Ivan the Bold (Dokiri Brides Book 3) by Denali Day

4 Stars

The writing and editing of the ARC version of the manuscript was clean, with no typos and pretty sentences. I will admit that I enjoyed the previous novel in this series more than I did this one. The world building was excellent, with me getting a vivid picture of the heroine's home culture and nation, which was really interesting in many ways. I liked how there were so many seeming contradictions in this culture. The characterization was excellent, with both hero and heroine being sympathetic, complex individuals with strengths and weaknesses. The development of the romantic relationship was sweet, angsty, and satisfying, even though there were no sizzling sexy times in this novel. The plot and pacing were tight and exciting, with this novel having both high angst and high stakes which I enjoyed. This novel used the Star-Crossed Lovers trope. The characterization and development of the romantic relationship were both four stars in this novel. The world building was five stars. The plot and pacing were four stars. The combined rating of this novel was therefore four stars. This novel had a Happy Ever After ending instead of a cliffhanger, so that is a big plus. I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy fantasy novels and readers who enjoy romance novels. This novel has strong cross-genre appeal, in my opinion. I look forward to reading the next novel in this series when it releases. I will buy myself a keeper copy of this novel.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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