Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Rebel King is the second installment in the Deviant Kings series. I enjoyed Caiden and Bryn in book one, but Tiernan and Fiona are *chef's kiss! This story felt like so much more in every way. We got to know the characters beyond the superficial and at least for me, they became beloved.

The obstacles that they faced individually and together were paced so well and had me on the edge of my seat! I absolutely devoured this book once I had time to sit down and read.

Also, as an avid reader of spicy romance novels - when BDSM is included you can usually tell that the author has done little to no research or just throws it in because it's trendy and may blend into the plot well. Now, Gina Maxwell is a master of writing spice, but I was truly impressed with how she handled the BDSM aspects of this book. It was so respectful and refreshing to read. If you want to read how a scene should be handled ... pick up this book.

One last thing - I am a BIG fan of morally grey characters. Tiernan perfectly embodies all that is grey, BUT he has a total teddy bear side for Fi and it just makes me melt.

I am ready for book three, but book two will be hard to beat!

I read this book for the romance and politics, but ultimately, it did not live up to expectations. With the understanding that this was about a king, I expected the conflicts to be more political. Kingdom sackings, war, etc. Much more of a Dune feel.

Instead, this book reminded me of many other books centered around mafia characters. The "political" struggles between kingdoms felt much more like what novelists believe gang violence looks like.

I also think that this book fell prey to the common issue of female writers not understanding how men think. Tiernan is supposed to be absolutely in love with Fiona, willing to risk everything. Instead, the author writes him like a 14 year old boy whose seen boobs for the first time. The way he speaks about the woman he is supposed to love is ill-suited for the type of romance the author is expecting us to believe there is between them.

I really hope in the future, this author spends more time reading romances that center a male narrator authored by men because Tiernan is 100% not how men think or behave. "I drive like a cullen"?

👑😈 THE REBEL KING REVIEW 😈👑

Author: Gina L. Maxwell
Publisher: Entangled
Pub date: July 25, 2023
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Gina L. Maxwell knows what she is doing. I love each brother so much although I really think Tiernan is my favorite. When I tell you guys I could not put this down, I mean it. I was glued. It's been a while since I've been excited to sit down and read. This book clearly had me entranced.
We follow Prince Tiernan who has to suddenly become a king after his older brother ( read THE DARK KING for more information*wink*) abdicates from the throne. He is thrusted into a world he never had to learn about and has to learn how to believe and trust in himself. We also follow a sexy redheaded beauty named Fiona, which i have a crush on as well, who has been raised to be Fae all her life. When things take a turn and plot twists happen over and over again in her life, she puts herself into a dangerous situation in order to prove herself as part of the dark fae.
Together Fiona and Tiernan fall into a sexy, needy, romantic love story that will leave you gripping the book and turning the page hungry for more, more , MORE!
The plot was easy to follow and filled with so much action. I kept thinking to myself how this book would make a great action movie. The world building was easy to understand and I could vividly see exactly what was going on. At times i forgot i was reading. My favorite part of the book was all the banter! Oh it was so good in this book. It had me smiling and laughing! It was so good to see characters from The Dark King once again! My heart warmed seeing the names and all the wonderful news she writes about them.
Im taking a .5 off just because at times i felt like things may have dragged on for just a moment but ultimately it was all worth it when it picked up again. Especially when the spicy scenes came to play. Grab yourself a ice cold glass of water and start a cold shower cuz you gonna need it! The spice is amazing! I wished there would have been more. Honestly Gina could write a book thats just sex and i would read it. Shes spectacular at writing spice. A huge thing i have to commend her for is her knowledge on BDSM. She shows the importance of talking with your partner, knowing their limits, safe words, watching your partners body language, and as well as aftercare. To see that accurately portrayed made me feel safe.
Over all this book is amazing and I HIGHLY recommend this book to those who love a bit of spice 🌶️😈
Thank you Gina L. Maxwell, Entangled, and netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review!

I did not like this book as much as the first one. I enjoyed the first one due to the characters but I never really liked Tiernan and the drama that pushed the story forward in the first book was gone in this one just didn't grab my attention.

“ Because a prince can fool around with whomever he wants. The king can’t.”


This was a good follow up stand-alone in a series for Gina Maxwell. I originally read The Dark King late last year and I enjoyed it.

This is Tiernan and Fiona’s story.

Tiernan is the king to be.
Fiona is one of the employees of the crown.

Their relationship is completely forbidden. As the story goes on it becomes even more forbidden.

It’s definitely a long book even though it doesn’t necessarily need to be. I feel like a lot of it is story/character building when it’s not necessary in book two.

I saw a review say Tiernan and Fiona’s relationship was heavily lust driven which I can see but I do see there could be love built over time as well.

All in all, a pretty decent book.

Book 2 of the Deviant Kings series was just as good as the first, maybe even better! I really loved Tiernan and Fiona's storyline, their chemistry was undeniable.

This was a spicy, suspenseful and exciting read. I really enjoy how Gina is able to combine a steamy romance with a twisty action filled plot in perfect unison.

I can't wait to for book three to be released!

Thank you Net Galley , Entangled Publishing LLC and Gina Maxwell for an ARC of this book.

"Power is as ruinous as it is advantageous."

The second book has proved to be even better than the first! Tiernan is definitely my favorite brother and I couldn't get enough of his and Fiona's story! If you have read The Dark King you will be plenty familiar with all the characters. That being said this can be enjoyed as a standalone, so long as you don't mind spoilers for The Dark King.

"If I’m the king on this chessboard, Fiona is the queen."

My one critique of the first book was that I felt the plot and the characters didn't have enough depth. There is no such problem here! I adored the characters (and their relationship) so much! They each had their own issues and worked together to overcome them and be stronger together. The romance is fantastic and I loved how sensitive Tiernan was with Fiona. Aside from the romance, there is still a strong plot and I didn't see all of the twists coming. Needless to say, I will be impatiently awaiting the release of the third book.

I liked this but didn't love it as much as the author's first book in this series (The Dark King). I didn't feel as strongly about the romance between Fiona and Tiernan. There wasn't enough build up to make the reader believe that what they shared was more than lust. However, there were many cute moments and I enjoyed seeing all the characters from the previous books again. All in all, a good read but it didn't blow me away.

Many thanks to Entangled Publishing LLC and Netgalley for the ARC

Overall an okay book. I wish there was more interactions and banter between the protagonists, but the dual POV made the pining fun.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Fans of fantasy romance featuring morally gray Fae are going to love this one. It had a really creative world, dynamic characters, humor and lots and lots of spice! This is a great read to add to your romantasy TBR list!

This was spicy, but the plot did not suffer. This maybe the only look into bdsm that didn’t make me want to run far and fast from it. I have been dying for more of these two since the final scene in book one…. And I was not disappointed. The plot kept me engaged and the spice was SPICY!!! “Good Girl.” ::swoon:: Now I am going to impatiently wait for book 3

I fucking loved this. I wish all romance books were more like this.
I thought this would be just another mafia-esque dark romance with spicy scenes and questionable situations involving morally grey love interests but turns out it was much more... real, I think would be the right word.

A lot of romance books include situations that should definitely be an episode of Criminal Minds, but not this one. And it's actually what I love about it. There's no Stockholm syndrome but instead there's actual interaction and it made the BDSM just that much better. If anything I kinda wish there had been more of that.

I hadn't heard of this author or read any of her work previously but I'll definitely look into more of her books in the future.
And for anyone wondering if this works as a standalone: yes, it does. I now have another book boyfriend.

The book does have it's weird moments, like when two of the female characters talk in emojis. Like, a face-to-face conversation but instead of real sentences they just list emojis. Which was weird and kind of funny but the book doesn't try to be overly serious so it fits the mood.

Whether you have read Maxwell’s entire backlist or you are picking this book after loving the first, you will be sucked into Tiernan and Fiona’s story. Maxwell’s prowess has always been in the intimate scenes, to which she delivers as expected, but the intricate web of plot she has delivered in The Rebel King is a true testament to her full writing capabilities.

The Rebel King is a tantalizing, riveting, and completely consuming read.

***Reviewed by Cassie S
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/26374121-cassie

"The Rebel King" by Gina L. Maxwell is a thrilling and steamy fantasy romance novel. Tiernan is the rebel prince of the Verran brothers who loves his freedom and pleasure in Sin City. He has a secret desire for a beautiful, red-headed woman named Fiona. However, Tiernan's life takes an unexpected turn when he is forced to become the king of the Dark Fae. Pursuing Fiona becomes forbidden, and he struggles to reconcile his duty with his desire. The author does an excellent job of creating a rich and complex world that immerses readers in a fascinating and imaginative fantasy world. The characters are well-developed, and the chemistry between Tiernan and Fiona is electric. The pacing is perfect, with a good balance of romance and action, making it a page-turner. The author's writing style is engaging and descriptive, making the story come alive. Overall, "The Rebel King" is a highly recommended read for fans of fantasy romance.