Beyond the Crescent Sky (The Balkan Legends #2) by A. L. Sowards, Book Review

 

Book Summary:

Helena is a healer. Ivan is her prisoner. Caught in the crossfire of war, they must choose: loyalty, or love. 

The Balkans, 1383 

A sudden conflict between Serbs and Greeks has forced Ivan to join his brother and fight with the Serbian army. On the battlefield, Ivan is wounded and captured by the hostile Greeks, becoming a hostage in a deadly bid for power.

Helena, a Greek midwife, is tasked to care for Ivan, a request that will not only test her healing abilities but also her loyalty. Though war has made her reluctant patient an enemy, she can’t help but forge a connection with him, yet falling in love with him could turn her world upside down and brand her a traitor. 

As the Ottoman Empire extends its grip into the Balkans, events beyond their control force Ivan and Helena to choose between loyalty to their families and people or following the longings of their hearts. 

Award-winning historical novelist A. L. Sowards creates an engaging world of overlords and spies, rebellions and battlefields, and forbidden love.

My Review:

Beyond the Crescent Sky is spectacularly captivating! This is the next book in the Balkan series and it was amazing! Sowards masterfully tells the story of Ivan and Helena. She puts the reader right there alongside them and pulls on every single one of your heartstrings. I was so invested in their stories, everything unfolded before me like a movie playing on the big screen. I laughed, cried, and gasped out loud so many times. You will be surprised, shocked, and continually page turn until the very last one. 

Real, raw, and emotional, Sowards leaves it all out there for the readers to experience alongside the characters. I am still reeling from this story. The battles and betrayals, the sense of duty and what is right, I cannot stop thinking about it. A story of loyalty, duty, and love, Beyond the Crescent Sky is powerful and moving. Master of historical fiction, Sowards has written a phenomenal story! I received a complimentary copy of this story; all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Happy Reading!!!