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Assassin Gambit The Hearts and Thrones Series Amy Raby Books

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Assassin Gambit The Hearts and Thrones Series Amy Raby Books

This is the best example of fantasy romance I have ever read.

Assassin's Gambit delivers a perfect, high-stakes story of clashing empires along with a love story so tender and realistic it left me breathless.

First, the world-building. Amy Raby is a debut author, but her exceptional economy of words is on par with the pros of fantasy writing. It amazes me how efficiently yet vividly she breathes life into a unique magic system and a lush and varied backdrop of warring fantasy nations. There's even a fascinating chess-like game called Caturanga that adds dimension and fun to the story. It takes talent to describe so much without slowing pacing one iota. For her world-building alone, I applaud Ms. Raby, but that's just the beginning.

While sending her characters, amputee emperor Lucien Florian Nigellus and rebel assassin Vitala Salonius on a journey that will dictate the fate of nations, Raby develops a love story that bravely faces the emotional and mental damages left in the wake of horrendous battle injury and sexual trauma. The touchiness of the subject matter could easily turn the story dark, but Raby infuses this powerful tale with light and hope. The happy ending was hard won, well deserved by the characters, and is one I won't soon forget.

Fans of epic fantasy, historical romance, and fantasy romance will all find much to love in Assassin's Gambit. I can't wait for Raby's next book in the series. This is an auto-buy author for me.


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Assassin Gambit The Hearts and Thrones Series Amy Raby Books Reviews

....and I'm not even the target audience. Raby has created fascinating characters facing deadly outcomes, some that come to pass. And yet love and caring play the biggest roles, despite pre-conceived notions about physical differences and tribal loyalties. Although set in a mythical place and time, I could see these places in my mind's eye and relate to the themes as if the story were set in present day. The writing is clear and descriptive, with excellent 'non-put-downable' flow. If you start reading Assassin's Gambit, make sure you don't have an urgent meeting or you may just miss it. I can't wait for the next in the series to learn more about Rhianne and Lucien.
Vitalia, whose name means life, is an engine of death. Oh, hum, heard that line before. But wait, she's a cataruanga player, a game of war strategy, and possessed by guilt-visions for the crimes she's created. Sure, she sort of finds the guy she's supposed to kill charming, but the real clincher is that she takes strategy into her own hands, her own mind, and decides something else would be more useful. This is not the usual motive for a romantic-assassin novel.

I don't want to give away too much. Usually I am not bothered by putting spoilers in my reviews. Suffice it then to say that this heroine does not wither into a decorative wallflower like so many. Like Anat or Inanna, ancient goddesses of both love and war, she is both vulnerable and queen of all battlefields. Like Venus and Aphrodite, she falls not just for some big soldier, but a not-so-perfect man with intellectual abilities. I love the way the author weaves together knowledge of strategy in chess and war with insight into human hopes and fears, abilities and failings. Brilliant ending!
I accidentally read one of the short novellas in this series out of sequence, so I knew some of the ways that this novel had to work out. Nevertheless, knowing the conclusion of this novel's plot did not reduce the pleasure of reading the details the plot is interesting and engaging, leading the reader to another of Kjall's neighboring countries, this one a subject nation that has been abused by Kjall's emperors. The central characters include Lucien, now Kjall's ruler after his father is deposed by XXX, and a minor character from the first novel, Spy's Honor. The other focal point is Vitalla, a young women who has been trained from a young age as an assassin and whose job is specifically to kill the Emperor so that Kjall will descend into civil war and XXX@ will be able to gain its freedom.
Needless to say things do not go exactly that way not on the political level, not on the professional level, and not on the romantic level. The long and lively dance that ensues is satisfying to read. If you want to see who is alive and well for the curtain call, you should read this fine fantasy novel.
I've just read the first three books of this series, and it's hard to pick a favorite. I don't read a lot of fantasy, but the premise of this book sounded so interesting. And it was. However, it was Raby's characters that kept me reading the series. I loved both the H & h. Vitala was such a strong female lead, and Lucien was definitely heroic but realistic. He made some hard choices that Vitala disagreed with but that were best for his country. The minor characters were also well-rounded. Even the ones who were supposed to be the "good" guys had their own agendas and could be scary. Nothing was black and white.

My only regret with the series is the order. This is supposed to be the first book in the series, but really, it's not. Spy's Honor happens 5 years before this one, and while this can be read as a standalone, I really wish I'd read Spy's Honor first. I would have appreciated several of the characters more if I'd read that one first. I also would have understood the back story better. ***Minor Spoiler*** It's a small point, but Lucien tells Vitala that there's no love lost between him and Jan-Torres, which was confusing because I hadn't read the other book first. It left me wondering why Jan-Torres placed him on the throne then. ***Spoiler over***

This was a well-written and well-edited ebook. I got my HEA (crucial to me in romance), but the ending was realistic and not rushed or a pat ending. It had a lot of action and adventure and was paced well. I never felt it dragged anywhere. The world building was excellent. All around, this was a fun, engrossing read that I didn't want to end.
This is the best example of fantasy romance I have ever read.

Assassin's Gambit delivers a perfect, high-stakes story of clashing empires along with a love story so tender and realistic it left me breathless.

First, the world-building. Amy Raby is a debut author, but her exceptional economy of words is on par with the pros of fantasy writing. It amazes me how efficiently yet vividly she breathes life into a unique magic system and a lush and varied backdrop of warring fantasy nations. There's even a fascinating chess-like game called Caturanga that adds dimension and fun to the story. It takes talent to describe so much without slowing pacing one iota. For her world-building alone, I applaud Ms. Raby, but that's just the beginning.

While sending her characters, amputee emperor Lucien Florian Nigellus and rebel assassin Vitala Salonius on a journey that will dictate the fate of nations, Raby develops a love story that bravely faces the emotional and mental damages left in the wake of horrendous battle injury and sexual trauma. The touchiness of the subject matter could easily turn the story dark, but Raby infuses this powerful tale with light and hope. The happy ending was hard won, well deserved by the characters, and is one I won't soon forget.

Fans of epic fantasy, historical romance, and fantasy romance will all find much to love in Assassin's Gambit. I can't wait for Raby's next book in the series. This is an auto-buy author for me.