Empress of Storms

Two Thrones #1

by Nicola M. Cameron

Alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B017PGRLSU

A king who must offer himself as royal consort to fulfill a treaty. A young queen and mage, unexpectedly married to the man she's loved since childhood. Two countries, divided by geography and united by a political marriage, are poised on the brink of a golden age. But will vicious magic and unexpected betrayal tear both the royal couple and their kingdoms apart?

When King Matthias of Ypres has to fulfill a treaty and provide a royal consort for young Queen Danäe of Hellas, the only royal available for marriage is ... him. Can he risk letting a blue-haired witch queen into his heart?

From political necessity, Queen Danäe finds herself marrying the man she secretly loves. Now she must win the heart of a king, prove herself as a mage, and defeat the enemies that threaten them both.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Romantasy, High Fantasy, Paranormal

293 pages, ebook

First published November 7, 2015

About the author

Also see Nicola Cameron

Reviews

[victoria.p · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the use of French and Greek names really distracting, considering it was some kind of second world fantasy world.

[Jedi Kitty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was expecting a fantasy romance novel, however I wouldn't really qualify this as a romance despite the romance novel set up (May December marriage of convenience where the heroine has crushed on the hero from afar, and the hero is still haunted by the memory of his deceased first wife), the sex scenes, or the happily ever after. It isn't a romance because it's too happy! There's no conflict! The hero and heroine have all these potential issues and obstacles to come between them yet basically on the night of their first meeting/wedding they start having a happy, healthy relationship. The rest of the plot is them just becoming happier. They have one argument, and it's resolved immediately, with them both stronger than ever. While one "I love you" is held off til the end, they both clearly love each other, and call one another "love" as an endearment pretty early on....and this book only lasts about 2 1/2 weeks chronologically. For me to cheer for a couple's happiness I want to see some work put into it- and for the characters to have flaws, or make mistakes. This was just too lovey dovey!

[Gracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

This book was, for lack of a better way to explain, all over the place.

The story was consuming, I will admit that I enjoyed the plot greatly. That being said, there was definitely something missing, gaps or a lack of detail and imagery that really would have made this a true romantic FANTASY, instead of just a fanatical romance.

Perhaps background on some of the more mysterious characters would have pulled the reader in more, maybe having some more time between the beginning on the book and the point of conflict would have helped draw the journey out. Overall, something definitely made this book feel rushed. There was definitely a great mind behind this original story, but I don't think continuing this series is in the cards for me.

[L.D. Blakeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure? I consider Nicola Cameron a good friend. And I was lucky enough to beta read this bad boy prior to publication. But if there's one thing I won't do, it's blow smoke up someone's ass. Not even a friend. So with that said, I'm telling you right now to go read this book. A word of caution, though: it will leave you bleary eyed, because there's no way you're going to want to put it down once you start reading.

Empress of Storms is a snarky, sexy, adventurous romp of a good time. Fans of epic fantasy and tales of magic & mayem will love all the incredible plot twists and turns, while fans of steamy romance will have plenty to whet their appetites as well. And if you enjoy a bit of snark and sass with your Happily Ever After, then Empress of Storms will make you a happy reader, indeed.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

It's a decent fantasy novel with plenty of smut throughout. I would have given it 3 stars but there are two brief descriptions of child molestation and it just wasn't necessary, the justification for a character's motive could easily have been something else.

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world is an intriguing fantasy world with a unique school of magic, cultures, and good characters that have the right touch of detail/description to them. I found the book well written, both story line and the intimate scenes, nothing seemed drawn out or overly flowery to fill pages. I would have never thought of a plot twist like the one this story had and can honestly say I did not see it coming. This is a great find for those fantasy readers who want a little spice in their reading or those who love a good erotic book with a well-developed fantasy element to it.
Llaph
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Full Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More

[The TBR Pile *Book review site* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is truly a well written, thrilling read with a great hero and heroine. I hope the author continues on this path with more stories like this! FULL REVIEW: http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/reviews/...

[LPJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The fantasy world was interesting, well drawn without being overly detailed. It's not a standard romance, though it is a strong love story, and I liked the fact that there was a real plot here. Good characters and a cool magic system totally pulled me in. I'd love a sequel!

[Mely C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je dois avouer que je n’avais pas de grandes attentes au début, mais au final, ce livre fut une agréable surprise.
Afin de continuer de préserver la paix et de bonnes relations commerciales, la reine Danaë de Hellas va épouser le roi Matthias d’Ypres dans le but de préserver cette stabilité. Danaë a toujours un faible pour le roi Matthias, mais du côté de ce dernier, son devoir de roi l’oblige à tenir cette promesse malgré le fait qu’il pleure toujours la perte de sa femme, la reine Hanne. C’est là que tout commence pour eux, pour le meilleur comme pour le pire.
La première chose que j’ai grandement appréciée, c’est Danaë, et ce, depuis le tout début. Elle est jeune à plusieurs niveaux, en tant que mage et en tant que reine, mais je n’ai pas vraiment eu cette impression. Oui, elle a des moments de vulnérabilité, ce qui est tout à fait normal, mais ils sont vite cachés par sa force et son courage. C’est une jeune femme qui peut avoir l’air naïve à première vue, mais il faut toujours se méfier des apparences. C’est un personnage que j’ai adoré voir grandir et évoluer dans ce monde passionnant. Quant à Matthias, j’ai pris plus le temps à le connaître, à le juger. C’est un très bon roi pour son royaume et ses sujets, et aussi un bon époux. Ce que j’ai regretté, c’est que j’ai eu l’impression qu’il a vite oublié son chagrin pour la morte de sa femme Hanne. Mais on oublie vite ce détail pour voir l’amour sincère qui commence à naître en lui. Il n’efface pas Hanne de ses esprits ; elle reste bien présente autour de notre couple, mais il sait qu’il doit continuer à vivre pour le bien de son royaume. Il sait qu’il a des devoirs et n’hésite pas à écouter les personnes qui l’entourent pour prendre de bonnes décisions.
Notre couple est épaulé par de nombreuses personnes qui sont très intéressantes, voire e. Je ne m’attendais pas à certaines révélations, à certains côtés de quelques personnages principaux. J’ai apprécié deux/trois personnages secondaires et adoré détester d’autres. Mais ce qui m’a surpris le plus, c’est la façon dont l’auteur arrive à nous faire pardonner un personnage pour ce qu’il a fait. Je pensais le détester pour ses actes, mais à la fin, je n’ai pas pu m’empêcher de ressentir de la compassion pour lui, ce qui n’était pas vraiment gagné !
J’ai trouvé le début un peu long, mais vu le monde créé par l’auteur, la mise en place est parfaitement normale. Quand on dépasse la partie politico-historique de l’histoire, on est surpris par certains aspects du récit, dont celui des mages. La partie fantasy s’installe lentement et après la moitié de l’histoire, elle fait entièrement partie du récit. Les scènes s’enchaînent, les révélations se succèdent et les cent dernières pages défilent, car on ne peut pas s’arrêter. On veut savoir ce qui va se passer, on veut savoir pourquoi, on veut savoir comment les personnages vont s’en sortir. Même si l’on se doute de certaines choses, on reste quand même pris par l’histoire.
Le début est long, car l’histoire doit se mettre en place, mais comme je l’ai dit plus haut, cette partie est lentement remplacée par des éléments surnaturels qui vous agripperont et ne vous lâcheront pas avant que vous ayez atteint la fin. L’impératrice des orages une vraie surprise et une jolie découverte. Si vous aimez les romances du style historique, ainsi que la fantasy, je pense que cette lecture est faite pour vous.

[Mariahmmm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A contractual marriage between aqua mage and Queen Danaë of Hella and widowed King Matthias IV of Ypres, the father of her missing betrothed, unites their two nations, fulfilling Danaë's wildest fantasies. But tragedies in their past are tinged with magic, and uneasiness surrounds Denaes unsteady powers.

Trigger warning: child rape, child sexual abuse.

The pacing in this book was very unbalanced. After many years fantasising about King Matthias, Danaë is presented with him on a silver platter and they're immediately all over each other. I wish Danaë, and us readers, had to work for their chemistry as it felt like a let down how fast it all happened. The middle of the book is a long, drawn out journey between the two kingdoms with not much going on. And then the final dilemma faced was resolved so quickly with very little action. Overall, the story was good but stronger editing was needed.

[Sandra Guzdek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it a suspenseful fantasy novel set in a richly developed magical realm with three-dimensional characters that also happens to have some hot-as-hell sex scenes? Or is it a steamy work of erotica that happens to actually have a plot so intriguing you won't want to put it down until you know how it ends?

Well… yes!

Not a heavy read by any means (a compliment!) with thrills and surprises, and yes, the steamy sex. The cultures of the two kingdoms, the magical system/hierarchy, the history, and the deities... I really hope there will be more with these characters and in this universe. (Danaë may just be my new hero: strong queen who knows what she wants and knows how to do it, and is complete unto herself without needing to find her perfect mate. That she happens to find said mate is sort of icing on the cake!)

[mlady_rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

An arranged marriage with the son of the king in another kingdom turns into an arranged marriage with the king himself. Which instead of being a source of dread, is actually a source of relief for newly annointed Queen Danae of Hellas, for she has been crushing over King Matthias of Ypres most of her life. King Matthias is still grieving his late wife, but he is pleasantly surprised how his heart welcomes the new beauty into his life ... and his bed.

The characters are loveable. The palace intrigue, magic system -- Danae holds a elemental water magic -- and romance factors on point. Sex is explicit & frequent, but not to the point where this feels like erotica.

[Jay Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another read
Empress of Storms by Nicola M
Cameron
An arranged marriaged to the King instead of the Prince is a fantasy turned reality for the Queen of Hella.
An age gap is nothing when she already liked him.
But the King needs to battle his own demons to be with her fully (both in his head gland the ones trying to kill him)
To have a successful marriage and a safe kingdom they will need to find who is plotting against them in both of their countries.
Love blossoms where it is least expected

#BookTok #empressofstorms #romantasy #elementalpowers #agegapromancebooks

[Magen Aucoin-Cassedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 37%

At first I thought, “oh wow this is REALLY low angst.” Which was a surprise given the set-up.

But at the 5th or 6th evasion of emotional tension/conflict & resolution I realized it’s not low angst, it just doesn’t seem to understand how to write in small, satisfying bits of tension and conflict. Which made for very flat reading. So I bailed.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly decent story. Good little plot twists tossed in. Little action, little mystery, little betrayal. But for the love of all that is good, I will never be able to stomach someone being called “little bird” 🤢

Not much left unsaid at the end. Not sure if I will read rest of series or not based on how this one ended

[Carol***BeautyandtheBeastlyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a different story. Usually the fantasy genre is a lot more YA or NA and I love that this one had "older"characters and a more mature setting.

There were som things I didn't love about it, but overall it was a good read!

[Jamila Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scream!

That's how I felt about this book. I thought initially that this was a sweet love story, Yawn. But thankfully the story included lots of Intrigue, mysteries, and Drama. I was so pleased. This is my first book by Ms. Cameron but not my last.

[Lis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, though I probably won't read the rest of the series.
I thought the book would be more about the arranged marriage, instead that happens very quickly. Although it did not throw me off that mich and the rest was compelling enough to keep reading it.

[Casey Poe · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this book! Loved it. Loved the story line. I honestly had no idea where it was going!
The spicy scenes were also very excellent! Very well written and detailed! Very spicy!

[Ria Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun times

Excellent story and palace intrigue. A double batch of travel and trouble. I started with book 3 and it was rewarding to go back to the start of the series.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf

dear god this was such a boring read.

[Gracyn Neely · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to 3, it was fun and i thought it was fast paced and liked that the characters were older and more mature

[Courtney May · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want great but wasn’t horrible either

[Morag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different to my usual book choices but I enjoyed it. Definitely for adults only.

[Katana McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute lil story! Honestly I wish it was longer. Loved it!!

[Hannah C · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75/5 stars

[Barbara Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book strikes me as a very good first draft. The premise is fun, the characters are enjoyable and reasonably well-rounded, and the plot is pretty solid. But the details are so slap-dash, and too often problems from the past rear their ugly heads only just before they are resolved. I feel that with a little work, and a lot more foreshadowing, this could have been a much better book. As it stands, it is a reasonably enjoyable quick read, with rather a lot of sex.

[Llaph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world is an intriguing fantasy world with a unique school of magic, cultures, and good characters that have the right touch of detail/description to them. I found the book well written, both story line and the intimate scenes, nothing seemed drawn out or overly flowery to fill pages. I would have never thought of a plot twist like the one this story had and can honestly say I did not see it coming. This is a great find for those fantasy readers who want a little spice in their reading or those who love a good erotic book with a well-developed fantasy element to it.

rest of the review @ CTR

[Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review can also be found on: Paein and Ms4Tune’s Book Blog

I've never read anything by Nicola Cameron before - that I can recall - so when I chose this - from my library whilst sat in standstill traffic, or when I downloaded it, I wasn't expecting the sex scenes. I chose it on the premise and I wasn't disappointed. I loved the idea that she loved him before and the whole role reversal when it came to the idea of their marriage. I don't think I've seen something like that in a book before and it added a nice level of uniqueness to it which I thought was a big part of it's charm. My only issue - a common one - was that it wasn't long enough. While the major issue's were solved there were a few teny tiny ones I could have happily hung about for.

I found the whole thing very well written, the story line and the sex. Any conflicts were reasonably solved and didn't drag to fill pages. I have to admit though, once I'd discovered this was an adult book, I did expect that the storyline wouldn't be as good, often you have great sex scenes and a crappy plot OR you have crappy sex and a decent plot. I thought they were both pretty healthy in this book. I was wrong. I was expecting obvious things, which mean's I missed the less obvious ones and they snuck up on me.

I really enjoyed this world and I would love to read more about it. I noted that someone had mentioned in their comment on goodreads that this was unlike anything else by this author, which is a shame because this was a good mix of everything and I want more! Hopefully there will be sequels (hinthint.)

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Matthias and Danae, rulers of their countries, aligned in a political marriage that Danae hopes will become the real thing. She has had a 'crush' on Matthias for years, but he was happily married. Matthias is the one to marry Danae due to the fact that his wife died and his son, who was supposed to marry her, has disappeared.

This is an exceptional story, with undercurrents all the way through that will grip and entice you. The steamy scenes were certainly hot, but different to Nicola Cameron's other works. A lot more was left to the reader's imagination, which was a good thing for this book. I found the 'traitor' before the name was revealed, HOWEVER, it still came as a surprise, especially with the reasons given behind it. That is how well this book is written!

With a steady and flowing pace, this book with entice you from start to finish. Absolutely recommended and thoroughly enjoyed.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 16, 2016