From the publisher, “They still haven’t found the body of the first and only boy who broke Alessandra’s heart—and they never will. Since then, all of her relationships have been purely physical. And now at eighteen years old, Alessandra is ready for more. The plan is simple:

1. Make the king fall in love with her.
2. Get him to marry her.
3. Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

It’s no small task, but Alessandra wants a kingdom and is going to do everything within her power to get it. She knows the freshly crowned Shadow King will be her toughest target yet. Shrouded in a mysterious power, no one is allowed to touch him.”

But, as forces combine to try and keep Alessandra from earning the king’s heart, she wonders if perhaps she’s already lost her own.”

The author has cleverly written an excellent story involving passion, intrigue and scheming, around two characters who are not terribly likeable.  Alessandra is a narcissist and Kallias is a brooding power-hungry king obsessed with expanding his empire, caring not a whit about his people.  They deserve each other, but together, not the rulers I’d want running a kingdom.  Alessandra becomes a bit more personable as she makes friends at court and as she comes to love Kallias.  The storytelling is excellent, crisp writing, action, fast moving plot, romance, and a twist at the end.  I’ve enjoyed the author’s other books and will continue to eagerly read everything she writes.

eGalley review                                                  Publication date 2.25.2020