by Mary E. Pearson
Genre: Fantasy
Why You Need to Read It: Three words: love triangle, betrayal.
Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save Lia's life, her erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar's interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen. Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: There's Rafe, who lied to Lia but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be savages. Now that she lives among them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country... and her own destiny.
A few more thoughts...
The Heart of Betrayal firmly dumps you into the action in Venda and takes you on a ride from cover to cover. Lia just can't seem to keep herself from trouble, even when she's being held captive by the Vendan Komizar, a formidable leader of sorts who came into the job by murdering the former Komizar on orders of his daughter. Yeah. These people don't play! Lia and Rafe spend their days trying to figure out how to escape captivity while Kaden is just trying to keep Lia safe. Choices are made along the way and we need book three RIGHT NOW.
This is one of the few sequels that really holds its own. This is no bridge book and is arguably a much stronger story than The Kiss of Deception. There's so much more character development and world building. Since this is set in a whole new community (Venda), Mary has the opportunity to develop the physical surroundings and the culture. All we know about the Vendans is their barbaric nature, which becomes murkier as Lia gets to know them.
Speaking of Lia, she continues to grow as a princess and leader, even though she has neither opportunity and is constantly being reminded of such. Kaden also begins a journey through development as he weighs his feelings for Lia against his loyalty to the Komizar. Oh, and Rafe? He's developed a pretty great poker face.
The book ends on several major cliff hangers and truly, the story could take any direction. Only one person knows and now you have the chance to come and ask her for yourself. Mary Pearson will be at Hicklebee's on August 3rd for the launch for The Beauty of Darkness so be sure to stop by!
The Heart of Betrayal is book two in a trilogy and we are hosting Mary's tour for the third installment, The Beauty of Darkness, on August 3rd! Be sure to check out our reviews on the first book, The Kiss of Deception, as well as an event recap and review for The Beauty of Darkness in the coming weeks.
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