Pretense – Tara Grayce

I’ve been really enjoying this series – it’s got some decent politics to it, and some nice romances, but none of it is particularly fraught – you know everything will turn out alright in the end.

Princess Jalissa of the Elves and Prince Edmund of Escarland grew “close” during the captivity of Jalissa’s brother Farendel (husband to Edmund’s sister Essie). But Jalissa is the last remaining unmarried sibling of her generation, and thinks that she really needs to marry an Elf. Queue the angst. You absolutely do know where this story is going, but what makes it fun is that Edmund is a spy, and ends up bringing Jalissa along for the ride.

The rest of the family is along too – Farendel and Essie are unfortunately in for an assassination attempt (which is why Edmund and Jalissa go spying), but that ends up alright in the end. And we get to see more of Melantha in the Troll Kingdom. Like I said, absolutely none of it’s a revolutionary new story you’ve never experienced before, but it’s wonderful comfort reading.