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teenykins's review
5.0
Emile isn't a character that was easy to like from the previous books and although I loved him here, because he was clever and witty and sarcastic, the thing that made me adore him was the fact that in the end he understood the mistakes he made drowned in his grief and isolated from those around him that loved him, he tried to make up for it in acceptable ways to those hurt and he didn't expect forgiveness.
Baz was a delight! He took no BS and gave as good as he got with Emile. And oh dear were those two HAWT 🔥🔥🔥💦💦💦! The UST, the dirty talk and filthy promises *fans self*! But they were sweet as well. The one thing that bothered me was that their sex scenes (penetrative ones) were off page, summarized and mused about! Where was my on page, filthy talking ones? I needed them!! I needed to on page Emile railing Baz and maybe a couple of inside deposits... but nope... at least we got some extremely hot BJs...
I'm gonna miss those two if we never visit them again >< At least I know I have spin offs to quench my thirst and I can't wait!
I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
Baz was a delight! He took no BS and gave as good as he got with Emile. And oh dear were those two HAWT 🔥🔥🔥💦💦💦! The UST, the dirty talk and filthy promises *fans self*! But they were sweet as well. The one thing that bothered me was that their sex scenes (penetrative ones) were off page, summarized and mused about! Where was my on page, filthy talking ones? I needed them!! I needed to on page Emile railing Baz and maybe a couple of inside deposits... but nope... at least we got some extremely hot BJs...
I'm gonna miss those two if we never visit them again >< At least I know I have spin offs to quench my thirst and I can't wait!
I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.
teenykins's review against another edition
4.0
Truth... I had a hard time concentrating when listening to this.
I still found that Emile and Bazyli's story, a story that I was most eager to reach, was missing the level of hotness ON page that the first 3 books had! I want to read how Emile took Bazyli over the table or the balcony not just have Emile think how Bazyli is mellow and under because he took him and that's that!
When it comes to the narration I'm a bit disappointed here.
First of all, one of the first things Emile thinks about Bazyli is what a beautiful voice Bazyli has. The narrator, for all the good job he has done with the different voices of all the characters and staying true to them throughout the series, I can't say I would describe the voice he chose for Bazyli as beautiful! It was too deep and brought to mind a lumberjack than someone ethereal.
Secondly when he voiced Rose and Sophia and any female in distress the voices were too high pitched, so much so I was fighting a headache.
And lastly... SO MANY EDITING MISTAKES that I can't help but think that a wrong file was uploaded instead of the one where the re-workings of phrases were edited out or the noise of what sounded like page turning could be heard.
I still found that Emile and Bazyli's story, a story that I was most eager to reach, was missing the level of hotness ON page that the first 3 books had! I want to read how Emile took Bazyli over the table or the balcony not just have Emile think how Bazyli is mellow and under because he took him and that's that!
When it comes to the narration I'm a bit disappointed here.
First of all, one of the first things Emile thinks about Bazyli is what a beautiful voice Bazyli has. The narrator, for all the good job he has done with the different voices of all the characters and staying true to them throughout the series, I can't say I would describe the voice he chose for Bazyli as beautiful! It was too deep and brought to mind a lumberjack than someone ethereal.
Secondly when he voiced Rose and Sophia and any female in distress the voices were too high pitched, so much so I was fighting a headache.
And lastly... SO MANY EDITING MISTAKES that I can't help but think that a wrong file was uploaded instead of the one where the re-workings of phrases were edited out or the noise of what sounded like page turning could be heard.
eleftheriareads's review against another edition
5.0
This magnificent series gave me book hangover. Now added to my fav author.
sipsandfables's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
pearlc's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ofbooksandromance's review against another edition
4.0
“I think love makes us better people. I think you’ll be a better person because of him.”
Brief summary
Emile, the king, gets poisoned at his son’s wedding. Bazyli finds him and rescues him. They end up falling in love.
This book was so much fun to read. I adored the banter between the main characters and their connection and romance made the book a very enjoyable reading experience for me.
Emile hasn’t been the nicest person ever in the previous books in this series so I liked seeing him turn into a nicer human being and how his character progressed during the book, it was really fun to read about.
I really loved the world building in this book. I thought it was a lovely way to wrap a lot of the ungoing storylines in the book and it did a really good job at continuing the exploration into the world the book is set in.
Also, the kink in this book was super hot and I really loved it, damn that so lovely to read about.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
Brief summary
Emile, the king, gets poisoned at his son’s wedding. Bazyli finds him and rescues him. They end up falling in love.
This book was so much fun to read. I adored the banter between the main characters and their connection and romance made the book a very enjoyable reading experience for me.
Emile hasn’t been the nicest person ever in the previous books in this series so I liked seeing him turn into a nicer human being and how his character progressed during the book, it was really fun to read about.
I really loved the world building in this book. I thought it was a lovely way to wrap a lot of the ungoing storylines in the book and it did a really good job at continuing the exploration into the world the book is set in.
Also, the kink in this book was super hot and I really loved it, damn that so lovely to read about.
I received an ARC of this book, and this is my honest review.
teresab78's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this world
I wasn’t sure if I would like this - King Emile did some awful things and was so cold and Bazyli was still a bit of a mystery. It turns out that people can change. I enjoyed the assassination plot but really liked seeing characters from the other books back again. I liked Bazyli and am glad he got his hea. I understood Emile better.
I wasn’t sure if I would like this - King Emile did some awful things and was so cold and Bazyli was still a bit of a mystery. It turns out that people can change. I enjoyed the assassination plot but really liked seeing characters from the other books back again. I liked Bazyli and am glad he got his hea. I understood Emile better.
bookish_notes's review against another edition
5.0
I have been looking forward to this book ever since I found out the KING, of all people, was getting his own book. His own romance! His OWN HEA. KING EMILE DE GUILLORY.
From what we know of the king in the first book, is that King Emile went a bit mad after the death of his beloved wife, and is no stranger to putting anyone to death if they wrongly cross his path. This is our first impression of Emile, where he orders Sabre de Valois, his traitorous mother, and his younger teenage sister to hang at the gallows. He spared Sabre’s life, but only just.
Our impression of Emile softens somewhat throughout the series, like when he allows Devon to live, or when we see through his son, Adrien,
that Emile does care for him. Even the Emile who dotes on Laurant’s sister, Rose, is quite different than the man we thought we knew in book 1. But it is with this book that the perception of Emile is shifted the most.
And namely because he starts the book poisoned and dying in the royal garden on the palace grounds after Adrien and Isiodore’s wedding.
Content notes include attempted murder, death, mentions of blood magic, and violence.
The books in this series definitely should be read in order. We first meet Baz in the previous books, and he is Hektor’s older brother. Baz was the first son of the Archmage and when it was deemed that the flower demon Baz summoned as a child was too weak, Baz was returned to the brothels. He has spent his teenage and adult years working at the brothels, but he never fails to look after his younger brother and wishes to keep him safe. Always.
Now away from Mislia and the Archmage, and Hektor being well looked after by his new found family, it seems that Baz is adrift. But then one night he finds a man dying in the royal palace gardens. Baz, MY LOVE, has a good heart, and not knowing the man is the gardens is the king and someone who once wanted all Mislians dead, Baz takes the man into his care and nurses him back to health.
There are not enough words to describe how precious Baz is and how much I love him??!! If there is one person to make the king open up his heart for love again, I definitely understand why it had to be Baz.
And look, I had my misgivings about the king throughout the series but I really warmed up to him! Emile grew on me. I wonder how it is his mother never called him to task though when he kinda…went and started ruling with a heavy hand in the kingdom. But who am I to judge the woman and her poet. The royal family dynamic is weird and everyone is kept at a distance, I suppose. Although, I would’ve loved to see this horrid poet in the books instead of just being talked about by Emile and Adrien. Who is this wretched, rhyming man??
But in any case, I ADORE Emile and Baz in this book. I love their dynamic and, I don’t know. Their relationship warms my heart.
It’s interesting to see how the Mislian dynamic with a demon works here. We see evidence of how there isn’t just one way when it comes to romantic relationships involving a demon, Mislian or not. We see in book 2 with Devon, Sebastien, and the very wise Sariel, Sariel is an active participant in their relationship. Then there’s obviously the young and budding one with Rose, Hektor, and his fox demon Flick that must be…interesting whenever something romantic happens?? And then there’s Summer and Tanis from book 3 that is another example who are very much in love with each other.
How Emile and Baz engage with their romantic relationship while Baz’s demon is present in Baz’s mind is different than the other demon relationships we’ve seen. It’s all explained at the end, but it’s once again something new and I love that we can see how these relationships work so differently throughout the books with the different characters.
I loved seeing all the characters again and I LOVED how this book ends with everything coming full circle, back around to a moment that can only be worked out between Sabre and the King. I wept. I WAS DOING SO WELL. How dare the authors make me emotional right at the end!! But it was a wonderful, and fitting moment to end the series, and I can’t wait to read more books from this world.
One interesting thing about this book is how many assassination attempts there are on Emile’s life. The assassin is, without a doubt, the most persistent person I’ve ever read. I think how this gets resolved is quite fitting and I like it. At first I was hesitant on the assassin getting his own POV chapters throughout the book, but they’re honestly not very long at all, and I think it helps round out his story.
The book does end with an excerpt from Marius’s book with a man only called Ranger, and I am so excited!!! I’ve been waiting for Marius’s book ever since we saw him from his brother Devon’s perspective in book 2 and THE TIME HAD COME. I love how the authors can convince me to entirely change my mind about characters and give them a much deserved happy ending, and I am so ready to see how Marius escapes a bounty on his head and gets his HEA!!
From what we know of the king in the first book, is that King Emile went a bit mad after the death of his beloved wife, and is no stranger to putting anyone to death if they wrongly cross his path. This is our first impression of Emile, where he orders Sabre de Valois, his traitorous mother, and his younger teenage sister to hang at the gallows. He spared Sabre’s life, but only just.
Our impression of Emile softens somewhat throughout the series, like when he allows Devon to live, or when we see through his son, Adrien,
that Emile does care for him. Even the Emile who dotes on Laurant’s sister, Rose, is quite different than the man we thought we knew in book 1. But it is with this book that the perception of Emile is shifted the most.
And namely because he starts the book poisoned and dying in the royal garden on the palace grounds after Adrien and Isiodore’s wedding.
Content notes include attempted murder, death, mentions of blood magic, and violence.
The books in this series definitely should be read in order. We first meet Baz in the previous books, and he is Hektor’s older brother. Baz was the first son of the Archmage and when it was deemed that the flower demon Baz summoned as a child was too weak, Baz was returned to the brothels. He has spent his teenage and adult years working at the brothels, but he never fails to look after his younger brother and wishes to keep him safe. Always.
Now away from Mislia and the Archmage, and Hektor being well looked after by his new found family, it seems that Baz is adrift. But then one night he finds a man dying in the royal palace gardens. Baz, MY LOVE, has a good heart, and not knowing the man is the gardens is the king and someone who once wanted all Mislians dead, Baz takes the man into his care and nurses him back to health.
There are not enough words to describe how precious Baz is and how much I love him??!! If there is one person to make the king open up his heart for love again, I definitely understand why it had to be Baz.
And look, I had my misgivings about the king throughout the series but I really warmed up to him! Emile grew on me. I wonder how it is his mother never called him to task though when he kinda…went and started ruling with a heavy hand in the kingdom. But who am I to judge the woman and her poet. The royal family dynamic is weird and everyone is kept at a distance, I suppose. Although, I would’ve loved to see this horrid poet in the books instead of just being talked about by Emile and Adrien. Who is this wretched, rhyming man??
But in any case, I ADORE Emile and Baz in this book. I love their dynamic and, I don’t know. Their relationship warms my heart.
It’s interesting to see how the Mislian dynamic with a demon works here. We see evidence of how there isn’t just one way when it comes to romantic relationships involving a demon, Mislian or not. We see in book 2 with Devon, Sebastien, and the very wise Sariel, Sariel is an active participant in their relationship. Then there’s obviously the young and budding one with Rose, Hektor, and his fox demon Flick that must be…interesting whenever something romantic happens?? And then there’s Summer and Tanis from book 3 that is another example who are very much in love with each other.
How Emile and Baz engage with their romantic relationship while Baz’s demon is present in Baz’s mind is different than the other demon relationships we’ve seen. It’s all explained at the end, but it’s once again something new and I love that we can see how these relationships work so differently throughout the books with the different characters.
I loved seeing all the characters again and I LOVED how this book ends with everything coming full circle, back around to a moment that can only be worked out between Sabre and the King. I wept. I WAS DOING SO WELL. How dare the authors make me emotional right at the end!! But it was a wonderful, and fitting moment to end the series, and I can’t wait to read more books from this world.
One interesting thing about this book is how many assassination attempts there are on Emile’s life. The assassin is, without a doubt, the most persistent person I’ve ever read. I think how this gets resolved is quite fitting and I like it. At first I was hesitant on the assassin getting his own POV chapters throughout the book, but they’re honestly not very long at all, and I think it helps round out his story.
The book does end with an excerpt from Marius’s book with a man only called Ranger, and I am so excited!!! I’ve been waiting for Marius’s book ever since we saw him from his brother Devon’s perspective in book 2 and THE TIME HAD COME. I love how the authors can convince me to entirely change my mind about characters and give them a much deserved happy ending, and I am so ready to see how Marius escapes a bounty on his head and gets his HEA!!
adjnn's review
5.0
4.75 ⭐
This book wasn't scorching hot like book 1, didn't have the atmospheric and somber tone that made book 2 so beautiful, and didn't have the adventure of book 3. But it was a great finale. I don't know if this is meant to be the last book, but it felt like it.
There are lots of threads that are not tied off into a pretty bow, which is just fine. We got all the closure we needed with Emile and Sabre.
There is something about this author's writing that is just so captivating to me. I usually don't read a series back to back to back, but I could not put this one down. There were times during this book that I wished the story were a bit BIGGER, or that the threat's felt a bit more serious. Despite that, I really enjoyed my time with it and am eager to pick up other books written by this author.
This book wasn't scorching hot like book 1, didn't have the atmospheric and somber tone that made book 2 so beautiful, and didn't have the adventure of book 3. But it was a great finale. I don't know if this is meant to be the last book, but it felt like it.
There are lots of threads that are not tied off into a pretty bow, which is just fine. We got all the closure we needed with Emile and Sabre.
There is something about this author's writing that is just so captivating to me. I usually don't read a series back to back to back, but I could not put this one down. There were times during this book that I wished the story were a bit BIGGER, or that the threat's felt a bit more serious. Despite that, I really enjoyed my time with it and am eager to pick up other books written by this author.
redheadbeans's review against another edition
5.0
A really enjoyable book! The plot was fun, and the central relationship was wonderful! I loved learning more about Emile and the people around him, and Baz was particularly lovely, learning about his demon was amazing, and the flower magic was still wonderful. Watching their relationship blossom was quite wonderful. There was a lot of sweetness and their scenes together were absolutely lovely.