HIS RIGHTHAND MAN (Brides #1) by Grace Deleesie-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 25, 2013

Angela of Rom has one mission: to save the lives of her sickly brother and crippled father. When her beloved country goes to war, Angela disguises herself as her brother “Phil,” the estranged son of Rom. The last person she expected to collide with (literally) is her long time betrothed Captain Konner of Hoyts. Having never met Konner before, Angela is quickly intrigued by the large man who is soon to be her husband. Konner could care less about the unknown woman his father betrothed him to. His sole purpose is to fight, and to win, the war. When he discovers, though, that the famed archer of the Arohian army is, in truth, a woman (his woman) Konner’s affections fast become hers. Yet, Angela is a distraction to the warrior lifestyle he’d been born and raised in. Konner must learn to keep his head…without losing his heart.

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REVIEW: HIS RIGHTHAND MAN is the first instalment in Grace Deleesie’s new series Brides-a cross between historical romance and a little bit of fantasy. With close to 500 pages in the first storyline HIS RIGHTHAND MAN is just the beginning of a saga about a war between countries, the love of family and the fight for the one who has stolen your heart. This is Angela and Konner’s storyline.

The premise follows Angela of Rom as she endeavors to hide in plain site. Hoping to protect her fifteen year old brother from the atrocities of war, Angela secretly enlists in the army as her estranged brother ‘Phil’ and what follows is the building of friendships, relationships, abilities and love. Serving under the command of the man to whom she has been betrothed-Konner- but never previously met, Angela – now known as Phil – must remain true to her promise to protect and defend the people that she loves. But trying to keep safe the man with whom she is falling in love is becoming difficult when he is constantly putting himself in the line of fire and she is unable to reveal her true identity. Women are not allowed in combat and Angela’s secret is about to be revealed.

The relationship between Konner and Angela begins as commander and soldier leading to friendship than love but along the way Konner becomes suspicious of ‘Phil’s’ relationship with Prince Richard and believes that they are keeping secret information. We watch as Konner and ‘Phil’s’ bromance friendship grows knowing that Konner is not aware that the man he calls ‘brother’ is actually his betrothed. When Phil’s true identity is finally discovered, Konner’s anger is fueled by the pain and betrayal-not only from the friend he has grown to love but from the woman he has never truly known.

HIS RIGHTHAND MAN is a long story-almost 500 pages- that follows the slow build of friendships and relationship between several people including Konner, Angela (Phil) and Prince Richard. Grace Deleesie pulls the reader onto the training grounds and battlefields where lives will be lost and family’s destroyed. There is some violence but not graphic; the sex scene is mostly implied; and the developing romance between two people can be felt throughout the storyline. The world building is richly detailed with flashbacks, memories and historical recollections.

I did have one issue-not necessarily constructive-but for all of the building relationships and friendships-not once did anyone presume that ‘Phil’ was not who he purported to be. Only one man (and her family) knew Phil’s true identity and he believed it was not his story to tell. Cutting one’s hair and lowering one’s voice does not make one female or male and in this the believability is questionable. But then again, this is a fictional storyline with a fantasy adventure about war, betrayal and growing love and in this we can overlook the small questions that continued to burn throughout the story.

Grace has written a fascinating and interesting tale about friendships and love surrounded by the struggles of war. We watch as Angela grows into a strong soldier, a trusted friend and eventually a loving mate and in the end will discover that even she cannot ensure the safety of everyone she loves.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy