Heir to Thorn and Flame

Court of Broken Bonds, Book 1

By: Ben Alderson

Narrated by: Ewan Goddard

Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Married to a ruthless prince, for years Max had to serve and obey the vicious magical nobles. Now, he is one of them.

When the heir to the throne attacks him, Max accidentally responds with a lethal burst of magic. Max is certain he will be executed. But his power is too rare and precious for that....

Instead, the king forces him to become the boy he killed, taking on the identity and duties of the heir. That includes an arranged marriage—to the dangerously attractive Prince Camron.

Living a lie, Max knows he can trust no one. Not Camron. And definitely not Simion, a handsome, dragon-riding spy sent to test his loyalty.

As a deadly struggle for power begins and desire sparks, Max must protect his secret and his heart at all costs.

Heir to Thorn and Flame is a passionate fantasy romance that will have you listening late into the night. Featuring slow-burn, dark secrets, arranged marriage, and found family, it is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Elise Kova, and C.S. Pacat.

Previously published as The Lost Mage, this expanded version begins a series that builds in heart-pounding tension and steam.

©2023 Ben Alderson (P)2023 Second Sky, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

If I was wanted to listen to someone whine and complain for hours, I’d call my mother-in-law.

Worst story of all time. Main character comes off as whiny and very unlikable. Loves one guy one moment, another 2 seconds later.

Slow and Anticlimactic

Interesting story with long build up to fizzle out at the end. If season 8 of GOT was a book, this would be it.

A whole whirlwind of emotions!

The story really keeps you fascinated on what will happen next. The reader did an amazing job at voicing these characters! 10/10! ❤️❤️

All the makings for a great story but

The story was a struggle I'm not going to It has all the makings to be an amazing story and it started out good but by the end of it I was kind of rooting for the bad guy. I don't want to spoil it cuz I think some people will actually enjoy this book. My main complaint is that this story takes place over the course of just a few weeks when in reality I feel like the story should have taken place over the course of a couple of months instead of six or seven weeks I mean almost a year if not a year and a half, but it does that cliche at the ending where the main character could just tell someone the truth in their life would be so much easier and safer for him and everyone but doesn't do it.

Excellent story with good characters and narration.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story. The solution to every dire situation leads to even MORE DIRE situations. Distinct narration of characters. I feel like a nickname for this book would be: Learning to Overcome Betrayal and Maybe Maybe Learn To Love a Little.

Loved it

I loved this book, the slowness of it kept me interested throughout the whole thing. I am excited for the next book to release so I can see where the story goes!

Pretty good

it's a bit of an interesting take, there's alot of stockhold syndrome in the book. if you look past that however the story is pretty clear and you want to cheer for Max to get everything he deserves. I'm optimistic about the next book and to see where this new book journey will lead.

painful and slow

If GoT were gay and you only got the unpleasant parts. Not a book for escaping reality.

Slow, Boring, Sexual Assaulty, Stockholm syndromey

First half was a slow decline, about half way through it picks up. however, the narrator provides terrible voices for most characters that leaves me wanting to punch them. Lastly, the book is overly sexual assault-y, child molest-y, and Stockholm syndrome-y.

All of that said, I am looking forward to book 2, simply from how engaging the last 2 hours of the book was.

Would I recommend? you decide 🤷‍♂️