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A Strange and Stubborn Endurance: 1 (Tithenai Chronicles)

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Many a reader longing for a sense of homecoming in the realm of romantic fantasy will find it in A Strange and Stubborn Endurance .”—Jacqueline Carey Well!” said Father, bright and final. “We can discuss the particulars more tomorrow, but as your friend has come all this way, I shan’t keep you from him—unless,” he said, with a certain slow awareness of my discomfort, “you’d rather I make your excuses? Sun knows, I’d understand if you’d rather take some time to yourself—” That’s one way of putting it. “Yes, Father,” I said, though how I kept my voice steady, I’ll never know. “I—I was not expecting him. He must have sought me out.” Please, please send him away. But I couldn’t ask for it; not without raising questions, and I felt too stupid to lie. A satisfying balance of romance and action, with political intrigue that is both elaborate and plausible and rich, fascinating worldbuilding." - Malka Older How?” I finally managed. “And to whom? My sinecure cannot be increased so greatly as all that, surely!”

A Tithenai girl,” I echoed faintly. I could no more swallow the concept than water could swallow oil. “You—that is, you mean—I—” I have a history of tarrying,” I said. “But the weather is fine, and I”— needed to get away—“was moved by filial piety.” He broke off, and we shared a certain fond, pained expression at all that the absence entailed. “I know,” I said softly, and left it at that.fernandan on Reading The Wheel of Time: Taim Tells Lies and Rand Shares His Plan in Winter’s Heart (Part 3) 4 hours ago BT] I read that you decided at age 12 to become a writer. How did that happen? What led you to that discovery? At this, my lungs and brain forgot how breathing worked, denying me that function for seconds that passed like minutes. My poleaxed expression must have been the expected response, however, for Father waited out my breathlessness with no apparent chagrin. Velasin vin Aaronever planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead. Her smile softened at the mention of her son, and the conversation turned swiftly to talk of his development. Both then and later, I offered up as much admiration of Jarien as one with no real knowledge of infants can for a six-month-old; I praised the quality of the rooms I was given and the food I was offered, both of which were exceptional; and only then, at the tail end of supper, did Father finally invite me into his study.

All the Hidden Paths left me feeling conflicted. I had a lot of fun with it and read the entire book over the span of 18 hours. It was literally the first thing I did when I woke up in the morning. I had a very similar reading experience with A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. These books are compulsively readable with so much drama and tension that you can’t look away. Had Father learned of my indiscretions? Both recently and otherwise, I’d committed so many that I didn’t bother to narrow down what stories might have reached him, or from which sources. My life in Farathel had become little more than a string of offences against propriety; that I regretted only a few of them, and for more complex reasons than simple contrition, didn’t make me any less keen to avoid their consequences, nor did it blunt my desire to escape, however briefly, the circumstances of their creation. It was equally possible, however, that the summons entailed only news of pleasant things—an increase in my sinecure; the expected birth of a new niece or nephew, or—moons!—another half-sibling; some propitious detail about the estate—and a certain self-interest wouldn’t let me forget it.This latter surprised me greatly: while Father had as much respect for magecraft as any Ralian nobleman, he’d never had much interest in artistry or aesthetics, and while the magic underpinning the sculpture was truly impressive—a series of embedded cantrips which caused the carving of a great water serpent to glow, roar and even move when certain control words were spoken—it was hardly utilitarian. I ventured as much to Lady Sine, fishing to see whether she’d had to fight him over its acquisition, but she only laughed. An engrossing political intrigue and romance set in a world that feels complex and lived-in; beautifully realised and a pleasure to read!”—Sam Hawke, author of City of Lies This marriage is off to a terrible start,” said Velasin—and just like that, the humour between them vanished. Cae swallowed hard and brought them to a halt, nodding awkwardly at the infirmary door. My reply was forestalled by the sudden appearance of the man himself, trailed by a nursemaid carrying baby Jarien. Remarriage certainly suited Father; I hadn’t seen him so hale in years. His paunch was gone, new muscle firming his arms and shoulders, eyes bright, skin clear. Even before the awful wrangling of what was now called the Dissension, the decade or so in which a loose cadre of antagonistic nobles had stoked political strife within Ralia, and which had finally ended, somewhat anticlimactically, with the exposure of Lord Ennan vin Mica’s plans for rebellion and the arrest, imprisonment and/or execution of his various co-conspirators, my mother’s death had wearied him on a level I’d been too young to fully comprehend, for all that I witnessed it daily. But not even civil peace had eased him as Lady Sine did; or perhaps that was Jarien’s doing, if not the two in combination. Either way, his positive transformation threw into sharp relief my own, inverse trajectory, and in that moment, had he asked for the truth, I would have confessed to everything—even, perhaps, beyond my culpability.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance is a book of nuance, passion, and insight, and effectively showcases Foz Meadows' talents." - Juliette Wade Of course,” said Cae. “But you’ll have to trust me at least enough to lean on, tiern. That leg won’t hold your weight.” Ren Vaia. This is the new Tiern Velasin vin Aaro, and this –” he looped the bay’s reins over its head as Velasin dismounted, “—is his faithful steed. He’s just arrived from Ralia, so treat him kindly, you understand?” He’s very welcome, then,” said Father. To the butler, he added, “He can have the oak room, Perrin, but send him through to the games hall while it’s made up—Lord Velasin can meet him there. And do offer him a tray, would you? Late as it is, he’s likely starved.”

The pacing and prose were so well done. I was drawn in from the start, and though Vel’s assault was not easy to read, it was necessary to set up his character. The pacing was even, and I felt there was always something happening. There was never a time where I felt bored. The book is told in the first-person narrative of Vel for one section, and then third person narrative of Cae in the following section. I liked this choice and never found it confusing. We needed Vel to tell his story from his perspective. It is the only way that we, as the reader, knows his feelings of the trauma he survived. I felt Ms. Meadows handled his feelings gently, having him vent his anger when needed, slowly allowing people in, and starting to realize that nothing was his fault. I cared about Vel and felt his pain and anguish. I felt happy for him when he knew that Cae was truly a kind and caring person. Vel deserved to be happy, and his arc was excellent. While we are privy to what Cae feels, it is not necessary for his narrative to be in the first-person. Cae is Vel’s support, his husband, his friend, and helps him work through his trauma. Their slow burn romance and attraction is truly beautiful. I love how Ms. Meadows put so much love and acceptance of the LBGTQIA community in this book. Many a reader longing for a sense of homecoming in the realm of romantic fantasy will find it in A Strange and Stubborn Endurance.”—Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the Kushiel's Legacy series

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