What I'm Reading Wednesday

This week's review is Rowena's Key (The Golden Key Chronicles, Book 1) by A J Nuest.

Blurb: 
The key would unlock his future and the safety of his kingdom, but he never imagined the sorceress would unlock his heart…

Antiques restorer, Rowena Lindstrom, finds herself the owner of an ancestral armoire containing a hidden key and a magic mirror leading to another realm!

But the handsome warrior prince waiting on the other side is truly the final straw. This must be an elaborate joke, right? As she struggles to discover the truth, Rowena learns Prince Caedmon Austiere needs the key to save his kingdom. In the end, she cannot deny him anything. Including her heart.

Review:  Please note this is a novella with approximately 109 pages. I point this out because some readers buy a book and don't realize that it's of short length and then give a terrible review because it wasn't a full-length novel.

I liked Rowena immediately. While I've never purchased a piece of furniture online, I have made a few purchases that were, well let's just say less than what they were advertised or pictured as. I could definitely identify with her feelings as she unwrapped her online purchase of an armoire from overseas.

Prince Caedmon was just as likeable. At a loss when he is chosen instead of his first born brother to woo the sorceress (Rowena), he steps up to do what he must in order to save his kingdom. Though he's a terrible poet and an even worse singer, he does both in his attempts to gain Rowena's favor. His poetry and the description of his singing had me laughing out loud.

I liked the premise of a mirror connecting the two worlds. The author does a fantastic job using this premise to build sexual tension between Rowena and Caedmon. The pacing is perfect for a book of this length. I didn't feel that it was rushed in any sense of the word. She allowed Rowena and Caedmon to come to know each other as people first which I appreciated. Some novellas are all about getting the couple to that "We love each other" stage that the plot is often lacking. That's not the case here. The story unfolds without that sense of rushed pacing. There is a bit of a cliff hanger at the end of the book, but it doesn't detract from the story itself.

I love a book that can make me laugh and still pulls at my heart. Rowena's Key is a perfect example of that kind of book. I will definitely be reading the other installments of The Golden Key Chronicles. (I've already purchased Book 2 - Candra's Freedom and Book 3 - Caedmon's Curse.)

Rating:  5 Stars