A Heart so Fierce and Broken: Brigid Kemmerer

Find the heir, win the crown.

The curse is finally broken, but Prince Rhen of Emberfall faces darker troubles still. Rumors circulate that he is not the true heir and that forbidden magic has been unleashed in Emberfall. Although Rhen has Harper by his side, his guardsman Grey is missing, leaving more questions than answers.

Win the crown, save the kingdom.

Rumored to be the heir, Grey has been on the run since he destroyed Lilith. He has no desire to challenge Rhen--until Karis Luran once again threatens to take Emberfall by force. Her own daughter Lia Mara sees the flaws in her mother’s violent plan, but can she convince Grey to stand against Rhen, even for the good of Emberfall?

The heart-pounding, compulsively readable saga continues as loyalties are tested and new love blooms in a kingdom on the brink of war.
(Goodreads)

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." 

Lets just say that this quote is a wonderful representation of Rhen. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself since Rhen really isn't all that important in this book.  It's more like the idea of him that is important? I guess? The question of what kind of ruler he'll be... Anyways...
This book is all about Grey, and a new character Lia Mara why two names?? I don't know but her sister and mom have a two name thing going on too Now I fully admit, I didn't like Lia Mara very much in the beginning, I truly didn't care for her part of the story until she got to the palace. And boy does it get better.
Just like the first book, I totally struggled with the beginning. The pacing felt a little off but then everything changed when Rhen's guards killed an innocent man accused of magic. All on a man hunt for the magesmith, the true heir, who just so happens to be GREY. He's been hinting at this terrible secret he's been keeping to help protect Rhen and the reason why he ran away from the castle. Because it obviously had to happen, Grey get caught when he decided to be an awesome dude and sub for the actual fighter. The royal guard recognized his fighting style and called him. It was all very tragic.
Anyway he ends up back at the castle beaten and bloody to kneel before Rhen and it's this emotional affair. Did I forget to mention that Grey likes Harper? Because Grey likes Harper and I totally ship it now but only for like a second We all remember Rhen being this amazing prince, he's different and would never stoop to torture considering he suffered torture at the hands of evil enchantress for decades. And yet this rat bastard has the audacity to whip a child to get information out of Grey. He whips them both saying it's for the greater good. To protect them all from magic. And Grey notices that this isn't for the safety of his kingdom but for his fear of what could happen if someone used it against him again.
Meanwhile: remember how I mentioned this new character named Lia Mara... She's really not that important until she escapes from her gilded cage. Quick back story: she's the oldest, mom doesn't like her very much because shes "weak." Chooses her sister to be the queen, she has a plan to marry said baby queen to Rhen to have access to better trade. Didn't happen they leave, Lia Mara has a plan because she saw something different in Rhen, so she runs away to the castle to convince him to change his mind. Doesn't work out, he kills her guard and locks her up. She becomes important when Grey just so happens to be caged in the room next to her, which is connected by a wall in the fireplace that moves. He sees her and is like "okay interesting."
Flash forward again: Lia Mara is free because they underestimated her and Grey absolutely enraged by the whipping of this innocent child somehow unleashes magic and knocks everyone out. Lia Mara appears and helps them escape. And thus the book really starts.

Everything that happens from this point on in the book is what truly made the book incredible. The action, the romance, the character growth. The power struggle. Grey coming to terms with his birthright, becoming a better king than Rhen ever could. It's literally a wild ride.
And it gets crazier when you find out that Rhen has been working with THE EVIL ENCHANTRESS WHO HAD THEM CURSED. WHO TORTURED HIM, AND KILLED ALL HIS FAMILY.
What the hell is Rhen thinking working with evil incarnate.

And now I have to wait for the next book because I finished this book a little too fast.
Until next time readers <3

Love Kat 

A Curse so Dark and Lonely: Brigid Kemmerer

Fall in love, break the curse.

It once seemed so easy to Prince Rhen, the heir to Emberfall. Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over, he knew he could be saved if a girl fell for him. But that was before he learned that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. That was before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper Lacy. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother barely holding their family together while constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, she learned to be tough enough to survive. But when she tries to save someone else on the streets of Washington, DC, she's instead somehow sucked into Rhen's cursed world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

A prince? A monster? A curse? Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. But as she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.
(Goodreads)  

I waited three months to get this book from the library. And it was definitely worth the wait.
This is a retelling of the beloved tail, Beauty and the Beast. Though the story is familiar to all, this story is anything BUT ordinary. 
The inclusion of disabilities viewed in a positive light was an amazing part of the story. It never held the heroine back from accomplishing her goals and it wasn't this constant thing to pity her for. It was just there. 
I struggled getting into the book at first, I felt like the pacing was a bit off, but then you hit a point that the flip switches and you are just hooked. Once I got to that point I could not put the book down!
Everything about Harper's bravery, the way she viewed each problem was just so... different? I guess you could say? Her decision making keeps you on your toes, and she just so proactive in the best way possible. She really seemed to brighten Rhen when he was just to hopeless.
But what really got me was the ending. The ending was not something I ever would have anticipated. In the original tale of Beauty and the Beast, whether you watch the Disney version, or read the original story. It always end with Beauty saving the Beast with her confession of love. And in Kemmerer's spin of the tale is completely different because no one truly knows who really broke the spell. Was it Grey, the amazingly loyal Guard Commander, Rhen the Prince fighting against the curse, or Harper the supposed Chosen one the beauty to the beast. No one knows, because Harper admits that she's not really in love with Rhen, and that absolutely blew my mind.

A Beauty and the Beast story without the true love??? What?!?! Now Harper, Jacob, AND Noah are stuck in Emberfall because Lilith is dead. Grey is missing, and they are now royalty pledged to help Emberfall with an "army"
And then it ends
what. the. hell.
Can the next one come out already and end my suffering?!?!
Until next time readers <3

Love Kat