The Queen's Gambit (Rogue Queen Book 1)

By Jessie Mihalik

The Blurb: When the Quint Confederacy and the Kos Empire went to war—again—Queen Samara wisely kept her Rogue Coalition out of the conflict. But staying neutral in a galactic war doesn’t pay the bills, not when both sides refuse to trade with neutral sectors.

With her people on the brink of starvation, Samara hatches a daring plan to snatch the kidnapped Kos Emperor from the Quint mercenaries holding him. The Kos Empire will pay a fortune for their emperor’s return, enough to feed the Coalition’s citizens while they wait for the return to a begrudging peace.

But when her plan goes sideways, Samara finds herself evading Quint mercenaries with the very man she intends to capture. And the more time she spends with Valentin Kos, the more she realizes that he’s not the coldly indifferent villain she imagined. Torn between duty and desire, Samara must decide if saving her people is worth giving up the one thing she’s always wanted.

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There were two things that drew me to this book.

First, the cover.

I was in the mood for some "girl power" and our heroine on this cover looks fierce. Turns out this book was the perfect choice for a strong female character. Queen Samara is absolutely amazing! She's a strong leader, 100% loyal to her people, smart as a whip, and can kick some serious ass.

The second reason is Ilona Andrews.

Ms. Mihalik was mentioned on their blog as a "must read" and that's all I had to hear. I'm a huge fan and if they thought this was worth a read, I was all in. I'm so glad I did.

Queen Samara is the leader of the Rogue Coalition, a group of refugees looking to escape the tiresome fighting between the Kos Empire and the Quint Confederacy. This war has choked her people out of necessary trade and they are on the brink of starvation.

Right off the bat, we are thrust into action as Samara attempts to find a remedy for her people's situation by rescuing/kidnapping the Emperor of the Kos Empire, Valentin.

He has been apprehended by the Quint and Samara is intent on getting him back to ransom him off back to his own people. Of course, things go pear-shaped and Samara and Valentin are forced to work together to get out of the Quint's clutches.

It was refreshing to see the female lead take on so many characteristics that are generally given to males in typical paranormal romance. She is the rescuer. She is the leader. She is the alpha. And I loved it!

The story is fast-paced, action filled and sparks of romance between Samara and Valentin added to my inability to put this book down once I started. It is well-written, funny at times, and perfectly paced to hook you and keep you interested to the very end.

I was sad to reach the ending but this is only the beginning for Samara and Valentin. Fantastic job, Ms. Mihalik! This is a great start to what looks like a great series and I can't wait for book 2.

What did you think?