Hawthorne

Darkwood Chronicles #2

by Anthea Sharp

In the shadowed land of the Dark Elves, one young woman struggles to master her magic, and trust her heart…

Prince Brannilon Luthinor and his mortal bride, Mara Geary, have returned to the Hawthorne Court, but despite winning the war against the Void, their own personal struggles are just beginning. Fragments of the Void remain in the realm, and Bran must hunt them down, leaving Mara to face the poisonous intrigues of the court. She soon discovers that the fate of Elhame is far more precarious than she first believed. While she grapples with mastering her own magic, and the depth of her feelings for her enigmatic husband, Bran chases down the enemy – but he cannot escape the knowledge that his wife would be better off in her own world, despite the choices she has made.

As treacherous schemes close in around the couple, they must learn to trust the power of their love… before both their worlds are lost forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Amazon, Fantasy Romance, Elves, Paranormal Romance, Fiction

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2019

About the author

Growing up, Anthea Sharp spent her summers raiding the library shelves and reading, especially fantasy. She now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes, plays the fiddle, hangs out in virtual worlds, and spends time with her small-but-good family. Contact her at antheasharp@hotmail.com, follow her on twitter, find her on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/AntheaSharp), and visit her website.

Reviews

[Ashley Martinez (ilovebooksandstuffblog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawthorne

Dangers lurk around every corner with new and old enemies conspiring against our new couple. I loved how suspenseful and full of action this story was. I was on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait for what happens next especially with that ending!

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this the 2nd book in the romantic love story between a mortal woman, Mara Geary, and a dark elf warrior Prince we catch Bran and Mara travelling to Hawthorne, the dark court after having dispatched the void which was attacking Elfhame. They had done this by joining their magical strength and fighting together through their bond in marriage. However even though Mara had helped to save Elfhame, she was still hated by the courtiers at the court particularly by her rival, ex-betrothed to Bran. They arrive at Hawthorne completely drained and in need of healing but Bran has to leave almost immediately to hunt down the void spawn who were still hounding the land, leaving Mara on her own to fight her own battles which were almost as dangerous as the void spawn. We find Bran and his small army fighting Gyrewolves, Spiderkin and hulking Lumberers, all of which are deadly, and Mara fighting off the assassins sent to kill her. The void shard is attempting to cross over into the human world through the gate and both Bran and Mara were terrified of this happening. Bran thought that the two worlds were more intertwined than anyone envisaged, and that perhaps the infertility problem which the dark elves faced could be solved through this bond but unless Bran and Mara accept that they are stronger together they will never defeat the void and erase this monster from both their worlds. Only their love and the magic they wielded together would see this adventure through to its end and good winning over evil. This book full of love and magic, deceit and treachery leaves us on a cliffhanger at the end, which I know makes me want to read book 3 yesterday if possible as I can't wait.

[Anjedah / bookriot_awesomeyou · Rating 4 out of 5]

So after reading first book , i just wanted to know what happen next ?
but but , i got surprised by Athena Sharp writng skills second book got me hooked.

in this Mara decides to leave Dark elves kingdom when she know that Void is destroyed , so she left which is good. But she came back again and found herself entangled with another problem.i loved this book quite a lot than first one. The character and surrounding is quite good.


Loved it :) lets see what happens in next book.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

This was pretty much on par with the previous installment. There are some interesting, but not fully developed, ideas here. Clean content was appreciated as always, but unfortunately there also was almost no movement on the relationship front. I am going to finish this series, though, since this one ended in a cliffhanger.

[Kat Wilt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I had a hard time putting it down. Another fantastic read. I get to read Raine tomorrow and I can't wait.

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthea Sharp is back, this time with Hawthorne, book 2 in her The Darkwood Chronicles. That’s a truly wonderful thing as this is a truly wonderful book by a truly wonderful author. I’ve been addicted to her other series and stand-alone tales for quite a while and it’s books like this one that explain why. Since my theme word seems to be “wonderful” I will just lay it out there, the plot of this book (and overarching story arc), the writing, the world-building (palace intrigue in the Hawthorne Court, magic, elves and Shards of the Void: oh my!), and the characters (from Mara and Bran on down) are all, indeed, more than simply superb: they’re wonderful. The fate of Elfhame is far more precarious than first believed, but have faith that this will all dealt with in a - you guessed it - wonderful fashion. Frankly, but for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

[Laurie Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthea Sharp is one of my must read authors. Her worlds are rich, have depth, and are full of angst and joy, with some awesome magical battles thrown in. I find myself fully immersed each time I open a story. I’ll admit, I’ve read some of her Feyland books more than once. Hawthorne is everything I expected it to be and more. The world is well-imagined, the plot fraught with danger, and the relationship between Mara and Bran is both realistic and larger than life. I’m officially hooked on Ms. Sharp’s new series.

[Tenna Chatman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is course it's good, it's by Anthea Sharp!

Absolutely LOVED this! It was so sweet seeing Bran and Mara's relationship develop. Anthea has way with world building that draws me into the story. Lots of action.

[Aletia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly flows from book one into book two! Growth of the characters, and learning more about their worlds <3 Anthea Sharp tells a tale of love brought on by a prophecy, and illustrates the pit-falls beautifully. I'm anxious to see how it ends.

[Annie Lima · Rating 2 out of 5]

Homosexual elves? Really?? Not what I look for in fantasy novels, thank you. I also found the beginning confusing. The previous book ended with Bran saying that he and Mara "have worlds to explore. Together." This book started with them lying in each other's arms a few months after the two of them disappeared from the elven court, with no indication as to whether they actually did go off and explore the world, or just spend months out in the wilderness enjoying each other's company (but never actually consummating their marriage). Or did Bran wait there for months (with no food or supplies) for Mara's return? The book never actually explains where that time went.

I kind of enjoyed book 1, but I don't think I'll be reading any more in this series. However, this author has written many other books that I've enjoyed very much. Guess it's time to try one of her other series.

[Lizabet Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world-building of this second book in the Darkwood Chronicles series is just as top-notch as in the first. It suffers a bit from the dreaded second book "transition" syndrome, where it feels like the sole purpose of the book is to bridge the gap between books 1 and 3, rather than doing that and existing as a full arc in its own right, but I enjoyed it enough to want to read the next one.

I did feel my enthusiasm waning slightly, though. I went into this hoping for a strong fantasy-romance, but while the romance is the focus of the plot, we get very little of it in action. I adore slowburn romance, but this is moving like molasses in January. 😜

Still, the author can write, baby. I finished it still game to see what happens next!

[Rachelle Steward]

Exciting Fantasy Adventure

So much happens so quickly in this book that it is hard to put down. A very satisfying read. Just when Bean thought the Prophecy was fulfilled, he finds it is not. He must gather troops from the other courts and hunt down the Void creatures remaining. The way is fraught with resistance and danger. Unexpected allies are very welcomed. Join the adventure full of battles and magic. And who exactly is trying to assassinate his wife? Trouble just seems to find these two. Together they can conquer anything. If only it was easy to remain together....

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the idea of the Void being a shard moving through Elfhame, strengthening itself to attack the mortal world.

Court life was a bit tedious, but there was enough danger to keep things moving.

I liked that Mara’s magic, though similar to the magic of the Dark Elves, works differently.

Loads of twists and action. Can’t wait to see what happens to Mara and Bran next.

Trigger warnings: spiders, blood, assassination attempts.

[Suzee Haney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in like ve with this story. Mara is a strong woman who goes after what she wants. I need to read book 1 to find out how she crossed into the Dark Elves Realm, winding up married to the Crown Prince Bran. There are many Dark Elves who do not hate humans.unfortunately Mara landed where many are sneaky and sly and love to cause trouble.in particular it’s the king and queen of the Dark Elves. All I can tell you is enjoy the story and think of the prejudices there and in our world. M

[Olivia Marie Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

More exciting than the first one.

I loved the first book, but it was a little slow for my tastes. This one picked up much more. There was a lot more action and adventure. The romance is sweet, but it feels a little forced. I don’t understand how Bran and Mara fell in love with each other at all, but still a good story and a hidden gem.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victory short lived, the two main characters face even more dangers than they imagined. This web of intrigue just keeps getting woven tighter making me extremely anxious to know the outcome. It’s very easy to get swept away in this tale filled with fairytale like settings. Eagerly looking forward to book three. All my reviews are always voluntarily written.

[Dale Hunnicutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth the time

First and foremost, am I enjoying what I am reading, simple answer- yes. Does my imagination allow me view this realm through the words recorded on the page, again yes. Does my body, react as if it participating in the storytelling, at last the answer is no, for I am an arm chair adventurer only. I do plan to read the next adventure very soon.

[Rachel Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great follow-up

I loved this second part of Mara and Bran's story. There was so much going on, and I found myself unable to stop reading! I'm not gonna lie; I'm still confused as to the passing of time in Elfhame! Lol. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. I recommend!

[Myla L A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Story

Like the writing, the characters, the world building that had magic, action, mystery. I did feel some parts were rushed and could have been more and longer.
Still a good read.

[Sonia Morvillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, I wish there were more action between Mara and Bran. They profess they are madly in love with each other, but they barely kiss.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a while to get going.

[Steve Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting. Couldn’t put it down!

Fantasy in it’s best form. Romance, intrigue set in the dark elves castle and beyond. Looking forward to the next episode.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

much better book than the first. I can't wait to see what happens in the mortal world and to see how Anneth fairs in her quest to find Bran and Mara

[Teri Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ended on a cliffhanger!

I read this in 1 day, couldn't put it down!! Barely have time to write this review. I have to start the next book!!

[Kathy]

Good

Good read love bran, mara and anneth. Mither and merlith need help. The kord of riwen is really upsetting. Do not like ending should connect all three books ss one

[Sarah Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A world in trouble

Elves and humans have been separated for too long. But what will happen if a human becomes part of the fey world?if

[Lindy Studt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark Elves and Humans, Magic Galore

It kept me rivited to read one book and the next is on order. I can't wait to find it more!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great progression

I appreciated she didn't have instapowers and struggled. And still had a spine. It's in court but not too intriguey and the two story lines are easy to follow.

[Hilda Baard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable adventure. Well worth reading

[Lady The Owls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

I like how the book was written. Give us 2 heroes 1 female and 1 male strong In humble character.