Series: Kingdoms of Meria, #2
Traits & Tropes: marriage of convenience; childhood friends reunited
Genre/Setting: Historical/Fantasy
Publication Date: 01.07.21
Heat Level: 3.5/5
Rating: 5 stars!
As Queen’s Commander it falls to Lord Erik Stokerton to guide his kingdom away from war. To do that he needs the support of a stubborn Highlander, Lord Moray, his own father’s enemy. Erik is shocked when Moray agrees to lend his assistance in exchange for marriage to his daughter. Erik remembers the spirited girl from his childhood and knows marrying her will be no hardship, but to achieve success he must convince Lady Reyne to agree to the match.
There is an immediate connection between Reyne and Erik, but she’s determined to marry for love and rumors of Erik’s alleged relationship with the queen undermine his efforts at wooing. Soon Erik wants Reyne for herself, not out of duty, but convincing her won’t be easy, especially with the added challenge of foiling a plot against the queen. Erik is so close to obtaining everything he ever wanted he can practically taste it, but his tentative pursuit of happiness is precarious and could easily be lost.
I’ll admit, I was nervous about this one because I fully expected to be caught up in other woman drama and that would’ve killed it for me. Thankfully, that did not happen, and those issues only served to make Reyne relatable. It also wound up making Erik likeable because of his staunch loyalty to Reyne and the clear value he placed on her opinions. Reyne and Erik had very little time to get to know each other before being forced to marry but I loved the foundation of childhood friendship they had to build on. Erik supported Reyne and she did the same for him and I loved their open communication and honesty when working out the issues between them. At first, I thought I might find Erik to be cocky and arrogant, but really, he was just unsure of his own instincts and had to figure out how to receive and express romantic love. I adored the tournament setting of this book as well and found this to be an excellent backdrop for the meet-cute here. I wound up loving this couple together and the intrigue and plotting occurring simultaneously made for a fast pace that kept my attention. I look forward to more books set in this world.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3705796709
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