Enemy
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Book Three of the Seven Eyes
Everything Draken thinks he knows is wrong.
The last time Draken traveled Akrasia, he was the highest lord in the land. His journey before that was eased by royal favor and the grace of the gods. This time is different. His adopted land buckling under attack from religious fanatics and his Queen presumed dead, Draken must flee a deadly coup by an upstart lord. Bitter from fighting an insurmountable war and losing the life he’s built, he lets the ghosts of past mistakes drive him into vigilante revenge. But Draken is about to learn gods and wars have a way of catching up to a man.
Praise for Enemy
[A] bold sword and sorcery fantasy… Adventurous swordsmanship, derring-do, and relentless dodging from onslaughts flow satisfactorily from page to page Publisher’s Weekly
Dornbusch writes as clean and sharp as a blade, and ENEMY showcases her talent for fans and newcomers alike. Political intrigue, killing magic, and ghosts win the day, but in the end, it is a father’s love for his daughter that carries the story. With vibrant characters and an action-filled plot, Dornbusch has a winning recipe for Seven Eyes’s exciting conclusion. The finest adventure that I’ve had the good fortune to read this year. Teresa Frohock, author of Miserere: An Autumn Tale
The story has everything you want in the final installment of a trilogy (war, betrayal, feel-good moments that leave the reader with a smile on their face etc …), in fact, with everything that happened it almost felt like a much larger tale condensed into one manageable volume. Swords and Spectres
A Kirkus Spec Fic Book to Look For in 2017: “Betsy Dornbusch concludes her Seven Eyes dark fantasy trilogy with Enemy, a story in which a man surrounded by bloodshed tries to find peace.” John DeNardo Kirkus
“This is a rousing conclusion to an engaging epic fantasy by a writer to watch.” Barnes and Noble blog
Emissary
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Book Two of the Seven Eyes
Draken vae Khellian, bastard cousin of the Monoean King, had risen far from his ignominious origins, becoming both a Bowrank Commander and a member of the Crown’s Black Guard. But when cursed black magic took his wife and his honor away, he fought past his own despair and grief, and carved out a new life in Akrasia. His bloody, unlikely path, chronicled in “Exile: The First Book of the Seven Eyes,” led him to a new love, and a throne.
Draken has seen too much blood . . . the blood of friends and of enemies alike. Peace is what he wants. Now he must leave his wife and newborn child in an attempt to forge an uneasy peace between the Monoean King and the kingdom of Akrasia. The long bloody shadow of Akrasia’s violent past hangs over his efforts like a shroud. But there are other forces at work. Peace is not something everybody wants . . . not even in the seemingly straightforward kingdom of Draken’s birth.
Factions both known and unknown to Draken vie to undermine his efforts and throw the kingdom into civil war. Forces from his days in the Black Guard prove to be the most enigmatic, and a bloody tide threatens to engulf Draken’s every step.
Praise for Emissary
A Perseus Distribution “Best of the Year” Book for 2015
Kirkus Must Read for April 2015
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A religious uprising in the peaceful land of Monoea threatens its ruler, Draken, and his new Queen, thus forcing Draken to return to his homeland.
WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE IT: The plot one-ups itself by introducing a twist that reveals ulterior motives with much more devious intentions.
Amazon Reviews: “Full of twists and turns to keep you entranced the whole way thru. I’ve enjoyed this series this far and look forward to reading more.” “…exciting with constant action that had me up all night reading.”
Exile
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Book One of the Seven Eyes
Draken vae Khellian, bastard cousin of the Monoean King, had risen far from his ignominious origins, becoming both a Bowrank Commander and a member of the Crown’s Black Guard. But when he is falsely condemned for the grisly murder of his beloved wife, he is banished from the kingdom and cast upon the distant shore of Akrasia, at the arse-end of the world.
Compared to civilized Monoea, Akrasia is a forbidding land of Moonlings, magic, and restless spirits. It is also a realm on the brink of a bloody revolution, as a sinister conspiracy plots against Akrasia’s embattled young queen and malevolent banes possess the bodies of the living.
Consumed by grief and branded a murderer, Draken lives only to clear his name and avenge his wife’s murder. But the fates may have bigger plans for him. Alone in a strange land, he soon finds himself sharing the bed of an enigmatic necromancer and a half-breed servant girl, while pressed into the service of a foreign queen whose life and land may well depend on the divided loyalties of an exiled warrior.
Praise for Exile
Love, war, and redemption all play a part in this fantasy series opener, which brings to life a brooding hero and a resourceful queen against an exotic fantasy background. Jackie Cassada Library Journal, vol 138, issue 5, p95
What I really liked about it, though, and what gives it that four-star rating at the end of the day, is the central relationship between what I thought of as its main characters – Draken and Osias, the necromancer mentioned in that blurb. Under the top crust of battle and rebellion and conspiracy to murder the young queen, there’s that relationship, which grows not so much in leaps and bounds as in much more interesting fits and starts, throughout the book. Draken is distrustful of magic at first, and Osias wields one of the most dangerous types there is (regardless of which fantasy world you’re reading). Confession: I love me a good dose of necromancy on occasion, and Osias makes very interesting use of his… Over the Effing Rainbow
Necromantic magic, deadly political intrigue, and a reluctant hero torn between his duty to a foreign queen and his desire for revenge… Betsy Dornbusch’s EXILE kept me reading into the wee hours of the night, breathless to find out how Draken’s story would end. Courtney Schafer, author The Shattered Sigil series
Betsy Dornbusch’s Exile is a non-stop adventure with a fascinating world and some terrific magic. Carol Berg, author of Novels of the Collegia Magica, Lighthouse Duet, Books of the Rai-kirah, Bridge of D’Arnath, and Song of the Beast
EXILE does an excellent job of fashioning a kingdom on the brink of implosion, as political, military, and personal factors place increasing pressure on the fragile peace that is already undermined by double agents and malignant magic. It also provides a unique conglomeration of magic, which is practiced mostly either by the enigmatic Moonlings or a race known as the Mance, who are in turns alluring and disturbing in their methods and manners. Josh Vogt examiner.com
From the first line (“Cut her throat. His own wife.”), readers of Betsy Dornbusch’s Exile know they are in for a dramatic and exciting tale…. Any reader who joins her for the ride will be glad they did. Lesley Smith, Editor of Electric Spec
Draken is an interesting character, and the secondary characters are equally interesting. The plot moves along nicely, and the story is engaging. I enjoyed the setting and found the author’s world building commendable. Lori Reads
…it’s a good, exciting and entertaining fantasy novel for adults, because it’s something a bit different. I think that readers who get caught up in this novel’s world will be thrilled to read what happens to Draken, because the story is a nice combination of familiar elements and a touch of originality and freshness. It’s an excellent summer read. Rising Shadow
It may not have been perfect, but it was still quite good, and I’d be interesting in continuing with Draken’s story if given half a chance. (And not just because I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with Osias. Seriously, he’s probably the most fascinating character in the whole book!) Bibliotropic