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"superb fantasy"

Tess, third in line to the throne at Constenopolie, is also apprentice to a player. Players are the real powers behind the throne, using the royals as chess pieces in what they consider a game of power. The magic they possess comes from venom of a Punta cat, a poison that they are able to tolerate, some better than others; darts are the players' weapon of choice against one another. Now Tess is doing nothing but acting as a mediator on the nuptial cruise of her sister the queen and her new husband.

When pirates take over the ship, Tess manages to kill three before they seize her and the royals. The pirates intend to ransom the rulers but they want vengeance for the three deaths Tess caused. They throw her into a pit with a punta cat that bites her before she escapes. In a stupor she links minds with Jeck, the captain of the king's guard, and he is able to magically heal her. When she awakens, her powers are stronger but more unpredictable and her body is producing the venom on her own so that anyone hitting her with a venom dart would probably kill her. After escaping from the pirates, she now must find a way to rescue her sister and her husband.

Dawn Cook is one of the most creative fantasists writing today. Her characters are all fully developed and totally believable, hero and villain alike. Her real talent lies in her ability to create an imaginary world with its own cultures and make the audience feel as if the place and people are real. There is enough action, adventure and romance in PRINCESS AT SEA to appeal to even the most discerning fantasy lover.

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 22, 2006

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted January 23, 2007

Rough waters. Royal pain.

One day Tess was the crown princess of Costenopolie, and the next she discovered she was a beggar's child, reared as a decoy to keep the real princess safe from assassins. But Tess's flair for politics, self-defense, and shopping—and her recently discovered magical powers—thwarted the kingdom's enemies and restored the real princess to the throne.

Now, she dons an ambassador's robe to help Costenopolie put its best foot forward—and to keep the newly crowned queen from tripping over her own...

Assigned to chaperone Queen Contessa and her new husband on their honeymoon voyage, Tess spends more time playing referee between the temperamental pair. Before another battle royal can erupt, a storm forces the ship to drop anchor where another vessel is similarly stranded—and Tess finds her heart stranded between a roguish cardsharp and a disturbingly attractive army captain.

But Tess's potential suitors are the least of her worries. The crew of the neighboring anchored ship reveal themselves to be pirates and abduct the royal couple for ransom—unaware that Tess's magic is the real treasure in their midst...

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