Imagine a world where the women outnumber the men 30 to
one. Where men are a valuable and protected resource and a
family's fortune depends on the number of boys they've been
able to throw and the price their males command.
Jerin Whistler comes from a line of thieves, farmers,
soldiers and spies. But there's royal blood in his linage,
too. His grandmothers managed to kidnap a royal prince on
one of their wild outings and brought him home to marry.
Jerin's mothers succeeded in producing four sons, providing
unimaginable wealth and status for the family. Four boys
means Jerin's sisters can trade him to another family and
procure a husband for themselves, or sell him for
his "brother's price," which in Jerin's case could be
considerable. A beautiful, chaste young man descended from
Queens, Jerin and his younger brothers are highly
desirable. And their sisters protect them well.
When a stranger is wounded on their land, Jerin flaunts
propriety and rescues the pretty young woman from a certain
death. Soon after, the woman's kinswomen appear and the
family discovers the woman they've sheltered is the
princess Odelia. Odelia's sister and her escorts are
invited to spend the night. The Whistler sisters keep Jerin
separated from the guests, but late that night, the eldest
princess, Ren, comes upon him in the kitchen and all but
seduces him on his mother's hearth. Jerin emerges with his
virginity intact...barely. But when Ren leaves the farm the
next day, Jerin's heart goes with her. He realizes that
even though his family is landed gentry, the royals would
never consider him as husband material.
When Ren leaves the Whistler farm, she fully intends to
return and claim Jerin as husband for herself and her
sisters. Ren is certain she can convince her sisters to
sanction the marriage. Their mothers are another story.
Despite his claim to royalty, Ren is certain her mothers
will consider him common and beneath them. Still they allow
Jerin to be brought to the palace under the guise that
they'll be sponsoring his coming-out as a reward for saving
Odelia's life. Jerin is stunned by the life of luxury in
the palace that all of a sudden is his. Equally mind-
numbing are the intrigues, schemes, backstabbing and even
murderous plots that suddenly surround him. A dangerous
place for a pretty and intelligent young man, and Jerin
will need to keep his wits about him if he's to survive and
be rewarded with his happily ever after.
Wen Spencer is a skilled storyteller and is able to carry
off this "men as the weaker sex" plot device with no
problem. The characters are sharply drawn and honestly
depicted. All the pieces of the story come together
perfectly. I'd hesitate to call it either a traditional
fantasy or science fiction, even though it will be marketed
that way. It's definitely not sci-fi. And as far as fantasy
goes, there's not a mage, magician or fairy to be found.
Nothing happens that couldn't happen in a human world. This
is more an alternative world inhabited by plain old humans,
with their human loves, lusts, dreams, schemes, strengths
and weaknesses. As much as I loved TINKER last year and
Spencer's Ukiah Oregon novels, I think I enjoyed this one
more. She gets better and better with every book. I can't
recommend this author highly enough.
In a world where males are rarely born, they've become a
commodity-traded and sold like property. Jerin Whistler has
come of age for marriage and his handsome features have
come to the attention of the royal princesses. But such
attentions can be dangerous-especially as Jerin uncovers
the dark mysteries the royal family is hiding.
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