When the King of the Texas Empire kidnaps Warren’s brother, Warren embarks into a still Wild West to save him. On his journey, he makes a discovery that changes his life forever—he and his brother are long-lost members of the Texas royal family and the King wants them both dead.

He gets help from an activist Texan named Lena, who’s itching to take on the King and happens to be a beautiful firecracker Warren can’t stay away from. Convincing her he’s not one of the bad guys becomes harder when a mysterious energy stirs in his body, turning his brain into a hive of emotions and memories—not all his own.

A legacy of violence is not all he inherited from the brutal Kings of Texas. The myth that the royal family possesses supernatural powers may not be myth at all.

Gone are the days when choosing a major was a big deal. Now Warren must save his brother and choose whether or not to be King, follow a King, or die before he can retire his fake ID. (Cover and synopsis from Goodreads)

Another First…

I know I’ve reviewed some physical ARCs lately, but I just had to share that The Charge was actually the first physical book I ever received for review.  Sure, I had won some ARCs or finished copies through giveaways, and I had received eARCs from publishers and through NetGalley, and I’ve received some physical ARCs and finished copies for review recently, but The Charge was my first physical book given to me for review.  I ended up meeting author Sharon Bayliss at YABFest in May and I handed her my card, and she held up a copy of The Charge and told me that if I reviewed it for my blog, I could have a copy.  I jumped at the chance!  And I just wanted to say thanks again, Sharon, because it’s so exciting getting that first one!

Extremely Pleasantly Surprised…

As it turns out, The Charge was a fantastic first physical book for review!  I have to be honest:  I was a little wary at first because I got the words “Wild West” stuck in my head after reading the synopsis and I was expecting a Western.  I’m not really a fan of Westerns, so I was worried that I wasn’t going to like this one too much.  But, as it turns out, this isn’t really a Western at all!  It’s Sci-Fi and Alternate History and all the stuff that I love in books!  And there was a Star Wars reference in the very first sentence, so I knew I was going to like this book!

This was also one of the few New Adult books that I’ve read, and the absolute first New Adult book that I’ve read that isn’t contemporary, which is fantastic, I think!  I like contemporary, don’t get me wrong, but I’m glad to see that genre authors are dipping into the New Adult age group.

One thing that confused me about the book was the Texas Empire’s capital city of Waterloo.  I didn’t realize that Austin, TX used to be named Waterloo, and so it was hard for me to picture the place until I found that out.

Starting to Fangirl…

I really enjoyed the political aspect of this book, as well as the historical aspect, and the idea of what would have happened if Texas hadn’t become one of the United States, and instead fought the U.S. for land in the West. And I love the fact that the history is different depending on which character is telling it in this story.  That is so true of any history, and it’s something that a lot of people don’t really think about.

At one point in the story, I had this theory and I started getting really excited about it.  And then it looked like it wasn’t going to be correct, and I got bummed, and then BAM! It happened and I was so excited!  I started writing my notes in all caps and fangirling a little to myself.  There were also some other nice twists and turns that I really enjoyed and didn’t see coming!

My rating for The Charge by Sharon Bayliss:

Actually 4.5 stars.  I loved all the twists and turns in this book, and I’m so happy that Sharon Bayliss is working on a sequel!  I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review.