King's Bride

Chronicles of Urn #1

by Beck Michaels

He's the God of Death. She's the bride sent to kill him. Their union may be the end of them both.

The Everfrost is ruled by the King in his castle of ice. Some call him the Ice Phoenix, others the God of Death. The clans survive by one law pay the King the homage he is due and never take what belongs to him. But when Sunnëva Morkhàn’s brother falls gravely ill, she will have to do exactly that.

Against every warning, she sneaks into the castle to steal the one thing that would save him—a magical rose. But you don’t steal from the King and live to tell the tale. When the Ice Phoenix discovers her theft and demands payment, the cost is too steep. Mourning and enraged, she challenges him, only to lose. To spare her clan from the King’s wrath, her father offers her as a bride, and for a reason she cannot fathom, the King agrees.

Revenge is a delicate game Sunnëva is determined to play, even if killing the God of Death is no easy feat. But as secrets unfold around the alluring King, and dark threats emerge from the shadows, Sunnëva struggles to hold on to her hatred—and her heart.

Inspired by Beauty and the Beast , King’s Bride is the first book in Beck Michaels’ companion prequel series, the Chronicles of Urn— dark fables founded in forbidden love and strong-willed women who bring kings to their knees.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Retellings, Fae

458 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2023

About the author

BECK MICHAELS is the author of the YA epic fantasy series The Guardians of the Maiden. She has been working on the Guardians series for over fifteen years, so she’d like to believe her characters exist in some tangible dimension, even if it's only in her imagination.

Beck lives in Indiana with her husband and two children, where she spends her time reading and daydreaming of adventures in faraway lands.

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

is this story anything new? nope. not at all.

if youve read any recent fantasy romance release over the past few years, youve read this. if youve read any ‘beauty and the beast’ retelling, youve read this.

which isnt necessarily a bad thing. we all have a type and this story just happens to be one of mine. lol.

i like that i knew exactly what i was getting with this before i even picked it up. its a tried and true formula and, while it may be getting old and stale for some readers, it still works for me.

↠ 3.5 stars

[lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

— 4 stars ☆

“You look like a Goddess of War.”
She sighed and rested her forehead against his. “You are my strength.”
“And you are mine,” he murmured back.
They stayed that way for a moment, simply breathing each other in.

this book is literally filled to the brim with so many tropes + has so much substance, which makes it all the more interesting and THE BEST read for anyone who wants beauty & the beast and enemies to lovers, "i want to kill you and kiss you", knife to the throat deliciousness. 😋

it had an almost acotar like beginning, starting with her rummaging and foraging and hunting for food for her family and her village, who were starved bc of the ice that had spread over the land bc of the Ice Phoenix (who later becomes my Sunnëva's husband).

Sunnëva as a character was so contradicting and yet strong. i loved how she slowly grew into loving Jökull through small and little steps. her journey towards actually liking and then loving him? it was so realistic and believable and i loved that. 💘

“You dreamed of being on your knees?”
His glowing eyes softened. "Love, you've had me on my knees a long time ago.”

i hated hated HATED Sunnëva's father and how he made her feel so small about things. when Jökull stood up every. single. time. for Sunnëva? my heart melted so hard. 🦋 i love him so much 😩 Jökull was seriously the BIGGEST simp it made my heart flutter so hard 🤭 like bffr who wouldn't want a death god to follow ur every move and grant ur every desire and wish?? he even washed her, took care of her gently, ASKED HER FOR CONSENT 💘 we love him.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? It's maddening. You are the tide that I am helpless against. I am out of my depths with you.”

i loved how honest Jökull was with her about his intentions from the beginning with no room for any miscommunication, how he trusts her, how he believes in her 🥺 if you can't tell already, i'm so in love with him. 🥰

i loved the plot line with Kyrr and Kerro and the Skellings so much. 😭 the vividness of the writing, the way the descriptions were? i adored that.

“I have waited a thousand years for you. I would have waited a thousand more. You are my end and my beginning.”

i also feel this could've finished in numerous other places (before it actually ended) and it didn't need to be this long, but no complaints from me bc i can eat up anything from this world ngl i love it so much.

now for a few things i think could've been improved on:

the entire part with Rune i honestly wasn't a huge fan of. first of all, i generally hate the ex lover turning villain trope especially bc i grew attached to Rune in the first few chapters, and then THAT happened. and then i didn't like how Sunnëva continued to trust him despite knowing he was "bad". still, i can't wait to read his book bc like i said, i'll eat up anything from this world omg.

i also didn't love the fact that during the battle, she was the one who told HIM what to do. it was highly unrealistic after allll the experience he must have had with such things. 😤💀

the event that happened during the lunar eclipse, when Jökull showed her his *true form* - I HATED THAT. IT WAS SO CLICHE THAT SHE "RAN" AWAY, that was literally such a Tamlin moment -

the fact that Sunnëva kept the talons in the end and I KNEW THAT WOULD CAUSE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM ugh - this is what i mean when i say she's stupid. the pregnancy thing in the end too i wasn't a big fan of, bc she literally got pregnant the very first time they had sex wtf?? and when she left her children, abandoned them bc she lost Jökull - pls that was so bad, and i thought it really wasn't in her personality to even think of doing that.

i felt like the sex scenes were a lil too long and flowery for me but for Beck writing spice for the first time? i loved it. Cass and Dyna are so not counted lol, they're my babies.

“He saw her for who she was, rotten and ruined, and found it beautiful.”

regardless of all my little quibbles though, i really loved this so much. i had this feeling like i was immersed in a new fantasy world which rarely happens immediately for me, so points for that! not that i expected any less, after reading the gotm series 🤭 (if you haven't read it, PLS READ IT RFN). loved the lil glimpses of how things connected to gotm! and can't wait for more from this world after this. 🤩

thank you to the author for the arc! i'm voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Koisty · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Little Thorn Stars ⭐️
Spicy Rating 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

There are many books which claim that they are the “cure” for a book hangover. But trust me when I say if you are suffering from a book depression or reading slump and need something to drag you back out, THIS IS THE BOOK TO DO IT! I don't think up until now I have read a book that resonates more with that claim, than King’s Bride!

This was a good ol’ bowl of trope soup, but I love tropes and GOD WAS IT DELICIOUS. I feel like Beck Michaels climbed into my mind and withdrew exactly what I wanted to read AND in my eyes bring on the bread for the soup! Anyone should be able to dip into this book, as you will find a trope in this for you!

We have
❆ Enemies to Lovers
❆ Beauty and the Beast Retelling
❆ Slow Burn with Spicy Payoff
❆ Dagger to the Throat
❆ Arranged Marriage
❆ Touch her you die
❆ One Horse
❆ Rhysand Teaching her how to read

This is a stand-alone NA third-person narrative following Sunnëva set in Urn (the same universe as The Guardians of the Maiden Series). Sunnëva is living in a village that is really suffering. They are in the Everfrost, which is a land completely covered in snow and ice. This means food is very scarce and limited. One day her bother is bitten by a warg, and the only way to save him is for Sunnëva to steal one of the God Kings Roses. Things do not go as planned and events lead to Jökull giving her the impossible choice of becoming his bride or she and her entire clan dies. (I mean that seems like a pretty easy choice to me)... Sunnëva uses this as an opportunity to find his weakness to kill him once and for all.

Something I loved is you can always see how much care and thought Beck Michaels puts into her story and writing with how well thought out the plot is and how magnificent everything manages to wrap up together. There are influences of mythology, aspects from the traditional Beauty and the Beast Story and glorious nuggets from the original Guardians of the Maidens Story. It’s just so brilliant in its complexity that it made me giddy (But do not worry if you have not read GotM you won’t miss out on anything)

Obviously we know this is Enemies to Lovers, but what pans out is a beautiful slowburn romance that really does take the proper steps of “relationship progression” to lovers. Sunnëva’ hatred starts to thaw as she uncovers who Jökull is, learns and understands his motivations and reasons for his actions. And I believed every step of the journey.

In general, the banter between the two was just perfect and the tension between them could have been cut with a knife, it hung so thick in the air. Jökull is quite protective and possessive of his bride in a very typical alpha male way, and takes the trope “touch her you die” to the next level... Like if you just breathe wrong in her direction, he might rip out your spine.

I also really loved the way Sunnëva was portrayed as a character. She has had a lot of hardship thrust on to her. Not just difficult living conditions but is also recovering from a past assault that has physcially and mentally scarred her. She carries these scars and the trauma of that night with her and defines herself by them. It was really moving and inspiring to see how she learns to overcome this skewed definition of herself as her relationship with Jökull progresses.

Ultimately I loved it! I loved every moment of this! I am so glad that Beck Michaels has dipped her toes into more NA and embraced spicy. It might be because it plays into every trope that I love, but I am a girl of simple pleasures if they are done right, and this DOES IT RIGHT. I stand by if those tropes make you tingle, this is the book for you!

Also if you haven’t read The Gaurdians of the Maiden books yet! GO READ THOSE TOO!!!!

Thank you so much to Beck Michael’s for this eARC in exchange for a review!
All thoughts and feelings are my own

[SHOMPA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Again, Beck Michaels has proven herself to be a talented storyteller. From the very first page I could tell this was going to be another unforgettable book for me. This author has a beautiful way of crafting sentences that make the dialogue and internal monologues feel authentic and emotionally resonant. I found myself genuinely caring for the characters and becoming emotionally invested in their journeys. More importantly, it is set in the same world as the Guardians of the Maiden series (my favorite). So you can guess how much I enjoyed reading this.

The only reason I'm giving this book four stars instead of five is that there were a few instances where I wished for a bit more depth and clarity in certain parts and additional exploration of some subplots. However, this is a minor qualm in an otherwise outstanding novel. 

[Beck Michaels]

[Alexiani G · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 starts

First of all, thank you Beck. I was not able to get this ARC at first but after sorting some issues with the link I was given an ARC of the book so thank you for being attentive and kind.

I have to say I’m sad I didn’t like this book as much as I hoped I would. If you don’t know, I love with all my might all previous books from Beck. I have been recommending the books left and right and to this day those books are the only ones I have reread from beginning to end –my rereads are more of ‘I’ll read my favorite parts only’ king of rereads- so when she announced four new books with stories based on stories within the main series I was beyond happy because we are basically having books about history books in the main story, which is great all on its own. When this first book was confirmed and it was said who the main characters were going to be and that it was going to be NA I was –again- beyond happy and ready for this book. So now with the review. As always, I will say and explain all the things I loved about this book and the things I didn’t like. I will of course write those things with the upmost respect because I appreciate and love Beck as a writer. To be able to explain why I liked or disliked some things it is necessary for this review to contain spoilers so if you want to be surprised by what happens in this book, do not read this review.

This book begins with a crude scene of how Sunnëva, her village and her family live. It begins with her hunting a crow to feed her family. I was shocked by that and instantly pulled in because how the hell is she going to feed her family with one crow?? One skinny crow!! It then moves to a welcoming reunion where the village receives all men that were out hunting and gathering food and gold and all the things they could get their hands on. In that scene we are presented with Sunnëva’s baby brother, sister, father –who is the biggest ass and the most hideous human being ever to exist- and Rune –who I was shocked to realize was her love interest-. So all things were okay, even though I was intrigued to see how the thing with the love interest was going to work out because I knew she was going to eventually be taken by Jökull. It all goes down the sink when Fenrin –the 18 year all brother- was discovered by his twin sister –Ansa- in the middle of the night almost dying because he was bitten by a demon. By know I could see Sunnëva was really –not in love but almost there- quite taken by Rune and was leaning on him to be her support in a lot of ways and so they embarks in a mission to search for a magical rose that only grows in the king’s castle. The mission goes wrong when Rune is killed by Jökull but because of him she manages to take the rose to her brother and save him. Now, enter Jökull to the picture to ask for the rose and the thief that took it. Because her father is the worst father ever, she is presented before Jökull as the thief and she tells him the rose can’t be returned –because she gave it to her brother- but here comes the coward of Sunnëva’s big brother –Björn- and throws Fenrin to Jökull’s feet. He then is taken by Jökull and his men to the woods where they hear him scream like a dying animal, meaning, he was killed. Some things happen after that and now we have Sunnëva being offered as a bride to Jökull and Sunnëva’s father threatening her with Ansa’s life if she doesn’t kill Jökull –I of course have to say that by this point Sunnëva hates Jökull because he has been starving all villages and because he killed Rune and Fenrin so she agrees to her father’s deal-

After that Sunnëva is taken to the castle, introduced to some of the people that work for Jökull and then when she goes out of their room –where he fell asleep with her in the bed and she almost kills him but not really because nothing can really kill him because all blades break upon contact with his skin- encounters some creature that wants to kill her, Jökull saves her but then kisses her, losses control of his powers and nearly kills her because of this. I am writing all of this so I can convey how not into Jökull I was, I understand that this is a dark fantasy and I actually appreciate the fact that Jökull is presented as an actual villain –because we don’t really get to see that a lot- but what I didn’t like is that for the sake of tropes, the story tried to make Jökull appealing when we was actually not –that is how I see it-. So in summary, for 20 or 25 percent of the book what I know is that Jökull is starving most of his people, killed Rune, then Fenrin, then almost made her freeze to death then mocks her for fighting because he likes it when she does and gets all excited in his interesting bits and then she is almost killed by fear because he lost control of his powers. When this was happening the story delivered some lines like Whatever he was, it wasn’t human. But he was almost too beautiful, like something only found in hallucinations honestly, I was angry by this point, angry and disappointed because I felt like the story was trying to distract all of the bad things he was doing by mentioning his beauty? Nope, not for me. So I felt like the story was trying to sell me something I was not feeling at all. The relationship wasn’t there for me, I was not feeling it between them –even when I liked and loved many moments that were delivered later on the book- I was simply not connected to them.

Another thing that didn’t work for me at all –and left me surprised- was the type of writing style used in this book. Beck used the same type of speaking in her previous books, like an old period of time type of talking, and it made me love the books but I don’t know why the combination between that and the third person narration didn’t work at all for me, it made me feel as if I was reading a list of things Sunnëva was doing “she noticed the fireplace, she ran to it but there was no wood. A whimper of disappointment shuddered out of her” and that pulled me out of the story again and again. I don’t know if I was the only one to feel like this with this book because I have read many third person narration before and it hadn’t bother me until now. Also, there were a few parts that had poor wording but I can understand that because this is an ARC and it’s a work in progress.

So, fast forward 30% of the book, I’m still not feeling it for Jökull or the storyline. The reason of that is this: we have a wave of tropes coming our way, tropes that are becoming a thing in the reading world, tropes that are liked by a big portion of the reading population, such as the big alpha male, the overprotecting and possessive husband, the “touch her and I’ll kill you” line, the immediate sexual tension even when the characters don’t really know each other, the “I don’t want anyone looking at her but me” line, along the “when the time comes that I put my seed in you, you will never leave my side” trope, the “I don’t care if I hate him, I will kiss him like crazy” line, the “good girl” line and to not keep going, the “you are mine” line and trope. I have read books with one or two of those tropes and they work for me but here we have them all –and more that I can’t remember right now- that made me sad, mad and sad, because I KNOW Beck has the ability and potential to write original and out-of-this-world stories, plots and tropes, so to see her write all of this made the book –to me- unoriginal. That’s the bottom line of me not liking this book as I hoped. Most of it felt unoriginal. I don’t know if Beck had all of this in mind years ago when she thought of these books or if she added some or most of them when they became famous, I really don’t know, but it is how it felt for me because I feel like the time invested in those tropes being presented could have been taken to develop a real relationship between Sunnëva and Jökull.

Now that my frustration is done with I will share the things that made the book feel as a Beck Michaels’ book. I know we have seen this before but the scene where Jökull is teaching Sunnëva to write and read was a breath of fresh air and from now on, after Rhys teaching Feyre the same, these two are my favorite second. And the scene right after that?? LOVED that I finally got something real between them and not some trope forced down my throat.

The page fluttered across the table as he slid it to her. “Can you read this?”
Sunnëva squinted at the letters and slowly read it aloud, stumbling over the words. “Mur-derous Queen, so pre-tty and mean, w-will rip out your sp -leen.” She snorted. “Write another sentence like that, and I might.” (first real part)

He grinned. “I suppose your instructor taught you well enough.”
“If so, why did you dismiss him?” She took the quill and carefully copied the sentence below his.
“You weren’t enjoying it.” Jökull’s hand wrapped around her small one and corrected a letter. “Learning should be something you appreciate and absorb with excitement, the way you do when studying science.” (second real part)

After this we begin to discover the truth, Rune is not really dead, he is Rumiel –the god of shadows- and Fenrin isn’t really dead, he is very much alive but in the form of a warg that I think is the form of the other, the one Zev takes sometimes a species we quickly learn is the first werewolf out there, but that revelation comes later. Rune being Rumiel shocked the hell out of me and it made me wonder if he is still out there in the present day, like, Dyna is fighting a demon, so it makes me wonder if he never really passed through his gate –Also, I am very interested in Rune as a character, I don’t really get him as a villain, I mean, I don’t understand why he wanted to rule over everything but his story is definitely one I want to get to know-. So after discovering this it was way easier to get to like Jökull and those real moments they had made me like their relationship. Of course, Beck showed how awesome she is by unpeeling Jökull layer by layer –it would have been perfect if it would have happened at the right time-. We see him care and save Ansa just because Sunnëva asked him to, we have funny moments between them, raw moments when his vulnerability and fear and wishes come to life. This dude wants to be human because he can see the beauty in beginning and ending, he doesn’t want to say goodbye to friends that die because they are mortals, the raw moments of him not pushing Sunnëva with the truth of the gate because he knew how much she struggled with letting herself be free and feel. I LOVED the fact that it was Jökull that saved her from those horrible guys that nearly destroyed her, I LOVED the fact that he called her “love” I don’t know why, I have a weak spot for that term of endearment, liked what little we got from them and their children, liked Aero and Tally, it was amazing to read about them and about the mages before they went all crazy with their women I really need to know how that happened because they are great here , loved how Jökull helped Sunnëva see the worth in herself and no matter how many scars her skin or soul had, she was strong because she had conquer all of them. Now, prepare yourself to be attacked by many, many quotes and parts of the book.

Her father’s wide eyes shot to her face at the implication. His expression was visibly shocked and angry. She flushed and inwardly cursed that beast. She would pinch his arse for that one.

But sleeping with the King meant he would want to see and touch every inch of her. The thought made her heart shrivel. She was well aware of the scars on her body, and how ugly and useless they made her feel. Jökull had yet to know how worthless she was.

“Why didn’t the beast bite her head off?”
“Aren’t you listening?” Sana elbowed her brother. “She was too pretty.”
Their father chuckled. “It wasn’t because of that, though it might have been part of it.”
“How?” Jalen asked as his pale eyes drifted close. “How did she defeat him?”
Jökull cupped her cheek as he gazed at her.
“She gave him her heart,” Sunnëva answered.
They laughed when Jorik made a sound of disgust and rolled over. The room soon filled with the soft sounds of their steady breaths as they fell asleep.

“Impossible is a word used by those who don’t believe hard enough.” Freya winked. “And I believe if I dream of it enough, it will one day be.”

“I envy you,” Jökull admitted with a soft mutter. “Of the mortality of your kind.” He curled a lock of her hair behind her ear, his fingers trailing down her jaw to lift her chin. “So delicate, like glass. Every breath you take, every sunrise and sunset, leads to an inevitable end. That makes every moment of life all the more beautiful. What I would give to know what it feels like to be human. What it means to truly live.”

“Sleep now. I have you.”
After what they had done, how could she? But Jökull eased her legs to one side of the saddle and laid her head on his chest, his arm cradling her close. He wrapped his heavy cloak around them, covering her completely.

…If you want me, I’m yours. If you don’t, I will wait around like a fool until you do. I meant it when I said nothing about you is ruined. Every scar and mark, even the cracked shards left behind by the pain of life, those I find the most beautiful pieces about you. They shaped your soul and made you who you are. It means you lived, and you survived. Never, for a single moment, should you believe I don’t find that fu***** perfect.”

So, as you can see, I didn’t like a great deal of things in this book but I liked many others. My heart was pulled in two different directions but I hope the rest of the books in this prequel series can make me love them whole.

“I’m sorry you had to wait so long for me to stop being stupid.”
His lips pressed cool traces of his mouth on her throat and along her shoulders as he said softly in her ear. “I have waited a thousand years for you. I would have waited a thousand more. You are my end and my beginning.”

P.s I’ll be in the lookout for a brass key and a door and its secrets.

[Miranda Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf @ 43% 🥲 spoilers ahead!

i am giving this two stars solely because jokull is hot and he had some great quotes.

i tried so hard so enjoy this, but i’m almost halfway through and just can’t bring myself to care about the characters or the story. i’ve read all of the glowing reviews for this and i honestly just don’t get it. however, most reviewers seem to be fans of the author who have read their previous works. this is my first beck michaels book and i have NOT read the sequel series to this book, so that may or may not explain the differences in my review/enjoyment level.

this book is described as an enemy to lovers novel, but i just don’t see it. the mmc is obviously attracted to her from the start and is constantly saying flirty things to her. sunneva is also pretty much instantly attracted to jokull (even though she keeps telling herself she should hate him). she keeps saying she wants to kill him but i wasn’t convinced that she felt any hatred toward him. it just was not enough slow burn enough for me and they never really seemed like enemies. i have my suspicions as to why but i don’t care enough to keep reading and confirm them.

jokull’s behavior was so off putting to me. not even 40% in and he’s randomly licking her 💀 she doesn’t even find this weird either (they weren’t even together yet!). he is also so overly possessive to the point where i was cringing. a certain amount of possessiveness can be done well, but this was just overkill. the scene where he grabs sunneva and kisses her in front of rune was sooo offputting. he treats her like property just to assert his dominance over her to rune. and despite being painted as an independent woman who doesn’t take sh*t from any man, and who also hates jokull, sunneva likes when he acts overly possessive (once again, before they’re even together). it just makes no sense to me.

the reasoning behind jokull creating the everfrost is so lackluster to me. you’re telling me the ONLY solution to ridding the territory of demons was to freeze it all and cause your own people to suffer and starve? and then do nothing about it (the harsh environment YOU created)? we’re supposed to believe he cares but he seems more than willing to let his people suffer in the world he created. yeah he took away the demons temporarily but he created a whole new set of problems that he doesn’t bother to help with. his reason for marrying sunneva is also so lackluster. i wasn’t impressed and almost wanted to roll my eyes.

then there’s rune. oh, rune. or should i say rumiel? why does the mmc’s competitor for the fmc’s love always have to be made out to be the villain just to make the mmc more appealing to the reader? rune being a “villain” was so predictable. and so was all of jokull’s perceived cruel actions not being what they seem. rune is def the more interesting character and love interest imo.

the scene that sealed the deal for me and had me rolling my eyes was the battle scene where rune sends his demons to attack the castle. you expect me to believe that sunneva is the one to come up with this brilliant plan to save the day and jokull couldn’t think of ANYTHING? the billions of years old immortal god? we’re told sunneva is a skilled warrior but she can’t be THAT great. it was just so unrealistic.

overall the plot twists were predictable and this book wasn’t anything special compared to all of the other fantasy romance out there. there were some good quotes, especially from jokull, but they came way too early. some of the romantic stuff he says to sunneva would’ve held much more meaning if they were said later on in the book after they’d bonded.

i was also considering continuing this book but then i read some reviews that completely demolished any chance of that happening. this book has the unexpected pregnancy trope after THE FIRST TIME THEY HAD SEX. i can’t stand the pregnancy trope, especially after the FIRST TIME. even if there’s some magical reasoning behind this, it’s just not for me.

if you read and enjoyed the guardians of the maiden series you may enjoy this a bit more. you may even love it. but it is just not for me.

[elfishpresley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy wow. Wow. I… wow.

Thank you so much Beck for giving me an ARC of this book, I was so excited knowing I was getting a chance to read and review a prequel to one of my favorite ever series (Guardians of the Maiden).

It is very rare for me to give a book 5 stars, even more rare for the book to be a fantasy. But are we surprised? All of Beck Michaels books so far have been 5 stars for me.

Not only was this book SPICY (we’re talking pages upon pages of spice), but it was so swoon worthy.
The writing is amazing. The storyline is riveting. The characters are powerful, I could go on and on about this book. The twists? The turns? I am still not over it.

I was a little hesitant knowing it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling because sometimes fairytale retellings sort of fall flat for me, but this book did the exact opposite. It was different from Beauty and the Beast, but also the same if that makes sense.

Nothing piques my interest more then a god falling in love with a mortal. Nothing, I say!

Anyways… 5/5. Read this book immediately.

And while you’re at it, read Guardians of the Maiden, too. Just trust me.

[⊹ Gabriela | Asternyx ⊹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s the God of Death. She’s the bride sent to kill him.

King's Bride is a New Adult standalone set in the same world as Guardians of the Maiden series.

⤏ What to expect:
∘ New Adult
∘ Fantasy Romance
∘ Beauty and the Beast retelling
∘ Gods and Monsters
∘ Mystifying worldbuilding
∘ Badass FMC
∘ Dark & Savage MMC
∘ Morally Grey Characters
∘ Banter & Spice
⤏ Tropes:
∘ Enemies to Lovers
∘ Slowburn
∘ Dagger to the throat
∘ Touch her and you die
∘ Arranged Marriage
∘ One horse
∘ He Falls First
⤏ Trigger Warnings: past sexual assault/rape, blood, violence, abuse

⤏ Summary
The Everfrost is ruled by the King, who resides in the castle of ice. Called the Ice Phoenix by some and the God of Death by others, he rules the land. The survival of the clans depends on a single decree: to show the king the respect he deserves and never take what is rightfully his. But when Sunnëva Morkhàn's brother falls seriously ill, she finds herself forced to disobey this very law.

Things are taking a turn for the worst when her father offers her as a bride to the King and she goes to live with him in the castle of ice, whose halls are full of monsters.

⤏ Plot/Writing
The plot centers around Sunnëva and her plan to get revenge.
At the beginning of the book, we get introduced to Suneva and the people in her life. They are living in a village and every day is a battle for survival against the harsh winter.
The act against the King is what sets in motion a series of events that Sunnëva never would've imagined. And after being thrust into the hands of her enemy, she doesn't miss any opportunity she has of getting her revenge. It was intriguing to follow her on this adventure and be a witness to how her plan unfolds.
The book is riddled with dangerous encounters, secrets, betrayals, tension, and romance - a combination that's always appealing to Fantasy-Romance readers.

⤏ Worldbuilding
Beck's writing never failed to astonish me, and this book was certainly no different. Her talent for crafting immersive worlds and captivating the reader surpassed all my expectations.
Even in a kingdom enveloped in ice, with its vast lands and the creatures that dwell within, she still managed to evoke a sense of allure and captivate my imagination as a reader.
What truly stood out to me in the worldbuilding, however, was the remarkable portrayal of the castle and the magic.

⤏ Characters
∘ Sunnëva
A reckless but strong character, who doesn't back down from a challenge, is loyal, and would do anything for her loved ones—that's who Sunnëva is. I liked her quick thinking and determination, and how she refused to let go of her goal while also not letting others manipulate and use her. As the story progressed, her growth and development were truly remarkable.

∘ The King
He's a creature with many secrets and a dark side that I'm glad we get to see on that fateful night. He's ruthless and demanding, but despite him being the monster everyone fears, he can also be a caring and loving man.

⤏ Romance
They have a rough start and the road to a harmonious relationship is full of obstacles and challenges, especially when the odds are against them.
However, the spice isn't missing, and I was eating up every tension-filled moment between the two.

⤏ Conclusion
Despite taking longer than anticipated to finish, I found this book to be a delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the other books in this collection.
I totally recommend this book if you're looking for a thrilling Fantasy-Romance standalone with a fast-paced plot and captivating tropes such as enemies-to-lovers, dagger to the throat, and arranged marriage.

[Harmony A Haun · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 42% *contains spoilers*
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This review is not going to be pretty. If you liked the book, please don't take offense. Reading is subjective and these are solely my personal thoughts.
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First off, the 3rd person POV did not hit in this. Idk if it was the writing or what but I struggled to get into this right from the start.
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Second, this is not an enemies to lovers 🙄 there's not 1 time in this book where the king dislikes Sunneva. He's instantly taken by her and flirty with her. There's no mutual hate. They are not enemies.
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The unoriginality and blatant copying of ACOTAR and LOTR. A starving girl trying to protect her family? Feyre. Taking something that belongs to the king? Feyre. A cold and miserable human world? ACOTAR. Courts? ACOTAR. Teaching her how to read and making her read cute/flirty messages? ACOTAR. (When I say ACOTAR I mean the series)
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Probably would have found more had I read further. Listen, I understand no story is 100% original. I understand that there would be similarities to the Beauty and the Beast story. I would have been fine with that had that all it been. Was there original parts? Yeah. And what was original I really enjoyed. But too many blatant coincidences for me to ignore.
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My buddy read got a bit further than me and said they even have a throne room scene where she sits on him and he caresses her leg 👀 c'mon guys....what in the world?!?! ACOTAR!!! Then, I saw a spoiler about the pregnancy trope...after the first time they have sex!!!! 🤮 I can't.
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I've never had a book make me this mad for this reason. Ever.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25/5
Ughhh. This had potential. The first 60% I was sooo into it. The slow burn was perfect and delicious. The fantasy aspect was simple and easy to follow. At times it did feel like a copy and paste of other fantasy books, but I truly did enjoy it up until the storyline started to disintegrate. Once it started to fall apart I knew there was no going back. The HEA that gets thrown in around 80% did not follow the pace of the book at all. It began to feel choppy and cringey as the book moved closer to the end. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there were certain situations that felt rushed and others (spice scenes ahhh) that were way too long. (WHO AM I RIGHT NOW?!) This won’t stop me from exploring her other books, but this one was a tad underwhelming

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t have words. This was so deliciously “where is my wife” good at the beginning but 75% of the way through a trope that has been continuously haunting me in my last 3 or so reads strikes again! I skimmed the ending. Goodnight

[Noe]

After reading the Guardians of the Maiden series, Beck Michaels can now never get rid of me. I will read everything this person writes

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
That moment when you’re so happy that the book is going so well and you’re kinda sure you’re going to rate it 5 stars….…💥 terrible ending 💥
🙁🙁🙁

[CC]

Eeek! Can't wait! Beck's writing is ~beautiful~ and I'm ALWAYS down for a proper B&B retelling :D

Featured as a Goodreads Monday title (oh, and you HAVE to check out the character artwork ;): https://storiesonthesewalls.com/2023/...

[☾All of Meg☀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM SOBBING

[ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am grateful to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read the eARC.

The review is spolier free

King's Bride was the dark fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in a deliciously seductive and the world full of dangerous and dark secrets. The narrative follows the characters as they heal from past wounds and learn to accept themselves despite others' judgments.

The story was soo good I want to cry. If you ask me what I loved most about the book, it would be the vivid descriptions of world building which was mesmerizing and captivating. The relationship between Jökull and Sunnëva was slow burn filled with angst and intense and the spice was scorching hot!

I was beyond excited when the author announced the prequel books for the legends mentioned in GOTM. I was super excited to read about Jökull and Sunnëva because who doesn't love strong, reckless, stabby FMC and demanding, brooding yet has heart of gold MMC who would burn the world for her? Yes, please!

I loved the way how the story was woven with secrets, mystery, prophecies and unfathomable truths. Plus all the swoon worthy moments and the confessions! I loved all the side characters who adored and supported Sunnëva. My favourites are Aero and Tally!

I enjoyed and savoured from the first page till the end page. The last 20% was intense and left my jaw on the floor. My head span from all the twists and turns. And yes, I cried. There are some easter eggs which I highlighted for upcoming GOTM books.

I'm excited to read the next book in the Chronicles of Urn because it would be about the God of Shadows...

If you guys love beauty and the beast, slow burn, stab first question later FMC and Ice Phoenix King MMC, pick this book up!

[Madison Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely have no words, but have so much to say. This book has left a permanent mark on me. I don’t read fantasy, like ever, and this was my first fantasy book since acotar—when I tell you, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I loved the MC and the MMC; I loved everything about their world and how it tied to Greek mythology and supernatural; I loved how the plot was moved along so well by the world building; I loved the love story between them; I love how I couldn’t detect ANY plot twists that were coming, like literal jaw dropping moments. Reading this book was a literal ethereal experience. I laughed and cringed and full-on sobbed during this book, I genuinely think I’m going to have a book hangover from this. I cannot even comprehend why or how this book has consumed my entire being. Song of Achilles level-obsession part two???

[Fantasybookgirlxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I needed at this time. I was going through my biggest reading slump yet and this book brought me back to life as I could not part with it.
I went into this book with no idea what was ahead of me. No spoilers, nothing and I thoroughly enjoyed every single page.

Yes, this is another beauty and the beast retelling but the story was well written, good quality of writing, likeable characters and a beautiful love story. It was probably the beast retelling I've come across.

What had me most enthralled was the all powerful and alluring God of Death, the king of the Everfrost lands who takes the daughter of the Morkan clan in a bargain, for she had stolen a sacred magical rose from his garden. To everyone in the land the king is cruel and selfish but as Sunneva (our FMC) there is much to learn in her forced proximity in the ice castle.

Whenever these two characters were together I could not put this book down. The tension and angst had me pining for more. Whilst this ended up being a beautiful love story, there is definitely spice in there that had me smiling and blushing. Certainly, entertained. Be warned that the God of Death can be a filthy possessive beast, indeed. Along with his filthy mouth and need to please his queen beyond all reckoning. He bows to no one, part from her and I loved it. Then as feeling began to grow and the hate in her heart began to thaw, you truly see their relationship blossom into an unbreakable force where not even the divine can keep them apart.

There were so many scenes in this that I loved. Knife to the throat, saddle and mirror scene had me gasping. Also I have found a new book boyfriend in Jokull (God of death) he is so bold and direct, I actually love him and how he worships the FMC. He would do anything for his queen. Plus I love a MMC with white blonde hair. My actual weakness.

Thank you, Beck, for writing this book. I loved it.
If you are after a light hearted fantasy which has a slow burning romance with a spicy pay off, light world building, mythical creatures and divine magic, then you will love this.

[Christy]

DNF 💀 I can't deal with Sunneva continuing to beg her father for forgiveness while he repeatedly tells her she's a worthless woman who's only worth isbeing traded to someone she can make babies with. The amount of absurd decisions made within just the first 25% is honestly baffling. I mean challenging the king to a duel where he gets nothing from you trying to stab him??? Whhhhaaaatttt are we doing, girlie pop? What's going on????

[readwithnikkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Not all stories have good endings, but you were mine”


If you like FBAA I think you’ll love Kings Bride !!!

I absolutely fell in-love with this story about Sunneva & Jokull 🩵 It was so well put together. It’s my new favourite by Beck !! I read the GOTM books but this is on an entire different level. Not only with the spice but it broke my heart, remade it, then cracked it open again.

It can be read as a stand alone but definitely read The Guardian of the Maiden series, though it is more YA while Kings Bride is NA. There are little bits that hint or show character lineages for TGODM.


Beauty & The Beast Retelling
Enemies To Lovers
He Falls First
Touch Her & Die
🤰🏼

🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️
Lots of tension but once we got spice, we got SPICE 🥵

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I had DNFed because it just got worse and worse.

I don’t have the energy to go on a rant about our damsel in distress Su (a shield maiden only on days that don’t end in ‘y’), so I’ll just say many characters don’t embody their traits well and some of their important choices lack reasonable motivation.

I kept getting pulled out of the story by nonsensical phrases. It’s as if the book was written in one language, translated to another, and then translated back to the first using Google Translate. A hint of the original meaning is still there but the sentences have gone a little funny, like “staring up at the ground” and “he was now completely hole.” At least I got a laugh out of that last one.

[Mishty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LIVED AND BREATHED EACH AND EVERY SECOND OF JOKULL AND SUNNEVA'S STORY. THE WAY HE LOVED HER SO MUCH 🥺🥺🥺 ONE OF MY FAVORITE FANTASY BOOKS TILL DATE. IT TOOK ME A WHOLE DAY TO COME DOWN FROM THE HIGH OF ALL THE EMOTIONS IN THE BOOK. I ALREADY MISS THEM. HELP.

ily a little more jo for recommending this 💓

[Isabel ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book I’m only left more excited to read King's Kiss... I loveee Rune already! King's Bride was an enjoyable enough read and a good retelling but the couple, specifically the main guy, didn’t steal my heart the way I would’ve liked and I think because of that I didn’t feel much interest during the second half of the book. The book has a nice balance between the romance and plot, but I needed more scenes between the main characters before getting established to fully invest myself in their relationship. They do have a great enemies to lovers foundation and I liked that the book had a fast paced start. Even though I didn’t love the ml, I did really like the fml! Being in her pov was always fun and all the secondary characters were surprisingly interesting as well, I appreciate that they all had a purpose within the story

[Js_Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC / SP Review : j’avais trop hâte de lire ce livre j’attendais sa sortie avec impatience et je n’ai pas été déçue !!
King’s Bride est le premier tome d’une nouvelle saga de 4 tomes : The Chronicles of Urn.
Cette saga prend place avant la saga principale de l’auteure : Guardians Of The Maiden. ( Divine Blood )
Chaque tomes sera sur un mythe différent dont on nous fait référence dans GOTM.

J’avais hâte de lire King’s Bride pour découvrir la réelle histoire qui se cache derrière se mythe 👀 et aussi très hâte de retrouver la plume de l’auteure 🥰

L’histoire était vraiment belle et les personnages étaient attachants et drôle. La politique était bien présente et toujours aussi bien expliquée. J’ai aimée le dynamisme entre Sunnëva et Jökull😭 même si j’ai quand même une petite reproche à faire… c’était trop rapide. C’est bien la première fois que je trouve qu’il manquait des pages 🫠 la relation à été développée trop rapidement je trouve. J’ai l’impression de pas avoir eu « assez de pages » pour réellement m’attacher.

Mais ça reste quand même une très bonne lecture qui se lit rapidement. Et maintenant j’ai qu’une envie c’est de relire GOTM 😭💕

Tropes principale : Marriage of convenience / Forced proximity / Enemies to lovers

À prendre en compte : Chronicles of Urn est une saga de Fantasy Adulte.

[Veronica ☽◯☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

➵ 4.5 ⭐️
rtc

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ When I found out Beck Michaels was writing a prequel series in the same world as Guardians of the Maiden, I was beyond stoked. This did not let me down. (And the spice 🥵). Sunnëva is strong, fierce, and a little murderous. I adored her. Jökull-what to even say?! Villian, who is an absolute filthy God with a heart of gold. I’m not always a fan of beauty and the beast type retellings, but this was loosely based and done very well. Mixed with some other retellings and myths as well. I loved seeing Easter eggs from GotM series. I can’t wait for more from Beck Michaels. Thank you for sending me an arc. I will definitely reread in the future.

[Ketharini · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

I seem to have read a completely different book than the one that has been rated 5 stars by everyone on this page.
Or maybe I have just so many books in this genre lately that this one completely bored and disappointed me. The plot was unoriginal (lots of resemblance to ACOTAR), writing almost juvenile, the pace very rushed, and love super insta (lust). I think this book could have also really used some editing and more beta readers.
There is a lot of potential but it seems to be lost in the first 50 pages already :(

[victoriaschapter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look I love this world but this book was so unserious. Damn near had a heart attack reading it actually. She was pregnant in one chapter. By the next she finds out it’s triplets. BY THE NEXT it’s been ONE MONTH and she’s nearly full term. I wish that was it as well. Once the babies are born it takes 3 months for them to appear as if they’re 6 years old 💀. Idm the pregnancy trope but even for me this was too far 😂

[Michelle (Bamamele.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I definitely expected to like this more than I did. If you love ACOTAR/ACOMAF and FBAA, you should like this, but some scenes are carbon copies.
Also, there are word choices for spicy scenes that give me the ick. “Folds” was used ENTIRELY TOO MUCH. Also “squelching” was used 🤮🤮🤮. Nope nope nope.
Jokull was a good MMC, but Sunneva definitely made a lot of dumb choices throughout the book. But it was a quick entertaining enough read 🤷🏻‍♀️