Dawn of the Elite

 Dawn of the Elite, Andrea Barringer, 2021, self published

Part one of a series, on the planet Vilmos, a psychic connection has been discovered between fraternal twins, like their own private telepathy. Along with several pairs of twins, Rayah, and her brother Ondrous, are brought into the castle. They are to guard the supposedly barren queen, who is pregnant with twins. A crazed murderer named Rancor has just broken out of a maximum-security prison. Those twins, who are born prematurely, are his next target.

Before that, the first half of the book is a teen romance between Rayah, and a young man named Kaled. Things were serious between them; marriage was a real possibility. They didn't just break up, their relationship collapsed like a building in an earthquake. Kaled tries to fill the hole in his heart from losing Rayah with meaningless relationships, and he even sinks into alcoholism. He is reluctant to admit that he still has feelings for Rayah. While guarding the royal twins against Rancor, do Rayah and Kaled ever reach the point of being Not Enemies, even if they can't be friends?

This is a very good start to a series. Romance fans will love it. The author does a good job with the society-building. Perhaps some professional editing will bring this book from 4 stars (maybe 4.5 stars) to 5 stars. This is well worth reading.