the chemistry between the main characters had me in a choke hold and dare i say i think they’re a top 5 couple for me? He studied me for a moment before he started kissing my stomach, dragging his tongue over me between kisses. I am very appreciative when authors put work into side characters and Jess did a great job with them. With the past and secrets haunting them, Emma and Rainier had to tip toe around each other until they found a common ground to which they are able to settle down and be who they are.

The female empowerment in this story is fantastic without feeling like it’s fanservice, and the romance is a slow burn that has you falling in love at the same time as the characters. I truly appreciate Emma not being confined to her role as a mother, it's a reminder that mothers do have an identity outside of their roles. I especially loved seeing Dewalt, he was just a great character and I hope to see more of him in the future books. When the unthinkable happens, she seeks out the one person who may be able to help her - her teenage love, Crown Prince Rainier.The ending was phenomenal, but the rest of the book just dragged for me and I had trouble slogging through it. Emma is aware that her body has changed over the years and she’s no longer the young women Rainier (Rain) first met. There are so many times where we’re repeatedly given Emma’s inner thoughts on something that’s happened. Just know it does ends on a cliffhanger so be ready to jump into book 2 (which is thankfully already out 😅), which is exactly what I’m about to go do! Emmeline didn't read as a 34-year-old mother, but as a high schooler that can't make up her damn mind about a man.

I had the IMMENSE pleasure of being one of the first beta readers to get my hands on this debut novel from Jess.Now, he must decide: does he drop what he is doing to help Emmeline, or does he maintain his unwavering duty to the Crown? Through the forced proximity of their mission we slowly discover how their young, forbidden love ended before it began and what has kept them apart all these years. Of course, the only person who can help her is her long-lost lover (Prince Rainier) who was once betrothed to her twin but was actually in love with our protagonist.

Because clearly they (Emmeline and Rain only) to take a detour to some cave with pretty fish in the late evening to continue to figure out their relationship status. I find nothing wrong with her seeking comfort during such a time and have someone who could be a supportive presence. And, of course, this book relies heavily on my Least Favorite Writing Technique of All Time: having characters keep secrets from one another for no reason except ~drama. It's stunning how much of this book is comprised of angsty internal monologue and princess'ing by a 30-something mother. The only time the overarching plot is resurrected is in the last 20 pages of the book where everything goes to shit just so we can have a [checks notes] 800 page sequel.The action scenes, the emotion, the magic, the heart to hearts, the friendship, the romance, and the character development were all wonderful.

Speaking of Rain, I don't know if I have ever met a more true blue, 100% all in, emotionally available, achingly vulnerable hero in a high fantasy novel than Rain. while some of the story lines i felt like went on for a while, the continuation of conflicts made it not drag in a boring way. As a mother, I would be sick every minute of the day, and I wish I got more of that from Em because it almost made it seem unrealistic.I understand that Rainier is a prince and his sister and friends are looking out for him (mostly to avoid heartbreak that something important like. I mean it would've been annoying if she stayed mad at him for too long but what I mean to say is it felt like not much time has passed since she last saw them but the fact is almost two decades passed since then.