“The Hunted Heir” by Holly Renee is the second book in the The Veiled Kingdom series. It continues the story right where the first book left off, with Verena, heir to the kingdom, on the run. Not only is she being hunted by her cruel, manipulative father (the king), she is now a person of interest to the rebellion who have since found out her true identity and are looking to use her as leverage against the king. Between the political machinations of two power-hungry men, Verena struggles to keep one step ahead of both enemies.
Dacre, fresh off the heels of betraying Verena, is now desperately searching for her. Haunted by his feelings for her and the secrets she's hiding, he's racing against time (and his own father) to find her.
The story is filled with thrilling action, intense romance, and shocking revelations. As Verena and Dacre navigate a dangerous world, they must confront their complicated feelings for each other and decide who they can trust.
I had originally rated this book 5-stars, but after letting it sit and percolate a bit, I am bumping that down to 4. The predictability of both the storyline and dialogue were slightly off-putting. I mean, I saw that ending coming so it wasn’t this huge cliffhanger or reveal. Despite Dacre’s minimal character development, I was really disappointed to see that Verena was still making frustratingly stupid decisions. I mean, the whole trusting Eiran thing - really, girl?! This book was also super short in my opinion - and while it was a fast read (I read it in literally one sitting), I wished Renee would have spent some more time teasing out Dacre’s journey to repentance. Like, make him work for that forgiveness!
Despite these minor flaws, I did really enjoy the book. I appreciated the dual-POV and the push and pull of Dacre and Verena’s tension-filled relationship. I do think that Renee has the potential of making book three really incredible if she buffs up the character development (I would love to see Verena really come into her own with her powers). Overall, a fun, romantasy read that I will likely re-read in the near future!
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