Tag Archives: Grace Deleesie

His Righthand Man by Grace Deleesie-a review

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

His Right Hand Man

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble /

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

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Cross My Heart by Grace M. Deleesie-a review

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Cross My Heart (Wolfe Lodge #1) by Grace M. Deleesie – a review

Cross My heart

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 23, 2013

Three years ago, after Grave lost his mate Amnilia to a human poacher, he tried to denounce his title as Prince of the Bloodclaw Clan, the largest pack of werewolves in Arkansas. Determined to never become involved in pack business again, Grave left to join the human world with his bodyguard and best friend. On a nightly jog, Grave meets a tough and sassy huntress with a vengeance against werewolves like nothing the prince has ever seen before. He finds her most intriguing and, though he was warned to stay away from her, Grave finds himself drawn to her. Knowing he needs to be around her, Grave convinces the huntress he’s human.

When an old enemy comes to town and sees Grave and Sam together, he marks Sam as his next target. To protect her, Grave has to tell her the truth about himself. In doing so Grave will be risking turning her wrath against werewolves on him and ruin any chance Grave has at finding happiness after Amnilia’s death-but it also might just save her life.

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REVIEW: CROSS MY HEART is the first instalment in Grace Deleesie’s new contemporary, adult paranormal Wolfe Lodge series focusing on the Bloodclaw Clan of werewolves. This is Grave and Sam’s story. Grave is the Prince, first in the royal line of werewolves and Sam is the huntress who stalks and destroys the very thing that Grave (is). Sam lost her younger half-brother to the wolf and with it came a vendetta against their kind. Thinking she has saved Grave from an attack, Sam will soon discover that Grave is much more than he professes to be.

The introductory storyline is very long, very detailed and awash in the back story, history, rules and regulations and, laws governing the dos and don’ts of a patriarchal society run by the Alpha male, the royal family and the guardians under their command. We are witness to Grave’s friendship with his best friend and ‘Hash’ (bodyguard) Phax; Sam’s relentless hunt for the werewolf; and Grave’s need for the woman who calls to his inner beast. Sam’s deep-rooted hatred of the werewolves forces Grave to keep his identity a secret and with it will come betrayal, heartbreak and the loss of one’s mate.

Grace Deleesie has written a storyline that will see the prince lose his mate-not once-but twice. He is a man whose heart and soul will be crushed by the very woman with whom he has fallen in love and in the end he must allow said woman to walk away. This is not a story with a hearts and flower ending, but a story where one man must face an uncertain future when his mate is so focused on her own wants and needs that she will place the Bloodclaw Clan and wolves into an uncertain future.

Sam is on a mission and she refuses to acknowledge that anything so vile as a werewolf could have emotions and feelings. She is a woman determined to eradicate the species one wolf at a time and her unwillingness to compromise sets the tone for the character’s drive and sense of duty-in this- she was not necessarily a easy character to love.

CROSS MY HEART is an interesting look at a werewolf society governed by an hierarchy of royalty where exposure to the humans is almost as dangerous as the rogue wolves who threaten their own kind. Grace Deleesie writes an edgy storyline where one woman has the ability to destroy a man and a prince with her inability to accept the truth behind the werewolves and their need for a mate. And when said woman walks away she will destroy what is left of a man whose only sin is to fall in love with the woman who hates the very thing he was born to be.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

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