Book Review: Incognito by Micah Swanson Harris

Author: Micah Swanson Harris

Title: Incognito

Series: Agents of the Rune Stone Ring #4

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Steampunk, Novella, Short Story

Format: Paperback

Pages: 114

Published: November 21, 2023

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest opinion)

Amazon

Summary: 

A steampunk adventure of a kidnapped queen, an obsessed pirate king, and the ice-traveling battle brig that he has sailed over a multiverse-spanning glacier to claim her!

Now, Bulan, the dreaded "Hawk of the Ice," is headed with Queen Freyja for his alternative timeline with the royal navy and the vigilante Wurger Mendicant in hot pursuit.

What Bulan doesn't know is that the captive queen is also the Mendicant's partner in crime, the Winter Witch.

They thought their past was behind them. Now, they are forced once more to go...

Incognito!

Review:

This is a continuation of the series. I have loved the series and of course, I said yes to giving this a go even though it is steampunk-esque. I'm not crazy in love with that genre, but there are always exceptions. There have been books and games that I ended up loving because I took a chance. *fingers crossed*

Here we follow our epic duo. Queen Freyja is kidnapped by the Hawk of the Ice and he is heading towards his alternative timeline with the royal navy and the vigilante Wurger Mendicant in pursuit. Little does the Hawk of the Ice know...this captive queen is no damsel. She is the Mendicant's partner and lover....the Winter Witch. 

Now, you can read this as a standalone, but I do encourage reading the others. I feel like it would flesh out these characters a bit more and make you appreciate everything they've gone through. BUT again, this would do perfectly fine as a standalone. The author gives you enough info to enjoy but doesn't info-dump. 

This was a super, duper slow start for me. It took me some to warm up to this story. Don't get me wrong I LOVE Freyja and her man, but it was slow-moving for me. Once things really started getting going for me (maybe about page 50) I flew by and didn't want to stop reading. Not sure why it took me a little bit to become invested, but once I was.... I was hooked. 

I love pirates and sea battles. So much fun. Scary but I have always been a sucker for pirates and the sea. With a sprinkle of steampunk, it just added another interesting layer. I'm so glad the steampunk element wasn't overbearing but it did add an extra flair.

There were a lot of twists and turns here which kept it interesting. I had no idea what was going to happen or how anything was going to be resolved. 

The ending was intense but good!

Overall, I did end up liking this even with my hesitations. The steampunk elements were NOT overbearing and it worked well. The beginning was a little slow for me, but at a certain point, I couldn't stop reading. You can read this alone well enough, but I strongly suggest the other books of the series. This wasn't my favorite of the series, but I still had a lot of fun with it. In the end, I'll stamp this with 3 stars. I can't wait for more!!! *cheers* 

Book Review: Royals, Rogues and Dragons Arise by Micah Swanson Harris

Author: Micah Swanson Harris

Title: Royals, Rogues and Dragons Arise!
Series: Agents of the Rune Stone Ring #3

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, SciFi

Format: ebook

Pages: 622

Published: February 23, 2023

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

Queen Freyja Ifguter takes the throne at last. But little bodes well for her new reign.Ice dragons are stirring in the east...nations conspire against her...And no one is safe as the vigilante Wurger Mendicant invades the palace itself!The masked man is her exiled lover, secretly returned to settle old scores but dangerously positioning himself as the sworn enemy of the queen, the woman dearer to him than life itself.Lust, love, and revenge drive the adventure as the Agents of the Rune Stone Ring trilogy reaches an action-filled finale that can also be enjoyed as a standalone novel

Review:

Been meaning to get started on this but you know how it gets when books pile up.

This is the finale of the adventure of Freyja and Ambrose! Freyja takes the throne at last, but little seems to be going right for her new reign. Ice dragons are stirring in the east, nations are conspiring against her, and now a vigilante is haunting the streets and the palace. Turns out the masked man is none other than her exiled lover, Ambrose, who has returned to settle a few scores. 

You can technically read this as a standalone. Any past references are explained enough to understand, but I truly feel you need to at least read book 2. Book 1 and book 2 ideally, but if you want to skip right to this one feel free! 

It was nice getting back to our characters and this world. About three or so years have passed since the ending of the previous book. There was a lot of stuff that needed to be settled and everything is coming to a head in this one. Poor Freyja....all she wanted was to be a queen and now that it is here it seems like everything is hanging on by a thread. I get why Ambrose wants revenge against those baddies BUT that puts Freyja in a bad spot especially if it is discovered that it is he who is the masked vigilante. 

This was pretty intense in some parts and I literally didn't want to stop reading. I flew through this in just a few sittings. Long time since I finished a long book that quickly! Normally long books are like a rough wine...one sip at a time, but this one I had to guzzle down. There weren't any lulls and the "slower" parts were important and still interesting. 

Awwww the ending was darling and simply perfect for all the adventures and dramas these characters had to go through. I loved it. 

In the end...I found myself really enjoying this one. I think it was my favorite of the series. The other two were good, but I liked this one the most I think. Just a hair more. But yes, if you like adventure and a good set of characters...I highly suggest this series. It is very in-depth but entertaining. I'll give this one a 5. 

Book Review: The Dark Lord Lurking by Micah Swanson Harris

Author: Micah Swanson Harris

Title: The Dark Lord Lurking

Series: Agents of the Rune Stone Ring #2

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, SciFi

Format: Paperback

Pages: 301

Published: February 22, 2023

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Summary: 

They defied the Dark Lord to be together.

Now, as their old enemy reaches out from beyond death to seek revenge, Princess Freyja and her forbidden suitor Ambrose face a new

A seductive prince who will stop at nothing to make Freyja his.

Necromancy, romance, court intrigue ...it's just another day in the kingdom of Aarastad.

This is Book Two in the Agents of the Rune Stone Ring Trilogy, but it also contains a complete story that can be enjoyed on its own.

Review:

Book 2! Been meaning to continue this series but I'm glad I waited until the updated and final version was ready. 

Here we follow our team. They have a lot on their plate: their old enemy is reaching out from beyond death to seek revenge, a seductive prince will stop at nothing to make Freyja his own, and court intrigue that never seems to end. Just another day in the kingdom of Aarastad. 

Oh, Freyja. I still like her BUT I was so annoyed with her. Sighs. Don't want to spoil anything......I GET IT, but I also wanted to shake her! Even though there were times I wanted to shake her...I am enjoying watching her go from that girl to a woman of the people. She has the makings of a great queen.  Ambrose is a saint but there were times I wanted to shake him too. Young love.

Speaking of which! The author has such an array of fun characters. You can't help but love all of them and hate the baddies.

Now there was a chunk of slow bits that had me itching wanting things to hurry up. That could've been a me-issue. I was anxious for a certain issue to be resolved asap. 

Other than that I really enjoyed this one. Between our lovers and the drama of court and necromancy, I was scared for everyone. Edge of my seat! I didn't want to put this book down but darn adult life ;) 

UGH that ending. My heart!

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I can't wait to get to book 3. I need to know what is going to happen next for our team!! A slow moment that had me anxious but overall, 4 stars. Def recommend this. I would encourage reading book 1 first. 

Book Review: The World Queen Awakens by Micah Swanson Harris

Author: Micah Swanson Harris

Title: The World Queen Awakens

Series:  #1 Agents of the Rune Stone Ring Trilogy

Genre:  Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, SciFi

Format: Paperback

Pages: 429

Published: December 15, 2022

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Summary: 

An innocent princess possessed! The evil goddess within her is ready to rise and reign in wicked glory as the Last World Queen!

Then Princess Freyja meets Ambrose, the young royal tutor who is as lonely as she is…and who secretly loves her.

Her only if he can activate a ring of secret agents to combat her curse.

But their leader is long dead, leaving the operatives unknown to each other.

How will Ambrose assemble in time a group whose members each believe he or she is an order of one?

Who will stand when...

The World Queen Awakens!

Review:

I read the original version back in 2020. The author was kind enough to send me the new and revised edition. I was excited to dive back into this world!!!! 

We follow Princess Freyja. She is possessed by an evil goddess who wants to break free and reign the world. Enter in Ambrose. He is hired to be the tutor of the princess, but he is so much more than that. Not only are they catching feelings, but the evil goddess is threatening to break free to become the World Queen. 

This was exciting to get back into the story. There have been some changes and expansions. I could be wrong because ya'lls know my memory is lacking.... (it has been 3 years) but I feel like some of the character development felt deeper. Which was nice to see. 

I actually didn't feel meh about the princess. I remember, before, wanting to kick her and it took forever for me to care about her. Here...she is still annoying and spoiled and bleh at the beginning BUUUUUUUUT...I feel like I warmed up to her sooner. Maybe it was the knowledge I KNEW she would get better? Who knows but I actually ended up liking her a lot. 

The world-building is top-notch for sure and I enjoyed learning the lore, history, etc behind this world. There are some moments things slow down for us, but it worked. 

In the end, I really enjoyed this...again. Love the world-building and the characters. Such a fun time. I'll give this 4 stars. 

Challenge(s):

- #19 for Romance Reading Challenge - Teacher/Governess