Review: Trust in Love (Love Mark 2) by Linda Kage

Title: Trust in Love

Series: Love Mark #2

Author: Linda Kage

Release Date: May 4, 2020

Published By: Self

Category: Fantasy – Futuristic – SciFi - Romance

Type: Digital – Paperback

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Linda Kage Website

Rating: 

Heat: 

Blurb: 

The kingdom of Far Shore still resents Donnelly, its neighboring land, for forming an alliance with those filthy High Clifters and then defeating them in war. Twice! They really must pay for such an insult. And what better way to prick their pride than to steal their lovely, revered princess, mutilate her a little, and then ransom her back to them for a hefty sum.

So, the king blackmails stable hand, Farrow, into accepting the mission of kidnapping Princess Nicolette and bringing her back to Far Shore to meet her gruesome fate.

With his sister’s life on the line, Farrow reluctantly accepts the quest and travels through desert and forest, only to find Nicolette eagerly awaiting his arrival with her bags already packed and good to go, spouting off insane nonsense about being his destiny and one true love.

What follows is a crazy, eclectic adventure that brings two lost souls together and helps them learn who they’re supposed to be and what they’re supposed to do in this ever-changing journey called life.

A Love Mark Fantasy Romance! Can be read with ONE TRUE LOVE.

 By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

Favorite Lines:

“You don’t have to understand. Just know that I love you with every breath of air in my lungs, and I’ll do everything within my power to make sure you live.”  ~  Nicolette

Dammit. I was getting very tired of other people interrupting my mini breakthroughs with this man. At this rate, we’d be seventy before he capitulated to my charms.  ~  Nicolette

“You’re exactly my kind of crazy.”  ~  Farrow

Vocabulary Word:

Codswallop

 noun

cods·​wal·​lop | \ ˈkȯdz-ˌwä-ləp  , ˈkädz- \

Definition of codswallop

British, informal

: words or ideas that are foolish or untrue : NONSENSEThe notion that Scott was waylaid by bad luck is "a lot of codswallop," said Roland Huntford, a British historian.— Kenneth Chang" Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion…"— J. K. Rowling… I muttered, "Yes, that's right," knowing all the while that it was a load of codswallop.

Excerpt:

          I mean, kidnapping the princess of Donnelly? Nicolette? No. I wouldn’t. She had saved me. I was alive because of her. I had no desire to kidnap anyone, but I especially couldn’t pay her back by dragging her to what would become her own death. And a brutal, drawn-out, traumatic, painful death, at that. 

          So I stayed as quiet as possible, hoping the king would follow his gut instincts and not listen to his top advisor for once in his life. 

          But Greggor—damn him—was too slick for his own good. “I don’t know, Your Majesty,”he murmured, eyeing me as if he could see inside my head. “Given the proper incentive, Farrow here might be more reliable to fulfill this quest than anyone in all of Far Shore.”

          I narrowed my eyes. The douche might’ve just complimented me, but I’d never trusted him. Whatever Greggor was thinking, I already knew I wouldn’t like it. 

          “What do you mean?”the king asked curiously, and I shook my head, wishing he’d just disregard the damn advisor’s suggestion already. Find someone else for his stupid mission. Or better yet, just forget about the idiotic idea altogether. 

          But he didn’t. 

          “The boy’s quite fond of that middle girl of yours, isn’t he?”Greggor’s top lip curled into a wicked snarl as he watched my face drain of color. Then he rasped one word. 

          “Sable.”

          And just like that, my entire world shifted on its axis. 

          Cold, slippery dread slithered through my system. 

           I immediately waved both my hands, disagreeing. Whatever he wanted to do that involved Sable, I was out. She was an innocent twelve-year-old child. Why should she be brought into any plans that involved kidnapping another kingdom’s princess? This already sounded disastrous. 

          “No,” I said. 

          But the panic on my face only caused the king to blink in surprise before he motioned to his advisor. “Keep talking.”

          “No,” I growled more vehemently as Greggor said, “We could hold the child in the dungeon until Farrow returns with the Donnelly bitch. And if he fails his mission…”He glanced at me and smiled. “Sable dies.”

          “What?!”I shouted. “The hell you say.”Turning to my father, I was even more horrified because I could tell the ignorant ass was actually considering this madness. “Have you lost your damn mind?” I boomed. “How could you even ponder such a ridiculous notion? Sable is your daughter.”

          King Torrance shrugged. “And you’re my—”He cut himself off before finishing the sentiment. 

          I held my breath, wondering if this was going to be the moment of truth, when he finally called me son. My heart beat hard in my chest, yearning for that one word, while my stomach churned, also dreading it. Being his would mean I actually belonged somewhere; I was someone. But did I really want to be the heir of this brute? 

          He snickered and waved a hand. “Well, whatever you are. You’re both equally useless to me, so…”He motioned toward a pair of guards by the entrance of the room. “Fetch the girl.”

          “No. Stop! Wait.”I rushed toward the guards to waylay them, but the king waved his hand again, and four more knights stepped into my path, blocking my way. 

          I snarled at them before whirling back to the king. Shit had just gotten real. With Sable involved, my will collapsed like a poorly dug well. 

          “You don’t have to involve her,”I told him. “I’ll do it!”

          The king lifted an eyebrow. 

          Swallowing, I reiterated, “I’ll kidnap the princess, Nicolette, and take the mission. I don’t need incentive. You’re my king. Far Shore is my home. It would be an honor to serve you in any capacity. Just don’t bring Sable into this.”

          But even as I said the words, acid swirled in my stomach. I’d be betraying the girl who’d saved me. I would doom Nicolette. There would be no honor in my actions. 

          To spare Sable, however, I had no choice. My sister’s safety came first. Always. 

          “Sable is useful,” I insisted. “Someday, you can marry her off to another kingdom and form an alliance with them, just like—”

          “An alliance?” my father spat incredulously. Then he sniffed and sat back, throwing up a hand to hush me. “Except I don’t want another goddamn alliance. Not any longer. They denied me once, so they no longer deserve me. Now, I just want to crush them all. Alliances be damned. I’d rather rule everyone as I see fit.”

          “Okay,” I said, my mind scrambling for ideas before I snapped my fingers, coming up with one. I pointed at him. “Then you’ll need smart and loyal emissaries to send out and make sure your law is being enforced out there. And Sable is the brightest. She could do any number of things to serve Far Shore.”

          The king ignored my pleas and turned his attention to Greggor. “We should have a new torture device crafted and finished by the time the Donnelly bitch arrives. Something we could set up in the village square so all can watch her downfall. Something that keeps her legs spread and titties jiggling while I fuck her into submission. Don’t you think?”

          Greggor gave a thoughtful nod before smirking. “Only if I get a turn at it too.”

          “My dear friend,” the king answered benevolently, pressing a hand to his heart. “But of course. There’s very little I’ve never shared with you, is there not?”

          While the two traded conspiring chuckles, I gagged on my own bile and then swallowed raggedly. But dear God. I’d always known they were soulless. Both of them. This, however, was revolting. 

          “You can’t do this,” I blurted. 

          Wrong thing to say. 

          Sometimes, I could get away with talking to the king as Greggor did. But apparently, I’d reached my limit tonight. 

          My father arched a severe eyebrow. “But can’t I? Which one of us is the king here?”

          The guards sent to detain Sable returned then, dragging the quivering, confused, and clearly frightened child into the throne room. She was still wearing her nightgown, for God’s sake, and her feet were bare. 

          The sight was more than I could take. 

          “Wait!”Leaping between her and the king, I lifted my hands, determined to talk my way out of this. I had failed my mother, but I would not fail my sister. “I’ll do anything. You absolutely cannot send her to the dungeon.”

          “The what?”Sable cried, her eyes growing wide and her trembling increasing. “But what did I do wrong? I only left my room for those few minutes.”Reaching out to catch the sleeve of my tunic, she sobbed, “Farrow, what’s happening?”

          I glanced at her and gripped her hand, my gaze apologetic and worried. Then I turned back to the king. “Please. She’s lived an indulged life; she’s not equipped to survive in such conditions. She’ll expire within a fortnight.”

          My father waved an unconcerned hand. “Then I suggest you start your journey with the utmost haste, so she won’t suffer long.”

          I shook my head. “It’ll take a moon cycle just to reach Donnelly and back, not to mention the amount of time I’ll need to complete my mission. Make her stay up in her rooms if you must, but not the dungeon. I beg you.”

          “My word is final,” was all the king would allow. He flicked out a single finger. “Take her down now.”

          “No!”I clutched Sable’s hand desperately, but a line of knights plowed into me, separating us roughly as they pulled Sable away. 

          “Sable?”I called, my fingers still straining her way. 

          But so many guards came between us that I could no longer even see her. All I could hear was her panicked voice as she screamed, “Farrow!”just before it was cut short and muffled. 

          “Son of a bitch! Stop.”I tried to move to the side, just to see her. “That is your princess, you fools. Go gently now.”But the guards moved with me, blocking my view. “Sable?”

          And just as quickly as that, the guards stepped back. 

          I fell to my knees when I found that Sable was gone, already dragged away with her fate sealed. I sobbed out a sound and bowed my face, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to think. But I couldn’t come up with a sound plan. 

          Doom settled hard in my gut. I looked up at the king one last time, hoping to change his mind with the agony in my stare alone. But he wasn’t even paying any attention to me. He was too busy, scanning his remaining knights before he picked out two. 

          “You and you. Accompany the bastard to Donnelly. None of you return until you have their bitch princess in your possession. Otherwise, you’ll occupy a space in the dungeon next to your princess. Is that understood?”

          The two nodded intently. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

          And thus, it was decided. 

          There was nothing else I could do. His mind was set, and Sable’s life depended on me and my success in securing Princess Nicolette. 

          King Torrance lifted his eyebrows at me before repeating, “I said, is that understood?”

          My teeth ground together hard as something inside me broke. Maybe it was my heart. Maybe it was my allegiance and loyalty. But it caused the fragmented shards to scatter until they reassembled into something that resembled defiance. 

          For, suddenly, I wanted to spit in his eye, pound my fists into his face, haul him down to the dungeon by his damned fur collar, and have him personally unlock Sable from her cell. But any of those options would be my own death, which would probably warrant Sable’s demise as well. 

          So I pushed stonily to my feet and glared, deciding once and for all that I no longer wished to be his son. I just wanted his pain. 

          “Understood,” I seethed. 

          He sniffed arrogantly, gleaning pleasure from my subordination. “Good.”

          Unable to stomach the sight of him a moment longer, I turned away and hitched my chin toward the two guards who’d been assigned to me. They marched forward to flank me on either side. 

          “Gather what we’ll need for the journey ahead,” I told them, my voice hollow and chest still compacted tight with an ugly mix of anger, fear, panic, and dazed shock. 

          This was really happening. Sable would die if I didn’t kidnap Princess Nicolette. “We’ll meet in the courtyard in half an hour to depart.”

          The sooner we got there and back, the sooner I could free Sable. 

          If she didn’t expire before I returned. 

          Dammit all to hell, my affection for her was what had caused this. This was the second time my caring for another person had endangered her life. But never again. This time, I would save the one I loved. 

          As I raced to my stall in the stables so I could gather everything I’d need for the trip, I made another promise to myself. 

          I swore I’d never care for anyone that strongly again. It only doomed them. 

          No one else I treasured would suffer because of me, so I’d just never treasure anyone. 

          It was safer that way.

Highlight:

          The boom came from nowhere. It was so loud it seemed to stir the sand dunes and rattle my teeth. Worried the sky was falling or something equally apocalyptic had happened, I hunkered my shoulders, ducking down to avoid certain death, only to realize the man who’d been attacking me with a raised axe remained frozen, his mouth gaping open in paralyzed shock. 

          I frowned up at him, confused, until blood welled from a minuscule hole that appeared in his forehead. 

          “What the fuck?” his comrade whispered before whirling to gape at me as if I’d caused the calamity. But I just shrugged, equally perplexed. 

          So his wide-eyed stare of horror strayed past me to Nicolette who was still behind me. Seeing her, his gaze immediately narrowed. 

          “You,” he snarled, raising his axe. 

          Before he could charge, though, the explosion came again, just as deafening as the first time. But following this report, the front of the attacker’s tunic bloomed red in the center of his chest. He gaped down in fear, patted himself frantically, then gurgled as blood bubbled from his mouth. A second later, he too pitched to the ground, as dead as the rest of his friends. 

          I pulled back, certain I was seeing things. But the dead man remained dead. 

          Slowly, I turned around. 

          Nicolette stood there, holding some strange device that looked to be made of black iron. It was a tube with smoke wafting up from the end and had a bent handle to hold on to. And it seemed to be pointed directly at where my last assailant had been standing. 

          The princess sent me a dry, unimpressed blink, then twisted the tube up toward her mouth so she could blow at the smoke, cooling the metal. 

          “So far,” she said, “I’m not an avid fan of your kingdom.”

          “Did you…?”I blinked, positive I was interpreting the situation all wrong. Then I pointed at her. “Did you just kill those two with that thing?”

          She scowled as if offended. “Well, they were being excessively rude, attacking before questioning anything, calling me ugly names, and threatening to rape me. And then they had the gall to attempt to kill my true love. I’m sorry but that was just unacceptable, and I’d had enough. Someone needed to teach the rude, overbearing ingrates some manners.”

          I glanced back at the five dead men and nodded. “Consider them taught.”

          “I mean, who does that?” she railed. “It’s simply poor social conduct and lack of proper etiquette, is what it is.”

          Quirking a smile, I turned back to her. “Welcome to real life, princess. Where almost everyone is an impertinent, selfish asshole, looking after their own interest and not giving a shit about anyone else’s.”

          “Well, it’s not right.”Negligently waving her tube around, she fumed. “Here I was, dead tired from lack of sleep, my muscles sore in places I didn’t even know I had them from riding on horseback for—what—five or six nights straight? I’ve lost track of the days. I haven’t bathed in almost a week, or eaten anything but that dry, hard, tasteless whatever it is you’ve been feeding me. I’d give anything for about five more liters of water to drink. My back aches from sleeping on the ground, my hips ache from riding, my feet ache from the blisters these sandals have given me. My menstrual courses started days ago, so I’m bloated, cramping, cranky, and irritable. And then this—this…”

          She glared right at me as she pointed at the dead men. “Just when you kiss me back like you really mean it, these fucking cutthroats come along and immediately attack, trying to kill my soul mate without even attempting to discover if you’re one of their own countrymen or not, and then they didn’t even have the courtesy to consider me a threat the entire time. I’m just—I’m sorry, but they really, really pissed me off.”

          “Aye,”I murmured, walking toward her. “I can tell.”When I reached her, I gently put my hand over hers that was holding the killer tube and I slowly lowered her arm so she wouldn’t inadvertently blow a hole through me, too. Then I cupped her cheek with my other palm. “But it’s over now, princess. We’re okay. We made it.”

          She nodded and heaved out a long breath, her eyes weary and apologetic. With a sniff, she said, “I’m so sorry you have to see me like this. I was trying so hard to hide all my whiny, bad-tempered traits from you, but they just—”

          “It’s okay,” I repeated, my voice low and steady—soothing. Leaning in to press my forehead to hers, I added, “You’ve had a long, rough time of it. I’d say you’re allowed to unload a bit of your stress if you want.”

          “Thank you.”She sniffed and closed her eyes. “But I still didn’t want you to see me acting so—”

          “Shh.”I rolled my forehead along hers and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. “The only thing I see right now is an amazingly remarkable heroine. You stood up to those men without even a smidgeon of fear.”An amused smile spread across my face. “It’s all part of your crazy charm, I guess.”

          She flushed. “I’m not usually quite so crazy. High-strung and impetuous, yes, but—”

          I pressed a finger against her mouth to hush her. Once she fell quiet and met my gaze, I winked. “Don’t ruin it for me. You’re exactly my kind of crazy.”

          And then I kissed her. 

          I’m not sure what came over me; I simply needed my lips against hers like I needed air in my lungs. And she seemed to feel the same. Her mouth pressed forward eagerly. 

          She was always so fervent about the idea of intimacy between us. Her enthusiasm, charm, and all-out joy was addictive as hell. I wanted to own it for myself. Own her in a way I’d never been connected to anyone. 

          It wasn’t just a mere tupping I craved, either. Yeah, I wanted to bed her, but I also ached to share pieces beyond the physical, some inner connection of the mind and spirit that bound us implicitly, until we were—ah shit. 

          Like soul mates. 

          I tore away from her, remembering I didn’t believe in such things. And then everything else came back as well: reality, and the fact that I had lied to her since I’d met her, and that I really didn’t have time to stand here, shoving my tongue down her throat. 

          Sable waited. 

          “Fuck,” I hissed, backing away and wiping my hand across my mouth. I shook my head, eying her warily. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

          Her eyes softened as if she felt bad for me. Then she stepped forward. “But, Farrow. It’s okay. We’re—”

          “No.”I pointed at her sternly. “Do not try to foist that true-love rubbish on me again. It’s not so. I am not your other half, princess. And someday, I’ll prove it, and you’ll know all the lore behind your special tattoo is just a sham.”

          Whenever she learned everything and could look at me with nothing but hate, she’d realize it with stark, ugly facts. 

          She paused at my tone and blinked, only to repeat, “A sham?”Her voice held more surprise than anger or hurt feelings, however. Then she sniffed out an amused sound. “You mean proof like that hole you no longer have in your shoulder from the arrow wound?”

          My hand immediately sought my shoulder. 

          Hell fire. I’d forgotten about being shot by the arrow. Too much had happened in the last five minutes to keep track of everything. But when I prodded the area, trying to determine how bad off I was, all I found was dried blood smeared across my upper torso. 

          The wound had healed completely. 

          Smirking triumphantly, Nicolette arched an eyebrow. “Forgot I’d kissed that all better, didn’t you?”

          I shook my head, unable to buy her story. “This only tells me you possess some kind of magical healing qualities. Maybe the tattoo contains medicinal herbs that can self-heal you and those that you kiss.”I shrugged. “It would explain why High Cliff amassed such a grand army. They can patch whatever wounds they accrue in battle and keep going.”

          Nicolette rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “Now that’s just absurd.”

          “It is,” I agreed when a buzzard cawed overhead. “About as absurd as being able to spot your true love at first sight, I’d say.”I glanced up at the circling bird, realized it had friends with it, and then dropped my attention to the bodies sprawled around us. “We need to go.”

          “Oh, you’re not getting out of this conversation so easily,” she countered. 

          “I didn’t figure I would.”Slightly out of breath as I rushed to round up Mint and Caramel, I glanced her way. “But we’ll have to postpone it for another time, princess, before more Far Shore border radicals show up to greet us in a similar fashion or those buzzards mistake us for one of the dead and try to have us for breakfast.”

          Nicolette looked up uneasily and winced. “I suppose you’re right.”She fumbled in her haste to mount Caramel when I tossed the horse’s reins to her. 

          Before scrambling into the saddle myself, I relieved a few of the deceased of their weapons and then leaped onto Mint. 

          Wrinkling her nose, Nicolette said, “I hope you mean to clean that chain mace. It’s positively nasty.”

          “Oh, aye,” I told her with a wink. “It’s my first order of business once we get ourselves out of immediate, mortal danger.”

Review: 

Nicolette believes in love, but more than that, she trusts in it. Marked by the love tattoo in a fit of rebellion, she has seen the joy and happiness that comes from finding your one true love. Love that deep holds great power and maybe a bit of magic, but she never could have imagined she would find her mate in the face of an enemy. Captured by her family when their fight against her people failed, she set him free. It’s been five long years, but she trusts that she will see him again soon. When she realizes that Farrow is near once again, she finds him and sets out with him to return to his home. She believes he has come for her and isn’t aware of his evil intent. Through their journey, they overcome several obstacles, but each time she makes a slight knick in Farrow’s denial, he fights even harder to push against their connection. Nicolette would do anything for her true love and even if he is unwilling to believe in their love, she determines to trust in their love enough for both of them. But even that might not be enough.

Farrow has been brought up completely opposite from Nicolette. He’s only ever wanted to belong somewhere and be claimed by his father, despite the horrific monster that he is. So when he is forced to kidnap Nicolette under duress and the beauty literally walks right into his arms, he is convinced it is a trick. But as her claims of love and happily ever after continue relentlessly, he starts to wonder if what she is saying could be true. Except this is what he has wanted his whole life and the chance of this woman bringing it straight to him is unbelievable. Rather than capitulate, he rebels in an effort to protect himself. He’s also got to figure out how to keep Nicolette from his father's clutches and still be able to save his sister from harm. He knows he would have never been able to turn Nicolette in – he remembers their odd encounter when she saved his life five years ago – but he still would not have been able to go along with his father’s horrific plans to cripple their enemy through Nicolette. With the odds continually mounting against them and the corruption that runs so deep, there doesn’t seem to be a path of escape, the punches keep coming. But Farrow never allows himself to admit his love to Nicolette and certainly doesn’t realize how much stronger they could be united rather than separated. As the danger increases, it begins to look like Farrow has pushed Nicolette away for the last time and that her trust in their love has finally reached a breaking point. Because who could love someone like him after all he has done to break her trust – even if she has become his greatest desire.

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. In one way I am glad I did not read the first book because it’s dreadfully clear that much occurred. Nothing different here either. I’m not sure I would have kept everything straight. On the other hand, there were a few small spoilers and enough provided about the precious book to keep the reader from feeling completely lost. I was left sitting in the middle of wondering if I could handle another book with such complexity and near-desperation to catch myself up by jumping right into the precious book as soon as I finished the second. You guys – I didn’t sleep. Each time I told myself I would stop at the next chapter, something else happened and I found myself continually promising to go to bed after the next chapter. And I had to work the next day. At 5am. Ugh. I mean you have true love, magic, the possibility of other realms, actual people from those other realms, traitorous political agendas, scorpions that wouldn’t survive a spelling bee, a gun in a land where they simply do not exist, nearly everyone is a murderer in one way or another - it’s just a crazy mess of a plot. But damn if I wasn’t completely caught up in every moment of it.

One tool that definitely benefitted this book was the POV switches. Things were told from Nicolette’s view as well as Farrow’s. You know that Farrow never forgot her and is immediately drawn to her all over again and that Nicolette never had the option of forgetting him. While Farrow might continually disclaim Nic’s clues of their connection, we also see as he gradually makes that switch to acceptance and then selfishness to longing even as he continues to fervently deny reciprocated feelings of love. He may have been rejected by the King, but was also trained and educated well, so for him, it is his job alone to protect Nic. He got her in the situation, so he has to figure out a solution that will keep them all safe. But Nic is not one to stand idly by and when action is needed, she never once hesitates to do so. She also knows her own mind and her trust in her mark makes her a worthy adversary to Farrow’s repudiation. Having seen the connection between mates, she knows what they stand to lose if he doesn’t eventually come around to her. Before too long these two are set on a course neither of them could have predicted or expected. I hope to be able to check in with them later as the series progresses.

This book is a bit lengthy at around 450 pages, so be ready to settle in. That said, I wouldn’t say there was too much or too little. It ended in an appropriate place and even had an epilogue. When that was over and I was wondering about Indigo’s mark, there was a second epilogue generously included. Because yes, there is yet another character – Indigo, her bodyguard – and he has yet to meet his mate. I look forward to that little bit of drama meeting exposure. If I had any complaint, it would be that the language doesn’t always seem appropriate. One chapter might include a bunch of “aye” to the point I am starting to imagine a Scottish brogue and the next has exclamations such as “sweet!”. I felt like the language caused a bit of distortion simply because at times it didn’t make sense. Those are just a couple of examples of the oddity in language choice. Other than that, I found nothing to grumble about. There was another character introduced toward the end of the book named Mater (I think) and I wonder what his significance is. I feel like there is something more given his network of connections. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe not. I have labeled a book a wild ride before, but this one truly embodies that description. And did I mention the scorching passion? Good grief! The connection Farrow and Nicolette share is unreal. His denial is nearly the more unbelievable characteristic of this story even in the face of the fantasy element. I’m not generally a huge fan of fantasy romance, but I’ve been known to dabble. If Ms. Kage sucks readers into this type of vortex with each book, then she is definitely one to continue visiting. At this point, I plan to visit again and again.

Kindle version received by Xpresso Book Tours/NetGalley/Author in exchange for an honest review.