The Royal Companion — Tanya Bird

Bound by tradition. Now they must follow the rules. SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOOLLAHRA DIGITAL LITERARY AWARDS 2017 Companions are the kingdom's most beautiful and educated women -- possessions of Syrasan's royal men. Aldara is sixteen years old when she is sold by her farming family to the obnoxious Prince Pandarus as a gift for his younger brother, Prince Tyron. Resistant at first, the new Companion soon realises she must embrace the role or face the consequences of her failure. Prince Tyron has just returned from war. All he wants is privacy to grieve the men who died at the border. At his brother's insistence, Tyron attends a social hunt where his Companion is introduced for the first time. He senses something beneath the polished exterior presented to him. She is not like the others. While initial encounters between the troubled war hero and his reluctant Companion are awkward, their connection is immediate. But they are soon reminded by those closest to them that there is no place for love between a prince and his Companion. Set amid grief and war, The Royal Companion is a heart-warming love story about what it means to give yourself over to another. Trigger warning: This book contains sexual violence