Secret Courtship by Jaycee Jarvis

3 Stars

The writing and editing of this novel was clean, with no typos that I found in the ARC version of the manuscript. The world building was excellent, with this fantasy world coming to vivid life. The characterization was also vibrant, with both the hero and heroine of this novel being complex characters with strengths and weaknesses. Where this novel fails is in the development of the romantic relationship. The primary conflict in this novel was the fact that the two protagonists seemed to be unable to communicate in an honest or healthy way for 95% of this novel. Therefore, I as the reader was completely unable to suspend disbelief sufficiently to believe in a Happy Ever After where these two characters are happy in a relationship together. Neither of them seemed capable of healthy interpersonal skills. The plot and pacing was exciting, making me turn the pages quickly to find out what was going to happen next. The angst in this novel was both sky high AND easily resolved with the application of some common sense, so it was a painful slog to get through. The stakes were very high in this novel, which I typically enjoy. This novel used the Refusal to Honestly Communicate trope, which I despise, especially when it is the primary source of conflict in the romance. The world building was five stars in this novel. The characterization, plot, and pacing were all four stars. The development of the romantic relationship was one star. As a fantasy novel, this book is a four star book. As a romance novel, it is a two star book. Therefore, the combined score of this novel was three stars. This novel had a Happy Ever After ending instead of a cliffhanger, so that is a plus. I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy great fantasy world building and also the Refusal to Honestly Communicate trope. I am not currently interested in reading anything else by this author, because of the choice the author made about the primary conflict in this novel. I will not be buying 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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