WHAT LIES WITHIN MASKS AND SHADOWS
BY NICOLLE MAY
Published: 27th February 2024
Independent
They made her kneel. So, she would see them burn…
Alora—a Marked One—is bound to a fate of suffering. Therefore, when Lord Kaine takes her as his lady, life under his status and within his manor should have offered her everything—including safety.
Except, in the darkness, Alora is a dying star, an explosion contained by his will and cruelty. Waiting for the day she’ll blaze a light so intense it would burn at the edges of shadow itself, she endures her destined torment.
But outside his walls, evil terrorizes Elysian, and as the Savage Prince sets his attention on Alora next, the lines between monster and savior blur. Her desire for freedom becomes tainted, and a new price must be paid. With rumors of his cruelty, ruthlessness, and unrelenting power, Alora’s trust is not easily earned. She can’t help feeling like she’s exchanged one monster for another—a lord for a prince. A betrothed for a shadow beast.
Can Alora ever truly be free under those who have bound themselves to her?
The Witcher meets Game of Thrones in this fast-paced high fantasy page turner, woven through with traumance.
Alora—a Marked One—should be safe in Elysian as Lord Kaine’s lady, but he’s a cruel and abusive man. Alora’s tale is heartbreaking, all too familiar, told with the sensitivity and unflinching rawness needed. Alora bides her time, planning to plot her escape.
Garrick, the Savage Prince, also has his sights set on Alora, and he promises her freedom. But she doesn’t know whether it’s better the devil she knows, or the shadow daddy she doesn’t.
Phenomenal world building and incredibly detailed characterisation make this book the page turner that it is. I am so invested in these characters, and there is so much box ticking going on! Sexual tension, tons of banter, emotional outpouring, trauma, sloooooow burn, dark romance. I need to read book two right now!
Huge thanks to Nicolle May for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC; this is my honest review.
5 / 5
‘Tick – tick – tick – tick – ticks ALLLL the boxes!’