REVIEW: War of Hearts by S. Young

In War of Hearts by S. Young, Growing up with supernatural abilities that she had to hide in order to fit in made Thea Quinn already wary of using her talents. Not knowing exactly what kind of being she was only added to the issues. After losing her mortal parents in a tragic accident, she’s taken in by a wealthy family who knew her parents and, it seemed, would take care of her. But Thea learned quickly that Jasper Ashforth was not the man he projected to the world. Cruel and narcissistic, he made her years under his care a hellish nightmare she barely escaped. Six years on the run has taught her to never trust anyone. Just her instincts. And now with gorgeous werewolf Conall MacLennan tracking her and determined to take Thea back to Ashforth, well, she’s in for what she’s sure will be the fight of her life.

“You’re beautiful,” she whispered…
At her compliment, Wolf Conall turned the side of his face that didn’t have blood on it into her breasts and nuzzled them lovingly. She laughed and pushed his face away. “Opportunist.”
The sound he made was like a wolf version of laughter…

As the chief of Clan MacLennan and their alpha, Conall MacLennan puts his pack first. No questions asked. Though the Scottish pack might be few in numbers, as the only werewolf pack in the country, they are proud, strong, and loyal. When Conall is offered a way to cure a disease that is slowly taking his beloved sister Callie’s life, he jumps at the chance to track down supposed murderer Thea Quinn. But when he meets the lass, he’s shocked to find a lovely woman with power beyond his imagining. Conall slowly puts the pieces of Thea’s horrific past together, realizing that Ashforth might not have told him the complete truth about Thea’s actions. Unfortunately as he warms up to the feisty woman, wondering if his future might include her in his home of Loch Torridon, danger finds them over and over, sending them running across Europe for their lives.

‘He took in her beautiful face, saw beneath to the tortured survivalist; to the woman who held within her a deep well of kindness and compassion, buried beneath a steel layer that had been necessary to endure what she had.’
…”My love for you is infinite, Thea Quinn.”

A plot that took me places I didn’t see coming, and two fiercely strong main characters who I couldn’t help cheer on, War of Hearts was a passionate, epic paranormal romance unlike any other.

‘There had been no moments of true happiness in her world since she was twelve.
No escape.
And no one had held her or made her feel essential.
As necessary as breathing.
Conall made her feel that way.’

War of Hearts was somehow my first time reading S. Young (Samantha Young) and I can certainly understand now what everyone raves about! Even with this as her first foray into paranormal romance, I can see how the multidimensional characters she writes and the carefully constructed story arc would work for any genre, really. Boy didn’t it work for Thea and Conall’s tumultuous romance. The pair had everything you can think of thrown at them, whether it was something mortals face in their daily lives or issues specific to supernaturals. Either way, it added up to a wholly absorbing storyline that drew me in right away. Note: this book is around 447 pages, so it is an investment in time, but *so* worth it in my humble opinion.

Conall and Thea were both complex beings who I liked from the first time we met them. They had each been through some tough times–Thea especially. Man, didn’t my heart absolutely break for her. I can’t get into specifics. But her courage and overall strength (not just from being supernatural) was truly awe-inspiring. And I loved that Conall…lovely, sexy, loyal-to-his-soul Conall…saw that in Thea pretty quickly. Even though he had been told she was not to be trusted, that she was basically evil, his inner wolf knew the truth. And it was a whole lot of fun watching them duke it out verbally–which was hilarious at times, especially Thea calling Conall Wolf Boy–while they denied their attraction on the run from the real bad guys–er, supernaturals. (lol)

S. Young’s fantastic world-building (if I didn’t already want to go to Scotland, this book would put it on my bucket list!) and incredible storytelling made War of Hearts come alive on the pages. I can only hope the second book she adds to the True Immortality series will be as complicated and grand as this was.

Book Info:

Publication: Published October 1st 2019 | Samantha Young | A True Immortality Novel

New York Times Bestselling author Samantha Young writing as S. Young.

Thea Quinn has no idea what she is. All she knows is that her abilities have been a plague upon her life since she was a child. After years of suffering at the hands of a megalomaniac, Thea escaped and has been on the run ever since.

The leadership and protection of his pack are of the utmost importance to Conall MacLennan, Alpha and Chief of Clan MacLennan, the last werewolf pack in Scotland. Which is why watching his sister slowly die of a lycanthropic disease is emotional torture. When Conall is approached by a businessman who offers a cure for his sister in exchange for the use of Conall’s rare tracking ability, Conall forges an unbreakable contract with him. He has to find and retrieve the key to the cure: dangerous murderer, Thea Quinn.

Thea’s attempts to evade the ruthless werewolf are not only thwarted by the Alpha, but by outside dangers. With no choice but to rely on one another for survival, truths are revealed, intensifying a passionate connection they both fight to resist. At war with themselves and each other, Conall and Thea’s journey to Scotland forces them to face a heartrending choice between love and betrayal.

War of Hearts is a standalone paranormal romance.