[ 606 ]

Mar. 23rd, 2024 05:15 pm
katara: (Sailor Moon .:. 1)
[personal profile] katara

A Court of Hearts and Hunger by Rebecca F. Kenney




Series:
Wicked Darlings #2

Genre:
Holiday, Retellings, Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance, the Fae, Smut, Erotica, Multiple Points of View, Book Series, Fiction, Adult, Spicy Romance, Steamy Romance, Paranormal, Dark Romance, Fairytales, Unseelie and Seelie, Forced Proximity, Alice and Wonderland

Publication Date:
March 31, 2023

Pages Numbers:
443

Read Date:
March 23rd, 2024

Date Finished:
March 23rd, 2024

Rating:
5/5

Blurb:


Just as Clara and her sister are settling into their new life, Drosselmeyer sends a desperate message to the Seelie Court. With Lir and Louisa occupied elsewhere, Clara and Finias (the Sugarplum Faerie) have no choice but to respond and forge deep into Unseelie Territory, where a cruel Queen, known as the Eater of Hearts, has taken the throne. As they infiltrate the Court of Dread, Finias and Clara are forced to keep their relationship a secret. Meanwhile, the ravenous victims of the Queen, called the Heartless, turn the Unseelie kingdom into a far more dangerous place than usual.

Brimming with drama, horror, and spice, this sequel to "A Court of Sugar and Spice" brings back Clara and Finias, while introducing new characters like the fiendishly hot Cheshire Cat, the enigmatic Rabbit, the terrifying Queen, and more.

TW/CW: murder, gore, violence, light bond-age, primal play, public actitivies, se-x-ual threat, reference to past se-x-ual abuse, medical play, size play, can-ni-bal-ism, drug use.

Review:


A Court of Hearts and Hunger is the second book in the series titled, Wicked Darlings, with a dark retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Sisters Clara and Louisa have settled into their new lives in the Seelie Court. Blissful. Happy lives. That is until Clara receives a message from her godfather, Drosselmeyer, who witnessed his maid, Alice, being taken from the grounds of his home by the White Rabbit along with a powerful book. As Clara and Finias set out to rescue Alice and the book, they must navigate the Unseelie Realm where a heart-eating queen sits on her throne and her heartless beings roam the lands.

Since I started this series, I have come to love Clara and her Sugarplum Faery. I love their devotion to each other. The Sugarplum Faery is so protective of her that he will leave Alice and the book to their fates. He doesn't want anything to happen to Clara and that is the devotion anyone would desire.

Also, I love that we have Alice and she is quite inquisitive which sets her apart from the other humans the White Rabbit has brought to his lair and I think this slightly disarms him in a way. And then there is the Chesire cat, quite the bonus character. I love both of them.

I have come to enjoy this series. It's fresh. It's different from all the other dark romances. It offers us retellings of our favorite stories with a dark, smutty twist that will keep you superglued from the first page to the last. Ms. Kenney's characters are complex, with layers that are slowly peeled back throughout the story, making them feel more real and intriguing. The steamy scenes are incredibly well-written and have just the right amount of heat to keep you hooked. I can't wait to see what other twisted tales Ms. Kenney has in store for us in the future.

Similar Books:


Trick Shot by Kayla Grosse
A Ship of Bones & Teeth by Karina Halle
Hollow by Karina Halle

[ 576 ]

Dec. 15th, 2023 03:45 am
katara: (Emperor .:. 1)
[personal profile] katara

A Court of Sugar and Spice by Rebecca F. Kenney




Series:
Wicked Darlings #1

Genre:
Holiday, Retellings, The Nutcracker, Christmas, Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance, the Fae, Smut, Erotica, Dual Points of View, Book Series, Fiction, Adult, Spicy Romance, Steamy Romance, Paranormal, Enemies to Lovers, Dark Romance, Fairytales, Unseelie and Seelie, Forced Proximity

Publication Date:
January 1, 2022

Pages Numbers:
373

Read Date:
December 14th, 2023

Date Finished:
December 15th, 2023

Rating:
4.75/5

Blurb:


With their inheritance restricted until their marriage, sisters Clara and Louisa, both in their twenties, must live with their godfather Drosselmeyer. One night, an accident brings to life one of the strange wooden dolls in Drosselmeyer's mansion. The Nutcracker doll is a cursed Fae prince, and he pleads for the sisters' help. During the ensuing journey into the Fae realm, Clara encounters the handsome Sugarplum Faerie, and he promises her the chance to enact all the forbidden. fantasies she has dreamed of. Meanwhile Louisa and the Nutcracker Prince battle and bicker over everything, despite the growing attraction between them. And to make matters worse, the entire Seelie kingdom is under threat of conquest by the Rat King, ruler of the Dread Court.

This is a spicy, adult, fantasy romance retelling of "The Nutcracker" fairytale.

Trigger warnings are available on the author's website and in the front matter of the book.

Review:


A Court of Sugar and Spice is a spicy retelling of the beloved tale The Nutcracker. The story is told from the dual points of view of sisters Louisa and Clara. After the death of their father, the girls are sent to their godfather, Drosselmeyer, to live. But the girls start to realize that there is more to the dolls in his home. One night, Louisa's finger is pricked by a splinter and her blood awakens the nutcracker. When the girls learn of his curse and his plight to return to his home, they offer their help determined to get the cursed prince to the pool that would help end his curse. Upon their arrival, they find the Unseelie army led by the Rat King has taken over the Kingdom. Add a deliciously seductive Sugarplum Faerie into the mix and you have a delightful and smutty retelling.

I found myself mildly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. This is the first book I have come across with a unique retelling of The Nutcracker. The characters and world-building are beautifully crafted with a determination to draw the reader in and keep them glued to the edge of their seats by investing their emotions into the characters and their world.

The only downside to this book was Louisa. I don't know why but I just did not like her character. She seemed to be too pushy when it came to sex especially when the prince's mind had been on returning to his original self and saving the kingdom. I get that she enjoyed sex but I did not like how her entire character seemed to revolve around it. I often found myself skipping any of her scenes in favor of Clara and Fin.

Who would NOT want to spend more time with Fin and Clara, especially the chase, the rescue, and the hot smut scenes? Louisa and Lir did not have that type of chemistry as the former did. It was there hot and steamy and I was there for it happily.

Final Thought:


This book exceeded my expectations. I loved everything about this book and I am quite looking forward to reading the next one in the series. It was a truly enjoyable read that I didn't want to put down. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys well-developed characters and immersive world-building that will keep you turning the page.

Similar Books:


Trick Shot by Kayla Grosse
A Ship of Bones & Teeth by Karina Halle
Hollow by Karina Halle

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