Published 22 August 2019
When a prophesy brings war to the Land of the Black Hills, Keeley Smythe must join forces with a clan of mountain warriors who are really centaurs in a thrilling new fantasy romance series from New York Times bestselling author G.A. Aiken.
The Old King Is Dead
With the demise of the Old King, there’s a prophesy that a queen will ascend to the throne of the Black Hills. Bad news for the king’s sons, who are prepared to defend their birthright against all comers. But for blacksmith Keeley Smythe, war is great for business. Until it looks like the chosen queen will be Beatrix, her younger sister. Now it’s all Keeley can do to protect her family from the enraged royals.
Luckily, Keeley doesn’t have to fight alone. Because thundering to her aid comes a clan of kilt-wearing mountain warriors called the Amichai. Not the most socially adept group, but soldiers have never bothered Keeley, and rough, gruff Caid, actually seems to respect her. A good thing because the fierce warrior will be by her side for a much longer ride than any prophesy ever envisioned …
Tactical Heart was a one-night wonder for me as it quickly drew me in with it's unique storyline. It features two die-hard gamers who are set up on a blind date by one gamer's sister and her boyfriend (the other gamer's roommate), add in a heaping helping of tropes that we can't help but love - insta-love,"I hate him, but I love him, but I...", and the like, and a smidgen of cosplay dorkdom (who doesn't want to dress up like an elf?), and you have Tactical Heart.
Scar was an enjoyable character to read, I've been gaming for decades now (I am a crone) and to see a female gamer as the protag in a romance was a major "hells yeah" moment. Not only does SK Rose give us a relatable hardcore gamer who lives and dies by the stats, but she also puts the misogyny female gamers face into the book in a believable manner. In today's gaming community as women make it more and more known that we, too, enjoy a game, we get a lot of blowback from misogynists and hardcore gamers who think women ruin the gaming industry. I've been there, faced that, so, when Scar goes off on Kane as she well should, I'm right there because dude deserves that mess. (nope, no spoilers)
I'm a newfound fan of SK Rose and I hope y'all join me in her fandom (also, her author fan group is hilarious and if you become a fan, I highly suggest you come join). I'm recommending you check out Tactical Heart if you're a gamer or just a non-gamer nerd (I don't discriminate) and enjoy reading a romance packed with gaming and goofball goodness and hearty competition. There is parental strife, fiscal issues, and a bit of recreational marijuana consumption, so if those are sensitive issues you'd like to avoid, this might not be a book for you.
Overall, I'm giving Tactical Heart all my 5 stars and a mellow 3 flames and fangirling over the nerdiness of this book. I hope y'all take a moment to check this book out because, I loved it and I hope you do too!
Scar was an enjoyable character to read, I've been gaming for decades now (I am a crone) and to see a female gamer as the protag in a romance was a major "hells yeah" moment. Not only does SK Rose give us a relatable hardcore gamer who lives and dies by the stats, but she also puts the misogyny female gamers face into the book in a believable manner. In today's gaming community as women make it more and more known that we, too, enjoy a game, we get a lot of blowback from misogynists and hardcore gamers who think women ruin the gaming industry. I've been there, faced that, so, when Scar goes off on Kane as she well should, I'm right there because dude deserves that mess. (nope, no spoilers)
I'm a newfound fan of SK Rose and I hope y'all join me in her fandom (also, her author fan group is hilarious and if you become a fan, I highly suggest you come join). I'm recommending you check out Tactical Heart if you're a gamer or just a non-gamer nerd (I don't discriminate) and enjoy reading a romance packed with gaming and goofball goodness and hearty competition. There is parental strife, fiscal issues, and a bit of recreational marijuana consumption, so if those are sensitive issues you'd like to avoid, this might not be a book for you.
Overall, I'm giving Tactical Heart all my 5 stars and a mellow 3 flames and fangirling over the nerdiness of this book. I hope y'all take a moment to check this book out because, I loved it and I hope you do too!
S.K. Rose lives in the hellish desert of Arizona with her newly appointed husband and two obnoxious cats. When she’s not writing, She enjoys reading, gaming, swearing like a drunk sailor, collecting swords, and obsessing over the magnificent sea creature: the octopus.
I'm currently looking for a new service dog (prospect), so I'm going to be putting together posts leading up to that and then, I'm going to make a series surrounding training and all once I've found my new canine partner. I see a lot of misinformation floating around out there now and when I was a kid, my mom and my doctors tried so hard to get me a service dog but nobody knew how to. So I want to fix that problem for others in the future. I know it's not a book thing, but it's a me thing.
For this review, I'm choosing New Horizons Service Dogs, a local training organisation that I'm familiar with that's trained a lot of amazing dogs Manatee and I've met in our adventures. They do a lot of good work and donations to New Horizons help alleviate costs for the program, including for disabled persons in great need of service dogs who are on a tight budget (the cost of a trained service dog is several thousand dollars). As always, if you're of a mind and a means to donate, this non-profit would greatly benefit from contributions.
Until next time, dear readers, have a happily ever after!
For this review, I'm choosing New Horizons Service Dogs, a local training organisation that I'm familiar with that's trained a lot of amazing dogs Manatee and I've met in our adventures. They do a lot of good work and donations to New Horizons help alleviate costs for the program, including for disabled persons in great need of service dogs who are on a tight budget (the cost of a trained service dog is several thousand dollars). As always, if you're of a mind and a means to donate, this non-profit would greatly benefit from contributions.
Until next time, dear readers, have a happily ever after!
