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Dark Lady Trilogy
Dark Days
Young Queen Nefasti’s hold on her throne is tenuous. Her powerful neighbor to the west has declared war, and her other neighbors want something in return for their offered aid, such as her hand in marriage and her kingdom. Assassins lurk in the shadows while handsome suitors try to bribe her with gold and jewels. Her best friend and protector is leaving and one of her favorite ladies-in-waiting is threatening to commit suicide. Could anything else go wrong?
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2014
About the author
R.J. Hore
43 books50 followers2026 brings a new publisher (Shipwreck Publishing) and new novels! Perils of Paul, a fantasy adventure will be coming out this April (2026) and soon to follow Flight of Fancy, a sci fi romance.
Since August 2024, I have twenty books in paperback and eBook format. Twelve Novellas that are available as separate eBooks as well as collection of four volumes containing three each of the novellas, The Housetrap Chronicles Omnibus Volumes 1-4.
My newer stand-alone novels, Summer in Paradise, a paranormal thriller, and Dark Candle, an 18+ tale of sex, murder and hypnotic regression are available in paperback and eBook as well as We’re Not in Kansas and Alex in Wanderland.
I have fittingly three trilogies, The Queen’s trilogy which contains the Queen’s Pawn, the Queen’s Man and The Queen’s Game. The Daughter’s series contains Of Destiny’s Daughters, Hammers Across the Stars and Expeditions to Earth. And finally, The Dark Lady trilogy, beginning with The Dark Lady, Dark Days and Dark Knights.
You can often find me at local markets in Winnipeg and the surrounding area including Winnipeg's Keycon, check out my Instagram page to keep up with my latest adventures and where you might find me next!
You can also discover more on my website, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, I love to hear from fans of my work!
Since August 2024, I have twenty books in paperback and eBook format. Twelve Novellas that are available as separate eBooks as well as collection of four volumes containing three each of the novellas, The Housetrap Chronicles Omnibus Volumes 1-4.
My newer stand-alone novels, Summer in Paradise, a paranormal thriller, and Dark Candle, an 18+ tale of sex, murder and hypnotic regression are available in paperback and eBook as well as We’re Not in Kansas and Alex in Wanderland.
I have fittingly three trilogies, The Queen’s trilogy which contains the Queen’s Pawn, the Queen’s Man and The Queen’s Game. The Daughter’s series contains Of Destiny’s Daughters, Hammers Across the Stars and Expeditions to Earth. And finally, The Dark Lady trilogy, beginning with The Dark Lady, Dark Days and Dark Knights.
You can often find me at local markets in Winnipeg and the surrounding area including Winnipeg's Keycon, check out my Instagram page to keep up with my latest adventures and where you might find me next!
You can also discover more on my website, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, I love to hear from fans of my work!
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 12, 2014
In the first book, The Dark Lady, Princess Nefesti of the ancient Kingdom of Vadio wakes one night to find her father dead, and her mother near death. Crowned Queen at the age of 10, she struggled to survive court and came into her power while she determined who was responsible for her parents' murder. Her small kingdom once ruled the known world, and its power has weakened in the past few centuries. Now, Vadio is eyed as a prize and most think taking the Queen is the easiest route to secure their claim on the land.
Dark Days explores the aftermath of the young monarch's very clear message at the end of the first book: she might be young, but she is not someone who will easily back down. As she had a diplomat executed, this leads to all-out war between the two nations, with another two nations watching on the sidelines, offering both help and alliances for their aid.
This is not typical fantasy in that there is no great quest and that the fantastical elements are low - there are magic, monsters, hidden people and ancient secrets, but, although the world is obviously foreign, it is not so strange that the bulk of the story could have taken place in our history. There are battles being fought however - though Nefesti herself is ruling from afar and weighing the loss of lives and public outcry as she struggles to keep her enemies at one another, rather than aimed directly at her. There are many characters and while I'd say no one has great Shakespearean complexity to them, their motivations are very simple and the story is easy to follow.
For example, the marriage issue keeps rearing its head in the books - and Nefesti knows that if she succumbs to the demands to wed out of alliance and not on her own terms, that she will likely lose power and at best, be kept a puppet while her husband seizes power, and at worst, be disposed of once the line of succession is rectified.
My main complaint with this would be that I never really get a sense why Nefesti wants her throne as much as she does - many times, she references running away and leaving the nobles to pick at the pieces of her country. She shows very little love for her people and she doesn't have an inherent sense of divine right to rule, but the world presented has very few options. Nefesti comes from a position of power, and she acknowledges that she has to walk a very fine line to keep that power. In another example, she considers marrying off her cousins to secure alliances - a fate she knows she is trying to avoid for herself. It comes full circle when she acknowledges that if her father was still alive, while she wouldn't be in the precarious position of directly dealing with the various diplomats, but her fate would be out of her own hands and she would likely be forced to marry. Keeping those alliances is no easy task either - for on accepting one favour, it insults another. Towards the end of the book, Nefesti is warned not to accept refugees from a nation she was at war with because she wants to be on good terms with the new monarch. To turn a blind eye to the slaughter alienates her from their countrymen who have allied themselves with her, and she knows it's not good to let bloodthirsty men go unchecked.
In general though, this is a story for those of you who like tales of courtly intrigue. Nefesti is introverted and has a very small circle of people she can trust. It can be really evident that she's a young girl who is playing a role to keep herself alive and out of harm's way, and at times, that Queenly mask slips and those moments of vulnerability is what for me, made for a great story.
Dark Days explores the aftermath of the young monarch's very clear message at the end of the first book: she might be young, but she is not someone who will easily back down. As she had a diplomat executed, this leads to all-out war between the two nations, with another two nations watching on the sidelines, offering both help and alliances for their aid.
This is not typical fantasy in that there is no great quest and that the fantastical elements are low - there are magic, monsters, hidden people and ancient secrets, but, although the world is obviously foreign, it is not so strange that the bulk of the story could have taken place in our history. There are battles being fought however - though Nefesti herself is ruling from afar and weighing the loss of lives and public outcry as she struggles to keep her enemies at one another, rather than aimed directly at her. There are many characters and while I'd say no one has great Shakespearean complexity to them, their motivations are very simple and the story is easy to follow.
For example, the marriage issue keeps rearing its head in the books - and Nefesti knows that if she succumbs to the demands to wed out of alliance and not on her own terms, that she will likely lose power and at best, be kept a puppet while her husband seizes power, and at worst, be disposed of once the line of succession is rectified.
My main complaint with this would be that I never really get a sense why Nefesti wants her throne as much as she does - many times, she references running away and leaving the nobles to pick at the pieces of her country. She shows very little love for her people and she doesn't have an inherent sense of divine right to rule, but the world presented has very few options. Nefesti comes from a position of power, and she acknowledges that she has to walk a very fine line to keep that power. In another example, she considers marrying off her cousins to secure alliances - a fate she knows she is trying to avoid for herself. It comes full circle when she acknowledges that if her father was still alive, while she wouldn't be in the precarious position of directly dealing with the various diplomats, but her fate would be out of her own hands and she would likely be forced to marry. Keeping those alliances is no easy task either - for on accepting one favour, it insults another. Towards the end of the book, Nefesti is warned not to accept refugees from a nation she was at war with because she wants to be on good terms with the new monarch. To turn a blind eye to the slaughter alienates her from their countrymen who have allied themselves with her, and she knows it's not good to let bloodthirsty men go unchecked.
In general though, this is a story for those of you who like tales of courtly intrigue. Nefesti is introverted and has a very small circle of people she can trust. It can be really evident that she's a young girl who is playing a role to keep herself alive and out of harm's way, and at times, that Queenly mask slips and those moments of vulnerability is what for me, made for a great story.
Displaying 1 of 1 review