The Heretic Royal
- Downloads：7159
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-28 04:19:51
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：G.A. Aiken
- ISBN：B09KP4Z1CW
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Jennifer
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I always enjoy GA Aiken's books， but this particular one is definitely not a book to read if you haven't read all of the previous Scarred Earth books， as well as at least a few of her Dragon Kin books。 This is a transitional book to tie the two series together。 Not only did just about every character from the previous books appear， a multitude of dragon characters also appeared and there were multiple plot lines to go along with all of those characters。 Yet somehow， in spite of all those plot li I always enjoy GA Aiken's books， but this particular one is definitely not a book to read if you haven't read all of the previous Scarred Earth books， as well as at least a few of her Dragon Kin books。 This is a transitional book to tie the two series together。 Not only did just about every character from the previous books appear， a multitude of dragon characters also appeared and there were multiple plot lines to go along with all of those characters。 Yet somehow， in spite of all those plot lines， nothing much actually happened to advance the plot。 The book was too frenetic for me。 I had a hard time following any of the multitude of plot lines or caring much about any of the characters since there were so many to follow， I do plan to read the next book as I'm interested in the overarching story arc and I always love the snarky banter and over-the-top humor， but I hope the next book is more coherent。 For the little that Ainsley and Gruff were on page， I liked them but I felt like they really got short shrift in this book because of all the other distractions。 My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own。 。。。more
Heather
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I really enjoyed this book。 It was such a joy to be back with these characters。 I love this author and devour everything she publishes。 I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to laugh。 This is the 3rd book in the series。 Each instalment follows new main characters， but it has a running plot through out all three books。 Each one ties up main plot of book with long running plot getting closer to the conclusion。 If you haven't started this series yet go pick up book one， you will not regre I really enjoyed this book。 It was such a joy to be back with these characters。 I love this author and devour everything she publishes。 I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to laugh。 This is the 3rd book in the series。 Each instalment follows new main characters， but it has a running plot through out all three books。 Each one ties up main plot of book with long running plot getting closer to the conclusion。 If you haven't started this series yet go pick up book one， you will not regret it。 。。。more
Robin
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This was an entertaining， well-written book。 It was clever， steamy， fun， fast-paced， and I didn't want to put it down。 This book can be read as a standalone story， though it is book 3 in the Scarred Earth Saga series。 I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author。 This was an entertaining， well-written book。 It was clever， steamy， fun， fast-paced， and I didn't want to put it down。 This book can be read as a standalone story， though it is book 3 in the Scarred Earth Saga series。 I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author。 。。。more
DPanda
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*2。5 stars*1。 You HAVE to have read the first 2 books2。 Add the Dragon series tooSadly， while I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series， this fell very short for me。 It was just mega chaotic and the main characters were very much side characters unlike the MCs in the first 2 books。 In fact， this read more as a continuation of the Dragon books than the Scarred Earth saga books。 We even got far less Keely time！ It bummed me out。 I still enjoyed some of the banter， but overall I think a lot *2。5 stars*1。 You HAVE to have read the first 2 books2。 Add the Dragon series tooSadly， while I really enjoyed the first 2 books in this series， this fell very short for me。 It was just mega chaotic and the main characters were very much side characters unlike the MCs in the first 2 books。 In fact， this read more as a continuation of the Dragon books than the Scarred Earth saga books。 We even got far less Keely time！ It bummed me out。 I still enjoyed some of the banter， but overall I think a lot of thing got lost。I TRULY can't wait till Beatrix is dead， dead， dead。A huge thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC 。。。more
Sayo -bibliotequeish-
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The Heretic Royal focused on Ainsley， Keeley and Gemmas sister。I'm not sure if she is suppose to be the Heretic Royal？ This title did not make much sense to me。 But in any case she is the focus on this story， for the most part this character is exactly the same as the two other main characters from previous books， but the way she is treated we are meant to believe she is very different。 The love story again is the same as the previous two books， only this time there are dragons。This is my least The Heretic Royal focused on Ainsley， Keeley and Gemmas sister。I'm not sure if she is suppose to be the Heretic Royal？ This title did not make much sense to me。 But in any case she is the focus on this story， for the most part this character is exactly the same as the two other main characters from previous books， but the way she is treated we are meant to believe she is very different。 The love story again is the same as the previous two books， only this time there are dragons。This is my least favourite out of the three books， and I think this series is starting to lose me。I feel like every book is the same thing over and over with the overall storying moving millimeters each book， there are no strides being taken and at this rate the series will never end。 。。。more
ObsessiveReader
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This story took a bit for me to get into for the first few chapters。 There was some confusion at first because it popped between several groups of characters right from the beginning。 Story picks up from the epilogue of the Princess Knight with Annwyl and the dragons from the Dragon Kin series showing up。The most enjoyable part is watching the antics of the characters and how they banter with each other。 They will make you laugh。
ForestGardenGal
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Centaurs， Dragons and Hell Hounds， oh my！This is great writing。 Endearing characters， all very well developed and in a stunning world of magical beings and humans who bring you into their family drama， their allied queendoms， their battles， rivalries， and their most intimate relationships。 The core of the story revolves around a very nicely developed plot arc， no cliff hangers （thank you！） but definitely leaves you wanting more。 While weaving this tale， G。A。 Aiken manages to keep it light and hu Centaurs， Dragons and Hell Hounds， oh my！This is great writing。 Endearing characters， all very well developed and in a stunning world of magical beings and humans who bring you into their family drama， their allied queendoms， their battles， rivalries， and their most intimate relationships。 The core of the story revolves around a very nicely developed plot arc， no cliff hangers （thank you！） but definitely leaves you wanting more。 While weaving this tale， G。A。 Aiken manages to keep it light and humorous with warriors and siblings teasing and bantering relentlessly， as most siblings and warriors are wont to do！I would classify it as both an exciting fantasy action/adventure and paranormal romance。 Highly recommended， though there are a few saucy bits， so the sensitive should consider themselves forewarned。 。。。more
Lynn
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I wouldn't dive into this without having read the first two， and preferably recently。 I didn't reread and I was struggling not to get lost in the beginning。 The POV is constantly moving （especially in the first quarter） and it takes that long to get your footing in the story if you don't have vivid memories of the previous stories。 It's got Aiken's trademark chaos， humor， and battles。 But there are so many characters！ It was a struggle to keep up and try to remember relationships。 For the most p I wouldn't dive into this without having read the first two， and preferably recently。 I didn't reread and I was struggling not to get lost in the beginning。 The POV is constantly moving （especially in the first quarter） and it takes that long to get your footing in the story if you don't have vivid memories of the previous stories。 It's got Aiken's trademark chaos， humor， and battles。 But there are so many characters！ It was a struggle to keep up and try to remember relationships。 For the most part， I gave up keeping the peripheral centaurs， humans， and others straight。 After that first quarter， the POV hopping slows down and it's easier to keep things straight。 But still。。。The plot was small considering how many characters there are。 It's almost a placeholder between bigger stories。 Lots of politicking and discussion。 I was disappointed after loving the first book so much that this one was so hard for me to manage。 I'm hoping the book 4 will be slightly more focused and move the story arc more actively。 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Annarella
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G。A。 Aiken is one of my favorite fantasy writer and their books never disappoints。 This one is another very funny， entertaining and gripping novel Great characters and world building， excellent storytelling。Loved loved it。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine
Lillian Cummings
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All our favourite characters are back but this time we get to meet new ones。 Keeley is still protecting her family & all that live in her town but she knows that it won’t be long until her sister attacks。 Can she really form an alliance with the mad queen Annwyl & the dragons？ Can she trust them in the coming days？ Gemma is trying to keep the peace but she is afraid for her young sister Ainsley but all she does is push her further away。 Can they work together to stop Beatrix for good or are they All our favourite characters are back but this time we get to meet new ones。 Keeley is still protecting her family & all that live in her town but she knows that it won’t be long until her sister attacks。 Can she really form an alliance with the mad queen Annwyl & the dragons？ Can she trust them in the coming days？ Gemma is trying to keep the peace but she is afraid for her young sister Ainsley but all she does is push her further away。 Can they work together to stop Beatrix for good or are they all doomed？ Great to see the characters & what relationships they have each formed。 A great read perfect cliffhanger moment。 Can’t wait to read the next one。 Plenty of lol moments， lots of blood & gory。 Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for ARC copy。 。。。more
Caroline
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I adored the whole thingAinsley shows up， and the bickering between the family members definitely put a smile on my face just the same way it did in the previous two books。 I was delighted to read more of their family's tale。 I received a review copy from NetGalley and have left my opinion。 I adored the whole thingAinsley shows up， and the bickering between the family members definitely put a smile on my face just the same way it did in the previous two books。 I was delighted to read more of their family's tale。 I received a review copy from NetGalley and have left my opinion。 。。。more
Sandy S
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THE HERETIC ROYAL is the third instalment in GA Aiken’s adult SCARRED EARTH SAGA fantasy series set in the author’s DRAGONKIN world。 Although focusing on several characters， and intersecting plot lines， THE HERETIC ROYAL follows the building relationship between Ainsley Farmerson ， and Gruffyn， centaur of the Torn Moon Clan。 THE HERETIC ROYAL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is an ongoing premise THE HERETIC ROYAL is the third instalment in GA Aiken’s adult SCARRED EARTH SAGA fantasy series set in the author’s DRAGONKIN world。 Although focusing on several characters， and intersecting plot lines， THE HERETIC ROYAL follows the building relationship between Ainsley Farmerson ， and Gruffyn， centaur of the Torn Moon Clan。 THE HERETIC ROYAL can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is an ongoing premise throughout。SOME BACKGROUND: Beatrix Smythe was prophesized to become queen， and her sister Keeley grew to protect her older sibling but Beatrix’ assent into power was driven by madness， and in the ensuing time everyone would come to fear the all powerful queen。Told from several third person perspectives including Ainsley and Gruffyn aka Gruff THE HERETIC ROYAL is a flight into the fantastic as the author brings together our favorite dragons， their kin， the centaurs， and an assortment of undead horses， demon wolves， war monks and mythological gods。 With the appearance of Annwyl the Bloody， aka the Mad Queen， and a large assortment of squabbling dragons （Fearghus， Briac， Gwenvael， Gwenvael’s son Unnvar Reinholdt， and Morfyd， Bram， Ghleanna and Queen Rhiannon）， Ainsley Farmerson and her sister Queen Keeley Smythe， knew all was not well with the world。 Annwyl’s reputation has far surpassed all imaginable rumors but when Annwyl suspects one of the human queens is enslaving children and teaching them to kill， Keeley and Ainsley must come to an arrangement that proves to the Mad Queen that someone else is responsible for the annihilation of innocents。 Meanwhile Ainsley has found herself with a guardian， so to speak， in the form of centaur Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan， a centaur who is willing to sacrifice himself to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love。 As Beatrix’ armies advance on Queen Keeley’s territories and lands， the Dragons find themselves making an alliance with Keeley， in advance of the terror that is about to reign down。THE HERETIC ROYAL has a large ensemble cast of fabulous and fantastic secondary and supporting characters many of whom we have met in previous story lines。 There is humor， snark and sarcasm as per G。A。 Aiken’s style of writing。 Once again， the back and forth banter between siblings in both dragon and human families is fast， furious and frenetic， as is the requisite crazy uncle， long suffering parents， and oblivious but powerful kin。 The inventive premise is detailed and fanciful with plenty of action， violence， blood shed， and fun。 The characters are numerous， familiar， powerful and charismatic; the slow building romance is passionate and intense。www。thereadingcafe。com 。。。more
Angela
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What I liked most about the story: the humour。 Sometimes snarky， sometimes mean， but always with a sense of timing。 What I liked the least: trying to keep all of the characters straight。 There are a lot of players in the story and without having a compendium， it was tough to know whether they were human， mage， centaur， dragon （etc） and how they related to one another。 Ainsley and Gruff are the main players。 Ainsley is looking to both protect her family and also to stop the evil Beatrix in her tr What I liked most about the story: the humour。 Sometimes snarky， sometimes mean， but always with a sense of timing。 What I liked the least: trying to keep all of the characters straight。 There are a lot of players in the story and without having a compendium， it was tough to know whether they were human， mage， centaur， dragon （etc） and how they related to one another。 Ainsley and Gruff are the main players。 Ainsley is looking to both protect her family and also to stop the evil Beatrix in her tracks。 Gruff （love the name） may not want to have anything to do with humans， but is somehow fascinated with Ainsley's boldness。 This is a fantasy read with a small side of romance。 Book 3 in the series， and while it is readable as a one-off， I would highly recommend reading The Blacksmith Queen and the Princess Knight first。 。。。more
Barrie Brown
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GA Aiken is back with a new Scarred Earth book。 Ainsley is tired of being overlooked and dealing with family drama but her desire to hide away from her family is put aside to keep her family safe。 I really enjoyed reading about Ainsley。 Her desire to hide away in her tree yet still protect her family resonates with me。 Gruff was…well， gruff。 Drawn to Ainsley and not sure why， his pursuit of her was fun and sweet。 And of course having the Dark Plains crew joining in brought laughs galore。 I recei GA Aiken is back with a new Scarred Earth book。 Ainsley is tired of being overlooked and dealing with family drama but her desire to hide away from her family is put aside to keep her family safe。 I really enjoyed reading about Ainsley。 Her desire to hide away in her tree yet still protect her family resonates with me。 Gruff was…well， gruff。 Drawn to Ainsley and not sure why， his pursuit of her was fun and sweet。 And of course having the Dark Plains crew joining in brought laughs galore。 I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review。 。。。more
Ivy Deluca
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3。5 but yes I round up starsThis is the third book in the Scarred Earth Saga but really， it's a bridge book - a bridge between G。A。 Aiken's Dragon Kin series and this one。 Like alot of bridges， it's fun to look at but since it's not the beginning or the end， you just feel in between， or say。。。。middle of the road。 I still liked it， but I'll tell you why it's not rated higher。 First， nothing really happens except the positioning of characters。 This book centers on setting up the next phase of the 3。5 but yes I round up starsThis is the third book in the Scarred Earth Saga but really， it's a bridge book - a bridge between G。A。 Aiken's Dragon Kin series and this one。 Like alot of bridges， it's fun to look at but since it's not the beginning or the end， you just feel in between， or say。。。。middle of the road。 I still liked it， but I'll tell you why it's not rated higher。 First， nothing really happens except the positioning of characters。 This book centers on setting up the next phase of the battle between Keeley and Beatrix， sisters both claiming to be the next Queen of this realm。 Really Beatrix is a see you next Tuesday with no soul， and Keeley is inherently good， and potentially easily duped because of her goodness。 This book lays out their differences but doesn't resolve anything。 It does introduce the Mad Queen Annwyl of the Dark Plains and her dragon kin to the Farmerson-Smythe clan， and spends a good amount of time moving these characters into position for the next phase of the story。。。but mostly that's it。 If you're not familiar with the Dragon Kin series （which I do highly recommend）， you'll probably spend the majority of this book trying to keep them all straight because there's ALOT of them。Now， I enjoy both series， and I love GA Aiken/Shelly Laurenston's writing of the action sequences， and the banter between characters， which is inherently snarky and slightly mean but with heart。 I don't mind a book that focuses more on the family/friend relationships and building the intrigue for the overarching storyline。 But there's one thing that I adore above all else， and that's romance， and THAT part of the story is almost non-existent。 I've noticed that this has become a habit with these books as the series have gone on， and IMO it's because there's SO MANY characters to weave together。 Since I'm familiar with both series， I loved getting a chance to see all these characters that I've loved for many years get to know the new family and I'm really intrigued to see how the big battle is going to play out since that epilogue was a big ole warning shot for future conflict。 Did I enjoy the bits of romance I got？ Yes， but this story is pretty firmly in the fantasy realm for me， as a romance reader。 Fun， but not exactly romance-forward。 However， that doesn't mean that I don't recommend this， but I would temper expectations accordingly， and rec it more for fantasy readers who want just a little romance with their epic fantasy tale。 。。。more
Amanda
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Thank you to Net Galley and G。A。 Aiken for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。To be honest， I did not finish this book。 I haven't read book 1 or 2 so I felt totally lost （which is understandable since this is a series）。 The book started out epically so I am excited to go back and read book 1， 2， &3。 The writing felt very in depth and that the different plotlines rich with story。 Looking forward to reading the entire saga Thank you to Net Galley and G。A。 Aiken for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 All opinions are my own。To be honest， I did not finish this book。 I haven't read book 1 or 2 so I felt totally lost （which is understandable since this is a series）。 The book started out epically so I am excited to go back and read book 1， 2， &3。 The writing felt very in depth and that the different plotlines rich with story。 Looking forward to reading the entire saga 。。。more
Shelley
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*Source* Publisher*Genre* Fantasy / Romance*Rating* 3。5*Thoughts*The Heretic Royal is the 3rd installment in author G。A。 Aiken's The Scarred Earth Saga。 The saga of the Farmerson clan pits sister against sister with divided loyalties making for inherently high stakes drama。 It has become apparent to me， that the author intends to write a story about the entire Smythe-Famerson Clan。 Well， maybe just the sisters。 The first installment featured blacksmith Keeley， who is now Queen of her own realm。 *Source* Publisher*Genre* Fantasy / Romance*Rating* 3。5*Thoughts*The Heretic Royal is the 3rd installment in author G。A。 Aiken's The Scarred Earth Saga。 The saga of the Farmerson clan pits sister against sister with divided loyalties making for inherently high stakes drama。 It has become apparent to me， that the author intends to write a story about the entire Smythe-Famerson Clan。 Well， maybe just the sisters。 The first installment featured blacksmith Keeley， who is now Queen of her own realm。 The second installment featured Gemma， who is a former War Monk， now raised to the position of Princess Knight。 *Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*https://gizmosreviews。blogspot。com/20。。。 。。。more
Valencia
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The Heretic Royal - ReviewI am shooketh again！ G。 A。 Aiken can do no wrong; this is another great story！ I absolutely love reading this author！ Okay， now that I’ve gotten the fawning out of my system here’s my review。One of the best abilities about G。 A。 Aiken as an author is her character building。 Characters are fully fleshed out， even those that are only around for a paragraph/page or two。 You know everything you need to know and understand about the characters in just a few sentences。 That i The Heretic Royal - ReviewI am shooketh again！ G。 A。 Aiken can do no wrong; this is another great story！ I absolutely love reading this author！ Okay， now that I’ve gotten the fawning out of my system here’s my review。One of the best abilities about G。 A。 Aiken as an author is her character building。 Characters are fully fleshed out， even those that are only around for a paragraph/page or two。 You know everything you need to know and understand about the characters in just a few sentences。 That is a sign of a gifted writer。 Ainsley Smythe-Farmerson， the constantly forgotten/ignored sister is the center of this book。 She is smart， talented and determined。 And needs to find her place in her sisters new Blacksmith queendom。 This is a great read; a wonderful book of characters。 The Smythe-Farmerson clan is wonderfully entertaining and funny。 Also， to truly appreciate this novel I suggest you read the two previous books in this series， The Blacksmith Queen and The Princess Knight。 Don’t miss out on these entertaining books。 。。。more
Miya
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I was so excited to win an ARC of this book and I was not disappointed！The book jumps right in where we left off in Gemma’s book。 This is were we see the two worlds coming together。 While I thought the dragons and Annwyl would take over the overall story， I think they blended in perfectly。I enjoyed Ainsley and Gruff。 They seem to have different personalities that really complement each other。 I will say there was not a lot of romance ， but the book was so good you don’t even notice and it honest I was so excited to win an ARC of this book and I was not disappointed！The book jumps right in where we left off in Gemma’s book。 This is were we see the two worlds coming together。 While I thought the dragons and Annwyl would take over the overall story， I think they blended in perfectly。I enjoyed Ainsley and Gruff。 They seem to have different personalities that really complement each other。 I will say there was not a lot of romance ， but the book was so good you don’t even notice and it honestly wasn’t needed。 There is so much more I enjoyed about this book but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone。 I will be honest and say as soon as I finished it I went right back to the beginning to read it again！I know it’s early but I can’t wait for the next book lol。 The ending leaves you wanting more！ 。。。more
Donna
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The Heretic Royal is a smart， funny totally manic romp that will have you thinking， giggle snorting and rooting for the most unlikely heroes。 I recommend reading The Blacksmith Queen and The Princess Knight prior or you’ll get lost trying to figure out what in the world is going on。 I love that the author brought in characters from her Dragon Kin series to add to the mayhem。 Bring on Isadora。
Douglas Meeks
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Let me be clear about 1 thing， this gets 5 stars from me because I have read the DragonKin books and loved them and this is a continuation in many ways so if you have NOT read them， you should or you might get lost in all the characters。 OK， with that out of the way I loved this book， ultra-violent， hugely funny and just overall wonderful with this cast of insane and memorable people/dragons/etc。 This book moves the story along well， giving us plenty of violence and a bit of romance which was mi Let me be clear about 1 thing， this gets 5 stars from me because I have read the DragonKin books and loved them and this is a continuation in many ways so if you have NOT read them， you should or you might get lost in all the characters。 OK， with that out of the way I loved this book， ultra-violent， hugely funny and just overall wonderful with this cast of insane and memorable people/dragons/etc。 This book moves the story along well， giving us plenty of violence and a bit of romance which was missing from the last book。 Bottom Line: I could crow about why I loved this book for pages but if you love the insanity of all the GA Atkin books you will love this one and as always， she pretty much polishes off the current plots and starts a new one right at the very end to make you thirst for more and make you wish it would never end。 。。。more
Stacie
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So delightfully bonkers
Amber Humphries
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I voluntarily read an advanced copy of The Heretic Royal by G。A。 Aiken。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARCThe Heretic Royal was so much fun！ I love how G。A。 Aiken combined the characters from her dragon series with her blacksmith queen series。 It has provided all kinds of new bantering character combos and really moved the story forward。 Gruffyn and Ainsley were very entertaining and I loved their journey。 I highly recommend this book if y I voluntarily read an advanced copy of The Heretic Royal by G。A。 Aiken。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARCThe Heretic Royal was so much fun！ I love how G。A。 Aiken combined the characters from her dragon series with her blacksmith queen series。 It has provided all kinds of new bantering character combos and really moved the story forward。 Gruffyn and Ainsley were very entertaining and I loved their journey。 I highly recommend this book if you enjoy G。A。 Aiken's writing style。 I give The Heretic Royal 4/5 stars。 。。。more
Sonja
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3。5 starsWhile I really did enjoy this one， I wasn't really feeling the relationship being built here between Ainsley and Gruff。 I was thrilled that the Dragon Kin crossover happened so soon and was such a big part of it though。 Because boy do I laugh when they're around。 But maybe that was also part of why this new relationship didn't work as much for me。 There was so much more going on away from these two that we didn't really see it happening。 Just Ainsley being stupid， Gruff calling her out 3。5 starsWhile I really did enjoy this one， I wasn't really feeling the relationship being built here between Ainsley and Gruff。 I was thrilled that the Dragon Kin crossover happened so soon and was such a big part of it though。 Because boy do I laugh when they're around。 But maybe that was also part of why this new relationship didn't work as much for me。 There was so much more going on away from these two that we didn't really see it happening。 Just Ainsley being stupid， Gruff calling her out on it and trying to protect her， and then BAM we're told that Gruff is in love with Ainsley？ I mean。。。。really？Honestly， I didn't really like Ainsley。 She was constantly starting fights with Gemma and complaining about how she was treated by her sisters。 But she doesn't actually do anything that would make anyone want to trust her with a more active role。 She hides in her trees and saves a hideous， poisonous bird。 And every chance that she gets， she throws Gruff under the bus that is her sisters' anger。 And that's what really got me。 How often she used Gruff as her scapegoat without even saying anything first。 And he took it every single time。 As for Gruff， I didn't really care for him one way or another。 I liked him， sure。 But he also never held my attention all that much。Truly， the most entertaining parts of this book are with Annwyl。 You get to see all sides of her here。 Add in the dragons that came with her and you're guaranteed many good laughs。 Keeley and Annwyl are practically polar opposites personality wise， but I really think they will make great allies because of it。 Neither one of them are sticklers for how a queen should act， but they both are determined to protect their people。 Unfortunately， It takes Annwyl's brutal bluntness to show Keeley that she won't be able to protect those most important to her if she continues on the way she is。Beatrix is still going about her plotting for world domination。 Only now she has found a demon god that she is willing to ally herself with。 Which is definitely not a good thing when a certain dragon queen shows up at Keeley's town for a surprise visit without telling anyone and gets trapped there because of them。 But while that sounds like it would be something super exciting， it ends up really not being so and is practically glossed right over。 Even when a legion of demons show up to attack， while what does happen is kind of fun， it's also anti-climatic and over super quick。 Does that mean I didn't like it？ No， but I guess I expected more。 Even what happens with Gemma's horse。 What was the point of that？The epilogue was pretty great with Beatrix definitely incurring the dragons' wrath now。 I'm very much looking forward to the next book whether it's this series or the Dragon Kin。 Because at this point， it could be either one。ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley。 。。。more
Tiffany
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GENERAL INFOYear Pub/Re Pub: 12/27/22Book's cover: beautiful emerald greenFormat: Net Galley arcSource: "Thank you Net Galley and （publisher） for sending this book for review consideration。 All opinions are my own。"Page Length: 407 kindleBook's Price: $9。99 kindlePrice I'd Value: sameSetting: Forgetown-Queen Keeley's queendomGenre: UF/Sci-FiTropes: interspecies romance， religion-nuns/monks/gods， bodyguard romanceStandalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: Book#3 The Scarred Earth SagaHEA/HFN ending GENERAL INFOYear Pub/Re Pub: 12/27/22Book's cover: beautiful emerald greenFormat: Net Galley arcSource: "Thank you Net Galley and （publisher） for sending this book for review consideration。 All opinions are my own。"Page Length: 407 kindleBook's Price: $9。99 kindlePrice I'd Value: sameSetting: Forgetown-Queen Keeley's queendomGenre: UF/Sci-FiTropes: interspecies romance， religion-nuns/monks/gods， bodyguard romanceStandalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: Book#3 The Scarred Earth SagaHEA/HFN ending: HFNEpilogue Included: yes， another attack by Queen BeatrixCharacter（s）POV Spoken: changes throughout every chapter as more characters are introduced BOOK DESCRIPTIONSynopsis/Plot Summary: Queen Keeley needs allies and behold， the dragons' arrival uninvited。 Princess Ainsley is trying to find purpose， but trouble finds her。 Centaur Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan is charged with protecting Ainsley， but things become romantic。 Queen Beatrix is still scheming to create her empire， pulling in her own allies。 A lot of dragon high jinks， blood battles， and family drama。M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/FRepresentation: religion-the believers and fanaticsContains Cheating: noContains Children: yes， Keeley has a lot of siblings， but I liked 6-year-old little sister Endelyon with her forged hammer the best。 note: she has different name spellings throughout book Flashbacks: a few but I liked Annwyl's the best。 She tells about her father and brother's cruelty and how she got the name Annwyl the Bloody。Jealy/Possy/OTT H/h: Gruff is jealous of Gwenvael the Handsome talking to Ainsley。Amount of Sex In The Book: 1 good cave sceneOverall Smex Rating: 4CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONHero: Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan Hero Description: Centaur who only speaks when necessary。 Grudge holder of his people that collects debts。 Warrior form of antlers， eyes， and hooves to climb hills and mountain sides。 Watches Ainsley's antics， helps with her family， and gives her advice。Hero Likability Rating: 5Heroine: Ainsley （honorable mentions: Annwyl and Isadora）Heroine Description: Lives in trees， master archer。 She is looking for purpose， learning how to be independent。 She tries to prove her usefulness to sisters Gemma and Keeley。Heroine Likability Rating: 5Secondary characters:Emma and Angus Farmerson-Keeley's parents， all blacksmiths and farmersGemma-Ainsley's sister， very critical of her， a war monk and leader of her orderIsadora-18 years old， takes charge of family finances。 Organizes the dragons' stay and volunteers to go with them as a show of good faith。 Annwyl-The Mad Queen of the Dark Plains。 Mated to dragon Fearghus。 Hates those that enslave others， kills at will。Ivan the Mystic-knows witchcraft， trained as a monk， worships the power of god Athanagild。Queen Beatrix-Keeley's sister who wants to be an empress。 Out to destroy her family and anyone who gets in her way。H /h RELATIONSHIP INFOEndearments: noneOW/OM/Exes: Ainsley had a brief affair with a lieutenant， but no one special。Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: noCONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS: gory， bloody deaths， religious discourseAUTHOR OVERVIEW: G。A。 AikenNew author or read before & any favorites: Read the first 2 books in this series。 I would highly recommend reading the Dragonkin series， so you will be familiar with all the dragons。PERSONAL OVERVIEWTechnical/Editing Quality: 4Writing/Content Quality: 4Overall Rating: 4*Do You Recommend This Book: yesWill You Re-read This Book: maybeWould You Read More Books by this Author: yesCOMMENTS/NOTESFavorite line: "That being said， my mother and sister are both witches and expertly deal with many gods， which has taught me not to judge those who choose to worship such power as long as they bring harm to no one。" -Gwenvael to Ainsley about religious fervor and insanityNew Vocabulary/Beautiful words: halberd-combined spear and battle axe 。。。more
Diana Brown
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Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the chance to read an advance copy of The heretic royal by G。A。 Aiken （Scarred Earth saga #3）。 This is definitely a book you need to read the first two books in the series to know what is going on。。。you also might want to read G，A。 Aiken's Dragon series as she crossed over the characters in this book。 I always enjoy the author's over the top hilarious fantasy which has strong kick-ass women， and sexy men。 The action is sometimes violent and bloody， bu Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the chance to read an advance copy of The heretic royal by G。A。 Aiken （Scarred Earth saga #3）。 This is definitely a book you need to read the first two books in the series to know what is going on。。。you also might want to read G，A。 Aiken's Dragon series as she crossed over the characters in this book。 I always enjoy the author's over the top hilarious fantasy which has strong kick-ass women， and sexy men。 The action is sometimes violent and bloody， but mixed in with snarky dialogue from the both the main and secondary characters you know its just good fun！ This book ends a bit abruptly， so I can't wait for the next in the series。 。。。more
Lucy Jane Reads
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This books keeps with GA Aikens funny yet truly ridiculous fantasy series following a family with two warring queens and a lot of wonky magic。 I loved the first two， but I do believe this was the weakest in the series。 The jumps between characters were not the clearest and it led a lot of confusion。 I think the fact two major characters were both unique names starting with A didn’t help。 But it set up well for the next book in the series and opened up the world for more characters。 Overall- I gi This books keeps with GA Aikens funny yet truly ridiculous fantasy series following a family with two warring queens and a lot of wonky magic。 I loved the first two， but I do believe this was the weakest in the series。 The jumps between characters were not the clearest and it led a lot of confusion。 I think the fact two major characters were both unique names starting with A didn’t help。 But it set up well for the next book in the series and opened up the world for more characters。 Overall- I give it a solid three stars。 Necessary for the series but not my favorite。 。。。more
Diane McConnell
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They get to meet Queen Annwyl and the dragons！Ainsley Smythe is meeting the dragons and Gruffyn （Gruff） of the Torn Moon Clan is tasked to protect Ainsley and the rest of the Famerson-Smythe family and Queen Keeley while they try to defeat evil Queen Beatrix （their sister）。You need to start with reading The Blacksmith Queen （The Scarred Earth Saga Book 1） to even understand who all the characters are because when you have evil Queen Beatrix who just wants to have power in any way she can get it They get to meet Queen Annwyl and the dragons！Ainsley Smythe is meeting the dragons and Gruffyn （Gruff） of the Torn Moon Clan is tasked to protect Ainsley and the rest of the Famerson-Smythe family and Queen Keeley while they try to defeat evil Queen Beatrix （their sister）。You need to start with reading The Blacksmith Queen （The Scarred Earth Saga Book 1） to even understand who all the characters are because when you have evil Queen Beatrix who just wants to have power in any way she can get it and Queen Keeley who will do anything to prevent her sister from killing everyone。The Scarred Earth Saga series is hard to describe because so much happens but you can start with The Dragon Kin series to know more about the dragons。I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley。 All thoughts and opinions are my own 。。。more
Jessica （the naptime writer）
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Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC。 All opinions provided are my own。G。 A。 Aiken’s Scarred Earth Saga books absolutely go for it & I love that about them。 When you read them， expect to find lots of dramatic moments， brawls & near brawls， chaos， & family squabbles & adoration （also betrayal）。They’re some of the most fun & wild fantasy books I read。The Heretic Royal is book 3 in the saga & you must read books 1 & 2 before beginning。In this book， Ainsley， a princess & s Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC。 All opinions provided are my own。G。 A。 Aiken’s Scarred Earth Saga books absolutely go for it & I love that about them。 When you read them， expect to find lots of dramatic moments， brawls & near brawls， chaos， & family squabbles & adoration （also betrayal）。They’re some of the most fun & wild fantasy books I read。The Heretic Royal is book 3 in the saga & you must read books 1 & 2 before beginning。In this book， Ainsley， a princess & sister of Queen Keeley， is paired with Gruff， a centaur & champion Grudge Holder who's known for being taciturn。The chapters are short， there’s some attempt to build alliances， some family & kingdom-wide drama， & a hot sex payoff。I definitely recommend this series if you’re looking for something bonkers that you don’t want to look away from。4⭐️。 Out 12/27。 Please check out a trusted reviewer's list of CWs。 。。。more
Vanessa
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