Synopsis:
Now married to the cursed Sultan Azak, Princess Inos finally heads to the capital city to plead her case in front of the wardens, as stable boy Rap rushes to meet her and embrace his destiny.

Review:
(Is that like the worst cover you have ever seen? Seriously.) Emperor and Clown is the final installment in Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word series, and a most satisfying conclusion indeed. The overall story is a rich, satisfying adventure full of political machinations and romance, with a thoroughly original world and three-dimensional characters. In short, I would recommend this series to any readers who enjoy George RR Martin or Robin Hobb. I’ve mooched the follow up series, but will be taking a palate-cleansing break from epic fantasy.

I’m traveling this week and brought with me an Advance Reader’s Copy of Jennifer Donnelly’s The Winter Rose, a follow up to her historical romance The Tea Rose. I read the first 50 pages before deciding that the book is not really for me, though it’s very well written. I am not a huge fan of the historical romance genre, even with a book like this one that clearly has literary merit. I might give it another chance in the fall, but for now I’m setting it aside. If you are eagerly awaiting the sequel to The Tea Rose, the book comes out in January and I bet you will not be disappointed.