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Born to Rule: Rise of a Second Son 4: A Kingdom Building Progression Fantasy Adventure
Prince Ashur is dead, but a far greater threat has risen in his wake.
The war in Troyan is nearly over when mythical ice giants begin ravaging the northern coasts. To counter the threat, I’ll have to sail to the remote island of Meranthia, where rogue pirates guard the secret of a floating ice platform at the heart of the chaos.
Its purpose? To restore the balance of the world by blanketing the entire continent in endless winter.
With my women at my side, I will end the threat of these legendary creatures. Or die trying.
The war in Troyan is nearly over when mythical ice giants begin ravaging the northern coasts. To counter the threat, I’ll have to sail to the remote island of Meranthia, where rogue pirates guard the secret of a floating ice platform at the heart of the chaos.
Its purpose? To restore the balance of the world by blanketing the entire continent in endless winter.
With my women at my side, I will end the threat of these legendary creatures. Or die trying.
- GenresHarem
397 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 4, 2026
46 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Shane Hammond
32 books63 followersHey there! I'm Shane, and I love writing fantasy. I've been reading fantasy all my life, and I've always wanted the chance to tell the stories that I wanted to share. So here I am! With my stories, you can expect a fleshed-out and detailed world full of interesting characters that you can't help but root for. Thanks for checking me out, and I hope you enjoy my work!
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 22, 2026
This book was pretty blah for me. I finished it, but the last third I skimmed just to see what was coming.
The MC doesn't do much in this book. There is little plot development outside of these frost giants or whatever they are freezing cities and leaving dead behind. Meanwhile, the orc problem from the first book continues to be an afterthought as the MC races from one country to the next to solve whatever problem comes up. All the travel sequences with only minor events happening wore me out.
The next book promises to bring the orc problem back to the forefront, but it's too little too late for me to stay interested. One of the LIs is pregnant, the MC is now king, and I don't care.
The MC doesn't do much in this book. There is little plot development outside of these frost giants or whatever they are freezing cities and leaving dead behind. Meanwhile, the orc problem from the first book continues to be an afterthought as the MC races from one country to the next to solve whatever problem comes up. All the travel sequences with only minor events happening wore me out.
The next book promises to bring the orc problem back to the forefront, but it's too little too late for me to stay interested. One of the LIs is pregnant, the MC is now king, and I don't care.
January 10, 2026
The book was enjoyable and well written, decent entry in the series EXCEPT for 2 plot points that almost ruined the series for me.
1) the first 3 books kept mentioning the orc raids, they killed his brother, raiding and pillaging villages and made super dangerous hybrids and then in this book the raids stop. The MC, instead of thinking something is up, breathes a sigh of relief thinking the problem went away and after dealing with the ice giants he'd have a moment to relax......uh no, that's just ignorant.
2) Madeline. Was not a fan of her character in the last book and this book did not make her any better. She is a walking red flag. Her loyalty to the MC is uncertain, her motives are unclear and is a character with questionable morals. There are multiple reasons why the MC and her being in a relationship are a bad idea....he's going to be the ruler of a country, she is NOT a good person to give any sort of authority or power to. Those are my reasons for why she's a terrible LI for the MC, but what ruined the book for me was that instead of the MC thinking about any of this, or resolving the issues around her loyalty and commitment, he instead thinks with his dick and enters into a physically intimate only relationship with her. A man who already has 4 dedicated women who have each committed to marrying him and his family, "temporarily" adds in another woman to his rotation that could harm this dynamic. It just rubbed me the wrong way, because the MC has 4 woman.....he is not lacking for sex, so adding in a 5th who is just there for sex paints the MC as greedy, immature, and inconsiderate.
1) the first 3 books kept mentioning the orc raids, they killed his brother, raiding and pillaging villages and made super dangerous hybrids and then in this book the raids stop. The MC, instead of thinking something is up, breathes a sigh of relief thinking the problem went away and after dealing with the ice giants he'd have a moment to relax......uh no, that's just ignorant.
2) Madeline. Was not a fan of her character in the last book and this book did not make her any better. She is a walking red flag. Her loyalty to the MC is uncertain, her motives are unclear and is a character with questionable morals. There are multiple reasons why the MC and her being in a relationship are a bad idea....he's going to be the ruler of a country, she is NOT a good person to give any sort of authority or power to. Those are my reasons for why she's a terrible LI for the MC, but what ruined the book for me was that instead of the MC thinking about any of this, or resolving the issues around her loyalty and commitment, he instead thinks with his dick and enters into a physically intimate only relationship with her. A man who already has 4 dedicated women who have each committed to marrying him and his family, "temporarily" adds in another woman to his rotation that could harm this dynamic. It just rubbed me the wrong way, because the MC has 4 woman.....he is not lacking for sex, so adding in a 5th who is just there for sex paints the MC as greedy, immature, and inconsiderate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2026
Great addition to the series
I saw some reviews saying the ending was bad and they hated the POV change for the last chapter but I think it's a great way to set up the next arc and its really not that big of a cliffhanger. The rest of the book was great, the the characters still feel real and the pacing is fine. I look forward to the next one.
I saw some reviews saying the ending was bad and they hated the POV change for the last chapter but I think it's a great way to set up the next arc and its really not that big of a cliffhanger. The rest of the book was great, the the characters still feel real and the pacing is fine. I look forward to the next one.
January 16, 2026
What a great series!!!
This may be this author's best series in my opinion!!! The character development and world building have been fantastic since the beginning and the underlying mystery has been wonderful to try and unravel!! I can't wait to see what comes next !!!
This may be this author's best series in my opinion!!! The character development and world building have been fantastic since the beginning and the underlying mystery has been wonderful to try and unravel!! I can't wait to see what comes next !!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is so far the best book in the series. This book had everything, Happy, sad, scared, so many emotions and still kept the excitement for the next instalment.
January 5, 2026
more trouble but there may be a solution, if you trust a pirate
January 6, 2026
This series is excellent with a great story line! I am looking forward to future books about this great adventure!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews