A FAIRYTALE STRICTLY FOR ADULTS

You've really got to love a Paranormal Romance to get the most out of this action-packed, complex, emotional and thoroughly entertaining listen set in the 15th Century because Juliana's adventure introduces you to different Fae Realms, a mixed bag of strange, good/evil and wonderful creatures, Magic, Witches, Fairies, Goblins and a host of other fantasy characters. But entwined with them is a fantastical love story that's broody, raw and dark but it's also so touching.

Merrick is the sexy King of the Unblessed Realm which is in-between the Blessed Realm and the Damned Realm and he's infatuated with Juliana, a mortal woman that he's been spying on, and, when she makes a wish, he's there all too willing to grant it. This starts off an often funny, often tragic, often sad chain of events that brings her close family members into the mix who try to save her from Merrick.... and maybe from herself. There's, sub plots and sub characters galore and the descriptive world-building skills of Michelle Pillow makes this a very addictive listen.

The love story was bitter-sweet as Merrick gives Juliana everything but for his own selfish reasons and she is so desperate to get home she doesn't see behind his facade until it's nearly too late. Lots of character development, passion filled sex and an unconventional romance that'll have you rooting for the bad guy. For me, this book came alive because of Ross Pendleton who skilfully handled the host of voices needed to maximise the enjoyment factor of this listen and brought it up to a whole new level.

Worth a credit? This was 'different' and a great start to a new PNR series that I'm eagerly intending to follow, so YES credit-worthy.

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7 people found this helpful

A fun book :)

What did you like best about King of the Unblessed? What did you like least?

I enjoyed the whole plot to be honest. I found it to be quite an enjoyable adult fairy-tale. I enjoyed the funny characters and their little banters and also how Michelle .M. Pillow wove the imagery into such fine words that I was able to picture the whole story. Over all I enjoyed the adventure, the silly banter and oh but of course the sex scenes :)

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I wasn't ready for it to end. It did what book series do, which is leave me wanting more, but also pleased with what I know has already taken place.

Have you listened to any of Ross Pendleton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I have not, but after listening to his voice, that will be rectified. He has such a soothing voice and omg the voices he gives some of the characters had me laughing as well as enchanted. Let me just say I enjoyed listening to him quite a bit :)

Did King of the Unblessed inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to want to listen to the narrator again and to grab another book by the same author.

Any additional comments?

Overall I found this book to be quite enjoyable and would give the book a thumbs up (a high 3.+ stars). I found that I liked things in this book more than I did not like things (which were quite few in # meaning that after listening to the whole book I can't even remember them). If you ever get a chance I suggest listening to this book or even picking up a copy just to read. Michelle .M.Pillow is an awesome author and I would suggest pretty much any of her books, and the narrator Ross Pendleton, let's just say I can listen to him anytime.

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7 people found this helpful

Sexy and Enchanting!

Ms. Pillow recreated what I call the adult version of Labyrinth with KING OF THE UNBLESSED! I don’t know how she did it, but she even came up with a sexier “goblin king” than David Bowie! Yes, I believe I blushed more than once.


Lady Juliana of Bellemare, wants nothing more than a grand adventure before she is to be married. When one lives in the land of the Fae, one must be careful of what they wish for. She is a bit naive and does not know the really know what the world hold. As there were times I really wanted to grab a hold of the girl and shake her and say get it together chicka! I truly loved Juliana. She was a woman thinking outside the box and wanted what she wanted. In many ways she did get them!


Merrick, the King of the Unblessed, is dark, sexy and powerful. OMG, the long blond hair, I just wanted to run my finger through it. He is one of those Alpha’s alphas! He wants something and he gets it no matter what. But God, those eyes that make you want to melt. Kings have to do what kings have to do! I so fell in love with him!!


Merrick gave Juliana the adventure she wanted. Along with magic, deception, a bunch of magical creates to guide her along the way and passion beyond what Juliana could have imagined, she unknowing walks right in to the Unblessed Kings waiting hands. Merrick’s own deception turns on him, when he realized Juliana just might be more to him than her though she should be.


I want to start out by saying I am not much of a Historical romance reader. It’s not that I don’t like that aspect of romance, I have a tendency to get lost in it, but do I love the way they speak. I am however a huge paranormal romance fan. KING OF THE UNBLESSED was a surprisingly exciting read for me. Not only was it paranormal and fantasy together and had this wonderful historical setting that just blew me away. Mega props to Ms. Pillow for this awesome world building in the series. Yes I am a huge fan of world building. Not only is this Merrick and Juliana story, but you can see so many other story lines that could very well be a good book coming in this series!!

I listen to the audio version of this book. I have to be honest I had a little trouble with the narrator. Please do not give me wrong, Ross Pendleton, did an excellent job narrating. I had a hard time getting used his style. Upon the second listen of the book I was very much able to enjoy the wonderful enchanting tale that was told.
If you want to get lost is a fairytale that will heat up the pages as you are turning them, I suggest you go with the KING OF THE UNBLESSED.

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4 people found this helpful

Medieval Fairy Tale

I didn't realize this was in medieval times before I purchased this, although after I reread the synopsis it makes sense. I would have enjoyed this story more if it didn't have as many side stories or point of views. I needed more time with Juliana and her adventure, but we get points of view from all the Kings and Juliana's brothers. I loved the sprites, they reminded me of the sprites from the movie Willow. After looking at all the review this is a well-loved book but something about it just didn't drag me in. Don't get me wrong I did like it, I just didn't love it. I might consider reading the next book if on sale and if Audible gets it. The narrator was both a hit and miss for me. He did have many different voices, I just didn't like his voice for Merrick it sounded smarmy to me and turned me off. Overall I would rate a 3.5.

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3 people found this helpful

Wonderful first time experience

I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version of King of the Unblessed. I read the book awhile ago and listening to it added to my overall experience. Since this was my first audio book, I did not know what to expect from the narrator, Ross Pendleton. Pendleton, however, did an excellent job of bringing each character to life. The different accents and voices, from human to elves to goblins, draws the listener in in a way that a novel does not do. I felt Merrick was especially well done. I definitely would listen to King of the Unblessed again. I received an audible copy of King of the Unblessed from the author in return for an honest review.

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3 people found this helpful

Wonderful..

Any additional comments?

Love, love, loved this book. Loved Merrick and Juliana. Really loved the sprights Gorman and Halton. And the gnome, Domovoi. Loved the murder, mystery and love story. Hated Lucian and felt sorry for Mia. An all-around wonderful read. I was not bored for even a second.

As to the narrator: I'm really, really not one for male narrators, except for Robert Petkoff, but I have to admit that Ross Pendleton did a phenomenal job! He made every voice completely different and identifiable and what he did to Gorman and Halton and Domovoi's voices made you really believe they were sprights and a gnome talking. Amazing preformance.

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utterly fresh and individual.

So I had so much fun with this author’s Divinity Warriors series, and the two medieval romances that were stand alones that I was really excited to be offered the opportunity to start on the Realm Immortal Audio Book.

There are really four or five different stories that comprise this book, making it the perfect introduction to the series and providing the never ending conflict that has existed for eons.
Set in the early 15th century, the medieval themes and references are beautifully integrated, showing the author’s true enjoyment of the fashion, customs and beliefs of the age.

The primary protagonists in this story are Lady Juliana, soon to be married and not relishing the decisions, but having no power to change her own destiny. Her life is reasonably carefree: she spends much time imagining and dreaming.

Merrick is the King of the Unblessed: an elven man with the task of separating the evil from the good, and finding a balance in the world. He hears Juliana speaking of her desire for adventure, and is instantly obsessed with her. When he arranges to kidnap Juliana and make her his own, the characters start to arrive fast and furious, and the subplots and major conflicts start to appear,.

Merrick and Juliana have a chemistry that is palpable: while she laments her lack of self-control around Merrick, she cannot help but enjoy their more lustful and steamy interactions. While Merrick is not one for soft words and gentle ministrations, his tender and considerate care for her, despite his often harsh delivery make his own internal struggles even more poignant.

See, Merrick and his brothers Lucien and Ean rule the three realms of the Immortals, Unblessed, Damned and Blessed. The three have a familial connection that none has severed, and this allows them a sense of one another’s emotions, presence and struggles. Merrick was never meant to take his throne, and for him the struggle between his own personal preferences and the necessary evil that he must loose on the world are constantly battling within him. Lucien is deliciously and unapologetically evil: his delight in all things dark and deviant are readily apparent, and his lover Mia alternates in awe, fear and desire of him. Ean is the King of the Blessed, and as such he fights for all that is good and right. Yet even he understands the need for some darkness to creep into the light: allowing for the reset of both nature and the true appreciation.

Add to that a castle full of goblins who love to be told children’s stories, two sprites with a love-hate relationship, gnomes, fairies and even a few of Juliana’s brothers and the action is fast paced with characters providing tension, laughs and even steam. While it puts me in the mind of the film Labyrinth in the unique voicing and introduction of characters, the unique inclusions of ultra-alpha males, humor and historical references make it utterly fresh and individual.

Narration is provided by Ross Pendleton, and the review on his delivery is mixed. While I found his narration to move beautifully from one character to the next, with enunciation that was clear and precise, there was a great effort expended to ‘act’ voices of characters, some working better than others. It took some time to acclimate myself to his voicing choices, and were I not familiar with a similar delivery style from a weekly podcast that I listen to, I would have found many of the changes in pitch, tone and pacing to be distracting. What I can say is that as you listen more the choices start to make sense and do not distract from the writing and the flow of the story.

I received an eBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

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3 people found this helpful

Awesome World, Frustrating Romance

There was so much about this that I absolutely loved. The world was so full of life and gave off a real fairy tale vibe, but for me, the romance between the H and h was poorly constructed, and the “misunderstandings” between them would have been so easily cleared up with just a few words, it left me feeling too frustrated to really love this as much as I wanted to.

I really liked all the characters and prose, though, and would like to check out more by this author.

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2 people found this helpful

Great story

What made the experience of listening to King of the Unblessed the most enjoyable?

So must was put into the story. It was in depth, interesting, full of twists and action-packed. The story pulled you in and really had me ticked off at some characters and in love with others lol. truly a good story.

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2 people found this helpful

Fun and entertaining

What did you love best about King of the Unblessed?

The whimsy of the fairy tale people. Elves, trolls, dragons, sprights, berserkers, goblins...So many wonderfully developed characters. It was as if a beloved childhood fairytale had been reshaped into an adult fantasy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Merrick, I related to to him the most. He is not a flowery, flattering King who is able to express his emotions verbally well. He is sincere, and honorable in all he does. He did all he could to show Julianna that he loved her, and made a few mistakes along the way. He is, after all, not only a man but a King. What man doesn't make mistakes when trying to court a woman? They think like men not women. For King Merrick not only does he have to conquer his maleness to show her he loves her but he has to overcome being the King of the Unblessed.

Which character – as performed by Ross Pendleton – was your favorite?

All of the goblins, trolls, and sprights! First of all they were brilliant characters. Second, Ross Pendleton has an exceptional grasp on how a fairytale character should sound. His voice was pleasant and he articulated words well. I was blown away with how he could remember which accent, tone, and even how each creature breathed. Outstanding!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Juliana had a habit of asking for things, but as soon as it was granted denying that it was what she wanted. She was spoiled at home in Bellemare by her family. So when she was suddenly thrust on her adventure she wasn't used to doing things that took very much work. Then she would whine like a small child who had just been told no for the first time. When things got rough she would say she didn't mean what she asked for. It was very frustrating for me that she couldn't see what Merrick was doing for her. When Juliana...I don't want to spoil it. So I will just say, when Juliana decided to stop letting her human eyes see and saw with her heart.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to the other books in this series. I especially look forward to seeing how Merrick and Juliana do now that she has emotionally matured a bit.

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2 people found this helpful