A Strange Hymn: The Bargainer Series, Book 2

BlaironFire

Wow, what an ending!

"This book was so good. Fast paced and exciting with engaging characters and a fantastical world of fae and magic, sirens and kingdoms. Des is my new favorote shadow daddy. Callie at times stood on my last good nerve with her internal diologues, but she redeemed herself. I do feel that many of their challenges could be overcome with a little better communication, but I digress. Cant wait to start the next book! ["

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January 22, 2026 Verified Purchase

Danielle

A fantasy series that is easy and enjoyable to read.

"A 4.5/5 star read for me personally. I’ve currently been reading the books in this series one after the other because the story of Des and Callie are just so enticing to me. I love everything about Desmond’s character and I love how easy this series is to read. It’s enjoyable. Unlike other fantasy books this one doesn’t have weird words or pronunciations, and no extra interchanging plots that are complicating to follow or understand either. It’s just a story that you can get lost in without having to dread yourself on keeping up with small details or a plethora of characters, etc.. I enjoy that aspect of it. I just wish I knew what happened to Temper halfway through the story! She heals Callie of her wounds and then just disappears and I just wanted more of her character! I was also very happy to finally get to read a chapter from Desmond’s point of view. I almost started to cry with him because of how raw his emotions were in the end. With that being said, I cannot wait to read book 2.5 entirely from his POV! ["

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December 26, 2024 Verified Purchase

G. Brown

SWEET BABY ANGELS I LOVE THIS SERIES,

"Yes I have read all four books in this series multiple times which is really unusual for me but I love the chemistry between the two leads so much. Sexy, steamy, funny, touching, snarky, fated love...it’s all here. Of course there are holes in the plot and I was a little disappointed by the ending as it was sort of anticlimactic but just ignore them and focus on the love story and fun writing. And the sex! Some of it will make you blush — or at least it did me — but it is all consensual and done with strong emotional attachment. There are some heavy themes here and disturbing imagery as Callie and Des struggle with issues of rape, demonic children, bloody trees, and other frightening things but readers are not forced to live through those events first hand. The one thing I don’t understand in all of this is if Callie is a sexual abuse survivor, why is that never really addressed? We learn that she is lonely and somewhat self destructive but she doesn’t seem to have any repercussions with that horrible aspect of her life...it would have been nice to see how the two of them worked to heal her spirit in this way as sex dies play a large part in their relationship. All in all, this is a very sexy, sweet, and original love story that want to return to time and again. NOTE: I have read only one other series by this author — the Queen of Everything — which I detested completely. The Bargainer series seems like it was written by a completely different author. Give it a try! I hope you love it as much as I do. ["

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December 6, 2018 Verified Purchase

Dan

Enjoyable fantasy mystery

"This sequel to the pervious book should be ready in close conjunction as it gives very little recap. Overall an enjoyable story, the second half is considerably better than the first, which seems to drag. There are several twists which while hinted, don't feel fully developed before they burst on us. Good, and enough to push me on to the next book. ["

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July 20, 2025 Verified Purchase

Tracey Magruder

Strong Middle Novel

"A Strange Hymn picks up right where Rhapsodic left off, following Callie and Desmond as they continue to try to solve the mystery of the sleeping female soldiers and their children. While it’s a solid book, it has all the markings of a typical middle installment, including a cliffhanger meant to keep you interested enough to pick up the third book. There is a lot I love about this series. I adore Callie and Temper’s friendship, and the strength they each possess. Des is the perfect dark romantic lead, and the fact that he is a winged male fae just adds to that (apparently I have a type). The villain isn’t obvious, which I also liked, as it came as a surprise when I neared the end. However, there is a part of me that wishes I knew more about the friendlier side character, like Malaki or any Aetherial. They pass in and out of Callie’s orbit quickly and add so little to the story. I feel like there’s a missed opportunity there. I also found I’m not a fan of modern slang in first person narration. While I get that as the reader we are inside Callie’s head, at times it took me out of the story a bit. IIt felt more like sitting with a friend at a bar listening to her talk then it did reading a novel. This is purely personal preference, but this style of writing is not my favorite. Overall though, I enjoyed the book. It’s spicy, there is growth in the main characters, and the plot moves along at a good pace. I will definitely be reading the remainder of the series. ["

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October 8, 2022 Verified Purchase