Dana reviews Majesty Book One: Death of the King by Jake Biondi (Self Published December 13, 2019, 266 pages) A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb:
“Checking to ensure the king was dead, his murderer pulled the dagger from the monarch and rolled Zachary’s body onto its back. The king’s blood coated the ornate etchings on both sides of the knife. His dead eyes looking up toward the heavens, Zachary lay lifelessly on the tower floor.” -Chapter One
The shocking murder of King Zachary Chamberlain sends his entire family and kingdom into turmoil as the hunt for his killer begins. As Zachary’s eldest son Prince Tobias prepares to be crowned as the new king, suspicions arise between him and his three younger brothers. In the meantime, the once-ruling Henderson family seizes on the chaos in the kingdom in an effort to overthrow the Chamberlains and retake control.
As tensions rise and the search for the king’s murderer continues, some relationships crumble, forbidden love flourishes, a prisoner escapes, and a common farmer rocks the royal family to its core.
It all leads up to an exciting series of cliffhangers that plunge every member of the royal Chamberlain family into peril.
Power reigns. Absolutely.
From the author of the popular BOYSTOWN series comes the thrilling new series MAJESTY!
Buy links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Smashwords || Add to Goodreads
I am a fan of this author and his Boystown series. I was very curious to see how he would write a story that takes place near the end of the middle ages. And the answer is a lot like his contemporary series. With family feuds, murder, deception, betrayal, and with sex and romance for hetero and gay couples alike.
As the story started unfolding, there was something about it that reminded me of Braveheart times. I think it had to do a little with the factions that don’t get along and how the answer to the disputes are war not diplomacy. I can’t honestly attest to complete historical accuracy, as the princess, Clara rides out alone on a horse to have tea with her estranged sister-in-law. Though the family does seem a little more progressive than you would expect, with two of the princes involved in same sex relationships. Whether it is true to the time period, the story is entertaining and there are twists and turns for days.
A quick run down of the book: After King Zachary is found dead, his four sons and one daughter are at a loss to who might have done it. In the more recent years, the king has gained dislike from the public. There are plenty of motives for his death among his family and servants as well. Tobias the eldest son has been carrying on with the king’s younger wife, Rosalyn. Lucas is in love with a member of a rival family, who is being held prisoner in the castle dungeon. Bryce and Clara are twins who are so alike they have even fallen for the same man. And Colton, the middle son is broody and confrontational. We find out in the end that not all of the kids are fully related and that the king had cheated with one of the servants who still resides in the castle. Promises the king had made were not all followed through and there is some deep bitterness continuing to grow out of control. Not to mention that the prisoner Declin’s father is amassing his own army to take down the Chamberlain family and take control of the kingdom.
Like I said above, there are some real twists and turns. In true fashion of a Jake Biondi book/soap opera episode, the end contains several cliff hangers that will leave you desperate for the next book. The king was in a fight and we can’t be sure of his survival, there is a fire in dungeon prisons, a fall down the stairs, and a mysterious collapse. Nothing is clear but I have some suspicions based on reading Jake Biondi’s other series of what might happen. But in this new series, who knows, I may be very surprised. If you like a juicy story and don’t mind suspenseful endings until the next book comes out, I definitely recommend this series and author.
8.5/10 Pots of Gold (85% Recommended) – Compares to 4.25/5 Stars
Biondi began BOYSTOWN in June of 2013 as an online story and intended to release one “episode” online per month, each ending in a cliffhanger. The story became so popular — and the online reading audience grew so quickly — that people from all over the country began to email him demanding to know what happened to their favorite characters and wanting the episodes to be released faster. They also had suggestions for future storylines. Excited by and grateful for his readers’ responses to BOYSTOWN, Biondi began to write and release installments more quickly.
In November of 2013, Biondi moved BOYSTOWN offline and published the first ten installments in book form as BOYSTOWN Season One. The book became an international hit, with fans all over the globe clamoring for more. Since then, the series continued to grow with additional books being added regularly.
Because of the popularity of the book series, fans have suggested that BOYSTOWN be turned into a television series. Biondi recently completed the TV scripts for the first season of BOYSTOWN and hopes to bring the series to television in the very near future.
Now Biondi introduces his exciting new series…MAJESTY.
Rainbow Gold Reviews 