I won't lie, the first part of their pairing is a bit brutal and savage, but it's fiction and rape and pillage doesn't bother me in a story if it's told well and redemption is key here. These men are savages but they are all so sweet deep down. This book is full of Alpha males, I was in heaven. He's a husband, he's a king, he's a man but remember above all, my queen, always remember, above all, he...is...a warrior.” I fell in love with Dax, right along with Circe. Here was this super-tough, barbarous bad-ass, who truly couldn't understand why his behaviors were so off-putting to his new wife. Even as he was determined to dominate her, he was saddened to think of his actions crushing her spirit in any way. He wanted her to submit to him, while loving the fight and her spirit. Thankfully, about 85% of this one was worth reading every word. And yes, I read all the other 15% too, bc SOMEONE made me.

I am your husband. I will keep you safe and I will do it by keeping my feet on this earth, breathing the air and being there to make you safe. Do you understand this?”Which is what he does. He hunts, captures and rapes her. I won't lie, it was hard to read. Circe is claimed and crowned "the golden queen" to her new warrior husband. Things don't get much easier. Circe does not speak the language, she can't make herself clear. So the violations keeps happening... He doesn't talk to her and just keeps taking... As gory as this story is, as cruel as its warrior king hero could be, this is one of the best of KA’s romances, in my opinion. The language barrier, the cultural and moral differences… so much stood in the way of The Warrior King Lahn and his Golden Queen Circe getting their happily ever after. But they knew what they had, what they could have, and they ached for it, reached for it, bled for it... and when they finally got it, it was a beautiful, amazing thing. There are a couple of scenes that REALLY affect me. I try to make sure that I’m in the right place at the right time when the impact happens but I’m not always successful. There is this one scene at the beginning of the book that I HAVE to be at home for. I need to give my full attention and make sure nothing can distract me or take away my attention from it. Today, I was on the train when King Butt-Head (Balder) visits Lahn and Circe. Now King Butt-Head’s visit isn’t really the problem but Lahn’s reaction to the visit had left me a little teary. Even after 21 reads I STILL CRY…EVERY…BLOODY…TIME!!! Obviously, I got my timing WRONG...really, really wrong.

Now, this is something which under normal circumstances would turn me way the hell off a book. But I had a lot of faith in KA’s story-telling ability and so I spent some time prior to reading it trying to understand or come to terms with it.Seerim, a warrior of The Horde, his wife Diandra. She teaches Circe the new world she has ended up in. Their daughter, Sheena (12). I was in love. Perhaps not with the man of my dreams, but with a man that was more man than any I’d ever encountered.”