they can run fast, they seem to run out of energy more, have heartbeats, eat human food and super strength is hit or miss. This makes for some funny moments and banter between Mikael and Bryn. Although, it does make Mikael seem weaker than he really should be.
I do love his dedication to Bryn and feel he is mistreated and overly judged by her. There are worse guys she could have bonded herself to then someone who would burn the world down for her. I mean who doesn’t love a man that says, “I’m at your command, my queen.” while on his knees in front of you.
Bryn is a warrior who has had her life completely turned upside down. However, she deserves a medal for proving that women can hold a grudge. One betrayal over two hundred years ago has her still drinking her life away. She complains so much about how he has hurt her and broken her trust, but yet she still desires him. He is your fated mate, talk to him and move on already.
Despite her flaws the banter between the two characters is funny and charming in many ways. It is definitely a slow burn with extra spice between chapters that keeps you wanting more.
The ending will have you screaming and throwing your kindle. I can guarantee that much. This magical Romeo and Juliet twist left me needing more chapters before Jayme Smith ended the book. I am hoping there will be a second book so we can see where the ending leads and where some of the extra characters ended up after the trials.
I am rating this book three out of five stars, because the miscommunication between the two main characters really ruined it for me and four out of five chili peppers for its extra spicy chapters.
★★★
🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️/ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
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