Prince of Beasts

by Lyonne Riley

Queen Dienne’s sworn duty is to protect her people, so when a monstrous race known as the Burbarre arrive threatening to conquer her kingdom, she has no choice but to accept their terms: Marry Prince Jakol, a huge man with great horns and ox-like legs, who has loved her from afar for many years.

Though Dienne vows never to care for the beast who forced her into this marriage, she finds that Prince Jakol is kind, handsome and earnest, and he wants only to please his new wife. There’s no way she could fall for Jakol, especially when his body is so strange and unlike hers—right?

Features a guaranteed HEA!

Genres: Fantasy, Monster Romance, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Monsters, Novella, Enemies To Lovers

90 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2023

About the author

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.

Reviews

[｡.•*¨*•♬✧maeve ✧♬•*¨*•.｡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4/5 i actually loved this!!!! prince jakol DELIVERED in sooo many ways omg!!!! he’s basically been in love with badass queen dienne for ages and sort of forces her to marry him for the protection of her people….but he is the SWEETEST and their relationship grows into something so perfect:)

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

🌶️2.5/5 since this is more of a slow burn novella, you have to wait for the big spice scene but i promise the tension and….other acts….make up for it!!!!!

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

monster romance
romantasy
novella
arranged/forced marriage
he falls first
cinnamon roll mmc x badass fmc
breeding
size difference
fated lovers
yearning
slow burn/tension
etc.

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

“𝔪𝔶 𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔢𝔫”

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

i would definitely recommend this to anyone who needs a quick, spicy, romantasy read! message me if you want to chat💗

[Poppy || Monster Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had its good moments. Dienne was an interesting MC - fierce, brave, and kind. Jakol was pretty selfish, and usually I like the whole “marry me or else” vibe, but it didn’t fit with his persona of utter dedication to her happiness. The spice was fun and the ending was nice.

Spice: 3/5

Triggers: Coerced marriage, Dubcon, Detailed sexual, Pregnancy and birth, mentions of mass death from landslide, mention of war and threat of war

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ This took me so much longer than it should have.

It's a small novella -not even a hundred pages! But it has taken me multiple days to finish it because I felt no chemistry or pull with these two MCs. Also, the hair goat legs kind of freaked me out...

This is a forced marriage book, which I did not know to begin with or I probably wouldn't have picked it up. Marriage of convenience? Sure. But one character forcing the other into it? Not so much. It was lacking romance, I guess. The MMC is an absolute simp for her, though, which I loved. You know, as he should after that bullsh¡t in the first chapter.

🌶🌶🌶/ 5 - Pretty spicy if we take into account that there are barely enough pages to tell a full story.

[spidermse · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

Not a bad story for a short romance novella. The MMC ended up being very sweet and loved how their story ended. A couple things I didn't really enjoy:

1. How much the FMC called the MMC a beast and animal. I felt they could have handled each others' differences a bit better.

2. The MMC acting basically like a dictator at the beginning put my off.

It was a good, short read and one I had been wanting to get to for a while.

[Liv - Livslibrarylabyrinth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say, I love a man whose entire personality is being obsessed with her

[Kate Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unf, I love me a cinnamon roll.

The story follows Dienne, Queen of Fiore who has vowed to give everything she has to the country that appointed her as ruler. With her lands bordered by elves, trolls, and other races, she remains neutral and puts her people first and foremost in all matters.

But when Prince Jakol of the Burbarre pushes through the elves bordering her lands in order to get to her lands buried behind, she readies for war. Only the prince comes with a bargain, marry him and avoid war.

Jakol has been enamored by the human queen for as long as he could remember, and decides that if he must marry, it will only ever be to the Queen who stole his heart long ago. But forcing Dienne doesn't go over as well as he planned, and he finds himself struggling to accept all he's done to her as their feelings grow and tensions rise.

I loved this little short read. Jakol being a sweet little cinnamon roll that couldn't stop smiling at all Dienne did had me oooooing and awwwing. He really just wanted her and her alone. I was a little put off by how many times Dienne referred to him as a monster, and her reaction to seeing all of his body left a lot to be desired, especially when you go into this knowing that you're marrying another race and that things are different. It was especially hard to read knowing how much Jakol already adored her and worshipped her, and my heart hurt for how painful it must have been for him to be rejected in such a way. :(

but, they get their HEA and I adored it none the less. I know that Lyonne's writing style isn't for everyone, but it is always my cup of tea <3

[Biblio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this was so much longer! A quick paced novella with all the tension and pining. Jakol is a beast who has been in love with Dienne for ages. Dienne is an honorable queen who put her people first. Jakol comes with a deal that changes the future for Dienne and her people despite being a little... well you'll see. 90 pages was far too short for this beautiful novella. I need more. 4.5 stars, cock pocket, tension and steam, beastly MC who is absolutely precious and lovely in every way and a tough and lovely FMC who deserves the world.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhh, wasn’t too keen on this one. I think she was trying to do too much in too few pages which lead to a bit of a mess. Also, had some weird vibes that I look out for in monster romance that I didn’t vibe with. Have thoughts, not too fussed to write them all it but wasn’t a fan of this relationship. He was obsessed and wanted to be reverential, but their relationship dynamic mucked that up from the get go. Did she actually like him or did she just like that he was available, made her feel good sexually, and she just acquiesced to her duty? She basically continued to see him as a primitive beast lol.

[monsterinthepages · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📚 plot intensity: 📚📚📚
🔥 burn: 🔥🔥🔥
💋 spice: 💋💋💋
🍬 sweetness: 🍬🍬
🩵 the feels: 🩵
🤣 humour: 🤣
🍆 peen uniqueness: 🍆🍆
👤 POV: 1st person — single POV

━━ † ━━

I’m starting to think there isn’t anything that Lyonne Riley writes that I’m not going to absolutely fall in love with! She never fails to impress me with her novels, and ‘Prince of Beasts’ is definitely no exception to that! It’s such a fantastic novella that’s perfect to just sit down and enjoy in one sitting, curled up with a blanket and enjoying the cute story, STEAMY spice and a vivid fantasy world.

I adored Queen Dienne & Prince Jakol, both were perfect counterbalances to each other and just WORKED. He was the biggest cinnamonroll and so damn SWEET! (especially with the steamier moments, he was just so gentle and kind, I could have just given him a big hug!). Where can I sign up for a Jakol myself??…just asking for a friend! haha

I devoured this novel in one day and I found that I just couldn’t put it down. A very wonderful story that had enough fantasy elements to tickle my fantasy loving brain while still being a monster romance at heart (with his weird peen and trope of “how could I ever love a beast?? Oh, wait, whoops I already do!”). And the spicy scenes were SO HOT!! Consent is a HUGE personal preference of mine in romance novels and every time anything remotely sexual happened in this book it played a BIG part and I’m here for it! She needs some time to “swallow” the shock of his anatomy and he’s more than happy to give her all the time in the world. I loved every moment of it! (and also, minor spoiler here, when she tastes him the first time?? That scene was a personal favourite of mine!)

‘Prince of Beasts’ was fairly light and didn’t have too many heavy themes to it—which makes it a perfect example of a cozy book to curl up and read without a lot of tension. There are a few minor trigger/content warnings that I will list below just to be safe, but they aren’t dwelled upon too much or weigh the book down in a negative way at all!

━━ † ━━

⚔️TRIGGER LIST⚔️

— Explicit sexual content
— Forced/coerced marriage
— VERY mild dubcon elements
— Pregnancy & birth (non-detailed on page)
— Penetrative & unprotected sex
— VERY mild breeding kink

━━ † ━━

‘Prince of Beasts’ was a perfect novella that I thoroughly enjoyed and I’m so glad I picked it up to read! If you enjoy some forced proximity, forced marriage that ends in love, unusual monster anatomy, a cinnamonroll MMC, a strong FMC, consent and TONS of spicy goodness then I would highly recommend this book for you! It’s as soft and delicious as Jakol himself! 5/5 stars!

[ElleQin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an outline, not a story. This author can write a decent short story (Tempting the Ogre’s heart) and okay epic-style fantasy romance (although you should take the content warnings seriously). This book tries to be both and does neither well.

[Ra! ʕ •̀ ω •́ ʔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read through all of Riley's Trollkin Lover's series so now I'm checking out her other works!

Queen Dienne fears her people's safety when the Burbarre war rages through the neighboring kingdoms. When they finally met on the battlefield she is given a proposal by the Burbarre's Prince Jakol: Marry and her people will be safe...

The Good
I liked the slow build to the relationship between Dienne and Jakol. Prince Jakol was obviously obsessed with her from the jump and while he was an forceful presence at first, he immediately started bending to her will in all other aspects but their marriage itself. I felt like that allowed me to root for him and it allowed Dienne to fall for him. Once Dienne let him in their romance was really sweet and they fit together well.

Tropes:
— Political Marriage
— Slow Burn
— He falls first

Horn Level: 3/5🌶️
Format: Ebook

The Rating
I give this book a 4/5🌟 rating. This was short and a little angsty but ultimately sweet! I really liked it!

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[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm having a very up and down experience with this author. Most of her books sound amazing, but the execution is just...ok. I really enjoyed Five Gifts for the Blacksmith's Wife (3.5 stars) and Tempting/Enchanting the Ogres Heart (both 3 stars) were good as well, however, this book, Vacationing with the Vampire, and My Minotaur Husband (all 2 stars) were all just so very meh. There was nothing agregiously wrong with them, they were all just underwhelming, feeling more like outlines of books instead of fully fleshed out stories. They can also lean a little too sacchrine for my tastes, I don't love a flowery worded MMC (give me gruff and grumpy over poetic any day, lol!)

I have The Orc's Rage on my Kindle, which I'm really looking forward to, I love an Orc MMC, and it's supposed to be a little less fluffy and a little more dark in tone, so wish me luck. If this one also ends up being "just ok" then I think it'll be time for me to give up on this author and move on, no matter how great the synopses sound or how cute her covers are.

[Kelspar · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 rounding up

What a waste of potential. This was a total miss for me. The entire thing read like a summary or like a barely fleshed out outline. Good characters and world, but super rushed plot and zero feelings. Honestly, there wasn't anything of substance in this

[Noriboo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and easy novella.

I wish the characters were more developed. Both as individuals and the romantic relationship. I didn't feel like I truly got to know these characters, and Dienne's resistance turned into affection and love to quickly for my taste.

[Rachelqueenvixen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I freaking loved this so much. The blossoming love story and it was short sweet and spicy. I can't wait to read more by this author 😍

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella so much 😭❤️ for being only 90 pages, there’s so much in it! It’s fast paced. Evenly paced. I almost cried, I laughed, i giggled. I wish there was a full length story of Jakol & Dienne. Just read it. It’s also a great intro to monster romance if that’s something you want to try!

[ampère &#x1fad0; · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️
awww 🥹

[ZyaTheBookDragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and sweet short romance

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, but a lot was missing from it. I needed more, like why did the each have the other's portrait, was there resolution between the elves, and I need to know what happens in the future.

[Morgan Le Fay ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

For 90 pages, the story didn’t feel rushed but I still wish I had more! l

[Kirsty Gudmundsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinnamon Roll MMC
Monster Romance
Coerced Marriage
Unusual Genitalia
HEA

A short, steamy monster novella with a guaranteed HEA about a forced marriage between a Burbarre & a human queen. This novella is filled with size differences, weird peens and a little angst.

[Rach at Monstrous.LoveBites · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I didn’t ask what you wanted for your people.” His gaze is intense. “I ask what you, the Queen, want for yourself.” 🫠

I will admit that at first, Prince Jakol, our MMC, made me feel icky... but we lovee a redemption story, and he turned out to be the biggest cinnamon roll. Even through the spicier scenes, he managed to be an absolute sweetheart. 🥹

Our FMC, Queen Dienne, is a true for her people and put their needs first kind of queen and Jakol really complicated her perfectly. Their story and growth through this (too short 😭) novella was so sweet... and spicyy! 🌶

I absolutely loved it and could not put it down!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

This little book made me big sad and I love it. It’s so sweet and so sad and so emotional and so hot, it has so much in it. Highly recommend this read.

[ana maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Lyonne Riley book and it was recommended to me by someone I follow on Instagram and I'm so happy that I listened to them because, wow, I was so intrigued by this book. It has been a while since I've read a fantasy and I feel like this was the perfect book to get me back into the world since it was a nice and short story. I'll definitely be reading more books by this author because I really liked the world building and writing style. Dienne was a really fun character to read about and from the very beginning, I was just hooked on who she was because she's the perfect definition of a strong heroine since she has a soft side to her that she doesn't see as a weakness which I need more of. As for Jakol, I think that it was interesting to see how different he and Dienne are from each other and their world.

The ending was just perfect and I love how they were willing to give up things for each other and I feel like they were perfect rulers to their new kingdom. I would definitely recommend reading this if you like arranged marriages and monster romances.

[Emma's In Stock · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was reading this for sh*ts and giggles, and wow.

The plot and setting and world-building are almost non-existent, and I wouldn't have a problem with this if the author hadn't included said haphazardly placed pieces throughout this book. The only thing to care about was the smut, which was unfortunately dry, bare-minimum, and just not remarkable.

The romance itself was iffy to me. The guy has been in love with her for however long because he magically has a picture of her. How did he get this picture, you may wonder? Not even the character himself knows. This came off as creepy to me, whereas The King's Spinster Wife does this particular angle better, because the male love interest in that book has been in love with the female love interest for however long because of their kingdoms clashing and he was her kingdom's ward. There was also just a weird sense of Dienne not really choosing Jakol, just marrying him and then willing herself to fall in love with him so she can bear it. Obviously the whole point of this book is to disprove that and Jakol himself asks her this. Yet whenever Dienne faces this internal struggle, it always came off as very brainwashed to me. It seemed like the author was trying too hard to make sure that the readers didn't think this was a case of Stockholm Syndrome but having Dienne think to herself something along the lines of, "This is what I want," "my husband, whom I’ve chosen and who has chosen me."

This felt like an outline of a story, not a novella.

[Lia ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet short story ☺️

"The elves would not let us pass, not without a fight, and so I did what I had to do in order to reach you, my Queen. I came here for you, and they were merely in the way."

----------------------—

Story rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Romance rating: 3.5 ⭐️
Spice level: 2.5 🌶️ 
Smut frequency: 3.0 ⏳

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Tropes:
👑 Royal romance
❤️‍🔥 Hate to love
💍 Marriage of convenience
🍭 Cinnamon roll MMC
✨ Selfless FMC

----------------------—

~ STORY 📝 ~

Honestly, it's too short to really talk about it without spoiling it. If you want a cozy monster romance about 2 royals getting married and falling in love with each other against all odds and differences, this is for you. 🙌😄


~ ROMANCE & MAIN CHARACTERS 💖 ~

First, initial situation aside, Jakol is the greenest flag.
Dienne is also very stable and it's great reading about people that don't need extensive therapy from time to time. 😂😂

Second, often novellas have a tendency to do insta-love and I'm not the biggest fan of that trope. Here tho, it's not. We do a lot of "jump in time" but it's coherent and smooth and it allows to dodge that insta-love BS so I love it.


~ SPICE 🌶️ ~

Nothing extra but since it's monster smut, special anatomy is the main event. 😋
Also, it's kinda slow burn 🔥

[Racheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute novella! Considering it's only 90 pages, I thought it was very well-rounded with a solid plot. The romance was very sweet and the spice added to it nicely. My only complaint is that I wish the story was longer!

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prince of Beasts was the perfect little snack of a book! I loved this couple and seeing their kingdoms come together and didn’t want it to end, I could have read a full length about these two. They’re just so cute!

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prince of Beasts is a sweet and cozy monster romance right when you need something to cuddle up with, but not for a super long time. This is one of Lyonne Riley’s strengths, so I am not surprised but happy to confirm.

This is a marriage-of-convenience plot that takes the reader on a hate-to-love journey for the FMC. There’s some decent tension! In fact, there was enough that I asked myself, “How the hell are you going to shepherd us through this one, Riley?” Of course she does! I felt it was a huge leap of faith on the FMC’s part, given the situation.

I admit, I wondered if the FMC made too huge of a leap of faith, but only because the MMC pushed her there. I felt like he had made a dumb decision and was hoping to have his cake and eat it, too. In a sea of green flags for this guy, this was the off-colored one. That all being said, I didn’t find this to be such a bad thing that I didn’t honestly enjoy the book as a whole. It is just the only thing holding me back from five stars.

[K.C. Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not convinced that it’s possible to tell and original and engaging enemies to lovers stories in a novella. This one starts in a forced marriage and has some instalove in the middle. I liked parts of it, but I found the 🌶️ scenes wildly offputting and oddly phrased. Mostly in regard to the FMC’s own bits. 😂 There were a few pages where the descriptions of female anatomy made me grimace. And seriously, is the notion of being internally “jabbed” by one’s lover appealing?

I have a few of Riley’s trollkin books, and I can see enjoying stories and characters that were more developed than this one. Trying to world-build in 100 pages, establish the MCs as enemies, and build them up to a trusting relationship is pretty ambitious, especially when so much time is spent on spicy scenes that do little to move the story forward. I, at least, would likely fare better with a longer work or with a concept that’s not trying to do so much within a small page count.