Haven

Broken Wings Duet, Book 2

By: S. E. Wendel

Narrated by: Taylor Alexa

A knight who laid down her sword…
Lady Maddalena is a knight no more. Lena knew what she gave up the night she freed the avian prince she was meant to keep imprisoned. Breaking her oath, choosing love over duty—she regrets none of it. But the wilderness is a vast, dangerous place, and Lena is far beyond the regimented world she knew. Without a heading or allies, she must rely only on her wits to finally find a safe place for her, Bel, and any future they hope to have together.

A prince who must take up his crown…
Bel is a prisoner no longer. Now bound irrevocably to the human knight who freed him and holds his heart, Bel is determined to deserve her. He would give her anything and choose her over anyone, even his own people. He wants to be a man to her, not just a cause. Her man. But what can he offer as a fugitive on the run, a prince with no crown?

Can a world at war withstand enemies becoming lovers…and lovers becoming mates.

Lost in the forest, dangers past and present hunt them across the edges of the map. Eastward is their only escape, deeper into the life stolen from Bel. Returning to his people may be their only hope, but bringing a human to the heart of avian country could destroy everything Bel wants to protect.

The only way to carve a place for themselves in this world may be for Bel to finally reclaim his birthright as an Adiiron prince. But time does not heal all wounds and the past does not always stay there…

Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Grace Draven, Beauty and the Beast, and Lord of the Rings will love this atmospheric fantasy romance duet with noble lady knights, winged lost princes, and enemies to lovers.

Part 2 of the Broken Wings Duet. Readers are highly encouraged to begin with Part 1, Aerie, before enjoying Haven.

This title contains strong language and intimate scenes and is therefore meant for listeners 18+.

©2023 Sarah Wendel (P)2024 Taylor Alexa Frank

Cozy Listen

This was a lovely cozy story, though a little slow at times. It was definitely a slow burn, and wasn't as dynamic as the first book. It did, however, gracefully tackle tough issues between characters, and focused well on character's internal struggles.
My main criticism is the narrator's pronunciation of some words. For instance, "especially" was pronounced "extpecially," and "across" was pronounced "acrosst", among some other words. I know that it's nit-picky, but the pronunciations abruptly pulled me out of the story. Once I gave up trying to wrap my head around the pronunciations, I enjoyed listening to the book.
Ultimately, I'm excited to see what S.E. Wendel gives us next.

Great finale to a lovely duology, but the narration isn't well edited

This story is a continuation of the last, so if you enjoyed that one I can only assume you'll enjoy this one, as well. I went into more detail on the likes/dislikes and content warnings in my review of the first book, and this book is more of the same in that regard. This one is a little quicker pace, if you didn't like the slower one of the last book.

Unfortunately, the narration doesn't appear to be edited at all. The narrator repeats herself when she flubs a sentence (no criticism about that as it happens when reading so much) and those parts weren't removed. It didn't ruin the book completely, but definitely was distracting and sometimes pulled me out of the story. Outside of that, the narrator does a fine job. I felt that her voice was more expressive than the last book, which I appreciate.

Sweet

I enjoyed this series, but not as much as Halfling. I thought that the first book was better, and I thought that the narrator left something to be desired. It was a fun listen but I wouldn’t reread.