Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Hi all, I hope your summer has been fantastic so far. I have been having lots of fun hanging out with friends, enjoying the World Cup, and attending plenty of book events, including this weekend’s Pouring Over Pages by Just a Taste. If you get a chance to attend one of their events across New England, I highly recommend going.

With as busy as I am, audiobooks are a must for me. I love to pop in my earbuds and listen to a good read, so I was elated to be gifted an ALC of Iron Hex by Victoria S. Walsh from NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and of course, the author herself. Let me tell you, this is the start of a series that you must grab!

Iron Hex introduces us to Eira Eckhart. She is a potions witch, the only kind of witchcraft that is permitted to be practiced. Her potions are the best in the area, even if she cannot remember anything prior to 3 years ago. Also, maybe we should not mention that ONE spell she knows that is not a potion. It is fine. What no one sees or knows will not hurt them. Who cares if it is not technically legal. Just do not tell the Iron Empire’s Witch Hunters.

Speaking of being hunted, let’s talk about the gorgeous Hugo Venton. We first meet Hugo when he visits Eira’s potion shop. Then we see him again at the local tavern, where Eira comes across him. We learn that the Iron Empire is looking for him, and he ran away with Eira through the back door of the tavern. Eira refuses to leave town with this man she just met, especially without her rabbit familiar. Only when they are stopped does she find the little rabbit is a stowaway in her bag. While Eira does not remember him, he definitely remembers her, and as they get out of town, she plans on ditching him the first chance she gets. Only when they come across some kind of super soldier, and Hugo is able to fight them off, maybe Eira is better off staying with Hugo to join him on his quest to hunt for the missing princess, who Hugo tells her was once her best friend who was thought to be assassinated!

As they search, Eira hunts for more than the lost princess. She wants to get her lost memories back. She is also fighting her growing feelings for Hugo.

So friends, since I had the audiobook, I need to mention what a great job Jeremy Carlisle Parker did on the cast of characters in this novel. They brought the entire cast to life for me. Normally I prefer a duet narration on a book of this magnitude, but Jeremy went above and beyond. The range of voices for the entire character lineup… WOW! Definitely worth the listen.

This is book one by debut author Victoria S. Walsh. It is a fantastic start. I absolutely adore Eira’s character. She is spunky, loyal, and such a badass character. She is also a plus-size woman, and I love how the author says that it is the least interesting thing about her, because it is so true. Speaking of the author, if you do not follow Victoria on socials, you should. Her closet is the thing dreams are made of. I wish I had just one of the dresses that make up her closet.

So my friends, when Iron Hex comes out on August 4th, this is a story that you MUST consume. I recommend the audiobook, but have you seen the cover? Of course you have, it is on the cover to this post. I will definitely be picking up the physical copy as well so it has a place on my bookshelf.

Until next time, my friends, I hope you are having a great summer full of 5 star reads!