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The Order
Commitments
Ram'an has, to Enric’s great relief, left Anyueel again to return to his home country - which leaves him to figure out the challenge that Eryn still presents to him in more than one area of his life.
Eryn is restless, unnerved by the Order’s demands and her own urge to do something useful. Thus an expedition into the woods to teach the herb gatherers in the city how to provide her with acceptable goods seems just the thing to do to pass the time until the new healer’s place is ready for use. Ten peaceful days of collecting plants far away from the city. Or at least that’s the plan.
Eryn is restless, unnerved by the Order’s demands and her own urge to do something useful. Thus an expedition into the woods to teach the herb gatherers in the city how to provide her with acceptable goods seems just the thing to do to pass the time until the new healer’s place is ready for use. Ten peaceful days of collecting plants far away from the city. Or at least that’s the plan.
- GenresFantasy
1000 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 9, 2016
2 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
A.C. Donaubauer
23 books37 followersA.C. Donaubauer lives in Vienna, Austria, and is a freelance language/business/social skills trainer and translator.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 7, 2016
This book was sent to me by the author for an honest review. So far I'm really enjoying this series because it keeps me guessing as to what is going to happen next. This book has some of the old characters along with new ones. Enric is more determined than ever to show Eryn what she means to him. She feels complacent in their relationship but yearns to do more with her life. She manages to get an expedition authorized to go look for fresh herbs and to teach others the importance of them. Even though she has all kinds of spies watching her, she still manages to get into trouble. She rescues a wild pet and doesn't know what to do. Enric surprises her by making accommodations for the new addition to the family. The story really picks up when they travel to her homeland. She goes with the understanding that she will be learning new magic and how to heal others better. She doesn't realize that Ram'an and certain members of her family have ulterior motives. She meets family that she never knew she had. She embraces some and rejects others, which causes a showdown for her freedom. She also discovers why Ram'an was so interested as to whether or not her binding to Enric had been blesses by magic. Enric pushes for it but Eryn is resistant because she doesn't want to be tied down that way. Secrets come to light and deals are made, causing Eryn to face her feelings and decide what is more important, true love or her idea of what freedom really is.
With the ending of the first book, I thought the second book was going to go in a certain direction and I was wrong. The direction was even better than what I could have imagined. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
With the ending of the first book, I thought the second book was going to go in a certain direction and I was wrong. The direction was even better than what I could have imagined. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.
March 31, 2016
Definitely worth the money on this installment.
What I liked: As much as I loved the first in this series, The Order, Commitments is another engrossing read. It’s long and detailed and advanced the storyline.
I really enjoy how the characters have different agendas and how each one tries to find a way to get the other character to do what they want. The politics in this fantasy world are sometimes funny and sometimes frustrating. Eryn seems to lose on all counts as she’s more up front with what she wants and how she goes about getting it. Everyone else has an agenda to manipulate the other person. I especially like how the King and Enric play each other to get their own way.
Eryn sometimes drives me crazy because she reacts too quickly in certain situations to understand she’s being played. She doesn’t realize the consequences until it’s too late to change the outcome. That’s part of what I like about her character. Once she realizes she’s being led where the King and Enric want her to go, she accepts it and doesn’t whine about it too much. All the other characters try to teach her how to turn situations into her benefit, but she’s stubborn and a bit unwilling to play the political games everyone else is playing.
The trip Eryn and Enric undertake deals with a similar but more advanced magical culture than Anyueel. All the magicians, with a lot of them being female, have talents they can share with the “old kingdom”. It’s just a matter of how open Eryn and Enric are to learning. Of course, the new contacts don’t want to share every advantage they have as they need to keep the trade lines open.
While there are many new things to learn about the other magicians, the most intriguing thing to me is learning the complete backstory of Eryn. Ms Donaubauer, tackled Eryn’s background in ways I did not see coming. The addition of the new characters was fantastic. Most everyone is glad to get to meet and learn more about Eryn but there are a few that definitely make her uncomfortable.
What I didn’t like: There were a few times the story was a bit slow. (I’ll make a caveat here. While in the middle of reading Commitments, I was very sick, so my patience level wasn’t exactly up to par). Not slow enough to stop reading but enough to make an impact on my enjoyment. There were some editing errors that I didn’t find in the first book. They didn’t stop the flow exactly but I noticed them.
I honestly can't wait to see when the author is going to take this series next and what's in store for the characters!
Recommended!!!!
What I liked: As much as I loved the first in this series, The Order, Commitments is another engrossing read. It’s long and detailed and advanced the storyline.
I really enjoy how the characters have different agendas and how each one tries to find a way to get the other character to do what they want. The politics in this fantasy world are sometimes funny and sometimes frustrating. Eryn seems to lose on all counts as she’s more up front with what she wants and how she goes about getting it. Everyone else has an agenda to manipulate the other person. I especially like how the King and Enric play each other to get their own way.
Eryn sometimes drives me crazy because she reacts too quickly in certain situations to understand she’s being played. She doesn’t realize the consequences until it’s too late to change the outcome. That’s part of what I like about her character. Once she realizes she’s being led where the King and Enric want her to go, she accepts it and doesn’t whine about it too much. All the other characters try to teach her how to turn situations into her benefit, but she’s stubborn and a bit unwilling to play the political games everyone else is playing.
The trip Eryn and Enric undertake deals with a similar but more advanced magical culture than Anyueel. All the magicians, with a lot of them being female, have talents they can share with the “old kingdom”. It’s just a matter of how open Eryn and Enric are to learning. Of course, the new contacts don’t want to share every advantage they have as they need to keep the trade lines open.
While there are many new things to learn about the other magicians, the most intriguing thing to me is learning the complete backstory of Eryn. Ms Donaubauer, tackled Eryn’s background in ways I did not see coming. The addition of the new characters was fantastic. Most everyone is glad to get to meet and learn more about Eryn but there are a few that definitely make her uncomfortable.
What I didn’t like: There were a few times the story was a bit slow. (I’ll make a caveat here. While in the middle of reading Commitments, I was very sick, so my patience level wasn’t exactly up to par). Not slow enough to stop reading but enough to make an impact on my enjoyment. There were some editing errors that I didn’t find in the first book. They didn’t stop the flow exactly but I noticed them.
I honestly can't wait to see when the author is going to take this series next and what's in store for the characters!
Recommended!!!!
March 12, 2016
5 Stars ★★★★★
Commitments is the second book of The Order series. It picks right back up into the story with Enric and Eryn.
General Comments
I enjoyed this book, this series is a fun read for me. I normally don't like a book with a lot of political dealing and secrets but this book seems to be an exception for me, it was done really well. In this book we jump right back into the story from the first Eryn is starting to open her Healers practice. We get to see her go on a new adventure into the woods leaving the kingdom for the first time since she was brought there.
Characters
Eryn is a fantastic character because I think she does a lot of self reflection and she seems grounded in who she is and doesn't try to become something she isn't. I found her character to not be annoying which is a relief. I still got a bit annoyed with 'the boys' Enric and Lord Tyront when they felt like they can manipulate Eryn behind the scenes. But I think that has to do with the political aspect as well. I don't want to say anything to give any parts away but I can say I am not a big fan of Ram'an and leave it at that.
World Building
We definitely see this world expanding its interesting to travel to Eryns home country and see a whole new perspective. I also really like how modern things have been adapted into the story but explained as something this new culture does. The way things were explained let me view these things that are common to me as new, which I thought was pretty cool. Over all I think this is a great read and fantastic series, if you want a fantasy world to jump into I think this is a good one to pick.
I have received an ARC from the Author for my honest review
Commitments is the second book of The Order series. It picks right back up into the story with Enric and Eryn.
General Comments
I enjoyed this book, this series is a fun read for me. I normally don't like a book with a lot of political dealing and secrets but this book seems to be an exception for me, it was done really well. In this book we jump right back into the story from the first Eryn is starting to open her Healers practice. We get to see her go on a new adventure into the woods leaving the kingdom for the first time since she was brought there.
Characters
Eryn is a fantastic character because I think she does a lot of self reflection and she seems grounded in who she is and doesn't try to become something she isn't. I found her character to not be annoying which is a relief. I still got a bit annoyed with 'the boys' Enric and Lord Tyront when they felt like they can manipulate Eryn behind the scenes. But I think that has to do with the political aspect as well. I don't want to say anything to give any parts away but I can say I am not a big fan of Ram'an and leave it at that.
World Building
We definitely see this world expanding its interesting to travel to Eryns home country and see a whole new perspective. I also really like how modern things have been adapted into the story but explained as something this new culture does. The way things were explained let me view these things that are common to me as new, which I thought was pretty cool. Over all I think this is a great read and fantastic series, if you want a fantasy world to jump into I think this is a good one to pick.
I have received an ARC from the Author for my honest review
June 2, 2016
Just wow. I could leave a very long review going on and on how great this book is but really you should just go out and read it for yourself. If you enjoyed The Order you will love this continuation. While I enjoyed Eryn's cousin I must say Vern was sorely missed. Hoping a book 3 brings them all together?
November 5, 2016
Review originally posted at RabidReads.com.
This is the second book in The Order series by A.C. Donaubauer. I really enjoyed the first book and was excited to get the second. This series has really long stories, but I really enjoy them, so it doesn’t bother me that they are 900 to 1,000 pages long. That being said, it took me a long time actually start this book. That’s because I’ve been in a bit of a slump, so I knew that trying to tackle such a long story would be difficult in that frame of mind. When I went on vacation earlier this month, I thought that was the perfect time to get started. I had several days to do nothing but read, and this was the first book I picked up.
This story picks up right where The Order left off. Eryn is working on her healing practice. She is trying to get some of the other magicians to learn the craft. She is still inept at politics (she reminds me a lot of myself in this respect). She just wants to do her job and talk straight. She says what’s on her mind and doesn’t tend to think about all the ways others could try to play it. There are people who are desperately trying to help teach her the world of politics, but it is something that she isn’t a fan of (I really don’t blame her at all).
She does leave the castle walls with some of the herb gatherers to show them how to find and properly preserve the herbs that she needs. Here, she brings along a few familiar faces. Plia, the servant girl, and Vern, Eryn’s first friend in the kingdom and son of her trainer, Orrin, both go along with her on this excursion. She gets young Vern permission to go because he’s going to draw all the plants to be put in a book for later training and the plants need to be documented. Plia goes as a servant and finds that she’s really good with the herbs and has a lot to learn. We also get to meet several of the guards that go with her for her and the team’s protection. She is still able to get herself into trouble.
While on the trip, she comes across a wild cat. During a large storm, a tree falls on the cat’s mom, leaving behind a cub. She couldn’t bare letting one of the guards kill the cub, so she decides that she will keep it as a pet (no recommended at all in real life, by the way). She does worry what her husband, and second-in-command wizard, will think of this new addition. She is quite surprised when she comes back and learns that he already knew about the addition. She figured out two of the spies on her own and who they reported to, but while she knew the other two guards she knew were spies, she didn’t know which person they were giving their information to.
After they get back, the king calls Eryn into his presence. He has taken upon himself to help teach her the fine art of politics. He also manipulates her into a diplomatic trip back to her original homeland. She doesn’t want to go, because she wants to work on her new health care center, but king convinces her that she could learn a lot from the healers in her old world, not to mention books. The girl loves books (another thing we have in common LOL). So her and Enric make the trip.
Once they arrive back in Takhan, that is when things really start to get interesting. Eryn meets some of her family that she didn’t even realize she had. Her family is pretty interesting and things get even more political. We also learn more about Ram’an (the diplomat that we met in book one) and his interest in Eryn. I won’t go into too much detail because this is where I think the story has the most interesting parts that I don’t want to spoil. I will mention how much I loved Eryn’s Uncle Valrad and her cousin Vran’el. Vran’el is gay, but has daughter. In this world, offspring is very important because everyone wants heirs. Marriages are also generally arranged, but both parties do have to agree. In Vran’el’s case, he had an arrangement with the mother. She didn’t want to get married and he wanted to pursue a relationship with a man. Once he conceived a child he was free to do whatever he wanted. He has a wonderful relationship with another man. The story did not go into whether Vran’el’s lover had a child or not.
Once again, this book was another great addition to the series. The story is very well told, but also very long. There were parts that were a little slow and things that I thought could’ve been edited down some, but still a wonderful story. It is really the characters that make the story for me. I loved my time with the old favorites from book one, but I also really enjoyed the addition of new characters. I’m excited to see what goes on in book three, which was released earlier this year. With a title like, Schemes, I’m expecting even more politics in the future.
This quote is between young Vern (a teenager) and Eryn about her dislike of political games, but using them too.
This quote is about Urban, the large cat that Eryn adopted on her herb gathering trip. Enric took her with him for a hunt.
My last quote is about Obal, Vran’el four-year-old daughter, who loves Urban.
**Book was provided to me by the author. This review is my opinion and was not requested or provoked in anyway by the author.
This is the second book in The Order series by A.C. Donaubauer. I really enjoyed the first book and was excited to get the second. This series has really long stories, but I really enjoy them, so it doesn’t bother me that they are 900 to 1,000 pages long. That being said, it took me a long time actually start this book. That’s because I’ve been in a bit of a slump, so I knew that trying to tackle such a long story would be difficult in that frame of mind. When I went on vacation earlier this month, I thought that was the perfect time to get started. I had several days to do nothing but read, and this was the first book I picked up.
This story picks up right where The Order left off. Eryn is working on her healing practice. She is trying to get some of the other magicians to learn the craft. She is still inept at politics (she reminds me a lot of myself in this respect). She just wants to do her job and talk straight. She says what’s on her mind and doesn’t tend to think about all the ways others could try to play it. There are people who are desperately trying to help teach her the world of politics, but it is something that she isn’t a fan of (I really don’t blame her at all).
She does leave the castle walls with some of the herb gatherers to show them how to find and properly preserve the herbs that she needs. Here, she brings along a few familiar faces. Plia, the servant girl, and Vern, Eryn’s first friend in the kingdom and son of her trainer, Orrin, both go along with her on this excursion. She gets young Vern permission to go because he’s going to draw all the plants to be put in a book for later training and the plants need to be documented. Plia goes as a servant and finds that she’s really good with the herbs and has a lot to learn. We also get to meet several of the guards that go with her for her and the team’s protection. She is still able to get herself into trouble.
While on the trip, she comes across a wild cat. During a large storm, a tree falls on the cat’s mom, leaving behind a cub. She couldn’t bare letting one of the guards kill the cub, so she decides that she will keep it as a pet (no recommended at all in real life, by the way). She does worry what her husband, and second-in-command wizard, will think of this new addition. She is quite surprised when she comes back and learns that he already knew about the addition. She figured out two of the spies on her own and who they reported to, but while she knew the other two guards she knew were spies, she didn’t know which person they were giving their information to.
After they get back, the king calls Eryn into his presence. He has taken upon himself to help teach her the fine art of politics. He also manipulates her into a diplomatic trip back to her original homeland. She doesn’t want to go, because she wants to work on her new health care center, but king convinces her that she could learn a lot from the healers in her old world, not to mention books. The girl loves books (another thing we have in common LOL). So her and Enric make the trip.
Once they arrive back in Takhan, that is when things really start to get interesting. Eryn meets some of her family that she didn’t even realize she had. Her family is pretty interesting and things get even more political. We also learn more about Ram’an (the diplomat that we met in book one) and his interest in Eryn. I won’t go into too much detail because this is where I think the story has the most interesting parts that I don’t want to spoil. I will mention how much I loved Eryn’s Uncle Valrad and her cousin Vran’el. Vran’el is gay, but has daughter. In this world, offspring is very important because everyone wants heirs. Marriages are also generally arranged, but both parties do have to agree. In Vran’el’s case, he had an arrangement with the mother. She didn’t want to get married and he wanted to pursue a relationship with a man. Once he conceived a child he was free to do whatever he wanted. He has a wonderful relationship with another man. The story did not go into whether Vran’el’s lover had a child or not.
Once again, this book was another great addition to the series. The story is very well told, but also very long. There were parts that were a little slow and things that I thought could’ve been edited down some, but still a wonderful story. It is really the characters that make the story for me. I loved my time with the old favorites from book one, but I also really enjoyed the addition of new characters. I’m excited to see what goes on in book three, which was released earlier this year. With a title like, Schemes, I’m expecting even more politics in the future.
This quote is between young Vern (a teenager) and Eryn about her dislike of political games, but using them too.
“Well done. he complemented her. “So the woman who ants to show that we can all work together without tricks and dishonesty just tricked a bunch of her gatherers into teaching her about the weather. Nice move.”
“You should have stopped after Well done.” She sighed.
He pretended to think for a moment, then shook his head. “No. Where is the fun in that?”
This quote is about Urban, the large cat that Eryn adopted on her herb gathering trip. Enric took her with him for a hunt.
Her gaze fell on Urban and the mess of bloody smears on the ground before her. “She has been successful as well, hasn’t she?”
Enric followed her gaze, still frowning. “Yes. Three small animals. Not bad for her first hunting outing, not at all. It seems that gutting our throw cushions served as sufficient preparation for the real world.” he added dryly.
My last quote is about Obal, Vran’el four-year-old daughter, who loves Urban.
“Cat!” Obal screamed when Urban strolled into the room. “Come here! Here!”
The mountain cat froze in mid-step, then turned around in a liquid movement quickly to slink back into the corridor she had emerged from.
“Another one who will be glad when she can return to the peace and quite of Anyueel tomorrow, I imagine,” Valrad laughed. “The might beast, put to flight by a four-year-old girl.”
**Book was provided to me by the author. This review is my opinion and was not requested or provoked in anyway by the author.
February 23, 2017
The epic adventure continues! I was even more enchanted by this second book than I was the first as I was completely wrapped up in Eryn and Enric's life by now! After some skillful manipulation by the king, again. the couple is coerced into being ambassadors and journeying to Eryn's homeland to open trade and communications between the two lands. Thrown into politics, foreign customs and an extended family she never knew existed, the pair must maneuver their way through the many intricate layers of society while still trying to stay together. With Ra'man's continuous efforts to woo Eryn, she must stave off his affections and Enric must curb his jealous temper to not set off a political bombshell. After a deceitful family member turns in Eryn for imprisonment for a long ago mishap, they are detained as prisoners and forced to prove her innocence in a torrid game of politics.
The wordlbuilding was just absolutely magnificent, with intricate details and customs that brought everything to life as if the place really does exist. With palpable emotions, I got to really care for the characters even more and was basically living and breathing their lives with them! I found myself completely unable to tear myself away from this book and was racing to see what would happen next! This series is seriously some of the best books I've ever read and they're just begging to be made into movies or a tv series!
The wordlbuilding was just absolutely magnificent, with intricate details and customs that brought everything to life as if the place really does exist. With palpable emotions, I got to really care for the characters even more and was basically living and breathing their lives with them! I found myself completely unable to tear myself away from this book and was racing to see what would happen next! This series is seriously some of the best books I've ever read and they're just begging to be made into movies or a tv series!
April 23, 2016
Commitments: The Order - Book 2, A.C. Donaubauer
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy
I had to cast my mind back to book one, reread a little to put me back in that world. It’s a place full of magic, one that feels kind of historical with its reliance on horses etc and lack of modern technology. Kind of what the world would be like a couple of centuries back if it contained magic – well, that's how it feels to me anyway.
At the end of the last book a delegation from Eryn’s birth country had visited, and for Eryn parts didn’t go well to say the least. Ram’an too, if you count his broken nose! You’d think now the visit is over life will return to its usual pace.
Well, Eryn has thrown all “normal” into disarray since she was found out, and her forceful disposition ensures she’s at the forefront of more changes, and creating a healing centre where magicians can be taught to heal and people treated whatever their income. I love her character – she’s strong and very moral, always out to do what’s right no matter the personal cost.
She’s learning court politics too rather than her usual way of kind foo blunderbuss-ing her way through protocols and causing ruffled feathers. I feel for her when she’s impatient at the red tape and rules, when she Just Wants to Get Things Done! Slowly though she’s come to realise that playing the game gets her way quicker in the end.
Enric’s a past master at this, but for me the real champion is the King. He’s young in years but incredibly shrewd and his ability to think for the long term and move players where he wants them has to be admired. Usually I hate people who manipulate others but he does in in a way that's for everyone’s good eventually, and he takes time to talk to Eryn about what and why he’s acted as he has, after she’s fallen for yet another of his schemes....
Then there’s Enric, and I love him too. He’s been turned on his head by his love for Eryn, and he’s so good at letting her have her way just so far before he intervenes. Sometimes though his jealousy causes friction and this time the King takes advantage of that to bring him and Eryn where he wants them – which is on a delegation to visit Eryn's birth land. That’s an expedition not without danger, the King can’t refuse the request for Eryn to visit without causing ill feeling, but there’s the danger they may not let her return – possession is 9/10’s of the law and all that.
At over 900 pages once more its a terrific read, and the length means I can really got “lost” in the book, and lets time for little details of day to day life be explored, and that ultimately makes me feel I understand the players and their needs and schemes so much better. The visit to her birthplace brings dangers to Eryn and Enric, seems Eryn’s mother has some plans for her, and of course Ram'an is still convinced Eryn and he would be a perfect match. Enric? Oh Ram'an isn’t worried about him, doesn’t seem his relationship with Eryn as a bar, and yet after their last encounter he should be.
Its politics all the way and a game both Ram'an and Enric are skilled at, but one Eryn is still learning. She’s getting there fast though, and the visit to her homeland gives her a crash course in scheming.
Stars: five, another long and enjoyable read.
ARC supplied by author
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Romance, Sci-fi and Fantasy
I had to cast my mind back to book one, reread a little to put me back in that world. It’s a place full of magic, one that feels kind of historical with its reliance on horses etc and lack of modern technology. Kind of what the world would be like a couple of centuries back if it contained magic – well, that's how it feels to me anyway.
At the end of the last book a delegation from Eryn’s birth country had visited, and for Eryn parts didn’t go well to say the least. Ram’an too, if you count his broken nose! You’d think now the visit is over life will return to its usual pace.
Well, Eryn has thrown all “normal” into disarray since she was found out, and her forceful disposition ensures she’s at the forefront of more changes, and creating a healing centre where magicians can be taught to heal and people treated whatever their income. I love her character – she’s strong and very moral, always out to do what’s right no matter the personal cost.
She’s learning court politics too rather than her usual way of kind foo blunderbuss-ing her way through protocols and causing ruffled feathers. I feel for her when she’s impatient at the red tape and rules, when she Just Wants to Get Things Done! Slowly though she’s come to realise that playing the game gets her way quicker in the end.
Enric’s a past master at this, but for me the real champion is the King. He’s young in years but incredibly shrewd and his ability to think for the long term and move players where he wants them has to be admired. Usually I hate people who manipulate others but he does in in a way that's for everyone’s good eventually, and he takes time to talk to Eryn about what and why he’s acted as he has, after she’s fallen for yet another of his schemes....
Then there’s Enric, and I love him too. He’s been turned on his head by his love for Eryn, and he’s so good at letting her have her way just so far before he intervenes. Sometimes though his jealousy causes friction and this time the King takes advantage of that to bring him and Eryn where he wants them – which is on a delegation to visit Eryn's birth land. That’s an expedition not without danger, the King can’t refuse the request for Eryn to visit without causing ill feeling, but there’s the danger they may not let her return – possession is 9/10’s of the law and all that.
At over 900 pages once more its a terrific read, and the length means I can really got “lost” in the book, and lets time for little details of day to day life be explored, and that ultimately makes me feel I understand the players and their needs and schemes so much better. The visit to her birthplace brings dangers to Eryn and Enric, seems Eryn’s mother has some plans for her, and of course Ram'an is still convinced Eryn and he would be a perfect match. Enric? Oh Ram'an isn’t worried about him, doesn’t seem his relationship with Eryn as a bar, and yet after their last encounter he should be.
Its politics all the way and a game both Ram'an and Enric are skilled at, but one Eryn is still learning. She’s getting there fast though, and the visit to her homeland gives her a crash course in scheming.
Stars: five, another long and enjoyable read.
ARC supplied by author
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews