Princess Kimri is used to betrayal. Her brother sold her to a king in exchange for swords to defend his lands. King Tathan’s reputation is as fierce as that of his mountain kingdom—where dragons are said to guard the castle walls—but the realms are unstable enough without angering the mountain-king, so Kimri reluctantly agrees to the union.
When she arrives in Helsmont, the king promises her a year of courtship before marrying—or parting ways. Before long, Kimri thinks she may find comfort, and perhaps eventually love, with the stoic king.
But the realms are more unsettled than Kimri realizes, and she soon finds herself caught in the middle of a war between the kingdoms. Can she count on her betrothed to take her side? Or will his loyalty to his kingdom come before his loyalty to her?
Kimri is pissed off at her brother the king of Anagard because he’s sold her her to the Mountain king of Helsmont for swords and arrows to. I guess she’d have every right to be but she ends up trying to make the most of it. When she gets to Helsmont she experiences things like never before. The freedom to roam the city, meet new people and get to know them, and start to fall for the king.
Life is so very different for Kimri in Helsmont but she starts to grow to love the city and its people. The king is definitely more stoic than expected but she loves the time they share at breakfast whether they complete in silence or talking about the city.
When Kimri finds out that her brother has been captured by Anagard’s enemy Kimri heads to the Mountain-king for assistance – which he denies. Kimri decides that she needs to take matters into her own hands. Kimri hopes to save her brother and her relationship with Tathan but that never turns out the way they plan, does it?
This was a very different read for me. I usually read straight romance and this is definitely more of a fantasy with romantic elements. Despite that I really liked the book. It was a little slower than I normally like but it was so interesting I couldn’t be bothered by it too much.
The love story that was involved in the story was good but was on the sparse side when it came to romance. Kimri was a headstrong woman and Helsmont allowed her to be more herself than she felt even in her own country. I liked that we got to see her in her wanderings and getting to know the townspeople. We didn’t get too much from Tathan, the Mountain-king, but what we did get to know of him, I liked.
Overall it was a good story with humor, love, family loyalty and much more. If you want a quick but good fantasy then this is the book for you.
Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Karalynn Lee
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