Aerie by S. E. Wendel

I read quite a few reviews that were talking about how the story was too slow and too long and they didn’t finish it, so excuse me while I launch directly into defense mode. I feel like this author does so well with friends-to-lovers, and the other thing this author does really well is character arcs. Even though it’s a dual POV, to me this is Lena‘s story. This is all about her progression from someone who obeys the letter of the law, is a linear thinker, sees things as black and white, to someone who can see how humanity allows for certain rules to be broken. Which is funny because the person who largely teaches her this is actually not human but avian; however, I digress. I felt the slower pace of this story, especially compared to other fantasy romance, but the writing is so good and the characters are so strong that I honestly didn’t mind. I really enjoyed this and I’m excited to read the next book.