The King’s Conquest by Valentina Heart is a fantasy romance between Prince Rinin of Kari and King Merinej of Jede, two men brought together to seal the peace between countries in a longstanding war. Prince Rinin, as the war prize, must pay for the peace with his body. An arranged marriage between the heirs of two warring nations is the basis of King’s Conquest.
Heart creates an alien world where men of a certain lineage can give birth and some can wield magic. There are plots and counter-plots throughout King’s Conquest. The story is interesting because of the world building that Heart does. Both Rinin and Merinej are clearly from a different world; Rinin can physically give birth to a child!
The science fiction/fantasy elements of this story add nice color to King’s Conquest. Heart speaks in Prince Rin’s voice throughout the story. From his perspective, there are glimpses of magic-assisted technologies and alien physiologies. The one shortcoming of this story maybe that Heart tells it through the voice of Prince Rin. What are the motivations on King Merinej? Why is he accepting this marriage arrangement? How does Prince Rin’s best friend and cousin, Tyn feel about Rin leaving him behind when he goes to Jede? And what about the villain of the tale, the former harem member plotting against the two men as they try to create a working relationship?
Many questions remain unanswered at the end of King’s Conquest. It’s the opening chapter in the Mending the Rift series, so the next chapter might address them. Still, King’s Conquest is a good start.
Stars: [rating=3]
Review originally appeared on QMO Books
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Image courtesy of Silver Publishing