The Winter King - C. L. Wilson (Weathermages of Mystral #1)

Look at this cover.  Doesn't it look like a classic fantasy romance?  It's definitely what drew me to the book; the premise, about a summer princess who can't control her weather powers marrying the conqueror of her homeland who just happens to be a winter prince as cold in personality as magic, was a distant, trope-y second draw, but I do like "opposites attract" stories, and this fit that bill.

Khamsin is a princess of Summerlea, but her father hates her because he blames her for her mother's death, and has kept her away from the court for her entire life.  When Wynter, the king of Wintercraig, demands a Summerlea princess as payment for wrongs wrought against him by Khamsin's brother, the king of Summerlea sees it as an opportunity to rid himself of the daughter he hates.  And so Khamsin ends up married to Wynter, who of course she has immediate chemistry with.  But Wynter doesn't trust her, and has implied that if she doesn't bear him an heir within a year, she'll be killed.  Oh, and Wynter is also possessed by the spirit of an evil immortal king who wants to take over the world and will do so if Wynter doesn't fall in love within a year.

This wasn't necessarily a good book, but it was a fun one.  Khamsin is billed as not being able to control her weather abilities, but it really seems like she just can't be bothered to do so, choosing instead to engage in foot-stomping and head-tossing and curl-tousling, because when she actually tries to control her powers, she does so without much trouble.  Of course there are two realms that happen to have winter and summer powers and are enemies that must be united through marriage, which means that it's a literal ice-and-fire combination.  There's a few blatant conflicts in the plot, such as where the mystical sword of Summerlea is actually located.  And of course the main (human) villain just happens to be a woman who is willing to do anything for power.  And can I mention that Wynter and Khamsin's relationship is actually pretty toxic, with Wynter not trusting Khamsin as far as he can throw her until she literally throws herself in front of a magical ice spear for him?

Still, I did find this an enjoyable read.  I rolled my eyes at the cliches and winced at parts of the relationship, but I did appreciate how Khamsin grew as a character and became a leader in her own right.  This also has some good setup for the next book in the series, The Sea King, which actually appeals to me more in premise than this one did.  If you're looking for a classical-feeling fantasy romance, I'd say this is a good option; probably also good for those who liked the Dennis L. McKiernan's Faery series, which starts with Once Upon a Winter's Night.  The premises aren't really all that similar but the worlds evoked a similar feel.

3 stars out of 5.