The Winter King (Weathermages of Mystral, #1) by C.L. Wilson

Synopsis (via Goodreads): After three long years of war, starkly handsome Wynter Atrialan will have his vengeance on Summerlea's king by taking one of the man's beautiful, beloved daughters as his bride. But though peace is finally at hand, Wynter's battle with the Ice Heart, the dread power he embraced to avenge his brother's death, rages on.

Khamsin Coruscate, Princess of Summerlea and summoner of Storms, has spent her life exiled to the shadows of her father's palace. Reviled by her father, marriage to Wintercraig's icy king was supposed to be a terrible punishment, but instead offers Kham her first taste of freedom—and her first taste of overwhelming passion.

As fierce, indomitable Wynter weathers even Khamsin's wildest storms, surprising her with a tenderness she never expected, Kham wants more than Wynter's passion—she yearns for his love. But the power of the Ice Heart is growing, dangerous forces are gathering, and a devastating betrayal puts Khamsin and Wynter to the ultimate test. 

"Your father thought he scored a victory over me when he tricked me into marrying you instead of one of your sisters, but he unwittingly gave me the one daughter I wanted most." 

It has been a long time since a book has been capable of consuming me so completely. I think my husband thought it was glued to my hands at times, and he wasn't afraid to make little jokes about it. I'm not going to lie... I would disappear on the pretense of housework and he would find me later sitting in the closet or on the bench in our shower, just reading away. We'd laugh, he'd roll his eyes, and I would reluctantly put the book down to continue later (read: stay up way too late once every one else was asleep and then drink entirely too much coffee the next day to make up for it).

Initially, I picked this up thinking it would be a light paranormal romance with a simple plot—but it completely exceeded my expectations. The story is rich, the characters are layered, and I was genuinely surprised by its depth.

There were a few things about this book that irked me. Khamsin and her sisters are supposed to be formidable Seasons, yet they let their father treat Khamsin so poorly. If they are so incredibly powerful, why didn’t they come together to stop it? I have no doubt that the four of them combined could have easily overpowered him. It was really frustrating to read about how cruel he could be without any consequences.

I also wish Wynter and Khamsin had been more open with each other about their thoughts and feelings. Honestly, I think they really understood one another, but they only ever admitted it to themselves instead of saying it out loud. I feel like a lot of misunderstandings could have been avoided if they had just said what they were thinking.

Additionally, I would have liked it if the secondary characters had been given a little more focus. I found them all to be incredibly interesting. Galacia Frey, Krysti, Valik, Bella, Falcon—I feel like they were developed just enough to feed the overall story, but for the most part we only scratch the surface of who they are as people separate from Wynter and Khamsin. There could have been some really fascinating details there.

I am so thrilled the second book in the series comes out next month! I know a lot of people have been waiting years, so a month doesn't sound too bad at all. (★★★★☆)