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Formats
Ebook Details
  • 01/2019
  • 978-1-7328774-1-2 B07JMRLZHW
  • 352 pages
  • $0.99
Paperback Details
  • 01/2019
  • 978-1-7328774-0-5
  • 320 pages
  • $14.99
Fiona West
Author
The Ex-Princess
Fiona West, author

Adult; Romance; (Market)

How do you tell your best friend you can’t marry him after all?

Abelia is content in her menial job and tiny apartment. When royal emissaries arrive to enforce the marriage contract she thought was void, she has no intention of going with them across the Unveiled. But the alternative means losing the chance to say goodbye to her dying father and letting five years of silence be the last thing they share...

Edward is handed his kingdom unexpectedly when his brother goes off the rails. Now, he must fight a war he doesn’t think he can win. The only task more daunting will be convincing the girl he’s loved all his life to cooperate...if only she’d call him back.

No one has ever gotten out of an international marriage contract. Can Abbie find a loophole in time to save the life she’s fought to live?

The Ex-Princess is the first book in the Borderline Chronicles. It's Stardust meets A Princess in Theory; you’ll love Fiona West’s heart and wit in this sweet, sassy fantasy romance adventure. Grab your copy now!

 

Reviews
Desert clippers and light rail, magic-powered cellphones, black royalty, and a princess negotiating chronic illness bring both depth and delight to this kind, lighthearted romance. Once upon a time, Princess Abelia Olivia Jayne Venenza Ribaldi Porchenzii renounced matriarchal Brevspor’s throne for an anonymous life working in waste reclamation. Then Abbie learns her engagement contract to Prince Edward of Orangiers is still valid—and to defeat his brother Lincoln’s foreign-backed coup, she must honor it. Resolved to renegotiate her freedom and say goodbye to her ailing father, Abbie sets off through the magic-ridden Unveiled. But duty-driven Edward’s proposal isn’t just a geopolitical stopgap: he loves Abbie, and there might be ways for an ex-princess and a reluctant heir to be happy on both their terms. Final Fantasy fans will relish West’s debut, a vibrant, voraciously readable adventure whose technocratic fantasy world is grounded by a generous understanding of everyday limitations and love. This perfect confection is socially aware, wonderstruck, and unforgettably fun. (BookLife)
Amazon

A princess fantasy with a modern twist, this book kept me on the edge of my seat! There was action, mystery, adventure and romance - everything you could want in a fairy tale for adults. Besides the two main characters, there were many other secondary characters that grabbed my attention as well, including a talking horse who brought humor into a few very serious situations. This book had a great balance of many themes, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Abelia Porchenzii used to be a princess. She is not anymore - got it? She is just a plant worker now, making her own money and trying to steer clear of any mention of her royal family. She has a harder time doing so, though, when messengers find her to let her know that her father is dying...and that her betrothed, a prince, insists that she honor their marriage contract. Growing up with the prince, she knows loving him would not be a problem, but there is a secret she is keeping from him. One which caused her to run away in the first place and which could threaten the fabric of her world should she become a Queen.

Abelia was a difficult character for me to settle an opinion on. I loved her independence and her stubborn nature - I could relate to that. However, not really giving the reader a backstory made it difficult for me to understand where her refusal to rule was coming from. Since it was a secret from everyone else, it was kept secret from the reader as well. So Abelia sometimes came across as a bit immature and unreasonable. Of course, later on, it all made sense, but still, an explanation in a prologue or maybe a flashback would have been useful. Her counterpart, Edward Broward, had loved Abelia for years, and his last wish was to force her to do something. But he needed someone by his side, and she was the only person he wanted to hold that position. I enjoyed his character a lot more, simply because he was so understanding of Abelia and cared for her. His approach with her took into account their past and her anxieties, and he was easy to fall in love with. The politics of the world were a bit vague at times, but I found it interesting how Edward and Abelia fit into it all. Particularly the fact that they were a interracial couple, and it wasn't dwelled upon all that much. Instead, it was often brought up how their skin would react when blushing or being sunburned. But otherwise, they were just two people in love. I liked that.

Fiona West is an author to watch, for sure! I am intrigued to see what she writes next. It's sure to be a fun romp of a read!

Amazon

This book was so good!
I loved it. There are no other words for it. It had an immersible world and characters that were flawed and lovable and relatable and I can’t wait for the next one.

The world was impressive. The mixture of modern technology with old timey prejudices and practices were so clever, I didn’t even notice it until after I had finished reading. The Veil was such an interesting part of the book that it became it’s own character for me. I wanted to know more about where it had come from, or had it always been there, and whether or not it did have a negative effect on the peoples’ brain. It was the largest and the most invisible character in the book.

The character growth was done so well and so seamlessly. I was awed. Abbie, the main character, starts out so sweet and innocent and still a badass and then turns into just a really epic badass. I mean, she even takes on a guy everybody is afraid of. To be honest, I kinda got Aelin (from the Throne of Glass series) vibes from her but that is definitely not a bad thing. She is just so..yeah. And she learns too. It’s not a conscious thought like: “Oh, I’m in a new part of the world things are different here.” No, it’s completely organic and beautiful. See, she’s in charge of an entire country. A matriarchal country. Which means that women are held up higher than men. She accepts it and doesn’t think anything of it until one point, she reunites with her brother and he isn’t announced into the room. Whereas she can’t go anywhere without being announced. And her thoughts are so perfect. “No one announced him; it shouldn’t have surprised her as men were never announced in Brevspor, but it somehow now felt wrong.” I mean! If that’s not growth, I don’t know what is.

And the relationships between her and her father, her and Parker, and her and Rubald and Rutha were so sweet and added an element of tenderness to an otherwise arranged marriage AU story.

That’s not to say I don’t like arranged marriage AU. I do. A little too much. Probably why this book tugged and plucked every single one of my heartstrings.

I was hoping for a bit more of an explanation or maybe flashbacks to her relationship with her mother and the effect it had on her. We were able to catch glimpses, little words and volleys thrown back and forth between Abbie and her mother’s memory in her head but I would have liked more.

All in all, I am counting down the days for Un-Queen which doesn’t come out until June. UGH!

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 01/2019
  • 978-1-7328774-1-2 B07JMRLZHW
  • 352 pages
  • $0.99
Paperback Details
  • 01/2019
  • 978-1-7328774-0-5
  • 320 pages
  • $14.99
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