In the Spotlight
Under his rule, nobody is safe
Prince Julian Davaros is heir to the throne of the Lamdera Islands. He’s gorgeous, rich, famous… and just happens to be a serial killer. His family and bodyguard know his murderous proclivities, but to everyone else, he’s simply the heir apparent, loved by many. In reality, Julian can’t stand most people, he doesn’t have relationships, and if he’s alone with you it usually means you’re his next victim. However, once Wynn Carter catches his attention in a small café, Julian’s new obsession isn’t one he wants to kill but instead wants to own.
Wynn Carter has always wanted to visit the Lamdera Islands, and he’s using his thirtieth birthday as the perfect excuse. His plan is to soak up some sun, drink in the culture, and make memories with his friends. His agenda didn’t include catching the eye of the future king. Now Wynn finds himself swept up in a sort of fairytale of lavish dinners, intimate nights, and even some media attention. He doesn’t know what he did to deserve the prince’s interest, but he’s certainly not upset about it.
Unfortunately, secrets don’t stay hidden no matter how powerful you are, and when someone decides to push Julian out of the shadows by hurting the one person he wants more than anything, the quiet monster that lies within him bursts free. Julian’s and Wynn’s lives erupt into chaos, and Wynn finally discovers who Julian truly is. If he can’t live with it, the prince needs to decide whether to surrender everything… or get rid of his obsession.
Under His Rule is part of the multi-author series, In the Spotlight. 14 authors bring you 14 original stories of killers in the public eye. Where everyone is dying to be in the spotlight. Every book can be read as a standalone.
I'm going to start right out of the gate by saying this is not a typical story topic I generally seek out, I don't shy away from it, just not something I go looking for. Don't get me wrong, I've read many a book where the actions of the MC can be labeled ambiguous but killing to "scratch a mental itch"? Not what I usually seek out(truth be told, "scratch a mental itch" is just the simplest way to say it, there's more going on here than that). But Under His Rule is a Davidson King tale and frankly, IMO no one does dark mayhem better, so in I went.
So freakin' glad I did! Perhaps it's not going to change my pattern of looking for it, but boy did it entertain, and I can't ask for more.
I won't spoil anything so details will be minimal but I do have to say, at one point I really expected a certain familial relationship to go in a different direction but I was wrong and I think the story is better for my wrongness😉. The author would have done it well had my directional thought been right but this was better and didn't "weigh it down with added dramatic baggage".
As I started with, Prince Julian's predilections are not my goto choices but I can certainly sympathize with some of his thought patterns. How can you not love Wynn? After all, he only wants a memorable vacation with his friends. Well he certainly got it, not how he probably envisioned it but definitely memorable, to say the least. Together, they complement each other, even if Wynn is reluctant and the prince has a bit(to put it mildly😉) more control over it all.
Due to the prince's way of life(again to put it mildly😉), Under His Rule may not be for everyone but if you like dark mayhem with your chemistry and romance, you won't be disappointed. For those like me, who don't usually go there, this is a perfect way to let go of some of that internal frustration and aggression that is probably building up in most of us in today's current climate. I guess you could say I found Under His Rule to be theraputic😉.
I want to add a little note about the mention of flumazenil. I could be wrong but I don't recall ever seeing that drug mentioned in a book I've read before and I'm pretty sure I would because it was a drug that went on my mother's allergy list. Luckily, she was inpatient at the time when the docs used it to help bring her out of a procedure but by the time she got back to her room she had a seizure, with no other cause they could determine, they decided it must have been the flumazenil. Whether she was actually allergic to it or not they thought it best to put it on her list, better to be safe than sorry. Anyway, I want to thank the author for the use of it, not for any personal connection I have but because by not using more widely known drugs, it is just another example of the research Davidson King puts into her work. It's that "extra mile" that really makes her work stand out to this reader.
RATING:
CHAPTER ONE
Wynn
Glass shattered everywhere—like, everywhere. I stood frozen in place in my best friend’s living room as I watched little shards of crystal skitter across the hardwood floor and disappear under furniture.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Seth gently took me by the arm and guided me over to his sofa. “Sit. No more helping.”
“I’m so sorry. I was walking slowly; I think there’s a divot in the wood.”
He blinked slowly. “Right, a divot.”
I shrugged and relaxed into the soft cushions. “I can clean up the mess if you’d like.”
He held up both hands, palms up. “Please don’t. I’m not sure I can afford for you to break anything else.”
“Har har, so funny. I’m not that bad.”
Seth’s brows shot up to his hairline. “Really?” He started counting off. “Three frames, two mugs, the glass on my microwave, and a vase.” He pointed to the floor where the glass had shattered. “That’s just in the last three hours of you trying to help me move.”
I wanted to refute his claim but as I thought about it, I realized he was right. What I wasn’t going to do was agree—I’d sort of agree. “Whatever.” There, that worked.
He rolled his eyes and moved into the kitchen. He returned with a broom and dustpan. “Maybe you can order us something to eat, from the couch.”
“You want me to stay right here and not move?”
“Preferably.” He chuckled.
“I need to leave eventually. Are you going to carry me out of here?”
“If I have to.” He swept up the mess while I scrolled food apps for something to order. “What time is your flight tomorrow?”
“Six in the stupid morning,” I answered as I decided on pizza.
“Gross.” He snorted. “Sorry I can’t come on your birthday trip.”
I waved him off. “Hush, no big. With you moving in and starting a new job, there was no way it was going to happen. But it’s fine, you can make it up to me once I return.”
“Oh, how nice of me.”
I beamed. “Besides, I won’t be alone. Mark and Hannah are coming with me. And anyway, my real birthday was last week, and you were there for that.”
He nodded and brought everything back to the kitchen to toss. “True, but still. I’m jealous, though. I mean, wow, the Lamdera Islands…shit, it’s going to be so beautiful.”
“It’s a dream come true. I always wanted to go, but it was expensive. But hitting thirty made me realize I wasn’t getting any younger and that all this money I was saving, well, I can’t take it with me when I die, so why the fuck not go?”
Seth leaned against the doorjamb with a smile on his face. “I love that for you.”
“Yeah, and you know, there are a lot of fancy royalty there, maybe I’ll meet my prince charming?” I wiggled my eyebrows.
“If he has a sister, hook me up.”
I shot him two finger guns and finished ordering the pizza. We spent the rest of the afternoon with me sitting on the sofa watching Seth unpack, eating pizza, and talking about everything and anything as we always did.
I left his place at about eight. I was all packed for my trip but having to get up at ungodly o’clock for my flight, I needed to hit the sack at a decent time. Of course I was too excited to simply drift off to dreamland, so I took some melatonin and eventually slept.
All too soon my alarm was blaring and I grumbled, noticing that the sun didn’t greet me—just darkness. “Humans shouldn’t be up this early.” I really didn’t have anyone to blame but myself. I’d booked the flights, but it was either this time or midnight and I hadn’t been feeling that at all.
After a shower, shave, and all the things that made me appear awake were done, I poured coffee and sat at my breakfast bar waiting for Mark and Hannah to arrive.
The buzzing of my doorbell had me slithering off the stool and opening the front door.
“Are you ready for v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n?” Hannah singsonged.
I shifted my gaze from her to her husband Mark, who looked as exhausted as I was.
“You have no one to blame but yourself, Mark. You married a morning person.”
He hummed. “Come on, let’s get your bags and go.”
The ride to the airport was pleasant because no sane person was up at this hour. We got through TSA in ten minutes—which was amazing—and that meant we had way too much time on our hands. Our flight wouldn’t arrive for another hour.
“Oh, lookie!” Hannah thrust a magazine in my face. “Prince Julian Davaros is doing an island tour for a whole month. Maybe we’ll get a glimpse of the heir apparent while we’re there.”
Prince Julian Davaros was on the front cover of Royalty Magazine, and he was gorgeous. Truly. His dark-blond hair was swept back away from his face, his gray eyes in shadow against the light, and he wore a black tuxedo. The man stared at the camera like it was prey and he was the predator, and the power emanating off him in the photo sent a shiver up my spine.
“I’d probably stumble and accidentally shove him into oncoming traffic if I met him.” I snorted.
Hannah giggled. “Hey, you only tripped twice in the airport. That’s progress.”
I was clumsy, no way around it. There wasn’t anything wrong with me medically, I just…okay, my head got lost in the clouds sometimes and I’d been diagnosed with ADHD in high school, so that could have something to do with it.
I needed my brain and my body to get organized. I’d tried meds, and they helped, but at the end of the day my ADHD brain was gonna do whatever the hell it wanted. I just had to hold on for the ride and keep the casualties low in the process.
“Oh!” Hannah smacked my arm. “That’s our flight!”
I hadn’t heard the announcement nor felt the notification on my phone. This was why I couldn’t travel alone; I’d either miss my flight or end up on the wrong one.
My carry-on in hand, I followed Mark and Hannah to the gate. Excitement bubbled in my stomach as I walked through the sky bridge toward the airplane. This was going to be a trip of a lifetime. Memories would be made and dreams fulfilled. I couldn’t wait.
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.
She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.
If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she’d tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you’re afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.
EMAIL: davidsonkingauthor@yahoo.com
Under His Rule
In the Spotlight Series
No comments:
Post a Comment