{"id":25146,"date":"2020-02-10T09:25:44","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T14:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=25146"},"modified":"2022-10-11T16:58:41","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T16:58:41","slug":"reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-25146\" data-postid=\"25146\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-25146 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_bbbcac8 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner gutter-narrow col_align_top tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_49667e8 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_7036296 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-milla-vane2-scaled.jpg?w=640\" title=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane\" alt=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane\">\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_a1982ef customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil\u2014until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.<\/strong><\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents\u2019 murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king\u2019s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones\u2014because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own\u2026<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_23787e9 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_2d1ea91  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16468 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/4-hearts.jpg?resize=170%2C44\" alt=\"\" width=\"170\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Feb 4, 2020<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>A Gathering of Dragons<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>1<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $7.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>A Heart of Blood and Ashes<\/strong> is the first book in <em><strong>Milla Vane\u2019s<\/strong><\/em> series <em>A Gathering of Dragons<\/em>. It starts with the murder of Maddek\u2019s parents, the king and queen of one of the five kingdoms. Maddek, one of the main characters, is now the next in line for the throne but before he takes his place he wants to get revenge for his parents deaths. He kidnaps the rival king\u2019s daughter, Yvenne, with the belief that she was also part of the plot against his parents. Yvenne quickly offers herself up as his bride in her own plot to get revenge against her abusive father. Neither Maddek nor Yvenne particularly like each other in the beginning but see each other as a means to an end. They slowly realize that there is more to each other than what they first thought.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This book was a very good read. It started off a bit slow and confusing, but that is because of the vast fantasy world that Vane is building. Once the background is built the story moves quickly and it\u2019s one of those books that is tough to put down. I really enjoyed getting to know both of the main characters: Maddek is a typical alpha male warrior type and Yvenne is physically very weak but uses her sharp brain to get what she wants.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I love a strong female lead and Yvenne did not disappoint, she never coward in front of Maddek\u2019s aggressive ways and she always held her own. Maddek for me took a while to warm up to, he was very stuck in his ways and thinking, but eventually he does come around as well and you can see under all of that stubbornness is a desire to do right. Both of them are very strong characters individually and together their slow building romance was steamy. The supporting characters throughout the story were also very well developed and I really enjoyed their interactions with each other and with Maddek and Yvenne.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides their romance, the storyline is very suspenseful and moves quickly through the book. It is like we are right there on the road with Maddek and Yvenne as they are travelling towards their shared goals. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a good enemies-to-lovers trope as well as fantasy readers. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Harshita<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_eb0616c customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Sgd0nm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes\/id1465456007?mt=11&amp;app=itunes&amp;at=11l88k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-milla-vane\/1131740887?ean=9780440000518#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Milla_Vane_A_Heart_of_Blood_and_Ashes?id=1C6aDwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,107,48],"tags":[152,158,266,387,404,405,420],"class_list":["post-25146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-berkley","category-harshita","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-actionadventure","tag-fantasy","tag-paranormals","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads","tag-romance"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-10T14:25:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-11T16:58:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"beverley\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"beverley\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"beverley\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d\"},\"headline\":\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-10T14:25:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-11T16:58:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":634,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"keywords\":[\"4 Stars\",\"action\\\/adventure\",\"Fantasy\",\"Paranormals\",\"recommend\",\"Recommended Reads\",\"romance\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Berkley\",\"Harshita\",\"Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/\",\"name\":\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane - Smitten by Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-10T14:25:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-10-11T16:58:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10\\\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Smitten by Books\",\"description\":\"Where HEAs are guaranteed\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Smitten by Books\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1\",\"width\":281,\"height\":265,\"caption\":\"Smitten by Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d\",\"name\":\"beverley\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"beverley\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/smittenbybooks.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/beverley\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane - Smitten by Books","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane - Smitten by Books","og_description":"A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/","og_site_name":"Smitten by Books","article_published_time":"2020-02-10T14:25:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-10-11T16:58:41+00:00","author":"beverley","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"beverley","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/"},"author":{"name":"beverley","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d"},"headline":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane","datePublished":"2020-02-10T14:25:44+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-11T16:58:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/"},"wordCount":634,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","keywords":["4 Stars","action\/adventure","Fantasy","Paranormals","recommend","Recommended Reads","romance"],"articleSection":["Berkley","Harshita","Reviews"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/","name":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane - Smitten by Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2020-02-10T14:25:44+00:00","dateModified":"2022-10-11T16:58:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/10\/reviews-a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-by-milla-vane\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/","name":"Smitten by Books","description":"Where HEAs are guaranteed","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Smitten by Books","url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cropped-smittenlogo-2017.png?fit=281%2C265&ssl=1","width":281,"height":265,"caption":"Smitten by Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5a4181aeb9cd5641e30023b9b4d3e00d","name":"beverley","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d01d9a027fd24b3d94658206104dd5d7aaffba75b651e55c08358a9bc51b26a1?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"beverley"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/author\/beverley\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"builder_content":"<img src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-milla-vane2-scaled.jpg\" title=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane\" alt=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane\">\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms of the south. That alliance is all that stands against the return of an ancient evil\u2014until the barbarian king and queen are slain in an act of bloody betrayal.<\/strong><br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Though forbidden by the alliance council to kill the corrupt king responsible for his parents\u2019 murders, Maddek vows to avenge them, even if it costs him the Parsathean crown. But when he learns it was the king\u2019s daughter who lured his parents to their deaths, the barbarian warrior is determined to make her pay.<br \/>\u00a0<br \/>Yet the woman Maddek captures is not what he expected. Though the last in a line of legendary warrior-queens, Yvenne is small and weak, and the sharpest weapons she wields are her mind and her tongue. Even more surprising is the marriage she proposes to unite them in their goals and to claim their thrones\u2014because her desire for vengeance against her father burns even hotter than his own\u2026<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/4-hearts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"170\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong> Feb 4, 2020<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>A Gathering of Dragons<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>1<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Penguin Group<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong> Berkley<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong> $7.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>A Heart of Blood and Ashes<\/strong> is the first book in <em><strong>Milla Vane\u2019s<\/strong><\/em> series <em>A Gathering of Dragons<\/em>. It starts with the murder of Maddek\u2019s parents, the king and queen of one of the five kingdoms. Maddek, one of the main characters, is now the next in line for the throne but before he takes his place he wants to get revenge for his parents deaths. He kidnaps the rival king\u2019s daughter, Yvenne, with the belief that she was also part of the plot against his parents. Yvenne quickly offers herself up as his bride in her own plot to get revenge against her abusive father. Neither Maddek nor Yvenne particularly like each other in the beginning but see each other as a means to an end. They slowly realize that there is more to each other than what they first thought.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This book was a very good read. It started off a bit slow and confusing, but that is because of the vast fantasy world that Vane is building. Once the background is built the story moves quickly and it\u2019s one of those books that is tough to put down. I really enjoyed getting to know both of the main characters: Maddek is a typical alpha male warrior type and Yvenne is physically very weak but uses her sharp brain to get what she wants.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I love a strong female lead and Yvenne did not disappoint, she never coward in front of Maddek\u2019s aggressive ways and she always held her own. Maddek for me took a while to warm up to, he was very stuck in his ways and thinking, but eventually he does come around as well and you can see under all of that stubbornness is a desire to do right. Both of them are very strong characters individually and together their slow building romance was steamy. The supporting characters throughout the story were also very well developed and I really enjoyed their interactions with each other and with Maddek and Yvenne.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Besides their romance, the storyline is very suspenseful and moves quickly through the book. It is like we are right there on the road with Maddek and Yvenne as they are travelling towards their shared goals. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a good enemies-to-lovers trope as well as fantasy readers. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>~ Harshita<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Sgd0nm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes\/id1465456007?mt=11&amp;app=itunes&amp;at=11l88k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes-milla-vane\/1131740887?ean=9780440000518#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/a-heart-of-blood-and-ashes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Milla_Vane_A_Heart_of_Blood_and_Ashes?id=1C6aDwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}