Books by V.J.O. Gardner

You would think the life of a prince would be great, but for the crown prince of Brinley that's far from the truth. The only others near his age in the palace are children of the servants who all tease him for having no name. When he goes into the military he must conceal his identity but finally gains some friends. When he is sent to deliver a message to the overthrown tyrant King Burkhart he falls in love with the one woman he knows he can't have.
Aurita knows everyone hates her and her father but everyone is forbidden to tell her why. What she does know is that for her and her father the village is their prison and to leave seals their deaths. King Langward controls their lives including who she will marry when she is of age but he is kind to her. When King Langward's son sends her a gift her father teaches her to read and write so she can send him a note to thank him. They begin to exchange letters. As the years pass she looks forward to the letters she gets from the prince but doesn't dare admit she has fallen in love with him. When she meets the handsome corporal sent to deliver a message to her father her heart is torn between him and the prince.

Blood of Ancient Kings drops two men into new and unfamiliar circumstances. One must figure out how to care for himself and his infant daughter, the other must learn to lead and defend an entire nation instead of just a troop of men. Each must learn to be a father and gain the respect of others.  Follow their children as they find friendship and inner-strength while searching for love and their own identities. Meet two brothers that are as different as their fates are. Discover how they cope with life together and apart.

Blood of Ancient Kings is an excellent book that can stand alone but begins a chain of events that leads far beyond one book.

Click here to read the prologue