The duke then cemented other political and trade alliances with the blood of his other children: Crown Prince Eric, Prince Ascendant Jonathan, Princesses Rose, Pearl, Celeste, Grace, Lily, and Hope. The two youngest princes, Roderick and Simon, were yet too young to be married off as benefited Nuygenie.

The passage beneath was blocked and sealed with iron. The sisters did not discuss all they had lost. No one ever asked them if they had even wanted to be rescued.

This is the story after the faerie tale.

​Bide here. Lirón comes.

“Did you hear that?” they whispered among themselves and agreed that, yes, each of them heard that, but not with their ears.

They all looked at the hippogriff, but only Aurora met its gaze. It despises us, she thought with surprise. A beast that despises us.

I find most humans contemptible as well as bad-tasting.

Her lips turned upward slightly at the corners. Touché, she thought, and caught the faintest glimmer of humor from the hippogriff.

“When will Lirón arrive?” she asked aloud, more as a courtesy to the others than for the hippogriff’s sake.

The animal cocked its head, opened and shut its beak with a click, and then sneezed. It shook its head, sending a feather into the breeze, which twirled it in unseen fingers for the princess to catch. She held it to her lips and surreptitiously sniffed. The scent wasn’t sour like poultry, but fresh, clean, and somehow wild.

Toss it into the wind should you have need of me, beloved of Lirón.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

The hippogriff bowed its head, turned tail, galloped a few steps, and leaped into the wind.

"I enjoyed this MC romance with an enemies-to-lovers theme. Though Melanie grates at your nerves at first, one can understand her anger and frustration at the situation she found herself in. Kyle is courageous, loyal, and kind. He put a lot on the line to save this girl and though it took her a while, she finally started appreciating him for who is.  There is a bit more to the story that I didn’t think was necessary, but I don’t want to give any spoilers." 

Read more at 
​https://eclecticreview.com/2020/03/09/hogtied-by-holly-bargo-hollybargobooks-silverdaggerbooktours-henhousepublishing1-giveaway-bookreview-romance-biker-cowgirl/

​“No need. You all stay off my property,” the old man said. “I’m inclined to shoot every last one of you.”

Hammer raised an eyebrow and his skepticism must have showed.

“Daddy was a sniper in the Gulf War,” Melanie explained with a saccharine smile. “And he taught Julie and me how to shoot, too. We can protect ourselves.”

​Hammer met her cool confidence with another small smile. “The three of you can’t protect the whole

farm and your father knows it.”

He turned around and walked to his motorcycle, his strides slow and sure. He’d be damned if he showed uneasiness in front of the old man and two girls. He’d faced worse in the Middle East and the Central and South American cesspits where drug cartels, terrorists, and revolutionaries were indistinguishable from one another.

Melanie watched the man’s slow swagger and admitted silently to herself that he filled out his jeans very, very nicely. She liked the breadth of his shoulders and the bulge of hard muscle beneath his tee shirt. Stick a sword in his hand and she’d cast him as Aragorn in a Lord of the Rings remake.

“He’s hot,” Julie whispered, echoing her sister’s thoughts.

“He’s trouble,” their father muttered.

“What do we do, Daddy?” Melanie asked as the man started his motorcycle and rode away.

“We wait.”

The duke then cemented other political and trade alliances with the blood of his other children: Crown Prince Eric, Prince Ascendant Jonathan, Princesses Rose, Pearl, Celeste, Grace, Lily, and Hope. The two youngest princes, Roderick and Simon, were yet too young to be married off as benefited Nuygenie.

The passage beneath was blocked and sealed with iron. The sisters did not discuss all they had lost. No one ever asked them if they had even wanted to be rescued.

This is the story after the faerie tale.

Available on Kindle Unlimited 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E0V73T0 ​

“I am not entirely certain,” she replied soberly, thoughtfully. “You see, she loved him, loves him still.”
“Him?”
“The faerie prince who held her in his arms every night. He was exceedingly handsome, wealthy, and witty. He made her laugh and paid her compliments.”
“And you? Did you love your faerie prince?”
The question was rudely bold and he had no leave to pry. However, she forgave the intrusion and favored him with a pained look and an honest reply. “I did, but now I am not so sure.”
He glanced at his fiancée and back at his dance partner. “I do not have fine, sweet words.”
“We may be princesses, but that does not mean we expect a soldier to speak like a courtier,” she replied with a little grin more genuine than anything that had crossed her face the entire evening. “Above all, remember that a princess is still a woman. Treat Aurora like a thinking, feeling woman and she may look favorably upon you.”
Did such emotional creatures really think, he wondered. Aloud, he asked, “Do you really believe so? I’d not cause her anguish, but neither will I let her fancies destroy my future.”
The princess looked him bravely and boldly in the eyes and he was startled to notice they were the deep, dark green of forest moss. She had not missed the glint of determination and ambition in his eyes, nor did she fault him for it. “I do not believe she will ever love you, but she may begin to like you and with that you must be content.”
Rose’s stark pragmatism shocked him. Were not all young, pretty aristocratic ladies silly with romantic fancies such as sung by balladeers? Did they not spend their idle hours embroidering fine tapestries and finer love stories of heroism and handsome princes? And was he not the subject of one of those very ballads, one of those very heroes, if not so young and handsome?
“We’re not as frivolous as we may seem,” she commented quietly, correctly interpreting his silence. “And we understand that our privileges and comforts cost us.”
The music drew to a close, but he continued the conversation as they walked slowly back to the sisters.
“And what price will you pay?” he inquired.