The Rush of Betrayal: Deception

by Shawn Wickersheim

This version is "Out of Print" and no longer available.

Life should be good for foreign ambassador, Lord Ian Weatherall. He’s rich, he’s married to the local princess and their young son is heir to the throne. But all is not as it should be. Friends have mysteriously died, others have been financially ruined and his marriage is falling apart. Many in the city are angry about the racial mix of their future king. Some want him removed, permanently. Suddenly, Lord Ian’s business ventures sour and he finds himself caught up in a bizarre entanglement. Is this all the work of a daring thief bent on seeing him and his son destroyed, or is it a conspiracy by many to incite a war against his native land? Will Lord Ian be able to uncover the truth in time, or will he fall victim to the worst kind of betrayal?

Meanwhile, a young talented actress, Josephine Hewes, is forced into becoming a seductress, a role she’s played on stage before, but instead of earning applause, she’s attempting to earn her family’s safe return. Can she succeed in making the foreign ambassador believe they’ve had a passionate affair, or will she fail and suffer the deadly consequences? As she and her target Lord Ian will quickly discover, all is not as it seems in this twisted new fantasy novel.

300 pages, ebook

First published July 3, 2012

About the author

Shawn Wickersheim lives in historic Woodstock Illinois with his wife and children.

His books include: The Penitent Assassin and The Savage Nobles trilogy ("Stolen Dagger", "Stolen Justice" and "Stolen Crown" -- formerly known as The Rush of Betrayal books).

Some have called these books 'dark or grimdark fantasy', others have called them 'epic fantasy'...he'll leave it to you to decide how you want to label them while he gets back to writing/editing the next book in the series, a stand-alone sequel to both The Penitent Assassin and The Savage Nobles trilogy.

Thanks and as always, Happy Reading.

Reviews

[Dyrk Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatever you do, do NOT let the cover and title fool you. This is no historical romance, but a headlong rush into swashbuckling fantasy adventure with intrigue, action, big magic, mage battles, sword-fights and fantastic characters galore. I had no idea what to expect, but it wasn't that, and I had an amazing time with this book.

Reverberations of Scott Lynch's characterization, setting, and mystery combined with Robert J. Bennett's intrigue, magical action, scope and style - but Wickersheim through and through. There's also a hint of Thomas Senlin from Josiah Bancroft's recent masterpiece Senlin Ascends in the main character Ian, an academic soft-spoken fellow forced reluctantly into a man of action. And Josephine, oh Josephine - now there's a heroine to root for if there ever was one. She'll do anything to save her family - including kick some serious ass. Seriously, check this out.

[Ann Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a couple of days to get drawn into this book. The chapters jump around between so many characters and points of view that I wasn't sure who the main character was and/or who I was supposed to be cheering for. But the more I read, the more I began to realize that was done purposefully.

I really enjoy the mystery behind the work. Even by the end of the book, I wasn't quite sure what the villain's goal was, or even if he was the true villain.

The writing is excellent, the dialogue is realistic and flows smoothly, and once I caught on to the plot, I was carried along quite quickly.

My sole complaint is just a personal one. I have a very difficult time reading books or watching movies where bad situation after bad situation happen to a single person. I realize that this is moving the plot along and I understand that he is being targeted, but it's so hard for me to read! I found myself cringing as I read! Poor guy!

It was a wonderful read and I'm anxious to read the next in the series -- although I have to take a break as my heart hurts too much for the main character.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was actually a lot of fun to read, and rather unexpected. The main protagonist in the story, is so unlikely, that you would never think in your wildest dreams that this person could actually be a hero. Very well done! I also love the colorful characters, even though they are gullible, also very well done. Definitely going to read the last book in the series.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, loved the characters, recommend!