Heir to Thorn and Flame

Court of Broken Bonds, Book 1

By: Ben Alderson

Narrated by: Ewan Goddard

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)2024 Second Sky, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

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!

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! ❤️❤️

Its odd and boring

He literally named his only black character and made him a secondary love interest after a monkey...

Enjoyed it well enough

I like everyone but the main character. I enjoyed the story line, the supporting characters, the battles, and plot twists. I just wish the main character wasn't whiney and kind of a dumb-dumb.

It’s good. My first read by him.

It’s a really good plot and a really good story. I love the way that the audiobook kind of flows and you do not get bored. It’s a solid lesson and I’m gonna be listening to the second and third one in the series.

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 🤷‍♂️

Loved!

Amazing story telling, magic system and world building! A little low on spice if that’s what you’re looking for. I personally couldn’t stop listening. Will be downloading the second book immediately.

Smashing!

This was the perfect beginning to this tale. I definitely had to follow it through to its stunning conclusion. Wonderful magic system, beautifully bruised characters, and twists that had me yelling. You’d better grab all three at once, because you won’t want to wait in between.

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.