The Royal Companion

By Tanya Bird

The Royal Companion - Tanya Bird
  • Release Date: 2017-03-23
  • Genre: Historical Romance
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,125 Ratings

Description

Bound by tradition. Now they must follow the rules.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOOLLAHRA DIGITAL LITERARY AWARDS 2017

Aldara is sixteen when she is sold to the obnoxious crown prince as a gift for his brother. Forced to leave the only life she has ever known, Aldara is sent to Archdale Castle, where she is mentored to become Prince Tyron's perfect Companion. But no amount of lessons can prepare her for the troubled man marked by war. He sees straight through the polished exterior presented to him. He sees her.

All Prince Tyron wants is privacy to grieve. When his brother gifts him a Companion upon his return, he is forced to embrace a tradition he has so far managed to avoid. Except Aldara is not like the others. She walks with her face to the sun and arms swinging. Her laughter makes him forget the lie. But if they ignore the rules that safeguard them, there will be consequences.

This is book one in The Companion series. If you enjoy dark medieval romance, then this epic tale of love against all odds is for you.

Trigger warning: This book contains sexual violence, death, and dark themes intended for mature audiences.

Please note: This is part one of Tyron and Aldara's story. Their story continues in books two and three—available now.

Reviews

  • No ending… frustrating!

    2
    By stresstomax
    The story was interesting. I liked it, but what happened to an ending of any kind? It just stopped and left me seriously hanging!
  • Grammar matters

    2
    By Lainie9999
    I would like to remind the author: “never end your sentence a preposition with.”
  • Disgusting and horrible

    1
    By blackdragonashes
    I am glad it was free or I’d demand my money back. I will never read a book by this author again or anyone they endorse because they don’t know a good book if it hit them in the face.
  • Best read of the year!

    5
    By Coastiechick
    I started reading this book and finished it in about 12 hours! This book touched my soul and I cried so hard! I recommend it to everyone I can!
  • Felt unfinished

    3
    By 💚Grace💚
    The book was captivating and brilliantly written however the first book had no real ending and felt like the author just decided to move onto the next without giving the first a closing.
  • Pleasantly surprised

    5
    By takerhisnicknameplease
    I picked this book on a whim, not really going into it with high expectations... but I loved it. Looking forward to reading more.
  • Great read!

    5
    By danner0330
    Kept me captivated the entire time
  • Whisked me away

    5
    By Martinique Reads
    As a toddler mom, I'm mostly stuck in the mundane. With COVID, working and parenting at home all at once all the time. This season, I've been diving into books to keep my sanity (and because it's so important for kids to see adults reading for enjoyment!). I've been collecting a number of books on my kindle and once I started The Royal Companion, I didn't want to put it down. The love and the pain of Aldera's ups and downs were palpable. The problems facing the kingdom were complex. The Prince's metaphorical demons were consuming. I've continued on to more in the series and am so happy there's a number of them! I'm intrigued by many subplots. Thank you, Tanya Bird, for whisking me away to this beautiful, complicated land. Trigger warning: one rape scene that you could skip and sex trafficking Don't let the heavy topic stop you, it builds in well to the plot and the trials of the kingdom.
  • Dark, Depressing and Left Wanting

    2
    By WinterMagnolia
    The sword hanging over Aldara, the Companion / heroines head in this book is visible within a few chapters of this dark story. Even the idea and eventuality of the wonderful prince who owns her isn’t enough to alleviate the tension of the day to day life and unknown but likely sad future of a Companion rules every page. I kept waiting for the sword in the shape of the delusional heir-prince to swoop down and end her life. Aldara suffers in multiple ways but I didn’t find it to be an uplifting story of a young woman overcoming a bad life or even a telling of a strong woman fighting for her rights. Rather I found it constantly depressing with no intermittent relief to make it palatable. This is not what I look for when I read for entertainment. If I want to read about slavery or groups or individuals being used as chattel I’ll read historical novels. Bottom line? If you don’t mind reading a dark story about a type of slavery, jump in, the waters cold.
  • A very moving read.

    5
    By 👧Dot
    I wasn’t sure if I would like this book when I started reading. Aldara and Hali’s friendship was like reading about friends I hadn’t heard from in a while. After chapter 2, I was totally hooked. Prince Tyron and Aldara’s love story brought tears to my eyes. To read about the PTSD he was living through was so hard to hear him live with but so warming to read how Aldara stayed right beside him to help him fight his demons. I can’t wait to read the remaining books in the series.