Book Review: Duty

Today's book review is Duty by Rachel Rossano.  I wasn't sure if I would like this book because while it's billed as a medieval historical romance, it also has elements of fantasy in it, and well, the fantasy genre isn't really my thing.  But man, this story sucked me in from the first page, and there's not that much fantasy in it at all, beyond a religious belief system and different names for people and places. (Which I chalked up to the medieval time period, actually.) I really enjoyed this book and read it every chance I got.

We are first introduced to our heroine, Brielle, when she is chosen from a crowd of invaders who are taking over the village and choosing new wives.  This could be a horrifying scene, (and sort of is, but it isn't, you just have to read it!) but the commander in charge, the Earl of Irvaine, is pretty humane about everything.  He's mysterious and brooding, yet definitely honorable.  Which is good, since the King has made a deal with Brielle's treacherous cousin and so Brielle is about to become the Earl of Irvaine's new wife.  Of course, the new couple is immediately thrust into a world of chaos as the new Earl is trying to claim his newly awarded properties, figure out a relationship with his new wife, and he learns the hard way who he can and cannot trust.

I have to say this book was really great with the romance.  It was a nice build between the two of them, with her being more of a warrior to be by her husband's side.  The new Earl of Irvaine wasn't born to nobility, but has worked his way up as a warrior for the king and the Earl is really an awesome hero.  Our heroine is no shrinking violet, either, and holds her own in a world of men and dangerous situations all around her.

I loved the pacing of the book between the swordfights, political intrigue with the king and robber barons, and of course, the romance.  Very well done.  There was a couple loose threads with some secondary characters, but I'm assuming there are going to be more books in the series that will tie those up. The ending was definitely satisfying, though, no cliffhangers here.  I thought the setting was believable, the characters memorable, and I would definitely like to read more of this series!

Here's the back copy:

Duty to King

Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king and the recent civil war. When his benefactor demands Tomas marry the cousin of a noble, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman.

Duty to Others

Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation under the new Lord Wisten, her cousin. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a dire winter if they do not find a solution soon. When she learns her cousin sold her into marriage to save his life, she isn’t surprised. However, she is taken aback by Lord Irvaine’s unpolished ways. Was this man a noble or a foot soldier?

Duty to Each Other

Bound by the words of their vows, they face a rough future. They must forge a marriage while battling betrayal, accusations of treason, and villains from the past. Survival depends on their precarious trust in each other. Failure could mean death.

You can buy your Kindle copy herefor $4.99