My Take:


Fantastic books filled with swordplay, treachery, wit, suspense, good versus evil, young love, and against-all-odds, edge-of-your-seat action. 

My 12-year-old son read these in record time, I followed suit, and we’re both anxiously awaiting the publication of the third book. 


If you need page-turners to help your boys get through a summer reading slump or hours in the car on a road trip, THESE ARE YOUR BOOKS!!


*** The verdict is still out on whether they’re a good fit for girls. My 5th grade daughter just started reading them on the recommendation of her brother, who said, “They’re a little violent, but I think you’re mature enough to handle them.” She’s a fast reader, so I’ll find out shortly if she’s a fan.

THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.


In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.


As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.


An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

THE RUNAWAY KING:  Just weeks after Jaron has taken the throne, an assassination attempt forces him into a deadly situation. Rumors of a coming war are winding their way between the castle walls, and Jaron feels the pressure quietly mounting within Carthya. Soon, it becomes clear that deserting the kingdom may be his only hope of saving it. But the further Jaron is forced to run from his identity, the more he wonders if it is possible to go too far. Will he ever be able to return home again? Or will he have to sacrifice his own life in order to save his kingdom?


The stunning second installment of The Ascendance Trilogy takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of treason and murder, thrills and peril, as they journey with the Runaway King!