Red (The True Reign Series)

By: Jennifer Anne Davis

Narrated by: Paul Woodson

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Sentenced to be executed. Betrayed. Alone. Hung on the gallows.

Rema thought her life was over, but she was wrong.

Saved by a rebel force she'd only ever heard rumors about, Rema finds herself in a forbidden place. She is finally safe - free from the king and Prince Lennek. But not everything is as it seems at the rebel fortress. Secrets are whispered, and loyalties are tested. Once Rema uncovers the truth of her heritage, will she flee? Or will she ascend to the throne, taking on the responsibility of an entire kingdom?

Now that Darmik knows Rema's true identity, he's on a quest to save her. But when an Emperion assassin arrives on Greenwood Island, Darmik knows he doesn't have very long to find her. In a deadly game with high stakes, will Darmik remain loyal to his family? Or will he break away and join the rebels?

Kingdoms rise and fall. Heroes are born and made. But one thing remains the same-love conquers all.

©2014 Jennifer Anne Davis (P)2015 Reign Publishing

A crazed filled sequel, with loads of fun...

Any additional comments?

4 STARS

What another amazing book by Davis!! I love this series to pieces and am so glad I decided to pick up the first book. It captivated me and took my breath away. Davis's writing and even pacing was spectacular and such a thrilling ride of ups and downs!

The characters were so awesome, I instantly connected with Rema from the first book. And I really don't know why because in she wasn't my normal protagonist. In the first book she wasn't a bad-ass chick on a mission, she was a big sweet softy. Naive and unaware of the reality of the world around her, but yet still a feisty, determined, strong willed, and all around good person. So I guess all those qualities allowed me see the fierce fighter inside Rema.

But in this book, Rema was the opposite of her soft demeanor from book one. She was a girl who went through something that changed her. Unwilling to be the trusting, sweet, naive girl she once was, but still unsure of what her role is and where her life was heading, and if she ultimately had it within her to fight back. But by the end of this book she built herself up to the understanding of what she needed to be: A girl on a mission, with a vendetta to seek justice for her family and all the ones in her kingdom who have been wronged and suffered at the hands of the king and is evil son Prince Lennek. And I loved watching her tremendous character growth from book one. And how she took the injustice done on herself, and turned it into a beacon of will and determination to see all the wrongs done to those on the island righted, and as a path to reclaiming the kingdom and ending all the suffering!

And Darmik was another great character that I just loved! Like Rema, I instantly connected with him also. And though he was the son of the evil king, and also the commander ruling the kings army, and leader of the ones causing the people suffering, I still seen that he was a good person underneath his preside. But was just mislead by his desires of wanting to be apart of his family that he's always been neglected from. And I think that blindsided him to the actual wrongs he was inflicting on his people by doing the kings bidding. But in this book Darmik was battling with what was right and what was wrong, and Rema was the turning point for him. An eye opener for all the wrongs that he's been causing on the Island for a long time. And he ultimately turned his allegiances to the rebels to fight against his father. And that just further proved I was right for putting my faith into his character. ;)

THE PLOT

REMA:

Barely escaped her public execution, Rema is now coping and trying to understand who saved her and why. She was rescued by rebel forces, the same rebel forces that king Barjon and the man she's come to care for, Prince Darmik are hunting down and eliminating one by one. Unsure of what's going on and who can be trusted, Rema has no choice but to remain at the rebels fortress, because she's now a wanted woman all over the Kingdom, and their out for blood—her blood.

Crown Prince Lennek and the evil king want the noose around Rema's neck so badly she can taste it. But thanks to the rebels who rescued her, she was able to escape with her life, at least for the time being. But the question still remains why did these rebels help her, and what do they ultimately want from her?

Allied with the rebels, Rema trains daily, building her strength and learning the skill to protect herself when the kings army closes-in. But within the rebel fortress, Rema finds answers she didn't even know their were questions too. She was saved for a reason, a very good reason at that. And the rebels want her to commit to their cause not because she's another able body, but because she is The Key to the corrupt kingdoms undoing. She's the only one able to bring the kingdom to it's knees, and then rebuild it beyond it's once glory...

DARMIK:

Shunned by his father, the King of Greenwood Island, tortured by his brother, the Crown Prince, and betrayed by the girl he's fallen in love with. All that and Darmik is barley holding onto his sanity. But one thing that he does have above all else is his army. Commander and loyal leader to his solders, Darmik must find the rebels responsible for inciting the spark of rebellion in the hearts of his people. He must find the ones he secretly appreciates for saving Rema from her demise that fateful day of her failed execution. But most important, he must find the truth of Rema's true heritage, and if she knows who she really is, and how much power she holds, if she chooses to wield it...

But one things for certain, Darmik knows his people have been mistreated. He knows his father is turning him into a monster—making him do evil things to his kingdom. He knows when his brother Lennek becomes ruler of Greenwood Island, he will become even more vindictive and evil then his father, and he will make everyone under his rule pay, simply because he can. And Darmik knows he cannot let that happen, but is uncertain what he should do about it...

But finding Rema will come at the

ultimate price...

His father and brother want Rema's head on a stick, but even worse, the Emperor has gotten news of Rema's heritage, and has sent in his own reinforcements, and their hunting for the kill. He knows Rema betrayed him by not telling him who she really was, but is that betrayal really worth standing by and watching her be murdered? But the more he digs deeper, the more he starts to think that maybe she hasn't betrayed him, maybe she's unaware of who's blood pulses through her veins. And then the realization that he may of just lost everything he loves, for nothing.

So now the question remains...

Is Darmik willing to fight for Rema, and by fighting for her, is he willing to take on her cause—a cause that just may bring the end of the king's tyranny, and the kingdom to it's rightful place?

Yes, YES, YESSSSS!!!! The RED was a fantastic sequel that I just loved! With action and adventure, twist and turns, allegiances and betrayals, obedience and rebellion, evil and benevolent, and a romance so bitter sweet, that it will literally be the last hope of saving a kingdom...

Overall, RED was so awesome, with just the right amount of everything I love! This series has quickly become one of my all time favorites, and these characters will always hold a dear place in my heart! And the author is writing a spin-off series with Rema and Darmik's daughter, the future empress as the main protagonist. And I CAN'T WAIT to jump back into this EPIC world. If you enjoy this type of genre with an awesome cast of charters, and plenty of action and adventure, with betrayals and defiance, and a romance so sweet, then you should definitely check out this series!

NOTE: I received an eBook for reviewing purposes. All opinions express are my own and are not influenced in any way!

Loved It!

First of all I did receive this audio from the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review.

I want to be honest and say I did have some doubt on how well the story would be to listen to but I was amazed at the difference it was to the first. The author Jennifer Anne Davies is a very talented and it shows in her story. This story was refreshing and entertaining. The author creates a world of intrigue, deception, and it had one heck of a rebel uprising. I really hate cliffhangers though and I think authors get this quick thrill from having a cliffhanger so I think they do it for pleasure but that's my opinion. I will be looking forward to the next story and hopefully she sticks with this narrator because the first one didn't do her story the satisfaction it deserves.

Paul Woodsman did a wonderful job with bringing this story to life life. I found the story to be like a breath of fresh air. I was content and extremely happy with his telling of this story. I thought the character's voices and accents were done magnificently and I didn't have any trouble at all identifying which character was speaking throughout the story. I was very pleased with the changing of narrators. This was the second story that I've heard by Paul Woodson but I would definitely listen to other stories he's done and recommend him to authors.

Bk 2 gets u hooked

Bk 1was interesting. Bk 2 gets u hook line and sinker. Rema will anger u, the others will infuriate u. There truly is a character to root for and one to love to hate. The storyline is written very well and the performance is done spot on considering it's a male reader in a mostly female heroin book.

Marvelous, Over-the-Top Listen!

Any additional comments?

When last Ms. Davis left me hanging in book one, I could not believe it! Truly, is you were there, you’d hear me groan. But now after book 2, can I howl? Am I allowed to howl? Believe me I am! This author is killing me! Another cliff hanger in book two that know not if I’m able to deal with!

I have never,EVER looked at how many hours I have left to listen. Okay, three. I’m thinking, can this thing be resolved in three hours? Then two hours, I hesitate to even consider. But my dear reader, I KNOW that 30 minutes won’t make this thing any better. I KNOW I’m at another cliff hanger. I’m howling!!!!

What started in book one, continues in the second. More ratcheting of anxiety clutching my heart and soul. Why haven’t I heard of this author before?

Narrator Paul Woodson I’ve met before. He’s really good with what he does, fully bringing a story to life. He has narrated for Lily Baldwin and Amy Jerecki. I’m thrilled to see him tackling this series.

Readers, I do hope you’ll listen to this marvelous writer. I don’t toy with you! I’m so excited to find another writer that turns me on! I pray the gods will look kindly upon me and grant me the opportunity to continue the series ASAP!

SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE KEY!!

I'm not gonna lie, The Key was really difficult to get through because of the poor narration but Red totally changed my mind on the True Reign series!!! This book is expertly written and narrated. I listened to it as much as I could over the course of three days and loved every sassy, tea-spilling moment. All of the characters became more believable and less trope-y. I laughed, I screamed, and I loved every single minute of it. If you're on the fence after The Key, give Red a chance!

Shout out to Paul Woodson for his stellar narration!

love the story

love the story. But like to hear it better from female voice. on to next book.

Much better narrator

Because book 1 left me with such a cliffhanger, I felt compelled to purchase the second book. Good thing I did, this narrator was so much better. I look forward to the last book of the series.

Narrator soooo much better than 1st book!

Listening to the 2nd book was easier to my ears, that's for sure! The narrator in the 1st book was awful. I got bored a lot up until they finally reunited but it was short lived because of the cliffhanger. So glad the author didn't take this to a love triangle that I detest. They were true to each. I enjoy more romance in my books and not keen on keeping the H and h separate a large part of the series, in which the author has done especially in the 2nd book. Lets hope that they will find her pretty quickly in the 3rd book, preferably in the beginning.