Sneaking out of the palace wasn’t one of Aniri’s best ideas. But she’s the Third Daughter of the Queen of Dharia—zero responsibilities and zero royal duties. She’s just the backup daughter, in case her older sisters’ arranged marriages—to take the crown or broker an alliance—don’t quite work out. But once Aniri reaches her 18th birthday, she’ll be truly free… and then she can marry the charming … charming fencing instructor she meets for fevered kisses in the forest.
But then the impossible happens—a marriage proposal. From a barbarian prince in the north, no less. And if Aniri refuses, the threat of their new flying weapon might bring war.
So she agrees to the young prince’s proposal, but only as a subterfuge to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she doesn’t love. But once she arrives in the sweeping mountains of the north, she discovers the prince has his own secrets… and saving her country may end up breaking her heart.
This Bollywood-style royal romance takes you to an alternate East Indian world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue.
THIRD DAUGHTER is the first book in the Royals of Dharia trilogy.
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This is a book I got for my wife. She stayed up all night reading it. When I asked her if she liked it, she said “a little” …..but demanded I get her the sequel…..like NOW!!!!!!!
So I was a bit curious….and started reading it.
WHAT A HOOT!!!!! Super fun…and I stayed up all night worrying about the young lovers and laughing as they came through their many trials and tribulations.
My wife says it is “chick lit” I guess I missed something about the genre…..
Old dogs can still learn a thing or three.
This is one of the most unusual plots ever!! I was constantly surprised by the turn of events. It was amazing to discover the incredible talent of this author. I don’t usually enjoy science fiction, and this one was definitely in that category in some ways, but this book stands out above so many other books. The explanations of the inventions that were put into use seemed totally plausible. When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it, but the more I read, the more intrigued I was with the progression of the relationships of the characters as well as the actions that took place. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves an unusual story It’s definitely worth your time to read this book.
A royal fantasy with some interesting twists. Enjoyable read but slightly unbelievable. Writer paints vivid pictures.
Looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.
Aniri is the third daughter of the ruling queen. At 17 years old, she has no royal duties, no obligations, unlike the first daughter or the second daughter. Her father, a traveling man, died when she was 10. Aniri can’t wait for her birthday, the day that will emancipate her and she will be free to marry for love. She has fallen for the courtesan Devesh and plans to marry him as soon as she is able. But her mother has other plans for her. She brings Prince Malik to court to meet Aniri. He is from a neighboring kingdom, the heir presumptive, the last remaining royal there. The queen tells Aniri that there are rumors of Prince Malik’s kingdom having a mysterious new weapon of an airship. Under the guise of a betrothal, the queen wants Aniri to spy out this brand new weapon. She will take her servant and her guard with her on her bethrothal trip into the northern mountains to learn how to be a spy. I enjoyed the book, and I think you will too.
Third daughter Aniri anxiously awaits her eighteenth birthday when she will reach her majority and be able to marry her lover Devesh. Instead Aniri’s mother asks Aniri to marry Prince Ash of Jungali, someone she’s never met. In this book, it is sometimes to determine who is a bad guy and who is a good guy. The author does a good job of showing Aniri’s gradual realization of who is honorable. The only jarring note for me was a few aspects of the steampunk genre that the author included (a robot-like steam creature who entered practice sword fights, clockworks that were elaborate keys). I think the book would have been stronger without those details as they served no purpose and were inconsistently included.
This was a very unexpectedly good read. I was anticipating another unrealistic love story, but I’m glad I was wrong. The twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing, and reading. It was a perfect balance of intrigue, mystery, adventure and romance. I moved right on to books two and three in the series!
This book was delightful reading! I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. The twists at the end were a wonderful bonus.
Not only was it a good romance novel, it was very fascinating as well.
Read in night
Loved it and hope to read the other two books in the series.
This book didn’t hold my interest.
This book dropped me right into the middle of a different life and time. Interesting to see how royalty in other countries and times lived. Great action and intrigue left me at the edge on my seat on occasion. There is a tease at the end of the book that makes one eager to read the next book in the series but this book could be read as a stand alone.
I liked the book and the characters, but was sad to read that in the next book their love would be challenged.
A brace third daughter tries to make sure that her family stays in power and out of danger. I recommend reading this book.
Loved it! Will be ordering the next one soon!
Interesting and wonderful book. Great charters. Wonderful read.
Part-steampunk, part-science fiction, with Indian culture feel.
story had many twists and showed development of character for the protagonist. I like a stand alone book as the series always draws out the negative expectations of bad character in any society, real or imagined. This is kind of steampunk in character, mixed with adolescent romance fantasy. I probably won’t get the next as I don’t want to dwell on the left over negative options , prefer to enjoy the happy ending.
Maybe just not my kind of book. Could not get interested.