Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway: ROYAL DECOY (Fate of Eyrinthia, #1) by Heather Frost

ROYAL DECOY (Fate of Eyrinthia, #1)
by Heather Frost
Release Date: June 18, 2020
Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

About the book:

A SERVANT blackmailed into becoming a princess’s decoy.

A BODYGUARD determined to keep her alive.

A PRINCE forced to execute his father’s brutal laws.

A PRISONER used to keep him compliant.

A WORLD on the brink of war.

In one horrible night, Clare goes from kitchen maid to royal decoy. She has three months to become the princess's perfect double so she can ensure her betrothal to an enemy prince. Desperate to survive, Clare throws herself into self-defense training, taught by her distractingly attractive bodyguard. The danger increases when a ruthless assassin begins stalking her, intent on ending the tenuous peace.

Across the northern mountains, Prince Grayson is his father’s ultimate weapon. He carries out the king’s harsh orders because the one person he cares about is his father’s prisoner. Grayson's silent obedience is tested when his father plans to exploit the marriage alliance between two of their greatest enemies. If Grayson submits, the blood of thousands will spill. If he resists, the girl who means everything to him will die.

The fate of Eyrinthia hangs in the balance. Some want peace. Some want war. All will be thrown into chaos.

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* * * EXCLUSIVE PRE-ORDER GIFT * * *

Pre-order ROYAL DECOY and you can receive an exclusive bonus short story!

Grayson is his father's ultimate weapon -- but he wasn't always. THE PRINCE AND THE PRISONER is the story of how a young Grayson met the little girl who would change his life forever.

To claim your gift, simply pre - order ROYAL DECOY and fill out the form linked below. (You will need to upload an image of your pre-order receipt.) After ROYAL DECOY releases, you will receive via email THE PRINCE AND THE PRISONER!

NOTE: Since you can only pre-order the Kindle edition of ROYAL DECOY at this time, I will also extend this to any physical copy purchases made on release day, June 18th!

Claim your pre-order gift here: https://forms.gle/u3PpeGAU5KPLFxKEA

Excerpt from ROYAL DECOY

Silence folded around them as Clare and Bennick stood staring at each other. The energy of the training ground hummed through Clare, grounding her somehow, even though they were alone in their corner. The men across the field laughed and shouted as they trained, the snap of wooden training weapons and grunts of exertion puncturing the air, the sounds wild yet somehow predictable.

Clare knew all the anger she felt didn’t belong solely to Bennick. The king, the princess, the commander, even Ramus, the librarian who thought she knew nothing—she was upset with them all, and her fury was a slow burn that scorched her entire body. The emotional upheaval in her life had caused tears yesterday, but today she clung to her anger like a shield.

When Bennick opened his mouth, she already knew she was going to cut off whatever explanation he’d prepared. “Miss Ellington—”

“Can we begin the lesson?”

His tense shoulders strained against his uniform, his gaze intent. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about—?”

“Quite sure.”

His brows slammed down. It looked like he was going to argue, but then he placed his hands on his narrow hips, his tone carefully measured. “In the event of an attack, your priority is to stay out of the danger as much as possible. You have guards for a reason—we do your fighting. You never engage in our fight.”

Her jaw firmed. “So if I see someone coming for your back, I let them stab you?”

“Yes.”

She could do that. She also recalled how Serene had acted in the hallway ambush, her knife drawn and looking for a place to enter the fight.

Clearly, the princess needed this lesson.

Bennick shifted his weight and elaborated. “If you come into the fight, you’re only going to distract me, or Venn, or whoever is trying to protect you. Then we all die. Fighting is always your last resort. And your last defense—if running or fighting aren’t possible—is to pretend you’re dead. Understood?”

The finality in his voice needled ice through her blood, but Clare nodded.

A shout on the field jerked her attention. A soldier had just hit the ground and he was cursing hotly, rubbing his abdomen while his sparring partner laughed and swung his practice blade through the air.

“Clare?”

Her gaze shot back to Bennick. “What?”

He pursed his lips. “The second thing to remember is focus. You need to concentrate on the moment you’re living. Let everything else go. Third—never freeze. Freeze, and you’re dead.”

There was no warning.

Clare sucked in a breath when Bennick snatched her wrists and pulled her arms forward, his fists making unbreakable manacles. Her heart thudded and she tried to jerk back, but he anchored her in place, his fingers flexing to hold her. Her extended arms stiffened. “Let go of me.”

“No.” His head bent, his voice low. “It’s time to learn a vital lesson.”

His hold was absolute. The powerlessness she felt sliced cold fear through her. “Let go. Now!”

Bennick’s eyebrows drew together. “Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Then let go!”

“No. You need to break free.”

“What?”

The corner of his mouth lifted, and for that alone she wanted to hit him. “Break free,” he repeated. “It’s the only way you’re getting loose, because I’m not going to let go.”

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Heather Frost writes mostly YA fiction and has a soft spot for tortured characters, breath-stealing romance, and happy endings. She is the author of the Seers trilogy. She has a BS in Creative Writing and a minor in Folklore, which means she got to read fairy tales and ghost stories and call it homework.

When she’s not writing, Heather likes to read, travel, and hold Lord of the Rings movie marathons. She owns two typewriters, sings in the car, and dreams of living in a castle someday. She currently lives in a beautiful valley surrounded by towering mountains in the wilds of Utah.