⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. Two enemies become reluctant allies, then partners and lovers, in this exciting fantasy romance.

Gisela Bloodthorn is trained to kill. She has spent her life enslaved as an assassin in the court of the Centaurs, where only the strongest survive. Now, the Centaur queen has a final assignment for her: protect the Oath Keeper who holds the contract that will keep their enemy at bay and kill the queen’s enemies and Gisela will go free. But when Gisela discovers her first Outlaw known as Xaydin, she learns that the Outlaws aren’t what they seem. Nor are they easily slain. Xaydin isn’t just a bastard half-troll, he’s an assassin who has dedicated his life to ridding the Thirteen Kingdoms of the Oath Keepers, especially the one who holds the contract Gisela has been sworn to protect. But trust doesn’t come easy to either of them. If they can’t find common ground and fight their real enemy, both of them will lose everything and everyone they care for.

MY THOUGHTS

For all that Gisela was a cold-blooded assassin, who grew up without support and love, she had a refreshing kind of naïve way of looking at Xaydin and their adventures together. It was clear that she was starving for acceptance and affection, which was probably why she agreed to the precarious deal with Xaydin. I really liked her. She jumped into the mission with both feet and gave it her all. Gisela and Xaydin were super cute together and made a good team.

The battles in the middle were truly impressive and the victories were hard won. But towards the end it felt like everything fell into place a little too easily. Though, Gisela deserved a stress-free ending. I enjoyed the story overall and the pace was steady and fairly fast. Our heroes had more than one quest that brought them into contact with many different interesting creatures.

The author built an interesting world, with the expected political intrigue and power struggles. This is a fun series if you like fantasy romance with thrilling action and intriguing characters. I think it’s better to read the books in order as the first book sets everything up nicely.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Published: February 17, 2026
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Book 2 of Myths & Outlaws
Other books in the series: House of Fire and Magic