Ildiko would miss very little when she left with her new husband for his home. She was the king’s niece, the orphaned child of his younger sister. Her place in the family insured a stately home, regular meals and fine clothes. It insured nothing else, and there was no love lost between her and her living relatives. This new marriage might offer nothing different, except a change in her place in court hierarchy. By marrying the prince, she became a duchess, a Kai hercegesé.

When servants brought out the food and set it on the table, Brishen leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Revenge, wife?” They realized they loved each other and the sex was awesome! Lord have mercy! Well.. they couldn't kiss proper or he would have sliced her face into little pieces but they figured some stuff out :) And what has you smiling so brightly?” Brishen stared at her, his lambent eyes glowing nearly white in the hall’s torchlight. None of the King or Queens of each family are happy but it's the way it is, I must say Brishen's mom is a bitch beyond all bitches. I will let you read the book about her!

Publication Order of Dragon Shifter Books

Three enemy kingdoms must unite to save each other, and a one-eyed, reluctant king must raise an army of the dead to defeat an army of the damned.

Oh my goodness… I am obsessed with this book! There is nothing better than reading a new to you author and having zero expectations and loving it this much! I am not the biggest fantasy reader, but this book was perfect. So much romantic greatness. A soft rap on the receiving room door drew the queen’s attention away from her. Enter, she called out. Her serious features relaxed into a wide smile. She possessed the teeth of a tiny horse--white and square except for two pairs of pathetic canines. He’d seen Kai toddlers with milk teeth sharper than those. He tried to focus on her words.She looks like a normal girl to us. Red hair, white skin. Basic. But, to him, SHE is hideous. Her teeth remind him of horse's teeth. Her eyes, having whites and pupils, freak him the hell out. He sees her eyes and sees this:

Ildiko loved Brishen's home and the Kai were getting to know her and kind to her. Amhuset is Brishen's cousin, his lieutenant and second in command. She's a bad ass warrior. Ildiko had to get used to their schedules and sleep mostly during the day as it hurt the Kai's eyes and stay up all night. Party at the castle... well they did have one when they invited some humans they liked across the way in another castle.

Publication Order of Bonekeeper Chronicles Books

I must admit, this was really something different! *lol* I mean the book blurb already suggested that this wasn’t going to be your ordinary love story but wow, this one was really something else. XD The concept of arranged marriages between different countries is nothing new, in this case however it aren’t just dissimilar kingdoms but also different species our two protagonists have to deal with. Ildiko is human and Brishen is Kai and I’m pretty sure they couldn’t be any more different even if they tried. Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental. All told “Radiance” was a nice change to all the serious books I usually tend to read. XD The books approach was something refreshing and new and I found myself enjoying the slow-burn love story between our two protagonists Ildiko and Brishen. The concept of insta-friendship is the kind of trope I’d love to see more in books and now that their relationship is solid I’m ready to go for the plot! Let’s see what “Eidolon” will throw our way. ;-P He blinked. He’d expected her to ask his name or offer hers. He liked that she didn’t. This brief anonymity offered a certain respite from formality. He was a prince of the blood, and the Gauri stepped lightly amongst Kai royalty. We are a people of night. We see better in the dark. The moon is the sun to us; we live by her light. She stunned him with the question. Brishen had always considered himself an agreeable man. He didn’t envy his older brother’s place as heir to the throne, understood his duty to his kingdom and never balked at the fact he was merely a pawn in the endless power machinations between empires. He assumed his future wife had no choice in the matter either. They were duty-bound by their stations.

As is the whole book, really. Radiance is a pitch-perfect fantasy romance that weaves classic material into something new and delightful. As long as you’re okay with a bit of spice and a few really dark moments, you should shove this book to the very top of your TBR because it’s fantastic. I mentioned Beauty and the Beast earlier, but in this version, Idilko and Brishen both consider each other to be monstrous. Idilko is human and Brishen is Kai—a gray-skinned humanoid with claws and teeth and iridescent eyes. Their meet-cute takes place in the palace garden right before the wedding, where they’ve each gone to be alone, though since they haven’t met, neither knows who the other is. They strike up a pleasant conversation, which includes this gem of dialogue between them: Ildiko’s stomach heaved. She forgot her nausea when Serovek complimented her. “An excellent choice to pair the scarpatine with the potato, Your Highness. They are better together than apart.” Silhara seeks help in the translation of scrolls, where the secret to defeating the Corruption god are listed. Martise a skilled translator and scribe is sent to Silhara by Cumbria, her Master. Cambria is the high bishop and one of Silhara’s biggest enemies. While Martise is small and insignificant, her intelligence and determination set her apart. It does not take long for Martise to gain the Master of the Crows respect and eventually his heart.Well then, that’s good to know. I’m sure I taste awful. She lowered her gaze and smoothed the heavily embroidered silk of her gown over her knees. Brishen swore he heard a whisper of true relief in her gentle sarcasm. The Silhara of Neith, otherwise known as the Master of Crows, is one distressed man. The Corruption god has invaded his mind and promised limitless power if only Silhara will help it dominate the world. Silhara is not happy about the situation, and the sorcerer is in search of ways to finish the Corruption god once and for all. When Martise comes to his house as an apprentice, Silhara already knows that she is a spy. He now has to worry about another enemy. There is the Corruption god who is keen to possess him and an apprentice who is sure to betray him. With that off my chest, let me talk about how much I loved this book. It follows a predictable structure—this is a romance, after all, and no slight is intended because I’m 100% here for it—in which members of two warring kingdoms are forced to marry as a way to ensure peace. They develop feelings for each other over time and survive multiple dangerous situations to live happily ever after. I’ve read several books with this exact pattern, but this one stands out because both the romance and the fantasy are fully developed and deeply intertwined, then wrapped in a layer of lush prose that is as swoon-worthy as the budding love between Idilko and Brishen. Ildiko is nothing like Brishen has ever seen. While he finds her ugly, Brishen is a dutiful son who is determined to make the marriage work. What starts as a marriage of convenience grows into a love so strong that the two lovebirds soon become inseparable. The couple brought together by trappings of politics and duty, realize that they are soulmates destined for each other. Even if the hostile kingdom threatens this beautiful couple, the two are determined to fight anyone that stands in their way and make their relationship work. Once again, I came upon this book completely by chance, read the synopsis, and that was it ! I read it and to my surprise, I ended up loving this book so much that it’s actually hard for me to find something I didn’t like about it