Elizabeth Vaughan (1) (1958–)

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Introduction
White Star is the second installment in the Epic of Palins series. This was also a BUDDY READ with a friend from Instagram. And it was such a blast to buddy read this with her. I absolutely couldn't get enough of this one here. This was so much better than book one, and honestly, this was the perfect fantasy romance, everything all came together just right. And it was everything that I expected and more. It had some fabulous elements that really build depth into the story and Elizabeth Vaughan definitely wrote a work of art with this one here. White Star is part of a series, and I do recommend reading these in order.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero:Orrin Blackhard, Scourge of the Palins
-Barbarian
-Leader
-Warlord
-Warrior
-Alpha Mellow

The Heroine: Lady High Priestess, Evelyn
-Priestess
-Powerful
-Spiritual Leader
-Noble
-Virtuous

Summary
Orrin Blackheart, is a warlord and leader of his people, but has had no choice in obeying the commands of the one he answers to. When he and Evelyn first meet, she was his prisoner and there was a instant connection made between them. But when his sorceress is killed, he is captured and about to be executed for this crimes, when one of the Goddesses whispers to Evelyn, that he must be saved and that there is good in him. So she uses her boon with the queen to save his life and give him a chance to redeem his past crimes to save his people and drive the undead scourge out of their lands. But when Evelyn is in danger, Orrin rescued her and with her aid, they work together to destroy the scourge and they find a love that is worth fighting for..

My Outlook
This book *sigh* was so precious and delightful to read! There is something about reading a Elizabeth Vaughan that just works so well for me. If you love a good epic fantasy romance, and you haven't had a chance to read this author, then you definitely need to. Book one was pretty slow in comparison to this one. There might be some drawbacks of this one to some readers, such as the instant love theme, but I actually loved seeing this being implemented. And we have a pining HEROINE!!! And it was just so good. I know everyone is obsessed with a pining hero, but I feel like we get that a lot in romance lately, so it was so REFRESHING to have a heroine that was the pining focus.

Now I first want to mention the redemption arc of this story. This is where we see the hero go on a journey of his own in working on atoning for his past mistakes, endeavoring to save his people and improve the lands for the better. I actually really loved the hero though. He wasn't uber alpha male, but definitely had alpha tendacies but had a sweet soft side at times. I enjoyed the bantering between Orrin and Evelyn. Evelyn sees the good in Orrin. I love how in tune she is with her spiritual side and yes I love a spiritual theme in a romance, and it worked so well within these books. If you have read Elizabeth Vaughan, it just works so well. But seeing the way she is willing to fight and stand by Orrin was so wonderful. I was cheering her on all the way. Orrin is SO stubborn haha he knows that Evelyn has made a vow of chastity in her order as a priestess and he doesn't want to threaten what she has worked so hard for. But Evelyn loves Orrin, and is willing to do what it takes to prove to him she is in it for real and the long haul. But honestly the ending was so epic, beautiful and just swept me away!

Overall View
White Star is a thrilling tale of unforgettable love, sacrifice and healing that will inspire its readers! KICKS A PUNCH TO THE HEART!

Rating Evaluation:
Plot: 5
World Building: 5
Cover: 4
Hero: 5
Heroine: 5
Steam: 5
Heart & Feels: 5
Ending: 5
Overall View: 5… (mais)

This is the story of Lara and Keir. Lara's father used to rule her kingdom. But despite her royal station, she worked as a Master Healer. But when he died, her incompetent half brother took over. War broke out when Warlord Keir invaded the kingdom. Lara worked tirelessly to help heal both the soldiers of her kindgom as well as the soldiers for the other side who had been taken prisoner. But when the war got to be too much, to save her people, Lara allowed herself to be given to Keir as the Warprize in exchange for peace. Her new life is very different from her old, but she finds herself falling for Keir. And she realizes that despite her sacrifice, their troubles aren't ending.

Lara was a great character. She was brave, she was smart, and she had a good heart. And the more she gets to know Keir, she realizes he's the same. The two made a good pair. And despite what she thought her role as the "warprize" was, Keir cherished her and protected her above all else.

This is just book one in the series, so I'm very excited to see how the rest of the story unfolds.… (mais)

Lara, having made the biggest choice of her life in the previous book, is now journey with Keir and his army of the Plains back towards their homeland. Instead of becoming in any ways stronger, more capable, or more useful, Lara proceeds to do exactly the opposite. I found myself very disappointed in her character on many of occasions, and the book itself felt lack-luster at best. The emotions didn't feel real, especially the mourning. I just couldn't submerge myself in the world like the author hoped.… (mais)