Romance Addict Book Blog: RELEASE DAY - The Hidden Library (The Collectors' Society #2) by Heather Lyons

We are dying to jump back down the rabbit hole with Heather Lyons' THE HIDDEN LIBRARY! THE HIDDEN LIBRARY is an Adult Romantic Fairy Tale, full of adventure and fantasy and the second book in Heather’s The Collectors' Society Series! Check out the latest fantastic installment in this series that brings you some of the classics with a twist.

Amazon Amazon UK Barnes and Noble iBooks Kobo

Sometimes, the rabbit hole is deeper than expected . . .

Alice Reeve and Finn Van Brunt have tumbled into a life of secrets. Some secrets they share, such as their employment by the clandestine organization known as The Collectors’ Society. Other secrets they carry within them, fighting to keep buried the things that could change everything they think they know.

On the hunt for an elusive villain who is hell-bent on destroying legacies, Alice, Finn, and the rest of the Society are desperate to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. But the farther they spiral down this rabbit hole, the deeper they fall into secrets that will test their loyalties and pit them against enemies both new and old.

Secrets, they come to find, can reveal the deadliest of truths.

We are about to open the conference room door and enter the hallway when he stops. He turns to me, his lovely eyes achingly sincere. “I want to take you on a date when all of this craziness is over. A real one. We’ve kind of gone about this all backwards, haven’t we?”

One corner of my mouth lifts up. “Are you saying you’d like to court me?”

There is no playfulness to his face, no quirk to his own lips. My heart flutters at his seriousness. “Yes.”

He wants to court me.

Too many emotions rush around in a caucus race throughout my body. I have no doubts of Huckleberry Finn Van Brunt’s feelings toward me. I understood them two minutes ago just as well as I did this morning when I woke up and from the night before and from the day in Wonderland where he said, in not so many words, that he was falling in love with me.

I told him he was my north star, and meant it. He countered we are binaries.

He and I . . . We’ve never said those words, though, not the ones that truly spell out fragile, deep secrets of a heart and soul. Words so easily and yet unfortunately uttered by many, be it to express their appreciation of fried bits of potatoes to sports teams on the television. Words offered so frivolously about a variety of subjects and yet can be the most difficult, most painful, most meaningful, most cherished syllables we gift another person.

I have said these words before, to another man. Another man I still love. One I know, in the deepest confines of my heart, that I will love until the last breath escapes my body. A man who courted me in secret and then publicly in the face of astonishment, disapproval, confusion, and, in the end, prophesies.

I have willingly given the man in front of me my heart, though, whether he knows it or not. He now holds it in his hands, and while I pray he is my future, there is still a part of me that bucks in conflicted confusion and delight by this declaration of his.

He wants to court me.

And yet, as sweet and romantic as such a gesture might be, I require no such formalities. My affections for Finn Van Brunt have already solidified into something real and wonderful and meaningful.

**Warning: These books do need to be read in order. This review will contain spoilers for book one! Read my review for The Collectors’ Society here**

There are no words to describe how completely and utterly infatuated I am with this series and the world of The Collectors’ Society. These books are so intricate and delicately woven that it leaves me in awe of Heather Lyons, her writing, and her brilliant mind. I find myself easily getting lost in the story and falling.

“True love does not have limits or restrictions.

True love allows a person to love deeply and unconditionally.

True love does not ask you to let go of life.

True love encourages you to live.”

The Hidden Library picks up right where The Collectors’ Society left off. They’ve captured Todd and Rosemary, and now they want to get to the bottom of their evil ways. Heather pieces together lots of clues from book one, but also (in her trademark way) leaves the breadcrumbs for even more mysteries! It’s fascinating to me how well she blends the classic books with her own flair, leaving a well-thought out book that captivated me from page one. The best thing about THL is that it alternates between Alice and Finn’s POVs! So, we finally get to know Finn and his past. This is no longer just Alice’s adventure down this new rabbit hole, but also Finn’s. And I adored being able to get inside his head to learn more about him and to see Alice from his eyes.

“It’s the best kind of magic. It’s the kind that makes me want to believe in fairy tales—the good kind. The kind where the endings have hope.”

THL had a veryyyy different feel from TCS, and I definitely don’t mean different in a bad way. THL is way more romantic than TCS. The connection between Finn and Alice that showed itself at the end of book one, is in full force this time around. I was hit with alllll the feels! I swooned over all their romantic scenes. And Heather amped up the love scenes, so I found myself fanning myself at times as well. But, of course, their most romantic scenes aren’t always their physical ones. I found myself dreamily sighing at how deep their emotional connection got in this book. I am hardcore Team AF! Then, I also felt like there was an even bigger suspense factor in THL. I was always half-scared for the characters and I knew they were on a time-crunch, which I found to be all very exciting.

“I pray with each thrust, with each stroke of my tongue, with each beat of that muscle in my chest, she understands what she means to me. How she has stolen my heart in the months she’s been here at the Institute, and how I don’t ever want her to give it back. How she made me believe in love, made me believe it’s real. That it’s worth fighting for. That it’s worth holding onto with both hands.”

Alice is still her feisty, awesome self in this exciting continuation of the Collectors’ series. I enjoyed seeing her work her way through all these complicated situations. I especially enjoyed watching her fall deeper in love with Finn. And, of course, I loved all her unique relationships with the Wonderlanian people—especially Jace/The White King. I thought I loved Finn before, but that was nothing compared to how much I adore him now. We’ve seen him at his worst and we’ve seen him at his best. I love that although these characters are fantasy characters, classic characters, etc., we can still relate to them in some ways! Finn is more swoonworthy as ever. And Jace is not too far behind. I’m hardcore Finn, but Jace almost had me tearing up at some points. And of course, I loved reuniting with all the other Society members. There are plenty of new characters introduced, including new evil villains, and I can’t wait to see where our journey leads to next! I’m so very impatient for book 3.

“He has become part of my heart.

My gravity pulls at his. His pulls at mine.

We orbit one another, me and my north star.

And I will be damned if anyone will ever tear us apart.”

Don’t miss the first book in this series, THE COLLECTORS’ SOCIETY!

Amazon Barnes and Noble iBooks Kobo**

Heather Lyons writes epic, heartfelt love stories and has always had a thing for words. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. She and her husband and children live in sunny Southern California and are currently working their way through every cupcakery she can find.