Sixteen years ago, Princess Halla of Yshrem saved the life of an eight-year-old barbarian boy and watched her kingdom fall to ruin, all on the same day. Now, she is a forgotten spinster in a quiet temple, living her days out in solitude. The last of her line, she exists in the hope that she has been forgotten, for to be remembered by the enemy is to be certain death.
One person has not forgotten her. Mathior, now twenty-four, is the fierce warrior king of the Cyclopae. Yshrem is in turmoil and his advisors have a suggestion – kill the last remaining member of the royal line, and there will be no rivals for the throne.
Mathior has a different idea. He’s loved Halla for sixteen long years, and it’s time he claimed her as his wife. But a barbarian’s wedding customs are unlike any other…
Ruby Dixon is an author of Science Fiction Romance. She likes fated mates, baby-filled epilogues, and cinnamon roll heroes. She also likes to write biographies of herself in the third person, because it feels more important that way.
Ruby also loves coffee and dirty books and will probably be a cat lady at some point. :)
When I started reading this and found out that it's an older woman, younger man romance, I did a double take. I mean...come on...here I am reading smutty novellas by the dozen where every girl has just barely turned 18 and is being paired up with much older men! Tell me if you are not feeling similarly surprised right now? So yes, it was a huge plus for the story where I'm concerned.
Also...cyclopae romance! Phew...she totally pulled off a one-eyed hero romance seamlessly...and it cannot be easy making "one-eyed barbarians" seem attractive.
Oh and finally...virgin hero who has been pinning after this woman for sixteen long years!!!!!! Yes....this book has stolen my heart by going against all tropes. So...yes do read this book if you are a Ruby Dixon fan like me and also if you are sick of reading the same recycled tropes over and over again. Don't worry though, it comes with all the smutty bits and barbarian customs ;)
I figured it was time to take a break from emotional reads and take a peek at this short story with a royal wedding included! Yes, I was one of those people that became really engrossed in Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding! To me, it was a fairytale romance in the making!!! And I really hope they make it! Anyway, when I saw this mini series from four authors who have done short story mini series before...I just had to give this a try!!!
The first installment, is written by Ruby Dixon, and it is about royalty; but also with a paranormal twist to it!! In this one our hero is a cyclopes..( I probably spelled that wrong..LOL!) basically he is a warrior- with one eye...who had his life saved when he was 8 years old by our heroine. He never forgets her, and when it comes time ( 16 years later) he goes to collect his bride!
This story is a short story, and it is a light read with some dirty thrown in!!! Just what the doctor ordered for me!!! As with any shorts go though, I always want more!!! LOL This would be why I often have troubles rating them four or five stars!! I have very little complaints on the story though, as it was exactly what I had expected!
Now I will move on to the next one; which is written by a different author; but still has the Royal theme to it! Each of the four books are able to be read as stand alone too. Me, I just am anal when it comes to "series" and I have to read from the beginning!!! Moving on!!
Meh... Here we have one of the most horrible customs I've ever read in Romancelandia!!! Can you imagine having willingly an eye cut out because their God has been wounded and lost an eye???!!! So all the greates worriors have only one eye!!! Are those people crazy or what???!!!
Can you guess how these people are known? OMG... :((((
And the heroine is eager to marry the King of these people without thinking that when her son grows up his eye will be cut out!!!
If I were in her shoes I'll run as far as possible!!! Who cares if he's hot?! Who cares is he's great between the sheets?!!! Think about your child/children!!!
The was a perfectly lovely little story. I adore books where the couple form a bond that ties them together for however many years until they can be together. I loved both our delicious warrior king and his strong, noble, kind, if self-serving heroine. His passion for her set the pages on fire. I loved how he showed her she was always meant to be his. I found the age difference with her being older refreshing and integral to the story. He knew she was meant for him, and that was his lodestar over the long years. He broke down the barriers of her self-doubt, to claim his Long-Awaited Bride, and I found it intensely romantic. This king truly treasured his queen. The epilogue was everything I needed to finish this story off. I highly recommended this book. The premise has a risque element, but it's handled very tastefully. Nothing too over the top or super kinky. If you have a romance deficiency, this will set you right.
A good, quick, smutty royal read. If you’re looking for something light and quick, with a tiny bit of a game of thrones fantasy vibe, then this story is it. An alpha hero, and a quiet but firm heroine. Pretty good.
This short story by Ruby Dixon is a fun, light hearted fairytale romance with a good amount of heat. I liked the fact Halla was slightly older than Mathior, since its often the other way around. Both main characters are likable and their chemistry fabulously tangible.
As with any short story I read and enjoyed I wanted more..... it's a good smutty, sweet short story.
I should have loved this story because it is written by one of my favourite authors and it has two of my favourite tropes:
1. Savage King 2. Older woman, younger man who knew that she was his woman since he was a child and didn't know what love is about.
But the fact that he sacrifices his eye willingly to the Gods in order to prove that he did not need two eyes to be a brutal fighter, surprised me (and not in a good way). I imagine that his innocent son would do the same thing one day aargh....
Anyway, I had to give extra points for originality.
Quick fantasy read. Heroine saved hero when he was a boy, hero fell for her and had her on his mind for years but couldn’t get her has his dad was still around. The hero’s dad killed the heroine’s dad in war so it’s like Romeo and Juliet but not really. After dad died, hero immediately went to the heroine lol.
The heroines dad is a king who refused to surrender to the cyclops (the hero’s dad) so he got killed. The heroine is apparently the heir to the throne but because of this, her status was taken away just like that. The heroine protected the hero from her dads men who wanted to avenge him thus imprinting herself in the hero’s young mind, hero was 8 and heroine was a lot older. The tradition of the cyclops wedding was weird but hot. The hero had to make the heroine feel good in front of everyone to show that he can satisfy the heroine through his mouth and tongue, no hands and the heroine had to undress in front of all.
Not a lot of drama, just ones that the heroine said she was not worthy or too old for him.
The heroine is cool and collected which makes her really captivating
Ah this could have been a full 4 stars if the author didn't use the annoying "oh ur first time having sex always hurts!!" trope. Over it. Gonna start a dang petition to get romance novels to stop teaching women and young girls that its ok for a man to hurt you your first time.
The King's Spinster Bride (Royal #1) is my favorite story in the Royal Wedding series. This was King Mathior and Queen Halla's story and it was a beautifully written tale that reminded me of The Game of Thrones' characters, Drogan and Khaleesi.
When Mathior was but eight years old, Queen Halla, age 16, saved him after the boy's father, Alistair had killed her father, King Gillan. Fast forward 16 years later, Mathoir's father has died and he has been advised to have an assassin kill the innocent Halla. King Mathior has never forgotten how brave she was to save him from the King's guard after her father untimely death so he decided he will take fair Halla as his bride as well as bringing their countries together --Yshrem and Cyclopae.
"I’m actually…excited about the prospect. I can’t stop blushing, either. Mathior doesn’t seem to care that I’m eight years older than him and probably past my best childbearing years. All he cares about is…me. Kissing me. Talking to me. Tasting me. He calls me his love. I’m utterly dazzled by him. I know I should be thinking strategically about how I can use the throne to push for Yshrem, to ensure that they are not completely overrun by Cyclopae wars and customs, but all I can think of is Mathior. His smile. His kiss." `Queen Halla
If you like a fast-paced story which gives myths, origins with a charming love story, you will love this engaging royal romance.
5 'customs I'll never forget' stars!!!!!!!!! *****
"The King's Spinster Bride" is the story of Halla and Mathior.
Sixteen years ago, 16 year old Princess Halla of Yshrem saved the life of an 8 year old barbarian boy- and permanently imprinted on him.
Now, she lives in a monastery as a spinster, when King Mathior of Cyclopae approaches her to be his wife. While he is advised to kill other surviving royals, he has always loved Halla and finally decides to claim her.
However, Cyclopae have strange wedding customs..
I usually dont read romances with older heroines, but this one was a good exception.
That being said, the author took time estabilishing the difference between Yshrem and Cyclopae, yet the story got somewhere lost in the middle for me. I was bored, and though I really wanted to love it- I didnt. The couple were too mushy, no angst, and this had a very Jaid Black's Treq-mi-Qan feel to it (a series I adore, but not for the safety fanatics).
I loved this little story. I'm glad I went in after reading Bound to the Battle God because it totally made me curious about those two.
Mathior was such a cheeky and sexy hank of a man and I appreciated the way he treated the heroine. Princess Halla was as strong and fierce as the strange traditions of the hero's people demanded and I loved them together.
The King's Spinster Bride is a campy barbarian romance novella that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I found it to be immensely entertaining. Parts of it are a little out there, but it's very self-aware in those portions which made it work for me. A princess saves the life of the barbarian kings 8-year-old son. Now, 16 years later he's a grown man returning to claim her as his bride. But if they are to be married, she must undergo the barbarian wedding customs which are as follows:
Day 1: the groom publicly tears the clothes from his bride to show she is not hiding anything Day 2: the groom must pleasure his bride with his mouth to prove he is worthy of her bed Day 3: the marriage is consummated
So yeah, it's definitely over the top, but consent is always very clear and it's done in a campy and sometimes comedic way. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this and hope to pick up more from Ruby Dixon in the future!
4.5 ⭐️. I loved it! It certainly had a taste of khaleesi and Khal. I loved the small small things author introduced in this book. Like the 3 days wedding celebrations and step by step customs leading to it, the difference between two kingdoms-one scholarly another barbaric, the small distinguishing details like hero and heroine’s appearance and wedding preparations, and last not least he waited to claim her for 16 years and he was a virgin. It was also a steamy book. Heroine was older than hero by 8 years which also added a nice touch. But the writing style wasn’t as good as her other books and there was some errors too. Overall I enjoyed and wouldn’t mind if it became a series. Recommended.
I loved this! I like Ruby Dixon books, she has my number. Especially the shorties. She made me fall for a cyclops. Bwahahaha! Smutacular! Happy reading!
*re-read I loved this book and wish it was a full length because I wanted more. The idea of this book (and start of this book) was so sweet and endearing. The back story of not only Halla and Mathior as well as his people was great and very interesting. Mathior was the definition of possessive and jealous and he was so in love with Halla, what he does and how he waited made me love him more than I thought I could. Halla was strong and sweet and dignified even after the life she lead. I don't think I could have liked this book more. I will say I wasn't a fan of the presenting of Halla but I loved this book so much it didn't detract from how great this book was.
Sixteen years ago Halla's father was king and Mathior's father was a rival king. When Halla's father stole Mathior, Mathior's father stormed their land to get his son back, what transpired changed everyones lives but through it all Halla kept young Mathior safe. Now living in fear that her days are numbered Halla is hidden away and lives half a life. Mathior hasn't forgotten Halla in fact she is one of the only things he has thought of for sixteen years. Now that his father is dead Mathior sets out to claim Halla and make her his finally.
This was just the book I needed, I didn't want to put it down and didn't till I started to fall asleep and then picked it right back up again this morning the second I could and didn't put it down till I finished it. Mathior was an amazing hero, the more you read the more you love him. Their story is great and so easy to get swept up in.
Would've enjoyed it more if it hadn't been for one thing -- He's a virgin too, which I love, having waited until she was his. My issue is this though -- He's claiming to have loved her, wanted only her, for sixteen years, yet we learn he's kissed other women, though he thought of her at the time. (She, of course, has done nothing...ever.) Yeah, how can you claim to only want one woman, love one woman, and then kiss others? And to make it even worse, think of your "one true love" while doing so? That bothers me, and makes me doubt anything he claims to feel for her because not all of his actions support what he professes.
Also, it's stated that the Cyclopae men are trained in how to please a woman, yet nothing further is said about it. Trained how? By discussion? Reading? Or hands on? I'd hope the first two and never the latter. Again, another issue that bothered me, leaving this open for interpretation, making you wonder how the Hero "learned."
If it weren't for that, I would've enjoyed this book so much more.
Anyone else that can’t stop staring at this dress?😍
I will not consider myself the most girly girl, but damn. Just DAMN!💞
The story is just as stunningly beautiful as the dress. Intimate, sexy, a little innocent and downright captivating. Dixon just blew my mind with this series altogether.
This is the love story of one sweet and forgotten princess and one savage barbarian King.
Loving the world building, the slightly odd yet fascinating customs, and I LOVE the utter devotion the characters displayed for each other. What a love story that sprung to life on just a little over 100 pages. Dixon sure as hell got skill.
Read: 13/07/2020 1st rating: 5 stars Genre/tropes: Fantasy/romance/novella Cover: 4.5 stars POV’s: Dual -1st person (Halla & Mathior) Will I recommend:
I wrote a long review and somehow I lost it. I am spending time again to write basically the same thing. If you like Ruby Dixon and a slice of life stories, it is worth checking out.
I'm a sucker for Ruby Dixon's heroes. They are often endearing as hell, have great senses of humor, and are ever eager to please their love interest. No exceptions here. This was the right combination of cute, fluffy, and sexy all rolled into one.