An arranged marriage. A secret betrayal. A foreign assassin. Tsaravech Vasha wanted nothing to do with his father’s marital schemes to unite their kingdom with the North. Nothing, that is, until he meets his intended. Unfortunately, the stunning Princess Ingrid seems to have eyes for someone else. When she follows her heart, Vasha finds himself instead betrothed to her whip-smart, brutally honest … whip-smart, brutally honest youngest sister, Karina. Who can’t stand him. And lets him know her feelings, with unflinching certainty.
Then there’s the mysterious assassin, intent on offing his father and hers. To stop the killer, Vasha and Karina must put aside their mutual dislike and mistrust to work together. But if they let their guard slip too much, they might just find out they’re not as different as they thought.
Provided they live that long…
A humorous fantasy novel, full of lovable characters, dangerous villains, and laugh-out-loud moments.
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Kraken’s Depths (The Dragonland Saga, #2), my fifteenth read from prolific author Rachel Ford and the second book in her Dragonland Saga series. The story continues seamlessly from the first book, with different main characters now. No matter the genre a Rachel Ford book can be counted on to be entertaining & enjoyable. I look forward to the next book in the series, Viper’s Nest (The Dragonland Saga, #3. “I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.” (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
Undesirable matches, assassins and deeper plots. Things are just not going the way our hero and heroine want.
This is book two of the series but works well as a standalone.
The story is well written and easy to read, quickly drawing the reader into the story. The plot is twisted in a fun way, with lots of mystery and intrigue to draw you in. The characters are also well developed and absolutely fun to watch. Sprinkled with a good bit of humor to occasionally lighten the mood, this was a fun story and I look forward to seeing more in the series.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
This is another fine novel by Rachel Ford! It is full of intrigue and the world building is great as usual. I love this story and will not give any spoiler. I will just say it is as good or better than the first novel and you will love it.
I was given this novel to review and this is how I felt.
Travel back about a millennium and a half to the Nordic Sea for this PG15 intrigue that starts with racing long boats and requires two FULL days of reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This wonderful, bingeworthy tale exceeded my already high expectations for books written by Rachel Ford. I loved everything about it, even if some parts were less happy than others. Family, duty, jealousy, betrayal, intrigue, parenting issues, forgiveness, cooperation, carpe diem, making lemonade out of life’s lemons, revenge, sexism, patriarchy, religious tolerance, friendship, hope, and love were some of the major underlying themes.
I received a free copy of Kraken’s Depths, but that did not affect my review.
Machiavellian love story in a northern climate – 3 Stars
There is intrigue, politics and match making between a kingdom and a tsardom in which three princesses and one tsar-in-waiting each vie in their own way to do the right thing.
Two monarchs are contrasted, one with first born male dominated ways and the other in a best ideas and strong moral guidelines.
With land separated by seas, ships and couriers, ambassadors and representatives provide for scheming and skullduggery as high art forms. Enter a man of royal blood who wants to ascend to the throne using a little poison to speed up the transfer of power. Can strong women make a difference?
I needed nearly half the book before I got engaged with the characters. The romantic and lustful behavior of young men attracted to women was dismissed by the male dominated tribe just before the men in question started to act sensibly under the women’s guidance. I thought that some of the feelings expressed were simplistic.
Best part of plot was the plan by Danil (formally the Tsar’s Secretary) to get the Tsar to be interested in a new wife.
Part of book that could be dropped (or reworked for clarity) the game of hnefatafl. Since it was only introduced in the beginning for a one night stand, a simple card game could have been just as effective. While the game with Viking roots is a real thing, the description for people who had never seen it was not adequate.
I anticipated much more from the great Kracken sea monsters whose exploits had been feared since antiquity.
Not quite the story that I expected. Too much effort for this reader to make this novel than a young adult tale.
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
There are plenty of twists in the plot of “Kraken’s Depths: The Dragonlands Saga, Book 2”. Ford, as is to be expected, delivers excellent world building and character development in this second installment of the series.
The author gives us another love story that develops despite the Tsar’s machinations in this entertaining page turner.
Q: Who is poisoning both the Tsar and the King?
A: The answer will surprise you!
I can hardly wait for book 3!
In the interest of transparency: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.