A River Enchanted: A Scottish-inspired Romantasy brimming with Enemies-to-Lovers Romance, Magic, and Mystery (Elements of Cadence Book 1)

Amazon Customer

Amazing!

"What to expect: 🌹Enchanting and beautiful storytelling 🌹Multiple povs 🌹Slow burn romance 🌹Beautifully painted Scottish lore Quotes 💌: "I am but a verse inspired by your chorus, and I will follow you until the end, when the isle takes my bones and my name is nothing more than a remembrance on a headstone, next to yours.” Plot Summary 📚: Jack Tamerline has made his life as a bard, since being sent away from his homeland, the magical isle of Cadance. When trouble brews back on the isle, Jack is summoned home for the first time in a decade. What follows is an epic tale of love, feuds, magic, and betrayal, beautifully intertwined into Scottish lore and landscape. Personal Thoughts💭: To say I adored this book is an understatement. Scottish and celtic lore inspired books are among my favorite, and it has been years since I have read one as well written as this. The storytelling was enchanting, and pulled me in from page one. The plot is intricately woven, and carried out through multiple povs. Characters👥️: Although there are a plethora of characters, this story follows four main povs including Jack Tamerline (the bard), Adaira (the clan heiress), Sidra (a healer and wife to Torin), and Torin (Adaira's cousin and captain of the guard). Each character is so intricately written. Their povs beautifully woven together throughout the book. Enjoyed❤️‍🔥: Like the Letters of Enchantment duology, music and melody are intertwined into the story creating an immersive read. It is packed full of Scottish lore from elemental spirits, enchanted items/magic, to war and strife between clans. The romance was tender, emotional, and just purely beautiful. Critques🤔: I'm not the biggest fan of mid chapter pov changes, and that does happen quite frequently in this book. Overall❤️: If you are looking for just a beautiful, engaging, and transportive read, this is it. ["

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September 6, 2024 Verified Purchase

Shannon S.

Beautifully atmospheric mystery with unique fantasy elements!

"My overall rating for A River Enchanted is 4 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ One of the aspects I particularly enjoyed about this story was its unique magic system, which seamlessly integrated elements of the land itself. For instance, characters could communicate or summon someone on the island using the wind, or weave enchantments into weapons and clothing. The story predominantly leaned towards a mystery/whodunit genre, complemented by fantasy elements set in an atmospheric island. This island has been divided into two clans, the west and the east, for many years, and these clans held long-standing grievances for various reasons. I found the blend of characters’ point-of-views and the frequent switching between perspectives throughout the book to be an effective way to explore different aspects of the story. Sometimes, these shifts even occurred within the same scene or chapter. One negative note I have is that I found the narrator’s voice to be a bit monotonous. She occasionally shifted her octave when introducing different characters, but there was not much variation in her tone or inflection when narrating each character. For instance, when a character might have expressed shock, hope, or horror, their voice sounded just as monotonous as if they were simply having a quiet dinner by the fire. While I appreciate the narrator’s Scottish accent, the monotonous tone of her voice and the distinctive words and aspects of this world occasionally made it challenging to follow the story. Consequently, I found it difficult to track the narrative solely through the audiobook, leading me to purchase the Kindle version in addition to the Audible copy. Although I won’t immediately pick up A Fire Endless to read next, I do intend to read that book within the next few months to complete the storyline. One other thing I’d like to mention is that if you’re seeking a traditional YA Fantasy novel brimming with action and adventure, this book isn’t the right fit for you. Instead, it’s more of a mystery novel with subtle fantasy elements interwoven throughout the narrative. As long as you approach the book with the right expectations or none at all, I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoy the journey! ["

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March 12, 2025 Verified Purchase

Chelle Saints

Another amazing story from Rebecca Ross!

"Rebecca Ross once again has moved my emotions in the best way! The story was so easy to get into and I loved the multiple povs throughout the chapters! And the timing of events and introduction to new characters' povs was well written. This story has so many moments of vulnerability and mystery and also secrets secrets secrets secrets! I started reading the story thinking I had it all connected to this one particular point, but then by the end: It was like I was so caught up in one thing, that when looked down, I realised I was bleeding. And when I looked up, I saw that my future self had stabbed me. Past me died and new me now lives. I honestly did not expect to cry reading this one, but oh my godddd the last few chapters really got me!! This story left me with an ache of yearning and acceptance that I can feel will morph into determination and triumph in the next book! ["

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April 10, 2025 Verified Purchase

Amazon Customer

Beautiful Story

"The book reads so well from the beginning. The description of the land with nature as the center of its magic system is what really makes the story captivating; the elements are also characters. All of the characters are well written with their own internal conflicts and their arcs are shared with us in such a relatable yet not boring way. Torin and Sidra’s relationship timeline and healing moments through grief were especially great to read. Adaira is strong yet whimsical, sweet but also matter of fact! I like that the last quarter of the book raised the stakes without comprising the magical realism. Excited for book 2 ["

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March 1, 2025 Verified Purchase

Amazon Customer

Enchanting indeed.

"I fell in love with Rebecca Ross' stories after reading The Divine Rivals duology which I found to be fabulous: well written and so full of surprises it left constantly wondering what would happen next. So I was very excited to read her previous work, A River Enchanted duology. The positives first: again, she writes a beautiful, lyrical world well-developed and magical. The characters are also well developed and likable. The fact that Cadence mirrored the lands of bygone Scotland made me swoon. I also liked the fact that almost all her characters have flaws which makes them very human and therefore more relatable. Now the negatives: I got engaged pretty early on (this is a good thing) but after a few chapters I began to feel that something was off and I couldn't figure out exactly what. Then I realized that there was a lot of passive voice throughout the story and frequent head-hopping. A lot of "she realized", "he noticed", that kind of thing. The dialogue was a bit stilted as well and at times it didn't ring authentic to me. Now, my guess is that Ross did this to give the story a more "vintage" (for lack of a better word) feel to the story but for me it didn't work very well. Don't get me wrong I still enjoyed the story and will be reading the conclusion to the duology, but I was a bit disappointed after reading her amazing "Divine Rivals" which read so much smoother. Still a fan, Ms Ross. ["

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August 7, 2025 Verified Purchase