Wicked New Wednesday

 

by L. P. Dover

Summary: The smell of rain vastly approaches as we are lying on the ground in a sea of flowers. They surround our bodies while the fresh Spring wind caresses our skin with its soft, gentle touch. Combined as one, we stare into each other’s eyes as we bask in the pleasure of our love and OUR land.

The Land of the Fae has flourished bringing a new beginning and a new court, the Fall Court. Five years have passed since then along with the dreaded day that Meliantha, Summer Court Princess and one of the powerful Four, was betrayed and broken-hearted by the sexy and alluring Winter Prince, Kalen. Spurned by the man she loves, Meliantha has turned and fallen into the arms of the fierce and handsome warrior, Finn, who understands she can never love him, but wants more than anything to mend her broken heart.
The Winter Solstice Ball is approaching, meaning Meliantha will have to face the Winter Prince and make it out of there with her heart intact. But what does she do when Prince Kalen acts as if nothing ever happened and seems more in love with her than ever before?

The dark sorcerer has planned his twisted game of lies and deceit well, and has enjoyed making himself a player without anyone’s knowledge. The game is almost over and the players are exactly where they are needed to be. Will Meliantha figure out his twisted game and save all the players? Or will the dark sorcerer once again obtain the power of the Four and take everything away from her…..even her one true love?

Review:  Back to the Land of the Fae we go for the second installment of Forever Fae, Betrayals of Spring. This time we follow the Summer Courts' second oldest princess Meliantha and the story couldn't be more different for her than her sister's story. After having her heart broken by who she thought was Prince Kalen, Meliantha decides she isn't going to be the fragile princess she was when we began this series and during the 5 years between books she has transformed into a warrior princess, having trained hard learning everything she can to protect not only the ones she cares about but her own heart. This happens to be my favorite part of the entire book. Meliantha is a kick-ass women when we meet her again and it couldn't be more awesome. She can defend herself, she rolls with the warriors  and she is an independent women who doesn't need a man, or anyone for that matter. Now, her sister Calista in the first book was no slouch, but she is put to shame when Meliantha comes back into the picture. However, despite what she may tell herself, the most amazing part is that she still has her kind heart, even if she hides it under all that armor. She cares about her plants, sprites, and family with no less vigor, just an over-arcing theme that she can now protect them if need be, especially with her added power of healing. This balance of stength and compassion is what ends up saving both her own life and the life of her Prince in the end, and I personally think is what makes her the best asset to the Fae against the Dark Sorcerer. 
       Another aspect that I love about these books is the world. The way the Land of the Fae is described is so thorough that I can picture the courts and the forest as though I'm standing in the middle of them. Even just beyond the physical description of the land, I feel like I'm being taken on a tour when I'm reading. Introduced to so many different kinds of Fae as we go along like redcaps, Leprechauns and Tryvar in this story, you can put these characters into the landscape and almost see the entire thing come alive, which I would like to add is NOT an easy thing to do.I always believe that having developed characters is great but when you can put them in an amazing world that has depth and range THAT is what makes an amazing story, and you'll find that in Betrayals of Spring.
         To wrap this up, I enjoyed this book immensely. I may have fallen in love with Ashur, her guardian and Kalen's wolf pack just a little bit....or a lot. The only thing I had written down in my notes was that I would love to see the mortal world get thrown in more. They talk about going there and we get a little glimpse of it towards the end, but I'd love to see some adventure there for someone. I thought this story was beautifully written and you can see the obvious growth from the first book to the second and the story definitely benefits from it. I can not wait to see the other two characters of the prophecy get there own book and see what is next for the Land of the Fae! - My Opinion- Buy!