** spoiler alert ** 
 When a prince from a neighboring country comes courting, Tess learns that she's not really the Crown Princess; she's a decoy, bought from a beggar so the real princess could be raised in safety. When the prince murders her entire family, Tess starts on a journey to retrieve the true princess and takes her place in an age-old game of politics and assassination with entire countries as the playing pieces. 
 I put off reading this book for awhile because I wasn't too impressed with Cook's "Truth" series. However, this was a very well-written novel with characters I cared about, great character development, and a deeper plot than I expected. The style is quite different than the books Cook writes under her pseudonym, but no less interesting and engrossing.