Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets #1) by Jennifer Anne Davis
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: August 25, 2015
Buy Links:
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Book Description:
Jennifer Anne Davis’ best-selling True Reign series captivated readers from the very first page. Now, get ready to become entangled in the follow-up series, Reign of Secrets. In this new series, follow Allyssa, the daughter of the beloved Emperor Darmik and Empress Rema— and find out what happens after happily ever after.
Seventeen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion—she’s beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona—that of a vigilante—to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.
Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their country and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.
Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. Now the cage Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.
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Excerpt:
Allyssa glided inside Darmik’s office. Her parents and Prince Zek sat at a small, round table waiting for her. She had planned to arrive early so she could talk to her parents before the prince showed up, but it had taken even longer today to conceal her bruised face than it had yesterday. It actually hurt to smile. As gracefully as possible, she took her seat between her parents.
She’d attended enough of these meetings by now to be able to determine the seriousness based upon small subtleties. The low fire in the hearth, the absence of fresh flowers, and the fact that her father wore his commander uniform instead of his royal tunic and crown indicated that her parents didn’t consider the prince a potential suitor. However, there was definitely something of importance they wished to discuss—otherwise, they wouldn’t have even bothered to meet with him.
Darmik motioned for the remaining guards to exit and shut the door, leaving the four of them alone. “You wanted an audience with us,” he said to the prince. “What would you like to discuss?”
Prince Zek cleared his throat. “I wish for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Allyssa had heard similar declarations before. Many wanted to marry the crown—no one actually cared for the person wearing it.
