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    Kingdom of Exiles: A Lush and Intoxicating Fantasy Romance
    Unavailable
    Kingdom of Exiles: A Lush and Intoxicating Fantasy Romance
    Unavailable
    Kingdom of Exiles: A Lush and Intoxicating Fantasy Romance
    Ebook474 pages7 hours

    Kingdom of Exiles: A Lush and Intoxicating Fantasy Romance

    By Maxym M. Martineau

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    "Lush world-building and intoxicating magic"—Entertainment Weekly

    "A sweeping swords-and-sorcery romance"—The New York Times

    Assassin's Creed meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in this gripping, epic fantasy romance.

    My heart wasn't part of the deal when I bargained for my life,

    But assassins so rarely keep their word.

    Exiled Charmer Leena Edenfrell is running out of time. Empty pockets forced her to sell her beloved magical beasts—an offense punishable by death—and now there's a price on her head. With the realm's most talented murderer-for-hire nipping at her heels, Leena makes Noc an offer he can't refuse: powerful mythical creatures in exchange for her life.

    Plagued by a curse that kills everyone he loves, Noc agrees to Leena's terms in hopes of finding a cure. Never mind that the dark magic binding the assassin's oath will eventually force him to choose between Leena's continued survival…and his own.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSourcebooks
    Release dateJun 25, 2019
    ISBN9781492689393
    Unavailable
    Kingdom of Exiles: A Lush and Intoxicating Fantasy Romance
    Author

    Maxym M. Martineau

    Maxym M. Martineau is an article and social media writer by day and a fantasy romance author by night. When she’s not getting heated over broken hearts, she enjoys playing video games, sipping a well-made margarita, competing in just about any sport, and of course, reading. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Arizona State University and lives with her husband and fur babies in Arizona. Connect with her at MaxymMartineau.com or through Twitter and Instagram @maxymmckay.

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    Reviews for Kingdom of Exiles

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      This was such a neat story.  The blurb says it's Assassin's Creed meets Fantastic Beasts, but to me it felt more like Pokemon for adults who love fantasy.  I loved it.

      I hesitated to mention the similarities with Pokemon, because I'm afraid that'll put people off, and I really enjoyed this book.

      The characters live in a world of magical beasts.  Not your traditional mythological beasts, but new and interesting beasts.  They're categorised by how dangerous they are.  Leena is a Charmer, which means that she can tame the beasts to do her will.  However, a Charmer's skill decides what level of beast they can tame.  Only the very best can tame the most dangerous.  Wild beasts live in the same world as the people, but the tamed beasts live in a magical world and can be summoned by the Charmer as required. I liked that there were natural limits to how many beasts a Charmer could summon and for how long, before the Charmer became exhausted.  The beasts described in this story ranged from adorably cute to deadly and freaky.

      Leena has been exiled from her homeland, where most Charmers live.  Someone sends an assassin after her, and when Leena takes control of the situation, she bargains with the assassins.  Noc is the leader of the assassins, and he transfers the assassin's oath from the original assassin to himself, then promises Leena that if she can gift him and his friends with a beast each (of a certain level), his men won't hurt her.  A Charmer can transfer ownership of a beast to another, even if that person doesn't have the ability to Charm a beast on their own.  It is forbidden to transfer a beast in exchange for money though, as that would end up with beasts being transferred to those who wouldn't care for them appropriately.

      Noc is cursed, and he particularly wants a beast that will be able to remove his curse.  Of course, he doesn't tell Leena why he wants a particular beast.  He also doesn't tell her that the assassin's oath that he now holds means that if he doesn't kill her, he will die in her stead.  He promised that his men wouldn't hurt her, not that he wouldn't.  Of course, as they all go on this mission to find and capture the beasts Leena promised his men, they get to know each other better, and things change.  However, there's still the matter of the unbreakable assassin's oath, and someone is still trying to kill Leena.

      On top of all of that, I loved the writing style.  So beautifully descriptive.
      Fog-colored paneled walls were laden with oil paintings in stark white frames, and an impossibly long tarnished platinum table was centered beneath a row of chandeliers.
      Leena eyed the closest stall and tilted her nose toward the fruitcakes and muffins tossing vanilla and citrus aromas into the air. Every new noise seemed to pull at her attention, and her wide eyes swallowed up the whole street and its occupants.
      Beyond the train station and crammed cobblestone houses, as if it were the center of all eternity, stood the Violet Castle.
      I really enjoyed this book.  It was interesting, it was fun, and it kept me guessing because I couldn't figure out how they were going to overcome the issues.  I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.
    • 5/5
      What sets this apart from most fantasy stories is the beast magic. It's unique as well as intriguing. Add in the mystery behind Nox former life and the plethora of action and you have a very difficult to set down read. I ordered the sequel as soon as I was finished.
    • 4/5
      Great characters, great settings and a great story are all involved in the making of KINGDOM OF EXILES.KINGDOM OF EXILES started off a little slow, but I had no problem getting into it with the great world building and action packed storyline. There was plenty of mystery and some romance as well. I really enjoyed learning about the different beasts and their roles in Leena's life. I will definitely read more.* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      The assassins' lot is not a happy one! This brings together all those things I love in a fantasy saga. The woman wronged yet fighting to continue her life her way. Charmer Leena Edenfrell is compassionate, feisty and all woman. The assassin leader Noc takes on a hit that's not only a paying job but one that might exorcise a curse that has followed him throughout his life and beyond. Noc has a history that is hinted at throughout. We know that this is only the beginning for him. Of course the target is Leena! A Charmer of magical beasts who was wrongly exiled form her fellows for exploiting her gifts. Only it wasn't Leena, and the proving of that becomes a fight for survival, and for love.Noc cannot love. The curse falls on those he loves. They die. He wants to break the curse, and using a powerful magical creature might help him. Be careful what you wish for. There will be a cost! And now there's a shadowy figure or figures amongst his employers wanting to take Leena out. But that becomes harder than it seems.Noc's fellow assassins who join him are an interesting team whom Leena comes to appreciate as their journey together brings surprises and revelations.I'm looking forward to the next stages of this saga, and more about the mysterious Noc.A NetGalley ARC
    • 3/5
      I so wanted to love this book, and I did, at times, though not consistently and definitely not at the end.My favorite part of this story was the charming of the beasts and the way they interacted with humans. Here, the author's vision comes alive. The beasts absolutely made the story for me.Initially, I loved Leena's character. She's independent, strong-willed, and intelligent. But then, by midway, she becomes the cliche weak-kneed female, so consumed with desire for a man that she can no longer think properly.The story sags in the middle, with too much repetition and drama. This is a fairly long novel, and could easily have shed 50-75 pages to tighten up the pacing.The "romance" is more of a melodramatic love story. The romance comes in the form of sex scenes toward the end. I found this part awkward, particularly with a certain word choice for the female anatomy. I would've liked a lot more world-building. The setting is a huge part of this story, but I just didn't see it.And, finally, after nearly 400 pages, I reached the end and was left dangling. There is no closure, just major cliffhangers.This series holds tremendous promise. Some tweaking would have easily made this a 5-star read for me.*I received a review copy from the publisher, via BookishFirst.*
    • 4/5
      This is a well crafted adult Pokeman(like) romp through lush backdrops with characters that you can't help but love... you just can't... go on, read it, you'll love them too. There is sexual tension to the umpteenth degree. An extremely sloooooooooooooow burn that builds to a crescendo. The creatures are beautifully imagined and undeniably unique. The characters are all loveable and relatable, I want to adopt them all...except Noc, he I will greedily keep for my own nefarious purposes. I love Noc & Leena... big fan, BUT I especially love Noc. He is incredibly tormented yet compassionate. He shoulders the weight of a powerfully evil curse that makes life torturous when it comes to loving someone...in any capacity. He is unable to express amorous emotions for anyone... ever... or his loved ones, if the feelings are reciprocated, pay the ultimate price. Leena, on the other hand, is a kick ass heroine and one of the commanding voices of the dueling 2 MCs. She is strong, yet tender towards her beasts and her "family" (which is all sorts of endearing), she is beautiful, deadly and unabashedly, unappologetic when it comes to her lustful appetite. The writing is solid. I may or may not have shed a few tears (the torment is positively dripping off the pages)...ok, just between us, there was some serious sniffling going on but that's it. The crying is in no way a reflection of the caliber of writing. The world development and character development are both extremely well done. The variety of creatures is exemplary. The characters are so robust (and loveable) you can't help but root for them, cheering for them to succeed and to find their happiness. There were a slew of blush worthy sexy- time passages which is something I usually shy away from in my choice of reads BUT it was tactful and not overly protracted which made me enjoy the book even more. Overall: If you're into an adult Pokemon(like) fantasy world with heart racing explicit scenes and damn good World and Character development... then this page turner should be on your radar!! ~Enjoy!*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
    • 2/5
      I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.I found this book difficult to engage with throughout. We are not introduced to the characters so much as thrown at them and expected to understand their world and their motivations without explanation. It felt as though this were a book 2, not a book 1. Possibly because of this abrupt introduction, I did not feel any attachment to the characters. As for world building, I felt that we were given the barest of descriptions and were then allowed free imaginative reign, until we weren't. It's like having all of the rules of a game changed mid-stream.
    • 5/5
      Wow! I was really surprised by how much I liked this book! Leena is a Charmer, meaning she can charm magical beasts, adding them to her personal bestiary. The descriptions of the beasts are amazing and make you really believe in them. Unfortunately, Leena is exiled from her home for something that she insists she didn't do, and is forced to sell some of her magical beasts to get enough money to live on and to buy a particular beast to help clear her name, and that is punishable by death. She is handling everything as well as she can, but then she finds out that she is being stalked by an assassin for hire, which really doesn't help her situation at all! She is forced to make a deal with the assassins in exchange for her life, and this sets in motion a journey and a quest that will forever change her life.I'm going to say first that I loved all of the main characters, and felt they were very well fleshed out. They were complex and very real. The world building was amazing and the action intense. Then we come to the romance, which was slow to build (I really hate insta-love) and very, very hot. I found myself really pulling for everything to work out for these two!In summary, I loved this book so much and am looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy!! I definitely recommend it for fans of fantasy and romance.
    • 4/5
      Phew! Ok, this was a wild one, y'all. It's been a long time since I read something this creative. I had a little struggle in the beginning, trying to figure out what on earth was going on but it ultimately turned into a really cool and complex story.The books follows Leena, a beast charmer in a world half Wild West and half Strict Rules. She's managed to step in it big time and is running from the law, after a serious infraction: selling her beloved beast to make ends meet. In a world where magical beasts and ruthlessness are the law and money is hard to come by, Leena has no other choice than to make some risky decisions, potentially ending up in even more hot water. What I found confusing in the beginning turned out to be the start of some serious and intense world building. It's such an interesting and unique concept. Though there were elements of How to Train Your Dragon, and the book blurb itself describes the story as a mashup of Assassins Creed and Fantastic Beasts, Kingdom of Exiles has a magic all its own and I loved it.