Gems of Fire by Diane E. Samson

Princess Anna can never escape the castle’s cold walls and scorning disapproval of her father and his brute royal counsel, Seamus.

A riding accident lands Anna in the hands of traders who sell her as a slave in distant Kasdod to none-other than her father’s enemy, Lord Anwar. After overhearing a dangerous plot to conquer Sunderland and kill the royal family, Anna must escape and warn her father.

With the doom looming over her, Anna is approached by a dangerous-looking man in the dark. He claims to want to help her, but can she trust him with her secrets? The perils of the journey ahead will push Anna to the limit and answer the one question that has always plagued her.

Will she ever be enough?

Category: Fantasy – Coming of Age

Princess Anna is left to rule Sunderland when her father, brother, and presumed fiancé Jack ride to battle the devouring creatures in Jack’s home kingdom. She must establish herself as a strong leader with the council and a neighboring king who brings along two handsome princes to negotiate an alliance.

Trouble erupts when pillaging marauders attack outlying villages, and the council loses confidence in Anna’s leadership. Plus, no word from her father’s army ever comes. When the reports of a coming horror reach Anna, she forges an unlikely alliance and reverses her father’s long-standing policies against gems of power. She trains Sunderland’s remaining soldiers to fight with gems. She’ll lead them to battle in a brave attempt to rescue her family, the army, and the one she loves.

But first she must survive the treachery brewing in her own court.