Enemies to lovers

found the combination of royal protagonists who not only rule their countries but also have superpowers very interesting. It was something different and quite refreshing.
Sander and Tarik are rivals from enemy countries who were both kidnapped on a boat and then landed on a deserted island. They initially accused each other of being responsible for the predicament and there are arguments and fights. But once they stop that to survive together they are really cute together. If you like enemies to lovers, this is the book for you.
After their adventure together, there are a few twists and turns that are not predictable, but that is more often the case in politics.

I was entertained by the story, it was well written and even better narrated. The characters were interesting and I'm already looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Kirt Graves is an excellent narrator who has a very pleasant voice and pace. He was a pleasure to listen to as he brought the story to life with emotion
I requested a free copy of the audiobook and this is my honest opinion that I am volunteering

1 person found this helpful

Snary fun, action and romance

Royal intrigue, villains to defeat, superpowers, shipwrecked enemies to lovers, humor and snark, this book has all of these and more. It took no time at all before I was completely absorbed in this story and rooting for both these characters to get together and put things right in the palace and with each other. The world building was great and the characters fit right in. Look forward to more in this world. Kirt Graves is one of my all time favorite narrators and his performance here demonstrates why. He catches all the humor and snarky bits, but also the menace of the villains and the transformation of Sander's and Tarik's relationship from mutual suspicion to a couple who is unstoppable together.

Clever & Creative, Great Performance by K. Graves

Such a clever and creative universe! E.J. Russell has an amazing imagination, and it's even better listening to Kirt Graves bring Duking It Out to life.

These are such quirky characters, and they have great chemistry... I love enemies to lovers, and seeing these two grow to accept one another is so much fun.

an audiobook copy of Duking It Out was provided to me for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own

Great enemies to lovers royals romance

This book was such fun. Enemies to lovers. Abandoned on a desert island. Two tropes that I love.
The chemistry between the MCs was sizzling hot and sweet. I adored Sander, a gentle man falsely labelled a monster.
I laughed, I cried, I loved.
The narration was excellent.

When your greatest rival become your greatest love

I admit I didn’t see much hope for Sander and Tarik. Stranded on an island with only themselves to rely on – each believing the other kidnapped them and this is part of some nefarious plan. They also have prejudices toward each other – Tarik believes the tale of The Monster of the Roses and Sander believes the story of Tarik being ill-tempered. Except neither is accurate.

Slowly, hour by hour, the men start to learn more about each other. They eventually challenge their prejudices and get to know the man behind the myth (a lesson for all of us, I think). Finally, each man confronts his superpower and learns there might be more going on than they believed.

Rescue seems impossible as the boat has been destroyed and no one seems to know where they are. In the end, though, things work out. They have to, after all, because this is a romance. When they return to civilization, though, they are different men. So the question became – could they finally get their happily ever after?

I adore Kirt Graves and I thought he did a great job with this lovely audiobook. I look forward to more books!

Super Royally Good

A fantastic start to the new series by EJ Russell. Great characters and interesting world, a story that needs to be listen to especially with Kirt Graves as the narrator. Hope the rest of the series make it to audible soon.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Superpowered royals

I've never come across a series that combines royalty and superpowers, and I'm surprised by how well it worked! Sander and Tarik may have started out as rivals from feuding countries, but when a kidnapping landed them both on a deserted island, they had to quickly find a way to work together to survive. It was fun to watch them bicker and fight during the first few hours, but what I enjoyed even more was watching them soften towards each other as they spent more time isolated on the island. Tarik initially came across as a giant a-hole, but he ended up being Sander's biggest cheerleader before all was said and done. Sander, for his part, went through a healing journey of his own as he laid bare his deepest regrets and learned to trust in his mastery of his superpower. What started out as a worst case scenario turned into a happy retreat for Sander and Tarik, made all the sweeter by their steamy romantic connection. Had it not been for my worry that they'd eventually die from malnutrition, I would have been completely happy for them to live out the rest of their lives in peace on that island. Unfortunately, the reveal of the villain took this story on a very weird turn, and not even the swoony romantic proposal could bring me fully back on board. It wasn't that the villain themself was the problem, it was the way their narrative of events didn't match up with anyone else's, which made the whole dastardly plot fall flat and seem unbelievable. I assume the author is setting up for a larger, series-wide plotline, but I'm not buying what's been presented as truth so far.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

Lovely, original and funny

I love it when authors make their own, unique version of fantastic reality. Here is super powers and social structures you haven't heard combined before, and it works brilliantly. Add exploration of human nature as well as lots of humour, and I'm sold. Thank you to E.J. Russell and Kirt Graves for a couple of happy days listening!

Enjoyable

Duking it Out is the first book in the Royal Powers series, a multiple author series which has a new author for each book in the series.

Duking it Out is a shorter novel so it doesn’t really flesh out the world building to the degree I wanted, but that’s because the world building we did get was so fascinating I immediately wanted more. It’s set in a man alternate world that has the same level of technology as our world but with completely different countries. Oh, and super powers are real for individuals of royal blood. It’s a very interesting concept and there’s so much to explore in this world. E.J. Russell focuses on two Dukes from opposing nations and gives us a plot that feels like a mix of Castaway, Romeo and Juliet (but happy), and royal intrigue. I thought the plot was interesting and my favorite part was how Tarek and Sanders worked together for survival and fell in love during the process.

The audiobook was narrated by Kirt Graves who was fantastic. The narration was on point and engaging with a well done audio production.

Absolutely Love It!

I loved this story when I read the ebook, and the audiobook made me love it even more. Part of that is Kirt Graves fantastic ability to really infuse these characters with life and emotion in his narration. The story can seem a little confusing at first, because there is history and super powers we don't know about, but rest assured, the author slowly reveals this history in such a way that you can't help but empathize with both Sander and Tarik (but especially Sander). I love the way Tarik turns out to be so much deeper than his initial presentation, and I especially adored how he supported Sander once he realizes how much they have in common. I love the humorous snark and banter between the MCs, and I am really looking forward to listening to the rest of the Royal Powers books in audiobook form.

I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.