Review ~ Damsel In Distress by Lee French

Damsel In Distress

by Lee French

Synopsis from Amazon:

Given the burden of safeguarding a precious treasure at a tender age, Sabetia is placed squarely in the middle of a fantastical legend. Swords, demons, magic, a curse: it has everything a great epic tale should. All she needs to do is face the danger that could threaten the world if left unchecked. If only it were so simple. A hero could solve this problem, but she doesn't happen to be one. 

A good wife is obedient, patient, obedient, quiet, obedient, doting, and above all, obedient. Sabetia was raised to be a good wife. It makes her perfect prey, a perfect damsel in distress.

My Review:
4 out of 5 stars

At age 7, Sabetia's grandmother gifted her with a family heirloom past down from Sabetia's great grandmother.  A brilliant blue stone that has been made into a necklace contains a demon who has been trapped for many many years.  The stone was originally part of a sword that was used to battle the demon.  The sword shattered into pieces and all the pieces, except the stone, have never been recovered.  And that's just what needs to never happen.  If the sword pieces ever come back together, the demon will be set free.

At age 14, Sabetia has been matched with Jason, The Earl of Venithys.  Jason, a.k.a My Lord, is very enchanted with Sabetia and the two get married as soon as possible.  Before the wedding, Jason was kind and patient with Sabetia, but the morning after the wedding, he became a very different person.  Jason has a very demanding sexual appetite and expects Sabetia to be submissive to him in every way.  Becoming a very abusive jerk, Sabetia believes that the reason he treats her this way is because she deserves it thanks to the way she was brought up by her crazy, abusive mother.

After numerous miscarriages and continued abuse, Sabetia's maid and best friend, Myra, planned an escape for both of them, but the plan failed and in the process Sabetia's necklace was stolen by a thieving, dastardly elf.  And here my friends is where the adventure begins!

Lee French is a magnificent storyteller that has created an extraordinary tale full of magic, intrigue and mystery that pulls you into the story from page one and you can't help but turn each page in hopes that Sabetia finally gets the happy life that she deserves and that her wretched husband dies a slow and painful death.  At times, this was a very emotional story as you really start to feel sorry for Sabetia and the way she is treated.   The fact that she thinks its perfectly normal to be beaten for everything because this is the way she was brought up is absolutely heart-wrenching.

Despite a few editing issues, this was a well-written book that flowed very smoothly. The character development was excellent and the story line was amazing.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read Fantasy and has several hours set aside because this is one you will not want to put down!