Check out my book review of Radiance by Grace Draven to see if this fantasy romance is a book worth reading.
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Radiance
by Grace Draven
Category: Fantasy Romance
Tags: Fantasy, Slow Burn, Marriage of Convenience, Arranged Marriage, Strong Heroine
Series: Wraith Kings
Published January 2015
Rating: ★★★★
Boyfriend Rating: 💍💍💍💍
Amazon | Goodreads
Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has been the heir to spare in his Kai kingdom, which is why his only worth is to wed a human to secure a political alliance between kingdoms.
Ildiko is the niece to the Gauri king and has resigned herself to her fate of marrying the young Kai prince. Both Brishen and Ildiko see the other just as ugly in appearance as they expected on their wedding day and yet through a new-found friendship, they come to find each other more beautiful than either could imagine.
If you’re looking for a slow burn romance, then look no further!
I was so taken by these two characters right from the start with their endearing meet-cute moment and I loved following them from that time on.
Both Brishen and Ildiko are so completely likeable in my opinion and could do no wrong after that honest meeting.
Despite being thrown into a situation and marriage neither wanted, they are so incredibly considerate of the other and really work on developing a friendship between them.
Brishen’s description totally screamed scary (or at least different) at first read which I think is partly the point of Draven’s work – that appearances aren’t everything.
Ildiko could look past his fangs and claws and yellow eyes and fell for the man he is – which is loyal, brave, kind and thoughtful.
Ildiko is just as brave and courageous, having to uproot herself and move to a foreign land and live in the dark. Plus, she had to deal with a mother-in-law that would have the bravest person running scared, but Ildiko stood her ground and I loved her more for it.
While the story does give us some suspense and danger with attempts on their lives to ruin the alliance their marriage created, this story really is more about these two becoming friends and then becoming lovers. It’s slow burn at its finest.
As far as fantasy romance goes, it fits the category because Brishen and Ildiko are from two different kingdoms, Kai and human. While the Kai have magic, there really was only two instances where magic was used so that’s not a predominant part of the story.
Instead, this book focuses on how two people from two very different kingdoms can look past their surface differences in appearance and come to befriend each other and even love one another.
I definitely recommend this book for its uniqueness in characters and the sweetest of slow burn romances.
Book Lists with this Book:
- Best Fantasy Romance Books
- Top 10 Best Romantasy Books of All Time
- Best Slow Burn Romance Books
- Best Arranged Marriage Romance Books
- Best Friends to Lovers Books
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