The Rebel King

• Author: Gina L. Maxwell
• Genre: Romance/Erotica
• Publication Date: July 25, 2023
• Publisher: Entangled: Amara
• Series: Deviant Kings #2

Thank you to Gina L. Maxwell and Entangled: Amara for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: murder, violence, blood, gun violence, gore

All work and no wicked play makes Tiernan a very unsatisfied king…

Of all the Verran brothers, Tiernan is the least suited to wear the Night Court crown. The Rebel Prince is happy with no responsibilities or accountability—just the freedom to pursue his own dark, lush pleasures in Sin City. Including his secret hunger for a certain smart-mouthed, fiery redhead.

Only, the possibility of having Fiona is stripped away when Tiernan is thrust into the one role he never wanted: king. As king of the Dark Fae, wanting—let alone pursuing—anything with a lower-caste fae like Fiona would shift from fun…to forbidden.

Now war is emerging from the shadows of Vegas, and Tiernan is caught between who he’s meant to be and who he wants. And somewhere in this maelstrom of lust, love, and rebellion is the key to the Dark Fae’s survival…even if the cost is more than he can imagine.

Each book in the Deviant Kings series is STANDALONE:

* The Dark King

* The Rebel King

From the second that I finished the last sentence in my ARC of The Dark King, I couldn’t wait to get my little grabby hands on a copy of this book. And I am incredibly grateful to have gotten my hands on a copy of this as soon as I could. It was everything I could have hoped for and more, so trust me when I say that you want a copy of this.

If you’ve read the first book in this series, you’ll be familiar with the characters. If you haven’t, don’t worry because this can also work as a standalone. After the abdication of his older brother Caiden as a result of a curse, the crown falls to the reluctant middle Verran brother, Tiernan. He’s got a reputation as a rebel, a playboy, and definitely not someone who you’d think would be comfortable leading the Dark Fae. 

But that’s exactly what happens, and it means that there’s a lot of changes coming for him. Starting with his lifestyle. Instead of living it up, bachelor style, he’s going to have to get serious and find an appropriate consort. And his serious secret affair with Fiona isn’t going to cut it anymore, since she’s only half-Fae and that makes her not appropriate for the King to be messing around with. The only problem is, he can’t get her off his mind. And Fiona is miserable without him too. But they’ve got bigger problems to worry about, like someone on the loose who is murdering Dark Fae in Vegas.

We get POV chapters from both Tiernan and Fiona, and I loved seeing both of their perspectives as they’re forced to work together to figure out where this threat is coming from and how to fight it. The story is sexy, fast-paced, full of action, and never, ever boring. There’s some seriously steamy sex scenes, and there’s the added depth of more BDSM in this book than there was in the previous one—exhibitionism, flogging, and whips are some of what you can expect, but it’s all handled gently and sensitively. 

In addition to all the mystery, court politics, and random pop-ins from characters in the first book, there’s the swooniest romance I could have ever asked for, and I loved how Maxwell wrote it. It was written beautifully, and for a while I wasn’t sure how it was going to work out, but I knew that a HEA was coming. This is a standout example of what romantasy (romance-fantasy) should be, and it’s done absolutely perfectly.

People who have sat around with me while I’m reading, especially when there’s a surprising reveal, a shocking plot twist, or an unexpected event often look up in alarm when I gasp audibly. The gasp factor is directly related to the number of times I audibly gasp during a reading, and there isn’t an upper limit.

Gasp Factor: 13

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