Radiance: Volume 1 (Wraith Kings)

Product Information

If you are looking for a great love story with minimal drama but enough action, this book is ideal. Get to enjoy a well-written story with lovable characters. Even though theirs is not the perfect romance story, Ildiko and Brishen make the best of what fate hands to them. The plot here is mostly romance, but there are unique and intriguing fantasy elements in the story as well. Overall a great romance story told by a very talented writer.

She lifted her gaze once more. He twitched. Lover of thorns, but those eyes disconcerted him. You don’t have to answer of course, but do you think the Kai prince will hate his wife? Their marriage is one that will secure an alliance between their kingdoms, and while both were pushed into it, neither one resents it.

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

The story begins with our couple on their wedding day. They are two different species and are being married off to set an alliance in place between their kingdoms. He is grey (not sure how many shades. let's say 49 or so), has giant razor-sharp teeth and claws, and alien eyes that are all one color. Here is what she says about his appearance:

She stunned him with the question. Brishen had always considered himself an agreeable man. He didn’t envy his older brother’s place as heir to the throne, understood his duty to his kingdom and never balked at the fact he was merely a pawn in the endless power machinations between empires. He assumed his future wife had no choice in the matter either. They were duty-bound by their stations. She charmed and fascinated him, and Brishen wished he had the leisure to know her better. But there was no time. He married at dusk when both human and Kai eyes could see each other clearly and recoil at the sight. Today was Ildiko’s wedding day, and if she managed not to retch on herself or a guest, she’d consider the entire event a resounding success. Her serious features relaxed into a wide smile. She possessed the teeth of a tiny horse--white and square except for two pairs of pathetic canines. He’d seen Kai toddlers with milk teeth sharper than those. He tried to focus on her words. Beside her, Brishen choked into his goblet. He wiped his mouth with his sanap. “What a waste of good scarpatine,” he muttered under his breath.Ildiko laughed and stabbed a piece of the potato off his plate. She popped it into her mouth and chewed with gusto, eager to blunt the taste of scarpatine still lingering on her tongue.” His companion’s eyebrows rose. Her lips closed over her teeth, and she smiled archly. She pointed to his face and then to his hands. I think the Kai, with their teeth and claws, have the advantage over the Gauri in that contest. The thought scraped across her mind. Saliva flooded her mouth as the nausea roiling in her belly threatened to surge into her throat. Ildiko closed her eyes and swayed where she stood on the tailoring stool. A hand gripped her leg to steady her, and she opened her eyes to stare down at the royal dressmaker. Fantasy meets romance in a tale you won’t want to put down. Radiance is fresh, intriguing and completely captivating. Hardly,” she replied, keeping a wary eye on the pie closest to her. The golden top crust, with its sprinkle of sparkling salt, pitched in a lazy undulation. “But I’m starving, and I have no intention of filling up on that abomination.”