Sanctify, Book 1
Synopsis: When the cards tell Ophelia Leoni she’s supposed to marry the Prince of Hansarda, the gunrunner grits her teeth and boards the starship that comes for her. It doesn’t matter if the ship’s commander is the gorgeous stranger she just spent a wild, drunken night with. As a Diviner, she’s painfully aware the cards don’t lie. Ever.
Boone O’Keirna knows Ophelia is trouble the second he sees the way she moves. Not about to let the deadly little hellcat marry his sadistic half-brother, Boone pretends to be the Prince’s emissary and kidnaps Ophelia. Too bad they can’t be in the same room without him wanting to throw her out an airlock–or into bed.
Even as they fight each other–and their explosive attraction–Ophelia and Boone sense something is wrong. Too much is going their way. Soon, they realize while the cards may never lie, the truth is sometimes hidden between them…and the future king of Hansarda is not one to take defeat lying down.
Review: I love Romance. I love Science Fiction. There should be no problem with Sci-Fi Romance? Right? Indeed, I quite enjoyed Queen of Swords.
I liked the world Katee Robert has created. Thanks to the Sci-Fi input, there is a lot of imagination going into this book. No complicated stuff here, no, just some light space opera to spice the things up. Spaceships, planets, new technologies and strange creatures are some of the ingredients you can find here. I particularly loved the Diviners, Ophelia’s specie. Being able to read the future along with the past and present, they have been decimated by an extremist faction, Sanctify, and must constantly hide their true nature.
Between this threat and Boone’s struggle of power with his half-brother, there were enough elements outside of the romance to keep me interested. The story is fast-paced (perhaps sometimes a bit rushed) and thanks to the exciting action scenes, there was never a dull moment.
The main characters are not really unique, but they are very likeable nevertheless. Both Ophelia and Boone are strong willed fighter. With such personalities, there is no way to avoid an explosive relationship. No matter what they do, they can’t stop infuriating each other. I enjoyed their incessant arguments full of banter and sexual tension. Sadly, when they finally admitted loving each other, I felt that there was something missing and I was unable to feel their connection. I guess they were better at fighting each other 😉
Finally, alongside those two, we get to meet a cast of interesting secondary characters.Now I want to read more about Cole the tigerman and Jenny, Boone’s badass sister.
To summarize: Even if I didn’t completely buy the love connection between Boone and Ophelia, I quite enjoyed Queen of Swords. I particularly loved the imaginative world building and the fast paced adventure. Both made for an entertaining and uncomplicated read.