Joint Review – Betrothed by Jill Myles – The Book Pushers | Book Reviews

Publisher: Self

Publish Date: Out Now

How we got this book: Purchased

For years, Seri’s simple people have lived under the thumb of the Athonites, a regal, erudite caste. She wants no part of politics, though; she simply wants to live in peace. But when she’s given the opportunity to work at the enemy’s castle, she takes it, not realizing that she is sealing her own fate.

Prince Graeme is surprised to see the wild girl at court acting as a servant. He’s even more surprised when, during an important ceremony, she is decreed as his chosen bride – his Betrothed. As his Betrothed, she will give something long denied those of his lineage: relief from his age-old secret curse.

As kingdoms come to war and Seri’s people begin an uprising, she will have to pick sides. Will she choose her own folk…or the mysterious prince that is slowly stealing her heart?

*Blurb from Goodreads*

MinnChica: When I got Myles’ newsletter about her latest release, I immediately went and purchased it. I love a really well done fantasy romance, and the blurb sounded so much like WARPRIZE by Elizabeth Vaughan, that I knew it was bound to be incredible. I am so glad that I picked this book up, it was everything I hoped it would be and then some. I was so sad when the story was over, because I wanted to continue in the world that Myles created and find out more and more about Graeme and Seri!

Has: I luuuuved WARPRIZE which is one of all time favourite romance and because BETROTHED had a similar premise, I definitely jumped at the chance. I really enjoyed the setting and the differing cultures of the Athonites and the Vidari and Myles really paid attendtion to detail which really added a vividand rich layer to the story.

However, while I liked most of the characters – I did find Seri, the heroine frustrating for me. I felt she made some silly mistakes which she seems to not have learned from and I disliked how she kept repeating them. Although I understand why she was so mistrustful and suspicious of the Athonites because of the oppressive history they have over the Vidari people. But I also felt she trusted her own allies who betrayed her even more than what the Athonites represented.

MinnChica: I really liked Seri. She came across to me as really sweet and young and innocent and sheltered and very, VERY naive. She only knew the way of life for her people, so being thrown into the Athonite court was a huge culture shock, and one that I don’t think she ever really got the hang of, even at the end. She trusted the wrong people, and let her instincts fall to the wayside in favor of what she thought she knew. But all in all I kind of adored her. I wanted to take her under my wing and protect her from all the pain that she had to endure.

I really loved Prince Graeme. I wish that Myles would have given us more scenes from his point of view, because I think he had some really strong and conflicting emotions towards Seri. I wanted to get more into his head and see just how strong his lust was for her, and just how much he wanted her love and acceptance. If there was one aspect of this book I could change, it would be that.

Has: I loved the culture shock which Seri experiences – it really emphasizes the level of detail and thought went into setting up the difference between the Vidari and the Athonites. I also felt that is when Seri really came alive for me when she rebelled against the constrictions of the Athonites especially on how a lady has to behave.

I also definitely agree with you about Prince Graeme about the lack of his POV. I think his character was great. I loved his cool exterior but underneath he was sensitive and there was more dimensions to his character. I only felt that he was more fleshed out when we came to his POV chapter, when we learned there was more sides to his character.

MinnChica: I hope and pray that Myles writes more books within this world, as I think that the world building was so fleshed out. She told me via Twitter that she would love to write more within this world, but only if there is an audience for it. I thought that the secondary characters were so great, both in a positive light and a negative light. I loved Seri and Graeme’s sisters, and they showed some potential to have amazing stories. I do hope that we can see more from them, and from Seri as she learns to navigate the Athonite way.

Has: I agree – I think the world she created is fantastic and I really hope there is more to come. I loved how she made the noble born Athonites who have been cursed into a vampire like race and how this connected with the magical mythology on the betrothal between Seri and Graeme. It was very promising and vibrant and I would love to see more of this in the future. But overall the romance for me was the real highlight, although they had issues and a lot of suspicions, when they started to bond and embrace their feelings, the love story really shined for me (pun intended when you read the book!) I love the enemies turned to lovers trope especially with the fate of the welfare of their people in the balance – it really adds an epic tone to the story.

MinnChica: All in all I really loved this story. I thought Seri had so much to deal with and adjust to, and I loved the differences in their cultures and how much that affected her relationship with her family and Graeme alike. While I wanted more POV time with Graeme, I am a big fan of the way Myles mixed the paranormal elements into the story. I sincerely hope that this book gets a large enough audience that Myles will consider writing more books set within the world.

I give Betrothed an A.

Has: I enjoyed BETROTHED, even though I had issues with Seri’s character, the romance, the rich backdrop and the vivid focus on the cultures of the Vidari and the Athonites made this a fun and enjoyable read. And Jill Myles created a wonderful and rich setting with engaging characters. I also hope there is more to come especially with the hints of the growing tension between the two cultures which hasn’t been resolved will be interesting to see develop.

I give Bethrothed a B