Once every thousand years, two souls are entwined, uniting the powers of the kingdoms. But what if your soul is connected to your enemy?
King Marc’s father betrayed Arianna’s family and stole her kingdom, and all she wants is revenge. Disguised as a lowly tanner, Arianna works with the rebels, and when King Marc asks her to marry him, she agrees only so she can steal his throne. How long can she hide her identity and mission from a husband who unknowingly shares her powers and is determined to know her past?
Dark forces push the kingdoms back toward war, and Marc submits to the marriage law only to preserve the peace. But when he marries a minute past midnight, he is forced to abdicate, leaving him a mere commoner, and as he comes to know his wife, he realizes that her secrets could destroy them all.
The excerpt about A Last Hope, plus the cover art. All credit goes to the author, Verity Sandahl.
Intrigued? Read on:
Arianna must marry her enemy, but how can she love a man she has despised for so long? Meanwhile, proud Marc is forced into a life of simplicity, alongside a wife who does not love him. Can he learn humility and do what the One Father is calling him to?
Verity Sandahl wrote A Last Hope as a part of a collaborative series to raise awareness of and fight human trafficking. A Christian romance steeped in God’s everlasting forgiveness, A Last Hope proves itself to be an enchanting story of overcoming hate and learning to love your enemy.
What I love:
Characters are everything in a story, and these ones possess such real, emotional struggles. Each person, even the side characters, has their own secrets and mysteries, struggles and hopes. The author makes it irresistible to fall in love with her beautiful people.
The plot twists happened so unexpectedly that I could not have possibly guessed them. That, paired with a deeply woven plot, shows that there’s so much more behind the scenes of A Last Hope and beyond the places and people we come to know. Her complexity of worldbuilding brings depth and draws readers in.
What I don’t love:
In the earlier parts of the novel, I found it difficult to get into the story because—as a self-proclaimed grammar police—I encountered a number of typos. However, as the plot progressed, the story outshone the typos and I couldn’t have put the book down if I wanted to.
Content warnings:
Mentions of violence.
A Last Hope mentions battle in the distance, a war, and an animal killed in a memory. Yet even these brief mentions skip over any violence or gore. A Last Hope is refreshingly clean and pure, a diamond in the rough of today’s YA.
Ratings:
Appropriate content: 5/5
Story construction: 4/5
Writing skill: 3/5
Ethics: 5/5
Other information:
Christian: Yes
Point of view: Third person limited
Tense: Past tense
Romance: Yes
Series: Yes
Conclusion:
All in all, Verity Sandahl has spun a tale of hope, love, and forgiveness, in a world promising much more to come. The strength of her characters and their struggles, along with the gentle, yet powerful ending will leave readers with full hearts. I gladly recommend her sweet tale and am honored to have been given the chance to review it. Overall, 3.8 slices of cake out of 5.
Psst! Want to pre-order the book on Amazon? Here’s the link: A Last Hope by Verity Sandahl
Instagram: @veritysandahl
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