Beastly Kingdom

The Bliss Wars #2

by L. Penelope

To save my sister, I'll marry a beast
In order to stop a catastrophic prophecy, rulers from two warring shifter clans propose an alliance: the new Nimali king will marry the daughter of a Fai leader. But with the chosen bride still traumatized by her time in captivity, her sister Xipporah secretly takes her place.
Seeking vengeance against her enemy, she agrees to sabotage the Nimali from within. And while the handsome young king may claim he wants change, she knows better than to believe a beast.
To save my kingdom, I'll marry the woman who tried to kill me 
King Shad doesn't expect his future bride to be the very same woman who tried to murder him days earlier. He'll need to keep his enemy close—the woman is undoubtedly a spy. But with an unexpected connection crackling between them, keeping her with him might be just what he needs.
Treachery lies around every corner, and with opponents poised to steal the throne, the last thing he needs is to fall for a Fai woman who will only betray him in the end.
Locked in a generations-old conflict, falling for each other would be disastrous. But with their hearts—and the future of their clans—on the line, they must make the heartbreaking choice between love and loyalty.
Beastly Kingdom is a dystopian, enemies-to-lovers, shifter romance with intriguing worldbuilding and thrilling action. One-click to read now!

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook

328 pages, ebook

First published March 30, 2023

About the author

L. Penelope (also writing as Leslye Penelope) has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She is an award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal romance.

She was born in the Bronx, just after the birth of hip hop, but left before she could acquire an accent. Equally left and right-brained, she studied Film at Howard University and minored in Computer Science. This led to a graduate degree in Multimedia and a career in website development. She's also an award-winning independent filmmaker, co-founded a literary magazine, and sometimes dreams in HTML.

Leslye lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents. Sign up for new release information and giveaways on her website: http://www.lpenelope.com.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cliffhanger ending!

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

High 4 stars. As much as I eh hoped the first one, this story is slightly better for me. I love Shad and the world opening up a bunch more.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! This book continues where we left off from book 1. King Shad now rules the Nimali kingdom and not everyone is happy with it, especially some of his council members. He wants have an egalitarian society which is much different than how the former King, Lyall ran the kingdom. One day he is called by the Fae queen, Citlali to meet in hopes of having a truce, so that they can work together. King Shad agrees but in order for each of the clans to trust each other, Citlali suggests having one person from each of their groups live with the other clan for 30 days, and also that person would be the other’s mate during this time. King Shad agrees and he was told that one sister would be joining him, but instead Xipporah took her sister’s place. Xipporah and Shad must see if they can trust each other and work together in order to prove their loyalty, but will they form a strong connection than they initially planned. This book has a lot of world building and you learn more about the issues that each of the clans are facing. Shad and Xi’s relationship is enemies to lovers and is a slow burn. Good read and I can’t wait for book 3.

[Dayn3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

We pick up soon after the war and King Shad is trying to figure out a new way of life for his people all while trying to evade those who don’t feel he is the rightful King. King Shad agrees to a 30 day truce with the Fai Council which is a marriage between him and a Fai.
Xipporah a Fai soldier has been on the frontlines of the war and is not pleased about this solution to bond clans because it would come at the expense of her sister who has endured years of harm from the Nimali.
King Shad and Xipporah have to work together to combat common enemies and along the way find themselves drawn to each other.
Beastly Kingdom continues in the dystopian story full of magical beings and twists and turns of betrayal and enemies and will leaving excited for the conclusion of the series.

[Katie Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

L. Penelope doesn't miss. This sequel is no exception. Her ability to take secondary characters and make them shine as primary characters is unparalleled. Following the story of Shad and Xi, two members of opposing clans working through mistrust to try to forge peace despite things looking their worst, this book brings all the emotions.

[Erica G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another AMAZING book in The Bliss Wars Trilogy! Epic fantasy story, great characters, Dual POV, and a slow burn that will consume you! I loved following the political battles within the different factions. Definitely read Savage City (1st book in the Trilogy) before this one.Very excited for book 3 and many more reads from this author.

[LaToya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was actually better than the 1st. Because Z and Shad had history and ties to this land, the stakes felt higher. The slow burn was sloooooooooow and the payoff felt a little rushed that's the only thing that kept this from being a 5 for me.

[Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it! Really enjoyed this second installment of this series. Can't wait to read the third

[Taneka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cliffhanger!! I did not expect that ending. I thought it would be 50/50 on the return, but I thought it was impossible. On to book 3.

[Rhea G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you mean? WHAT DO YOU MEAN???!