A beautiful, loving, and extremely wealthy widow is placed in a precarious position when the threat of exposing her circumstances is revealed. In order to protect herself and, by extension, the kingdom in which she lives, she is coerced into a fraudulent marriage. But as stressful and often as cruel as her marriage proves to be, all is made right in the end. The villains meet with justice as the heroine meets with fateful, profound, and unexpected love.

Written as a taught historical/fantastical tale rich in symbolism and affirming situations, More Than What They Seemed offers readers a glimpse into our own world as they follow along on the fictional adventures of the residents of the kingdoms of Sonastare and Artemisia. As with Paneque y Diaz’s entire Twin Kingdom series, of which this is the first book, the theme is victory over adversity and agape love rather than eros love. These books focus on the strength of standing tall in challenges both personal and societal, with the graceful loving support of sisters and brothers, best friends, parents, and children, crossing generational boundaries as well as breaching socioeconomic and societal barriers.