Some time ago, I won a paperback copy of Jessaca Willis‘ A Delicate Betrayal.
Beloved. Betrothed. Betrayed.
When Aenwyn’s magic unleashes a reign of dragons upon the land, she agrees to marry King Everard to atone for the devastation she’s caused.
Queendom proves to be as dissatisfying as their loveless marriage. But soon fate answers her pleas for adventure with a vision of dragon’s fire and a distractingly handsome knight intent on blocking her path.
Sir Darius Graeme can’t let her flee the castle. But nothing will stop Aenwyn from claiming the dragon’s heart—and perhaps even the knight’s as well.
I will start this review with a little bit of a spoiler. But this, I think, is an important one. This book does not, I repeat, DOES NOT have a happy ending. I went in fully expecting a fantasy romance, and while two people did fall in love, there IS NOT a happy ending for them. So, is it romance at all?
I have mixed feelings about the rest of the book. On the one hand, I liked the characters and appreciated that Aenwyn was capable and take-charge about her fate/duty (maybe even a little femme-dommy). Darius remained fairly flat, honestly, until the end. But I appreciate that he’s loyal and not any sort of alpha a-hole. On the other hand, I found the patriarchal worldbuilding and social (mis)treatment of women boring and unimaginative. Plus, the story took a long time to really get going, and I was confused about the role the dragons were meant to have played.
All in all, an OK read. It’s not topping my favorites list, but I’m not sad to have read it.
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