The Heart of Betrayal

The Kiss of Deception (rev. 9/14) ended with the unmasking of “the prince” and “the assassin,” both of whom, despite themselves, fell in love with Princess Lia of Morrighan. Now the fates of all three are in the hands of an iron-fisted ruler known as the Komizar of Venda. Seeing Lia as a pawn, he proposes a marriage of convenience to bolster his public image. Kaden, the assassin who kidnapped her and brought her to the Komizar, tries nevertheless to keep her safe; Rafe, prince of Dalbreck (whose true identity is unknown to the other two) remains a captive of the Komizar. Deception and betrayal notwithstanding, Lia’s heart belongs to Rafe, and the two conspire to escape before the dreaded marriage can be finalized. Once again, Pearson uses shifting viewpoints to heighten suspense and track events in multiple settings. The bigger picture of the world-building begins to come into sharper focus in this volume -- that is, the relationship between the kingdoms of Venda, Dalbreck, and Morrighan -- pointing toward a climax that promises to fuse the political with the personal, resolving the fates not only of all these players but also of their respective kingdoms. If Pearson can sustain the romance, mystery, and suspense, then the Remnant Chronicles will stand strong among great fantasy series. jonathan hunt

The Kiss of Deception unmasked "the prince" (Rafe) and "the assassin" (Kaden), both of whom fell in love with Princess Lia. Now the fates of all three are in the hands of an iron-fisted ruler. Shifting viewpoints heighten suspense and track events in multiple settings. Bigger-picture world-building points toward a resolution not only of these players' fates but also their respective kingdoms.