Brianna Hale's writing is a favorite of mine, so I was elated when she announced she was writing a full series based in the fictional kingdom of Paravel, following the revolution that puts the rightful King back into power after years of living under a brutal regime. The first book in the series is Devrim's Court, a daddy dom novel featuring an uptight daddy who spent the last twenty years in jail and a young woman thrust into a position of royalty she never asked for.
Blurb: There are two things I know for certain: horses are better than people, and women are more trouble than they’re worth.
The revolution in Paravel was a celebration, for most. There’s just a different set of assholes at the top, kicking down the ones below them. And that’s where I am, at the bottom of the pile, and luscious and brazen Lady Aubrey is at the very top.
s in her tight-fitting jodhpurs. It’s not the first time a society girl has thrown herself at me to make Daddy angry, but this is the first one I’ve wanted to catch and toss down in the hay.
Aubrey is a filly who refuses to be tamed. I’m determined to break her in and make her mine—before my family’s past rears its ugly, traitorous head, and she’s snatched from me forever.
Author’s note: Cassian Bellerose is a bad-tempered beast with his eye on a high-class filly. The Court of Paravel books continue chronologically. It’s recommended that they’re read in order.
Review: Breaking Her In is the second installment in the Court of Paravel series by Brianna Hale. I personally think you'd need to read the first book in the series to truly understand the background of Paravel and the relationship between Aubrey and her father, but I guess technically if you just want to read some rough and tumble sex in a barn then you don't have to. The whole series is great for royal romance lovers who want to immerse themselves in a foreign world full of uptight royals, grumpy heroes, and lonely heroines.
Our hero Cassian in all his surly glory was right up my alley in terms of heroes because, though I'm married to a positive and kind husband, I want my romance novels to feature men I'd punch in the face in real life. But Cassian's love of horses, and their love of him, means that even though he's a total asshole at times he's actually a good guy deep down. And, truthfully, his attitude towards Aubrey isn't so much about her but rather about what she represents...which is everything he despises.
Lady Aubrey is a lonely and lost young woman. Little girls dream of becoming royalty, but Aubrey only dreams of riding her horse. It was sad to watch her relationship with her father deteriorate as a result of his... you know, marrying Aubrey's best friend, but Aubrey's journey to acceptance was honorable. I liked Aubrey's spirit and her ability to see more in Cassian than his outward appearance of being a total dick rather than just over-looking him like most of the royal class. It was hard not to like her as a heroine because, despite her social standing, she was just a regular girl trying to figure out what she wanted from life. And every reader can relate to that.
Cassian and Aubrey are an explosive couple who egg each other on at every turn. They are the definition of opposites attract and I so enjoyed watching them battle it out: Aubrey working hard to convince Cassian to let some of those pent up emotions out and Cassian teaching her that the sort of life she wants it at her fingertips if she'll only stand up for herself. Breaking Her In has an HEA but it might not be the one you're expecting to see.
Out August 27th.