Bed of Rose and Thorns

Sir Ezra is an Elysian Bell; he has a frightening potential that he keeps hidden deep beneath tight layers of steel armor. He secretly loves a dark Queen whose touch would mean his death.

Banished for brutally slaughtering the Prince of Erle and husband to the Queen, Sir Ezra can only dream of seeing her again. Every night, his soul travels to distant lands, remembering the Queen, her deep convictions, brilliant mind, unending work, hidden loneliness, and a single night of horrific bloodshed.

Recalled to the Queendom after eleven years, Ezra hopes to catch at least a fleeting glimpse of the woman he was sacrificed for. Instead, he finds a nation in rebellion and the Queen to be an elusive phantom. His only friend, Sir Marigold, challenges his presence and tells him that he is not needed in the capitol. Looking for both the truth and the absent Queen, Ezra finds only more secrets and enemies.

Ezra’s armor is dented, scarred, and ruined by friend and enemy alike; his secret potential is about to become unbound.

Lee Hunt delivers a heart-filled fantasy romance in his latest, Bed of Rose and Thorn. 

Ezra was banished from the service of the Queen he adores to serve a noble family and teach the children the ways of the sword. Always dressed in his formal armor, Ezra holds people at a distance. Lee Hunt carefully reveals why Ezra keeps himself ensconced in metal. Ezra is a mystical Elyssian Bell, a knight who uses vibrations to cause both damage and pleasure. 

When he learns that his banishment has been rescinded, his visit to the capital city becomes more than a visit. He longs to see his beloved Queen again and perhaps even regain his position, but she always seems just out of sight and out of reach. 

Bed of Rose and Thorn is set in a medieval fantasy realm and vividly imagined. Hunt delivers a cast of characters you want to get on board with. Their stories are intriguing, especially the influential female roles. It is due to the inclusion of strong female supporting characters that brings nuance to the sexual encounters. While some of the affections still feel misplaced or unwarranted, the majority of the book's sexual innuendos aren't brazenly detailed or out of place.

The novel contains a number of brawls and battles that give it the sense of an action flick. The pace of the writing is perfectly matched in both the tender and the violent parts of the story, making it flow effortlessly and hard to put down. Hunt has a measured pace, and it's easy to visualize the story as if it was a film playing out on the screen, which in my opinion, is a good thing. 

Lee Hunt delivers a novel of friendship, war, truth, and soulmates in a flushed-out, rich medieval fantasy package.