#Review - The Promised Queen by Jeffe Kennedy #Fantasy #Romance

Series: Forgotten Empires (#3)
Format: Paperback, 416 pages
Release Date: May 25, 2021
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Publisher
Genre: Romance / Fantasy

The fate of the kingdoms rests on the love between a queen and her rebel prince in the epic conclusion to the fantasy series

Claim the hand that wears the ring, and the empire falls.

Conrí, former Crown Prince of Oriel, claimed the hand that wears the Abiding Ring, but the prophecy remains unfulfilled. Queen Euthalia of Calanthe returned to her island kingdom, but broken in mind and body. With the blood of war unleashing ancient terrors, Calanthe isn’t the haven it once was. Lia must use her magical bond with Calanthe to save their people while Con fights to hold off the vengeful Emperor Anure and his wizards. Con and Lia will have to trust in each other—and in love—to fend off ultimate disaster. In the thrilling finale to the Forgotten Empires trilogy, the fate of the world hangs in the balance as Con, Lia, and their allies sacrifice everything in a final bid to destroy the corrupt empire.

The Promised Queen, by author Jeffe Kennedy, is the third and final installment in the authors Forgotten Empires trilogy. Once again, this story features two main characters: Conri, former prince of Oriel, and Euthalia, Queen of Calanthe.
Conrí claimed the hand, Lia's that wears the Abiding Ring, but the prophecy remains unfulfilled. Euthalia, Queen of Flowers, returns to Calanthe a changed woman. With the blood of war unleashing ancient terrors, Calanthe isn’t the haven it once was. Even more worrying, Emperor Anure and his wizards still hold an unknown number of hostages to keep control of the land that they seized.

Conri gave up his chance at revenge against Anure when he saved Lia. But now that he knows his sister is still alive, and being held hostage, he knows he has to finally take on the false emperor and destroy his power. Conri feels guilty for putting Lia in danger and each day that he sees her struggle to get back to normal, leaves him feeling helpless. He wants to be the person she turns to for comfort and support, but he doesn’t blame her when she turns him away. Lia feels guilty for putting Calanthe, and her people in danger and feels vulnerable while her body is so weak. 

Her brief time as a captive has opened her eyes to the world’s plight. She must come to terms with her true nature before she can assist Conri in defeating Anure. She knows she's hurting Conri by pushing him away, but feels their situation is hopeless while she and Calanthe are so weak. She's lost in a muddled-mental-nightmare, the island is dying and sending the entire kingdom into chaos. To make matters even more twisted, the marriage bond between Conri and Lia has been broken. While Conri tires to find a way to help Lia heal, there's still the question of what to do now that he knows the plans of the one who took her captive. 

Lia has to ask for help, but who can she trust? Can she finally find a way to become the person she needs to be, or will her luck finally run out and her people end up suffering even more? The most obvious question of this entire series is what is Lia? Is she human? Is she a Goddess? Or, is she something never seen before? Lia and Conri have had a rocky start, and there is still some emotion baggage that needs to be fixed, but now they must fully trust and want each other. Will love finally conquer all? You will have to read the book to find out! 

Conclusion: The final confrontation between Conri, Lia and their allies, vs the false emperor was pretty disappointing as well as predictable. The good part is that the rollercoaster ride of emotions between Conri and Lia has finally be resolved in a way that makes sense.

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#Review - The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy #Fantasy #Romance

Series: Forgotten Empires (#2)
Format: Mass Market, 400 pages
Release Date: May 26, 2020
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy / Romance

A queen and her rebel prince turn from enemies to lovers while evil forces plot to destroy them in this lush romantic fantasy.

Following The Orchid Throne, Conri and Lia’s marriage of convenience has turned into an uneasy alliance. If only the two leaders could agree on something. Driven by revenge, Conri wants to attack Emperor Anure before the tyrant gets to them first. But Lia needs to keep Calanthe safe, and refuses to sacrifice her kingdom. Their ongoing battle for control has built up tension they’re both more than happy to release in bed, the only place where they find common ground. But Conri and Lia are developing deeper feelings for each other that are complicating matters. In the second book in the Forgotten Empires trilogy, Conri and Lia find their loyalties torn, and with Emperor Anure’s threat growing, will they be able to risk everything with each other before it’s too late?

The Fiery Crown is the second installment in author Jeffe Kennedy's Forgotten Empires series. The book is written from both Con and Lia’s points of view (alternating chapters), and that gives readers a full picture of what was going on. The story also picks up after the events of The Orchid Throne with Queen Euthalia (Lia) of the Kingdom of Calanthe and Con, the fallen prince of Oriel and King of Slaves, navigating their marriage of convenience as well as getting ready for the Emperor Anure's response now that Lia broke her betrothal to him to marry Con. 

 

This book dives deeper into the backgrounds of both Con and Lia. Lia is having presentiment dreams and forewarning of death and destruction that will ravage her country and wake Calanthe up from her slumber. The worst part is understanding that she was betrayed by her best friend who knew everything about her and that best friend may have revealed all of Lia's deep secrets to the Emperor which could really hinder Lia and Con's efforts to keep Calanthe safe and Lia out of his hands.

 

Con is a warrior itching for a fight. He, along with Sondra, Captain Kara, and Wizard Ambrose, have put together a rebellion against the Emperor who claims to hate magic, but keeps (4) wizards around. Con escaped Anure’s mines chasing a prophecy that told him, "Take the Tower of the Sun; Claim the hand that wears the ring, and the empire falls." One of the things that is driven in this story is Con's connection to Oriel and the fact that he is, in fact, the de Facto leader of a conquered country whether he likes it or not. 

 

It's especially revealing how much pain and suffering Con, Kara, and Sondra went through after Emperor made Oriel his first stop in taking over the entire world. From being sent to a mine where he watched his father suffer and die, to leading a rebellion, to sacking entire supply lines, to also taking the Tower of the Sun before coming face to face with Lia who is way more than she seems. With the stunning revelation of a spy within Lia's own lady's in waiting, it's just a matter of time before someone else betrays Lia and Con. 

 

In fact, Lia is really a powerful woman who I would be wary of pissing off but Con loves to play with fire, especially when it comes to the bedroom. She's much more than a woman who wears jewels in her clothes, or wigs to cover her bald head, or an Orchid Ring. Her connection to Calanthe actually makes her powerful and not someone who will idly stand by and allow anyone, especially Con, to push her into make bad choices. The author does a good job of showing the conflict between Con and Lia have with Anure, but also between themselves. They battle each other as Con wants his revenge while Lia is determined to protect Calanthe and her people from being caught in the middle of an unwinnable war. 

 

The final part of this book reveals some surprising things. When Lia is taken by Anure, she pays the price. When Con is snookered by Anure, he almost resigns himself to the fact that Lia is lost to him and loses himself in revenge at all costs. Then, the twists happen one after the other leaving a mouth dropping ending. At this point, anyone who has read the first two installments, must now wait for the third installment to figure out what's on the authors twisted little mind.

 

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#Review - The Orchid Throne by Jeffe Kennedy #Romance / #Fantasy

Series: Forgotten Empires (#1)
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Source: Publisher
Genre: Romance / Fantasy

The first book in a new fantasy romance series about a queen and a former prince who marry in order to defeat an evil emperor.

Welcome to the world of Forgotten Empires from award winning author Jeffe Kennedy that begins with The Orchid Throne.

A PRISONER OF FATE

As Queen of the island kingdom of Calanthe, Lia will do anything to keep her people free—and her secrets safe—from the mad tyrant who rules the mainland. Guided by a magic ring of her father’s, Lia plays the political game with the cronies the emperor sends to her island. In her heart, she knows that it’s up to her to save herself from her fate as the emperor’s bride. But in her dreams, she sees a man, one with the power to build a better world—a man whose spirit is as strong, and whose passion is as fierce as her own…

A PRINCE AMONG MEN

Conrí, former Crown Prince of Oriel, has built an army to overthrow the emperor. But he needs the fabled Abiding Ring to succeed. The ring that Lia holds so dear to her heart. When the two banished rulers meet face to face, neither can deny the flames of rebellion that flicker in their eyes—nor the fires of desire that draw them together. But in this broken world of shattered kingdoms, can they ever really trust each other? Can their fiery alliance defeat the shadows of evil that threaten to engulf their hearts and souls?

The Orchid Throne, by author Jeffe Kennedy, is the start of the Forgotten Empires series following Lia, the Queen of Calanthe, and Con, the fallen prince of Oriel and King of Slaves, as they join together to take down an evil emperor. The story alternates narrative between the two characters. Queen Euthalia (Lia) is determined to defend her island of Calanthe, the only kingdom not violently conquered by the Emperor, by other means. Euthalia's power lies in both magic and political cunning. 

Lia assumed the throne of her flower island after her father died, and has been successful in keeping the emperor distant, since she is fated to be his virgin bride. Maneuvers that are getting trickier by the day. Especially with spies around her court keeping an out for any rebellious activities. With the magic of the Orchid Ring on her finger and Calanthe herself sending her visions and dreams to guide her way, she will do anything to protect her kingdom. Even marry the dreaded Con who is obnoxious, brutish, and arrogant.

Con is the Prince turned King of Slaves. Conri's power lies in brute strength and reluctant leadership. Con had been a slave working to mine the toxic substance called Vurgsten that allowed the Emperor to destroy his kingdom and kill his family. He organized a slave rebellion and, with the help of a wizard and two trusted comrades, they set out to take back territory from Emperor Anure. Ambrose, said wizard, tells him he has to marry Euthalia to defeat the Emperor. But, Lia has been engaged to the Emperor for years.

As this is the first installment in the series, the author tries to fit as much information to introduce the world she has created. I thought the first half of this book was rather slow. The two character don't meet until around this point. Once the two of them meet, the banter between them escalates. Lia isn't going to stand for anyone invading her island and push her around into surrendering everything she's fought for. Thankfully, cooler heads in the form of Ambrose seem to control the two overachievers so that they don't continue to butt heads. Otherwise, this would have been a one trick story and there would be nothing more. And, who can forget the sex scenes. Welp, if you love sex scenes, you're all set.

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