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The Game of Realms #1
The Noble Throne
Murderous plots. Forced marriages. Lines drawn. Who can they trust?
There are no true winners on the throne, only those who keep their place in history.
When Liana and Noble find themselves in a most unlikely betrothal during tumultuous and deadly times, they will have to find common ground or face their uncertain futures as royals alone.
The realms demand that they pick a side, making both their lives as human and wolf or lion doubly difficult, but what if these two opposites choose each other?
Love, lust, greed, and envy are only the beginning...the stakes are high in the game of realms.
There are no true winners on the throne, only those who keep their place in history.
When Liana and Noble find themselves in a most unlikely betrothal during tumultuous and deadly times, they will have to find common ground or face their uncertain futures as royals alone.
The realms demand that they pick a side, making both their lives as human and wolf or lion doubly difficult, but what if these two opposites choose each other?
Love, lust, greed, and envy are only the beginning...the stakes are high in the game of realms.
Unknown Binding
Published September 1, 2017
32 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Logan Keys
56 books273 followersLogan Keys says she’s not so much a writer as she is a soothsayer and preparer for those who are still blissfully unaware. Her stories aren’t dystopian but rather a warning for the next generation. When she’s not writing zombies, vampires, superheroes, and robots, she’s fighting against government over-reach and oligarchy using military tactics mixed with a little bit of poetry.
Logan’s currently on her little farm in Kentucky typing away on many projects at once.
To keep up with her insanity, as she moves often, become a VIP member by copying and pasting this into your browser. Join the resistance today!: https://wordpress.us9.list-manage.com...
Logan’s currently on her little farm in Kentucky typing away on many projects at once.
To keep up with her insanity, as she moves often, become a VIP member by copying and pasting this into your browser. Join the resistance today!: https://wordpress.us9.list-manage.com...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 3, 2017
*Arc received from the author*
There was action, romance, surprises, and politics. I loved that Liana was a lion shifter and actually the more powerful of the two in her animal form. This is definitely a new dynamic. The way things were so different in the lion and wolf courts was really interesting, the traditions and the way even the marriages were.
Noble had some moments that really made me want to smack him, but he eventually came around and got his head on straight and realized just what he had in Liana.
There were plenty of fights and scenes of the shifters sizing each other up. There were a few surprises throughout the book I was not expecting, especially towards the end when a lot of secrets came to the light.
The story ends on a cliffhanger and I', looking forward to continuing with the next book.
There was action, romance, surprises, and politics. I loved that Liana was a lion shifter and actually the more powerful of the two in her animal form. This is definitely a new dynamic. The way things were so different in the lion and wolf courts was really interesting, the traditions and the way even the marriages were.
Noble had some moments that really made me want to smack him, but he eventually came around and got his head on straight and realized just what he had in Liana.
There were plenty of fights and scenes of the shifters sizing each other up. There were a few surprises throughout the book I was not expecting, especially towards the end when a lot of secrets came to the light.
The story ends on a cliffhanger and I', looking forward to continuing with the next book.
November 11, 2017
5 Cranky Stars
Liana was a lioness. She was all things Summer and brave and bold but most of all she was fierce. While out one day she spots a wolf and a pursuit ensues. Little does she know that her actions would have consequences. Liana has lived her whole life being groomed to become queen of her realm and eventually she wants to rule all the realms. As per tradition In that time period arranged marriages are common place and when she is married to the wolf prince she falls hard.
Noble is a brave wolf yet he is different and it’s a secret his family has kept hidden from everyone. He is set to rule the winter realm but is afraid his wolf side will take over his human side for good. One day his wolf leads him astray and he stumbles upon a lioness in her human form. A fight happens and he returns to the Winter Realm. To appease his family and right his wrongs he agrees to a marriage. He never expected to fall so hard for someone who was so unlike him.
I was hesitant at first when I decided to read this book. I normally stick to current times and while this book is set in the days of the monarchy it never once felt that way. I was intrigued from the first word and was engrossed in the world of the wolves and lions. I never wanted the story to end. At times I found myself on the edge of my seat. I literally sat forward in my chair and was gasping and raging for the hand that Liana and Noble were dealt and how they handled it. I’m looking at you Noble!!
Logan Keys and Yessi Smith blended their two different writing styles to create a unique world. I found myself trying to figure out who wrote Noble and who wrote Liana. I was sad it ended but I will be patiently not so patiently waiting for the next installment.
Liana was a lioness. She was all things Summer and brave and bold but most of all she was fierce. While out one day she spots a wolf and a pursuit ensues. Little does she know that her actions would have consequences. Liana has lived her whole life being groomed to become queen of her realm and eventually she wants to rule all the realms. As per tradition In that time period arranged marriages are common place and when she is married to the wolf prince she falls hard.
Noble is a brave wolf yet he is different and it’s a secret his family has kept hidden from everyone. He is set to rule the winter realm but is afraid his wolf side will take over his human side for good. One day his wolf leads him astray and he stumbles upon a lioness in her human form. A fight happens and he returns to the Winter Realm. To appease his family and right his wrongs he agrees to a marriage. He never expected to fall so hard for someone who was so unlike him.
I was hesitant at first when I decided to read this book. I normally stick to current times and while this book is set in the days of the monarchy it never once felt that way. I was intrigued from the first word and was engrossed in the world of the wolves and lions. I never wanted the story to end. At times I found myself on the edge of my seat. I literally sat forward in my chair and was gasping and raging for the hand that Liana and Noble were dealt and how they handled it. I’m looking at you Noble!!
Logan Keys and Yessi Smith blended their two different writing styles to create a unique world. I found myself trying to figure out who wrote Noble and who wrote Liana. I was sad it ended but I will be patiently not so patiently waiting for the next installment.
November 21, 2017
I read this as a work-in-progress and feel it shows great promise. Set in a fantasy world, The Noble Throne provides a new twist on the world of shifters, bringing together lions and wolves to face an adversary that has, thus far, been considered a myth: human hunters!
The plot is, at first, deceptively simple but each chapter reveals new layers of complexity and deception that will leave you wondering who to believe and who to trust. As well, there is an almost poetical feel to some of the passages that is quite enchanting and helps bring the emotions of the characters to life.
Liana, the heroine, is an exceptionally strong individual and immediately captures your attention while the development of her relationship with Noble, the hero, will pull you in and keep you both cheering and despairing throughout the tale. The cast of supporting characters is well-rounded and each serves a purpose in moving the story along.
Because this ends in a cliffhanger and isn't fully edited yet, I've left the rating at 4 stars with the possibility of increasing the number if the final product evolves to its full potential.
Well done authors! I'll be curious to see the completed book!
The plot is, at first, deceptively simple but each chapter reveals new layers of complexity and deception that will leave you wondering who to believe and who to trust. As well, there is an almost poetical feel to some of the passages that is quite enchanting and helps bring the emotions of the characters to life.
Liana, the heroine, is an exceptionally strong individual and immediately captures your attention while the development of her relationship with Noble, the hero, will pull you in and keep you both cheering and despairing throughout the tale. The cast of supporting characters is well-rounded and each serves a purpose in moving the story along.
Because this ends in a cliffhanger and isn't fully edited yet, I've left the rating at 4 stars with the possibility of increasing the number if the final product evolves to its full potential.
Well done authors! I'll be curious to see the completed book!
November 14, 2017
The Noble Throne
This is the first book of the Games of Realms Series. It's a PARANORMAL/FANTASY ROMANCE. It's has it unique appeal. I describe it as a mix between old romance and magic. The development of this story It's in another Realms were shapeshifter rule the kingdoms. The way is written will make you swoon and sigh. The characters are royals and as so they will speak like the old ages were the seduction of a woman came more from beautiful words and secret glances than the touching of bodies. But don't worry since it's a magical word they are no prudes so their passion and love making will ignite your fire.
The kingdoms that will rule this book are THE LIONS and THE WOLVES Liana is the lioness princess that it's force to marry Noble the prince of Wolfs. They will have to endure many obstacles for this union to be a prosper one. Not only they come from different realms but they also will have to prove everyone what they are made of.
This book will suck you in and will let you wanting more. I know I had and tge waiting will be excruciating.
Book 2 it's coming on 2018.
This is the first book of the Games of Realms Series. It's a PARANORMAL/FANTASY ROMANCE. It's has it unique appeal. I describe it as a mix between old romance and magic. The development of this story It's in another Realms were shapeshifter rule the kingdoms. The way is written will make you swoon and sigh. The characters are royals and as so they will speak like the old ages were the seduction of a woman came more from beautiful words and secret glances than the touching of bodies. But don't worry since it's a magical word they are no prudes so their passion and love making will ignite your fire.
The kingdoms that will rule this book are THE LIONS and THE WOLVES Liana is the lioness princess that it's force to marry Noble the prince of Wolfs. They will have to endure many obstacles for this union to be a prosper one. Not only they come from different realms but they also will have to prove everyone what they are made of.
This book will suck you in and will let you wanting more. I know I had and tge waiting will be excruciating.
Book 2 it's coming on 2018.
November 21, 2017
Love, adversity and betrayal are predominant in this tale of love and magic. The Noble Throne is an uphill battle from start to finish, but a rewarding journey that everyone should take.
December 29, 2017
What do you get when you cross a reluctant prince with a rebel princess? You get a story full of angst, deception, and forbidden love of course!
This is the first story in the Game of Realms series and I am so anxious for the second installment to come out!
The Noble Throne starts off with tensity and it slowly leads to the unraveling of the story between the Wolves and the Lions. The Winter and Summer Realms to be more precise. Winter is the realm of the wolves kingdom and Summer the realm of the lions. When you start reading further into the story, you'll appreciate the way the authors describe their worlds and it makes you think that there actually are real realms like Winter and Summer.
The story basically features the two main characters - Noble, the heir to the Wolves Winter throne and Liana, the chosen first queen of the next ruler of Summer, the realm of lions. In the land of Summer, the king has a chosen queen and several other "queens" in his pack - much like the real life animal kingdom. Liana is the chosen first queen but she desires to be something more than just a consort, a queen without any true power. Liana is full of life and spunk and although she loves the future King of Summer, Crede, she feels that something is missing. There is an inherent spark that she longs for, a life that isn't relegated to just being a royal. And that's when Noble comes in. Ahh...what can I say about Noble? He's like your quintessential rebel who tortures himself from a past mistake - a mistake that he still honors to this day. But when he meets the beautiful and enigmatic Liana, hopes springs eternal in his heart and he thinks that maybe, just maybe, there is hope for a happier future for him.
But alas, true love and everlasting love is a game played by royalty. There are obstacles in the way of these two royals and while the intense attraction is there, trust is definitely NOT in the forefront. Liana is willing to try a life with Noble by his side as his ruler, but Noble makes it difficult for him with all of his brooding and self-hate.
The Noble Throne is a fast-paced read and I thoroughly loved how the authors described the realms. Naming them the seasons along with the connection to their shifter nature is pure genius! Winter is cold and dark - how wolves are typically described while Summer is light and proud - much like lions. And the way the authors write the shifting process is unlike any other shifter books I've ever read. It is seamless and so beautifully depicted.
I recommend The Noble Throne if you're not looking for the typical love story or the typical shifter royalty story. There is a big surprise at the end which I certainly did not expect!
Thank you to Logan and Yessi for the ARC!
This is the first story in the Game of Realms series and I am so anxious for the second installment to come out!
The Noble Throne starts off with tensity and it slowly leads to the unraveling of the story between the Wolves and the Lions. The Winter and Summer Realms to be more precise. Winter is the realm of the wolves kingdom and Summer the realm of the lions. When you start reading further into the story, you'll appreciate the way the authors describe their worlds and it makes you think that there actually are real realms like Winter and Summer.
The story basically features the two main characters - Noble, the heir to the Wolves Winter throne and Liana, the chosen first queen of the next ruler of Summer, the realm of lions. In the land of Summer, the king has a chosen queen and several other "queens" in his pack - much like the real life animal kingdom. Liana is the chosen first queen but she desires to be something more than just a consort, a queen without any true power. Liana is full of life and spunk and although she loves the future King of Summer, Crede, she feels that something is missing. There is an inherent spark that she longs for, a life that isn't relegated to just being a royal. And that's when Noble comes in. Ahh...what can I say about Noble? He's like your quintessential rebel who tortures himself from a past mistake - a mistake that he still honors to this day. But when he meets the beautiful and enigmatic Liana, hopes springs eternal in his heart and he thinks that maybe, just maybe, there is hope for a happier future for him.
But alas, true love and everlasting love is a game played by royalty. There are obstacles in the way of these two royals and while the intense attraction is there, trust is definitely NOT in the forefront. Liana is willing to try a life with Noble by his side as his ruler, but Noble makes it difficult for him with all of his brooding and self-hate.
The Noble Throne is a fast-paced read and I thoroughly loved how the authors described the realms. Naming them the seasons along with the connection to their shifter nature is pure genius! Winter is cold and dark - how wolves are typically described while Summer is light and proud - much like lions. And the way the authors write the shifting process is unlike any other shifter books I've ever read. It is seamless and so beautifully depicted.
I recommend The Noble Throne if you're not looking for the typical love story or the typical shifter royalty story. There is a big surprise at the end which I certainly did not expect!
Thank you to Logan and Yessi for the ARC!
November 15, 2017
Tragedy, betrayal and love are prevalent in this amazing story. The Noble Throne is by far the best paranormal book of 2017. The collaboration by two of my favorite authors is absolutely flawless and I can't wait for more.
Liana is the princess of the pride and Noble is the prince of wolves. A chance encounter and subsequent fight lead them to the alter to unite the two kingdoms. When tragedy strikes a war looms.
I'm overly excited to share my thoughts on this book. The writing is flawless with an amazing execution. Never before have I read a book collaboration that worked as well as this. The characters are amazing. The details brought me into this realm and I really don't want to leave. How I'm going to wait for the next book is beyond me.
Do yourself a favor and buy this book today.
Liana is the princess of the pride and Noble is the prince of wolves. A chance encounter and subsequent fight lead them to the alter to unite the two kingdoms. When tragedy strikes a war looms.
I'm overly excited to share my thoughts on this book. The writing is flawless with an amazing execution. Never before have I read a book collaboration that worked as well as this. The characters are amazing. The details brought me into this realm and I really don't want to leave. How I'm going to wait for the next book is beyond me.
Do yourself a favor and buy this book today.
December 4, 2017
One of the most engaging shifter reads of the year! Read it from beginning to end in one sitting.
An action packed , emotionally charged ,edge of your seat suspense that not only entertains but engages it's reader.
This does end on a cliff hanger at a highly emotionally point in the story -
Just throwing that out there in the hopes of saving the screens of many an innocent ereader. 😱
She is a princess and a lioness
He is the prince and a wolf
Together they were supposed to bring peace to their lands - instead political deception and sabotage has brought both their kingdoms to the brink of war - will their faith in one another be enough to turn the tides or will they lose their heads in the midst of the chaos and anarchy
I read a complimentary copy of this book
An action packed , emotionally charged ,edge of your seat suspense that not only entertains but engages it's reader.
This does end on a cliff hanger at a highly emotionally point in the story -
Just throwing that out there in the hopes of saving the screens of many an innocent ereader. 😱
She is a princess and a lioness
He is the prince and a wolf
Together they were supposed to bring peace to their lands - instead political deception and sabotage has brought both their kingdoms to the brink of war - will their faith in one another be enough to turn the tides or will they lose their heads in the midst of the chaos and anarchy
I read a complimentary copy of this book
December 9, 2017
It’s brilliant!
So I probably can’t repeat the exact words that I said at the end of this lol ....omg this book, the characters, the story. The whole thing just kept building in suspense. It had me on the edge of my seat, trying to read as fast as I can to see what happened next. It’s brilliant and I was not happy when it ended. I desperately need more. Gripping!
So I probably can’t repeat the exact words that I said at the end of this lol ....omg this book, the characters, the story. The whole thing just kept building in suspense. It had me on the edge of my seat, trying to read as fast as I can to see what happened next. It’s brilliant and I was not happy when it ended. I desperately need more. Gripping!
November 21, 2017
I can’t form coherent words right now...
I’m so very picky about shifter romances, I’ve read a fair amount, but have only liked very few of them. Everything about Noble draws you in from beginning to end...
Full review to come
I’m so very picky about shifter romances, I’ve read a fair amount, but have only liked very few of them. Everything about Noble draws you in from beginning to end...
Full review to come
December 27, 2017
Love this Love Story
Logan Keys has done it again with another superb story that has you rooting for Liana and Noble in the Shifter romance. Well written characters and well written tale that promises adventure, action and love.
I cannot wait to read the 2nd book.
Logan Keys has done it again with another superb story that has you rooting for Liana and Noble in the Shifter romance. Well written characters and well written tale that promises adventure, action and love.
I cannot wait to read the 2nd book.
December 7, 2017
Such action, suspense and romance all in the same book. Just kept me reading until I got to the end and didn’t want it to finish. Received an ARC.
December 3, 2017
I LOVE me some fantasy books. I love Yessi’s writing, and when i heard she was teaming up with Logan Keys to write a PNR/fantasy, I was sold. The book was addicting and i need more. Now.
December 12, 2017
SUPER SPOILERS**
I won this ebook from an Amazon giveaway, and it’s something I would have never purchased or picked up for myself, just based on the cover and title. I haven’t read any heterosexual romance novels apart from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, a novel I had a lot of problems with. All this being said, I figured I’d give it a go since I need to finish my reading challenge and it was free.
The basic premise is that Noble and Liana, wolf and lion shapeshifters respectively, end up in a political marriage to unite their two kingdoms. The wolves rule over Winter and the lions rule Summer.
I was immediately turned off by the book being in first person. As mentioned in previous reviews, this isn’t my preferred POV. Since this is a romance novel and I’m a woman, I assumed that the point of view in chapter 1 was a woman. I was like, hey, some lesbian stuff, cool. Yeah, no. It took a while and some re-reading to realize it was actually a dude.
Based on Noble’s initial attitude toward Liana, the book was going with a cocky, somewhat antagonistic male lead. Generally I don’t want to read male aggressiveness toward women, or men attempting to dominate women, particularly in a romantic context. No thanks. I don’t find that hot. Liana was introduced as a proud and confident lioness who was prepared and eager to rule her pride, even as one wife among three (b/c the lion pride is ruled by one king and three literal sister-wives).
Noble’s characterization was consistent throughout in the way that he was constantly hot and cold. I found this frustrating and it gave me whiplash as opposed to coming off as genuine indecision and emotional turmoil. Many of his “hot” or kind moments were when he was looking at Liana naked or they were about to screw. The rest of the time, and this was particularly true in the second half of the book, he snapped at her, yelled angrily, actually grabbed her in a way that left marks, and wished to imprison her. He also “sees red” or becomes “unhinged” in his anger toward her. This didn’t come off to me as a “bad boy” or a man with strong passions. Instead, I got the impression of a man with anger problems who needed to be in control of everything around him, including his wife. Yes, I understand he was grieving in the second half of the book, but that didn't give him license to abuse someone. It didn’t seem like him being a rogue wolf was used to justify this behavior, so Noble comes off as a rude, possessive asshole.
For someone so proud and confident, Liana gave herself to self-sacrifice and subservience much more easily than I would have expected. She was definitely confident and assertive when dealing with her ex-fiancée, but she crumpled like a wet paper bag when interacting with Noble. He earned her affection, lust, and trust fairly easily and then she was literally willing to die for him. I had a hard time understanding where the depth of her love and loyalty came from, especially considering the way Noble treated her.
The novel opens with Noble accidentally seeing Liana naked. She nearly kills him, then they’re betrothed to avoid a war…that would've come from her trying to kill him. About two seconds after meeting again post-attempted murder, Noble and Liana are calling each other husband and wife and all hot in the pants for each other. Their possessive feelings seem to come out of nowhere, and as usual, I’m bothered by the intent to stake a claim on each other, or at least the way it's presented. Noble thinks, “I have a moment to notice the keen jealousy I already feel for my future mate and enjoy the feel of it. Something about Liana screams ‘nobody’s’ and that instantly pushes me to want to claim her as mine.” I’m assuming this sentiment or dynamic is often included in romance novels because the readers or the author finds it sexy or romantic. I personally disagree.
To be clear, Liana also feels a sense of possession, calling him “My Noble,” and “My courageous wolf,” and scaring away other women who are near him. However, what I want to stress here is that her possessiveness doesn’t have power like his does. Liana goes to live in the wolf kingdom and Noble becomes “her king.” She is not also his queen in the way that she has a similar power to command him. She must kneel to her new king and follow his orders or he flips his shit. She may feel possessive over him, but she clearly doesn’t have the power to enforce that feeling, not like Noble does. The few times that she stands up to him end with her being beat down by a man, if not Noble, then Crede. Her victories in this arena are unsatisfying.
For example, Liana thinks about being talked about like a piece of property by Noble...but that’s all that happens. She thinks, hey, they (Noble and Crede) are talking about me like a piece of property. That’s as far as it goes. Noble is never rebuked for the way he treats her. He’s allowed to snap and be an asshole and since she’s in love with him, she deserves it or will at least tolerate it. I didn’t find the occasional thought of “neither were right, neither were wrong” to be enough to assuage the problems with their relationship, and particularly Noble’s hot/cold, borderline abusive attitude.
There were perhaps two instances where the interaction and banter between Noble and Liana felt natural and was kind of cute instead of erring on the side of melodramatic or uncomfortable. The rest of the time, I couldn’t really tell where their love (?) or affection (?) for each other was based on. There wasn’t really any wooing or romance. Their ties were mainly political, except for Liana’s strange devotion.
On a somewhat related note, having not known Noble’s father very well, the drama of his death falls flat. The shock and emotion of the scene didn’t feel genuine or deep. I couldn’t empathize with Noble, so his rage, lashing out, and grief seemed overblown to me. Intellectually I can obviously understand why he’s so upset, but I didn’t really feel it.
Of course, Noble’s father’s death and the ensuing fallout sets up the second half of the novel. This leads into a plot that I really had to stretch to believe. I think I’ve got it though: Liana’s ex-fiancee Crede (new Lion King) and her mother had the Wolf King (Noble’s father) assassinated. While everyone’s visiting the lion kingdom, they then faked it so it looked like Noble (new Wolf King) attacked Crede. Noble was arrested. While holding him essentially hostage, Crede will annul the marriage between Liana and Noble and marry her instead. Since the wolves will want their king back, they will allow Liana, who will be crowned Wolf Queen shortly, to marry Crede and then Crede and Liana will rule over both the wolf and lion realms together while Noble languishes in prison. This is all in order to unite their kingdoms.
Okay. But their kingdoms were already going to be united by Liana and Noble’s marriage. But I guess Crede and Liana’s mother wanted her to marry one of her own kind instead of a wolf and also for a lion to rule both realms, instead of a lion-wolf couple and a lion-lion-lion threesome. Um. Okay. Multiple time the novel states that the Lion King rules all the realms, but I didn’t see any evidence of that anywhere. There were no instances where the lion king, either Liana’s father or Crede, demonstrated any power over the wolf king. So idk what that’s about. The political maneuvers that completely took over the second half of the novel were kind of weird. I don’t really know how I feel about it.
Like with previously-read self-published and indie-published books, I found myself frustrated with the gratuitous use of incomplete sentences, so much so that I’ve begun to doubt myself. Does literature use incomplete sentences for emphasis all the time and I just never noticed? Or is this a crappy habit picked up and not beaten out of these authors by editors? Whatever the reason, I want them gone. For example, this is an incomplete sentence: “The same shade of brown that covers my lion form.” Here’s another: “All under one roof.” Stop it. It doesn’t add drama or any coherent aesthetic to the book. Instead, it’s awkward and amateurish.
I’m also fed up with sloppy descriptions and comparisons. In Location 131, we have “I startle, gasping for air, when I spot a pair of electric blue eyes emanating from behind a nearby bush, a dark mass of fur surrounding it.” God, I’m getting flashbacks to the “tall glass of Guinness” mess from Guardian of Magic. So the “electric blue eyes” are “emanating” from behind a bush. Are they glowing? Are they originating from behind a bush? Are they “flowing out, issuing, or proceeding, as from a source or origin,” the definition of emanating? How can you see them if they’re behind a bush? Unless they’re poking through the bush? I don’t know. Move on to “a dark mass of fur surrounding IT.” Is “it” referring to the eyes? If so, “them” should be used because “eyes” is plural. Unless the “it” is the bush. Is fur surrounding the bush? Again, I don’t know. Another that struck my funny bone: “Emotions warring against emotions litter my bloodstream…” Are your emotions physical debris rushing through your blood? What? I’m not being a dense asshole here. I understand it’s metaphorical. That doesn’t make it less awkward and weird. This kind of half-assed description nonsense is distracting and makes me sad inside.
I also thought that the novel told a lot more than it showed me. For instance, this line stuck out to me: “…I wait for recognition to cross behind those dark, stormy eyes that have tormented me since the day we crossed paths by the river” (Location 515). What I found so odd about this is that it’d been about three pages since they crossed paths, which felt like 10 minutes in book time. Half of that wasn’t following her point of view, so I found myself pretty skeptical that those eyes had been “tormenting” her. When did they have time to torment her? There were no examples or descriptions of her being tormented by them. Instead, we’re just notified that they torment her. It feels really fakey and is a reason that their obsession and lust for each other is hard to believe.
The authors also use a phrase that I find very common in fanfiction that annoys the hell out of me. When describing an action, they use the word “give” as the verb. For example, in this book, they write, “I smile and give a small laugh,” or, a bit differently, “I scrub my hands over my face to wipe away the dumb look I must be giving.” Other common uses of this phrasing are, “I gave a small smirk,” “She gave a chuckle,” etc. No. No. No. Cut out that unnecessary crap and write, “I smiled. I smirked. I chuckled.” Add other adjectives as needed. Using “give” as the verb is creating a degree of separation between the characters’ actions and the reader, plus it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Another thing that stood out to me was the amount of eye describing and eye communication. Liana spends paragraphs talking about Noble’s eyes and how they change. They’re stormy, crystalline, opaque black, blue, gray, ashen, etc. Both Noble and Liana also have silent conversations with their parents using only their eyes. “I cover [my mother’s] hand with mine and we share a look, mine silently telling her how I feel and hers brimming with understanding” (location 866). I tried this method of communication with my sister, and needless to say, we had a hard time telling each other how we felt and no one was brimming with understanding. The one redeeming fact is that the authors didn’t use the words “pools” or “orbs” as a synonym for eyes. I understand that communicating through looks, facial expressions, and body language is important and this is one way to describe it, but it was overused. I think communicating more than a simple feeling with a facial expression is difficult, so I get annoyed when characters are swapping paragraphs via looks.
The sex scenes were short and forgettable, but I have that opinion of pretty much all of the romance novel sex scenes I’ve read, so that’s not a particular knock on this book. It just continues the trend. I was very surprised there wasn’t more sex. I’m not really complaining, though.
I had an epiphany while I was reading this. What I want to read in these novels is romance, as in people being romanced. There isn’t any romance here. I didn’t read any wooing. It’s more like, “we’ve known each other for ten minutes, we’re engaged, we had sex, bad things, political maneuvering, plus the afore-mentioned weird and unlikable character dynamic.” I will give the authors credit for the fact that neither Liana or Noble say they’re in love immediately. They both profess to being in lust and think that they may learn to love each other. However, that part has apparently been left for the second book. I think it’s in bad form to write a book that’s literally only half of a story. Even if there are planned sequels, it’s shit to not wrap up ANYTHING in the first installment. It literally just stops in the middle.
My favorite character was actually Winnie, the bunny. She came in as a neutral party who was able to recognize Noble’s flaws despite being his best friend. I appreciated her friendship with Liana and the support she offered, particularly since Liana was in a foreign kingdom and had no one on her side. I like reading about female companionship and mutual support.
I won’t be reading the next installment, but I wish the authors the best.
BONUS CONTENT
Casual dash of weird nonsensical sexism alert: According to Noble, “…I do not hesitate for fear that Liana is right, for fear that I will weaken to her womanly thoughts and the lion’s traditions over my own.” Her “womanly” thoughts are that a killer deserves a trial instead of immediate execution. I didn’t realize that due process and justice were considered womanly. I assume what’s intended here is that showing mercy in the form of a trial vs. IMMEDIATE DEATH is womanly. Oh, fuck off. She’s the one with a steady head on her shoulders in this instance.
COMMA ABUSE ALERT: “A small, but satisfied smile spreads, across her regal face.”
Welcome, friends of all ages, to Erin’s “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means” Fun Corner
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I won this ebook from an Amazon giveaway, and it’s something I would have never purchased or picked up for myself, just based on the cover and title. I haven’t read any heterosexual romance novels apart from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, a novel I had a lot of problems with. All this being said, I figured I’d give it a go since I need to finish my reading challenge and it was free.
The basic premise is that Noble and Liana, wolf and lion shapeshifters respectively, end up in a political marriage to unite their two kingdoms. The wolves rule over Winter and the lions rule Summer.
I was immediately turned off by the book being in first person. As mentioned in previous reviews, this isn’t my preferred POV. Since this is a romance novel and I’m a woman, I assumed that the point of view in chapter 1 was a woman. I was like, hey, some lesbian stuff, cool. Yeah, no. It took a while and some re-reading to realize it was actually a dude.
Based on Noble’s initial attitude toward Liana, the book was going with a cocky, somewhat antagonistic male lead. Generally I don’t want to read male aggressiveness toward women, or men attempting to dominate women, particularly in a romantic context. No thanks. I don’t find that hot. Liana was introduced as a proud and confident lioness who was prepared and eager to rule her pride, even as one wife among three (b/c the lion pride is ruled by one king and three literal sister-wives).
Noble’s characterization was consistent throughout in the way that he was constantly hot and cold. I found this frustrating and it gave me whiplash as opposed to coming off as genuine indecision and emotional turmoil. Many of his “hot” or kind moments were when he was looking at Liana naked or they were about to screw. The rest of the time, and this was particularly true in the second half of the book, he snapped at her, yelled angrily, actually grabbed her in a way that left marks, and wished to imprison her. He also “sees red” or becomes “unhinged” in his anger toward her. This didn’t come off to me as a “bad boy” or a man with strong passions. Instead, I got the impression of a man with anger problems who needed to be in control of everything around him, including his wife. Yes, I understand he was grieving in the second half of the book, but that didn't give him license to abuse someone. It didn’t seem like him being a rogue wolf was used to justify this behavior, so Noble comes off as a rude, possessive asshole.
For someone so proud and confident, Liana gave herself to self-sacrifice and subservience much more easily than I would have expected. She was definitely confident and assertive when dealing with her ex-fiancée, but she crumpled like a wet paper bag when interacting with Noble. He earned her affection, lust, and trust fairly easily and then she was literally willing to die for him. I had a hard time understanding where the depth of her love and loyalty came from, especially considering the way Noble treated her.
The novel opens with Noble accidentally seeing Liana naked. She nearly kills him, then they’re betrothed to avoid a war…that would've come from her trying to kill him. About two seconds after meeting again post-attempted murder, Noble and Liana are calling each other husband and wife and all hot in the pants for each other. Their possessive feelings seem to come out of nowhere, and as usual, I’m bothered by the intent to stake a claim on each other, or at least the way it's presented. Noble thinks, “I have a moment to notice the keen jealousy I already feel for my future mate and enjoy the feel of it. Something about Liana screams ‘nobody’s’ and that instantly pushes me to want to claim her as mine.” I’m assuming this sentiment or dynamic is often included in romance novels because the readers or the author finds it sexy or romantic. I personally disagree.
To be clear, Liana also feels a sense of possession, calling him “My Noble,” and “My courageous wolf,” and scaring away other women who are near him. However, what I want to stress here is that her possessiveness doesn’t have power like his does. Liana goes to live in the wolf kingdom and Noble becomes “her king.” She is not also his queen in the way that she has a similar power to command him. She must kneel to her new king and follow his orders or he flips his shit. She may feel possessive over him, but she clearly doesn’t have the power to enforce that feeling, not like Noble does. The few times that she stands up to him end with her being beat down by a man, if not Noble, then Crede. Her victories in this arena are unsatisfying.
For example, Liana thinks about being talked about like a piece of property by Noble...but that’s all that happens. She thinks, hey, they (Noble and Crede) are talking about me like a piece of property. That’s as far as it goes. Noble is never rebuked for the way he treats her. He’s allowed to snap and be an asshole and since she’s in love with him, she deserves it or will at least tolerate it. I didn’t find the occasional thought of “neither were right, neither were wrong” to be enough to assuage the problems with their relationship, and particularly Noble’s hot/cold, borderline abusive attitude.
There were perhaps two instances where the interaction and banter between Noble and Liana felt natural and was kind of cute instead of erring on the side of melodramatic or uncomfortable. The rest of the time, I couldn’t really tell where their love (?) or affection (?) for each other was based on. There wasn’t really any wooing or romance. Their ties were mainly political, except for Liana’s strange devotion.
On a somewhat related note, having not known Noble’s father very well, the drama of his death falls flat. The shock and emotion of the scene didn’t feel genuine or deep. I couldn’t empathize with Noble, so his rage, lashing out, and grief seemed overblown to me. Intellectually I can obviously understand why he’s so upset, but I didn’t really feel it.
Of course, Noble’s father’s death and the ensuing fallout sets up the second half of the novel. This leads into a plot that I really had to stretch to believe. I think I’ve got it though: Liana’s ex-fiancee Crede (new Lion King) and her mother had the Wolf King (Noble’s father) assassinated. While everyone’s visiting the lion kingdom, they then faked it so it looked like Noble (new Wolf King) attacked Crede. Noble was arrested. While holding him essentially hostage, Crede will annul the marriage between Liana and Noble and marry her instead. Since the wolves will want their king back, they will allow Liana, who will be crowned Wolf Queen shortly, to marry Crede and then Crede and Liana will rule over both the wolf and lion realms together while Noble languishes in prison. This is all in order to unite their kingdoms.
Okay. But their kingdoms were already going to be united by Liana and Noble’s marriage. But I guess Crede and Liana’s mother wanted her to marry one of her own kind instead of a wolf and also for a lion to rule both realms, instead of a lion-wolf couple and a lion-lion-lion threesome. Um. Okay. Multiple time the novel states that the Lion King rules all the realms, but I didn’t see any evidence of that anywhere. There were no instances where the lion king, either Liana’s father or Crede, demonstrated any power over the wolf king. So idk what that’s about. The political maneuvers that completely took over the second half of the novel were kind of weird. I don’t really know how I feel about it.
Like with previously-read self-published and indie-published books, I found myself frustrated with the gratuitous use of incomplete sentences, so much so that I’ve begun to doubt myself. Does literature use incomplete sentences for emphasis all the time and I just never noticed? Or is this a crappy habit picked up and not beaten out of these authors by editors? Whatever the reason, I want them gone. For example, this is an incomplete sentence: “The same shade of brown that covers my lion form.” Here’s another: “All under one roof.” Stop it. It doesn’t add drama or any coherent aesthetic to the book. Instead, it’s awkward and amateurish.
I’m also fed up with sloppy descriptions and comparisons. In Location 131, we have “I startle, gasping for air, when I spot a pair of electric blue eyes emanating from behind a nearby bush, a dark mass of fur surrounding it.” God, I’m getting flashbacks to the “tall glass of Guinness” mess from Guardian of Magic. So the “electric blue eyes” are “emanating” from behind a bush. Are they glowing? Are they originating from behind a bush? Are they “flowing out, issuing, or proceeding, as from a source or origin,” the definition of emanating? How can you see them if they’re behind a bush? Unless they’re poking through the bush? I don’t know. Move on to “a dark mass of fur surrounding IT.” Is “it” referring to the eyes? If so, “them” should be used because “eyes” is plural. Unless the “it” is the bush. Is fur surrounding the bush? Again, I don’t know. Another that struck my funny bone: “Emotions warring against emotions litter my bloodstream…” Are your emotions physical debris rushing through your blood? What? I’m not being a dense asshole here. I understand it’s metaphorical. That doesn’t make it less awkward and weird. This kind of half-assed description nonsense is distracting and makes me sad inside.
I also thought that the novel told a lot more than it showed me. For instance, this line stuck out to me: “…I wait for recognition to cross behind those dark, stormy eyes that have tormented me since the day we crossed paths by the river” (Location 515). What I found so odd about this is that it’d been about three pages since they crossed paths, which felt like 10 minutes in book time. Half of that wasn’t following her point of view, so I found myself pretty skeptical that those eyes had been “tormenting” her. When did they have time to torment her? There were no examples or descriptions of her being tormented by them. Instead, we’re just notified that they torment her. It feels really fakey and is a reason that their obsession and lust for each other is hard to believe.
The authors also use a phrase that I find very common in fanfiction that annoys the hell out of me. When describing an action, they use the word “give” as the verb. For example, in this book, they write, “I smile and give a small laugh,” or, a bit differently, “I scrub my hands over my face to wipe away the dumb look I must be giving.” Other common uses of this phrasing are, “I gave a small smirk,” “She gave a chuckle,” etc. No. No. No. Cut out that unnecessary crap and write, “I smiled. I smirked. I chuckled.” Add other adjectives as needed. Using “give” as the verb is creating a degree of separation between the characters’ actions and the reader, plus it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Another thing that stood out to me was the amount of eye describing and eye communication. Liana spends paragraphs talking about Noble’s eyes and how they change. They’re stormy, crystalline, opaque black, blue, gray, ashen, etc. Both Noble and Liana also have silent conversations with their parents using only their eyes. “I cover [my mother’s] hand with mine and we share a look, mine silently telling her how I feel and hers brimming with understanding” (location 866). I tried this method of communication with my sister, and needless to say, we had a hard time telling each other how we felt and no one was brimming with understanding. The one redeeming fact is that the authors didn’t use the words “pools” or “orbs” as a synonym for eyes. I understand that communicating through looks, facial expressions, and body language is important and this is one way to describe it, but it was overused. I think communicating more than a simple feeling with a facial expression is difficult, so I get annoyed when characters are swapping paragraphs via looks.
The sex scenes were short and forgettable, but I have that opinion of pretty much all of the romance novel sex scenes I’ve read, so that’s not a particular knock on this book. It just continues the trend. I was very surprised there wasn’t more sex. I’m not really complaining, though.
I had an epiphany while I was reading this. What I want to read in these novels is romance, as in people being romanced. There isn’t any romance here. I didn’t read any wooing. It’s more like, “we’ve known each other for ten minutes, we’re engaged, we had sex, bad things, political maneuvering, plus the afore-mentioned weird and unlikable character dynamic.” I will give the authors credit for the fact that neither Liana or Noble say they’re in love immediately. They both profess to being in lust and think that they may learn to love each other. However, that part has apparently been left for the second book. I think it’s in bad form to write a book that’s literally only half of a story. Even if there are planned sequels, it’s shit to not wrap up ANYTHING in the first installment. It literally just stops in the middle.
My favorite character was actually Winnie, the bunny. She came in as a neutral party who was able to recognize Noble’s flaws despite being his best friend. I appreciated her friendship with Liana and the support she offered, particularly since Liana was in a foreign kingdom and had no one on her side. I like reading about female companionship and mutual support.
I won’t be reading the next installment, but I wish the authors the best.
BONUS CONTENT
Casual dash of weird nonsensical sexism alert: According to Noble, “…I do not hesitate for fear that Liana is right, for fear that I will weaken to her womanly thoughts and the lion’s traditions over my own.” Her “womanly” thoughts are that a killer deserves a trial instead of immediate execution. I didn’t realize that due process and justice were considered womanly. I assume what’s intended here is that showing mercy in the form of a trial vs. IMMEDIATE DEATH is womanly. Oh, fuck off. She’s the one with a steady head on her shoulders in this instance.
COMMA ABUSE ALERT: “A small, but satisfied smile spreads, across her regal face.”
Welcome, friends of all ages, to Erin’s “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means” Fun Corner
“Water sleuths down long legs”
“I waiver under his silent contemplation”
“and zests into me like a flash of lightning”
“I want to sooth him…”
“I fight off the ensuing darkness as I trek their fight.”
Welcome 18+ friends, one and all, to Erin’s Weird Sex Stuff Fun Corner!
“My chest heaves, my breasts growing heavy under the weight of his stare.” (Does he have gravity powers??)
As soon as he turns into a wolf, “sudden passion threatens to explode in lustful craving” in Liana. SHE’S A GODDAMN FURRY.
“Like a cyclone, he crashes into me.” Ouch.
“…when I nip at tender hollows and divots of flesh.” SHE HAS DIVOTS?? GET THIS WOMAN TO A HOSPITAL! Or better yet, quit teeing golf off of her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2017
So sad this book ended and can not wait for the next one! I loved this story.
November 6, 2017
I really enjoyed Liana and Nobles story. Even though it was written by 2 authors their writing style flowed nicely. The chemistry between the characters was instant. It also had a suspenseful aspect to it that I wasn’t expecting. Just when you are recovering from one plot twist your hit with another. I️ loved the uniqueness of the story, and the royalty plot literally left me wanting more. I was frantically swiping my kindle screen for the next page at the end, until I realized it was over ??! Damn you Yessi and Logan for ending it that way! Book 2 better be in the works!!
December 4, 2017
Noble and Liana have been thrust together to unite a kingdom as one. It's an uphill battle all the way. Lions on one side, wolves on the other. Neither trust the other. Sparks fly between the two headstrong royals. A future ignites, one that could be more than just a union for the kingdom, one of true emotion and feeling. Tragedy strikes and mistrust runs deep. A union so fresh that those ties have yet to be strengthened. What will happen to the two young lovers, will they be able to hold onto themselves, each other, the kingdom?
Really enjoyed this story and can't wait for the next book in the series!
Really enjoyed this story and can't wait for the next book in the series!
January 6, 2018
I meant to have this review up a while ago, since I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of it, but life conspired against me (as is so often the case) and alas, I can only get it out now. But a review! Woo! First review of 2018!
I'll be completely upfront and say that I'm generally a little iffy on shifter books. (I'm not sure I actually knew this was properly a shifter book until after I got the ARC.) As has always been my lot, I'm willing to give anything a few fair shots, just because the genres are so varied that it's not fair to judge them all off of only one or two books. I'd seen a lot of good things about Logan Keys, one of the co-authors, and so I figured this was a safe one to start with.
The basic premise reminds me a little of the Hawksong series I read years ago. Two shifter cultures to focus on: wolves and lions. (I'll admit, I haven't seen many lions mentioned around! I was pretty intrigued.) All the usual tropes exist: factions of people, broken up by animal; memories of war; humans are a myth; you get the picture. The book starts out establishing that our lead male is Not All He Ought To Be, but it's not the way I've seen often--or at least it's not presented in the same way.
So we have our rogue element Noble, prince of wolves with a Terrible Secret. Said rogue element stumbles upon our leading lady, Liana. She is, of course, a lion. Chaos ensues. As the description of the book says: "Murderous plots. Forced marriages. Lines drawn. Who can they trust?" And that's about the sum of it.
The lions have a really fascinating culture, and I'm not sure if it's based on actual lion behavior or not, but I like it. Anything to shake up the norms a little, because most of the book is nothing if not predictable. Our semi-reluctant star-crossed lovers, a jealous third corner for the triangle, and a buttload of angst and strife in the middle. It's the bits of culture we get to see both from the lions and the wolves that really make the book keep trundling along.
It also does a good job of not beating you about the head and shoulders with the fact that they're shifters. It's just a thing, a piece of them. There's no dramatic werewolf style change scene, no drawn out soliloquy of torment as the animal takes over. Yes, there's a small bit of Jekyll and Hyde with Noble and his rogue nature, but it's handled nicely. It suffers the usual "wave the magic wand" romance plot, in that I have absolutely no idea why these two fall for each other other than Plot Reasons. There doesn't really seem to even be a moment where the tables turn; it simply goes from "KILL THE BEAST" to "no wait this is the love of my life don't touch him/her." Again though, this is essentially a romance. I'm not looking at that too hard.
Is it the best book ever? Nah. But it's a thoroughly enjoyable read, and the characters have stayed with me even after a week or two away. I'm interested to see where the story goes, and what happens as the plot continues to unfold. And yes if you've read this far you're probably going "but it sounds like you just panned the book; how are you excited about it now" and I understand your confusion. But just because a book doesn't necessarily bring anything new and exciting to the table doesn't mean I can't still genuinely enjoy the book and give it my thumbs up. Solid storytelling, good character development, interesting premise. Yessi Smith and Logan Keys do nice work, and I'll be looking forward to the next installment.
Rating: **** (Recommended)
I'll be completely upfront and say that I'm generally a little iffy on shifter books. (I'm not sure I actually knew this was properly a shifter book until after I got the ARC.) As has always been my lot, I'm willing to give anything a few fair shots, just because the genres are so varied that it's not fair to judge them all off of only one or two books. I'd seen a lot of good things about Logan Keys, one of the co-authors, and so I figured this was a safe one to start with.
The basic premise reminds me a little of the Hawksong series I read years ago. Two shifter cultures to focus on: wolves and lions. (I'll admit, I haven't seen many lions mentioned around! I was pretty intrigued.) All the usual tropes exist: factions of people, broken up by animal; memories of war; humans are a myth; you get the picture. The book starts out establishing that our lead male is Not All He Ought To Be, but it's not the way I've seen often--or at least it's not presented in the same way.
So we have our rogue element Noble, prince of wolves with a Terrible Secret. Said rogue element stumbles upon our leading lady, Liana. She is, of course, a lion. Chaos ensues. As the description of the book says: "Murderous plots. Forced marriages. Lines drawn. Who can they trust?" And that's about the sum of it.
The lions have a really fascinating culture, and I'm not sure if it's based on actual lion behavior or not, but I like it. Anything to shake up the norms a little, because most of the book is nothing if not predictable. Our semi-reluctant star-crossed lovers, a jealous third corner for the triangle, and a buttload of angst and strife in the middle. It's the bits of culture we get to see both from the lions and the wolves that really make the book keep trundling along.
It also does a good job of not beating you about the head and shoulders with the fact that they're shifters. It's just a thing, a piece of them. There's no dramatic werewolf style change scene, no drawn out soliloquy of torment as the animal takes over. Yes, there's a small bit of Jekyll and Hyde with Noble and his rogue nature, but it's handled nicely. It suffers the usual "wave the magic wand" romance plot, in that I have absolutely no idea why these two fall for each other other than Plot Reasons. There doesn't really seem to even be a moment where the tables turn; it simply goes from "KILL THE BEAST" to "no wait this is the love of my life don't touch him/her." Again though, this is essentially a romance. I'm not looking at that too hard.
Is it the best book ever? Nah. But it's a thoroughly enjoyable read, and the characters have stayed with me even after a week or two away. I'm interested to see where the story goes, and what happens as the plot continues to unfold. And yes if you've read this far you're probably going "but it sounds like you just panned the book; how are you excited about it now" and I understand your confusion. But just because a book doesn't necessarily bring anything new and exciting to the table doesn't mean I can't still genuinely enjoy the book and give it my thumbs up. Solid storytelling, good character development, interesting premise. Yessi Smith and Logan Keys do nice work, and I'll be looking forward to the next installment.
Rating: **** (Recommended)
November 25, 2017
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.
I've never read either author. I'm 99% sure I came across this ARC through groups of similar authors- so with that said, I didn't really know what to expect.
So there's a Winter realm with the wolves. Then there's a summer realm with the lions. One death causes the realms to join forces against the humans who are beginning to cross the boundaries. There's a clash to merge, then another death causes friction within the merge. During all of that Liana (lion) and Noble (wolf) are playing a back and forth between falling in love and what's right.
It's very much Game of Thrones with shapeshifters.
I liked it. It was different. It reminded me of The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop - which I love. Most shifter books take place in modern day so to have one that involved kingdoms was a breath of fresh air. The writing was good. I liked both main characters. I didn't predict the last 1/4th of the book.
My only gripe with it was that I wish it was longer. It set up the kingdoms. It set up the storyline, and then it's to be continued.
Bottom Line: I'll buy #2.
I've never read either author. I'm 99% sure I came across this ARC through groups of similar authors- so with that said, I didn't really know what to expect.
So there's a Winter realm with the wolves. Then there's a summer realm with the lions. One death causes the realms to join forces against the humans who are beginning to cross the boundaries. There's a clash to merge, then another death causes friction within the merge. During all of that Liana (lion) and Noble (wolf) are playing a back and forth between falling in love and what's right.
It's very much Game of Thrones with shapeshifters.
I liked it. It was different. It reminded me of The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop - which I love. Most shifter books take place in modern day so to have one that involved kingdoms was a breath of fresh air. The writing was good. I liked both main characters. I didn't predict the last 1/4th of the book.
My only gripe with it was that I wish it was longer. It set up the kingdoms. It set up the storyline, and then it's to be continued.
Bottom Line: I'll buy #2.
December 21, 2017
Noble and Liana are from two rival kingdoms. His realm is ruled by the wolves. Hers is ruled by lions. Both are poised to inherit their kingdoms from the parents and rule until one mistake throws them on a collision course.
In order to keep the peace between their kingdoms, Noble and Liana must marry. It's not a future either of them imagined and as pressure from their courts begin to mount, they must decide whether they will trust one another.
There is plenty of intrigue and action in this one. A fast paced shifter story with some loveable and conversely, horrible secondary characters to push events along.
Keys and Smith write really well together and the work flows seamlessly. This book was a page turner from start to finish and I found myself romping to the end and wanting more.
This is a unique tale that I'm sure fans of the genre will love.
Highly recommended.
December 12, 2017
As a lover of fantasy, I was surprised to come across this book and realize I hadn’t yet read any of the shifter sub-genre. But the unique premise of this plot instantly intrigued me. Logan Keys and Yessi Smith weave an intricate tale of honor, deception, and love. This story is told in dual POV, through Noble (a wolf) and Liana (a lion), and takes us between the realms of Summer and Winter as they’re forced to marry under difficult circumstances, then end up falling in love. I don’t want to spoil the plot points, but this book ended with a bang that did not disappoint. Now I need to know more! What’s in the other realms, what fate will the lions and wolves face, and what will happen with the deadly human hunters? I’m looking forward to book 2.
December 6, 2017
This one is EPIC!!!!! What an amazing series!!!! Who knew that a lioness and a wolf would be so amazing together!! I devoured this book as soon as it came out and I loved it! I felt sad, love, hate, ugh yes I freaking cried! This war between lions and wolfs is either going to unite them or destroy them.
Lilian and Noble are beyond perfect for each other but oh man what they are going through broke my heart.
I need answers!! Book 2 can't come soon enough! I'll be not so patiently waiting. lol 😉
Lilian and Noble are beyond perfect for each other but oh man what they are going through broke my heart.
I need answers!! Book 2 can't come soon enough! I'll be not so patiently waiting. lol 😉
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
February 25, 2020DNF.
The moment I read that the HERO got bitten and wounded by the heroine in the beginning....I closed the book. I want me some alpha male, not a beta.
In the Hero's defense, I think he grew stronger later but I just felt that this book was a touch close to being a YA, the characters seem a bit unrealistic in attitude and a bit show-off like adolescents growing up into adults...no thank you.
In short, the story seemed shallow and the characters were not ADULT-ish enough for me. And I didn't even get to the sex if there was even any.
The moment I read that the HERO got bitten and wounded by the heroine in the beginning....I closed the book. I want me some alpha male, not a beta.
In the Hero's defense, I think he grew stronger later but I just felt that this book was a touch close to being a YA, the characters seem a bit unrealistic in attitude and a bit show-off like adolescents growing up into adults...no thank you.
In short, the story seemed shallow and the characters were not ADULT-ish enough for me. And I didn't even get to the sex if there was even any.
December 4, 2017
The Noble Throne was a nice surprise for me. It was completely out of reading realm. I instantly loved the cover and knew I wanted to read it, I love anything that Yessi that has written so I had a feeling that I would love it. Now I will say that I normally do not read the back of the book so know what it is about. I like to go into books blindly. So to say this was a pleasant surprise is very true.
January 12, 2018
The story has potential as its an age old concept that those from different lands can come together as one. However I was hoping their would be more of a turmoil in them coming together rather than almost they feel the "soul-mate" pull. In this I felt there were times when the story seemed to move forward faster and there was a chance missed to draw out the story a little more. Otherwise it was a good read and the characters help make the story enjoyable.
May 16, 2018
I love shifter books! Especially if it includes animals that aren't necessarily the "norm". The two love birds come together to hopefully bring a peace treaty to their kingdoms. But like any good twist, that doesn't necessarily happen and the battle begins for them and many side characters. Even though it ends at an unexpected place, it's a fabulous series starter! Full of drama, steam and determination. It's one I'm adding to my read again pile! Awesome book!
December 4, 2017
I’ve really enjoyed reading about Liana and Noble. Set in a fantasy world about shifters, there’s action, politics and romance. Ive read Yessi before but never read anything by Logan. With them coming together it’s given a different style of writing which has flowed smoothly. I really enjoyed the story and I can’t wait for more.
November 29, 2017
I absolutely adore Yessi and anything she writes. I will admit this type of book isn't something I would typically read but I am so glad I did. I loved every detail and the world these two ladies created. I cannot wait for the second part of this story. I need to know what happens. In the meantime I'm off to read something else written by Logan Keys. Excellent collaboration.
April 19, 2018
I need book 2 now!
Wow, this book is so good, I nearly cried when I finished it! Their love is so pure and real, I can feel it to my bones. Noble and Liana draws you in to their love and you feel every emotion they feel. They have such great chemistry. I loved every minute of this book.
Wow, this book is so good, I nearly cried when I finished it! Their love is so pure and real, I can feel it to my bones. Noble and Liana draws you in to their love and you feel every emotion they feel. They have such great chemistry. I loved every minute of this book.
July 13, 2019
I love shifter books, so was excited when I saw this one. Wolves and lions, oh my!
I really loved Noble and Lianas story, thy are both royals of their own kind, forced to be wed together, they have to learn to merge the cultures of their own tribes...the lions and the wolves. Not so easy when each people see their own traditions as what’s right. It definitely brings forth lots of drama, especially when there is murder involved!
I got really into the story, learning of rich people and how they reign and watching Noble and Liana try to make best of their situation. I liked their back stories as well, Nobles troubled past and Lianas “perfect” life.
I really hope there will be more books and continue this story.
I really loved Noble and Lianas story, thy are both royals of their own kind, forced to be wed together, they have to learn to merge the cultures of their own tribes...the lions and the wolves. Not so easy when each people see their own traditions as what’s right. It definitely brings forth lots of drama, especially when there is murder involved!
I got really into the story, learning of rich people and how they reign and watching Noble and Liana try to make best of their situation. I liked their back stories as well, Nobles troubled past and Lianas “perfect” life.
I really hope there will be more books and continue this story.
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