Review: Has potential...but falls a little short
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2014
3.5 starsWe start with Vashia on the run...from her cruel father and the man he has "given" her to.  Stalked through the worst parts of the city, she makes a desperate attempt to escape and signs on to potentially become the next Shroud Queen.  What she doesn't know is that she is playing right into her father and Jarn's plans.Dolfan has always known his fate.  As one of seven princes, he will come before "the heart" for the chance to find his bride.  Being king is the last thing that he wants but one look at Vashia and the pull she has on him has him rethinking his plans.Action, adventure and betrayal threaten them both and when the bonding happens with the least likely coupling, will anyone have the heart to question centuries of beliefs and traditions?I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, I always go into a scifi/paranormal romance with an open mind and this one defiantly required it.  It was difficult for me to get into at first....I was really confused.  The reader is dropped right into the conflict of the story without any real background of what is going on.  I even went back to see if maybe this was a book two and I missed the beginning of the story somehow but no.  A little time spent on developing Vashias backstory would have helped her character tremendously.  Dolfan is a likable character, and you find yourself routing for him from the start but I really wanted to know more about him...more background would have been helpful.  There are a lot of characters in this story and they all have really challenging names so it was really difficult to remember who is who.The action/adventure of this story is great and it is well written.  I wouldn't characterize it so much as a romance though as that is a very small aspect of this story.My thoughts:Quick hook or slow starter? 3.5 (I was lost in the beginning and it took quite awhile for me to connect with the characters)Character development: 3Level of Romance between characters: 3.5Passion/Heat level: 3 (one kiss, that's it)Angst/Heartbreak: 3 (this is not really that kind of a story)Cliffhanger?: Nope, this is the first in a series but this couples story is wrapped.  I am assuming future books will be about the other princes??Overall, it was just ok for me.  With a little more character development and a little more romance it would have been great for me.  If you are looking for an action packed other world type book with just a tiny touch of romance, give this one a try.I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.