What Lies Beyond the Veil: your next fantasy romance obsession! (Of Flesh and Bone) (Of Flesh & Bone)

Wow! I had heard this book was good, but it defied all expectations! I knew from the first page that I was going to enjoy it, but I could not put it down and I even took it out on my day trip today. I finished it about half an hour ago and was so happy that there was an extra chapter to download from Caelum’s POV.So what did I like so much about it? Not only was it extremely well written, but the world building, and the character development was amazing. The character development being the strongest part of the book in my opinion. I also felt that there were three parts to this book, with the ending leading nicely into the second book.In the first part we are introduced to Estrella and learn about the life she lives in Mistfell, which is one of poverty and degradation at the hands of the Lord of the manor and the priestesses cane. This part gave me Handmaids tale vibes, in the way in which women were treated and basically expected to stay pure until marriage when they were expected to reproduce. I loved the way that despite doing things she would rather not do. but wanting to ensure the safety of her mother and brother, Estrella found little ways to be defiant, such as escaping to the woods at night. She was likeable from the start and Lord Byron was suitably unpleasant as befits a perfect love to hate character.The second part of the book involved Estrella and her brother Brann. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but this is the first time we get to know Brann and it is clear that, while trying to protect his sister, he is also keeping secrets. It is during this part that we are introduced to Caelum. From the first line he spoke I knew I was going to love this giant of a man. There were several descriptions of where certain parts of Estrella’s body came up to on him, and I was quite perturbed how the tiny Estrella was going to cope in a romantic relationship with him. But cope she did, though not until part three.Part three focused on Estrella and Caelum’s developing relationship and the impact this has on the people they meet. It was during this part of the book that my affection for Caelum began to wane. As he and Estella became more involved, his possessiveness began to irk me, and I felt that at some points it bordered on aggressiveness towards her. There were a couple of throat grabbing incidents that made me want to knee him in his very impressive manhood. However, I feel that this wariness of his character was fully intentioned by the author and towards the end of the book, some of these things make complete sense.I loved how Estrella’s character developed over the course of this story, particularly in terms of her feelings towards Caelum. She learns to defend herself physically and begins to listen to her instincts and not let herself be blinded by her infatuation with the man she loves. Caelum, however, goes through the most changes and my feelings towards him changed so many times. The bonus chapter that was available at the end of the book was a must read, as it brought my feelings about him full circle as I began to understand him and some of what he had suffered.I cannot wait to carry on this adventure and find out what is about to happen next as What Lies Beyond the Veil ended on a super exciting cliff hanger.A massive five star plus read.

I'm giving this 3 stars because the book did keep me interested until the end. I liked the start which seemed to promise a magical story full of fae and dark woods/wild hunt etc. Unfortunately it then went downhill for me. Caelum thoroughly irritated me in the way that he kept grabbing and touching Estrella all the time to help her walk/climb/(breathe!) etc. He was constantly holding her hand and dragging her along which was so jarring. Estrella seemed a bit of a wimp, unable to walk by herself without him touching her, or do much else really. She wasn't the usual independent, fiesty female you usually get in these sorts of books and seemed a bit needy in the way that she let him control her all the time, getting upset when she thought of a life without him. The relationship between them seemed toxic in the way they were both so jealous of other people, especially Caelum, who got aggressive when anyone else looked at Estrella. There was also no slow burn to the relationship, they seemed to fall in love immediately. The scene in the baths made me cringe. What was the need to have loud, embarrassing sex in front of everyone in there?? Who in the tunnels even cared about the two of them?? Get a room! Then the crude language towards the end of the book was so cringe, I found it hard to read. Estrella goes from being a bit of a wimp to coming out with dirty talk which seemed really out of character. The whole thing was a complete turn off. I had also sussed out the big 'twist' at the end way before it happened so there was no suprise there at all. All that being said, I still finished the book and it kept me interested until the end. I am not sure if I will buy the next one though unfortunately.

If you love fated mates, slow burn and a dash of touch her and you'll die, then you'll love this!I loved the world building and characters. FMC especially was amazing 👏I did get a bit frustrated about 20% into it when it became really obvious what the plot twist was but it took ages to actually be revealed. The characters development and the slow burn was glorious thoughI think if the book hadn't given us so many clues so early, or revealed things much sooner I'd make this a 5 star read. I'm honestly 50/50 on whether I want to read the next one but adding it to my TBR so maybe I'll try it at some point!