Review: DUTY by Rachel Rossano

I've never mentioned how neat it is to know people in the biz, have I? It is. I first did some work for Rachel editing WORD AND DEED for her (and the cover of that book? Still LOVE.) I was immediately impressed with her work, so when she contacted me about reviewing her latest novel DUTY, I said yes right away.

From Amazon: 

Duty to King

Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king and the recent civil war. When his benefactor demands Tomas marry the cousin of a noble, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman.

Duty to Others

Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation under the new Lord Wisten, her cousin. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a dire winter if they do not find a solution soon. When she learns her cousin sold her into marriage to save his life, she isn’t surprised. However, she is taken aback by Lord Irvaine’s unpolished ways. Was this man a noble or a foot soldier?

Duty to Each Other

Bound by the words of their vows, they face a rough future. They must forge a marriage while battling betrayal, accusations of treason, and villains from the past. Survival depends on their precarious trust in each other. Failure could mean death.

Audience: Adult

Genre: Romance, Lite Fantasy

Length: 354 pgs.

Rating: **** (Really liked it)

Pros: Rachel has an effortless way of making words flow and DUTY is no different. The romance between Brielle and Tomas is spine-tingling. Tomas is a great hero: protective, strong, loyal. Brielle has a perfect combination of spunk and reality -- she is a woman; this plot is somewhat historical, yet Rachel finds a way to give Brielle tasks that work and push the limits. I loved how there were uneasy choices to make and that most the characters were a combination of good and bad. King Mendal stands out in my mind: good guy, bad guy, or what? 

Cons: The specifics of the war are a bit shaky, which led to some confusion for me early on.

Disclaimer: Very mild sensuality

Buy DUTY on Amazon and Smashwords

Check it out on Goodreads

If you like DUTY you might like: WITCH SONG by Amber Argyle or AN UNLIKELY MATCH by Sarah M. Eden.