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Kael, Warrior King of the Vampires, loathes the Night of the Proffering. He needs the blood of either his mate or a human virgin to maintain his strength, but hasn't enjoyed the ritual since he lost his mate centuries ago. Kael doesn't want a new companion, yet his resolve is tested when he lays eyes on his new offering, Shayla McKinnon. He is drawn to Shayla's beauty and poise...and the submission she offers. She is eager to give him anything he wishes, including her innocence, to please him. Will Kael give in to their overwhelming desire—even if it means risking Shayla's life?
GenaR
Posted February 7, 2012
Laura Kaye is an author to keep your eye on folks! She knows how to write a story that catches your attention at the first word and leaves you wanting more with the last.
In The Service of the King, she weaves a tale born from an historical background, but takes place in present day, with a young girl that has been raised to know that her destiny is to be an offering to the Vampire King. This is necessary to keep him and his guard strong in order to protect society from the evil beings that killed Shayla's older sister, so she is more than willing, nay, even eager to make this sacrifice.
Kael, the Fair, King of the Vampires, detests that he must partake of the proffered, and has vowed to do only what he must, without making any permanent link between them. Once he sees Shayla, his body and mind betrays him and he cannot resist her.
I took this book to bed with me to read - and my husband kicked me out! He said I was squirming around like I had restless leg syndrome, LOL! Well, his loss - that wasn't my problem. This story was HOT! I couldn't quit reading it until I finished it, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be reading it again - and again! Laura knows how to make a gal wish she was with an Irish vampire who knows his way around a female's body ;-)
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.UpstateC
Posted February 4, 2012
If you've never read the way Laura Kaye can write a vampire, IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING is a great place to start.
Perfect yet perfectly flawed, Kael has his own demons to exorcize. In a vampiric society where blood does far more than provide nourishment, the Warrior King Kael wants no part of the kind of blood exchange that can result in taking a mate. That is, until he meets the lovely Shayla, a Submissive with a mind of her own.
Ms. Kaye has created an elite vampire society that fascinates and entertains, and a hero and heroine you'll cheer for. My only complaint: it was too short! I wanted to stay a while longer with Kael and Shayla.
Like vampires? Laura Kaye will make you love them. Don't miss out on this great story.
Char Chaffin
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.danja
Posted March 18, 2012
I Also Recommend:
Finished this book in only two hours. It was such a hot read. will read more from this talented author.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 7, 2012
I felt something was missing. Conflict. But it is a short 70 page story and is very hot.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 2, 2012
Carla's Review:
When I read the synopsis of the book, I was a little skeptical of how Shayla is eager to give Kael, Warrior King of the Vampires anything to please him. I thought the story was going to be farfetched. Why would a woman be willing to give this Vampire King, someone she never met, anything he wishes, including her virginity? But damn! Laura Kaye blew me away with this wonderful story!!
Kael can only have the blood of a human virgin or his mate. He lost his mate 300 years ago to the Soul Eaters and he is determined to never take a mate again. Every few months he goes through the Night of the Proffering in which the Proffered (a human female virgin who has trained many years for this one night with the King) is brought to him so he can feed. Kael dreads this night but knows he must feed, because his warriors will not feed until he does. Kael and his warriors need their strength in order to fight against the Soul Eaters, so even though he hates it, Kael will feed from the Proffered. This time he finds the Shayla waiting for him and Kael's life will be forever changed.
Shayla (also known as the Proffered) has dedicated her life to the cause of defeating the Soul Eaters. Soul Eaters are evil vampires that drain the blood from humans and consume their souls by drinking through the last stutters of their heart. Then they rip out the heart and eat it. Kayla's sister was brutally raped and murdered by Soul Eaters, and since that day, Kayla has decided she would do whatever she could to aid Kael and the Vampire Warriors in their fight against the Soul Eaters. Since Shayla knows she could never fight and kill them, she decides to become a Proffered and aid the Warrior King of the Vampires in any other way she can.
I LOVED this story. Once I started it, I could not stop reading it until I was finished. Even though it was a short story, I felt that it was not rushed. I loved the chemistry between Kael and Shayla. I also loved Liam, Kael's right hand warrior and the only person close to Kael. I hope that he will get a story of his own. My only complaint is that I wish this was not a short story because I would have loved to read a full length novel of Kael and Shayla.
I give "In The Service Of The King" 5 out of 5 stars.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 28, 2012
Wonderful story, romantic & very passionate. I couldn't put it down. Loved it :)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 8, 2012
Laura Kaye captures the essence of two people discovering they can't live without each other in her newest release, IN THE SERVICE OF THE KING. Shayla is strong-willed and determined, a perfect match for a king who has been hurt but longs for love. Shayla's and Kael's journey is heartwarming and sexy, and their feelings for each other, although pre-destined, come across as very realistic and convincing. Fun sensual scenes and interesting setting, too. It's a must read!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.That 5 is actually a 4.5 (but I figured 5 was closer than 4 =) )... The culture of In the Service of the King is reminiscent of the Midnight Breed series, where all the vampires are born male, cannot be made, and their mates lives are extended by drinking their blood. Kael, warrior king of his vampires, must feed from a virgin human female every three months or risk losing his immortality and the strength of his humanity. If that weren't pressure enough, none of Kael's vampire warriors will feed until he does... so if he continues to sacrifice his own welfare by putting off the ritual, so will they. The Proferring, the ritual night of sex and blood-taking, reminds Kael of all he has lost and his heart fears to take even a chance on finding another mate. Kael. Mmmm yummy, alpha, vulnerable Kael. Ms Kaye knows how to write a gently commanding yet scrumptiously tantalizing hero. In contrast to the sexy king, Shayla is the perfect combination of sweetly submissive and confidently demanding. I loved her graceful courage, her thirst for knowledge and sensual abandon. These two burn up the pages, even when they're not in bed! The sex is SEARING. Achingly passionate and deliciously unbridled. I might have made a few little sighs of my own just reading it, but if you asked, of course, I'd never admit to such shenanigans. *wink* There is an elegance to Laura Kaye's writing, subtle descriptors and skillful turn of phrase, that enhance and imply and insinuate, all without leaving the text feeling bloated or flowery. Heavy on the relationship intrigues, with no fighting or violence at all, this story fairly flew by. In the Service of the King is a novella that concentrates 100% on the connection between our two stubborn soul mates, yet still leaves open a few intriguing avenues to expand the series. Final thoughts: Whether you're already a fan of Laura Kaye's passionate, heart-wrenching style or a new reader looking for your next fix, you absolutely must read In the Service of the King! Laura is fairly new to the PNR scene and has already garnered several awards, both for her books and on her merit as an author, so come see what all the fuss is about and move this smokin' hot novella right to the top of your TBR list!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 16, 2012
Nice is such an undescriptive word. Need i say more about this story. I was confused, was the girl american? As she went too high school & summer school & graduated early @ 16. Because if she was english she would have FINISHED Secondary school(not graduate as nobody graduates anything until uni) at 16 anyway. As we do in england. We start scholl 2 years earlier & finish 2 years earlier than the yanks. So that bothered me some. The author either didn't do her reaserch or just didn't once mention america even when talking anout school.
1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 5, 2012
This is my third Laura Kaye story, and I have loved all of them. This one has the feel of a historical, but has a contemporary heroine. For a different type of vampire story, read her Forever Freed. For a different type of paranormal hero, read North of Need.
Enjoy.
MM Pollard
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 5, 2013
Request me as a nook friend
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Posted March 22, 2013
x
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Posted January 31, 2013
Good Read
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Posted January 21, 2013
too short but good read
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.adoptabook
Posted September 28, 2012
I find this book to be a guilty pleasure read. It's very short, under 100 pages, but it packs a punch. There is definitely steam in this book. It also has that submissive yet strong heroine and the sensitive yet alpha-male hero who all but worship each other. Overall entertaining although the fact that they go from not knowing each other to "mated" (aka vampire married for all time) in the span of like two days is weird. Little depth but lots of fun to read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kael despises feeding from innocent human virgins though they offer themselves willingly and are trained for the practice, his other only alternative though is to feed from a mate which he lost long ago. Since then he has questioned his ability to protect those he loves and is terrified of history repeating itself if he was to find a mate again. But to keep him and his warriors strong, he follows tradition and forces himself through the ritual every three months.
Shayla has prepared her whole life to be a proffered for the Vampire King, Kael. Advancing through school and studying under her mentor, hoping for a way to somehow help the vampires in their fight against the soul eaters, even if it is just through feeding. But when the reality doesn’t live up to the fantasy Shayla is at a loss, questioning both herself and her future.
Laura Kaye entices with this unique twist on the classic vampire tale; where all vampires are male, vampire kingdoms and communities are set up across the world, each with their own monarchy, and vampires live along side humans but in secret with only a select few all the wiser. The setting had an old-world feel to it but is placed firmly in modern day times. The world that the author creates is captivating, with just enough details of the culture to easily slide the readers’ right into the heart of the story.
In the Service of the King is all about two soul mates, the building sensuality between them and the coming connection. You won’t find any action here but you will find a true romance. However, I didn’t feel as connected with the characters as I usually do with Laura Kaye’s books; it took a bit for me to buy into their feelings for each other, but Laura has a way with the written word that sucks you in no matter what.
As Shayla works through insecurities and Kael overcomes the ghosts of his past in order to move forward into a future with Shayla, readers are treated to raw passion, blistering love scenes and an intriguing new world. A short and sexy paranormal romance/erotica novella that left me craving more, thankfully this is just the beginning of a series that promises to excite!
Anonymous
Posted August 25, 2012
This book was great I only wish it was a little longer
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 27, 2012
This book was kind of short, but it was such a great read that it sucked me in and I couldn't stop reading it. I like how Laura wrote about the special Proffering. It was such an intense thing that it needed its own book. Shayla and Kael drew me in with their own agendas and situations that they brought with them. I like how Kael was man enought to admit when he messed up and made it! Kael is so HOT!! I am a BIG fan of Laura's and all of her books are definite re-reads for me!
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Posted June 24, 2012
I liked the second one better. But the one was good .
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BooksnKisses
Posted June 17, 2012
Shayla has been working hard to find a way to avenge her sister’s murder. Finally finds that way, in the King of Vampires. She just never imagined how much it would change her life.
Kael is just doing what he has to do to survive and have his people survive. But the last thing he wants to do is feed. But one look into Shayla’s mismatched eyes everything changes.
I liked this story, but didn’t love it. I was hoping for a little more action. Maybe a rescue scene or two, but at last it was not to happen. I really wished this story was long. It felt a little rushed to me. I felt like there was more to the story that was not told. Maybe Laura is planning another story for these two. I would like to know what happens next for them. Does Shayla get the revenge she seeks? Does Kael keep his family and people safe? So many questions
Overview
Kael, Warrior King of the Vampires, loathes the Night of the Proffering. He needs the blood of either his mate or a human virgin to maintain his strength, but hasn't enjoyed the ritual since he lost his mate centuries ago. Kael doesn't want a new companion, yet his resolve is tested when he lays eyes on his new offering, Shayla McKinnon. He is drawn to Shayla's beauty and poise...and the submission she offers. She is eager to give him anything he wishes, including her innocence, to please him. Will Kael give in ...