Kel and his twin sister Isabel have traded places before—to escape lessons, to prank their royal cousins, and for Kel to flirt with handsome men at royal balls. But when Isabel runs away in tears shortly before her proxy wedding to Prince Darin of Pervayne, Kel takes her place, knowing he could cause serious problems between Pervayne and their home kingdom of Karleed if discovered.Isabel will … discovered.
Isabel will show up—eventually—and take her rightful place and no one will ever know. The question is, will Isabel arrive before Kel falls hopelessly in love with the servant his sister’s husband has sent along? What if Kel isn’t the only one pretending to be someone else?
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An alliance between two kingdoms rests on the happy marriage of Isabel and Prince Darin. But when Isabel disappears and doesn’t return for the proxy wedding, it’s up to Kel to take her place…temporarily. Except he’s a man and a twin, two very big marks against him according to the peace treaty and customs of Pervayne. He’ll have to keep up the ruse if he wants to save their lives and their alliance. Not everything is as it seems, however, and Kel might not be the only one hiding things.
Kel was truly interesting with his abilities as well as his understanding of his country’s situation regarding his sister’s irresponsibility and impulsiveness. Covering for her selfishness and poor decision-making more than once in this story showed how mature and selfless he was. He was also no pushover. The way he would stand up for “himself” to Dare and the other guard was admirable. All the difficulty of assuming his sister’s role was described really well, none of the awkwardness was overlooked.
Dare’s character was slightly predictable but it was his confession and acceptance of his chastisement that made me like him. His sincerity regarding his former lover’s attitude and actions was admirable but a little dismissive as if they weren’t that big of a deal when pretty much anyone could see that it was, based on that spurned lover’s reaction to seeing Kel. You can also kind of tell that he really isn’t the heir apparent because he’s a bit oblivious and slightly clueless about getting his way with his very domineering father or just acting in a way to be taken seriously once they reach his kingdom.
I liked the reasoning for both men’s deception over the journey. While Michael judged Kel unfairly and treated him with jealous prejudice I was wondering if that would become a bigger conflict but they quickly found common ground and became friends and allies regarding Dare.
The idea of the Kindred was definitely something more modern in expression and acknowledgment while placed in a historical setting that seemed both fitting and radical at the same time. And the king’s decree regarding the marriage is pretty much what many of us would like to see happen today; the way it was written made it a beautiful sentiment more than a current-time political statement.
I enjoyed this story quite a lot. The conflict was really in the consequences of the revelation rather than anything external coming at them first. And nothing more insidious than irresponsibility and extreme caution threatened them as well. There were other events that could have turned into something more dangerous or become more of a hindrance to their HEA but everything resolved quickly and simply. Perhaps too simply, but that’s the beauty of something filled with love and fluff…if you’re not feeling that type of story, you should skip this one. Otherwise, enjoy the simple love and the strong characters that influence a happier future for all.
I would rate this 4 stars.
The book starts out with Kel marrying Princes Darian’s proxy, Duke Savoy, dressed as his sister who has run off. But this was Kel’s solution to the crisis, and it might have been an unwise one. I’m sure you see the problem right away–if Kel falls in love with the Prince, the Prince is still actually married to Isabel. This has a touch of Shakespeare to it that is quite fun, but the idea that his sister would be able to sneak up on a royal guarded caravan and switch places with him en route to the other kingdom seems ridiculous.
What I didn’t like was Kel’s justification that it was a better situation for Isabel having an arranged marriage since she might at least have the chance of falling in love with her husband (since she is heterosexual) whereas in his arranged marriage he had no chance (since he is gay and not bisexual). She could also be married to a violent man would would abuse and control her so, that is a crappy thought to write for Kel to have–especially since he is about to become the lord and master of his own estate. I’m unclear here whether the author means to make a statement on how some cis, gay, rich, white men think about women, or if this is entirely thoughtless. It’s a few sentences, but I didn’t like it and it took me totally out of the book. Gratefully, much of the book focuses on Kel realizing how much his sister was constrained by societal expectations and he experiences his own sexual assault, which hopefully makes him more sympathetic.
Over the journey to the city of Seagate in Pervayne, Kel as Isabel, becomes close with Dare, the Prince’s esquire. But Dare is not who he seems either. While I was happy with the way everything happens when it is discovered that Kel is a man, it was also strange that they act like they are actually married rather than acknowledging the prince is actually married to Isabel. This is eventually brought up upon the arrival of the real Isabel, but quickly dismissed.
There is no getting around that Kel is in the traditional female role of giving up his name, property, title, and his job, for this marriage. That’s why when everything doesn’t go as planned, I liked getting to see Kel as himself. Even though there is a place for the non-binary in this society, known as Kindred, that is not really who Kel is.
There is so much to like here that I find myself being critical because it could have been even better with just a little tweaking. Still, I enjoyed what was here and could see myself reading it again. There is a charm about it. If you like romance books set in a medieval type fantasy setting such as those by Megan Derr, I would recommend trying this.