I procrastinated a couple of weeks on reading this book because I knew it was going to hurt. The First Loss is a prequel to J.D. Linton’s Rogue x Ara series, and going into the book, readers familiar with the story already knew that one of the main characters was going to die tragically. But I read it anyway, out of an undying love for this series. And it delivered on the tragedy that was promised. Hopefully, I will stop crying soon.
*This piece contains slight spoilers for the Rogue x Ara series. Also, this love story does not have a happy ending. Proceed with caution.*
Some thirty years before the events of The Last Storm, there lived a fae king, who lived only for his kingdom. Vaelor had an artist’s soul, but dedicated every ounce of his being to his people, leaving little left over for himself. Until one day, fate intervenes. He finds a human girl, the adopted daughter of the king of the human realm, picking apples in his orchard. He waits for Elora year after year and demands a letter for every apple she took. What results is a beautiful friendship, that blossoms into so much more. And then fate intervenes once again.
Elora and Vaelor are the sweetest couple. So many tender moments between them brought tears to my eyes. The author wrote these characters and their dynamics so beautifully. It was intense and touching, artful and just perfect. I want these two to enjoy every single second they have together and it makes this slow burn excruciating.
This is the first time I’ve ever read a fated mates romance without a happily ever after, and I can’t overstate how painful it was. But the story was unquestionably worth it, not just for the love these two characters shared, but for the deep, rich history it added to the Rogue x Ara universe. We get to know more about Rogue’s past from other’s perspectives, Ara’s origins, and we get a look at many of the side characters and villains that appear later on.
The heartbreak of it all is going to stay with any reader. The First Loss is spicy and sad. Horny and heartbroken. It is a whole experience. It ended how I knew it would, how it had to, but I’m still crying. Now more than ever I can’t wait for the next book in this spectacular series. After this, Rogue and Ara’s happily ever after (that I pray to all the gods is coming) will be all that much more meaningful.
Spice: 3.5
Writing: 5
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