Hollen the Soulless

Dokiri Brides #1

by Denali Day

He’ll mark her flesh. She’ll claim his heart.

Always the dutiful daughter, Lady Joselyn is weeks away from marrying a rival lord in order to secure the future of her father’s house. However, she suddenly finds herself in the clutches of an ancient beast she’s only ever heard of in legends. More terrifying than that is the beast’s master, a wild man who insists Joselyn is his bride by right, and plans to seal his claim in blood.

Wyvern-rider, Hollen, has finally captured the woman of his dreams, though he quickly learns waiting for her was less than half the battle. His new bride wants nothing to do with him and Hollen knows he only has one chance to change her mind. To win her over, he’ll do whatever he must, even if it means keeping secrets.

Their wills pitted against each other, Joselyn will go to any lengths to free herself from this savage and fulfill her marital contract. Her father’s life depends upon it. But even as she plots her escape, Joselyn begins to wonder if one can also be bound by a duty to their own heart.

Author’s Note: This is not a shifter romance. The Dokiri men are savage enough in their manly forms. That being said, this book features subdued sexual content. Enjoy the heat but don’t expect to get singed.

Trigger warning: This novel plays on the trope of abduction. While Dokiri men won’t let anything keep them from the woman they love, even that woman herself, all sexual acts between the hero and heroine are consensual.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Dragons, Audiobook, Fantasy Romance, Paranormal, Enemies To Lovers

502 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2020

About the author

When Denali Day was trying to figure out “what to be when she grew up” she noticed all her written stories featured a scene where the beautiful heroine patched up the wounds of a gallant hero. So she decided to become a nurse. Twelve years and two degrees later, she realized all she ever really wanted was to be a writer.

Now she lives in the midwest with her adoring husband, a real life gallant hero, and their two wicked goblins (children). When she isn’t writing she’s reading and when she’s not doing either of those things she’s probably plundering the fridge for something she can smother in whipped cream.

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Read Denali's books and series:

Dokiri Brides Series (Fantasy Romance)
- Sven the Collector (#0.5)
- Hollen the Soulless (#1)
- Erik the Tempered (#2)
-Ivan the Bold (#3)
-Magnus the Vast (#4)
-Sigvard the Nameless (#5)

Reviews

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is set in a medieval fantasy world and I found the storyline here very imaginative.
So Joselyn of house Fury is on the way to marry Lord Viridian to save her family-line from destruction.
The union is not a love match rather her future spouse is blackmailing her father and this marriage will save him.
Her future husband is also rumoured to be a complete monster.
Nether the less Joselyn will do her duty and marry.

Upon the road and heading towards her bleak future Joselyn is taken captive by a fearsome beast.
She is plucked from her mount by a Wyvern and flown high into the clouds.
Terrified she finds herself delivered into the hands of Hollen the soulless a chieftain of the Bedmeg clan of the Dokiri.

He has chosen Joselyn as his bride and intends to take her back to his mountain as his bonded wife.
Naturally, his captured prize is initially very resistant fighting him at every turn.
It’s just Jocelyn’s reasonings that I found a bit suspect and I’ll explain the whys later.

So Joselyn; well I found her to be very close-minded indeed.
She came across as arrogant and extremely prejudiced and judgemental especially against what she perceived as savages.

She also was extremely condescending with such a sense of superiority that it was difficult to warm to her, I’d even go as far as to say I didn’t like her at all.
The way she blamed others for her own shortcomings and how she constantly manipulated the facts and situation for her own personal benefit shocking.

She was also somewhat of a prude and very much about outward appearances.
mostly I think as a result of her upbringing and constantly trying to please her father who definitely didn’t deserve any consideration on her part.

In turn Hollen I adored almost immediately.
He was everything I love in a hero a real sweetie and just so likeable to boot.
He had so much patience and honour.
I liked him a whole lot and I am just thankful for his presence In this.

I felt for him every time he faced Jocelyn’s constant rejections and judgements and despite there initial unique beginning, I didn’t feel he deserved her harsh treatment.
He just wanted her love and affection and I felt that he was way to easy and accommodating with her.

She definitely needed a much firmer hand than what was delivered.
What he should have done is put her over his knee and showed her just who was the boss while putting a stop to her little princess dramatics before they took root.
I just couldn’t believe the way she treated him and that he actually let her get away with it he so didn’t deserve her venom.
He was practically a saint in regards to Joselyn and Just when I thought she couldn’t and wouldn’t sink any further with her petulant childish behaviour she would do something else to annoy me.

She was frankly incredibly immature and self-involved, It was all about me with Joselyn.
I also didn’t understand why she was so fixated on escaping Hollen.
Her father was hardly a loving parent and she didn’t owe him any loyalty at all.
Really she should have been thanking Hollen for rescuing her from her previous dire fate rather than fighting him at every turn.
I got the impression that it actually became more of a pride thing and she just couldn’t admit she was wrong sheer bloody stubbornness on her part.

This one was also very slow burn and I was initially worried about the chemistry mainly down to Jocelyn herself, I just struggled to believe in her feelings.
Hollen’s yes he wore his heart on his sleeve but Jocelyn’s herself not so much.

Also for reference, this one is quite a clean romance there’s not much build up just some kissing scenes at over 50% and then one fade to black scene.
This isn’t an actual criticism just an observation.
I myself would definitely have enjoyed this more if A, this had more sexy times included and B, I hadn’t taken such an intense dislike to Joselyn herself.
She does eventually redeem herself but frankly, it was too little too late in my opinion.

But that aside this was fabulously written that I can’t fault it on.
The descriptions and settings were incredibly imaginative and the world-building here excellent.
This one was also really unique.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Hollen The Soulless (Dokiri Brides #1).



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

***I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.***

SPOILER WARNING: If you dont like spoilers than dont read this review.


3.5 Stars. A down-the-middle rating for a book I liked and disliked.

***What I liked***

The hero: He was the shining star in this book for me. He encompassed all of the traits I liked in a male protagonist role. He was an alpha barbarian that still had the capacity to respect the heroine at every turn. He listened, learned, and treated her as his equal, which is hard to come by in romance. He was patient and kind. More of these Hero's please!!!! Not every man is an arrogant asshole. I could also say that he may be one of the more intellectual hero's I've ever read. So 5 stars for him.

The Plot: I thought the plot was very interesting and unique. It follows a similar path paranormal romances do - with the hero abducting the heroine and her adjusting to her new surroundings- but the surroundings itself were different. Only men are born in the H's tribe, which means if they want a mate they have to claim one from the outside world. This author was very creative with the intricate details that unfold. The men have to abduct an unwilling woman, but the society they are introducing them to is one that unconditionally respects and cherishes women juxtaposed to an outside world that treats women like cattle. A really clever Catch 22.

The female characters: A hey! A book that properly portrays female friendship!!! What a gem! There were not any female characters that were evil or out to get the hero because they were jealous of the heroine. They were all normal!!! None of them were over the top bubbly or pressured the heroine to have sex with the hero. They all had an actual intellectual conversation with each other that didnt revolve around their vaginas!!!!! WHO KNEW THAT COULD HAPPEN?!?!?

The writing and world building: this author took the time to put in the details you need for a paranormal book. The writing was flawless so I’ll definitely be looking into some of her other work.


****What I didnt like*****

The heroine: One word to describe her... awful. She was a pretty rotten character from the start to about the 85% mark. Entitled, spiteful, and endlessly naive, she really dragged the story down. I had to put the book down a few times and walk away because she infuriated me so much. Another Catch 22 about this genre in particular is that I personally want a strong heroine at the front and center when she gets kidnapped by a barbarian hero. But she still needs to be likable and soft and vulnerable and have romantic feelings for the H. This heroine didnt have any of that. She barely let the hero even touch her at the 50% mark of the book. A lot of the first 50% was wash and repeat scenes of hero trying to offer her comfort and affection, with the heroine saying cruel things and spiting him for the sake of spite. And why did she act this way? Because she wanted to save her father who was cruel to her for her entire life. She needed to get back to her father so he could marry her off to a L I T E R A L serial killer. Why was she acting like her life was over when her life never even began????? I could never buy into the problem she put on herself. I didnt feel bad for her. I could maybe buy into it if she was trying to save a family member that she lived (like a little sister for example) but for her to so determined to get back to an abusive father relationship just made my stomach hurt.

The romance: This couple wasnt romantic with each other until about the 70% mark. I cant even call it a slow burn because the heroine was so standoffish and prudish for all of it. The couple is really actually happy and together for maybe 4 chapters total out of 42. I'm gonna need a little more than that. On top of that... the sex scenes were FADE TO BLACK. You mean to tell me, that I put up with the heroines judgmental behavior for 30 chapters... only to gloss over the fun part where she realizes sex isnt something to be ashamed of???? Yeah, sorry, not cool.


All in all, I will continue with the series in hopes that the next heroine isnt so uppity.


Safety:
No cheating
No OW drama
Heroine is betrothed to OM who is a serial killer.
Heroine is a virgin
It wasnt mentioned but I'm assuming H is also a virgin because of the details in their culture.
Sexual assault of the heroine - not by hero.
All push and pull done by heroine
Some violence

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good narration but...

Slammed the door in my face for the intimate scenes and was too gory with the torture scene. It's romance so I would have preferred you to give me the intimate scenes and save me from the gory.

[AvidReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! What a journey it was..

I was going through a mother of all reading slumps when this book came to me, till that day I’d so much reading time but once I got this I was suddenly hit with so many things... story of my life.

The first thing, the firecracker heroine. She was loyal, stubborn and kind. I equally admired her spirit and was fedup with her misguided loyalty to her father (And what an absolute toad he was).
She wasn’t without faults nor was the hero but that only made the story more realistic.
Hero was swoonworthy.
He was so loving and patient with heroine and never gave up on her even though she gave him plenty of reasons.
All the characters had depth and written very well.
I absolutely loved the dokiri people and their culture and customs. Especially their songs and se*y dance.
It was primitive but meaningful.
There was plenty of adventure that kept my interest throughout.

This is a safe read but mind the trigger.

P.s when the author contacted me for the review, I told her I only does honest opinions and she said, she doesn’t mind even 1 star ⭐️ reviews.
Lady, you have my respect.

[astarion's bhaal babe (wingspan matters) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How far is your home?" she asked, praying to the gods it wasn't far.
Her captor leaned even closer to whisper in her ear. "When you have wings, everything is nearby."

You guys know I'm a huge fantasy fan, but if you know this, you also know that I prefer my fantasy books with a touch of romance. What can I say, I'm a little sap in disguise.
That said, I went into this knowing nothing about it aside from the things I've read on the blurb and what I expected was a forced-marriage fantasy romance (even the title says it duh) story, and it's kind of true, considering that the building relationship between Hollen and Joselyn is the main focus, but what I got was much much much more than that.

Hollen the Soulless is an emotional journey of two people who are forced to be together by chance and traditions that end up becoming each other's freedom and salvation.
I absolutely adored the writing style. The book was a bit long, but the writing was simple yet flowing and I flew through chapter easily, especially because the story was so interesting I just needed to know what was going to happen next.
I also was incredibly fascinated by the lore, the Dokiri language (I've started cursing like a proud Dokiri, by the way), the history of the Dokiri including the dragons and gegatu, the idadi and the gneri blade tales.
Least but not last, the amazing characters. Joselyn is a force of nature, and I honestly can't wait to read more about the other Dokiri brides and Hollen's soul brothers.
Hollen The Soulless? Yeah, he should be called Hollen the Cutiepie, if you ask me.
He's swoon-worthy and definitely my type. Giant monster dragon and rudeness included.

I'm not giving it 5 full stars because the insta-love was a bit too insta for me, because the story gets a bit repetitive at times, and because sometimes I got confused by the many names and pronunciation. Otherwise, this was an awesome read and I'll definitely keep up with the series.




Thank you so much to the adorable Denali Day this ARC! I'm a bit late to the publication party, but I'm all in 😁🎉

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so seriously disappointed with this book. I was reading and sharing my reactions on Instagram (@virgoreader) and I was loving the book… up until the last 25%.

Lets set the scene first: Hollen is the leader of the Dokiri people - think Dothraki from Game of Thrones but with consent and wyverns (a two legged creature smaller but similar to the dragon). The Dokiri people kidnap their wives, but are respectful and consensual. Their wife is their ONE AND ONLY. If they cannot win her over, they will never take another.

So yes, I’m down with this kidnapper. And you’d think the heroine would be too, because Joselyn was being forced to marry a sadistic, weak man with a kink for torturing people til her intervened.

I looked past Joselyn’s more annoying character traits because I was enjoying the set up of the story so much. But the book seriously soured for me so now all the things I didn’t like are coming to the forefront of my mind. Like, Joselyn is disrespectful. Irrational. Lacks common sense. For 60+% of this book she was fighting Hollen at every turn. And maybe I’d understand, if he was cruel or didn’t respect her - but he gave her things she never got from either of her parents, like him being proud of her skills. Or if she had a great home to go back to - but she has no one besides the nurse who raised her. Or if the new people she became part of were cruel… but there’s no “other woman” drama, no jealousy, no harsh words for her - even when she’d probably deserve it.

The premise of this book and the Dokiri people was so interesting. They protect the “low landers” from beings similar to vampires and werewolves, though they’re more animal than human and more terrifying and dangerous. They tame and ride wyverns. They only birth sons. The series is about five brothers and I was stoked to read their stories, because we already get a taste for each of their personalities in this book.

But then… the last 25% happened.

First of all, this book is fade to black. I don’t read descriptions of books so I didn’t see it, but in the description is this note: “this book features subdued sexual content. Enjoy the heat but don’t expect to get singed.” I would say this is an inaccurate note… there isn’t “subdued sexual content”, there is NO sexual content. With a book cover like this one, obviously most readers are picking it up expecting it so I really think it should be made more clear… there is nothing. A few kisses. That is it.

That being said, that is not enough to ruin a book for me. I was disappointed, sure, but still thought I would enjoy the book and continue with the series. I’ve read other fade to black books that I enjoyed and recommend. But the third act conflict completely shit the bed for me.

Let me put this before the spoiler tag: we got no moments of them together - happy and healthy - until 98%. No moments of them talking and at PEACE, confessing their love.

Spoilers for the last 20% of the book. Do you expect me to believe Hollen acted so rashly - and acted ALONE - in a manner that would get himself caught and imprisoned? What happened to the smart and calculating man who has taken down countless beasts? What happened to the people he leads, who would follow him anywhere? He didn’t want to ask for help?????

Joselyn’s intended husband - the psycho torture freak - cuts out Hollen’s eye. WHY? FOR WHAT? WHAT DID THAT ACCOMPLISH? Sorry, I’m getting truly mad (again). With less than 15% left, you’re going to cut out his eye… just because you can?

And then the wrap up… in the last few pages of the book, Hollen wakes up. Joselyn professes her love for him and yay, they’re going to live happily ever after. But he doesn’t have his fucking eye. And we got no moments of them together, as a couple, happy.

If the book was going to take that dark of a turn, I would have wanted the set up to be equally dark. But the book - though set in a harsh world with danger - was not dark. The last 20% felt completely out of place.

[Leilin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: before I explain my disgust with this story, I want to say that
1) I knew it was an abduction story and I have read (and enjoyed) romances like that... they usually contain some extremely good reason which explains why there was no other way to go forward than with an abduction, and a guilty feeling coming from the abductor at one point (none of which this story has)
2) I never felt Beauty and the Beast was a Stockholm syndrome story, I have nothing against alpha males, possessiveness can be sexy when administered in healthy ways/doses, etc. etc. (I am trying to say that the rest of this review is not an objection of principle on the overall themes or the general topic, it comes purely from the gross mishandling of those in this particular book)

Ok, so now that this is said....

The writing is relatively good except for a bunch of repetitions. Clearly, the author has a couple of phrases she just loves to use: to revel, to bid someone do something... there were others, I forgot. They recurred with strange regularity, a word clock of sorts. But other than that, it was mostly fine.

The cast of characters suffers from the classic romance-series problem of using a very small subset of main characters and pretty clearly introducing all the others for future books and pairings. I find it always takes me out of the story when that happens, but it wasn't the worst offender of that trend I have come across.

The psychology of the characters: while we're on the more "successful" aspects of this book, let me note that the psychology in this was pretty believable. Believable in the most upsetting way though. So believable actually, that it made this, as a romance novel, exponentially worse - see below for more details on this.

The heart of the problem:

I saw many reviewers on Goodreads who said they found the heroine annoying, which I am very surprised about: I thought she was on point. Both her reticence to just accept to be robbed of her freedom and her uptight manners made total sense to me, seeing what just happened to her and where she comes from. The fact she was not happy before and was heading toward a horrific marriage does not, in itself, justify that she should accept captivity any faster. She clearly explains that sacrificing for her people was her choice and her pride. There was a slight dissonance there, though, where she mentions her people 2-3 times, but the rest of the times seems to make it mostly about pleasing and/or spitting her father. That line of thought could have been handled better, and it all comes across as something that's changing back and forth to accommodate the plot rather than from an actual evolution of Joselyn's stance on the matter.

In any case, there was room for her to develop her independence and decide for herself where her happiness should be, I agree... however it is just not the same thing as being forced into something someone else has decided is going to make her happier! Forcing her to do what's best (whatever set of values is used to define "best") is already what her father is doing, and coating it with professions of love and adoration does not make it any different, only harder to identify as such.

The above matter was far from the only problem. The crazy level of Oedipus complex of the hero, the crystal clear development of the heroine's Stockholm syndrome, the deeply internalized sexism of all those women (if you look up "Toxic Feminity" on Wikipedia's "Internalized Sexism" page, you basically find the blueprint for women's interactions in this book).... Nothing was unclear or implied: it is all perfectly described and articulated on page, but somehow presented to you the reader as if it was the normal way to happiness.

And I think this is what surprised me the most: how lucid the author seems to be when she describes all those fucked up characters' interactions and relationships. She clearly sees and understands the psychology of her characters enough to lay them all bare for us to see. I cannot stress this enough: it is not subtle, it is not unclear, it is not hidden, foggy, messy or unidentified - I mean, it is for the characters themselves, maybe. But for the reader, through the combination of descriptions and inner + actual dialogues between the characters, it makes it very straightforward. Despite this, it is all narratively portrayed as perfectly normal, even good and desirable. The ways the characters react are straight up example cases from some psychology textbook, but presented to you as a desirable love and community building story.

How in the world is it possible to have that level of awareness, to write it out so plainly and clearly, and still not see a problem? HOW?

And that's why I did not DNF: how could it all be that evident and not lead to an eventual realization, a reckoning even. Of course this poor woman was going to see the light, right?... Riiight??
So I kept reading. I trudged through this. I tried to cope with an abundance of eye-rolls, facepalmings and other utterances of increasingly strong expletives. I attempted to desensitize myself by perpetually expecting the worse... and still, this kept digging. Every time some excerpt managed to reach an even lower level of despicable than the current ambient average, and thus work me up all over again, I sought catharsis by jotting it down, with more or less snarky/riled-up/angry comments attached.

This is what's below, under the spoiler tag.
You have the synthesis effort above, and I leave individual, excerpt-based comments for your (masochistic) enjoyment below.
(Btw, and without surprise, other readers must have felt the same - have a look at Cam's review, who picked a lot of the same scenes as I did - there's kinship to be found in common suffering, and the universe knows I need all the support possible after this ordeal!)



First, the initial interaction of our lead couple left me nauseated. And it is not an exaggeration, I actually felt physically unsettled. The whole thing with the male lead marking her on her flesh read like a raw, shocking rape scene. I am not someone particularly sensitive to that thematic (not more than the average person, I mean), but I seriously wanted to cry for her during the whole event.
Then there's all the smirking down at her Hollen does, and all the small ways he's refusing her even the slightest bit of control (ex. the comb he offered once, then arbitrarily refuses to lend her again when she asks for it later, so she can't fix up her appearance and is left to feel ashamed of it... after what just happened, give the woman the fucking comb, dammit)

Later in their bedroom, Hollen asks if Joselyn is afraid of him, she says yes and he addresses her reluctance to let him close by detailing how he could force her anyway... but won't. Wow, so nice of him. Glad he just pointed out to her how happy she should be that he is not doing the worst he could. Apparently that's where the bar is at, now.

And in between all of that, because it's a romance story (in case you forgot it wasn't a tragedy), she's feeling tingly at times! Girl, I'm glad you're dealing that well with trauma but I'm not, I'm still in shock of what he did to you, here!

Then, at one point he's feeling frustrated she doesn't trust him (which he finds out because she hid a knife in the hope that she could protect herself from him) and this beautiful paragraph comes up:
"Of course, her wariness was rational. In her mind she’d been kidnapped and mutilated by a savage bent only on having what he desired."
Well, it's not just in her mind buddy, those are the actual facts.
"The longer he thought about it, the more he decided he’d have thought less of her had she left the knife alone"
Oh so he'd shame her for not fighting back enough, breaking down too fast. Come on, victim, don't be such a wimp! The more you resist and fear, the more he's enjoying it, don't let the man down!

Then comes this scene where he decides to show her how she could use that knife to kill him. Once he's done, the asshole then tells her he's not afraid of her anyway, because she's just a woman who can't even lit a fire. Where do I start?
1) Apparently the intent of this was to reassure her by giving her some sense of control... except it achieves the exact contrary when he insists she's still no threat at all, after giving her a knife AND a lesson on how to use it. He has just thoroughly demonstrated she's nothing, and then goes back to sleep.
2) Also, he looks down on her for not being able to start a fire? Well, can he do estate management and tax accounting as well as she used to? I hate this survival macho bs. There are other values out there as valid as those of the warrior ways. It's really the same old judging the girl against manly values, like they are the pinnacle of evolution.

A couple early examples of very clearly laid out toxic feminity, when the other abducted women try and find ways to justify their captivity for Joselyn.
As for my personal will, the world... never paid it any heed before. At least now I am h-happy
Beautiful example of whataboutism, just there.
The women had been even worse than the men. They seemed deathly determined to defend their husbands for having claimed them, and by extension, their Salig for having claimed her. [...] Their voices were threaded with an almost religious fervor as they spoke of how their husbands were all that stood between the dangers beneath the mountain and total destruction of the lowlands from where they’d all come.
Then
Lavinia had said the Dokiri couldn’t conceive daughters. Without brides, there would be no more Bedmeg. Was the extinction of an entire race worth the freedom of a few maidens? A race who made it their mission to protect strangers from being overrun by devils?
Yeah, and so what? That gives them the right to kidnap people? That's not how good deeds or heroism works: you don't accrue points you get to spend on a moral pass for doing evil later! That's up there with those who go to church on Sundays and then proceed to be a piece of shit the rest of the week I guess, which unfortunately is not unheard of.
The Dokiri might have need of wives, and after today, Joselyn could concede that their purpose upon this mountain entitled them to some form of recompense.
Oh so now it's not even a pass they get anymore, it's sheer entitlement. Right.
Later, we will be told how the clan witnessed a recurrent rape and didn't do anything because nobody should get between a Dokiri and his trophyreward-wife. The conclusion they draw from that is that those men are such sweethearts to not rape their wives, since clearly they could. Such moral standards. -_-
But actually nope, scratch that, they can't even clear this abysmally low bar. When I'm telling you it keeps on digging... Additional information later reveals that they don't do it because then they'd probably end up alone at the end of the year, when women are given a chance to exit those forced marriages. So really, what they need to do is to mentally break those poor women before then, not just rape them, you see.

At one point, Joselyn feels sympathy for the men because they spend a lot of time thinking of the woman (generic) they'll claim one day... so it should apparently make us feel for them? Why should their anticipation to fill the mold of that generic loving/reproducing woman in their lives help see the whole kidnapping in better light? Because it helps them find motivation to keep protecting humanity? (hint: that makes them worse!)

This exchange between Joselyn and her brother-in-lawkidnapping:
"Just find a woman willing to have you. What of courting, anyway?”
Sigvard threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, little sister, you’re missing the point. Half the fun is in making the woman have you."
I almost chocked... Also, to be clear on the context, they were talking about wyvern taming. So you can make the parallel you want: women are branded cattle, tamed pets or game to be caught. Pick your insult.

Oh and let's not forget: Hollen chose his mate as the spitting image of his mum, so he can reenact daddy's life. Freudian case, much? ...and Joselyn finds that "noble", I quote and kid you not.
She also keeps repeating that him wanting/desiring her doesn't make him a bad person. Well, yeah, but maybe kidnapping her and branding her did, though!

I can’t afford to judge your people by my people’s standards. Else I’d always be terrified.
I'm telling you, the amount of self awareness in this book while still sinking ever deeper... If you are being abused, simply switch paradigms for one where this is now normal. Tadaa, you are now fine!

Him wondering why she still doesn't want to sleep with him barely 3 days after kidnapping and scarring her:
Perhaps he’d been too accommodating? His fear of scaring her, of rejection had kept him from pushing Joselyn. Maybe that was what she really needed. Maybe that was what she really wanted.
Yeah, of course! It's good for her. When she says "no, I'm afraid", she clearly means "yes, please force me, daddy". No problem there... I think I'll be sick. Oh, and he thinks he might be wrong, but concludes it's worth the risk: I mean, wouldn't you conclude the same when hesitating between "could get laid" vs "could traumatize my love"?

But there was an oath. The promise of a wild man who’d looked at her with pure eyes. Eyes filled with a depth of devotion that had never been offered to Joselyn. And it had come without condition. Without a price to be paid by her.
Urh, are you in the same story, girl? It came with a pretty big condition of being his sons' mother and living the life he decided for you. Price? I dunno, freedom for one? He just said you'd never leave that mountain, like 2 pages earlier!!

And now we're reaching the part where she's afraid she's not enough, he can never love her, she's nothing but pitiful... Yaddi yaddi yadda. Well, I wouldn't fret it anyways: if he's gonna be disappointed, he should have thought about it before abducting her based on (mum-like) looks alone.

Ok, so here we have it! Joselyn's growth as a woman: she can no longer help her people (being a prisoner and all), so now she can be happy because no freedom =no responsibilities... I mean, that technically checks out.
Would have loved to see her grow her own happiness instead of being put into hobbles and blinders to achieve it by force, but why not. Plus now she can focus on reinventing herself 100% around the male lead, live through and by him, since he got rid of anything else in her life.

Others chiming in on her condition:
Joselyn stared at her nurse. "You cannot mean it. Would you have me defy my lord father?"
[...] "I would have you live. And live life fully. Not to slip out from under the boot of one man who would use you only to fall beneath the next."
Ahahaha... Ahahh... ahh... sob...
"Perhaps you should consider the possibility that Joselyn Helena Elise Fury is destined to be more than a pawn on the gameboard of lords."
She's a pawn either way. The fact he loves her doesn't change the fact he was still refusing to get her home despite it breaking her. He was doing what he goddamn pleased with her too.

Another proof of her father's cruelty is when he holds her responsible for having been abducted.
But let's remember that she feels foolish for having been taken back by her father and put Hollen in danger.
It's the same mechanism. The only difference I see is that Hollen succeeded better than her father in making her interiorize it all.

At the end, she's branded again, by her father this time.. basically whenever she changes ownership: again, surprisingly lucid take here.
Oh and the whole dismissing of the fact her people's happiness were ever at stake, is so shitty too. Poof, some fairy dust, gone.
Anyway, after that I gave up even trying to care.
All I know is if I hear talks about "claiming" a woman once more I'll castrate a barbarian, I swear.

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 DNF Stars

DNF @ 35%

I love the covers, but unfortunately this book was just too boring and slow for me. Pretty much the only things that happened was the hero showing affection or trying to make the heroine comfortable, and the heroine constantly brushing the hero off and trying to find her way back home. I think I would have liked this book a lot more if it was a different heroine.

I did like how sweet and understanding the hero was, and how much the men love their women. Usually in these kind of books everything turns s*xual and the women are treated like crap, which doesn't happen at all in here. Which also doesn't make sense why the heroine kept calling them savages. She was selfish, immature, and close minded. She literally kept calling the men savages and that they're obsessed with blood, meanwhile she is doing everything she can to get back home to her arranged fiance who is literally a serial killer, and is known to cut women up. Then there is also her dad who has treated her and her mom like crap, and was never faithful. So she calls the loyal and kind ones savages nonstop, and wants to go back to the men who actually treat her like crap just because they use silverware. She makes no sense.

Besides all of that, the blurb and side note is a little misleading because this book wasn't really that mature. There was some mature talk, but the language and bloody scenes were actually pretty clean, and from other reviews, we know it's going to be fade to black s*x scenes. Nothing like GOT or Conan. Also from what I read, there is very little actual romance. 30% in and the heroine hasn't warmed up to the hero at all, even though he has been nothing but kind, and there is hardly any progress between them, so I just didn't feel any chemistry. The writing was good, and I like the unique world building and characters, but it just wasn't interesting or entertaining enough for me to continue.

Safety:

Heroine 18/Hero 26

Heroine is a virgin/due to the culture, I'm pretty sure the hero is too

Heroine previously engaged

No ow/om drama

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 3/4 "My Only.” Stars!

I absolutely loved this story! I was captivated from the very start. Hollen. 🖤🖤🖤 Hollen, Hollen, Hollen. He had me at wyvern rider to be honest. This man was my ideal fantasy conqueror male! A complete savage and a complete sweetheart all at the same time. There was not one moment in this book I didn't root for him and long for his ultimate happiness. He was loyal, caring, fierce, protective, gentle, generous. All the things!! Newest book boyfriend for sure. Joselyn was really a great female lead and even though she frustrated me to no end, I absolutely knew where she was coming from. She was so loyal. And absolutely determined to prove herself. Honestly, I liked her so much too. I wanted her to find ultimate happiness as well. She deserved to be cherished.

Hollen and Josely have a battle royal of wills. Their story was full of angst and longing and so very intense at times. This was a wonderful beginning to a series and a fantastic author debut. I am all in for it all that is to come from the Dokiri. I cannot wait for the next book! Highly recommended!

"You shall dance with my people upon the shoulders of the mountain. As for riding, you shall glide above the earth on obsidian wings. You are Joselyn Helena Elise Fury, Saliga of Bedmeg, and I shall treasure you above all others.” Hollen the Soulless

Happy reading!

*ARC was received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Anna lost in stories *A* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was actually surprised by how much I liked this book and I am definitely gonna continue with the series :) yes, that first scene with Joselyn and Hollen was… yeah… the whole kidnapping and marking both of them can seem problematic BUT some parts of it are very well explained further in the book and I was very satisfied with that explanation… especially since aside from that very beginning the consent is handled soooo incredibly well throughout the rest of the book… I mean.. I’m impressed, not gonna lie :) I am very intrigued to learn more about the world and Hollen’s tribe… I’m very much looking forward to reading about his brothers :) also, I don’t really understand complaints about Joselyn’s immaturity and stubbornness… I mean, come on… she’s only eighteen years old and for that age I think she handles herself amazingly well… also, if I was kidnapped and taken somewhere I wouldn’t just accept this immediately after shrugging my shoulders, like “oh well, I guess it’s just where I am now”... there were definitely some very surprising twists and turns here I absolutely did not see coming which made the whole experience of reading this book a lot more entertaining :) I originally gave it 4 stars, but I think I’m gonna bump it a bit to 4,5 stars because I thoroughly loved it :) yes, it had some flaws but they didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story :) I’m very curious to see where the whole series will go from here :)

XOXO

A

[Denali Day]

A wild barbarian has his sights set on Joselyn. He'll do whatever he must to claim her, and he'll start by giving her his mark.

[Laura Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prequel book to this series was a fabulous five star read. This one was brutal though. Hollen is fabulous. I felt through the whole book he got the short end of the stick with Joselyn. She was a bitch through the whole book and the man was tortured over her. This would have been a great story if not for her. She spends the whole book trying to get away from Hollen to get back to her worthless father and marry an abusive psycho to save her fathers worthless surfdom. So my patience wore thin with her fast. I’ll read the next book though. This series has good promise.

[Just Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so fascinated with the Na Dokiri culture.
Overall a great story that contains a lot of topics I like.

I did find it a tad bit slow, but I am convinced that Day got something good going on here, and because of that I want to continue the series. ☺️
Reminds me a little bit about Ruby Dixon, she also loves to write the “heroine being captured, and hero trying to win her love”-kind of books.
What can I say- I like those😂

Read: 11/03/2021
1st rating: 3 stars
Genre/tropes: Fantasy/romance
Cover: 4 stars
POV’s: Dual -3rd person (Joselyn & Hollen)
Will I recommend: Yes

[Minni Mouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1.) Hollen the Soulless: ★★★★
#2. ) Erik the Tempered: ★★★
#3.) Ivan the Bold: ★★★
#4.) Magnus the Vast: ★★★
#5.) Sigvard the Nameless: ★★★★

Basically a clean version of all those warlord romances with kidnapping, slow-burn, culture-melding, fantasy, wyvern storylines. Most all of my favorite things with an extra plus for being tasteful and respectful.

Plot summary? A tamer version of the Dothraki live in the mountains with their wyverns. Their society is so peaceful and good that even though the males must kidnap a woman from the lowland area, the beauty and friendliness of the tribe always wins over the woman. Josslyn is taken on her way to an arranged marriage and since that political marriage was crucial to the survival of her people, she feels a duty to fulfill that icky arranged marriage.

THE GOOD
1) Our main character, Josslyn, spends most of the book trying to get away from Hollen. I've always thought it a bit rushed every time Stockholm Syndrome kicks in too fast and the woman is convinced too easily that her new home is preferential to the alternative. Welp, not this girl. By halfway through the book, she acknowledges that it might be pretty nice to live in Bedmeg with the gang, but it's not about what she wants -- Josslyn is all about doing what's best for the greater good, and the greater good is marrying into a political alliance in order to save her entire hometown. Good for you, girl.

2) The beginning and introduction to Hollen and the Bedmeg way of life was terrific. The first chapter or two where they featured the mountain alcove and the wyvern were great.

3) Clean, fade to black sex. I like steam as much as anybody, but for the times when you want the formulaic Barbaric romance without the erotic sex, this series will do quite nicely.

4) Predictable storyline with the latter quarter seeing us revisit the bad guys and Hollen facing his big challenge.

THE MEH
1) I took a break about 70% of the way in and when I returned, I couldn't quite get into it. The main plot of the book is trying to get Hollen and Josslyn to smush faces and once they do, the rest of the lulls a bit.

2) Poor Hollen getting his eye gouged out.

OVERALL
I'm pleased with this book! A low 4-star rating for an entertaining introduction to a fantasy world of PG-13 Dothraki warriors.

[Sweet and Salty Reviews by DD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty torn over this one. There are parts of this read that were deep in emotion and parts that felt like over kill. Some information seemed unnecessary, I found myself scanning at times. I do want to say the parts I connected with were beautiful! Some will find this a 5 star read I have no doubt. For me though I scanned a bit too much.

Joselyn I found to be very naïve and she took far to long to open her eyes to see her true value. She was nothing more than a pawn to her father yet her loyalty to him knew no bounds. It was a tough read for me in this aspect.

Hollen on the other hand was a grand MC. His backstory was wonderful. His interaction with Joselyn was great. He was kick-ass but patient. Truly a great MC.

Will definitely pick up book 2 at some point!

Happy reading,
DD

[Mei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed it, but I didn't loved it mostly because of the heroine!

The hero is ot without blame, but he did everything to make it better after the abduction. The abduction was explained as his people's always got their brides because of the genetic impossibility to beget female children, but it was disturbing al the same!

Another thing that I don't like in my books is self inflicted scarring or otherwise inflicted wounds and here we have not only that but also scarring inflicted to the brides as soon as they're captured! If they get to have a say about staying with their mated after one year, why it is necessary marking them that way? Even if they choose to go away they will remain marked for life!

Also the brides seem like a Stockholm syndrome victims in a roundabout way. Yes, they're loved and treated well, but still...

The heroine here was so convinced about her righteousness that she didn't think, she just acted! Mostly wrongly! She had some very serious daddy-issues! Not in sexual way, but in emotional. She thinks that her father (who's a major jerk, by the way...) will see her value if she sacrifies herself to save his sorry hide by marrying a murderer and a psychopath, but she's flattering herself that she's doing it "for the good of her people"! That's so stupid!

At the edn she fall in love with Hollen, but they both get tortured and suffer greatly! So, at the end they would have be better if she wasn't so self centered!

Still it is not all bad!

The worldbuilding was inetersting and the gegatu (their wyverns) and their training was really inetersting! I'm also curious to know more about Dokiri and what are they fighting and why.

Also the writing style is very good! It just makes you want to continue eading even if you don't agree or like something! And that's really good IMHO!

So, I would rate this 3,5 stars, but rounding it to 4!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forced marriage is always a topic of discussion and love can one learn over time? Or after getting to know a person, can you accept, respect his beautiful sides and also dark sides and thus learn to love the person? I did have some thoughts after reading this book, but this story totally carried me away and entertained me from beginning to end. Only I felt that Hollen really did have to go through a lot for Joselyn. In my opinion, she didn't deserve it but then again that's from what perspective you look at it.
I would have liked to read a bit more about Hollen's mother but I guess that will be explained further in other books. It was a beautiful story about 2 strangers who learned to love each other. The story gave me some GoT vibes but wonderful to read.

[Betül · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**


I love fantasy romance, even though I don't read it as often as I would like to. I like it even more if the book is long, because the world-building takes time and I don't want the author to rush through the story. This book focuses on Hollen the Soulless and Lady Joselyn. Hollen is Dokiri and their tradition is to take captive and claim their brides. Of course you can imagine how the ladies would feel about this practice. So I was more than ready for Joselyn to resist and not be very happy about the situation where she was kidnapped by Hollen. Even though she wanted to continue to hate and resist him, which in my opinion she did a great job, the wall around her heart went down brick by brick. Hollen is a very honorable and strong leader of his clan, and he was also very patient with Joselyn. The interaction between Joselyn and other members of the clan was great, I especially loved the special bond she had with Hollen's youngest brother.

I have to admit the pace of the story felt a bit slow at times, but I was invested in the relationship of the characters. I really feel like I know what takes place in this clan and have knowledge of their traditions. I was connected to the characters and looked forward to seeing how it would develop. I am intrigued by Hollen's brothers and I'm really happy they are getting their own stories next. There was great banter in this book, I also enjoyed the slow-burn romance, and it had some action-packed scenes. I would've loved for the intimate scenes to be more explicit, but at the end it didn't bother me as much. Hollen the Soulles is in my opinion a great first book in the Dokiri Brides series, but if you like a little bit of a background then I would recommend you to read Sven the Collector first (it is free for newsletter subscribers!), because it focuses on how Hollen's parents met. It will give you a feel for what to expect in this book.

[Jessica Reads It · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came for the delectable man on the cover called Hollen the Soulless, stayed for the sinfully delicious "sex on a stick" voice of Shane East.

Hollen the Soulless starts with the prim and proper Lady Jocelyn of House Fury fulfilling her duty by marrying to save her father's reputation and her house. She is plucked right out of the air by Hollen who takes her for his bride.

While this savage display would normally set my anger ablaze, Hollen was penned as the ultimate gentle savage. He treats Jocelyn with the utmost respect, never crosses the sexual boundaries set, equips her with weapons and teaches her self-defense, and devotes his time towards assuring her comfort and wellbeing.

Hollen is the bad boy all girls secretly want deep down- viciously alpha towards his enemies, loyal to a fault to his tribe, and utterly devoted to his lady love. I am enthralled by Hollen's depth of character, his emotional intelligence, his purity of heart despite all the rejection by Jocelyn, and his innate sense of righteousness and honor.

Any man who uses these lines on me can get it (I am not joking):
"I am not your master, but I can master you"

"You are mine but you are free"

I was fascinated by the Dokiri culture and enjoyed learning the traditions and customs, some of which are very similar to my own Caribbean culture. The author did a fabulous job providing a solid foundation for future books and I loved how she incorporated Hollen's family. I am hooked on clan Dokiri and cannot hide my impatience for more!

My biggest peeve in this book has to be Jocelyn. Jocelyn was such a prude, unwilling to adapt to the customs, and while she may have had good reasoning in the beginning- based on her upbringing of a prim and proper noblewoman and being kidnapped and what not. Roughly 80% of this book depicts her resistance to Hollen despite all the reassurances he can give. While I am all for an extremely slow burn and relish when he gradually breaks down her barriers and wins her heart, I have no qualms in saying that Hollen was simply too good for Jocelyn (yeah, I said it!)

The real winner of this book is the brilliant audiobook narration by Shane East. Shane has such a profoundly unique and inviting voice that I garnered true enjoyment from listening to him. His voice has excellent range and perfectly portrayed each character with finesse. His narration has a hypnotically erotic quality that heightened the overall appeal of the book.

Many thanks to the author, Podium Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc. I will be posting this on my blog and bookstagram for pub date 18th May 2021.

[Cee · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 26%

This is one I didn't think I'd end up DNFing. I went in to this one knowing the MMC abducts the FMC. I read dark books and if I'm in the mood for it, I can be into it. The problem I had here is that I consider abduction & forced marriage to be dark 9 times out of 10, with the only exception to this being alien books where there is a language barrier, misunderstandings, and usually an apology involved later. And those are hit and miss with me -- it depends on the writing.

Here? I'm not down with how everything plays out.

He abducts her and expects her to be happy right off the bat, but he even mentions how if she didn’t try to fight him he’d be disappointed. Which is pretty weird, right??? And everyone she talks to is all "oh you'll get used to it. We all love our men and this tradition." So the MMC is toted as a super sweet guy but strong blah blah blah. But, if they need women why not go out and find willing women? Why abduct them and go through the process of being hated? There is no reason for him to pick her and even when she explains that her family and people will be harmed this supposed sweet and lovable guy is all "hmmm too bad." He's a chief who has lost his father recently -- he should understand where she is coming from, yet decides to be an ass instead.

So, I couldn't get past this. I can't get past how they treat her and do everything to make her slowly give in to him when there is no reason for her to have been picked and this dark aspect with the loving and utopian people did not work for me.

I'm 100% the main character and her need to escape. Every time she tried to bribe people made me cringe, but I get where she's coming from. She's desperate.

Anyhow, not a fan, unfortunately.

[Cam · Rating 1 out of 5]

July 27: Starting this one now. I’ve read the summary so I know about the kidnapping theme. Didn’t quite expect the hero to be so surprised when his bride is upset about it. She’s being kidnapped by a strange man with a large beast of a dragon who could eat her and he’s not being forthcoming with info about said kidnapping and consequential marriage and she’s NOT jumping for joy??? Unrealistic. /s.

Ive read a few reviews about how this hero is lauded as this amazing sweet guy (did they read the same beginning as I am???) and complain about the heroine when she acts childish or prudish or annoying and I’ll admit I haven’t gotten very far (11%) but she seems to be reacting just fine in my estimation so far.

Will keep updating.

I’m going to leave my review in the play-by-play style of updating via percent progress. It gives a better idea of my feelings but it’s LONG. And spoiler filled—be warned!
17% “why aren’t you obeying me?”
I hate this. This man expects complete subservience ??? From a women who was kindapped against her will and fed little information with no hope of any will of her own?? I get that maybe this Dokiri business is a little more open minded than her previous circumstances but SHE doesn’t know that.
Also I don’t care that the next line he says is “it’s a reasonable request”. If you would consider her feelings about it at all it would make sense for her to fear your motives!!! She still thinks she’s going to be raped!! Why isn’t that something Hollen considers???? He’s an ass IMO and still has a long way to redeem himself. (He does eventually tell her straight out that he’s not going to rape her but in my opinion that would have been better suited BEFORE you force her into a bedroom alone and it still bothers me that he seemed vexed by the idea that he had to explain it to her at all. It’s a valid concern for a women who has been abducted—don’t belittle her fears
The following conversation they have consists of several lines that make my lip curl. His implied threat in the fact that he is stronger bigger faster and more everything than Joselyn is revolting. “But he is trying to prove a point!” You say.
Then do so without implying you would remove her agency and independence if she “disobeys” you.
And this whole bit about giving orders is demeaning and misogynistic. She’s a woman who deserves to be seen as equal if you hold your women in that much esteem. Just because YOU have placed her in a position of chaos doesn’t mean she can’t act out. Any sane person would.
18% and he FINALLY acknowledges that she has a right to be upset and “wary” oh him. He still doesn’t allow for much compassion on his part. Or any kind of empathetic understanding of her forced circumstances.
“I’m not afraid of a woman who can’t start her own fire” is this supposed to be funny? Is it supposed to make me think “ah he’s such a clever fellow, unafraid of his betrothed with knife in hand and mocks her for her lack of skill” even though HE chose HER and frequently mentions how brave and fierce she is. It infuriates me that he refuses to see her value outside of his personal ascribed value of her. It is not an attractive trait to taunt and mock the woman you claim to be your “only one”. Joselyn is doing the best she can given the circumstances and despite her annoying sense of pride she has every reason to mistrust and hold him in contempt.
23% “she was tired of being welcomed. What she needed to hear was farewell” I chuckled at this.
I will give the book this, so far it passes the Betchel test readily. I’m thrilled that the one woman she was introduced to did not immediately dismiss her concerns and instead offered more information than Hollen has thus far.
30% FINALLY he asks for forgiveness for something he has done/asked her to do that has caused her difficulty/discomfort. It’s a start.
35% “He held a hand down to her. Joselyn looked at it as she brushed a red strand of hair behind her ear. Why was he so pleased with her? Why did it feel so good? She slid her palm against his. It was warm and rough, just like everything else about this savage man who’d claimed her. She felt weightless as he drew her upward in a strong, swift motion. When he released her, his fingers slackened far slower than was necessary.” This is an excellent transition for Joselyn. I’ve been waiting to see the actual point of change for her from seeing Hollen as “captor” (rightly so) to “potential love interest” and eventually to “lover” and this excerpt demonstrates exactly how to do this while keeping the integrity of the main female character. You acknowledge her resistance while allowing softening in a way that’s important to her.
All throughout Joselyn has repeatedly stated she wished for her father’s love and affection. She has never had anyone around to love her except for her nurse. Allowing her to see that Hollen delights in *her* specifically for who she is rather than what she can give him is an excellent way to allow her to soften towards him. And so far I’m okay with this progression. Feels much more realistic than the initial attempt (forcing her to accept without acknowledging her troubles and concerns).
37% “Was the extinction of an entire race worth the freedom of a few maidens? A race who made it their mission to protect strangers from being overrun by devils? Joselyn frowned, not caring for the direction of her thoughts.”
Yeah I don’t care for this direction either.
Please help me understand how taking prisoners for breeding stock makes this make sense? It does not matter that they fall in love. It does not matter that these men are the protectors of the mountain. Perhaps it is the very idea of kidnapping women and essentially holding them prisoner that should be re-evaluated.
I *know* the whole point of this romance/series plays on the trope of kidnapping. I get that. But there is a severe lack of common sense regarding the character interactions and the thought processes when discussing this phenomenon. I would just appreciate some acknowledgement of the severity of the situation.
You would literally need to find women who have NO attachments to her family, no friends, or is in an even worse situation than kidnapped for breeding purposes to even come close to justify kidnapping them.
38% “Of all the things he might have apologized for. Kidnapping me, cutting me up, ignoring my pleas on behalf of my house.”
Just because you acknowledge the absurd doesn’t make it any less absurd. It doesn’t justify a dismissal of said actions or lack of apology for it.
41% “ Joselyn studied him. “Well, that’s easy enough to avoid. Just find a woman willing to have you. What does your lot have against courting, anyway?” Sigvard threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, little sister, you’re missing the point. Half the fun is in *making* the woman have you. When I get my chance, I’m not coming back to Bedmeg until I’ve searched the entire continent. I’ll find the most beautiful woman and then the real challenge can begin.” ”
When I say my lip curled, believe me the amount of revulsion I feel for this particular passage has erased any goodwill I felt for Sigvard or his culture’s affinity for kidnapping.
I haven’t touched on this yet but it seems like a good time. Women are not prizes to be won. They are not rewards for your good deeds. They are not even challenges to overcome or will-less items to make them do anything you please. Women are people just like men and this culture’s obsession with focusing on the fact that their wives are their rewards is not only revolting but misogynistic. I don’t care how they view women after they’ve “won” them. The point is the women do not have an existence outside what they provide to the men and that is wrong and frankly insulting.
Also this insistence that they find only beautiful women is so incredibly disgusting. Why is this the thing they focus on? What about their kindness? Their empathy? The ability to raise children? Their *desire* for children?? Do they consider any of these things?
How many beautiful women have they kidnapped who have turned out to be horrible people? Or you mean to tell me that *conveniently* every single beautiful woman has been kind and willing to be kidnapped and loving and doting to their slave-owner husbands?I spot a plot hole.
Also the following conversation they have about how “Joselyn *wasn’t* chosen *just* because she’s pretty.” Nooooo it’s because Hollen apparently has an Oedipus complex this size of his wyvern. Cue eye roll. According to Sigvard, Joselyn looks, acts, talks, and even *rides a horse* like Hollen’s mother. Wonderful. I’ve always wanted a man to choose me because I remind him so much of his own mother. It does not at all bother me that he would choose me to have sex with when in fact it would be his mother he would envision. (I am exaggerating a bit but the principle of the thing still stands. It’s worrying that he chose a woman who is like his own mother in nearly every way. That’s just concerning for his mental health.)
And the justification for it?? Hollen just wants to be the best. The best at loving. His own father loved his mother sooooo much that he wants to be just like his father and therefore just HAD to get a wife who looks and acts and talks just like his own mother.
42% “Too much stress today. Again, Hollen had been right to forbid her from leaving the cave.”
There is something about a woman admitting to the man being right about forbidding her to do something that makes my skin crawl. I don’t care that he was “right”—it’s a symptom of Stockholm Syndrome if I’ve ever seen one. Or at least some of the best self-inflicted gas lighting I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame a lot of abuse victims have similar internal monologues about their abusers. It’s almost like instances like this diminish actual injustices done against women.
44% “Father would call her a whore [for enjoying the gentle touch of a man]. This couldn’t be how whores felt. Whores must feel dirty, cheap, defiled.”
nice little sprinkle of slut-shaming for you.
48% she finally has the chance to escape and then we have this gem
“The promise of a wild man who’d looked at her with pure eyes....And it had come without condition. Without a price to be paid by her.”
BUT THERE IS A CONDITION AND PRICE FOR THIS PROMISE. HELLO?? Did she forget that she had been kidnapped??
I understand that she wants affection and devotion without conditions but please, for the love of everything, admit that there was a hefty price called your freedom to pay for said devotion. Admit that much at least.
49% “She wasn’t the first Dokiri hamma to have entered Bedmeg an unwilling prize, but it was rare for a bride to object as staunchly as she, and so frequently.”
Ok, dead horse, yadda yadda. But seriously I don’t understand the cultural idea here. Kidnapping people and holding them against their will until they fall in love or lust with their captors is just so outlandish and you expect them to do so willingly and with a smile?! Seriously unrealistic.
54% the truth is finally revealed.
““Why didn’t you tell me [that she could leave after a year]?” she asked. Hollen’s heart raced. He’d known this question was coming. Still, he dreaded answering. “I thought that you would accept me sooner if you had no thought of leaving. That it would be easier.” “
All of my previous statements about the women’s lack of agency stand in the face of this new revelation. These women are still forced against their will into a situation that for some reason the men of this culture feel entitled to the women’s lives. There’s still a huge issue there. Doesn’t matter that they can leave after a year. In this universe there are apparently a heavy patriarchal influence. These women’s reputations would suffer greatly if they were kept in a cave with a strange man. There’s no way to verify that a woman’s virtue was intact if she was “claimed”. How do they reconcile that?? “Oh well I’m a better choice because I’m all you have left since the society you’re from will reject you immediately upon your return”??????
Hollen is definitely a coward here. And I can’t say that I sympathize with him. I can understand his plight a little but there’s just so much wrong with how his culture does things regarding their women.
55% “Hollen: “But I beg of you, for once in your life, consider what you owe to yourself.” “
This is a good statement for Joselyn to hear. I do wish it had been delivered under different circumstances but it’s a point in Hollen’s column.
“She wasn’t his chattel. She’d never been. He had been the only captive from the start.”
The last line is a very sweet romantic line if it wasn’t an outright lie. She was very much a captive despite this insistence otherwise. When you take someone against their will, that’s the definition of a captive.
57% and here we discover that apparently rape is allowed even though it’s frowned upon. When asked if someone is punished for such actions one woman even remarks:
“Rosemary’s lips thinned. “For what? What he did with his hamma was his own business. I’ll bet some of the other riders were eager to bash some sense into his head, though.” “
This culture that values their brides as prizes and rewards instead of people with emotions and a will and opinions has little to say on rape. Somehow that’s not surprising. Instead the big consequence for this person was that not only was he allowed to stay in this village but he was not punished outside of letting his bride leave.
AND to top it all off, the entire village could *hear her screams* while she was being raped but the people can’t do anything about it? So there is NO moral obligation to do the right thing?? Because your culture dictates that the man has the right to his woman?? I am beyond disgusted.
The “big punishment”, by the way, is that this man can’t claim a wife after raping the one if she chooses to leave at the end of the year. Consider that for a moment. This kidnapped woman was raped repeatedly before he “realiz[ed] what a fool he was” and the entire village was privy to this as well. No one came to her rescue. She was then forced to endure an entire year with her rapist and complicit rapists all around her. And his punishment was “you can’t have a wife again. UNLESS a widow wants you”. And that’s it.
And Joselyn reacts about as unmoved as a rock would. She shivers a little at the thought of being in the woman’s place but no anger or righteous indignation. Just a passing “oh how awful” and immediately starts to think about Hollen again.
“So it was true then. All of it. Hollen really did have the right to force her and no one would gainsay him. And yet he’d abstained, for no other reason than to win her heart.”
I’M SORRY — IS THE BAR THIS LOW? “HE WON’T RAPE ME EVEN THOUGH HE WANTS TO. MUST BE AN UPSTANDING GUY.”
More in the comments below.

[Yael Shalom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received the book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion so this is it:
3.5 stars .
In addition to the book being an exciting and beautiful novel, it brings to mind various issues and dilemmas that the protagonists and the reader face:
Freedom of choice, "Duty before self" - Yes or no? At what cost and is it worth it?
There is criticism here about politics, corruption, a discussion about respect and integrity and what’s in between. Female empowerment, women's fraternity, equality, social conventions and how they manifest themselves in "enlightened" society versus "primitive" society.
I really liked the dilemmas that came up and the fact that I didn't always knew what to think about it and how I would act in the heroine's place.
I love books that make me think and don't dictate the obvious answers.
the characters :
The characters in the book were good and I wished I knew more of them.
Naturally the focus was on Joeselyn. I liked her because she wasn't perfect . She made many changes and she was confused as she should have been . Joeselyn is an 18-year-old girl who struggles with one demon on her shoulder who urges her to "do the right thing" as she has been educated all her life , to sacrifice herself for the benefit of her father and Furi house . (This even though she doesn't quite know what it really means.)
And on the other shoulder sits the demon who urges her to find herself and understand who she really is.
I thought her dilemmas and her way of dealing with what was going on were fascinating , even if I didn't always agree with her choices. It felt very real and logical.

Hollen was great. A giant warrior? Muscular? Scarred ? With Man Bun? YES please !!! I'm in
He was perfect. Sadly, too perfect for me ... I would have liked it if he would be more dominant and loyal to his strong character. Less perfect and more real.
The relationship and sexual tension slowly developed and for me it was very reliable and compelling. I very much appreciated the fact that the novel wasn't too sweet because I am allergic to over-sweetness.
There were very intimate and exciting moments. (I personally would be happy if there was more hot sex)

Writing and storyline:
Up to about 30% the plot progressed slowly and was a little drowsy and then caught more rhythm and became interesting, diverse, and exciting.
Throughout the book, there were sections that I felt were long and overdue and packed with unnecessary detail , and on the other hand there were scenes of events and adventures that were interesting and exciting but ended too quickly and without going into depth.

The story is told in the third person. I really like this writing technique because it opens the door for the reader to see a very wide range of events happening simultaneously in different geographies and to experience the emotions of different characters within the story.
I think in this book it did not achieve its purpose, and although the story is told by a know it all narrator , the main point of view that the reader is exposed to is almost only Joeselyn's. I would very much like to hear and know much more about Hollen and the sub-characters around them.
I didn't find a benefit in choosing a third person. The story could have been equally told in the first person and it might have helped me get closer to the characters in the first part of the book.

The book is described as a fantasy book due to the story taking place in the world where there are supernatural creatures but beyond a few scenes there is no expression of that and it's a shame.
I have a great love and passion for dragons and wyverns and I was disappointed they took a relatively small part in the plot.
The fantasy part was almost non existing. The story could have happened in a different world with different creatures/ animals and stay almost the same .

At the same time, I loved the originality of the special characterization of Hollen’s tribe and what led them to their special way of life. Their rituals and customs .
I also really liked the descriptions of the spectacular landscapes where the plot took place. It was beautiful and very well described .

In summary, I liked reading the book. It was a beautiful love story, not too sweet , interesting , intelligent and fun . I will probably read the next one as well.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Review can also be found on *Milky Way of Books*

Hollen the Soulless, is the son of Sven the Collector, whom you can meet and read his story in the prequel novella. What kept my interest, in this case, was the strong and beautiful Jocelyn who tried to escape many times despite her misguided loyalty to her father and also how patient with her Hollen was. I know that the whole "abduct your bride and she will love you" thing his people have is not a way to choose a wife, but I found that Hollen respected her and admired her strength. The adventure was also amazing and also the wyverns! Who needs horses when you have dragons!

[Izzie d · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book.
It is well written, fantastic world building.
In the previous book we didn't get to see the land where the Dokiri people live but in this story we learn of their land, their culture and their customs.
The Hero is amazing.
He is sooo patient with the heroine.
Joselyn is set to marry to save her family's future and even though the suitor is a monster, she feels bound by duty to honour her father's wishes.
As a result she doesn't take to being stolen too kindly and although a very different character to the heroine in the last book she desperately tries to get home in her own way.
I loved seeing where they lived and it was hilarious when she gets to meet his family and her plots and schemes.

It is slow burn as she struggles to accept her situation.
Also although the theme of this book is stolen brides, there is no dubious consent or hints at rape, Dokiri men greatly respect their women so it's a safe read.
Any intimate scenes fade to black.
No cheating.
Breadcrumbs dropped for future books in series with his brothers.

HEA.

Merged review:

I absolutely loved this book.
It is well written, fantastic world building.
In the previous book we didn't get to see the land where the Dokiri people live but in this story we learn of their land, their culture and their customs.
The Hero is amazing.
He is sooo patient with the heroine.
Joselyn is set to marry to save her family's future and even though the suitor is a monster, she feels bound by duty to honour her father's wishes.
As a result she doesn't take to being stolen too kindly and although a very different character to the heroine in the last book she desperately tries to get home in her own way.
I loved seeing where they lived and it was hilarious when she gets to meet his family and her plots and schemes.

It is slow burn as she struggles to accept her situation.
Also although the theme of this book is stolen brides, there is no dubious consent or hints at rape, Dokiri men greatly respect their women so it's a safe read.
Any intimate scenes fade to black.
No cheating.
Breadcrumbs dropped for future books in series with his brothers.

HEA.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! From beginning to end, this book had me on my toes. Joselyn with her headstrong and stubborn nature was almost blinded to how much Hollen cared for her for the majority of the book. I loved seeing her layers unfold and her realization of how much Hollen actually cared for her come into play. That ending though...I had an idea of how things would tie up, but the last 100 pages had some serious nail biting, cursing moments 😂 If you love a good action/adventure fantasy romance with a tough Viking like lead, this is the series for you!

[Yael · Rating 3 out of 5]

dnf 55%

משהו בספר הזה לא עבד בשבילי. וזה חבל כי בסך הכל נראה שיש כאן ספר שהושקעה לא מעט מחשבה בכתיבה שלו. זה מאד מתבטא בהבטים האנתרופולוגים של השבט שמוצג בסיפור ובנוסף מתבטא בדמות של הגיבורה. שהיא אחד הדמויות הכי "שלמות" מבחינה פסיכולוגית שיצא לי לקרוא . נראה שהעולם הפנימי שלה מאד ברור לכותבת, ויש קשרים פנימיים מסועפים שיוצרים הגיון פנימי בתגובות שלה לסביבה ובתהליך הפסיכולוגי שהיא עוברת בסיפור... אבל במובן מסויים , העושר הזה אצלה מדגיש את הדלות של שאר הדברים בסיפור.
למה אני מתכוונת?

מסע פסיכולוגי של דמות זה טוב וזה חשוב. אבל כאן זה (לפחות מבחינתי) הפך לחזות הכל.

יש כאן דמות שבסופו של יום אמורה לעבור תהליך שיאפשר לה "להפתח" לאהבה ולמערכות יחסים מיטיבות בחייה ולהתגבר על תחושת הדחייה המתמשכת שקיבלה מאביה. בסופו של יום היא אמורה להפסיק לנסות ולרצות אותו, לבחור ב"עצמה" ולתת לאהבה להיכנס אל חייה. . let love in מבחור נהדר שנורא נורא רוצה בה.


על פניו זה יופי של תהליך פסיכולוגי שדמות אמורה לעבור. בפועל זה נעשה בתנאי מעבדה כל כך קיצוניים שזה מאבד אמינות וגם לא באמת מייצר עניין.

אנחנו הקוראים אמורים פשוט לקבל את זה כמובן מאיליו שהבחור (הולן) , שאמור לתפקד כ"בחור הזהב" בסיפור רוצה אותה עד אובדן חושים. הוא מציע (מהשניה הראשונה בסיפור) את אהבתו הנצחית והבלתי מעורערת . וכל זה לבחורה שאין לו מושג בכלל מי היא ומה היא! הוא ראה אותה על סוס ומאותו רגע הפך לצוק איתן של רגש ודאגה שמציע אהבה שאינה תלויה בדבר.
זה אולי משרת את התהליך הפסיכולוגי שהגיבורה צריכה לעבור, כי הכל נורא ברור וסטרילי במשוואה הזו, בין הבחור מחד והפחדים שלה מאידך, אבל זה רחוק מלשרת את הסיפור.

מעבר לזה שאין כאן טיפת אמינות ( מה שעוד יותר בולט לעומת המורכבות הפסיכולוגית של הדמות הנשית) , תכלס גם אין כאן שום עניין.

מה בעצם אני אמורה לעשות. לקרוא 300 עמודים וכל הזמן לשאול את עצמי- "נו, אז היא בסוף תאפשר לעצמה להרגיש כלפיו משהו?"

יכול להיות שזו אמורה להיות חווית הקריאה, אבל האמת היתה שלא היה לי שום תמריץ לשאול את זה, כי המערכת יחסים בין השניים לא היתה מעניינת.

היה כאן אחד שמאד מאד רוצה . ואחת שלא נותנת לעצמה לרצות . עכשיו צריך לחכות שיפתחו לה העיניים, כי הרי נורא ברור שזה יופי של בחור. כן כן. למרות שהוא חטף אותה וקעקע אותה הוא בחור נהדר. עד כדי כך היה חשוב לסופרת להבהיר לנו מהרגע הראשון שהוא הוא הבחירה הנכונה והמיטיבה.

הרגשתי שברמה הרגשית אין ממש דרמה. אין תהליך הדרגתי שנבנה אצל שני הצדדים ואולי יכול לייצר קונפליקט מעניין. ( וזה חבל כי הסיטואציה עצמה מייצרת קונפליקט מאד חזק ונראה שבזה הכותבת פתרה את עצמה מהצורך להעמיק בו) אין יותר מידי קושי מלבד התהליך הרגשי הנורא מדוייק ובתנאי מעבדה שהגיבורה צריכה לעבור, וגם בתוך התהליך הרגשי הזה הכל מוגש לה על מגש של כסף.

התוצאה היתה מבחינתי ספר שהוא המקבילה הספרותית למוזיקת מעליות. הכל נורא אסתטי ו"נכון" אבל אין בו מספיק עניין.


יכול להיות שהדברים משתפרים ברמה כזו או אחרת בחלק השני של הסיפור, אבל מבחינתי המחצית הראשונה לא סיפקה מספיק תמריץ להמשיך ונטשתי...

[Antagonist · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How far is your home?" she asked, praying to the gods it wasn't far. Her captor leaned even closer to whisper in her ear. "When you have wings, everything is nearby."

Joselyn is weeks away from marrying a rival lord in order to secure the future of her father’s house. However, she suddenly finds herself taken captive and wedded to Hollen the Soulless. He must win over her heart all while she tries to flee back to her horrible situation. This book reminded me of the Immortals After Dark series but in my opinion, done better.

This was very a fun slow-burn romance with dragons, what else can I ask for! The world-building was really well done and The Dokiri felt so vivid and real. This is my first book by Denali Day and I am so excited to pick up more of her books after this one. I enjoyed Joselyn, she is feisty, stubborn, loyal, and flawed, which made her so much more enjoyable. Hollen is brave, patient, loyal and even though he is her kidnapper, I fell unreasonably fast for him, he's such a softie.

Since many of the Dokiri traditions are primitive, the pacing was felt perfect and allowed me time to understand the characters and their circumstances. It also makes Joselyn's feelings way more believable and lets me really get enjoy her character growth. Let me not start on watching them go from enemies to lovers! I will always have a special place in my heart for books where the love interest wants the heroine to become her badass best self. This book does include assault/rape but it isn't graphic and is seen for what it is, horrible.

Most of the sexual scenes are fade to black which kinda made me sad, but I did enjoy that most of the romance is based on their growing connection and respect for each other. The action and adventures were a lot of fun but I wish there was more of it! Overall though this book was a lot of fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review and a big special thanks to Denali Day for being such a sweetheart!

[Lissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I didn't love this book like I thought that I would.

First, I liked the Game of Thrones flavor in the story. It's not a carbon copy of GoT by any means, but it's pretty obvious that it has to be influenced by the books and/or show. (Dothraki and Dokiri, Joselyn being "of the dragon" and dragons never submitting, the physical description of Hollen, etc.) I kept seeing this as an AU Drogo/Dany fan fic, and I loved it. Even though Hollen is way nicer to Joselyn than Drogo was to Dany at the beginning. And in this one Drogo lives, YES.
Drogo/Dany were one of my OTPs on that show and I was so bummed when he was killed.

Now let's talk about the main characters. With a name like Hollen the Soulless, I was expecting him to be, well, you know, at least kind of evil? Semi-evil? Quasi-evil? But he wasn't even the Diet Coke of evil (just one calorie, not evil enough). In reality, he was a big ol' cinnamon roll except for the whole kidnapping and abducting Joselyn thing. And I couldn't even really hold THAT against him, because 1) I knew that that was going to be a thing, as well as at least some shades of Stockholm syndrome, from the onset of the book, so how can I fault the book for that? and 2) Hollen really took Joselyn out of a horrible situation and put her in a much better one. That doesn't make his actions RIGHT, of course, and neither does his cultural beliefs render him innocent on the fact that he abducted a woman and carved a symbol into her flesh when she was terrified and not willing. But it certainly makes his actions more palatable to me, and I "forgave" him for that rather quickly, because christ on a cracker, was Joselyn's background was really sad, at least to me (more on that later). The dude bends over backwards to make her happy, to the point that he gets a little carried away on assigning blame to himself over everything. Realistic? Nope. Still ate it up like it was vegan caviar on a spoon? Yep.

Joselyn was a bit difficult for me to like, especially at the beginning. She comes across as quite snobbish and goes out of her way to insult Hollen and his clan at every opportunity. Which, I mean, PART of me understands? She is a captive against her will, and she really wants to get home so she can fulfill her duty to her father and her own people. But it was hard to empathise with her, and with Hollen being the aforementioned cinnamon roll except for the whole kidnapping thing, well, yeah, it was hard to like her when that is her foil. But then the reader (and Hollen) discovers that she was never loved except by her nurse Tansy. Her father never, ever loved her and always disapproved of her because she was his only surviving heir and she was female. And her mother aborted every other pregnancy; Joselyn only survived because her mother got too drunk to abort her on time. And she TOLD her daughter that! At age eleven!

Well, if that didn't melt my heart like butter towards her. It was quickly very easy for me to see her motivations and to empathise with her on a level I never expected to. Unless you've grown up in an absolutely toxic, unloving environment, it's hard to understand the second-guessing and the walls that you build up around yourself for protection. It's hard to understand how someone loving you feels like someone ripping off pieces of your skin and exposing you to the possibility of hurt, something you have tried to avoid all of your life because all you have inside of yourself is bottled up hurt and you can't afford to take on any more. It's hard to understand the self-sabotage that will happen because no one can truly love you if your own parents can't, right? It's hard to understand not having the vocabulary to discuss what you are feeling inside, because no one has ever cared about what you were feeling before, and you find it hard to believe that someone cares now.

So then I loved Jocelyn, in spite of all of her snobbery and sabotage. She grew up fast to be a fierce little thing, and in the end, when it really mattered, she had the strength and skill to save not only herself, but Hollen.

That said, her motivations, and especially the strength of them, were a bit difficult to understand. I mean, had I been in her place, I probably would have been like, wow, I'm treated like a person here? I'm allowed to have a voice here? Bring on the Stockholm syndrome baby, I'm ready to peace out on my old life! XD So her attempts to get back to her old life and "save" the people she didn't even know felt...weird. I think her determination to leave would have felt more realistic if there had been someone she loved back there in danger, like if she had had a younger sister whom she knew would be forced to marry the sadistic fuck her father sold her to and she didn't want that to happen. Just saying.

My biggest disappointment in this book was the utter lack of steam, though! There was some buildup and kissing, but the one sex scene mentioned was fade to black after they got naked. Argh. Give me some smut. XD I'll occasionally read an author who writes "clean" romance (mostly Mimi Matthews, who is so good she can make holding hands without gloves on steamy), but I like to know when I'm going into it that there is no smut to be had, because it's a rare mood when I'm feeling that kind of story. The blurbs and reviews I skimmed (including the description of the book I read on Amazon) said "light" on the steam, but the steam is practically nonexistent here. Le sigh.

It took me a bit to get into the fantasy world this is set in, but once I was into the book, I was hooked.

Also, let me state how much I hate that Hollen lost one of his eyes to Joselyn's evil arranged husband. I HATE IT when main characters are maimed like this at the end of a book! Don't make me feel sad at the ending, damn it! I much prefer characters, if they must be maimed, being so before the book starts or in the beginning, so they have time to get over their feelings about it and I'm not so attached to them when it happens. XD

Altogether, it was a good way to spend several lazy hours of my vacation, and I'll be continuing with the series.

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Update 5/11/21
3 stars
Well I finished this one, I think some things could be tightened in the story line. The pacing also felt off.

Shane East did a great job narrating!

I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

9/28/20
DNF 27%

The first few chapters were good, but then at this mark it started losing my attention. Love the covers for this series.

[Angela Jones-Cuéllar · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Train Your Dragon but make it sexy. ;) Lol.