Severed Heart by Kate Stewart is live

Every moment of this book is absolutely stunning and it is an incredible story with characters that completely own my heart. This is a 6-star read, and a new all-time fave!

This is the second book in the Ravenhood Legacy series, which is a spinoff from the Ravenhood trilogy, and you cannot read this as a standalone.

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Review

6 emotion-filled ‘this book wrecked me’ stars

I don’t even know where to start with this review. I finished this book three days ago and I’m still emotionally hungover. I can’t bring myself to start something new because I’m still wanting to revel in the feels of this incredible story. Yes, it wrecked me, yes, I ugly cried (more than once), but every moment of this book is absolutely stunning and it is an incredible story with characters that completely own my heart.

This is the second book in the Ravenhood Legacy series, which is a spinoff from the Ravenhood trilogy. You absolutely cannot read this as a standalone. Kate Stewart has created an intricate world with so many interconnections and you need to read all of these books in order to get the full picture and understand everything that is happening. This book crosses the timeframe of all five of the previous books in the series, with the story of Tyler and Delphine.

Tyler and Delphine met when he was just a boy, and she was an alcoholic woman and neglectful guardian of his two friends, Tobias and Dom. In his late teens Tyler seeks Delphine out to help him deal with a difficult home situation, and she trains him to become the soldier he’s always wanted to be. Though there is a 12 year age gap between them, they forge an unlikely friendship that becomes a soul-deep bond and Tyler falls hard for the beautiful, but troubled, older woman.

This book follows them through the years of their relationship, an absolute rollercoaster of angst, drama and emotion, and OMG I could not get enough! In the original trilogy, we saw glimpses of their story, and at that time Delphine was so very unlikable. I didn’t think much of her, but I loved Tyler and was so curious about their story and how it all came about. Now, we get to see it all in glorious detail, and I was absolute captivated. The build-up is so freaking good, and the sense of anticipation is so exciting when you’re waiting to see how these two come together.

“I’m not your problem, Soldier.”
“No, what you are, is my fucking reason,” I declare, pulling back slightly to command her eyes. “My reason to fight and my reason to come home. You are home. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

This is the most beautiful love story. It’s emotional and all-consuming, sweet, funny, sexy, and wildly passionate. It’s hard fought for, but Tyler and Delphine love each other in the most beautiful way, and the romance is incredible.

The only safe space I have ever truly known beating inside her chest as I draw closer to it, pounding over the wood planks to answer her summons and feast on a love that blankets me. A love that protects me and brings me peace while keeping me whole. A love so mine, so ours.

As I knew he would, Tyler owns my heart. The man is just perfect. He is a protector down to his bones, and his strength, thoughtfulness and caring nature is shown over and over as carries so much on his shoulders, but is consistently there for his friends, his family, his fellow soldiers and his club. And his love for Delphine is so pure, and so all-consuming, and his fight to save the woman he loves in every way is simply stunning.

“My fighter, my survivor, my general, and the love of my fucking life.”

And in what was known as “Tyler’s book”, Delphine absolutely shines. This is her story, and it’s remarkable. She is brash and forthright, and I very much enjoyed her no-nonsense nature, and as her full story unfolded my heart ached for her – this poor, broken woman is so damaged by her past and so full of grief, the moments of happiness that we see for her are like rays of sunshine that she so deserves to have. I could understand her, and her actions, and was left in awe at her courage to overcome it all, fight hard to reclaim her life and embrace love when she found it. She’s amazing (and OMG, I’m tearing up again just freaking writing this!).

You go into this book knowing how it is going to end, and I knew it would leave me wrecked, but I could never have anticipated just how viscerally I would feel this story. I had SO much love for these characters, for their journeys, all that they endured and just how far they had come, and the unfairness of it all just gutted me.

I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Grayson Owens and Leila Allarie, and it’s the most amazing experience. These narrators bring so much life and emotion to their characters. Grayson is perfection, and Allarie does a fantastic job with Delphine, showing her pain, grief, and vulnerability amidst her snark. The balance of her strength and fierceness with the child-like sense of wonder she has in those moments of happiness or excitement are so well done. But all of the emotion in the narration also makes those final chapters extra brutal, and I listened to this one while laying on my bed with a pillow over my face to muffle my sobs. But God, it was good!

This is a long book (720 pages/24+ hours on audio) but I was captivated the whole way through. It’s only the first part of Tyler’s story, and I cannot wait for Birds of a Feather to see where the story goes next.

It’s not only an epic love story, it’s a heartwrenching story of redemption and strength, and it’s an incredible read. This book is an experience and worth every moment of heartache, and it’s an all-time fave.

6 stars.