Steal a Swordmaiden's Heart

Court of Midsummer Mayhem Prequel

By: Tara Grayce

Narrated by: Liz Brand

A swordmaiden's hand is not easily won. Theseus, king of the Court of Knowledge, is desperate. With the barrier to the Realm of Monsters wearing thin and the chaos of Midsummer Night approaching, he needs to do something drastic to save his Court. If he doesn't secure warriors to protect his Court from the monsters, his people, the Great Library, and all the knowledge of the Fae Realm that it contains could be destroyed.

That leaves him with the choice to either bargain with another Court and hope the price isn't too steep or face deadly trials to win the hand of Queen Hippolyta of the Court of Swordmaidens, a court of mysterious warrior women.

Marriage seems like the better option, but the trials prove to be trickier than Theseus feared. Even worse, he finds himself drawn to Ariadne, the serving maid, instead of the cold-hearted Queen Hippolyta. Will he have to choose between his heart and saving his Court?

©2021 Tara Grayce (P)2024 Tara Grayce

TO WIN A LADY'S HEART

AGAIN TARA DELIVERS A DELITEFUL FUN AND LIGHTHEARTED STORY FILLED WITH CLEAN FUN ADVENTUROUS STORIES! LIZ BRAND IS A WONDERFUL NARRATOR!

Steal A Swordmaidens Heart

Narrator: Liz Brand

My Reading Speed: 1.25x

Have I Read The Book Before Listening to the Audio? Yes

Overall Audio Impression:

I loved getting to revisit this story! It is so much fun and I loved that the narrator (Liz Brand) made it more fun with the different tones she gave the characters she was voicing. I loved seeing Theseus try to navigate the world within the Court of Swordmaidens and trying to figure out what sort of trials they would send his way. I loved that, even to the reader, the entire court’s practices were a mystery so we didn’t really know what would happen until it was right in front of us!

Favorite Scenes:

unexpected trials

visits from Adriadne

the ending

Book Review:

Reader’s Notes:

– this is a prequel to the Court of Midsummer Mayhem series, but can be read as a stand-alone

– this ebook can be received for free by signing up for Tara’s newsletter

– this is told from Theseus’s point of view

Review:

I had so much fun reading this short/quick sweet fae romance! It was full of such fun banter between Theseus & his swordmaiden while he went through trials in order to gain the help he so desperately needed for his court. I loved the unexpectedness of his trials and the slight mystery surrounding not only swordmaidens in general, but his swordmaiden particularly. It makes me even more excited to read more of the Court of Midsummer Mayhem series!

Summary:

Theseus knows that this year’s Midsummer Night will be the worst he’s ever seen in his reign. The Realm of Monsters is coming closer than ever before and fissures are already forming between his realm and theirs and they will only get worse. Which spells disaster for his court. His librarians and non-warrior people don’t have the skills to keep the monsters at bay which means many will likely not survive the attacks that are on their way.

Theseus’s only options to save his people are to bargain with another court or steal himself a fae wife who holds power in another court. With the unknown price that would likely be way too high for his court to pay for the help they need, Theseus decides to seek marriage with the queen of the Swordmaidens, a court of fae warrior women that most have little to no knowledge of in terms of customs.

But Theseus finds himself in over his head as the trials continue to defy his expectations and he finds himself falling for a mere servant girl instead of the queen he came for. Will he be able to follow through with his mission for the good of his court or will he pursue a love that he never thought possible for fae royalty to be able to find?