RELEASE DAY TOUR: REVIEW, EXCERPT, AND GIVEAWAY: UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES by Shay Savage

I’m not a huge historical romance reader, but given that Shay Savage has a way of making each genre her own, I knew her Unexpected Circumstances series was one I wanted to read, and book 1, The Handmaid, has already drawn me into her world of nobility, power, and ulterior motives.

As Alexandra finds herself as a pawn in one man’s quest for revenge, readers take that journey with her, and as she works to understand her new position as the wife of a future king, we become willing spectators, trying to figure out how Alexandra will be used by Sir Branford to achieve his end game and how she will adjust to her newfound status and husband as well as those around her who choose to see her as the commoner she truly is.

Alexandra and Sir Branford’s life as husband and wife has just begun in The Handmaid, so Alexandra’s future is quite uncertain. She must decide if she trusts Branford enough to keep her safe in this new world that he’s brought her to and if she has the strength and gumption to show that she can be more than a simple handmaid…more than a puppet to be used as others see fit.

Shay Savage has created quite the intriguing world in The Handmaid, and as the series continues, it will be interesting to see if Branford will see his handmaid wife as less an instrument of revenge and more a woman who can change the dynamics of so much more than his future kingdom.

I’m eager to learn more about the kingdoms that Savage has constructed and witness a woman of lowly status conquer a group of nobles who refuse to see her as anything but inferior to them in class and character. Just from the bit of insight readers have received about Alexandra, it’s easy to see that even though she is innocent and unwise in the practices and rules of the nobles, her heart and her mind, as long as she remains strong, will guide her in her newfound position and force those around her to take notice of her for more than her new title as future queen.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

 “Parnell, I’m only going to say this to you once.” Branford’s voice turned cold. “Regardless of your feelings regarding my marriage, Alexandra is my wife now, and you’ll not speak of her with any disrespect. I will not have you refer to my marriage as ridiculous. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sire,” Sir Parnell responded, the tone in his voice switching quickly from jovial friend and cousin to properly chastised servant. “Forgive me.”
I felt Branford’s hand through my hair again, nearly lulling me into true unconsciousness. The carriage bounced through a rough section of the road, then continued on as the driver called out to the horses. The rain lessened, and the pattering sound on top of the carriage became softer.
“Something has changed, has it not?” Parnell said quietly.
“Perhaps.”
“What is it, Branford?”
There was a significant pause before Branford responded.
“Parnell,” he said, “when I came up with this plan, I thought I was considering everything. Edgar would be angered but impotent to react since he brought it on himself. Whitney would be insulted, and between both those reactions, one of the next blows would lead to war. At the same time, it gets Camden off my back about finding a wife. Sunniva holds her tongue about wanting grandchildren, and I get it all—the kingdom expanded when we invade, the crown, an heir, and nothing else changes. At home, I have someone who can take care of me and my needs. I didn’t have any intention of being faithful, so it’s not as if my life away from home would change with the introduction of a wife.”
“I thought I had gone through all possibilities,” Branford said, continuing. “The woman who would be the catalyst was always nameless and faceless. It didn’t matter who she was as long as she wasn’t Whitney. I decided on one of her handmaids while I was out on the field because they sat close to Whitney, and it would be more…visually dramatic. I could walk up right in front of her and turn away at the last second. It would also anger her intensely, which is exactly what I wanted. There must have been a half dozen of them, and I didn’t care which. They would all be skilled in matters of the home, which keeps me from having to employ any servants whose loyalties are questionable. I only picked Alexandra because she looked at me early on, when I was first declared victorious, and she blushed when her eyes met mine. The color on her cheeks was simply lovely, and she has beautiful eyes.”
“Now your bride is no longer nameless and faceless,” Parnell said.
“No, she is not,” Branford replied. “When I took her up to my room, I had every intention of bedding her. I had been staring at her in that dress all evening, and I was ready to see what was underneath it.”
“And was she lacking?” Parnell asked. “You can still annul since you haven’t consummated the union.”
“She’s a commoner, Parnell.” His voice turned hard and callous. “I could open the doors of this carriage in the middle of a busy marketplace, take her in front of a dozen witnesses, declare her a lousy fuck, and still have the marriage annulled.

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