Protect the Prince (Crown of Shards #2) – Jennifer Estep

Expected publication date: July 2, 2019

Magic, murder, adventure, and romance combine in this second novel in the exciting Crown of Shards saga from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep.

Everleigh Blair might be the new gladiator queen of Bellona, but her problems are far from over.

First, Evie has to deal with a court full of arrogant, demanding nobles, all of whom want to get their greedy hands on her crown. As if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room.

Despite the dangers, Evie goes ahead with a scheduled trip to the neighboring kingdom of Andvari in order to secure a desperately needed alliance. But complicating matters is the stubborn Andvarian king, who wants to punish Evie for the deaths of his countrymen during the Seven Spire massacre.

But dark forces are at work inside the Andvarian palace, and Evie soon realizes that no one is safe. Worse, Evie’s immunity to magic starts acting in strange, unexpected ways, which makes her wonder whether she is truly strong enough to be a Winter Queen.

But Evie’s magic, life, and crown aren’t the only things in danger—so is her heart, thanks to Lucas Sullivan, the Andvarian king’s bastard son and Evie’s . . . well, Evie isn’t quite sure what Sullivan is to her.

Only one thing is certain—protecting a prince might be even harder than killing a queen…

Review:

I have to mention right off the start how much I love one theme that is present in all of Jennifer’s books-food! From the mouthwatering menu at Gin’s Pork Pit BBQ joint in the Elemental Assassins series to the banquets fit for a queen in the Crown of Shards series, it’s enough to make your mouth water! (And yes, I’m hungry!) Heck even the food just left out for Evie in PtP is enough-blackberry lemonade, strawberry tarts and chocolate mousse cups…none of those are in my house right now and I’m seriously sad about that. But okay, the story is about more than food, sigh! PtP is a worthy successor to “Kill the Queen” which is not an easy feat nowadays. How many times have you started a series so in love with book 1 then been disappointed in the follow-ups? This is definitely one you don’t have to worry about!

Since becoming queen after killing her cousin, Evie knows she has a target on her back. Even though she is surrounded by friends most of the time, she knows it’s only a matter of time until the Mortan assassin Maeven or someone else tries to take the crown and her life. Sure enough her mutt magic allows her to thwart the first attempt, an attempted poisoning by a relative of Maeven’s in front of a court gathering. But the assembly is also notable for Evie telling off the crowd of nobles in an awesome fashion:

“I remember every single insult any of you ever hurled my way, from the time when I was a child right up until the royal massacre. I haven’t forgotten your cruelties, and I’m certainly not going to reward you for them now.”

*mic drop*

I love Evie!

With certain exceptions though, I love all the characters! We are introduced to some new ones when Evie and her entourage travel to visit the king of Andvari (who also happens to be Sullivan’s father) to try and negotiate an alliance against the Mortans. Of these Grimley is my favorite…but I’m not going to say any more about him, you’re just going to have to read it to find out why! We also get to see Alvis and Gemma again, both of who were rescued by Evie in book 1 during the royal massacre. And of course Sully…sigh! While he and Evie don’t have the relationship she hopes for when the story begins, he is protective and remote. But by the end of the book, you will see a whole new side to him, hint hint! I love their interactions and cannot wait to see what happens in book 3…

What this all comes down to is would I recommend this book? Absolutely 100%!! The storyline is well-paced with lots of action and intrigue, but it also has heart. You will care about the characters and what happens to them, even one or two that I honestly thought I would dislike. This is not a standalone though, you have to read book 1 first but if you haven’t go read it now so you are ready when PtP drops on Tuesday. And keep an eye out for book 3 “Crush the King” in March!

This review is based on an ARC provided by Jennifer and Harper Collins, but the content and opinions are my own. (Because nobody else would have started a review talking about fictional food!)

PROTECT THE PRINCE BUY LINKS:

PROTECT THE PRINCE, Crown of Shards #2, July 2:

EBOOK

Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/2qK9002

Barnes & Noble NOOK: https://tinyurl.com/y9ym5g24

Apple Books: https://tinyurl.com/yd4xuebj

Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/y7qt7d9x

Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/ybbknvm5

AUDIOBOOK

Amazon.com digital audiobook: https://amzn.to/2XaPIPD

Amazon MP3 CD: https://amzn.to/2IBjU2v

Audible: http://tinyurl.com/yym22vl2

Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/y4yjl6yt 

Libro: http://tinyurl.com/y27kre92

PRINT BOOK

Amazon print: https://amzn.to/2PJGlTP

Barnes & Noble print: https://tinyurl.com/y9kutjzu

Books-A-Million: https://tinyurl.com/yarpyycf

IndieBound: https://tinyurl.com/y7def75u

BIO:

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. 

Jennifer writes the Crown of Shards epic fantasy series. Protect the Prince, book #2, will be released on July 2. 

Jennifer is also the author of the Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy, Bigtime, and Black Blade fantasy series.  

For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit www.jenniferestep.com or follow Jennifer on FacebookGoodreads, and Twitter. You can also sign up for her newsletter.

Website: http://www.jenniferestep.com/

Blog: http://www.jenniferestep.com/blog/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferEstepAuthor?fref=ts

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Jennifer_Estep  (@Jennifer_Estep)

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/580315.Jennifer_Estep

Newsletter signup: http://www.jenniferestep.com/contact-jennifer/newsletter/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jennifer-estep

Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/2QeDW4j

*Book 1 Kill the Queen review: http://www.ineedtoreadthat.com/blog-tour-review-kill-the-queen-crown-of-shards-1-jennifer-estep/