Now this is how you write an exciting, slow burn fantasy romance with characters that are vividly brought to life. I can see that there's slight homages here to Beauty and the Beast, even a teeny bit maybe of Hades and Persephone but believe me this story is original and very well told.
I loved how feisty and downright annoying Wren can be ! I adored the slow burn romance as these most decidedly enemies grew to know, respect and yes grudgingly love each other. Perhaps a little overlong in places and you know what ? I don't care because I totally enjoyed being pulled into this amazing world. Plus an adorable epilogue just had me grinning like an idiot ! No cliff hanger although the author clearly has other brothers stories to tell and this book ticked all my boxes so I happily recommend it.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Thank you to NetGalley, Andromeda Press and Alexandria Warwick for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WOW.

This all of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, one bed, slow burn, and forced proximity / marriage. It's all packed into a standalone book that will be intertwined to a "series" of the other Elements / Gods! No cliffhanger here folks! Cannot wait to add the physical book onto my bookshelf.

My goodness did I LOVE this book. I couldn't put it down, I was sucked in and so intrigued with the story, the writing, everything.

The North Wind is one of my top favorite stand-alone books this year. It felt like a mix between FBAA & Beauty and the Beast and Alexandria Warwick DELIVERED. I loved beauty and the beast growing up and as an adult, I'm obsessed with FBAA, so the two intertwined? YES, PLEASE, THANK YOU!

We learn quickly that the lands are plagued by a never-ending winter and dark, creepy monsters that roam the lands, creating chaos, destruction and death in their wake. Due to the never-ending winter, we see the lands struggle to maintain their livelihood, leaving food sources scarce and the townsfolk starving and struggling to survive.

For centuries The Frost King (Boreas, The North Wind), has been taking women from their village as brides for sacrifice. The time comes again for him to return and claim his bride and during his visit, he claims Elora, Wren's twin sister. Wren caring for her sister so passionately and selflessly, goes in her place, unbeknownst to Elora which begins the start to the story and oh my gosh was it good.

Each and every time I thought I knew who the enemy was or thought I knew what was going to happen, I was thrown for a major curve ball and thrown into left field, leaving me shocked and on the edge of my seat for more. Alexandria does such a good job at throwing plot twists into the story that really make your heart race in anticipation for what'll come next.

We really get to see how these two, very flawed characters became to be the way they are. While both are flawed in their own ways, neither apologize for being themselves which makes their characters that much better and far more relatable, even in a fantasy book.

The angst and slow burn between Boreas and Wren was immaculate. There's tension and spice, banter between the main characters and the side characters (I freakin love Orla! Shes so stinking adorable.) There are times where a story should have been more and this was not one of those times. We were able to see the character development, the climax of the story and the ending (Plus an adorable Epilogue) come together seamlessly in one single book.

Overall, 5/5 stars.

TW: Mentions of SA, Alcoholism

Let me start off by saying I liked this book. I really liked the book. However, there were too many parallels between it and Maas' Court of Thorns and Roses series. It was like reading fan-fiction of a sort. Strong heroine, crossing the veil between worlds as a willing sacrifice to save her family. Falling in love with the bad guy who turns out to not be so bad. It was a great read, but I won't continue with the series.

3.5 This book had me HOOKED from the beginning. While it did remind me of the beginning of SJM's ACOTAR, I'm gonna base that on this being another BatB retelling. The spicy scenes were super spicy and I loved the banter between the two love interests. My one issue with the book is how quickly it ended, I think another 100 pages would've benefitted the story.

Definitely a break out read for what promises to be a great new Fantasy Romance series that will appeal to fans of Jennifer Armentrout, Sarah J. Maas, Scarlett St. Clair, and Laura Thalassa. I'm a sucker for a wintery setting especially one filled with magic, mayhem and fairy tale vibes (and plenty of steam to warm things up:) - and this delivered on all points. A great enemies to lovers plot with a good bit of epic fantasy world building, this kept me engrossed and quickly turning the pages. **Thanks so much to both NetGalley and Andromeda Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!**

Even though the story line plays a bit of homage to both Beauty and the Beast and the Hades and Persephone myth this is very much its own story, with pretty great and expansive world building that will please epic fantasy fans, along with a great slow burn (to eventful HOTness) enemies to lovers romance. Those who like they Fae and Immortals will like the sort of blend of the two Warwick produces in her Anemoi (the Four Winds). The Frost King is definitely one of my new crushes and I can't wait to see some of the character art bound to be inspired after more people get a chance to read this.

There's a lot of Fantasy Romance flooding the both the Indie and regular markets right now and this definitely one of the better written ones, with plenty of plot, world building, and romance to please a wide audience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Part Beauty and the Beast, part Hades and Persephone, I couldn’t put The North Wind down.

<i> “I did not ask to be a god. I was born immortal, granted strength and power. It is all I know.”
“No,” I correct him. “It is all you allow yourself to know.” </i>

Wren and Boreas were such well developed characters and I loved every interaction between them. The world building was so interesting (this is a stand-alone but I can’t wait to read the other books in this series). The writing was beautiful and the romance was impeccable.

I'll admit to having high expectations for this one. I heard enemies to lovers Hades and Persephone retelling, and requested it immediately. I knew it would be good. I just didn't know it would be this good. Because this book dragged me in and wouldn't let me go. It was addicting.

It's so hard to choose a favorite thing about this one, but mine might be our main character, Wren. She wasn't nice. She wasn't kind. She wasn't apologetic. She was rough. She was difficult. She was headstrong. She was beautiful in her complexities, and she's part of what had me hooked on this book. I found her both relatable and inspiring. I have countless pages of this highlighted, and almost all of them are regarding her. She was a beautiful character, and I hate that I'm done with her now.

Another thing I really loved was the romance between Wren and Boreas. It was enemies to lovers in the best way. So many knife to throat scenes. So much tension. So many scenes that had me screaming at the book. And oh my god, the smut between them. Top tier. Didn't happen until the last 150 pages, but so worth the wait. The relationship was slowburn, addictively slow. So by the time things started happening, I couldn't do anything other than read.

Both frustrating and amazing was the relationship between Elora and Wren. I loved the way it resolved without alienating either one. It wasn't an easy relationship, but they both worked so hard to repair it.

Another relationship I loved was the one between Orla and Wren. I loved Orla, but even more, I loved the dynamic between her and Wren. It was so sweet, and Orla really was the friend that Wren needed. She was always there for Wren, and it was beautiful.

I could rave about this book for even more time, but at this point, it's unnecessary. Reminiscent of ACOTAR and The Shadows Between Us, I'd recommend this to every fantasy romance fan.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

It's easy to tell this book/series will be the next favourite because it ticks out all the necessary boxes for that but I couldn't get myself to like it. And I tried, really tried.

The majority of it felt like reading ACOTAR all over again and it wasn't just the fact both are supposed to be following the Beauty and the Beast plot. The setting, the main idea, the conflict and characters, all were way too much alike for my taste and probably that was where my interest started to dwindle and by the time the story got to the midpoint, I was simply reluctant to even go on.

I think my main problem was Wren as I found her annoying with her simple-minded reasoning for everything. Her alcoholism and the way she decided more than once to present herself unwashed and stinking for the shits and giggles to get a rise out of her husband and then always proceed to blame him for not being peachy with her… was.. not fun. I found myself skimming the pages most of the time when it was just Wren. On the other hand, I liked Boreas and wished it was a dual POV as it would have added more depth to the story. I was craving to see into his mind and traumas and see how his brain actually works because Wren is.. well, blind and unreliable at best.

I also felt the plot/conflict got lost somewhere amongst Wren's agony and it was just sprinkled here and there and resolved in a way that left me feeling it was only an afterthought. Maybe if it was more balanced between the plot and Wren's journey I might have enjoyed it more.

OKAY I FREAKING ADORED THIS. I would honestly even go so far as to say this is the best fantasy romance I have ever read. The characters were SO flawed yet so relatable and their complexity added so much to the already interesting world-building and plot. I am anxiously awaiting the second book in the series! The spice was TOP notch too.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read this ARC! I was so excited to receive this ARC and it did not disappoint! Wren is now one of my favorite main characters ever. While a little predictable, the plot and pacing were definitely enjoyable! The love story perfect if you like a good slow-burn enemies-to-lovers story! I do wish we were going to get more books about these two characters, but the story ties up nicely at the end with no cliff hangers. I devoured this book in about 2 days, so I would highly recommend picking this book up when it comes out!

Thank you to Andromeda Press, NetGalley, and Alexandra Warwick for providing me with an arc of this book.

The North Wind is a solid fantasy romance that uniquely and compellingly retells the tale that's as old as time - Beauty and the Beast with some Persephone and Hades vibes sprinkled in for additional flavor.

I tend to have a problem with a lot of fantasy romance because the books in the genre tend to focus on the romantic elements of the story while not developing the fantasy elements to their fullest potential. Thankfully this book does not suffer from this problem. The fantasy elements and the romantic elements complement each other very well. The dark, cold and dreary landscape of this world reflects the initial hatred our heroine feels for the hero. It adds an almost gothic feel to the romance which I liked. To my surprise, the worldbuilding is good - the world feels well developed even though we're not provided with an enormous amount of detail. We know just enough to understand the plot and feel like the world is alive.

Wren - the heroine is quite complex and nuanced. I liked how she struggled with herself and her own darkness. The North Wind is an interesting character too - there is a softness to him but it's hidden under layers of cruelty and coldness. Their love story is a true slow-burn, that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The only issue I have with this book is that I believe it's too long. It could have been condensed a little bit. There is a moment in the middle when the book dragged for me. But apart from that, I would recommend this book to anybody who likes:
-enemies-to-lovers
-Beauty and the Beast
-Hades and Persephone
-retellings
-feisty but troubled heroines
-broody and dark heroes

This book is receiving a solidly mixed review from me. The premise was interesting with solid world building based on the existing myths of the four winds and related players. The writing was great- good imagery, characterization and exposition. You certainly feel you are there and get a good look into the mind of our protagonist. However, sometimes that meticulous world building felt slow and scattered. First books in a series, where all the guidelines of the mythos must be established, are tough to write while also furthering a plot, and this narrative lagged a bit during that process. I didn’t adore the protagonists (personable preference, granted) though the flaws and foibles are an integral part of the story, so fair enough. Plot-wise the book felt long for how quickly the conflict gets resolved. All that said, every time I was sure this would be a DNF because it was just dragging, something would happen to make me want to see how it ended. I think my mixed feelings are more about this just not being a genre I enjoy as much as other options. While I won’t be reading further in the series, if sweeping fantasy romances with all the classic tropes are your jam? This one will for sure be a hit with the right audience.

Thank you so much for allowing me to review this book as an ARC.

If you are interested in a fantasy romance, enemies to lovers with a slow burn, or arranged (or trapped) marriage - this is your book.

I blew through this book in about 3 days and just couldn't put it down. I enjoyed that the female protagonist was not absolutely perfect (Alcoholism), but still a bad-ass who is fierce and loyal. The male character was a bit emotionless for me in the beginning - sometimes his emotions fell flat for me.
I enjoyed the conversations between the main couple as they felt real, not forced.

The storyline was immersive without being over the top, something I enjoy. The story was easy to follow and moved at a decent pace.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this book and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to read it - I also look forward to the other books in this series and will continue to read them.

I enjoyed the concept of this book—an original fantasy idea, layered with elements of Greek mythology. I also really liked Wren—I’m always a fan of a prickly and grouchy heroine. I liked that she needed to learn how to allow herself to be loved.
I did think this was too long. At the same time, I thought a little too much time was spent on Wren scheming to get home, and not enough was spent on the changing feelings between Boreas and Wren. I will be reading the next in the series, as I want to see how the West Wind redeems himself.
Overall, I think this would be a good choice for fans of detailed and intricate fantasy romance.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. Anytime I see a book described as a “reimagined Beauty and the Beast” I immediately want to read it.

The North Wind checked all of my boxes: enemies to lovers, forced marriage, one bed trope, slow-burn, and a magic system. Fantasy romance novels, as of late, have become some of my favorite books to read and The North Wind was truly fantastic.

I will say however, I was a little disappointed on the lack of background for this story. I would have loved to learn more about the dark dwellers, The Frost King’s power, a mortal’s blood being necessary, and the background of all 4 brothers. I know this is a stand-alone that will feature books in the same world, so I’m hoping there’s some more explanation in the future.

Regardless of those few faults, I loved the romance in this story. The slow-burn kept you wanting for more and the author did not disappoint when finally everything really picked up. This story has plenty of good spicy scenes between the characters.

Overall, I think this was a solid fantasy romance novel and definitely a must read for fans of this genre.

I honestly loved this book!
I’m not usually a big fan of romance novels, but when I read the synopsis I had to give it a go. From page one it had me hooked. I love the setting of Edgewood and the Deadlands. The writing lyrical but not overworked, which created a great atmosphere which kept you turning pages.

Wren and Boreas were amazing characters with a really well written ‘slow burn’ enemy to lovers storyline, I was fully invested in them from the get go. The secondary characters were also really well rounded and I rooted for them throughout the book.

I would definitely recommend this book, and I can’t wait to read the second one!

this was such a fun read! I will admit that in the beginning, Wren frustrated me with how she reacted to certain situations BUT by the end she was my b*tch <3


*keep an eye out for a tiktok review*

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley, and hooo boy, it's been a WHILE since I've read a book as satisfying as this one is. The world building is ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. Ms. Warwick's description of Edgewood and the Citadel makes you feel like you're there, and you see every little detail. Wren and Boreas are full, emotive characters that were such a pleasure reading about their heartaches and growth through it all. Book 2 will be an automatic buy for me, especially if it's just like book 1!!!!!

Fans of Beauty and the Beast retellings and the myth of Hades and Persephone will enjoy this standalone, enemies-to-lovers fantasy.

Wren lives in a small village plagued by never-ending winter and vicious beasts called darkwalkers. Surrounding the lands of the Gray is a magical barrier called the Shade, which protects the village from the immortal Deadlands, ruled by a cruel god called the North Wind. On top of having to provide for her sister, Wren also has to worry about the upcoming sacrifice to the god. The blood of a mortal woman is needed to fortify the Shade. When the North Wind arrives and chooses her sister as his bride, Wren takes her place and tricks the god into marrying her instead. They despise one another, and Wren is determined to escape the Deadlands and return to her homeland. But things are not what they seem with The North Wind, and the darkwalker attacks are growing more frequent by the day.

The protagonist is rather flat. She achieves her goal of protecting her sister very early on in the book, and there is not a lot of conflict after her marriage to the god. The story picks up after a long first half, and leads to a satisfying conclusion. The author does portray Wren's alcoholism in a very real way, which I have not seen before in books of this genre. Fans of Beauty and the Beast will definitely appreciate this re-telling. If you're looking to fill the hole that Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash series left, this might do the trick.

The North Wind is a New Adult Fantasy Romance and what I would call a reminiscent of Hades and Persephone and Beauty and the Beast.

It's enriched with Greek-myth inspired lore and transports you to a new dark fantastical world.

Wren of Edgewood had lost her parents as a child to the cruel winter and was left to take care of her twin sister Elora. Wren loves her twin fiercely enough to find ways to survive in an unkind world—even if it meant she had to sully her hands and body all for the sake of having a bit of food, coin, and warmth.

In her world, the Anemoi—the Four Winds are gods that bring seasons to the land. Edgewood has been living in an eternal winter that killed many, it doesn't help the fact that the North Wind, known as the Frost King <mBoreas, had been taking women from her village as brides, or let's say sacrifices, for centuries.

The time has come for Edgewood to prepare brides for the Frost King who will take them away to his home—the Deadlands.

This time, Elora is chosen to be his bride, and there is no way Wren is sending her twin to her death so she sends herself disguised as Elora instead and becomes the Frost King's doomed bride.

What to expect from this book?
• It's a standalone
• enemies-to-lovers
• Delicious slow-burn
• Dark Fairytale
• One-bed trope
• Forced proximity
• Caught reading a smutty novel
• Cold, aloof hero and a hot-headed stabby heroine
• Hot spicy scenes
• Cake, cake and cake!
• Do not miss out on the epilogue!

Wren is an unconventional heroine, she is draped in flaws and is unapologetic about it. Despite the tough exterior, there is a very vulnerable side to Wren and she has her own demons to fight.

Boreas is as aloof and cold as they come. Detached emotionally which is typical for an immortal but there is more to his story and he might not be quite the villain as some would like to believe.

The romance does not immediately take off for the couple despise each other, and then as each layer comes off they discover other truths about themselves. The spark between them ignited into something they will no longer have the strength to resist.

The fluff and the hot scenes were a treat!

I really liked this book as it introduced a unique world and the characters were vibrant. It may have had some pacing issues midway but I was still wholly engrossed and could not put it down.

I really do think this is a book fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Sarah J. Maas, and Laura Thalassa would enjoy.

Thank you Alexandria Warwick, Andromeda Press, and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Trigger Warnings: Alcoholism, mentions of rape (no depiction), mentions of death, violence.