Series: Plated Prisoner

Synopsis:

For ten years, I’ve lived in a gilded cage inside King Midas’s golden castle. But one night changed everything.

Now I’m here, a prisoner of Fourth Kingdom’s army, and I’m not sure if I’m going to make it out of this in one piece. They’re marching to battle, and I’m the bargaining chip that will either douse the fire or spark a war.

At the heart of my fear, my worry, there’s him—Commander Rip.

Known for his brutality on the battlefield, his viciousness is unsurpassed. But I know the truth about what he is.

Fae.

The betrayers. The murderers. The ones who nearly destroyed Orea, wiping out Seventh Kingdom in the process. Rip has power sizzling beneath this skin and glinting spikes down his spine. But his eyes—his eyes are the most compelling of all.

When he turns those black eyes on me, I feel captive for an entirely different reason.

I may be out of my cage, but I’m not free, not even close. In the game of kings and armies, I’m the gilded pawn. The question is, can I out maneuver them?

This is the captivating second book of The Plated Prisoner series. It’s an adult epic fantasy story blending romance, intrigue, and beautiful imagery. Return to the seductive story of magic inspired by the myth of King Midas, and get caught up in the world of Orea.

Please note: There is explicit language and romance in this book, not suitable for those under the age of 18.

Time changes with torment. It stretches on, lengthening seconds, extending minutes. I’ve learned that pain and fear have a way of prolonging. And as if that weren’t cruel enough, our minds make sure we relive those moments again and again and again, long after they’ve passed.
What a bastard, time is.

Here comes Mrs. Broken record, but it appears I’ve been taken by surprise yet again. I am dead serious when I tell you that I literally had never even HEARD of this book or this author before I accidentally stumbled onto it when I was trying to figure out the name of a totally different book series. Fate has a hilarious way of working out, don’t you think?

All the grief, all the worry, I wrap it up like old yarn on a spool, tucking away every frayed strand. Because if I show him my fear, if I reveal my weaknesses to this male, he’ll latch onto those threads and yank them all, unraveling me completely.

Not only did I ENJOY these last two books, they devoured me. I don’t say this lightly, and I don’t say it without meaning-I didn’t simply speed through these last two books, they demanded I read them at all times, without remorse. I’d put the book down then, inexplicably, I couldn’t concentrate on any other task. I’d be trying to sleep and, whadya know, I couldn’t! This sounds typical, I know, but this was different. This was all encompassing.

Maybe ignorance isn’t a vice, but a reprieve.

I can’t pinpoint what exactly it was that spoke to me, but I keep coming to the same conclusion that I’m a total snob when it comes to authors, books, and writing styles, and that I merely thought I was going to read this, obsess a little over a certain dark bad boy, and move on [as I always tend to do]. And time will tell how quickly my heart can move on- I do so love to transition into other series because I don’t get a lot of time to read and I cherish every moment I can. That did not happen. So far, this series has its claws so deeply clutched into me that I can scarcely breathe, that I can’t tell where I end and it begins.

Pretty lies cover up a lot of ugly truths.

But oh, to be a Goldfinch finally finding some wings after meeting a dark, commanding presence who wants more for me, for me to see the confines I’ve allowed myself to be hindered by. Because-here’s the kicker-I can tell you EXACTLY where I and this book/series collide– His name is Rip, and it couldn’t be more on the nose if it tried, because I am dead, dying, and dripping golden goo at my seams, I’m Resting In [a million] Pieces because of this tall, dark, otherworldly man.

No, hear me the fuck out. Seriously. He is NOT average. He is NOT run of the mill. And he is NOT a rinse and repeat hero. I don’t care WHO disagrees, I am ready to put up my dukes, because there is NO room for disagreements here, no lies detected. He is superior in all ways and I literally won’t hear anything else of it.

So, you’ve met a man who makes a beaten down, imprisoned woman come out of her shell before. Okay, you got me there. You’ve likely met a man who pushes her to fight, to be stronger, to break free of her chains (Ie, Midas (the bastard)). Mmkay, cool. I bet you’ve even met a man who plays it cool, acts like it’s her choice what she does with her captive mind and soul…maybe you have. But at what point have you actually seen him let that woman go, let her make her own faults, decisions, let her be who she wants to be even if it stifles her, all the while it kills him inside. Here’s where that’s tricky-I am only saying this: Rip DOES let Auren make her own choices. It truly IS her choice. If she stays, if she goes…etc. I’m saying that, in the end, he truly would never manhandle her into doing what he thinks is right, even if it would tear his soul to pieces. And, finally, what man admits he is the villain…and owns it?

His head drops down, turning, and we meet each other’s eyes. I used to think that his were as black as a bottomless pit, but I was wrong. They aren’t suffocating or soulless. Something swims in them when he looks at me.
I’m afraid that if I look too long, that same thing will swim in my eyes too.

Yes I know, I’m explaining this horribly and a lot of my vehemence stems from me being done with book 3, too, and some things are convoluted. I can see it happening, a few choice words I’ve used leaking out incorrectly and ahead of it’s [review] time. But what I’ve been trying to say is this: yes, you’ve seen variations of Commander Rip before, but you’ve never seen HIM before, and you’ve never seen it done this way, and that’s for both book 2 and 3, and I stand so firmly on that.

“Sometimes,” he murmurs, “things need first to be ruined in order to then be remade.”

To see him treat her with nothing but respect, to defy her every negative preconceived notion of what a man is and what he can do, to slowly earn her trust, to unravel her wariness day by day, lesson by lesson…and expect nothing in return-my heart. Be still my fucking heart. And when he makes a mistake (3), his remorse is so palpable, so overflowing with regret and the need to make her see why he does what he does…unparalleled, it’s truly mind-blowing.

Are people so content in ignorance that they’ll believe every lie fed to them, despite what they see right in front of their eyes?

I love him so dearly, and I am going to stop here because if you thought I was going to not make the whole of my book three review about-um-yeah-you’d be dead wrong. If you think I talked about Rip too much in this one, steer clear of review three. We slowly got to see Auren became the woman she only thought she could dream of being, to see there is more to her than being Midas’ golden pet, to see behind that ascent into greatness…but not 100% there yet. No- she has so much higher to rise, I am TELLING you, and seeing how she is so strong for others through everything….it’s nothing short of amazing to read. But no…for me, sorry, the true star here is my dark dark commander, and it’s all you’re going to hear about from here on out, you better believe it.

Shove down weakness, and strength will rise…

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