{Review} Queen of Wands (Sanctify #2) by Katee Robert

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: May 17th, 2014
Finished Date: June 20th, 2014

Publishers: Entangled Select
Genre: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC 

Pages: 300

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US

When Jenny O'Keirna gets a chance to slip her older brother, the new king of Hansarda's, leash, she jumps at it, even if it means playing babysitter to a too-smart-for-his-own-good inventor. She's not expecting the attraction that sparks between them—or that Sanctify is just as desperate to take him for their own.

Never in Mac Flannery's wildest dreams did he imagine Jenny would be the one sent for him. He sees beyond the mad grin the sexy princess of Hansarda presents to the world, and that combination of vulnerability and wicked humor is a siren call he can't resist.

But Sanctify is always three steps ahead of them. On the run—and unable to keep their hands off each other—Jenny and Mac devise an insane plan: kidnap the leader of Sanctify, and stop this war once and for all. Unfortunately, they've just played right into his hands…

The Review: Queen of Wands is the second book in the Sanctify series and this time around we have Jenny O’Keirna, Boone’s sister and pain in his ass! I was glad we were getting Jenny’s book, she was super fun in book one and I knew I would want her story. I’ll come out and say straight away that I thought the man for her would be Cole who she very much enjoys tormenting with her own brand of wit and sarcasm, but low and behold – she has another suitor in geek man – Mac Flannery. Mac is the inventor and genius behind Ophelia’s fathers’ weapons and sanctify would love to get their hands on him and turn the tables on the rebels; so with Boone & Ophelia out of action it’s left to Jenny to lead the rescue mission for Mac, a simple extraction before Sanctify can get their claws into him. Mac had been keeping tabs on Jenny after looking into her following Boones abduction of Ophelia in book one and he likes what he sees, he sees beneath her façade but doesn’t understand her reasoning until he meets her. Jenny is a party girl through and through and no man can ever tie her down and cage her wild ways so she’s in for a huge eye opener when geek man turns out to be geek hunk! Both are unprepared for the chemistry between them and Jenny doesn’t realise just what she’s getting into but that doesn’t mean she’ll let herself be tamed – Hells no! she’s about to take Mac on the adventure of a lifetime as they try to stay one step ahead of the enemy and avert possible war. They have a plan, it’s risky but it puts them right in the hands of the new High Priest of Sanctify…. Can they pull it off? So I really enjoyed this – I knew I would because I loved book one – it was again, exciting, sexy and action packed and opened up the universe even more. Jenny definitely made an impression in book one, she’s fun, full of sass and a girl who has no boundaries – living to be free and her own person – she has problem with authority and not being seen as a capable member of the rebellion, she knows she can do the missions but her brother tends to put a block on her activities. She practically begs for the mission to extract Mac, thinking that it will show everyone that she ‘can’ do things solo and that she will succeed. It’s all good but when she meets Mac, we see a different side to her, a side I think she even hides from herself most of the time and it lets the reader see her in a softer light rather than the dominant female she is. She protects her heart, she uses humour and snarkiness to deflect what she really feels and Mac can see through all of her BS, that’s how you know that he’s the keeper. Jenny isn’t alone in her demons, Mac has them too and some of them are the driving force behind why he does what he does but again, it’s meeting Jenny that makes him want to share, he wants to open up to this woman and he hopes she will do the same but he’s not willing to play her games and that’s what makes him different for Jenny – he doesn’t want to cage her, he doesn’t want to protect her, he wants to let her be her. I thought these two had a great dynamic between them when they get down to it, Jenny is kind of complex in her behaviours and it was always going to take someone to see through that, she was impulsive whereas Mac was a thinker, always weighing the options and results – so they balance each other out a lot – showing us some nice chemistry and a lot of sexual tension. I liked that it was a female who had the impulsive nature, using her sexuality and loving & leaving men behind and that Mac was pretty steady and wouldn’t be used for a sexual encounter, it’s not often we see this type of relationship and I thought it fitting to both characters. The storyline was a great continuation from book one and whilst we had a couple of cameos from Boone & Ophelia, it was all about Jenny & Mac. There is a new High Priest in the enemy camp and he is younger and more aware of what is going on in their worlds, everyone is on tenterhooks as to what he will do now that he’s in charge; who will he target? Will he be as harsh as his predecessor? Will Hansarda be safe until they can mount a defence? … You will find out. I liked the run and chase scenario they had going on and the fact that Jenny’s escape planet was ‘unusual’ but ‘so her’ to even suggest it, she was in control and she’d own it! Which was fun for all involved… for a while. We get a few old characters and meet a few new characters which are always welcome, plus a really cool character is back from book one that seems to be everyones’ punching bag which makes me really want her story because she and her actions are an enigma. There is no let-up in action as we get physical battles, starship battles, unexpected ambushes & power struggles - leading to some awesome fight scenes that leave you breathless. So expect an exciting, action packed read that is balanced by finding love, a person you can yourself with and some serious sexual tension & sexytime. I look forward to book 3. 

{Review} Queen of Swords (Sanctify #1) by Katee Robert

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: July 10th, 2012

Finished Date: May 7th, 2014
Publishers: Entangled Select
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance 

Source: For Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

When the cards tell Ophelia Leoni she's supposed to marry the Prince of Hansarda, the gunrunner grits her teeth and boards the starship that comes for her. It doesn't matter if the ship's commander is the gorgeous stranger she just spent a wild, drunken night with. As a Diviner, she’s painfully aware the cards don't lie. Ever.

Boone O’Keirna knows Ophelia is trouble the second he sees the way she moves. Not about to let the deadly little hellcat marry his sadistic half-brother, Boone pretends to be the Prince’s emissary and kidnaps Ophelia. Too bad they can’t be in the same room without him wanting to throw her out an airlock–or into bed.

Even as they fight each other–and their explosive attraction–Ophelia and Boone sense something is wrong. Too much is going their way. Soon, they realize while the cards may never lie, the truth is sometimes hidden between them...and the future king of Hansarda is not one to take defeat lying down.

The Review: You know what? I loved this book… it was sci fi, it was fantasy & it was refreshingly different.
We meet Ophelia Leoni as she is getting smashed, grieving for the loss of her crew and ship, all she wants is oblivion and what better way to achieve it that through alcohol and anonymous no strings sex with a one night stand…… what she doesn’t bank on is the one night stand she has just left, turning up at her home on the same day to cart her off to marry the Prince of Hansarda – something she wouldn’t be doing if not for her gift & her cards telling her it was the right direction for her life to take – for she is a Diviner, a seer/clairvoyant of sorts and she knows now that the cards don’t lie.
Boone O’Keirna is scouting out his brother’s intended, why does he want her so badly? Is it because she has a massive arsenal of weapons at her disposal or does he know her true nature? Whatever it is, when Boone realises that the woman is Ophelia - the woman he spent an amazing night with last night – he knows that he can’t allow his brother to have her….. so he kidnaps her and stows her aboard his starship and hopefully, she might come around to his cause….OR they could always use her as a bargaining tool. What neither of them is prepared for is the connection they seem to share or what fate has instore for them – hidden amongst Ophelia’s cards.
So yeah, I loved this book and as I said, it’s different to what I normally read. I really liked the book as a whole, the characters were great; I totally loved Ophelia, she was kick ass, dominant, assertive & not afraid to take what she wants – at first it was a bit overwhelming as she seemed too tough but as the book progressed, we got to see a softer side to her but also a woman who is constantly alert to danger. I loved her gift, it again was different to the usual and I loved the way she used the Tarot cards. Boone was great too, just as dominant as Ophelia and yep, that made them clash like hell! Which was great to read; I love a good power struggle and Boone was not lying down for any one! I love a good love/hate clash between couples and these two really went for it, which not only created some hot moments but also some sweet moments that made me like the characters even more. I wanted them together and that feeling grew throughout the book, which to me is the sign of a good coupling. I was also invested in the secondary characters – Jenny & Cole are a pair to look out for and Sadie also caught my interest, so I’m hoping for more from those too.
The storyline was good and I really liked the initial set up of Boone kidnapping Ophelia after a one night stand, the connection between them was set up from the start and when they were confined in the starship, it started to kindle into something bigger. The relationship had a big influence in the overall story and I liked that it connected a lot of things together and not just there for the ‘romance’ part but was integral to the story. I liked the world building that set up a multi planet universe, accessible through starships and warp tunnels giving the travel and universe a very star wars/star trek feel plus it is filled with different species or people with abilities which could be limitless. There is the immediate threat of Boone’s brother to contend with in this but it also brings what I feel is the ‘series threat’ in the form of a religious like zealot group that put humans above all else and their job is to eradicate any ‘other’ life forms as being blasphemous to their religion – we’re talking the wiping out of whole groups using methods of torture and fire etc. – they come across as very sinister, single minded people & so they pose a massive threat to everyone not human and none moreso than that which Ophelia is – a Diviner – who are practically extinct, which will make you understand just how precious and special she & her talent really are. You really get a good feel for the world and dynamics of it all and I love the way the tarot is used throughout, I thought it brought a certain mysticism to the story and Ophelia and her mother sort of reminded me of the Bene geserit from Frank Herbert's Dune with their gifts and varying stages of power – which was not a bad thing. I loved where the story went though, the ending was very satisfying but promises bigger & better things, with more danger and battles on the horizon and really cannot wait for the sequel. 

Thank you to Entangled Select for the opportunity to review this book, in exchange for an honest review.