Mine to Fear by Janeal Falor
This series takes a very dark turn in Mine to Fear. Things are not going well, and I'll warn you, the story arc does not end well. We do have a fairly decent HEA for the romance side, but the realm Chardonia is in chaos and it only gets worse.
The people of Envado are trying desperately to change things, and they are losing the battle. The Grand Chancellor is taking the country in hand by making drastic and severe changes that puts the lives of many at risk. It's scary, very scary, and you don't see much light at the end of the tunnel.
Waverly finds herself caught up in the war as she tries to free her friends from the tyranny of the Grand Chancellor and his friends that are determined to keep women and magic under the control of a very select male population. There's a lot to read between the lines here, and it was done very well.
My biggest complaint, and Mine to Fear may have gotten 5 stars without this, is the editing. There were some areas that were quite poorly done and it really did take away from my ability to just read the story. But it is one hell of a story.
