Review: The Bequest and Hallowed Ground: The Guardians books #1 and #3

The Bequest by Hope Anika
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent descriptive prose while keeping a good pace of suspense

Hope Anika is a new author for me. I am hooked on romantic suspense, and this book's blurb does an excellent job of setting the scene.

Our main characters are painfully flawed, and their thoughts of vengeance and struggle with anger are well told. Cheyenne is a strong female lead, and Will does not need to 'save' her. They balance each other, and a connection snaps in place pretty quickly. Although a bit insta love if viewed through the story timeline, the book is a more slow burn as the scorching heat between the MCs are only really dealt with in the last 15% of the book.

The rest of the book deals with the suspense and action of missing dirty bombs. An excellent twist on the whodunit.

The book is written in the third person, and we also get to know Rafe (whose guardianship Cheyenne takes on) very well. The writing is technically excellent, although the prose is quite descriptive, setting scene and context well, giving the book the feel of a somewhat slower pace.

 

Hallowed Ground by Hope Anika
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Worth the read

Slow burn romantic suspense, tinged with a bit of otherworldly charm. Similar to book #1, The Bequest, the book 'feels' like insta-love, but the relationship only features very late in the book.

I loved Sean and Ellie, who is a very strong female MC. They are both so honest in their personal struggles and grief. The suspense element was excellent, and the book had a good pace. Worth the read!