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A queen in need of a husband and a prince who had never been truly loved—will they overcome opposition to find happiness?

Brianna Reaner, Queen of Aisling, has never been on a date, been in love, had a boyfriend, or has even had a crush on a boy before. According to the laws of her country, she must marry by her eighteenth birthday or risk losing the right to rule her kingdom. How is she supposed to find a suitable husband in less than six months? What will the consequences be if she makes the wrong choice?

With the help of her advisors, she compiles a surprisingly short list of suitable mates. Her top choices include three princes all belonging to her nemesis, King Coman Barnali of Gilvary. None of the three seem particularly promising. Dunbar, the eldest, is his father’s puppet. Next in line is Reagan, the biggest flirt in Kearnley. Then there is the elusive Garrett who seems to go into hiding whenever she is present. One by one she eliminates names from her list until she finds the man she feels destined to marry. But her choice is not pleasing to everyone.

King Coman has been plotting to take control of Aisling for years. Queen Brianna’s choice causes him to have to come up with a new plan—one that could prove deadly for the newly wedded couple.

†Securing Aisling is Christian Romance.

226 pages, ebook

Published December 1, 2015

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About the author

Andrea Boyd

27 books265 followers
I wrote a short story for newsletter subscribers called John’s Fortune. Be sure to grab your free copy! https://dl.bookfunnel.com/68umkcxpkc

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5 stars
57 (48%)
4 stars
41 (35%)
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13 (11%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for Angie Thompson.
Author 48 books1,110 followers
August 13, 2020
DNF

This is tough because the book was on its way to being at least a three-star read, with several little pieces I loved that would probably have pushed it even higher, but after one specific scene, I just couldn't finish it.

First, the good: I liked how Brianna was portrayed as strong and capable without coming across as unwomanly or, for example, able to engage a man in a long swordfight without his strength eventually telling against her. More heroines who are both strong and feminine are desperately needed in this world! I can't get into many other names without spoilers, so I'll just say...I adored her eventual choice. <3 One other character that I thought I had sized up absolutely surprised and delighted me. And the sweet and compassionate portrayal and treatment of the one brother with mental "difficulties"...I could have just about hugged everyone for that. <3<3<3

The okay: The setting had me a bit confused, and I'm not quite sure if I ever quite figured out how the whole three-kingdoms-one-country thing worked. It got a little clearer as the story progressed, but it was pretty confusing in the beginning. Even though it wasn't set in a specific historical period, there were some expressions and concepts that really didn't seem to fit with the period feel--things like talking about "dates" and "boyfriends" in an era of swords and horses. Minor gripes, for the most part.

The bad: Okay, so here's the thing. I've read arranged-marriage and marriage-of-convenience stories before. I'm used to an uncomfortable hint or two about awkward wedding nights, etc. I brushed off a few comments from Brianna about how nervous she was about the idea. And a few comments from friends about "great, you can have children now". And some nasty insinuations by the angry king. There was one passionate kiss right after the engagement, and the kissing grew progressively more passionate after the wedding, but I pushed through because--I mean, they're married now, so there's nothing inappropriate there, right? Well, maybe, but then this happened... (Note: the spoiler contains both actual spoilers and information that young and/or sensitive readers may want to avoid) I'm sorry, but if I couldn't walk in on a couple and not have to cover my eyes, I don't need to be there in a book. As much as I liked the characters, I couldn't finish. :(
Profile Image for Joleen.
2,619 reviews1,224 followers
October 5, 2019
17 year old Brianna, now queen of Aisling following the death of the King, by law has to find a husband. The choices are few. The nearest kingdom is 6 days away by horse, so to find a possible husband she would have to ride there to give King Coman's sons a chance. His eldest was already picked out for her, but she didn't respect him. He only wanted to do his father's will. She ended up marrying the middle son.

The book was good, but a bit confusing. There was no date offered, but language sounded 17th or 18th century. It was fantasy so I guess the author could choose to have the characters speak anyway she wanted.

Although it was entertaining, it’s probably targeted for teen to young adult.
Profile Image for Jaycee Weaver.
Author 38 books300 followers
March 15, 2019
This is a really cool clean, steampunk romantic fantasy trilogy. Yes, a lot of adjectives in there, but readers have to go into the series knowing what they’re getting. These are not historical novels. They are steampunk, which blends the modern with the old and twists both into something out of time entirely. They’re fun and quirky with fantastic characters. I loved all three and devoured them back to back in under a week! Strong characters who face extraordinary trials and learn the depth of true love and faithfulness.
Profile Image for Bhriv.
604 reviews27 followers
January 2, 2016
Securing Aisling is written by Andrea Boyd. This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I found that she has a great talent for telling the historical story of this fictional time and place and yet making it so believable.

I just loved the character Brianna. Brianna is the young queen of Aisling which she inherited at the tender age of sixteen. She has known since before inheriting the throne that she had to marry by the time she turned eighteen or she could risk losing the throne to almost anyone. The problem is it is six months before the time she turns eighteen. After a meeting with her advisors, she realizes that she has the option of marrying five men who have similar backgrounds as she. She has the option to marry two very old men or one of three sons of a very wicked king. She’s always dreamed she would be able to fall in love with the man she would marry, but she only has six months to get to know a man and marry. Can she truly fall in love in that short of time? Could one of these sons of this wicked king actually be worthy of her love?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I believe this author did a great job with this book and am looking forward the next book in this series. I was gifted this book in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Loretta.
Author 2 books9 followers
November 30, 2015
This was a great book. I read it in nearly a single setting being eager to return when I was forced to take a break. I really appreciated several non-stereotypical relationships and the surprise twists in the plot.

I think this is a strong beginning and am looking forward to reading the remainder of the series. I have a feeling that it will be hard to let these characters go when I finish the series.
Profile Image for Marylin.
1,281 reviews40 followers
September 5, 2025
What a fun book to start reading. I enjoy contemporary books written by Andrea Boyd, but this is the first “Steampunk Fantasy” I have read by her, and I LOVE it.
I loved it so much that I had to continue reading the next book in the series, and I’m sure I’ll finish the last book to complete the series.
Andrea Boyd is a skilled author, and she weaves a beautiful tale of love, trust, self-assurance, and hope. This story flowed so smoothly; it was like being a fly on the wall watching it all. The dialogue was so enjoyable, and all the details brought life to the story.
I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend you pick it up to read.
Profile Image for Brie Donning.
97 reviews
December 14, 2017
I really enjoyed this, but the use of modern terms in a fairly medieval setting put me off just a little. I wasn't sure where I was.

Apart from that it's a really fun story with great characters and themes.
Profile Image for Chandra.
371 reviews24 followers
November 15, 2017
SENSUALITY RATING: Clean, nothing offensive, no profanity.

GENRE: Inspirational Historical Romance

SETTING: Country of Kearnley

CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTER: Queen BRIANNA LEIGH REANER of the Kingdom of Aisling; an archer, indecisive but intelligent.

CENTRAL MALE CHARACTER: King Coman (greedy) of the kingdom of Gilvary and his sons, Prince Dunbar (father pleaser), Prince Garrett (opposes his father), Prince Reagan (skirt chaser), Prince Terence (child-like mind), Prince Rian (spoiled brat).

SYNOPSIS: The country of Kearnley encompasses (3) kingdoms; GILVARY which is ruled by King Coman, AISLING which is ruled by Queen Brianna and DERMOT which is ruled by King Farris. King Coman of Gilvary is obsessed with power. Queen Brianna has a deadline to marry any man of her choosing in order to maintain her place of the throne. Three princes from GILVARY are eligible to marry her and dad is pushing. Written in 1st tense.

WHAT I LIKED: Historical romance, mystery, betrayal, action all wrapped into Inspiration.
……...”when you seek God’s will, you’ll find your choices narrowed down to the point that the right one becomes obvious”.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: Some “princely” sadness but I guess it had to be.

RATING: (5) stars. Well written with well-balanced amount of dialogue and narration. Did not feel that the plot was overwhelmed by Biblical quotes. Great ya and great adult inspirational romance. Absolutely YES headed to book 2
Profile Image for Kristine Morgan.
660 reviews45 followers
November 28, 2015
Securing Aisling, a fairytale for grown ups. Andrea Boyd's Securing Aisling brings all of the elements of a fairytale to a more mature audience. There are Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses. Advisors, loyal servants and faithful warriors also come to life. In true fairytale fashion, there are also traitors, dungeons and perhaps a dragon or two. The storyline is full of intrigue and treachery, with a healthy dose of romance.
The characters are well developed and the plot, although a bit predictable. moves along quite well. The only reason I gave it four stars as opposed to five is the fact that the story is told in the first person point of view, which is not my favorite POV. I am looking forward to reading Healing Gilvary, Prince Reagan's tale, due to be released in 2016.
I was given Securing Aisling by the author for review purposes, but all thoughts are my own.
Profile Image for Toni Shiloh.
Author 57 books1,810 followers
January 28, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Queen Brianna may be one of my favorite strong female characters yet. And Garrett...I adored his personality and his heart for Brianna. This was an excellent read set in an inspiring background with castles, warriors, and the like. And Brianna's nemesis is one everyone will love to hate.
Don't miss out!
Profile Image for C.M..
Author 2 books8 followers
October 29, 2016
Young Queen Brianna has a mighty short two months to marry or risk losing the throne of Aisling. To make matters worse, she has only three real marriage prospects – the three eldest sons of the cruel ruler of the neighboring kingdom – Gilvary, who desperately wants to get his hands on her kingdom. Brianna has met all three before and wasn’t particularly impressed.

However, Brianna promises to put aside all preconceived notions and memories of three brothers and give them all a fair chance – although she’s fairly certain she won’t be picking Dunbar, the king’s heir. King Coman has a grand master plan to reunite the three kingdoms of Kearnley once again under one rule – his. To get to Aisling, the king needs her to marry Dunbar, and he will do everything in his power to make certain she does.

I feel for Brianna. She was thrown into a terrible position for the sake of her kingdom, yet she kept a cool head about her. She is a very strong willed woman who relies strongly on her faith, prayer, and best friend Gwen to see her through and make the right decision.

Check out the rest of this review and ratings on my blog here: https://embersreviews.wordpress.com/2...
154 reviews2 followers
February 1, 2025
Surprised me

I wasn't sure what to expect when I began reading this book. I wasn't sure if I'd like the lead h already being a queen. Obviously, my doubts were proven to be ill founded. This is such a delightful clean read. There are hints at intimacy after marriage, but they are closed doors, and I think that they are tastefully done. All of the characters were so well done that it was shown not told, which I admire. The romance was clean and sweet. And don't be thrown off if you don't like Christian writing. Andrea Boyd has her characters have faith without being judgmental about....well, about anything. Trigger warning : There is some violence but not descriptive, including an execution that had to happen. I'd recommend this book to any clean fantasy lover. Bravo
Profile Image for Abigail Ford.
Author 6 books48 followers
November 18, 2017
A Light Read

This was a good book. I liked the characters and storyline well enough, however it seemed similar to other stories I have previously read. The writing style I found a little bland. I also didn't care for the reoccurring theme about them "consummating their love" it just didn't...make sense with the Christian theme of the book, which honestly I would've liked more of. I wish these type books were not so cliche. I never got bored or became uninterested in the book, which was a good thing. It's a casual, light read. Nothing that emotional or life-changing. It was good overall.
Profile Image for Kathy.
142 reviews3 followers
January 8, 2022
Dungeons and Dragons, an unlikely pair

Queen Brianna of Aisling must marry before her 18th Birthday. Her only options available are the sons of her enemy, King Coman of Gilvary or outside the realm. Neither seem to be desirable choices. Dunbar, Coman's eldest son is dull and probably his father's puppet.  Prince Garrett is withdrawn and quiet whereas Prince Reagan is a lady's man. God only knows what she should do.
503 reviews7 followers
June 19, 2021
Definitely don’t judge the cover!

I’ll be honest. I wasn’t expecting much from this book. The cover is a bit on the cheesy side. But the book is pretty good! Some modern phrases in a historical feeling story, but enough fantasy to make me not mind it too much. Definitely an interesting idea! I have to read the rest of the series now.
Profile Image for Kim Stringfellow Long.
199 reviews17 followers
February 5, 2017
Really good

I love the sweet romance of this book and the subtle love of God. In obvious the characters are Christian but it's so real and genuine. Great characters and a good story. I can't wait to read the next in the series!
Profile Image for Tim Lumsden.
233 reviews1 follower
September 25, 2017
Ok, not earth shattering. Pleasant reading.

I read it, it was an easy, entertaining story. Not really my kind of story, but enjoyable enough to read to completion. Happy Reading!!!
Tim
488 reviews2 followers
November 6, 2017
Really enjoyed this!

I read book 2 in this series before this one. I enjoyed that the "back story" was made clear. The characters were well-written and the story was great. I definitely recommend this book and I will read more by this author.
114 reviews1 follower
March 31, 2020
Hard to put down!

I completely enjoyed this book. It grabbed my attention right at the start and held it all the way through.
I look forward to reading more from this author. I will definitely recommend this book.
Profile Image for Terry Silva.
386 reviews4 followers
September 7, 2021

This book was so exciting that I couldn’t put it down. I loved the romance along with the battle scenes. This book was definitely a page turner and the characters were amazing. There were some unbelievable moments that I didn’t see coming that were just awesome. Just when I think Andrea couldn’t possibly top the last book, she does it again. I can’t say which book is my favorite because they are all on the top of my list. I sure hope the next two books have the same characters because I am not ready for them to disappear just yet. Andrea Boyd is by far one of the best authors ever. I would absolutely recommend every one of Andrea Boyd’s books. This book was a little different than the rest of her books so I wasn’t quite sure I would like it as well as the others but the excitement in this book just sucked me in big time and I was not disappointed. I almost think I liked it just a little better than the others but like I said before every one of her books are so amazing.
Profile Image for Lauren Potts.
59 reviews1 follower
September 19, 2017
Ah youth!

Coming of age under great preaaure and finding ones footing in unwanted roles....great page turner and good character development. Looking forward to book #2
7 reviews
February 14, 2018
A well done story with chacters with depth.

Picked this one on a whim and soon couldn't put it down. Thankful it is a complete story, I would recommend it to all.
58 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2019
Easy Read

Going back to the days of dragons, kings, and queens of old was fun. A sinister plot and good characters makes it a quick easy read.
221 reviews2 followers
June 14, 2020
captivating

This book is full of plots it was fun to read. I enjoyed the pace. It is a quick read
Profile Image for D.
1,067 reviews
December 2, 2015
This one of the best fantasies/mysteries have read this year. As I was reading I thinking that this should be a movie and I enjoyed how the characters are living out their faith in their everyday lives. You can tell that the relationship they have with the Lord is a part of who they are, it's so normal for them to bring God into a conversation without it being awkward. I don't like the word preachy, because too me nothing is too preachy; but I will say, this is not preachy, but shows people's struggles and they know whom they need to turn to for strength and guidance. The Gospel to these characters is like the air they breathe. Also this author knows how to capture her audience's attention, the intrigue and mystery that are thrown into the story is enough to keep you glue to the book. Highly recommend it and you will thoroughly enjoy it.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
2,319 reviews158 followers
April 14, 2016
The young queen of Aisling must be married by the age of eighteen or lose her standing, and Brianna Reaner resorts to a very short list of suitors, none of which appear to be very promising. The three young princes of the neighboring Gilvary are all sons of the sinister King Coman Barnali, who has made it public knowledge for years that he wants one of his sons to eventually rule over Aisling, preferably his oldest son, Dunbar.

Brianna travels to Gilvary for a seasonal Session among fellow royalty and determines to spend time with each prince, studying their potential as a future mate. When forced to make a premature decision, Brianna wonders if fate has led her to the best decision of her short lifetime, or quite possibly the worst. Can this union secure Aisling, after all?

Andrea Boyd's debut novel is a delight to read and sets her readers up perfectly for an interesting sequel.
85 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2016
I really gave this book a shot but at 70% I didn't care about the characters enough to keep going. There was a real lack of depth to the characters and the setting. If you are going to create a new land you need to spend some time explaining what it's like. I couldn't figure what time period it was set in, is this medieval or Regency? Also the lack of period dialog made it difficult to get into the story. Using words like sure and thanks didn't fit. This might be nitpicky but for me it took away from the story.
The relationship between the main characters didn't work for me either. It started off with perfect communication that couples married 20 years often don't experience and then descended into silly miss understandings to create tension.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews

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