A Simple Truth: Book 2 in the Freckled Fate Trilogy

Freckled Fate #2

by Tetyana Walker

A Simple Truth is the second book in the slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers dark fantasy trilogy The Freckled Fate.


"After the enemy she captured reveals an earth-shattering truth, Finn finds herself in alliance with the one man she despised the most. Torn between her haunted past and her unclear future, she is determined to fulfill her promises at last, overcoming any hindrance in her path. But when a difficult decision looms, she is faced with the most daunting challenge yet – her own heart.

Gideon thought himself quite lucky considering he survived a brutal assassination against all odds. Yet when Fate entwines his path with the freckled assassin, he slowly finds himself drowning in torment. Caught between desire and reason, Gideon begins to wonder if the assassin did more than simply wound his body that day but perhaps she captured his heart as well."



This is a continuation of Finn’s story, so if you have not read book one, A Broken Promise, please read it first.


This trilogy is perfect for readers who love stories with strong heroines, magical powers, and swoon-worthy sizzling angst and romance. This story will capture your heart and take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as you follow Finn's journey.

Get lost in a world of fantasy and romance today!

Authors Please note this book contains mature content and is best suited for 18+

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Dark Romance, Fae

518 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 7, 2024

About the author

Tetyana was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2012, she moved to Utah, USA to attend Ensign college and pursue a degree in business. She is now a proud wife and a mother with a successful career in software sales.

Tetyana has had a strong passion for reading ever since she was a kid. But her world completely changed when she read the Harry Potter series at the age of 8 and discovered the world of fantasy. She hasn’t looked back since. Now, as a self-published fantasy-romance author, Tetyana looks forward to helping other authors on their journey. She named her publishing company after a tiny rural Ukrainian village in Kyivska Oblast’ where she spent her summers growing up. With no internet or cell service or even indoor plumbing, Tetyana spent her summer days helping her grandparents take care of their small farm while spending any free time outside reading. “Bakumovka stands for more than a small village to me. It stands for a place of peace and magic. A place where imagination runs wild and free. A place of comfort and love.” Tetyana says.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS SERIES IS SO UNDERRATED!!!!!!!

[Mila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent ready - but felt it was unnecessarily slow at times.

I struggled with Gideon character. He is in love with Finn ofc, but the extreme vulnerability he shows off while being the exact opposite as a General threw me off a bit. I’m all for emotions and all, but the character seemed to be either extremes only.

The story itself? the plot seems to have stalled in this one compared to book 1. They are looking for clues & allies etc to defeat the Queen - but god, so slow and I’m tired of Finn taking reckless risks instead of trusting those who are helping her. I mean was that trip with Rey-rey required? Yes. But like a secret? No. And she gets there and for some reason she thinks she’s powerless and incapable when the whole book was talking about her possibly being the only one with unimaginable super powers etc - her lack of confidence when it’s time for action is irritating.

Romance? I feel bad for Gideon, the guy is so over expressive and gets rejected always but towards the end(like literally the end), there are some steamy scenes - but otherwise it’s - meh

Will I read the 3rd book? Yes, because I’m really hoping the plot picks up & Finn finally embraces the power and does something mind blowing. Else it’s going to be super disappointing.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ya know how Avatar is basically a rip-off smash-up of Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, FernGully, Dune, etc.? Well, this little story is giving off some serious Maasverse parallels. Maybe you can claim "inspiration" from certain storylines in TOG and ACOTAR, but my spidey-sense was going off. Just a few that I noted:
- We kick off with a secretly-powerful-but-doesn't-know-it-yet FMC who is a slave working in a mine, whipped & brutalized.
- Said FMC then goes on to become an assassin *cough cough Celaena Sardothien cough cough*
- She has a former lover/fiance (now dead) who she loved deeply before she meets the MMC.
- There's some evil queen baddie person sucking up all the power and they have to stop her.
- We have a touching moment where our FMC & MMC are finally connecting, under the stars, and they say "To the overwhelming feelings" // "And to the ability to feel them".

Honestly, I could go on but I'll just tl;dr it: everything in this felt like a copy of other romantasy storylines out there. The writing was immature and in desperate need of an editor.

[Hilda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finnleah and Gideon are end game. I refuse to believe otherwise. End. Game. I love this series so much. I’m so happy I found it. I am obsessed with it. I need everyone that likes fantasy to read it. The last book in the series comes out in March and I can’t wait!!!!!

This book has a completely new magic system but same problems. One group or person wants more power. They are willing to steal and kill for it. It also has a very impressive set of women warriors that I absolutely andore and will riot if anything happens to the Ten. Riot. I’m so scared one is going to die. I’m so scared the next book will be full of death. It happens in war. But I don’t want it to happen to any of them… and honestly they are so badass that I have complete faith they won’t get hurt. They are beasts. The toughest fighters within Gideon’s army. Everyone fears them, as they should. They train hard and are married and are girl’s girls. I need a whole series just following the Ten. Anyways, Gideon and Finn finally work their shit out and I’m so happy it was realistic. Was I upset they didn’t figure themselves out sooner? Yes. Do I understand why? Also, yes. Guilt is a very powerful emotion. Emotions are not logical.

I can’t wait for the next book. I read these on KU but bought them to have a copy I never have to return. I’m obsessed.

[Madison Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

They ride big ass dragonflies? Also there’s a lot of killing here of innocents but it’s supposed to be quirky or something lol

[Tandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

A Simple Truth is intense, heartbreaking, and utterly addictive. Book takes everything from A Broken Promise and cranks it up tenfold. Finnleah’s journey is raw and devastating as she’s forced to navigate even darker choices, deeper betrayals, and emotions that cut to the bone. Tetyana Walker’s writing is so sharp and immersive you feel every ounce of Finnleah’s pain and resilience.

The twists are brutal, the slow-burn tension with Gideon is even more unrelenting, and that ending? I gasped. Loudly. This book absolutely wrecked me in the best way, and I’m desperate to dive into Book 3.

[Kristens_korner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the pace feels slower than the 1st, it's still an absolutely fanstatic storyline. The main female character continues to grow and show development, and the main male character is all the man and teddy bear you want him to be. The love story is grand, and the burn is slow, although there is some spice at the end, and the cliffhanger is brutal. Can't wait for the next one!

[Megane Allaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish a book. But hey, who doesn’t love a good slow burn, enemies-to-lovers? Well, I personally LOVE it. I devoured this shit. Humm… the tension, the quotes, the raw realness of Finn’s flaws AND the growth from her? Chef’s kiss.🤌🏼

A solid 4⭐️.

[Marissa Tofte Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was spoiled signed up to read the ARC book, before it was released & I can’t wait to share with you WHY you need to read this book!!

Our main character, Finnleah has had her whole world turned upside down AGAIN, and this time— it leaves her fumbling the pieces of her unknown identity. Not only does she struggle with her identify, she’s stuck working with her arch nemesis! She must learn who and what she is, and train her butt off to become the strongest version of herself… especially if she hopes to keep her promise to her friends still stuck in slavery.

This book is packed full of new friendships, a slow burn/enemy to lover romance, war/death, and will definitely make you laugh and tear up in some places! I am currently recommending it to all my romantasy lovers! :) also, I finished it in 3 days! Which shocked me lol I couldn’t put it down!

[Kristin Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!!!!

Tetyana did it again! I read book 1 & 2 in a total of ~36 hours. I might get fired from my job for reading at work, but I don't even care at this point. I barely slept, barely ate, & was glued to my phone. My screen time today was 12 hours. 11 hours 32 minutes of which were spent on the kindle app. I will be diligently awaiting book 3 and desperately hoping to get chosen as an ARC or Beta reader 🫡

[Dru · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
🔥🔥🔥🔥

The tension is real in this one!

Finn is now in the camp, stuck with her *supposed* enemy, only to find out he is not her enemy at all, but the leader of the resistance.

I liked the transition for Finn in this book. Most of it focuses on training in the resistance and building up their army. We start to get a better understanding who the Queen is, and how she relates to the story. We also circle back to Finn's past, who her maid was, and her connection to the Elves. Even though this is a more planning type of book, it didn't drag and it is clearly ramping up for the final battle.

Gideon had a lot more POV's in this story, compared to the three or four in this book. Finally we got to see his side, and I wish we had that more in the last book, but I get why it was kept secret. Having his side of the story, you can feel how much he is obsessed with Finn, even though she doesn't give him the light of day.

The slow burn is very much evident in this book. Nothing happened in the last book, and nothing will happen in this book until the bitter end, so if you can wait, worth it!

I reread this book, to be able to prepare for the third book. It was just as good as the first time I read it. I also reread the first book again (total of three times), and STILL loved it.

⟣Tropes⟢
✅ Touch her and 💀
✅ Stabby/Badass Heroine
✅ Banter *chef’s kiss*
✅ Sassy FMC
✅ Obsessive/JP MMC
✅ Fated Mates
✅ Dual POV’s (first person)
✅ Found Family
✅ He falls first
✅ 🔥 Slow Burn 🔥
✅ Hate-to-Love
✅ One Horse *Dragonfly*
✅ MINE
✅ Cliff

[Sallie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gets 2 stars instead of one simply because it's slightly less cringey than the first book. There's still a vaguely interesting plot line and the dialogue makes me want to bang my head against the wall slightly less, but I still would not call this a good book.

[Nikki Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay THIS book 1000% redemption from the first. I wanted spice, finally got the spice. The development of Finnleah & Gideons relationship finally coming to fruition was exactly what I needed. The passion, raw connection & crazy journey leading up to them being together was worth the agonizing wait. Intrigued and nervous for what’s to come next especially with that ending. Way to leave off on a cliffhanger 🥵😩

[page wandering Nurse EGG · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
My goodness. Where do I start? I loved the first book and I have been completely immersed in the second book. I am totally invested in Finn and finding all of her powers but also learning she deserves to be loved and to love again. Gideon is just a silly boy but you fall in love with him as time goes on. I am frothing , I need the 3rd book. 2025 though waaaa 😭

[Carol Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic

Absolutely amazing read , so I many great characters give you tantalising glimpses of their lives as their stories slowly unfold .Gideon & Finnleah drive you crazy begging them to stop misunderstanding one another another & just get it on , it's worse than waiting for Buffy & Spike . As if there's not enough drama all through the book right at the end the big bad b!rich comes out to play & we are an old friend can't wait for more this book is worth more than 5*

[nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

impatiently waiting for the next one

Love love loved the world building and getting to see more of Gideons background!! The wild ride that is Finn and Gideon’s relationship was so fun and my jaw absolutely dropped after the last page.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were actually a couple plot twists that I wasn’t expecting and some dots that are connecting that are going to make the third book super interesting

[Britni Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this more than the first and love the pacing.

[Summer ✧˚⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The spice in this book was chefs kiss, the story is so incredible and i cannot wait to finally meet the villain

[Brooklyn Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was SO excited to get chosen as an ARC reader for this book after flying through the first one last month. I thought I loved the first book but damn, this one tops it. Absolutely love Finns emotional growth in this one. Gideons perspective was top tier. This one had everything.
-enemies to lovers
-magic
-strong FMC
-Strong but gentle MMC
-humor
-sadness
Definitely changed my opinion on trying out indie authors ❤️

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

This book picks up right after the first book's cliffhanger where Finn learns that she is actually part of the people who destroyed her life. We get to see Finn find her place and develop her abilities while furthering her relationship with Gideon and working through her trauma.

This book is such a slow burn but really pays off! I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys action, romance, found family, and badass heroes. This is one of my favorite series from the past year - I think it sets itself apart from other book within the genre.

[Alanis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I …only read this book to see what would happen with Finn and Gideon. I don’t think the whole revolution thing was quite clear and honestly, I’m not mad? 😭it kinda felt all over the place in the sense that Finn was trying to discover herself and her potential but it happened in bizarre ways and also reconciling the Lord of Death with the incredibly sweet and romantic man just didn’t go together. Those two completely different personas clash entirely. Not to mention that Finn does a complete 180 and suddenly is in love with him? Like how does that work? My mind kept going back to when he burned her in the first book (which is explained) but how does someone just forget about that?
Did I enjoy reading it? Yes. Was it a masterpiece? No

[Melanie Scarth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark. This is an adult book with adult topics. The character development is surface level yet with very deep scars showing that aren't really described. The author is very good at showing the depravity of human nature in this book by the actions the characters take. In doing so there are scenes which made me uncomfortable even as an adult.
The romance is a bit sloppy. Two very broken people meet and they are "Destined" for each other and they have some angsty lust thing that kind of happens but not really.
A young girl turns competent assassin and killer over a very few measly months after escaping from slave labor in rock mining.
While I thought the story behind all the depravity was interesting and could have depth, I felt the joy of life slipping out of me as I read these books.

[Ali · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. Just, No.

I wanted to like the series so much, but wow was this book slow, and the FMC turned super annoying. Then throw in the fact that 10 bad ass women have a pregnancy pact??? What?! It all just became so convoluted, and the dialogue didn’t fit the vibe of the story either. This book needs a strong editor, STAT. I’m just so frustrated because this series could’ve been freaking amazing. I definitely won’t be continuing it. Such a waste.

[Valentina Ferataj · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and this is my honest review.

I discovered the first book A Broken Promise last year while I was in a book slump and I loved the first book so much.
I liked how the story was focused on Finn, her developement, I loved her friendship with Priya (btw I hope she will be back because this book didn't feel complete without her 🙈)
...and I kind of liked that there was no love interest because in every book there needs to be a strong morally gray man who will save the lady, but Finn doesn't need saving because she is an independent bad ass bit*h who will take care of herself 😁

Now, did I like this book? Yes
Did it keep me entertained? Yes

But there were a few parts that irked me.

I feel like this book was heavily focused on matching Finn and Gideon, I wouldn't call it enemies to lovers because Finns hate towards Gideon vanished into thin air after first few chapters.
Can't help but think like the romance part was so forced, they were both attracted to each other instantly and I get why Gideon fell first, Finn is amazing but unfortunately I don't care much for Gideon, he had some sweet and spicy 🥵 moments with Finn, but that's the thing, I liked him only when he was around Finn, as a character he needs a lot of work because he feels kind of bland, like a carbon copy of every other leading male in a romantasy book.

There was one word that was popping into my mind often while I was reading and it was predictable, I feel like I read this book already so many times and I can't help but feel a bit dissapointed.
There were a lot of new side characters that were introduced but I didn't care much for them as well, half of them didn't contribute to the story at all...like I said, please bring back Priya 😅

Will I read the 3. book?
Yes, because Finn is such a lovable character and she has my whole heart, I can't wait to see how her story will unfold.

[michelle 🪩🫶🏼📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

first and foremost i would like to congratulate Tetyana on her second book in the freckled fate trilogy being released. i am a HUGE fan.

last year when i came across “A Broken Promise” in a group on facebook, i had no idea how much i would love it. i raved about it any, and everywhere. it was one of my favorite reads of 2023!

now, moving on to “A Simple Truth”
i really,really, really wish the MMC would have been named something different. everyone else has cool ass names, and then you’ve got….gideon. i’m SORRY but all i could picture was gideon from criminal minds 😭 i might just have a limited mind, or just not a creative one but i couldn’t connect to him because of this.
there were certain moments where i felt “A Simple Truth” was disjointed from “A Broken Promise”
it could just be that for the majority of a broken promise finn was on her own or with priya(who i REALLY hope will be showing up in the third book)
i really liked the concept of the ten, but to me there was just too many of them to really figure out who was who and how they were adding to the plot.
i could tell even before the authors note at the end that tetyana is a fan of harry potter because of the similarities of the horcruxes and what was introduced in this second installment (trying to not divulge any spoilers)
at the end of the day, i LOVED A Broken Promise, and enjoyed A Simple Truth.
I hope that in the third and final installment of The Freckled Fate trilogy, Priya will make an appearance, things will flow together a bit better than in this installment (hence my four star review) and i will finally be able to connect with Gideon. I’m interested to see how the healer aspect will come forth, especially with the vision Finnleah has at the end of this book.
keep on writting tetyana you’re awesome!

[Aubrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it so much better than the last one. Finnleah runs away way too much although it makes things interesting and I do love Gideon. I liked the story so much better as her with the destroyers and the ten. I also appreciated seeing snippets of the ten and their husbands as well as them talking about having kids. I don’t know what to think about her having 3/4 magics. The third book has a lot of questions to answer and I’m very sad it comes out this coming spring bc I’ll probably forget about it. I’m sad Leviticus died and now I wish he had given all three arrows to Finn. Also why was Priya looking to kill him and who else is on her list? And why? I liked this one better bc it didn’t have Priya too. She drove me insane and was an immature character. Is she going to kill the other drug empire guy who Finn was friends with? Bc that would be sad. I’m glad Finn found Viyrek or however his same is spelt and it’s funny how jealous Gideon got over it when all he had to do was ask. I was really hoping that he and Finn would bond at the end of this book so there’s for sure be no back and forth in their relationship anymore. Also why did the goddess of death see Finn in her vision and why did she wake up after a mere hello? A good cliffhanger bc I definitely want to read the next one but there’s not too much anxiety bc currently everyone is okay, I just have a lot of questions. I am scared that some of the ten or their husbands die in the next one bc that would be a tragedy. Also Orest is a truth teller like Priya and he’s barely 20, the poor guy. Then again Priya was repeatedly raped and abused at 13 to get her there so poor her too. Kinda mad the third book comes out so long from now, but I’m choosing to believe no one important will die. I also appreciate how it’s a trilogy so it will for sure be the last one.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first book. The world building and character development was amazing and it made me excited for this book. I thought this was a great continuation and really fell more in love with Finn and

I want to start out with what I enjoyed most. GIDEON was the most swoon worthy grumpy bad ass general. I greatly enjoyed having his POV added into this book. He is a tough king to be, but he also cares deeply for those he cherishes. I also really enjoyed seeing Finn coming more into her powers and turning into a bad ass memeber of the ten.

What I did not enjoy was how slow the burn was for Finn and Gideon. Don’t get me wrong slow burns can be some of my favorite parts in books, but it has to be done correctly and I did not like how it was done in this book. They seemed to have the same reason to not be together fight over and over again and it got overdone to the point I was ready for them to never be together. Now when they did get together holy hotness was it steamy. I just wish I did not have to wait until the very end before seeing it happen especially when we all knew it would.

[Alora Brush · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the first book, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this book.. I am glad I did though because this book was MUCH better than book 1. I laughed and connected to the characters more than I did in book 1. There was less pointless talk and daydreaming.

But.. this book had ALOT of typos, I couldn’t think of anything else. The slow burn is super slow burn, like nothing actually happens besides some flirting (when they’re not pushing each other away and mad) until the last 10% of the book. It was like the “war” completely disappeared and we didn’t hear anything else about it until the last 5%.

I did love the growth from Finn and I was able to tolerate her so much better in this book. 😅

The last book of this series will be released in the spring of 2025. It is a little disappointing that nothing actually happened in this book other than the training of Finn and a small chapter from the queen at the very end.. I probably won’t remember this book enough to remember there will be a third book, so I’ll just make up my own ending 🤣