The Heretic Royal (The Scarred Earth Saga #3)

G.A. Aiken

Blurb:

Ainsley Farmerson has always planned to break free of the family business—and the family drama. But what was once farming, smithworking, and bickering over the dinner table has turned into open warfare between sisters. Sides have been taken, lives are on the line, and Ainsley has no doubt which sister must be queen. She’ll do whatever is necessary to take down the soulless Beatrix. Even if that means joining forces with angry battle nuns, irritating monks, and overbearing centaurs.

Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan has no time for human beings. And yet . . . there is something about the uncontrollable princess that he can’t ignore. Maybe it’s the way her eldest sisters underestimate her. Or her bravery facing down dragons and mad queens from distant lands. Whatever the reason, Gruff is willing to fight by this human’s side. Not only for the entertainment value, but because she’s right. Beatrix must never be queen. So whatever he has to do, whoever he has to destroy, Gruff will battle beside Ainsley. Fast. Hard. And with absolutely no mercy . . .

Themes: Paranormal

Rating: 4.25 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

While I can honestly say I hope the series doesn’t end here, this story is the end for now to my understanding, so with that in mind this third oldest sister in the Farmerson family finds her mate and finds herself fully drawn into the war between her Queenly sisters. I have enjoyed each of the three stories in this series for their own distinct voices and storylines, but I can say that they really need to be read together and in order, not as standalone stories in order to appreciate the greatness of each one. G.A. Aiken (aka Shelly Laurenston) has a rather unique writing style, one that some readers aren’t too keen on, but if you enjoy sarcasm, slightly gory scenes, absurdity, and truly atrocious family relations, then this series will be enjoyable for you. Ainsley Farmerson has tried to stay out of the fighting between her sister’s as much as possible, instead helping her mother corral her thousands of siblings, but she has decided its time to pick a side and will do whatever is necessary to help defeat the psychotic Beatrix. When she is sent on a mission to that purpose, she never imagined that she would be paired with a group of Centaurs, led by Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan, whose people are just that little bit odd and looked at as different from other centaurs. Gruff has no interest in human beings, but there is something about Ainsley that seems to draw his attention, maybe her courage, maybe her absurdity, maybe its simply her dedication to the cause, but whatever it is he is determined to keep her safe while they venture on their mission. Soon their friendship leads to more interesting interactions and they find themselves stuck together like glue, but can two so different creatures, from two such different worlds really coexist together happily forever? I loved Ainsley and seeing her standing up to her sisters, even if they didn’t realize that was what she was doing was freaking hilarious. She fought beautifully, even as other underestimated her skills, stood steadfast against all enemies, but then ran away from the most ridiculous things, but in the end my favorite part about her was her mouth! She truly was my favorite of the three sisters to date, and I can honestly say that I loved her character and could have read ever more chapters about her and Gruff without a single qualm. Gruff was the perfect grumpy anti-hero; he didn’t really want to help anyone, but grudgingly did the right thing again and again, proving that he was a good guy, despite the other centaur clans looking down on his people. He and his family were just that extra bit badass, but at the same time made me laugh again and again with their nonsense. The passion between these two was always unexpected, coming out of nowhere when they decided to indulge and then going back to them both being perfectly calm and collected, making it even more funny. I just love a good Aiken novel and this novel was a perfect example of the twisted and dark writing that makes her just the author to dig into when you want to laugh and gasp. I can also say I LOVED seeing the dragons and Anwyl from the old Dragon Kyn series and could not have been more thrilled to see them interacting and meshing. That is going to make whatever comes next even more awesome, and there has to be more because the book ended on a cliffhanger and it really just CAN’T end here.