…an avenging princess, determined to protect her citizens from her tyrannical father. Alecia’s only worth is to have a son, who will be heir to the kingdom.…a dangerous shifter, tasked with guarding a princess who refuses to be shielded from danger. Vard’s dark secret could spell the end of the woman he’s sworn to protect.And yet, when thrown together, neither of them can deny the forbidden … forbidden attraction. As their lives spin out of control, will love be enough to pull them from the vortex and perhaps save the kingdom?
Princess Avenger is the first book in the epic Queenmakers Saga, combining the sweeping high fantasy world of Thorius with sizzling romance. If you like magic, political intrigue and mythical creatures, wrapped up in a ‘beauty and the beast’ love story, then you’ll adore Princess Avenger.
This book contains sex scenes and is intended for mature readers.
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I received a free e-copy of the book from Bernadette Rowley. I was not monetarily compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.
I love fantasy romance books and when I saw this one I was intrigued. This book follows a young Princess Alecia who is unhappy with how her father is ruling the kingdom. She is also masquerading as a young boy seeking revenge for the loss of her first love at the hands of mercenaries. Enter a very attractive Captain Vard who is her personal guard and you have one hell of a story. There is murder, suspense, adventure, romance and magic all in the story! I love how the author puts them all together. This is so far an 8 book saga and book one does end up in a mild cliffhanger. There are also a few scenes of unwanted sexual attention. Just a warning in case this might bother anyone. I loved the story and can’t wait to read book 2. I give this book 4.5 stars because at times I did find Alecia a bit much.
A Princess at the center of playing Robin Hood trying to help her people. Alecia was a very interesting character. She had a good mind on her head- when Vard wasn’t around, because then things always went awry…- and a good heart, but she refuses to see that her father isn’t the man she thought he was. Captain Vard, though he was not my favorite male lead ever, he had his moments. Vard was sent to the Castle to assassinate the Prince, but he got caught up into the palace’s affairs and find himself guarding the princess. Now he is in an ideal position to finish what he came to do, but he can’t help wandering who would benefit from it the most and was the man that requested this assassination. So now he has a choice to make and he has to be prepared to live with the consequences. Hetty was a pleasure to watch! I could just imagine her, an old woman looking sternly down at the Captain of the Palace Guard who could arrest her and order her execution and she still puts him in his place without a second thought! Just the image of her chuckling in front of her fireplace makes me smile!
I am just in awe. Bernadette Rowley has a wonderful imagination! The characters and world building is just enthralling. I truly can’t wait to read the next book. Two thumbs up from this old gal.
Author Bernadette Rowley has created a wonderful mix of period piece romance with fantasy using witches, animal shifters, jealousy, court conspiracies and tantalizing characters. Rowleys writing is fun to get lost in and her characters varied and entertaining. A princess out to avenge the death of a friend and a captain hired to protect her create some sexy sparks. If you like a slow burn romance, court intrigue and shapeshifter magic you are going to enjoy Rowley’s book Princess Avenger.
Amendment: I just finished listening to the audio book of Princess Avenger read by the author. What a delight. Very well done and of course having written it all the intonations are perfect. If you enjoy audio books this is a real treat.
My review on the book princess avenger it’s a great book with a great storyline loved that it’s a fantasy so good . 10/10
Princess Avenger is book one in Bernadette Rowley’s new series the Queenmakers Saga. This is my first book by this author, and I am very please with the results. The storyline is fast-paced and well-written, full of shape-shifter magic, danger, intrigue, adventure and romance. The characters are well-developed and engaging. The heroine has strength; striving to survive impossible situations, while trying to avenge the death of her first love. The hero is strong, sexy, and conflicted. I am curious to see what adventures book two brings!
Princess Alecia tries to avenge the reprehensible actions of her father on their people.
SETTING: Princess Alecia Zialni is the daughter to Prince Zialni whose brother is King. After Alecia’s mother dies, her father takes an advisor that seems to goad him to actions that rob the people and punishes and kills them for little reason. She has taken it upon herself to prevent such abuse as much as possible.
Her father, unaware of her activity, hires a guardian to protect her, and announces his intension for her to marry. But his choice of groom makes Alecia desperate to escape his clutches! Oh, who will rescue her from this living death?
The fantasy element is involved with a healer named Hetty who has uncanny powers, and the guardian who, we find, can change form. How all these characters come together and interact makes for an interesting opening book into this new series.
CRITIQUE: As the first book in an intended series, one expects a few threads left that will be picked up in subsequent books. What is important is to establish characters and themes that have potential for growth, and to entice the reader to become invested in the story, thus being motivated to read the next book. I think these goals have been accomplished. The book is geared to a mature audience, 18+, and not to younger readers, which affects my rating, as I would prefer to keep intimate relations on a more platonic or ‘off-the-screen’ version in a book of fantasy. 3.5 Stars
Princess Alicia Zialni thought she was dying a man in a soldiers tunic had killed the man that was slowly beating her to death. The soldier had a captains in insignia on his shoulders and decided to take her to the jail to ask her some questions he thought she was a lad she got lucky when this son struck the quartz walls and through glare into the captain’s eyes and ran off The Captain Vard Anton chased after her he lost her then thought he saw her in a house and she had thrown the contents of the slop jar over his head but all he found in the house was an old woman you have to read the book to discover all the interesting things that Alicia discovered and Vard discovered about each other. It’s a good book…
This was an exciting adult fantasy. I read it in two days! Vard, the shifter in the story, was a unique character. He was powerful, but not without limitations, and he was a tortured soul. Alecia, the princess, was brave and realistic with inner fears and societal constraints. I did have a few issues with the story. It took way too long for Vard to figure out the boy’s identity. The witch seems to know everything but somehow didn’t know about the public announcement of the princess’ betrothal. Towards the end of the story, Vard misunderstands what he sees and judges Alecia. The romance between Vard and Alecia is more built on lust than true love and that’s how the ending felt too. It has a good stopping point, but it’s not the end of their story.
My favorite quote from the story (Chapter 8):
“The last few days had turned her world on its head. Who was she? Girl or woman, victim or avenger, pawn or…? How could she judge the way forward unless she was honest with herself?”
Absolutely love this book and so will you!