Adventure Review: Third Daughter (The Royals of Dharia #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn

Third Daughter (The Royals of Dharia #1)
by Susan Kaye Quinn

Description:
Sneaking out of the palace wasn’t one of Aniri’s best ideas. But she’s the Third Daughter of the Queen of Dharia—zero responsibilities and zero royal duties. She’s just the backup daughter, in case her older sisters’ arranged marriages—to take the crown or broker an alliance—don’t quite work out. But once Aniri reaches her 18th birthday, she’ll be truly free… and then she can marry the charming fencing instructor she meets for fevered kisses in the forest.

But then the impossible happens—a marriage proposal. From a barbarian prince in the north, no less. And if Aniri refuses, the threat of their new flying weapon might bring war.

So she agrees to the young prince’s proposal, but only as a subterfuge to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she doesn’t love. But once she arrives in the sweeping mountains of the north, she discovers the prince has his own secrets… and saving her country may end up breaking her heart.

This Bollywood-style royal romance takes you to an alternate East Indian world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue.

THIRD DAUGHTER is the first book in the Royals of Dharia trilogy.

My Review:
Bride to be or spy? Aniri, the third daughter of Dharia, is just weeks away from her 18th birthday when she will be safe from ever having to marry for political reasons, and then comes the proposal. Aghast at the unexpected twist in her fate, Aniri accepts, but never intends to follow through.

Aniri is awesome: strong female character, daring climber, amateur spy. I found her a delight to read. She follows her heart, but tries to do the right thing. Across from her, Ash and Devesh play their parts perfectly. Devesh has stolen Aniri’s heart, while Ash wishes for nothing more than to secure his throne by marrying her. I really enjoyed how their story progresses.

Oh, and the steampunk technology! Very well played. Man-shaped machines and infrastructure. Rumors of flying machines. Other things I’m not going to spoil.

Overall, a fantastic adventure. I’d strongly recommend this to folks who enjoy fantasy adventure with a bit of steampunk and romance. It’s the first in a series, but it ends in a satisfying way.

I purchased my copy of this book.


About the Author:

Susan Kaye Quinn is a rocket scientist turned speculative fiction author who now uses her PhD to invent cool stuff in books. Her works range from young adult science fiction to adult future-noir, with side trips into royal fantasy romance and middle grade. Her bestselling novels and short stories have been optioned for Virtual Reality, translated into German and French, and featured in several anthologies.

She writes full-time from Chicago, inventing mind powers and dreaming of the Singularity.

GET A FREE STORY: http://smarturl.it/SKQsubscribe

Sue’s website: www.SusanKayeQuinn.com

Chat with her about our coming robot overlords in her Facebook group: http://smarturl.it/SKQFBGroup


SINGULARITY SERIES
young adult science fiction
• Defiance (Prequel to the Legacy Human)
• The Legacy Human (Book 1)
• The Duality Bridge (Book 2)
• The Illusory Prophet (Book 3)
• The Stories of Singularity #1-4 (Novella Box Set)
• Awakening (Stories of Singularity #5)

MINDJACK SERIES
young adult science fiction
Kira's Story
• Open Minds (Book 1)
• Closed Hearts (Book 2)
• Free Souls (Book 3)
Zeph's Story
• Locked Tight (Book Four)
• Cracked Open (Book Five)
• Broken Wide (Book Six)...coming soon

Mindjack Short Story Collection (Novella Box Set)

THE ROYALS OF DHARIA
sweet royal romance
• Third Daughter (Book 1)
• Second Daughter (Book 2)
• First Daughter (Book 3)

DEBT COLLECTOR
adult future-noir
• Season One
• Season Two

(Author information and bio from Amazon)

Books in this series: