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The Goblin King (Shadowlands #1)

by Shona Husk (Goodreads Author)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 1,159 ratings · 213 reviews

Cursed by a Druid millennia ago, Roan lives a bleak existence in the Shadowlands, desperately trying to retain his soul and not succumb to the goblin horde. When a beautiful human summons him to grant a wish, he sees a glimmer of hope. But will she ever agree to be his queen?

Back Cover Synopsis:

Once upon a time...

A man was cursed to the Shadowlands, his heart replaced with...more

Paperback, 317 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by Sourcebooks Casablanca (first published October 1st 2011)

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Oct 22, 2011 Ria rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: goblins, magic, pnr, read-in-2011

I was so excited to read The Goblin King, but sadly it couldn't live up to my high expectations. The concept was interesting - I liked how Roan was cursed to appear as a goblin in the human realm and the increasing despair experienced by both Roan and Dai as the book wore on had the potential to be moving.

Unfortunately, I could not invest in the character of Eliza and the relationship with the titular Goblin King never prompted a stronger emotion than mild interest. Eliza doesn't really develop...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, on-the-run, stalker, cursed, magick, paranormal-romance, favorite-heroes, favorite-heroines, favorite-series, favorites

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: August 1, 2011 (Available Now)
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Imprint: Casablanca
Author’s Website: http://shonahusk.com/
My Source for This Book: Amazon.com (Chrismtas Present)
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy

Okay so I have a teensy admission to make — I love the movie Labyrinth. Love it. The whole idea of wishing for help from a mythical Goblin King only to find...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Marisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: parnormal-romance

Ms. Husk has layered this world and each character with intense feelings, decisions and outcomes. The Shadowlands is a savage world but the protagonist Roan still has an ounce of humanity left, so when the heroine Eliza enters his world the contrast between hope and despair, beauty and evil, taking and giving, is both magnified and questioned. It’s a tale that is both heart wrenching and heartwarming. The question of doing what is necessary and doing what is right are in play throughout. It many...more

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Jun 19, 2012 MandyM rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

3.5 stars. A very different sort of hero in this interesting paranormal romance. Roan lives under a curse that is slowly turning him into a goblin, obsessed with gold and stripped of his humanity. He exists in the Shadowlands, ruling over his fellow warriors who have gradually succumbed to the curse and turned into true goblins. For the second time in his existence he is called into the Fixed Realm (our world) to answer the summons of Eliza, who called him once as a child. He has never lost that...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Book Chick City rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-paranormal

Reviewed by Laura for www.BookChickCity.com

Many years ago, Roan and his men were cursed by a Druid and they now live in the Shadowlands. They exist as men in the shadowlands, but goblins in the normal world. They were given hearts of gold and their souls are slowly being eroded away until they become full goblin. Consumed by their need for gold. Roan, "The Goblin King" can also be summoned to the normal world and can bestow wishes on those who summon him and occasionally be forced to do atrociou...more Reviewed by Laura for www.BookChickCity.com

Many years ago, Roan and his men were cursed by a Druid and they now live in the Shadowlands. They exist as men in the shadowlands, but goblins in the normal world. They were given hearts of gold and their souls are slowly being eroded away until they become full goblin. Consumed by their need for gold. Roan, "The Goblin King" can also be summoned to the normal world and can bestow wishes on those who summon him and occasionally be forced to do atrocious acts against his will. He also needs a woman to willingly become his Queen in order to break the curse.

Eliza is trapped. Engaged to an awful man who is blackmailing her into marrying him, she does not know how to escape. After a terrible night she decides to summon "The Goblin King" to help her.

"The Goblin King" nearly lost me at the beginning. I thought it was going to go along the predictable lines of man kidnaps woman, they full into bed straight away despite her misgivings and then she happily gives up her life and friends to live in the Shadowlands with him. But then Eliza did not fall immediately into bed with our hunky hero and Roan surprised me by taking Eliza home. Leaving her there as he thought it would be better for her. That was when I started to get really interested in the love story.

I loved Roan far more than Eliza. He had the tortured hero part down perfectly. The scenes from his past were heart wrenching and he is noble and brave and willing to sacrifice all to save others. While I liked Eliza, there were certain parts about her that irritated me. She seemed, until the latter part of the book at least, to lack backbone. She also accepted everything very easily from the shadowlands to Roan's curse. Then we it came to making the decision to become Roan's queen, it did not seem very thought out, more like running away from her problems than choosing to be with the man she was hopelessly in love with. I felt myself willing her to stand up for herself on several occasions.

The romance is very fairytale-esque with the cursed hero, needing a queen to sacrifice everything to save him and I really did enjoy that part of the book. But, there are actually lots of threads to the story, Roan's curse and the inevitable romance, but also Eliza's horrendous engagement. With the book switching focus intermittently between each until all the ties pull together as you would expect at the end. It gave it more depth than your standard paranormal romance.

I really adored Roan's brother Dai, there is definitely more to meet the eye and he often stole the show for me during the scenes he was in. I hear he's getting his own book, so I hope he gets a better lady! ;-)

Side note, but a big bug bear of mine (yes, ok I know I have a few!) is covers that do not match the story. If you take a look at the hunky man on the cover, well, Roan looks nothing like him, for a start he has dreads! Every time I picked up the book this would cause me to have a little grumble to myself. Dear publishers, make the illustration match... please.

VERDICT:

Maybe not the best romance I have read, but it was still entertaining and well written. I just wanted the heroine to be a little tougher and face up to her problems. But overall a good, solid love story.(less)

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Jan 24, 2013 pauliree rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: aww2013, ebook, paranormal-romance, read-in-2013, set-in-australia, urban-fantasy, goblins

I don't usually think of goblins when I think of romantic leads. They are probably the most ugly of paranormal creatures so you don't immediately think of the image that appears on the front cover of this book (mmm he is a yummy one). Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the premise of this book. A celtic prince, cursed to the Shadowlands by a druid to be a Goblin King, interested only in gold, must find a way to become mortal again before he loses his humanity totally. Of course the answer is a gir...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Mary rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 22, 2012 Julie Ramsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: done

Summons: A Goblin King Prequel

The Goblin King

The prequel sets everything up. Eliza a 16 yr girl. Her brother throws a college party. Eliza wants to feel special and "cool". She finds a college boy to kiss and fool around a little. Things start to get uncomfortable and she decides enough is enough, but the boy disagrees. She gets away from him but only to have him follow her through the house. She is terrified. She hides in her parents bathroom only to realize the lock on the door is not going to...more Summons: A Goblin King Prequel

The Goblin King

The prequel sets everything up. Eliza a 16 yr girl. Her brother throws a college party. Eliza wants to feel special and "cool". She finds a college boy to kiss and fool around a little. Things start to get uncomfortable and she decides enough is enough, but the boy disagrees. She gets away from him but only to have him follow her through the house. She is terrified. She hides in her parents bathroom only to realize the lock on the door is not going to hold him back. Terrified and remembering a story her mother had told her. The Goblin King when called can grant wishes but you never seem to get what you truly want. Cowering at the door and the boy now on the other side, he is going to get to her any moment. She starts to cry and wishes the Goblin King would take her away. The Goblin King comes and sees the young girl. He sees what is about to happen. For some reason he is drawn to the girl. He knows that by her calling him and the wish she has asked, he could take her back to the shadow land for himself. Instead he takes her to summer land. He takes her away to a land forever in summer, beautiful and warm. As she rests, the Goblin King has a little fun. He scares the crap out of everyone at the party. Eliza wakes in summer land and sees a very handsome man standing before her. He explains to her not to call on him again, he would not be able to resist her a second time. She wakes up and remembers The Goblin King as a dream, but knows he was real.

Years later, Eliza, again is in trouble. A fiancee, and a lawyer who has worked for her fathers firm. Has slowly been taking money from the firm. Eliza as his secretary, has signed everything. Eliza is doomed to a loveless, abusive marriage. After a fight, she is banged up, and has locked herself in the bathroom. She is drowning his suits in the bathtub with wine. Eliza is tired of the fighting and wants nothing more than out of the terrible situation. She remembers a dream when she was just a girl. The Goblin King, maybe he can get her out of the situation. She remembers him as kind and handsome. She doesn't understand the Goblin King is a cursed man, searching for a cure for his own curse. He is desperate and on his last leg. Eliza is a temptation, he is not sure he can resist.

The Goblin King is a great read. Read the prequel 1st (free). You will understand things a lot better. Loved Roan, the Goblin King. You really feel his plight and know he has to find away to break the curse. Eliza is a girl with a TON of bad luck. Low self confidence and doesn't understand her own self worth. She needs someone to love and to love her back, not to be owned or scared of imprisonment. The story is fast paced and has lots of action. It has adult scenes, so 18 and up.

see this review and more on juliesbookreview.blogspot.com(less)

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Aug 17, 2012 Dangerous Romance Book Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

SUMMONS AND THE GOBLIN KING

The Goblin King prequel was offered free and and as I’m sure Ms. Husk surmised, I had to buy the book immediately afterwards. Smart marketing ploy. It is a win-win for the readers and the author.

Summons (A Goblin King Prequel):tells the story of a young high school girl who is being hassled by a drunk Frat boy at a party, and having gotten much more then she bargained for, she foolishly and drunkenly calls on a summons her mother told her how to do and summons the gobl...more SUMMONS AND THE GOBLIN KING

The Goblin King prequel was offered free and and as I’m sure Ms. Husk surmised, I had to buy the book immediately afterwards. Smart marketing ploy. It is a win-win for the readers and the author.

Summons (A Goblin King Prequel):tells the story of a young high school girl who is being hassled by a drunk Frat boy at a party, and having gotten much more then she bargained for, she foolishly and drunkenly calls on a summons her mother told her how to do and summons the goblin King to do her bidding. Now there isn’t a lot of explanation how it would be that Mom would know, in modern America, how to specifically say a phrase that would bring an otherworldly Monster to her daughters rescue, nor why she would ever think that would be a good idea, unless she thought she was passing on an Urban Legend, but we’ll give that a pass.

The Goblin King is a former Celtic Warrior who has been operating under a curse for 1900 years. He is at war with himself and his greed of Gold. Every time he gives in to it, he becomes more “goblinish.", He is at war with the Druid who cursed him and his men, and who got stuck in the Shadowlands along with them, and he is at war with the very creatures he is doing his utmost to not turn into, the horde Goblins...who basically are men like him who have turned all the way and been consumed by the curse and turned into Goblins. In the Shadowlands, he can maintain his human aspect, on our planet, he looks like a frightful monster. In the Summerlands, he can look like himself, but just by being there he causes everything around him to die in a blight. He is losing the battle on all fronts.

He lives in the Shadowlands with the few remaining soldiers who were cursed by the angry Druid when his battle against the Romans was lost. He and his men are all forced to fight the Druid and the goblins he commands, through the centuries as slowly one by one, the Warriors drop, victims of the curse and go full Goblin.

Roan is the Goblin King and he is at first furious to be summoned by this young girl, who has no idea who she is messing with. However after hanging out he recognizes she is in distress and desperate. He comes to her rescue, and in doing so creates an unbreakable and unintentional bond between the two of them. He gives her the amber bead from his hair, and she writes him a thank you note and puts it out front with the beer left over from the party. It really touches him that a sweet innocent girl thanked him as in over a thousand years of summoning, no one ever really has. Plus the beer was a nice touch and after all, it is liquid gold (:

He’s never forgotten her, although he has tried, and she has never forgotten him.

The Goblin King: 7 Years later….another summons, same girl, same Goblin King. Only everything is different. The King and his men are just days away from succumbing to the ravages of the Goblin curse which will leave them nothing more than mindless beasts. The girl, Eliza, is all grown up but has made some very bad choices. At the death of her family she has fallen into an engagement with a truly rotten character that is just after the prestige of her society name, and the control marrying her will give him over her money. This scoundrel even is blackmailing her into the marriage. She’s desperate enough to call on the Goblin King for help again, despite the fact that he warned her, next time things would be different and he might not let her go as he wants her to be his Goblin Queen. Which is all well and good when they are together in his world, he’s still the handsome hottie from her high school rescue and she still has the crush on him she did when she was young. However, on her earth, he looks like a scary goblin.

This is the story of a man without a heart learning to love as if he had one and his friend, another character, the Warrior Dai, who is hanging on to his humanity with his fingernails, while they are constantly fighting for their lives and under attack, and Eliza who is grown now and has to learn to stand up for herself, and make the right choices.

I enjoyed these two books (the prequel is really just a short story) and a wonderful way to test
the waters and see if you are intrigued. I loved the “Beauty and the Beast” aspect of the story. There wasn’t a great deal of detail about the curse and or the men who were placed under it, other then Roan. I thought the rotten fiance angle should possibly have been played stronger or removed all together as it almost made me think of how much more magical detail we could have had if the mundane world had not intruded as much. The story flashes back and forth between Eliza, Roan, and the rotten Fiancee plotting and his storyline, kind of went out with whimper. However I really liked the books, they were fresh (who reads romances about goblin’s for pete’s sake?) I Do. I’d read another one, bring us Dai’s story!

It was a creative and a fun new world. Roan was sexy and loving and I liked that Eliza had help dealing with the Fiancee problem but mostly dealt with him herself in the end, rather than having to have Roan do everything to save her, she kinda saved herself and then saved Roan.
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Aug 10, 2012 Deanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, paranormal, romance

Shona Husk created a world of layers, emotion and choices. She took the old story of the Goblin King and made it fresh. She gave it depth.

Roan has so much depth. He belives he has no heart. Yet could a man, a being, care for his people, his brother and his soul if he had no heart? Roan cares and cares deeply. It is why he still exists. He cannot give up on his brother. He cannot give up on himself if he wishes to keep his brother even partly human.

Roan saves Eliza,a young girl, a teenager. He...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Marlene rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-romances-challenge

Review originally published at Reading Reality

Goblins are not the stuff that dreams are made of. Not unless those dreams are nightmares.

But somehow Shona Husk managed to make The Goblin King into a sweeping romance of love and redemption as well as a darkly sensual twist on Beauty and the Beast.

Once upon a time, Roan was a Celtic prince, back when Rome ruled the Western world. Back when the Druids practiced real magic. His people rebelled, and failed. Roan and his band of warriors were condemned...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Dawn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, pnr

The Goblin King is a story about an innocent man who was cursed be a goblin and to love gold above everything else. However Roan has managed to retain part of his humanity and as such has not fully given up on hope to be free of the curse. Eliza had come face to face with the Goblin King as a teenager and was enthralled by him. Eliza has had a hard life emotionally and does not know quite where she fits in. On the one hand she wants to escape to the shadow realm to avoid her own life and her ter...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Bookaholics rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Goblin King by Shona Husk
Paranormal Romance - Oct 1st, 2011
4 stars

Roan is the Goblin King. He and his surviving men were cursed by a vengeful Druid for a past misdeed that they could not control. As Roan loses his humanity, he becomes
closer to becoming a full and vicious Goblin without morals or scruples but there is one
person who can hold back the tide, if she dares.

Eliza met the Goblin King, and he gave her one of his beads after saving her. She has been the only one in centuries who summoned...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Roan is the Goblin King. He lives in the Shadowlands and his heart has been replaced with gold. Roan has been summoned by a woman. When Roan arrives, he finds the woman unconscious and bleeding. Roan takes the woman back to Shadowlands.

Eliza awakes to find herself in a strange land with a strange man. Though the man is not a stranger to Eliza. In fact the last time that Eliza saw the Goblin King was when she was a young girl. At that time, Roan told Eliza not to summons him again. Now that she...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, non-erotic, science-fiction-fantasy

Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

Eliza had wished the Goblin King into her life during her teenage years and she knew she could summon him again. But did she want to?

Ms. Husk has created a fantasy tale of goblins and evil in this world and in the shadow world that feels real. She describes the goblin’s dwellings and explains the curse the Goblin King faces in descriptive, colorful text. Her characters are strong, but fighting a curse is a tough job.

Eliza finds hersel...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Asche rated it 5 of 5 stars

I first encountered this book on Goodreads and the cover and summary had me entering into their giveaway. Although I did not win, I was lucky enough for this to be one of the books my librarian friend had received and ended up giving to me. I read it the day I got it. I was not disappointed. When I first started reading, the book started reminding me about Jim Henson’s 1986 movie The Labyrinth. The Goblin King, the one woman he can’t resist, and the wish for the Goblin King’s help. But thats whe...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Jan Crow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Eliza has never forgotten the night she learned Goblins really did exist. Finding herself in Summerland safe and sound instead of lying underneath some drunken boy ready to experience life's pleasurable side has stayed on her mind. Now's she's on the verge of marrying Steven, detesting every aspect of it. The Goblin has warned her never to call his name again.

Roan looked at the beautiful woman and feels a tug, a tug he hasn't felt in a long while. Then he sees it--a gold bead. Quizzing her as to...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: keeper, huh

You know... at some point, you just get kinda tired at all the shifters and vampires. What an interesting idea. So we combine The Labyrinth with Beauty and the Beast (hope none of the readers have ever gotten near Celebrian...) and... Well, I kept looking at the cover to keep the mental image of David Bowie from sticking.

So the h has spent her life trying to be what she thought everyone wanted her to be, only to be played by a crook. She calls upon Ja-uh-Roan (Roan? Our H is named after a horse...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Dani rated it 5 of 5 stars

Eliza is a people pleaser. She did what she thought would get her father's attention and then she did what her fiancé, Steve wanted which may just get her into a world of trouble. She has never done anything just for herself except one... She called on the Goblin King.

Roan and a few of his men had been cursed by a Druid for the wrong reason. As the Goblin King, Roan was forced to answer a summons when he was called, but over the centuries he'd been able to resist them and earning himself a bead...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Phuong Ta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This book was a big disappointment! I expected so much more from the prequel. Husk could have made the story line way better. She kept repeating over and over that he was goblin, heart was made of gold, cursed... Blah blah. Was it to take up more pages or was it to remind stupid readers he was indeed cursed? And the characters needed so much more personality. I get that their humanity is fading but it was to the point that you didn't even want to read about them. Let's start with Roan- other tha...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Paranormal Haven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-by-beth-guest-reviewer

Roan is a King cursed to become a goblin. He lives in the Shadowlands as a goblin King. One day he is summoned by Eliza. He comes to find her passed out and bleeding. Her wish was to get away, so he decides to take her to the Shadowland. Eliza’s life has spiraled out of control. She is being blackmailed into marriage by a man she doesn’t love while he reaps the benefits of her family’s law firm, until Roan steals her from her life.

Roan’s curse means that he will one day turn into a full goblin....more Roan is a King cursed to become a goblin. He lives in the Shadowlands as a goblin King. One day he is summoned by Eliza. He comes to find her passed out and bleeding. Her wish was to get away, so he decides to take her to the Shadowland. Eliza’s life has spiraled out of control. She is being blackmailed into marriage by a man she doesn’t love while he reaps the benefits of her family’s law firm, until Roan steals her from her life.

Roan’s curse means that he will one day turn into a full goblin. All him and his brother Dai want is gold, but they have held out from the curse with the hope they will find an end to the curse. They are nearing the end of the rope when Roan takes Eliza and decides she will be his Queen. He is caught between his lust for her, and how human she makes him feel. I didn’t know how to feel about Roan at first. His attraction is clear, and I let the instant need for Eliza slide because he is supposed to be turning into a monster. It was his need for gold that I doubted. They have a treasure trove of the stuff, but I in part didn’t believe he was that vested with his gold.

Eliza, as any natural woman would, freaks out when she wakes up in the Shaowland. Plus Roan doesn’t help, and is a little too demanding with her at first. This isn’t the first time she has summoned Roan, and slowly the memories of him come back. When she was sixteen she summoned him to help her get away from some boys at a party. He isn’t that nice now, but in a strange way she is intrigued by him.

I started to feel early on that this story was a lot like Beauty and the Beast. Cursed man, pretty lady in a bad situation, time to break some curses, right? Things don’t always go as planned, and I was actually glad they didn’t have magical sex that made everything better. This curse is a little harder to unravel. Roan likes to remind us very often that he is very close to turning, but he feels so human next to Eliza. While Roan has more feelings than a pubescent girl, Eliza is growing extremely fond of him. Eliza is torn between great sex, and the truth of what he really might be. Despite what Eliza thinks, I wasn’t that impressed with the steamy scenes between them.

This love story didn’t fully sale me. Sometimes I felt bad for Roan, and started to root for him. Just when I would start enjoying him, I would want to put him out of his misery. Eliza is set up for the reader to feel pity for her, but I didn’t have much. I did feel a little proud of her when she works out her own problems, and grows up. She was a little too accepting of Shadowland, and being a goblin queen.

I did like the fact that this was goblins. Goblins don’t come up that often in Paranormal Romance, and it is a really nice switch. The end wraps it up nicely, and was a little overdue. It felt like it dragged a little towards the end, or any time Roan woes about how miserable he is. There are a lot of elements that felt toned down, and assumed. This is an easy romance that does have a darker quality, but doesn’t dive deep enough.
-Beth (Guest Reviewer)(less)

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Sep 13, 2011 Karyn Gerrard rated it 4 of 5 stars

I won this book at Goodreads First Reads Giveaway

Highly entertaining with a captivating fantasy element. Throw in a Beauty and the Beast angle and you have a touching romance as well.

Eliza had her first encounter with the Goblin King when she was a teenager. He warned her, do not summon me again or I will take you away. Years later, Eliza's life is hell, she is engaged to monster in a Brooks Brothers suit, he controls every aspect of her life. She needs rescuing and summons the Goblin King.

Roan...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Kazoobooks rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rated 3.5 stars (Don’t let that discourage you! The next 2 books are better, so they get 4s. 5 stars is reserved for “keeper” books.) I have read the three Goblin books by Shona Husk, but not the prequel. Each book is better than the previous one. So it is worth hanging tough through The Goblin King, as it is a necessary set up for Kiss of the Goblin Prince and For the Love of a Goblin Warrior. These are classic love stories wrapped up in unconventional settings.

The overall set up is a group of...more Rated 3.5 stars (Don’t let that discourage you! The next 2 books are better, so they get 4s. 5 stars is reserved for “keeper” books.) I have read the three Goblin books by Shona Husk, but not the prequel. Each book is better than the previous one. So it is worth hanging tough through The Goblin King, as it is a necessary set up for Kiss of the Goblin Prince and For the Love of a Goblin Warrior. These are classic love stories wrapped up in unconventional settings.

The overall set up is a group of Celtic warriors who are cursed by a Druid priest to slowly become gold-loving goblins while they live out their long existence is the bleak Shadowlands. They spend two thousand years trying to find a way to break the curse before they completely turn into goblins. These books are character-driven romances with fairy tales and goblins.

The Goblin King is Roan, trapped in a bleak dimension, trying to hold his men together and subject to the whims of anyone who summons him. As a goblin, he is drawn to gold and if he lets the lust for gold overtake him, his soul will be lost. He once was summoned by a young teen named Eliza when a frat party got out of hand. He saved her and thinks that is his one good dead as a goblin.

Eliza becomes engaged to a lying, cruel man and she just drifts along like that for a while. When it finally gets to be too much, she summons the Goblin King to rescue her again. I don’t like women characters that have the spinal fortitude of a wet noodle. I get the whole “knight in shiny armor” fantasy. I just can’t get behind her choices. For me, she was hard to relate to.

The set-up for the plot is interesting. And the story plays out in a pretty satisfying way. However, I can’t identify with the decisions Eliza makes… how Eliza falls into bed with the king, entirely too quickly for a woman who has trouble making decisions. She also agrees to live in the Shadowlands with Roan without a great deal of thought. I found her irritating. She gets better, but Ms. Husk almost lost me before I got invested in the other characters. As mentioned by a few other reviewers, the secondary characters are more interesting than Eliza. Which is fabulous! because they are the focus of the other two books.

Finally. I agree with the reviewer who complained that the cover art does not support the story. Rather, it detracts. He can keep the cute face and manly chest, but where are the dreadlocks?

The book’s strengths include the use of goblins as male leads and how the author understands what goes on in people’s minds when they are contemplating big changes. She gets much better in books two and three.

jc
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Jan 03, 2013 Briana Evans rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. The prequel set it up nicely and in general it wasn't bad. It was well written and parts of it were very good. The problems came in between the good parts. I just found it a bit repetitive and I had a hard time staying interested. Most of the book is very internal. A lot of it is about the characters and how they feel and what they think which is often repeated throughout the entire novel. There is hardly any actual action which I feel could have made this an e...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Sally rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 27, 2011 Christy Duke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, fantasy-paranormal

If you read my comments throughout the reading then you'll know that I struggled with this story for a bit. I couldn't warm up to Eliza & really wasn't feeling the passion between her and Roan. However, I loved the fairy tale aspect. I especially loved that it wasn't all roses & wine - there was a lot of darkness going on in this story.
I gained a greater appreciation for Eliza once she took her life back and stood on her own two feet. I much prefer strong women and once she had it was e...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Shera (Book Whispers) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, unique-magical-creatures, ebook

The Goblin King was a sure hit with me right from the get go. It took a fresh new look on goblins—who only ever get brief spots as creepy villains in fantasy—and turned it into an epic Beauty and the Beast retelling. Long ago a group of Celtic men trying to defy the Roman Empire were wrongly accused of betraying their people. An overzealous Druid cursed Roan—the King of his clan—and his men to have hearts of gold. They were banished to the nightmare realm, the Shadowlands, and cursed to lose the...more The Goblin King was a sure hit with me right from the get go. It took a fresh new look on goblins—who only ever get brief spots as creepy villains in fantasy—and turned it into an epic Beauty and the Beast retelling. Long ago a group of Celtic men trying to defy the Roman Empire were wrongly accused of betraying their people. An overzealous Druid cursed Roan—the King of his clan—and his men to have hearts of gold. They were banished to the nightmare realm, the Shadowlands, and cursed to lose their souls and become goblins. Creatures without souls who could only lust after gold and blood. Anyone who summoned the Goblin King could make Roan do their bidding, until a few centuries into the curse he could finally defy the summoner.

The Goblin King jumps right into the tale where Eliza is trying to avoid a horrible man that is currently blackmailing her into marriage. She summons the Goblin King and wishes that he would take her away. The Goblin King is only too eager to do so. However, this isn’t the first time she’s made the request and their story starts back in her youth. Or in the short story The Summons, which in my opinion should be the prologue. Because without it this story just doesn’t have the passion and emotions, making for a rough start.

This book was a great escape. It took goblins to a whole new level and made them sexy. Eliza does not make for the most interesting read, as she jumps from one man to the next. She attaches herself to Steve after her father dies and soon becomes a victim to Steve’s greed. Then when the Goblin King comes along she’s ready to make for her freedom, yet she still has to fully depend on Roan to save her. Husks writing never quite breached the raw emotions, I felt like the words told instead of showing. Roan’s suffering never really came to the fore front with him having to kill his own clan members, living the life in the realm of nightmares and doing whatever a summoner demanded of him. I appreciate that the reader didn’t have to sit through depressing passages of a cursed man, but one who was still fighting for life.

The Goblin King is an enjoyable read on what makes a monster and what makes a man. It’s a grand new fairytale about breaking curses and happily ever afters. Even though the writing lacked that vital touch to fully suck me in emotionally I was still invested and I have faith that the next book, Kiss of the Goblin Prince, will make that leap. The world of the Shadowlands and Goblins is something I am looking forward to visiting and getting better acquainted with.

Sexual Content: A fair amount of sex, nothing too exotic. Talk about goblins raping and eating woman, again nothing too detailed on the matter.

3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.

Originally posted on Book Whispers.
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Oct 29, 2011 SubterraneanCatalyst ; I Will Always Read rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: guilty-pleasures, junkfood, paranormal-romance

3.5 Stars! (GR you really need to add the half star if you're going to have such a short range for rating!)

This book is like the amber beads so oft mentioned throughout- it feels like only a short moment captured. You will spend your time in this book within the Heroine and Hero's minds cycling through The Big Dilemma. This can be at times repetitive but Husk does manage to make me understand the desperate passion between the characters. The major points subtracted from this book: it could have...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Heeding a summons, the Goblin King, finds his summoner unconscious, but seizes the chance to bring the woman back to his lair – and a goblin never gives up his treasures.

Having read the free kindle prequel Summons: A Goblin King Prequel and being a fan of Labyrinth (yes, it has muppets but there is also a touch of forbidden romance) I was completely intrigued by the premise of Husk's series. Roan, the Goblin King, is a cursed warrior trying desperately to fight the greed that threatens to turn h...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Lynn Rush rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy

Wow. I read this in two days. I'm new to Shona Husk's writing but I'm hooked. Sometimes I got a little frustrated at the "there's no hope", and I wanted to shake Roan for leaving Eliza standing alone. But I LOVE the spin on this fairy tale. The darkness fighting the light...that's my favorite.

And with that tag line, "Be careful what you wish for when summoning...The Goblin King." **shiver**

It's so true. From the first page I was engulfed by Eliza and Roan's relationship and just had to know ho...more

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About Shona Husk

Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn’t looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold—sometimes literally.

With stories ranging from sensual to scorching, she...more

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Kiss of the Goblin Prince (Shadowlands, #2)

For the Love of a Goblin Warrior (Shadowlands, #3)

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