He is morally grey, with all the red flags. He isn't human. He conquered Earth and claimed me as his pet. So why don't I hate him?
Prince Rhydian Y Mabinogi. As beautiful as he is cruel. The man of my dreams, and of my nightmares.
I was just a normal human man. Now I am his pet. He will never see me as his equal, as his partner. I don't even know why I want him to.
I should hate him. I should try to escape. I should loathe the things he does to me every night.
But as I come to know the twisted politics of this cruel and violent fey court he dragged me into. I can't help suspect there is far more to Rhydian than meets the eye.
I think under his icy armour, one thing is true.
He needs me.
Fey Conquest contains captor/captive, enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, first times and touch him & X.
Happily ever after is guaranteed.
Please note this story includes content that will be upsetting for some readers. If further information is needed, please use the “Look Inside” or sample feature to view the copyright page, where a full list can be found. Alternatively, this information can be viewed on the author’s website.
I love characters who are battered and broken by life, who through the course of finding love, discover they are strong. Despite everything, because of everything, I will always believe that love conquers all.
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there was literal rape and the characters just acted like nothing happened. (mc: oh, yes, i'm just going to go about my day after seeing my love interest getting raped in front of me 🎶)
+ lack of depth and tension; poor worldbuilding and pacing.
Tropes: captive/captor, forced proximity, paranormal romance, grumpy/sunshine Feels: 3.5/5 Steam*: 3.5/5 Kinks: voyeurism, exhibitionism, toys, kinky sex, somnophilia, forced orgasms Angst: medium HEA: yes Pairing: MM Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: rape of MMC and multiple minor characters, suicide, dubcon
3.5 stars. Normally I would be kind and round up, but I'm going to round down because of all the rape ugliness. Hopefully the next book in the series has less of that because of something Jamie did at the end of this book!
Jamie is a young average twink who works an average job in London. He's the only son of a single mom. 28 days ago the fey took Dominion over Earth, ousting all royalty and politicians and putting in place various Royal Feys. Some Feys show up to his workplace and one of them, Rhydian, declares Jamie to be his pet. The reason he has claimed Jamie is because apparently Jamie's biological father is one of the most powerful men in England which is news to Jamie, it's a power move to claim Jamie.
Jamie is a sweet idealistic romantic guy. He's actually a virgin, he's been saving himself for love. Rhydian intends to use him as his sex slave, that's what a pet is, but when Jamie is genuinely afraid and vulnerable it pulls at his sympathies and he agrees to go slow with him. They have a prolonged courtship of sorts that escalates into deeper intimacies as time goes on. Soon Jamie has genuine feelings for Rhydian because he has been really good to Jamie, and Jamie has seen kindness and positive traits in how he conducts himself. Plus the white hot sexual tension between them helps! Rhydian is more of a softy than he seems, he is definitely falling for Jamie. They are trying to make their relationship work in an environment where there are a lot of threats because of fey customs/society and some bad actors in their midst. There's conflict about whether they can both survive and whether Jamie will choose to stay if he gets a choice. There's also threats to people that one or both of them care about.
This was a well told story. There was depth to the world building and there was depth to the characters both the main characters and so many of the minor characters. The tension and feelings developed nicely between the couple. They really did have a special dynamic. There were some nice funny moments.
Some people would probably complain that Jamie was a little too weak-willed, a bit too much of a pushover, but I thought he was pretty sweet and innocent and likable for the most part. He was kind to people. I hated two things that he did though... First, when the winged sex slave was being forced to be double penetrated against his will, Jamie gratefully ran so that he didn't have to see it. Second, when Rhydian was being raped in front of him, Jamie put his hands over his ears, shut his eyes and did his best to block it out. It takes more strength and it does more good sometimes not to run away, but to try to support the victims in those moments so that they feel less alone - even if it's just them seeing your disgust with the perpetrator and empathy on your face.
I didn't love the world that exists in this book. There really is no morality or justice in the fey world. Good doesn't win. Those in power do not have an obligation to the people to be good government or leaders. Even the people in power don't have the power to change the horrible treatment of others or the way that society is run. Rhydian and his brothers were in power but they couldn't prevent the horrible treatment and rapes that were so pervasive in their society. Just not a pleasant world. This would be very triggering for a lot of readers.
A few other minor complaints. I almost forgot Jamie's name because for the first 40% of the book at least no one used his name! Everyone was calling him a pet. I also didn't like how Jamie lost his identity and wasn't himself for at least the first 40% of the book. He was pretending to be someone meek, he was just flying under the radar trying not to draw attention while hoping to figure a way out of this mess. And I felt like that kind of hurt the relationship development between the main couple because they weren't really getting to know each other truly during that time. But it was kind of artistic license for the author I guess.
Some notable moments:
At least he's self-aware enough to be honest! This would be a major flaw to the story if Jamie just accepted the treatment he got. "But I think I could adjust. Rhydian doesn’t seem too bad. I snort softly to myself. I’m so shallow that a bit of luxurious living has swayed me. He doesn’t give a shit about my consent, but he gives me a spa day and it’s all good?"
This was such a sweet empathetic moment between Jamie and Rhydian's brother "“What are you doing?” he asks in a tone of great bemusement. My heart sinks even lower. Fey are so cruel, they don’t even have hugs? “I’m hugging you. It’s a human custom.” “What for?” “To demonstrate affection and compassion,” I explain. He goes even stiffer, but I just hold him tighter. “But…” he whispers softly. “You have only just met me?” Oh gods, he sounds so lost. So very taken aback. I think I’m going to cry. But I won’t. Dyfri doesn’t need that from me. I keep a hold of him. Slowly, he relaxes in my arms. Then feather light, so light I can barely feel it, his arms wrap around me."
"Suddenly, Mabon gasps and wanders off towards the security guard standing by the checkouts. “Oh! it is so handsome!” drawls Mabon. The security guard looks terrified. “I’m going to ride your cock,” says Mabon. The security guard turns bright red. He is not a patch on Rhydian, but he is a good-looking chap who clearly loves the gym. I can see Mabon’s attraction. “Mabon! Leave him alone!” I say."
*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.
**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book was enjoyable, I liked the little pieces of lore, the romance was decent, my only critic is the s*x scenes, they are way to much.
I would love for half of the scenes to be eliminated to give space for more lore and more world building.
This world is very promising, if handled right it will be an amazing series, give us more plot, more world building, more intriguing characters (but without much angst please) and I'm sure people will gravitate to this series!
Due to obvious reasons I had to read this book. The FEY are cruel and elitist, but free in a way humans aren't and I soaked it all up ❤️🔥
Jamie is a little bit too into Rhydian from the beginning for my taste - he throws all his beliefs away in an instant, just because of his sexual satisfaction. I don't quite buy it completely - I would love a little more fighting against these overwhelming feelings - but nonetheless the two of them make quite the pair and some nice turns. And I love love love Jamies kindness, we all deserve so much more kindness 🖤
And I also adore this queer universe - it's so healing to read about a community where heteronormativity doesn't exist. There is a lot of toxicity but not in the same way as within human societies.
The writing is passable at times and juvenile at others and although I think there's plenty of room to grow it's difficult not to get frustrated with the MC. He's willing to overlook a lot of cruelty and I find the idea that a highly sophisticated society is so emotionally stunted quite frustrating.
But the fact that Jamie just rolled over and showed his belly after being kidnapped is the most frustrating thing.
Not to mention the huge and numerous plot holes.
Jamie's mom coming and going with notes. Jamie not using the notes to tell her about the Fey's weaknesses. The fact that instead of getting rid of the Rhocyn class altogether he just asked for them to be able to have the ability to CONSENT to being used.
It's not a good book. It's a great concept, but it's a bad book.
Probably more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up because I did end up enjoying this and absolutely will read the next in the series!
So here’s the deal: the first half is pretty meh. The book is first person present and only from Jamie’s perspective. The fey world we’re dumped into is confusing and I didn’t really care about their politics. Rhydian and Jamie barely speak but do engage in (imo unsatisfying to read and completely one-sided) non-penetrative sex. I was a bit bored.
The second half is like a completely different pace. There’s feelings!!! Drama! Hot hot smut. Mutual obsession but complicated by the social politics of the fey. I cared about people - which is good because each brother is getting a book!! The ending was lovely and perfect. No Jamie can’t single-handedly tame the wild fey but he puts his stamp of human kindness on the court and it was brilliant.
While I was expecting something a little darker, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It didn't push my limits too hard.
Okay, so Jamie is a captive throughout, however he does have some freedom and agency in his life. It's pretty clear, fairly early on, that his captor has developed a soft spot for him and actually treats him pretty well on the whole.
That's not to say there isn't a darker undertone. Jamie is still a prisoner, and there is the s*xual sl*very some of the characters are victims to, such as Rhydian's brother. Jamie does his best to impart to his lover and the other brothers why this is so very wrong.
Like Jamie, it's all too easy to forget these aren't humans, they are fey, and as such, have different morals altogether.
Pretty steamy with some violence, the story focuses mainly on Jamie coming to terms with his captivity, his growing feelings for his captor, and what he can do with his limited power to enact change.
Maybe I'm looking through Jamie's rose-colored glasses, but the fey taking over doesn't seem to be a terrible thing for the planet. The humans? Well, they'll adjust. Tiny cameo from the DragonRiders.
Now I know why the dragon rider serie ended that way haha. Why did I not read that before?
It was just so good ! Stockholm syndrome appart., this was the sweetest story. When Rhydian started breading his hair, I was melting. Jaimie has to learn how to be a pet and how to leave with a race he doesn’t know about. People that are not human. At first everything seems cruel but Jaimie is living in luxury and around some funny and not funny princes. I love every single princes and cannot wait for their own books. I kinda enjoyed seeing the fae court and political issues. Dyfri and Mabon became my two favorites.
Dark romance Kidnapping Strict role Fae x human Prince dom / pet V card Grumpy/sunshine
Even though, it is dark romance, it is not as dark as I thought it would be, the prince is cruel but honestly he could have been more haha. This is soft dark romance for me.
I need to start reading the blurbs before I read these books. It’s getting embarrassing at this point.
When I go trolling for books on KU I usually look at the three tags and page count. I’ll usually look at the cover and not the title or author. And really, it’s says right there on the cover it’s a dark romance. What was I expecting???
This book has me wanting so much more in a good way, the way the author writes the characteristics of each character is so well done. This book had me on a rollercoaster of emotions, sitting up in suspense, as well as giggling and kicking my feet. I am so excited about this series, the world-building and characters' plots will be so satisfying to read. Mabon quickly became my favourite brother and character so I am very excited that the next book is his storyline.
This book is a continuation from the DragonKin trilogy but can be read as a standalone series, this book did feel slower and more drawn out but I wasn't bored as the added length was about the world-building and extra details which is why I only lowered my rating by one star.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book continues from the Dragonkin series but you can read as a standalone as I don't think it will impact your enjoyment. As usual S Rodmans word building skills were really shown in this storyline as they helped build the plot and kept you wanting more! Great descriptive character build up so you really understood everyone which helped you bond with them. The storyline was brilliant, full of suspense one moment then some laugh out loud moments, plenty of heat with some darker moments! Loved it! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I loved this so much! It's surprising yet refreshing to have a hero who is truly powerless in dire situations. But it doesn't make him weak or a coward, it just makes him real. Love the relationship between Jamie and Rhydian ❤️
I had the pleasure of beta reading this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is cleverly written and draws you in almost immediately.
The characters are likeable unless they are meant to be unlikeable, and I found myself wanting to know more about the secondary characters, too, which is always a sign of a good story.
I was looking forward to seeing what the Fey were going to be like, and they seem as deliciously evil as they were thought to be. But of course, amongst the most evil, the good will also exist, and it is those few's shoulders who the future of the world rests on. I can't wait to see what happens.
You must read the Dragon Kin series first to really understand the nuances of this story. Otherwise, it seems to sit there out of phase and comes across as just a smutty novel with some magic folk. This is a huge disservice. The story has a complex beginning, that starts in the Dragon Kin story.
En resumen, diría que es un libro para no tomar tan en serio. No van a encontrar el romance fae x humano del siglo, pero si pueden encontrar un libro sencillo para no pensar mucho, a mi me sirvió mucho cuando no sabía que leer y sentía el bloqueo lector respirandome en la nuca. Igual recomiendo tomar en cuenta las advertencias indicadas al inicio del libro.
Este tipo de libro es lo que considero una lectura mamaracha jajajaj pero en el buen sentido.
Hubiera deseado menos smut si eso hubiera significado explorar más la trama y los personajes, porque la idea del libro y las cosas que se mencionan me gustan, solo sentí que faltó más desarrollo. Me gustó: el ship, la idea de faes invadiendo el mundo, los hermanos del príncipe, etc. Solo que todo quedó como a medias, o eso sentí.
Algunas cosas que encontré un poco extrañas (y es porque no tenían mucho sentido o salieron de la nada): la madre de Jamie y todo su involucramiento, una de las escenas casi finales con el villano y Rhydian, el anuncio de Rhydian sobre Jamie (sobre eto hubiera querido más conversaciones entre los protas).
Pero a groso modo, es entretenido y quiero leer el resto de libros.
Prince Rhydian Y Mabinogi. As beautiful as he is cruel. The man of his dreams, and of his nightmares. Jamie was just a normal human man. Now he is his pet. He will never see Jamie as his equal, as his partner. He should hate him, should try to escape, should loathe the things he does to him every night. But as he comes to know the twisted politics of this cruel and violent fey court he dragged him into. He can't help suspect there is far more to Rhydian than meets the eye. He thinks under his icy armour, one thing is true. He needs Jamie.
I loved this story with the Fey Prince who took a human pet and discovered that humans were far kinder than the members of the fey court. I loved their relationship and the way that over time Rhydian was very kind or indulgent with Jamie making his life more comfortable. Easy to read, feel and understand. This was an MM story with mature content.
I was pleasantly surprised with the relationship between MC's.
I began reading this series with book 3 so I was skeptical about the fey first prince. He seemed mean and Jamie felt meek and naive.
When I finally opened this book I realized that things weren't as it seems and they make an adorable couple.
I'm still mad about the fact that they haven't addressed the ear torture at the beginning. Jamie never spoke about it. And I don't know I guess it felt weird knowing they had other options such as earrings to help with the translation...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Excellent world building combining present Earth time with folklore about Fey beings. I liked how Jamie managed through his unstoppable compassion to help a few beings in trouble. Some of the first half was a bit repetitive and dragged a bit. The brothers were particularly interesting and the next book sounds really appealing.
I'm obsessed and hooked and cannot wait to devour the whole series.
Story, very good. Fey conquering the world and living in Buckingham Palace, bloody amazing. None stop spice, which is insanely hot 😁 Characters to fall in love with, characters to despise. It really was such a fun, entertaining read.
There were just little things here and there, small things that distracted from the story for me; a couple of places that it seemed the author was trying a little hard to be snarky and witty. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Was the writing shit? Yes! But I had a good time! I laughed out loud a few times! Pretty much this entire book was one sided and told in inner dialogue. I would normally DNF, but for some reason it worked here!
*Note - this is the beginning of a new series, but it picks up right where the “Dragon Kin” trilogy ends. I highly recommend reading those books for background information first.
This is a *lot* darker than the Dragons Kin books. Like, woah. I know Rodman’s work, so I knew I would like the book as a whole (no surprises there, I fucking loved it) but please please please practice self love and check the TW before picking it up. It is there for a reason, and you need to be kind to yourself.
I did love Jamie and Rhydian’s story. I was **very** hesitant because of Rhydian’s role in the Dragon Kin books, but like I said - I know Rodman’s work and I knew I would enjoy it. I did have to kind of squint and power through some scenes, because the overall story was so worth it.
Jamie’s decision to bring kindness and compassion to the Fae was wonderful to watch. He showed the Fae that human traits were not all bad, and the friendships he made along the way - however unlikely - were strong. I want to see more of Pinky in the future - I have a feeling we aren't done with her!
Rhydian needs a hug, a cry, and a drink. Probably in that order. His love for Jamie couldn't be obvious, but the way these two grew around each other was a treat to watch.
Pick up if you love: Captors who love their captives but don't know how to handle that “Who. Did. This. To. You.” Just because they're considered lesser doesn't mean they need to be treated less Tricky tricky fae Hairstyling tips Bathtime tips Dream walking Two beings whose souls speak to each other
The Fae have come to conquer humanity and if they want something or someone, they get it without anyone getting in the way. Prince Rhydian wants Jamie for political reasons (although we don't really see much of this) what begins as a move to have more control over the rulers of the humans, becomes confusing and Rhysan begins to have feelings for Jamie. I have to say that Jamie doesn't have many objections to being kidnapped, in fact he feels very comfortable in the hands of his captors. It is a fairly quick read, our protagonists fall in love very quickly. What I found very interesting were the social classes, how despite being princes they can fall from grace and be used, I hope this will be explored more in the following books.
Too many unanswered questions and things that just didn’t quite make sense. Very uncomfortable with it as Jamie as ok as he was ‘in’ with the prince, what about the rest of the world? Were they suffering? I know it’s fiction and make believe but it had an air of ickiness….. There was lots of repetition and no real explanation, other than who is father was as to why he was there in the first place.
The baddie was too easy to beat and how some if Jamie figured it out on the internet how come no one else had and defeated them.
This was a highly frustrating read for me, as I think it could have been a book I quite liked but all the negatives were just too much.
First of all, I should have done myself a favor and remembered that I had read this author before (Lord Garrington's Vessel and really, really disliked their writing. Unfortunately, I didn't recall that until afterwards, probably because I tried to wipe that book from my memory entirely.🙄
While this book isn't nearly as bad/awful/horrible/hideous as Lord Garrington's Vessel, it definitely has huge problems.
Let's start with a more banal issue. On my Goldilocks scale for sex scenes, this one lands firmly on the too much side - like, way, way too much. Some of that is due to the fact that one of the MC's is being "kept" as what amounts to a sex slave, but even that doesn't seem sufficient reason for the sheer volume of sex.
Now let's get to the definitely not banal issues. If you are requiring a book show/imply/even hint at consent before sex, then skip this one entirely. Sexual encounters range from the diciest version of consensual to outright rape, including depicting what I consider a gang rape during a banquet. Again, much of this is due to the portion of the plot that deals with "pets" (aka sex slaves) being part of fey culture. Unfortunately this also means that said scenes pop up throughout the book in a fashion that implies they are "typical", but for me they still come off as anywhere from disturbing to downright horrifying. Sometimes the author depicts the MC who is being kept as a pet as being horrified by what he sees going on (i.e. during the banquet scene), but it feels like an inadequate sop for those readers who might find these scenarios upsetting. The main issue is that sex in this world equates to dominance and societal power, and most of the sex scenes reflect that. In truth, I can't think of a particular instance where sex between anyone, even the MC's, incorporated anything remotely like love or respect.
This leads me to the next issue - MC Rhydian is one cold bastard - indeed, MC Jamie refers to him as such quite frequently - and I do not honestly see this pairing as being any kind of a true (read: loving, equal) relationship. The L word does slip out at the very end, but is it meaningful in how and when it is said? Hell, no. In fact, it comes off as something completely phony. There is a change to MC Jamie's "status" by book's end that I suppose is meant to imply a HEA ending, but if you ask me, the guy is still a virtual concubine regardless of what his new "title" is and it's actually pretty insulting to the character that he happily accepts it if it's some kind of honor.
All of this is particularly frustrating because there are parts of the book that have so much potential. First of all, Jamie is a hoot. He can seem to be such a pretty little fluff head:
I loved my cat, Mr Tiddles, and cried my eyes out when he died.
. . . but he's also smart, empathetic, and unafraid of heedlessly blurting out whatever it is he is really feeling without considering the consequences. He's got his own kind of bravery and moral compass and he makes quite an appealing character.
I also like the royal brothers, who appear to range in temperament from soup to nuts. When the author writes about the dynamics between them, it's quite interesting and I think a book with characters like these that centered more on plot and less on sex would have had great potential. There's also a lot of court politics/shenanigans that could be more at the fore front, even if those politics include sex (which they often do.) Understanding a societal/power dynamic that is heavily based on sexual practices doesn't mean one has to graphically illustrate those practices all the time. Case in point, there is a sexual interaction between Rhydian and another alpha-type character, an interaction that is clearly based on displaying dominance and power, and it's actually quite a powerful scene because it's unexpected and highly uncomfortable and it really drives the plot forward. In comparison, the multiple sex scenes between the two MC's exist mainly to show variety (yawn) and, since they rarely drive the plot in any way, could be seriously culled down to a low roar.
I also felt that the impetus of the story sputtered out at the end in regards to the duel, which is meant to be a Really Big Thing. The build-up leads one to believe there will be at least a few fireworks, but it turns out to be more like a splutter - not sure it would even qualify as a sparkler. Very disappointing.
I have to say I wouldn't recommend this book because of the way non-consensual sex is portrayed. If the author could move on to more story/character and world building and less "it's been 10 pages, time for a new sex scene that ratchets up what happened in the last one", I think there could have been a book truly worth reading. Not sure if I'll be moving on to book #2, especially as it appears it will deal with a brother who has sex on the mind 24/7 (and not because it's a societal/cultural norm).
The plot was interesting, but I have 2 problems with the book. First half of the book was boring, the second half was packed and everything happened fast.
And romance. I didn't feel anything from/for MCs. No emotions, def not love.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.