What do you think?
Rate this book
Arasgain Rule #4
King of Stags
She was a protector. A respected warrior. She was High Queen.
After defeating Ursula, the Kalti queen, Muirne Arasgain should be rejoicing. Instead, she travels to Brython with her love, Riagan, chasing the one trail Ursula left before she a way to answers about Riagan’s heritage.
When Muirne and Riagan find the Norsemen, they immediately see Riagan as one of their an Ostmann, with their markings and their ferocious way of fighting. Their leader, Jarl Gunnar Jorgensen, is in the midst of a war with a Brythoner earl, and when he sees an opportunity to ally with the Erysh, he’s quick to take it.
Muirne, left with no choice but to fight for the jarl’s alliance, is once again thrown into the one thing she’s been trying to war and pain. And as she grapples with the realisation that she doesn’t want to fight anymore, Riagan is thrown into the lost memories of who he once was, and where he came from.
But can the Norsemen be trusted, truly? And can Muirne gain the trade and connections that Eryn so desperately needs? Or will she lose not only a new ally’s strength, but the one man she loves more than anything?
King of Stags is the fourth and final instalment of the Arasgain Rule series. Packed with epic battle scenes, roaring hot spice, loveable characters, old and new, and feminist ideals that will make you want to take a sword and go to war. Pre-order now!
After defeating Ursula, the Kalti queen, Muirne Arasgain should be rejoicing. Instead, she travels to Brython with her love, Riagan, chasing the one trail Ursula left before she a way to answers about Riagan’s heritage.
When Muirne and Riagan find the Norsemen, they immediately see Riagan as one of their an Ostmann, with their markings and their ferocious way of fighting. Their leader, Jarl Gunnar Jorgensen, is in the midst of a war with a Brythoner earl, and when he sees an opportunity to ally with the Erysh, he’s quick to take it.
Muirne, left with no choice but to fight for the jarl’s alliance, is once again thrown into the one thing she’s been trying to war and pain. And as she grapples with the realisation that she doesn’t want to fight anymore, Riagan is thrown into the lost memories of who he once was, and where he came from.
But can the Norsemen be trusted, truly? And can Muirne gain the trade and connections that Eryn so desperately needs? Or will she lose not only a new ally’s strength, but the one man she loves more than anything?
King of Stags is the fourth and final instalment of the Arasgain Rule series. Packed with epic battle scenes, roaring hot spice, loveable characters, old and new, and feminist ideals that will make you want to take a sword and go to war. Pre-order now!
557 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2026
About the author
Jess McFarlane
8 books29 followersJess McFarlane wrote her first book by hand when she was 14. Since then, she’s used words to escape reality and has so far published 3 novels. Her 4-book series, Arasgain Rule, is her current self-publishing project, and is due to be fully released by mid-2026. She’s a proud disabled/chronically ill, Palawa woman, who grew up on Bundjalung and Darkinjung Country, and now lives on Yorta Yorta Country with her husband, Alec, and their German Shepherd, Sam. When Jess isn’t writing, she enjoys playing video games, reading, archery and cooking.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
If I could give infinity amount of stars, I would. This story is just one of the most touching stories of love and devotion, loyalty and strength. I absolutely ate this book up. King of Stags is the final book in the Arasgain Rule series and it is the perfect conclusion of the series. Just the absolute journey of discovery the characters go through is so brilliantly written.
I'll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible cause a lot of events in this book are best left to be read in the moment.
But just the relationship that Muirne and Riagan have is just chef's kiss. I absolutely go feral every time that Riagan opens his mouth to just love on Muirne. His devotion and adoration for her is apparent on the page. He is my top MMC. Just a walking green flag. And Muirne in this book??? Oh she has grown so much since Woman of Wolves. While she does go through a crisis of uncertainty, she gains that confidence and oh the way she puts me in their place???!!! I cannot, just absolute perfection. Putting people ON THEIR KNEES???? Yes, cause that's where they need to be!!
In King of Stags we meet a whole new bunch of characters, my absolute favorite being Sindri and Alruna. These two are siblings and bicker in the best way possible. Is Sindri a sort of Piran 2.0...kind of but he's snarky and Ohmygod his banter with Muirne and Riagan is hilarious. And the absolute wreck that was my soul at the 46 pages of Riagan/Muirne separation, Sindri was there keeping me afloat 🤣
Now it's not just banter filled loveliness, Muirne is definitely put through situations that made me want to throw something. The misogyny, the disgust, the vileness of a certain character towards Muirne had me seething. You know an evil character is written well when you absolutely hate them.
Now throughout this whole series, I've been gushing and just loving all the vividness of the fight scenes and the battles and King of Stags is no different. The perfection that these battle scenes are, is just jaw dropping. I could just picture the scenes so well and it was absolutely brilliant. I was crying during the end battle. It was emotionally devastating in the best way possible. Just so many emotions and just shocking scenes. I was blown away with how much I could not put this book down.
Now....to the spice. Ohmygod the spice!!! I was literally going feral for these spice scenes. Just the emotional connection between Muirne and Riagan makes these scenes even more perfect. And boy does it get spicy, like I'm definitely not complaining!!! I had more than enough scenes to keep me happy (to be fair....there would never be too many). I just love how Riagan and Muirne just match energies, they are both so willing and absolutely love being adventurous, and just enjoying the moment. You could just feel the amount of love just right on the page.
And let me just say, the end of this book had me in tears. Happy, bittersweet tears. Just the perfect way to end a series.
I'll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible cause a lot of events in this book are best left to be read in the moment.
But just the relationship that Muirne and Riagan have is just chef's kiss. I absolutely go feral every time that Riagan opens his mouth to just love on Muirne. His devotion and adoration for her is apparent on the page. He is my top MMC. Just a walking green flag. And Muirne in this book??? Oh she has grown so much since Woman of Wolves. While she does go through a crisis of uncertainty, she gains that confidence and oh the way she puts me in their place???!!! I cannot, just absolute perfection. Putting people ON THEIR KNEES???? Yes, cause that's where they need to be!!
In King of Stags we meet a whole new bunch of characters, my absolute favorite being Sindri and Alruna. These two are siblings and bicker in the best way possible. Is Sindri a sort of Piran 2.0...kind of but he's snarky and Ohmygod his banter with Muirne and Riagan is hilarious. And the absolute wreck that was my soul at the 46 pages of Riagan/Muirne separation, Sindri was there keeping me afloat 🤣
Now it's not just banter filled loveliness, Muirne is definitely put through situations that made me want to throw something. The misogyny, the disgust, the vileness of a certain character towards Muirne had me seething. You know an evil character is written well when you absolutely hate them.
Now throughout this whole series, I've been gushing and just loving all the vividness of the fight scenes and the battles and King of Stags is no different. The perfection that these battle scenes are, is just jaw dropping. I could just picture the scenes so well and it was absolutely brilliant. I was crying during the end battle. It was emotionally devastating in the best way possible. Just so many emotions and just shocking scenes. I was blown away with how much I could not put this book down.
Now....to the spice. Ohmygod the spice!!! I was literally going feral for these spice scenes. Just the emotional connection between Muirne and Riagan makes these scenes even more perfect. And boy does it get spicy, like I'm definitely not complaining!!! I had more than enough scenes to keep me happy (to be fair....there would never be too many). I just love how Riagan and Muirne just match energies, they are both so willing and absolutely love being adventurous, and just enjoying the moment. You could just feel the amount of love just right on the page.
And let me just say, the end of this book had me in tears. Happy, bittersweet tears. Just the perfect way to end a series.
April 27, 2026
🦌BETA/ARC REVIEW 🦌
I really didn’t want this series to end. In fact I’ve been so immersed in this story universe, that I was purposefully stretching my reading out to make it last longer! It has been so amazing to live vicariously through Muirne and Riagan’s journey. As Muirne was striving to overcome her grief and trauma, she has also helped me through hard times of my own! It is also so absolutely incredible how Jess has managed to include such a broad spectrum of representation into her writing without it feeling overwhelming or losing any meaningfulness from it. Jess includes such a wide range of topics whilst embracing diversity and inclusion into her characters.
Riagain’s passion and devotion for Muirne remain so strong in this story, his romantic passages throughout the book just ooze with pure desire and tenderness. Not only does he have total respect for Muirne’s matriarchy and leadership, but he continues to be her biggest cheerleader and guide. Yes is still a giant hunk of muscle, but he also confidently expresses his vulnerable side and opens up emotionally. It has been so astounding to see Muirne’s confidence grow as she continues to overcome her crises and trauma over these four books! Her down right refusal to back down and fight for hers (and her peoples) rights is so empowering! Starting off as two polar opposites, it has been lovely to see Riagan and Muirne build their relationship. They are both so willing to be adventurous together and embrace their child free life, enjoying every moment. Their love is so intoxicating!
You can really feel that the writing has come from such vulnerability and honesty. In one scene, the utter hatred and disgust that exudes from the page (for a particular character) is so painfully graphic. Murine draws on her existing strength, courage, bravery and feminist rage to overcome such a scary and challenging moment. Jess writes about this horrific scene so brilliantly without taking away Muirne’s power and pride in herself. She continues to display her courage and bravery, without weakness.
From the epic battle scenes, scorching hot romance, the endearing friendships and the most loveable characters, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. EVERY. DAMN. BOOK! Any bookish person would agree that is a massive feat in a book series! Jess has masterfully curated an incredible, exhilarating, inspiring and healing thrill ride where I feel like I too have grown alongside Muirne’s experiences. Jess has made me so emotionally invested in all the characters that she creates! I am so so proud of Jess’ accomplishments with this series! I am so grateful that I have been given the opportunity to BETA and ARC read her work.
Happy Reading,
Sasha 💜
I really didn’t want this series to end. In fact I’ve been so immersed in this story universe, that I was purposefully stretching my reading out to make it last longer! It has been so amazing to live vicariously through Muirne and Riagan’s journey. As Muirne was striving to overcome her grief and trauma, she has also helped me through hard times of my own! It is also so absolutely incredible how Jess has managed to include such a broad spectrum of representation into her writing without it feeling overwhelming or losing any meaningfulness from it. Jess includes such a wide range of topics whilst embracing diversity and inclusion into her characters.
Riagain’s passion and devotion for Muirne remain so strong in this story, his romantic passages throughout the book just ooze with pure desire and tenderness. Not only does he have total respect for Muirne’s matriarchy and leadership, but he continues to be her biggest cheerleader and guide. Yes is still a giant hunk of muscle, but he also confidently expresses his vulnerable side and opens up emotionally. It has been so astounding to see Muirne’s confidence grow as she continues to overcome her crises and trauma over these four books! Her down right refusal to back down and fight for hers (and her peoples) rights is so empowering! Starting off as two polar opposites, it has been lovely to see Riagan and Muirne build their relationship. They are both so willing to be adventurous together and embrace their child free life, enjoying every moment. Their love is so intoxicating!
You can really feel that the writing has come from such vulnerability and honesty. In one scene, the utter hatred and disgust that exudes from the page (for a particular character) is so painfully graphic. Murine draws on her existing strength, courage, bravery and feminist rage to overcome such a scary and challenging moment. Jess writes about this horrific scene so brilliantly without taking away Muirne’s power and pride in herself. She continues to display her courage and bravery, without weakness.
From the epic battle scenes, scorching hot romance, the endearing friendships and the most loveable characters, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. EVERY. DAMN. BOOK! Any bookish person would agree that is a massive feat in a book series! Jess has masterfully curated an incredible, exhilarating, inspiring and healing thrill ride where I feel like I too have grown alongside Muirne’s experiences. Jess has made me so emotionally invested in all the characters that she creates! I am so so proud of Jess’ accomplishments with this series! I am so grateful that I have been given the opportunity to BETA and ARC read her work.
Happy Reading,
Sasha 💜
Review of advance copy received from Author
Advanced reader copy review of King of Stags by Jess McFarlane
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 – it was amazing!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 – explicit and plentiful (5+)
The Arasgain Rule series has held my heart the past two years. It’s full of powerful women, feminine rage (in the best way, trust me!), and one of the most adoring MMCs ever.
In King of Stags, Muirne and Riagan’s story continues. Muirne and Riagan are travelling to find out more about Riagan’s ancestry.
Muirne has matured and settled into her role as High Queen of Eryn. She’s proud, bold, and compassionate.
This book was the perfect ending to the series. Muirne and Riagan are definitely not in the slow burn phase of their relationship anymore. The smut is hot and plentiful.
The battle scenes between Gunnar and Muirne’s army and Gunnar’s enemy, Aelfric, were well written and engaging. The pacing was great.
I received an ARC of this book from the author. I was not incentivised to read or review.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 – it was amazing!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 – explicit and plentiful (5+)
The Arasgain Rule series has held my heart the past two years. It’s full of powerful women, feminine rage (in the best way, trust me!), and one of the most adoring MMCs ever.
In King of Stags, Muirne and Riagan’s story continues. Muirne and Riagan are travelling to find out more about Riagan’s ancestry.
Muirne has matured and settled into her role as High Queen of Eryn. She’s proud, bold, and compassionate.
This book was the perfect ending to the series. Muirne and Riagan are definitely not in the slow burn phase of their relationship anymore. The smut is hot and plentiful.
The battle scenes between Gunnar and Muirne’s army and Gunnar’s enemy, Aelfric, were well written and engaging. The pacing was great.
I received an ARC of this book from the author. I was not incentivised to read or review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is the conclusion to an EPIC story, I love it so much. The character growth, the love, the tears, the battles, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions and I enjoyed every minute of it.
This is one of those series you can keep reading over and over. I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, and these two come such a long way together ❤️ Raigan is easily one of my favourite green flag MMC'S, and Muirne just is EVERYTHING. To follow her journey, and see her come into her own, it's absolutely amazing!
Thank you Jess, for giving me the opportunity to be an ARC reader for you (and Beta too for this one). You've done an amazing job with this series.
This is one of those series you can keep reading over and over. I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, and these two come such a long way together ❤️ Raigan is easily one of my favourite green flag MMC'S, and Muirne just is EVERYTHING. To follow her journey, and see her come into her own, it's absolutely amazing!
Thank you Jess, for giving me the opportunity to be an ARC reader for you (and Beta too for this one). You've done an amazing job with this series.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Absolutely brilliant book to be the final instalment of the Arasgain Rule series. King of Stags offers all of the elements you’ve come to love throughout the rest of the series; battle, love, camaraderie, growth. I thoroughly loved reading every page of this book!
May 9, 2026
ARC Review
I can’t believe this series is over 😭
The stunning conclusion of the Arasgain Rule series. Following on from Queen of Corvids we find Muirne and Riagan on their journey to find the Norsemen and discover who Riagan is and where he came from. Along the way we see their relationship blossom into a strength that helps them through to their hard won peace. As they discover together, who they are and the future they want for themselves.
I can’t believe this series is over 😭
The stunning conclusion of the Arasgain Rule series. Following on from Queen of Corvids we find Muirne and Riagan on their journey to find the Norsemen and discover who Riagan is and where he came from. Along the way we see their relationship blossom into a strength that helps them through to their hard won peace. As they discover together, who they are and the future they want for themselves.
Review of advance copy received from Author
King of Stags by is the fourth and final instalment in the Arasgain Rule series and what an excellent final book it is! The story follows Muirne and Riagan as they travel to Brython looking for answers about Riagan’s heritage. They meet the local community, the Norsemen, and their leader (the King of Stags) sees Muirne’s arrival (being the High Queen of Eryn) as the perfect opportunity to form an alliance and to help win his war against a Brython Earl. Murine has grown exponentially since we first met her in book one (Woman of Wolves) and as High Queen she no longer wants to fight. She wants to be a Queen to her people and enjoy her newfound love with Riagan. However, helping the Norse King means helping her country and its people, so it’s a sacrifice she will make and agrees to fight one last time. But of course, it’s never that simple…
Muirne and Riagan’s found family we have come to know and love are back in this story and hold their place as excellent secondary characters. The battle scenes are brilliantly written with plenty of twists and turns; the evil characters will make you squirm and shiver (Jess is so good at writing evil characters), and there’s plenty of spice (if that’s your thing). The tension is palpable and I truly had no idea how things would turn out 😳.
It has been a joy to be on a journey with this series and to watch these characters develop over four books, individually and as a group. While I’m excited to read Jess’ next book, I’m sad to say goodbye to these characters. Highly recommend starting with book one - Woman of Wolves and working your way through.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - Jess is such a talented writer and storyteller and I will be there for every single book.
Muirne and Riagan’s found family we have come to know and love are back in this story and hold their place as excellent secondary characters. The battle scenes are brilliantly written with plenty of twists and turns; the evil characters will make you squirm and shiver (Jess is so good at writing evil characters), and there’s plenty of spice (if that’s your thing). The tension is palpable and I truly had no idea how things would turn out 😳.
It has been a joy to be on a journey with this series and to watch these characters develop over four books, individually and as a group. While I’m excited to read Jess’ next book, I’m sad to say goodbye to these characters. Highly recommend starting with book one - Woman of Wolves and working your way through.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - Jess is such a talented writer and storyteller and I will be there for every single book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews