Crown of Frost

Isabella August

Sep 2019 · Starwatch Press

About this ebook

Faeries make for terrible enemies... and even more dangerous allies.

Nightmares still plague Elaine Halstead, five years after her escape from the darkest realm in faerie. No amount of mortal magic can fix her tattered memories, but one uneasy remnant haunts her dreams: a mysterious man with cold blue eyes.

When Elaine’s nightmares return for her, so too does the man from her dreams. Tall, dark, and cloaked in dangerous power, Liam claims that he's come to protect Elaine... but his very presence is enough to enmesh them both in dangerous faerie politics all over again. More than one lord of faerie wants what Elaine can't remember—but someone very wicked owes her an incalculable debt, and she intends to collect.

All she needs to do is remember how very off-limits her bodyguard is.

Fans of Patricia Briggs and the Merry Gentry series will find plenty to love in this steamy, modern faerie tale. Dive into Crown of Frost and read the book that started the Faerie Lords series.

Ratings and reviews

If you like sweet, steamy, self-sacrificing love interests.. this book is a must read. If you prefer intricate magic systems and brutal villains at every turn.. this novel has that too. According to the author's website, Isabella August is the nom de guerre of not one.. but a pair of writers, who began as childhood friends. As adults, thousands of miles apart geographically, but clearly much closer at the heart.. they collaborate on stories like this one. And what a lovely intricate web they weave... I am absolutely in love with Liam. He is indeed, all the things I mentioned above, but also so much more. He's a force to be reckoned with. He's one of the most sensual male characters I've ever read, but in ways I've experienced, which made him feel all the more realistic. He's amusing and possessive.. yet reasonable about it. He's also deeply conflicted, through no real fault of his own, which.. I am a sucker for. Our story though, mainly centers around a young witch named Lainey, who has lost huge chunks of her memory, but gained something considerable as well. A character that is quite likable herself. She has vulnerabilities, but she isn't the type to just stand aside and wail either. Nor is she an over the top 'bad ass' type. Rather, she digs down when she needs to.. but she stumbles. She makes mistakes. The world itself.. for me.. was kind of a stunning mix of the frozen land of Beauty's Beast.. and Wonderland mazes.. with a lot of other interesting landscapes thrown in as well. And that magic system I mentioned? Diverse. So diverse, the author(s?) have even seen fit to include a breakdown at the back of the book. I cannot wait to read more. All in all, I adored every moment of this story. I read it front to back in one sitting. I think my eyes may be bleeding.. but it was worth it. Just as I know the rest of the books in the series are going to be. (More reviews like this at Betwixt The Sheets.) (I received this title as an ARC, then also purchased it after release. All opinions are mine and freely given.)

This book is not my usual type to read, but the description tempted me and I am glad that I got it. Since I am not used to reading about Faerie Lords, Warlocks, Witches and the Faerie Lord Realm, it took me a little bit to get into the reading of the book. This is the story of Elaine, a witch born with Taurus magic and Liam, the half-mortal son of the Lord of Blackfrost from the Faerie world of Arcadia. Five years have passed since Elaine escaped from Lord Blackfrost's clutches by killing him. She doesn't remember how she did it and only remembers bits and pieces of her time there. Elaine has been well hidden, but her whereabouts are fixing to be revealed and Elaine will have to decide if she will return to Arcadia or stay where she is. Liam helped Elaine escape his father's clutches five years ago and now he needs her help to help him stay more human and sane than more faerie and insane. Perhaps together than can bring a positive change to Arcadia and some of its inhabitants. I am interested in reading what the next book has to say.

About the author

Isabella August writes steamy modern faerie tales. She lives in Montreal, Quebec with her fantastic, prose-inspiring husband and her two cats. She is fond of smart, trashy books, and is unaccountably obsessed with pineapples.