Pages: 228
Published by S&G Publishing on September 29, 2015
Series: Order of the MoonStone #1
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy & Magic
Source: eARC from Author
Her mission was simple — get close to the Prince, and kill him. . .
Kayden entered the palace under a lie, one designed to get her close to the Prince. On the outside, she may look like a princess but beneath the mask, a killer lays in wait — for the perfect moment.
Dvarius was not ready to take the crown, nor was he ready for a wife . . . but due to his father’s unexpected death and an archaic law — he must find a bride before he is allowed to take his rightful place on the throne.
And the one woman he wants — just might be the one who is there to kill him...
A Reluctant Assassin is the first book in the Order of the MoonStone series by J.C. Morrows. It is a young adult fantasy romance, that is light on the action/adventure and heavy on the romance. Perfect for fans that love a good love story in the background of a high fantasy universe. This is also a clean book, so it would be appropriate for young young adult readers as well as older readers. I really enjoyed A Reluctant Assassin. I had a bit of a snafu with the Prince early on, but overall this was a good read.
The Prince has to marry as soon as possible, “for his kingdom”. He was very much against the idea of marrying for the wrong reasons. I really liked that about him. I admired that he wanted to get to know girls. And actually get to know them. What irked me was that from the moment he saw Kayden, he knew she “different” and “real” and the one. And I just didn’t see how he could go from wanting to get to know which ladies had substance and which didn’t, to being totally taken with just one of them.
That being said, after the somewhat shaky first meeting, I really liked watching Kayden and Dvarius interact. If you are looking for a high speed action and adventure fantasy, this might not be the book for you, but if you love the castle setting and you are looking for a sweet and clean romance, this is the perfect series for you to check out. There is a bit of action excitement at the end, and I think there will be more to come in the next installment, but for this first book, author JC Morrows does a great job of setting the stage and letting us get to know the characters really well. I thought this was a solid first book in a new series, and I think the next one will be even better.
p.s. I also have to say that I just love the cover! Her assassin’s outfit is on point! 😉
What if Cinderella had been sent to kill the prince? @BookBriefs reviews A Reluctant Assassin by @JCMorrows #Fantasy #YA #Romance Share on X
I actually love the sound of this one. It sounds like it reads a lot lighter than what the blurb lets on, too! And yes, love her outfit!
Doesn’t sound to unique but it does sound like a fun read and I totally love the cover! 🙂 It’s going on the wishlist. 🙂