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Cover of The Forsaken King

The Forsaken King

by Penelope Barsetti

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️steamy·spoiler·Forsaken #1

Why Read This?

A captive revenge romance where the heroine actually challenges the kidnapping trope instead of accepting it — Ivory has a steel spine and calls Huntley on his nonsense. The fantasy world is surprisingly rich with dragons and soul-sucking creatures, and the enemies-to-lovers tension crackles. Fast-paced with high spice and a cliffhanger that will have you grabbing book 2 immediately.

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Penelope Sky releases her first sexy fantasy romance under Penelope Barsetti. Readers have said, "It's got everything I love in her contemporary novels. Feisty Heroine. Action. Betrayal. Pretty much everything!" Ivory : I see him watch me. Everywhere I go—he follows. He’s one of my father’s guards at the castle. Goes by the name Mastodon. There’s something about him I don’t like, but my warnings are never taken seriously. But I bet if my brother voiced the same concerns that would be no issue…just because he has balls and I don’t. Well, I have bigger balls than he ever will. When I leave for the Capital, Mastodon escorts me. And just as I feared, he kills my guards and captures me. At least he tries to capture me. There’s a lot of running and chasing. I land an arrow right in his neck, but it does nothing. It’s like he doesn’t even feel it. He takes me into a cavern and we descend deep underground—to the Bottom of the Cliffs. Then he tells me why he’s doing this. Because my family took everything from him—and now he’s about to do the same. Mastodon : Her father murdered mine then raped my mother—and forced me to watch. Then he pushed us over the cliff—to our deaths. But we survived—and now we’re ready for revenge. She’s the key to that. After she helps us get what we need, I’ll hang her by her pretty neck and watch her take her last breath. I steal her from Delacroix—and of course, she fights me the whole way. Not just with her fists, but her mouth too. If she wasn’t my pawn, I might actually like her. When I hand her over to my mother, I realize she has far more sinister plans. She tells me to do exactly what her father did—and force her. That’s not the kind of man I am, so the answer is no. But then she asks Geralt—the most barbaric man I’ve ever met. So I volunteer—because I know she’d rather it be me than anyone else. This book contains dark themes and subject matter that may be difficult for some readers

At a Glance

4.12 ★ Goodreads
Spice Level🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️steamy
Endingspoiler
PairingM/F
Romance Pacingmedium burn
Energymedium

Top Tropes

enemies to loverscaptive romanceforced proximitysecret heir/royaltyrevenge romance

Mood

darkintensesteamyadventurousbrooding

Book Details

Goodreads Rating

4.12 ★

Page Count

339 pages

Published

2021

Primary Genre

Fantasy Romance

Pairing

M/F

POV

Dual POV

Romance Pacing

Medium Burn

Cliffhanger

spoiler

Audiobook

Available

Yes

Format

Dual Narration

Narrator

Michael Ferraiuolo, Ramona Master

Narrator Count

2

Tropes

RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

Mood

Writing Style

conversationalpunchybanter-heavyengagingedgy

Story Pacing

fast

Emotional Weight

moderate

Energy Required

medium

Vibes

dark captive fantasy with a fierce heroine who refuses to be a victim

Characters

FMC Archetype

warrior/fightersnarky/sarcasticroyaltygeneral badass

MMC Archetype

dark/tortured soulpossessive alphahidden royaltysecretly softprotective love interest

Relationship Dynamics

enemies to loverstensionpush and pullforbidden lovereluctant allies to loverspossessive love interestlove/hate tension

Spice Details 🌶️

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Spice Level 4

Spice Style

frequent and explicit, woven into the tension of enemies-to-lovers captive dynamic

Getting Steamy

possessive/protectivetensionwall pinningmine declarationsgrowling / possessive soundsdirty talk (sweet/playful)

Bringing the Heat

possessivedominancerough/aggressive intimacyclaiming
Browse more books by spice level →
referenced sexual assault (backstory)kidnappingviolencetorturedeathdubious consentcaptivity
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World & Setting

World Type

kingdom / empire

Primary Setting

Underground cavern fortress and a cliff-top castle in a medieval fantasy kingdom with dragons and soul-sucking creatures

Fantasy Creatures

Representation

N/A

Reading Context

Emotional Payoff

Best Time of Year

anytime

When & Where to Read

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