I’ve never read anything by...

Am I the only book blog quite happy to admit that I could be more widely read? Quite possibly... These posts are my own little way of acknowledging books on the ‘to read’ pile that appear interesting enough to warrant a place but are books that I somehow never seem to get round to reading. It’s also a way of finding out more about certain books from the people who read this blog (that’s you... and you as well) that seems to have done alright so far :o)

So, without further ado... C.E Murphy is an author whose two books, ‘The Queen’s Bastard’ and ‘The Pretender’s Crown’ have been sat on the pile for an absolute age but have barely been picked up, let alone read. These two books have very much been victims of my lack of rhyme and reason in picking the next book to read, all pretence at a reading schedule falls by the wayside and many books fall with it. Also, call me a stereotypical guy but I’m not quite ready to take a book with vast amounts of cleavage on the cover on the train with me to work... Check it out and see what I mean...



You’ve seen the cover art, here’s the blurb for ‘The Queen’s Bastard’,

In a world where religion has ripped apart the old order, Belinda Primrose is the queen's secret weapon. The unacknowledged daughter of Lorraine, the first queen to sit on the Aulunian throne, Belinda has been trained as a spy since the age of twelve by her father, Lorraine's lover and spymaster.

Cunning and alluring, fluent in languages and able to take on any persona, Belinda can infiltrate the glittering courts of Echon where her mother's enemies conspire. She can seduce at will and kill if she must. But Belinda's spying takes a new twist when her witchlight appears.

Now Belinda's powers are unlike anything Lorraine could have imagined. They can turn an obedient daughter into a rival who understands that anything can be hers, including the wickedly sensual Javier, whose throne Lorraine both covets and fears. But Javier is also witchbreed, a man whose ability rivals Belinda's own . . . and can be just as dangerous.

Amid court intrigue and magic, loyalty and love can lead to more daring passions, as Belinda discovers that power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

Am I missing out by not having picked up these books yet? Hopefully that’s where you come in. Have you read ‘The Queen’s Bastard’ or ‘The Pretender’s Crown’? I can’t promise that I’ll have the time to read these books but I’m interested to see what you thought of them. C.E. Murphy has written a whole load of urban fantasy style books as well (which I also haven’t read) so if you have any thoughts on those feel free to leave a comment... :o)