Kristen Ashley

The Golden Dynasty

Circe Quinn goes to sleep at home and wakes up in a corral filled with women wearing sacrificial virgin attire - and she is one of them. She soon finds out that she’s not having a wild dream, she’s living a frightening nightmare where she’s been transported to a barren land populated by a primitive people and in short order, she’s installed very unwillingly on her white throne of horns as their Queen. Dax Lahn is the king of Suh Tunak, The Horde of the nation of Korwahk and with one look at Circe, he knows she will be his bride and together they will start The Golden Dynasty of legend. Circe and Lahn are separated by language, culture and the small fact she’s from a parallel universe and has no idea how she got there or how to get home. But facing challenge after challenge, Circe finds her footing as Queen of the brutal Korwahk Horde and wife to its King, then she makes friends then she finds herself falling in love with this primitive land, its people and especially their savage leader.

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

Golden Dynasty is a brilliantly written love story that takes us back to this epic series, to a fated couple..a barbarian warrior king and his queen---dangers around every corner, intensity at the corners of each page and a heart felt romance that will capture your heart....

Golden Dynasty is the second book in the stunning Fantasyland series and I will be honest...I was expecting a book more like book one to be honest. Now this is the same world but we have a completely different setting. Instead of ice and snow and civilization, we are dealing with a whole different culture that is more rugged and rough around the edges but is still full of emotion and passion. However I would like to warn you that this book is NOT for everyone. It has dubious consent in the first part of the book so keep that in consideration. However I fell in love with the whole book and it definitely took me back to some of my old favorites in HR. So without further ado let me show you what made this book such an adventure for me here.

Circe Quinn, goes to bed one night and wakes up in a pen of women, she is dressed in strange clothing and she is surrounded by guards with swords...SWORDS!! She feels like its just a dream but it's a dark reality, one she gets a wide wake up call for. She has somehow been transported to a world of primitive people with strange customs. She is about to be hunted in the forest and be claimed by one of the men. Most of the women with her are excited however excitement is the last thing that Circe is feeling at the moment. She is scared out of her mind. But Circe attracts the attention of the one man that no woman has attracted until now....Dax Lahn is the king of Suh Tunak, The Horde of the nation of Korwahk. Circe is a fighter though and she doesn't go down easily. She is then claimed by Dax Lahn and set up as his queen. 
He has bragged greatly about you. The Lahnahsahna, a true warrior’s wife. He told his people he did not claim you. He told his people he battled you before he won you. He told his people you challenged him. The warrior king’s bride fought like a warrior. She did not lay back and accept her fate. She stood strong and shouted in the face of a king. She fought and did not give up. Even knowing she’d taste defeat, she fought on, like a true warrior. He told his people you are not his queen. You are his warrior queen
At first Circe has no clue how to handle her new situation. But thanks to her newest friend, who is one of the few people that can speak her language helps her with their customs, their language and how to be a queen.... A QUEEN that the Korwahk would die to protect. Despite the language barrier, Dax and Circe begin to share desire and more, their story turns into love and devotion. 

There is SO much that goes on in this book though, its a pretty long book (which I totally don't mind because I never wanted this book to end) the story really gets good once Circe starts to learn the language and become a true queen to the Korwahk. I loved her strength and courage and what a fighter she is. Dax Lahn likes to call her his "tigress queen" and that is so apt for her. Now our hero....well he is an ASS many times, he is definitely an anti-hero but we see his changes through the book and I really admired the way he grows and allows love change him. And when he makes the "bad" mistakes, Circe definitely makes him work for it and boy does he GROVEL.

(One of my favorite scenes where we see the strength and growth of our heroine as she helps a fellow woman and her warrior )

  
    
      
        Your king did not break through with me until his touch stopped taking and started giving and until, in our cham, he treated me with kindness. He is the mightiest of Suh Tunak, recognized the battle he had on his hands, analyzed it, created his strategy and then he went about winning that battle using any means necessary. And, Zahnin," I edged closer and for the sake of this man who pledged to guard me even if it meant giving his life, who backed me against Dortak and who clearly wanted his wife to settle in her new life with him in his cham, I admitted to him at the same time I admitted to myself, "my Lahn won that battle. I now lay awake at night waiting for him to return. When he does not, I fall asleep looking forward to the morning when he will wake me with his hands. He is my king, he is my warrior, he is my husband and I am proud to say above all...he is mine.
      
    
  

This isn't an easy love story at all...there is no light or fluff in this book....it works the reader through their paces, pushes you and challenges you sometimes to your limits but it also is very rewarding and seeing this couple overcome the worst to find a love worth fighting for. The reader does need to realize that this isn't a modern style romance. Its very savage and primitive and is tough as nails but as its soft underbelly that wins you over. I was very impressed though with the way that Kristen Ashley wrote this book.  We see the development in their relationship grow, the sexual tension that is off the charts, we finds a true love tale that you want to last forever and never let go of!! ONE OF THE MOST DEEPLY ROMANTIC TALES I'VE EVER READ!!!
If you’re given the opportunity to look deep enough, you can see a person’s spirit in their eyes but usually, they are guarded, kept safe. Not you, my tigress, the night of your claiming, even in the moonlight, I could see your spirit shining from your eyes. You hold your spirit close to the surface for all to behold and it is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.




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Daniella Cuesta

…. Is this good? No
It’s aggressively misogynistic, the main character is a bit of a pick me, and it enforces gender stereotypes. But that’s why it’s called a guilty pleasure!!!! Did the author take the game of thrones story between khal drago and Daenerys and make it into a full length novel that then connects to 4 others? Yes and I love them. They are my comfort books, because in another world I fall in love with a hyper masculine man who changes and takes care of me for the rest of my life. For that reason this will remain five stars even (if I’m honest) it deserves 3.

Scarlett A.

3,5/⭐️ - 2,5/🌶

Short recap: If you wanted more of Daenarey & Drogo in GOT, then this is the book (felt a bit like fanfiction) for you. 

Check trigger warnings!

Anita

I just don't understand the positive reviews of this book.
There isn't one instance of rape, the main character is raped 7 times before she realizes how hot her husband is.
And it is not just this character, there are multiple women getting raped over and over again.
And what does our MC do? Give one rapist advice on how to be romantic so his wife isn't scared of him anymore after he raped her for WEEKS several times a day. 
Obviously all thos girls fall in love with their rapist in the end, because they are hot warriors.

Just no. This isn't okay. 
I don't mind domaint guys, I can see the appeal. But going form raping and hitting the MC to a loving relationship? No.

Besides the obvious issue here the book wasn't even that well written. It has the same issue as the first, way too many details and the story is moving extremly slow. If you take out the unneccessary description of fabric and jewlery you are down to 250 pages or less. 
And why do the MC of this and the first book talk exaclty the same? Do people from Seattle use "Honey" in every sentence?

Ive been rarely so angry after reading a book.

Samantha Emery

Re reading again! I love this book.

And I left this series till last and did not think I would like it, and even starting this book, it started horrifically, and I wondered how KA could redeem him, but for me she just did!


  “I could not dream a better you.” 
Oh my God. 
Oh… my… God. 
Did he just say that? 
I stared into his warm eyes. 
He just said that. 
And that was so sweet, so unexpected but so welcome, my breath arrested and all I could do was continue staring at him. 
He wasn’t done. “A better wife, a better queen. Not even in a dream could I create better than you.” 

........................

“He is my king, he is my warrior, he is my husband and I am proud to say above all… he is mine.” 

.......................

“Then I whispered, “I love you, my Lahn,” and heard the swift hiss of his intake of breath. Then he buried his face in my neck and whispered back, “Loot kay hansahnalay na, my Circe.” And I love you, my Circe.”

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

I’m seriously LOVING the Fantasyland audiobooks!!! I finished this 17 hour long audiobook in about 3 days – it usually takes me somewhere around a week for an audiobook of this length, but I just couldn’t stop listening to The Golden Dynasty. Both the story and narration were perfection – I honestly can’t choose whether this audiobook or Wildest Dreams is my favorite. All I can say is – when is the rest of the series coming out in audio!? I’m seriously dying to listen to the other Fantasyland books!

This second installment in the Fantasyland series opens up with Circe Quinn waking up caged with other women in a whole new world. Everything is different – the people, the culture, the language… thankfully she finds a translator there with her, but even a translator isn’t enough to prepare her for Dax Lahn, king of the Korwahks. He claims her as his bride, his queen, and Circe is reluctantly thrust into the politics of this strange, epic land. She can’t understand a word her husband says on her own – how will she survive has queen of the Korwahk Horde?

The Korwahks are primitive people. The men are all alpha males, with Lahn the most alpha of them all. Their brutish, primal culture is entirely different from the modern world, full of violence and savagery. It wasn’t easy to listen to, especially the things that Circe is subjected to do and watch. Some characters do questionable, disturbing acts, but somehow KA writes them in a way that’s fascinating more than anything. I found myself captivated by Lahn and his people, even though I didn’t agree with their ways. And Circe herself slowly starts to accept her husband and find qualities about him that make her fall for him. He’s a powerful, fierce warrior, but at his heart, he would do anything to protect his queen. I loved their romance and the way it slowly, naturally developed – and I adored that both of them learned to understand each other’s language!

The Golden Dynasty is another win from KA. I honestly can’t believe I haven’t read this series sooner, but I’m glad I waited until the audiobooks released. Tillie Hooper just might be my new favorite female narrator – her performance is stunning in this audiobook! I was so impressed with the way she spoke the Korwahk language. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, because some of the words seemed so difficult to pronounce, but her narration was flawless and sounded so natural. Now I’m eagerly awaiting the rest of the Fantasyland seires to come out in audio – and I’m hoping Tillie Hooper narrates them as well!

Audible: http://amzn.to/29rDf41
Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/29rDvzZ
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/29mOxVi

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The Golden Dynasty

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