The Rivaled Crown

The Veiled Kingdom Series, Book 3

By: Holly Renee

Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Aubrey Vincent

I swore I would never return to this palace. Never kneel before my father again.

But I have been dragged back into his gilded cage, trapped beneath his rule, and bound to a fate I had tried to escape.

My body is his to break, my magic his to wield. And no matter how many nights I dream of Dacre storming these halls, of his hands, pulling me from the darkness—dreams are nothing against the greed of a king.

Even if my mate comes for me, even if I am freed from my father's grip, I'm not sure there will be anything left of me to save.

The kingdom is dying. The land withers beneath the weight of stolen magic, and my father's reign will not end without bloodshed.

But I have lived in the dark for too long.

And I was not made to wither, I was made to burn.

Narrated in duet style.

©2025 Holly Renee Publishing (P)2025 Podium Audio

Oh Daddy Dacre

Really a 3.5/5.
I enjoyed the series as a whole, but this one wasn't my favorite. One thing that never changed was Daddy Dacre's filthy mouth!

It did its job for me to conclude the series and I will def recommend it!

The storyline, mixed with the characters voices

Even though just a duo read, they did an amazing job with the storyline. Would 10/10 read again

It's fine

The performance was great. I loved the voice characters. I did remember why I put down the first two after I picked up the third. The storyline is good but I definitely skipped a lot of the inner dialog. So many repeated phrases as well. Over all not a literary masterpiece but it was good enough for me to finish

Trilogy could have been Solo

Heavy on the spice 🌶️; plot medium. I can’t not finish a series; so it was kind of a struggle getting through parts. Premise meh 🫤 just felt like it was being dragged behind. Not balance. Definitely could have been 1 book. Narrators were amazing.

Little Traitor

I would still betray an entire kingdom for Daddy Dacre.

This book ruined me in the best way. Holly Renee did not hold back in The Rivaled Crown — she gave us war, betrayal, heartbreak, and a love so intense it felt like magic (and sometimes literally was).

Watching Verena — our girl, our fighter, our traitor princess — be dragged back to the palace and trapped under her father’s control? Gut-wrenching. Watching Dacre wrestle between rebellion and the girl who’s owned him from day one? Torture. Beautiful, slow-burn, soul-destroying torture. And I ate it up.

This final book had everything: secrets, power plays, battles that had me holding my breath, and a love story that burned through every betrayal thrown at it. The chemistry between Verena and Dacre?? Off the charts. He’s unhinged. She’s unstoppable. And together? Chaos.

I don’t care how it started — I am and will always be Dacre’s little traitor.

If you’re into high-stakes fantasy romance with morally gray rebellion leaders, powerful heroines who refuse to stay broken, and endings that hurt so good, this one’s for you.