Crown Jewels

Man Who Should Be King – Mlyn Hurn
Futuristic Fantasy

Lady Syranna was sent away as a child by her father The King, as war raged in their Kingdom. Syranna has been living in her mother’s magical mythical world of Mystonia. Syranna feels closer to her mother, who has since passed on, living on Mystonia and she feels more of a kinship with her mother’s people than with her father’s people. Although she is the rightful heir to the throne now that her father has passed away as well, Syranna doesn’t want the honor. Syranna wants to practice her craft of magic and remain on her Mystonia. Before she can do so though, she must return to the kingdom and deliver a note to Marcus. Marcus is a great warrior who has fought long and hard to broker peace amongst the lands and is about to crowned King. You see everyone assumed that the King’s only daughter Syranna had perished somehow during the war. When Marcus catches Syranna sneaking back out of the castle and realizes who she is, he will not in good faith accept the title of King. The only way to resolve the situation Marcus informs Syranna is for them to marry and she takes her rightful place as Queen. Only then will Marcus feel right in accepting of the title of King. Over her dead body will Syranna marry Marcus and she high tails it back to Mystonia, never expecting Marcus to follow her. What follows is an enchanted tale of the battle of the sexes you won’t want to miss.

Man Who Should Be King is a whimsical, amusing tale. The sexual tension between Marcus and Syranna is palatable. Reading how these two strong willed, stubborn people try to outwit each other, had me in stitches. Filled with wizards, magic and dragons galore, Ms. Hurn’s Man Who Should Be King was a delight to read. The Princess Brat – Katherine Kingston
Historical

Princess Fanny is a disgrace and a disappointment to her father, the King. Fanny is only concerned not with dresses, protocol, balls or dinner parties. Fanny’s only love is her garden and her plants. Countless tutors have tried to tame this hoyden but to no avail. What could have happened in Fanny’s life to turn her into the uncontrollable brat that she has become?

Handsome Lord Baxter takes the job as Fanny’s new tutor and promises the King that he will succeed where others have failed, something that not even he’s convinced he can achieve. Baxter needs the money the King is offering, so he can get his new business off the ground. He also has another reason for taking a job in the palace, he believes that he will meet his father’s killer here and he’s determined to wreak his revenge when he catches up with him. The King has given our Lord Baxter carte blanche where Fanny is concerned and says he is to use any means necessary to turn her into the Princess the King feels she should be.

Baxter and Fanny are both very determined strong-willed individuals. Baxter has his job cut out for him and though not by the easy road, Baxter soon earns Fanny’s trust. He finds out the real reason why she’s become so untamable and through patience and understanding our duckling is turned into a swan. During their tutoring though, Baxter and Fanny fall in love. Will Baxter be able to give Fanny up to her intended once their lessons are over?

The Princess Brat brings to mind the story of "The Taming of the Shrew." Although I thought Baxter was very harsh with his spankings of Fanny as punishment for her indiscretions, for she didn’t seem to enjoy them, overall I enjoyed The Princess Brat. I enjoyed reading how our Baxter and Fanny, who start out as antagonists, grow to mean so much more to each other.

What a Queen Wants – Bella Andre
Contemporary

Elizabeth has ruled over Magonia for 30 years. Having inherited the title of Queen as a mere child, Elizabeth has had her way in every facet of life. Elizabeth is judge and jury in this Queendom, but she’s become bored as of late with all of the yes men and women who surround her. She realized the power that she could wield at a very young age and has never been challenged in her role as Queen, until now.

Gavin’s case comes before Elizabeth and feels that he is being treated unfairly. He sees through Elizabeth’s façade and he is openly mocking her in open court. Although aroused by this stranger, no one disrespects Elizabeth and gets away with it. After Elizabeth throws Gavin in jail as punishment for his misdeed, she taunts him from a window overlooking the prison yard, by pleasuring herself in full view of Gavin. Gavin is determined to show Elizabeth what a real man, who is not under her control, can do for her. He gets his chance and dishes out a punishment that our Queen will never forget.

Gavin whips Elizabeth into a sexual frenzy and what starts out as revenge on his end turns into something more for the two of them.

Wow, what a man that Gavin is. Our hunky Gavin is full of lust for Elizabeth. What a Queen Wants is a steamy read that will fog up your computer screen. Ms. Andre pens a tale of a woman with absolute power, who knows when it’s time to let down the defenses that she’s built up all of these years.

Crown Jewels is an enjoyable anthology. Story wise, each tale is set in a different era, but each woman maintains her strength while finding her way to the man with whom she will ultimately find love with. Ms. Hurn, Ms. Kingston and Ms Andre collectively brings together reads that each contains a BDSM edge to them and makes Crown Jewels an anthology that flows smoothly from one story to the next.

Reviewed by: Joy