Ties of Dust

Tethered Hearts

By: Deborah Grace White

Narrated by: Rachael Beresford

A girl hiding in plain sight. A prince trying to save the peninsula. A very inconvenient enchantment.

Flora owes her role as a royal bodyguard to her ability to control Dust—the invisible magic created by movement. She doesn’t pretend to be a man, she just doesn’t correct those who assume the Siqualian princess’s bodyguard must be a man…which is everyone. Including the delegation of the foreign prince to whom the princess is betrothed.

Prince Cassius’s sole purpose in seeking a marriage alliance is to bring strength to the region before outside forces succeed in splintering the peninsula further. When a misunderstanding tethers him to the princess’s bodyguard, he thinks his plan couldn’t go more wrong. Until the bodyguard reveals herself to be far from the teenage boy he’d assumed—it turns out his plan can go much more wrong.

Flora and Cassius find themselves in a bind—especially as their own hearts become as great a threat to the marriage alliance as the outside forces determined to prevent it. When Cassius’s enemies emerge from the shadows, and their tether puts Flora in greater danger than Cassius, both will have to decide what they’ll protect…even if it means choosing between their hearts and their kingdoms.

Ties of Dust is book eight in Tethered Hearts, a multi-author series of no spice fantasy romances. Although it’s a fully standalone story, Ties of Dust also serves as a prequel to Deborah Grace White’s upcoming fantasy series Magic of Dust and Movement.

©2024 Deborah Grace White (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Excellent

This is a great book and I really enjoyed it. The plot is compelling and different, and the pace is swift and flowing. It’s a forced-proximity, royal-bodyguard, fantasy romance. It’s light but not shallow, with great character development and world building.

The MCs are inadvertently tethered together (and the FMC effectively kidnapped), when an overzealous mage ties the FMC to the MMC as his bodyguard. Of course, she was thought to be a boy, and the unveiling of her true gender adds… complications, especially when the magical tether forces them to stay within 20ft of each other. The ending is perhaps a little cheesy in how everything conveniently falls into place, but it’s all good 🤓

This has magic and intrigue, a sweet romance, and my definite recommendation.

Content:
There is no foul language or sex. There is some violence, but it’s not excessive or gory. The romance is limited to a few lightly descriptive kisses. There is a lot of magic. There is no mention of faith or God.

Loved this!

I absolutely loved this book! The whole magic concept was fascinating, and I liked how it was referred to as dust. Flora was such a capable FMC, and I had my suspicions about her true identity. It was fun that SHE was the bodyguard. Cassius was a steady MMC and I loved watching him fall for her despite their awkward tether. Their resilience in everything they faced was touching, and Flora’s true self shined exactly when she needed it to. I hope we see them again in the future!

absolutely amazing!

This story was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! There wasn't a single lull in the whole thing. I was constantly thinking and wondering how things were going to turn out for everyone, and the ending absolutely did not disappoint! The characters were very real and likeable, and I just absolutely loved everything about this!