The Askaran desert can no longer sustain the secret hybrid population of wolves bred from those sent there to die for their crimes. Justice knows the time has come to lead his wolves to a new life, but soon realizes his pack could never be governed by nor swear fealty to the cruel and despotic Alpha of Solonara—Darius—so he hatches a plan to fight and ultimately kill the Alpha, his heir, and take … take over the territory.
Cashel should not exist. It was unheard of for an Alpha-heir to be born an omega, and Darius has made every day a torment for his son. After spending years failing to breed another heir, and desperate not to have to give his territory away to another pack, he finally turns his attention back to Cashel and a whole new nightmare begins.
Justice’s whole life has been about righting a wrong and delivering the very thing he was named for. Meeting Cashel, and finding out he is his true mate, sends his carefully constructed plans and promises up in flames. When he discovers Darius’s cruelty runs deeper than any of them imagined, he is faced with a last desperate choice between his love for Cashel or his loyalty to his people.
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Hybrids, humans, wolves & rebels, oh my!
What a stunning third book in the Kingdom of Askara saga. I was blown away. The attention to detail, the emotion, the storyline, all keep you involved… from the first pages. Omega “prince” Cashel, abused, starved, neglected and betrayed. Alpha warrior Justice, striving to overthrow the existing regime & bring about a unifying change. Come. Join them as they find the love & courage to embrace their future. HEA is assured… both for Cashel & Justice, and the kingdom. Ooh, did I mention horses? If you have not read the previous two books, please do so now. You will be glad you did. I loved this book… you will, too!
This book contains adult themes and language, mm sex and is intended for mature readers only.
All good things must come to an end. This includes a book series with an incredible premise, awesome plot points, and outstanding characters. I dreaded this audiobook not only as the last book of the series but also because of the challenges the heroes will have to face before getting their happily ever after. Author Victoria Sue is a writer readers can trust for a wonderful forevermore. At points in the narrative, I’ve had to remind myself that this writer can be trusted for a victorious ending.
Werewolf Justice is bound and determined to carve out a better life for his pack–a group of hybrids relegated to the Askaran desert. Running out of water which is essential for absolutely EVERYTHING, they have no choice but to move forward, and moving forward means coming out for a pack whose ancestors were sent to the desert to die for their crimes. Justice and his cohorts have a bold yet necessary plan–to take advantage of the games hosted by the despotic Alpha of Solonara to get close enough to kill him and his heir. Little does he know that the heir is an omega, not an alpha, and is his fated mate.
Cashel is treated with a level of contempt that is brutal being born omega to an alpha incapable of bearing anything but daughters. Succumbing to madness in addition to his monumental greed, Cashel’s father Darius subjects him to all sorts of experiments and treatments designed to make him capable of bearing young. When breeding Cashel to local alphas fails to produce an alpha here, Darius plans the games that will pit the strongest alphas and select betas against each other for the prizes including property, possessions, and his son Cashel. When he understands that Cashel is his mate, destroying the heir becomes an aspect of the plan that gets changed, in spite of the betrayal of loyalty it appears. And quite to Darius’s surprise, Cashel’s undervalued power is used to defeat him and his extensive army without the opponents having to lift a sword.
There’s a very lovely cohesion of the work with all the many elements coming together beautifully both within each book and throughout the series arc. The storylines are strong and plausible, giving readers an awesome experience free of the frustration that can come from writers using the fantasy genre to shortcut! The history of Askara serves as an interconnection for both the werewolves and the human races and suggests their dependence upon each other a persistent undercurrent theme running throughout the entire series. Incredible world-building, exponential character growth, excellent plot development, exemplary pacing, and flawless balance all contribute to making this one EPIC fantasy series. Such a pleasure to read this series for reviews.
Justice and Cashel have it rough, not gonna lie. I loved the world building for this series—I’m going to have to go pick up the rest! This book was fine as a stand-alone, but it’s book 3 of the series! Justice is kind of a jerk and he would deserve it if Cashel told him to pack sand, but Cashel’s strength and power as an omega is fascinating. I’m looking forward to more!
*Audible purchased, Jan 2020*
This is book 3, the final book, in the Kingdom of Askara trilogy. You don’t NEED the other two books for this to make sense, but I personally think it would help a great deal. Just what I think, some others may say you need them. Luca and Kitt (The Alpha King) do pop up, near the end, though and it was fun to catch up with them both.
I said in my review of The Alpha Heir that THAT book was my favourite of the two, and that I had this one to listen to, and would probaby change my mind. Guess what?
THIS one is my favourite of the three!
Justice is descended from the wolves sent out into the desert to die for their crimes. Many generations later, and the desert can no longer keep their population alive. Justice doesn’t want to leave, but he must, for his people. The Games that the evil alpha, Darius, in a close by pack organises is a perfect way to execute the plan that Justice has been years in the making, and alos to take down said evil alpha. Finding the prize of the games is the son of Darius, puts Justice on edge. He shouldn’t be selling his son off. Then Justice meets Cashel and his carefully laid plans a decade in the making are thrown up in the air: Cashel is his mate.
Cashel has led a closeted life, being kept away from the pack, so much pain at his father’s hands, he isn’t really surprised that his father has sold him to whoever is big enough and strong enough to breed an heir for him. But when Cashel is paraded in nothing more than a lion cloth and a butt plug, he knows he really is in trouble this time. Justice is the only one of the competitors in the game who pays any attention to Cashel laps up that attention more than he should. But is Justice really the only way he can be free from his father’s wrath? Can Cashel ever be TRULY free, to just be himself?
Like I said, my favourite of the three! So many twists and turns, some I saw coming, some really came out of left field! Loved that I was kept being surprised right til the end!
For Justice, he knows Cashel is his mate, he has that profound MINE moment. Cashel, though, not so much. His wolf has been so quiet for so long, Cashel wasn’t even sure his wolf was still inside. he doesn’t get that MINE moment til much later in the book, when his wolf comes to the surface following an order from his Alpha. Their attraction is powerful and deep, as only the matings on Askara are, and it isn’t long before Cashel and Justice get some sexy time. hot hot hot!
Darius’ madness goes deep, and his plans for an heir are deadly should his new *mate* produce a girl. His pack is suffering but it isn’t clear, not for a time, just how far he will go to get what he wants, who he will KILL to get what he wants. Horrible listening, when things start to become clear. Horrible.
Michael Pauley narrates this instalment.
He did not narrate books one and two, and I was curious as to how close Pauley could get Joel Leslie’s voices for previous characters. However, because its been a time since I listened, and because there is very little of Luca and Kitt and none of Taegan and Caleb, it didn’t really matter if they didn’t match. Not to me, anyway.
Pauley does a great job though!
He gets over all of Justice’s worry about his pack, his people, his mate. He gets over all of Cashel’s pain of what he has suffered at the hands of his father and his plans. Listening to what Darius was doing, planned to do, HAD done to cashel was awful, and it made me cry in places.
Pauley’s reading voice is deep and even, and I had no trouble deciphering multi person conversations. I kept up with everything and everyone.
It’s a shame these had to end, and maybe, one day, Ms Sue can write a follow up to these stories, just to catch up with everyone and with the Kingdom of Askara and how things how changed, hopefully for the better.
5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration
5 stars overall.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**