Unexpected Circumstances: The Complete Series

Unexpected Circumstances #1-7

by Shay Savage

Seven book series with added bonus material!

In a bold political move, Sir Branford claims a handmaid as his bride instead of the expected princess in an attempt to spark a war. Poor Alexandra knows little of how to behave as the wife of a future king and knows nothing of the man who is suddenly her husband.

Alexandra knows she is being used as a pawn and must do her best to avoid scheming noblewomen and the scorned princess, accept her position as her husband ascends to the throne, and overcome her fears of the man with whom she now shares a bed.

Sir Branford is determined to have it all – the kingdom, a wife of his choosing, and the revenge he seeks for the death of his father. He doesn’t expect the naïve handmaid to become more important than he ever could have foreseen.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Historical Romance, Erotica

761 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Shay Savage is an independent author from Cincinnati, Ohio, where she lives with her family and a variety of household pets. She is an accomplished public speaker and holds the rank of Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International. Her hobbies include off-roading in her big, yellow Jeep, science fiction in all forms, and soccer. Savage holds a degree in psychology, and she brings a lot of that knowledge into the characters within her stories.

From the author: “It’s my job to make you FEEL. That doesn’t always mean you’ll feel good, but I want my readers to be connected enough to my characters to care.”

Savage’s books many books span a wide variety of topics and sub-genres with deeply flawed characters. From cavemen to addicts to hitmen, you’ll find yourself falling for these seemingly irredeemable characters!

Reviews

[Leigh]

DNF@22% started out ok but I started to lose interest. Unfortunately I didn’t look past the first several books but book 5 is a hard NO for me. I don’t care if it’s Historically correct I don’t like it.

[Mysti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote separate reviews for each individual fic, so I'll just put a short summary here. For a more detailed review and warnings, go see those.

This is truly a great book. I absolutely loved it. It's got both Passion, Love, War, Danger, Betrayal, Sacrifices, Murder, Treachery, Angst, and a really incredible HEA.

I'll love Branford and Alexandra forever.

This is my review of Book 1 - which contains all the details and warnings.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Judy Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

BE STILL MY HEART!!! UTTERLY MESMERIZING!!!
Title: Unexpected Circumstances
Series: Unexpected Circumstances
Author: Shay Savage
Designation: The Complete Series, Full-Length Saga (760 pages), No Cliffhanger, HEA, Medieval Historical Romance
My Rating: Five Unputdownable Stars*****

Be still my heart! I loved, loved, loved Unexpected Circumstances and Shay Savage is the bomb! I'm a newcomer to Savage's work, or I should probably say latecomer since her Goodreads biography states she's been publishing since 2012, but after reading only one book, I immediately became a fan. A week ago, at the recommendation of a friend, I purchased and read Transcendence by Savage and was so impressed with her storytelling that I immediately raced back to Amazon and purchased several more of her books. Best decision ever! Without a doubt, Shay Savage is an extraordinarily gifted storyteller and skilled wordsmith, and one of the most accomplished authors I've ever had the opportunity to read. Her passionate prose is almost beyond description - it's beautiful, sensual, emotional, engaging, addictive, eloquent, fluid, and flows effortlessly. In her biography on Goodreads, she states, “It’s my job to make you FEEL. That doesn’t always mean you’ll feel good, but I want my readers to be connected enough to my characters to care.” And she does just that! I smiled, I laughed, I snorted, I sighed, I raged, shook my fists in anger, and at times sobbed uncontrollably as my heart broke for headstrong Prince Branford of Silverhelm and his commoner bride, kind-spirited handmaiden Alexandra Fay- and LOVED every single second. I was immediately smitten with Prince Branford and completely captivated by Alexandra. The majority of the first-person narrative is written from Alexandra's perspective, so we see Branford through her eyes, and I wasn't the only one smitten with the handsome prince. Alexandra and I both were definitely in agreement that he was dashing, stubborn, virile, extremely accomplished as a knight, maybe just a tad bit spoiled, after all he was a royal, and could be such a charmer when he so desired, but our hero was all alpha and definitely had a hair-trigger temper. He also probably suffered from PTSD as a result of an early childhood trauma, but no spoilers from me! And Alexandra was such a joy. She was sweet, innocent, kind, loyal, completely guileless, strong of spirit, smart as a whip, and beautiful, both inside and out, but she was also a serf, a commoner, a simple handmaiden won as a prize in a tournament, yet she became an important political pawn who would become a queen, one so beloved that the subjects of Silverhelm were willing to wage war and sacrifice their lives, all for their 'commoner queen'. She was also the best thing that ever happened to Prince Branford, the future King of Silverhelm. The interaction between these two unlikely lovers was nothing short of mesmerizing. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, yet I never wanted it to end, but when it did and I read the last line, I was happy, satisfied, and well entertained. This story had everything I look for in a great book, danger, drama, adventure, action, angst, suspense, evil machinations, nefarious villains, wonderfully engaging protagonists, sensual romance, and a love so tender, so great, so all-consuming, nothing, or no one, could destroy it. At one point, my heart was pounding so hard I thought I might swoon (just like Alexandra). Sigh... It was fantastic! I'm so thankful I was able to purchase the complete Unexpected Circumstances Series in this compilation consisting of all seven books of the series, Book 1: The Handmaid, Book 2: The Seduction, Book 3: The Consummation, Book 4: The Shortcoming, Book 5: The Concubine, Book 6: The Apprehension, and Book 7: The Devastation. I love when I don't have to wait for the next installment of a story or stop to switch over to the next book, although it did literally destroy my daily schedule. Once I started reading this story, I literally couldn't stop. I ignored my doorbell and refused to answer my phone. Thank goodness, I did manage to stop long enough to feed me and my Shih Tzu and take occasional potty breaks for us both. My poor little furbaby felt so ignored. lol... I read all day and through most of the night, slept for 2 hours, then began again and finished the next afternoon. Whew, I was totally exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I felt like I'd run a marathon and it was wonderfully exhilarating! So, did I like this book? I think you already know the answer but allow me to make myself perfectly clear. I didn't like; I LOVED it! I was completely captivated, glued to my seat with a death grip on my ereader, my heart beating wildly in my chest as the pages flew as quickly as the time! Will I read this author again? Abso-freakin-lutely! I'm about to dive into Evan Arden, another of Savage's series and thank goodness I was able to once again procure all the books in one convenient collection! Would I recommend it? You bet, and I am but only for adult readers. The sex scenes were simply exquisite! And did I mention they're smokin' hot? Prince Branford was quite the stud! And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read! Well done, Shay Savage - AGAIN!

[Veronica LaRoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS SERIES. Shay has away of pulling you into the story and never wanting to stop reading. I'm not normally a fan of Historical Reads but this series was amazing, and had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't get enough of Sir Branford & Alexandra that I didn't want too put my kindle down. I love everything about this series and the bonus material I LOVED. Amazing unputdownable series that you must 1click

[Heidi (MinxyD14) · Rating 4 out of 5]

**My review from Book #1 The Handmaid**

This series is one of those “please, take my money” reading experiences from Shay Savage. I bought each novella individually only to discover at the end of the last instalment that Unexpected Circumstances: The Complete Series is available on Kindle Unlimited and it has a bonus scene. Ha ha! Who cares? (Insert more maniacal laughter) Like I said, "TAKE MY MONEY!"

I am not going to review each novella, so here are my thoughts on the whole series. What a wildly historically inaccurate bodice-ripping romp. One minute there is no sex; then there is all the sex; a bit of a plot with some revenge and backstabbing shenanigans on the side, then more weird sex and loads of violence.

This book was mayhem of no truly identifiable era. Just look at the cover art! However, I will argue that the writing is excellent for what it is, and the story is reminiscent of Kristen Ashley's Fantasyland series. Minus the paranormal hoo-ha and time travel elements

What a fantastic way to spend a genuinely mindless Sunday.

[Mellea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars. I am averaging all the books with this rating because I'm too lazy to list them separately. I enjoyed this series but book five brought it down for me.

[Sandra R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved all these medieval romance novellas - with a hint of dark.

[Micheala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I have a review for each individual book of this series from when I read the ARCs of them, I finally get to review this as one large book. Because the series is a series of short novels that always picks up right where the previous one ended, I always saw it as one long novel. I was waiting for my re-read of the series for the set because I KNEW one was coming eventually. Either a box set of each novel as its own paperback or one large one, as it came to be. While I would have enjoyed seeing each novel as its own paperback just for the cover reasons, I am happy with my large and beautiful paperback because it makes the series feel more like it is one large story.

Now onto the novel, since I'm done cheering for the beautiful paperback it is.

Unexpected Circumstances follows the story of a spoiled princess' handmaiden, Alexandra, as she is picked by Sir Branford as a prized wife. She's innocent in every sense of the word while Branford is rough and what we can say is very "manly". The series follows Alexandra and Branford as they maneuver through marriage together. Alexandra as she leans what being a wife entails and the benefits of sex and all that; and Branford as he learns to be a softer person and care for his new wife, who is a type of woman he's never had to deal with before. What I liked most about their journey in the 7 books is the progress that we get to see with Alexandra. She's super timid at first and essentially has no idea what will become of her or what her new husband will do to her. Once she learns him and her place beside him, we slowly see her get more "queenly" and tougher and starts to stand up for herself. The character development shown through Alexandra is fantastic!

the story itself is great in my opinion. It really places the reader into the time in history; the people and royalty, the castles, horses, battles, tournaments, backstabbing, ideas of man and woman, ect. I love historical romances and this is one that covers so much of what life was like back then, all while keeping the reader hooked into the story through what is happening with and to the characters.

I'm so happy to be reading this story in one large paperback now. This will always be a Shay Savage novel that is close to my heart.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a long one, though enjoyable. Kept my interest throughout.

[Copper78 · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were parts of this (needlessly LONG) series that were ok, parts that were reasonably good and parts that were plain stupid. I love some of Shay Savage's books. I love historicals. I love when authors step out of their normal genres. I should have loved this and I really wanted to. But so much of it was just poorly done. Customs, language, mindset, era-appropriate behaviors...all of this was completely ignored and as a lover of historical fiction and romance I had a huge problem with this. One mainstay of the nobility and succession to a throne or title is legitimacy. Any child born on the wrong side of the blanket was not only unable to be titled or in line for the throne, they were ostracized, often not acknowledged at all and cast out. So the whole concubine portion of the series was ludicrous. If it were possible for a "bastard" to inherit, Henry the VIII wouldn't have had to go through 6 wives. His first 2 wives had only girls, he would have simply had to have had a mistress who gave him a son. He could have slept with 100 women, and any one of them may have given birth to a boy who would have been King. BUT THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE. Hence all the annulments, beheading, switching the religion of all of England etc!! All my other grievances are similar. The language, attitudes, behaviors, etc. were ALL WRONG. But the sex is hot and though I didn't particularly care for any of the main characters, and the villains were cartoonish and caricatures of bad guys, I still finished the whole absurd, OTT series. Giving it 2 stars b/c when I combine the decent parts with all the ridiculous parts, it was "just OK".

[Rasa Ievkalne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painful to read.I refuse to believe it is written by the same author that wrote "Transcendence". "Unexpected circumstances" is untalented, terrible scribble with jumpy and shallow plot.Characters feel flat,unrealistic and not believable. Overall it leaves an impression of bad fanfiction and if it is the first book read from author,kills every wish to pick up anything else from her works.I am really disappointed....

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The below review is made up of my opinions and preferences and not intended to be unkind.

Started off pretty good, although I was somewhat bothered by how weak Alexandra is. I also was fairly bothered by how often the characters say each other’s names, which is way more than I’ve ever heard anyone do ever. It didn’t have any of the usual fanfic stuff (their tongues did not fight for dominance a single time lmao), thankfully, but you can still very much tell it was originally a fanfic. A better written one than some, sure, but definitely a fanfic (and no hate on fanfic authors, mind you; I’m self-loathing but not for that haha). I will say, too, that the male lead was fairly unlikeable. He was, in short, a dickhead. Total brute, and not in a way I found attractive. I really wanted a male lead that was less bulky, too (some of us like stick skinny guys, okay?), and this book definitely let me down there. But that’s just a personal preference. What is also a personal preference is that the fact that the guy is uncircumcised was actually described in the smut scenes, which bothered me a great deal, as I personally find foreskin repulsive, so much so that it was at that point that I just stopped reading. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that Alexandra is seventeen. Like. Barely seventeen. And she’s getting married and having sex. I know that wasn’t too uncommon for the time period, but I would’ve been more comfortable if she’d been eighteen instead.

The second half of the book (that I didn’t get to) appears to be in his point of view, which is a huge no-go for me as I hate dual POV and have no interest in reading male POV.

Another ick factor for me is that Alexandra breastfeeds her baby, which I know isn’t a popular thing to be icked out by, but it’s a big icky thing for me personally. Anyway, DNF, because the second she started describing his foreskin, I gagged.

[Nicole Altamiranda Dumont · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rarely read historical romance, and the few times I've read them the stories in my opinion are just okay, not bad but nothing memorable either.
HOWEVER I completely enjoyed this book!
I must admit that Alexandra was getting on my nerves a little because she couldn't stop treating Branford as someone of higher rank, but I had to remember myself that she has always been a handmaid and this was the only thing she knew before marrying a Lord, besides that she was really sweet and I like how innocent she was. And she gradually starts to really accept her new rank and behave more like a Lady.

And Branford was absolutely everything that I love in a male character, possessive and alpha but completely sweet and adoring toward Alexandra, I loved his storyline because the reason of why he was so paranoid and didn't trusted people was very well justified. I like him got frustrated with Alexandra and at the same time he thought me to be patient with her.
Their chemistry together was so beautiful, love how caring he was toward her, and how he taught her to trust in him and not fear him when it came to intimacy.

the storyline itself was very good in my opinion,except for the last novella in the series because the whole thing with Whitney was too much in my opinion, but the betray, the concubine (I was really mad at this part but at the same time you could see how much he loves Alexandra), the why she couldn't get pregnant, more betrayal, it all kept me interested the whole time.

[RoyalPlaty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average Read

Trope: historical romance, commoner to royal

Slow burn level: 48%

Hero is a prince, considered tough and unyielding at times. He wins a tournament and is offered any available woman their hand in marriage. To stir trouble he selects the handmaid of princess (the princess and the king has been attempting the match since infancy).

Heroine is a handmaid to a princess, working class and is unprepared and naive to royal life. She is innocent, a virgin, and young 17.

The books span multiple years. Goes over her adjusting to court, her mistakes, heros mistakes. A big theme is infertility, thus requiring the hero to take a concubine at a certain point until a source to the infertility is discovered. War is involved as well.

Crisis is woman in danger

HEA (with pregnancy)

Trigger warnings: infertility, other woman because of infertility, brutal deaths described, mention of rape

[Glynis Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just such a Knightly Prince!

Bad temper and a bit of blood take this tale down lots of twisty side ways. A Prince and a Handmaiden for a wife!

[Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant my Lord stars

[Jolynne Etherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this again.
Didn't want to put it down.
I feel in love with Alexandra and Brandford all over again.

[Dalonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I read this series as one book. If I would’ve read each book by itself, I probably wouldn’t have finished.

[Seffra]

THIS WAS MY ISH WHEN I WAS IN THE TWILIGHT FANFIC WORLD!!! I loved this story so so much!

[Jolynne Etherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got so hooked in this book.
I didn't want to put it down.
I go so caught up with the character lives.
I cried and laughed with them.