My biggest complaint is that this reads like a contemporary romance with cheesy dialogue. But the description and cover come across as dark fantasy. Definitely isn't dark. However I did enjoy Fiona and Tiernan story

DNF @ 34%.

This ARC was very kindly provided through NetGalley, though all thoughts are my own.

Unfortunately I can't finish this book even though I was really looking forward to it. I really love Tiernan's character and his reluctant nature in the future he's thrown into. I also LOVE Fiona and their chemistry together.

However, around the part that I stopped reading at the author was describing that the Fae were having to go through a Lock Down, like the humans experienced during a pandemic, because of extremist groups that are rising up and trying to kill the fae.

I can't do pandemic. I can't do extremists. it's too soon for me.

Had I known this, I probably would not have requested this ARC as it is very much a me thing and not any fault of the book.

Up until this point, I was enjoying the book even though I was feeling it was a slow start and a bit overly descriptive in parts. and again, I love this world and the characters a lot. But I do love this Gina L Maxwell's work and will definitely try more books from her. My star rating on this is only because required and this was how i was feeling about it up until the time i DNF'd.

I really hate to do this, especially with books I requested, but I'm an anxious person who reads for fun, and nobody wants to stress out in their self-care time.

An absolute joy to read! You will get hooked from the first page and not be able to put it down. It was full of laughs, tears, and love all rolled up into one fabulous story.

I didn't read the first one in this series but I devoured this one! The story was compelling, the chemistry between the leads was delicious, and the drama was intense. And that cliffhanger! I can't wait for the next one.

Well, I learned after reading this book that although I might enjoy spicy books, dark or forbidden spice just isn’t my thing.

I enjoyed this authors previous book, but this one was just a bit too much for me so I DNF’d it.

I do think that lovers of dark fantasy novels will probably devour it though.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

I went back and forth on how to rate this book and ultimately decided on three stars. I LOVED the first book, but I can’t say the same for this next installment unfortunately. I think I just didn’t connect with Tiernan and Fiona the way I did with Bryn and Caiden, which made it hard for me to care about this/their story. I do like this world and Dmitri is my favorite supporting character so I’m still excited to see where things go in the next book!

I loved the first book, so I knew I had to request this immediately! Personally, it was okay ready, there was no plot, but it had great dark fantasy romance. I am not sure if I will continue with the series only because I prefer plot over spice.

I really wanted to like this book more - mainly because I was more interested in Tiernan and Fiona than Caiden and Brynn from the first book. Those two were way too grumpy-sunshine, and I usually love that trope!

At every turn in The Rebel King, there were glaring opportunities to flesh out this contemporary/urban/dark fantasy world - which is apparently full of Fae, vampires, werewolves, and other mythical creatures. But at every turn, the story instead gave *vibes* instead of world-building.

Tiernan and Fiona's relationship journey - 4 stars
The overall plot and story of this book - 3 stars

Not a terrible read and I enjoyed it for what it was. I'd also say the spice was better in this one because the characters had a deeper and more established connection instead of basically insta-love and insta-lust like Caiden and Brynn.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of The Rebel King. All thoughts and opinions on this review are my own.

I absolutely DEVOURED The Dark King when I read the ARC for it last year, and The Rebel King was absolutely the same feeling for me. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to love a couple & their story as much as I loved Caiden & Bryn’s story…but I was wrong. Tiernan is such a FUNNY male lead & Fiona is just so damned relatable with her wit and sassing. I absolutely LOVED the addition of the Romanov vampires & the role it seems they’ll be playing in the third book. I’m such a slut for well developed and relatable characters vs complicated plot.

As far as plot goes, The Rebel King built on The Dark King so well. More background info and context for the overarching storyline were given without massive amounts of info dumping, which I appreciate.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Rebel King & will be recommending it to friends. I cannot WAIT to see what Finnian’s book holds, my fingers are crossed for some “touch her and die” himbo energy

I seriously love Gina’s books! This one did NOT disappoint! I loved Tiernan and Fiona! I enjoyed the magic, the fae, the story, and the amazing chemistry the MC’s had! I hadn’t read the first one, but I will be going back to read it. This book also had all the BDSM spice! I think Fiona and Tiernan work so well together in and out of the bedroom! Also knowing that them being together was forbidden added to the hotness! I loved that they worked together to find the missing fae women. I also enjoyed the vampires in this story! Really there wasn’t much to not love! I can’t wait to read the next in this series! Highly recommend this one!

Gina does an amazing job creating a fantasy world that I would love to experience. Her characters are relatable and I can’t wait to read more of this series.

4/5 stars!

I love this series okay! I'm such a huge fan of Gina L. Maxwell im starting to work my way through her entire log of books! This is the second book in this series and I really love the way that she has set up this series making each book a new character is not something new but the ways she passes the baton to the next character is truly interesting! My only sad thing is why do I keep picking up incomplete series? Because I do not have a patient disposition okay?? but maybe this is making me grow... who knows!

Anyway... banter is fire, spice is fire, couple was cute as hecky hecky! This series gets The Bookish Life stamp of approval!

Whoa, didn't think this author could up the ante from the first book in this series, but she totally freaking did! This story had loads of twists and turns, and on top of Tiernan and Fiona's off the charts chemistry, this book was a real page turner. Difficult to put down, there were a few 2am mornings for me, but it was so worth it! Lots of nail biting moments, and this couple just hit all the marks for me. Awesome ending for this book and I cannot wait for Finns book!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

The Rebel King is the second book in Gina’s Deviant Kings series. I really enjoyed the first one so when I was approved for the second one I was thrilled. Again this novel is told in dual POV ( between Tiernan and Fiona ) and like the first one I also enjoyed this one! Tiernan was the playboy brother and after his old brother Abdicated the throne it was passed down to him and this becomes an issue because of his secrecy relationship with Fiona, who is only a half Fae and not fit for a king.

I honestly loved these two together and thought they just fit perfectly. Fiona is a badass, but at the same time she’s very selfless which I adored. Again I just thought these 2 worked perfectly together and reading about their love story was just everything and more! This novel was very layered and had all the elements needed to make it interesting like suspense, steamy romance, court politics, found family and more.

I enjoyed this almost as much as the first and I can’t wait for the conclusion!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for gifting me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

wow Gina Maxwell takes us on a new adventure in this world that I love, it had me heart in my throat and on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

I loved Tiernan and Fiona's story, their emotional and physical connection and their deliciously hot scenes. The Rebel King is the perfect combination of feelings, spicy BDSM, angsty, action and adventure, a world o magical beings, faes, mates, vampires, definitely highly recommended for fans of dark paranormal romance

This second installment was still enjoyable, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first.
Fiona and Tiernan's story was missing something for me, maybe the angst of the forbidden love trope (which is what it was because Tiernan was now king of the Dark Fae and was only supposed to marry royalty).
I felt.like the plot.was lacking something and it the ending felt rushed.

The Rebel King directly follows the events from The Dark King, so read that 1st. The stories are interconnected. They follow a line of Dark fae brothers ruling the night court in Vegas. I loved that this story started to add in vampires in addition to the fae courts. It is smutty, fun, and the perfect book for a steamy summer night!

Book Review: The Rebel King by Gina L Maxwell
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This review may contain minor spoilers.

The Rebel King is book 2 in The Deviant Kings series and takes place in the months following the Dark King. Tiernan has been named the new king of the dark fae and only has a few months to prepare before his coronation. Part of the requirements are selecting a consort and producing an heir to continue the Verran line. This leaves him and Fiona reeling with the loss of their FWB relationship. This book includes found family, hidden identity, undercover schemes, and a little whodunnit.

Throughout the whole book I was trying to puzzle out how the MCs could end up together. As with all fae stories, wording is *very* important and I would dissect phrases, agreements, and rules with this in mind. I was also heartbroken for Fiona when she learned more about her family. I felt her pain when she realized that leaving would be the best path forward. All this to say, I spent the majority of the book feeling sad for the characters.

I felt like this book had less spice than the first, however maybe I should have rated the first at 3 🌶️s too. With the kinks hinted at in this book this reader was hoping to see a bit more. The spicy scenes were well written and exciting, I just wanted more of them. Loved the undercover infiltration of the enemy territory. It was fun and it got the MCs out of their routine to see each other in a new light.

Dmitri and Finnian were both a gem to read about. A little predictable who Finn's love interest would end up being, but I'm not mad about it! Looking forward to finding out how he becomes the Vicious King in the next book.

Thanks NetGalley & Entangled Publishing for the eARC!

Gina L Maxwell does it again in the amazing Deviant Kings series with Tiernan, The Rebel King.

There were certainly clues within The Dark King as to who Tiernan's love interest would be and I was not disappointed and neither will you!

The expected mystery and skulduggery continues whilst Tiernan is preparing for his new role and has to step up to the plate to manage the mayhem.

The spice level in this is hawt, hawt, hawt but does not, in any way, detract from the amazing story.

Plots are uncovered and some mysteries are solved but you know Finnian's time has yet to come so the mystery will most certainly continue.

I for one can't wait for the youngest Prince's story but The Rebel King will take some beating.

Anyone who likes dark romance, hot and mesmerizing fae and lot of spice should definitely read Gina’s new book. „The Dark King“ is a perfect mix of those things. Gina L. Maxwell has a wonderful writing style that has me in a chokehold. I just flew through the pages and i couldn’t put the book down. I finished the book in a few hours. The cover is perfect and fits the plot well. Gina knows how to inspire her readers and the erotic scenes were damn hot and I had to fan myself a few times.

The characters were wonderfully developed. They had depth and you could understand the respective actions and behavior very well. Bryn fell straight into my heart and I admired her a lot for how she handled her situation. She is brave and despite everything, she is not intimidated by Caiden. Caiden was a character that hits like a bomb. I fell in love with him straight away. The chemistry between Caiden and Bryn was there from the first page and there’s a lot of sparks between these two.

The dark king was an extremely good book and anyone who likes fae and dark romance should definitely not miss this book. And after this ending, i’m really looking forward to the next part of the series. I highly recommend this book.