BLOOD AND ROSES

A debut fantasy focuses on a clash between a prince and a lord after the murder of a monarch.

A young man named Layton is the prince of Aelan Sor and heir to the Rose Throne. Layton’s father, King Abner Van Drayah, has been killed, leaving his mother, the unpleasant but beautiful Queen Lanaisha Van Drayah, in charge. When Layton is assaulted on a diplomatic mission, the question becomes: Who would be bold and stupid enough to attack the prince’s caravan? Saurin Taylaar is the man wanted for the king’s murder. What’s more, it is believed that his son, Lord Brice Caddock, is involved in the trouble with Layton. After Brice is captured, he is sent to a dismal fate of working in the mines of the Black Mountains. All seems doomed for Brice until he escapes. But he is seized by an “amazingly beautiful,” redheaded bounty hunter named Kandal Parrish. The two will end up spending quite a lot of time together. Meanwhile, back at the Aelan Sor court, Layton needs to temporarily put aside avenging the king’s murder. The queen wants Layton to marry a princess named Tajanna from Kan’chin. If Layton fails to wed Tajanna, Lanaisha insists that she will have “no choice but to wage war.” Dunlap’s sweeping narrative initially moves at a steady clip. Scenes of torture will keep readers on edge. In addition, the conflict between the queen and Layton creates plenty of tension. Things slow down somewhat as the focus shifts to Kandal and Brice. The two are chatty, and not all of the talk is productive. Conversation points include lackluster topics such as how to correctly spell Kandal’s name and the size of large trees that Brice insists are “awesome.” What keeps the momentum going is how the engrossing story eventually swings back to Layton. Even as details emerge about a connection between Layton and Brice, it is unlikely their feud will be quelled easily. After all, Lanaisha is the one with power, and, as she establishes early in the book, she is not to be trifled with.

An expansive and engaging tale of royal revenge and duplicity.