Review - The Two Princesses by Beryll Brackhaus and Osiris Brackhaus

Yaden and Ivan have largely recovered from their harrowing year trapped in Calarni space, thanks mostly to the love and support of their family. The missions they've undertaken since returning have not been stressful, mostly helping planets deal with disasters that require Yaden's special talents, but not very dangerous. Then word comes to the Lotus Pavillion that the Duke of Goa is trading in N'Bosoti artifacts. The mission requires the pair to go undercover in a way that threatens to open old wounds for Ivan.

This seventh book of the Sir Yaden series is something of a return to form, with Ivan and Yaden back with the family that Yaden has assembled on their small island, especially Yaden's husband, Colin. This story is a bit more episodic in nature, as were many of the previous volumes. At one point in reading this story, I thought that it might, in fact, be the last book of the series, but it's not much of a spoiler to say that there's still more to come, although we do get an inkling of how some storylines may get resolved. Some of the major threads involving Ivan's sister and the ancient aliens seem to be coming together.

While the series effectively revolves around Yadem, the real key character of this installment, much as in the last one, is Ivan. The young man is forced to confront his past and the abuse he suffered at the hands of his insane sister, who made Ivan a “pet” slave. While Ivan has become part of Yaden's family, it's been an interesting question as to whether or not his past would prevent him from forming any romantic attachment. That's another challenge that faces Ivan in this story. We're reminded that there's a lot that has to be resolved if the young man is to ever have a happily-ever-after free of the shadows of his past.

Colin also plays a significant role in this installment of the series. While Yaden's husband may not be a powerful psion like Yaden and Ivan, he is nonetheless the glue that holds this found family together. He is what grounds the two other men and has done the most to help them return to a stable mental state after the stress of their year in Calarni space. Colin is well aware of the temporary madness that came over Yaden after his betrayal by a Calarni agent, and he is constantly on guard over the fear that his husband might go off the rails again.

The point of view alternates between Yaden, Ivan, and Colin through the course of the story. We get to know each of them just a little bit better by the end of the book. While this isn't the last book in the series, it does feel like we're getting close to the final installment.

“The Two Princesses” is available from Smashwords or Amazon (commissionable link).