Cage of Deceit
by Jennifer Anne Davis
(Reign of Secrets #1)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: August 25th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
(Reign of Secrets #1)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: August 25th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Jennifer Anne Davis’ best-selling True Reign series captivated readers from the very first page. Now, get ready to become entangled in the follow-up series, Reign of Secrets. In this new series, follow Allyssa, the daughter of the beloved Emperor Darmik and Empress Rema— and find out what happens after happily ever after.
Seventeen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion—she’s beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona—that of a vigilante—to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.
Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their country and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.
Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. Now the cage Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.
Seventeen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion—she’s beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona—that of a vigilante—to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.
Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their country and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.
Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. Now the cage Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.
Allyssa despised sparring in a dress. However, that was the
way her father had taught her to fight. He said if someone attacked her, she
would be in a gown, so she had to be able to maneuver in heavy fabric.
“Faster,” Marek
instructed. “You’re not focusing.”
She wanted to growl
because he was right, she was too distracted. Putting all thoughts of the
pretty prince out of her mind, she gave Marek her full attention. He swung his
sword, hitting hers near the hilt, making her drop it. Not intending to lose
their match so easily, she twisted and came in close to him. When he went to
grab her, she rammed her elbow into his stomach. He hunched over and she yanked
him down, slamming her knee into his face.
He dropped his
sword.
“I win,” she
declared.
Catching his breath,
he wiped his forehead. “You seem to have gained a few new moves.” Not a
question.
“Perhaps,” was all
she said in reply. The training room was lined with her personal guards. She
knew her father didn’t want her practicing—he’d rather she prepare for the
ball. But in order to make it through dinner and dancing, she had to release
her anger and frustration.
Marek took their
wooden swords and put them back on the rack.
“I’m not ready to
return to my rooms.” She still felt off balance and unsettled.
He glanced to the
door where Mayra and Madelin were waiting for her. “I need to go over some
security details with my father,” Marek stated.
“Then go.” She waved
him away. “I’ll only be a few more minutes.”
He briefly spoke
with the guards before he said, “Your Highness,” and left.
As soon as he was
gone, she put leather gloves on and went to the hay figure secured to the wall.
Taking a deep breath, she started punching it, imagining the dummy was the
prince. Smiling, she started hitting it harder and faster, allowing all of her
aggression to evaporate.
Someone started
clapping, and she spun around about to yell at whoever had interrupted her.
Prince Odar stood
there with a smirk.
“What are you doing
here?” she demanded, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her arm. He was
accompanied by two of his soldiers and the squire she noticed earlier in the
Throne Room.
He clicked his
tongue. “A testy remark from someone so delicate and lovely.”
Her eyes narrowed.
She was dirty, smelly, and certainly not the picture of a princess at the
moment. The squire clasped his hands behind his back, staring daggers at her.
He must not approve of a woman who could take care of herself, knew how to
fight, and who dared to sweat. She hated him almost as much as she hated the
prince.
“I’m sorry, Your
Highness,” she said, trying to keep the detest from her voice. “Please excuse
me, I must prepare for this evening.”
Mayra rushed forward
and placed a cloak upon Allyssa’s shoulders. The princess yanked the hood up,
concealing herself so no one from the court would see her all sweaty. She swept
out of the room, not looking back. She could have sworn she heard the prince
chuckling as she hurried down the corridor.
“Why didn’t you use
the opportunity to speak with the prince?” Mayra asked, trying to keep up. “He
obviously sought you out.”
Allyssa’s eyes
sliced over to her lady-in-waiting. “Because,” she snapped, “I don’t want to
talk to someone who flatters with pointless words.”
Mayra laughed. “He
is rather charming.”
“He appears to be
exactly as a prince should,” Allyssa said. “And I have no interest in princes.”
“Aiming a bit
higher?”
Jennifer graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential. Afterwards, she married her best friend and high school sweetheart. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother of three young children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids’ creativity.
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1 comments:
thx u for hosting :)
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