So…as it turns out, I really am Lucifer’s Daughter. Hell’s Heir. And—you guessed it—the next Queen of the Damned. But what if I don’t want to rule?With the imp in hiding, and Josh gone from this world, I still wasn’t safe. Not by a long shot. Dear ol’ Dad didn’t just pass on his legacy and mark. He also passed on all of Hell’s problems, and that means his enemies, are now mine.Fortunately for … now mine.
Fortunately for me, I have the Four Horsemen, my banshee best friend, and a pissed off raccoon on my side.
But now I have the beast to contend with. My psychotic, possessive, and downright scary alter-ego was dead set on having the Horsemen, not only at my back, but in my bed. As if learning to control the flames of Hell wasn’t a hard enough job by itself.
Would it have been too hard for Lucifer to write a handbook before he died?
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A perfect follow on, I was not disappointed.
I dove right into book 2 after I finished book 1 because I was already super invested in these characters and storyline. I will say book 2 wasn’t as exciting to me as book 1, but I liked it regardless. I thought at times this was slower paced, in terms of the plot, and then the relationships would progress than take 100 steps back haha. I love the angst and tension don’t get me wrong, but I would have loved to get some extended happy/sexy moments between them haha. I don’t want to give too much away, but I did enjoy the protectiveness and loyalty Laran showed, how some of the others wanted to be the next marked haha, and Moira and Bandit’s antics haha. I felt for Ruby a lot in this one, there were a lot of emotions going on and her powers and demon were becoming out of control which didnt make it better. I was super intrigued by how everything ended (didnt see some things coming which was cool). Went right into book 3
For narration, like I mentioned in book 1’s review. I thought the accents got super muddled as the series went on. I thought the emotional connection improved and was highlighted, but I thought Hollie got a little confused what some of the guys were supposed to be sounding like. 4/5 stars from me again.
If you love RH and love demons, powers and other supernatural creatures (and not quite normal pet raccoons haha), you will thoroughly enjoy this series
A lot has happened in such a short amount of time. Ruby’s powers don’t seem to have a limit. Powers that she apparently isn’t suppose to have until after she transitions. The guys are annoying but are easy to get attached to. Moira is apparently more important than any of them even realized, and it seems their time is up on the news about Lucifer. Seems the guys were not lying when they said everyone would be gunning for Ruby once the news broke out about her daddy dearest. And things got even more interesting at the cliffhanger.
Can’t wait to start book 3!
Book review of Wicked Games (Queen of the Damned Book 2) by Kel Carpenter
A great follow up to an amazing start to a series … off to grab book 3!
I love this series so far. Ruby, Moira, and the horsemen and of course Bandit the trash panda. I love how this book starts where the first book left off. They all go through so much in this book. Ruby starts to come into her own now to protect who she sees as hers. I love the slow burn action packed story so far. I can’t wait to see what happens in the book to come and how her relationships progress and what will happen after she transitions. I’m so excited for book 3!
Just like book 1 of this series, Lucifer’s Daughter, I absolutely love this story. The MC is a strong yet flawed beauty. The men in her life are everything a woman could hope for and desire. Kel is a wonderful story teller.
I really enjoyed the first book so I was happy when I got the opportunity to review this one early. hs first book was good and catchy but this was even better if I may say. Or at least I enjoyed it more. Wicked games is a slow burn reverse harem story, and I will be honest I prefer my RH with a less of a slow burn aspect and more of a steamy edge. However this book has such a fast pace and unique balance to it with a couple of quite spicy moment here and there that I didn’t mind development of the romance one bit. I absolutely loved this book.
I think we can all agree that the author has a pretty smooth and kind of lilting writing style which is a treat to read and really engaging.
The plot of this book concentrated more on Ruby personality and her struggles than whole daughter of Lucifer demon threat as in the previous book. I personally liked Ruby snarky and laid back character in the first book as well but in this one her character development is something phenomenal. She starts out a bit closed off and her starting policy is avoiding her problems and the horsemen. She pissed me off a bit there but she needed to fight of her human upbringing and start to act as a demon, for this she needed some time to think about it. However, I loved how she became when she accepted her heritage. I see great things coming from her.
As for the horseman, it was strange because while they still had their own chapters their presence wasn’t as strong as in the first book. They left some space for Ruby to process thing, well except maybe Laran who was pushy as heck all the way along. We still get to know more about them but not as intertwined with Ruby story as before.
I didn’t like Moira in the first book because she was so overly possessive about Ruby, okay she was still like that in here as well but we also get to see the reasons behind her actions.
Wicked games was a phenomenal and perfectly enjoyable read. For me it felt a bit strange how every character kinda avoided explaining more than absolutely necessary about the whole situation even if it could clear quite a few things up but I guess the author just doesn’t want to spoil anything before the right time. I’m really looking forward to the next book because the ending was just enticing enough to keep the suspense up.
Wicked Games picks up right where Lucifer’s Daughter left off and cannot be read as a stand-alone. I’ll be honest, I felt I benefited from a quick re-read of the end of book one to get me right into Wicked Games.
Ruby Morningstar has a lot on her plate after discovering she is supposed to be the next ruler of Hell. She’s not quite ready to take over that duty yet, as she isn’t ready to let go of the human aspects of her life, even though she isn’t half human as she always thought. She’s almost ready to transition, and she’s in a battle for control with the beast living within her.
The Beast is ready to protect those Ruby cares about most . . .Moira and Bandit. She’s also ready to claim her mates. And, the Horsemen are more than ready to be claimed . . . except they know that keeping Ruby safe and from transitioning before she is ready is their top priority.
Even though she wants space, it’s no longer safe, so one of the Horsemen is always near. They not only help to ground the Beast within Ruby, but are also needed to keep her safe from all of the enemies that want to keep her from taking over as mistress of Hell.
As threats continue to come after Ruby, she forced to start thinking less like the person she used to be and more like Lucifer’s daughter. She’s also getting to spend more time with each of the Horsemen, and the slow burn of a romance while they wait for her to claim them is enjoyable and hot as can be.
Can the Horsemen keep things status quo until Ruby’s ready to claim her throne or will all hell break loose . . .literally . . .
I am really loving just how unique this series is. Ruby and Moira as amazing besties and their snark and banter truly shows just how much they love one another and how their relationship works. Bandit the raccoon is also an amazing character. There’s something about him that I haven’t quite figured out yet, and I can’t wait to see just what it is. Each Horsemen also truly brings something unique to the table and together will be everything that Ruby and the Beast need to keep them happy and in check. I also loved getting to know each of the Horsemen a bit more in this book.
Wicked Games is action packed from start to finish as Ruby and the Beast have to deal with threats from both the human and supernatural realm. The author does a tremendous job of blending action, suspense, humor and romance into this series and, as a reader I can’t wait for more and to see what happens next in this thrilling adventure. 4.5 stars.
A wickedly vicious read!
She’s Lucifer’s Daughter…
The next ruler of Hell…
Will she accept?
And will she find the imp and destroy him?
Before it’s too late…
What a ride! I thoroughly enjoyed this book – so wonderfully written and descriptive.
The MC is such a bada** gal – I absolutely admire and respect the hell out of her. She is such an incredible character – so loyal and, now, unapologetic. I may or may not have a crush on her! And the guys – oh holy hell! Things definitely get steamy and interesting in this book.
We get to see the friendship between the MC and her bestie and how far back it extends – how loyal they are to each other and how much they care for one another. Really great seeing that!
Full of demons, demon hunters, horsemen, succubus, banshee, action, adventure, loyalty, trust and attraction.
Perfect for readers of paranormal reverse harem romances/urban fantasy.
Our heroine is trying to come to terms with just what she is. She hopes to keep her independence but the horsemen, her own inner beast and a pesky human have other ideas. The past refuses to stay in the past and her enemies are drawing closer.
This is a sexy story with lots of danger and adventure . It is part of a series and must be read in order. The relationship between our heroine and all the other characters is very complicated.
A very enjoyable read.
Title: Wicked Games
Author: Kel Carpenter
Genre: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Format: Ebook – ARC
Pages: 188
Rating: 5
Heat: 5
Thoughts: Oh damn that was so freaking good, and over way too quickly!! And there’s something odd about the trash panda, I’m not sure what yet, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t act like a normal raccoon. (Can I have book 3 now?) Seriously, this series is so good. And in this one we got little snippets of the guys POVs which was awesome! (Can I have book 3 now?). There’s really no way to just pick one of the horsemen, each is perfect in different ways. Good thing having a harem of book boyfriends is legal because these four are definitely worth having as book boyfriends! (Seriously, can I have book 3 now?). I think the best part was Ruby’s revenge, that had me laughing so freaking hard, like this needs to be a tv series or something just so I can see that (sorry, no spoilers. I know, I’m evil lol). I so can’t wait to read the next book (I’m sure you haven’t figured that out yet).