'One of the best erotic novels I've read in a very long time. Riveting as it is raunchy, I happily kneel before this King!' -TheBritishBibliophile_

When a book says or mentions--either on the cover or on the inside--Fifty Shades, I'm as intrigued as I am curious. Usually I read 'if you like Fifty Shades, you're going to love this', or 'better than Fifty Shades'. During these moments, I usually walk away from a read. Why? Because I don't believe in using the name of another book/author, or running down another book/author to bring more attention to the upcoming or released book. A book should be able to stand on its own merit, in my opinion.

However... The Dark King seems to be an exception to my rule. On the cover for this novel is a quote by Helen Hardt. It reads; 'Neon Gods meets Fifty Shades... Delicously dark and sexy!' . Where this is an obvious mention to Fifty Shades and regardless of if either author is a fan or not, I was intrigued as Helen is an author who's opinions I take in high regard and as a lover of both Katee Robert, author of Neon Gods and Erika L James, author of all things Fifty Shades, I was more than lured to give this read a chance, and to finally read my first Gina L Maxwell novel.

Time to meet the King.

As quoted on the cover, we were promised a story which is a mix of Neon Gods and Fifty Shades. Before opening the book, I broke this down in my mind as a story of supernatural-like creatures-meets-kinky fuckery, touching along the lines of BDSM in some way. Given how we know more about the latter, thanks to the continued success of the franchise. This, however, could always change once reading the contents of the book that promised a heady mix of these two already legendary reads. Will it live up to what has been quoted about it? Or will it do the opposite? Gentle readers, I'm very pleased to inform you that Ms Hardt was correct in her summing up of The Dark King.

Where we weren't exactly transported to a world like we were in Neon Gods, the supernatural came to us here on Earth. This is where the fun begins, for these beings are not what they seem. Especially The King and owner of Las Vegas' most prestigious casino & hotel. There is a man with many hidden secrets, AND hidden desires.

Caiden Verran--King of the 'Night Court' and fae--is a man not to be trifled with. Like Christian Grey, Caiden is a man--a fae--who gets what he wants and all who walk behind him or have the pleasure of seeing him, are simply filled with awe at his presence. Though alpha males like Caiden are usually full of swagger and arrogance, this alpha male is proud, passionate and stubborn. For he is not like other men--certainly not like any other leading book men--, he not only has to think about his life in the mortal realm, but the consequences and the domineering world in which he came from. He and his kind may no longer be in the fae world, but their lineage--and its curses--follow them every step they make. Like Bryn, I fell under Caiden's spell the moment I first read about him and from his first chapter POV. Although at times frustrating as alpha males go, Caiden is a very likeable character whom people--such as myself--easily warm to. Yet despite what we first know about him, there is more deep down that we discover as the chapters pass. Slowly unwound is the image projected into this fiction world that is Caiden Verran, and revealed is the man inside whom very few get to see but as a reader, we are privy to seeing him in all his shades of grey.

Standing beside him as fellow novel lead as previously mentioned, is Bryn Meara. As human as humans can get, she is dropped into this world by very unforeseen and unusual circumstances. It seems as almost as if 'fate' has dropped this young, driven lady into the world of kings, queens, and all things fae. Considering her backstory and past--which you'll discover when reading this book--, Bryn is a determined, headstrong young woman who knows her worth and value. In a world full of otherworldly creatures, situations and unexpected events, she is a diamond in the ruff who shines through and is much tougher than she looks. Bryn is every equal to Caiden, in terms of her personality and character. She is his equal. Which he will soon--or rather, eventually--realise.

Where this isn't a story which rivals the ACOTAR series in terms of all things fae and Night Court in terms of detail and complexity, The Dark King is its own brilliant entity. Whereas I did like the ACOTAR series, the detail and complexity of the books, especially stretching into several full-length novels, can be somewhat overwhelming at times. This novel's fae and Night Court kept things much simpler, easy to understand, and not at all complex. I'm confident that anyone can and will be able to pick this book up and not struggle to understand any of its content.

The Dark King was a pleasantly surprising romantically-steamy novel which isolates you from the real world, as the characters themselves have been, taking you on a journey that will test what the characters think they know about themselves, what they'll realise about themselves, and just what true hand fate has to offer them as after all, enemies are often kept closer than friends. And our beloved King has more than his fair share of enemies.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who has any taste in romance, the supernatural, for the steamier book among the bunch, and for those who are looking for their next 'must read' novel. I, for one, am glad to have taken up The Dark King as I not only have found a 'must read' novel, but a top read of 2022.

Hail to the King!

Thank you Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley for this eArc in an exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this new take on Fae, aspect of banishment, dark and light. I wasn't in love with this, every time our heroine got called Beauty my eyes rolled, I think :D that to say it was cringe here and there. But now to eat my own words, I will continue this series. For all bits that were predictable, maybe even overused parts of Fae modern lore, I did find myself wanting to know what happens and i do love forced proximity even if in a form of a curse.

The Dark King gives you everything it promises... fae, oppsie marriage/marriage of convenience, spice, billionaire, Las Vegas, Human girl meets Fae, banter, found family, forced proximity... It is a fun read that is full of spice and has interesting plot. I can see where this book will fit well into the work of IPB, 50 Shades of Grey, & Neon Gods.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I managed to read it in less than 3 days. There are some plot devices (mainly miscommunication, H using sex to get information from h, and the many pop culture references) that werent completely for me but did not stop me from finishing the book. The author provides a ton of trigger warnings at the beginning so I never felt misinformed about what I was reading. Interesting premise, loved the side characters and the end left you interested for the next book.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Spice Rating: 4 peppers (mostly for the BDSM)

Thank you to Net Galley & Entangled Publishing for sending me this arc!

I often break up some of my heavier reads with a good smut and/or fantasy book and this hit ALL the marks for me. FYI, spice rating 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Maxwell successfully created a contemporary world that perfectly meshed fantasy and reality. The presence of fae in the human world was seamless and she put in just enough fantasy without it coming off as cheesy or unbelievable. I really felt as though fae could be walking among us.

The accidental marriage trope gave me It Happens In Vegas vibes, which I loved. And the peek into the dom/sub world was done really well, especially for those that aren't sure if that's something they want to read about.

I enjoyed this book so much, I read it in one day and now I will be VERY impatiently waiting for the 2nd book in the series.

This was such a fun read. The spicy scenes were fantastic and so hot. I haven't read a fae romance in a while so this was so good and just what I needed. I loved the author's writing style. It was very easy to read and very entertaining. I loved the plot and how involved the plot was with the romance. There was a good balance between the plot and the romance which is something that I love in fantasy romances. I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley, Gina L. Maxwell and Entangled publishing for this ARC.

Oofftt!! This book was *chef's kiss*. I thought this book was sexy, deprived and kept me thoroughly on my toes! Very highly recommend! This book releases 27/09/22.

I needed fast, easy to sink into, and steamy. I think this hit the mark. When Bryn wins a free trip to a luxury hotel in Vegas, she doesn't expect to end up married and mated overnight. When both Bryn and Caiden come to and realize that neither of them remember the night's events, more trouble than they realize unfolds. With a surprising twist of urban fantasy, The Dark King was easy to read and suspenseful enough to keep me reading through a super busy week. It was just what my brain needed and I will certainly be looking forward to what comes next.

This does not end with a cliffhanger, but does leave you with some unanswered questions that set us up for more in this world!

4.5 stars“Something inside me shifted, changing me irrevocably and tying my soul to you in a way I couldn’t possibly understand in that moment.”

Yaaaasss King!!! OMG! We bloody loved this book! Fae romance is our jam – our kryptonite! There’s nothing like a devious, tricky, broody, hot-as-hell Dark Fae to get our hearts racing, and that’s exactly what happened with The Dark King aka Caiden Verran. Wow! This felt like one of those fabulous ‘old school’ reads we seek out.

If you love fantasy romance, and in particular the Fae romance, you must read this book! We’ve felt a bit starved for a good Faerie romance, so you can imagine our excitement heading into this book. We will admit, we were inwardly chanting ‘please don’t let us down, don’t let us down.’ We can happily report this book didn’t, and in fact, delivered everything we could have asked for. Suspense, intrigue, conflict, angst, and some very sexy, passionate kink thrown into the mix. It was fabulous!

”That is not the proper way to address your king, Beauty. Try again.”
”Yes, Your…” She pauses, and just when I’m about to berate her, she whispers, ” Yes, my king.”

Ten years have passed since we’ve read a Gina Maxwell book, and what a reunion it proved to be. We were reminded how well this author writes a sinfully sexy romance, and our love affair with has been reignited in the meeting between Caiden Verran, The King of the Dark Fae of the Night Court of Faerie, and the feisty Brynn Meara. What a battle of wits it was.

“I’d rather be sorry for taking a thousand risks than be safe for never taking any.”

Caiden Verran and his brothers Tiernann and Finnian are the kings of Vegas. After being banished from their Fairie realm, Tir na nOg, they’ve set themselves up with the profitable and popular Nightfall hotel and Casino, together with Midnight Manor, the estate of the Night Court royal family.

Caiden is all about serving his subjects and has no time for love. Not to mention, thanks to a curse, falling in love or finding his soul mate could have dire consequences for the King. It’s a duty he’s been more than happy to fulfill until the night the stunning and tenacious Brynn Meara crosses his path.

“Tonight, more than ever you embody the name Beauty, for you, is unparalleled in this realm and the next.”

Brynn is in Vegas taking a much-needed break and luck is on her side when she’s upgraded to a swanky suite at the Nightfall Hotel following a booking mix-up. Wait a minute! Is it fate, or is there something devilishly deceptive at play?

“You’re a fuckin’ faerie.”
Surprise lances through me, but I’m careful to keep my bored expression firmly in place. “That’s a shame, Ralph. Had I known you were such a bigot, I never would’ve hired you to begin with.”
“What? No, that’s not…I mean a real goddam faerie, with the wings and magic powers and shit.”

You’ll have to check it out and see! What we will tell you is you can expect some very hot sex, a possessive yet beautifully romantic hero, a battle of hearts and wits, together with fabulous world-building and wonderfully entertaining characters. Gina L Maxwell NAILED this theme! We were so completely immersed in this story! We absolutely loved it, and, to think, we have two more brothers to fall in love with when Tiernann and Finnian get their books in the not-too-distant future. YAY for us!

I absolutely loved this book. It was definitely Fifty Shades meets Urban Fae Fantasy. I can’t wait for the second book for the next brother. I loved the main characters and all the side characters and the world building. I also found the spice delightful.

“Something inside me shifted, changing me irrevocably and tying my soul to you in a way I couldn’t possibly understand in that moment, but with each passing day—each passing minute—my love for you only continued to grow until I felt consumed by you and never felt happier.”

Yaaaasss King!!! OMG! We bloody loved this book! Fae romance is our jam – our kryptonite! There’s nothing like a devious, tricky, broody, hot-as-hell Dark Fae to get our hearts racing, and that’s exactly what happened with The Dark King aka Caiden Verran. Wow! This felt like one of those fabulous ‘old school’ reads we seek out.

If you love fantasy romance, and in particular the Fae romance, you must read this book! We’ve felt a bit starved for a good Faerie romance, so you can imagine our excitement heading into this book. We will admit, we were inwardly chanting ‘please don’t let us down, don’t let us down.’ We can happily report this book didn’t, and in fact, delivered everything we could have asked for. Suspense, intrigue, conflict, angst, and some very sexy, passionate kink thrown into the mix. It was fabulous!

”That is not the proper way to address your king, Beauty. Try again.”
”Yes, Your…” She pauses, and just when I’m about to berate her, she whispers, ” Yes, my king.”

Ten years have passed since we’ve read a Gina Maxwell book, and what a reunion it proved to be. We were reminded how well this author writes a sinfully sexy romance, and our love affair with has been reignited in the meeting between Caiden Verran, The King of the Dark Fae of the Night Court of Faerie, and the feisty Brynn Meara. What a battle of wits it was.

“I’d rather be sorry for taking a thousand risks than be safe for never taking any.”

Caiden Verran and his brothers Tiernann and Finnian are the kings of Vegas. After being banished from their Fairie realm, Tir na nOg, they’ve set themselves up with the profitable and popular Nightfall hotel and Casino, together with Midnight Manor, the estate of the Night Court royal family.

Caiden is all about serving his subjects and has no time for love. Not to mention, thanks to a curse, falling in love or finding his soul mate could have dire consequences for the King. It’s a duty he’s been more than happy to fulfill until the night the stunning and tenacious Brynn Meara crosses his path.

“Tonight, more than ever you embody the name Beauty, for you, is unparalleled in this realm and the next.”

Brynn is in Vegas taking a much-needed break and luck is on her side when she’s upgraded to a swanky suite at the Nightfall Hotel following a booking mix-up. Wait a minute! Is it fate, or is there something devilishly deceptive at play?

“You’re a fuckin’ faerie.”
Surprise lances through me, but I’m careful to keep my bored expression firmly in place. “That’s a shame, Ralph. Had I known you were such a bigot, I never would’ve hired you to begin with.”
“What? No, that’s not…I mean a real goddam faerie, with the wings and magic powers and shit.”

You’ll have to check it out and see! What we will tell you is you can expect some very hot sex, a possessive yet beautifully romantic hero, a battle of hearts and wits, together with fabulous world-building and wonderfully entertaining characters. Gina L Maxwell NAILED this theme! We were so completely immersed in this story! We absolutely loved it, and, to think, we have two more brothers to fall in love with when Tiernann and Finnian get their books in the not-too-distant future. YAY for us!

The Dark King is addicting and sexy. Highly recommend for Paranormal Romance lovers, you’ll want to dive right in.

This book was fantastic. Dark in the right places, incredibly captivating. I didn’t expect the plot and wouldn’t change a thing. Absolutely loved it! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

This is so much more than your typical paranormal romance. It is set in modern day Vegas and it is as hot as Sin City. The characters are super fun and interesting. Bryn is an out of work PR specialist in Vegas for the weekend. She is funny and charming. Caiden is the King of the Dark Fae and owner of multiple Vegas properties. He is a handsome and magnetic billionaire. The plot of he story sees them getting married on the first night they meet and from there the problems unfold. It is easy to turn the pages in eager anticipation of what the characters will get up to next. Caiden is taken to his knees as he falls deeply in love with his queen.

This is the first book I've read by Gina L. Maxwell. Fantasy/Paranormal/Sci-Fi is not my normal romance trope to read, but I'm so glad I picked it up. I think I was intrigued by the cover, then the blurb sounded good, so I took a leap. Caiden and Bryn's story kept me spellbound. I couldn't help being so invested in the characters. It was steamy and emotional. There seems to be an overall scenario to follow through the series, but we get a great HEA of the couple. We also get a glimpse of what's coming next!! I hope we'll see more of Caiden and Bryn in future books as I still have questions regarding Bryn. If only it was longer. Excellent read!

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book. This is my voluntary and honest review.

Woah! What a fun spiral of a story! Thank you to Entangled Publishing for the ARC-it’s always hard to gauge with a new to you author if you’ll vibe with the work. And this was 100% my style.

Brooding MMC -Self Assumed and sarcastic FMC. Forced proximity at its best. It was funny, and aggravating moments when you just want to throw a book at the main characters because they are being so reluctant to enjoy the moments.
I loved the side characters, and the side love story between …well two characters I don’t want to spoil anything 😬
And listen thank you Gina Maxwell for adding in all the love of reading through the story made me smile every time I read a line!

If I had to sum this book up: Sassy, relatable, gripping, twisty and funny. Relatable Fantasy that has you begging for the next!

Highly recommend for me, I would put it at a 1.5 of 5 on the spice scale.



Some fun quotes that had be busting up laughing 😂

“I’ve already read the books that interest me, and your library is small. Size matters, you know.”

“For as long as dicks have been getting hard, men have emptied their pockets when presented with their ultimate fantasies. Big or small, obtainable or not, it never matters. When the blood rushes south, the wallets open up.”

i (mostly) enjoyed this book, it was really interesting and i haven’t read too many fantasy romances so it was very exciting. but there were some things that i just didn’t really like about the book or just couldn’t really get on board with i guess, so although i enjoyed it, it’s nothing i would reread or recommend too much.

OMG I had never read a book like this, so spicy, dark but at the same time fun, add fantasy to that and it's epic. I devoured it!

From the moment Caiden and Bryn meet, sparks fly between them, the sizzling chemistry was off the charts, Caiden is a fae, the king of the Dark King, and Bryn is just a human coming to Vegas for vacation, but though Caiden doesn't have time for love, he can't help but be attracted to Bryn, and wow the way he comes to love her, gahhh I love him so much, the sex scenes omg! are so dark and dirty, PERFECT!

The Dark King is a fantasy romance, sexy, fun and steamy, PURE FIRE, amazing, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Such a dark but yet fun read. The chemistry truly jumps on the page in Maxwell's newest. I can't wait for more in the series.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙! 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 🥵🥵 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙨𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙏𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙣. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖, 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪!

Holy Smokes! This book!

Gina L. Maxwell is a new to me author and even though paranormal and fantasy are not my typical reads, I may have to dabble a little more into the realm.

The Dark King follows Caiden and Bryn's journey as they figure out what happened in their one night of fun in Sin City. Caiden, is the Dark King, the King of the Dark Fae, and owns half of Las Vegas. All the women want him, human or fae, and all the men want to be him. He doesn't believe in love or marriage and only cares about his subjects. Bryn, a human, orphaned, lost her job, is looking for some reprieve in sin city. She does when she meets Caiden. Unbeknownst to her and Caiden, their entire world will be altered forever.

First, I am in love with Caiden. He is what you desire in a King. He is in control (at all times), yet shows you his weak side, is feared yet respected, rough but soft. OMG. I could go on. Bryn did not annoy me at all. Some FMC are whiny and Bryn was not. She was a strong, smart, independent character. What I loved about both of these characters is their chemistry. No matter how much Caiden resisted the pull and desire, Bryn knew - like all women - they were it for each other.

Second and most importantly, I was engaged from the moment I opened the book. For me, it takes a few chapters for the author to develop the characters, but the author dove in head first and connected all the pieces throughout. The plot was imaginative. It was well thought out, and action-packed, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Finally, the spice. It got hot in here! The dungeon scene will live rent-free in my head for a while.

Overall, if you enjoy fantasy, paranormal, and HOT Fairy Kings, and even if you don't this book did not disappoint and would be a great way to start!

Rating: 4.75/5
Spice: 3/5
Trope: paranormal, fantasy, BDSM

***Received ARC for an honest review***