Zoey Draven

Claimed by the Horde King

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️

Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻

Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️

Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂

Claimed by the Horde King is the second installment in the Kings of Dakkar series. And this is where we get the horde king that was hinted at in the previous book. I really had a fun time with this one and enjoyed it even more than the first book even though this had more inner conflict haha that is not like me, I honestly think I just was too distracted with the world building to really enjoy the first book like I truly wanted to but now that I am familar with this world, the heart of this book just impacted my experience on a deeper level. This is a slow burn, forbidden romance feel to it. Some may term this an enemies to lovers, but its really not. I didn't sense any of that type of angst. The conflict is centered towards the "forbidden" theme of them being together.

I watched her in the darkness. She was small, sad, focused, and completely unaware of the danger she was in.

Neglected by her village and forced to hunt to survive

When the Horde King King, Arokan, learns that justice must be dealt towards a young woman being found hunting in a way that is against their laws, he is sent out to meet the justice she deserves. But when he arrives, he finds himself torn between meting out punishment and showing her compassion. After he is forced to deal out the punishment, he takes her to his horde to heal from her wounds and a slow and steady love builds between Arokan and Serrin. But Arokan became a horde king out of nothing, and he is determined to keep his position. But loving Serrin and making her his queen, could make him lose everything he has worked so hard for all of his life. And he will be forced to make a difficult decision.....the woman he loves or the future of his horde surviving.

There was so much to enjoy with this story and I am not sure exactly what it was that really turned this book into a 4.5 star when the first half I was so sure it would only be a 4 star. Now granted, this week has been so busy with getting ready for the new year so I was highly distracted so I do think this could have been a 5 star if I had been more focused. But I will say I adored this relationship between these two. It probably won't have the inner angst that some readers expect, but it has PLENTY of conflict. Just a different type of conflict. This type of conflict is my catnip. I adored seeing what this couple faces. It really escalated for them in the second half. The first half is really the slow burn that builds between them. I love how patient Arokan is with Serrin. And yes he makes mistakes, but he is really stuck between a rock and a hard place and it takes him a while to figure things out. But don't worry, Serrin, makes him work for that redemption. I truly enjoyed this story, and once you get to about 45%, the story will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The pacing could have been a bit quicker in the first half. I would have also liked to have seen more focus on the plot with the king of Arokan, the head honcho of all the horde kings, it felt like some aspects to that was missing a bit. The grovel was dragged out a bit too long by the heroine. I understood she was really hurt, but she had to have known their road was difficult as he warned her and she could have stood by him a bit longer than she did. And the ending was a bit rushed. However, despite these factors the heart and soul of the book connects with you so deeply, that it won't affect your enjoyment too much.

I found Claimed by the Horde King to be a superb read that left me on edge, in excitement and anticipation on the forbidden road this author leads us towards......a satisfying fantasy romance to curl your toes!

" I am yours, Nelle," I rasped. She froze as a gust of wind whistled past us, rustling her braid. Then she turned in her seat until she met my eyes. "And you are mine," I said. "You know this."

Sub Genre: Epic/High Fantasy Romance, Sci Fi Romance

Character Types: Barbarian King, Poor Heroine

Tropes: Rags to Riches, Forbidden Love, Opposites Attract

Lover of Romance 

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.5


First Impressions
Claimed by the Horde King is the second installment in the Kings of Dakkar series. And this is where we get the horde king that was hinted at in the previous book. I really had a fun time with this one and enjoyed it even more than the first book even though this had more inner conflict haha that is not like me, I honestly think I just was too distracted with the world building to really enjoy the first book like I truly wanted to but now that I am familar with this world, the heart of this book just impacted my experience on a deeper level. This is a slow burn, forbidden romance feel to it. Some may term this an enemies to lovers, but its really not. I didn't sense any of that type of angst. The conflict is centered towards the "forbidden" theme of them being together.

First Line
I watched her in the darkness. She was small, sad, focused, and completely unaware of the danger she was in.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Arokan
Barbarian Horde King
Self Made Hero
Fearless Warrior
Compassionate and Loyal

The Heroine: Serrin
Kind
Determined
Neglected by her village and forced to hunt to survive
Talented Bow(woman)

Summary
When the Horde King King, Arokan, learns that justice must be dealt towards a young woman being found hunting in a way that is against their laws, he is sent out to meet the justice she deserves. But when he arrives, he finds himself torn between meting out punishment and showing her compassion. After he is forced to deal out the punishment, he takes her to his horde to heal from her wounds and a slow and steady love builds between Arokan and Serrin. But Arokan became a horde king out of nothing, and he is determined to keep his position. But loving Serrin and making her his queen, could make him lose everything he has worked so hard for all of his life. And he will be forced to make a difficult decision.....the woman he loves or the future of his horde surviving.

What I Loved
There was so much to enjoy with this story and I am not sure exactly what it was that really turned this book into a 4.5 star when the first half I was so sure it would only be a 4 star. Now granted, this week has been so busy with getting ready for the new year so I was highly distracted so I do think this could have been a 5 star if I had been more focused. But I will say I adored this relationship between these two. It probably won't have the inner angst that some readers expect, but it has PLENTY of conflict. Just a different type of conflict. This type of conflict is my catnip. I adored seeing what this couple faces. It really escalated for them in the second half. The first half is really the slow burn that builds between them. I love how patient Arokan is with Serrin. And yes he makes mistakes, but he is really stuck between a rock and a hard place and it takes him a while to figure things out. But don't worry, Serrin, makes him work for that redemption. I truly enjoyed this story, and once you get to about 45%, the story will keep you on the edge of your seat.

What I Struggled With
The pacing could have been a bit quicker in the first half. I would have also liked to have seen more focus on the plot with the king of Arokan, the head honcho of all the horde kings, it felt like some aspects to that was missing a bit. The grovel was dragged out a bit too long by the heroine. I understood she was really hurt, but she had to have known their road was difficult as he warned her and she could have stood by him a bit longer than she did. And the ending was a bit rushed. However, despite these factors the heart and soul of the book connects with you so deeply, that it won't affect your enjoyment too much.

Overall View
I found Claimed by the Horde King to be a superb read that left me on edge, in excitement and anticipation on the forbidden road this author leads us towards......a satisfying fantasy romance to curl your toes!

Favorite Quote(s)
" I am yours, Nelle," I rasped. She froze as a gust of wind whistled past us, rustling her braid. Then she turned in her seat until she met my eyes. "And you are mine," I said. "You know this."

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Epic/High Fantasy Romance, Sci Fi Romance
Character Types: Barbarian King, Poor Heroine
Themes: Class Difference, Slow Burn
Tropes: Rags to Riches, Forbidden Love, Opposites Attract

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A blend of both

Song This Book Inspires
All to Me by Giveon

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes for the serial world building plot, I do recommend reading these in order. But if you aren't invested in that aspect, you can read as a standalone.

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes. ( Not many scenes but the scenes we get are more explicit)


Kelly Casey

I liked this book much more than the first. There wasn't any of the dubious consent and captive issues that the first book had. Also there wasn't any obvious sexism that angered me like in the first book. I didn't like the heartbreaking scene towards the end, but I can respect why the author went that route. Overall, I think this is a very nice love story. I also felt like the main character Nelle was a better fit for horde life than the previous book's main character. I would definitely recommend this book.