Princess Sidony of L’Ortagia serves as the queen’s hostess, leaving affairs of state to her sister Zara. During a masquerade ball, Sidony kisses a handsome stranger only to discover he’s Prince Adrian of Embury, a man with a fearsome reputation and the emissary sent to arrange her sister’s marriage. Worried her actions will damage the budding alliance, she convinces Adrian to forget the … incident…even if she cannot.
Adrian roots out traitors in his uncle’s kingdom of Embury using his magical abilities. When he’s sent to arrange a wedding for his cousin, a kiss in the moonlight gives him a taste of what he’s been missing. Sidony is everything his life is not: laughter, warmth, and passion. But the king maintains an unbreakable hold over him, hiding his family in exchange for Adrian’s loyalty to the crown.
After Zara disappears on the eve of the royal wedding, Adrian’s orders are to stay and maintain the alliance with L’Ortagia. But Sidony’s effect on his powers and his heart becomes too strong to deny. When he has a chance to rescue his family and throw off his royal ties, will he take it, knowing he’ll have to leave Sidony? Or will the dark prince abandon his past to be with the one woman who brought his cold heart to life?
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He has gone to bed kingdom to arrange a marriage to her older sister when during a masked ball he missing her. Now he is in trouble as his family is being kept so he does what his king wqnts. What will happen when her sister disappears? Will he leave his family to have her? Will he leave her behind to save his family? See how this ends
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
“Beware of tall, dark, handsome stranger.” That really should have been something drummed into Princess Sidony from a young age, but does she beware? No, she has to fall for the foreign bad boy prince at a masquerade. This is how this romantic almost-fairy tale begins and it gets more and more sticky and twisty from there. Not only do we have a nefarious usurper and a stern queens, we also have a runaway princess, a prince turned forest outlaw and a brewing civil war to keep our interest. I enjoyed this unusual take on a royal courtship (and the various obstacles that tried to prevent then facilitate it). What happens next?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Can’t say that I’ve ever read a “fantasy romance,” but if the genre is anything like this book, this won’t be my last fantasy romance. Such an entertaining read!
Wonderfully romantic fantasy with plenty of political drama, and a truly unique magic system. I totally fell in love with Adrian, a conflicted spy with a complicated past. Can’t wait for the next book!
What a delightful read! This was my first time reading Ainsley Wynter’s work, and I enjoyed this story so much. It has all the perfect fairytale elements: palace intrigue, terrible bad guys, dark passages, a ball, a bit of the occult, and even some sword fighting. And, of course, it has a wonderful romance. I loved Sidony and Adrian. They’re young and honorable, and they both have to juggle their love with old loyalties and worries, to say nothing of the paranormal influences in their world. In a situation where it can be hard to know who is trustworthy, they had to learn to trust each other. This is the first novel in the series, and the romance does end with an HEA, and I suspect we will also see more of those bad guys in book 2. Personally, I look forward to reading it!
Note: I am friendly with the author on social media, but I purchased and read this story voluntarily, and I am sharing my honest thoughts.
Intrigue, deception, war. Embury has been in the hands of a cruel, obsessive King Gracchus who murdered the previous king and his family. But heirs to the throne have an army of rebels attempting to overthrow the usurper. The kingdom of L’Ortagia is ruled by a queen with two daughters, Zara and Sidony. On the eve of her wedding to the bastard son of the usurper king, Zara runs off to join the rebels under Prince Callum, leaving Sidony to cover for her. Sidony recently met Prince Adrian, who is also related to Gracchus, but is being forced to work for Gracchus to keep his mother and sister alive. But Adrian is playing a dangerous game. He has to help Gracchus while working behind his back to find out where his family is being imprisoned. Now, having fallen for Sidony, she is in danger. Adrian has to use his nocturne powers for Gracchus, but if the king learns of her powers also she will be enslaved also. And the king is devious. He has an orb that he uses to watch people, and he uses black magic, and sacrifices to keep his reign. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
ONE PHENOMENAL TREAT!!!
Wow-za! Ainsley brandished the magic, blazed the walls, led the charge and conquered the castle, melding this baby together piece by piece seamlessly. One mesmerizing, sensational, tantalizing, block buster, rushing forward, throwing this baby into the eye of the storm, blowing it into a tailspin with such a shocking culmination, blasting this bad boy to life spectacularly. A churning vortex of burgeoning events and vexing circumstances keep you flipping page after page, drawing all of your emotions into play front and center. Non-stop, action packed, heart pounding, pulse racing, adrenaline pumping, hard hitting bombshell hooks you from the start and reels you in for the duration. Perilous drama, stunning intrigue, unnerving turmoil, chilling danger and thrilling suspense, take you deeper into this tangled web, launching this gem to staggering heights. A soul deep love and electrifying chemistry so intense and all consuming you can sit back and watch the world light up. The characters are authentic and realistic with depth and qualities that blend into amazing personalities. The scenes are so colorfully descriptive with vivid detail it paints a remarkable backdrop that makes the storyline pop. Magnificent job Ainsley, thanks for sharing this little treasure with us.
Kissed at Midnight by Ainsley Wynter is the first book in the Last Royals series. This book focuses on the story of two princesses and how their arranged marriages will effect not only the rest of their lives but their kingdom’s politics with the kingdom next door. This is a fairytale story set in the 18th century that is part nightmare with lots of twists and turns. I loved the mysterious way the plot was written and how all of the characters have many different motivations for their actions. This is a wonderful romance that made me wonder if true love can actually overcome evil. This is one fairytale that you will find very entertaining because it keeps you guessing until the very end. Kissed at Midnight is an entertaining tale involving the fight of good versus evil.
This is a great read. Well written with a fantastic plot this is full of suspense, drama, magic, conflict, romance and tons of emotions! I love the main characters and their connections and I loved the atmosphere and I cannot wait to read more!