WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

So here's the thing, I liked the first book, It was fun, it was hot, it had some cool backstory. But I never truly felt like Caiden was fully my type. However, every single time Tiernan appeared on the page I got some immediate hear eyes. So imagine my surprise when I learned the second book would be about him - this absolute disaster Fae who everyone, including himself, consider the least suited to be king.

Honestly I loved The Rebel King more than the first installment in this series which is a great thing because sequels rarely live up to the first book. I also loved Fiona and she's my favorite FMC so far. She and Tiernan are so sweet and steamy and absolute goals. I love how Fiona isn't afraid to speak her mind, and how Tiernan finally lives up to his potential without compromising his values. Without giving away too much, there's a particular scene that takes place in the kitchen and it's just *chef's kiss* Just writing about it makes me want to read it again.

Can't wait for Finnian's story!

After learning that his older brother is abdicating the throne and that as next in line, he is now the future king, Tiernan grapples with the fact that he’ll need to let go of his relationship with Fiona. As a lower-caste fae, their relationship is all but forbidden. To make matters worse, a hate group has sprung up in Vegas and is targeting members of the Night Court. Tiernan and the rest of the court rush to find out who is behind these attacks before even more innocent lives are taken.

I enjoyed this one! Unlike with book 1, this had much less focus on the romance (Fiona and Tiernan already have a friends-with-benefits situation going on in book 1 that continues and only intensifies in book 2 as they are forced to stay away from each other) and more focus on the other storyline which I did like. Where book 1 felt low on the fantasy/action, this one picked that up. I’m excited to see how the story continues in the next one! I think this series is great for anyone wanting to dip into Fantasy without feeling overwhelmed (but be aware of the BDSM aspects lol).

In the words of Finnian Verran, "My brain feels like it's about to blow a gasket."

Review to come!

---
More than five stars!

So, I loved The Dark King, but this book...this book blew me away! Like the first book, The Rebel King is a spicy paranormal romance with D/s themes. Whips...whew! Tiernan is my new book boyfriend, kthanks.

Tiernan and Fiona are written perfectly. Compared to Bryn in The Dark King, Fiona was much easier to connect to right away. She's a snarky, but vulnerable badass.
Her and Tiernan have an already established connection going into the story and I appreciated that shift from the fated mates trope. I'd say this lingers more in Forbidden Romance territory.
Their vulnerability becomes really apparent on page, making you able to connect to them easier. I could feel the struggle Tiernan had with the mistake he made in his past and I would've loved to have seen more written about that time in his life.
"Tiernan might come off as being no deeper than a puddle, but you know he's not as shallow as that."
Omg, and Robert! Tiernan's human best friend...I love him so, so much! The absolute best side character.

This being the second book in a series, I HIGHLY recommend reading The Dark King first, even if they are technically standalone books, as I feel like there are a ton of spoilers for the first book and you don't want to miss out on Caiden's book ;)

The Rebel King showed us deeper into the Deviant Kings world, allowing us to meet more of the others. With that little peek into Finnian's story at the end, I am salivating for the next book! December cannot come soon enough.



HUGE thank you to Entangled Publishing (AMARA) for the e-ARC to read, enjoy, and honestly review!

I was waiting with absolute baited breath for this second installment. Spicy, hot, and steamy I am very selective when it comes to my reads that have fantasy elements because they are just not usually my jam, This series, however, is absolutely entrancing. I love Gina's writing so much and the way it parallels the world between Las Vegas and the Fae world so seamlessly is so fun to read. Tiernan is next level hot and Fiona is the FMC of my dreams. I ate this up and left absolutely no crumbs. 5/5 stars!!

I loved the first book in the series The Dark King and the second installment did not disappoint. It might have been even better. The romance, the spice! I loved it.

“Death is a new beginning. Peace in darkness.”

I enjoyed The Rebel King far less than I did The Dark King. It was advertised, that each book in the Deviant Kings series is a standalone, but I would not say that. To fully experience Tiernan's book, I would suggest readers to pick up first book, because you can't talk about second book as it has spoilers from the first.

The Rebel King picks up pretty much where the Dark King left off - with the focus on Tiernan and Fiona. Tiernan is dubbed 'the rebel king' but in my opinion, those are just musings. Yes, he comes off as some party animal, but that's just it. I mean, we all have a reckless, wild and unserious side of ourselves. Fiona is his sweet and naughty maid, so you can imagine the controversial topic that would surround them, if someone would find out. They would be an amazing couple, if author gave them more depth or even proper beginning of the relationship. When you pick up this book, the relationship is already established, so there's wasn't enough build up.

In general, it was somewhat fun and entertaining read, with interesting BDSM scenes. Pace was alright, as I finished it in one sitting. Some twists and turns were bit chaotic (for my tastes). You will get to meet different creatures, vile humans and read some criminal emoji lines, like:

“Honestly, I’m just worried your lady-bits are going to shrivel up from neglect. You need an eggplant in your taco, STAT, girl.”

''Big tongue, waving hand, and then the trio of droplets.' Like five trios of droplets.''
or
''Are you saying you want my eggplant? You saucy little wench.''

#jail My eyes were bleeding when I read these sentences.

Overall, The Rebel King is an easy-to-read story, perfect for fantasy lovers looking for something with a lot more spice and focus on ''vibes'' rather then ''immersive writing''.

2.5 stars

Thank you Gina L. Maxwell, NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

This is the second book in the Deviant Kings series.

I love these characters; they have interesting, robust backgrounds and unique storylines. Not only are our main characters 💯. The side characters introduced in this book are amazing.

In this book, we see both Tiernan’s and Fiona’s worlds turned upside down. There is a forbidden love kind of vibe happening throughout this book, given Tier’s new station in the Dark Fae court.

There is deception and confusion; spice and sadness; love and loss. Overall, a great continuation of this series!

I am so thankful to Gina Maxwell and Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review!

Tiernan and Fiona use the events of the first book in this series to jump right into their own series of (mis)adventures in an attempt to solve a whole host of mysteries that seem to keep befalling the Dark Fae court.

Tiernan is on his way to becoming King after his brother's abdication. Which is not what the self-styled rebel ever wanted to do. Leading was not his style. Until it had to be. And to top it all off, he is very much trying to sort out what to do about his feelings surrounding a certain housekeeper named Fiona Jewel. Not only do they have a fierce physical attraction, but they also have a building, somewhat inconvenient love for each other as well. And there are a whole host of issues that come up along the way to figuring out their relationship. Issues that include busybody council members, what Kings "should" do to preserve the bloodlines and power hierarchy, communicating needs around BDSM activities, and one persistent Light Fae villain in Edevane. Who is beginning to pop up everywhere to wreak havoc and drop information bombs left and right.

We also get to see more characters get involved this time around with Dimitri, Finnian's vampire "friend," and Tiernan's 80-year-old human chess buddy with a sharp wit and no filter. With this book, I loved the continued look into the Dark Fae Court and all of the backstory that keeps unfolding. While this book could be read as a standalone, it makes much more sense in the context of the first book of the series and sets up book 3 in the epilogue. I loved Tiernan and Fi even more than Bryn and Caiden, and the whole story felt more well-rounded. More time with Tiernan and Fi together, and their relationship, would have been amazing, but overall this was fast-paced and fun and definitely makes me want to read on to the next book to see how everything fares with the last Verran brother.

I got this lovely arc to read and review and give my opinion. I want to thank Gina L. Maxwell, Entangled Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity!

“Hey, Dolan, I have a riddle for you. What do you get when you ask a Rebel Prince to ascend the Midnight Throne?”
From the crowd, a familiar gravelly voice shouts, “You get a rebel king!”
“Zwischenzug!”

Wow! Oh my fuckin god!!! This book is so remarkably entertaining! I LOVED everything about it! The plot was better! I really loved the story in this book. It was so exciting and invigorating to see all the plot twist and turns. You got to delve more into the characters. I absolutely LOVE Tier and Fiona!

Wow! Just wow! That scene with pour some sugar on me! Wow! That was some crazy steamy stuff and then you get to the private back house!!!! I was like ….Dumbfounded!!!
I really like the character Dmitri. I love his persona and his wit. He was awesome! I also love Robert! I love his sense of humility and his wisecracking ass!

This book was sooo fuckin awesome!!! Go read it!!!

“Death is a new beginning. Peace in darkness.”

FangFreakingTastic! I could not put this down it was such a delicious read. The characters are well written and plot is subliminal and its spicy in all the right places. Maxwell does a great job at introducing new characters and giving them mystique that keeps you wanting more. I can't wait for book 3, this series has the supernatural romance BDSM on lock. This series is actually my intro to the Spicy world, and the invitation was a great touch.

Thank you for this arc in return for an honest review

Fast paced, sweet, suspenseful and spicy. It was a very interesting read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. It was a fun ride!

Our story is set in Las Vegas where the Dark Fae have built up the city and rule over it. Tiernan is forced to go from a no worries party boy to king of the dark Fae in a matter of months. His first job? Figure out why many Fae within their city are being murdered. He embarks on this mission with a fiery red head named Fiona. With their spicy shared history , true feelings develop but can they actually be together in the end?

I loved the story. I liked the mystery that had to be solved and that they joined forces with other supernaturals such as vampires.

In true Vegas fashion much of our investigation takes place in the darker sexier part of Vegas. With undercover operations in strip clubs and BDSM dungeons. I do find the story to be super interesting and the romance is pretty sweet as the two realize their feelings for one another, however some of the romance was a little uncomfortable as I am not so familiar with BDSM culture….

Pros:
Detailed story and plot
Cute romance that is more like friends with benefits to real feelings for one another
Fast paced and action filled
Good banter
Cons:
Some of the romance scenes seem out of place considering what she goes through but everyone copes differently I suppose.

Overall I loved the read and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series !!

this book is a new author for me! this book def made me feel all the feels and take my time! I totally related to the main character and would recommend this book for anyone looking for something new

Wow, this was a bit much for me personally. I might have been more into it when I was a bit younger but I think I may just not be the target demographic for this anymore. I won't let that affect my rating though and will still give it the rating it deserves. It is a well written book and deserves five stars.

I was swept away by the world of the dark fae that Maxwell created in The Dark King; Caiden and Bryn's story was steamy and had plenty of twists and turns. Tiernan and Fiona's story takes everything up a notch, from the plot twists to the spice and left me devouring their romance and Tier's steps as he took his rightful (if unwanted) place as king.

Both Tiernan and Fiona had quite the journey throughout this book, but it was Fiona's character arc that I ended up loving the most. She ended the previous book knowing she couldn't be with a king; I dove into this book anxious to know how Maxwell was going to play out her storyline and give Fi her happily ever after. The plot twists certainly came early in the story for Fiona, and I ended up loving the rollercoaster of events.

Although the Verran brothers' tastes run dark, I thought there was a surprisingly lack of spicier scenes to showcase that. Maxwell does give readers a few steamier scenes, but the book does focus more on Tier and Fiona as they work to find a way back to each other as Tiernan prepares to take over the royal title.

While each Verran brother's book is technically a standalone in an interconnected world, I definitely recommend reading The Dark King before heading into The Rebel King; between characters and plot points, there is a lot of spill over from the previous book that deeply affects the plots of this one. In fact, I would have lost a lot of references throughout this second book had I not read Caiden and Bryn's story first.

I went into this book planning on a lot of shenanigans from our playboy prince of the dark fae. His reputation preceded him, but I was truly surprised at how much the plot deviated from what I was expecting. There was action and a bit of mystery, and while Tiernan remained his suave self, the story definitely focused more on his growth and maturity as a true king than I was expecting. Despite being different, Tiernan grew as a character exactly as Fiona needed him to and he was a better king for his people because of it.

Listen, I am a SUCKER for the unwilling leader trope. I love "greatness thrust upon you." This picks up with the younger brother forced into the role of King after his older brother steps down. However, there was some very cringey dialogue that kind of snapped me out of the story, and took a moment for me to come back too.

The Rebel king was great! The storyline sucked me in and I can’t wait for the next one. I could go without the erotica plot lines but I feel this one was more tame than Book 1 of the series which I appreciated. Definitely not recommending to my students but the baseline story is well written and you can really connect with all of the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.

This is second book in the Deviant Kings series.

Friends to lovers ✔️
Spicy sex ✔️
Funny banter ✔️
Great characters ✔️
Amazing plot ✔️

This is easily one of my favorite books of the year so far. I really REALLY love Tiernan and Fiona. I love their friendship and I love their chemistry. I read other reviews before reading this and was a bit worried but at last I get that this book isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I personally loved it and can’t wait for the third book to release.

They call him the The Rebel Prince “King” for a reason and I absolutely LOVED the ending. I won’t spoil it here but just know my heart is so happy. Also that cliffhanger with Finnian has me on the edge of my seat!

4 stars!!!

Thank you to Net Galley for providing me an ARC of this book! I really appreciate it.

Before I begin this review I want to point out that while I dabble in reading romance (and dark romance) I am largely NOT a romance reader and therefore the view I went into this book with is very different from a lot of other readers.

Actually, I originally thought this was more urban fantasy than romance (entirely my fault I forgot what the description said).

That's also why it took me a while to read this book because I wasn't in a very romance book-reading kind of mood.

However, I did enjoy this.

Ok so first I'm just going to directly start with the romance and hey other romance writers I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE TAKING NOTES BECAUSE THIS, THIS IS THE SHIT.

Please thank you, god, for giving me a romance book--especially a dark romance book--that steps away from toxic masculinity and misogyny because this is what I want when I say dark romance.

I adore the relationship between the two main characters and I'm SO glad at how chemistry filled it but also, it is so comforting to both ends like it's just the perfect kind of relationship, y'know? I only wish that we had a few more scenes of them spending time with each other.

Unfortunately, though, the romance is really the only thing I loved.

While I am of the impression that Tiernan's character is relatively well developed, I felt something missing with Fiona's (and also the constant allusions to her "fierce" personality due to her being a redhead felt very early 2000s).

I felt similarly about some of the other characters though that may be because no one really gets the time to shine except Tiernan so maybe if there had been more scenes I would feel more strongly about them.

I complain often about books that felt too long but in the case of this one, I think it was too short actually. A couple of things plot-wise needed more time to develop and there should have been scenes in between to make up for that (where the characters would get more time to connect with the audience) but because that didn't happen you go through pretty much the whole book feeling like the pacing just isn't right.

The plot itself is honestly fine. It's compelling. It's honestly just the pacing that bothers me and the villain (I won't go into too much detail on him but he just felt very comical and cartoon-y I can't be intimidated by someone who acts like they are a 10-year-old lol).

Overall, I like it and I'm definitely going to be looking at this author more

I had such high hopes for this book since finished the 1st ARC of the 1st one I had immediately went and bought it when it became available. Unfortunately, I did not have the same driving need to do so with this one. I was good, just not as enjoyable and hot as the 1st. I look forward to the next however!

The Rebel King - Gina L. Maxwell

5/5⭐️
3.5/5 🌶️
This Book will be coming out July 2023

✨✨✨✨✨✨
Tiernan, also known as the Rebel Prince finds out recently that his brother, the king of the Dark Fae Night Court is stepping down as king for his love. A curse that will end up trying to kill him because of his love and family line. Tiernan has no choice but to step up and figure out his shit before C-Day.

Fiona works as a housemaid in Midnight Manor where the king and family resides during times. Well Fiona and Tiernan have what we like to call, a hidden in the supply closet type of relationship. Now that he’s king he can’t be with her though. She’s a half-ling. Half Human, Half Fae Blood as she thinks.

When the Fae starts getting Brutally attacked and murdered by a group of individuals called the NPO. Their mission is to take out all Fae. When the truths start to reveal themselves, many will be pushed to their limits! Who will come out on top and will love make it through?

📚📚📚
If you enjoy:
~ Fae
~ kings and Queens
~ Vampires and Werewolves
~ forbidden love
~ rescue missions
~ mind games
~ the game of chess
~ BDSM
… You should definitely check this out

📚📚📚
I truly enjoyed this book so much! I have a hard time finding Fae books that are just mmhhhm perfect and this is the one! I highly recommend reading this book once it’s out! Tiernan is absolutely yummy and his relationship with Little Red is ugh everything! This book had me on my toes the whole time!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you @NetGalley for this ARC copy and @Entangled_Publishing
#books #booklover #smut #booknerd #bookfriend #bookish #booklovers #bookishcommunity #bookloversunite #instabook #bookporn #bookphotography #reviews #igbooks #ilovereading #smutty #bookaddiction #bookhoader #hotnsexy #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecs #yummy #givemeallthebooks #readingthepainaway #booktok #netgalley #arc