Jeffe Kennedy

In the Forgotten Empires magic is forbidden, dreams are destiny, and love is the greatest power of all... A PRISONER OF FATE As Queen of the island kingdom of Calanthe, Lia will do anything to keep her people free—and her secrets safe—from the mad tyrant who rules the mainland. Guided by a magic ring of her father’s, Lia plays the political game with the cronies the emperor sends to her island. In her heart, she knows that it’s up to her to save herself from her fate as the emperor’s bride. But in her dreams, she sees a man, one with the power to build a better world—a man whose spirit is as strong, and whose passion is as fierce as her own... A PRINCE AMONG MEN Conrí, former Crown Prince of Oriel, has built an army to overthrow the emperor. But he needs the fabled Abiding Ring to succeed. The ring that Lia holds so dear to her heart. When the two banished rulers meet face to face, neither can deny the flames of rebellion that flicker in their eyes—nor the fires of desire that draw them together. But in this broken world of shattered kingdoms, can they ever really trust each other? Can their fiery alliance defeat the shadows of evil that threaten to engulf their hearts and souls? “A lush... perilous and passionate world.”—New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep

The Orchid Throne

Sheena

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5 Stars)
Title: The Orchid Throne
Author(s): Jeffe Kennedy
Character(s): 
― Euthalia "Lia": 26 years old, Gray Blue Eyed
― Conri: Black, Gold Eyed 
Setting: Calanthe
Tag(s): Fantasy, Romance
Content Rating: R
POV: First Person; Alternates between Heroine/Hero
Smexy Level: Warm
Favorite Quote(s): N/A
Overall Opinion:
From page one the "The Orchid Throne" started off slow and within time it started to pick up momentum allowing the author to create a memorable read. The style of writing the author used was able to convey Lia and Conri's feelings and thoughts beautifully throughout the story and the fantasy driven barely there romance which I didn't quite understand how it fill in with the overall plot won me over yet I would like to notate that once the romance was consummation, the ending fell short. Though at completion I was left with more questions than answers, I was left impressed and looking forward to the continuation of this series.

Lauren Sullivan

content warnings: (view spoiler)[rape (off-page, but referenced), grief, death of a parent (described on page), slavery (hide spoiler)]

With how much I love fantasy romance, I can’t believe I’ve never read this author before. She’s got quite the backlist, but this is the first book in a new series. There’s fascinating world building, a slow burn marriage of convenience, and lots of sly humor.

Calanthe is a tropical pleasure island, and the betrothal of its Queen Euthalia to Emperor Anure is the only thing keeping it from being razed like the rest of his conquered territories – though they are forced to tithe increasingly large amounts to the emperor. Euthalia is playing a dangerous game, constantly manipulating her court and the emperor’s ambassador so that it appears that she intends to go through with the betrothal even while she’s secretly looking for ways to work against the emperor. One way she doesn’t want to consider, though? Working with Con, the so-called Slave King, who’s leading an armed revolt of escaped mine slaves and supposedly cutting a violent path through the conquered lands. But a prophecy – claim the hand that wears the Abiding Ring, and the empire will fall – sets them on a collision course. Can they find common ground, or will the emperor use their differences to conquer the rebellion and Calanthe in one fell swoop?

The pacing is very slow, and in terms of your traditional fantasy plot, not much happens. Most of the focus is on setting up the relationship between Con and Lia, though it takes a decent portion of the book before they even meet. It’s told from both Con and Lia’s POVs, and it’s interesting to see what misconceptions they both have about the other. I personally enjoyed Lia’s sections more – I thought her subtle manipulations were more enjoyable than Con’s “Imma smash it with my hammer” style.

Con is blunt, with little time for anything that doesn’t get him closer to his goal of revenge against Anure. Lia, on the other hand, is more of a magician, both literally and figuratively. Like the kings and queens of old, she’s connected to the land magically, plus she knows the value of a good distraction. Her fanciful and elaborate outfits (I got serious Queen Amidala vibes) and deliberate shows of emptiheadedness are the only thing keeping Calanthe from becoming another of Anure’s conquests. Con initially can’t look past that Calanthe surrendered to the emperor, and views Euthalia as nothing more than a pretty, thoughtless doll – a view that doesn’t survive his first meeting with her, thankfully. Euthalia, for her part, is concerned with protecting Calanthe above all else, and that’s best done by capturing Con as the emperor ordered. She expects nothing more than a barbaric brute, and, well, he definitely lives up to that!

“Don’t throttle the wizard, Conrí. Please.”

This is a marriage of convenience, and for political reasons it has to be consummated pretty much immediately. I enjoyed that while Lia was technically a virgin, it’s Con who had zero experience in bed, though he’s a quick learner. Their chemistry is excellent and I can see the beginnings of a solid relationship. The side characters, from Con’s right-hand woman Sondra to Lia’s oldest friend Tertulyn, were very interesting, though my favorite is the wizard Ambrose, who’s hilariously reticent about how, exactly, this prophecy will help Con.

Overall, despite the slow pace, I enjoyed the lush storytelling and slow burn romance, and I’m very excited for the next book!

Jolie

3.5 rating

I was excited to read The Orchid Throne. When I read the blurb, I thought to myself: “I am going to like this book.” I mean, it had the two genres I love the most: Fantasy and Romance. Now that I have read The Orchid Throne, I was a bit disappointed. It fell short of my expectations.

The Orchid Throne starts slowly. It creeps along. There were several times where I wanted to swipe to the end of a chapter because it was that slow. I understand that the author was world-building but still. Once Conri and Euthalia met, the plotline got going. By the end of the book, it was moving along quite nicely. But, the slowness of the first half of the book did put me off.

I wished that I could have connected with Euthalia more. But it was hard to. A big part of me not being able to connect with her was the usage of the royal Us, Me, We (etc.) as part of her dialogue. It drove me nuts reading that. I did like the glimpses of the woman underneath the facade, though. The woman that peeked through was a tough cookie. But that was overshadowed by the games she was forced to play.

I did like Conri. I felt that he was more fleshed out than Euthalia. He was upfront and honest with his end game. He wanted to kill the Emperor. He didn’t play games or deal with court intrigue. He wanted to get there and get it done. And in no way did he want anything to do with the prophecy.

I wish that more information was given on Ambrose, Sondra, and Tertulyn. I was fascinated with Ambrose, but so little information was provided about him. He was shrewd, and everything he did was part of a grand plan. Plus, he had a crow as a familiar, which I loved. Sondra was Conri’s right hand. She was a strong woman who had been through a lot in her life. It showed both mentally and physically. I liked how she brought Conri down a peg or two during the book. Tertulyn intrigued me. I have a couple of suspicions about her, but nothing was confirmed in this book. I can’t wait to see what the next book will bring with her!!

I will say that I have never had a favorite villain before. But the Emperor Robho might be one. He doesn’t make a physical appearance in the book, but his presence was always there. He was feared and hated by Conri and Euthalia. Euthalia feared his letters. Which makes me wonder, what will he be like in person? If his letters were enough to strike dread in Euthalia, the real deal must be terrifying. And I can’t wait to read it!!!

I wish more time had been spent explaining what the Abiding Ring did and why it was so crucial that Conri gets it. There was a primary blanket reason, but I believe that Ambrose is hiding something. I did find the ring fascinating. The way it responded to Ambrose was telling. As was the way it responded to Conri.

The romance angle of the book was “meh” for me. Conri and Euthalia did have some insane chemistry. But that didn’t translate to hot sex scenes. Unfortunately, the first sex scene was awkward and uncomfortable. That set the tone for me. The rest of the sexual encounters seemed the same way for me.

I liked the fantasy angle of the book. But a lot of what was going on with Euthalia was released too late. But to keep it until the end of the book? I didn’t like that.

The end of The Orchid Throne was exciting. None of the storylines were ended. I am interested in what will go in book 2.

The Orchid Throne

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