A River Enchanted

Elements of Cadence – Book One

Hello, lovely soul,

I’ve been busily living life and devour books like they are the nutrition that I need for my body.

Why?

It’s summer and I find books to be a soothing balm in the atmosphere of the world we are currently drowning in. The escape to the fictional makes my aching soul rest.

This book not only gave me an escape but I devoured it along with four other books in one week. I have another review coming for one of my witchy books that I read that week as well, but this one felt more important to share as the ending literally blew me away. It also means I cannot wait for the second book to be released as this is the first of the series.

I personally cannot wait until the next one is released because I think I have found yet another series that my heart will always be drawn back to.

It starts with a letter and an ominous journey across dark waters. Ten years after being sent away to the mainland to become a bard, Jack Tamerlaine is summoned home to Cadence. But his return is not a joyous one: Girls are going missing from the island, and Adaira, future leader of the clan, believes Jack is the only one who can find them.

Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The elemental spirits that dwell in every breath of air, solace of water, blade of grass, and flicker of fire find mirth in the lives of the humans. Kidnapping the Tamerlaine girls is a step too far though, and it is only through a bard’s music that the intangible spirits can be summoned to explain where the girls are.

Once childhood enemies, now unwilling partners, Jack and Adaira must put aside their past rivalry to entice the spirits to return the girls. Yet as they prepare the songs, another enemy threatens the horizon: The Breccan clan of the west, sworn enemies of the Tamerlaines, open communication lines for the first time in centuries. The timing is suspicious, but the Breccans, who have always been more in tune with the spirits, may hold another key that will help Jack and Adaira.

Facing the unknown from two sides, the bard and the heiress begin to see more in each other than they first realized. But as they get closer to uncovering where the girls are, and why they were taken in the first place, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected. An older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all, and no harp song may be strong enough to stop it.

The synopsis above is what drew me to the pages of Rebecca Ross’ A River Enchanted. This also happened to be my selection from my February 2022 book of the month. I put off reading it because at the time it came in, I was still balancing like five books at once and now I’m reading three separate books at a time.

But this book was definitely worth the wait to start. I did devour it in 24 hours and I’m trying to figure out how I can get myself on the advance copy list of the second book because let me tell you, I need more.

The ending of this book literally tore me to shreds but I forgive Ross for doing it as long as we get to see more of the backstory and the changes coming to Cadence. It was equal parts mystery and excitement for me, not knowing what was going to happen next. I only predict one thing out of the whole book – which I won’t spoil – which is something new to me. A lot of times I can see where the plot is going, but this one definitely took me on a ride that I was not prepared for but definitely needed.

In my opinion, if you’re a fan of the Outlander series and play Dungeons & Dragons, then I highly recommend getting this book and reading it. You won’t regret it.

Light & Love,