According to prophesy, "a child from the coast destined to rule and conceived in the month of the eaten red moon will make an alliance of the heart to set the mighty as pawns and drive out the tainted blood rising in the south." Tess, Princess Contessa of Costenopolie, is born in the correct place at the correct time and the Red Moon Prophecy has dogged her ever since. A target of assassins since the day of her birth, Tess has been trained in the art of defense. It was necessary.

Now, with her nuptials fast approaching, the attempts on her life have increased. When her intended, Prince Garrett of Misdev, arrives in Costenopolie sooner than expected, Tess is excited. Anticipating marriage to the handsome prince, Tess forces an early meeting. It's at this meeting she learns for the first time that she's not the royal princess, but merely a decoy whom her parents purchased as an infant, one of three such babies and the only one to survive infancy, to stand as a target while the real princess is being safely reared by nuns. Tess is devastated and confused, but her roiling emotions soon turn to horror as Prince Garrett murders her parents in front of her to force them to reveal the location of the real Red Moon Princess.

Garrett, a second son, has long desired his own kingdom and has come prepared to murder and steal to meet his end. Tess manages to escape the palace and is soon alone and on the road. With Garrett's soldiers on the way to apprehend the real princess, Tess knows she must find a way to reach her sister first, get her back to the city and crowned as the rightful heir before Garrett captures her and forces a marriage. Pursuing Tess is the Misdev Captain of the Guard, Jeck. A man of much power and little emotion, Jeck is concerned with the fate of both princesses for his own devious plans. Tess meets another complication on the road in Duncan, a vagabond card cheat. Although Tess tries to get rid of Duncan for his sake as much as her own, he sticks to her like glue. THE DECOY PRINCESS is no longer sure who she is, but she knows she'll never consider any option that does not have her returning to Costenopolie, taking back the palace and putting the real Contessa on the throne. And at some point in her journey, Tess discovers that even though she's not a princess, she is many other things -- an apprentice, a thief and finally a player in a game that governs the fate of kings, princesses and pawns alike.

This is a superb book! Tess is likable and believable as she goes from being a pampered royal princess to a hurt and confused young woman on her own. Tess turns out to be stronger than she knows. A well-drawn cast of characters and a good solid story arc keeps you reading and guessing until the end. I wish everything I picked up to read was as pleasant a surprise as THE DECOY PRINCESS. Fans of Patricia Briggs, Robin McKinley, Tamara Pierce, Wen Spencer and Sharon Shinn need to add Dawn Cook to their list of must-read authors.