The Winter King

A Faeted Mates Omnibus

By: Ariel Hunter

Narrated by: Amber Lee Connors, Kieran Flitton

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

A bounty hunter down on her luck. A fae king looking for a reason to live. A mate bond neither can deny.

Mara Wylde is a small-time bounty hunter who just can’t seem to catch a break, no matter how hard she tries. Her rent’s two months overdue. Her antiques shop is failing. She’s eaten ramen five nights in a row now, and is desperate for a way out of debt.

When Mara’s offered a hundred grand to nab a high fae right out of Faerie, she knows she can’t turn down the job, no matter the risks. Even if it means catching the eye of the elusive Winter King.

Tortured by his past and not wanting to rule anymore, Vareck Blackthorne is ready to cede his crown and journey to the nether to escape his torment. Minutes from delivering this news to all of Faerie, he sees her - a fae woman with hair like the dawn and eyes that remind him of summer. A summer that has been gone for centuries.

After 600 years of suffering, he’s finally found her - his fated mate.

The only problem?

She has no idea.

The Winter King is the first Faeted Mates omnibus that includes the entirety of Mara and Vareck’s story. It was initially released in three installments, titled: Hunted by the Winter King, Taken from the Winter King, and Taming the Winter King. This is a fast-paced, hot paranormal romance series with dominant fae males and their sassy, spitfire women.

Warning: Beware of cursing and steamy scenes. This is an adult series.

©2020 Raging Hippo LLC (P)2020 Raging Hippo LLC

Intriguing

This was an intriguing book from the start. Mara needs rent money and a slimy leprechaun comes to her with a job she can't pass up. I liked Mara. She is strong, determined, and relentless. There are things about her past that are slowly revealed that make things so much clearer as the story progressed. None of it was a surprise, but it was well written.

Vareck is a tyrant. I wasn't certain if I would like him or not at the start of the book. He is determined to hand over his kingdom until he sees Mara. Then everything changes and she becomes his obsession. The way everything unfolds, I was rooting for Mara and the king's best friend (she is also a kick butt warrior). There are quite a few unanswered questions and the last book ends setting up the prince and Mara's sister for a book all their own. I'm intrigued to see where that goes.

Overall, it was a fun, solid story. 4/5.



Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

I enjoyed every minute of it!

Very well written, a great storyline, and the narration was perfect.
A worthy listen and wow what a cliffhanger!

The Winter King

I really loved Volume 1! Volume 2 and 3 were not as exciting. I feel like a lot was missing. Overall it was a cute story.
Loved both narrators!

great read

amazing read.. good characters.. can't wait to read more.. anxiously awaiting the next one

A nice love story

I need my own Vareck . I loved listening to this omnibus . The narrator's gave a great performance . Book 1 is my favorite of the three . Mara made some stupid choices but I loved her character overall . My favorite scene is when she jumped out the window . Vareck is a tortured dominant jealous alpha male who just wants his mate . I loved the scenes in his POV .

3 1/2 STARS

Pretty good story. I enjoyed the world that the author created. It was a slow burn between the main couple as the heroine kept pushing the hero away. There is a lot of action as they travel between realms. There is also couples being set up for future books. Where I struggled a little was feeling the connection between the king and his mate. So much time is spent fighting the bond and with other characters that I felt their romance fell to the side. It wrapped up a little too quickly for me at the end and I was left wanting more of Mara and the Kings relationship as an actual couple. It was still an enjoyable listen and overall 3 1/2 stars.

Narration was 5 stars! Both are new to me narrators and I thought they did an amazing job. They definitely pulled me into the story.

Great story

The story moves along smoothly, and develops at a more realistic pace. It has a lot of originality and flare, with some twists at the end.

I enjoyed this book!

I really enjoyed this book! It is an enemies to lovers romance and though Vareck takes a while to be likable it is all worth it in the end! I liked the concept of moving between worlds and the story was interesting! Both narrators did an amazing job bringing the story to life! I will definitely read the next one in the series

Cute little fae love story

A cute little "faery" love story. Nothing new or different in the genre.
The last 10 minutes of the book basically set the story up for multiple follow-up books which I had expected. There are several unanswered questions about important components of the story. I hope upcoming books answer these.
I did enjoy the narrators especially Kieran Flitton. He is a new-to-me narrator. He read with fervor and was able to relate the strength of the characters' feelings very well.

Fantastic book and narrators!!!

This is such a fabulous, entertaining book. I love everything about this book. Mara is such a strong awesome character. Varrick is the perfect man. I really love that he loves her from the start but holds himself back. And the way he always looks out for Mara. Sadie is hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud throughout this whole audio book. I cant wait to start the other books in this series. Such a great ending for Mara and King Varrick. Both Amber Lee Connors and Kieran Flitton did amazing with all the voices. They made listening to this audible so entertaining!