#The Forbidden City (Book 2) by KA Dowling

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Rogue Elegance Series

Rogue Elegance Series

By K. A. Dowling

Publication:      The Changing Tide - November 22, 2016      The Forbidden City - November 6, 2017      The Winding Maze - May 18, 2018 Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Romance

Some History:

KA Dowling is an award-winning writer living just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She has been writing stories as long as she can remember, and has been daydreaming about fantastical worlds and imaginary heroines for even longer than that.

Dowling lives with her husband, toddler, and their smelly Boston Terrier, King Henry, all of whom graciously put up with her late night writing spells and her exasperating propensity to leave a trail of distracted clutter in her wake.

Her favorite animal is the Tyrannosaurus Rex and she has wanted to be a sea-faring pirate for much of her adult life. This story is her way of living vicariously through her fictional character.

Website / Instagram / Twitter

The Changing Tide: Book One

The Synopsis:

Emerala the Rogue spent the idle days of her youth dreaming of a life at sea. Now, suffocated by worsening cultural persecution in the tiny port of Chancey, she feels that she is destined for something greater.

In the wake of his wife's mysterious death, the king that sits the throne has strengthened his iron grip like a vise. Suddenly, Emerala's people are being subjected to swift and unwarranted executions. Emerala and her razor sharp tongue find it increasingly difficult to stay safely out of the hands of the golden soldiers that case the cobbled streets of her hometown. It is not until a mysterious pirate corners her in a shadowed alleyway that things begin to change. Leaving her armed with a stolen dagger and a dangerous choice, the stranger send Emerala stumbling headfirst into danger.

Emerala's small act of rebellion is the catalyst that awakens a long buried prophecy, setting into motion a series of events that will alter the course of history. She must quickly learn to keep her enemies close or pay the ultimate price. 

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The Forbidden City: Book Two

The Synopsis:

All her life, Emerala wanted nothing more than to see the world. When her small act of rebellion agains the crown leaves her with a price on her head and nowhere to run, Captain Alexander Mathew offers her a way out. With the Golden Guard closing in, Emerala flees onboard the Rebellion and sets sail for that coveted line where the sky meets sea.

As it turns out, a life of piracy isn't quite as romantic as Emerala had always imagined it would be.

Alexander Mathew is a man haunted by his late father's aspirations. Desperate and determined, he drags Emerala and his crew through incresingly dangerous trials in a last ditch effort to honor a dead man's legacy. As whispers of mutiny rise, Evander the Hawk works to play both sides, straddling the line between ally and enemy. In a world where alliances change as quickly as the tides Emerala soon learns that the only person she can depend upon is herself.

Back in Emerala's homeland, political tensions continue to rise as the family she left behind struggles to find their place in a world that has all but cast them out. The increasingly violent clashes between the Cairan people and the brutal Golden Guard pushes the island of Chancey ever closer to civil war. In the midst of it all, Merani the Elegant grows continually closer to General James Byron, knowing all the while that the forbidden affair is likely to cost both of them their lives.

The Winding Maze: Book Three

The Synopsis:

All Emerala the Rogue ever wanted was to explore the world beyond the thin blue line. She never asked for a crown. She certainly never wanted the weight of a kingdom on her shoulders. But when a centuries old prophecy leaves her with a legitimate bid for the throne, the Chancian nobility stop calling for her neck in a noose and begin fighting instead for her hand in marriage.

Luckily for Emerala, she never believed in fate.

Offshore, the black ships circle like sharks as the kingdom of Chancey inches closer to a bloody civil war. With the seat of power shifting, the Chancians and Cairans struggle to adapt or die in the new world order. Emerala must find a way to forge her own path, everyone else be damned.

In the third and final installment of Rogue Elegance, the city of Chancey will burn.

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The Review & Wrap-Up:

When I first started reading the ROGUE ELEGANCE trilogy I didn't think I was going to like it. It took me three different times of starting The Changing Tide before I finally made myself read past the first few chapters...

I had promised K.A. Dowling that I would read her third and final installment of the ROGUE ELEGANCE trilogy back in April, however there was one small problem: I hadn't read the first two in the series. Because I was willing to spend my time reading the ending, she was kind enough to send me the beginning and middle to catch me up, and she sent them to me for free! I had to make sure I read this series!

But I just kept putting it off. I finished the book I was on when she sent me the first two. And then I picked up an ARC that I had been dying to get my hands on before I finally made myself sit down and get through the first five chapters of The Changing Tide.

Now, let me pause right here and say this: the first five chapters of The Changing Tide are NOT bad! It just wasn't what I was in the mind set for! 

I didn't want to be in Chancey in 1525. I didn't want to be dealing with pirates and gypsies and tyrant kings. 

It had been so long since I had last picked up a fantasy novel that my mind was just stuck on genocide, kidnappings, and everyday world problems. So I made myself sit down and get through the first five chapters of The Changing Tide.

And get through I did! I almost finish the book in one sitting!

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My review for The Changing Tide on Amazon/Goodreads:

Pirates, gypsies, and a hateful king, what more could you ask for? Overall a good story. A great ending, that leaves you wanting more! A lot of unnecessary detail, which adds to the length and causes the book to feel like not much happens, but a good story line. Can't wait to read book two!

My review for The Forbidden City on Amazon/Goodreads: 

Book two: WOW! There are so many twists and turns and highs in this book it was hard to put it down for any amount of time! Just when your heart slows from the last turn of fate, it picks right back up again! THE FORBIDDEN CITY is a must read for anyone who loves pirate tales and fast pace thrillers! Love this book!

My review for The Winding Maze on Amazon/Goodreads:

The Winding Maze reminds me of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The whole book I was on the edge of my seat, thinking in the back of my mind 'these violent delights have violent ends.' Forbidden love, a fight for power and the war that brings an end to all, The Winding Maze was the perfect ending the Rogue Elegance series!

 I loved these books! I'm incredibly angry with myself for taking so long to finally sit down and read them! What was I thinking?!

The Forbidden City was my favorite out of all of them, but the series as a whole was great! I'm very interested to see if there is going to be a spin-off from the trilogy based on how the series ends. I think that story would be very interesting. 🤔

From one bookaholic to another, I hope I’ve helped you find your next fix. —Dani

Dani's Score out of 5:  📚📚📚📚📚 (overall)

The Changing Tide: 📚📚📚📚 The Forbidden City: 📚📚📚📚📚 The Winding Maze: 📚📚📚📚📚

Start a conversation: If your people were in a war fighting for their rights, their rights to be people, their rights to live, and the love of your life was on the opposing side, who would you choose: your people or your one true love?

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