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Horde Kings of Dakkar #2
Claimed by the Horde King
She broke their laws. Now, he has come to punish her…
In my human settlement on the hostile plains of Dakkar, I am an outcast, a strange girl orphaned since birth, alone, and dreaming of a life I don't have. I hunt to survive, though it is forbidden, though it breaks the strict Dakkari laws that we all must follow.
When my desperate actions catch the attention of a Dakkari horde king—a cold, powerful, and merciless warrior leader, with eyes like flint and a body like steel—he seeks to punish me…and he succeeds.
But then he does the unexpected.
Instead of taking my life, he claims me as his own.
He steals me from my village and brings me back to his battle-bred horde. There, I warm his bed. I make bargains with him on starry, cold nights. I look into his grey eyes and see not a monster, but a demon king who captures my soul.
But demons have a way of never letting go…and as the cold season descends upon Dakkar, I begin to wonder if I even want him to, even when it hurts.
Claimed by the Horde King is a full-length SFR novel (95,000+ words) with an HEA. It is the second book of the Horde Kings of Dakkar series.
In my human settlement on the hostile plains of Dakkar, I am an outcast, a strange girl orphaned since birth, alone, and dreaming of a life I don't have. I hunt to survive, though it is forbidden, though it breaks the strict Dakkari laws that we all must follow.
When my desperate actions catch the attention of a Dakkari horde king—a cold, powerful, and merciless warrior leader, with eyes like flint and a body like steel—he seeks to punish me…and he succeeds.
But then he does the unexpected.
Instead of taking my life, he claims me as his own.
He steals me from my village and brings me back to his battle-bred horde. There, I warm his bed. I make bargains with him on starry, cold nights. I look into his grey eyes and see not a monster, but a demon king who captures my soul.
But demons have a way of never letting go…and as the cold season descends upon Dakkar, I begin to wonder if I even want him to, even when it hurts.
Claimed by the Horde King is a full-length SFR novel (95,000+ words) with an HEA. It is the second book of the Horde Kings of Dakkar series.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 24, 2019
About the author
Zoey Draven
31 books2,892 followersZoey Draven has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Her love affair with the romance genre started with her grandmother's old Harlequin paperbacks and has continued ever since. As a Top 100 Amazon bestselling author, now she gets to write the happily-ever-afters—with a cosmic, otherworldly twist, of course!
When she's not writing, she's probably drinking one too many cups of coffee, hiking in the redwoods, or spending time with her family.
Sign-up for Zoey Draven's newsletter for new release announcements and bonus content: http://bit.ly/2lkn8M4
When she's not writing, she's probably drinking one too many cups of coffee, hiking in the redwoods, or spending time with her family.
Sign-up for Zoey Draven's newsletter for new release announcements and bonus content: http://bit.ly/2lkn8M4
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 1,419 reviews
February 20, 2020
4 Smut Scale Stars
Everyone said they enjoyed this one even more than the first one...and while I can't claim to have loved it any more (maybe all those comments got me expectations too high, who knows), I can say with a lot of happiness that I loved it just the same - which is a win in my book, being that I really loved the first one.
This one picks up with the story of the horde king we met at the end of book one and it was just as delicious as I hoped it would be. I really liked the heroine in this one too. She was feisty and strong without being overbearing and annoyingly overwrought in an effort to make her that way.
I really hope the author is coming out with a third book in this series, as I really enjoy this series and this world.
Fingers crossed.
Everyone said they enjoyed this one even more than the first one...and while I can't claim to have loved it any more (maybe all those comments got me expectations too high, who knows), I can say with a lot of happiness that I loved it just the same - which is a win in my book, being that I really loved the first one.
This one picks up with the story of the horde king we met at the end of book one and it was just as delicious as I hoped it would be. I really liked the heroine in this one too. She was feisty and strong without being overbearing and annoyingly overwrought in an effort to make her that way.
I really hope the author is coming out with a third book in this series, as I really enjoy this series and this world.
Fingers crossed.
July 15, 2021
4 Demon King Stars ⭐
I need to mention that I'm not a sex fiend, but I seriously require steamy scenes in my romances. I recently came across a term on social media that resonated with me. And it was exactly how I felt while reading Claimed by the Horde King.
BANGXIETY ~ When you are 65% into a romance and the main characters haven't had sex yet and you start to worry that you might be reading a 'clean romance'.
Honest to god, if I wasn't so invested in this story, I would have called it a day. But somehow this author managed to weave a slow burn adventure that I couldn't put down. I simply fell in love with Seerin and Nelle who were both strong willed and so so likeable. Kudos to the great writing that got me through my BANGXIETY until the sexy times actually happened.
In a world ruled by the powerful alien race known as the Dakkari, humans scavenge daily just to survive. Our heroine Nelle is a hunter caught breaking the law. A crime punishable by death, however the Horde King has mercy on her and instead sentences her to a whipping.
"This horde king was beautiful, yet he would kill me. I was strange and ugly, and I was about to die. It didn’t matter. Nothing did."
Yet in that moment Seerin is struck by an unexplained feeling. Call it a sense of destiny or pity, he can't leave Nelle behind to potentially die from her wounds. So, he takes her.
Now in a foreign land, living a new life, it’s too easy for Nelle to adjust. And these new emotions she feels towards her saviour could either be the beginning or the end of them both.
"I’ll take your ‘maybe,’ demon king," I said softly to him. "Because maybe you’ll realize you can’t let me go. And maybe I’ll realize that I don’t want you to."
Gah these two were amazing together. I appreciated their honesty, and lack of games. Just a king bound by duty and a girl who has only ever relied on herself. It will take betrayal and heartache for Nelle to show the Horde King the ways of happiness.
I need to mention that I'm not a sex fiend, but I seriously require steamy scenes in my romances. I recently came across a term on social media that resonated with me. And it was exactly how I felt while reading Claimed by the Horde King.
BANGXIETY ~ When you are 65% into a romance and the main characters haven't had sex yet and you start to worry that you might be reading a 'clean romance'.
Honest to god, if I wasn't so invested in this story, I would have called it a day. But somehow this author managed to weave a slow burn adventure that I couldn't put down. I simply fell in love with Seerin and Nelle who were both strong willed and so so likeable. Kudos to the great writing that got me through my BANGXIETY until the sexy times actually happened.
In a world ruled by the powerful alien race known as the Dakkari, humans scavenge daily just to survive. Our heroine Nelle is a hunter caught breaking the law. A crime punishable by death, however the Horde King has mercy on her and instead sentences her to a whipping.
"This horde king was beautiful, yet he would kill me. I was strange and ugly, and I was about to die. It didn’t matter. Nothing did."
Yet in that moment Seerin is struck by an unexplained feeling. Call it a sense of destiny or pity, he can't leave Nelle behind to potentially die from her wounds. So, he takes her.
Now in a foreign land, living a new life, it’s too easy for Nelle to adjust. And these new emotions she feels towards her saviour could either be the beginning or the end of them both.
"I’ll take your ‘maybe,’ demon king," I said softly to him. "Because maybe you’ll realize you can’t let me go. And maybe I’ll realize that I don’t want you to."
Gah these two were amazing together. I appreciated their honesty, and lack of games. Just a king bound by duty and a girl who has only ever relied on herself. It will take betrayal and heartache for Nelle to show the Horde King the ways of happiness.
August 21, 2020
4.5
I loved this one. Even more than the first one.
Firstly because I'm a sucker for a good barbarian type of romance book. (Khal Drogo really did a number on me lol)
I loved the main characters and their thought process if that makes sense. There was nothing too dramatic about it as we sometimes find. Their actions made sense, their mistakes made sense and the love that eventually grew made sense regardless of the whole “destined” for each other part.
I’m really impatient to read the next one. I think, If I picked up on the hints right, that it will be about the so-called “mad” king from the north his last name escapes me at the moment.
I’ve already been made curious from the little snippets of info on him.
While Arokan and Serrin (even if they have very different personalities due to their backgrounds) are both more mild-mannered than you would expect from a Horde King I have a feeling we are gonna get someone at the opposite end of the spectrum in the next book- which is exciting- especially since I have a feeling this author knows how to toe the line and won’t include senseless violence and drama just for the sake of it.
I loved this one. Even more than the first one.
Firstly because I'm a sucker for a good barbarian type of romance book. (Khal Drogo really did a number on me lol)
I loved the main characters and their thought process if that makes sense. There was nothing too dramatic about it as we sometimes find. Their actions made sense, their mistakes made sense and the love that eventually grew made sense regardless of the whole “destined” for each other part.
I’m really impatient to read the next one. I think, If I picked up on the hints right, that it will be about the so-called “mad” king from the north his last name escapes me at the moment.
I’ve already been made curious from the little snippets of info on him.
While Arokan and Serrin (even if they have very different personalities due to their backgrounds) are both more mild-mannered than you would expect from a Horde King I have a feeling we are gonna get someone at the opposite end of the spectrum in the next book- which is exciting- especially since I have a feeling this author knows how to toe the line and won’t include senseless violence and drama just for the sake of it.
June 11, 2021
2020 the year I'm developing amnesia.. why do I even bother writing reviews when half of them stay in the draft and I forget about them 😂
#1 Captive by the Horde King ↠ 3 stars
#2 Claimed by the Horde King ↠ 4.25 stars
#3 Madness of the Horde King ↠ 2.5 stars
#4 Broken by the Horde King ↠ 2.75 stars
This book was soo good! I love it so much more than the first book, mainly because I love the heroine so much more! The setting & tone of the book is pretty much the same as Captive of the Horde King. It's not really dark, but I think the double POV from the H and h instead of only the h's POV gave this book more depth.
↳ ✧ The plot ✧
The horde king and some of his warriors discover a female hunting at night in the forest, which by the Dhakkari law is forbidden. They go into the nearest village to ask about that female to punish her. Nelle (h) is thrown to the wolves by the people in her village and gets punished. By the order of the horde King Seerin (H) one of his warriors starts to whip her. After three strikes, Seerin tells him to stop the punishment and he takes her back to his horde to treat her wounds.
↳ ✧ The heroine ✧
Nelle was such a great character and the ✨ star ✨ of this book. I absolutely love her! She had to learn to survive on her own starting from an early age, since both her parents died when she was younger, and growing up she didn't have many people around her to care for her. To survive she hunts with bow and arrow. Every time I read about a dark hair, skinny girl who can handle a bow like a pro .. I'm like: is this Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games? 😂
Nelle is a quiet achiever. She doesn't complain much and just does her thing. What I love most about her is that she has such a forgiving nature without being a doormat. For example when she stays with the horde King after her punishment, she's not mad at him. While Seerin regrets his decision every time he sees her scars on her back, Nelle doesn't hold it against him. When he asked her why she doesn't hate and fear him, she just says that she doesn't hold grudges and that she knew he had to punish him, cause she broke the law and that it's their planet after all therefore she understands. It's not like I can relate because boy do I hold grudges … I'm not that forgiving, BUT I thought the way Nelle thinks is beyond her years and she's really mature.
And then when the 'conflict' happened and Seerin fucked up, Nelle held her ground. Dude had to grovel his ass off and she still wouldn't take him back and it was amazing. Pls, girl let him suffer some more. I fully support torture! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Also Nelle was trying to respect the Dakkari customs as much as possible. Everything I critized about Luna (h of Book 1) was not the case here, because unlike some other person Nelle knew that she's just some human girl on THEIR planet, eating THEIR food and she was just thankful to be alive.
↳ ✧ The Hero ✧
To go from rags to riches. That is literally Seerin's life story. Starting of the bottom as a street rat with some help he made it to the top as one of the horde Kings and I feel like such a proud mother 🥺
While Claimed by the Horde King is on the same darkness level as Captive of the Horde King, I liked that the h was punished by the H in this book. It's not like I want to see women get beaten/raped, but when I read a barbarian novel, I kind of expect that the guy / king of that planet or whatever doesn't treat the heroine with kid gloves .. I need some hardships and character development LOL. So when Seerin ordered the whipping I was "oh wow he really did that finally!" (that sentence made me feel like i set the feminist movement 100 years back, I'm sorry 😔✋)
But don't worry he really feels bad about it for a long time. I think the reason why Nelle couldn't hate him after the whipping was, because no one hated him more than Seerin hated himself. Seerin is actually a soft cinnamon roll and I wanted to give him so many hugs!!
i- i'm 🥺🥺🥺 I don't know what it says about me, but I thought that was one of the most romantic things someone could say. Permission to stab him if feeling unsafe?? If that is not relationship goals what is? SWOOON 😍 (and for once I'm not using sarcasm)
Seerin is sweet and I just love him!!
I enjoyed that we get more of the world and allk the horde king business because of Seerin's POV. It gave me a different angle on how this world is working.
↳ ✧ The romance ✧
Sorry, but look at THAT quote… do I really need to say anything more? I don't think so.. the quote speaks for itself, but still a king who knows when he fucked up and comes back crawling to his queen? YAAS GIVE ME THAT! 🙌
Nelle and Seerin's romance was pretty slowburn and I ate it up. It was delicious. Because their relationship was slowly build up instead of them going straight to banging, I feel like this book had a bit more of a plot which I appreciated. Moreover, the angst mwah SO GOOD! Clamied by the Horde King gave me ✨the pain✨, ✨the longing✨ and ✨the hurt✨ I was asking for. If the conflict of a book can make my heart bleed with the character then you've done something right.
Can y'all see my heart shattering? And every second of it was wonderful.
↳ ✧ Other rambling thoughts ✧
I really hope the next book is about the Vorakkar of Rath Drokka a.k.a The Mad horde King. Idk why but he gives me psycho vibes and i'm here for it.
Some information I just need to note down to not forget:
Vorakkar of Rath Kitala (Arokan)
Vorakkar of Rath Tuviri (Seerin)
Vorakkar of Rath Drokka
Vorakkar of Rath Dulia
Vorakkar of Rath Rowin
Vorakkar of Rath Loppar
Vorakkar of Rath Okkili (Kirin)
Is Zoey Draven going to write a book about each of these horde kings?? Some of these dudes were described as old and gave me lowkey creepy vibes and didn't really make a good impression, but whatever the author decides to do .. I'm excited and would read it probably.
#1 Captive by the Horde King ↠ 3 stars
#2 Claimed by the Horde King ↠ 4.25 stars
#3 Madness of the Horde King ↠ 2.5 stars
#4 Broken by the Horde King ↠ 2.75 stars
"I'll take your 'maybe,' demon king," I said softly to him. "Because maybe you'll realize yu can't let me go. And maybe I'll realize that I don't want you to."
This book was soo good! I love it so much more than the first book, mainly because I love the heroine so much more! The setting & tone of the book is pretty much the same as Captive of the Horde King. It's not really dark, but I think the double POV from the H and h instead of only the h's POV gave this book more depth.
↳ ✧ The plot ✧
The horde king and some of his warriors discover a female hunting at night in the forest, which by the Dhakkari law is forbidden. They go into the nearest village to ask about that female to punish her. Nelle (h) is thrown to the wolves by the people in her village and gets punished. By the order of the horde King Seerin (H) one of his warriors starts to whip her. After three strikes, Seerin tells him to stop the punishment and he takes her back to his horde to treat her wounds.
↳ ✧ The heroine ✧
Nelle was such a great character and the ✨ star ✨ of this book. I absolutely love her! She had to learn to survive on her own starting from an early age, since both her parents died when she was younger, and growing up she didn't have many people around her to care for her. To survive she hunts with bow and arrow. Every time I read about a dark hair, skinny girl who can handle a bow like a pro .. I'm like: is this Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games? 😂
"And I do not hold grudges. You had to punish me because of your king and so you did. It is not my place to question the justness of your laws. This is your planet, after all, and I knew it was forbidden. But unless I break any more of your laws, I have no reason to fear you, yes?"
Nelle is a quiet achiever. She doesn't complain much and just does her thing. What I love most about her is that she has such a forgiving nature without being a doormat. For example when she stays with the horde King after her punishment, she's not mad at him. While Seerin regrets his decision every time he sees her scars on her back, Nelle doesn't hold it against him. When he asked her why she doesn't hate and fear him, she just says that she doesn't hold grudges and that she knew he had to punish him, cause she broke the law and that it's their planet after all therefore she understands. It's not like I can relate because boy do I hold grudges … I'm not that forgiving, BUT I thought the way Nelle thinks is beyond her years and she's really mature.
"I'm not frightened, Seerin," I whispered, remembering his question to me when we'd been out on the plains. "Not of this. But it's alright if you are." His eyes sharpened on me. I smiled, my body warm and tingling from the wine, as I teased, "I have courage enough for the both of us."
And then when the 'conflict' happened and Seerin fucked up, Nelle held her ground. Dude had to grovel his ass off and she still wouldn't take him back and it was amazing. Pls, girl let him suffer some more. I fully support torture! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Also Nelle was trying to respect the Dakkari customs as much as possible. Everything I critized about Luna (h of Book 1) was not the case here, because unlike some other person Nelle knew that she's just some human girl on THEIR planet, eating THEIR food and she was just thankful to be alive.
↳ ✧ The Hero ✧
To go from rags to riches. That is literally Seerin's life story. Starting of the bottom as a street rat with some help he made it to the top as one of the horde Kings and I feel like such a proud mother 🥺
While Claimed by the Horde King is on the same darkness level as Captive of the Horde King, I liked that the h was punished by the H in this book. It's not like I want to see women get beaten/raped, but when I read a barbarian novel, I kind of expect that the guy / king of that planet or whatever doesn't treat the heroine with kid gloves .. I need some hardships and character development LOL. So when Seerin ordered the whipping I was "oh wow he really did that finally!" (that sentence made me feel like i set the feminist movement 100 years back, I'm sorry 😔✋)
But don't worry he really feels bad about it for a long time. I think the reason why Nelle couldn't hate him after the whipping was, because no one hated him more than Seerin hated himself. Seerin is actually a soft cinnamon roll and I wanted to give him so many hugs!!
"That is Dakkari steel, forged by blade masters in Dothik. It is far better and far sharper than any arrow and I give you my full permission to gut me with it if you feel unsafe in my presence."
i- i'm 🥺🥺🥺 I don't know what it says about me, but I thought that was one of the most romantic things someone could say. Permission to stab him if feeling unsafe?? If that is not relationship goals what is? SWOOON 😍 (and for once I'm not using sarcasm)
Seerin is sweet and I just love him!!
I enjoyed that we get more of the world and allk the horde king business because of Seerin's POV. It gave me a different angle on how this world is working.
↳ ✧ The romance ✧
She is the strongest of us all, I thought, regret and grief mingling with my need for her. I didn't care if I had to beg. I would go to her on my hands and knees, though a Vorakkar kneeled for no one.
This Vorakkar will kneel for his Morakkari.
Sorry, but look at THAT quote… do I really need to say anything more? I don't think so.. the quote speaks for itself, but still a king who knows when he fucked up and comes back crawling to his queen? YAAS GIVE ME THAT! 🙌
Nelle and Seerin's romance was pretty slowburn and I ate it up. It was delicious. Because their relationship was slowly build up instead of them going straight to banging, I feel like this book had a bit more of a plot which I appreciated. Moreover, the angst mwah SO GOOD! Clamied by the Horde King gave me ✨the pain✨, ✨the longing✨ and ✨the hurt✨ I was asking for. If the conflict of a book can make my heart bleed with the character then you've done something right.
"Tell me," I ordered, pulling her closer. "Tell me how much you hate me, rei thissie." She stilled, her breaths coming heavy, shock flashing in her eyes. "Tell me how much you wish our paths had never crossed. Tell me how much I hurt you. Tell me how much of a monster I am, but at least tell me something, Nelle!"
Can y'all see my heart shattering? And every second of it was wonderful.
↳ ✧ Other rambling thoughts ✧
I really hope the next book is about the Vorakkar of Rath Drokka a.k.a The Mad horde King. Idk why but he gives me psycho vibes and i'm here for it.
Some information I just need to note down to not forget:
Vorakkar of Rath Kitala (Arokan)
Vorakkar of Rath Tuviri (Seerin)
Vorakkar of Rath Drokka
Vorakkar of Rath Dulia
Vorakkar of Rath Rowin
Vorakkar of Rath Loppar
Vorakkar of Rath Okkili (Kirin)
Is Zoey Draven going to write a book about each of these horde kings?? Some of these dudes were described as old and gave me lowkey creepy vibes and didn't really make a good impression, but whatever the author decides to do .. I'm excited and would read it probably.
February 14, 2020
5 STARS!!
Zoey Draven took hold of my heartstrings almost from page 1 and didn't let them go until the last. I swear, I read this one constantly on the verge of tears. I'm such a sucker for a strong, yet hard-done-by heroine.
Then add in an 'impossible love' scenario and I was done for.
Being in love was a luxury few experienced.LOVED, LOVED, LOVED!
Zoey Draven took hold of my heartstrings almost from page 1 and didn't let them go until the last. I swear, I read this one constantly on the verge of tears. I'm such a sucker for a strong, yet hard-done-by heroine.
Then add in an 'impossible love' scenario and I was done for.
I wanted to give her everything. I wanted to care for her, to protect her, to shield her from this life.Seerin and Nelle were all kinds of wonderful together.
"I knew that you were going to change my life from that very moment."Highly recommend!
October 5, 2022
A better book than the first in the series, the story of Nelly and Seerin is angsty, gritty with a very sweet ending. In this book it was the heroine who shined the brightest. She was extremely strong, capable and made this Horde King work hard to be with her. Seerin, the King, was a good character as well, he had a complex backstory and was often torn between his own desires and his duty to his Horde. This story included chapters from his POV, which enriched the story and helped us to know him better and understand his reasonings for doing the shitty stuff he ends up doing to Nelle. That was a huge miss for the previous book to not include the hero’s POV and I’m glad the author didn’t continue that here. There is a big conflict between the two in this one and it was rather heartbreaking, but I really liked how both characters were handled during it. Nelle stuck to her guns and wrote him off completely, as she should have, and Seerin came to his senses, took full responsibility for his actions and begged for forgiveness. I won’t say what the conflict was but we do get an EPIC grovel that lasts for weeks. She does not give in easily and he is miserable without her. That’s all I ever ask for in romance, make the hero work for it, for his lady. Nothing worth having should be easy and even though he is a King, she doesn’t just fall at his feet. In the end that is what makes her perfect for him.
So this might have made it to a five star read for me except the writing was annoying. The author used the same descriptive words for characters over and over and it pulled me out of the story. The word ‘rasped’ was used to describe how the hero (and others) spoke 107 times. That is freaking excessive, INVEST IN A GOOD THESAURUS! For real, just using the thesaurus in word or google docs is not enough if you are an author. One descriptive word should never be used 107 times in a 300 page book. Where is the editor?
This was a good book, the sexy times, the love story, the push and pull and the resolution were all well done. It’s not a light read, but both characters are so strong and well developed that I got very invested in their story and rooted for their HEA. Some might say, isn't that the point of romance, well yes, but there are MANY times when I either don’t care much if two characters get together, or actively hope that the hero or heroine was given another option for their partner than the one the author presented. But I’m a picky bitch and I need the author to work hard for my stars ⭐️.
So this might have made it to a five star read for me except the writing was annoying. The author used the same descriptive words for characters over and over and it pulled me out of the story. The word ‘rasped’ was used to describe how the hero (and others) spoke 107 times. That is freaking excessive, INVEST IN A GOOD THESAURUS! For real, just using the thesaurus in word or google docs is not enough if you are an author. One descriptive word should never be used 107 times in a 300 page book. Where is the editor?
This was a good book, the sexy times, the love story, the push and pull and the resolution were all well done. It’s not a light read, but both characters are so strong and well developed that I got very invested in their story and rooted for their HEA. Some might say, isn't that the point of romance, well yes, but there are MANY times when I either don’t care much if two characters get together, or actively hope that the hero or heroine was given another option for their partner than the one the author presented. But I’m a picky bitch and I need the author to work hard for my stars ⭐️.
October 4, 2023
My God, the angst.
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Nelle (?) | Seerin of Rath Tuviri (?)
FEATURES
∘ fantasy romance
∘ nonhuman x human
∘ non-annoying jealousy
∘ grovel
REVIEW
Unlike other Vorakkars, Seerin of Rath Tuviri does not have a prestigious bloodline. As such, he falls under greater scrutiny for his actions. When human Nelle catches his attention, he fights his budding attachment for the “good of the horde.”
Seerin made every mistake, every misstep, and every mishap when it came to Nelle. Every time he would redeem himself, he’d hurt her again. Somehow, he was easy to root for, and he was even likable—wild, I know.
Nelle was vulnerable yet firm. When she was hurt, she made sure Seerin took accountability, and once she accepted his apology, she didn’t hold it against him.
Some plotlines were left unresolved. Frustratingly, Seerin’s mother never made a reappearance, nor did we discover if Vodan’s appraisal of her is (completely) accurate. Nelle’s apprenticeship to the blacksmith is mentioned but never really discussed after she made an arrow. Beyond a few characters, Nelle doesn’t really interact with or immerse herself in the horde.
The book felt like it was longer than it was, yet it didn’t drag (for me). It is a paradox I have never experienced before, but I would welcome experiencing it again.
OW/OM DRAMA none
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP yes
ENDING HEA — epilogue set in near future
POV dual / third person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 4.5 / 5
Reread Notes: Original review edited to fit current review format.
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Nelle (?) | Seerin of Rath Tuviri (?)
FEATURES
∘ fantasy romance
∘ nonhuman x human
∘ non-annoying jealousy
∘ grovel
REVIEW
Unlike other Vorakkars, Seerin of Rath Tuviri does not have a prestigious bloodline. As such, he falls under greater scrutiny for his actions. When human Nelle catches his attention, he fights his budding attachment for the “good of the horde.”
Seerin made every mistake, every misstep, and every mishap when it came to Nelle. Every time he would redeem himself, he’d hurt her again. Somehow, he was easy to root for, and he was even likable—wild, I know.
Nelle was vulnerable yet firm. When she was hurt, she made sure Seerin took accountability, and once she accepted his apology, she didn’t hold it against him.
Some plotlines were left unresolved. Frustratingly, Seerin’s mother never made a reappearance, nor did we discover if Vodan’s appraisal of her is (completely) accurate. Nelle’s apprenticeship to the blacksmith is mentioned but never really discussed after she made an arrow. Beyond a few characters, Nelle doesn’t really interact with or immerse herself in the horde.
The book felt like it was longer than it was, yet it didn’t drag (for me). It is a paradox I have never experienced before, but I would welcome experiencing it again.
OW/OM DRAMA none
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP yes
ENDING HEA — epilogue set in near future
POV dual / third person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 4.5 / 5
Reread Notes: Original review edited to fit current review format.
August 10, 2023
*Reread 8/10/2023 and still loved it just as much
Wow, a great second installment to this series.
I think Nelle might be one of my favorite FMCs. She was so tough and resilient. She never backed down, stood up for herself and her worth. I think she was autistic, but she was so honest and real. God, Seerin was sexy, strong, and deep. He sacrificed so much, but when it came to his thissie he couldn't say no. She had his soul. This was a great love story.
Wow, a great second installment to this series.
I think Nelle might be one of my favorite FMCs. She was so tough and resilient. She never backed down, stood up for herself and her worth. I think she was autistic, but she was so honest and real. God, Seerin was sexy, strong, and deep. He sacrificed so much, but when it came to his thissie he couldn't say no. She had his soul. This was a great love story.
December 31, 2019
It was impossible for me to not compare this one with the previous book in the series, as I absolutely loved that one. Glad to say I loved Claimed by the horde king even more!
First of all characterization is bomb! Loved the heroine who is different and doesn’t hold a grudge. I loved her grit, determination and strong spirit. Hero was so good. He made mistakes but owned up to it and wasn’t afraid of groveling. An alpha and a damn good ‘Vorakkar’!
He knew what a special woman heroine was and worked for her forgiveness.
I loved that the story was all about them and their budding relationship. I could feel the hero’s dilemma and heroine’s heartbreak. Those scenes were written very well.
Secondary characters were also done well. The story setting was another fav of mine.
So eager to read the next book in the series and I hope it’s about ‘the Mad Vorakkar’.
Totally safe and absolutely recommended.
P.s After reading first book I subscribed to the author’s mailing list and asked for the ARC of her next book from this series. Like I said I absolutely love this series.
First of all characterization is bomb! Loved the heroine who is different and doesn’t hold a grudge. I loved her grit, determination and strong spirit. Hero was so good. He made mistakes but owned up to it and wasn’t afraid of groveling. An alpha and a damn good ‘Vorakkar’!
He knew what a special woman heroine was and worked for her forgiveness.
I loved that the story was all about them and their budding relationship. I could feel the hero’s dilemma and heroine’s heartbreak. Those scenes were written very well.
Secondary characters were also done well. The story setting was another fav of mine.
So eager to read the next book in the series and I hope it’s about ‘the Mad Vorakkar’.
Totally safe and absolutely recommended.
P.s After reading first book I subscribed to the author’s mailing list and asked for the ARC of her next book from this series. Like I said I absolutely love this series.
December 30, 2019
I'm loving this world the author has created. Sometimes I forget that this is an alien world I'm reading about. It's in every page, but the writing just sucks me in with these characters that everything just seems natural.
I love the whole idea of a warrior alien king falling for a human female. Humans are much weaker but these horde kings are learning that the female spirit is as strong as their hordes. In fact, the heroines are one of the reasons I'm enjoying this series when it's usually the heroes are why I read.
In Claimed by the Horde King, this one is more of a slow burn. Their relationship wasn't decided from the start like book one. While I enjoyed something different, it was also why I did love the first book more.
The hero is everything you see in al alpha but with a vulnerability that caused hurt to the heroine. The good that comes out of that, is seeing the heroine stand up for herself and shows what a strong person she is. She handles it perfectly and what I always want to see in these type of situations but rarely get. You will also get some good grovel from the hero.
I'm actually hoping there will be many more books in this series. I think I will enjoy them all no matter how different each couple will be. A certain horde king that was introduced in this book has me super intrigued.
I love the whole idea of a warrior alien king falling for a human female. Humans are much weaker but these horde kings are learning that the female spirit is as strong as their hordes. In fact, the heroines are one of the reasons I'm enjoying this series when it's usually the heroes are why I read.
In Claimed by the Horde King, this one is more of a slow burn. Their relationship wasn't decided from the start like book one. While I enjoyed something different, it was also why I did love the first book more.
The hero is everything you see in al alpha but with a vulnerability that caused hurt to the heroine. The good that comes out of that, is seeing the heroine stand up for herself and shows what a strong person she is. She handles it perfectly and what I always want to see in these type of situations but rarely get. You will also get some good grovel from the hero.
I'm actually hoping there will be many more books in this series. I think I will enjoy them all no matter how different each couple will be. A certain horde king that was introduced in this book has me super intrigued.
August 14, 2023
“The Horde always comes first!”
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚❤️💜
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 🤓😉☺️😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The Hero: Seerin - he was a Dakkari Horde King, and he watched the girl hunt. It was illegal to hunt, and she was good at it, she had created her bow and arrows with skill. He knew he must take her since she broke the law of their world. He had to make an example of her and could not grant her mercy. Hunting was punishable by death.
The heroine: Nelle - she was a human on the planet Dakkar, she hunted for food in the dark forest, so that she didn’t starve. She knew it was against the laws her people were supposed to live by, but it would be the only source of meat for her village, but she didn’t know that a Horde King was nearby watching her. When humans wanted to settle on the planet, they agreed not to hunt, though farming hadn’t worked, and they were starving.
The Story: Nelle sold the grounder she caught for one credit which would get her a bowl of broth. The man that made the deal, told her a way she could get an extra credit. She was a woman alone, but declined, reminding him what happened to the last man that tried to get with her. The following morning, Nelle finds out that a Horde came through and saw her out hunting and wanted her. She walked to what might be her own execution and just felt numb.
The Horde King stood in front of hundreds of Horde warriors, all of them massive and scarred. His chest was bare and sculpted and had gold tattoos, blonde hair and grey eyes. He sentenced her to five lashes, but only one if she would tell who else from the village had been hunting. She wouldn’t talk and got sentenced five lashes. After 3 lashes, Nelle decided she would let go of all her worries, angers and fears so she could find peace and die, then she dared the Horde king to give her the last two. He did not. He took her with him instead so she wouldn’t die of her wounds.
The story was good, and I liked that the two main characters got to know each other before things got steamy. They spent a lot of time together talking and asking each other questions. The world building was terrific. Nelle walked around the camp for a few days, just noting everything she saw. I liked the fact that she gets a job with the weapons maker and kept busy during the cold season. Seerin had a lot on his shoulders and there were a few side storylines that were interesting.
This book was told in dual points of view via dual narration and was narrated by Lia Langola and Aaron Shedlock. Lia is a good narrator with a low, but soft voice which is very pleasant, and she does a terrific job. Aaron has a soft, masculine voice and is one of my favorite male narrators.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚❤️💜
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 🤓😉☺️😍
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
The Hero: Seerin - he was a Dakkari Horde King, and he watched the girl hunt. It was illegal to hunt, and she was good at it, she had created her bow and arrows with skill. He knew he must take her since she broke the law of their world. He had to make an example of her and could not grant her mercy. Hunting was punishable by death.
The heroine: Nelle - she was a human on the planet Dakkar, she hunted for food in the dark forest, so that she didn’t starve. She knew it was against the laws her people were supposed to live by, but it would be the only source of meat for her village, but she didn’t know that a Horde King was nearby watching her. When humans wanted to settle on the planet, they agreed not to hunt, though farming hadn’t worked, and they were starving.
The Story: Nelle sold the grounder she caught for one credit which would get her a bowl of broth. The man that made the deal, told her a way she could get an extra credit. She was a woman alone, but declined, reminding him what happened to the last man that tried to get with her. The following morning, Nelle finds out that a Horde came through and saw her out hunting and wanted her. She walked to what might be her own execution and just felt numb.
“This was the only life I had, the only one I’d known. I mourned that now. I’d dreamed of other things, things I knew I would never have…like family, a safe home, companionship, love. I wanted to laugh at that foolish dream. Love didn’t exist in a place like this. It never could.”
The Horde King stood in front of hundreds of Horde warriors, all of them massive and scarred. His chest was bare and sculpted and had gold tattoos, blonde hair and grey eyes. He sentenced her to five lashes, but only one if she would tell who else from the village had been hunting. She wouldn’t talk and got sentenced five lashes. After 3 lashes, Nelle decided she would let go of all her worries, angers and fears so she could find peace and die, then she dared the Horde king to give her the last two. He did not. He took her with him instead so she wouldn’t die of her wounds.
The story was good, and I liked that the two main characters got to know each other before things got steamy. They spent a lot of time together talking and asking each other questions. The world building was terrific. Nelle walked around the camp for a few days, just noting everything she saw. I liked the fact that she gets a job with the weapons maker and kept busy during the cold season. Seerin had a lot on his shoulders and there were a few side storylines that were interesting.
This book was told in dual points of view via dual narration and was narrated by Lia Langola and Aaron Shedlock. Lia is a good narrator with a low, but soft voice which is very pleasant, and she does a terrific job. Aaron has a soft, masculine voice and is one of my favorite male narrators.
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December 26, 2019
WOW 5 Stars!!!
What a great book to end the year with! This was just delightful. I loved the MC's dynamic and the chemistry poured off the page. They were so sweet together and this will definitely be a re-read as this series has been a big success for me so far.
What I liked the most was how much time they spent together talking and just being *together*. Can't tell you how many books ive read where the main couple is constantly in disarray. And I loved the fact that this heroine was never captured or kidnapped. THANK GOD. If you like grovel, this book is for you because the H does a spectacular grovel.
And major props to the heroine. She is definitely one of my favorite heroines of 2019. Level headed, logical and not a whimpering moron!!!! Loved her.
Safety:
Heroine is a virgin
Hero isnt a manwhore and has been mainly celibate due to his position.
No cheating
No OW/OM drama
2 week separation
Slight push and pull because the hero is being pressured to marry someone of higher rank or else he will loose his tribe. He breaks up with the heroine but realizes he would pick her over his tribe.
Pregnancy ending.
Slight Physical abuse: Hero orders heroine to be whipped 5 times across the back because she broke the law of the land. He stops at three because he recognizes the heroine as his mate and quickly gets her help. He apologizes for it a lot.
What a great book to end the year with! This was just delightful. I loved the MC's dynamic and the chemistry poured off the page. They were so sweet together and this will definitely be a re-read as this series has been a big success for me so far.
What I liked the most was how much time they spent together talking and just being *together*. Can't tell you how many books ive read where the main couple is constantly in disarray. And I loved the fact that this heroine was never captured or kidnapped. THANK GOD. If you like grovel, this book is for you because the H does a spectacular grovel.
And major props to the heroine. She is definitely one of my favorite heroines of 2019. Level headed, logical and not a whimpering moron!!!! Loved her.
Safety:
Heroine is a virgin
Hero isnt a manwhore and has been mainly celibate due to his position.
No cheating
No OW/OM drama
2 week separation
Slight push and pull because the hero is being pressured to marry someone of higher rank or else he will loose his tribe. He breaks up with the heroine but realizes he would pick her over his tribe.
Pregnancy ending.
Slight Physical abuse: Hero orders heroine to be whipped 5 times across the back because she broke the law of the land. He stops at three because he recognizes the heroine as his mate and quickly gets her help. He apologizes for it a lot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2022
Both MC were awesome (the heroine even more so) although something was missing
December 26, 2019
I admit it....I squealed when I got notice this book was "now available". Lol!
Let us start with Seerin. Dominate, loyal, dedicated, true leader, sexy as sin.... need I say more or have you already added this to your TBR?! With book 2 we get to see the side of a leader who came from absolutely nothing to being a leader of a horde. Seerin is finding it difficult to not put his horde and their desires/needs first. Putting his wants first is unknown to him yet when Nelle comes into his reach.....his desires seem to be all that is on his mind.
Practically having raised herself in a poverty stricken community, Nelle has done what she must to eat and survive...including breaking the law. Seerin the Horde King has caught her in the act and must punish her by law. Halfway through her punishment he stops her lashing, picks her up, and takes her. After weeks of trying to heal from her lashing and the infection that followed Nelle is deeply concerned with the way Seerin looks at her, as if he is taking her soul. *sigh*
Storyline was excellent. Granted there are some things I could have done without but (and isn't there always a but) this would not have been nearly as good of a read. The ups, downs, conflicts, and heart wrenching moments made this stellar.
If you haven't gotten this series you are missing out! I highly suggest reading book 1 first.
Happy reading! DD
Let us start with Seerin. Dominate, loyal, dedicated, true leader, sexy as sin.... need I say more or have you already added this to your TBR?! With book 2 we get to see the side of a leader who came from absolutely nothing to being a leader of a horde. Seerin is finding it difficult to not put his horde and their desires/needs first. Putting his wants first is unknown to him yet when Nelle comes into his reach.....his desires seem to be all that is on his mind.
Practically having raised herself in a poverty stricken community, Nelle has done what she must to eat and survive...including breaking the law. Seerin the Horde King has caught her in the act and must punish her by law. Halfway through her punishment he stops her lashing, picks her up, and takes her. After weeks of trying to heal from her lashing and the infection that followed Nelle is deeply concerned with the way Seerin looks at her, as if he is taking her soul. *sigh*
Storyline was excellent. Granted there are some things I could have done without but (and isn't there always a but) this would not have been nearly as good of a read. The ups, downs, conflicts, and heart wrenching moments made this stellar.
If you haven't gotten this series you are missing out! I highly suggest reading book 1 first.
Happy reading! DD
January 4, 2021
This book definitely didn’t disappoint, I loved the first book a lot but I think this one might have been even better and I bloody devoured it.
So this has a sci-fi setting the planet of Dakkar but doesn’t feel that way at all it has more of a barbarian warrior vibe to it.
The Hero here we met briefly at the end of the previous book and he is the Vorakkar of his Horde.
On this fascinating alien world humans are the refugees with strict laws to control them and they have to abide by these laws with severe consequences for breaking any of them and they really haven’t got it good at all.
They are starving cold and barely surviving they break the laws because they have to not because they want to.
Nellie is caught in breach of these rules and it is up to the horde and there Vorakkar to enforce her punishment which is usually a death sentence.
After ordering a physical punishment the Vorakkar of the horde knowing she will perish if he leaves her behind takes Nelle with him, he feels an unexpected connection and deep guilt over his actions towards the small human.
Expecting death Nelle awakens hurting and in pain and now in the heart of the horde.
So this is quite slow-burn and there’s a lot to overcome on Seerin’s side if they can ever be together.
Though Vorakkar of his own horde his rise to his current position hasn’t been a conventional one and he feels like he has something more to prove with his lack of an illustrious name.
For him, his horde comes first even above his own happiness and feelings and he knows his council don’t want Nelle ruling by his side.
But still wanting Nelle for his own he fights his own instincts ones that tell him that she is a gift from his goddess and to claim her.
Pulled in two separate directions he makes a terrible choice one that may mean he loses everything he has come to care for and breaking his thissie’s heart and trust along the way.
Nelle is resilient and despite her hard and lonely upbringing she has so much love to give.
She’s slow to trust but once she does she opens up her heart completely embracing Seerin and his culture with all that she is, finding her home in him and his horde and when it all comes crashing down she’s devastated her self preservation kicks in to protect her fragile heart from being harmed further by the one person she never thought would treat her so callously.
She’s used to being rejected has lived with it her whole life but Seerin’s action cut her deep scarring to the very bone causing more damage than any physical punishment ever could she doesn’t know if she can ever recover from his betrayal.
The world-building here is second to none and this is exceptionally well written.
The story was dual POV and Seerin and Nelle had so much chemistry together I had no issue believing in their bond together.
I felt there love and connection every time they were together, There’s also no OW drama either which was also a bonus
This is one of my favourite series ever and I can’t recommend it enough.
They also can be read as complete stand-alone and though they are loosely connected each one is its own complete story.
I also believe the third book has just released which I will definitely be reading.
A massive thumbs up from me.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
January 7, 2020
4.5 Stars
“You call me a demon,” he said quietly,“because you believe I am stealing your soul away. But I already told you, Nelle, that if I am a demon, then so are you. Because you are stealing more of mine right at this moment.”
I didn't liked the first book in this series very much because of the heroine and I was a bit skeptical this one is going to be the same, that maybe this author has a pattern regarding the females h in her stories , but I was wrong and I am glad I gave this a try.
The action takes place on the same planet of Dakkar , the difference is , we get to see the life in another horde, Rath Tuviri, that is lead by Seerin.
Nelle is an orphan young human woman that is caught breaking the laws of Dakkar , hunting. Seerin has to punish her for this incident , but something that he sees in her eyes makes him want her for himself, so he takes her to his hoard.
I liked how their relationship developed. It wasn't instant but actually a very slow burn, filled with flirts , banter,funny games , communication and friendship between them.
Seerin is a unique alien, with blond hair and grey eyes, handsome and strong. I loved his patience , gentleness and sweet words for his "thissie".
Nelle , opposite from the h in the first book, is very resourceful, strong , independent, forgiving and very rational in making the right decisions.
Although the H makes a lot of mistakes, most of them almost unforgivable, after lots and lots of grovelling , and thank God for the h personality , things get exactly as they should be.
The only thing that bothers me is that this is suppose to be alien-human trope kind of book, but beside a different culture and language , I don't see any differences in this "aliens", not in this book anyway. They seem very human like, I even forgot how they look like : fangs, claws, tail( if I remember correctly from the first book) , because no mention is made during the book, not one that I can think of.All together this was very sweet romance and I enjoyed it very much.
“You call me a demon,” he said quietly,“because you believe I am stealing your soul away. But I already told you, Nelle, that if I am a demon, then so are you. Because you are stealing more of mine right at this moment.”
I didn't liked the first book in this series very much because of the heroine and I was a bit skeptical this one is going to be the same, that maybe this author has a pattern regarding the females h in her stories , but I was wrong and I am glad I gave this a try.
The action takes place on the same planet of Dakkar , the difference is , we get to see the life in another horde, Rath Tuviri, that is lead by Seerin.
Nelle is an orphan young human woman that is caught breaking the laws of Dakkar , hunting. Seerin has to punish her for this incident , but something that he sees in her eyes makes him want her for himself, so he takes her to his hoard.
I liked how their relationship developed. It wasn't instant but actually a very slow burn, filled with flirts , banter,funny games , communication and friendship between them.
Seerin is a unique alien, with blond hair and grey eyes, handsome and strong. I loved his patience , gentleness and sweet words for his "thissie".
Nelle , opposite from the h in the first book, is very resourceful, strong , independent, forgiving and very rational in making the right decisions.
Although the H makes a lot of mistakes, most of them almost unforgivable, after lots and lots of grovelling , and thank God for the h personality , things get exactly as they should be.
The only thing that bothers me is that this is suppose to be alien-human trope kind of book, but beside a different culture and language , I don't see any differences in this "aliens", not in this book anyway. They seem very human like, I even forgot how they look like : fangs, claws, tail( if I remember correctly from the first book) , because no mention is made during the book, not one that I can think of.All together this was very sweet romance and I enjoyed it very much.
June 21, 2023
nothing much to tell...Thissie and Demon king were both perfect for me😌(i'm not giving you their names if you're not friendly with them😏🤭) she was smart, strong and more importantly she knew her worth. what he did was sad(i cried) but i could understand why he did it. and after that his groveling? some authors should take notes from this book✍🏽 that's how you ask for forgiveness🤍
my only complaint is that it took him two weeks to realize she wasn't there....two weeks that she thought he didn't care 😭i know he was wasting away too but 2 WEEKS? 🙄🙄
also he ✨rasped✨ 106 TIMES 😭 i didn't realized how frequently it used until i saw that both kristina and rasa mentioned it on their reviews and after that i was hyper aware of it 🤡
"Lo kassiri tei. I love you, rei thissie."
i have to admit 2019 buket tried learning dothraki language after watching GoT because that girl had no life 🤠✋🏼(it was her first year in economics😩) so reading and LEARNING random words like rei thissie was fun for me (if you ask me what it means tomorrow there's a chance i won't remember 😬)
note: i won't continue reading this series only because there's no way she wrote a hero better than him so i'm not gonna lower my standards after this 😌
my only complaint is that it took him two weeks to realize she wasn't there....two weeks that she thought he didn't care 😭i know he was wasting away too but 2 WEEKS? 🙄🙄
also he ✨rasped✨ 106 TIMES 😭 i didn't realized how frequently it used until i saw that both kristina and rasa mentioned it on their reviews and after that i was hyper aware of it 🤡
"Lo kassiri tei. I love you, rei thissie."
i have to admit 2019 buket tried learning dothraki language after watching GoT because that girl had no life 🤠✋🏼(it was her first year in economics😩) so reading and LEARNING random words like rei thissie was fun for me (if you ask me what it means tomorrow there's a chance i won't remember 😬)
note: i won't continue reading this series only because there's no way she wrote a hero better than him so i'm not gonna lower my standards after this 😌
July 5, 2022
Reread: I forgot how much I love this one! It might be my favourite out of the five and I can’t wait for the sixth one to come out!
April 19, 2023
i'm not home to write a somewhat proper review and i hate doing them on my phone but can i say wow. this book, just wow. very much in love. the heroine absolutely stole the show!!
November 9, 2020
4 1/2 stars
December 28, 2019
Claimed by the Horde King (Horde Kings of Dakkar Book 2)
This is really good story.
We met the Hero of this book in the previous book as he travelled via an area the couple from that book were in.
The heroine in this book is strong and has to care for herself for some time.
The Hero has very different circumstances to the Hero from book 1 who had a heritage of leading a Horde.
I don't want to reveal the Hero's history or even his name, which is sacred to his people, as it's part of the beauty of the book to learn these things about him.
There is a whole culture, language and politics that the author builds up which is interesting and is definitely something I hope she writes more about.
For the safety gang.
There is small other woman drama, due to his position, many women would be interested in pursuing him and this is made clear on a couple of occasions but the Hero has no interest and does not flirt or encourage anything.
The heroine also has an opportunity to start something with another male if she wished but she does not encourage and in fact is a bit oblivious.
No cheating.
There are no intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
It's a bit slow burn. The Hero's race are a bit of a mystery to the humans so it takes time to overcome barriers.
Some pushing away from the Hero.
Also grovelling when he messes up.
The heroine does not just forgive and let him walk all over her.
There is some references to the couple from book 1 so it's best to read the series in order but I don't think it would matter if not.
There are certain political things going on which would leave the story open to have more books in the series either about new couples or continue the ones we have read about.
My only two criticisms are that I felt maybe a glossary of the language would be helpful.
Some words or phrases are translated immediately but I'm not sure if it's just me but esp if you pick the book up read a bit then have to leave it for a while I'd forgotten what those phrases or words meant.
Some words are not known by the heroine deliberately for some time and I'm fine with being in the dark along with her as it's part of the plot but a quick scan at a glossary I think would have helped at other times.
Even the titles within the Horde are hard to remember.
Secondly, and I maybe really nit picking here, I found the use of "he rasped" was used pretty constantly.
I'm not sure if he had a permanent rasp to his voice but I didn't like the constant use of it.
At the same time it doesn't detract from the story and may be viewed as a pet peeve to repeat a phrase or description frequently. Sorry if that's the case.
HEA.
ARC.
This is really good story.
We met the Hero of this book in the previous book as he travelled via an area the couple from that book were in.
The heroine in this book is strong and has to care for herself for some time.
The Hero has very different circumstances to the Hero from book 1 who had a heritage of leading a Horde.
I don't want to reveal the Hero's history or even his name, which is sacred to his people, as it's part of the beauty of the book to learn these things about him.
There is a whole culture, language and politics that the author builds up which is interesting and is definitely something I hope she writes more about.
For the safety gang.
There is small other woman drama, due to his position, many women would be interested in pursuing him and this is made clear on a couple of occasions but the Hero has no interest and does not flirt or encourage anything.
The heroine also has an opportunity to start something with another male if she wished but she does not encourage and in fact is a bit oblivious.
No cheating.
There are no intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
It's a bit slow burn. The Hero's race are a bit of a mystery to the humans so it takes time to overcome barriers.
Some pushing away from the Hero.
Also grovelling when he messes up.
The heroine does not just forgive and let him walk all over her.
There is some references to the couple from book 1 so it's best to read the series in order but I don't think it would matter if not.
There are certain political things going on which would leave the story open to have more books in the series either about new couples or continue the ones we have read about.
My only two criticisms are that I felt maybe a glossary of the language would be helpful.
Some words or phrases are translated immediately but I'm not sure if it's just me but esp if you pick the book up read a bit then have to leave it for a while I'd forgotten what those phrases or words meant.
Some words are not known by the heroine deliberately for some time and I'm fine with being in the dark along with her as it's part of the plot but a quick scan at a glossary I think would have helped at other times.
Even the titles within the Horde are hard to remember.
Secondly, and I maybe really nit picking here, I found the use of "he rasped" was used pretty constantly.
I'm not sure if he had a permanent rasp to his voice but I didn't like the constant use of it.
At the same time it doesn't detract from the story and may be viewed as a pet peeve to repeat a phrase or description frequently. Sorry if that's the case.
HEA.
ARC.
December 27, 2021
reading a random series out of order to make life easier || episode 234.
February 3, 2020
Wow! This was good. I really love a sexy alien story. I liked this book even more than the first. (You could read this without having read the first, but they're both good so do yourself a favor and just read them both)
Nelle has been caught hunting and must be punished by the Horde King when he comes to her village. He sees something in her that tells him she will be his so he takes her back with him to his horde. Most of the book is an exploration of their relationship. She's a human, he's Dakkari and kings don't take humans as their queens. There is also time spent with the h coming to feel comfortable living with the horde and gaining new skills, making friends and finally feeling loved and accepted.
I loved these H/h. The H was a man of honor but he had the prerequisite tragic backstory that made it hard for him to accept his feelings and doubt if he could be the king he needed to be for his horde. The h had a very difficult life and yet she was sweet, open and had a backbone of steel. There is a lot of push/pull from the H and when he hurts the h she doesn't let him treat her badly, she calls him on it and waits for his apology. Luckily, the H isn't an imbecile and knows when he's wrong and takes measures to fix thing. He does great grovel. I did get a little tired of the push/pull from the H
All in all, a terrific story with a nomadic and barbarian king and a strong, amazing heroine who doesn't let life get her down. I really love the world Zoey Draven has created in this series and I can't wait for the next book.
Safety:
Nelle has been caught hunting and must be punished by the Horde King when he comes to her village. He sees something in her that tells him she will be his so he takes her back with him to his horde. Most of the book is an exploration of their relationship. She's a human, he's Dakkari and kings don't take humans as their queens. There is also time spent with the h coming to feel comfortable living with the horde and gaining new skills, making friends and finally feeling loved and accepted.
I loved these H/h. The H was a man of honor but he had the prerequisite tragic backstory that made it hard for him to accept his feelings and doubt if he could be the king he needed to be for his horde. The h had a very difficult life and yet she was sweet, open and had a backbone of steel. There is a lot of push/pull from the H and when he hurts the h she doesn't let him treat her badly, she calls him on it and waits for his apology. Luckily, the H isn't an imbecile and knows when he's wrong and takes measures to fix thing. He does great grovel. I did get a little tired of the push/pull from the H
All in all, a terrific story with a nomadic and barbarian king and a strong, amazing heroine who doesn't let life get her down. I really love the world Zoey Draven has created in this series and I can't wait for the next book.
Safety:
November 8, 2023
Autistic coded FMC and self-doubting MMC
Nelle was quite a bit different from the FMC in the previous book, with all her gentleness. Seerin was a nice change of pace as well, with his more complex backstory. This book had to have multiple grovels, which he pulled out all the stops for. Without an understanding FMC, this love story wouldn’t have gotten very far.
While I like that she had a tendency to forgive, I thought that rapidity of her forgiveness didn’t match what one would expect from someone with her background.
Spice: 4/5
Triggers: whipping, violence, attempted SA (off page), starvation, emotional neglect (off page), prostitution (off page)
Nelle was quite a bit different from the FMC in the previous book, with all her gentleness. Seerin was a nice change of pace as well, with his more complex backstory. This book had to have multiple grovels, which he pulled out all the stops for. Without an understanding FMC, this love story wouldn’t have gotten very far.
While I like that she had a tendency to forgive, I thought that rapidity of her forgiveness didn’t match what one would expect from someone with her background.
Spice: 4/5
Triggers: whipping, violence, attempted SA (off page), starvation, emotional neglect (off page), prostitution (off page)
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
June 23, 2023DNF @ 41%. My eyes are tired of rolling.
Before I begin, I know I'm an outlier. Out of my 20 Goodreads friends who have read this book, 19 gave it at least 4 stars. I cannot bring myself to finish it. It's not so terrible I would rate it without finishing it, but I just can't.
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Trite barbarian romance that relies too much on tropes and doesn't really think through the implications of certain choices.
This book just makes me roll my eyes over and over again, so let's document it.
1. The poor, reviled ugly duckling. The heroine is an outcast in her community. No one feeds her and she barely does enough to feed herself. Let's ignore the fact that she kills whole animals that would feed her for days and days cause she's a follower and brings back that whole animal in exchange for a bowl of thin soup. Ya, that makes sense. So, she's the one badass female that knows how to hunt, but she is also the person who is constantly hungry and can't feed herself? Make that make sense.
2. Ridiculous gender roles. Seriously, this is set in a future time period where humans have settled on another planet and you're telling me that, not only are there rigid gender roles for the humans, but the aliens have the SAME gender roles? There's this moment where one of the alien women finds out that the heroine hunts. "But you're a woman!?"
Really!? In this barbarian society, it's shocking that women can hunt?
3. Self-sacrificing (but stupid) heroine. I get it. You want to show us that the heroine is kind and generous. You want to give her a chance to fit in by showing her leaping to the defense of her new people. But do you have to make her incompetent as well? Here's the deal. The heroine has just gotten out of the bath (I'm not sure she even got dressed at this point) and something happens outside the tent. The hero runs to figure out what is wrong and tells her "stay here"! That makes sense. He doesn't know if she'll be in danger and she should stay put.
But, you and I could have guessed... she doesn't stay put. She quickly puts on his fur and runs out. The hero spies her from afar working alongside his people (oooh, what a brave and kind person). It isn't long before they all succeed together and (whoa) she is blue with cold and needs the male main character to come get her and warm her again.
4. Lack of basic research. See #3, above. Heroine is blue with cold. What does the hero do to warm her? Make a hot fire and a hot bath and dunk her in that hot bath. Now, I'm no expert but I've read a lot of stories about hypothermia (I know, I know... you can laugh now). Also, I'm an avid Googler. If someone has hypothermia DON'T DUMP THEM INTO A HOT BATH. YOU COULD GIVE THEM A HEART ATTACK. My public service announcement for today.
But seriously... this is such basic information. Why didn't the editor or beta readers say anything?
5. What the f is going on with "don't tell anyone your name?" This is stupid in the way the book deals with this type of worldbuilding. I understand not giving your private name or your true name or whatever... but surely you need a unique name of some sort so people don't just call you "woman" or "guy with blue hair". Sigh. This detail made no sense to me.
6. More heroine incompetence. She hunts with a bow and arrow so, when she wants to know things that the hero doesn't want to tell her, he makes a bet with her. He gives her a bow and arrow and says she can get what she wants if she beats him. And so, she shoots the bow (and of course misses). If you are an expert in handling a tool but you are using a tool that isn't your usual, YOU PRACTICE FIRST SO YOU CAN MAKE SURE YOU KNOW IF THE TOOL HAS ANY QUIRKS. She makes a bet that relies on her marksmanship without even testing out the bow and arrow first? I just have to assume she WANTS to rub him all over with oil.
7. What's going on with the horde eating well (and being willing and able to waste food) while the human settlements aren't? Seriously, you can't almost kill someone for hunting scarce food in one second and tell them that they'll make people starve and then in the next second, tell them "don't worry about wasting food. we have plenty". Ugh. Just frustrates me.
8. These people know how to live in this climate, right? What's with their tents almost blowing away with very little reason? It's weird, right?
Before I begin, I know I'm an outlier. Out of my 20 Goodreads friends who have read this book, 19 gave it at least 4 stars. I cannot bring myself to finish it. It's not so terrible I would rate it without finishing it, but I just can't.
----------------
Trite barbarian romance that relies too much on tropes and doesn't really think through the implications of certain choices.
This book just makes me roll my eyes over and over again, so let's document it.
1. The poor, reviled ugly duckling. The heroine is an outcast in her community. No one feeds her and she barely does enough to feed herself. Let's ignore the fact that she kills whole animals that would feed her for days and days cause she's a follower and brings back that whole animal in exchange for a bowl of thin soup. Ya, that makes sense. So, she's the one badass female that knows how to hunt, but she is also the person who is constantly hungry and can't feed herself? Make that make sense.
2. Ridiculous gender roles. Seriously, this is set in a future time period where humans have settled on another planet and you're telling me that, not only are there rigid gender roles for the humans, but the aliens have the SAME gender roles? There's this moment where one of the alien women finds out that the heroine hunts. "But you're a woman!?"
Really!? In this barbarian society, it's shocking that women can hunt?
3. Self-sacrificing (but stupid) heroine. I get it. You want to show us that the heroine is kind and generous. You want to give her a chance to fit in by showing her leaping to the defense of her new people. But do you have to make her incompetent as well? Here's the deal. The heroine has just gotten out of the bath (I'm not sure she even got dressed at this point) and something happens outside the tent. The hero runs to figure out what is wrong and tells her "stay here"! That makes sense. He doesn't know if she'll be in danger and she should stay put.
But, you and I could have guessed... she doesn't stay put. She quickly puts on his fur and runs out. The hero spies her from afar working alongside his people (oooh, what a brave and kind person). It isn't long before they all succeed together and (whoa) she is blue with cold and needs the male main character to come get her and warm her again.
4. Lack of basic research. See #3, above. Heroine is blue with cold. What does the hero do to warm her? Make a hot fire and a hot bath and dunk her in that hot bath. Now, I'm no expert but I've read a lot of stories about hypothermia (I know, I know... you can laugh now). Also, I'm an avid Googler. If someone has hypothermia DON'T DUMP THEM INTO A HOT BATH. YOU COULD GIVE THEM A HEART ATTACK. My public service announcement for today.
But seriously... this is such basic information. Why didn't the editor or beta readers say anything?
5. What the f is going on with "don't tell anyone your name?" This is stupid in the way the book deals with this type of worldbuilding. I understand not giving your private name or your true name or whatever... but surely you need a unique name of some sort so people don't just call you "woman" or "guy with blue hair". Sigh. This detail made no sense to me.
6. More heroine incompetence. She hunts with a bow and arrow so, when she wants to know things that the hero doesn't want to tell her, he makes a bet with her. He gives her a bow and arrow and says she can get what she wants if she beats him. And so, she shoots the bow (and of course misses). If you are an expert in handling a tool but you are using a tool that isn't your usual, YOU PRACTICE FIRST SO YOU CAN MAKE SURE YOU KNOW IF THE TOOL HAS ANY QUIRKS. She makes a bet that relies on her marksmanship without even testing out the bow and arrow first? I just have to assume she WANTS to rub him all over with oil.
7. What's going on with the horde eating well (and being willing and able to waste food) while the human settlements aren't? Seriously, you can't almost kill someone for hunting scarce food in one second and tell them that they'll make people starve and then in the next second, tell them "don't worry about wasting food. we have plenty". Ugh. Just frustrates me.
8. These people know how to live in this climate, right? What's with their tents almost blowing away with very little reason? It's weird, right?
October 29, 2021
Reread, still 4 stars. I really appreciate this book for all of the grovel at the end. The heroine made the hero WORK for his forgiveness and it was a beautiful thing. The hero wasn’t even so horribly cruel to her to begin with… he felt backed into a corner by others who held power over him. I can’t even count the number of books I’ve read where the hero acts SO MUCH WORSE and the heroine just immediately forgives him after a half-assed apology. I’m all about books like this!
Safety info below
Original: 4 stars.
This story starts out similarly to the first book. Yet another horde king takes a woman out of a human encampment. This time though, the heroine is pretty damn awesome. She doesn’t whine or complain about her lot in life. She is wonderfully independent, logical, and strong af. I love a strong heroine and Nelle is one of the strongest. I would read this book again just for her. The hero is just ok... he has a lot of doubt about himself and his abilities. He pushes Nelle away a lot, because supposedly a horde king shouldn’t marry a human woman. He lets others influence his decisions and ultimately ends up almost losing Nelle for good. This book had some of the best grovel I’ve read in a LONG TIME (maybe ever). Nelle wasn’t some sad sap pushover and really made the hero work for forgiveness. Ultimately, I found the ending to be immensely satisfying and made this book worth the read.
Safe; heroine was a virgin, hero not a manwhore but has experience, hero is frequently approached by other women but he isn’t interested, no cheating. I found this one to be pretty angsty and I even shed a couple of tears.
Safety info below
Original: 4 stars.
This story starts out similarly to the first book. Yet another horde king takes a woman out of a human encampment. This time though, the heroine is pretty damn awesome. She doesn’t whine or complain about her lot in life. She is wonderfully independent, logical, and strong af. I love a strong heroine and Nelle is one of the strongest. I would read this book again just for her. The hero is just ok... he has a lot of doubt about himself and his abilities. He pushes Nelle away a lot, because supposedly a horde king shouldn’t marry a human woman. He lets others influence his decisions and ultimately ends up almost losing Nelle for good. This book had some of the best grovel I’ve read in a LONG TIME (maybe ever). Nelle wasn’t some sad sap pushover and really made the hero work for forgiveness. Ultimately, I found the ending to be immensely satisfying and made this book worth the read.
Safe; heroine was a virgin, hero not a manwhore but has experience, hero is frequently approached by other women but he isn’t interested, no cheating. I found this one to be pretty angsty and I even shed a couple of tears.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2020
Same level of enjoyment as the first book. I liked both Seerin and Nelle. I also would love to read more books from this series if there was any ones to release at a later date.
October 25, 2021
3 Stars
Overall Opinion: This was a book that was enjoyable for what it was. I like to delve into the sci-fi and paranormal romance genres every once in a while to get that true case of escapism. Yes, it’s a little reminiscent of The Golden Dynasty (like the first book was) — but I don’t really mind all that much. It even squeezed out a few tears at one point! The ending kinda sucked in its abruptness. And while the H gave good grovel, I wanted to shake the h at times. Otherwise it was a fun world to escape to.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Nelle and Seerin’s story. Nelle is all alone and starving when she illegally hunts to get dinner for the night. Seerin is a horde king and when he finds out about the human’s violation of his laws he has to punish her. Neither of them expect to connect instantly and Seerin ends up taking her back to his horde. There is some outside influence drama, some sweet moments, and some sexy times…and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Nelle and Seerin’s POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well
Instalove:No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings
H (Hero) rating: 4 stars. Seerin. I liked him. He messed up, but he owned his mistake.
h (heroine) rating: 3.5 stars. Nelle. I liked her, but then I wanted her to stop being stubborn at the end.
Sadness level: Low/moderate. I shed a few tears but didn’t need any tissues
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story. It is what I call a slow burn because they aren’t intimate until ~64%.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No, other than some mild jealousies
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends too abruptly for my liking but with what I would call a HEA (while grumbling)
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
Overall Opinion: This was a book that was enjoyable for what it was. I like to delve into the sci-fi and paranormal romance genres every once in a while to get that true case of escapism. Yes, it’s a little reminiscent of The Golden Dynasty (like the first book was) — but I don’t really mind all that much. It even squeezed out a few tears at one point! The ending kinda sucked in its abruptness. And while the H gave good grovel, I wanted to shake the h at times. Otherwise it was a fun world to escape to.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Nelle and Seerin’s story. Nelle is all alone and starving when she illegally hunts to get dinner for the night. Seerin is a horde king and when he finds out about the human’s violation of his laws he has to punish her. Neither of them expect to connect instantly and Seerin ends up taking her back to his horde. There is some outside influence drama, some sweet moments, and some sexy times…and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Nelle and Seerin’s POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well
Instalove:No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings
H (Hero) rating: 4 stars. Seerin. I liked him. He messed up, but he owned his mistake.
h (heroine) rating: 3.5 stars. Nelle. I liked her, but then I wanted her to stop being stubborn at the end.
Sadness level: Low/moderate. I shed a few tears but didn’t need any tissues
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story. It is what I call a slow burn because they aren’t intimate until ~64%.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No, other than some mild jealousies
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends too abruptly for my liking but with what I would call a HEA (while grumbling)
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
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