Review: The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell

Author: Gina L. Maxwell
Pages: 352
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Date: September 27, 2022
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Summary:
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.

My Review:
Okay so I picked this book up to read the back of the book thinking, “Okay this is a supernatural spicy book with Fae in it.” I read the first few pages inside the book and it held my attention. I decided to keep reading, the beginning was very fun and flirty. As the story progresses, it is a mixture of everything.

Well……Some bits got pretty spicy that I was a bit shocked. Shocked!!! Some bits were not my cup of tea but I wanted to know what was going to happen to Bryn and Caiden anways. So I kinda of skipped those bits. Warning: darker side of spicy bits are not your thing then you may not like it. Everyone has their own things that they like and don’t like. I didn’t realize what it said on the cover below after I finished the book. It said ““Neon Gods meets Fifty Shades… Deliciously dark and sexy!” ―#1 NYT bestselling author Helen Hardt“. We all know what Neon Gods and Fifty Shades is!

Anyway, I think the supernatural element got me more intrigued. I kept trying to figure out what was going to happen next regarding to the supernatural side with Caiden and what Bryn’s mystery was. As I kept reading further into the story, I had a hunch on two things. Well one of them was right and the other was wrong but it was fun to guess. I even enjoyed the side characters in the story too. It kept me interested and I could not put it down. It wasn’t the whole spicy thing that kept me reading, it was the connection and what was going to happen next.

I really liked the connection that Caiden and Bryn had. It was on different levels and how they bring the best out in each other in various ways. Bryn is sassy, witty and knows who she is. Confidence! She’s not afraid of what to say. Caiden is powerful, fae and possessive. He’s the boss..what more can I say? He eventually changes a little bit when his relationship with Bryn deepens which is a good thing. They’re magic together. They run hot, then they run cold then they run back to hot. What more can I say?

So……What exactly happens to Caiden and Bryn? Do they continue to be together? Does something drive them apart? I”m not telling. Go get the book if you are interested.

I’m glad I took a chance to read this book. I rarely read this kind of spicy stuff but I know it’s out there. I really liked this supernatural world that Caiden and Bryn are in. It’s fascinating and I am looking forward to seeing what is going to happen next. The way the book ended is open for more adventures of that world.

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

• Publisher : Wednesday Books;
• Date: April 7, 2020
• Paperback : 416 pages
• Author: Emily A. Duncan

Summary:

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.

A prince in danger must decide who to trust.

A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.

In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light. Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy.

My Review:

I have mixed feelings about this book. The beginning caught my attention really well. Nadya Lapteva to me seemed to be main character but the story would switch back and forth between viewpoints of Nadya and Serefin, who was the prince. This took me a while to figure out in the story as I then started to look at the chapter pages.

Basically there is a war going on along with other things which Nadya wants to end and so does Serefin. Enters: Malachiasz Czechowicz who is a bit strange to me but as I kept on reading I couldn’t figure him out. At first I thought he was the enemy then he wasn’t and then he is? Which one is it? I am so confused on that character. There are some other characters that pop up in the book that are side characters. I think some of them help move the story along. The witch caught my attention. Anyways Nadya, Serefin and Malachiasz eventually agree a plan to end the war together along with stopping the king but does it happen? Cue the drama!!

There is content of violence, murder, self-harm for blood magic. Some parts of it was a tad gory for me as I read through those parts rather quickly. The whole blood magic and creepy Vultures were creeeepy!

I just do not know how I feel about this book. Maybe I need another day to think on it?

There is a sequel because the book did leave it open for a cliffhanger. I do not know if I am going to read the next book yet. I have to think on this.

Anyone else read this book and liked it? Thoughts??

Mary Fan Cover Reveal

 

Fire fears nothing. And Elaia is about to show her world that she doesn’t, either.

Like the rest of her kind, fire nymph Elaia is bound to her homeland, a forest whose borders were closed centuries earlier in a peace agreement between the humans and the enchanted creatures of the Terrestrial Realm.

But her heart is as restless as the flames she casts, and she secretly yearns to defy that order.

When a mysterious threat creeps into the forest, an invisible beast that leaves a trail of death in its wake, Elaia is determined to fight back and protect her people. Before she can, however, she must learn what the beast is … and the answers lie beyond the borders of her land.

Defeating this evil means she’ll have to go outside the rules, but she’ll do anything to find the answers she seeks—even if leaving her homeland means not only breaking the law, but risking her own life.

Published Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Glass House Press

Mary Fan is a hopeless dreamer, whose mind insists on spinning tales of “what if.” As a music major in college, she told those stories through compositions. Now she tells them through books—a habit she began as soon as she could pick up a pencil. Mary would like to think that there are many other novels in her bag, and hopes to prove that to the world as well.

Mary lives in New Jersey and has a B.A. from Princeton University. When she’s not scheming to create new worlds, she enjoys kickboxing, opera singing, and blogging about everything having to do with books.

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Glass House Press

 

Book Update

Okay so far I have read these two books below:

Twice Temptation – Jeaniene Frost  I can’t stop reading these series. I need to get the 3rd one!  The two main characters in this book is quite fascinating.  I keep wanting to know what is going to happen to them or how they are going to react to each other.

Night’s Promise by Amanda Ashley.  This book was okay considering  I am a big fan of the author.   The cover caught my eye as the storyline is rather interesting.  Vampires all around.

Right now I’m currently reading Passenger by Alexandra Bracken.  I just started it so we shall see where it takes me.  The cover is stunning!   Time travel adventures.

T

 

These will be next to read:  Almost to Die for by Tate Hallaway.   Even Vampires Get the Blues by Sandra Hill.

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Disclaimer: I bought this book to read to give it an honest opinion!

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Publisher: Penguin Group USA Incor
Date: 3/31/2011
Pages: 304

Overview
Caitlyn Monahan knows she belongs somewhere else. It’s what her dead mother’s note suggested, and it’s what her recurring nightmares allude to. Desperate to flee these terrifying dreams-and her small town-she accepts a spot at a boarding school in France. Only, when she arrives, her nightmares get worse. But then there are her amazing dreams, so vivid and so real, with visits from an alluring, mysterious, and gorgeous Italian boy from the 1500s. Caitlyn knows they are soul mates, but how can she be in love with someone who exists only in her dreams? Then, as her reality and dream world collide, Caitlyn searches for the real reason why she was brought to this school. And what she discovers will change her life forever.

My Take
The main character Caitylyn was very realistic and likable character. I could understand how Caityln felt going to a new school, who hasn’t felt like that? Get those butterflies of nervousness in our tummies and then slowly trying to make friends. I’m sure we all have been there. I know I have!

I loved how she connected with Raphel. I felt like this book had a bit of time traveling though Caitylyn dreams. If you like time traveling, ghost stories, treasure hunting, romance and a bit of gothic, then this book is for you. Yes there is a treasure hunting aspect in it which reminded me of Da Vinci Code movie a little bit feel like an adventure.

Love being in a different time and can’t really savor it since of the time differences is heart wrenching. I love that! Gloom and doom of love and yet is there hope for it to survive?

Historical aspect was written very well with detail. The author did well with this. I hope to read more of her books down the road.

Cover Rating: B
Story Rating: A

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