Anwen of Primewood by Shari L. Tapscott
Fantasy. 393 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
It’s never wise for a lady to run away in the middle of the night with a smooth-talking man with a questionable heritage—it’s even worse to give that man your family’s greatest treasure.
After making a chain of bad decisions, Lady Anwen of Primewood finds herself in Lauramore, posing as a tambourine girl while she attempts to track down the man who wooed her, robbed her, and left her in the woods. Instead, she finds Galinor—a melancholy prince who’s incapable of saying no to a damsel in distress.
Together, they set out on a seemingly simple mission to fix Anwen’s greatest mistake, but soon they encounter complications in the form of stolen horses, mischievous fairies, and a dark creature that stalks them through the forest.
Despite all that, the unexpected and inconvenient affection growing between them might be the most troublesome obstacle of all…
Full of charm and humor, Anwen of Primewood is a romantic fairy tale adventure set in a fantasy world you won’t soon forget.
My Review:
Man, y’all. This one sucked me in! You’d think I’d have learned not to start a new book at bedtime, but alas, Tapscott kept me up until the wee hours of the night again.
I’m a mood reader and I needed something light and hopeful, fun and squeal-worthy. And Tapscott does easy-to-read adventure so well! I’m glad I impulse read this one and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. (I need to see Irving’s story. I have loved him from the beginning of the first book and I’m not sure I buy into Rosie, yet!)
It was so fun to see so many returning characters! I loved seeing Galinor’s story play out and Anwen was fun. I liked her spunky spirit, although she was spunky in a different way than Pippa. I really enjoyed how she was different, but still adventurous in her own way. She showed bravery, going into situations in spite of her discomfort and fear. She chose to do what was right and make amends for her mistakes, no matter the cost. And I admired that. Galinor is a sweetheart and I kind of love his sweet, chivalrous manner. It’s fun seeing someone a little more reserved and definitely fun seeing him fall for someone who can love him the way he deserves.
The story felt like more of an adventure than Pippa’s tournament, so it had more travel and exploration, but it was still fun and we had a group cast that went along, which I enjoyed. It was a page-turner. I was so engaged and read the first 75% in one sitting. That was the most fun part, I think. The ending, while satisfying, did feel a little bit…less than I had hoped for. I’m not really sure how to put it. It was good! Don’t get me wrong, but I think it wasn’t quite what I was expecting or hoping for and so I’d have to say I think I liked the first one better.
All that said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the whole book and would definitely recommended it to anyone needed an uplifting, fun story.
Content: sweet, clean romance, no foul language, and some mild fantasy violence and tavern fights. Thematically, the book touches on confidence, mistakes, forgiveness, wisdom, loyalty, and courage. I’d be comfortable giving the book to 14+
More:
Book 1 in the Eldentimber series is Pippa of Lauramore (5 Stars)
Book 3 is Seirsha of Errinton (4 Stars)
Book 4 is Audette of Brookraven
Book 5 is Elodie of the Sea
Book 6 is Genevieve of Dragon Ridge
I haven’t finished the series yet, but I’ll update as I do. For the most part, these seem like standalones, but I’d recommend reading them in order, as they do have a timeline and spoilers for previous books in them.
On GraceBought
See my thoughts on the previous book in the series here!