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I read "A Girl of White Winter", and now I want to read the whole series!
The book starts off with Kara, a lovely but incredibly sheltered young woman who is the ward of a wealthy couple, Giselle and Jean de Marco. In fact, she is the bastard daughter of Giselle's brother, a worthless rake who slept with Giselle's maid and then left her when she became pregnant. Giselle, who always wanted a daughter, raised Kara as her ward, never breathing a word about her true parentage. Until one evening, Royce, a young nobleman comes to dinner, sees Kara, and decides he wants her for his own. He easily persuades Jean de Marco to sell Kara to him - despite Giselle's protests. And Kara is swept away the next morning, to become a rich man's mistress. Except things don't turn out quite as planned. Highway men raid them, and steal not only their money, but Kara is stolen as well - she has caught the eye of the raider, who brings her to their hideout, where the whole raider community lives. There, she is given a choice. She can stay with her raptor, Caine, or leave with his brother, Raven - or they will let her go - and she can fiind her way back home, where she will end up once again with Royce, the man who bought her.
The magic mirror shows her the results of the three choices - and in the end, she musst decide.
It was interesting to see the results of her choices - the story was fast-moving and the characters well defined, so there was no confusion anywhere. The choice Kara made was not, perhaps, the choice this reader expected, but it made for a satisfactory ending. I would definitely recommend this book - I had fun reading it and trying to guess what Kara would do - or what I would have done in her shoes!
"A Choice of Crowns": The second book in the series didn't disappoint either. Olivia has an impossible choice - and the three futures she sees all have good and bad points. I loved the characters in this book - especially Olivia. Her upbringing is fascinating and her choice is heartbreaking. I loved this book as much as the first one!
"Through a Glass Darkly": In this book, a seemingly banal choice results in tragedy. No matter what Megan chooses, it seems there will be immense suffering. I was really rooting for the heroine to have a happy ending - and as usual, the author gives the reader twists, turns, and surprises. I think this was my favorite book of the three, but I highly reccommend all! Don't miss this fascinating series!
From "A Girl of White Winter":
Crouched in a
corner, in the darkness, I sat with my arms wrapped around my knees,
longing for someone to come and fearing someone would come. The night
was cold, and even in my cloak, I’d begun to shiver when a familiar
voice sounded out back.
“Put down the
tray and unbolt the door. I’ll take it in myself.”
Raven.
Relief flooded
through me. I didn’t know him any more than I knew Caine, but he
had talked to me more, and last night, he’d made me a private bed
up on the wagon.
The door
opened, and moonlight filtered in. Raven stood there with an armload
of firewood. I never saw who was with him because he turned his head
and said, “Go home. I can manage from here.”
Striding in, he
glanced at me once before walking to the hearth and arranging the
logs. A flint appeared in his hand, and he used it to build a fire. I
was even more grateful for the light than the heat.
Once the flames
had taken, he went back to the door and returned with a wooden tray.
A savory scent wafted upward as he knelt in front of me.
The tray
contained a bowl, a spoon, and a tin cup.
“Vegetable
stew with gravy,” he said. “Go ahead and eat. I know you’re
hungry.”
I was famished,
but Lady Giselle had always impressed the importance not showing any
rush when eating. It was the height of poor manners.
“Thank you,”
I whispered, reaching slowly and picking up the bowl, taking a small
bite of potato. Then I took a sip of water from the cup.
He watched me.
“I’m
sorry,” he said.
His unexpected
apology made me brave. “What does Caine want with me?”
“I don’t
know. I’ve asked him, but he won’t tell me. He’s speaking to
our grandfather now.”
I’d heard the
word “grandfather” from one or both of them before. “Is Caine
your brother?”
Raven nodded.
“So is Logan. He’s the eldest. I’m the youngest.”
Absorbing this
news, I took another small bite and swallowed it. “Caine called me
his property.”
“I know he
did. I heard him.” He studied my face. “But you don’t need to
worry. He won’t sell you, and he won’t hurt you. I promise.”
“Why did he
bring me here?”
Raven
hesitated. “I told you I don’t know…but Caine is a man who
believes in fate and in prophecies.”
“And you
don’t?”
“I believe in
choices.” He stood up. “And I don’t like this. I don’t like
you being locked in here, and I don’t like you losing control over
your own decisions.”
His words
washed over me. I’d never heard anyone talk like this before. I’d
never thought about having choices.
He crouched
again. “My people all used to be travelers. We traveled the
kingdoms as we pleased, never settling anywhere, but that life grew
hard for some of us, and my grandfather founded this place. The
location makes it safe, and some of us, like Logan and Caine, prefer
to grow food and live here year-round.” Tilting his head, he added,
“But some of us don’t.”
“What do you
mean?”
“I have a
troupe who travels with me from village to town, putting on shows to
earn money, living as we please. We come back here in autumn so I can
help with some of the raiding parties. Then we leave for a few months
and come here again for the hard part of winter.”
I wanted to ask
more about the term “raiding parties” but had a feeling he was
trying to convey something more important.
“My troupe
leaves in the morning,” he said.
For some
reason, this news brought a fresh wave of fear. He was the only one
who really talked to me. And he was leaving in the morning? Standing
up again, he walked to the door.
“But for now,
I’m going to head back to the common house and see how Grandfather
is faring with Caine.” He paused. “I’m not going to lock the
door.”
Setting down
the bowl, I stood as well. Firelight reflected off the side of his
face.
“The way I
see it,” he went on, “you have three options. While everyone is
distracted, you could slip out of here tonight. No one guards the
mouth of the chute. On foot, in the dark, you could press close to
the near wall of the chute and make your way down with no one up
above on watch seeing you.”
My breaths
quickened in fear at the thought of trying to flee this place and
make it back to de Marco lands, to my lady, on my own.
“Or,” he
said. “You can stay here and take your chances and find out what
Caine wants.”
“Or?” I
whispered.
“Or…you
could come on the road with me.” He amended quickly. “I mean with
us, with my troupe. You’d belong to yourself, but you could travel
with us.”
A wild rush of
hope rose up. “Could you take me home, to the de Marco manor?”
“No. Only
small raiding groups of men ever go north into those estate lands. I
won’t risk any of my people. We’re heading east. If you want to
go back, you’re on your own.”
Despair
replaced hope. His refusal had been swift and final.
But another
thought occurred. “I couldn’t go with you if I wished to. Caine
would never allow it.”
“He would if
I asked him. He owes me…or thinks he does. I’ve never asked him
for anything, but I’d ask him for this, and he wouldn’t refuse.”
I was moved
that Raven would use up a favor to help me, but I also feared the
prospect of joining a troupe of strangers traveling east, farther
from my home.
He watched me a
few moments longer.
“Choices are all that matter in this life,” he said. “And we
have to be free to make our own. You think on this, and I’ll be
back before dawn. If you’re gone, I’ll know you chose to run. If
you’re here, you can tell me what you’ve decided.” He walked
out. “I won’t lock the door.”
But he closed
it.
I was alone
again.
Lea Bronsen likes her reads hot, fast, and edgy, and strives to give her own stories the same intensity. After venturing into dirty inner-city crime drama with her debut novel Wild Hearted, she divides her writing time between psychological thriller, romantic suspense, and dark erotic romance.
