Wicked Reign (Kingdom of Monsters 1-3) by Harper A Brooks-review tour

CRUEL SHADOWS
Kingdom of Monsters 1
by Harper A Brooks
Genre: adult, paranormal, fantasy, reverse harem romance

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Release Date: November 17, 2022

I’m caught in the shadows…
…and the shadows want to play.

I thought I’d dreamed up the shadow realm and the place I called Dark Castle. But it’s very real. And he’s still here.

My prince, my savior, my captor… The monster in my bed. But this time, he’s not alone.

I must escape, but first, my prince and his shadow men want me to fulfill their demands. All of them.

The longer I stay, the harder it is to resist their dark promises, their insatiable hunger. Because, while these monsters’ smiles are cruel, their touches are the most delicious torture. But they aren’t the only threat in this world. The darkness that wanted me before has found me again, and like my Shadow Prince, it’s ready to claim me as its own…forever.

•••••

REVIEW:*trigger warnings are given, so I do advise you to read the warning before starting the book.

What Stella thinks is a dream world, is in fact a reality! As a child it was her favourite place to visit, a safe space where she could leave her worries at the door and play with the boy she met there….. But why has she started to dream about it again? Because her world is a lonely place, she needs a friend. But the last time she dreamed of her castle, it had ended with her being told to leave that world and never return!

Airic has become darker and more sinister with time! He is both elated and terrified that Stella is back in his world and his life. But it’s dangerous for her to be here, being human and being in this realm is forbidden, the consequences are lethal. But the more time he spends with his childhood friend, the harder it gets to send her home….

Wels is a shapeshifter with an agenda! He knows his prince/friend is hiding something, he just has to figure what, and how this will benefit him!

Reis is Airic’s best friend and captain of his guard. A knight with a code of honour, but one look at Stella and Reis is contemplating disobeying his friend and prince to be with Stella!

The story does start out a little slow, but I’m happy gathering all the details about this new world, I don’t mind a slow pace at first, but I do want it to pick up speed as we get further in the storyline, and I’m happy to say it does.

I did like how Wels started out as a bit of a douche! Self cantered and pretty arrogant, but almost immediately he wanted to care and protect Stella, even if he didn’t know why!

Airic just needs to see Stella is there for him, but his fear of Stella getting found in his realm and getting hurt has him pushing her away far too many times! And Reis is becoming Stella’s protector and knight and disobeying his prince more and more!

There is a fair amount of spice in this book (there is also more than one love interest for Stella ?) But it’s M/F at the moment, there is only Stella with I’ve guy at a time. The jealousy they show to Stella when one of the others is around does make me wonder how this book will turn out!

And the twists and turns in this book will keep you wondering who to trust and who to stay clear of! The push/pull dynamic between Airic and Stella does get a little monotonous, either commit or leave her to choose either Wels or Reis! And when she’s finally told why she was banished from this realm, how will Stella react?

Cliffhanger approaching… And it’s a pretty good one, will will have you reaching for the next book in this trilogy.

Off to grab the next book….

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NECESSARY EVIL
Kingdom of Monsters 2
by Harper A Brooks
Genre: adult, paranormal, fantasy, romance, reverse harem

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Release Date: January 26, 2023

A great evil waits for me… And it won’t stop until it swallows me whole.

I’ve been ripped from Dark Castle, thrown back into the mortal world where I don’t belong. Here, they think I’m crazy. They’ve locked me up and forced pills down my throat, telling me I’ve lost my mind.

And maybe I have…

I’ve fallen for three monsters after all. Prince Airic, Knight Reis, and shapeshifter Wels—they are the sinister men of my nightmares and my deepest fantasies. I can still feel their touches, hear their voices in my head, but they’re in danger.

I have to get back to them because if the shadows close in, I can lose everything.

The kingdom. My monsters. And ultimately, myself.

•••••

REVIEW:We pick up right where we left off in book one. You could probably read book two without reading book one, but I’d feel you’d be missing background information.

Poor Stella, one minute she’s sort of living her best life with three men/monsters. And the next, she’s being carted off to a mental institution because she’s screaming about going back to a dark castle and using portals! Being back in the human realm is hard for Stella, watching her men battle Malachi and his dark forces (this is the guy who wants Stella and the Dark Castle and the realm for himself.) then being sucked into a portal without knowing if Airic/Reis/Wels are alive or dead! But an ally helps Stella escape and she has a stone hidden in her home that will help Stella hopefully return to her the sides of her men.

Wels answers her her call for help. Unable to believe he has her back in his arms. He’s aware she’s been with both Airic and Reis the last time she was here, but he’s not worried, in fact with the four of them, they should be able to finally banish Malachi from this realm forever.

Airic was gravelly injured in the last book, but by the time he and Stella are reunited he’s up and as grumpy as ever! I tell ya, he gave me whiplash with his “I need you, but I can’t be with you” vibes, I’m hoping by book three he’s pulled his head out of his a$$ and told Stella how he really feels about her.

Reis (my favourite character) is still the soft hearted one of the group, he takes the guilt about not defending his prince well enough, he feels guilty that he couldn’t stop Malachi from storming the castle and even feels guilty about the feelings he has for Stella! But he is determined to keep his prince alive and keep Stella alive long enough to banish the usurper Malachi.

The story is gathering momentum, the battle lines are being drawn up, can Stella figure out how to use her magic, or will she just be a power source for Airic/Reis and Wels to use to enhance their powers? Alliances are being formed, but there is also beings in this realm who would sell them out in an instant, so they all need to be wary.

Most of the book is dedicated to the foursome trudging through forests and avoiding Malachi’s army (there is a bounty on each head)

And Malachi? Well he’s crowned himself the dark Prince of the realm, a power absolute! But if he can get his hands on Stella…. Well his power will hold no bounds and he’ll be able to conquer the world he truly desires! And when Stella is injured, the three men in her life are at a loss. What do they do? Will they lose her?

This book also ends on a cliffhanger…. Now I need to wait for the last book…..

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WICKED REIGN
Kingdom of Monsters 3
by Harper A Brooks
Genre: adult, paranormal, fantasy, monster, reverse harem, romance

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Release Date: April 27,2023

The darkness is closing in…And I’m the only one who can stop it.

They say I’m the key. The Chosen One. They say I have the power needed to restore Prince Airic to the throne and save the Dark Castle.

If only I knew how to use it.

My monsters are helping me learn, but it’s their bodies that I crave the most. They are the spark that always sets me ablaze… and my magic too. I just need to figure out how to harness our bond and tap into the power within. Somehow. But time isn’t on our side. There are enemies everywhere, danger lurking around every shadowed corner, and a bloody war looming on the horizon.

Controlling the chaotic magic inside me is the only way to take back the kingdom and free its people from Malachi’s wicked reign.

Otherwise, the darkness will devour everything. And this world, along with the monsters I love, will be lost to me forever.

•••••••

REVIEW:Last book in this trilogy. It also starts where the last book ends, so I’d advise reading book one and two before this one.

Wels/Airic and Stella are looking for Reis. (You’ll have to read the last book to find out why he’s missing) with the help of an ally (who betrayed them first) they begin their search.

Stella finally gets all of her questions answered in this book, but not before they find Reis, try to Malachi and save Airic’s realm! She needs to return to her world to find clues, but upon returning, her world no longer looks the same! It looks like to save both worlds Stella needs to solve the prophecy and quick!

We get to read from all the main characters points of view (which I personally like) We get to read Airic and Wels’s sides, to witness them putting aside their differences and being there for one another, for Stella and to bringing home Reis.

Taking on Malachi is a daunting battle, but one they hope to achieve and survive if they all want to be together. He’s not going to be easy to defeat as he grows stronger with each day!

That was a great read. Lots of action and emotion through the book. I really liked how they thought only Stella is the saviour of all worlds, when in fact that’s not the case. It also took a while for Airic to accept both Reis and Wels in Stella’s life, and that’s a different view from all the other #whychoose stories I’ve read, usually the characters are either established in their group and someone comes along and joins them, or they all come together and accept one another straight away. There is also no m/m action, it’s all about Stella ?

I’m hoping we return to this world at some point, but as there wasn’t really anyone else we gathered along the way, it’s highly unlikely.

It’s a great book and a great trilogy, I’d highly recommend it.

*on a personal note, I didn’t feel Airic/Reis/Wels were really monsters. One shifted, one gathered shadows to him, I’ve read other stories with actual monsters, and this one I felt wasn’t a true monster story.

Copies supplied for review

Reviews by Julie B

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Harper A. Brooks may be a Jersey girl at heart, but now she likes to hideout in the mountains of Virginia with bigfoot and all his little woodland friends. Even though classic authors have always filled her bookshelves, she finds her writing muse drawn to the dark, magical, and romantic. When she isn’t creating entire worlds with sexy shifters or legendary love stories, you can find her either with a good cup of coffee in hand or at home snuggling with her furry, four-legged son, Sammy.