Publisher's summary: Brash, cocky, and unbeatable with a sword (well, almost), Sam of Haywood is the most promising Paladin trainee in the kingdom of Thule… and knows it. The only problem is that Sam is really Lady Samantha, daughter of the seventeenth Duke of Haywood, and if her father has his way, she’ll be marrying a Paladin, not becoming one.
But Sam has never held much interest in playing damsel-in-distress, and so she rescues herself from a lifetime of boredom and matrimonial drudgery. Disguised as a boy, Sam leaves home behind to fight demons-—the most dangerous monsters in Thule—-alongside the kingdom’s elite warriors. Pity that Tristan Lyons, the Paladin assigned to train her, is none other than the hero of her childhood. He hasn’t recognized her–yet–but if he does, he’ll take away her sword and send her packing.
Sam is not the only trainee hiding secrets: Braeden is a half-demon with a dark past that might be unforgivable. Whether he can be trusted is anyone’s guess, including his.
As demons wreak havoc across the land, rebellion stirs in the West, led by a rival faction of warriors.
A war between men is coming, and Sam must pick a side. Will saving the kingdom cost her life–or just her heart?
*DISCLAIMER* This post may contain spoilers
In the beginning, I thought that this book would just be one of those that I read to pass the time. The plot is very simple with Samantha, who is the only daughter and heir of the seventeenth Duke of Haywood, trying to find her place int the world instead of letting her parents control her life and make her into a ‘respectable lady’; as in just marry her off to some acceptable guy. Fortunately fate had other plans for her but with a very high price. Samantha, desperate to escape from her life after her mother’s death and the hardheartedness of her father, dresses up as a boy and joins the Paladins where she resumes her training to become one of Thule's protectors. The plot thickens when she gets Tristan Lyons, whom she had history with, and a weird boy who is half demon. Ordered by the high commander to investigate a suspicious power rising in Thule, they encounter the leader of this organization and discover that the high commander is not as simple as he seems. The last pages of this book had me up till 3:00 am and has definitely worked its way to be one of my favorites. Tristan is a sweet guy at heart and had me struggling to choose between him and Braeden who is just plain AWESOME! Samantha is one of the best female heroines I have encountered though she did piss me off at time in the book where I was just internally screaming at the awkwardness and slow pace at which her relationship with Braeden developed. The main plot and enemy of this story is still hidden which makes me feel that the pace is way too slow, too many mysteries go untold in this first book. Though these are my own thoughts, I think the main thing that needed to be explained was her mom's heritage because I was waiting for the full story to be cleared up there. I don’t know if its important for the story’s future but the author should definitely use it. I hope these things will be cleared up in the sequel.
Final Verdict: Loved this book and I can't wait for the next one.
Rating: 4.5/5
By Kevin Ruby
Images found on www.google.com/images
Summary taken from Goodreads
This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This book can be purchased from bookdepository.com, they have free international shipping.
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