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Saturday, August 24, 2024

Legacy of the Runes by Christina Courtenay - Book Review - Blog Tour

Series: Runes #6 (Standalone)

Publication Date: 15th August 20224

Purchase Link (US): https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Runes-spellbinding-conclusion-adored/dp/1472293258/

Purchase Link (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Legacy-Runes-spellbinding-conclusion-adored/dp/1472293258/

Goodreads Book Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207289221-legacy-of-the-runes

Genre: Time Travel Romance, Historical

3.7 Stars

One Liner: Slow-paced but entertaining

Book Blurb:

A bond that even time cannot break

Storm Berger has never forgiven himself for his younger sister Madison’s disappearance. Suspecting she’s traveled back to the ninth century in the footsteps of other family members, Storm can only make sure she’s safe by going after her.

Raised unconventionally as her father’s only child, Freydis has never been content to simply accept her fate. So, when she’s promised marriage to a tyrant, she’s determined to find a way out of the arrangement. Help comes in the form of a mysterious and attractive stranger stranded on her island’s shores: Storm.

The only way Freydis can truly be free is for Storm to marry her himself. But that would mean entwining lives that, until now, have been separated by centuries. . .

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My Thoughts:

The story comes in the third-person POV of Strom and Freydis.

So, this is the last book of the series and reads perfectly well as a standalone. I didn’t read any of the previous books. It didn’t make any difference in following this one.

The process of time travel is explained well but kept brief. This isn’t the first time someone in the MMC’s family has done it (the previous books belong to the other characters who went back in time).

Freydis’s character arc is very well done. She is a combination of confidence and vulnerability, naïve but eager to learn. Her thoughts and actions fit her age (eighteen).

Storm’s character is good as well. I did find it a bit off at times that he was just twenty-one but tried not to let it bother me. Some of his actions align with his impulsive nature but he has enough endearing qualities to make up for it.

Joalf is a great side character. I loved his role in the FMC’s life. Sutr, the raven is my favorite, of course! A raven that talks and loves treats? Sign me up!

The dialogue was a bit off at times. Nothing major but I did wonder a few times if that’s how they talked back then.

The setting is great. I could visualize the rocky buildings, the cliffs, the seaside, and the wintry chill that seeps into the bones. Brrr! Freezing!

The romance is decent with some sprinkle of external threat and a bit of miscommunication thrown in. While there is no explicit third-act breakup, there is some tension. It aligns with their characters, so I didn’t mind it much.

The book ends with an epilogue for the series. This might be the only part where readers like me may feel overwhelmed with all the names and details. Since we don’t have to remember any of it, that’s fine.

There’s a bonus short story too, a quick piece for another person from the same family and involves the time-traveling love story. You can read it or skip it. I read it.

To summarize, Legacy of the Runes is an entertaining romance with two characters bonding across different centuries and finding love with each other.

Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and Headline Review, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

#NetGalley

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About the Author – Christina Courtenay

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a Vice President and former Chair and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. LEGACY OF THE RUNES (a time travel historical romance published by Headline Review on 15th August 2024) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

Follow the Author –

Website:http://www.christinacourtenay.com

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor

Twitter/X:https://twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay 

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ChristinaCourtenayAuthor/

Bluesky:https://christinacourtenay@bsky.social

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This has been a stop on the #LegacyoftheRunes blog tour by Rachel's Random Resources. (@rararesources) Thanks for stopping by!


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