The Betrothed by Kiera Cass

Hollis has spent most of her life trying to catch the eye of Jameson, the young king. Her hard work is finally paying off as he begins to seek her out, showering her with gifts and compliments and raising her above the rest of the court. But is it really what she wants? Being raised so high, there's a long way to fall...

I love Kiera's Selection series (Netflix series coming, whoohoo!) and I was very excited to read this one. All the familiar elements are there; royalty, love triangles, strong girls fighting for what they want.

I enjoyed this very much, and I will be looking forward eagerly to the rest of the series, to see what happens to Hollis and the rest of the characters. The ending was interesting, but not a total cliffhanger, which is nice. However, I don't feel like the world building was as well done in this series as in The Selection. Maybe there's more coming in other volumes; I hope so! I'd love to know more about the rest of the countries in this vaguely maybe a bit European continent.

I will definitely be looking out for the next book(s). I hope they're not too long in coming.

She giggled at that, too, but pushed the sound away quickly. I could see King Quinten blow out a huff, but he took his time looking back at us. His eyes glanced off Valentina and swiftly settled on me, and I felt a chill. I may have finally gotten through to her, but I was still little more than an insect to him. 

I looked away quickly. I reminded myself I was here to accompany Valentina, and if she was satisfied, I was doing my duty . . . but I knew that once I was queen, there would always be a Quinten in my life. Dignitaries and envoys would come and go, and I would be in the middle of it all, unable to hide. Some would probably like me well enough, but there would always be some who felt satisfied with ignoring me. 

I pulled my chin up, and I thought of Valentina. We ladies in our gilded cage, we had to make the best of it.

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.