*Michelle M. Pillow ~ King of the Unblessed*

Immortality has a way of changing fate. Merrick, dark elfin King of Valdis, had once been heir to all that was good - happiness and pleasure his domain. Now, trapped as the ruler of mischief, king of necessary evil, he stands on a precipice of choice. On one side, his estranged brother, now ruler of what should have been Merrick's and, on the other, King Lucien of the Damned. Both would sway him. Damnation is winning.

Lady Juliana of Bellemare is from a human family, protected by the blessed, coveted by the damned. Betrothed to an old friend of her father's, Juliana is resigned to living out her days close to her childhood home, longing for an adventure, never dreaming she’d get what she wished for. When her fiancé is murdered and the children of Bellemare are stolen, Juliana is sent on a quest in a strange realm where appearances are deceiving.

Merrick brings more adventure and passion than any woman could want. Can she withstand the temptations of the unblessed king? The spell she weaves over him is more than he can resist and, desperate to be the one to rule her, Merrick offers her a choice; either come with him until he tires of her...or die.

~*~My Review~*~
I have longed to read this book for months now...unfortunately it was not available in the stores in my general area, thus I had to resort to ordering the book. It wound up costing close to fifteen dollars but was completely worth the money and the wait! What first drew me to this book was the storyline. It was such a unique story that, despite the fact I had never heard of the author before, I found myself delving further into my research on the book, and between the summaries, reviews and excerpt I found, I was dying to own the book for my own! Michelle M. Pillow has created a fascinating and thoroughly intriguing world where her characters may flourish - and oh boy!...what amazing characters they are!!

Pillow is a wonderful author, thus she is able to bring her various characters to life for her readers, enabling us (me) to feel intense emotions regarding the characters - there were some I simply wished to hold in my arms for the rest of eternity, while I would gladly have accepted ten minutes alone with some of the other characters and a wooden bat! The story was filled with twists and turns, amazing plot and subplots, wonderfully imaginative characters, love, loss, happiness, pain, confusion, mystery, danger, witty banter, and of course a very sexy unblessed king! It had everything one could hope for in a paranormal romance and then some!

I want to specifically mention the brilliance of Pillow's subcharacters! I felt as though I knew them all personally and am starving for the next book where the relationship between Hugh (the eldest brother) and the Faery Queen will finally be further developed from the taste we were given in King of the Unblessed.

Overall, King of the Unblessed was the perfect introduction to this previously unbeknownst-to-me author, and I cannot wait to experience the next installment in the Realm Immortal Series!!

~*~Excerpts~*~
"Merrick didn't think, had just watched her like he would a play. He loved her, or at least thought he could love her, as much as any being with a dark heart could love. Love was not so lofty an emotion and was strongly thought exclusive to the blessed. However, as with all things, the emotion was more complicated than that, for love could be as dark as the underworld, as enslaving as death, as vengeful as a righteous cause. Beings killed in the name of love, died for it, lusted after it, greedily kept it locked away, withheld it, exploited it. This was not an emotion the King of the Unblessed sought to possess. ...
No, there was no reason for it. All he knew is that night after night he was drawn to the garden basin to watch her. At first he'd hoped to find fault with her, thus losing interest. But the more he watched, the more he longed for her, wanted her, until she entered his thoughts when he was away from the garden. ...
Merrick frowned. There was only one option left to him. He'd go to her and offer her a choice. Either she would come with him until he tired of her or he would have her killed. If he possessed her, had her locked away in his castle, then he wouldn't be so obsessed. Lady Juliana would be under his complete control. If she chose death, then he'd no longer be able to gaze upon her face, unless it was to see it rotting in the ground. The spell would be broken and he would be free of her."
~~~
"'Where are you, Sir Knight? Why haven't you come to rescue me? I'd trade my soul to you for an adventure,' she whispered to herself, closing her eyes. She reached out with her feelings, willing him to come to her. 'Just one good adventure. Take me away with you to foreign lands. Show me the castles and palaces of enemy kings. Dance with me under the stars by the light of a dragon's breath. Please, rescue me, Sir Knight.'
'I wouldn't demand your soul, my lady, just your undying loyalty for an eternity.' ...
Dark eyes stared at her from a handsome face. His skin was tanned, his features hard. ... Her heart beat faster, quickening like it did in her dreams. ... 'Forgive me,' Juliana managed,...'did you speak?'
He took a step toward her. Juliana couldn't move. She couldn't see anything but the man. It was as if the world faded away, taking all her cares with it.
'I was merely taking you up on your offer, Juliana. You offered your soul, but I'll only demand your eternal loyalty and obedience. The soul you can keep. I have no use for it.'