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Realm #1
Heart Of The Goblin King
What will it take to win the heart of the Goblin King? Brennan, the Goblin King, has problems. A rogue sorcerer is threatening his realm, and his people are dying. He has no time for anything else. Certainly not love, and certainly not for the lovely human he crash lands onto while chasing the sorcerer. Iris Mattingly has exactly what she wants - she's out on a date with her crush, and things are going beautifully. But as she runs to the ladies, and she ends up dragged off to what she later learns is the Goblin Realm. Brennan is sure Iris is a spy. Iris is sure Brennan is a kidnapper - and worse. Yet they find they are attracted to one another in ways you shouldn't be to someone you think is a spy. Or a kidnapper. On top of those complications, the Goblin Realm is deadly to humans, and Iris is dying. Can Brennan stop the sorcerer and the deaths of his people?He needs to figure out who the sorcerer is. He also needs to address his growing feelings for Iris before she gets any closer to death. And before his fiancée finds out. Heart of the Goblin King is the first book in The Realm series.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2016
124 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 7, 2019
The Goblin King, Brennan, is attacked by a powerful mage and sent to the Human Realm where he meets Iris. He takes Iris back to the Fae Realm to determine if she is in league with the mage (nicknamed Scarface), thus begins the strange attraction to one another. Iris later learns that
Yeah, so it took me until about the 3/4 mark to even be interested in what was going on, then I was finally excited, only to be disappointed again by the end. It is frustrating because this story had some elements that really could have been good, but the execution was lacking. I liked the general cast of characters, but then Iris was annoying AF. Her character was all over the place - one minute she is mature and independent, the next she is a temper tantrum throwing brat, by the end she is a lovesick fool. She was very inconsistent. I don't think I will be reading the next one.
Yeah, so it took me until about the 3/4 mark to even be interested in what was going on, then I was finally excited, only to be disappointed again by the end. It is frustrating because this story had some elements that really could have been good, but the execution was lacking. I liked the general cast of characters, but then Iris was annoying AF. Her character was all over the place - one minute she is mature and independent, the next she is a temper tantrum throwing brat, by the end she is a lovesick fool. She was very inconsistent. I don't think I will be reading the next one.
March 5, 2019
1.5ish rounded up to 2. I am not even sure where to start this.. Ok for this entire book it was like an outline was laid out with certain plot points the author wanted to hit. These plot points in themselves weren't a problem whatsoever, and would probably have made a decent story, if not for the stuff between them. The "journey" or "meat" of the story like the dialogue, backstory, world building, character depth, DETAILS... These things get you from one plot point to the next, tiny little details that push you in the direction you need to go to reach the next point. I felt like these were all almost afterthoughts.. Where the author suddenly realized that her story wasn't where it needed to be to hit the next point so she just threw something in to hurry it on its way.. It was quite jarring, incredibly convenient, horribly obvious and kind of sloppy.
Lets start out with our FMC Iris. Iris is apparently college age, however acts like a spoiled 10? year old. So much so that she actually throws a tantrum, in the story. For realz. That's about it on that front. Brennan honestly we don't really see much of him unless he is in the middle of a temper tantrum as well.. and then mostly he storms off. I feel like these characters had absolutely no chemistry nor were there any interactions to convey to the reader that these characters had any feelings for each other, other than some vague referencing and denials.. I really believe that in the author's mind the chemistry was there but it just never made it to the page, so the reader was like ummm what?
The "mystery" of the story, who is attacking Brennan.. was very poorly executed. The attacks happen, noone finds any real clues, the dragon kingdom may or may not have something to do with it BAM the culprit identifies himself via note in an area of the castle having nothing to do with anyone, nor is there ever even a real motive given... The most anticlimactic ending after a very poorly done reveal.
During all this above.. we have characters whose dialogues all seem a little forced being pushed in the direction of the next plot point. Almost like they are just filling space on the page not really saying anything significant and then all of a sudden saying one thing to push us on to the next scene. It wasn't hard to get through, it just seemed a little juvenile.. maybe? The book itself was super short and not hard... at all to follow. It just wasn't.... yea it just wasn't for me I guess. That is all...
Lets start out with our FMC Iris. Iris is apparently college age, however acts like a spoiled 10? year old. So much so that she actually throws a tantrum, in the story. For realz. That's about it on that front. Brennan honestly we don't really see much of him unless he is in the middle of a temper tantrum as well.. and then mostly he storms off. I feel like these characters had absolutely no chemistry nor were there any interactions to convey to the reader that these characters had any feelings for each other, other than some vague referencing and denials.. I really believe that in the author's mind the chemistry was there but it just never made it to the page, so the reader was like ummm what?
The "mystery" of the story, who is attacking Brennan.. was very poorly executed. The attacks happen, noone finds any real clues, the dragon kingdom may or may not have something to do with it BAM the culprit identifies himself via note in an area of the castle having nothing to do with anyone, nor is there ever even a real motive given... The most anticlimactic ending after a very poorly done reveal.
During all this above.. we have characters whose dialogues all seem a little forced being pushed in the direction of the next plot point. Almost like they are just filling space on the page not really saying anything significant and then all of a sudden saying one thing to push us on to the next scene. It wasn't hard to get through, it just seemed a little juvenile.. maybe? The book itself was super short and not hard... at all to follow. It just wasn't.... yea it just wasn't for me I guess. That is all...
March 25, 2020
Awful. So, so, so awful.
October 21, 2021
This review was originally posted at https://bit.ly/3pnduco.
Brennan has always had to keep a tight reign on his emotions. When you are a Fae if you don't terrible things could happen, like the loss of life. It is best to not have strong emotions for others. And it was easy, especially with an arranged marriage planned for him in the future. Until he and his brother, Drake, were sent into the Human Realm and came face to face with Iris. She stirs so many feelings in him. Her ire sparking his own, but her strong emotions that she readily accepts may lead to disaster.
I got this book from BookBub in 2017 because my favorite movie is Labyrinth. Who doesn't love David Bowe? So I got a book about a Goblin King. There was even some talk of goblins taking babies that were wished away. Minor part, but it was like a tip of the hat to Labyrinth so I loved that part.
A feisty romance with goblins, dragons, and the Fae. What could go wrong? I really liked some parts of this book and was a bit bored by others. For instance, at the beginning of the book Brennan talks about how his mother never shows great emotion then for the rest of the book she is headstrong and overly emotional. Then the "who did it" was so overly obvious. There was no shock factor in the book at all. Everything went just as expected.
But, I can't say I didn't enjoy this book at all. For the most part I did enjoy it. The world was well built. Some aspects of the Fae were as they always are while others were different. Nothing wrong there. There was enough going on to keep your interest. Iris was feisty and spoke her mind, which made her my favorite character in the book. Drake was a jokester who was fiercely protective. I hope that he gets his own mate in future books, although I do hope that it isn't the girl he likes in this book. She is awful.
This is a clean romance with no sex in it, but there is cursing. Seems like a good enough trade. I enjoy both, but the story did well without it and have a feeling it will be portrayed in future books if the same characters remain.
Brennan has always had to keep a tight reign on his emotions. When you are a Fae if you don't terrible things could happen, like the loss of life. It is best to not have strong emotions for others. And it was easy, especially with an arranged marriage planned for him in the future. Until he and his brother, Drake, were sent into the Human Realm and came face to face with Iris. She stirs so many feelings in him. Her ire sparking his own, but her strong emotions that she readily accepts may lead to disaster.
I got this book from BookBub in 2017 because my favorite movie is Labyrinth. Who doesn't love David Bowe? So I got a book about a Goblin King. There was even some talk of goblins taking babies that were wished away. Minor part, but it was like a tip of the hat to Labyrinth so I loved that part.
A feisty romance with goblins, dragons, and the Fae. What could go wrong? I really liked some parts of this book and was a bit bored by others. For instance, at the beginning of the book Brennan talks about how his mother never shows great emotion then for the rest of the book she is headstrong and overly emotional. Then the "who did it" was so overly obvious. There was no shock factor in the book at all. Everything went just as expected.
But, I can't say I didn't enjoy this book at all. For the most part I did enjoy it. The world was well built. Some aspects of the Fae were as they always are while others were different. Nothing wrong there. There was enough going on to keep your interest. Iris was feisty and spoke her mind, which made her my favorite character in the book. Drake was a jokester who was fiercely protective. I hope that he gets his own mate in future books, although I do hope that it isn't the girl he likes in this book. She is awful.
This is a clean romance with no sex in it, but there is cursing. Seems like a good enough trade. I enjoy both, but the story did well without it and have a feeling it will be portrayed in future books if the same characters remain.
June 19, 2018
I honestly don't know how she can be considered a...
USA Today bestselling author when she can't even keep character names straight. Is the king of the Dragon Realm Eilor or Geroth? Gylnan was not the original name of the goblin servant, but suddenly even Brennan is calling her that. The plot was also horribly predictable! The brother he thought he killed survived and is trying to kill him now. Ho hum! Been done to death! Even the whole stoic "can't let her know how much I love her" is so overdone. She supposedly has a group that reads these first and no one pointed that out? I literally cannot get a visual on the goblins. Are they shorter than the Fae? It would have been nice to have a general description. The last couple of chapters were weak too. It felt like the author was getting bored and decided to just slap a quasi ending on there. I'm not wasting money on reading anymore of this. Glad this one was free.
USA Today bestselling author when she can't even keep character names straight. Is the king of the Dragon Realm Eilor or Geroth? Gylnan was not the original name of the goblin servant, but suddenly even Brennan is calling her that. The plot was also horribly predictable! The brother he thought he killed survived and is trying to kill him now. Ho hum! Been done to death! Even the whole stoic "can't let her know how much I love her" is so overdone. She supposedly has a group that reads these first and no one pointed that out? I literally cannot get a visual on the goblins. Are they shorter than the Fae? It would have been nice to have a general description. The last couple of chapters were weak too. It felt like the author was getting bored and decided to just slap a quasi ending on there. I'm not wasting money on reading anymore of this. Glad this one was free.
July 12, 2018
2.5 stars
Well the storyline had potential but the writing was so so. The feelings between the protagonists seem to come from nowhere. But the most distracting failing is the lack of editing. The Dragon king is called by two names without explaining why and then there's the issue of whether the old king had heirs of not. First we're told yes only for a few pages later to be told no. I'll probably finish the series cause i bought it and I am sort of curious but I'm in no hurry.
Well the storyline had potential but the writing was so so. The feelings between the protagonists seem to come from nowhere. But the most distracting failing is the lack of editing. The Dragon king is called by two names without explaining why and then there's the issue of whether the old king had heirs of not. First we're told yes only for a few pages later to be told no. I'll probably finish the series cause i bought it and I am sort of curious but I'm in no hurry.
July 23, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I could not put it down. I usually have a hard time with "fae" type books, but this one was enjoyable for me. There were mistakes in the book, spellings and names, but not so much that it took away from the story. I look forward to moving on in the series. I did know who the "bad mage" was pretty much right away, but again, it didn't take away from the story. There were other things I wanted to know and have happen.
March 19, 2017
Loved it!
This book grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. I loved how many types of characters there were. I liked that the reader got to learn about the other realms. There is so much happening in this book and I am excited to see what happens in the next book.
This book grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. I loved how many types of characters there were. I liked that the reader got to learn about the other realms. There is so much happening in this book and I am excited to see what happens in the next book.
June 6, 2018
DNF gave up at 20%.
This was just to out of left field for me. I felt like the story was missing something. It did not catch my attention. I didn’t feel anything for the characters, they just were flat.
This was just to out of left field for me. I felt like the story was missing something. It did not catch my attention. I didn’t feel anything for the characters, they just were flat.
June 19, 2017
This book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the mix between the modern world and the fae world. The characters had great interaction. Just overall a really fun series!
June 21, 2017
A very interesting book I can't wait to read the next one
June 7, 2018
Enjoyable
Easy read that passed the time, loved the Bowie Labyrinth nod with the High King, looking forward to the next.
Easy read that passed the time, loved the Bowie Labyrinth nod with the High King, looking forward to the next.
May 3, 2020
Not a bad start
This isn't a bad start to a series. I definitely want to find out what happens next. Interesting how all the lies shaped people's lives and cause a lot of damage.
This isn't a bad start to a series. I definitely want to find out what happens next. Interesting how all the lies shaped people's lives and cause a lot of damage.
March 9, 2025
FMC is a hateful bitch…starts off as a nice person, but evolves quickly to a double standard hateful person…
March 14, 2017
This was a totally enjoyable romantic fantasy read that included the likes of goblins, faeries, and mages, to name a few. A few minor typos, omitted words and the such but nothing that took away from my reading pleasure.
March 2, 2017
This book was excellent, it grabs you right from the beginning and holds your attention right up to the end. It gives a different view of the Fae and others that dwell in the non-human realms. I enjoyed watching Iris come alive and into her own. I have already pre-ordered the next book and can hardly wait for it to be available.
November 16, 2016
An interesting fantasy with characters from different realms that are caught in the drama and struggles of the Fae. Iris, a twenty years old student met Brennan, the Goblin King in a strange and peculiar form and both were dragged through a lot of dangerous situations. Lots of enemies and the past becoming another threat. Who to trust? Enjoyed Iris and Brenna’s bickering and how strong minded and witty Iris was. Her comments made me laugh many times. Brennan was struggling with his feeling all the time, his magic was supposed to be the strongest but seemed that his doubts were weakening him. Drake had some interesting verbal sparring with Brannan that were very amusing by the great sarcastic content. Good suspense, intrigue, magic and some twists that added to the mystery of what was behind what was happening. I had not read much about the Fae Realm and this story had piqued my curiosity. I’ll look for the second book because I liked this one.
August 3, 2016
I really enjoyed the start to this series. Iris was a character I really enjoyed, and I loved the way she was written. Her internal dialogue/thoughts made me laugh on several occasions, and I could identify with the twenty year old. Brennan was well written as well and I was sometimes as frustrated with him as Iris appeared to be. I found the supporting characters interesting and they brought something to the story. It was a quick read that captivated my attention throughout, and I loved the twist when the evil presence was revealed. I can't wait to see where this goes and look forward to the rest of the series.
September 4, 2016
First of all I have to say I love strong female characters, especially when they show some softness but still stand strong and Iris fits the bill. There are times when she holds everyone accountable and doesn't have a melt down would others would have cowered. Oh but she isn't the only interesting person in this story Brennan and Drake and their interaction is classic. This book has it's serious moments but it also will make you laugh out loud. The "fairies' may have had the emotional swings but this book only swings to the good. I can't wait to get more of these three and the other enjoyable characters. Lots of twist with truths revealed and deception running rapid.
November 11, 2016
This is a great start to the series and will hook you right into the story. It has a very interesting storyline and the fae are not like those you have read about in other series. I really enjoyed the characters. Iris was strong and funny and I loved how she tried to think thru things. Her relationship with Brennan is full of intense feelings and they have a lot to work thru. I recommend the books and look forward to the next book in the series.
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received.
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy I received.
February 4, 2017
I fell in love with the characters in this book, and I can't wait to read more in this series. I also liked that it was written in both the points of view of Brennan and Iris, the two main characters. I think Iris was my favorite of the two. She's a strong woman and a sweetheart all in one. Bringing her into the mystical world from ours really had me intrigued as to where the character will develop in later books. Most of all, read it for all the twists and turns.
February 5, 2017
Amazing! Love the worlds & characters. The writing style from both points of view is great ^_^
July 1, 2017
Wow what an amazing start to the trilogy - I was hooked from the very first page.
The author takes you on a wild, dangerous yet magical adventure. Iris and Brennan's bond echoed throughout: drawing them together despite their resistance. The story has lots of suspense, twists/ turns and unexpected surprises.
Can't wait to read book 2!
The author takes you on a wild, dangerous yet magical adventure. Iris and Brennan's bond echoed throughout: drawing them together despite their resistance. The story has lots of suspense, twists/ turns and unexpected surprises.
Can't wait to read book 2!
Want to read
June 7, 2018💝FREE on Amazon today (6/7/2018)!💝
Blurb:
Brennan,the King of the Goblin Realm finds himself facing his greatest challenge he's faced since he came to the throne. A rogue sorcerer is raising an army of Brennan's own subjects against him threatening the peace Brennan has worked so hard to create for his people. Thankfully, he's engaged to an eminently suitable lady, because who has time for love? Not with his kingdom on the brink of chaos.
Iris is on a date with her crush, Heath. He's on the verge of asking her out again when she crash lands into a weird guy who looks like he's wearing a dress in the ladies bathroom. All she wants to do is get away from him, but ends up kidnapped and taken off to who knows where.
Brennan is sure Iris is a spy. Iris is sure Brennan is a kidnapper and worse. He brings her to the Goblin Realm to insure she is not a danger, and then can't seem to get her back home. Iris really needs to get home - not only because she wants to get back to the life she has, but because the Goblin Realm is killing her. Literally.
With all that is working against them, is there any way for Brennan and Iris to explore the fact that they seem to like each other much more than they suspected? Or want to admit?
Book One of The Realm Series
Blurb:
Brennan,the King of the Goblin Realm finds himself facing his greatest challenge he's faced since he came to the throne. A rogue sorcerer is raising an army of Brennan's own subjects against him threatening the peace Brennan has worked so hard to create for his people. Thankfully, he's engaged to an eminently suitable lady, because who has time for love? Not with his kingdom on the brink of chaos.
Iris is on a date with her crush, Heath. He's on the verge of asking her out again when she crash lands into a weird guy who looks like he's wearing a dress in the ladies bathroom. All she wants to do is get away from him, but ends up kidnapped and taken off to who knows where.
Brennan is sure Iris is a spy. Iris is sure Brennan is a kidnapper and worse. He brings her to the Goblin Realm to insure she is not a danger, and then can't seem to get her back home. Iris really needs to get home - not only because she wants to get back to the life she has, but because the Goblin Realm is killing her. Literally.
With all that is working against them, is there any way for Brennan and Iris to explore the fact that they seem to like each other much more than they suspected? Or want to admit?
Book One of The Realm Series
June 29, 2018
3.5 stars
The writing was decent, but all the characters came across as very immature. Even the thousand year old adults! This actions, motivations and conversations were all like a bunch of 13 year olds with no wisdom, patience or common sense. The underlying story and mystery seem to be developing into a decent story, but I'm not even completely sure on that front. How is it that there is always someone right there trying to kill one of them every time they turn around? Too many things pushed the bounds of realistic for the story itself. I am probably going to read the next book, but I'm not excited about it and I could see not getting too it, because right now I have a strong desire to read a book with some mature adults in it. Was this a YA and I didn't realise it? There hasn't been more than a peck between them, so maybe it was written for tweens, but I would think even they would find the characters lack of maturity an issue.
The writing was decent, but all the characters came across as very immature. Even the thousand year old adults! This actions, motivations and conversations were all like a bunch of 13 year olds with no wisdom, patience or common sense. The underlying story and mystery seem to be developing into a decent story, but I'm not even completely sure on that front. How is it that there is always someone right there trying to kill one of them every time they turn around? Too many things pushed the bounds of realistic for the story itself. I am probably going to read the next book, but I'm not excited about it and I could see not getting too it, because right now I have a strong desire to read a book with some mature adults in it. Was this a YA and I didn't realise it? There hasn't been more than a peck between them, so maybe it was written for tweens, but I would think even they would find the characters lack of maturity an issue.
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