Book Review: The Dark King by Gina L. Maxwell

I am thrilled that this bad boy is officially live and out in the world. The Dark King was an exciting, incredibly sexy read with intriguing characters that had me invested right from the start! Welcome to the world of the Deviant Kings!

The Dark King (Deviant Kings #1) by Gina L. Maxwell

I thought a weekend away would be the perfect escape. Until I woke up married and trapped...by the king of the Dark Fae.

For Bryn Meara, a free trip to the exclusive and ultra-luxe Nightfall hotel and casino in Vegas should’ve been the perfect way to escape the debris of her crumbling career. But waking up from a martini-and-lust-fueled night to find herself married to Caiden Verran, the reclusive billionaire who owns the hotel and most of the city, isn’t the jackpot one would think. It seems her dark and sexy new husband is actual royalty—the fae king of the Night Court—and there’s an entire world beneath the veil of Vegas.

Whether light or shadow, the fae are a far cry from fairy tales, and now they’ve made Bryn a pawn in their dark games for power. And Caiden is the most dangerous of all—an intoxicating cocktail of sin and raw, insatiable hunger. She should run. But every night of passion pulls Bryn deeper into his strange and sinister world, until she’s no longer certain she wants to leave…even if she could.

5 out of 5 stars

I loved everything about The Dark King! It was totally entertaining and exciting to read with fantastic characters, a fascinating world, and super-hot sexy times. It had a great vibe right from the start and I was all in!

I loved Caiden and Brynn. From the very first moment their eyes met, I could feel the passion sizzling between them. I adored the waking-up married scenario and the situation they found themselves in. I loved learning everything about them and the pull they had to one another. Bryn was awesome, I loved her zest for life and putting herself out there. Caiden was wonderful. He had a hard exterior and I loved seeing the man behind the mask as his walls came down and he and Bryn grew closer together. I loved them learning about one another, Bryn learning more about herself, and unraveling the mystery of how exactly they ended up married.

This was an excellent story with fun scenes, a nice amount of humor, and a lot of steam. Some of the sexy times are total fire with light BDSM elements mixed in, creating off-the-charts hotness. There’s a good amount of drama, emotion, and a lot of love as well. There was an exceptional cast of characters involved and thought they really added to the story. I love Fiona and Caiden's brothers Tiernan and Finnian. There's a brilliant hook at the end that gets you excited for what's to come in the next book. I cannot wait!

The Dark King is the first book in the Deviant Kings series and I liked how the world was introduced and learning about the fae. It was laid out nicely but not bogged down with too many details. I got exactly what I needed so I could jump right in and enjoy the story. There was a great pace and incredible build with exciting hints as everything came to light and the story unfolded. There was never a time I wanted to put this down. Loved it!

Complimentary copy received from Entangled Publishing.

Gina L. Maxwell is a multi-bestselling author living in the upper Midwest, despite her scathing hatred of snow and cold weather. As a lifelong romance novel addict, she began writing as an alternate way of enjoying the romance stories she loves to read. Her debut novel, Seducing Cinderella, hit both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists in less than four weeks, and also hit the #1 spot internationally, ahead of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons. When she’s not reading, writing, or spending way too much on her paper planner and office supply obsessions, she loves hanging out with her high-school-sweetheart hubby and their adult kids, while dreaming about her someday-move to someplace tropical.