Telise has survived on her own by being the quickest, the smartest, and the deadliest. But even to her friends, she's always been a little... Strange. She's spent her life seeking something that other humans simply can't offer her, and it's not until she tries to rob two trollkin that she realizes what it is she's after. Raz'jin the troll has only ever wanted money—oh, and the occasional casual lay. But when he finds himself with a dagger at his throat, at the mercy of a red-headed human woman... He discovers a new and very unexpected desire in himself. Telise and Raz'jin are both haunted by the memory of their meeting, even if such a relationship would be the ultimate taboo. Their peoples are at war, and they can't even speak the same language. But when they meet in a bar in neutral territory, perhaps their bodies can do the talking for them.
This is a very spicy romance novella. For a list of all tropes and CWs, visit the author's website at LyonneRiley.com.
Lyonne Riley writes super steamy monster romance, fantasy romance, and sci-fi romance. She lives in the middle of nowhere with her spouse and two dogs, writing spicy fairy tales.
Icky. It may be unrealistic but when I read a romance, the minute the MCs meet and are interested in each other I want them to be celibate. Not only does the MMC f*ck other people after he is interested in the FMC, but once they are together and they break up, the FMC goes on to continually f*ck her best friend until she is reunited with the MMC. YUCK.
He fucks two female trolls after meeting the heroine. ( we as a reader get it in detail too) I don’t want to read that in a romance. I don’t care if he didn’t enjoy or thinks about her while doing it. I don’t care if he thinks it’s a mistake and doesn’t sleep with anymore people after. I’ve already got the Ick!! The only way I will read that and be okay is if the heroine is also doing the same. Fucking random people. The heroine is also a virgin who doesn’t do the same.
I loved this! It was short, sweet, and fast-paced but I don't feel like I missed out on anything. I'm completely satisfied with the whole story. I know some people have an issue with the MMC throwing stuff around when he was mad but he's literally a troll? I find it so funny that people will gush over a mafia boss murdering people or a stalker cutting off the hands of men that touched their LI but draw the line at a broken table. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ANYWAY, I had a ton of fun reading this. It had some tropes that I absolutely love: language barrier, breeding, & bonded mates! Highly recommend for all my monster f*ckin' babes out there looking for a fast & spicy read.
Firstly I read the 1* reviews on here and I just wanna say they are f*ckn HILARIOUS yall! Why are so many people hung up on the MMC being aggressive and/or sleeping around? Ma’am he is a TROLL what did you expect? See this is why I LOVE monster romance! It’s fun and lighthearted, I don’t have to look too deeply into it or take it too seriously, plus the added sexy benefits of men with…interesting anatomy ;-) This love story is fun. I liked the development of the story & looking into their worlds and feelings. I thought this was a good first look into this world and a really good book to start a series with. I like that the love stories are different & she writes the men really well with complex personalities. I like how she handles the language barriers between characters. If you’re looking for a fun, quick read, I recommend this one.
I gave up at 43%. They meet for a whole like maybe 2 minutes? And they are smitten, head over heels and pining, knowing nothing about each other. Ugh. He doesn't have a personality, except being horny for her after having seen her half naked hanging from a post (because of course her clothes are ripped exactly where her breast is). She's very pretty, apparently, because even her best friend lusts after her, which really didn't need to be included in the story at all. The pacing is weird. I feel like a lot of time has passed but it's not made very clear in the story, and it could have been 3 days for all I know. Also, the "big man, small woman" is too much. He's apparently so big! Massive! Towering over her! He's too big for her to have sex with her! How will they overcome this barrier??? Well, with very little effort apparently. It was just weird. And when they were getting all hot n heavy, he could suddenly tell she was a virgin because of how tight she was. Yes. Because that's how women's bodies work. Once they have sex, it just get wider and wider down there. Come on. And the fact that he's sleeping around with anyone who comes along (before and during the beginning of the story) while she just "has never felt anything for someone yet, but does have a very strong sex drive, while never having acted on it, waiting for the right man to come along" is just too cliché and off-putting.
I'm regretting the effort of downloading this book.
This was amazing! The characters are gripping and their individual development so beautifully informs their relationship. Definitely a rollercoaster of emotions that I would ride again and again. Raz and Telise have my whole heart. 😭
Stealing the Troll's Heart is easily one of my favorite reads of the year and Lyonne Riley one of my new favorite authors! This book had me so gripped from start to finish! Let me tell you, I got so tense during the war not knowing how it was going to end!
Telise is a relatable and likable FL who enjoys doing things HER way while Raz'jin is a blue sexy troll who if he isn't after gold/money is after women, our Telise in particular which confuses and shocks him. Both characters are strong, and the side characters are likable!
There is a perfect balance of smut and plot and I found myself invested what Telise and Raz'jin were doing throughout the novel even when not with each other. Bonus that there is duel POV! I can't wait to read more of Trollkin Lovers series and find more lovable tusked men!
TROPES: Virgin Fl, language barrier, enemies to lovers, size difference, breeding, bonded mates, SPOILER: Pregnancy/birth.
SPICE: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (That bar scene and pining 🥵)
RATING: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (Adored this read! Would reread!)
Highlights: I wanted to start this series since the second book was announced and I was happy to see it available from my library! Telise and Raz'jin were great! I usually don't love insta-love but here it was done very well and I loved them together. The mutual yearning and their connection was amazing. I also really liked where the plot of this story went. I couldn't have predicted it and that was exciting. There is some big miscommunication's happening but it was executed well and made sense for the story.
Horn Level: 5/5🌶️
Format: Ebook — Libby
The Rating I give this book a 5/5🌟 rating. I'm shocked at how much I loved this book! I read it randomly and am so glad I did! I can't wait to read the next story.
I LOVED this book so much! Telise is a roguish loner thief who is always on the move, and her character archetype is one of my absolute favorites. I love Raz and his grumpy, stubborn, possessive ways. These two characters are both morally grey survivors in different ways, which is like book catnip for me. I love a strong FMC and Telise was crafty and cutthroat af.
There was a lot of epic shit going on in the background of this world too, which was really interesting and engaging. It was impressive how much of a journey we went on with these characters in under 200 pages, I loved that! I’m finding that I really enjoy the “enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers” trope, and I loved how these two against all the odds finally choose each other in the end. Highly recommend!
Gotta start with a backstory. When I first got a kindle and saw the stuff your kindle days for the first couple of times, I would download everything cause like free books. I didn't read what they were about or anything. I just thought, "heck yeah free books." So let me preface this by saying that I had 0 idea going into this book that it was a monster erotica romance. Man you should have seen the surprise on my face when I started getting into it. Even though I'm not into that type of thing, the overall book wasn't bad; however, I will not and can not read anymore of the series. I sure learned my lesson about stuff your kindle days this time around.😂😂😂
Lyonne Riley is one of the best erotic flash fantasy fiction writers I’ve found so far on the Internet. Stealing the Troll’s Heart read to me what a short-form storyteller can do with the monster romance genre. They can jam big things into small packages.
Yes, that was indeed a dumb sex joke.
This book is only about 140 pages so most readers will finish it quickly. Yet, Riley makes her words count. So I didn’t feel like I was reading a novel squeezed tightly into a novella. It even had a sense of being epic against a war time backdrop and a constant sense of survival in a harsh society.
I could see some wishing it was longer because the writing and the adventure are entertaining. Yet, I still felt satisfied.
Telise is a sassy, independent hellcat and she’s my favorite FMC that Riley’s written thus far. Raz’jin is the classic playboy rogue who takes it day by day, but everything changes when he comes across Telise. Both are strong, stubborn and independent; thankfully too stubborn for the typical mated-fates, insta-love storyline. There’s not even insta-lust because they’re so busy trying to hold onto their independence 😂
The spice was dirtier than what I’m used to in Trollkin universe, but I’m honestly loving it. While I adore soft and sensitive monsters, sometimes I also want them to be exactly what they are: scary, intimidating, demanding, unforgiving. Raz’jin is exactly that and Telise gives as good as she gets.
These characters are stubborn AF, but I resonated with each of their choices throughout the book. So much happens over a long period of time as the characters go about their lives, but the universe brings them back together, again and again.
There was too much ground to cover and not enough pages. Pacing seemed off. I hunt animals and make clothing I’m going to this island to apprentice now I’m leaving now I’m here now there’s a war? Oh I found you again oh now I’m pregnant how is that possible? The end?
This has joined the ranks of my favorite monster romances ever, it was so much more than I was expecting and I need a copy for my shelf ASAP. On to the next!
This story had some good potential but I just didn’t really love Telise. She does something later in the book that just ruined her as a partner for Raz’jik in my eyes. Also didn’t love how things went down with Deleran. She wasn’t a completely terrible person by any means, but just not my cup of tea. Raz’jik was a decent character, but still not my fave. I’ve read some of the more recent books by this author and enjoyed them tho, so imma continue the series.
Spice: 4.5/5
Triggers: violence, gore, war, attempted murder, physical altercation between partners
I really enjoyed this read! The story is fast-paced and exciting. The characters are interesting and I enjoyed following their development. I’m very interested in this world and looking forward to reading more in this series.
My one complaint is that both the MMC and FMC sleep with other parties in order to try to forget their heartache. I don’t love this trope.