In the Forgotten Empires magic is forbidden, dreams are destiny, and love is the greatest power of all…

The Fiery Crown brings war to Calanthe!!

A desperate alliance. A struggle for survival. And a marriage of convenience with an epic twist of fate come together in Jeffe Kennedy’s The Fiery Crown.

WILL THEIR LOVE STAND THE TEST OF TIME

Queen Euthalia has reigned over her island kingdom of Calanthe with determination, grace, and her magical, undying orchid ring. After she defied an empire to wed Conri, the former Crown Prince of Oriel–a man of disgraced origins with vengeance in his heart–Lia expected the wizard’s prophecy to come true: Claim the hand that wears the ring and the empire falls. But Lia’s dangerous bid to save her realm doesn’t lead to immediate victory. Instead, destiny hurls her and Conri towards a future neither could predict…

OR TEAR THEIR WHOLE WORLD APART?

Con has never healed after the death of his family and destruction of his kingdom–he’s been carefully plotting his revenge against his greatest enemy, Emperor Anure, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. When Lia’s spies gather intelligence suggesting that Anure is planning an attack against Calanthe, Con faces an agonizing choice: Can he sacrifice Lia and all she holds dear to destroy the empire? Or does his true loyalty exist in the arms of his beguiling, passionate wife–’til death do they part?

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Fly Girl’s Review

Uhmm, Wow. This book blew me away again. Just as the first one did, there was hot sex, but more importantly there was this dialogue of depth that blew my mind. It’s like the Nobility and rulers of the Forbidden Empires speak a different language even though it is written in English. There is so much intrigue and cynicism in their dialogue it makes you wonder if they aren’t connected telepathically.

Jeffe brings us another story full of depth and uncertainty and love and capitulation that stays with you days after you’ve finished–probably even months. Somehow I think I will remember this series always. Only a few do I remember more than a year later. Anyway, back to the story. Lia and Con have built a very tight relationship of tit for tat and anger that becomes lust that becomes love and protection. They both rely on it so much in their relationship, they forgot how to trust. When they finally try to trust one another, deep down they still don’t and it shows because they make their choices based on other ideals and wants. But in the end, they both realize the other is more important than any want or desire or duty they tried to make decisions for or towards. This second book in the series is about Lia and Con finding their trust in one another and their deep love. It is about being torn apart and put back together again.

Both feel they must sacrifice or suffer to be loved, when all they really needed to do was trust in each other. But they figure that out in the end and although much of the time in this book they are separated by an ocean, in the end they are back together and promise to fight alongside one another, not against each other–and certainly not for different gains. They have a plan now and are going to make it happen in book three…I’m sure.

The sadness and angst everyone feels in this book is so depressing it almost chokes the tears out of you until they finally realize they were loved and are able to let go, then the peace comes back to your heart and the book takes on a frenzied feel where Lia and Con must get back to each other. I stayed up reading late into the night to finish when I got to this part because I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep with my heart so full of sadness and angst. Missing my newly dead father and mother was really hurting and this just compounded it. I knew it would all morph into one sadness where I wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the book and my own sadness, so I finished and went to sleep with a smile on my face.

Don’t get me wrong there is still a big mess to clean up in the next book, and I can’t wait for it either…but of course it doesn’t come out till next year. This series is quite moving and if you’ve ever been stuck in something, not quite sure how to get out or move away from the path, this is your chance to see how taking the first step can lead you to an amazing adventure, surely some sadness, but great happiness in the end.

Again I’m giving this a 5 of 5 because although you need more to complete the story it feels like a good stopping point. I’m not disappointed I didn’t get more and honestly a breather after that is refreshing and much needed.

5 of 5 Propellers

Below check out the review and intro to the series…

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?

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Fly Girl’s Review of The Orchid Throne-Published on 9/3/2020

This is what I call an EPIC romance. The Orchid Thrown is the first in Jeffe Kennedy’s Forgotten Empires series. I know this one released last year but I decided to review it since I was given the opportunity to read the Fiery Crown before publication. Unfortunately, that one didn’t make it off my TBR pile until much later than I anticipated. So I’m giving you a preview of the series with the first book and I’ll review the Fiery Crown a little later. If you follow me, you know I tend to do multiple books in a review if I binge listen or read the series, so that is another reason I decided to do this one before I finished the Fiery Crown. It needs it’s own review and I’m sure the dynamics of this love story are going to change in the next one and I didn’t want it to go without saying how wonderful this love story was for me.

If you love dystopian, fantasy romances this is a great one. While Jeffe builds a beautiful world in this book, she also gives us a slow burn to hot off the fire romance. Both characters are moving towards something, they just don’t know what or who it is. They both think it is about conquering their false ruler, but really it is towards each other. Lia and Conri are both amazing rulers in their own right, and are determined to bring down the false emperor but neither realizes how much help they need. There are forces at work to destroy them both and if they don’t find each other, all hope will be lost of stopping the tyranny. So that is the build up. There is so much more in the book but that is it in a nutshell. We get a taste of dazzling courts and an island paradise where the land, flora, and fauna are all connected and how their Queen is truly connected to them all. The beauty of the prose takes my breath away in many scenes and makes the world building so worth it. On top of that there are fiery battles full of death and destruction where you start to see the opposite sides of the coin. Conri is the rough while Lia is the beauty and he is the dark to her light. The lands they rule are a comparison in the same contrast.

When they finally come together it is by fate they quickly figure out they need one another and must join forces. That is when the romance goes from slow burn into the fire…and I mean a hot fire. This is much later in the book so don’t be disappointed when you start reading, it will come. She lets us get to know Lia and Conri intimately before we see them together and that makes their coming together all the sweeter.

Among all of this, there is lots of court intrigue and machinations on all sides to try to control the Emperor and the situation on Calanthe. It is pretty much a bunch of lies, cheating, and spying to exert dominance over Lia. She, however sweet looking, is far from innocent in the ways of the court and the emperor. Her father prepared her well for this fight requiring balance between personal preservation and preserving Calanthe for generations to come. So we get to see how smart both Lia and Conri are, one in court and one in battle. Again opposites attract is the theme in this one and she plays it up to the nth degree.

There are lots of thought provoking statements made by both that continually make you think long after you put it down. If you love to be challenged and introspective after a book, this one is definitely a must read. I’m actually giving this a 5 of 5 rating because although this is book one, there isn’t a big cliff hanger and the romance comes to a head with some satisfaction for me. I feel like if I only read one book in the series it would be alright. Only I’m going to keep reading because I know it will be even better in the next books. So stay tuned for a review of the Fiery Crown soon and happy reading. Be sure to let us know what you think the book. We are always ready to have a running discourse on books like this.

5 of 5 Propellers

 

Pre-order the final book now!!

The Promised Queen (5/25/21)

Connect with Jeffe Kennedy

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Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include novels, non-fiction, poetry, and short fiction. She has won the prestigious RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America (RWA), has been a finalist twice, been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) as a Director at Large.

She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.