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erincataldi's review
5.0
A fantastic follow up. Book one was the slow burn as Lady Natalie got to know Brandon the Bear. Book Two is all about the sizzle and the struggle of trying to keep their relationship private so that Brandon won't get kicked out of the Champion's Guild. The novel opens with them trying to find Henry because they know that he is responsible for the attack on Blackmere and death of some of their friends. They discover that he has escaped to the Guild and he's already lied to the Guild Master, saying that it's all a terrible misunderstanding. Unable to make Henry pay for his crimes, Brandon decides that he will face Henry the Dragon in the Midsummer Melee and make him pay in the arena. They both spend six months training their asses off at the guild and sending each other penetrating glances. Not getting to touch each other or get any moments of privacy is hard on their relationship. Can they defeat Henry? Will their relationship survive? Fantastic. Great ending and I can't wait to read the third and final installment in this series!
andycs94's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
kindlelovingmom's review
5.0
I don't typically gravitate towards series with multiple books about the same couple, but Brandon and Natalie are magic! 4.5 Stars!
Natalie, Lady of Blackmere, is now a squire for the Champion's Guild, and Brandon, in repayment for their help defending her people in book 1. For a year, she gets to stay with Brandon at the Guild, but NO ONE can know how they feel about each other. The champions are forbidden from falling in love, and Brandon could be be expelled from the Guild, putting his, and his ailing parents', livelihood in jeopardy. She thought she would do anything to stay close to him, but this longing for him might just do her in.
Brandon the Bear has found his passion for the fight again, after falling in love with Natalie. Though most people, including himself, thought he was past his prime, he finds himself training harder, and feeling better, than ever before. So, he decides to compete in the next big tournament, the Midsummer Melee. With Natalie as his squire he feels unbeatable, even if they have to steal scant moments alone together whenever they can find them. He's determined to win the tourney (and the purse that goes with it), get revenge on that traitor, Henry Percille, the Dragon, and live happily ever after with his lady by his side. But, it could never be so easy, could it??
Seeing Natalie and Brandon, already in love and committed to each other was lovely and fun, but at the same time there was so much LONGING in this book! Because they couldn't be together out in the open, they were living for stolen moments of alone time, always worried that someone might catch them in a compromising position. It made things exciting, and anxious, and all the things a forbidden love story should be!
There were some familiar side characters here, like Viv, whom I adore! And Henry, who is the very devil. There were some new ones too, like the champion Darius, the Storm, and the squire Tommy, who were both delightful in their own way. Also, the Guild Master, which honestly sounds like a terrible, though lucrative position. They all helped weave the story into what it was. Though all the storylines were not completed in this book, as there's still a 3rd book to be had, they were left in a reasonable place, and we still had the HFN ending for our hero and heroine!
I really loved this story of a great love, forbidden by current circumstances, but no less true or real, regardless of their situation. They were each willing to sacrifice a lot to be together, and I loved watching them figure out how they would make it all work! I'm so looking forward to the final book in this trilogy, to see how Brandon and Natalie ultimately find their HEA.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
Natalie, Lady of Blackmere, is now a squire for the Champion's Guild, and Brandon, in repayment for their help defending her people in book 1. For a year, she gets to stay with Brandon at the Guild, but NO ONE can know how they feel about each other. The champions are forbidden from falling in love, and Brandon could be be expelled from the Guild, putting his, and his ailing parents', livelihood in jeopardy. She thought she would do anything to stay close to him, but this longing for him might just do her in.
Brandon the Bear has found his passion for the fight again, after falling in love with Natalie. Though most people, including himself, thought he was past his prime, he finds himself training harder, and feeling better, than ever before. So, he decides to compete in the next big tournament, the Midsummer Melee. With Natalie as his squire he feels unbeatable, even if they have to steal scant moments alone together whenever they can find them. He's determined to win the tourney (and the purse that goes with it), get revenge on that traitor, Henry Percille, the Dragon, and live happily ever after with his lady by his side. But, it could never be so easy, could it??
Seeing Natalie and Brandon, already in love and committed to each other was lovely and fun, but at the same time there was so much LONGING in this book! Because they couldn't be together out in the open, they were living for stolen moments of alone time, always worried that someone might catch them in a compromising position. It made things exciting, and anxious, and all the things a forbidden love story should be!
There were some familiar side characters here, like Viv, whom I adore! And Henry, who is the very devil. There were some new ones too, like the champion Darius, the Storm, and the squire Tommy, who were both delightful in their own way. Also, the Guild Master, which honestly sounds like a terrible, though lucrative position. They all helped weave the story into what it was. Though all the storylines were not completed in this book, as there's still a 3rd book to be had, they were left in a reasonable place, and we still had the HFN ending for our hero and heroine!
I really loved this story of a great love, forbidden by current circumstances, but no less true or real, regardless of their situation. They were each willing to sacrifice a lot to be together, and I loved watching them figure out how they would make it all work! I'm so looking forward to the final book in this trilogy, to see how Brandon and Natalie ultimately find their HEA.
ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Megan from Alpha Book Club
vwalklate's review
5.0
4.75 stars!!! Natalie and Brandon are back, completely in love but hiding that fact from almost everyone at the Champion’s Guild headquarters, where relationships are forbidden. He is back in the game, so to speak, and she is his squire. There is so much pining in this book and lots of tension when they steal moments together. At one point I found myself flipping forward a few pages to make sure they didn’t get caught - it has been a LONG time since a book had me invested enough to worry like that.
The sex was just the right level of hot and emotional. The world building was great, better than Book 1 in fact, perhaps because this plot gave wider scope for its development.
The supporting characters were fab. My love for Viv is evergreen andI cheered for her when she walked away, even though I missed her presence in the rest of the book. Wasn’t sure about Darius at first but I warmed to him in the end, will he get his own story at some point I wonder? Felt very sorry for the Guild Master, what a thankless job. And Horrid Henry was just as spiteful and poopy as he was in Book 1 although I am a sucker for a villain redemption arc and I’m starting to wonder, based on his tears and dramatics at the end, whether we might get one....?
And OMG we have an F/F royal couple! Yes yes yes!!! This was in the sneak peek of book 3 at the back rather than this book, but it makes me so happy!!
Tiny nitpicking points similar to my thoughts on Book 1, I would have preferred dual POV rather than just Nat. And there was one point at the end when I got exasperated with Brandon and somewhat sceptical of his actions:when he beat Henry and dropped his sword to cheer, and Henry attacked him and he had to be saved by Nat. As a seasoned warrior, would Brandon really have let his guard down, knowing full well that Henry has previously attacked victors, including Darius in that very same tournament? But these are small teeny minor points. The plus size representation in this book (for both MCs), the equal roles of women, the lgbtq+ relationships, the world building, the love, the pining, the sex, it was fabulous. Waiting impatiently for Book 3!
The sex was just the right level of hot and emotional. The world building was great, better than Book 1 in fact, perhaps because this plot gave wider scope for its development.
The supporting characters were fab. My love for Viv is evergreen and
And OMG we have an F/F royal couple! Yes yes yes!!! This was in the sneak peek of book 3 at the back rather than this book, but it makes me so happy!!
Tiny nitpicking points similar to my thoughts on Book 1, I would have preferred dual POV rather than just Nat. And there was one point at the end when I got exasperated with Brandon and somewhat sceptical of his actions:
cakt1991's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Marie Lipscomb provides a fresh spin on fantasy romance I don’t know if I’ve seen before with her second installment, The Champion’s Desire, The book follows the leads from the prior book, Natalie and Brandon, once again, but while they did get something of a happy ending in the previous book, this book shows one way you can continue to pose challenges to a couple while already having them in an established (albeit secret) relationship. So many series, both in fantasy romance and otherwise, feel the need for their single-pairing series to be about internal angst and push-and-pull, will-they, won’t-they, but I find it refreshing that the challenges can be more external, leading perhaps to internal conflicts (but not always).
The circumstances with the Guild also provide great circumstances for a new spin on the forbidden love trope. Brandon and Natalie pine for each other, and it’s oh-so-sweet! They do have their issues, but it’s never ones that are left to fester for too long.
I also enjoyed continuing to learn about the politics of the Guild and the wider world. There are some great new characters that I hope we see more of (spin-off?), like champion Darius and squire Tommy.
I enjoyed this book almost as much as the first, and am excited for what the third book will bring. And if you’re looking for a fun fantasy romance with heavy emphasis on the feels, I think you’ll love this one.
llamareads's review
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
Content warnings: fantasy violence (including injuries in supposedly friendly tournament bouts), misogyny, verbal abuse, parent with unspecified illness
Where we last left Natalie and Brandon, she’d agreed to travel with him as a squire in order to pay him back for saving Blackmere from Henry and the bandits. Of course, the fact that they’re desperately in love with each other is also a factor in that decision! This is the second book in a series, and while I think the previous book is recapped well, I’d recommend reading them in order.
Natalie’s dreamed of meeting the champions for her entire life, and she’s excited to finally get a chance to actually live among them. But the reality is far from what she expected. For one thing, Henry has beaten them there, and many of the champions aren’t happy to have a noble lady among them. Plus, guild champions are forbidden from having relationships, and any hint of the love between Natalie and Brandon will lead to them both being kicked out of the Guild.
Where we last left Natalie and Brandon, she’d agreed to travel with him as a squire in order to pay him back for saving Blackmere from Henry and the bandits. Of course, the fact that they’re desperately in love with each other is also a factor in that decision! This is the second book in a series, and while I think the previous book is recapped well, I’d recommend reading them in order.
Natalie’s dreamed of meeting the champions for her entire life, and she’s excited to finally get a chance to actually live among them. But the reality is far from what she expected. For one thing, Henry has beaten them there, and many of the champions aren’t happy to have a noble lady among them. Plus, guild champions are forbidden from having relationships, and any hint of the love between Natalie and Brandon will lead to them both being kicked out of the Guild.
“Forgive me,” he whispered against her hair. “There are a lot of memories here. Good memories.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier. Sometimes the good memories hurt most of all.”
The bandit attack at Blackmere still haunts both Natalie and Brandon. Natalie still feels guilty for failing to protect her people better while Brandon misses his fallen friends. In some ways, returning to the Guild is almost a punishment for him, especially with Henry there and the Guildmaster more interested in the champions being nice to each other than actually investigating Natalie and Brandon’s accusations against him. Brandon has many reasons for returning to the guild, especially since they’ve been his family for so long, and one of the main ones is that he uses his prize money to support his ill mother. It seems even more important for him to compete well in the upcoming Midsummer Melee, especially if it means trouncing Henry. But Brandon has been hitting the tankard more than the training grounds lately, so everyone believes he’ll just embarrass himself again – everyone, that is, except Natalie. As his squire, she helps him regain his strength, and as the women he loves, she gives him a new reason to train. Brandon’s not the only one getting stronger; Natalie also gets the chance to train for the squire’s tournament, and that, along with helping out some of the other squires, helps restore some of the confidence she lost.
“You’re Brandon the Bear. People sing songs about your strength and courage.”
“I’m not the man I was.”
“I believe in the man you are now.”
A guild champion and a noble lady don’t make much sense outside the Guild, and as a squire and champion, it’s forbidden, so this is definitely a forbidden love type of situation, full of lots of pining and stolen intimate moments. The book is from Natalie’s POV, so a good chunk of the angst is from her worries about the future of their relationship (the rest is courtesy of that big jerk Henry). While there are some issues caused by lack of communication, once they actually have the time and space to have a conversation, they’re committed to working together to try to find a way to make their love work.
Overall, this was another good entry in this series. While there are still some unresolved plot threads, it looks like there will be a third book in the series following Natalie and Brandon, and then at least one for Genevieve (!!!).
I received an advance review copy of this book from BookSprout. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
rubywren's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
3.75
Traveling through Aldland to the Guild, where the Lady of Blackmere will act as squire to her Champion, the story of The Champion’s Desire picks up Natalie and Brandon’s story immediately after the events of The Lady’s Champion, Marie Lipscomb’s debut. But the course of their love story does not run smooth, and their Happily Ever After begins to look as if it was really a Happily For Now as a villain must be confronted, life altering decisions made, and their relationship concealed. Difficult tasks and the challenges they present help make this second Hearts of Blackmere book a lively and adventurous historical fantasy romance read.
As Natalie sees one of her lifelong dreams come true, Brandon finds a renewed determination to recapture some of his status as the legendary Bear. And while the plot threads of justice for the evil that was done in Blackmere and those of various secondary characters are vital to the story, it is Natalie and Brandon and their more personal struggles and triumphs that are the heart of this story.
Second in series books have a tough lot, and I approached reading The Champion’s Desire with a bit of trepidation. But once the story got underway, I was all in and quickly found myself thinking of how cleverly the story was plotted and structured, keeping me engrossed and finding that I enjoyed the characters even more this second time out, and Natalie’s character growth in particular.
If you enjoy romance and adventure with ladies and their champions set in a fantasy world, with romantic leads that are older and more inclined to cuddling than the stereotypical norm, this is a series that you also may adore.
I voluntarily read a digital galley of this book courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are only my own honest opinions. Open door romance.
As Natalie sees one of her lifelong dreams come true, Brandon finds a renewed determination to recapture some of his status as the legendary Bear. And while the plot threads of justice for the evil that was done in Blackmere and those of various secondary characters are vital to the story, it is Natalie and Brandon and their more personal struggles and triumphs that are the heart of this story.
Second in series books have a tough lot, and I approached reading The Champion’s Desire with a bit of trepidation. But once the story got underway, I was all in and quickly found myself thinking of how cleverly the story was plotted and structured, keeping me engrossed and finding that I enjoyed the characters even more this second time out, and Natalie’s character growth in particular.
If you enjoy romance and adventure with ladies and their champions set in a fantasy world, with romantic leads that are older and more inclined to cuddling than the stereotypical norm, this is a series that you also may adore.
I voluntarily read a digital galley of this book courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are only my own honest opinions. Open door romance.
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