Claimed by the King is the first book in Shifters of Black Isle Series.
Book 1: Claimed by the King
Kelly has been chosen by the people of her town, to be a sacrifice for the giants. Every eight years a human girl of age is chosen by lottery to be sacrificed. No one ever sees the girls again. Kelly has no idea what to expect when she is tied to a post on the beach. She waits for hours until a ship arrives, shrouded by dense fog. The Giant King, Broc, his brother, and guards approach a sleeping Kelly. She wakes with a start but she is strong and doesn’t show fear. Broc notices her strong will and knows she will make a good queen who will rule by his side.
Kelly wakes to find herself in a bed much nicer than the one she sleeps in at home. Kelly soon finds out that not everyone is excited for her to be there. Broc’s second cousin, Rhea, has desired to be queen for a long time but tradition says the giants must reproduce with a human. She is bitter toward Kelly from the start. With an impending battle on the horizon, Rhea takes Kelly to train. Rhea does not take it easy on Kelly. It is while Kelly feels her life is threatened that magic erupts from her in a flash of light. Rhea thinks she is a witch, coming to spy and destroy the giants, and puts Kelly in the dungeons.
The Soldier and the Siren
Meanwhile, Teaq, the king’s brother, meets a mermaid, Liliwen, who is a princess to their greatest enemy. The two are falling in love but can not tell anyone. They meet in secret many times until one day she is spotted by one of the giants on duty. Teaq must pretend that he does not know her. As expected, Liliwen’s father comes to find his daughter and threatens war on the giants. In the end everyone gets what they want and Teaq and Liliwen will go sailing in search of some where they can live together.
Dee’s Review
When I got to the end of the first book it ended with the war horn. I assumed the next book in the series would pick up where the first left off put it did not. Book 2 retells book 1 through Teaq’s and Liliwen’s point of view. The two books could have been combined into one book with two relationships forming. I was disappointed with how these stories were separated.