Odessa may be a princess but she never dreamed of marrying a prince and ruling a foreign land. But that is about to change. When the prince of Turah, Zavier, announces his intention to marry Odessa and not her sister, Odessa finds herself thrown into a world she hadn’t planned to ever join. To make matters more complicated, Odessa’s father tells her she must be a spy in her new homeland and report back to him what she has learned. As Odessa travels into Turah she not only has to contend with her new husband his odd behavior but his protector as well, known simply as The Guardian.

If you have been following my reviews for a while you’ll have noticed that I haven’t picked up fantasy in over a decade. It can seem like a daunting challenge and I wasn’t sure where to start. Thankfully for me, my book club picked this one out and within pages I was hooked.

The world building was good and easy enough to follow and the story itself caught my attention immediately. I also loved the relationship between Odessa and The Guardian. Their banter was well written and fun to read while also being believable. Additionally, both of their character development was flushed out with improvements made and more to be explored in future books. Odessa, in particular, was done well and she wasn’t the typical damsel in distress or “not like the other girls” type that can sometimes be a bit annoying to read about.

I did dock the book half a star for two reasons; one, The Guardian’s real name was so underwhelming that, based off all the buildup to it, I was expecting something much cooler. Two, I was really hoping for a love triangle but I didn’t get that. Both are minor critiques and shouldn’t deter you from picking up this romantsy. I enjoyed it very much and will be reading book two in the near future.

4.5 out of 5 stars