Forewarned (Fated Love #1)

Chantal Fernando

Blurb:

The fae spend their entire lives searching for their true mate.

But me? I know who my mine is. And I don't want him.

My name is Astrid. I'm a fae, a seer and a healer.

Not much scares me. But him?

That's the darkness I'm never going to let catch me.

Themes: Romantic Fantasy

Rating: 4 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

Being a longtime fan of Chantal Fernando, I feel I have to be the first to warn other fans that this is going to be unlike any story of her you have read in the past. And the primary reason for that is that it wraps up with a terrifyingly well-written cliffhanger that is going to leave you clambering for the next book in the series. Now I won’t lie, had I known the story wouldn’t be ending and the series was one of those that continues on with the journey of the main characters through several books I might not have picked it up, primary because I am not a huge fan of hanging endings, but I would have missed out of a great story for sure. Chantal’s new foray into the world of romantic fantasy is not to be missed and if you are a fan of paranormal romance, fae characters, magick, or any combination of the above I feel like you will be just as enraptured of the story as I was. Forewarned has a lot of emotional intensity, drama, and craziness as Astrid faces her fears, tries to live with her choices, and learns to accept that sometimes she has to just let fate have its way. I am dying for the next story and can’t imagine what will be coming for Astrid, but I know that ending will lead to some serious issues, and I suspect I have a couple of ideas where it might be leading but one just never knows, by I am sure Foretold will kick off with a serious bang.

Astrid is a fae, a seer and a healer and she has been in hiding since her powers showed her the future that was coming her when she was a young woman. Her mate is not only the most terrifying fae alive, but he is also the most sensual being she has ever seen, and she knows he is destined to destroy her. When she has to make a choice to possibly put herself directly in the path of her fated mate and risk losing herself forever or lose the only family she’s got left, she risks it all and confronts her destiny. But that choice backfires in a big way. Now she is on a runaway train and there is only one being she can look to and possibly offer any level of trust in to keep her safe, the mate she knows will destroy her. Rave, Prince of Shadows, is determined to make her his mate, but the more time they are together the more she loses herself to him, until she comes to think maybe she could love him. And then a startingly truth comes to life and she is left with an impossible choice and has to again run from the terrifying man that could take her very life.

Astrid was an interesting dichotomy of strength and vulnerability from the very beginning. She has never really interacted with the type of man she is faced to pit herself against with when she meets Rave and tries to pit her wit and sass against his experience and ruthlessness. While she is terrified, she rarely lets it show and her bravely and willingness to protest those she loves seems boundless, and I could only say that I appreciated her for that. I found a few times that her naivete in a few areas made me want to slap my forehead and question her sanity on several decisions and of course her unwillingness to just speak up and share her fears with Rave were confusing, but I suppose the tory need them in order to move in the direction it went. That lack of deep trust and understanding led to so many misunderstandings and ultimately broke them, but the lack of communication is always what tears apart the best of relationships, so I wasn’t much surprised. I likes Rave a lot, much more than a couple of his brothers, but I also wanted to kick him several times for being an ass. I wanted him to just open his mouth and talk with Astrid, which might have kept so many of their problems from ever being problems, including the one that led to their ending. He is obviously a vicious and protective fighter, but I imagine he is just as malicious when he considers himself wronged, so Astrid will be in for some rough times in the next story once they are reunited.

Forewarned is the kind of story that is filled with worldbuilding, game play, and ultimately the kind of challenges that make for a good fantasy novel, but I surely wish I had known in the beginning it was a cliffhanger—just a reader preference. Astrid is an intriguing character filled with insolence, sweetness, strength, and grit, but with passion for life and unwillingness to let anything crush her, even the mate that destiny has proclaimed as her own. I loved watching her slowly beginning to love and trust her new friends and family before a conniving witch came and ruined it all, sending her fleeing and (I suspect) set her up for a lot of hard times in the coming story. Rave was a harder character to get to know, but I could see that he wasn’t quite as evil as Astrid’s fears made him out to be and was in fact a good man, possibly with a dark side, that was determined to keep his mate and show her they were well matched. I do suspect that he will be angry as hell when he catches up to her in the coming story and his angry will lead him to make some seriously bad decisions that will make their relationship difficult, but I hope they can get past it. The passion between Rave and Astrid is there every second they are together and there is no denying they physically crave one another, and the chemistry is there, but the trust that they are slowly building is what finally gives us hope that love might be on the horizon. I am seriously hoping the rest of this serious comes quickly because I am hooked now and can’t wait to see what happens for Rave and Astrid (not to mention finding out if my guess of what happens next is correct), and I would like to see what happens for the rest of Rave’s brothers as well. Chantal Fernando strikes a chord with her ability to remind us that sometimes we should accept that fate knows best; sometimes surrendering to our fates is the smartest course of action as we make choices in life.

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.