BOOK REVIEW for "The Warrior King (Inferno Rising, #3)" by Abigail Owen

The Warrior King 
(Inferno Rising, #3)
by Abigail Owen

Meira Amon is the most reserved of the phoenixes, finding computers easier to deal with than people and their messy emotions. But she wants revenge against the Rotting King Pytheios for the murder of her parents just as much as her sisters. Offering herself as a queen for their ally, dragon shifter King Gorgon of the Black Clan, only makes sense.

Just one problem…

Samael Veles worked his lowborn ass off to become the fiercest warrior of the Black Clan. He has pledged his life to protect his king at all costs. Yet somehow, in the middle of war, he took one look at a woman in a reflection and gave up his heart. When that woman turns out to be the phoenix promised to mate his king and help bring peace to their kind, he has no choice but to accept it.

Until her fire unexpectedly destroys the king after they’ve wed. Now Samael must choose between his loyalty to his clan and protecting the queen who might be his mate from his people’s wrath, one of which will unlock a destiny no one could have ever imagined…

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~ BOOK REVIEW for The Warrior King ~

****(4) out of 5 

This third book in the Inferno Rising series picks right up where the prior volume left off.  The allied dragon rebel clans continue to face off over the bogus High King and his various lackeys.  But things seem to keep going from bad to worse for our little band of do-gooders.  

Hoping to help turn the tide of war in their favor, Meira offers herself as mate to the ally King Gorgon.  Although a good guy in nearly every regard, he is not, however, her fated mate, so I really do not understand how she can think a union with him would result in anything other than his death.  In point of fact, after their wedding ceremony, when it is time to seal the deal, Meira ends up killing the king with her phoenix fire.  Except that somehow it isn't Gorgon.  Of course, hardly anyone believes her, and she must escape from her own people while she tries to find the real king and discover what is going on.  

Luckily, she has Samael to help her with this monumental task.  Although he spends just as much time fighting off his attraction to Meira as he does protecting her, which doesn't leave a whole lot of time for sleuthing.  They manage, with the help of her magic and some exceptional friends, to explore quite a bit though, and do learn, if not all, at least quite a bit of what is happening around them and in the world at large, in the larger struggle against the forces of evil arrayed against them.  

That these two do not immediately realize that they are fated mates, or at least as the story goes along, is just absurd to me.  He sees her through a mirror when she is eavesdropping via her magic, something that no one else has ever been able to do.  And he is able to touch her when she is using her phoenix fire, without his being burned to a crisp like her erstwhile (fake) husband.  

And both of them are willing to give up the love that they share in order to further the cause of their group, not to mention avoid betraying the love of their mentor and friend.  But Gorgon discovers their betrayal, too late to do much about it, but soon enough to forgive them even that.

There were some significant sacrifices made in this tale; ones that had meaningful emotional and strategic importance in the story overall and specifically to the main characters and their closest allies.  I believe there is one more book in the series, which I can't wait to read.  I just hope that they are able to avenge some of their losses.

I received a free eBook copy of this title from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley, 

and have willingly provided an honest review.

See my reviews of the first two books in the Inferno Rising series:

The Rogue King 
 The Blood King

Or check out the author's related Fire's Edge series!