The bloodthirsty King demands a sacrifice: one bride per year, found lifeless in her marital bed by morning’s light. Amidst the undulating waves of golden sand dunes, the kingdom of Elamaria has been haunted by this sinister tradition for the last decade. One young woman, Amara, dares to defy fate.

Stepping into her sister’s role as the king’s chosen bride, she enters a world of treachery and deceit. But as the night unfolds, Amara discovers a chilling truth—there is a danger lurking within the castle walls, more deadly than the Crimson King himself.

With time slipping away and where every sunrise might be her last, Amara must unravel the secrets shrouded in darkness. Will she survive to see another dawn and expose the true face of evil that haunts the realm?

In this captivating tale of love, courage, and betrayal, Amara finds herself falling for the one man she swore to kill—her husband, the murderous king who would sooner see her dead than let her live to see another day. Or…would he?

One of my favorite classics has to be 1001 Arabian Nights. Written as a story in a story, the original text (well, translated into English for me) has it all: intrigue, magic, political unrest, and a strong female lead doing everything she can to not only save her life, but the future lives of other women. Ruby K’s fantasy retelling, 1001 Nights with the Lycan King, has all of that and a lycan!

What is a lycan? In short, a lycan is a werewolf. In many shifter romances, the lycan is a bigger and stronger version of the wolf shifter. Most of the shifter romances I’ve read with a lycan made them just big wolves and not that impressive.

That is not the case with this book. The lycan king is a tortured soul of a man who quickly endears himself to the reader and female lead, Amara. The lycan? Talk about scary!

When I first encountered the lycan, I was hooked. The tension and fear was intense.

Ruby K’s writing is easy to get into. It’s entertaining and pulls you in. The scenes that are filled with action or tension is palpable. And when a heavy subject is being addressed, you can’t help but feel the same was as Amara.

Lately, there haven’t been many books I could just sit and read. Part of that is because of the current environment. Part of it is because I haven’t been able to spend my whole day focusing on books. But, when it happens, when a book’s world just keeps me tethered and hungry, it is one of the best feelings as a reader.

1001 Nights with the Lycan King did that for me. It is hands down the quickest read I’ve had this year. The world is arid, dangerous, and beautifully written. Ruby K has a fan in me. As soon as I finished, I wanted more. Alas, I have to wait.

And so, I write this review with the hope that someone else will be as tortured as me and the Lycan King.