Madness of the Horde King

Horde Kings of Dakkar #3

by Zoey Draven

They call him the Mad Horde King for a reason. Now, she’s his…

Over a year ago, I was ripped away from my human village to serve the Ghertun, a brutal enemy alien race. With the lives of my family at risk, I am tasked to deliver a message to the one place no human has ever gone before: the capital city of Dakkar.

Before I succeed, however, I am captured by a Horde King. A Horde King of the Dakkari, a merciless barbaric race, bred for war and violence, that rule over the hostile and unforgiving planet of Dakkar.

And this Horde King? He’s the most ruthless and insane of them all—with his scarred face, glowing red eyes, and his wicked, dark grin that hides an even darker past.

I am no one. I am quiet, meek, and fearful…and yet this fearsome king wants me in his furs. I tremble when he touches me but he awakens my desire, something I fear I’ll crave…all while I struggle to save my family.

Now the Mad Horde King has me in his possession…

I fear he never intends to let me go.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Aliens, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Romance, Paranormal, Fantasy Romance

423 pages, ebook

First published December 8, 2020

About the author

Zoey Draven has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Her love affair with the romance genre started with her grandmother's old Harlequin paperbacks and has continued ever since. As a Top 100 Amazon bestselling author, now she gets to write the happily-ever-afters—with a cosmic, otherworldly twist, of course!

When she's not writing, she's probably drinking one too many cups of coffee, hiking in the redwoods, or spending time with her family.

Sign-up for Zoey Draven's newsletter for new release announcements and bonus content: http://bit.ly/2lkn8M4

Reviews

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

I don’t know what happened with this one. I really loved books one and two, but this one was just boring in comparison. Which sucks, cause I really liked the H; however, I really don’t like it when one of the main couple characters spends the whole book withholding a secret from the other main character. Which was the case here. I don’t know. It just irritates me.

I considered DNF-ing several times and only managed to finish via Olympic level skimming in some areas. Honestly, the skim was so strong here, I almost feel bad shelving this book “read.” Almost.

[Giorgia Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Re-read 27/01/22

I think this book is better on a re-read. I’ve also realised something. When we were told the king was mad - we assumed that he was gonna be some villainous guy who is unhinged but in a crueler bloodthirsty way and this guy was definitely not. But really, he was described as mad/crazy because he kinda talks and laughs to himself lol. So after adjusting my expectations I didn’t have as bad a time as the first read. That being said this is still the book I liked least out of the series because it didn’t have much angst.

—————

Hmm, I’m being a bit generous with the rating since I can’t give this a 3 star because the story was good, it’s just that in comparison to how much I enjoyed the first 2 books (especially the 2nd) this falls short.

I had sky high expectations from the 3rd book. One, because all the hints and allusions about the Mad King and his character in the previous book made it really easy for me to dream up an angstier, more emotional story and two, because I truly loved the previous two books and I thought that since the 2nd was better than the 1st, this pattern would hold for the 3rd book.

This was in no way a bad story. It had it all really. The plot, the fantasy elements, the love story, emotion, good characters.. but it just wasn’t great. There was something missing. Even so, I still can’t wait for the next release in this series.

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1 Captive by the Horde King ↠ 3 stars
#2 Claimed by the Horde King ↠ 4.25 stars
#3 Madness of the Horde King ↠ 2.5 stars
#4 Broken by the Horde King ↠ 2.75 stars

I was lowkey excited for this book, cause I had fun reading the first two books, but this book was not what I expected...

Somehow from the few sentences in the previous book, I got the feeling that the Mad Horde King was a psychopath. He really gave me those vibes. For that reason, I built him in my head to be dark, cruel and completely unhinged. And he's actually the opposite and a softie? Like when Vienne (h) asked him why he is called the Mad Horde King, his reply is this:

“Because sometimes I see beings that are not there,” he answered. My breath escaped me in a rush. “And sometimes, I like killing too much. Sometimes I crave it.”

Him seeing his dead people really? that's it? I found it kinda lame. 🙈 The mad part for "I like killing too much" would been justified IF it was shown instead of told. Sure, he has all this anger simmering inside of him because of his dark past, but we don't really see any of the killing that would prove his statement. In my eyes he was just a pretty chill dude and it isn't what I wanted.

I was the Mad Horde King and I would never be anything different.

I mean bishhh where?? I don't see. There was all the talk about how mad he is, but give me the blood.. give me the gore. GIVE ME SOMETHING!! I can't work like this. 😭


Then, on the other hand, we have our dear heroine Vienna who is gentle, shy and scared of everything. And that's some of the traits I'm not digging at all. Someone who is afraid of her own shadow, I don't want to read about that. Sorry.

It took me a while but eventually, Vienna grew on me. Vienna has a rare ability to sense emotions and enter their mind to change the emotions. That element was new and I found that gift interesting.

What was refreshing is that the PLOT was changed up a little bit. Compared to the other two books, Madness of the Horde King was more plot-driven. It starts with Vienna sneaking into Dakkar, the capital, where no human has been before, to give a message to the Dothikkar (the king of all the Horde Kings). Vienna is a slave, working for the Ghertun (the enemy). The Ghertun king wants one of the five heartstones, which have some kind of power, if he doesn't get a heartstone he would attack Dakkar. The Mad Horde King takes Vienna back to his horde, because he is one of the few people who knows where the lost heartstone is. Once Vienna is with his horde there wasn't much of a plot anymore, but then towards the end the pace picked up again.

I wasn't a fan of this instalment, but I guess for the next book I'll just keep my expectations of the characters to a minimum. I still love aliens. 😌

[Melanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 STARS!

I had been made into a horde king, forged in rage and sculpted by pain and hatred. It was all I knew.

I love these Horde Kings! And Davik was no exception even if this wasn't my favorite installment of the series.

First and foremost I want to applaud the author for not just writing a repeat of the previous books. I completely appreciate the time and effort that was put into expanding the reader's understanding of the Dakkar universe . . . and I loved that Davik and Vienne's story was new and fresh.

I think where things faltered a bit was in the reveal of the all the secrets these two were keeping from each other. Instead of ripping my heart out, it all felt a little anti-climactic ==> but some of you may prefer that the angst was headed off before it could get out of hand. 😂

I'll DEFINITELY continue on with the series . . . in fact, I'm already tapping my nails impatiently.

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

This was bloody amazing this series just keeps getting better and better and I'm so addicted to it.
This time the story centres on another King the Mad Horde King Davik and human slave Vienne.
Vienne has been scared all her life possessing stunning white hair which is a rarity on this planet she has learned to hide it along with her special hidden talents that could make her a target for others fears.

Vienne's impressions of The Horde aren't good either her father was executed by a Vorakkar for hunting to feed his family which she witnessed.
Her settlement was later attacked by Ghertun enemies of the Dakkari they murdered her grandmother and took her maman, sister and two brothers along with herself as slaves back to Dead Mountain.

Now she's been sent to complete a mission for the Ghertun King one that could mean her own life but the eventual payout could also mean freedom for her loved ones and no matter how small the chance Vienne knows she needs to beat the odds if she and her family stand any chance of surviving.
Vienne's timeclock is ticking down and she needs to be back before the black moon so when the Mad Horde King offers her a bargain one that means he gets to have her in his furs at night she doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth and takes a chance even though this unpredictable king does initially scare her.

Davik has a tragic past one that has shaped him into who he is today, his tragic past has impacted his present and he lives with the knowledge of his supposed failures and pain every single day.
He has rages and sees shadows that he thinks is his madness when in fact it’s are a gift from his goddess.
He has a certain reputation and only his own Horde know the kind of male he is underneath all of that Rage violence and aggression, he thinks himself a monster but also has a penchant for rescuing weaker beings and welcoming them into his Horde family, in fact, the mad king is kind of a sweetie at heart.
He does do what he likes and answers to no-one and his first loyalty is to his people, I would go as far as to say he revels in his violent and bloody reputation and nature until Vienne that is for her he wants to be better.

Davik and Vienne have an instant connection she calms his very soul and brings him peace and for her sake, he tries to quiet his demons and be the sort of male that he thinks she deserves rather than the one he believes he is.
Out of all the horde kings so far in the series, Davik is the most intense and primal he also has a really dirty mouth which I greatly appreciated as did Vienne.
He knows she's different and that when he with her he also is as well and this initially scares him, leaves him feeling vulnerable and when this happens he usually reverts to type I think as a form of self-preservation.
He does recognise this behaviour though and though he usually apologises to no-one with Vienne he makes an exception which greatly endeared him to me I love a male who can admit when they've done wrong.
Vienne is exactly what he needs and though initially timid and easily cowed she blossoms under Davik's care.

This story stretches from the Dakkari capital city of Dothik and all the way to the Ghertun stronghold of Dead Mountain, it's intense and engrossing and we get more rich world-building and expansion within this instalment in the series.
This world is so well developed and this was again exceptionally well written its a definite five-star from me it was absolutely fabulous.
I recommend this 110% especially if you're looking for a barbarian warrior vibe romance.



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

[Inna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book is a mixed bag. I really like this world and series, but found this book to be frustrating and somewhat lacking. I originally started this book when it first came out, but DNF’d it at the time. I struggled to get through it this time as well.

This review is going to be SUPER SPOILER-Y, you have been warned!

I’m going to make a list to keep my thoughts straight…

1. This book took a new overly paranormal direction for the series. I don’t think that disliked it, but it felt a little too much at times.

2. The hero of this book has like 300 problems and that felt a little overkill as well. Like, could the author have parsed his issues down a bit?

3. The heroine’s powers were fun, and I mostly liked her. What I found frustrating was that she kept secrets for most of the book (as did the hero).

4. The hero’s sexual past was just unnecessary imo. He was taken advantage of and taught to “fuck hard” by some older lady who basically forced him to trade sex for food. He was sexually assaulted and viewed sex as almost a punishment. Like why is that even part of this story? We never encounter this psycho OW again. He doesn’t want to hurt the heroine but comes close to it a few times. And what’s worse? Their first sexual encounter, he thinks about this OW quite frequently. It was a turn off, and it didn’t really add anything of value to the story, imo. All it did was gross me out.

5. To continue on this thread… the hero saw ghosts. He watched his family die. Was this not enough to form his “crazy persona”? Does he really need a history of sexual assault too? I just didn’t like this part of the story at all.

6. There was too much sex and little actual chance for the hero and heroine to form a true connection. I thought their “love” was based almost purely on their sexual relationship.

7. The secrets that the heroine kept made little sense to me. She had ample opportunities to talk to the hero but didn’t because she was “scared” or some shit. I didn’t buy it as anything but the author trying to stretch the story.

The overall storyline had a lot of potential but it was bogged down with some of the stuff above.

Safety was technically fine, but this story irritated me at times. In the beginning, the hero thinks about f**ing a prostitute quite a bit, then meets the heroine and I think he ended up home alone, but idk that it was ever totally clarified. The heroine is a virgin, although she thought maybe she wasn’t because she one half-assed sexual encounter in the past. The hero has a lot of thoughts about his past with his rapist, even during his first time with the heroine. There are several mentions of his past with OW. No scenes with OM/OW.

TW: Hero has a past in which he was forced to trade his body for food/shelter. It’s all off page, but there are many memories. Mentions of rape of side character. Blood, gore, violence.

[AvidReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like the previous two books in the series, I absolutely loved this one too!

I was intrigued with the Mad Vorakker in the last book and the author did justice to his character. I loved his heroine too. They were one power-packed couple. Both had their secrets and past tragedy but they still fought for their belief and family... and then they found each other!

I can never get enough of the fascinating alien world and their different cultures. Many new races were introduced in this book, each equally intriguing. The characters all where complex and memorable.
Did I mention the book is hot?
Safe but there are mention of rape (not heroine).

Absolutely recommend the whole series. Though you can read it as standalone.



P.s I would love to read a story about heroine’s sister and hero’s second in command. May be a novella (sigh)!!

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story and terrific world!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙❤️💚💜
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 😊😘😟
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

The heroine: Vienne - she snuck into the capital city of the Dakkar. She had been taken as a slave by the Ghertuns a year ago and they forced her to go to Dothik and speak to the Dothikkar. She was to talk him into giving the Ghertuns one of the Kakkari heartstones, a token of the Dothikkar’s submission. It may very well be a suicide mission, but she had to try or the Ghertuns would take it out on her family. She has a gift in that she can connect into people’s minds and see what is there or push emotions onto them.

The Hero: Davik (a.k.a. The Mad Horde King) - He is the king of a Horde and is known for his brutality and the scars on his face. He was called to the capital city by the Dothikkar. One night he was roaming the city when he sees a small, cloaked figure lurking around shadowed corners and he followed. He caught up with the figure and found it was a small human female.

The Story: Davik comes across Vienne and catches her. He doesn’t want to give her up once he has her. She is terrified by the Dakkari, and especially the Mad King as he looks more vicious than most. When Vienne connects to Davik’s mind, she sees a rage and a darkness in him. She sends him peace before the stabbing pain hits her. She is able to use her gift for a price. She was useless for the night after that. Though he lets her go and distracts nearby guards to let her escape.

The following day, she awakens from where she found shelter in the street to be caught by Dakkari guards who take her to see the Dothikkar. She is put into the dungeons at the palace but is able to give her message to the Dothikkar from the King of the Ghertuns. Later the Mad King comes to get her in the Dungeons and proposes something to her. Knowing that the message she brought was a threat to all the Dakkar. Davik and the other Horde Kings usually don’t work together and most of them hate the Dothikkar, but the Horde Kings plan to work together to get information on the Ghertuns so they can conquer them.

I liked both of these characters. The Mad Horde King wasn’t nearly as mad as his reputation. Though I did like him and his backstory. Vienne described herself as meek and scared, but she was much stronger than she thought. The world building was terrific, and, in this book, we learned more about the capital city, the Dothikkar, the politics of the world as well as some of the other sentient beings on the planet. The world was complicated, but the story was plenty long so that it was explained very well and never got boring.

This audiobook was done in dual points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Lia Langola and Aaron Shedlock. Aaron is one of my favorite male narrators. He has a semi-deep, naturally quiet voice which is very entertaining. Lia Langola has a soft, youthful voice which is also very agreeable.

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[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!!!

What can i say about this series that i havent already said in my previous two reviews? This author just knows how to write a compelling romance. Period. Everything was iron tight in terms of plot, setting, romance and the ever elusive ✨ C H A R A C T E R D E V E L O P M E N T. ✨

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time i was reading. I think Ms Draven has built an excellent world where her characters can really come to life and feel emotionally well rounded. I was with them every step of the way and not once did i get frustrated with a character or their decision making.

I think what sets this series apart is the amount of time the MC's spend together (the majority of the book, in fact). The romance is so much more enhanced when the MC's aren't constantly interrupted by outside forces and when they can have a conversation with depth.

And just for the sake of calling it out, the hero and heroine were amazing also. The bravery of the heroine and obsessed love the hero had for the heroine was just ::Chef's kiss:" wonderful in every way.


*Big spoiler ahead and my own griping*

My one and only flaw with this book was part of the hero's backstory that involves an older woman who rapes the him and conditioned him to only have rough sex, which in turn effects the growing romance of the hero and the delicate heroine. This trope of "older woman takes sexual advantage of the hero" is TIRING to read, to say the least. It doesn't come off as authentic and it reads like someone trying to make someones pain and suffering titillating. When you bring up RAPE in your story, i expect you to take it seriously for both female AND male characters. And overall, this felt entirely unnecessary to the story. This woman never comes into the picture and is never really dealt with. It took away from the enjoyment of the MC's romance.


Safety:
-Hero is a manwhore. There are a lot of constant mentions of his past sexual hookups. See also paragraph above about him being raped by OW.
-Heroine is basically a virgin and only had 1 short sexual experience. She's never orgasmed before. Normally, this would annoy me, but she's a slave so she doesnt get much opportunity
- no cheating, no OW/Om drama, no other people after meeting
-Push and pull on both sides. hero and heroine are both keeping secrets from each other.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another dark and gritty alien read. 4.5 stars. I might have enjoyed this one the best so far. It was a little rough getting started as I found it difficult to connect with both characters. Vivienne, the heroine, was a scared mouse of a woman at first, taken as a slave to the Gertrun, she was the most downtrodden female character yet. But she had a special power, she could read feelings and influence them, she could control people’s minds, which played out in very entertaining fashion with a huge culmination at the end. For the hero, Davik, he was a grumpy, self deprecating character with an awful backstory, the worst so far. Because both of them were so damaged, the beginning was heavy and dragged a bit. But it got much better once they travelled away from Dothick City into the wilds of Drakkar. There was a lot of world building in this book, Draven revealed much more to us about the planet, it’s creatures and other inhabitants and why the aliens (the non Drakari) were not allowed to hunt. Some of this info was frustrating because I’d have loved to have known this stuff like maybe TWO BOOKS AGO! But it was nice to finally have it.
This book had an element of the paranormal in it, as both characters have supernatural powers and the magic of the planet and it’s gods were invoked in a pretty spectacular fashion near the end. This was interesting but a weird choice to start paranormal in the third book, I guess I will have to chock it up to the author diving more deeply into her works, which was good as this book was excellent, but the first book certainly suffered for the lack of detail, but luckily she corrected it in this one.
The conflict in this book was great for me because it was all external. We didn’t have any dumb moments from the characters causing break ups, we didn’t have any conflict within the horde either, which was nice and a change from the last two books. I quite like how each of these books is quite different and Draven isn’t repeating herself in any of these stories. There are consistent and similar elements linking the books together, but each story is unique and builds on the cool world she has created. I’m kind of addicted and seem to be reading these back to back to back. We will see if she can keep my attention for two more…

[Somia · Rating 3 out of 5]

My expectations when I saw this was out were high. The story was good but I didn't find myself drawn into the tale and characters as I hoped, my fingers didn't twitch to return to it when I had to do other things.

I was expecting more from the hero, he didn't have the oomph I thought he would have.

All the hints in pervious books had me looking forward to a story with more intensity than actually manifested with book 3.

I am looking forward to book 4.

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS]

Audio - 5 Stars
Story - dnf @41%

It's time for me to admit this author's books are not for me. The writing is really good as is the idea of the story but the execution is long winded. I feel no chemistry or connection between the H and h even though there's a lot of dirty talking before they even get down and dirty. This was definitely a slow no burn for me.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ This was so disappointing idk maybe its me but it was so boring compared to the first two books I really struggled with the first half and the rest was a little better but not so much 😑

[readabookonce · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s true—I love a mad hero.

Davik, the Vorakkar of Rath Drokka, is known as the Mad Horde King. Vivienne has been enslaved by the Ghertun which I thought was a pickle and comes to the capital city bearing a message from their leader.

First and foremost, I need a glossary because despite words being repeated and explained multiple times, the meaning leaves my mind immediately after learning it.

Davik is the most interesting Vorakkar I’ve read about (so far). His rage and grief is so potent that I felt like I was tapping into Vivienne’s powers because I could feel it.

Davik tried so hard to be patient and kind, against his learned behaviors, and I loved him all the more for it. Vienne was everything that Davik thought he was not—compassionate, gentle, sweet. At times she was a little too perfect, but nevertheless, she was likable.

The lack of urgency these two had, despite knowing they had a deadline, stressed me the hell out. I know what genre I’m reading, so I know it will all work out, but that did not stop the tension.

Like previous installments, the epilogue left me wanting more. It seems like the Morakkari is always pregnant in them, but I would love just one scene with them as parents. I don’t even need a “ten years later” moment. I just want a brief, slice-of-life, totally peaceful scene.

This book felt short (it wasn’t), and I flew through it. The secrets of both characters and waiting for the other to find out was a page-turner without being (too) frustrating.

★★★★

[Averie · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 REREAD: flipping phenomenal

tropes added: damaged hero

Oh, my word!!! This book is EVERYTHING!!

Davik is our Mad Horde King, who has become entranced by the silver-haired human Vienne. She has been a slave to these evil aliens on this planet and has been forced to ask the Dakkar king for help. But she gets noticed by Davik instead, and he cannot help but claim her as his.

I LOVED THIS! The new magical elements of this series were amazing! I ADORED this hero!! He was so swoony and fall hard for the heroine. Vienne was a great heroine also! Loved her determination to save her people.

TW: SA, blood, gore, violence, slavery

TROPES: alien romance, brooding hero, kindle unlimited, magic, scarred characters, tails, worshipping hero

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 "Sacrifice for Love"

Loved, loved, loved! This series has been such a surprise. I really hope there's more to come. Loved both Davik and Vienna. Happy reading!

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost skipped this one… actually I did… I read book 4 first then circled back. (it will flow better if you read in order though) BUT… I kept looking at that cover with the Jon Snow look-alike barbarian and couldn’t resist. Well, not my favorite in the series... It wasn’t bad, I just felt it was missing something. I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that I feel like the author takes her time to get the plot moving, and this bordered on me wanting to skim.

Bottom Line- Maybe my expectations were set too high for the Mad King, but this was a major letdown for me. I felt like the previous books teased him being a dark psychopath, and that wasn’t delivered. Like I was expecting Bouchard dark chocolate and was given a Hershey kiss.

Drakkari dictionary
kalles = female
vekkiri = human
vok = fuck
nik= no
lysi = yes
neffar = what
Vorakkar = king/leader
Morakkari = queen/wife
Lirilla = female acquaintance
Alukkiri = sort of like a cold season lover- oil applier
voliki = tent
kassikari = mate/destined mate
rei = my
veekor = sleep
Dothikkar = main king
Kakkari = their god
Pyroki = their version of a horse
Old tradition for unmated females to offer their goblet to the Vorakkar at feasts if they’re interested in hooking up. If he sips from the goblet- he’s down. If he ignores it- he’s not.

[Elle ♡ [semi-hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Well I’m kicking myself for not reading this sooner. I have this bad habit of seeing bad reviews and giving up on a series rather than letting it disappoint me. I loved books 1 & 2 and a lot of people didn’t like this one at all, but then there’s me who finally read it and almost have it five stars so 🙃🤡… I loved the big bad scarred crazy horde king and the tiny white haired magical human. Top tier pairing. I hated how much they kept from each other the whole book, but I was able to overlook that because I loved them together. I also liked the added paranormal element of his “madness” aka what he saw in shadows and her powers. Ultimately my biggest gripe in the book comes from that and what she didn’t do when she had the perfect opportunity, but then I guess there would be no need for the series to continue really and I leave those slight spoilers there 🙊

Overall this book was unputdownable for me and that’s rare these days so it pretty much deserves 5 stars just for that but I took it down to 4.5 for the secret keeping and her being too much of a pacifist. I guess I’m not too mad at myself for not continuing with this series because now it’s finished and I don’t have to wait to read the rest 😎✌️tehe.

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I wanted to gorge myself on her. I wanted to taint her. I wanted her to take away some of the darkness that had been festering in my soul for a long while. I almost felt sorry for the little white-haired creature named Vienne.”

All I’m saying is if you’re hesitant about reading alien romance you need to read this series. I really enjoyed this book, I actually preferred it over book 2.
The storyline is great, the chemistry is scorching, the characters are actually relatable and it’s definitely not a drag. Everything flowed so well and I love when a book is written and everything compliments each other.

Definitely looking forward to the other books in this series!

[Seline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Not quite as good as the first two books but it was still an enjoyable read.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my favorite Zoey Draven book hands down

[Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I wasn't as big of a fan of this one than the last two, but I think that might be because I binged these three books in three days haha. So, 3.5 stars. And this is a good rating too because I'm already eyeing other Zoey Draven books to read. Lucky me, she has a good sized backlist for me to jump into ^_^

So, this book... With the set up I was expecting the focus to shift to Vienne's mission and I think one of the reasons I was a bit disappointed with this book is that she seems to forget her mission at times, just doesn't try to do anything while the Horde King also forgets he is trying to get information out of her. It felt... odd. I kept waiting for things to come up, but nada. I will say I did like the romance still, which is the main part of the book. I like how they shared information and understanding with each other-- but compared to the other books, again, I think it was missing something. I didn't like Vienne though. Okay, that isn't entirely accurate. I think she is great, but I dislike how often she 'can't speak the words' or things are gone unsaid and mostly the Horde King acts upon her without really knowing her feelings because she is quiet. We know she is okay, but he doesn't and it didn't sit entirely well with me especially after we saw how great silence and lack of consent is handled in book 1.

We also get 'gifts' in this book which is a change from the others that I wasn't expecting. I wonder if more fantasy elements will make their way in. Another change is the addition of other races. THIS I really liked. It shows they are actually on a planet or continent, you know? I get tired of some sci-fi books that treat planets like cities or countries. So, we learn more about this planet and the races on it which is super cool.
I swear I want to dive into things and get more than the romance. The fighting isn't always on page, there is diplomacy and decisions being made, but we don't always get to see it. Alas, I just need to remember these aren't those types of books. But I still would totally love a more indepth look at the culture and things.

Anyhow, really enjoyed this book and I plan on reading more by this author!

[✰ Liz ✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hot read! Why did I wait so long to discover alien love?


For more reviews/reveals/giveaways visit:

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I was super intrigued by the Mad King from his appearance in book 2. While he wasn't exactly what I was expecting, I absolutely loved how the author took time and fleshed out his and Vienne's relationship. You don't really expect that in an alien trope. Their story had depth. They were complex characters and you got to see them grow form start to finish. That more than anything won me over in this book. I would love to see more in this series and I hope that we get to see this planet come to a peaceful arrangement with all the species. There is so much more the author could bring us and I will be right there to read it when she does.

[Czarownica Kinga · Rating 5 out of 5]

AAAAAAAAAAA... I love it
Uwielbiam te romanse z świetnym światem fantastycznym, z dobrymi trzymającymi się kupy wydarzeniami.

[Sweet and Salty Reviews by DD · Rating 2 out of 5]

First let me say I have read the previous stories in this series and very much enjoyed them.

For me the drop in rating is the FMC. Very emotional. Weak. Needy. Makes poor decisions. I could go on and on there was no redeeming qualities about her for me. Which was a big let down since this was the Mad Horde Kings mate which I was very much looking forward too.

I could say more but due to loving the other books in this series I’m going to end my review here.

Happy reading,
DD

[Ruth♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Después de días viendo series regrese con este libro.

Vienne es una esclava y se le encarga la misión de llevar un mensaje con uno de los reyes de la Horda y ahí es cuando se encuentra con El rey loco de la Horda que se interesa en ella de inmediato y quiere cuidar de ella pero ambos tienen muchos secretos que podrán destruirlos y la relación que fueron construyendo.

Me gustó mucho este libro, la verdad hasta el momento siento que es el más fuerte de todos por qué los protagonistas pasan por cosas muy feas y no solo eso sí no que sus familias también 😢 ellos encuentran un poco de consuelo por qué saben que han pasado por mucho y como se empiezan a preocupar el uno por el otro 💖

Vienne me encanto siempre lucho por los que más quiere, no importa todo lo que pasó ella siempre vio por ellos, además es la primera protagonista que tiene poderes y eso me encantó, en la parte final como llega hasta el final por salvarlos a todos uff.

Davik también me gustó mucho, paso por cosas muy feas y que me dolieron el corazón al leerlas pero no importan sus fantasmas quiere ser mejor para Vienne, para poder luchar por ella y ser lo que ella merece 🥺

La verdad me hubiera gustado que fuera más largo por qué son tantos temas tan fuertes que me hubiera gustado saber más o tener un poco de desarrollo por qué sentí que estuvo un poco medio enredado el final 😞 pero aún así me gustó mucho.

Pd: la verdad le iba a poner más calificación pero como lo pause varios días por ver series cuando regrese si me sentí un poco desconectada, por eso odio poner libros en pausa pero son cosas que pasan y también por qué sentí que el final fue medio rápido.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Dakkar story I've read (still need to read the first one) and like Claimed by the Horde King, it was so damn good. I hope Ms. Draven continues with this series as well as me going and reading Captive of the Horde King. I loved Rath Drokka (I'm not revealing his name here, you'll need to read it!). I don't know what it is with non-human male characters, but to me, they can often demonstrate qualities such as honor a lot better than human ones. Possessive, protective and courageous are quite common, but honorable.. nah. I thought tormented and haunted as Rath Drokka was, he was a great leader and loved by his people.

Vienne was a great and likable character, although I wish she had communicated more with Drokka about her circumstance. On the other hand, it's understandable for being hesitant to trust someone you don't really know because so much was at stake. I loved the entire interaction between Vienne and RD and it made me wish their story kept going. I hope more people read this story as it was so well written, easy to read, and gave you all the feels. I also really loved the language Ms. Hart created for the Dakkari.. I wish it were real as I totally want to learn it =)

[girlwithhearteyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars

Gosh, this series serves up good angst.

I found this story a bit slow at the beginning (when they were in Dothik city), but I was basically sobbing through the second half of the book.

Tortured/misunderstood characters, minimal relationship conflict (not a lot of push-and-pull), mostly external conflict. The FMC is scared but brave and also super attracted to the MMC. The MMC is scary but secretly a softy *and* gives off strong caretaker vibes.

SO GOOD.

(Note: I had to switch from audiobook to ebook again. For some reason I cannot pay attention to the audiobooks in this series.)

[Ainhoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am loving the series and although this one wasn’t as good as #2 because how can a book character be better than my beloved Demon King?

But still, it was entertaining and I ate it up like ice cream in a hot day.