King of the Isles was the third book of the Men of the Isles series. This is the first time I've read a book from Debbie Mazzuca. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! Let's proceed to my review.This book started right off with magic. I didn't know how I felt about the "magick" that was demonstrated. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the story. However, the more I read the book, the more I was pulled deeper into it. Proof: One night, I resolved to read for an entire hour before going to bed. I started at 11:00pm. The level of pull that this book had was incredible. I didn't sleep until 2:30am when my good sense finally told me that I had work in the morning and work would be miserable with not enough hours of sleep. That's how amazing this book was.
The story started with Evangeline, the daughter of an evil Fae that destroyed their realm 26 years ago. Everyone in the kingdom deemed her evil because of the blood that coursed through her veins. As a result, she lived in solitude. She held her chin up high and put on a mask of indifference, but deep inside, she hurt.
Then, there was the king of the Enchanted Isles, Lachlan. He was absolutely "the most exasperating man" Evangeline claimed to have met. When Lachlan's wizard mentor was abducted, he had no choice but to bring Evangeline into the battlefield because she was the most powerful of all the Fae. This is when they started to realize their connection with each other, despite their denial of it. When Lachlan was injured and practically dying, Evangeline gave him her blood, and with that, her magick. This became quite a habit later in the book, which didn't bode well for Evangeline. It was very strange that without her magick, she was so weak, to the point that she could barely stand.
There were many supporting characters in this book. I suppose they starred in the previous books of the series. It was absolutely hilarious when there were scenes of comedic relief throughout this book. Towards the end, one of the main things I noticed was that the women were very strong-willed that their husbands could not get them to "obey" and "be controlled". It was also quite amusing that whenever Lachlan and Evangeline would be alone together and they were just about to jump each other's bones, they would always get interrupted. This caused frustration in me, in a good way. When they finally had a chance to be with each other, I thought it was quite worth the wait :)
At the end of the book, I was waiting for Aidan and Rory to mention the wager they had over Evangeline and Lachlan. I'm not sure if the author forgot or purposely didn't include it, but I thought it would have been delightful to read about it :)
Finally, I found it extremely hilarious how Evangeline was annoyed with all the children. She did not like them at all. Lachlan's brother even called them "hellions" and Evangeline called them "hoydens".
For technical purposes, I noticed one or two spelling errors and misplaced words. However, for an advanced reading copy, I thought this book was well-edited and absolutely amazing. I've read some reviews about it and I agree that the language sometimes threw me off. I attempted to read it as it was written and even in my head, I struggled to pronounce the sentences. These were very small inconvenience, however.
Now, check out my favorite scenes/quotes/excerpt!
Lachlan quotes:
"Ye see what I'm sayin'. Fallyn and her sisters are as bad as Syrena. She shouldn't be bossin' me around anymore. I'm a bloody king, fer Chrissakes."
"I'm a mon, and a king, we're no' meant to be humble. And ye, my loyal subject, will do as I command. Nay, I'll no' waste time arguin' with ye."Lachlan and Evangeline scenes:
L: "And here I thought ye were annoyin' the beast and he decided to toss ye."
E: "How could I annoy a horse?"
L: "I doona ken, but ye're verra good at bein' annoyin', so it wouldna have surprised me."
Lachlan and Gabriel:
L talking to Broderick: "How did ye fare with Fallyn last eve?"
G: "He spent half of it unconscious. The rocks had a most interesting way of falling on his head. If it wasn't so hard, I'm sure he'd still be out cold."
Lachlan and Broderick:
L: "Are ye tellin' me the power I'm imbued with is what Evangeline possesses?"
B: "Yes, but only a portion of it."
L: "No wonder the woman's so bloody arrogant."
B: "Frightening isn't it?"
L: "Bloody terrifyin'."
Syrena, Aidan, Lachlan, Rory, and Ailenna - Syrena and Aileena are both pregnant:
"Ah, angel, come here." Aidan tugged his wife onto his lap, wiping at her tears with his thumbs. "Doona--"
The couch broke and the four of them (Syrena, Aidan, Lachlan, and Rory) toppled to the floor in a heap.
"I'm so fat I broke the settee!" Syrena wailed, burying her face in her hands.
"Sweetheart, ye're no' fat." Her husband struggled to contain his mirth, his shoulders shaking.
Lachlan attempted to do the same, but one look at Rory and the two of them ended up howling like a pair of fools. When Aidan joined in, Aileena, who was attempting to help Syrena up, leaned over and clouted him.
Lachlan, Aidan, and Rory:
L: "Fer Chrissakes, I may no' be in love with my wife but it doesna mean I doona want to..." He scowled at the pair of them, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm no' talkin' aboot this with the two of ye."
A: "I'll no' ask ye anythin' more if ye answer this one question."
L: "One more and then we're done with this."
A: "So, are ye sayin' ye no' want to bed yer wife?"
L: "Are ye daft? Have ye taken a good look at my wife? Of course I want to bed..." He looked at the two men, a dull flush working its way up their faces. "She's standin' right behind me, isna she?"
Short excerpt (too funny not to post!)
....And what was wrong with Syrena and Aileena that they had to have two babies at a time? One was bad enough. And afterward, she'd had to listen to Aileena, Mrs. Mac, and Syrena, oohing and ahhing over the babies and saying, they were beautiful.
She shuddered again. They weren't. They looked like gnomes, wrinkly, bald, ugly gnomes.
Aidan, Rory, and Lachlan looked up when she tripped into the hall. She grabbed hold of Lachlan's broad shoulder to steady herself. In an effort to rid herself of the images etched in her mind, she reached over and took his mug of ale. Taking a deep restorative swallow, she wiped a hand across her mouth. "What?"
(omitted scenes here. Evangeline is getting drunk while Aidan and Rory see the babies.)
A deep rumble of laughter came from Lachlan. She scowled at him. "It's not funny. That was one of the most horrific experiences of my life." She chugged back the ale in an effort to wipe the memory from her mind. He laughed all the harder.
(omitted scenes here. Evangeline is really drunk and wants more ale.)
"Your hair is so pretty," she murmured.
He chuckled into her palm, then nipped it. "Remind me to bring a jug of ale home with us."
"Lachlan, bring a jug of ale home with us."
(omitted scenes here - Ailenna called them both to meet the babies)
"You go, I've seen them already. Once was enough, thank you."
"If I have to go, so do ye."
"I must warn you, Lachlan," she whispered, stumbling up the stairs. "They think...they think the babies are beautiful, but they are not. You mustn't hurt Syrena's feelings, though, so just smile and nod as I did."
"I will," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Are you laughing at me?"
"Nay."
"Lachlan, you must promise me that we will never have babies, ever."
Syrena and Evangeline:
S: "Evangeline!"
E: "What?"
S: "What do you mean, what? My babies are floating around the hall in a bubble!"
Now that you've read my review, dear reader, I believe it is time for you to get a hold of this amazing book. What are you waiting for?
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