| Title | : | The Dark King (Deviant Kings, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1649373279 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781649373274 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 339 |
| Publication | : | First published September 27, 2022 |
| Awards | : | Audie Award Erotica (2023) |
Whether light or shadow, the fae are a far cry from fairy tales, and now they’ve made Bryn a pawn in their dark games for power. And Caiden is the most dangerous of all—an intoxicating cocktail of sin and raw, insatiable hunger. She should run. But every night of passion pulls Bryn deeper into his strange and sinister world, until she’s no longer certain she wants to leave…even if she could.
Each book in the Deviant Kings series is STANDALONE:
* The Dark King
* The Rebel King
The Dark King (Deviant Kings, #1) Reviews
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"I feel as though I started loving you the moment I took my first breath, and I'll love you more each night until I take my last. You are forever my king, in this life and the next."❤️🔥❤️🔥
Simply unputdownable.
Need something to get you out of your reading slump? Get this book. I cannot stress enough. GET THIS BOOK!!
Plot-4/5🌟
Spice-5/5🌶️
✔️Fantasy erotica
✔️Multiple POV
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Found family
✔️BDSM (wasn't really a fan of it- elaborated further)
✔️Witty Banter
Caiden, the king of the Night court finds himself mystified by a human- Bryn. Things take a turn when the two wake up in a hotel room...married and bonded by Fae magic.
The book is fast paced and is a page turner. Characters are interesting, and full of personality and charm.
Caiden is downright sexy, humorous and did I mention charming? He's the kind of king who respects his subjects and wants women to be empowered. The man just have to say 'Hi' to me and I would SWOON🥵🥵 (Got a little carried away, but you get what I mean 👀). He's a total romantic at heart but presents a tough exterior.
"And as I listen to her breaths grow deep and even and feel her heart beating near mine, I lose another little piece of myself to my mate."😍🔥
Bryn is tough, upfront and equally charming. The two make up such an iconic duo it's hard not to root for them. There are times when I wished Bryn would have stood up more to Caiden but I can see why she didn't. Towards the end, her character had a massive development and I really wanted MORE of that. Like Caiden, Bryn is equally if not more, in love with our king.
"Make me yours. Claim me as only my king can." 👀🥵
The supporting characters are pretty good as well, especially Finn. He's a sweetheart.
Some of the things that I wish could have been better were-
1. World building. We get some perspective of it from Caiden's POV but I wish it could've been more elaborate. Also, if Bryn's POV could've explored it a bit more that would've been chef's kiss.
2. The ending. Although it was pretty good, it left me wanting more. I felt like the book could've used an extra six to ten chapters, especially regarding Bryn's development.
3. I found the Twilight reference to be quite funny but the Marvel one felt a bit out of place.
4. Am not really a fan of extreme submissive - dominant play. Reading it once or twice was fine, but I felt it was a bit much. (While this didn't work for me, it might work for you so feel free to read it).
I went in reading the book with an open mind and wasn't disappointed. The blurb calls it "Neon gods meet Fifty shades of grey"; I had not read either🙈😂 And it worked out pretty well. This book can be read as a standalone.
This was my first book by Gina L Maxwell and I'll definitely keep an eye out for her other works. Am curious to read the Rebel King and what the author has to present.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review. -
This is definitely not the best but I feel like Maxwell does top Katee Robert by one point in her execution and writing style (saying this as someone who has been enjoying Katee Robert works).
Even though some of the dialogues are cheesy and I feel like this book is quite long but it is still an enjoyable read.
I am in between to giving this a three or four stars but I feel extra generous, plus this book helps to fill in my romance doses so four stars it is!
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DNF @ 26%
Thanks to the lovely
Ro for buddy-reading this with me. Unfortunately, neither of us really got into it. I was excited to read THE DARK KING because it seemed to be being pitched as NEON GODS meets A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES meets FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, which, if you were a cynical reader, might make you feel even more cynical. But I'm not a cynical person and convinced myself that this was going to be awesome: fated mates, marriage of inconvenience, kinky fun times? I was totally on board. Plus, I've kind of been on a faerie kick lately thanks to Zodiac Academy.
I liked the beginning of the book where Caiden is kicking this corrupt manager's butt for demeaning sex workers and disrespecting him. There's a lot of tell-and-not-show when it comes to how big and bad the big and bad is, so it was nice to actually see an on-page demo. I even politely looked the other way when Caiden kept winking at the audience (aka, me) to tell me how hardcore he was. Boy, I know. You just whaled on this dude, literal claws out. Go at it, already.
Things started to get shaky when Bryn, the heroine, walks on stage. She was kind of aggressively bland, in the same way that Anastasia Steel and Bella Swan were. Her only personality trait is sassing Caiden and lusting after him. The descriptions of the Vegas Strip were interesting, I guess, and to be honest, I kind of liked the idea of a bunch of excommunicated fae jadedly starting their own clubbing empire. It felt very True Blood, but, like, in a good way. The problem is that the heroine doesn't really have any personality or hobbies, and the author forges an instant connection with them that has no emotional basis, which makes it really hard to care about or even root for them as a couple.
Also, my boy Caiden, aka side-of-the-road-Rhysand, clearly sees himself as a feminist, but every time Bryn misbehaves, he threatens her with a spanking. What is this, the 1950s? Okay, actually maybe it is for this dude since he's immortal and the 1950s probably feel modern to him, but STILL. I didn't like that. I'm okay with kinky stuff but the way it was broached in this book was super weird and kind of uncomfy for me. I'm okay with good guy love interests and bad guy love interests, but don't try to sell me on a guy as a good guy love interest but then make him act like one of those pick-up artists from the 2000s who dressed like a leather daddy wizard and called himself "Enigma."
I think for people who like quick, smutty reads, this will be a fun escapist read-- and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you're going into this expecting world-building and emotional connections and strong characters, you'll be disappointed. Props to the author for actually trying to inject some real faerie lore into this book-- I liked that a lot and wish she'd done it more-- but everything else about this was a sort of miss for me.
2 to 2.5 stars -
— 2 stars ☆
✺ i'm sorrynot sorryabout this 😭 - i was really hoping to love this one, BUT. the miscommunication and certain things bugged me a lot and that reduced a lot of my stars.
✺ all the world-building was done and it all came down to the last 15% which bugged me bcos I LITERALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE WORLD TILL NOW! and then there's that ending... which we'll come to later.
✺ hello, this is basically an acotar x neon gods i was promised which i was excited about but didn't deliver too well.
✺ so let's divide this into 5 parts - the beginning, the first middle, the second middle, the end and CAIDEN'S GROVEL (yes, i said what i said, i feel like that should definitely have a part i should write about bcos i am IN LOVE with that scene 🥰)
✺ the beginning. so i kinda (surprisingly-ish) liked the beginning - it had a pretty strong start and since i had low expectations to begin with, it was going really well. Caiden didn't get on my nerves at all (high praise) and it was a bit ott with the dialogs and the unnecessary snark, yes, but i liked that, somehow. Bryn was really strong and sassy and i liked that. even after they accidentally got married/bonded, i liked it ;)
✺ the first middle. (hey, don't judge me based on my titles 🤣) that part was okay-ish. nothing was really happening, it was just Caiden and Bryn having sex, then going through something, and then Caiden fucking up again and being sweet. (i did think he was sweet here in certain moments, and i liked that)
✺ the second middle. THIS. this was the part that pissed me off SO SO MUCH. first, Caiden questions Bryn about whether she's a traitor, blah-blah-blah in the worst possible way. and then he pushes her away (like all these stupid moron males do, you know) and Bryn just accepts it? like, girl, i didn't think that was in your personality at all! basically this was just push-push-pushing away. *ahem* didn't like this part, but thankfully the next part mostly erased the nightmares i'd have from this part.
✺ the ending. well, this part was actually good. tho very info-dumpy, bcos what the WHAT happened? when did that happen? i was too confused. on top of all that, Bryn and Caiden still hadn't made up till the very end, so it was all very convoluted. i liked that Bryn got back her fight, tho? and there's something going on with Tiernan and Fiona... idk if i want to see what happens with them all that much, after the way this book went, but let's see!
✺ AHH now the good part. the grovel. i love love LOVED this so so much especially bcos Caiden's emotions and what he felt were really shown here thoroughly. my petty heart, of course, wanted more "get on your knees" and less "oh, i forgive you, i love you," but i'll take this 💕💅. it was all bcos of thoughts like these:It doesn't matter that I'm her king. When it comes to Bryn, ultimately I'll always be the one at her mercy, even when I'm the one wielding the whip. If she ever allows me to so much as touch her again.
~ 🥰 i love how he's suffering
Just the thought has me reaching out and gently gripping her hips as I rest my forehead against the soft skin of her belly. A shudder of pained joy rolls through me. It's the first physical contact I've had with her in two weeks, since the night of the Equinox Ball.
A veritable eternity.
basically i SAVORED the groveling (which imo could have been a lot longer than just one scene but okiee)I've never felt at such a fucking loss on how to fix something before.
~ 💘🥺💘
And as soon as I complete the thought, I berate myself for my own audacity at oversimplifying the situation.
You didn't break a vase, you insensitive prick. You broke her. The woman who's more precious to you than the life-giving air you breathe.
✺ and i just realised there was something else - the kink. i was expecting bdsm level kink, but except for that one scene when he was tryna get info out of her, there was nothing that intense except for a few spankings. and he was saying all that shit about "you can't handle my dark". i'm over here thinking - wait, three slaps on your butt is dark? wow, i can handle dark shit...
➽───────────────❥
so, to conclude, you should def read it if you like:
✺ hades x persephone retellings
✺ miscommunication trope
✺ acotar x neon gods
✺ sassy h x broody H
✺ kink
and it's definitely not as bad as i'm making it out to be in my rant review, there's just some things that bugged me, so you should go for it if you feel it's your thing! <3
➽───────────────❥
i had so much fun ranting with my girls,
koisty,
lia and
leni! 💕 love y'all to bits <3 -
Fucking fabulous book!!!!! This was my first Gina L. Maxwell book and it won't be the last!!!!!!! Caiden Verran is magnificent!!!! This dark fae badboy had my panties soaked from beginning to end ! He's one of the sexist fae kings of all time with killer good looks and a body made for all kinds of sinful fun. He's into some hard kink and has very dark tastes but he always takes care of our girl Bryn from giving her multi Orgasm's to caring for her needs like the great Dom he is but he can also be a first class asshole! Everything goes great until he wakes up married to Bryn and then in her words he becomes " Mr. Morning-After Asshole" 😂 But before you feel sorry for Bryn don't!!!! She is so fucking awesome!!! She doesn't take shit from day one from this King!!! She's fisty, beautiful,smart and can run fucking circles around this scary as hell dark fae and his punishments for her brat attitude and smart mouth end with her pleasure and him falling farther down the rabbit hole unable to control his need to make her his! Do yourself a favor pre order this book! Don't let the fact that it's a fae romance fool you. 50 shades of grey has nothing on this on this kinky and BDSM romance and Caiden makes Christian seem tame! He's a 6'5 walking wet dream with fangs!!!!!!! And he's not the only hottie! Theirs his two brothers Tier and Finn and both are hot! Theirs also the two woufle brothers who are just as yummy! Gina Maxwell is my new obsession and I intend to read more from this amazing author! Not only did she write some great cliterature but she made me laugh out loud quite a few times!!! I especially loved when Bryn threatened to castrate caiden if he ever tried to manipulate her again during sex!!! And I love her wheeling and dealing to get unlimited ebooks and then a beauty and beast inspired library and oh ya, two cats!!! This chic cracks me up!!!! She's my muse for future relationships!😂 I want to thank Netgalley and the beautiful and talented Gina Maxwell and the publisher for this early copy! I knew after seeing the cover and reading the blurb that I had to have it! Until next Luv's 💕💋
-
And for my next trick, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to charm the Beast back into a prince...
Yeah. Good luck with that.
I'll be quick and as objective as I can while reviewing this because, while it was lots of fun buddy reading and discussing it with three of the most precious ladies I've met here on GR, I also thought this book had lots of wasted potential and there's nothing that infuriates me more than books' wasted potential.
🎰𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚 - 𝗕𝗬 𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗔 𝗟. 𝗠𝗔𝗫𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗟🎰
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🅽🅰/🅰
★𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: 𝙳𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙰𝙽𝚃 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 #𝟷 (𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝙲𝙰𝙽 𝙱𝙴 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝙰𝚂 𝙰 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙰𝙻𝙾𝙽𝙴)
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 - 𝙵𝙰𝙴 - 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙾𝚁𝙼𝙰𝙻 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴 - 𝚄𝚁𝙱𝙰𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝙳𝙾𝚄𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂 - 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙲𝙴𝙳 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚇𝙸𝙼𝙸𝚃𝚈 - 𝙵𝙾𝚁𝙲𝙴𝙳 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙳 - 𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙸𝚅𝙴 𝙼𝙼𝙲 - 𝙰𝙶𝙴 𝙶𝙰𝙿 - 𝚄𝙶𝙷 𝙼𝙸𝚂𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙼𝚄𝙽𝙸𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥/5
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼/5
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜/5
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: 💀💀💀/5 (𝙲𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙸𝚃𝚈 - )
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 🔥🔥🔥/5 (𝙱𝙳𝚂𝙼 𝙿𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙲𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙿𝙻𝙰𝚈𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙺𝚈 𝚂𝙴𝚇)
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐🤐🤐/5 (𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙰𝚂 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙺𝚈 𝙰𝚂 𝙸'𝙳 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃 𝙸𝚃'𝙳 𝙱𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙾)
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 🌹🌹🌹/5
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ❌
★𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦-𝗧𝗢-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🖤🖤/5 (𝙱𝙰𝙷)
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
The Dark King starts out great; in terms of plot it leaves a little to be desired, but it tricks you into believing you don't need depth, you just need to sit and enjoy the show, as cringey and cheesy as it may be.
Maxwell's writing is alright, the characters sound okay, their chemistry is palpable and there is something about their attraction that makes you think sparks will fly left and right when they make contact in the bedroom.
Alas, it all starts going downhill from here pretty fast, and in the wrongest of ways, too.
What started as a steamy and intriguing game of holy shit we because surprise! I'm a fae King *throws confetti* turned into a laughable excuse of a captivity plot, made even more laughable by the fact that Miss Indepentent took everything that was thrown at her with the self-preservation skills of a stinkbug.
And, dude, let me tell you. Some situations only work if the guy is hot.
There's no way, NO WAY, a normal looking dude would have gotten away with most of the things Caiden got away with only because he's pretty. I'm actually referring to one scene in particular, and you'll find it under a spoiler tag in the DARK THEMES & TRIGGER WARNING list.
It's something that it's not very much tackled in the book as the FMC only mentiones it once afterwards and the MMC barely apologizes for it, which makes me wonder if it's romanticised, after all.
Onward with that, this part of the plot is basically a big ACOMAF fanfiction in whichWalmart RhysCaiden considers himself to be this big and broody BDSM enthusiast and wants to ✨spank✨Feyre un-darlingBryn every time she opens her mouth to say something bratty. And this happens quite often, considering she's not only bratty, but a real pain in the ass, too, when she wants to be.
There's even a shoe-throwing scene between the two. Sigh.
And you know what one of the saddest parts is? Caiden even makes fun of 50 Shades of Grey at some point.
Pot, kettle, yada yada.
It goes on and on like this for a lot. They hate each other (sure, Jan), they don't trust each other (understandable), they want to spank each other and do the nasty with each other (eh, hormones), and then they become pathetic and repetitive and they make all the decisions based on a miscommunication trope, which means they frustrated me to no end.
Unrelated to my frustration, but I feel like this would have worked better if the fantasy creatures in question werent Fae but vampires or werewolves. Don't ask me how or why I think so. I just had that feeling and couldn't scroll it off for the three days I spent in this book's company.
You may have guessed that the characters weren't my favorite part of this book. That was the whole who's sabotaging the King and why?. Ironically, the fact that I've mainly picked this for the smut and ended up liking the plot that didn't involve massive fae penises or nipple clamps, says a lot about this book. Or me. Or both.
But back to us...
Like I said, this part of the book wasn't bad. It sure as hell didn't have a build-up worthy of the name, and the big reveal fell a little flat, but it was nice to see both characters pull their heads out of their asses for a few minutes, and act like proper people for once.
It was also kind of satisfactory to try to find out who the culprit was or to unravel the truth of Bryn's true nature.
The ending was okay, and in the end, I must admit this book didn't only have negative moments, but some funny ones, as well.
I, for example, appreciated that Caiden seemed to respect women (for the biggest part) and sex workers; I liked the Game of Thrones, Twilight and Bridgerton references and the way Bryn finally stepped up for herself and gained some dignity once she was out of Caiden's magical flesh flute's shadow; I likedMorr, Cassian and AzrielFiona, Tiernan and Finn.
I might haven't had the time of my life, but it was en experience I'm eager to repeat.
As they say "it's not the destination that counts, but the journey" and if you spend said journey -no matter how bumpy and cringey and full of BDSM inaccuracy it is- the best part was definitely buddy reading it with the loveliest person on GR
Summer, my long lost sister
Koisty darling, and my one and only
Leni✨❤️
Scout's honor.
😏We are cute...but we read naughty books!😏 #1
🚩𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙱𝙻𝙴𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙲 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙰𝙻𝙴𝚁𝚃!*🚩
*𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍/𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌/𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌/𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎.
𝙸, 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠, 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚣𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎:
-𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢;
-𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎;
-𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 "𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌" 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜/𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜/𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗;
-𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺𝚂, 𝚢'𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠? -
I'm so thrilled readers have loved Caiden and Bryn's story! This couple was so much fun to write and creating the fantasy world for my Dark Fae in Vegas was an absolute blast. I can't wait for you to read more about it in the second book, THE REBEL KING, coming July 25th, 2023!
I hope you'll follow me here on Goodreads, and make sure you add
The Rebel King to your "want to read" shelf. You can also enter to win 1 of 10 paperback copies of TRK being given away in the months of May and June. Just click the button on TRK's Goodreads page!
With literary love & kitten kisses,
Gina
Gina L. Maxwell -
Five Ultimate Fantasy Stars
The Dark King is an addicting, sexy, and my top read of the year. This book is a fan freaking tactic. It's a book I didn't know I needed, and so excited I read it. I will never look at Vegas the same ever again. 😂
The Dark King is loaded with tropes
✔️Dark
✔️Erotica
✔️Fantasy
✔️Surprise Marriage ( but not just any ordinary marriage )
✔️Forced Proximity
I am sure I forget one or two more.
Have I ever told you I was never big in faes? Slap my ass and call me Sally ( Sorry anyone named Sally). Because the author gave me a newfound love of faes’ Especially dark fae, one, in particular, Caiden, the hot as balls fae king and owned half of Vegas, he finds himself instantly drawn to Bryn. A human, no doubt, and he can’t understand why.
Bryn is the sexy, witty, fast talker that challenges Caiden and is not afraid to put him in his place. She is one of the strongest heroines I have read with such a quick wit. She had me belly laughing a time or two. The banter between the two is top-notch, and the chemistry is a scorcher.
The Dark King is the first book I have read in from this author. I must have been living under a rock. Because boy, this book is a doozy, and her writing is phenomenal. This is what erotica should be with a tremendous and original plot.
I had my suspicions about a secret revealed later in the book. What I didn’t expect was the secret was so much bigger than I initially thought.
The author takes you on a magical and steamy journey. That you never want to end. It was my honor to have read such a great book. This is a must read!!!! I’m seriously shouting from the roof top.
I can’t wait to see how the series turns out. I know I, for one, look forward to seeing what happens. -
Happy Release Day! I got an arc of this book an absolutely loved it.
4.5✨
“Something inside me shifted, changing me irrevocably and tying my soul to you in a way I couldn’t possibly understand in that moment, but with each passing day—each passing minute—my love for you only continued to grow until I felt consumed by you and never felt happier.”
The Dark King follows Bryn, a human woman from the Midwest, and her wild night in Vegas with the King of the Dark Fae, Caiden. After a serendipitous meeting in his hotel, Bryn finds herself drawn to Caiden in a way she can’t explain. Dancing the night away leads to waking up with his ring on her finger, which leads her to getting thrown into the world of the fae. Chaos, of course, ensues.
I really really enjoyed this one! Bryn is a sassy, witty, and confident woman, and Caiden is powerful, possessive, and one hot fae king. I love dual pov just for the moments when the characters go — “oh no I love this person.” I absolutely loved Caiden’s pov. And then the groveling!! My jaw is still on the floor okay?
The plot was a little slow to develop and this felt more character driven, which I loved because I loved the characters.
Read if you like forbidden love, fae and their mates, and fun side characters. I can’t wait for Tiernan’s book.
TW
degradation and violence.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Amara Publishing for this arc! It comes out 9/27! -
The Dark King by Gina Maxwell
Deviant Kings #1. Paranormal romance with erotica elements.
What happens in Vegas….
Bryn decides a few days in Las Vegas are the key to her future. Meeting the Dark Fae King is interesting but what has her stuck and held on his estate is the surprising fact that they apparently got married after a night of drinking. That they can’t keep their hands off each other complicates the whole destiny thing.
Scorching hot and powerful. Bryn wants a lover to take control and Caiden is more than prepared to master every response. Too bad a human and fae can’t really be fated mates.
🎧 i alternated between a paperback copy and an audiobook. The narration was a supreme performance by Aiden Snow and Avery Reid. Each had their own chapters and POV and had me hanging on every word. Aiden was a bit gravelly and did a fantastic job with different character voice variances. From the female POV, Avery portrayed emotions and stress clearly. The overall performance was a bit slow for me so I found the best speed was 1.5 which is just a bit faster than my preferred normal.
I received a paperback copy from the author and an audiobook copy from NetGalley and Recorded Books. -
Fucking fabulous book!!!!! This was my first Gina L. Maxwell book and it won't be the last!!!!!!! Caiden Verran is magnificent!!!! This dark fae badboy had my panties soaked from beginning to end ! He's one of the sexist fae kings of all time with killer good looks and a body made for all kinds of sinful fun. He's into some hard kink and has very dark tastes but he always takes care of our girl Bryn from giving her multi Orgasm's to caring for her needs like the great Dom he is but he can also be a first class asshole! Everything goes great until he wakes up married to Bryn and then in her words he becomes " Mr. Morning-After Asshole" 😂 But before you feel sorry for Bryn don't!!!! She is so fucking awesome!!! She doesn't take shit from day one from this King!!! She's fisty, beautiful,smart and can run fucking circles around this scary as hell dark fae and his punishments for her brat attitude and smart mouth end with her pleasure and him falling farther down the rabbit hole unable to control his need to make her his! Do yourself a favor pre order this book! Don't let the fact that it's a fae romance fool you. 50 shades of grey has nothing on this on this kinky and BDSM romance and Caiden makes Christian seem tame! He's a 6'5 walking wet dream with fangs!!!!!!! And he's not the only hottie! Theirs his two brothers Tier and Finn and both are hot! Theirs also the two woufle brothers who are just as yummy! Gina Maxwell is my new obsession and I intend to read more from this amazing author! Not only did she write some great cliterature but she made me laugh out loud quite a few times!!! I especially loved when Bryn threatened to castrate caiden if he ever tried to manipulate her again during sex!!! And I love her wheeling and dealing to get unlimited ebooks and then a beauty and beast inspired library and oh ya, two cats!!! This chic cracks me up!!!! She's my muse for future relationships!😂 I want to thank Netgalley and the beautiful and talented Gina Maxwell and the publisher for this early copy! I knew after seeing the cover and reading the blurb that I had to have it! Until next time Luv's 💕💋
-
4 ⭐️ Not gonna lie, I was skeptical about reading a story with fae in Vegas. But OMG, does Gina Maxwell deliver!!!!
I grasp her jaw as I growl against her temple. '' That is not the proper way to address your king, Beauty. Try again.''
'' Yes, Your...'' She pauses, and just when I'm about to berate her, she whispers, '' Yes, my king.''
Summary (from blurb):
For Bryn Meara, a free trip to the exclusive and ultra-luxe Nightfall hotel and casino in Vegas should’ve been the perfect way to escape the debris of her crumbling career. But waking up from a martini-and-lust-fueled night to find herself married to Caiden Verran, the reclusive billionaire who owns the hotel and most of the city, isn’t the jackpot one would think. It seems her dark and sexy new husband is actual royalty—the fae king of the Night Court—and there’s an entire world beneath the veil of Vegas.
Whether light or shadow, the fae are a far cry from fairy tales, and now they’ve made Bryn a pawn in their dark games for power. And Caiden is the most dangerous of all—an intoxicating cocktail of sin and raw, insatiable hunger. She should run. But every night of passion pulls Bryn deeper into his strange and sinister world, until she’s no longer certain she wants to leave…even if she could.
Thoughts:
From the very first page, I was hooked and could not stop! This story has everything I could ever ask for from a fantasy erotica novel!
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ Interesting fantasy world - fae Las Vegas, hell yeah!
✨ Sexy, powerful, rich MMC
✨ Sweet, funny, book-loving FMC
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Multiple POV
✨ Witty banter
✨ BDSM spice
✨ Found Family
✨ Interesting side characters
✨ Surprising ending (I need book 2 now!)
This story offered a refreshing take on fae and mates. Recently, there have been A LOT of fantasy stories centered around fae. I blame this on the craze around Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass or A Court of Thrones and Roses Series. And these stories tend to share a lot of similarities with SJM's. So to read a fantasy novel with fae that didn't make me automatically think of ACOTAR or TOG was amazing.
This story definitely has a romance-driven plot, but the parts that did focus on the world-building and political dynamics were intriguing. I really enjoyed learning about Caiden's family history, the Dark Fae, and the Night Court. I'm hoping Gina Maxwell expands more on these things in the next book since we only really get a taste.
I absolutely LOVED the side characters. It was fun seeing the brotherly dynamic between Tiernan, Finn, and Caiden. I loved the friendship that blossomed between Fiona and Bryn. And Seamus, Connor, and Conall are side characters I'd love to see play bigger roles in the upcoming books.
The spice . . . hot damn. I’m really not into hardcore BDSM, but this was enjoyable to read, and overall well done. A lot of sex scenes in romance novels make me cringe either because of the dirty talk or how the intimacy is described, but that was not an issue here!
Overall, The Dark King is an easy-to-read, fun, page-turner, perfect for all you fantasy lovers looking for something with a lot more spice.
Thank you Entangled and Gina Maxwell for sending me an arc copy! As always, all opinions are my own. -
on a surface level, this story does everything is sets out to do.
it has its moments of witty banter, an enemies-to-lovers plot that uses a lot of adored romance tropes, and a couple of steamy scenes. so some entertainment, for sure.
that being said, it doesnt really offer anything more. for many readers, im sure whats here is enough. but for me, personally, i just wanted more character development, more fantasy world-building, and a little bit more depth and tension overall.
so a pretty easy-breezy kind of story, but i just would have liked a little more complexity.
thanks for the ARC, entangled publishing.
↠ 3.5 stars -
This sweet and dark paranormal romance is just perfect for this crisp autumn nights after a long day of work. I love the characters, and the Fae element just really ramps up the spice in this gorgeous romance novel by Gina L Maxwell. The brothers are adorable!
I loved the backstory, the present and the chemistry between Caiden and Bryn. The real relationship issues that don't just get magically worked through in two pages. Absolutely need to get my hands on the next book in the series, whenever it comes out! Accidentally married, Bryn and Caiden have to figure out what is going on and more importantly, how to get along outside of the bedroom! Highly recommend!! If the tags I have notated for this novel intrigue you, run to go out and get this book! -
DNF at 67%
Thank you, ladies, for letting me join your buddy read ❤️ The book might not have been exactly my cup of tea, but discussing everything that happened with you was a lot of fun 😊
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A naughty book for naughty girls ✨😉
Buddy reading this with these lovely girls:
Summer,
Koisty and my GR soulmate
Lia -
2 Butt Slap Stars ⭐️
They say "don't just a book by its cover", but they should also say "don't always judge a book by its splurb". This book instantly drew me in. Who would not love sexy dark Vegas with FAE!!!! And when
Summer❤️ suggested it as a "Buddy Read" I literally catapulted myself at the opportunity to dive into what I felt would be amazing.
It was even more amazing that
Lia🐧 and
Leni🧡 were also in this convertible trip down to Viva Las Vegas!
This book follows Bryn and Caiden in a dual-POV story. Bryn is a recently fired PR Manager but Bryn is not fully down on her luck as yet as she was somehow "emailed" a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a free fully paid weekend in the extremely luxurious and extravagant Nightfall Hotel in Vegas. When she is checking in, she is "checked out" in the lobby by a literal Adonis on legs - Caiden Verran. What follows is a "fun night" in Vegas, but both Bryn and Caiden wake up with hardly any recollection of the evening and are startled to find out they are....dum dum dum.......MARRIED!!!! The only problem is that Caiden is the Dark Fae King and he cannot be more than 100ft from his bonded bride else he suffers LITERAL DEATH!
I wanted this to be good, and for about 200 pages I was thoroughly enjoying this! Bryn is for the most part the girl everyone wants to be, and if you can't be her - you want to be best friends with her. I was giggling along with her internal monologue, pop culture references, and sassy comments. It felt like I knew who she was and that I had known her my whole life, I was just that drawn to her. The charisma she had was refreshing and I was really intrigued about where the story would go with her as the FMC.
Caiden was also great. He was shown to be a King with a heart of gold who cares for his people but underneath you knew there was a sexy sexual deviant waiting to crawl out from his skin and I COULDN'T WAIT. He was full of confidence, charm, and a humorous personality that made me go goo-goo eyed for a while.
But then the more and more I read, the more the threads started to unravel of this perfect tapestry I had painted with my expectations of this book, and in the end, I was left with nothing but a giant tangled mess of thread that makes no sense.
Here are the Reasons why I did not like this book:
The world-building felt lazy as there is really NO world-building AT ALL - The first 33% of this book felt more like a typical Billionaire Contemporary Romance. I could overlook this fact as I was mostly just reading for the fae smut...but then it felt more "paranormal" with mentions of shifters and the Fae being closer in personality to bloodsucking vampires than typical "Fae" I couldn't understand. We are given a massive info dump into the Fae world the last 15% of the book, but by then the opportunity was lost.
I didn't really like the smut in this, it was either quite underwhelming or left a bad taste in my mouth. The first scene which is prefaced the whole time with Caiden saying "you cannot handle how dark I am" was hysterically(like I actually laughed out loud) the weakest spanking session I've ever read about, which ended in 1 orgasm. The rest were nothing to write home about and there is one scene that was the catalyst for the MAJOR downhill of the book. Whilst there were a few blimps of promise as I read on... there was no recovery from this awful disaster after that nosedive off a cliff.
The characters drove me insane toward the end. I could not understand the formulation of the relationship between them. Bryn is just horny and doesn't want to be bored and their attraction seems to mostly be driven by lust. Their relationship struggles are mostly driven by miscommunication (which is a trope I HATE) and could have been entirely avoided if they just behaved like adults and had a meaningful conversation AND how fucking stupid they both turned out to be with Caiden's stubborn assholeness and Bryn NOT BEING ABLE TO STAND UP FOR HERSELF...
The plot was pretty weak as well, and I actually enjoyed this part of the story - we have the conspiracy of who is the actual mastermind behind the wedding setup and what their motivations are, the mysteries surrounding Bryn, and the curse of the bond. However, when the plot actually catches up to us in the end it was rushed through in about 3 pages to get back to the smut.
THIS LEFT ABOUT 70000 questions UNANSWERED AND HANGING. This wouldn't bother me as much but when its said this can be read as a standalone it means these questions are most likely NOT going to be explained....
Overall the best part of this book was that I could rant to amazing friends about the ride we went on reading this. Ultimately it was not the book for me - but it might be the book for you if you like
- Forced Marriage
- Forced Proximity (Literally)
- Captor/Captive
- Miscommunication
- Topsy Curvy Characters
- Pop Culture References that make you giggle
- 7000* unanswered questions
- Fae SMUT.... Don't forget the Fae Smut
❤️
⊱-------------------------⊰
We are cute….but we read naughty books 😉😏
Soooooo excited to be buddy reading this with my long lost “separated at birth” book family!
- My ever amazing twin little penguin 🐧
Lia aka booksnpenguins
- The unlikely sister I never knew I had ❤️ but so glad to have found
Summer Darling ❤️
- The new friend who I am sure will be just as special as the old
Leni🧡 -
This book is ACOTAR meets SHADOWHUNTERS with a LOT of spice.
If you are looking for your next steamy fantasy romance, look no further!
We have hot night court Fae that were banished to Vegas. An accidental marriage. A feisty, badass heroine. And a powerful, broody king.
I won’t get into any more than that because this is a book you have to read for yourself. But trust me when I say you will be INSTANTLY hooked.
I am so sad i have to wait a year until the next one. -
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4.5 "Gina writes the best romantic stories with BDSM 😍" STARS
I wanted to read this book since I saw it as an ARC. I didn't get the ARC though lol, but I knew I NEEDED to read this book anyway... and this book didn't deliver
it SERVED in a silver platter a wonderful delicacy to please my senses.
🥀I finished this book in less than a day, and I loved it from start to finish.
🥀The pace is perfect. The writing is majestic and never bores me.
🥀 The world-building is simple but interesting.
🥀 Bryn and Caiden are so interesting and well-crafted characters, they've become part of my favorite fictional characters. I just love them. They feel like real people, as real as a fictional character in a fantasy book can be. Bryn could be my bff, and Caiden had my eyes rolling in the best way. You can know them well by the author's amazing storytelling, and you can feel the emotions and the sexual tension easily.
🥀 The dialogues are witty and realistic, a never-ending stream of entertainment.
🥀 The smut was over the top and left me all pleased and wanting for more, I thought my undergarments would get on fire 🤩😳. The BDSM in this book is realistic while also having my thighs wobbling, mind blowing but always respectful. In other books, the man doesn't respect the woman's boundaries (as examples, the safe word and aftercare), but Caiden's always a caring gentleman when it comes to Bryn's well-being and pleasure. It was definitely one of the best parts of the book.
🥀 And what can I say about the love between them? It was simply beautiful 🥹♥️
🥀The twist was quite predictable but it didn't make the plot worse.
For all of these, Gina has become one of my favorite authors, and this is the first book I read of hers. I hope she writes more books with the excellence this one has. -
Is it trash? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Mostly, even if it was pretty cringe.
-
AHHH!! Gina Maxwell just killed me with The Dark King!!! This story had everything I love in a PNR and then some!! Caiden was an dominant alpha hero to die for and Bryn was a sassy heroine that gave as good as good as she got!! She did not let his power and wealth intimidate her. I was hooked on every word!
I absolutely loved this story and the scorching sexy times. Bryn was real and relatable and Caiden was absolutely delicious. I just adored their connection, how they met and all the extended characters we met in this novel! Overall, I loved Caiden and Bryn and the rest of the Verran brothers. Now I can't wait for more in this series! This is definitely one of my top books of 2022 for sure!! 5 stars! ~Ratula ❤️ -
3.5? 3.75? 4? ✨ not sure yet
-
The Dark King is book 1 in the Deviant Kings, and it was a really enjoyable book from this new to me author. Bryn is a young woman whose life isn't going according to plan, so when she receives a free trip to an exclusive hotel she decides to go. When she arrives, she sees for the first time the very rich and handsome Caiden who owns the hotel, sparks immediately fly and the next morning she wakes up married. Caiden is so much more than just a regular man, so when he finds himself married and bonded to the beautiful Bryn, he suspects she was sent to harm him. I really enjoyed this book; it was so reminiscent of PNR books that I was obsessed with for many years. Now while it's pretty obvious Bryn is much more than just a plain human; I did love the twist on what she is. Overall, if you're a PNR fan I would definitely recommend this one. I'm looking forward to book 2.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own*** -
I really enjoyed this one even though the "accidentally married" trope isn't my favorite. Maxwell did a great job at making this trope unique in this one and instead of it being two humans who woke up married, she used a human and a fae!
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Seriye fantastik evreni için başlamayı düşünenler beklentisini düşük tutsun derim.İlk kitap için romans yönü daha fazlaydı, evreni anlamak için fazla detay vermemiş yazar.
Faeler bir nevi paralel evren diye tanımlayabileceğimiz Faerie'de yaşıyorlar.Orada yaşayan sakinleri ile henüz tanışmadık.Sadece dünyaya sürgüne gönderilenler... 400 yıl önce yaşanan bir olay yüzünden hem Dark Fae hem de Light Fae'nin bazı kesimleri lanetlenip, kanatlarından yoksun bırakılıp dünyaya sürgün edilmiş. Tüm bu olayların bahsi geçiyor sadece.Detaylı bir inceleme okumadık henüz.Biz Dark Fae'lerin dünyasından bakıyoruz evrene.Vegas'ın çölünü hiç yoktan bir şehre çevirmişler.Her kazançlı otel, kumarhane kendilerine ait.Hikaye de böyle başlıyor zaten..
Bryn kapısında hediye bir tatil reklamı görünce, üstüne bir de çalıştığı firma tarafından işine son verilince fırsatı değerlendirir. İki günlük bir Vegas tatili şahane değildir de nedir? Bir de Caiden vardır elbette.Eğlenceli sohbetler, dans, müzik...Her şey bu kadar iyiyken, parmağında hatırlamadığı bir yüzükle, evli uyanana kadar.
Caiden Verran hem ailenin en büyük erkek çocuğu hem de Dark Fae'lerin kralı...İş odaklı, planlı, resmi ve disiplinli.Ah aynı zamanda acımasız ve otoriter elbette.Alfa çizgisinde bir portre çizilmiş kendisine.Kurallarına bağlı biri olarak Bryn ile geçirdiği gecenin yanlış olduğunu düşünsede, kendisine engel olamaz.Gözlerini sabaha evli ve laneti aktif halde bulmasaydı çok daha iyi olabilirdi elbette!
Bryn'ın başına gelen, yaşanan bazı şeyler çok bariz, tahmin edilebilirdi.Bir de Caiden'in cinsel zevkleri için çok sert, yoğun ve karanlık diye betimlendiği halde, smut sahneler de olmamış.Basit kalmış kurgu içinde.Kötü değildi ama ben vanilya adamı değilim dedikten sonra daha farklı bir şey beklemiştim.🤣
Denk gelirsem devamına, okurum belki ama kurgu o kadar iyi değildi.Kendisini okutuyor, akıcı da ama farklı bir tarafı yok. -
⇢ What to expect:
∘ Adult
∘ Paranormal Romance
∘ Standalone
∘ Dark Fae King
∘ Fae Realm x Our world
∘ Dual POV
∘ Mates
∘ Spicy scenes ∘ BDSM
⇢ Tropes:
∘ Forced Marriage
∘ Enemies to Lovers
∘ Grumpy x Sunshine
∘ Found Family
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this one.
For starters, I think it could've been much shorter, things were starting to get repetitive and even a little boring.
I liked the characters, even the secondary ones were interesting and likeable — Fiona, Finni, Tiernan, Seamus, Conall, Connor. I'm really happy to see more of them in the next books ❤️
I will read the other books in the series because I'm curious to find out what happens next.
That was an unexpected ending but I'm exicted for the next book xD -
3.5 stars. I went into The Dark King with lower expectations, I heard it was a fun and sexy fantasy romance and that is exactly what it was! This is basically following a fae king and his court that were exiled to Vegas and we have an accidental, drunken marriage between him and the heroine.
This was just a fun audio read, I didn’t go in expecting a huge sweeping fantasy and it’s definitely not trying to be. But for what it was (it’s described as Neon Gods meets 50 Shades), it was fun. Caiden is the king of the fae and he owns a casino and hotel, Nightfall, in Vegas. Bryn ends up winning a free weekend stay at the resort and after recently losing her job, she jumps on the chance to let loose and have fun. Bryn and Caiden instantly have a connection and end up spending the night hanging out together before waking up the next morning, hungover and married! We see Caiden and Bryn trying to go their separate ways and plan an annulment but being forced back together when he falls dreadfully ill and weak the further he gets from her. So we get a hostage situation when his brothers bring Bryn to their estate to be near Caiden while they all figure out what’s going on with this human woman.
I did like the fae backstory here. Because of an illicit affair between the day king and night queen in the past, it lead to a feud between the courts resulting in an exile from the realm. There is also a curse paired with their exile related to royal marriages: basically if either king of the day or night court takes a true Queen of fae blood they will begin to weaken and eventually die if their mate is more than a stone-throw away from them. They have a bit of a mystery to unravel in regards to their bond and marriage. The hero is definitely a broody hero, I liked how he calls her “Beauty”, and we get lots of BDSM kinky times as well. -
3.5 stars rounded down.
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Dark King is a steamy and dark paranormal romance and the first in Gina Maxwell’s Deviant Kings series. The story follows Caiden and Bryn, who have an intense and passionate romance with total grumpy/sunshine vibes.
Overall, I enjoyed Bryn and Caiden’s romance and thought it was spicy and sexy. They both go through so much over the course of the story, and they are dependent on each other for survival, which makes their relationship even more intense. And the pull they feel toward each other is constant. However, I didn’t like the idea that Bryn was basically a captive who couldn’t leave when she wanted to. There was one scene where Caiden used his powers of compulsion during sexual acts to get information from Bryn, and I didn’t love that. I feel like she had little control over many of the things that happened to her in the story, and that scene in particular showed how much Bryn was at Caiden’s mercy. It made me dislike him a little bit and made me question their relationship.
The world-building is interesting, and I love the ACOTAR vibes mixed in with modern Las Vegas. It’s a unique blend. Caiden is the King of the Night Court, he and others are fae, and many of their abilities and qualities are similar to the characters in ACOTAR. However, I did wish that there was a little more world-building? I feel like we were just briefly introduced into this unusual world, and I want to know more. I have a feeling the supernatural world will be further explained as the series progresses, though.
One of my favorite aspects of the story is the found family Bryn finds when with Caiden. He has such a loyal and wonderful group of people surrounding him. Some are friends and some are relatives, and they make this amazing group. Bryn develops a strong connection with many of these characters and even learns a bit more about herself, and she gains a sense of belonging that she hasn’t felt in a long time. Though Bryn’s relationship with Caiden is tumultuous, Bryn’s relationship with him opens her up to this whole new world of people and support that she never expected.
Overall, this was an okay read for me. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t dislike it either. I think the book will appeal to people who enjoy erotic romance or dark fantasy/romance, but know that it’s described as A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Fifty Shades of Grey, so the spicy scenes include BDSM and explicit sex.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own. -
A forbidden love that will win against all odds. This is a darker fae story with an intense attraction, BDSM, and an arrogant fae king who wants to dominate.
There is a blood curse against all fae kings that comes when they bond with their mates. To prevent this from happening, they never allow themselves to bond. Unfortunately for Caiden, there were manipulations involved the made this impossible.
Bryn is a human female down on her luck in life when she wins a free trip to Vegas. With nothing more to lose, she decides to have a little fun before trying to piece her life back together. Only Bryn finds herself in a predicament that she may or may not want to get out of.
I enjoyed this version of a fae love story. It was unique, had an intense Alpha who did come off a bit too arrogant at first. The forbidden aspect of the story kept things interesting. I'm not the biggest fan of BDSM but this has it pretty light, so I didn't really mind it as part of the story.
I listened to the audiobook version and really liked both narrators. I easily got lost in the story. Overall, this was a good listen! -
Well, this was sexy and fun.
A little more on the side of playful scenes of physical chemistry than strong mental chemistry. 3.5stars.
