Reviews

Cold Hearted by Leia Stone, Julie Hall

jaime_of_gryffindor's review against another edition

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was an amazing fantasy romance that I did not want to put down. Cold Hearted had me immediately captivated by the story and I quickly found myself loving the main characters Dawn and Zander. This was an excellent feel good read that left me smiling. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, I’m looking forward to seeing how the story continues. 

Read this if you like:

📖 Enemies to lovers

📖 Fated mates

📖 Closed door romance 

I highly recommend picking up this book if you are looking for a romantasy read. 

Thank you to The Nerd Fam for sending me this gifted book, I loved it!  

piperkitty's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 I want to express my gratitude to NG and HQ for providing me with a copy of this book. The initial allure of the book stemmed from its intriguing blurb and captivating cover, which immediately drew me in as a devoted fantasy enthusiast. The concept of the curse realms and the mystical journey through a mirror into Ethereum fascinated me immensely.

Upon arriving in Ethereum, the protagonist is entrusted with the task of assassinating one of the powerful lords of the realm and extracting his heart to break a curse plaguing her world. The only means of returning home is through a portal that will open only after the deed is done. Despite Dawn's occasional absent-mindedness leading to a deviation from her intended path, her encounter with the witty and sarcastic Zander injects a delightful element of excitement into the narrative.

I observed a notable improvement in the writing style in the latter part of the book compared to the first half, piquing my curiosity to delve into the subsequent installments of the series to witness the unfolding of the plot. The anticipation of discovering how the story progresses and the characters evolve further fuels my eagerness to delve deeper into this enchanting world of curses and realms. 

thecornishpiskie's review

4.0

Cold Hearted is what I'd describe as a half standalone. As while it is part of an interconnected romance series. That you will have to read in order to understand due to wider plot points outside of the romance elements, the book itself focuses on a single relationatiom while I believe the next ones will focus on a different couple and so on.

This books I cludes a lot of Tropes that made my ao3 heart very happy. With Tropes like one horse, one bed, fated mates, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, assasin princesses. It has a lot of the Tropes we have come to love. And while some of them seem a little clunky, that doesn't take away from how enjoyable the reading experience was. It was fast paced, with an intriguing concept and world building. Sometimes I found the pacing felt a little rushed, but I think that is just what happened when you try to fit everyone into one book. I'm hoping the sequel will feel a bit better paced due to not having to have to introduce the world as much. Either way I'm eagerly waiting the second book, excited to see how things work out and who the next couple is going to be.

thecornishpiskie's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hedgehognerd's review against another edition

3.0

A romantasy with fae and curses - I immediately had to read this. It’s fun, full of fairytale vibes and action packed. I enjoyed the romance the most - I think the enemies to lovers is done well with good banter. I love the trope of one horse and this took it slightly further in a really lovely way. The book isn’t too deep, it’s super easy to read and follow, a little predictable, but sometimes you need that in a book. It’s a fun time and full of magic. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

westcountryreader's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

bookish_aly_cat's review against another edition

5.0

This was a good one! I absolutely loved this book and flew through it. This story was fast paced and easy to follow, mostly because there wasn’t a lot of heavy world building.

This is book one in the Cursed Fae series. You follow Dawn who is a princess from the Summer Court. She has to travel through a portal to a mirror world called Ethereum, where she is to take the heart from one of the lords there and bring it back to her kingdom. This is necessary to help save her people from a curse. Things don’t go according to plan and the story goes from there. 

The characters were a delight to follow. I really enjoyed following Dawn and Zander and their journey together. Their interactions were fun to read, especially with all of the flirty banter. 

Read This If You Like:

→ Fated Mates

→ Curses

→ Enemies to lovers

→ Royalty & fae 

→ Forced proximity 

→ Closed door romance 

I adored the writing style these two authors had together and I definitely want to check out more of their works. I need book two immediately. 

Thank you @TheNerdFam for sending me a gifted copy to review.

booknerdcoco's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved this book. All of the twisted and turns. I loved the budding romance between the main characters. I felt that it was written in a style that made for an East read.
THe narration was spot on. Admittedly, I was surprised by the male narrators voice, but I think his voice did suit the MC.

Very pleased

bookie_mama_bear's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

melaniesreads's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5