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A review by _mkarys
Destiny by D.D. Larsen
4.0
*insert fanning gif here* Is it hot in here or is it just me?
Destiny is the first book in the paranormal romance series, The Academy. I enjoyed this book so much! Since the first pages, I could picture the setting and events as if I were watching a movie. Indeed, if this were a movie it would be one of those beautiful and addicting romances I could see myself finding on TV and ending up completely obsessed two hours later.
The protagonist is Jamie, who returns to her hometown after running away from a disastrous relationship and a job that was suffocating her. The mountains of Accalia, Colorado, were calling her back, and she heeded their call. Back at home, she finds her old friends, with whom she’d lost touch for the past seven years. While she works in sorting the mess in her life and rebuilding those relationships, she meets Wren, a handsome and mysterious ranger to whom she feels inexplicably attracted to. It’s immediately understandable that something’s up with Wren, and Jamie finds herself drawn to him even though her mind is telling her he’s dangerous.
What I loved most about this book was the small-town atmosphere I breathed in while reading and the mystery surrounding the deaths in the woods. (And of course, the romance element, but I’ll talk more about that later.) Accalia seems like the sort of place I would love to live in—minus the attacks on hikers, obviously. I also enjoyed the characters. Mark and Tollen were my favorites among the secondary characters. I could be friends with people like them. Liam, Jamie’s most recent ex, was also an interesting character because he confuses me. My instinct tells me not to trust him, but he makes it difficult not to like him. Compared to Wren, he feels really normal, but is he? I won’t say too much to avoid spoilers.
Wren, and by extent his relationship with Jamie, deserves his own paragraph. What sparks between Jamie and Wren is far from insta-love, but there’s certainly an instant attraction that drives them closer. It’s evident than it’s not normal human attraction, because there’s this pull that Jamie cannot explain. I really loved the (hot!) chemistry between them, although there were several instances where Wren’s attitude grated on my nerves. There were moments I loved his intensity, but others he was broody almost to the point of being rude, like walking away from her without saying a word. I do feel like this impression will change once we’ll get to know him better in the following books. Jamie has an interesting dynamic with Wren that I’m curious to see, but she’s got a good thing with Liam, though again, I don’t fully trust his intentions. (Personally I’d go more for a Mark, who is kind and caring and really sweet.)
I’m really curious to continue this story in the following books, where we’re definitely going to be finding out more about the magical aspect of this story. The premises were very interesting.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy!
Destiny is the first book in the paranormal romance series, The Academy. I enjoyed this book so much! Since the first pages, I could picture the setting and events as if I were watching a movie. Indeed, if this were a movie it would be one of those beautiful and addicting romances I could see myself finding on TV and ending up completely obsessed two hours later.
The protagonist is Jamie, who returns to her hometown after running away from a disastrous relationship and a job that was suffocating her. The mountains of Accalia, Colorado, were calling her back, and she heeded their call. Back at home, she finds her old friends, with whom she’d lost touch for the past seven years. While she works in sorting the mess in her life and rebuilding those relationships, she meets Wren, a handsome and mysterious ranger to whom she feels inexplicably attracted to. It’s immediately understandable that something’s up with Wren, and Jamie finds herself drawn to him even though her mind is telling her he’s dangerous.
What I loved most about this book was the small-town atmosphere I breathed in while reading and the mystery surrounding the deaths in the woods. (And of course, the romance element, but I’ll talk more about that later.) Accalia seems like the sort of place I would love to live in—minus the attacks on hikers, obviously. I also enjoyed the characters. Mark and Tollen were my favorites among the secondary characters. I could be friends with people like them. Liam, Jamie’s most recent ex, was also an interesting character because he confuses me. My instinct tells me not to trust him, but he makes it difficult not to like him. Compared to Wren, he feels really normal, but is he? I won’t say too much to avoid spoilers.
Wren, and by extent his relationship with Jamie, deserves his own paragraph. What sparks between Jamie and Wren is far from insta-love, but there’s certainly an instant attraction that drives them closer. It’s evident than it’s not normal human attraction, because there’s this pull that Jamie cannot explain. I really loved the (hot!) chemistry between them, although there were several instances where Wren’s attitude grated on my nerves. There were moments I loved his intensity, but others he was broody almost to the point of being rude, like walking away from her without saying a word. I do feel like this impression will change once we’ll get to know him better in the following books. Jamie has an interesting dynamic with Wren that I’m curious to see, but she’s got a good thing with Liam, though again, I don’t fully trust his intentions. (Personally I’d go more for a Mark, who is kind and caring and really sweet.)
I’m really curious to continue this story in the following books, where we’re definitely going to be finding out more about the magical aspect of this story. The premises were very interesting.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy!