Deathbringer and Desire (Eternal Alliances)

URBAN FANTASY: Queen Belle has suffered at the hands of her father, but no more as she prepares his body for his funeral. She is to take the throne in his place with her new husband, King Alex, to rule the nation of vampires, witches, and humans. The first of their duties as King and Queen is attending the funeral with all their subjects. She is summoned in the midst of it, as a theft of dangerous supplies from the Apothecary has been reported. Soon after, there is an attempt on their lives. Belle believes there is a plot to kill her husband and she will do anything to stop this from happening, including learning to defend herself. But her paranoia does not abate, and soon she starts to question everyone, including her own sanity. Will she be able to keep Alex safe?

This dark and mysterious thriller will keep the reader on their toes! The plot is complex, and is the prequel to ”Hellfire and Honey”, giving the background to the war between vampires and witches. The tension between the species is still evident, regardless of the union in marriage and the reader is taken on this journey through Belle’s eyes to question if her fears are real or if they are hallucinations. And as such, there is less fleshing out of other pivotal characters, and it is focused on her state of mind. Is Belle’s father reaching out from the dead? Has his abuse found a new medium? Who is his co-conspirator? It is a little too long and complex for a novella, however, it is action packed with many twists and turns to keep the story moving at a good pace that will keep the reader wanting more.

Rika Chandra