Uninteresting, overwrought dynamic between the lovers. ( )

Glad I finished this trilogy and got to see Simon’s journey with Ariane. None of these guys really deserve these women though, and the ending here was just as abrupt as the others. I feel as though the magic represented here took precedence over any character arcs because I would have loved to learn more about Ariane’s Learned gift rather than how wretched most of the men here are. Also it was difficult to deal with the fact that the entire premise was focused around a rape. Final thought is wondering why Erik doesn’t get a story (unless he does, and my library doesn’t have it). ( )

Recommended by Megan Peacock. This trilogy was ok but not great. ( )

The BEST in this series. Ariane and Simon deserve a HEA. ( )

This is the third in a series, with the romance having been set up in the previous books. Simon volunteers to marry Ariane to allow his friend, who had been betrothed to her, to marry the woman he loves (see Forbidden). While his friend and brother see it as a sacrifice, as Ariane is melancholy and repeated states she wants nothing to do with marriage, the truth is Simon as wanted her since he first saw her. The problem is Ariane is petrified of marriage because, before the book started, she was drugged and raped, and then condemned by her father.

All and all, it was well handled. Ariane’s shame and lack of trust was reasonable, as was her reaction to Simon’s physical attentions. There was enough keeping Simon and Ariane apart, most of which would work out fine if they would just talk.

The “learned cloth” that made up Ariane’s wedding dress, which she wears a lot, was a little much for me at points. A strip was taken off the bottom, but it was never shorter. It was cut in the side, but it wasn’t ruined, the cut in the cloth just disappeared as far as I could tell. It was explained as being magical, but still. It didn’t throw me from the story, but I did roll my eyes a few times. ( )