A HEAVY CROWN
Three daughters were born to High King Uorsin, in place of the son he wanted. The youngest, lovely and sweet. The middle, pretty and subtle, with an air of magic. And the eldest, the Heir. A girl grudgingly honed to leadership, not beauty, to bear the sword and honor of the king.
Ursula’s loyalty is as ingrained as her straight warrior’s spine. She protects the peace of the Twelve Kingdoms with sweat and blood, her sisters from threats far and near. And she protects her father to prove her worth. But she never imagined her loyalty would become an open question on palace grounds. That her father would receive her with a foreign witch at one side and a hireling captain at the other—that soldiers would look on her as a woman, not as a warrior. She also never expected to decide the destiny of her sisters, of her people, of the Twelve Kingdoms and the Thirteenth. Not with her father still on the throne and war in the air. But the choice is before her. And the Heir must lead…
~ Goodreads
Worldbuilding: The fantasy world of The Twelve Kingdoms is rich, beautiful, uber well put together. I loved Annfwn beyond measure, its shape-shifting citizens and magic, but the other kingdoms were nothing to scoff at either. Beautiful landscapes, gorgeous castles, all kinds of interesting people – like the very Viking-like delicious Dasnarians xDDD -. Much, much awesome!!
Characters: I will confess Ursula was my favorite of the three sisters, from the very beginning of the series. Her fierce loyalty and sense of right and wrong, of duty, of self-sacrifice in the name of caring for and protecting her loved ones…and now, through this read, getting a better grip on her self-imposed solitude and lack of trust in her (and other people’s) emotions/feelings endeared her all the more to me. I loved Ursula already as I started reading this novel, but by the end of it, I loved her fiercely. I was aching for her happy ending, for her to get what she deserved. And she did get it, by taking it herself, yet another thing I loved about her. She got things done, kicked ass and had an astute strategic mind. I’m so in love with her character I can’t even begin to describe it.
Harlan was beyond awesome, loyal, dedicated, strong yet aware he was second seat in this show. The man knew how to support and have Ursula’s back, and I loved and admired him for it. He loved her tenderly, sweetly, passionately – and they had scorching hot chemistry Yum!!
I also loved seeing the three sisters reunited, and I’m thrilled about the end of the story for them and the Thirteen Kingdoms
Plot: The romantic arc of Ursula and Harlan’s HEA was awesome, a slow burn kind of romance with a lot of passion, and uber hot one on one – yet another one of Jeffe Kennedy’s strengths. The story had an alert pace, with cool action – battle scenes, chases -, but never in the detriment of character development. It’s not an agitated read, as we go through all of Ursula’s doubts and fears until we reach an ending I was personally rooting for ever since reading the first novel in this fabulous series.
Writing: First person, past narrative, Ursula’s POV. Her voice was what I expected from her, somewhat bound to protocol and being all proper, with subtle humor and a lot of heart. Loved it. Jeffe Kennedy’s usual kickass writing skills showed again in any and all departments: worldbuilding, tension-building, romance-building, character-building.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb, instant buy author name – ever the impulsive buy material.
All in all, I highly recommend both the novel and the whole Twelve Kingdoms series to any fantasy romance lovers. It’s a sturdy read, it’s fun, exciting, imaginative, evokes loooots of feels, and it’s an awesome, frolicking fun ride! Take a chance on the series if you haven’t already. Super awesome writing, diverse characters, delicious and hot romance, power struggles, treason, murder, chases, fights, lots of ass-kicking, hearts breaking and mending… the best of all worlds.
I will for sure keep reading the series, and can’t wait for Dafne’s story!! xDDDD
Uorsin definitely deserved what happened to him in this novel, but if you’re curious about reading about him and Salena, the mother of the three sisters we’re read about so far, the prequel Negotiation novella is free on Amazon / Smashwords / Kobo for the release of The Talon of the Hawk, so grab it It’s short, but I read it real quick and loved it!
Triumph
2. What would you say inspired you to write it?
This is the third book in the series, so much of the inspiration has come from the build of the connected stories of my three sisters, daughters of the High King. I wanted to write a book about a sword-wielding warrior woman, and this is her book.
3. What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a project?
My first novel took me several years to write, counting all the revisions!
4. Would you say becoming an author has changed you? In what way?
That’s an interesting question. Maybe not being an author, but becoming a novelist has made me much more patient and able to work in a dedicated way on a long term project.
5. Was there ever a time, during your work on the e-book/book, when you felt like giving up? What made you change your mind?
Oh sure—that’s just a normal part of the process. One very good reason not to give up is the legal contract where they already gave me money, so I’m not allowed to give up! Beyond that, though, it’s the knowledge that the feeling will pass. If I let that “give up”moment get to me, I’d never finish a book.
6. What does your day-to-day life consist of? What else do you do, aside writing?
MY daily life is pretty quiet. I have a full-time career with an environmental consulting firm, too, but I work from home. I exercise first thing, then write for a few hours, then switch over to the day job. In the evenings I read and watch a movie with my husband.
7. Is this title part of a series? Without giving us spoilers, of course, what can we expect from the next e-books/books in the series?
This is the third of five I’m contracted for now. The next book is Dafne’s – the librarian, for those who are familiar with the series. She’s an orphan, a ward of the crown and has been a kingmaker, assisting the three princesses in their journeys. Now she’s going to go on a quest!
8. What do you have stored for us in the future? What are you working on/planning on next, aside this title/series?
I’m also working on a proposal for a new epic fantasy series with an erotic edge. Also, this fall, I’ll have a story in an anthology with five other authors called Dark Secrets: a Paranormal Noir Anthology.
Fun facts:
9. Name your favorite fruit. cherries
10. Coffee or tea? Both
11. Favorite season? Autumn
12. How about fav time of 24 hours? I love the golden hour, just before sunset. The light is gorgeous
13. Were you a boyscout/girlscout? Girl Scouts for the win!
14. Favorite food for breakfast? cake
15. Latest book you’ve bought and read? Probably one of the Outlander books. Oh, funny! I read this as “longest” at first. LOL! Latest would be…The Shape of Temptation by Eleri Stone
16. Do you collect things like stamps, or key chains, or shoes? Masks
17. Favorite color, you know you want to tell us! Green!
18. Have a fav quote or personal motto? Don’t let the bastards get you down.
19. Cats or dogs? Cats
20. Dinner by candlelight or a night out clubbing? Dinner by candlelight
21. What song have you listened to most recently? Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dreams
22. If everyone would receive a prize for being best at something, you’d be no. 1 at...opening wine and champagne bottles
23. The one thing that always brightens your day is...my online friendships
Her most recent works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion, and an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera. A fourth series, the fantasy trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms, hit the shelves starting in May 2014 and book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and has been nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose, has been nominated for best fantasy romance of the year. A fifth series, the highly anticipated erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, released starting with Going Under, followed by Under His Touch and Under Contract.
She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.
Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com, every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog, on Facebook, and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy. She is represented by Connor Goldsmith of Fuse Literary.