Thanks goes to the author for providing a copy of this book to read for an honest review.

This story is told in first person through the eyes of Bethany, a DeDe witch.





A Lady of the Realm is a book set in a society very similar to ours but ruled by Fairies, Elves, Demons, Witches, Shifters and just about every other type of creature you can think of. Humans are considered an endangered species although I’m not really sure how they got that way. That’s what had me confused for over half the book, I really had no idea what was going on other than Bethany wanting to reclaim her title of DeDe. She also never got answers from Sasha and Malachi the other main characters in the book so it’s more difficult for the readers to figure out what’s happening. But since Bethany knows the regular world she lives in, she’s more clued in, whereas the readers are not.

What held me captive throughout this story was the not the personal relationships between the characters so much, but how this society worked. America is divided into regions and ruled by different Lord and Ladies who are the creatures I mentioned before, or “Freaks” as Bethany likes to call them. Lady of the Realm is full of political intrigue and manipulation, secrets, money and power. Everyone is out to get something for themselves and if they have to use someone or kill someone to get what they want, then so be it. The creation of this world was brilliant.

Bethany the female protagonist is one ballsy female. She goes after what she wants and is not afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right even when she’s told to keep quiet. But she was very flawed and I had a hard time understanding her character for the first half of the book. It was like Bethany didn’t know what she wanted and her mind was jumping from one topic to the other which made it difficult for me to figure out what was going on in the story.

A favorite character of mine was Peaches the bulldog. In this world animals can talk and Bethany is able to hear dogs speak. Peaches is snarky, outspoken and loyal. She’s a great character even though she isn’t in the story as much I would have liked.

One thing Peaches did say was to never trust Fairies or Elves which I’d have to agree with. Sasha is a very powerful Elf in this world and Beth is hoping to use him to gain her title of DeDe and all that it entails, and Sasha is intending to use her to gain more control and power. Very soon it’s clear to me that they aren’t just using each other but have feelings for each other, but neither will admit it. They lust after each other, but if Beth doesn’t give Sasha sex, he runs off and f***s someone else as a form of revenge which I find disturbing. Sometimes he does it for politics and he thinks nothing of it, but because Beth can feel it when he has sex with others; it makes her very upset, which tells me she doesn’t like when he does it despite what she says to the contrary. They are always playing some sort of sexual power game between them.

So what you’ve got is two very screwed up characters coming together for sex and business then yelling, screaming, hitting and throwing things at each other and then Sasha goes off and finds a willing female or females to f*** when Bethany doesn’t give in to sex with him. I consider what Sasha was doing a form of infidelity just because it was clear they had feelings for each other and their intense jealousy when the other was with another person or even hinted at it meant more than just sex. Sasha was very jealous with just the idea of anyone having sex with Beth so much so he worked it into a contract that she couldn't have sex with any other male except Malachi who is Sasha's 'shadow'. Sasha says he doesn't mind sharing her with Malachi, he wants Beth to be happy, but that's as long as he can keep tabs on her and control who she's with. Near the very end of the story Sid a demon, tells Beth something about Sasha's and Malachi's feelings toward her, which lends even more support to what I noticed in the relationship(s).

I really don’t like infidelity stories and try to avoid them, and I consider this story to have a lot of infidelity in it. I understand that Beth and Sasha weren’t married or engaged, although Sasha has claimed her as his 'mate' and I think that for him, is more than just politics. They are so much into trying to see who can out maneuver the other they can't be honest about how they feel. I understand both of the characters are very emotionally messed up, but that kind of ‘relationship’ is so f***ed up I can’t even begin to tell you. So I really didn’t like this aspect of the story at all and it made the story less pleasant to read.

The author created amazing interactions between species and characters and a truly intricate and fascinating world. I’d recommend this story to anyone who wants to read a very unique otherworldly type of society and doesn’t mind the numerous incidences of what I consider infidelity.


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This book suffers from a couple of issues. The world building is confusing and poorly explained. It is also dumped on our head within the first chapter in the most boring and unrealistic conversations I have had the misfortune of reading in my life. I kept asking myself while reading, Why are they talking about this when they both know this information? Oh yeah, because the author couldn't figure out any other way to tell the reader. STRIKE ONE!

The initial scene where the heroine meets the hero/anti-hero/sexy-dude-who-will-rock-her-vajayjay, whatever you want to call him, had confusing and poorly executed dialogue. The heroine is apparently being flirtatious with the hero and his buddy. Sadly, the only reason I knew her flat, pointless dialogue was suppose to be flirting was the reactions of the two men. I didn't buy her seductive skills at all in this scene which made it really hard for me to believe she was as competent as the narrative insists that she is. STRIKE TWO!

While the world that we are shown feels like a very lush, formal fantasy version of America. The heroine's dialogue and inner narrative has the tone of a modern American teenager. She switched back and forth between formal phrases to modern slang that equated to "No Duh, Dude." It was jarring and frankly, obnoxious. I didn't buy this girl as a lady or even as an adult, much less being anywhere near deserving the respect she was getting from these powerful characters in the scene with her. STRIKE THREE!

I will say that the two male characters Malachi (half-blood elf) and Alek (elf) were intriguing and my curiosity with them kept me reading a lot longer than I should have. Though sadly the dialogue takes and descriptions in the scenes with them were so confusing that I had to reread several sections to be clear about who was talking when and who was the elf and who was the half-elf.

This book requires to much suspension of disbelief and gave me nothing in return for my efforts. FLOUNCE! ( )

*Received book through the Authors Requesting Reviews (ARR) program on Goodreads for an honest review
**Also posted on Amazon.com under Leanne and Smashwords under Leanne Goon

A Lady of the Realms is told from the point-of-view of Bethany Boudreaux, a long-lost descendant of the DeDe witch bloodline, who is disgruntled with her lowly status and desires to claim her title of Lady of the Realm - a type of nobility under the powerful supernatural families who rule America. Since the house of DeDe is in New Orleans, she needs the help of Lord Aleksander (or Sasha), an elf in charge of that region, to whom she will pledge her allegiance (she will be his allodial) and who will present her at court. As he and his half-breed confidant, Lord Malachi, train her in courtly ways and teach her to use her powers, she struggles to maintain her distance from the two elves, especially as they are dangerously handsome and emit an aphrodisiac scent hard to resist.

Mamolo has successfully created a distinctive world, a difficult task with all the paranormal/urban fantasy novels in the market. I loved the snarkiness and sassiness of Beth as she challenges Sasha’s patience. Since she was raised human and a commoner, it was highly amusing to see her attempts at modifying her language and her assertive personality, which leads to entertaining scenes with a frustrated Sasha – in more ways than one as she also keeps him guessing at her attraction to him. In contrast, as Beth’s relationship with Sasha is hot and stormy, her bond with Malachi is warm and comfortable. I highly enjoyed their emerging true friendship and the slow burn of their connection. I thought Malachi’s character was well-written, with enough mystery to keep the reader intrigued and I am hoping we see more of his history in the next book.

Overall, A Lady of the Realms was a real page-turner (I finished this in two sittings) with great sexual tension and engaging characters. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel as I would love to see Beth grow into her title as Lady of the Realm and cope with the possible challenges from other ruling families, as well as juggle her emotions/relationships with Sasha and Malachi. I would recommend it to fans of Sunny (author of the Monere series), Laurell K. Hamilton (author of the Meredith Gentry series), and paranormal romances/urban fantasy. ( )