Vows & Ruins: An epic romantic fantasy (The Legends of Thezmarr)

Helen Scheuerer... you have some explaining to do. Holy explosive ending Batman!I kicked off 2023 sharing that book one in The Legends of Thezmarr series, Blood and Steel, was among my favorite reads of the year and my friends... Vows and Ruins blew it completely out of this universe. Helen took every single thing I loved about Blood and Steel and elevated to a whole other level. Vows and Ruins brings some extra spice between Thea and Wilder while also creating overall tension that was through the roof. I found myself mentally looking over my shoulder waiting for the other shoe to drop... and wowza did it. That ending was like watching a car accident in slow motion and being unable to do anything to change course. All I could do was gasp then yell, "no, no, no, no!"The Legends of Thezmarr series seamlessly blends Helen's masterful ability to bring rich fantasy words to life with a romance steamy enough to leave you breathless. And the battles. THE BATTLES. Are absolutely epic. Nearly as epic as the emotional destruction Helen levied upon my heart.Overall, I cannot get enough of The Legends of Thezmarr. This series is absolutely, without question the best romantic fantasy I have ever read. Each character is unique and wholly their own while also fitting so perfectly within the found family element elevating the entire dynamic between them all. I love that both Thea and Wilder are complete bad ass warriors in their own rights and yet bring a new level of trust and power when together. The pacing was the perfect blend of action, emotional destruction, character growth, steam and humor. I also really enjoyed that you do not have to read any of Helen's other books to become immersed in the world or story (though you should and thank me later) but if you have, there are so many fantastic and fun nods within the world to her other series.The ending is my own personal ruination and I need book three immediately. Time to finish Slaying the Shadow Prince to recover. If recovery is possible until I find out what the heck is going to happen next.PICK UP THIS SERIES!Recommended for fans of: Epic adventures, bad ass heroines, broody but flirty warriors, The Bridge Kingdom, romantic fantasy, a dash of The Witcher, and fantastic worlds.

This book is a lot more spicy than the first book. The plot kept my interest throughout. Looking forward to the next book

Omg I can't get over Wilder and Thea. This is now one of my new favorites. This book picks up right where you leave off. Although the relationship between these two is quite muddy, you are in for a surprise. Still love the side characters, not sure who is my favorite Cal or Kipp. We see a bit more of Wren but that's not the true kicker. World building is still decent and the ending of course is a cliffhanger. Thea has definitely grown into her role and I love that she is so feisty. Onto the next book!

I am seriously enjoying this series and loving every minute of it! I feel like I haven’t felt this way since ACOTAR!My heart felt all the feels that Thea went through. I can’t wait to read the next book to see where their story takes me next.This book had adventure, war, spice, love story, banter and a good moral lesson here and there. Thea was just a really strong female character that I really love and I’m just “Thea and Wilder forever” trope at the moment.Definitely recommend! 5⭐️3🌶️

I almost DNF this book close to the end. I felt that it was slow, predictable. And generic. But then there was a good twist at the end I didn't predict. I knew something was going to happen but not the way it did. Because of this I went from dnf to now reading the third book.

I was enjoying the book until the big twist at the end. Seemed contrived and not real to have Wilder be against the midrealms. Especially since he had killed lots of reapers and half wraiths. He also used his special water to save Thea's life. I don't believe that they really are in love though, because in a real relationship they need communication and their communication sucks.

Absolutely amazing. I'm 2nd book down and onto the 3rd. Please read the first book before continuing my comment....Firstly I'm in love with Thea, her development throughout the book, amazing. The descriptions of the battles and places. Also amazing.And lastly everyone deserves a friend like Kipp.I found myself cracking up multiple times because of his quick wit and humor.And additionally this book is like 5/5 starts for Spicy 🔥 love it.Can't wait to start book #3

I ended this book and immediately texted the person who recommended the series “I AM PHYSICALLY UNWELL FROM THIS ENDING.” The gut wrenching end to this novel has got me in a chokehold.The entire story was incredible. Tons of spice although some of it got repetitive and could have been excluded (look at me being holier than thou). Docking a star for that reason and that reason only.Do yourself a favor and read this.

I'm in love with this series, in my top reads of 2023. While a debut into the NA genre you can definitely tell Helen is a master of her craft and I'm excited to check out her YA series. Legends of Thezmarr is a true epic romantic fantasy. The battle scenes had me biting my nails and the romance had me giggling. Wilder is everything I want in a book bf! Touch her and die, one horse and mentor/student tropes! I love the found family vibes and the character arc of the FMC Thea is brillant and it will only get better..I will be waiting with baited breath for book 3. That plot twist has me in knots!

Though I have a hunch of where the narrative is taking us, it still sucks to wait to see it through 😭

Si j'avais un avis très mitigé sur le premier tome, celui ci a bien rattrapé le jeu. J'ai adoré.On a un tome bien rythmé, davantage de mystères. Également mieux écris j'ai l'impression.Thea, l'héroïne bad ass a une langue bien pendue, ses joutes verbales avec Wilder et ses amis sont addictives. J'ai été d'ailleurs totalement accrochée a ce bouqin, et je l'ai fini en quelques jours à peine.Jusqu'aux trois quarts du livre, on était a 5/5 ⭐, mais j'ai un peu moins apprécié la fin du tome, et on est retombé à 4/5 : je pense que ça aurait pu être un peu bien développé.Et cette fin... Je ne l'ai pas vue venir !!

Contra todo pronóstico Thea consigue ser una de las 3 aprendices de guerrero. Ahora, tiene que entrenar el doble de duro para las pruebas que todavia quedan por llegar. Pero su mundo está patas arriba!! Con una magia que no entiende, su mentor deshaparecido y un montón de secretos sobre su pasada, Thea tiene que encontrarse a ella misma ⚔️Esta increíble saga cada vez me gusta más. El primer libro fue increible y este segundo no se queda atrás. Es una continua montaña rusa de emociones, con unos personajes increíbles que no dejan de desarrollarse. Y es que la autora lo da todo no solo en los principales amantes, sino desarrollando también mucho personajes más secundarios y dandoles unos plot twist que te dejan con la boca abiertaEstoy deseando tener la saga completa en mi estantería 🙈

I can't begin to express how much I adored and devoured this book. I love all the characters, but especially Kipp; I looked forward to any of the scenes with him and Cal in it, and it was a treat seeing them interact with the other characters that we didn't see as much in the first book. Thea and Wilder are written beautifully, and I love them as main characters, but the side characters are also what makes this series truly special. They each have their own place and voice in this world, and honestly, any deaths in the future books might break me. I also sense another warsword romance happening, and I'm here for it. I need to see more interactions between these two (IYKYK).Speaking of warsword romances, the tension between them in this book had me hooked. I loved that they both knew a relationship between the two of them couldn't work but, at the same time, couldn't keep their hands off each other. It was also easy to see Wilder's conflict. He has to be this tough-love mentor to Thea so that she can achieve her goals, but he also has to become the type of person he doesn't want to be like around her. I can't begin to imagine how hard that must be for him and how emotionally confusing it must be for Thea. This book really does put you through the wringer with such a simple conflict. It makes for a compelling story and really pulls you into the complex emotions that each character is experiencing.The next thing I want to mention is the worldbuilding. Now this fantasy land doesn't offer anything super extraordinary, like flying cows with neon auras or unicorns that fart glittery laughing gas, but if I could choose to live in any fantasy world from any book, it would be this one. There's just something cosy and comforting about it, and the magic system is intriguing. I feel as though we have only just scratched the surface, and I can't wait to see more.Finally, I want to discuss the ending. I won't give away any spoilers for those who haven't read it, but I will just say that after getting burned so many times already this year, I was mentally prepared for this ending to happen. However, being prepared didn't stop it from stinging in any way. I'm hurt but also super excited to see where this is going in the next book (plus the fact that it looks like I'll be seeing a lot more of my two favourite characters!!!!).