Bunny's Reviews: Heart of Hope and Fear Spotlight

Welcome to the tour for the gorgeous final installment in The Order of the Crystal Daggers series by C.S. Johnson, called Heart of Hope and Fear. Read on for my review, more details, and a chance to win hardcover editions of the entire trilogy!!!

Heart of Hope and Fear is the third book in C.S. Solomon’s The Order of the Crystal Dagger series. The story continues with Eleanora and Ferdy wedding hastily after acquiring the reluctant consent of the former Empress, his mother. While Eleanora is happy in that respect the relationships around her with her grandmother and her brother continue to be strained. Eleanora has brief moments of regret, but she mostly remains immersed in her own bubble of happiness only occasionally disturbed by moments of fear when it comes to the future. War continues to brew as Karl’s whereabouts remain a mystery and continued rumblings in the political world threaten danger all around. Is there any hope for peace or will everything be brought into chaos in the name of a new sovereign country?

Heart of Hope and Fear being the final book in The Order of the Crystal Dagger series brings both an epic and a fitting conclusion to this series. Eleanora being the main focus of the story really discovers that everyone has secrets. It comes as a shock to her in some cases despite everything that she has already been through with her family and those in the Order from the beginning. While they have managed to capture Lumiere they find themselves in quite the quandary. He seems to have wanted to be caught by them, and he's still hiding secrets as well. Does that make him more or less dangerous? Will he help them or will he be part of the plan that attempts to destroy them and everything they love?

Throughout this series, I've struggled with Eleanora as a whole. In the beginning, I liked her because she was fierce and she stood for her family, but as the series moves along she seems to become more selfish in her mindset. She becomes so wrapped up in Ferdy that she's willing to let her relationship with her brother suffer and boy does it suffer! But that's not the only relationship that suffers. I had really hoped that a true relationship would develop between Eleanora and her grandmother, but that never happens as some nasty truths come to light about what exactly happened with her mother.

This book is really full of twists, turns and suspenseful moments that will have you shocked and page-turning to learn what happens next. As this book is part of a series I recommend that you start from the beginning otherwise you'll probably end up confused as to what is going on. While the beginning of this series was a bit slow for me, once the story really gets going it's truly engaging as you watch Eleanora grow from a "simple serving girl" to a spy who is determined to save those she loves and the kingdom that she calls home.

This is a well-written historical espionage novel and I enjoyed reading the series. I'm rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I wanted Eleanora to finally grow up and mature, but that never really happens which is a disappointment for me. The twists throughout this book really make it worth reading and I loved the historical aspect of it as well. If you enjoy historical fiction with a healthy dose of espionage and some romance then this is a good series to check out.

Keep reading for an excerpt from the book, a chance at a giveaway, and be sure to check out my fellow bloggers views on this book as well!

Heart of Hope and Fear (The Order of the Crystal Daggers #3)

Publication Date: December 2nd, 2021

Genre: Historical Romance/ Historical Fantasy/ Spy Trilogy

In a moment of desperation and desire, one girl takes a leap of faith to secure the future of her nation — and save her family.

Prague, 1871

Despite the many demands that come with being a member of the Order of the Crystal Daggers, Eleanora Svobodová has plenty of reasons to celebrate. With Lumiere’s capture and Lady Penelope’s reluctant acceptance of Ferdy, not even Ben’s painful ire can completely diminish her joy.

But just as the future begins to look bright, the past catches up to Eleanora and the other members of the Order.

For as they investigate Karl’s disappearance, Eleanora learns the shocking secret about her mother’s final mission—and Lady Penelope’s treachery—just as the Emperor heads to Bohemia to conduct a special tripartite council, despite the threat to his life.

Can Eleanora and the Order find a way to save the kingdom? And even if they do, will they be able to survive a new betrayal from among their ranks?

Full of surprising twists and turns, Heart of Hope and Fear is the final book in The Order of the Crystal Daggers, a historical romance spy trilogy from C. S. Johnson.

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Excerpt

Louis Valoris chuckled as he stirred his tea with a spoon. “I do believe it is time we were formally introduced, Lady Eleanora.”

“It’s you,” I whispered, shaking my head in shame.

“I must say, you look so much like your mother. Even in the moonlight, I would’ve sworn it was her ghost if Lumiere hadn’t found you and your brother last year.”

“Eleanora.” Lady Penelope scowled over at me.

I gave her an apologetic look, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. She’d warned me before Louis was crafty and full of cunning, and I’d been completely caught off guard.

“I must commend you on her progress, Pepé,” Louis continued. “But she’s still very naïve, and that’s dangerous, especially for one who carries the weapon of the Order, yet none of its secrets. How do you know she won’t betray you when she learns the truth?”

“Eleanora is a loyal member of the Order,” Lady Penelope said, her voice full of resignation instead of pride. “She will not betray me.”

“It would be nice to see her live up to her mother’s legacy.”

At his disparaging tone, rage and fury rocked through me to my core. Lumiere had told me less than an hour ago how Louis had a hand in poisoning my mother and killing Nassara—and now I knew he’d used Xiana to fulfill his plans.

“The dead deserve some respect, Louis,” Lady Penelope warned, speaking before I could yell at him. “I’d rather talk of the present than the past, now that we’ve arrived at our final rendezvous.”

She reached down and pulled out her own violet-colored dagger in one hand and a pistol in the other.

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About the Author

S. Johnson is the award-winning, genre-hopping author of several novels, including young adult sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles series, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more at http://www.csjohnson.me.

CS Johnson | Facebook | Kofi

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