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Virtuous Trickery: A Historical Romantic Adventure
Gabrielle's shy twin sister is betrothed to a heathen prince from the far north. A Viking! Francesca would not survive the journey north much less the frozen wilderness of her new home. The only way Gabrielle can save her delicate sister is to take her place. Together the twins create a web of deceit that quickly spins out of control leaving a trail of death in its wake.
Gabrielle is the elder twin and heir to the throne. Francesca was second born by a matter of minutes, but those critical minutes were enough to label her the spare heir and she felt it every day.
Gabrielle is a free spirit. Francesca, a shy shadow hiding behind her sister's skirts. As the eldest, Gabrielle did everything in her power to avoid overshadowing Francesca. So when the day came and Francesca whispered she’d fallen in love, Gabrielle gladly agrees to be the one hiding in the shadows until Francesca was wed. But the King has other plans. Francesca is to be wed to the savage heathen from the north. A Viking!
The only way Gabrielle can save her delicate sister is to take her place. Together the twins create a web of deceit that quickly spins out of control leaving a trail of death in its wake. You’re one click away from a Viking romance thriller! Don’t wait!
Gabrielle is a free spirit. Francesca, a shy shadow hiding behind her sister's skirts. As the eldest, Gabrielle did everything in her power to avoid overshadowing Francesca. So when the day came and Francesca whispered she’d fallen in love, Gabrielle gladly agrees to be the one hiding in the shadows until Francesca was wed. But the King has other plans. Francesca is to be wed to the savage heathen from the north. A Viking!
The only way Gabrielle can save her delicate sister is to take her place. Together the twins create a web of deceit that quickly spins out of control leaving a trail of death in its wake. You’re one click away from a Viking romance thriller! Don’t wait!
- GenresRomance
157 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Alaina Stanford
58 books488 followers As the mother of seven children I learned to love to play video games pretty fast. One day it occurred to me to write an adventure that flowed like a video game. I added a touch of romance and Hypnotic Journey was born.
The HJ characters are like a family to me. They are foolish, daring, resourceful and full of passion not only for life but for the friendships they have created in this world and the next.
I've been a Trekkie all my life so my next series was Science Fiction. The Treborel Series is a romantic paranormal adventure featuring a psychotic villain and a multiple layer of hero's fighting to survive the chaos of a continental conflict.
Archangel is a pre-apocalyptic series about angels fighting against the rising evil in a desperate attempt to keep humanity alive long enough to reach the end of days.
Royal Duty is a new type of series. Each book is a different genre- Science Fiction, Historical Romance, Fantasy, etc. They all share a main theme of a royal heir struggling against their obligations to the throne.
In the end I write about how friendship and love can sometimes be the only thing that can keep you alive. You will find my stories exciting and steamy, but I am not an erotic writer. My character's still fall in love and have sex, its just not that obvious.
My Amazon Author Page is: https://www.amazon.com/Alaina-Stanfor...
please come and visit me!
The HJ characters are like a family to me. They are foolish, daring, resourceful and full of passion not only for life but for the friendships they have created in this world and the next.
I've been a Trekkie all my life so my next series was Science Fiction. The Treborel Series is a romantic paranormal adventure featuring a psychotic villain and a multiple layer of hero's fighting to survive the chaos of a continental conflict.
Archangel is a pre-apocalyptic series about angels fighting against the rising evil in a desperate attempt to keep humanity alive long enough to reach the end of days.
Royal Duty is a new type of series. Each book is a different genre- Science Fiction, Historical Romance, Fantasy, etc. They all share a main theme of a royal heir struggling against their obligations to the throne.
In the end I write about how friendship and love can sometimes be the only thing that can keep you alive. You will find my stories exciting and steamy, but I am not an erotic writer. My character's still fall in love and have sex, its just not that obvious.
My Amazon Author Page is: https://www.amazon.com/Alaina-Stanfor...
please come and visit me!
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 27, 2018
Ok book. In the spirit of Shakespeare we have twins who are set to marry. The oldest, who is destined to become queen is supposed to marry a Duke and the second daughter is supposed to marry a Viking prince. They decide to switch which means the oldest gives up the throne.
This leads to a lot of problems including torture and death. A bit of a Shakespearian tragedy.
This leads to a lot of problems including torture and death. A bit of a Shakespearian tragedy.
May 6, 2019
Virtuous Trickery was an interesting and super short audio book. In it, you will meet twin sisters Gabrielle and Francesca. One is wild and free while the other is more responsible. Their father, the king, has set them up to be married. One will marry a duke and the other a Viking prince. Of course, the sister end up doing a little twin switch-a-roo (kind of like the parent trap). However, this eventually leads to a lot of drama, torture, and death. So the evil version of the parent trap.
Now I thought this book was interesting but it was also a bit predictable. Maybe it was because of the narrator.. but she definitely made one guy seem more evil. Then when the sisters are pitted against one another, you know there's going to be a lot of death and no happiness. I'm kind of glad the book was so short since I haven't read the first book. But at the same time, I feel like I didn't really miss out on anything.
Overall, this book was okay.
Now I thought this book was interesting but it was also a bit predictable. Maybe it was because of the narrator.. but she definitely made one guy seem more evil. Then when the sisters are pitted against one another, you know there's going to be a lot of death and no happiness. I'm kind of glad the book was so short since I haven't read the first book. But at the same time, I feel like I didn't really miss out on anything.
Overall, this book was okay.
August 4, 2017
What do you do when your born a twin daughter to a king, and you're next in line to rule the kingdom, and your twin sister is the shy mouse that was born but minutes from being in your shoes? You try to protect her no matter what..even if you know it's wrong and deceit goes against all in your soul!! Gabrielle is out going and can do all when she sets her mind to it, where as her sister Francesca is "delicate and fragile" and easily swayed by others. Their father the King arranged a marriage for both!! Trouble comes as Gabrielle can't say no to her sister when it's discovered that the prospective groom for her is the man her sister swears she's in love with. And the other groom is a rough and tough Viking who dispises lies and deceit.. Who only wants to take home his "bride" and return home to rule his country ! The deceit the two twins choose leads into a dark webs of loss and sadness as they trade places. Being identical in looks isn't enough to pull it off, especially when others involved are also planning to use the situation to their advantage, no matter what the cost!!
December 23, 2017
Two twins, look the same but are completely different.
While Gabrielle is a free spirit, Francesca is the responsible one.... or at least that is what you would expect.
Their father, the king, promises them to marry , setting them up in a path that will definitively change their lives.
To avoid any more spoilers I can not say much more, but let's say that it is not a simple story of princesses and princes.
I liked the plot and while there were a few things that were predictable, at mid story there are a few twists which keep you interested in the story.
Not the steamy, hot story, but I found it very sweet & enjoyable...
and would like to read other stuff from the author, which is always a good sign.
While Gabrielle is a free spirit, Francesca is the responsible one.... or at least that is what you would expect.
Their father, the king, promises them to marry , setting them up in a path that will definitively change their lives.
To avoid any more spoilers I can not say much more, but let's say that it is not a simple story of princesses and princes.
I liked the plot and while there were a few things that were predictable, at mid story there are a few twists which keep you interested in the story.
Not the steamy, hot story, but I found it very sweet & enjoyable...
and would like to read other stuff from the author, which is always a good sign.
December 12, 2017
A royal pain
Audio version.
Great story, I've never read/listened to Alaina Stanford before but I'll definitely read more.
The narrator gives a Viking a lite Scottish brogh, it put me off a little. Otherwise she was great.
This Audio book was given to me for free at my request from the publisher, author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Twisted, Whimsical Tragic, Great world building, Easy-to-read, Original, Page-turner, Witty, Action-packed, Entertaining, Unpredictable, Wonderful characters, Happily Ever After, Romantic.
Audio version.
Great story, I've never read/listened to Alaina Stanford before but I'll definitely read more.
The narrator gives a Viking a lite Scottish brogh, it put me off a little. Otherwise she was great.
This Audio book was given to me for free at my request from the publisher, author or narrator and I provided this unbiased voluntary review.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Twisted, Whimsical Tragic, Great world building, Easy-to-read, Original, Page-turner, Witty, Action-packed, Entertaining, Unpredictable, Wonderful characters, Happily Ever After, Romantic.
December 25, 2017
Virtuous Trickery reminds me of King Lear. The story have a king and two twin daughters, Gabriella and Francesca. One daughter who is destined to be queen and another who blames her sister for overshadowing her and never to be noticed.
Gabriella, out of her love for her sister Francesca, traded places. She would married the Viking prince while Francesca married her Italian prince. Except everything went wary where two sisters are manipulated to be enemy against each other.
The story was enjoyable. The narrator, not so much. I was irked by the narrator when she was voicing the Italian prince. Already, the listeners know that the Italian prince is not to be trusted. It took away the surprised element that both sisters are not going to have their HEA endings.
I was given this audiobook by the author. I have voluntary to write an unbiased review for the book. I was not compensated or influenced in any way for writing this review.
Gabriella, out of her love for her sister Francesca, traded places. She would married the Viking prince while Francesca married her Italian prince. Except everything went wary where two sisters are manipulated to be enemy against each other.
The story was enjoyable. The narrator, not so much. I was irked by the narrator when she was voicing the Italian prince. Already, the listeners know that the Italian prince is not to be trusted. It took away the surprised element that both sisters are not going to have their HEA endings.
I was given this audiobook by the author. I have voluntary to write an unbiased review for the book. I was not compensated or influenced in any way for writing this review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews