UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES by Shay Savage
Book 7 (Final book in the series): The Devastation
SYNOPSIS:
Although Branford is broken and desperate, he finds himself with no choice: He must declare war against Hadebrand, or Edgar’s evil darkness will envelop the commonwealth. Silverhelm’s army is grossly outnumbered, but Branford underestimates the people’s love for their commoner queen. The people rise up in support of their beloved regent, and Branford sees a glimmer of hope for his wife. He becomes more determined than ever to make up for his previous failures and secure the future of his kingdom. With their murderous intentions, the treacherous King Edgar and Princess Whitney must pay for what they have done. They must not be allowed to destroy everything the people hold dear. With but faint hope in his heart, Branford gathers his people and marches toward the castle in Hadebrand, gathering allies along the way. With the support of other noble families, Branford will have to find the strength to fight for the very survival of his own family and the entire kingdom. He sees only one path: the annihilation of his enemy.With their murderous intentions, the treacherous King Edgar and Princess Whitney must pay for what they have done. They must not be allowed to destroy everything the people hold dear. With but faint hope in his heart, Branford gathers his people and marches toward the castle in Hadebrand, gathering allies along the way. With the support of other noble families, Branford will have to find the strength to fight for the very survival of his own. He sees only one path: the annihilation of his enemy.
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Excerpt:
“Always so melodramatic!” Whitney sighed. I turned toward her and glared. “If you know anything of this…” I let my voice trail off. There was something in her eyes I did not like—at all. It was…knowledge. “You know where she is.” The princess merely shrugged. “She knows nothing of the sort!” Margaret said, but the tone of her voice had changed. She, too, was looking at her daughter, and I could see the doubt in her eyes. “You will die if you have touched her,” I said to Whitney. “Where is she?” “What difference does it make?” Whitney asked. “You do not need her; you never have. I am here for you.” I scoffed and shook my head, narrowing my eyes at her. Could she be serious? As many times as I had told her she would not be made my queen, could she still think there is a possibility of a union? “Branford, be reasonable.” Whitney cooed at me. “We are meant to be, not you and some common trash—” Whatever else she was going to say remained stuck in her throat as I backhanded her across the face. She squealed like an animal and fell to the side before Parnell could right her again. “Get your hands off my daughter!” Margaret screeched from across the room. “Where is my wife?” I snarled again at Whitney. I pulled back my hand to hit her a second time while her mother yelled at me. “I said stay away from her! Do you hear me? She is my daughter and a princess! You will not treat her so!” I turned and eyed Margaret standing in front of one of my soldiers with her arms pinned behind her back. I stalked slowly over to her and leaned down until my face was but inches from hers. “Do you know where my wife is?” I asked her quietly. “No, I do not,” she said in her haughty tone. “And if I did, I would not—” Margaret’s sentence ended in a choking gasp as my blade slid easily into her. I placed my hand on her shoulder and pushed down at the same time I pulled up with my sword arm, impaling her further with a twist of the blade. “Then I have no more use for you,” I told her lifeless eyes.
REVIEW:
RATING:
First, we’ve got Branford’s POV, woohoo!!! Second, this is very fitting ending to this one heck of a ride, yay!!!
This picks up right where book 6 ended so you’re knee deep in the action right from the start. Branford totally kicked a$$ here, all for Alexandra. Kinda’ weird saying that in a historical romance but that’s totally what he did. The blurb tells you what you need to know. This is seeing the events all from Branford’s POV, and I loved it.
In its entirety, Shay definitely took me on a ride that I didn’t anticipate. She threw me curveball after curveball that I honestly didn’t know where the following book will take me. If I think of one part (or 2) in particular, I swear, Shay almost lost me. How could she do that, I thought, and in a romance story to boot! Seriously, I was ready to get upset and all ranty, but I also knew I had to trust Shay’s writing.
See, the funny thing is I never know what to expect from Shay. From her characters to her stories, she does what she does best, the unexpected. If you’re looking for a cookie-cutter trope, Shay might not be the author for you. But if you’re looking to be surprised with your read, then I say put her on your list. Just saying…
Take this serial as a whole, I’ve come to associate Shay with male POV and what did she do here, she gave me the h’s POV, except for the last one. For someone who’s given me broken H’s in contemporary and dystopian setting, she then gave me an understated h in a historical setting. Granted I don’t read a lot of HR, but compared to the ones I’ve read, she still manage to give it a contentious twist that will make you love or hate the story. Clearly, I ended up loving it still. I get it. It’s not what I usually would want to read in my romance books but I thought Shay delivered it well. I didn’t necessarily like or agree with it, but I understood it. As weird as this may sound, it was realistic. In the end, I didn’t think it took away the emotions meant to be devoted only to H&h. AND for a historical read, this has a lot of grit which felt incongruous but appropriate given the harsh times.
If nothing else, if you’re in the mood for HR with a twist, I say you have got to give this a chance.
PURCHASE LINKS:
Book 7: The Devastation
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2bern4Y
Australia: www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01J64JKTW
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE SERIES ON AMAZON
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Shay Savage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her family and a variety of household pets. She is an accomplished public speaker, and holds the rank of Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International. When not writing, she enjoys science fiction movies, masquerading as a zombie, is a HUGE Star Wars fan, and member of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers. When the geek fun runs out, she also loves soccer in any and all forms - especially the Columbus Crew, Arsenal and Bayern Munich. Savage holds a degree in psychology, and she brings a lot of that knowledge into the characters within her stories
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Thanks for dropping by!
~Leftie
