Reviewed by Jenna
TITLE: The Circle Unbroken
SERIES: Eight Kingdoms #2
AUTHOR: Belinda Burke
PUBLISHER: Totally Bound
LENGTH: 210 Pages
BLURB: A prince, a king, an oath to bind and an oath to break. Can something begun in darkness survive the light? Or does the shape of that oath define love…and the circle unbroken? Three months have passed since Macsen Cadoc’s rescue of Bran Fionnan—three mortal months, three days in Macsen’s Red Kingdom. Bran has begun to seek a place for himself—as sidhe, as Summer’s Prince and as Macsen’s consort. The Red King has begun to balance the thirst of his own nature with the love that now moves him just as much. Yet when Bran is reminded of an oath that was made between them when he was just a child, that which has so far held them together may end up tearing them apart. While the strength of their love is tested, a mortal enemy is once more in motion. Focused only on their destruction, Dealla seeks to step into the place of her dead father–to rule over the Milesians and fulfil the oaths of crown and country. To do so, she must find a way to hurt two foes…one new and openly deadly, the other ancient and its enmity long asleep. Allies appear in unlikely places, armed by their own motives to seek the same destruction Dealla desires…but the price of success may be higher than the cost of failure—higher than any plot or plan allows. What is the price of an oath fulfilled? Is love born from nothing, or does it wear a path that can be traced?
REVIEW:
Bran and Macsen begin their life living together, but Bran is restless. Having spent his whole life working, it is difficult for him to adjust to his new existence; doing nothing but sleeping with his lover. Bran finally has a chance to meet his mother and starts to wonder about the oath made between her and Macsen when he was a child. He worries that the connection he feels between him and Macsen is some kind of magic, and he begins to doubt their love. At the same time, Macsen senses Bran’s bordom and discontent and worries that Bran will go visit his mother and never return. Macsen’s fears are realized when Bran’s doubts result in him leaving Macsen to live with his mother. Macsen tries to exist without Bran, but finding it impossible, eventually goes out to find him. At the same time Bran realizes that Macsen truly loves him despite any oath previously made. It appears that the couple will get back together, but danger from the previous regime threatens their reunion. Despite all the heartbreak, this book has a happy ending.
I am a big fan of fantasy and loved the mood that Belinda Burke creates, which gives the world an ethereal feeling. In the previous book, I was hoping that Bran would wake up and doubt his union with Macsen, since there appeared to be some kind of compulsion involved when they first met. So, I was glad to see Bran step out of the haze and start to consider whether magic was making him love Macsen or whether their love was real. At the same time, Macsen’s suffering when Bran leaves, made me dislike Macsen less. Before he seemed very arrogant and took Bran for granted, but this separation makes him realize Bran’s worth. The only difficulty I had with this book was that it took quite some time for the story to unfold. However, I was happy that Bran and Macsen were able to resolve their issues by the end.
RATING: 
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