Short review:
Sweeping story, the romance blooms organically and realistically rather than the trope of forced marriage, kidnapping, grudgingly falling in love. Flawed, but great characters. H/h shrug the typical, gritty warrior/plucky woman roles and there's a lot more nuance and complexity to their choices. The attraction is less with the eyes and more with the heart...which is also refreshing. PG-13 clean read with expected, time appropriate violence, but not gratuitous.
Novel length review for long time fans of the author and people who like more detail (spoiler free):
I have read all of Tamara Leigh's books (most of them a lot more than once), so there were things I appreciated in Fearless because I'm familiar with the canon in the other books as well as her writing style in general. Ms. Leigh does make a disclaimer at the front of the book that certain parts of the story are going to feel like a retread of Merciless. There were some complaints regarding the Baron of Blackwood for the same reason, myself included. Of the 3 books in the feud series, it was the hardest to get into because there was no suspense. Happy to report, I didn't struggle with the same issues in Fearless. In fact, I really loved it.
My biggest struggle with Merciless (book 1 in this series) is that i felt like the novel was juggling too many loose threads, and you didn't get a feel for the relationship between H/h. Having read book 2, I understand a lot better why Ms. Leigh set the books up this way. It would be hard to understand the events of Fearless without first knowing about Merciless. The downside, of course, that it almost feels like Cyr/Aefled were more of a vehicle to get Guarin/Hawissa together rather than their own, stand alone characters. The novel did start off a little slowly for me because I was waiting for things to get moving past Hastings, but once it did, I was hooked. I legitimately had no idea how these two crazy kids were gonna eventually go riding off into the sunset.
Having read and re-read, and then re-re-read the Age of Faith series, the easter eggs and nods to the books are awesome. If you pay close to attention to some key characters' names, you'll see hints of future Wulfriths. You'll find out where "lessons" come from, the origin of the "Wulfrith dagger," "unworthy," and other things you see later come out of the mouths of heroes in the Age of Faith series. I didn't struggle with the dialogue like in Book 1, just felt a few pieces of talking were more historical exposition dump to explain plot choices, but that's honestly just a nitpick. I have a feeling that Merciless will actually be an easier read now that Fearless has explained some things that didn't quite come together for me as a standalone.
If you don't read Merciless, some things in Fearless won't make sense, but not enough to ruin the story. It actually makes me want to go back and re-read, so kudos to the author for that. I don't know that H/h went through your typical character arc with the big "aha" revelation and change, only that their paths converged at a time when both were stretched to the limits of their faith and of themselves and the two stories became one (literally and figuratively). Definitely one to read and re-read.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club?
Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
![FEARLESS: A Medieval Romance (AGE OF CONQUEST Book 2) by [Tamara Leigh]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mMzVPkQxL._SY346_.jpg)
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
See all formats and editions
Hide other formats and editions
|
Price
|
New from | Used from |
|
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry"
|
$0.00
|
Free with your Audible trial | |
- Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 1 million more titles
-
Audiobook
$0.00 - 1 Used from $15.98 1 New from $15.99
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
-
Apple
-
Android
-
Windows Phone
-
Android
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Fiction Aficionado
So satisfying!
Reviewed in Australia on April 27, 2019Verified Purchase
Vicky Dedda
ANOTHER WINNER
Reviewed in Australia on May 13, 2019Verified Purchase
Nugzh
A bit of a disappointing read
Reviewed in Canada on January 9, 2020Verified Purchase
Samantha P
Tamara Delivers Again!
Reviewed in Australia on March 17, 2020Verified Purchase
cathy wanganga
Another great read
Reviewed in Australia on April 25, 2019Verified Purchase
What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
