Avelynn: The Edge of Faith by Marissa Campbell
Publication Date: September 26, 2016 eBook; 302 Pages ASIN: B01KUC6N9Y Genre: Historical Romance/Medieval Series: Avelynn (Book Two)
Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Avelynn: The Edge of Faith, a stand-alone Viking Romance from author Marissa Campbell.
It’s the year 871. Charges of treason, murder, and witchcraft follow Avelynn into exile as she flees England with Alrik. Arriving in Wales, they find refuge among Alrik’s friends in the Welsh nobility. Cast out by his half-brothers, Alrik seeks to regain his honor and earn favor with the gods. When war threatens, Alrik embraces gold and the opportunity for his crew to become mercenaries, aiding the Southern Welsh kings in their fight against Rhodri the Great.
Desperate to return home, Avelynn seeks to find a way to prove her innocence, but she is pitted against Alrik as their desires for the future clash. With battle looming, Avelynn’s faith in their relationship is further tested through a bitter struggle with Marared, a jealous lover from Alrik’s past. Marared’s threats turn deadly, and Avelynn runs afoul of magic and sorcery, causing her to question her beliefs and role as priestess.
When Avelynn and Alrik are betrayed, Avelynn is captured and Alrik is charged with regicide. The two become separated, a chasm of greed, deceit, and ambition driving them apart. In an act of harrowing faith, Avelynn will stop at nothing to find her way back to Alrik and break them both free from Wales’s bloodthirsty grasp.
AVELYNN: THE EDGE OF FAITH is a stand-alone novel and #2 in the Avelynn series.
My Review: Avelynn: The Edge of Faith picks up where Avelynn left off. Avelynn has run away with Alrik with a price on her head. The two of them are exiles with nowhere to go. They arrive in Wales, where Alrik is determined to regain his honor by aiding a Welsh king against Rhodri the Great. Things seem to go well until someone plots to tear them apart. Can Avelynn and Alrik defeat their enemy and find ways to be together again?
While Avelynn is still a feisty heroine, there were moments where I found her to be weak. She was not as strong as she was in the first novel. I did not really see her to be a fighter as she was in the first novel. She is determined to not be ruled by men, yet thereare moments where she seemed to be submissive. She is still spunky and has some moments where she shows her inner strength. I really found it hard to believe that she really loved Alrik. She claims she loves him, but whenever his back is turned, she cheats on him. She is also very judgmental, and her judgement makes her blind. Because of her blindness, it leads to consequences. She does learn from her consequences and tries to make things right, however.
Overall, this book is about love, friendship, and choices. I have to admit that I was disappointed with Avelynn in this sequel. I also thought that this book’s title did not fit with the book. There are hardly any elements of faith in this novel. Avelynn hardly dabbles into her faith nor does she even bother to think about it or question it. Indeed, she seems to be a weaker character. A more fitting title that better suited the plot and the character is Avelynn in Exile. However, I did like that Alrik is more developed in this sequel. Alrik seems to be very honorable. I did think that there were times that the plot seemed slow at times and often childish. Still, Avelynn: The Edge of Faith has enough romance, mystery, and action to keep the reader interested. However, this novel mostly felt like a filler that is saved mostly for the next book. While Avelynn: The Edge of Faith did not nearly captivate me as much as Avelynn, it is still a worthy sequel, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see what is in store for Avelynn and Alrik.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Amazon (Kindle) | Barnes & Noble (Nook) | Kobo
About the Author
Marissa Campbell is a published freelance author, and co-author of the award-winning, spiritual self-help book Life: Living in Fulfillment Every Day. Her debut historical fiction AVELYNN, was published through St. Martin’s Press, September 2015. Look for the second book in the AVELYNN series, releasing Fall 2016. She is a proud member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance Writers of America, Writer’s Community of Durham Region, and local critique group B7. When she is not writing, she is busy looking after her wonderful children, spending time with her fantastic husband, hanging out with her awesome friends, teaching yoga, dancing, laughing, and having fun!
For more information visit http://marissacampbell.com. You can also follow Marissa Campbell on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Giveaway
To win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Avelynn: The Edge of Faith eBook, please enter via the Gleam form below. 1 gift card and 5 eBooks are up for grabs!
Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 21st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open Internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Comments
Post a Comment