{Review} Queen of Swords (Sanctify #1) by Katee Robert

Posted by Melanie
Release Date: July 10th, 2012

Finished Date: May 7th, 2014
Publishers: Entangled Select
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance 

Source: For Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

When the cards tell Ophelia Leoni she's supposed to marry the Prince of Hansarda, the gunrunner grits her teeth and boards the starship that comes for her. It doesn't matter if the ship's commander is the gorgeous stranger she just spent a wild, drunken night with. As a Diviner, she’s painfully aware the cards don't lie. Ever.

Boone O’Keirna knows Ophelia is trouble the second he sees the way she moves. Not about to let the deadly little hellcat marry his sadistic half-brother, Boone pretends to be the Prince’s emissary and kidnaps Ophelia. Too bad they can’t be in the same room without him wanting to throw her out an airlock–or into bed.

Even as they fight each other–and their explosive attraction–Ophelia and Boone sense something is wrong. Too much is going their way. Soon, they realize while the cards may never lie, the truth is sometimes hidden between them...and the future king of Hansarda is not one to take defeat lying down.

The Review: You know what? I loved this book… it was sci fi, it was fantasy & it was refreshingly different.
We meet Ophelia Leoni as she is getting smashed, grieving for the loss of her crew and ship, all she wants is oblivion and what better way to achieve it that through alcohol and anonymous no strings sex with a one night stand…… what she doesn’t bank on is the one night stand she has just left, turning up at her home on the same day to cart her off to marry the Prince of Hansarda – something she wouldn’t be doing if not for her gift & her cards telling her it was the right direction for her life to take – for she is a Diviner, a seer/clairvoyant of sorts and she knows now that the cards don’t lie.
Boone O’Keirna is scouting out his brother’s intended, why does he want her so badly? Is it because she has a massive arsenal of weapons at her disposal or does he know her true nature? Whatever it is, when Boone realises that the woman is Ophelia - the woman he spent an amazing night with last night – he knows that he can’t allow his brother to have her….. so he kidnaps her and stows her aboard his starship and hopefully, she might come around to his cause….OR they could always use her as a bargaining tool. What neither of them is prepared for is the connection they seem to share or what fate has instore for them – hidden amongst Ophelia’s cards.
So yeah, I loved this book and as I said, it’s different to what I normally read. I really liked the book as a whole, the characters were great; I totally loved Ophelia, she was kick ass, dominant, assertive & not afraid to take what she wants – at first it was a bit overwhelming as she seemed too tough but as the book progressed, we got to see a softer side to her but also a woman who is constantly alert to danger. I loved her gift, it again was different to the usual and I loved the way she used the Tarot cards. Boone was great too, just as dominant as Ophelia and yep, that made them clash like hell! Which was great to read; I love a good power struggle and Boone was not lying down for any one! I love a good love/hate clash between couples and these two really went for it, which not only created some hot moments but also some sweet moments that made me like the characters even more. I wanted them together and that feeling grew throughout the book, which to me is the sign of a good coupling. I was also invested in the secondary characters – Jenny & Cole are a pair to look out for and Sadie also caught my interest, so I’m hoping for more from those too.
The storyline was good and I really liked the initial set up of Boone kidnapping Ophelia after a one night stand, the connection between them was set up from the start and when they were confined in the starship, it started to kindle into something bigger. The relationship had a big influence in the overall story and I liked that it connected a lot of things together and not just there for the ‘romance’ part but was integral to the story. I liked the world building that set up a multi planet universe, accessible through starships and warp tunnels giving the travel and universe a very star wars/star trek feel plus it is filled with different species or people with abilities which could be limitless. There is the immediate threat of Boone’s brother to contend with in this but it also brings what I feel is the ‘series threat’ in the form of a religious like zealot group that put humans above all else and their job is to eradicate any ‘other’ life forms as being blasphemous to their religion – we’re talking the wiping out of whole groups using methods of torture and fire etc. – they come across as very sinister, single minded people & so they pose a massive threat to everyone not human and none moreso than that which Ophelia is – a Diviner – who are practically extinct, which will make you understand just how precious and special she & her talent really are. You really get a good feel for the world and dynamics of it all and I love the way the tarot is used throughout, I thought it brought a certain mysticism to the story and Ophelia and her mother sort of reminded me of the Bene geserit from Frank Herbert's Dune with their gifts and varying stages of power – which was not a bad thing. I loved where the story went though, the ending was very satisfying but promises bigger & better things, with more danger and battles on the horizon and really cannot wait for the sequel. 

Thank you to Entangled Select for the opportunity to review this book, in exchange for an honest review.