Summary
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.
Review
I was wondering where the author would go next with this series. In my opinion, she did even better with Tiernan’s story than she did with Caiden.
After Caiden abdicated in the previous book, his younger brother Tiernan is supposed to be crowned. Which makes his relationship with Fiona, the half-human housekeeper, a forbidden one. At first, Fiona and Tier are mostly friends with benefits–without being really friends either. They even banter quite a lot. But it’s clear from the beginning that there’s a bit more than just attraction between them: there’s respect and admiration. And yeah, a lot of attraction. I found it very telling and sweet that the things Fiona was the most insecure about were also the things Tiernan liked the most. As a dominant lover, Tiernan was quite selfless and attentive. Even the scenes they both participated in were different than most BDSM scenes written in romance.
If Beauty and the Beast was in the background of the first book, this time the author references Little Red Riding Hood. But not a lot. The fact that Fiona has red hair explains her nickname, Little Red, and that’s pretty much it. Tiernan is far from a big bad wolf–though there are some in the story–and there’s no grand-mother in sight. There are patterns of concealing one’s identity, though.
The other recurring metaphore is chess, as seen on the cover, and I guess it sums up the story pretty well too.
Besides the romance, the story revolves once again around the rivalry between the Dark and the Light faes. But the author added another surprising element: a human faction fighting against the faes. The racist subtext behind their actions was obvious too.
Politics and diplomacy were also a big part of the story. It was an interesting element, as Tiernan is introduced as a rebel, and you’d imagine that negociation and following rules wouldn’t be among his skills.
I could complain that some decisions they make while looking for the bad guys don’t make a lot of sense, but they bring Tiernan and Fiona together. So in the end, I won’t complain. It’s a sexy, entertaining paranormal romance, and that’s already a lot.
Quickie
- Series: Deviant kings #2 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #paranormal romance #billionaire romance #dark romance #forbidden romance #royal romance #fae #BDSM #erotica
- Triggers: BDSM, violence, death, injuries, sexual abuse
- Main couple: Fiona Jewell & Tiernan Verran
- Hotness: 5/5
- Romance: 5/5
- + I loved the kinky side of the story, it had meaning
- – such a complicated plot… interesting, but still complicated
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EDIT: I knew, diving into this audio, that I would enjoy the narration, and I was right. Both narrators are great, and are perfectly cast. Tiernan’s narrator was light and funny when needed, and more introspective and deep at other times, while Fiona’s narrator’s energy matched with the character, bold and stubborn. It was a great way to enjoy the book.
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