Yes - I like fairytale romances.:-)
by Shona Husk
- Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (October 1, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1402259859
- ISBN-13: 978-1402259852
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0
Product Description:
Cursed by a Druid millennia ago, Roan lives a bleak existence in the
Shadowlands, desperately trying to retain his soul and not succumb to
the goblin horde. When a beautiful human summons him to grant a wish, he
sees a glimmer of hope. But will she ever agree to be his queen?
Review: Here are Goblins you can really like.
Roan, the last King of his clan, was unfairly cursed a thousand years ago. Roan might have given up over the years but the curse also included his brothers and members of his clan. There were six originally but now only three remain. The others were killed in goblin wars, lost the struggle to remain human and succumbed to the lore of gold and became fully Goblin or killed themselves rather than become goblin. One of the same fates await Roan and his brothers unless they can find a way to end the curse.
Roan is summoned by Eliza when she is threatened by her power grabbing fiancé, Steve. Eliza had called on the Goblin King to rescue her nine years earlier when she was only 15. She can’t remember the details but has had vague dreams and a warm sense that the Goblin King is real and can help her.
Note - If you read The Summons (available at Kindle, Barnes & Noble or ITunes) it tells the earlier encounter and I think helped the flow of this book.
When Roan recognizes Eliza he is even more convinced that she should stay in Shadowland and become his Queen. Roan and his brother, Dai, think perhaps a woman who would come willingly to be Queen could break the curse. Eliza sees good still in Roan and wants to help but she doesn’t really want to stay in the land of greed, rot and death. And why would she want to leave one loveless relationship for a guy who doesn't even have a heart to love with?
If Roan keeps Eliza he would be risking trapping her in Shadowland when he turns full Goblin and has no recollection of her. Can they find a way to compromise to be together or a way to break the curse before the lure of greed overcomes him or he dies trying to kill the druid who now threatens Eliza?
I was not familiar with the Goblin King legends so this was all new and fun to me. I really liked these characters and was rooting for Roan and Dai. I felt the disappointments when the curse wasn’t broken by the actions they hoped would work. The story moved quickly and was an entertaining read. I liked Dai’s character as well and hope he finds a HEA in his book although I can’t imagine how the next book could have the magic and deadline of doom suspense that helped drive this book.
On a personal note - My main disappointment with
The Goblin King was that the cover didn’t show Roan’s beaded dreadlocks which were described so nicely in the book. Oddly dreads aren’t something I normally like but I liked the amber beads that made music for Roan and Eliza.
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Thank you to Sourcebooks for this book to review and for offering two books for giveaway.
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