The Golden Key Chronicles by AJ Nuest

Title: The Golden Key Chronicles

Author: AJ Nuest
Series: The Golden Key Chronicles

Read Type: ARC for HarperImpulse

Stars:


You can purchase the entire Golden Key Chronicles on Amazon UK and Amazon US
To purchase an individual episode please see my Golden Key Chronicles Archive
You can find out more about the author on her Website, Blog, Facebook, Author Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Series Synopsis

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.

~~~

Lost in a world she doesn't recognize, Rowena struggles to find her place.

Yet her abilities with a blade and the loyalty of a fierce falcon don't discourage the heated advances of the handsome Prince Caedmon, and the connection between them seems much deeper than her troubled heart can recall. 


~~~


For two years Prince Caedmon suffered in the dungeons of Seviere’s keep, leaving him with more than just lash marks lacing his back. He now retains the secret behind the key, and is the only one who understands its grim connection to his beloved Rowena.

Torn between telling her the truth and risking their future, he agrees to join her perilous quest. But their enemies to the north are not the only menace determined to see them fail and, to prove his love, he must conquer the demons of his past.

 

Author Bio

I am a multi-published, award-winning author who lives in the middle of a cornfield in NW Indiana. My loving husband, two beautiful children and a bevy of spoiled pets have agreed to stay and, in exchange for three rations per day and laundry service, tolerate my lunacy.

While I spend most days happily ensconced in crafting romance across a multitude of genres, an underground coup has been percolating. The dogs just informed me the cat is secretly vying for dictatorship. 












Review
Strong language: Yes
Drugs: No
Violence: Yes, Graphic
Sexual content: Yes, Graphic

My previous reviews for this series can be seen at my Golden Key Chronicles Archive



I received a copy of The Golden Key Chronicles from the author in return for an unbiased review. At the author's request, I will read and review each novella separately, followed by an overview.

I have now read the 4 novels and this is my overview, covering the story as a whole (with a break of at least 2 weeks between each to give me perspective) as well as the epilogue detailing the myth of the gods of the sun and moon. If you wish to see my more detailed opinions on any of the stories please click the relevant link above

The story started in Rowena’s Key. This was a fun, sexy and atmospheric opening to the series. There was lots of mystery and adventure. I did however feel it was lacking in explanation, and in a couple of places, I had to reread. I think this was my favourite on the fun factor.

Next was Candra’s freedom. I found this to be very action packed and tight. This was much more adventure and far less romance compared to the first novella. I missed that aspect, and in some ways, I felt the situation had gone back to how it was at the start of Rowena’s key, with mistrust on the side of Rowena. Nevertheless it was a good novella.

Then we moved into Caedmon's Curse, hands down my favourite book of the series. Once again, there was a mixture of adventure and romance. In this book I really fell for the main male protagonist, Caedmon. He was tender and caring when Rowena was weak, but also the romantic heart every romance novel needs.

Finally, came Braedric’s Bane, an epic story of adventure, romance, fun and destiny. It was a real rollercoaster. I did however feel that Caedmon was treated badly in this story. Considering how the series started, I could have expected Rowena to have been more considerate towards him in his plight.

The epilogue was an interesting surprise I wasn’t expecting. All through the story, we heard the tale of Helios and Celine, essentially the sun and moon, who, to these medieval people, were Gods locked in an endless battle for romance. The tone and writing of the epilogue was very different. It was written in old language, very fluent and floury, but never losing the reader. Having heard shortened versions and snippets so many times, it completely drew me away with it. This epilogue gets a 5, no questions about it.

My only criticism I could make of the series, is that whether the particular novella was an adventure, romance, war or a mixture it seemed to follow a vague formula. Each novella started with distrust or confusion from one or more parties. By the end of each novella this was resolved, yet something would happen, either in the last few pages, the space until the next story, or right at the beginning of the following one, to cause a sense of distrust that had to be overcome once again. Though these occurred for a variety of reasons, it could be repetitive at times.

The 411

This series was a real rollercoaster, with many genres mixed in. I enjoyed the adventure, the romance, the excitement, and the all-round newness of the world. AJ Nuest wove the world and characters that could be frustrating, but always kept you going for the next chapter. This series was very fulfilling, and I’m glad there is a spin-off. I have no doubt her skill in storytelling will continue.

I give this series as a whole a 5.

Braedric's Bane (The Golden Key Chronicles 04) by AJ Nuest

Title: Braedric's Bane

Author: AJ Nuest
Series: The Golden Key Chronicles 04

Read Type: ARC for HarperImpulse

Stars:

You can purchase a copy of this instalment of the series from Amazon UK and Amazon US
Alternatively you can purchase the entire Golden Key Chronicles on Amazon UK and Amazon US
You can find out more about the author on her Website, Blog, Facebook, Author Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Series Synopsis

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.

~~~

Lost in a world she doesn't recognize, Rowena struggles to find her place.

Yet her abilities with a blade and the loyalty of a fierce falcon don't discourage the heated advances of the handsome Prince Caedmon, and the connection between them seems much deeper than her troubled heart can recall. 


~~~


For two years Prince Caedmon suffered in the dungeons of Seviere’s keep, leaving him with more than just lash marks lacing his back. He now retains the secret behind the key, and is the only one who understands its grim connection to his beloved Rowena.

Torn between telling her the truth and risking their future, he agrees to join her perilous quest. But their enemies to the north are not the only menace determined to see them fail and, to prove his love, he must conquer the demons of his past.

Book Blurb

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

To escape the clutches of the evil Wizard Gaelleod, Rowena and Caedmon flee to the future. With her memories in tact and the help of her dear friends, Rowena is confident they can uncover the clues behind her connection to the key.

Yet Violet's dire prophecy does more than detail their history. Caedmon's worst fears are confirmed. Though they must return to his realm, everything he loves stands to be ripped from his grasp.

The conclusion to the breathtaking new Fantasy Romance series from AJ Nuest!

 

Author Bio

I am a multi-published, award-winning author who lives in the middle of a cornfield in NW Indiana. My loving husband, two beautiful children and a bevy of spoiled pets have agreed to stay and, in exchange for three rations per day and laundry service, tolerate my lunacy.

While I spend most days happily ensconced in crafting romance across a multitude of genres, an underground coup has been percolating. The dogs just informed me the cat is secretly vying for dictatorship. 



Review

My previous reviews for this series can be seen below:
Rowena's Key
Candra's Freedom
Caedmon's Curse


 I received a copy of The Golden Key Chronicles from the author in return for an unbiased review. At the author's request I will read and review each novella separately, followed by an overview.


Strong language: Yes
Drugs: No
Violence: Yes
Sexual content: Yes


Stepping in right where Caedmon's Curse left off, this novella exploded onto on reader. This is almost a role reversal of the first novella, Rowena's Key, as both Rowena and Caedmon dive through the magic mirror once more and back into modern day.

It appears time has passed the same here as in the past, for things have moved on, while staying lovingly the same. Ollie, her larger than life friend, has kept the armoire in case Rowena should ever return, so the intrepid duo crash land onto his carpet in his bedroom – naked! Ollie now has a partner, Jon, and neither of them minded eyeing up the cautious and embarrassed Caedmon.

The first few chapters were a lot of fun, getting up to speed with what's been going on and setting the ground rules to Jon, like an Ollie on Viagra! From steamy sex scenes, Jon's fruitless attempts at wooing and Rowena proving she no longer needed protecting from every little bump in the road it made for a great read.

I particularly felt for Caedmon, at least Rowena had learnt history in school so knew how things worked to a certain extent, and the loss of her memories when she went to the past probably helped her to acclimatise. For Caedmon, however, he entered a world or electricity, cars and where to him everybody was a wizard, he was is shock. Yet I felt Rowena's only reply was to seduce him, not explain like she probably would have preferred were the situation reversed.

Soon the adventure is on, learning the prophesy (it seems it paid to have owned an antiques shop with loyal workers knowing how to find past details) it is clear they have to return to rescue everything they hold dear.

The ending is an exciting adventure, with the prophesy that was foretold, so many times I expected one of them to fall or lose. AJ Nuest wrote this to really keep us on the edge of our seats. Explosions, battles, betrayal, it all mounted to what the previous three novellas had been pushing for.

Psst, you over there. Yes, I'm talking to you. Don’t tell anyone but I'm a softie at heart. Reading the epilogue put a silly grin on my face. It was a satisfying end, although I would always like to see more of this world.


The 411

Overall, this was a mix of genres: romance, adventure, danger and just plain old fun, I'm sad to see the series end, but I think it ended right and left me feeling fufilled.

My one complaint would be Rowena's treatment of Caedmon in this instalment. Whereas they'd always been in tune with each other's emotions and she knew from first hand experience how daunting it could be to step into a different time I felt she neglected his emotional needs, expecting him to just buck up and follow along. Otherwise I loved this and just wanted one more page.. and one more… and…

Overall I give this a 4.5 adjusted to a 4 for reviewing sites

The Golden Key Chronicles: Caedmon's Curse by AJ Nuest

Title: Caedmon's Curse
Author: AJ Nuest
Series: The Golden Key Chronicles 03
Read Type: ARC for HarperImpulse
Stars:

You can purchase a copy of this instalment of the series from Amazon UK and Amazon US
Alternatively you can purchase the entire Golden Key Chronicles on Amazon UK and Amazon US
You can find out more about the author on her Website, Blog, Facebook, Author Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Series Synopsis

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.

~~~

Lost in a world she doesn't recognize, Rowena struggles to find her place.

Yet her abilities with a blade and the loyalty of a fierce falcon don't discourage the heated advances of the handsome Prince Caedmon, and the connection between them seems much deeper than her troubled heart can recall.

Book Blurb

For two years Prince Caedmon suffered in the dungeons of Seviere’s keep, leaving him with more than just lash marks lacing his back. He now retains the secret behind the key, and is the only one who understands its grim connection to his beloved Rowena.

Torn between telling her the truth and risking their future, he agrees to join her perilous quest. But their enemies to the north are not the only menace determined to see them fail and, to prove his love, he must conquer the demons of his past.

Author Bio

I am a multi-published, award-winning author who lives in the middle of a cornfield in NW Indiana. My loving husband, two beautiful children and a bevy of spoiled pets have agreed to stay and, in exchange for three rations per day and laundry service, tolerate my lunacy.

While I spend most days happily ensconced in crafting romance across a multitude of genres, an underground coup has been percolating. The dogs just informed me the cat is secretly vying for dictatorship. 



Review

My previous reviews for this series can be seen below:
Rowena's Key
Candra's Freedom


I received a copy of The Golden Key Chronicles from the author in return for an unbiased review. At the author's request I will read and review each novella separately, followed by an overview.


Strong language: Yes
Drugs: No
Violence: Yes
Sexual content: Yes


Caedmon's curse starts two days after the last book ended, with Rowena showing off her survival skills as she seems in her element, finally away from the aristocracy that held her down so long. Soon however we hear the thunder of hooves approaching her secluded hideaway. Why can't they just leave her alone!

Caedmon crashes into the camp, with Rowena already in hiding, and like the typical man makes a mess. But why is he here? That is the real question. He fights her, but also corrects her mistakes, making her a better warrior. Is he here to drag her back to the castle or to free her?

The tenderness shown by Caedmon in these scenes, particularly when he ignored his own desires to make sure Rowena felt safe, above anything else with him were so touching and perfectly aimed. Who could not fall in love with a prince who puts you first and treats you like his queen? Yet Rowena's anger is still palpable, if, I felt, misdirected. It was interesting to see the change in her as she had to reassess everything she had learnt in the last two years of her life in the castle.

Soon however things take a turn for the worse and Rowena finds herself fleeing, this time not from Caedmon, but to save is life. This was action packed and a full on adventure with dangerous martial artist soldiers on her tail, and a forbidden forest of terror to everyone in front, the pages just kept flipping. What she found was astounding, an unforeseen event for me, one I was very happy with.

There was a fantastic mix of tender moments and action mixed into this book, making it a read I couldn't put down. It was non stop and switched effortlessly between the two themes. I loved the ending, a real surprise and left a big cliff hanger.

Bring on the last book... but I don't want this to end!


The 411
 

Without a doubt the strongest of the series to date, I loved reading their adventures, both when they were foiled and when they succeeded. A real all rounder that I feel will appeal to both men and women who enjoy action, adventure, romance or fantasy.

The easiest 5 I've given in a while

The Golden Key Chronicles: Candra's Freedom by AJ Nuest

Title: Candra's Freedom
Author: AJ Nuest
Series: The Golden Key Chronicles 02
Read Type: ARC for HarperImpulse
Stars:

You can purchase a copy of this instalment of the series from Amazon UK and Amazon US
Alternatively you can purchase the entire Golden Key Chronicles on Amazon UK and Amazon US
You can find out more about the author on her Website, Blog, Facebook, Author Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Series Synopsis

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.

Book Blurb

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

Lost in a world she doesn't recognize, Rowena struggles to find her place.

Yet her abilities with a blade and the loyalty of a fierce falcon don't discourage the heated advances of the handsome Prince Caedmon, and the connection between them seems much deeper than her troubled heart can recall.

Author Bio

I am a multi-published, award-winning author who lives in the middle of a cornfield in NW Indiana. My loving husband, two beautiful children and a bevy of spoiled pets have agreed to stay and, in exchange for three rations per day and laundry service, tolerate my lunacy.

While I spend most days happily ensconced in crafting romance across a multitude of genres, an underground coup has been percolating. The dogs just informed me the cat is secretly vying for dictatorship. 

Review

My previous reviews for this series can be seen below:
Rowena's Key


I received a copy of The Golden Key Chronicles from the author in return for an unbiased review. At the author's request I will read and review each novella separately, followed by an overview.


Strong language: Yes
Drugs: No
Violence: Yes
Sexual content: Negligible

Candra's Freedom starts two years from where we left Rowena's key, with Rowena having just landed in this new world, and being separated from her Prince Caedmon. While we don't know what has happened in between it's clear that Rowena is a very different woman to the one we saw before. She still has her stubborn edge, but now she is very tough and clearly has had a hard time.

Soon a boat is arriving, returning Caedmon from his time away. Knowing the situation even less than us, he scares her with his reactions and determinations to pick up where he left off. We see a lot of the circumstances through his eyes as he has to figure the past, and learn some hard truths. This showed a very different, side to him, emotions heightened until they made a wall of steel as he had to be restrained to stop him committing murder, as well as castle life, to what had been alluded to in Rowena's Key. Backstabbing and political wordplay take precedence at every turn. He can't rescue the heart of his girl without committing treason.

On Rowena's part she has become very physical, a trait that fits her bringing some of the modern day sexual equality with her to the past. She's inventive and the fights are written believably. I did feel they were lacking somewhat in emotion, however I think this is partly in design as Rowena has had to suffer to survive. When she is alone with her hawk I think is the only time we truly see her let down her guard and see what is really going on inside. This is subtle but clean, a good piece of writing.

I would have liked more interaction between Caedmon and Rowena as this is the main draw to get somebody to pick up the second novella, but what was there was tense, tight and filled with emotion from both sides, even if they weren't on the same page. I particularly liked the reversal of language in their main discussion, with Rowena having picked up the nobility's way of speech, but imploring Caedmon to "speak plainly" as he adopted speech nearer to what we'd use in every day. He was fluent and heartfelt, it made me really root for them.

Looking at the overall plot of this novella I am surprised it ended how it did and hope this was setup for a future book in the series or it will feel like we're back to square one again.

The 411

A very different tone to the previous novella, I liked the action packed side being broken by matters of the heart. The writing was clean and precise, but spent a bit long on some aspects.

Overall it kept my attention and made me want to read on to find out how this can be resolved.

I give this novella a 4

The Golden Key Chronicles: Rowena's Key by AJ Nuest

Title: Rowena's Key
Author: AJ Nuest
Series: The Golden Key Chronicles 01
Read Type: ARC for HarperImpulse
Stars:

You can purchase a copy of this instalment of the series from Amazon UK and Amazon US
Alternatively you can purchase the entire Golden Key Chronicles on Amazon UK and Amazon US
You can find out more about the author on her Website, Blog, Facebook, Author Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Book 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.

Author Bio

I am a multi-published, award-winning author who lives in the middle of a cornfield in NW Indiana. My loving husband, two beautiful children and a bevy of spoiled pets have agreed to stay and, in exchange for three rations per day and laundry service, tolerate my lunacy.

While I spend most days happily ensconced in crafting romance across a multitude of genres, an underground coup has been percolating. The dogs just informed me the cat is secretly vying for dictatorship.

Review

I received a copy of The Golden Key Chronicles from the author in return for an unbiased review. At the author's request I will read and review each novella separately, followed by an overview.



Strong language: Yes
Drugs: No
Violence: Yes, Graphic
Sexual content: Yes, Graphic

Rowena, a wealthy antiques dealer, buys an ancestor's armoire, and soon finds an ancient key with her initials on hidden within. But that's not all she find by far, for soon she has a magic mirror with a dashing prince on her hands!

I loved the characters portrayed in this novella. Rowena was feisty and held her own, unwilling to fall for the fantasy of a magic mirror into a different time. This gave her prince, Caedmon, on the other side quite something to wrap his head around, as he fell boundlessly in love with her, yet could not trust, or fully understand her. The other men we met via the mirror, often only briefly, beefed up that world and showed what depths awaited, with different characters, and archaic speech, they showed the kind of world Caedmon inhabited. But, of course, back on our side I cant leave out Ollie, the quirky best friend we all wish we had. He overflowed with colour and wit, making me laugh. He also had a much deeper side, acting like a big brother to Rowena, caring for her and ready to protect her should anyone try to harm her.

Rowena learns from Caedmon of a prophesy talking of a sorceress with a golden key that can save his kingdom – the key she possesses. She refuses to believe him, to allow herself to be fooled, thinking it a high tech trick, yet she is still drawn back to that mirror the next night, anxious to see what will happen. I felt I would have liked more information on the prophesy earlier, but the mystery, along with the hot guy, draw Rowena back and test her resolve. I had no problem being drawn back with her!

During the day, in between the initial meetings with Caedmon and his men, Rowena spends time at her antiques shop, trying to bring some rationality back into her life. Getting they key tested and generally burying herself in her work. This was the one part of the story I didn't engage with however. While elsewhere the writing often glistened and flowed across the page, here it felt dull and flat, much like Rowena's emotions while she was away from the mirror. I feel this part was necessary as a way to ground her, and bring Ollie into the story, but I would have liked the writing to stay more consistent.

She could never stray from the mirror for long however, no matter how many times she told herself it was a practical joke. This is where the fantasy and romance really combined to produce something special, and where I think all readers will want to be. As Rowena quizzes Prince Caedmon, both of their lives are brought into better light, their histories shared with each other. Caedmon had an adorable and sexy way to talk, with some catchphrases that had me cracking up. His awful attempts at wooing Rowena with the arts has much the same results. It is steamy and sexy, with a sweet, loving underside.

The ending completely took me by surprise, I was shocked at what happened. Looking forward to reading the next instalment.

The 411

Overall this was a fun, sexy read, with plenty of fantasy, magic and mystery into the bargain. The characters were fun and well written. In most places the writing was alive.

I would have liked more explanation earlier in the story, and a little adverb cutting in a couple of scenes, but this was a fun escape from the world for a while.

I give this novella 4 stars and look forward to continuing The Golden Key Chronicles

ARCHIVE: The Golden Key Chronicles / Legacy by AJ Nuest

The Golden Key Chronicles

&

The Golden Key Legacy

By AJ Nuest

Series Blurb

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

To escape the clutches of the evil Wizard Gaelleod, Rowena and Caedmon flee to the future. With her memories in tact and the help of her dear friends, Rowena is confident they can uncover the clues behind her connection to the key.

Yet Violet's dire prophecy does more than detail their history. Caedmon's worst fears are confirmed. Though they must return to his realm, everything he loves stands to be ripped from his grasp.

Author Bio

I am a multi-published, award-winning author who lives in the middle of a cornfield in NW Indiana. My loving husband, two beautiful children and a bevy of spoiled pets have agreed to stay and, in exchange for three rations per day and laundry service, tolerate my lunacy.

While I spend most days happily ensconced in crafting romance across a multitude of genres, an underground coup has been percolating. The dogs just informed me the cat is secretly vying for dictatorship. 





The Golden Key Chronicles

I received a copy of The Golden Key Chronicles from the author in return for an unbiased review. At the author's request I will read and review each novella separately, followed by an overview.


Rowena's Key
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads



Candra's Freedom
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads


Caedmon's Curse
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads


Braedric’s Bane
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads

Series Overview
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads



The Golden Key Legacy

I received a copy of The Golden Key Legacy from the author in return for an unbiased review. At the author's request I will read and review each novella separately, followed by an overview.

A Furious Muse
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads

The Sacrifice
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads

A Wizard Rises
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads

A Time of Reckoning
My Review
Amazon (International link)
Goodreads