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To Collar a Queen
She stole my right to rule beside her, as her king. Now I hold her leash.
Queen Johanna. Beautiful, brave and loved by all the nation - except me. For six long months I’ve dreamed of punishing her for breaking our engagement. Now, like a gift from the Goddess, a rider arrives with news. Johanna has turned. She’s no longer human but a fae creature of dark magic. A changeling, doomed to be hunted, tamed and sold. And she belongs to me.
I own the institute that turns wild fae captives into obedient playthings. Everyone clamors to buy Valentia's most valuable captive, and my little queen shows signs of dangerous power. My growing obsession threatens everything I've spent years building.
If you love HD Carlton, Liv Zander and Jennifer Armentrout, you’ll love To Collar a Queen, a dark fantasy romance intended for adults Get your copy today, available on KU!
Queen Johanna. Beautiful, brave and loved by all the nation - except me. For six long months I’ve dreamed of punishing her for breaking our engagement. Now, like a gift from the Goddess, a rider arrives with news. Johanna has turned. She’s no longer human but a fae creature of dark magic. A changeling, doomed to be hunted, tamed and sold. And she belongs to me.
I own the institute that turns wild fae captives into obedient playthings. Everyone clamors to buy Valentia's most valuable captive, and my little queen shows signs of dangerous power. My growing obsession threatens everything I've spent years building.
If you love HD Carlton, Liv Zander and Jennifer Armentrout, you’ll love To Collar a Queen, a dark fantasy romance intended for adults Get your copy today, available on KU!
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2023
624 people are currently reading
2459 people want to read
About the author
Zara J. Black
9 books246 followersZara began writing in her thirties after reading a series of “fade to black” fantasy books and wondering why the hell the author didn’t make them smuttier.
Challenge, accepted.
She loves creating magical fantasy worlds, turbulent relationships and dark, kinky heroes (who could be villains if you squint a bit.)
When she’s not thinking up ways to torment her characters, Zara lives on the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia with two kiddos and a husband who make her real life far more magical than her stories.
Challenge, accepted.
She loves creating magical fantasy worlds, turbulent relationships and dark, kinky heroes (who could be villains if you squint a bit.)
When she’s not thinking up ways to torment her characters, Zara lives on the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia with two kiddos and a husband who make her real life far more magical than her stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
July 27, 2023
Housekeeping: I didn’t see any trigger warnings for this book and it needs some. So here’s what I’ve got:
Trigger warnings : rape, non-con, demeaning, restraints (You’ve now been warned)
4.5 ⭐️
Johanna is queen and Merrick is her snubbed ex-fiancé. Merrick is in the business of training Changling’s (humans who become Fae) into sex slaves. When Johanna found out, she called off her engagement to him and well….he’s been holding a grudge. It isn’t know who or why humans become Changelings and everyone is bewildered when their young queen becomes one. Merrick hunts her down and brings her back to his Institution to start her training but things aren’t exactly on plan because of the grudge he holds against her. (Psssst this is where the trigger warnings start) Without giving spoilers away….she hates him/ he hates her but there’s still passion there. And then *the thing* happens and all is right. HEA, kinda. In a dark and twisty way.
This is a pretty dark romance for about 60-65% of it. There was a point where I didn’t think I could finish it. Merrick starts to have a redemption arc and then *thr thing* happens and he turns into a touch her and I’ll 💀 you. In the end, I really liked it - in a dark, twisty way. The world building is pretty cool! The smut hits you in the face from the beginning. Maybe morally gray men should run the world.
Read as an ARC in exchange for an honest review ✌️
Trigger warnings : rape, non-con, demeaning, restraints (You’ve now been warned)
4.5 ⭐️
Johanna is queen and Merrick is her snubbed ex-fiancé. Merrick is in the business of training Changling’s (humans who become Fae) into sex slaves. When Johanna found out, she called off her engagement to him and well….he’s been holding a grudge. It isn’t know who or why humans become Changelings and everyone is bewildered when their young queen becomes one. Merrick hunts her down and brings her back to his Institution to start her training but things aren’t exactly on plan because of the grudge he holds against her. (Psssst this is where the trigger warnings start) Without giving spoilers away….she hates him/ he hates her but there’s still passion there. And then *the thing* happens and all is right. HEA, kinda. In a dark and twisty way.
This is a pretty dark romance for about 60-65% of it. There was a point where I didn’t think I could finish it. Merrick starts to have a redemption arc and then *thr thing* happens and he turns into a touch her and I’ll 💀 you. In the end, I really liked it - in a dark, twisty way. The world building is pretty cool! The smut hits you in the face from the beginning. Maybe morally gray men should run the world.
Read as an ARC in exchange for an honest review ✌️
July 23, 2023
I was excited to read To Collar a Queen as soon as I laid eyes on the gorgeous cover! Isn’t it phenomenal?! The summary just further solidified my interest in this book. Dark romances are my current obsession. The story is very dark and could be triggering for some readers, so check the warnings. I was surprised to find that I was highly disturbed by certain aspects of this book. I like my fiction to stay fiction, but the darker stories never disrupted or soured my reading experience. But this book revealed that I have an actual trigger, and unfortunately, it did hinder my enjoyment of the book. But I’ll get more into that later. Onto what I loved!
I loved Johanna. She was a smart, loyal, and caring character put into an impossible situation, and I was rooting for her the whole time. Yes, she had a lot to learn about the darkness in her queendom, but she was open to seeing the truth and determined to help in any way she could. The world Black created was very interesting. I would have loved to know more about it and the fairy realm. However, one of the things I found most frustrating was the world felt underdeveloped. I had so many questions about the culture of the humans compared to the enslaved changelings, the psychological manipulation of the changelings, how much research was conducted before changelings were declared inhuman, why do changelings have destructive magic, and why didn't the changelings try to rebel? It felt unrealistic that not one changeling tried to fight the system since Merrick took over. Since I finished the book with more questions than answers, I did not find the ending satisfying enough. However, I loved the idea of the world, and think there is so much that could be done with it. I would love to see what is beyond the fairy gate!
The story is dark but involves many classic tropes. It's an enemies-to-lovers, second chance, bub-con/non-con, sexy, magic, slight revenge story. There are BDSM elements, but because Johanna cannot consent, I did not consider it BDSM. The writing was very well done, and the structure of the story flowed nicely. I was drawn in from the beginning and had to keep reading to see what would happen next. I did take breaks to yell at Merrick, but that just made it better. The more I interact/yell at a book like the characters can hear me, the more fun I find my reading experience. The supporting female characters, while fleeting on the page, had very distinctive personalities. Considering how rarely the story featured the other changelings, it's impressive how Black was able to quickly and fully communicate their motivations and characterizations. I loved how the other changelings (while obviously stuck in their situation) found a way to slightly manipulate the system for their benefit. Even the antagonist, while evil beyond belief, was extremely well-developed. I understood her motive while simultaneously loathing her, and I loved her headstrong daughter. I could gush about the female characters all day, but I did not like Merrick.
This book taught me that I have an aversion to heroes who participate in human trafficking/slavery and believe they are doing a good thing by making life better for the women they are “training”. If Merrick had acknowledged that he was doing wrong but didn’t care, I would have liked him more, since he would have been under no illusions of grandeur as a savior to the changelings he turns into "pleasure slaves". In the beginning, it also felt like his whole personality was based on a grudge he had against Johanna for breaking off their engagement, which Merrick lamented over because of the blow to his ego and status. He was very focused on getting revenge against Johanna because of the power she took away from him and any chance he had at dominating her in bed. I read it that Merrick loved what Johanna represented for him and not the woman herself. Later his feelings became more evident, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the horrible mistakes he made with Johanna, and his continuous belief the changelings were made to be pleasure slaves and LIKED IT! The ending was also very disappointing because his character evolved just enough to appease Johanna, but he didn't really change with her, and his beliefs about changelings were still the same.
Overall, I had a fun time reading this book but was left with too many unanswered questions, and I was very disappointed in the hero. However, Johanna made up for Merrick's lack of appeal, and the world was fascinating. I would love to read more books set in both the human and fairy worlds. If you like your dark romance to be more true black than morally grey, and being left contemplating questions of morality and love I highly recommend this book. If you are just looking for a book to get lost in and maybe yell at for a bit I recommend this book. If you are looking for a feel-good romance with a light and joyful happy ever after, run far away from this book, and don’t look back!
I loved Johanna. She was a smart, loyal, and caring character put into an impossible situation, and I was rooting for her the whole time. Yes, she had a lot to learn about the darkness in her queendom, but she was open to seeing the truth and determined to help in any way she could. The world Black created was very interesting. I would have loved to know more about it and the fairy realm. However, one of the things I found most frustrating was the world felt underdeveloped. I had so many questions about the culture of the humans compared to the enslaved changelings, the psychological manipulation of the changelings, how much research was conducted before changelings were declared inhuman, why do changelings have destructive magic, and why didn't the changelings try to rebel? It felt unrealistic that not one changeling tried to fight the system since Merrick took over. Since I finished the book with more questions than answers, I did not find the ending satisfying enough. However, I loved the idea of the world, and think there is so much that could be done with it. I would love to see what is beyond the fairy gate!
The story is dark but involves many classic tropes. It's an enemies-to-lovers, second chance, bub-con/non-con, sexy, magic, slight revenge story. There are BDSM elements, but because Johanna cannot consent, I did not consider it BDSM. The writing was very well done, and the structure of the story flowed nicely. I was drawn in from the beginning and had to keep reading to see what would happen next. I did take breaks to yell at Merrick, but that just made it better. The more I interact/yell at a book like the characters can hear me, the more fun I find my reading experience. The supporting female characters, while fleeting on the page, had very distinctive personalities. Considering how rarely the story featured the other changelings, it's impressive how Black was able to quickly and fully communicate their motivations and characterizations. I loved how the other changelings (while obviously stuck in their situation) found a way to slightly manipulate the system for their benefit. Even the antagonist, while evil beyond belief, was extremely well-developed. I understood her motive while simultaneously loathing her, and I loved her headstrong daughter. I could gush about the female characters all day, but I did not like Merrick.
This book taught me that I have an aversion to heroes who participate in human trafficking/slavery and believe they are doing a good thing by making life better for the women they are “training”. If Merrick had acknowledged that he was doing wrong but didn’t care, I would have liked him more, since he would have been under no illusions of grandeur as a savior to the changelings he turns into "pleasure slaves". In the beginning, it also felt like his whole personality was based on a grudge he had against Johanna for breaking off their engagement, which Merrick lamented over because of the blow to his ego and status. He was very focused on getting revenge against Johanna because of the power she took away from him and any chance he had at dominating her in bed. I read it that Merrick loved what Johanna represented for him and not the woman herself. Later his feelings became more evident, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the horrible mistakes he made with Johanna, and his continuous belief the changelings were made to be pleasure slaves and LIKED IT! The ending was also very disappointing because his character evolved just enough to appease Johanna, but he didn't really change with her, and his beliefs about changelings were still the same.
Overall, I had a fun time reading this book but was left with too many unanswered questions, and I was very disappointed in the hero. However, Johanna made up for Merrick's lack of appeal, and the world was fascinating. I would love to read more books set in both the human and fairy worlds. If you like your dark romance to be more true black than morally grey, and being left contemplating questions of morality and love I highly recommend this book. If you are just looking for a book to get lost in and maybe yell at for a bit I recommend this book. If you are looking for a feel-good romance with a light and joyful happy ever after, run far away from this book, and don’t look back!
July 26, 2023
Queen Johanna broke off her engagement to Lord Merrick when she found out he personally trained dangerous fae changelings to be pleasure slaves. But then the unthinkable happens—Johanna herself transforms into a changeling, which delivers her straight into the harsh yet seductive hands of her jilted former fiance.
Okay first of all, can we applaud the author for coming up with such a salaciously dark and steamy premise. A proud young queen, stripped of her power and title, now belongs to her sexual sadist ex-fiance who has no qualms about getting his revenge on her, and society looks the other way because that's just how their world works. And for the most part, the book seriously delivers on a battle of mind and wits between Johanna and Merrick, with both making clever moves against one another as the tension and steam burns bright. I especially loved Merrick being torn between selling Johanna at the end of her training and battling his growing possessiveness of her.
There were a few things in the execution and ending that kept this from being a 5 star read, however, and that's mainly with Johanna's
A couple more small things I would've liked to see that would've punched up the plot a bit:
⇒ Johanna thinking about her successor(s) before the characters were introduced, since they end up playing a large role in the story.
⇒ A hint about Merrick's father's health being bad before it became a major plot point.
⇒ More justification for why the country is okay with changelings being sex slaves, when all other types of slavery are banned.
⇒ We see a few cute and tender moments of J & M's courtship, and I would've liked a few more to really sell the bittersweet difference between the "then & now" of their circumstances.
I think this author is enormously talented and I look forward to reading more of her work. Thank you Zara Black for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Okay first of all, can we applaud the author for coming up with such a salaciously dark and steamy premise. A proud young queen, stripped of her power and title, now belongs to her sexual sadist ex-fiance who has no qualms about getting his revenge on her, and society looks the other way because that's just how their world works. And for the most part, the book seriously delivers on a battle of mind and wits between Johanna and Merrick, with both making clever moves against one another as the tension and steam burns bright. I especially loved Merrick being torn between selling Johanna at the end of her training and battling his growing possessiveness of her.
There were a few things in the execution and ending that kept this from being a 5 star read, however, and that's mainly with Johanna's
A couple more small things I would've liked to see that would've punched up the plot a bit:
⇒ Johanna thinking about her successor(s) before the characters were introduced, since they end up playing a large role in the story.
⇒ A hint about Merrick's father's health being bad before it became a major plot point.
⇒ More justification for why the country is okay with changelings being sex slaves, when all other types of slavery are banned.
⇒ We see a few cute and tender moments of J & M's courtship, and I would've liked a few more to really sell the bittersweet difference between the "then & now" of their circumstances.
I think this author is enormously talented and I look forward to reading more of her work. Thank you Zara Black for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
August 23, 2023
Ok so I took a few days to come back to review this.
I had quite a big reaction to this book, I was quite angry and upset when I finished.
I enjoyed the writing and characters, but the fmc for me was not redeemed. I just didn’t enjoy the resolution, I found myself unhappy because I could tell that the mmc was going to be the love interest. I was skim reading by the end to get to the end.
I wanted a fae guy to come sprinting out of the portal, maybe a prince or king, that upturned the way the fae were being treated and freed the fmc.
For me, Merrick’s character was just horrible and I didn’t come to like him enough by the end to have forgiven his transgressions. He was needlessly cruel to placate the fmc and make her a slave. The spice was really hot and well written but I just wanted her to have some redeeming factors rather than just suffer constantly. I get that she did eventually have some things she enjoyed by the end, but it just felt like token things as a constellation prize. She didn’t have revenge, Merrick just got what he wanted, I just didn’t enjoy that story arc personally. She had some agency by the end but it wasn’t convincing enough for me!
Maybe I didn’t get it, I’m not sure but I just couldn’t get behind Merrick and their ending together.
I do read dark fantasy romance a lot so I couldn’t work out why I just didn’t click with this, I kept thinking was I triggered? It does have some heavy themes, SA, trafficking etc, but I’ve honestly read that before I think it was just that I wanted the fmc to get more by the end. I was angry for her!
I’d still recommend it, it’s a good read with great spice but personally the story didn’t work for me.
I had quite a big reaction to this book, I was quite angry and upset when I finished.
I enjoyed the writing and characters, but the fmc for me was not redeemed. I just didn’t enjoy the resolution, I found myself unhappy because I could tell that the mmc was going to be the love interest. I was skim reading by the end to get to the end.
I wanted a fae guy to come sprinting out of the portal, maybe a prince or king, that upturned the way the fae were being treated and freed the fmc.
For me, Merrick’s character was just horrible and I didn’t come to like him enough by the end to have forgiven his transgressions. He was needlessly cruel to placate the fmc and make her a slave. The spice was really hot and well written but I just wanted her to have some redeeming factors rather than just suffer constantly. I get that she did eventually have some things she enjoyed by the end, but it just felt like token things as a constellation prize. She didn’t have revenge, Merrick just got what he wanted, I just didn’t enjoy that story arc personally. She had some agency by the end but it wasn’t convincing enough for me!
Maybe I didn’t get it, I’m not sure but I just couldn’t get behind Merrick and their ending together.
I do read dark fantasy romance a lot so I couldn’t work out why I just didn’t click with this, I kept thinking was I triggered? It does have some heavy themes, SA, trafficking etc, but I’ve honestly read that before I think it was just that I wanted the fmc to get more by the end. I was angry for her!
I’d still recommend it, it’s a good read with great spice but personally the story didn’t work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
November 28, 2023DNF @ 32%
the mmc was simply too unlikable for me to keep going with this story.
the circumstances for our heronine are beyond bleak, and at this point, i cannot imagine a single thing that the mmc could do to redeem himself from his horrific abuse against her. if you've got thicker skin than me, you might enjoy this, as it was pretty well written, but the mmc is beyond awful and is unlikable in every conceivable way.
to me, his lack of remorse or self-reflection when dealing with his SLAVES was unforgivable and unsettling, and for both that, and many other reasons, im out.
the mmc was simply too unlikable for me to keep going with this story.
the circumstances for our heronine are beyond bleak, and at this point, i cannot imagine a single thing that the mmc could do to redeem himself from his horrific abuse against her. if you've got thicker skin than me, you might enjoy this, as it was pretty well written, but the mmc is beyond awful and is unlikable in every conceivable way.
to me, his lack of remorse or self-reflection when dealing with his SLAVES was unforgivable and unsettling, and for both that, and many other reasons, im out.
October 8, 2023
I finished this book in one night because I just kept waiting and hoping for Johanna to get Merrick’s asss back. Unfortunately, that never came. Johanna was a strong FMC, with a backbone (for the most part) but not so much as she would fall into the “feisty”, sarcastic, incredibly stubborn heroine trope. Not that there’s anything wrong with those characters, but I liked that Johanna didn’t have that same repetitive independence that borders on too much for me. That being said, Merrick is high on my list for my most disliked MMCs of all time, honestly. He took joy in denying her literally her BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS including, but not limited to: eating, drinking, bathing, really even speaking at all, going outside (when her changeling nature increased her desire to spend time in nature), sleeping without handcuffs, seeing a friend who lived in her same building, corresponding with her only family, etc. for the majority of the book. I deeply sympathized with Johanna almost immediately and was strongly rooting for her throughout- Merrick, however, can rot.
He didn’t even have the (flimsy) excuse of a hard childhood to excuse his actions- growing up with a loving father in a manor. His reasoning for abusing Johanna (literally taking her virginity without her consent, which he never gets even berated verbally for by Johanna, btw) was his tragic minor lordship that didn’t provide him with enough power (so sad) and Johanna breaking off their engagement when she found out he literally sucks. His words to her made me so angry I was BEGGING her to slap the crap out of him. He LITERALLY disregards her humanity (she’s a changeling, sure, but very much very similar to how she was as a human, psychologically), seeing her as beneath him.
The premise held such promise, as there are great slave-narrative romance books out there (Captive Prince and Manacled come to mind), but I wouldn’t really classify this book as a romance given Merrick’s complete disregard of Johanna’s autonomy.
He didn’t even have the (flimsy) excuse of a hard childhood to excuse his actions- growing up with a loving father in a manor. His reasoning for abusing Johanna (literally taking her virginity without her consent, which he never gets even berated verbally for by Johanna, btw) was his tragic minor lordship that didn’t provide him with enough power (so sad) and Johanna breaking off their engagement when she found out he literally sucks. His words to her made me so angry I was BEGGING her to slap the crap out of him. He LITERALLY disregards her humanity (she’s a changeling, sure, but very much very similar to how she was as a human, psychologically), seeing her as beneath him.
The premise held such promise, as there are great slave-narrative romance books out there (Captive Prince and Manacled come to mind), but I wouldn’t really classify this book as a romance given Merrick’s complete disregard of Johanna’s autonomy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2023
I pictured the collar, snug against her smooth skin, and the image branded itself into my brain. Soon. Soon, I’d own the body that should already have been mine. And I’d make sure she knew her master.
Another truly dark fantasy romance from Zara Black. It isn’t a romance in the conventional sense, though it ends in a HEA with the MMC and FMC together.
I found this a hard one to rate - I enjoyed the read but absolutely abhorred the MMC for a good 70% of it. To the point, I felt there was no way he’d manage a redemption arc. I was impressed with his turnaround, leading to a HEA.
He was the embodiment of obsession, filled with the need to punish the one who wronged him in the most public of forums, and taking great joy out of the process of training her.
The FMC was set up to fail. It crushed me to see her being brought from the most powerful person in their land to a possession, a toy. I railed, as she did, against her circumstances. Despite being broken down, I would have liked her to retain some more of her fire. I felt that she was too gentled towards the end.
The spice is well-written and checks the boxes of multiple kinks. The preponderance of interactions between the MCs is noncon or coercive.
I quite enjoy Zara’s style of dark fantasy and look forward to more from her.
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
Tropes/Features: Fae changelings, age gap, revenge, morally gray MMC, Queen turned pleasure slave, master/pleasure slave dynamics, pleasure training
Narrator: Dual 1st Person POV
Relationship Type: MF, fast burn, very high spice
Book Type/Ending: Standalone with HEA
TW/CW: Extensive list
Another truly dark fantasy romance from Zara Black. It isn’t a romance in the conventional sense, though it ends in a HEA with the MMC and FMC together.
I found this a hard one to rate - I enjoyed the read but absolutely abhorred the MMC for a good 70% of it. To the point, I felt there was no way he’d manage a redemption arc. I was impressed with his turnaround, leading to a HEA.
He was the embodiment of obsession, filled with the need to punish the one who wronged him in the most public of forums, and taking great joy out of the process of training her.
The FMC was set up to fail. It crushed me to see her being brought from the most powerful person in their land to a possession, a toy. I railed, as she did, against her circumstances. Despite being broken down, I would have liked her to retain some more of her fire. I felt that she was too gentled towards the end.
The spice is well-written and checks the boxes of multiple kinks. The preponderance of interactions between the MCs is noncon or coercive.
I quite enjoy Zara’s style of dark fantasy and look forward to more from her.
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
Tropes/Features: Fae changelings, age gap, revenge, morally gray MMC, Queen turned pleasure slave, master/pleasure slave dynamics, pleasure training
Narrator: Dual 1st Person POV
Relationship Type: MF, fast burn, very high spice
Book Type/Ending: Standalone with HEA
TW/CW: Extensive list
June 8, 2023
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. For me this book is 3.5 Stars. It was super fast-paced and I did want to know what happened but I also feel like the story itself is bizzare.
It's pretty much a Stockholm Syndrome book where this strong female character gets abducted into sexual slavery by a person she already refused to marry is trained to crave his touch even though her head tells her she doesn't want it and at the end he gives her lots of pretty things and lets her talk to other people and she says she's happy.
I would love an alternate version of this book where she gets to go through the fae gate and we get to kind of see what would have happened that way. I think there was some missed opportunity with the entire fae storyline. And having someone accept their lot in life as trained sex slave to their abductor/ torturer was not the happy ending I would have wanted for the main character.
It's pretty much a Stockholm Syndrome book where this strong female character gets abducted into sexual slavery by a person she already refused to marry is trained to crave his touch even though her head tells her she doesn't want it and at the end he gives her lots of pretty things and lets her talk to other people and she says she's happy.
I would love an alternate version of this book where she gets to go through the fae gate and we get to kind of see what would have happened that way. I think there was some missed opportunity with the entire fae storyline. And having someone accept their lot in life as trained sex slave to their abductor/ torturer was not the happy ending I would have wanted for the main character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2023
To Collar a Queen by Zara J Black
5*****
An edge of your seat dark fantasy romance story! Hell hath no fury like a Man scorned, lol. Very high spice level. Get ready to be dominated! The story is very fast paced and I could not put it down. Looking forward to seeing what else this author has to offer!
Trigger warnings : rape, non-con, demeaning, restraints
I received the ARC, and am providing my honest review
5*****
An edge of your seat dark fantasy romance story! Hell hath no fury like a Man scorned, lol. Very high spice level. Get ready to be dominated! The story is very fast paced and I could not put it down. Looking forward to seeing what else this author has to offer!
Trigger warnings : rape, non-con, demeaning, restraints
I received the ARC, and am providing my honest review
June 4, 2023
My first favorite thing about this novel was that it told a different story when it came to the fae. I loved that idea and concept! The second thing that I loved about this book, is that it had the perfect plot-spice ratio. It had enough meat to it, plenty of going on that even if the spice was taken away it would be a phenomenal story by itself. I loved the detail of the characters that it did go back and forth between the main female and male perspectives so we got both sides of their story and saw their reasoning and their heart behind their actions. This was a dark romance fantasy which I personally loved but may not be for everyone. It does have some graphic themes and concepts, but it definitely touched on my own dark fantasies and desires. This was my very first ARC and it did not disappoint in the slightest. I feel very honored and appreciative of the opportunity! Thank you Zara, I definitely want to read more of your work. You are immensely talented.
October 4, 2023
This book had me torn. It's a struggle to read at first but it gripped me until the end.
What I liked:
1. Johanna was a marvelous character. She's strong and didn't lose herself inspite of her current position.
2. The setting was intriguing, though the lore could use a bit more work to be more realistic/ justifiable.
What I hated:
1. Merrick. He's disgusting. What he'd done to Johanna is implied that he'd done to many others before her, and he knew exactly that they were still their own selves while he's breaking their spirit. He's a serial rapist. I said what I said.
2. Merrick's justification of what he does.
3. Emmy's fate. How could Johanna believe that the Emmy who begged her isn't herself? When it's obvious later on that people actually know that changelings remain themselves after turning.
The ending:
I like that Johanna is at the best position she could be AT THAT MOMENT (with two of the most powerful people in the country having her ear) BUT I feel like this opens more possibility for her in the future. I noted that though Merrick was in love with her, she never mentioned anything about loving him. I don't want these two to end up together (as things stand now) because of what he did to her. I imagine my own ending where Johanna becomes a prominent figure at court again being the queen's main adviser. She would manipulate things behind the scene to end the war and change things for the changelings (giving them a choice between going to the fae gate or living in servitude - and the choice of occupation should be theirs as well; and families of current slaves will be given the chance to purchase them back should the changelings wish to at a low price). Then Johanna would have her father purchase her back, and Emmy's mother purchase Emmy back as well (which Emmy may or may not agree to). And Merrick will be betrayed again and his heart will be broken and all will be well 😂 Or this could be a chance for angst or redemption arc to win Jo back 🤔
What I liked:
1. Johanna was a marvelous character. She's strong and didn't lose herself inspite of her current position.
2. The setting was intriguing, though the lore could use a bit more work to be more realistic/ justifiable.
What I hated:
1. Merrick. He's disgusting. What he'd done to Johanna is implied that he'd done to many others before her, and he knew exactly that they were still their own selves while he's breaking their spirit. He's a serial rapist. I said what I said.
2. Merrick's justification of what he does.
3. Emmy's fate. How could Johanna believe that the Emmy who begged her isn't herself? When it's obvious later on that people actually know that changelings remain themselves after turning.
The ending:
I like that Johanna is at the best position she could be AT THAT MOMENT (with two of the most powerful people in the country having her ear) BUT I feel like this opens more possibility for her in the future. I noted that though Merrick was in love with her, she never mentioned anything about loving him. I don't want these two to end up together (as things stand now) because of what he did to her. I imagine my own ending where Johanna becomes a prominent figure at court again being the queen's main adviser. She would manipulate things behind the scene to end the war and change things for the changelings (giving them a choice between going to the fae gate or living in servitude - and the choice of occupation should be theirs as well; and families of current slaves will be given the chance to purchase them back should the changelings wish to at a low price). Then Johanna would have her father purchase her back, and Emmy's mother purchase Emmy back as well (which Emmy may or may not agree to). And Merrick will be betrayed again and his heart will be broken and all will be well 😂 Or this could be a chance for angst or redemption arc to win Jo back 🤔
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2023
Firstly, I think this authors writing style is fantastic. The Story moves along at a fast pace but doesn't feel rushed or confusing. The way that she describes the places and story is engaging and the perfect balance of descriptive without becoming boring.
Having said that, the story itself was not what I was expecting and i didn't get sucked in the way i thought i would.
I love dark, and have no triggers. But nowhere in the blurb led me to realise this was basically a story centering around legal rape and assault.
For me, Merrick was just a man with dark tastes, but who chose to use them on unwilling people because theyd turned fae and must be too dangerous and deserve to be treated this way. I didn't feel there was a true redemption arc to this. By the end, he gives a bit of leeway for those turned, and isn't torturing so suddenly it's okay?
And johanna, the future queen, lost the fight in her and no longer wishes to escape because she was given some luxuries.
For me, there wasn't enough chemistry there. Her draw to him was forced and manipulated and never felt real.. just accepted.
I feel like this needed a much bigger redemption style arc and understanding.
Having said that, the story itself was not what I was expecting and i didn't get sucked in the way i thought i would.
I love dark, and have no triggers. But nowhere in the blurb led me to realise this was basically a story centering around legal rape and assault.
For me, Merrick was just a man with dark tastes, but who chose to use them on unwilling people because theyd turned fae and must be too dangerous and deserve to be treated this way. I didn't feel there was a true redemption arc to this. By the end, he gives a bit of leeway for those turned, and isn't torturing so suddenly it's okay?
And johanna, the future queen, lost the fight in her and no longer wishes to escape because she was given some luxuries.
For me, there wasn't enough chemistry there. Her draw to him was forced and manipulated and never felt real.. just accepted.
I feel like this needed a much bigger redemption style arc and understanding.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
April 14, 2024I started this, but then, I guess, oddly enough, I was 'triggered.' Well written, interesting story elements, with some fantasy bdsm style stuff in the mix, I WANT to read this, but I put it down and now feel like I need to gird my loins to start again. DON't get me wrong. I am not harmed by this 'triggering,' but I am challenged. Something, somewhere made me uncomfortable enough that I lost my taste for the story, and I don't think it's fair to myself, (or honest) to just walk away without figuring out my own mind.
I DNF a lot of books. It has NOTHING to do with the author or the story. That's a me thing. But I always know WHY. And right now, this story just made me uncomfortable, and that, could actually turn out to be a good thing.
I DNF a lot of books. It has NOTHING to do with the author or the story. That's a me thing. But I always know WHY. And right now, this story just made me uncomfortable, and that, could actually turn out to be a good thing.
August 10, 2025
I just loved this book! It was a nice change of pace really. Now friends she dark dark, but you have to trust the process. And a dark romance is exactly what I needed! Definitely 5 chili peppers as far as spice goes too. The world building was great, it bought up some real issues in the world and makes you really think about them. To enemies to lovers of this one was done so well too! Not just for the characters but for you too. I HATED our MMC at first, just ask much as the FMC did, but he really grew on me. If you’re looking for a dark romance I would definitely suggest it.
September 2, 2024
DNF @ 28%
I like dark. I like really dark reads. But I can't accept this mmc, no matter how redemptive his story may be. Maybe it's that he raped away her virginity? Maybe it's that he walked away immediately afterwards. But mostly, I think it's knowing that he has done this to countless other women with zero regard for their humanity. It was too much for me. At least give me something human of him to hold onto through all the awful behavior in the beginning. Since that didn't happen, I'm out.
I like dark. I like really dark reads. But I can't accept this mmc, no matter how redemptive his story may be. Maybe it's that he raped away her virginity? Maybe it's that he walked away immediately afterwards. But mostly, I think it's knowing that he has done this to countless other women with zero regard for their humanity. It was too much for me. At least give me something human of him to hold onto through all the awful behavior in the beginning. Since that didn't happen, I'm out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2023
Well written. I’m not usually into books with s/m element but if I was, this would be a 4 or 5 star book. Great character development, morally grey love interest, dual points of view. I couldn’t help feeling as conflicted as Jo was about Merrick. I read this in just two days! If you like Haunting Adeline you’ll love To Collar a Queen.
June 5, 2023
I loved this book! I thought it was a great mix of fantasy and dark romance. Johanna was such an amazing character. Despite all the changes in her life and the impossible circumstances she had to endure, she stayed true to herself and fought for everything and everyone she believed in. The story had a lot of great turns to it. I enjoyed every minute of it!
January 20, 2025
Basically romanticizes rape. Yuck.
August 19, 2023
To Collar a Queen
Johanna broke Merrick's heart by calling off their engagement, and now he has a perfect opportunity for a little bit of revenge. When he learns she's no longer human, but a changeling with the dark Fae, he plans on making her into his perfect slave. He would have rather ruled beside her, with her as his wife, but a slave works all the better for him.
I absolutely love Zara Black's work! This was one of her darkest books yet, and it was just amazing. Everything from the plot, to the steam to just the feisty nature of our main characters was spot on. You hate Merrick for what he's doing, but at the same time you love it? The story was interesting and while the book was 400+ pages, it didn't feel like that at all. I flew through this story faster than I thought I would because I was so invested in the characters and seeing how Johanna and Merrick would end up.
Overall rating
5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
5 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Johanna broke Merrick's heart by calling off their engagement, and now he has a perfect opportunity for a little bit of revenge. When he learns she's no longer human, but a changeling with the dark Fae, he plans on making her into his perfect slave. He would have rather ruled beside her, with her as his wife, but a slave works all the better for him.
I absolutely love Zara Black's work! This was one of her darkest books yet, and it was just amazing. Everything from the plot, to the steam to just the feisty nature of our main characters was spot on. You hate Merrick for what he's doing, but at the same time you love it? The story was interesting and while the book was 400+ pages, it didn't feel like that at all. I flew through this story faster than I thought I would because I was so invested in the characters and seeing how Johanna and Merrick would end up.
Overall rating
5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
5 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
June 10, 2023
I received an ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Holy smokes, all I can say is if you’re looking for spice, you’ve found it. This is quite the spicy book, and while I feel like it takes the focus off the plot the first half of the book, the plot is actually very good too.
This fast paced, dark fantasy romance book is extremely well written. The only warning I would give is that the majority of the spice is non-consensual, and sexual slavery is the main plot point. If you’re okay with reading about non consensual relationships, then this book has it all: high level of spice, action, fae, great world building and character development, and devious political figures.
Overall, besides being slightly uncomfortable reading about the non-con situations, once the storyline got going, I was really invested in it, and looked forward to finding out how it all was going to end.
Holy smokes, all I can say is if you’re looking for spice, you’ve found it. This is quite the spicy book, and while I feel like it takes the focus off the plot the first half of the book, the plot is actually very good too.
This fast paced, dark fantasy romance book is extremely well written. The only warning I would give is that the majority of the spice is non-consensual, and sexual slavery is the main plot point. If you’re okay with reading about non consensual relationships, then this book has it all: high level of spice, action, fae, great world building and character development, and devious political figures.
Overall, besides being slightly uncomfortable reading about the non-con situations, once the storyline got going, I was really invested in it, and looked forward to finding out how it all was going to end.
dnf
August 15, 2023Eh. I think this is an okay book if you can read it all in one sitting. I just…lost interest. This is a DNF for me around 30% but I did skim the end.
This book is a m/f dark fantasy romance, but light on the fantasy aspect. There’s TALK about wars but no wars are on the page. :(
It’s mainly focused on the dark romance being a human man and his human queen turned fae who he’s captured and now training (as he does all changlings) as a sex slave. I thought this was f/f for some reason when I picked it up. But it’s very much not f/f, just m/f. The characters are fine. I’m just kind of bored?
The author has a thorough list of content warnings on her website. So props to the author for that.
This book is a m/f dark fantasy romance, but light on the fantasy aspect. There’s TALK about wars but no wars are on the page. :(
It’s mainly focused on the dark romance being a human man and his human queen turned fae who he’s captured and now training (as he does all changlings) as a sex slave. I thought this was f/f for some reason when I picked it up. But it’s very much not f/f, just m/f. The characters are fine. I’m just kind of bored?
The author has a thorough list of content warnings on her website. So props to the author for that.
June 4, 2023
Thankyou to Zara for an Arc copy of this book to review.
This book had me intrigued from the first chapter, a young queen confronted by her best friend turned fae turned pleasure slave. It was a stark way to start a book but a interesting concept having woman turn fae at random and then made into sex slaves.
If you like dark romance then you would like this book.
I think it would have been better if turning fae didn't suddenly cure her of her ruined leg and that we got a bit more in depth with the workings of her and merrick's minds, it really was just all about the sex and for me it got boring because of that.
I also would have loved to know more about the fae and why it is just woman who turn, is it actually random or is it from being in close proximity to other fae?
It was a really quick read and I had it finished in a few hours.
Overall though for a first book of Zaras to have read I thought it was good and I will definitely look into more of her work!
This book had me intrigued from the first chapter, a young queen confronted by her best friend turned fae turned pleasure slave. It was a stark way to start a book but a interesting concept having woman turn fae at random and then made into sex slaves.
If you like dark romance then you would like this book.
I think it would have been better if turning fae didn't suddenly cure her of her ruined leg and that we got a bit more in depth with the workings of her and merrick's minds, it really was just all about the sex and for me it got boring because of that.
I also would have loved to know more about the fae and why it is just woman who turn, is it actually random or is it from being in close proximity to other fae?
It was a really quick read and I had it finished in a few hours.
Overall though for a first book of Zaras to have read I thought it was good and I will definitely look into more of her work!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2025
This was my first book from Zara and I couldn't put it down. I finished it within a day, and it was exactly what I needed!!
"I wouldn’t free her. All the guilt in the world couldn’t make me let my beautiful girl go. But I’d make her life good. I’d make her forget she’d ever wanted anything other than what I could give her."
What to Expect:
🖤 Dark Fantasy Romance (light on the fantasy imo)
⛓️ Queen turned pleasure slave
🖤 Non-con & Dub-con
⛓️ BDSM
🖤 HEA
"I wouldn’t free her. All the guilt in the world couldn’t make me let my beautiful girl go. But I’d make her life good. I’d make her forget she’d ever wanted anything other than what I could give her."
What to Expect:
🖤 Dark Fantasy Romance (light on the fantasy imo)
⛓️ Queen turned pleasure slave
🖤 Non-con & Dub-con
⛓️ BDSM
🖤 HEA
June 4, 2023
If I could sum this book up into a single word it would have to be… WOW! I absolutely loved this book. If you like to read dark fantasy romance with an extra helping of SPICE than this book is for you. The story was easy to follow and the characters were clever and for the most part relatable. I would definitely read this book again!
June 5, 2023
This was fast paced and even from the very beginning I wanted to know what was going to happen next. It had unpredictable moments which are always a plus for me. Johanna was an excellent FMC always warring with herself over her beliefs versus what she must do. I will admit it took me a little bit to like Merrick, but in the end I thought he was the perfect balance of loving and controlling.
May 30, 2023
I absolutely freaking LOVED To Collar a Queen! I wasn't surprised bc I have loved all of Zara Black's books. This was so deliciously dark and steamy. I'm always amazed how Ms. Black makes her readers fall in love with her main characters. Phew!!! It was soooo good!!
June 4, 2023
Hot and spicy!!🥵 Could possibly need a trigger as I could see it triggering some. Very spicy but it also has a beautiful story written into the spice as well! The twist I did not see coming! And with it brought such a good adventure! This book truly has it all!
June 13, 2023
I absolutely loved this book. It was definitely spicy, but the right amount of spicy and story line. I lost myself in the pages and couldn’t put it down.
October 10, 2023
I loved it, I couldn't stop reading 😍🙌🖤
May 6, 2024
Pretty extreme triggers, but I LOVED it.
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