Review: Water Spell by Lizzy Ford

A water mage and the protector she never wanted. 

Rare water mage Sela is given no time to mourn the loss of her longtime protector and father figure before she’s faced with the one man standing in the way of her freedom: her new guardian, mage-warrior Tieran. 

An Inlander with no honor, Tieran is loyal to no man, priest, king or god. If not for the magic binding him to the infuriating water mage, he would abandon her amidst the land-locked Inlands, away from the sea she yearns to visit, and pursue vengeance against those who killed his family. 

Sela and her reluctant protector are soon thrown into the middle of a power struggle raging among the rulers of the four island kingdoms. To survive, both mage and warrior must overcome their distrust of one another, for the longer they resist their bond, the more perilous their journey becomes. 

My Thoughts:
I bought this book on a whim.  I have read and liked several of Lizzy Ford's books so I thought I'd try this one.  I'm glad I did.  This was a unique and interesting book.  
Sela is a water mage who has no idea how powerful she really is.  Tieran is a rough Inlander who sees no value in a water mage stuck in the middle of nothing but land.  Since one can't live without the other they must learn to tolerate each other or they won't survive.  Sela has some major losses to grieve through.  What she doesn't know is that Tieran is also dealing with his own massive loss that has made revenge has sole purpose in life.  When they set aside their personal stuff to help each other they realize their may be more than just tolerance growing between them.  I can't wait to read the next book in the series.  If there's a blog tour or early review team in the works, sign me up!!  

I recommend this book for ages 16 & up.  Mild to moderate sexual and adult situations.  

Review: Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

My Thoughts: 

Brigid Kemmerer is an amazing author.  Her Elemantals series remains one of my favorite series of all time.  I wish it would become a t.v. show.  

When I got the chance to read Letter to the Lost I felt confident it would be fantastic.  Of course I was right!  Juliet & Declan are fascinating, complex characters that had my attention from the start.  The supporting characters have just as much depth as well.  The story held the perfect pace and never lagged.  The thing that I loved most were the realistic reactions of the characters to their situations.  I can not tell you how many times a book has been ruined by the characters reacting unrealistically to their own story.  Letters to the Lost touches on the relationships between parents and children.  Not just the typical ones either.  It shows there are different kinds of parent/child dynamics, and that each one is unique.  This book also dealt with the fact that parents make mistakes too and sometimes it's hard to get past that.  Juliet and Declan are able to help each other past some big issues as they both journey through the stages of grief and forgiveness.

 You will love this book if you want good writing and great characters.  I recommend this book for ages 15 & up.