Treason & Thievery: Reluctant Allies to Unfortunately Betrothed

Sunset at Dawn #2

by Jes Drew

Sparks fly as a female Robin Hood collides with a too-noble King Arthur in the second installment of this no-spice trilogy!

His throne was stolen from him.

The Bandit Queen will help reclaim it—

With the condition that he wed her.



Elspeth has performed her greatest heist stealing the Sacred Prince from the capital just as a release of dark magic turned its citizens against him. That was the easy part. Now she has to safely deliver the reluctant refugee across the province to her camp where he believes the Bandit King will bargain with his army to help Otello reclaim his stolen throne. Except, she is the Bandit King, and that bargain is a marriage arrangement.



Otello's life was turned upside-down in a single moment. Now he's forced to ally himself with the woman who betrayed him with a kiss if he wants to survive, let alone have a chance at seizing back the seat of his empire from the necromancer who wants his blood. As does everything else, it seems, from vampires to gysts. All that is, except the one the magic in his veins has imprinted on, the right hand of the Bandit King who he knows better than to trust with anything, let alone his heart.



He is prophesied to save the Empire. She is destined to destroy him.

If you enjoy fated love, enemies to lovers, and antagonistic marriages of convenience, stay tuned for all three books in this epic, fade-to-black romantic fantasy with a touch of comedy. The fate of an empire will be shaped by two stubborn lovers. It's perfect for fans of Shari L. Tapscott, Alisha Klapheke, and Elise Kova.

Survive the Empire.
Save the Prince.
Steal the Throne.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Enemies To Lovers

410 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2024

About the author

Jes Drew is the author of the Cursed Fae of Orphydice Manor Series, the Sunset at Dawn trilogy, The Samurai's Student saga, the Ninja and Hunter trilogy, the Howling Twenty trilogy, the Kristian Clark saga/The Man on the Run series, the Castaways trilogy, The Dystopian Takeover trilogy, Summers of Yesteryear series, The Clockwork Faerie Tale Novellas, the Legends of the Master Spy series, The New ESE Files series, Tales from Parallel Worlds, Genie and Serena, Accidentally on the Run, This Side of Heaven, and The Death of a Hero.


She has three degrees, including a Master of Arts in Behavioral Counseling. Also, she has about five million houseplants (and counting— the plants and not the degrees . . . unless she relapses). She is still debating if having a fae husband is worth the hassle.


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Reviews

[Erin Dydek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed with action, political intrigue, and feisty flirting, Treason & Thievery is an entertaining sequel to Betrayal & Banditry. The Holy Empire wavers between the powers of good and evil as both sides rally to crown a new Emperor first. Complications arise as Elspeth and Otello continue to misunderstand each other’s intentions while fighting against their growing attraction. These two are severely stubborn in their determination to have things go their way but must find a compromise before the villain can place a false ruler on the throne. 

I loved the fast-paced action and the battles against haunting creatures, including estries (vampires) and gysts (ghosts). It was fun to see the fighting spirits of the protagonists shine as they worked together, and sometimes at odds, to get things moving. However, every time they progressed in their romantic relationship, one or the other seemed to mess things up! I enjoyed the knowledge they each gained as the author revealed secrets, and backstories came into focus. I also loved learning more about the portal magic briefly mentioned in book one and can’t wait to see how this plays into the dreaded prophecy/vision of the future. I hope things are not quite what they seemed, and I will be playing plenty of “what ifs” through my mind as I try to figure out how this story will end in book three! 

As a side note, I’m 100% team Irwin as a match for Meredith. I can’t wait to see how their story plays out and how Irwin’s scientific endeavors contribute to conquering the enemies. 

My one complaint is that it sometimes felt like the relationship between Elspeth and Otello was based more on physical attraction. I prefer to see enemies become lovers as they learn to admire each other’s character strengths and show compassion for vulnerabilities. Still, I think they started to empathize with each other’s tragic pasts in this book. They still have a ways to go before they get their happily ever after and save the empire from doom at the hands of a powerful enemy, but it looks like they're getting closer to their goals.  

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jozie | Cozy Romantasy Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treason & Thievery is book two of the Sunset at Dawn trilogy and is action-packed, full of political intrigue, and tons of chemistry between our FMC and MMC.

A false prince has risen and Prince Otello has been cast aside thanks to a dark, unknown magic. To take his rightful place as emperor and save his brother, Otello must make alliances. Although betrayed by Elspeth, marrying her now may be his only salvation.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved the action-packed battles between our two main characters and the different creatures they came across, like estries and gysts. Elspeth and Otello flowed beautifully with each other while under pressure.

Otello is such a cutie. He falls for Elspeth quickly, which makes the marriage of convenience between the two more uncomfortable for him; however, he doesn't see another option to reclaim his throne.

The story ended on a cliffhanger, which has me so excited to read the last book in the trilogy, Romance & Robberies.

I highly recommend the audiobook. Mari Bee and Jon Brattin did an incredible job bringing Elspeth and Otello to life.

romantasy • enemies to lovers • robin hood • arthurian • retelling • high fantasy • closed door romance • marriage of convenience • elves

[Elisa Lanzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ 0🌶️

A great continuation to the series, while also being an easy read. The most impactful part of this novel for me was the amount of time that the author used to help really deepen these characters, especially with understanding their needs and motivations.

The novel continues to follow Elspeth and Otello as they navigate their new roles in life even though she has betrayed him prior. Meanwhile prophecies are being hidden, necromancy is at work, his half brother is still trapped in his old home. Meanwhile to help take back their lives alliances have to be made. It’s just that neither of them intended to slowly fall for each other.

I also had the opportunity to listen to the book while reading it and the voice actors did an amazing job of bringing the world and characters to life.

[Ami Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This epic fantasy trilogy was stunning in its breadth and scope! I loved the world building and the character growth that I saw! The twists and unexpected turns made the story exciting and interesting while the fallibility of those same characters often frustrated me! The story as a whole was clean and uplifting, but there were some instances where things could have morally gone south in a hurry if the author had chosen to let them. Thank goodness she didn’t! The other thing that could have bothered me (but didn’t, because I read them all together) was that the first two books in the trilogy ended rather abruptly in quite the cliffhangers! I would recommend that you read all three books together as one very long novel.

[Piros OlaSz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh loved it so much!

So Elspeth and Otello ( I adore the names) adventure and teasing continues.

I like that its real build of relationship and not insta love or too much overthinking but they do themselves and beside grew together thru many adventures!

I still like the world built however a “new world” surfaces and found some new bad guys over there.

I felt sometimes that Heinrich story is more of distraction time to time as it cuts in in the “worst” of times but it gets our attention on the rightand what and end match it brings!

More than happy to grab book3 as soon as possibe!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treason and Thievery is book 2 in the Sunset at Dawn Series by Jes Drew. All of the citizens have been turned against Prince Otello. He must wed Elspeth to reclaim his throne. Weddings should be joyous and happy… except, it is not. This fantasy revolves around the wedding; but, vampires, werewolves, ghost, shadow creatures… are all playing havoc in the kingdom. Will marriage solve everything? Maybe book 3 will tell me! I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Sara the Great · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good book. The fighting, world building and banter between this duo is just *chef's kiss*. I wish they would just have a freaking conversation but you know, it's for the ✨️plot✨️

Also,

"I’d only kiss her in the name of national security. And if that’s the sacrifice I’m called on to make, I suppose I’ll have to find some way to follow through."

[Tanya Moe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, loving the plot, not digging the writing but I'm too invested in the story to not finish the series. Lots of sentences that are incomplete and don't make sense. This book does have more sexual flirtation, though most is within a marriage. So just be aware if that is something that you want to steer away from.

[Kayleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC.
Jes drew has officially become my favourite author. I have read the 1st book in this series (Betrayal and banditry.) and I’ve read some of her other books such as Trapped by Vengeance and Kristian Clark and the Holly Heist. I am obsessed with her books and this one definitely didn’t disappoint. I am now waiting on the edge of my seat for the next book and hope it comes soon.
To anyone who loves clean fantasy romance this is the book for you and to anyone who would like to try fantasy or has time on their hands I highly recommend this author and her books.

[Brooke Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read and worked well as a sequel. I did find that I did not quite get into this book and found some of the structure a bit distracting. The concept was intriguing. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tenna Chatman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling

The banter and the chemistry are off the charts, and this remains a clean read. Superb writing. Otello is just adorable! I so want there to be hope for Heinrich. He is so pure and innocent. So looking forward to the next book.

[Jes Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most fun I ever had writing a book was this one. Otello fell in love with Elspeth too early. I fell in love with Otello too fast. And now here we are.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself is much improved and the romance is compelling. The lack of proofreading and basic editing, however, is a serious issue.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing romantic fantasy! Mesmerizing, with lots of action and adventure.. Characters wonderful and full of life..

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second story in the Sunset at Dawn. I enjoyed listening to Elspeth and Otello's engaging story and found Mari Bee and Jon Brattin narration of the story to be well worth listening to.

[Kaitlyn Raasveld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! 100 times yes. I love King Arthur, and Robin Hood mixed in? It was wonderful. It was full of drama and so many good themes and life lessons and kept me coming back again and again.

[Tami Willard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of an interconnected series that is best if read in order.

Written from multiple POV

dark magic

False Prince

Fighting attraction

Rebellion