“I do.”Two words that signed over my soul to a monster, all to save a kingdom I knew little about. This isn’t a fairy tale. No knights in shining armor, only kings fighting for power. And my heart is the key.A game designed to shatter even the harshest of resolves.My husband wants to debase me. To break me. To destroy my spirit. To possess every inch of my soul through acts so heinous, I can … through acts so heinous, I can hardly breathe. And he’s using six men to do it. Including him. Adrik, Prince of Noxia.
Desire.
Such a wicked twist of fate. Happily-Ever-After may not exist here, but amorous energy rises after a night of unbridled passion. A night I should hate, but don’t.. A night I long to repeat.
“I love you.”
A statement I will never say. Not even to him–my dark prince who plays in the shadows, engaging me in a forbidden dance of hope and adoration. He promises me a new crown, in exchange for my heart.
Vengeance
I will not be owned.
I will rise above them all.
And the only crown I will wear is the one drenched in their blood.
Author’s Note: This is a dark paranormal romance. Please read the author’s note at the beginning (available in the “look inside” feature) if you have any concerns about dark content.
***
“No permanent damage,” Necros finally said. “She might be barren, but I want her alive.”
Of course you do, I thought. He wanted her power, same as I did. “So only leave wounds that will heal under immortality?” Again the question was for the benefit of our audience. It would be such a shame to harm someone so gorgeous.
Necros nodded. “Blood is fine. You can even break bone. But only if she can recover without a scar. If I can’t breed her, I might as well use her body for other means.”
Another benefit of having her trained, I supposed.
Not that I agreed with any of this.
But I had to play along to get what I needed–her heart.
“Understood,” I murmured, tracing the tip of my dagger down her corseted top. Her breathing remained steady as she floated in some faraway place, her imagination overtaking her reality. Alas, I couldn’t allow her to stay there. I needed her focus and compliance to achieve my goal. “I want to teach you something, Valora,” I said, my weapon nearing her belly button. “An important lesson on participation.”
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*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
Whoa buddy what a ride this book was. Valora has been raised to fill the role assigned to her with nothing else added. This is why it is such a shock when her vows turn horrible as she is essentially taken for the first time in front of the everyone and this is only the beginning. I must say it takes no time at all for me to wish death upon her horrible husband though the other option don’t sound all that great either. With one lone exception that could very well turn out to be her salvation if she can survive that long. A riveting dark paranormal romance that will have you rooting for the female MC to come into her own while wishing death upon all the others. The next book in the series should be quite interesting as well with a set up like this. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
WOW just WOW!! What can I say I was captured by this book as soon as I started It, I knew I was going to enjoy, and enjoy I did.
It gripped my mind and heart and kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to see how this story was going to unfold.
I absolutely loved it. It’s darkness fed my love for dark reads!
Lexi C Foss is a new author to me but her co-writing with Anna Edwards definitely worked, this story flowed really well and was so well written that I got so into it and the brillant characters that these authors made come to life, I didn’t want it to end!
I was totally lost to this story.
I will be honest this is not my usual go to genre, but being dark which is my favourite genre made me give it a go and I’m so glad I did, I can’t believe how long I had this little gem! sitting on my kindle.
I’m really starting to get hooked to paranormal/fantasy, maybe it will become my new go to genre.
I can highly recommend this book and these authors.
I’m so glad I don’t have to wait for book 2 because its live now!
Yay I’m off to read…
Happily Ever Crowned by Anna Edwards and Lexi C. Foss is a tale of the abuse of power. In this book, Valora is given in marriage to King Necros of the Underworld Kingdom of Calucon as a Royal hostage to keep her kingdom of Graystall safe. This is a twisted type of underworld fairy tale where the princess becomes queen under the worst possible conditions and her husband is a sadist. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart with lots of trigger scenes of abuse towards women. There are a lot of graphic sexual scenes. I enjoyed reading it but want to stress that it is definitely for a mature 18+ audience. Happily Ever Crowned is a twisted underworld fairy tale.
Devilishly delicious! A dark and seductive new series that blew me away. I loved it! The characters were raw and real coming to life off the pages. I loved their story.
The book was fast paced full of suspense, mystery and sexy sweet romance.
Be warned: This book is extremely dark and is not for the faint-hearted. Despite this, I’m glad I continued reading until the end because it was a wonderful read. I’ll admit, I mostly purchased the paperback because of the beautiful cover, but now I’m looking forward to the next in the series.
This story is something else. It gives a new name to cruel and unusual punishment. The darkness in the story is borderline psychotic and the scenes, omg the scenes are amazing. I loved it all
These two author’s did a great job on this book. Anna is a favorite of mine and Lexi is becoming one too.
This story is about the power of the underworld. Who has it, who wants it, who thinks they have it, and who it really belongs to. The Queen of Caluçon has been put on her throne, but all is not as it’s supposed to be. The King of Caluçon has decided to plan a ball for his wife, so she can get “adjusted” to her new life, but when she realizes what he wants to happen, the queen is mortified. There are several man who are tasked with entertaining the wife, but out of all of them one of them stands out. The Prince of Noxia, is hell bent on getting what is rightfully his, but when the Queen becomes an ally, his plans and purpose changes. By the end of the book you will see who gets what.
This book was really great. The story and characters are very well written. This book is hard to put down. I highly recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was pretty different from what I usually read…much darker. But it still managed to not head into turn off territory for me, despite the darker themes. Valora is a very interesting character. Often, in these types of books, the lead female starts very weak and becomes a badass. I never really felt that Valora was weak. She definitely comes into her own through the book, but she does it without ever really seeming like she couldn’t stand on her own two feet. Overall, it was a good book, and I’m sure I’ll be reading whatever comes next.
This was a deliciously dark and depraved read! I do enjoy my dark, twisted romances, don’t judge! If you’re one that needs trigger warnings, then you might want to be careful… if you’re like me, and warnings just make you one click faster… then go ahead and one click this baby! You’ll love Adrik, hate Necros and feel for Valora! It’s a dark, twisty thrill ride of a book!
Wow. Dark, powerful, gut-wrenching, twisted, steamy and amazing.
This book takes you to the depths of hell literally as well as figuratively, and whilst not the very blackest of black it certainly had its moments. Whilst a lot of the darkness is implied or referred to in retrospect there are still plenty of edgy dub-con and non-con moments. In fact we get a very graphic and disturbing scene fairly close to the start and totally necessary to set the tone of the story.
I absolutely adored both Valora and Adrik, they had depth and, despite being paranormal creatures, felt both real and believable. Valora could so easily have felt weak but somehow this talented pair of authors kept her head above water and gave us a woman with huge depths of compassion and an inner strength that even she never suspected at. There was some pretty decent world building too, perhaps not the most complex I’ve read but more than sufficient to allow the story to hold its own.
Adrik had every intention of being a bad man but just had far too kind a heart. He was a wonderful hero and, for me, the story worked better that way as opposed to Valora having a magical vajayjay that miraculously alters his personality! It was great to see both characters grew and mature during this story, and in a way that felt entirely natural. Their connection and relationship was also well portrayed, and again was totally believable.
The story had an excellent mix of passion, evil and intrigue with some twists at the end that will leave your head spinning – even though the authors dropped a few little breadcrumb clues at the start! I loved that there wasn’t instant forgiveness of certain people for their actions but that Valora didn’t rule it out either.
And that little epilogue has me panting for the next book!
Happily Ever Crowned is a dark, intense romance and this author collaboration is fantastic. This story is delicious and filled with drama, danger, suspense, steam, a unique storyline, intriguing, well developed characters and an amazing world that captivated me. I can’t wait to read the next book in The Underworld Royals series.
Not a Fan of Fairy Tale stories, but c’mon Anna Edwards? Enough said! Teamed up with Lexi C, Foss what a combo!
These gals did a terrific job weaving a story seamlessly! Valora has only known loneliness, waiting for her time to marry Necros. Lucifer shares a prophesy on her wedding day, that she doesn’t understand, but soon becomes apparent. This is a very dark story, it’s twisted and depraved nothing like the Fairy Tales you read as a child! I loved it!
4.75 stars
Hell has never looked so dark as these two authors have delved deep to set one troublesome tone for the story that follows. I will caution those with triggers to proceed with caution as mentioned in the author’s note in the blurb. That being said, it is an encompassing read from start to finish. Valora is the chosen one to wed Necros, King of the Dead, in order to save her kingdom. Living a life of being coddled, she never expected what would befall her once she was tied to her intended. Helping her cope with her new life, Adrik is charged with helping to “train” Valora. Determined and steadfast, Valora is not one who breaks easily and she has a few secrets up her sleeve. Adrik has his own reasons for trying to sway Valora to his way of thinking. These two together are incendiary and their journey is not one that can be walked by the weak of heart. Although they are creatures with paranormal tendencies, watching the way their relationship unfurled came across as real and authentic. This is one well written storyline with drama, passion, twists and a hefty dose of comeuppance that is richly deserved. I cannot wait to see where these authors take readers next,
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
To begin this recommendation, I need to warn you that this book is DARK – much darker than anything else that Lexi C. Foss has ever written. (This is the first book that I have read by Anna Edwards, so I don’t have any comparison for her.) That said, I absolutely LOVED Happily Ever Crowned! This world, even as cruel as it is, drew me in and made me want more. The characters are wonderfully crafted, and the story is impossible to put down. The plot is full of intrigue, mystery, cruelty, revenge and lust. If you like dark reads, check this one out today, and you will not be sorry!
3.5 rating. Tells the story of Valora, who was promised to the King of Calucon when she was practically a baby. She is sent to live with his family until it’s time to get married. Necros is an awful man and Valora is treated horribly. Prince Adrik comes to the kingdom with a hidden agenda involving Valora. I enjoyed reading how Necros ended up (he deserved it!) and the surprise…..well, not gonna spoil it for you. You’ll just have to read the book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Happily Ever Crowned is like nothing else I’ve read before. It’s a dark, paranormal with a twisted edge – it was an absolutely fantastic read..
Valora has been forced to marry a demon who has been raising her since her parents gave her away. She wants him dead, for all the things he’s done to her and subjected her to. No one should treat a Queen the way he does.
Adrik has his reasons for wanting the King of the Dead, dead – he destroyed his home and his parents. He has a plan and knows what he has to do, but can he still go through with it after spending time with the Queen.
They’re both drawn to each other through a connection that they share. Unbeknownst to them, there is a reason for the connection. When secrets are revealed, everything falls into place.
I absolutely loved Valora and Adrik’s story. I’m looking forward to reading more of the Underworld Royals.
I’m a big fan of Anna Edwards’ work so was drawn to reading Happily Ever Crowned but my first read by Lexi C. Foss. I have now found another author to look into.
This story is dark and twisted but lord is it good. It is extremely well written and developed. It is a story that has you spellbound by its twists and turns throughout it. It is full of mystery, action, suspense and a mix of love thrown in a world that has none. The characters are throughly developed and have personalities that are felt as you read the story. It is gripping and heartbreaking all at once. It is a must read!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A very dark and twisted fairytale that you won’t want to miss. Full of twist and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. These two have brought us some wonderful characters with an amazing storyline. So glad I gave this one a chance!
Hell’s Bells!!! That was intense!
This has to be one of the most engaging captivating and heart-stopping reads of this year!
Two of my must-read authors together
Edwards and Foss
Not a combination I ever foresaw
But Lucifer’s blessings did it work!
Valora was raised to be the queen of Calucon – The wife to king Necros. It was her duty to her kingdom – a kingdom she only knew from afar… I’m not giving away anything else if I can help it.
How Valora survived the absolute horror that was her life will always elude me. I am not sure if her spirit was just that stubborn or if her need for revenge was just that powerful.
She was everything a heroine should be.
She had been molded, misguided and misused from the moment she took her first breath (wait for that revelation ). But something or someone pulled back the veil and well you know the rest – The truth shall set you free.
All hail the Queen!?
Necros… what can I say about that horrid pile of wasted space?
A king that’s a joke if there ever was one. He was powerful in his own right and yeah he ruled a kingdom, but he was not a true ruler.
He was debauchery, selfishness, insanity and the absolute worst of mans’ darkest desires all wrapped up in a covering of flesh. He made me ill
Adrik… our sort of hero/anti-hero.
He knows what he has to do.
He knows the prophecy.
He also acknowledges that it will cost a life.
But what is the life of one over the loss of a whole race?
The reclamation of a kingdom?
It may just be – Everything.
This story takes the reader into the darker corners of fiction exposing the reader to the actions of the perverse, the unjust, the bloodthirsty and the outright depraved.
There is very little light at the beginning of this story. Some rays do breakthrough midway and here and there through the story –
But if playing in the dark isn’t your thing you might want to rethink this journey
Heed the warnings
I myself, love the darker aspects of fiction and find I need the next in series now!!
This does NOT end on a cliff hanger, it is a complete story for these two characters.
I originally read a comp copy but I have pre-ordered a copy.
Valora has never been her own, she was promised to the King of Death. This way her parents and their subject are safe from him. The wedding is
finally happening, she doesn’t want to do it, but she will go through with it. But her wedding is not what it was supposed to be, her husband is
is showing his true colors now.
Necro’s thinks he got what he wants, he will do anything to get it. That means doing everything he can to break his new bride. He decides to bring a group
of men to together to break her. One of the men is Adrick, but Necros doesn’t know what he is truly up too.
Valdora has been humilated and thrown to the wolves by her husband, he even had her only friend attacked. When Adrick enters the picture, she
doesn’t know what to think or do about it.
The both of them will work together to bring down the King of Death, but they both are holding back. Adrick will help her work her magic, while
not giving her the full truth.
When the worst happens, Adrick realizes his true feelings for Valora. He will tell her everything he has been hiding. Only then can they take on the King.
There are alot of twist and trues to this story, this is a dark story, with alot of things people might find not for them.
This was an interesting story,the plot gets lost sometimes in with the more darker aspects of this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.