ON THE FIRST DAY SHE MET HER MATCH. THEN SHE KILLED 16 MEN.Tossed into the gladiator arena, the delicate girl in the fancy pink dress should have been the first to die. Leyli had other plans. Surviving was at the top of her list. Revenge was a close second.Having grown up behind the sheltered walls of the Oberhame Palace, she knew what the crowd wanted. Norihame had built their culture from the … Norihame had built their culture from the scraps of their neighbors. Gladiators were just one part. Evidently, political coups were another, and she’d just become a pawn in the games of men. But why was she still alive? They’d killed her brother, the heir to the throne. Had they gotten to her father? Was the king dead?
In the cell beside her, the Lion of Lenlochlien was impressed.The first day, they all cried. Men, women, it didn’t matter. But this one was different. Her tears didn’t slow her down, they just made her stronger, and when he looked in her eyes, he saw it. Her desperation was feral. It meant she wouldn’t hesitate to do what she had to. She might be cornered, but that bitch was the kind that would bite.
When he offered advice, she took it. When he told her how to be better, she tried. When she kept coming back after each round, he dared to hope that she’d survive.He had no idea that he was about to become her best weapon. Leyli didn’t just want to live through the games, she wanted to protect her father’s throne, but to do that, she had to become someone else. She couldn’t be the Princess of Norihame. The Lion had to make her a Wolf.
Chained side by side, he’ll show her how to be a killer. She’ll give him a reason to keep fighting. Together, they’ll learn that it takes a friend to survive.
When We Were Kings is a complete novel without a cliffhanger ending.
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Gladiators, kingdoms, a princess kidnapped. I really expected unrealistic frail, oh Too Stupid to Live females.
Boy was I wrong. This book grabs you from page one and you can’t wait to keep going. To tell you how much I liked it, I bought the first book on a sale for .99. I finished it that night and bought the next two full price. I loved this world, the characters and I need to go see what else this author has written. After I get all the things done I haven’t for the last three days.
If you’re looking for the perfect, fairy-tale romance, where everything is just right for the main characters, this is not the book you want.
But, if you’re looking for a book with an everlasting love story that’s angsty and beautiful in it’s imperfectness, THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU.
Y’all, this book. This whole series. Words cannot describe how much I loved this book and the following books.
The titles, especially this one, WHEN WE WERE KINGS . . .
The covers–Leyli is one strong, bad@$$ heroine. And a solo female on the cover is so fitting.
Then, there’s the story. Even now, as I write this post, my heart feels as if it’ll burst. This story was a heartbreaking and beautiful story of pure, selfless and unconditional love. Of devotion. Of loyalty. And of friendship. An enduring friendship and love which survived the test of time, class, and politics.
My heart ached so much for the main characters. It broke. And it was put back together piece by piece. I laughed. I cried. And I cheered.
I read all the books through Kindle Unlimited, then I went back and bought the boxset. I loved them that much!
Auryn is the master at writing strong and evolving characters, while building works and weaving themes throughout that force the reader to think and contemplate. I can never put her books down without living a myriad of emotions and feeling better for the experience!
Wow this was such an incredible book!
Ley is not your typical princess-she’s strong, stubborn, a quick learner and willing to do whatever it takes to survive when she’s sold as a gladiator.
Lion is one of the best gladiators and sees something in Ley and decides to help her. Together as Lion and Wolf they become a formidable fighting pair and become best friends. But it’s a race to see whether they can get free before they lose a fight…..
Just brilliant and I can’t wait for the next book!!
I have a lot I’d like to say about this book, but I doubt you’d have the time to read it. This is one of my all time favorite books! As of April 2017 there are some things about this story that will drive certain people nuts, though I’ve heard there are edits coming. The plot holes here never bothered me much because I loved the characters and their interactions so much that I turned a mostly blind eye them. I saw them, I just didn’t care because I wanted to know more. I enjoy this author’s writing very much, but it was this book that hooked me forever. She changed the expectations and accepted behavior for the leads and I’m still waiting to see what the future holds in store for them.