The guest post today is by A.M. Dunnewin. A.M. is the author of the novel The Benighted. In this post she talks about the non stereotypical heroine in her romance novel. Enjoy!
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Despite its dark fantasy genre and romantic reputation, The Benighted‘s main topic centers around a heroine who is neither a helpless damsel nor a bad ass tomboy, but just a strong woman who is faced with almost disastrous life choices.
Like the very few stories before it, The Benighted was written to show that a female role could be created that didn’t render her helpless and needy, nor make her a superhero.
She is simply a strong female whose choices needed to be real, whose emotions needed to coincide with her rationality, and who has the ability to act human instead of as a stereotypical character.
She believes that people are equal, but that they also have strengths and weaknesses incomparable to her. She’s not afraid to stand up alone for what’s right, nor is she afraid to ask for help or guidance when she needs it.
She follows her heart, but she takes her mind with her, often interchanging between the two when making decisions. Her most valuable trait, however, is that throughout the story she doesn’t lose her sense of self-worth.
From being manipulated to being tortured, this role had to stand up to the test that no matter the heartache or sacrifice, in the end she still knows who she is and what she’s capable of.
She doesn’t change; she improves. She has moments where she breaks, but it’s not because she questions herself or her existence. It’s because she’s human, and at times she’s losing the battle. But through it all, she’s persistent in what she believes in, and her perseverance is what really holds her together.
The Benighted is a heavy story revolving around humanity at its darkest, and this tale takes the emotional, physical, and psychological strengths of its characters all the way to the breaking point and back. For a haunting story as this, only the strong can survive.
Title: The Benighted by A.M Dunnewin
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Synopsis:
The King was dead. His body was found slain in his room, only months after his son had been brutally murdered. Skylar Mandolyn, his daughter, has now become the last heir to the throne. But instead of becoming Queen, she was imprisoned for helping in the escape of Sir Harlin Brien, her knight who was framed for the King’s murder.
Confined to darkness, Skylar’s captors have given her no choice but to yield to a new kind of enemy: a domain that has advanced in both technology and warfare. It’s only when she refuses that the prison uses other means of persuasion. Though unmerciful, the whip lashings and isolation can’t suppress her memories. She’s forced to face again both her brother’s death and her father’s emotional decline, though even the darkness can’t hide the deceptive hands that have tormented them all. Advisor turned adversary, Cross Lutherus has brought the ancient bloodline to its knees, and Skylar is the only Mandolyn left to feel his wrath.
With two kingdoms on the brink of war, and the end of her life drawing near, Skylar’s only hope is in the person who haunts her the most – Harlin, the knight who was sworn to protect her. His presence surrounds her when the darkness screams louder than the prisoners, when Death smiles a faceless grin in between the cracks of the stone. And it’s his strength she embraces just as the tremors start to rise from the deep, crawling up through the prison’s walls to terrorize the benighted realm and all its souls.
The mystery was never how Harlin escaped. It is how he will return.
Buy The Benighted (The Benighted Saga Book 1)
About A.M Dunnewin 
A. M. Dunnewin inherited her love for mysteries and thrillers from her family, which motivated her to pursue a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. Although her stories cover a wide range of genres, she primarily writes historical fiction and thrillers. An avid reader at heart, she’s also a passionate collector of both antique books and graphic novels, and has been known to search for stories in the most random places. She lives in Sacramento, California.
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