Solstice Day Gifts by Lindsay Buroker

This is a short story from the Emperor’s Edge series written in third person from Sicarius’s POV.

This is a very short story, but very sweet. Amaranthe and Sicarius are basically on holiday after everything they have done for the Empire. They decide to spend Solstice Day on a tropical island. Only one thing, the islands far from the Empire might not have heard of Sicarius’s pardon. But then again, they might not know anything about him.

Well, a potential bounty hunter attempt leads to a small, fun … prank for Amaranthe and Sicarius.

I love this story. There is nothing particularly demanding about it, and it’s nice to see Amaranthe and Sicarius so relaxed. Even better, it’s FREE on Amazon!!!

Forged in Blood part II by Lindsay Buroker

This is the second part of book six, so technically book seven in the Emperor’s Edge series, and the last book in this arc. There are a few shorts and spin offs, but this is the book that ends this line. This book is still written in third person POV from Sicarius’s and Amaranthe’s POVs.

SPOILER ALERT: There are spoilers from the previous novels.

Amaranthe has managed to crash the Behemoth, too bad it wasn’t in the best area. In the mean time she also runs into Fleet Admiral Starcrest. What’s he doing here? She’s also missing half of her team, and they may be dead.

Sicarius thinks that Amaranthe and Sespian are dead, if not the whole team. He has also been captured and enslaved by Nurian practitioners who decide to use him as their own personal assassin.

This book concludes well, though it has a tough start. There are a lot of emotions running around, ready to catch you by surprise. But it’s a great conclusion. I really don’t want to get in to it too much as there are a lot of twists and turns, but I was very satisfied by the end.

Forged in Blood Part I by Lindsay Buroker

This is the first part of the book 6, which is the beginning of the end of the Emperor’s Edge series, or at least that of the main arc. This is written in third person from Amaranthe’s and Sicarius’s POVs (finally we get into Sicarius’s head!!!).

SPOILER ALERT: there will be spoilers in here for the previous books. You have been warned!

So the cat is out of the bag now. Sespian knows that Sicarius is his father, as do the remaining leaders of Forge. Otherwise this information is on the down low, and Amaranthe’s groups is keeping it that way. They want to try to get Sespian back on the thrown, but first they need to take care of the threat that Forge poses to Sespian’s life.

To help them along the way, Amaranthe wants to get in touch with Deret Mancrest. He runs the newspaper in town, and where people get their news lies a lot of power and ability to sway opinions. This doesn’t make Sicarius too happy as Deret seems somewhat interested in Amaranthe. But at the end of the day, Sicarius wants to make Sespian safe and happy, so he’ll do what needs to be done.

In the mean time, the team knows that they cannot keep Sespian’s parentage a secret, nor do they necessarily want to. Turgonian’s have a lot of pride, and people do not like to be lied to. But then, they really don’t know the details of Sespian’s parentage because they don’t know the details of Sicarius’s. So here is another mission on which to shed some illumination!

Books is working on possible government changes. It’s unknown really how much may or may not be relevant to the team and Turgonia in the end, but Books is on a mission!

Other things of note, there may be another soul construct on the loose, as if the last one wasn’t hard enough to take care of. Amaranthe is working on concocting a crazy scheme to infiltrate Forge. They are also trying to rally some support for Sespian and talk to a few military leaders. And there is Ravido to thwart who is trying to become the new emperor of Turgonia.

My strongest opinions of this book lie in the fact that we can finally get into Sicarius’s head. It’s interesting to see how he things and what he deems important. There is also some more growth between Amaranthe and Sicarius. She is working on moving pass the torture she experienced at Pike’s hands, and he is trying to grasp his emotions and understand how to care about another person. My one negative is that due to the course of events, Amaranthe and Sicarius do not get to spend as much time together as I would like. But the show must go on!

Yay for another fabulous book! We are near the end!

Blood and Betrayal by Lindsay Buroker

This is the fifth book in the Emperor’s Edge series by Lindsay Buroker. It is written in third person from Amaranthe’s and Maldynado’s POVs.

Fair warning, SPOILERS for the previous books.

Amaranthe, the leader of Emperor’s Edge, has been taken by Forge to face possible torture. What is the rest of the team to do? Emperor Sespian has some business he needs to take care of in Sunder’s City regarding Forge. He likes Amaranthe, however this needs to be a priority. Sicarius does not want to leave his son, however how can he abandon Amaranthe?

In the end, the team splits up. Sicarius heads out to find and rescue Amaranthe. But first, he threatens Maldynado with possible death should he not keep Sespian safe.

Maldynado has his own problems to worry about. His family, who disowned him, are making moves toward the throne. How is he supposed to keep Sespian safe when Sespian, and even the other members of the Edge, are now suspicious of his? And he also wants to impress Yara, an enforecer, who has come along for the ride.

The books just keep on going. I can’t necessarily say that I think they get better, but it’s not that they are getting worse. Each new book is as good as the ones before. The evolution and the character growth are really something to witness. Amaranthe and Sicarius make strides with their relationship, even though there are still concerns regarding Sespian. And Maldynado and Yara create a new potential romance of their own. Read, read read!!!

Conspiracy by Lindsay Buroker

This is the fourth book in Lindsay Buroker’s Emperor’s Edge series. It is written in third person from Amaranthe’s and Akstyr’s POVs.

SPOILER ALERT: There will be spoilers regarding the earlier books in this series.

Amaranthe’s team, the Emperor’s Edge, is training to kidnap Emperor Sespian, at his request. Pushing themselves and their abilities to the limit, Amaranthe, Sicarius, Books, Maldynado, Basilard and Akstyr are pooling their varied and useful talents together to get this done.

While they are training, Amaranthe takes Sicarius and Books to check out some suspicious weapons activity they notice. Is this something else that Forge is concocting to possibly overthrow the crown? Sespian has been seen recently with a mysterious woman, is Forge looking to attack the emperor?

In the mean time, Maldynado, Basilard and Akstyr head back to the city. Akstyr is now dealing with a gang bounty, and for some reason his mother now wants to meet with him after practically abandoning him.

My favorite couple, Amaranthe and Sicarius are aware that they want a relationship together, however they have some obstacles to overcome first. For one thing, how would the rest of the members of Amarnathe’s group take it if Sicarius and Amaranthe become a “we”? For another, Sicarius is concerned that Sespian is interested  in Amaranthe, no matter how brief their only prior meeting was. He doesn’t need anything more creating a gulf between him and his unknowing son.

This series just keeps building up momentum. The pace keeps on barreling forward. Can’t wait for what happens next!

Deadly Games by Lindsay Buroker

This is the third book in Linday Buroker’s Emperor’s Edge series. It is in third person from Amaranthe and Basilard’s POVs. There are some SPOILERS regarding the previous books.

The Clank Races are about to begin in the city, however some of the most promising athletes have gone missing. Amaranthe, previously an enforcer with a flawless record, but now an outlaw with a bounty of her head, is excited for another chance to gain positive attention for her team from the Emperor to hopefully lead to their exoneration. To help them try to get to the bottom of this, they decide to enter Basilard in to the races.

Basilard has had a tough history. He is a Mangdorian who are generally a very peaceful people and eschew violence. But after being forced into slavery and competing to the death in underground human fighting rings, he is now conflicted within himself. It also doesn’t help that he learns of a great wrong that Sicarius did to his people in his assassin days. Basilard in trying to determine whether or not he should face Sicarius, but how would Amaranthe feel about that?

This is another excellent book by Lindsay Buroker. The gradual relationship building between Amaranthe and Sicarius is fantastic. It doesn’t move as quickly as some may hope, but it’s real and you feel it’s growth. Sicarius starts to show a surprising sense of humor in this book. He also has to deal with another man giving some attention to Amaranthe and deciding just how he feels about that, and what he needs to do.

It’s a great book. Read it!

Dark Currents by Lindsay Buroker

This is the second book in Lindsay Buroker’s Emperor’s Edge series. This one is in third person from Amaranthe’s and Books’s POVs.

In this book, something’s going on with Stumps’s water supply. While working his new… job… Books, a former history professor, finds a few bodies in the pumping station. Where did they come from, and why does one have a magical charm, especially when magic is illegal?

In the mean time Amaranthe is trying to change peoples ideas of hiring Sicarius as an assassin and help her team find honorable jobs that will help them earn the emperor’s notice. They need money to supply their group, however it’s tricky finding a good job when you have a WANTED poster with your face and name on it. There’s a lot of money to be made with assassinations, however Sespian (the emperor) already has a very negative opinion on Sicarius, we don’t want to make that worse. Especially when, SPOILER ALERT Sespian is unknowingly Sicarius’s son. Sicarius wants some kind of a relationship with Sespian, and Amaranthe and her crazy schemes is probably he best bet.

The magic is causing some trouble for Amaranthe’s group and a couple different fronts, it can’t be a coincident and Amaranthe takes her team to find the source to the problem. Hopefully people will take notice of the Emperor’s Edge’s actions and report them to Sespian’s ear.

This is another excellent book. Amaranthe is starting to realize her attraction to Sicarius but has to take into account her role as the team leader, and can she really afford to try to make anything there. Books on the other hand has found a lady who has captured his interest as well. Fast paced with lots of action and the occasional twist to keep you on your toes, this is a great second installment. And you get to learn a few more things about my favorite character, Sicarius. Winner!

The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker

I love this series! The Emperor’s Edge is the first book in Lindsay Buroker’s Emperor’s Edge series.

This book is written in third person, primarily in Amaranthe Lokdon’s POV, but also Sespian Savarsin’s.

Amaranthe Lokdon is one of the few female enforcers in Turgonia. Turgonia is a militant nation. Men are generally the soldiers and in military-type positions. Women however tend to run the businesses in the country.

Amaranthe is hoping to become the first female to attain the status of sergeant. She has a flawless record, however her gender is holding her back. This does not stop her from doing the best job that she can. And while being exceptionally good at her job, she is noticed by Sespian, the young emperor of Turgonia.

There is some mystery around Sespian. He is very different from the emperor’s before him who were of militant mindsets. Sespian however is more innovative and has an affinity for the arts. But none of these progressive ideas are coming through to the people.

Amaranthe is surprised to find herself called to meet with Commander of the Armies Hollowcrest. He has a mission for her: to kill the infamous assassin Sicarius. How is someone supposed to assassinate an assassin? And why of all people is she the one picked for this mission?

This book has some more twists along the way. It also is somewhat lacking in the romance department, but it’s where people meet and you start to get to know them, and it’s so good, I can wait. It is also very cleverly written. It makes me smile and laugh at times. Amarnathe is an excellent heroine. She is smart, strong, and willing to do whatever it takes to do what is right. She is very admirable and lots of fun to face adventures with.