Author: Melissa Cave
Series: Empire of the Stars #1
Genre: Adult Fantasy/Romance
Publisher: Owl and Bear, LLC
Publication Date: November 1, 2024
Edition: Digital
Source: NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon US
Synopsis:
In a land ravaged by war, a knight’s promise and a princess’s secret might raise a new dynasty…or topple an empire.
At the end of a brutal war, Remin of Andelin promised his knights that he would build them a good place, far from the carnage of war and the poisonous intrigues of the Empire. But the only thing more difficult than winning a war is securing the peace.
Welcome to the Andelin Valley, where the days are filled with the backbreaking labor of building a city and the nights bring monsters summoned in the waning days of the war. The Andelin devils dare even the sacred soil of the Empire, and it takes all of Remin’s military genius to keep his people alive. Yet even in the face of bandits, traitors, and implacable hatred of the Emperor, the greatest danger to Remin might be his new wife.
Princess Ophele Agnephus. Daughter of the Stars, the Exile Princess, she is also the daughter of the Divine Emperor that executed Remin’s family. Raised in a distant prison and given in the place of her sister as Remin’s reward for victory, Ophele carries a secret that could topple the Empire: his family was innocent. But will she risk her life to reveal the depth of her family’s dishonor?
As the summer bleeds on and the walls of their city rise, Remin finds himself drawn to Ophele, who shares so many of his dreams and sorrows. She could be everything: his love and his wife, the mother of his children, the foundation of a dynasty that will last forever. Or she could be the Emperor’s weapon, placed at his side to destroy everything he has left.
A marriage built in the ashes of betrayal. A land built on the ruins of a century of war. And a people determined to rise, with shattered trust and an unquenchable hope…if Ophele can only make them believe it is possible. Traitor Son is the story of a people broken by tragedy, a hero torn between his duty and his dreams, and a young woman who must find the courage to take her place at his side, before their own devils tear them apart.
At the end of a brutal war, Remin of Andelin promised his knights that he would build them a good place, far from the carnage of war and the poisonous intrigues of the Empire. But the only thing more difficult than winning a war is securing the peace.
Welcome to the Andelin Valley, where the days are filled with the backbreaking labor of building a city and the nights bring monsters summoned in the waning days of the war. The Andelin devils dare even the sacred soil of the Empire, and it takes all of Remin’s military genius to keep his people alive. Yet even in the face of bandits, traitors, and implacable hatred of the Emperor, the greatest danger to Remin might be his new wife.
Princess Ophele Agnephus. Daughter of the Stars, the Exile Princess, she is also the daughter of the Divine Emperor that executed Remin’s family. Raised in a distant prison and given in the place of her sister as Remin’s reward for victory, Ophele carries a secret that could topple the Empire: his family was innocent. But will she risk her life to reveal the depth of her family’s dishonor?
As the summer bleeds on and the walls of their city rise, Remin finds himself drawn to Ophele, who shares so many of his dreams and sorrows. She could be everything: his love and his wife, the mother of his children, the foundation of a dynasty that will last forever. Or she could be the Emperor’s weapon, placed at his side to destroy everything he has left.
A marriage built in the ashes of betrayal. A land built on the ruins of a century of war. And a people determined to rise, with shattered trust and an unquenchable hope…if Ophele can only make them believe it is possible. Traitor Son is the story of a people broken by tragedy, a hero torn between his duty and his dreams, and a young woman who must find the courage to take her place at his side, before their own devils tear them apart.
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This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting it to be based on the synopsis. It's a lot more cozy, and I think that helped me like it more. The synopsis makes it feel more, for lack of a better word, generic. This is more of a book about two people who had to learn how to trust themselves and each other. Two people who are in a arranged marriage, and slowly grow to love each other. But with a lot of hardship and doubt floating during that time.
Remin's family was betrayed and he was orphaned at a young age. Assassin attempts for nearly over 10 years made him slow to trust others. Especially a pretty face belonging to the daughter of the man who made him an orphan in the first place.
Ophele was abandoned by the emperor, and them abused by the people who were supposed to care for her after her mother's death. Her trust issues lie in wanting to be useful and never sure if she's a burden or not.
There's hints of a darker plot woven through them falling in love and learning to trust, that I do wish had gotten more attention. But with this being a 5-book series, I suspect and hope that more of that is given attention in later books in the series.
There is some 'spice' in this book, but the way it was written and handled was honestly a breath of fresh air. I'm particular when it comes to the type of language used to describe anatomy in books like this, and I think there was only one instance where I found it slightly cringe. Which is a huge step-up for a lot of other Fantasy Romance books. Their times together, were written in a rather sweet way.
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