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A review by bottleblondebookworm
Enchantra by Kaylie Smith
3.75
Genevieve Grimm heads to Italy in search of answers. Instead, she's thrust into a deadly game with a devil and the only way out is by putting her trust into the arms of her new husband, Rowington Silver.
I was so looking forward to Enchantra. It has so many of my favorite tropes, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, dislike to lovers, found family. While it was an enjoyable read, and one I recommend to those who enjoyed Phantasma, it did feel somewhat of a let down.
I read Phantasma and adored it, but I'll admit, Genevieve wasn't my favorite character. Actually, I kinda disliked her. Now having read Enchantra and gotten more of her story, she's worn on me. I won't say she's my favorite of the Grimm sisters, but I definitely don't dislike her anymore. She was searching for a place to belong and connect and she found it, even if it was a difficult and lonely journey. Stumbling into a deadly game with devils and demons and being forced to marry someone just to survive didn't really phase Genevieve after the initial shock wore off. Though, she did make choices that had me shaking in frustration, she worked hard to ensure her safety as well as others. You can see she has a big heart and a desire to care for a support those she loves, and even complete strangers. Having her realize that about herself, that's she's a worthy person and deserving of love was beautiful.
Rowin's motivations for winning the games were noble, but we also don't get to see much of them due to Rowin basically just being there to keep Genevieve alive. His entire family is forced to play this game each year in order to get a temporary cure for their mom's deadly illness. He's been searching for a cure on his own each year but isn't having much luck. Regardless, he's determined to continue and Genevieve is his way of doing so. Forcing a marriage and competing together gives him a leg up on his siblings but it still isn't easy.
The relationship between Rowin and Genevieve was hot and cold. They had some good banter, but I often found myself wishing they'd just give in to the other! I will say this of Ms. Smith, she can write some sexual tension!! The heat was there, but I felt the emotional depth was lacking and the relationship bordered on instalove, which I'm not opposed to, but it took a while for me to buy in to the emotional part of the relationship. We eventually get there and then... well, I won't spoil it!
I would have loved to see more interactions between Rowin and his siblings. I get that this is difficult to do since there are 6 of them, but aside from Sevin (I love him and actually hope he gets a book) and Ellin, the others are basically irrelevant, which makes it hard to connect to Rowin's love for his family. The way the book ended, I'm assuming we'll have more from the Silver family and maybe this book acts as an intro to the family and the larger family connection will come later, either way I'd still have appreciated more sibling and parent connections (that weren't them fighting to the death).
Overall, this was an enjoyable read even if it didn't hook me like Phantasma. I'm still looking forward to future books from Ms. Smith and the world she's created which is a lot of fun!
I received a complimentary arc from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I was so looking forward to Enchantra. It has so many of my favorite tropes, forced proximity, marriage of convenience, dislike to lovers, found family. While it was an enjoyable read, and one I recommend to those who enjoyed Phantasma, it did feel somewhat of a let down.
I read Phantasma and adored it, but I'll admit, Genevieve wasn't my favorite character. Actually, I kinda disliked her. Now having read Enchantra and gotten more of her story, she's worn on me. I won't say she's my favorite of the Grimm sisters, but I definitely don't dislike her anymore. She was searching for a place to belong and connect and she found it, even if it was a difficult and lonely journey. Stumbling into a deadly game with devils and demons and being forced to marry someone just to survive didn't really phase Genevieve after the initial shock wore off. Though, she did make choices that had me shaking in frustration, she worked hard to ensure her safety as well as others. You can see she has a big heart and a desire to care for a support those she loves, and even complete strangers. Having her realize that about herself, that's she's a worthy person and deserving of love was beautiful.
Rowin's motivations for winning the games were noble, but we also don't get to see much of them due to Rowin basically just being there to keep Genevieve alive. His entire family is forced to play this game each year in order to get a temporary cure for their mom's deadly illness. He's been searching for a cure on his own each year but isn't having much luck. Regardless, he's determined to continue and Genevieve is his way of doing so. Forcing a marriage and competing together gives him a leg up on his siblings but it still isn't easy.
The relationship between Rowin and Genevieve was hot and cold. They had some good banter, but I often found myself wishing they'd just give in to the other! I will say this of Ms. Smith, she can write some sexual tension!! The heat was there, but I felt the emotional depth was lacking and the relationship bordered on instalove, which I'm not opposed to, but it took a while for me to buy in to the emotional part of the relationship. We eventually get there and then... well, I won't spoil it!
I would have loved to see more interactions between Rowin and his siblings. I get that this is difficult to do since there are 6 of them, but aside from Sevin (I love him and actually hope he gets a book) and Ellin, the others are basically irrelevant, which makes it hard to connect to Rowin's love for his family. The way the book ended, I'm assuming we'll have more from the Silver family and maybe this book acts as an intro to the family and the larger family connection will come later, either way I'd still have appreciated more sibling and parent connections (that weren't them fighting to the death).
Overall, this was an enjoyable read even if it didn't hook me like Phantasma. I'm still looking forward to future books from Ms. Smith and the world she's created which is a lot of fun!
I received a complimentary arc from the publisher. All opinions are my own.