Man, gotta say, this series reminds me very strongly of Kushiel's Dart:

• Elegantly written
• Packed with court intrigue
• In a high fantasy setting that
• is at least partially modeled on Renaissance Venice

And also:

• Packed with sexualized violence and sexual violence
• That often rides the line of what I, personally, am willing to tolerate in fiction
• And for sure is over line for many readers
• Though I don't get the impression either writer is being prurient or provocative for its own sake. 

Weirdly, it was when the main relationship -- one between the titular captive prince and his captor -- shifted to a dynamic of more equitable standing that I kind of freaked out and had to stop reading at about 90% of the way through the middle book in the series. Still not sure what that was about, though I suspect that I freaked because their previous relationship -- one that was, in a word, abusive -- had been so normalized in the text that the shift made that abuse obvious. I'd been Stockholm syndrome'd along with the captive prince.

This isn't maybe the most interesting thing to do -- just observe how many people treat Humbert Humbert like some kind of romantic hero, and his relationship with Lolita as a grand love story, and you can see how easily readers will dupe themselves into siding with abusers. What's interesting is unmasking it for what it was, and then trying to move on from there.

So. Onto book three, I guess. 

Prince Owin has come to take his turn in the search to solve his quest.  The King will send him on his way with minimal resources and he must solve the quest to get the prize.  Along the way, he only has his bodyguard as company.

Grimm is the most alpha of the alpha's, since he too is of royal blood.  Having been assigned to the Prince, he finds it hard to take that he does not appreciate the canine creatures with which he has been surrounded.

Together, these characters go on a short but simple journey.  There is some magical surprises and more creatures to be found.  The characters are both fun and playful in their own ways.  Such a sweet and yet sexy read.  I give this a 3/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/

Hello, Readers! Today I am sharing the release of the Haven Realm Box Set by Mila Young – a reverse harem fairy tale retelling of 3 daring romances. Enjoy and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Title: HAVEN REALM Box Set
Author: Mila Young
Pub. Date: February 11, 2019
Publisher: Mila Young
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 813

Mila Young's 3 Reverse Harem Fairy Tale Retellings in a box set!

Hunted (A Haven Realm Novel)

Little Red Riding Hood. Three Big Bad Wolves. A Poisonous Scheme.

Scarlet, a healer, lives nestled in the forest surrounded by humans on one side and wolves on the other. But when a rogue wolf attacks her, she's rescued by another pack and taken deep into their den to perform her healing magic on an injured Alpha.

The wolves in the forest are under threat from a mysterious affliction, and Scarlet is the only hope they have left. Faced with a mixed pack of threatened shifters, Scarlet must use her wits and magic to survive and unravel the strange affliction now affecting the wolves... All while trying to navigate an overpowering attraction to not just one, but three of the Alphas.

Witches, wolves, magic and love intertwine in an exciting mystery that finds its own, unique, 'Happily Ever After.'

Note: Each book in the Haven Realm series is a standalone book.

Cursed (A Haven Realm Novel)

Beauty and the Four Beasts. A Deadly Curse. A Fallen Kingdom.

With magic banned in the human realm, Bee, a powerful witch, has had to offer her services in secret. When a request to break a curse comes from the dangerous mountains and royal bear shifters, Bee is hesitant, but winter is coming and funds are tight.

At the castle, Bee finds things are not quite what she was led to believe. The curse Bee is meant to break has reached its zenith, siphoning off the Prince's life while preventing him from controlling his shifting abilities. He is volatile, angry, and far stronger than she had imagined. His brothers, who commissioned her, present her with a challenge - fix it, or lose everything.

Soon the curse is spreading throughout the castle, taking brother alike. It's a race against the clock, buffeted by dark magic, intrigue, and a strange attraction that has her looking at the four brothers in a new light.

Note: Each book in the Haven Realm series is a standalone book.

Entangled (A Haven Realm Novel)

Tangles of death, danger, and monsters. Rapunzel and her sexy shifters must escape a witch’s vengeance.

At the age of eight, Elliana lost her father, her future, and her freedom in exchange for eternal captivity. Not to mention unimaginably long hair.

Trapped in a tower by a magical gargoyle, Elliana chances a few daring and ill-fated escapes in search of a powerful, hidden weapon, which could free her and kill the stone creature once and for all. But to do that, she must summon a sly dragon shifter, a ferocious lion shifter with way too much baggage, and a devious tiger shifter. But the witch who hexed her is returning to finish Elliana. Can she save herself and the heroic three shifters she’s slowly losing her heart to before they all die?

Dragons, lions, magical hair and love merge in this heart-wrenching tale that finds its own, unique, 'Happily Ever After.'

Note: Each book in the Haven Realm series is a standalone book

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The three fairy tale retellings in this box set is mind blowing, hot, sexy, charming and daring. The setting of the stories is a combination of the old world that you would expect but at the same time a little modern and maybe even a little futuristic which adds to the ambiance of these stories as the author paints such vivid images that readers can easily imagine each and every scene which in turn makes it easy for the readers to become enthralled by the characters and their tales. All of the characters are strong, bold and demand their share of attention and the authors spin on the Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel fairy tales has unique elements that makes them all new stories but readers can still recognize the original form of the tales.

In Hunted, Scarlet stumbles upon a conspiracy that has her running for her life right into the hands of three sexy wolf shifters. Suspense builds as Scarlet tries to use her wits to save the wolves from a mysterious affliction and fight her magnetic attraction to the three of them.

Cursed has a Fallen Kingdom of bears putting all their hopes on a powerful witch named Bee who will have to unravel the truth behind the curse while fighting her own inner demons and keep her heart safe from not one but four bear shifters.

In Entangled, the young witch, Elliana has been held prisoner for years and in her desperate attempts to remain sane, she finds herself teaming up with a sly dragon shifter, a ferocious lion shifter and a devious tiger shifter, but there is one problem…she finds herself insanely attracted to all three.

Each of the stories can be read as standalone tales and are fast paced and full of thrilling suspense, sweet romance, and scorching hot passion as well as adrenaline pumping danger and spellbinding magic. There’s never a dull moment and readers can’t help but be charmed and delighted with such red hot fairy tales.

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Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43683572-haven-realm-box-set

Riffle - https://www.rifflebooks.com/books/1038509

Romance.io - https://www.romance.io/books/5c5e7c9101dbc864fb99aec9/haven-realm-box-set-mila-young

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Hunted
Cursed
Entangled

Each of the stories in the Haven Realm series can be read as standalone books.

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/series/225170-haven-realm

1 Hunted
2 Charmed
3 Cursed
4 Claimed
5 Entangled

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AVAILABLE in ebook

Amazon – https://amzn.to/2I30c0C

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1 Winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Bestselling Author, Mila Young tackles everything with the zeal and bravado of the fairytale heroes she grew up reading about. She slays monsters, real and imaginary, like there's no tomorrow.

By day she rocks a keyboard as a marketing extraordinaire. At night she battles with her might pen-sword, creating fairytale retellings, and sexy ever after tales. In her spare time, she loves pretending she's a mighty warrior, walks on the beach with her dogs, cuddling up with her cats, and devouring every fantasy tale she can get her pinkies on.

Sign up for Mila’s Newsletter!
http://www.subscribepage.com/milayoung

Website - https://milayoung.wixsite.com/books

Twitter - https://twitter.com/milayoungauthor

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/milayoungauthor/?fb_dtsg_ag=AdwZxn7IZKFrxkWgO98TDCC3Vt7Tk8MAvwfLt2R2h4q1Jg%3AAdyHSFkNXHEDSxy-SXEz5fb_QpeHxJMmcG9Y4xuToH8svA

Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1407946459316639/

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WEEK ONE

2/11/2019- Dazzled by Books- Excerpt http://www.dazzledbybooks.com/

2/11/2019- Kelly P's Blog- Excerpt http://kellyatx.blogspot.com/

2/12/2019- BOOK BRIEFS- Review http://bookbriefs.net/

2/12/2019- BookHounds- Excerpt http://www.bookhounds.net/

2/13/2019- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt http://www.owlalwaysbereading.com/

2/13/2019- K.L. Knovitzke – Author- Excerpt https://klnovitzke.wordpress.com/blog/

2/13/2019- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review

https://booksaplentybookreviews.blogspot.com/

2/14/2019- Hauntedbybooks- Review https://hauntedbybooksblog.wordpress.com/

2/15/2019- DJREADSBOOKS- Review https://djreadsbooks.wordpress.com/

2/15/2019- Abooktropolis- Review http://www.abooktropolis.co.za/

Week Two:

2/18/2019- Julia Swoons- Review http://www.juliaswoons.com/

2/18/2019- JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder- Spotlight https://jbbookworms.blogspot.com/

2/19/2019- Good Choice Reading- Spotlight http://www.goodchoicereading.com/

2/19/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/

2/19/2019- Love in a time of Feminism- Excerpt http://loveinatimeoffeminism.com/

2/20/2019- The Reading Corner for All- Review http://www.thereadingcornerforall.com/

2/20/2019- Don't Judge, Read- Excerpt http://dontjudgeread.blogspot.ca/

2/21/2019- Stormy Vixen's Book Reviews- Review http://stormyvixen.booklikes.com/

2/21/2019- Down The Rabbit Hole- Spotlight http://dwntherabbithole13.blogspot.com/

2/22/2019- D Books and Reviews- Review http://www.dbooksandreviews.com/

2/22/2019- Smada's Book Smack- Excerpt http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

2/22/2019- Adventures Thru Wonderland- Review https://adventuresthruwonderlandreviews.wordpress.com/

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http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/

I'm ambivalent about this series: most of Stross's flaws are absent - no Luggage Syndrome! - but somehow it's not the page turner most of his books are. Thinking about why that is led me to two conclusions. Firstly the characters are not that interesting. Secondly, the characteristic Stross humour is conspicuous by its absence. There's another volume combining books five and six that wraps up the series and I'll likely read it some time, because I'm just invested enough to want to see how things turn out.

The second book moves faster than the first.