”I could no more fear you than the sky fears the storm–it may rage, but it is what brings the rain and breathes life into the earth.”
“I would willingly sacrifice a thousand kingdoms for you. I will not let you go. If ever there is one thing in which I am selfish…let it be this…let it be you.”
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐.5 / 5 (rounded up)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5 / 5
Okay, full disclosure–I cut my smut teeth, so to speak, on episodic storytelling apps like Dreame. Knowing that, it’s no surprise I enjoyed this full-length published story from Ruby K. It has that same feel, where it hooks you and pulls you in, stays on the edge of believability (teetering over here and there), then drops little baby cliffhangers in every chapter.
Approach this Arabian Nights retelling from that perspective, and I highly suspect you’ll get lost in 1001 Nights with the Lycan King like the savory indulgence it is.
This romantasy has drama, spice, intrigue, loads of magical elements, and a nice little plot twist and cliffhanger to send you off to wait for the second installment (and Ruby says Amara’s story will be a duet, with stories from the same world to come in single books).
Speaking of Amara, she's a strong and capable FMC, which I love to see. She's headstrong, stubborn, driven, and determined. Does that mean she also makes a crap ton of assumptions that she'd be better off asking questions about? Um, of course. But in this plot-heavy tale, her shortcomings evolve and can be forgiven in favor of the sweet, romantic moments that are so hard fought.
Was it cheesy at times? Yes. Predictable? For sure. Fun? Oh, gosh, yes. And, as so many excellent episodic storytellers do, Ruby K is deft at creating a world with just enough detail to keep you engaged, curious, and reading one more chapter.
For fans of episodic storytelling style (e.g. Dreame, Galatea)--Jenny Fox, Ambernique Legget, and similar.
📚Fast facts📚
✨ Lycan / shifter
✨ Enemies-to-lovers
✨ Strong, capable, takes-no-shit FMC
✨ Twists & turns
✨ Curses, witches, demonic creatures
✨ First in a duet (with more to come in the world)
✨ Romantasy MF
✨ Single POV, first person, past tense
I am grateful to the author to have received an ARC of this story! This is my honest and unbiased review.