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Myths of Airren #2.5
Prince of Deception
Find your soul's one true mate
for she will save you from your fate.
Rían O'Clereigh heard that fortune shortly after he was cursed, and he's been searching for this "mate" ever since.
Sort of.
Well, not really. But he figured if she existed, she would find him.
And she finally has.
Lady Aveen Bannon. Beautiful. High-born. Human.
Unfortunately, to break Rían's curse, Aveen needs to die. And the more time they spend together, the less appealing that sounds.
Love or freedom?
That's the choice Rían must make.
Unless he can find a way to have both . . .
Prince of Deception is a companion novel to A Cursed Heart told from Rían's perspective.
for she will save you from your fate.
Rían O'Clereigh heard that fortune shortly after he was cursed, and he's been searching for this "mate" ever since.
Sort of.
Well, not really. But he figured if she existed, she would find him.
And she finally has.
Lady Aveen Bannon. Beautiful. High-born. Human.
Unfortunately, to break Rían's curse, Aveen needs to die. And the more time they spend together, the less appealing that sounds.
Love or freedom?
That's the choice Rían must make.
Unless he can find a way to have both . . .
Prince of Deception is a companion novel to A Cursed Heart told from Rían's perspective.
378 pages, Unknown Binding
Published February 22, 2023
64 people are currently reading
2744 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Hickman
29 books767 followersJenny grew up in Oakland, Maryland and currently lives in County Tipperary, Ireland with her husband and two children. Her love of reading blossomed the summer after graduating high school, when she borrowed a paperback romance from her mother during the annual family beach vacation.
From that sunny day forward, she has been a lover of stories with Happily-Ever-Afters.
Member: The Authors Guild & ALLI
From that sunny day forward, she has been a lover of stories with Happily-Ever-Afters.
Member: The Authors Guild & ALLI
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
February 26, 2023
Rating: 5✨ (HOW COULD I RATE IT ANY DIFFERENT)
Spice: 2🌶
Jenny Hickman has done it AGAIN. I mean it when I say I don't think there is a book by her that I will not LOVE. This book follows the same plot of "A Cursed Heart", but is told from Rían's POV. Rían & Aveen & this book overall had me feeling all sorts of things. I was happy, giggling, full on laughing, sobbing, blushing & GASPING SO LOUD BECAUSE OF THAT ENDING. Like, Jenny? What WAS THAT?
Anyway, I already knew this book would be IT for me. Because Rían is IT for me, period. I know he can be crazy, murderous, chaotic, a bit of a jerk & all, but he is JUST MISUNDERSTOOD. Fight me on it. I will defend him from all accusations. He did something bad right in front of me? What do you mean? My eyes were covered for some reason completely unrelated to the alleged crime.
Jokes aside, Rían is one of my favorite morally grey characters of all time. He will seriously stop at nothing, there are no limits to what he will do, to get what he wants & protect those he cares for (although he will say he cares for no one else except for Aveen & Eava) He is broken and flawed character, one with many sides, that you just want to unravel. Seeing this story unfold through his eyes just made this series that much better. The way he is afraid to show he cares, because he has been taught to care is to show weakness, is heartbreaking because he cares SO MUCH. Even if he doesn't want others to know.
Aveen. That's my Queen right there. I absolutely adore her! And it was heartwarming to see exactly what Rían thought about her as the story progressed. She truly was/is the light in his darkness.
Seeing Tadhg, Ruairi and Eava (her relationship with Rían is so precious btw) made my heart warm & fuzzy. Wholeheartedly recommend this book & series! 💙
Spice: 2🌶
Jenny Hickman has done it AGAIN. I mean it when I say I don't think there is a book by her that I will not LOVE. This book follows the same plot of "A Cursed Heart", but is told from Rían's POV. Rían & Aveen & this book overall had me feeling all sorts of things. I was happy, giggling, full on laughing, sobbing, blushing & GASPING SO LOUD BECAUSE OF THAT ENDING. Like, Jenny? What WAS THAT?
Anyway, I already knew this book would be IT for me. Because Rían is IT for me, period. I know he can be crazy, murderous, chaotic, a bit of a jerk & all, but he is JUST MISUNDERSTOOD. Fight me on it. I will defend him from all accusations. He did something bad right in front of me? What do you mean? My eyes were covered for some reason completely unrelated to the alleged crime.
Jokes aside, Rían is one of my favorite morally grey characters of all time. He will seriously stop at nothing, there are no limits to what he will do, to get what he wants & protect those he cares for (although he will say he cares for no one else except for Aveen & Eava) He is broken and flawed character, one with many sides, that you just want to unravel. Seeing this story unfold through his eyes just made this series that much better. The way he is afraid to show he cares, because he has been taught to care is to show weakness, is heartbreaking because he cares SO MUCH. Even if he doesn't want others to know.
Aveen. That's my Queen right there. I absolutely adore her! And it was heartwarming to see exactly what Rían thought about her as the story progressed. She truly was/is the light in his darkness.
Seeing Tadhg, Ruairi and Eava (her relationship with Rían is so precious btw) made my heart warm & fuzzy. Wholeheartedly recommend this book & series! 💙
December 18, 2022
I had the great fortune to receive an ARC of Prince of Deception, and I am utterly speechless in the best way possible.
Stepping into Rían's shoes, we get to see why he is the way that he is with a devastating glimpse into his past and experience his present alongside him.
So very few books are written in such a way that I want to immediately go back and read them again. I don't know what Jenny's delightfully wicked magic is... but she's woven such an enchanting story that I never want to leave this world she's created.
Stepping into Rían's shoes, we get to see why he is the way that he is with a devastating glimpse into his past and experience his present alongside him.
So very few books are written in such a way that I want to immediately go back and read them again. I don't know what Jenny's delightfully wicked magic is... but she's woven such an enchanting story that I never want to leave this world she's created.
December 27, 2022
While Tadhg will forever be my favorite of these Fae brothers, Prince of Deception had me falling in love with Rìan in a way I didn’t expect to. We get to see so much more depth to his character and his inner turmoil as he wrestles between falling in love and believing himself worthy of love in return. 🥰 Cannot wait for A Cursed Love!!!
September 9, 2023
EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!!
Oh bb, Rian, how I love thee.
BUT ALSO WHAT THE HECK WITH THAT ENDING. We not about that nonsense. Having to wait for the next book will be the death of me.
Oh bb, Rian, how I love thee.
BUT ALSO WHAT THE HECK WITH THAT ENDING. We not about that nonsense. Having to wait for the next book will be the death of me.
April 17, 2023
Jenny, you have me so hooked on this world and these characters it’s not even funny. Absolutely love the way you write and can tell the same story from different perspectives. I cannot wait to see what happens next!
February 24, 2023
OH MY GOODNESS, Prince of Deception was SO GOOD. Another one of my highly anticipated new releases, this book did NOT disappoint. And now I'm a little conflicted about which prince I like better - I was fully on Team Tadhg before, but now that I understand Rían a little more? Gah...
Prince of Deception follows the exact same story as A Cursed Heart from Rían's point of view. As the quite literally heartless prince of Tearmann, Rían is definitely not looking to fall in love when he meets Aveen. He quickly realizes that she might be his soulmate, and that she could be the key to breaking the curse his evil mother placed him under - but she has to die to do so. Though he desperately wants to be free from his mother's power, he is completely captivated by Aveen. Rían therefore comes up with the plan involving Aveen kissing the Gancanagh, which ultimately leads to the series of events that play out in all 4 of the Myths of Airren novels.
Rían is so delightfully flawed. He is an extremely powerful fae prince who is exceptionally skilled in complicated glamours. He is crafty and intelligent, with extensive knowledge of Tearmann law. However, he also has horrible allergies, is an obsessive neat freak, and is constantly overshadowed by his older brother, who, as heir, has ultimate power over him. Even when he's being "heartless," he's endearing. I think he might have won me over in this one, it was super entertaining to read what was going on behind his grumpy façade. Aveen continues to be my favorite Bannon sister. She's quicker than Keelynn, and she's always willing to jump in and get her hands dirty (sometimes literally). I love that she genuinely cares for Rían even when he's being awful. Power couple for sure.
I was entirely satisfied with the novel UNTIL THE EPILOGUE. What was that Jenny Hickman?! This one has a crazy cliffhanger that has me going slightly feral for the next book. I will DEFINITELY be watching out for it; since we are totally caught up on the two main couples' stories, this next book is going to be entirely new and I am ALL ABOUT IT.
Oh, and if by chance an audiobook version comes out, I'm doing a reread solely to listen to Rían talk for hours.
Prince of Deception follows the exact same story as A Cursed Heart from Rían's point of view. As the quite literally heartless prince of Tearmann, Rían is definitely not looking to fall in love when he meets Aveen. He quickly realizes that she might be his soulmate, and that she could be the key to breaking the curse his evil mother placed him under - but she has to die to do so. Though he desperately wants to be free from his mother's power, he is completely captivated by Aveen. Rían therefore comes up with the plan involving Aveen kissing the Gancanagh, which ultimately leads to the series of events that play out in all 4 of the Myths of Airren novels.
Rían is so delightfully flawed. He is an extremely powerful fae prince who is exceptionally skilled in complicated glamours. He is crafty and intelligent, with extensive knowledge of Tearmann law. However, he also has horrible allergies, is an obsessive neat freak, and is constantly overshadowed by his older brother, who, as heir, has ultimate power over him. Even when he's being "heartless," he's endearing. I think he might have won me over in this one, it was super entertaining to read what was going on behind his grumpy façade. Aveen continues to be my favorite Bannon sister. She's quicker than Keelynn, and she's always willing to jump in and get her hands dirty (sometimes literally). I love that she genuinely cares for Rían even when he's being awful. Power couple for sure.
I was entirely satisfied with the novel UNTIL THE EPILOGUE. What was that Jenny Hickman?! This one has a crazy cliffhanger that has me going slightly feral for the next book. I will DEFINITELY be watching out for it; since we are totally caught up on the two main couples' stories, this next book is going to be entirely new and I am ALL ABOUT IT.
Oh, and if by chance an audiobook version comes out, I'm doing a reread solely to listen to Rían talk for hours.
March 1, 2023
WHAT THE FECK WAS THAT FECKING ENDING?!?!?!
Review to come!!
Review to come!!
March 11, 2023
This is the 4th book in the Myths of Airren series and a prequel to A Cursed Heart book.
This is the story from Rían's point of view.
This series is unbelievable fascinating.
I love it. The amount of magic and mythical creatures that cross this story is incredible.
Rían is still an annoying, cocky and lying half-fae, even in his own description, and the things he says to himself are hilarious 😂
I mean he also lies to himself to make himself feel better 🤦🏻♀️
Rían is a master manipulator.
He hides behind glamour and lies. He won't let anyone near him until he meets Aveen.
Aveen is loyal, smart and well-mannered. A lady from a good home. Then she meets Rían and her life changes drastically.
She adapts to his character and reveals her true nature and fierce thoughts.
Read this book. Enjoy the crazy rollercoaster of emotions and wild adventures on the mythical island.
You'll love it!
I can't explain this inside joke. You've to read it to understand this crazy, sometimes creepy magic world and the "murderous relationship" between the characters 🤣
This book is not a standalone. You've to read A Cursed Heart and A Cursed Kiss before this book.
This is the story from Rían's point of view.
This series is unbelievable fascinating.
I love it. The amount of magic and mythical creatures that cross this story is incredible.
Rían is still an annoying, cocky and lying half-fae, even in his own description, and the things he says to himself are hilarious 😂
I mean he also lies to himself to make himself feel better 🤦🏻♀️
Rían is a master manipulator.
He hides behind glamour and lies. He won't let anyone near him until he meets Aveen.
Aveen is loyal, smart and well-mannered. A lady from a good home. Then she meets Rían and her life changes drastically.
She adapts to his character and reveals her true nature and fierce thoughts.
Read this book. Enjoy the crazy rollercoaster of emotions and wild adventures on the mythical island.
You'll love it!
I can't explain this inside joke. You've to read it to understand this crazy, sometimes creepy magic world and the "murderous relationship" between the characters 🤣
This book is not a standalone. You've to read A Cursed Heart and A Cursed Kiss before this book.
March 6, 2024
Just when I don’t think I could give my heart to another fae prince, Rían goes and steals a big chunk of it. 😭
Feckin Rían. I love him.
Feckin Rían. I love him.
May 11, 2024
Prince of Deception is the companion novel to A Cursed Heart, which is the second book in the Myths of Airren series. Where A Cursed Heart was told from the FMC Aveen's perspective, the companion novel Prince of Deception is told from the MMC Rían's perspective.
I have been absolutely firing through this incredible series. At this point, I have finished A Cursed Kiss and A Cursed Heart plus both companion novels within 5 days and I absolutely love the series. All 4 books overlap in terms of timeline and some events which involve more than one of the 4 main characters. Every book adds new scenes, new information, new context, and a new draw directly into the next book via an unexpected cliffhanger. How it all links together is amazing, and meticulously well plotted.
There are a lot of new scenes in the first half of the book. The second half of the book (where Rían and Aveen are reunited) is more closely aligned with A Cursed Heart though so I found myself reading that half of the book more quickly to get to the new scenes, whereas I was savouring the first half of the book a lot. That being said, I think that this companion novel had a much harder job to do than Tadhg's companion novel because it's now the fourth book and Rían was involved in the whole plot of A Cursed Heart as the main MMC, plus he was involved in a lot of the events of Tadhg's book Prince of Seduction. As a result, if literally every scene he was in in both of those books was covered in deep detail, the book would have to be twice as long as it is. So there are some scenes which are zoomed over a little fast, and some from previous books that aren't covered.
I still loved this one, and more time with Rían is always appreciated - especially when he first meets and gets to know Aveen. The ending scene is a strong cliffhanger into A Cursed Love which I cannot wait to read. The fifth book will bring all 4 POVs together, and cover all new content so I cannot wait to see how the story of these two couples ends!
Note: At the time of writing, all books in the Myths of Airren series are available on Kindle Unlimited.
I have been absolutely firing through this incredible series. At this point, I have finished A Cursed Kiss and A Cursed Heart plus both companion novels within 5 days and I absolutely love the series. All 4 books overlap in terms of timeline and some events which involve more than one of the 4 main characters. Every book adds new scenes, new information, new context, and a new draw directly into the next book via an unexpected cliffhanger. How it all links together is amazing, and meticulously well plotted.
There are a lot of new scenes in the first half of the book. The second half of the book (where Rían and Aveen are reunited) is more closely aligned with A Cursed Heart though so I found myself reading that half of the book more quickly to get to the new scenes, whereas I was savouring the first half of the book a lot. That being said, I think that this companion novel had a much harder job to do than Tadhg's companion novel because it's now the fourth book and Rían was involved in the whole plot of A Cursed Heart as the main MMC, plus he was involved in a lot of the events of Tadhg's book Prince of Seduction. As a result, if literally every scene he was in in both of those books was covered in deep detail, the book would have to be twice as long as it is. So there are some scenes which are zoomed over a little fast, and some from previous books that aren't covered.
I still loved this one, and more time with Rían is always appreciated - especially when he first meets and gets to know Aveen. The ending scene is a strong cliffhanger into A Cursed Love which I cannot wait to read. The fifth book will bring all 4 POVs together, and cover all new content so I cannot wait to see how the story of these two couples ends!
Note: At the time of writing, all books in the Myths of Airren series are available on Kindle Unlimited.
April 14, 2023
For how much I love A Cursed Heart (literally in my top favorite books), I really can’t believe I’m rating only a 3 ⭐️ I am truly so conflicted, because I freaking loved Rian.
I have found that both books from the men’s POVs are too similar to the original stories from Keelyn and Aveen’s perspectives. For how long this book was, I wish it didn’t feel like most of the story was copied and pasted from the other. I found myself speed reading, since I remember the story pretty well. It sort of feels like de ja vu 🤣
There are a few new scenes in this book that weren’t in A Cursed Heart. We see what Rian is up to after Aveen *major spoiler alert* temporarily dies. But um… what was with Rian’s poor choice with the maid literally right after he lost his soulmate?? knowing it’s temporary? (I also feel like the men’s pov’s have been more explicit than the original stories, which I personally am not a fan of.) I also never got the sense that Rian was super wicked in CH, but this book seemed to try and push that a lot more.
As the main character, we did get to see a more thoughtful and sweet side to Rian, especially when it came to Aveen. He can be such a softie and I also love how much of a clean freak. And of course I love the banter he has with literally everyone. However, we did get a lot of that in the original book, so idk. I almost wish that the original books were written with two POVs.
I have found that both books from the men’s POVs are too similar to the original stories from Keelyn and Aveen’s perspectives. For how long this book was, I wish it didn’t feel like most of the story was copied and pasted from the other. I found myself speed reading, since I remember the story pretty well. It sort of feels like de ja vu 🤣
There are a few new scenes in this book that weren’t in A Cursed Heart. We see what Rian is up to after Aveen *major spoiler alert* temporarily dies. But um… what was with Rian’s poor choice with the maid literally right after he lost his soulmate?? knowing it’s temporary? (I also feel like the men’s pov’s have been more explicit than the original stories, which I personally am not a fan of.) I also never got the sense that Rian was super wicked in CH, but this book seemed to try and push that a lot more.
As the main character, we did get to see a more thoughtful and sweet side to Rian, especially when it came to Aveen. He can be such a softie and I also love how much of a clean freak. And of course I love the banter he has with literally everyone. However, we did get a lot of that in the original book, so idk. I almost wish that the original books were written with two POVs.
November 17, 2023
one of my favorite series this year
I absolutely adore this series. If you’ve made it this far, I’m sure there’s nothing I can tell you to sway you. You’re IN or you’re OUT. and I’m allll in. That epilogue? Is this a joke? I’m honestly scared to start the next book. I only gave this one four stars because it felt a little slower than the other books, but still great.
I absolutely adore this series. If you’ve made it this far, I’m sure there’s nothing I can tell you to sway you. You’re IN or you’re OUT. and I’m allll in. That epilogue? Is this a joke? I’m honestly scared to start the next book. I only gave this one four stars because it felt a little slower than the other books, but still great.
February 26, 2023
So. Good!
And that ending!? Aggghhh November can’t come soon enough.
I love Rian. The snark, the sass, the inability to admit his feelings. I really enjoyed his POV because we got to see just how much Aveen affected him.
But that’s ending!? What are we supposed to do with THAT? He can’t have them both…? He can’t love them both!?
This was by far my favorite of the series.
And that ending!? Aggghhh November can’t come soon enough.
I love Rian. The snark, the sass, the inability to admit his feelings. I really enjoyed his POV because we got to see just how much Aveen affected him.
But that’s ending!? What are we supposed to do with THAT? He can’t have them both…? He can’t love them both!?
This was by far my favorite of the series.
March 3, 2023
3.5- 4 stars. it was a good book but there were ALOT of scenes that were cut out that I wish were in here. Also, another minor issue was that one scene would end and the next would begin without a sense of time passing by even though days/weeks/months had gone by between scenes.
June 24, 2023
I love the clever writing in this series; each book tells the same story from a different character perspective. This one was not my favorite to be honest, but it ends on a huge cliffhanger and I can’t wait for the next book.
January 26, 2024
this man needs a day off!
March 6, 2024
I loved Tadgh”s story in A Cursed Kiss, and really loved Rian’s story in A Cursed Heart, but being able to read Rian’s story through his POV was amazing! Also, I’m pretty sure I like Rian more than Tadgh now, which is saying a lot!
February 26, 2023
I honestly don’t know what to do with myself but right now. I’m not sure whether to scream, cry, or throw my kindle. 😂🙈
I will preface this by saying that you DEFINITELY need to have read the other 3 books in the series first (I’m a fan of reading in release order over chronological, since all 4 books technically follow a near-identical timeline), but if you loved the rest, and ESPECIALLY if (like me) Rían is your favorite, YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE.
His perspective is hilarious and snarky and I’m so here for it. I actually had to move to reading in my room so no one could laugh at my facial expressions or be weirded out by my random giggles. I read it in one sitting, I laughed, I almost cried, and I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT.
FAIR WARNING: the ending is a DOOZY AND I NEED A CURSED LOVE ASAP. BECAUSE I AM NOT WELL.
All said and done: 5 stars, 10/10 recommend for Myths of Airren fans. YOU NEED THE RÍAN BOOK. Even if you hated him to start with. I kind of did after ACK, then read ACH and discovered Aveen is basically me and she has the most fun. 😜 so read the Rían book.
I received an advance copy from the author, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.
I will preface this by saying that you DEFINITELY need to have read the other 3 books in the series first (I’m a fan of reading in release order over chronological, since all 4 books technically follow a near-identical timeline), but if you loved the rest, and ESPECIALLY if (like me) Rían is your favorite, YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIFE.
His perspective is hilarious and snarky and I’m so here for it. I actually had to move to reading in my room so no one could laugh at my facial expressions or be weirded out by my random giggles. I read it in one sitting, I laughed, I almost cried, and I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT.
FAIR WARNING: the ending is a DOOZY AND I NEED A CURSED LOVE ASAP. BECAUSE I AM NOT WELL.
All said and done: 5 stars, 10/10 recommend for Myths of Airren fans. YOU NEED THE RÍAN BOOK. Even if you hated him to start with. I kind of did after ACK, then read ACH and discovered Aveen is basically me and she has the most fun. 😜 so read the Rían book.
I received an advance copy from the author, all opinions are my own, and a review was not required.
October 19, 2023
I love how this series is written. I love that there is a new POV each book and you really get to understand and see the events that happened through so many eyes. I don't know which POV is my favorite, because I love them all. Each POV is so unique to the story and I love all of their thoughts!
I just want to give Rían a giant hug too. All his childhood trauma. My heart hurts for him. But so happy he was able to find Aveen and reclaim what is rightfully his.
Rían's inner commentary is top tier.
That ending! Did not see that coming and I cannot wait until A Cursed Love and all the POVs.
REREAD: AHHHHHHHHHH! so many feelings after this book! And so happy, I can pick up ACL right now after this reread! Again, I loved getting into Rían's head. He might be my favorite only for the all the thoughts he doesn't share. And his traumatic past.
I just want to give Rían a giant hug too. All his childhood trauma. My heart hurts for him. But so happy he was able to find Aveen and reclaim what is rightfully his.
Rían's inner commentary is top tier.
That ending! Did not see that coming and I cannot wait until A Cursed Love and all the POVs.
REREAD: AHHHHHHHHHH! so many feelings after this book! And so happy, I can pick up ACL right now after this reread! Again, I loved getting into Rían's head. He might be my favorite only for the all the thoughts he doesn't share. And his traumatic past.
June 4, 2023
This book is a companion to A Cursed Heart, and like the other Myths of Airren novels it follows the same characters and roughly the same story/timeline, but is told through a new and different POV. The character development is excellent and I found myself both swooning and laughing out loud at the internal dialogue of the MMC. I absolutely adored this book and I cannot wait to see what happens next for our characters!
February 22, 2023
An absolute must read for Myths of Airren fans! I absolutely love these companion novels and getting to step into Rían’s shoes was so much fun and gave even more insight to his character.
Keep ‘em coming Jenny because you can do no wrong!
Keep ‘em coming Jenny because you can do no wrong!
February 25, 2023
This book was everything I wanted and more! I’m always excited to open a Jenny Hickman novel and of course this was no exception! Loved Rían’s snark and being in his head for a novel. Definitely recommend and cannot wait for A Cursed Love 🖤
September 5, 2023
That ending though!
March 5, 2023
3.5 stars
It pains me to only give this book 3.5 stars because A Cursed Heart is my absolute favorite of this series. I do love Aveen and Rian. However, this book left me with mixed feelings.
The first half of the book was quite boring. I didn’t really feel anything even though A Cursed Heart is my favorite of the series. It was a retelling of the book without any captivating new things. It also felt like the scenes were just strung together with no real good connections. It didn’t really flow like the other books in the series. This book definitely can’t stand on his own. You have to read A Cursed heart first, otherwise this book would only confuse you. And yes I do know that this book is not meant to be read alone, but yet it doesn’t feel like you needed an extra book just with Rians POV.
Around 50% the book finally became more interesting. The days leading to Aveens deadly cursed kiss and afterwards Rían dealing with Keelynn was more captivating. Now there were new scenes which peaked my interest. There were also some wonderful romantic quotes from Rian that made me swoon. The second half of the book reminded me why I fell in love with this series. The banter, the spice, the characters. I really enjoyed this half even though the scenes again didn’t flow but felt strung together. The ending was also a bit jumpy.
What I hated:
I hated that Rían couldn’t keep it in his pants. He knows that Aveen is his soulmate, he constantly tells us how much he wants her. And when he finally had her, he hooks up with a maid a few days later?! I understand that his relationship with Aveen is complicated but somehow his act cheapened the whole soulmate thing. I might have tolerated his hookup due to his loneliness if it would have been months since her „death“ but she was only just buried and he already f*cks someone else. It’s only been days! Not really bookboyfriend-ly of him.
As you can see, my feelings are very mixed. I kinda disliked the first half of the book due to the jumping through scenes, the lack of new things and the fact that Rian met his soulmate and still hooked up with someone else and then blames alcohol for his bad decisions *rolling my eyes*. But the second half was very good and featured wonderful (romantic) moments. To conclude, I would love to give this book more stars but I can’t overall the bumpy start.
It pains me to only give this book 3.5 stars because A Cursed Heart is my absolute favorite of this series. I do love Aveen and Rian. However, this book left me with mixed feelings.
The first half of the book was quite boring. I didn’t really feel anything even though A Cursed Heart is my favorite of the series. It was a retelling of the book without any captivating new things. It also felt like the scenes were just strung together with no real good connections. It didn’t really flow like the other books in the series. This book definitely can’t stand on his own. You have to read A Cursed heart first, otherwise this book would only confuse you. And yes I do know that this book is not meant to be read alone, but yet it doesn’t feel like you needed an extra book just with Rians POV.
Around 50% the book finally became more interesting. The days leading to Aveens deadly cursed kiss and afterwards Rían dealing with Keelynn was more captivating. Now there were new scenes which peaked my interest. There were also some wonderful romantic quotes from Rian that made me swoon. The second half of the book reminded me why I fell in love with this series. The banter, the spice, the characters. I really enjoyed this half even though the scenes again didn’t flow but felt strung together. The ending was also a bit jumpy.
What I hated:
I hated that Rían couldn’t keep it in his pants. He knows that Aveen is his soulmate, he constantly tells us how much he wants her. And when he finally had her, he hooks up with a maid a few days later?! I understand that his relationship with Aveen is complicated but somehow his act cheapened the whole soulmate thing. I might have tolerated his hookup due to his loneliness if it would have been months since her „death“ but she was only just buried and he already f*cks someone else. It’s only been days! Not really bookboyfriend-ly of him.
As you can see, my feelings are very mixed. I kinda disliked the first half of the book due to the jumping through scenes, the lack of new things and the fact that Rian met his soulmate and still hooked up with someone else and then blames alcohol for his bad decisions *rolling my eyes*. But the second half was very good and featured wonderful (romantic) moments. To conclude, I would love to give this book more stars but I can’t overall the bumpy start.
February 26, 2023
Rating: 5✨ (HOW COULD I RATE IT ANY DIFFERENT)
Spice: 2🌶
Jenny Hickman has done it AGAIN. I mean it when I say I don't think there is a book by her that I will not LOVE. This book follows the same plot of "A Cursed Heart", but is told from Rían's POV. Rían & Aveen & this book overall had me feeling all sorts of things. I was happy, giggling, full on laughing, sobbing, blushing & GASPING SO LOUD BECAUSE OF THAT ENDING. Like, Jenny? What WAS THAT?
Anyway, I already knew this book would be IT for me. Because Rían is IT for me, period. I know he can be crazy, murderous, chaotic, a bit of a jerk & all, but he is JUST MISUNDERSTOOD. Fight me on it. I will defend him from all accusations. He did something bad right in front of me? What do you mean? My eyes were covered for some reason completely unrelated to the alleged crime.
Jokes aside, Rían is one of my favorite morally grey characters of all time. He will seriously stop at nothing, there are no limits to what he will do, to get what he wants & protect those he cares for (although he will say he cares for no one else except for Aveen & Eava) He is broken and flawed character, one with many sides, that you just want to unravel. Seeing this story unfold through his eyes just made this series that much better. The way he is afraid to show he cares, because he has been taught that to care is to show weakness, is heartbreaking because he cares SO MUCH. Even if he doesn't want others to know.
Aveen. That's my Queen right there. I absolutely adore her! And it was heartwarming to see exactly what Rían thought about her as the story progressed. She truly was/is the light in his darkness.
Seeing Tadhg, Ruairi and Eava (her relationship with Rían is so precious btw) made my heart warm & fuzzy. Wholeheartedly recommend this book & series! 💙
Spice: 2🌶
Jenny Hickman has done it AGAIN. I mean it when I say I don't think there is a book by her that I will not LOVE. This book follows the same plot of "A Cursed Heart", but is told from Rían's POV. Rían & Aveen & this book overall had me feeling all sorts of things. I was happy, giggling, full on laughing, sobbing, blushing & GASPING SO LOUD BECAUSE OF THAT ENDING. Like, Jenny? What WAS THAT?
Anyway, I already knew this book would be IT for me. Because Rían is IT for me, period. I know he can be crazy, murderous, chaotic, a bit of a jerk & all, but he is JUST MISUNDERSTOOD. Fight me on it. I will defend him from all accusations. He did something bad right in front of me? What do you mean? My eyes were covered for some reason completely unrelated to the alleged crime.
Jokes aside, Rían is one of my favorite morally grey characters of all time. He will seriously stop at nothing, there are no limits to what he will do, to get what he wants & protect those he cares for (although he will say he cares for no one else except for Aveen & Eava) He is broken and flawed character, one with many sides, that you just want to unravel. Seeing this story unfold through his eyes just made this series that much better. The way he is afraid to show he cares, because he has been taught that to care is to show weakness, is heartbreaking because he cares SO MUCH. Even if he doesn't want others to know.
Aveen. That's my Queen right there. I absolutely adore her! And it was heartwarming to see exactly what Rían thought about her as the story progressed. She truly was/is the light in his darkness.
Seeing Tadhg, Ruairi and Eava (her relationship with Rían is so precious btw) made my heart warm & fuzzy. Wholeheartedly recommend this book & series! 💙
September 11, 2023
3.5☆
I don't see how people like Aveen and Rian more.. I'm not catching the vibe 😅 The spicy scenes were better but that's about it. I am liking the boys perspective more than the girls perspective though.
Not Rian saying "Who's Keelyn" when he was litterly married to her..
Also the constant insulting each other is becoming quite off putting. Cheeky banter is one thing, and sure you gotta show somehow how evil Rian is without his heart. But in my eyes insults are such an unimaginative way of being mean..
Is it me or is it so hard to relate to people who immediately throw up after some intense thing happening? Couldn't be me.
The amount of spelling mistakes in this book is appalling. I read an ebook version and flagged all of them, can't imagine how many other people already have and it's either not getting fixed or it's just genuinely THAT much. The other books had this too but this one is really bad.. did no one edit this?
Why did they keep the bodies in coffins? To make it spooky? Sure keep the random bodies in coffins but Aveen and Keelyn could've just been put in a bed or something.
Also most definitely do not agree with the "he cheated" opinion. He did not. Rian never intended to ever see her alive again when he was with that maid.
"She was goodness personified", getting kinda tired of the women are 100% good and men are 100% bad narrative. Aveen was not 100% good.
They keep saying how scared everyone is of Rian but they mostly just sound annoyed, lol.
"I wanted to tear off their toenails" definitely had me reading that twice. Like.. what??
Aveen most definitely sounded way too excited to murder Rian for someone who is supposed to be 100% good. Made her seem a little unhinged, like Drisila in Buffy or something, lol.
Rian totally pulling a Shakespeare at the end had me cackling 😂
All in all I suppose it was entertaining. But it wasn't great.
I don't see how people like Aveen and Rian more.. I'm not catching the vibe 😅 The spicy scenes were better but that's about it. I am liking the boys perspective more than the girls perspective though.
Not Rian saying "Who's Keelyn" when he was litterly married to her..
Also the constant insulting each other is becoming quite off putting. Cheeky banter is one thing, and sure you gotta show somehow how evil Rian is without his heart. But in my eyes insults are such an unimaginative way of being mean..
Is it me or is it so hard to relate to people who immediately throw up after some intense thing happening? Couldn't be me.
The amount of spelling mistakes in this book is appalling. I read an ebook version and flagged all of them, can't imagine how many other people already have and it's either not getting fixed or it's just genuinely THAT much. The other books had this too but this one is really bad.. did no one edit this?
Why did they keep the bodies in coffins? To make it spooky? Sure keep the random bodies in coffins but Aveen and Keelyn could've just been put in a bed or something.
Also most definitely do not agree with the "he cheated" opinion. He did not. Rian never intended to ever see her alive again when he was with that maid.
"She was goodness personified", getting kinda tired of the women are 100% good and men are 100% bad narrative. Aveen was not 100% good.
They keep saying how scared everyone is of Rian but they mostly just sound annoyed, lol.
"I wanted to tear off their toenails" definitely had me reading that twice. Like.. what??
Aveen most definitely sounded way too excited to murder Rian for someone who is supposed to be 100% good. Made her seem a little unhinged, like Drisila in Buffy or something, lol.
Rian totally pulling a Shakespeare at the end had me cackling 😂
All in all I suppose it was entertaining. But it wasn't great.
August 31, 2024
Rating: 4 stars
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
✨Retelling of Book 2 from another POV
✨Cursed MCs
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Forced proximity
✨Forbidden romance
✨He falls first and falls harder
✨Miscommunication
✨Fated mates
✨Found family
✨Celtic mythology/fairytales
✨Fae
✨Witches
✨Magic
As I’ve said before, I typically really dislike stories rehashed from another characters’ POV, mostly because they just feel like a cash-grab, a copy-paste of the first story with minimal edits to justify this one’s existence. I didn’t mind Prince of Seduction so much because I felt it was justified in that there was so much going on that Keelynn hadn’t notified or cared about that needed to be told for the story to make sense. This one, while slightly more needed than some of the other retellings out there, still didn’t necessarily have to be told. For what it is though, Rían’s POV is all it promised to be: extremely dry, sarcastically funny, with great romance and great banter.
Not a ton was answered in this POV that hadn’t been answered in other books in this series, but that didn’t matter as much as it probably should have. It was just so damn entertaining. Rían is rapidly becoming my favorite character of them all. He’s so sarcastic and hilarious, but also such a decent person under his veneer of malice. Granted, he does have a truly wicked side to him as all great MMCs should, but he’s not as bad as he’d have people believe him to be. This book did a great job expounding on that and giving us more of his dry humor to love.
So while it might not have been strictly necessary like his brother’s POV was, I still greatly enjoyed this one. The tropes were tropin’ but somehow the vibes were good enough to carry me through most of the nonsense with minimal eye rolling. I just adore Rían and Aveen’s relationship.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
✨Retelling of Book 2 from another POV
✨Cursed MCs
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Forced proximity
✨Forbidden romance
✨He falls first and falls harder
✨Miscommunication
✨Fated mates
✨Found family
✨Celtic mythology/fairytales
✨Fae
✨Witches
✨Magic
As I’ve said before, I typically really dislike stories rehashed from another characters’ POV, mostly because they just feel like a cash-grab, a copy-paste of the first story with minimal edits to justify this one’s existence. I didn’t mind Prince of Seduction so much because I felt it was justified in that there was so much going on that Keelynn hadn’t notified or cared about that needed to be told for the story to make sense. This one, while slightly more needed than some of the other retellings out there, still didn’t necessarily have to be told. For what it is though, Rían’s POV is all it promised to be: extremely dry, sarcastically funny, with great romance and great banter.
Not a ton was answered in this POV that hadn’t been answered in other books in this series, but that didn’t matter as much as it probably should have. It was just so damn entertaining. Rían is rapidly becoming my favorite character of them all. He’s so sarcastic and hilarious, but also such a decent person under his veneer of malice. Granted, he does have a truly wicked side to him as all great MMCs should, but he’s not as bad as he’d have people believe him to be. This book did a great job expounding on that and giving us more of his dry humor to love.
So while it might not have been strictly necessary like his brother’s POV was, I still greatly enjoyed this one. The tropes were tropin’ but somehow the vibes were good enough to carry me through most of the nonsense with minimal eye rolling. I just adore Rían and Aveen’s relationship.
July 12, 2023
Like with POS , I had so much fun revisiting the events of book 2 through Rian's point of view. And each subsequent book continues to increase my adoration for the series as a whole.
The depth and exploration of the main male characters that happens in both POS and POD is freaking elite. As I have mentioned before, Rian in previous books comes off as unlikeable, unhinged, and incredibly self-centered. But, here we learn that there are so many layers to him that have yet to be peeled back to reveal the core of who he is. Our precious prince of darkness has not had a nurturing and easy life since birth and so he has steeled his heart to further pain. Then comes along beautiful Aveen who listened to him with her eyes and heart. Rian's entire world was thrown on its axis because of it.
I have fallen so deeply for Rian and his wicked ways. He may seem cold and distant, but the reality is that he loves so intensely and is scared to have it taken from him. On another related note, Rian is so unexpectedly hilarious, his dark humor and internal monologues were absolutely EVERYTHING to me. He never failed to make me gasp at his crude words and giggle simultaneously. This precious Prince has softened my heart completely for him. These two O'Clereigh brothers will be the death of me with their absolute swoon perfection.
Aveen is a total intelligent badass and I truly love her with my whole chest. She is such an amazing selfless and courageous person who is not afraid to fight for her loved ones. Rian is completely smitten with her surprisingly venomous self and was a goner pretty early on. Rian literally worships the ground she walks on and the lengths that he is willing to go for know no bounds as we see throughout the story. Anything Aveen wants and Rian will make it happen in a matter of seconds. Their relationship was so wholesome with witty banter and sizzling heat. These two are such a power couple!!
The ending was insane and I am beyond excited to see what happens to our princes and their beloved mates. I know Jenny will take us all for a ride !!!!
The depth and exploration of the main male characters that happens in both POS and POD is freaking elite. As I have mentioned before, Rian in previous books comes off as unlikeable, unhinged, and incredibly self-centered. But, here we learn that there are so many layers to him that have yet to be peeled back to reveal the core of who he is. Our precious prince of darkness has not had a nurturing and easy life since birth and so he has steeled his heart to further pain. Then comes along beautiful Aveen who listened to him with her eyes and heart. Rian's entire world was thrown on its axis because of it.
I have fallen so deeply for Rian and his wicked ways. He may seem cold and distant, but the reality is that he loves so intensely and is scared to have it taken from him. On another related note, Rian is so unexpectedly hilarious, his dark humor and internal monologues were absolutely EVERYTHING to me. He never failed to make me gasp at his crude words and giggle simultaneously. This precious Prince has softened my heart completely for him. These two O'Clereigh brothers will be the death of me with their absolute swoon perfection.
Aveen is a total intelligent badass and I truly love her with my whole chest. She is such an amazing selfless and courageous person who is not afraid to fight for her loved ones. Rian is completely smitten with her surprisingly venomous self and was a goner pretty early on. Rian literally worships the ground she walks on and the lengths that he is willing to go for know no bounds as we see throughout the story. Anything Aveen wants and Rian will make it happen in a matter of seconds. Their relationship was so wholesome with witty banter and sizzling heat. These two are such a power couple!!
The ending was insane and I am beyond excited to see what happens to our princes and their beloved mates. I know Jenny will take us all for a ride !!!!
January 11, 2023
✨ARC Review✨
“Every time I closed my eyes, I smelled roses. Every time I opened them, I found myself searching the darkness for golden curls and a smile as rare as snow in July.”
Dang it Jenny, you have done it again making me want more! Rian is my favorite character to date, and although I just read a book entirely from his perspective, I feel like my desire to have more Rian will never be satiated. All joking aside…A Cursed Heart was one of my favorite books last year and I immediately fell in love with the sarcastic, yet hilarious Rian. You can imagine my excitement to get a book of MORE Rian from his perspective! YES PLEASE! Can you tell I am a Rian stan?
“She loved me. This beautiful, kind, good human…loved me. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. We were meant to be together, our souls bound to collide, but love? I had never hoped for love. And that foolish love had just sealed her fate.”
Basically, if you need a refill on your glass of swoon-worthy, book boyfriend named Rian, and some laughs in between (Phil the one horned goat 🤣) AND you want to revisit favorite moments from the other Myths of Airren books, then go read this!
What’s On The Pages:
-Swoony Rian
-Glamouring as a girl Rian
-Cherry tart loving, finger licking Rian
-Sarcastic and sometimes ill tempered Rian
-MORE FECKIN’ RIAN!!!!!!
✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Steam Factor 🔥🔥🔥/5
A special thank you to Jenny Hickman and for this eARC! Prince of Deception is out February 22nd!
“Every time I closed my eyes, I smelled roses. Every time I opened them, I found myself searching the darkness for golden curls and a smile as rare as snow in July.”
Dang it Jenny, you have done it again making me want more! Rian is my favorite character to date, and although I just read a book entirely from his perspective, I feel like my desire to have more Rian will never be satiated. All joking aside…A Cursed Heart was one of my favorite books last year and I immediately fell in love with the sarcastic, yet hilarious Rian. You can imagine my excitement to get a book of MORE Rian from his perspective! YES PLEASE! Can you tell I am a Rian stan?
“She loved me. This beautiful, kind, good human…loved me. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. We were meant to be together, our souls bound to collide, but love? I had never hoped for love. And that foolish love had just sealed her fate.”
Basically, if you need a refill on your glass of swoon-worthy, book boyfriend named Rian, and some laughs in between (Phil the one horned goat 🤣) AND you want to revisit favorite moments from the other Myths of Airren books, then go read this!
What’s On The Pages:
-Swoony Rian
-Glamouring as a girl Rian
-Cherry tart loving, finger licking Rian
-Sarcastic and sometimes ill tempered Rian
-MORE FECKIN’ RIAN!!!!!!
✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Steam Factor 🔥🔥🔥/5
A special thank you to Jenny Hickman and for this eARC! Prince of Deception is out February 22nd!
January 2, 2023
I'm so thankful to have received an advanced reader copy of Prince of Deception in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.
"For her I would kneel. For her I would bow. For her I would live in the feckin' dirt."
That's saying a lot considering how much Rían hates dirt. Don't get him started on mud.
Prince of Deception is book 2.5 in the Myths of Airren series. It is the companion novel to A Cursed Heart, telling the story from Rían's perspective. It's filled with plenty of new scenes and a cliffhanger of an ending that sets up the next book in the series, A Cursed Love, brilliantly. It's everything I wanted in Rían's story and more! It is necessary to read the series in order to understand the events of this story.
How can I sum up my feelings about Prince of Deception? I feckin' love it! Just like I feckin' love Rían! I want to live in his internal monologues forever. He's sarcastic. He hates everyone. Well, almost everyone. He's hilarious. He's an impeccable dresser. He has filthy feckin' mouth. He's incredibly sexy. He's my absolute favorite.
What I love most about Jenny's stories is that she always surprises me. The prologue? It set up Rían's backstory perfectly and ripped my heart out in the process. 😉 I made me fall for Rían even more than I had in the previous stories.
I love that we see more of Tadhg and Rían's relationship in this story, as well as more scenes with the lovely Eava. She's the one safe space for both Tadhg and Rían, and her scenes always make me smile.
If you've started the Myths of Airren series, you will absolutely love this story. It's a must read for this year! It comes out February 22, 2023!
In the mood for a new romantasy read? Start with A Cursed Kiss, available in print on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in ebook on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!
"For her I would kneel. For her I would bow. For her I would live in the feckin' dirt."
That's saying a lot considering how much Rían hates dirt. Don't get him started on mud.
Prince of Deception is book 2.5 in the Myths of Airren series. It is the companion novel to A Cursed Heart, telling the story from Rían's perspective. It's filled with plenty of new scenes and a cliffhanger of an ending that sets up the next book in the series, A Cursed Love, brilliantly. It's everything I wanted in Rían's story and more! It is necessary to read the series in order to understand the events of this story.
How can I sum up my feelings about Prince of Deception? I feckin' love it! Just like I feckin' love Rían! I want to live in his internal monologues forever. He's sarcastic. He hates everyone. Well, almost everyone. He's hilarious. He's an impeccable dresser. He has filthy feckin' mouth. He's incredibly sexy. He's my absolute favorite.
What I love most about Jenny's stories is that she always surprises me. The prologue? It set up Rían's backstory perfectly and ripped my heart out in the process. 😉 I made me fall for Rían even more than I had in the previous stories.
I love that we see more of Tadhg and Rían's relationship in this story, as well as more scenes with the lovely Eava. She's the one safe space for both Tadhg and Rían, and her scenes always make me smile.
If you've started the Myths of Airren series, you will absolutely love this story. It's a must read for this year! It comes out February 22, 2023!
In the mood for a new romantasy read? Start with A Cursed Kiss, available in print on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in ebook on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited!
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