The Stolen Throne: The Villainous Reign

by Ivy Cole

Eira was to be Queen of Arcelia. To follow in the footsteps of her parents to help her Kingdom and people. That is until evil fell across the land.

The King of Wylan has joined forces with dark magic and cursed the lands that fall prey to his rule.

She’s gifted to the King’s son and falls into their hands. Seven men hold her captive and the rules of heroes and villains have changed.

Will Eira’s heart betray her as she learns about this new cursed world? Are the villains really as bad as she was told?

You will find Snow White has never been told like this...

****

We’ve been sucked into a book of fairytales, but something is different. This is darker… more sinister. The land is cursed, and all of the villains are the rulers and are taking over everything, including the leading characters' hearts. The villain never gets the hearts of the leads but this time they will, and they will burn the world to the ground to keep them.



Why-Choose Romance

Content Warnings

Genres: Dark Romance

241 pages, Paperback

Published September 11, 2024

About the author

Hey! I love writing reverse harem books of many genres. I love fantasy, paranormal and contemporary. I'm a mom and writing is my passion.

Reviews

[Brita Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stolen Throne
The Villainous Reign Bk.1
Written By: Ivy Cole
Narrated By:
Bridget and Jake Bordeaux

Eira was to be Queen of Arcelia. She was set to follow in the footsteps of her parents to help her Kingdom and people. That is until an evil fell across the land.

Then the King of Wylan went and joined forces with dark magic and cursed the lands that fall prey to his rule.

Eira gifted to the King's son and falls into their hands. Seven men hold her captive and the rules of heroes and villains have suddenly changed.

Will Eira's heart betray her as she goes about learning this new cursed world? Are the villains really as bad as she was told?

You will find Snow White has never been told like this...

****

We’ve been sucked into a book of fairytales, but something is different. This is darker… more sinister. The land is cursed, and all of the villains are the rulers and are taking over everything, including the leading characters' hearts. The villain never gets the hearts of the leads but this time they will, and they will burn the world to the ground to keep them.

This is a Reverse Harem Romance.

YOU'RE MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!!! Please read and pay close attention to the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book. There is some content and scenes in this book that are not suitable for all readers and could be triggering for others. Always remember that your mental health comes first at all times. Reader discretion is advised. Intended for readers 18+.

Tropes: Fantasy, Enemies-to-Lovers, Dark Romance, Touch Her and Die, Morally Grey MMCs, and Reverse Harem.

The Stolen Throne: The Villainous Reign was Written By: Ivy Cole and Narrated By: Bridget and Jake Bordeaux. I fell in love with Bridget and Jake Bordeaux's narration through the Zodiac Academy series. They bring such life to any series that they narrate.

The Stolen Throne is such a great story. It is a standalone retelling of Snow White with a dark why choose twist.

Eira is the princess of her kingdom, after her father passes away her mother steps up and takes over the royal duties her father once held. But, now there is a mounting pressure coming from the kingdom for there to be a King at the helm, so Eira's mother chooses to take the chance and invites their enemy to not only their kingdom but also their home to try and make a deal.

But, with her mother's choice, it allows Eira to be taken by the Wylan King. Eira suffers in her captivity for years. Finally, after years, the King releases Eira into the custody into the custody of his son and his six friends. They are going to test Eira's every beliefs and more than they help her realize that she was truly sheltered from the knowledge of just how bad the situation really was before she had been captured. And they show Eira that now everything is not as black and white as things may actually seem.

I just loved Eira so much. She had such a fire in her and her determination was infectious. And oh, the way she loved her guys and the way they rallied around her and helped her to bloom and helped her to spread her wings and fly, even after the king tried his best to clip them and break her completely.

And the guys, they had such a phenomenal brotherhood, they reminded me of the dwarfs in so many ways and I could see the characteristics of each of the individual dwarfs in each of the guys. And I just adored watching the relationship between Eira and the guys develop, grow, and naturally become what it was meant to be. And then, when the time was right, it was amazing to get to see Eira with the guys next to her get their revenge on the King.

I just loved hearing this story play our through Bridget and Jake Bordeaux's storytelling. They have a way of making the characters feel real and like they are your best friend. If you haven't checked out the audio book of The Stolen Throne yet, I highly recommend you check it out as it is highly enjoyable.

[Susan Stradiotto · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Darkly Enchanting Reverse Harem with a Brilliant Concept

I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and unique twists in this story. The concept of the “dwarves” being reimagined as enemies made the enemies-to-lovers arc incredibly engaging, and the reversal of the traditional “evil queen” into a dark, enigmatic king was such a clever, refreshing take. The connection between the big bad and the harem added delicious tension, and the mirror magic woven throughout the plot gave it a hauntingly beautiful, fairytale-gone-shadowy vibe that I couldn’t get enough of.

The audiobook narration deserves its own spotlight—captivating, emotional, and immersive. The voice acting truly brought the story to life and enhanced the darker romantic tones.

That said, this world was so rich with potential that I found myself wishing for more pages—this concept could’ve easily held a sprawling 500+ page epic. I enjoyed the men in the harem but wanted just a bit more time to fully fall for them individually, with clearer distinguishing traits to deepen my emotional connection. In the same way, I occasionally found myself wanting a touch more clarity in the group scenes, simply because I was invested and eager to savor every moment.

Overall, this book is a darkly enchanting, magic-laced reimagining with a standout premise and compelling romantic tension. If you love enemies-to-lovers, mirror magic, and harems tied to a powerful, morally gray force, this one is a must-listen.

Recommended for lovers of FAST Burn, quick reads, and super-spicy fairy-tale retellings

[Erika Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️’s make sure to check the TW’s ⚠️⚠️. Great story it’s a dark why choose retelling standalone of Snow White. Eira is a princess next in line for the throne of her kingdom, after loosing her father her mother takes over the royal duties. With mounting pressure coming from their own for a King her mother decides to invite the enemy to their home to make a deal. This leads to Eira being taken by the Wylan King and her stuffing. Years later the King releases her into the custody of his son and his six friends who will test her beliefs, help her realize that she was sheltered from the knowledge of how bad the situation was before she was captured and show her that not everything is as black and white as it seems. I loved Eira her fire and determination was great to see and enjoyed seeing the guys help her spread her wings after the king tried to clip them and break her. The guys oh they were so enjoyable I loved seeing their brotherhood, their dwarf characteristics and see their relationships develop with Eira. I loved seeing them finally get revenge on the king and closer.

[Lornaj_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to preface this by mentioning this book has a lot of triggers that may affect some people. Please go into this book with caution for your mental health. This is a Snow White retelling with the seven dwarfs being our MMCs. Eira has been taken captive and realizes her captors are not the villains she was expecting.

I enjoyed the different personalities of the men and had moments where they broke my heart for how much they wanted to protect her. I gave this book 5 ⭐️ and 3.5 🌶️ there is so many scenes but that is what you get for a why choose book.
If you haven’t read any book by Ivy Cole I highly recommend this one.
Happy reading everyone 📚
#stolenthrone #retelling #fantasy #snowwhite #sevenmmcs #whychoose #triggers #romantasybooks #romantasybookstagram #bookstagram #booktok #spicybooks

[Nadia Hinojosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part of The Villainous Reign author Collaboration series. Although I have heard of Ivy Cole this was my first time reading one of her books and it was amazing! I think I gravitated to this book because of the morally gray MMCs. I love this type of MMcs, so I was definitely excited to read it!
The backstory in the book was so pretty amazing and I love the “pictures” she created with her words. I also loved watching how Eira transformed throughout the story. And if you love morally gray men (like me) you’ll love the seven MMCs in this story! Each one seems to be more unhinged as you meet them.
Thank you, Ivy Cole for such a great story and characters! I cannot wait to read more of your books! My TBR list continues to grow!! I also cannot wait to read the other books in the The Villainous Reign series!!

[chesirern · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stolen Throne by Ivy Cole is a dark why choose fairy tale retelling. This is an excellent fairy tale retelling of Snow White with a more villainous outlook. I always like a good fairy tale retelling especially when it is on the darker side like it should be. Ivy Cole really is an inspired storyteller who knows how to really mix plot and romance together to make it a great combination.

Eira is the daughter of the King. She was destined to be Queen after his death but fate cruelly had other plans. With a twist of destiny she falls in to the hands of the seven dwarves who hold her captive. There is a lot more to these morally grey MMCs though.

Such a great story.

[Kate Fordham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm new to Ivy Coles writing, but that didn't matter because the storyline flowed for me from the first page.

Based on the fairy tale Snow White, there is a princess, 7 hot men, and mentions of 🍎

Please make sure to check any trigger warnings as their are scenes that may offend.

After all her ordeals, she emerges stronger than before with the support of her Men.

Lots of passion and spice 🥵🥵, touch her and 💀 moments and scenes that will make you sweat.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book it was easy, un-puttadownable. I read it in 2 days.

I can't wait to read the others in the series.

[Danille Hopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that opens your thoughts about the way things are portrayed with clear cut lines.

In this story, Eria finds herself relearning a different world around her after the kingdom which is hers by birth is brutally stolen from her. She learns that those she believes to be villains, while still villains it's not exactly as black and white as she was taught. I find this book to be an excellent story that keeps you engaged all the way through.

[Michaela Powers · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing didn’t feel like it had much substance to it. I think this book is giving me the ick bc even though the “dwarfs” are portrayed as warriors and just feels like childish writing with the lack of descriptions and content.

It was too cheesy with placing the dwarfs characteristics/names with these characters. E.g, one of the MMCs sneezes loudly so you identify that he is Sneezy. And one of them is blushing and red all the time, therefore, identifying as Bashful.

[Liz Ranne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this! She's a new to me author & can't wait to read more from her! This is Eira & her guys' story & they had one to tell! It has magic, mystery, danger & an RH which I loved! She went through some horrible things, & a lot of trauma. This book is a darker re-telling of Snow White & her men. The spice was awesome & I recommend this book & author!

[S I · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stolen Throne by Ivy Cole
My first for this author and i have to say i loved it. It’s enriched with details of this world that she has captured in our imagination.
Eira’s world collapse when her mom married. She thought it would bring peace. It was a death sentence to all her kingdom. But it only starts now all the excitement to come. Eira has a lot of spice around her.

[Stephanie Skiffington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this retelling of Snow White! Very dark but kept me wanting to read more. It was also a really quick read with a lot of great storytelling. I would highly recommend this one! The smutty parts make it that much better!

[Aphrena Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t underestimate the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book! There were a couple of parts that made me uncomfy just due to my own aversion to certain topics. However, this book is a spicy goldmine. I could see myself reading this one again.

[Sarah Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing Snow White retelling! I loved this whole take on it.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read by this author and it certainly won't be my last. What an amazing story with great characters. If this is what villains are then give me one over a hero any day!

[Ashley Ubinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy spicy!! Absolutely loved!

[Lori Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 it was okay. . It’s a darker retelling of Snow White and the seven dwarfs. It gave me very much reverse harem and it was a why chose. Which are two of my favorite tropes

Had a lot of good 🌶️🌶️ scenes and great banter.