King of Flesh and Bone

The Pale Court Duet, Book 1

By: Liv Zander

Narrated by: Auri Alden, Gregory Salinas

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Isolation, darkness, and rotting flesh,

Surround me, suffocate me,

But I am the vile ruler who controls it all.

I long for warmth,

Yet, all that I touch,

Is cold.

Then, she stumbles in to my domain,

Lost and frightened,

Alone and confused.

And I terrify her even more.

She calls me the devil,

So I show her pleasure,

Like only the devil can.

I am the heat that stirs her flesh,

The longing that trembles her bone.

She begs her body to refuse,

To escape my embrace,

But I am her master,

The puppeteer of passion.

I am the King of Flesh and Bone.

Welcome to my court, little one.

King of Flesh and Bone is a full-length dark fantasy novel, the first book in The Pale Court duet. The two-part story features a ruthless man, the woman who can't escape his love, and a happily ever after. This world contains dark themes, violence, loss, and elements of horror some may find disturbing. What this book doesn't contain is a hero—because villains do it better.

©2022 Liv Zander (P)2022 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Good read but not for the faint of heart!

Great story. Excellent writer. To make anyone feel for this character is proof of another level of skill as a writer. Bravo. Great book. Roller coaster of emotions. And I am getting part two immediately.

Darker Side of Love

If real love had a dark side, this read surely explains it in every steamy erotic and twisted detail!

Started slow

This story needed up being a good one but the beginning was very slow. I loved the that female protagonist was strong willed and not a whiny blubbering sissy.

Cool Story - Bad Reading Performance.

The story is interesting and the writing is great but I'm sorry, Auri's performance is difficult to enjoy when she's acting the male voice. She tried to make the voice low and serious, but for most of the book, it comes out as a whisper forcing the reader/listener to constantly adjust the volume to year what she's saying and then quickly turning it back down when she does the woman's voice as the woman's voice is a normal volume.

The drastic volume changes may not be the performer's fault but the audio engineer's. Either way, someone should have reviewed the performance/production before this was released.

Go in Blind!!!

... I say go in blind on this one. DO NOT LISTEN OR READ any reviews because... they absolutely do this book injustice. ahh! for a dark, super spicy, fantasy romance... this one has a very unique plot that just sings to my soul!

on to the next book!

don't hesitate

I was worried bc people brought up warnings for triggers of SA but I'm so so glad I finished bc this was such a great book!

reading slump OVER

I am in love with both books. I have been in a rutt lately and this snapped me out. even the light parts were dark and the reflection all characters had to do internally shows they are not what they are projecting. well maybe still 😉. the FMC thinking she is just the MMC thinking he is lost .. ugh and the spice.. the spice....
if you do not like dark fantasies, a bit of morbidity graphic detail do not read.
I cannot wait for more from this author. I have a new fav to add and hope she continues and releases soon. the writing flowed well the characters have good background and substance. just damn. I have bought the paper hard copies which I never do but these can't be lost to the "finished" Playlist tomb

Very Interesting

I can't wait to start book too. This story is very intriguing and the characters are interesting. I have to know how this ends.

interested to see where it goes

Despite the overall terror and bleakness of the world, the romance between the two main characters is intriguing. This story is not for the faint of heart, and the overall judgmental. I would like to see the complexities of the relationship way more fleshed out, but this is the first book. Only complaint- there’s not a lot of diversity between male characters voices, and the attempt at the baritones made me giggle. otherwise great performance by the narrator

Wasn’t sure about it at first.

But as the story developed, I fell into it. It does have strong sexual content. Some that might need a trigger warning. There is a story though too. So, thankfully, it’s not sex for the sake of sex.

NOT REALLY SPOILERS, BUT AN EXPLANATION OF THE STAGE AND CHARACTERS ON IT: The story takes place in a time that’s similar to our Middle Ages. But the land has been cursed by a king so the dead do not rot. And every full moon, the death reanimate and sometimes become violent. And people repeatedly come face to face with a loved one who no longer recognizes them and occasionally attacks them. It is psychologically damaging the population. But some people are lucky or smart enough to be able to weight the grave of their loved ones down with sacks of grain or a door with a mule cart on it.

Among all this death is a midwife. Although she brings new life into the world, she is shunned by people as if she’s cursed because she’s barren. This is what a woman is for in this world. Something to breed. And even though she provides the community with her midwifery services, people are superstitious she’ll spread her barrenness to other women. This is one of our main characters. She is a loyal, kind, and beautiful young widow who seems to be plagued by bad luck. Especially when she ends up in the clutches of the man who won’t allow to dead to rot and rest.

How will the cruel, powerful, and emotionally unstable king and the midwife affect one another? Will he crush her resolve? Or will she crush his?

I hope that if you do read the book, you see past the darker elements to the universal struggles of misunderstandings and learning to trust again. Xo