Title: By Sun and Candlelight
Series: Flora (Book 1.5)
Author: Jessica L. Brooks
Published: August 4, 2014
Pages: 195 pages
Format: eBook
Source: Gift
Purchase: Amazon
Summary (Goodreads):
A threat, a missing book, a traitor, and an attack. Even when you choose the light, things aren’t always so black and white when they involve matters of the heart.
Rowan has some decisions to make.
Told in Rowan’s point of view, By Sun and Candlelight (Flora, 1.5) gives you a new view into the characters and daily happenings at Castle Lennox and bridges the gap between If I Speak True (Flora, 1) and Open Thy Heart (Flora 2).
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Yay for Rowan’s point of view! I had not read the blurb for this novella before starting to read it, so it was a surprise to find out that Jessica was giving us the opportunity to get inside the head of Rowan. In If I Speak True we get to meet and fall in love with this handsome, strong & charming person, but we don’t really get to know him on a closer level (he always was this dark cloud of mystery despite the many times Dahlia, our heroine, meets up with him).
I think I’m more in love with Rowan’s mind than his looks (and he’s quite gorgeous). I like that he is a gentle, caring person and strives to do the best for his people. He treats everyone as his equal, and thus gains more respect from them. I love how well he treats his mother and how devoted he is to doing the right thing. He’s also fearless and likes to take matters into his own hands and because he wants to protect everybody, he prefers to put his life on the line instead of those that have sworn to protect him. This might as well be considered a flaw since he sometimes doesn’t realize that he can’t do everything on his own, and he should learn to trust more the ones he loves instead of hiding things from them for their own good, especially Dahlia.
I’m really glad this novella was written because it serves like the perfect reminder that things aren’t well in Ambrosia. Since If I Speak True doesn’t really end with an ominous cliffhanger, I was left at ease and instantly forgot about the dangers left unsolved. Ambrosia is still restless after everything that happened and things are getting more complicated by the second. Rowan, having the obligation to look out for his country, is trying to come to terms with all the treachery inside the royal family and at the same time, prepare himself for when his uncle and cousin plan to attack Castle Lennox. If that weren’t enough, his thoughts are plagued by his desire to see Dahlia and have her by his side at all times, but it’s dangerous to have her visit Ambrosia, especially if the wrong crowd learns about her true identity and her connection to him.
Overall, By Sun and Candlelight was a great novella and worth checking out before the next book. It was a bit too long and I was also hoping for more moments between Rowan and Dahlia, but I guess we’ll get enough in the next installment of the Flora series (I really hope so!).
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