Jaycent Connor's real, raw, and certainly not cut to fit nobility's standards. But when a powerful illusionist named Shadow threatens his life, the prince is forced to disappear, assuming a new persona as a mysterious and dangerous rogue.
Hidden from Shadow's eye, he searches relentlessly for the key to the illusionist's bane. Yet with his choice comes a harrowing decision. One that, if chosen poorly, could mark the end of his life and the Connor lineage forever.
Elizabeth began her writing career as a freelance journalist with a knack for finding the soul behind a story. She covered the music beat for two national magazines and multiple local and online publications for 4 years. However, fiction--her first love--soon steered her in a new direction. In 2011, she took a year off to draft her first novel: The Royal Rogue.
The book was published in October 2012 and was well-received by readers and press alike. Unique in its approach, Elizabeth replaces the heroic protagonist cliché with a morally ambiguous rogue that stumbles his way into an epic adventure. Her main character's rough edges and quick wit swiftly captured an audience, who gave her debut book a 4.8 out of 5 star rating.
In 2015, Elizabeth followed up her first release with an even bolder continuation called Chivalry's Code, a novel that combines two separate storylines in a dueling parallel full of heart-wrenching ultimatums and surprising plot twists.
Now her latest release, Lost Prince of Nevaharday, brings her dynamic cast of characters home in one final, teeth-gritting battle.
When Elizabeth is not writing books, she works with a vast array of businesses and clients through copywriting and editing services. You can learn more about her on social media or via her website: www.ElliWrites.com.
I felt like this book was written right out of my imagination! It had every element I could want in a fantasy novel. Love, mystery, betrayal, war, and suspense, this book has it all! This book was so well-written that I could visually see everything that I read as I was reading it, like I was watching the movie that would be made from this book. I loved how this story was so different. I have never read a book so unique! This book is far from the typical dwarves and elves and wizards that you would expect. The book introduces a whole new race that has a special bond with horses! This book is so unexpected I could hardly put this book down because it reeled me in! There are not many books in which I feel a close bond with the characters, but in this book I felt that and I still wanted to know more about them. I felt like this book was written especially for the little girl inside me with the wildest imagination.
The Royal Rouge takes place in the fictional kingdom of Nevaharday, where a disillusioned young prince named Jaycent Connor is reluctant to take his rightful place as king after the mysterious death of his parents. During the early chapters of the book, Jaycent has multiple encounters with a race of people called the rahee, also referred to as “horsefolk”. During one such encounter, Jaycent meets an auburn-haired gypsy-rahee named Levee Tensley, who can hear the voices of horses and communicate with them. Despite a blossoming romance with her friend, Milo, Levee puts hope in Prince Jaycent, suspecting they may share the same remarkable gift. After winning an apprenticeship in an equestrian tournament, Levee moves to the Nevaharday castle, and a relationship between the prince and gypsy begins to form.
Jaycent has a series of horrific nightmares that blend into reality, causing external bleeding and injury. Unable to find the source of these vivid and brutal visions, Jaycent turns to Levee, hoping her unique gypsy insight and connections will help him uncover not only his past, but his true destiny, as well. The Royal Rougue is full of fantasy, fights to survive, horse-racing, battles with evil re’shahna, and incredible magic. It felt fresh, and the action sequences were breathtaking.
I was impressed with Carlton’s writing, especially after reading that this was a debut novel. The editing is very clean and the formatting was perfect, rare for a first time novel. The writing itself was expressive and interesting, but the dialogue between Jaycent and Levee was particularly well-written. I felt both characters were fully-developed and their intentions felt genuine and natural. Jaycent, in particular, went through a transformative process that felt very organic and well-paced. He’s perfectly imperfect as a person, and as a ruler/rogue. The author stays true to the staples of the genre, but offers something unique and special as well, introducing new takes on species less often seen in fantasy fiction ie. mimics, ogres, unicorns, night “mares” from the abyss, shape-shifting demon shadows, and more.
On reading the prologue, I was concerned I wouldn’t like the writing style. It was a bit cumbersome and formal. I didn’t feel the prologue was at all an indication of the rest of the book, so don’t let it scare you off, especially because it becomes clear as the book progresses. The more I read, the more comfortable I became with the style. Carlton sometimes lapses into an overly-formal medieval-ish tone, but it’s tempered by the addition of several charming beta-characters (Milo was my favorite). I also felt the book was paced well with nothing happening too early or too late. Love takes time, and Carlton is good at building a romance, while still maintaining the growth of the characters individually. Any gripes I had with the thickness of the plot were ultimately overcome by the dialogue between characters.
This book is obviously the first in a series, and I did love the ending, it was beautifully written, even if it wasn’t exactly satisfying. I would recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, and anyone who loves horses. It’s a great blend of both.
First, I need to tell you I am not a professional reviewer by any means. I loved the series so I wanted to make sure I shared that with others looking for a new story to get sucked into.
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading, but the synopsis gave me enough to give it a look at least! I am a big fan of this style of fantasy, love the stories that can be told about magic and elves and everything in between. Elizabeth did a great job at creating this entire world full of everything a fantasy reader could hope for. This being the first book in the series, you need to expect a fair amount of character development.
She does a great job of writing in a way that can bring the book to life and make it incredibly easy to picture the characters and the world. You start falling in love with the characters shortly in and cheer for them throughout the entire series.
This book is the start of a series I would love to see adapted for a series or movie. It is so well done! You need to check it out and bug Elizabeth for more books!!
I usually only write reviews based on worldbuilding, characterization, character arc, plot, style, and POV; however, I am going to make an exception with this one book. This is going to be a short review.
I bought the second book thinking it was a stand-alone. However, I noticed it was a trilogy, and I had to buy the first book to understand the second book.
This story is beautifully written. Ms. Carlton writes well, and it shows. I found the plot enjoyable. However, the dialogue left me a little out of sorts. I think she needed to pay a little attention to the dialogue. I didn't see a character arc going on in this book, and the characters felt flat in this first book. I am hoping the second book is better.
I love, love, love this book!!! The descriptions just help you imagine you're there in the story, the characters are so well drawn out that you get who each one of them are, even the minor characters, and the story line is wonderful and so different. I'd recommend it for anyone who loves fantasy stories or if you're just looking for something different.