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House of Earth and Blood: Crescent City, Book 1
Sarah J. Maas
4.7
A Heart of Desire and Deceit: The Choosing Chronicles, Book 2
by Elayna R. Gallea
Categories
About this book
Ryker Waterborn stands amidst the wreckage of a marriage built on a foundation of lethal secrets. After discovering that his wife, Brynleigh, is a killer, the betrayal threatens to consume them both. Yet, despite the devastation, Ryker cannot abandon her to the darkness.
In a desperate bid to save her from certain imprisonment, he strikes a dangerous bargain: Brynleigh must infiltrate the inner circle of her maker, Jelisette de la Point, to gather damning evidence of treason. Forced to return to the very source of her trauma, Brynleigh navigates a treacherous landscape where every move could be her last. The physical distance between the couple is matched only by the emotional chasm left by her confession.
As Brynleigh plunges back into a world of deceit, the bond between her and Ryker is tested to its breaking point. They are no longer the naive souls who once dared to imagine a happy ending; they are survivors caught in a web of shifting loyalties and shifting identities. In this high-stakes conclusion, the question remains whether their forbidden love is a weakness that will lead to their destruction or the only force powerful enough to secure their salvation.
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What readers are saying
KatAwesome Conclusion to Duet 1 in this Series
"This book picks up shortly after book one ends, and takes us on ride full of heartbreak, redemption, and healing. Our MCs start this book at odds, becoming enemies from the fallout when Brynleigh's plans were revealed. Both of them heartbroken, her because she fell for him and changed her mind about killing him, and Ryker because he never saw it coming. The confusion of still loving each other while being so hurt leads to some of the most painful moments of emotion that I have read. We learned about why both characters are so emotionally scarred in book one, and we see more of how that effects their choices and relate to them working to rebuild trust with each other. They're both complicated messes, that work toward being able to choose each other while healing from their pasts. The wider story of a corrupt dystopian world becomes more clear as the story progresses. There is a part of me that sympathizes with the rebels since the society is worlds away from what their predecessors built a thousand years before. However, their execution isn't the way to solve the problem, though ultimately violence may be necessary, they're a pretty off key on how to get there. In this instance, they needed to be quashed so something better can rise up, IMO. For me, this was a good conclusion to their story and great setup for the next duology that follows River and Nikhail. This one, on the spice scale gets a little hotter: š¶ļøš¶ļøš¶ļø ["
March 20, 2026 Verified Purchase
Michiecute story
"It was cute and predictable. It was a nice little conclusion to their love story. I like how he let her kick butt and only stepped in to help a little. ["
April 15, 2025 Verified Purchase
The Books WhisperersCozy romantasy
"This concludes Ryker and Brynleigh's story. Like book one in this duology, it's a nice, cozy romantasy. Very low stakes and an HEA at the end. I don't know what it is about this duology that made the story unforgettable? The plot was predictable, and the characters were ok, and yet somehow all of it together was a fun, low stakes, romp through the fantasy world of the Republica of Balance. All in all I enjoyed this story and am gladly that I took the time to read it. ["
October 7, 2024 Verified Purchase
Kindle CustomerIām the worst at writing reviews but I love this duo as much as I loved Sebastian and Luna.
"First, I was blessed with the ability to be an ARC reader. Itās my first time and it is so cool that I got to be one for one of my favorite authors! Still makes me giddy. Like all of the other books Iāve read by Elayna, I absolutely adored this duology. I loved all of the Easter eggs pointing to her prior series. Bryns inner monologue in the first book had me cracking up while also wanting to yell at her, because Ryker is a literal dream of a man. Of course he has dimples. He gave her the fricken sun man. The SUN š„¹š If youāre here then you know what all went down in the first book so Iāll move on to this one. I was attached to these characters. I almost cried a minimum of 20 times in the 1st half. I felt like my heart was broken alongside theirs. The love they created was there but it was buried deep beneath betrayal, miscommunication and lies. Ryker trying to guard himself speaking cold and distant, but also remaining completely swoon worthy through his actions. Ugh. Bryns āinterrogationā made me sick. Donāt even get me started on the grief I felt over Rykers dad. The disappointment, no the rage I felt for ALL of the maternal figures of this series is indescribable. The world building, the descriptions used to portray characters and scenery were fantastic. It was like I had a movie in my head the entire time. The side characters especially River and Myyrah. Iām trying not to give the story away so I will say this was overall such an interesting plot, the romance was stellar, 2 pepper spice, the fight scenes had me hooked. I giggled, I cried, I got pissed, many moments made me nervous as hell and I loved every second of it. Thank you for your creative mind and ability to write bad ass characters and a few of my book boyfriends maāam. I canāt wait for Rivers book and Troubled! ["
July 20, 2024 Verified Purchase
