Title: Fallen Crown Author: W. Million Genre: Contemporary Royal Romance
Maren Tucker is done with men who check in for the good times and check out for the bad. As a member of one of the oldest families in Bellerive, she doesn’t have to play nice with the Summerset Royals. Especially not the youngest who represents everything she detests.
Brice Summerset is the life of every party, and as the third in line to the throne, he’s never had to take anything in life particularly seriously. Show up. Charm a few people. Make a generous donation. Move on.
But Brice’s life is on the cusp of big changes. His father is sick. His two older brothers are settling down, and he’s starting to wonder what else life has to offer.
When Maren tries to block Brice from joining her charity adventure race team, Brice balks at the notion he’s not up to the challenge. As the two butt heads over everything from training philosophies to life goals, they begin to see something in themselves and each other that they never expected.
I press my lips together to avoid snapping back, which is what Brice wants. If I can’t keep my retorts focused on training, I’ll undermine my authority as the coach, and I’ve worked too damn hard and earned every scrap of my knowledge to look like a fool.
Wren hooks Brice up to the ropes, and he approaches the wall, examining the placement of the holds. When he goes to reach for the first one, Wren cringes but doesn’t say anything.
“You want to maximize your static reach.” I release a deep sigh and go to the wall to demonstrate how to straighten his posture and rise on his toes to get a good grip. “Otherwise, your arms will get tired quickly.”
He gazes at me wordlessly for a beat, and I can’t tell if he’s taking me seriously or not. Then he says, “Any more tips, Coach?”
“Don’t over grip the handholds. Keep your hands relaxed and light.” I demonstrate, and when Brice grasps the rock just above our heads, I slide my hand under his to check the tension in his wrist. His skin is warm and smooth against mine. “Yeah,” I say, “gentle like you’re cupping an egg or a light bulb and trying not to break it.”
“I tend to prefer my grip firm,” he says with a smirk.
“Not a surprise that your primary concern is your own satisfaction.” I give him a mild look and keep my voice pitched low.
“My own satisfaction is always a concern,” he says, leaning close enough that his breath stirs the tendrils of dark hair that have escaped my ponytail, “but it’s never my only one.”
I can feel my jaw tighten at his obvious innuendo, and my heart kicks at his proximity. An unexpected awareness electrifies the space between us, and when our gazes connect, his expression shifts from brimming with amusement to one laced with curiosity.
“You’re not as immune to me as you’d like to believe,” he whispers.
W. Million is a Watty Award winner whose contemporary romances about strong women and troubled men have captivated her loyal readers.
Writing as Wendy Million, she is the author of the romantic suspense series The Donaghey Brothers, the NA sports romance Saving Us, and the contemporary second chance romance, When Stars Fall.
When not writing, Wendy enjoys spending time in or around the water. She lives in Ontario, Canada with two beautiful daughters, two cute pooches, and one handsome husband (who is grateful she doesn’t need two of those).
As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more details.
Three Reasons You Should Read This Romantic Suspense:
Protect My Heart by Diane Wiggs seemed like so much more than a romantic suspense – I felt deeply invested in all aspects of the characters’ lives.
Elizabeth had a lot of tragedy to work through, from her father to her brother, and she always seemed to handle it with a level of grace – even when totally losing her mind.
The suspense is ever-present, and the mystery behind everything is unwound very slowly, drawing out all the good bits until a masterful reveal.
She doesn’t want anyone’s help, but a grumpy cop doesn’t give her a choice. Twenty years after witnessing her brother’s death, pediatric psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Garcia returns to Minnesota to testify at his killer’s parole hearing. While home, she helps a family friend in need of a child advocate after a young boy witnesses a shooting.
The attraction she feels for the cop working the case, blindsides her. He chases danger as if it’s a game. Good thing she was leaving soon, or so she thought. Threats from her past resurface, putting her life in danger.
Detective Jim Swenson just wants to do his job without interruptions. So when Dr. Garcia inserts herself into his case, she becomes a sexy distraction. She has the body of a pinup model but represents the high society woman he swore off years ago.
But when someone takes an unhealthy interest in the lovely psychologist, his cop instincts kick in even though his heart screams, “Danger, danger! Proceed with caution.”
Protect My Heart by Diane Wiggs was a very deep suspense and mystery. There were a lot of strings to pull and full of some very interesting twists and turns. The mystery surrounding Elizabeth’s father moves forward slowly and meticulously, building steam until the final big moment. Which is a great big moment that made me really feel my heart pounding.
The tension between Elizabeth and Jim builds right along with the suspense. And I really enjoyed it as well. Most of it. There were a few too many cases of making horrible assumptions and self-doubting to the point I didn’t feel bad for them anymore. I started feeling annoyed. They needed to get out of their heads a little more often and actually have a conversation.
But the cute dog helped make up for a lot of the little things that bothered me. While the book is listed as part of a series, it does quite well on its own. I wouldn’t have realized it was a series if it wasn’t staring at me from the cover. Definitely worth the read for some really deep and building suspense.
Curl up by a warm fire as winter’s icy fingers claw their way down your back and sink into this collection tales of icy villains.
Tales of revenge. Of dubious heroes and well-meaning winter witches. Of noble assassins and the origins of evil. You might be left questioning who really is the villain, or just whose side you’re on.
But as the ice thaws, you might see some hope left, after all…
• The Kelpie by Andrew LiVecchi
• Ashen Queen by E. Seneca
• The Third Son by Elise Berensen Meyer
• Grandmother Oak by Benjamin Sperduto
• A Forever Winter by Arwyn Sherman
• How The Sea Witch Lost Her Heart by J. D. Trebmal
• Elemental by Lily Manning
• The Dark King of Time by Tina Capricorn
• The Winter Queen by Jan Marie Reynoldson
• Glace Noir by Kimberly Grymes
• Immistar by Paul Williams
• Don’t Feed the Beasts by William Rigsby
• Cold Revenge by Maria Carvalho
• Crown of Sweetgrass by Cherie Lynae Cabrera Suski
Three days. Three Loki-cursed days of feasting. Of looking sorrowful during sad stories he did not find depressing. Of laughing at jests he did not find funny. Of communing with courtiers he did not trust.
Leaving the revelers to enjoy their last feast day, Drek was on his way out of the great hall when he crossed paths with one of his servants turned street spy. To any passersby who happened to see the young elf walk past Drek while balancing a tray of spiced pear wine, it would seem that the prince and the servant made no contact. Yet, Drek walked through the behemoth doors into the front corridor with a note tucked into his large fist.
He opened the missive as soon as he walked through his chamber door and didn’t bother relaxing into one of the plush leather chairs in the sitting room to read it. Heading straight to his dressing room, he decoded the message, letting his feet carry him along the familiar path. It related a lead that could reveal his next victim. No, he had decided not to think of them that way. Victim was much too personal of a word. Assassins used words like target, or mark. Those were better words. Words that separated him from the sordid deeds he carried out behind the crown’s back. His own father’s back.
Black training leathers hung in the back of his closet. They were nondescript and not unusual attire for a third born warrior-prince to own. However, when Drek donned them with a black tunic, boots, and a deep hooded cloak, he truly looked like what he had become. An assassin, but not one of those evil-worshiping members of the Order of Fenrir. They were the ones he was attempting to root out of his father’s court, but sometimes you had to become your worst nightmare in order to fight it.
