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"To Charm a Dark Prince" is AMAZING! It's like a magical rollercoaster of love and adventure. I couldn't put it down! Can't wait for the next book! 📚❤️👑 #BookWormApproved

I received an arc from netgalley these opinions are my own.

Gwen was cheated on by her boyfriend. Her house caught on fire and she went through a dark portal and ended up in Avalon. Morded is a dark prince who has captured all the magic of Avalon. This is a slow burn based on Authurian lore full of lust, desire and betrayal. I highly recommend it.

This is my 2nd Arthurian legends retelling this month - I'm immersing myself in Romantasy apparently!

Gwen didn't think that feeding a stray cat in her family's barn would lead to her being sucked into a portal and deposited in Avalon. Avalon is not the great, colourful and inclusive city that Gwen read about. It's dreary, dark and foreboding realm. The Knights are part jailer/part prisoner and Mordred? Well, he's a very confusing, morally grey MMC. But Gwen herself is also dealing with new powers that have been foisted onto her.

Mordred is trying to contain the magic from Avalon in order to keep the chaos at bay. But to do so he's pretty much a tyrant. He soon realises that Gwen is not being exactly forthcoming with the truth of how she arrived on Avalon.

Mistrust is mingling with the attraction between these two very different beings.

Overall I did enjoy the book. I did struggle to vibe with Gwen. Whether that's because how sheltered and naïve she was or because she was so young - only 19, I'm not sure. I'm hoping that in further books her character blooms a bit and she grows a bit more back bone.

Mordred was great as the morally grey hero. Trying to do the right thing in the wrong way. You're never quite sure just which way he's going to lean - benevolent overlord or unfeeling tyrant. The supporting characters felt a wee bit underused but I must admit that Maewenn is one of my faves!

To Charm a Dark Prince, is the first instalment in a new fantasy series (The Iron Crystal) with a new take on a King Arthur legend.

When your home is burning to the ground, and your only option is to follow your grumpy old TALKING cat through a portal, that's what you do! Gwen finds herself in a strange land called Avalon, butt ass naked!
Shaken and confused, Gwen now must answer to the ruler of Avalon, the Prince of Iron - Mordred.

I loved the banter, the slow burn, the 'will they, won't they?' aspect.
I went into this read with no expectations.
This book reads more as a Young Adult (yes it does have some smut), an introductory to fantasy, and one I would recommend to a coming-of-age audience.
I think the target audience is a little off on this one, hence the rating. I will hang around for book 2, with the hopes for more character development.

~ King Arthur legend
~ Elemental Magic
~ Banter
~ Slow burn
~ Morally grey MMC
~ Villian gets the girl
~ Easy world building

Thank you to Kathryn Anne Kingsley, the publisher Second Sky and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review. #ToCharmaDarkPrince #NetGalley

This was a fun start to a dark romantasy series. Love when folklore or legends are incorporated into a story. This one is steeped in the story of Camelot.
Gwen gets thrust from the human world into the fantasy world of Avalon and becomes Prince Mordred's prisoner. Mordred and his knights of the round table. This has enemies to lovers, slow burn and villain gets the girl (kind of).
Mordred has imprisoned the majority of the population or has binds on them so they can't harm him due to a uprising long ago. But he's in the grey category for me cause he seems like he's the bad guy but he's preventing the wars that would happen so I'm torn. I need someone from the crystal to say their side of the story.
They are definitely in the slow burn category and I would love that bathing room!

Thank you secondskybooks for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

First of all, I have read Bookouture books for the last 5 years. I trust them implicitly to provide me good reads. Naturally when they announced their new imprint Second Sky for focusing specifically on sci-fi and fantasy books, I was keenly interested to support them.

I almost went in blind for this book. I knew I was reading a 'romantasy' and its enemies to lovers trope and some of the synopsis caught my attention enough to request a review copy. But this book is inspired from one of my favorite myths! King Arthur and his Knights! I was so delighted to read such a different perspective on the lore.

Gwen is a 19 year old high school graduate who suffers from panic attacks and couldn't attend collage as advised by her parents. Due to some unforeseen circumstances she is transported to another world where King Arthur, his knights and Mordred are very real. Avalon is a real place but is in despair. Nobody is happy there, least of all the Prince in Iron, Mordred. Am not very sure about the exact cause for their problems but they all hate Mordred and fear him. While he is like an anti-hero.

Gwen is pretty happy to have an adventure from the boring backwater Kansas. But she is not sure what is required of her. She is both his prisoner and his guest. Sparks fly between them the moment they meet. This 'merlin' character appears at his will, so unsure of his motives. The love triangle between Lancelot and Mordred felt unwanted but perhaps it helped her identify that she really wants him instead of just having no other choice.

This is a character driven story and I like Gwen. She is apt for her age I guess. But the world building was weak which I think is its only con along with a not so impressive cover. Again, it ends in a 'cliffhanger' which was disappointing. The angsty anti-hero was a little over done but I liked Mordred too, even with his gauntlet arms lol. The writing and pace is also good. I finished it in a day. Hopefully the background to whatever mystery is ailing Avalon and its prince will be better explained in the next book.

Thank you for the arc @netgalley and @bookouture.

3.5⭐️/5
1.5🌶️/5
-Arthurian legend (remix!)
-Dual POV
-Cliffhanger
-Slow Burn
-It’s Complicated (Lovers? Enemies?)
-Immense World-building
-Dark Fantasy
-Grumpy/Sunshine

Well sheeeeshh, when is book 2 coming out? I need this complete series immediately. For all those who are adverse to cliffhangers beware: To Charm a Dark Prince ends in a cliffhanger, and is the first book of an incomplete series. Typically I don’t like reading cliffhangers of incomplete series but I like reading Kathryn Ann Kingsley and I had to jump on this opportunity to read this ARC.

FMC: Gwendolyn Wright, Gwen, is bummed. She’s 19 and living at home with her parents while all her friends are away at college. She just found out her her high school boyfriend was cheating on her, so her yearning for adventure has kicked into high gear. But her severe panic attacks has kept her from exploring the world outside her parents farm. Long story short she follows her grumpy cat Merlin into a magical portal, and dives headfirst into a whole new world.

Mordred, Prince of Iron, is seriously misunderstood and lonely, y’all. He is the true definition of morally gray hero. All he’s done and sacrificed is to protect Avalon, and if instilling fear in its people is the way to rule, then that’s what he’ll do. One night, a meteor strikes Avalon, and another long story short, Mordred discovers the meteor is Gwen. But Gwen is not a normal human from earth anymore, she has transformed into a fiery elemental. Normally Mordred would imprison an elemental and their magic into The Crystal to protect Avalon. For SOME reason, Mordred can’t find himself to banish her to The Crystal…

I loved the setup of this series. For the first book of the series about 40/50% of it is world building and exposition. Gwen is the super sunshine who’s thrust into this Arthurian world and just kind of goes with the flow. She’s being pulled in multiple directions on what to do to help herself return home or save Avalon or swear fealty to Mordred. I’m really rooting for Gwen and Mordred to make out more tbh but spicey bits don’t happen til later in this book.

My wish would be to get the next book in the series immediately and not have this book end in a cliffhanger. I struggled with a review and rating because it feels like we were just getting started on our adventure. There was a lot of waffling on Gwen’s thoughts & feelings, and a lot of moody moments between Gwen and Mordred that felt repetitive towards the end. But am I going to read the second book in the Iron Crystal series? Of course!

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for this advanced copy. This review is voluntary and my own thoughts/opinions.

3.5⭐️
I really liked the book, I went through it quite quickly and I found myself torn about what I wanted the ending to be, I would 100% get the next book to find out what happens! I feel like the book seems to go very fast and would have been better set over a slightly longer period of time as the short timescale of the book made the emotions seem like they weren't as genuine.

I loved it! I engaged fully with Gwen and her dive into Avalon 🗡 the world building worked, magic was spot on and the chemistry was fabulous, plus it was funny!

This book was super quick and easy reading, would definitely recommend for anyone wanting out of a slump or enjoying a chill day!

When I first picked up To Charm a Dark Prince, I wasn't sure about it at all! I think the cover gave the impression it was going to be quite heavy fantasy with it's romance ... it looks so serious. But I found this to be a much lighter read, with modern slang and references juxtaposed against Arthurian knights. It's a definite light and humourous fantasy read with some great tension between Gwen and Mordred.

I had a great time with this book that doesn't take itself too seriously but still has a great plot and characters.

One of my all time favorite indie authors just released the first book in an exciting new series! To Charm a Dark Prince begins The Iron Crystal saga, an Arthurian inspired fantasy. Kingsley offers up her signature wit, charm, and perfect pacing. The book includes everything including:

- Arthurian Reimagining
- Betrayal
- Broody, Morally, Grey Males
- Dark Fantasy
- Dual POV
- Elemental Magic
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Portal Fantasy
- Slowburn Romance
- Villain MMC

My only misgiving is that the female character reads a little juvenile, contributing to a slightly YA feeling amidst an adult dark fantasy tale. Additionally, To Charm a Dark Prince has considerably less spice than most of Kinglsey’s works. But I will read anything and everything this woman puts in front of me. I loved watching the relationship blossom with tension and chemistry. She is a master at creating vibrant, lush environments with complex characters. And I’m already desperate for book number two.

The Iron Crystal series is everything I needed and more. Thank you endlessly to Kathryn Ann Kingsley and Second Sky books for advanced copy!

I considered DNFing early on because I wasn't very engaged with the beginning of the story, but the banter between the main characters encouraged me to press on. I enjoyed most of their interactions and that salvaged a lot of this book for me. The promise of Avalon and a portal fantasy was exciting; I love lore and world building in fantasy, but this felt empty (and not because the magic had been locked away) and lackluster. There were small details that I loved, like the iron constructs in the castle and Fae magic from Earth working in Avalon. Nothing was really explored and it made the world feel shallow which was disappointing. While I enjoyed the interactions between the main characters, I often found them insufferable on their own. Gwen was naive to an extreme and that didn't really change at all, not much about her character developed. Mordred had motivations that I understood but was so unreasonably stubborn that it was frustrating to read. The sex between them wasn't compelling and didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion to the tension between them. Overall, I really wanted to like this more than I did but I'm just left disappointed.

Let me start by saying that this was super adictive, I just coldn´t put it down.
The world building is inexistent although it gives some arturian vibes.
This book is marketed as an enemies to lovers, but it´s not. Don´t get me wrong, I enjoyed their relationship but they just don´t hate each other.
Despite it´s flaws I liked reading this book and I´m eager to read the next one.

★ ★ | 🌶 .5

!! POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD PROCEED WITH CAUTION !!

*A special thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

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Starting off, the cover of this book is gorgeous and my kudos goes out to the designer because man, that’s a pretty cover.

Now, getting into the meat and potatoes, the premise of this book is something new to me as a reader. I love the idea of a mythical and fantasy version of King Arthur and the Knights of the round table. The premise has a boat load of potential. But, plot and character wise, I think it fell flat.

The world building here is very minimal. There’s interesting additives like the knights having specific elements associated with them, but other than that the world is lack luster.

But, let’s give the benefit of the doubt and say that’s intentional due to the “crystal”. I still wasn’t wowed by the world building outside of just the portrayal of the physical world.

I also think it was a mistake to make this a high fantasy, where the FMC is from a normal, everyday, modern 2023. It just didn’t fit. It felt clunky and I didn’t love the “I’m just a girl from Kansas” vibe.

The characters felt two-dimensional as well. There was nothing attaching me to the characters or the relationship between Gwen and Mordred. It felt a lot like I was being told that they liked each other and not shown. And what was supposed to be considered slow burn, literally felt like filler plot which just made the book drag.

Don’t even get me started on the ending. Why did it end so abruptly? Was was the motive? Why did it feel so random?

I was transported into the captivating world of Avalon alongside Gwen, a young woman suddenly trapped in this magical realm. The story revolves around Gwen's struggle to unravel her newfound powers and navigate the complex dynamics of Avalon's court, ruled by the enigmatic and powerful Mordred. As Gwen strikes a deal to secure her freedom, a delicate dance of desire and danger ensues between her and the tyrant prince. Inspired by Arthurian legends, the plot offers an engaging blend of magic and intrigue. While the writing style and character depth lean towards a younger audience, the banter and plot-focused narrative keep the story compelling. Madeline Pell's narration in the audiobook brings the world and characters to life, enhancing the experience. This is a quick and entertaining read, particularly suited for those who enjoy plot-driven fantasies set in enchanting realms like Avalon.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the lack of any heros in this book. Everyone is morally grey and seriously villians do it better. This book is inspired by king Arthur and I honestly loved the unique take on it. Mordred was doing what he thought was right by locking all elementals into the iron crystal despite everyone hating him for it until Gwen comes along. Gwen the 19 year old Kansas farm girl who lacks alot of life experience. He gives her the chance to prove him wrong or right on whether she will betray him.
I wish Gwen had more depth, she felt flat and I really didn't like her. Even some of the metal people felt like they had more depth. Overall it was a good book and I'm hoping Gwen reveals more about herself. This fainting spells she has felt important but we never got more into them so I have high hopes for book 2.

As a major Kathryn Ann Kingsley fan it pains me to admit that this book was not for me.

I really thought given the premise and author I'd be in love. In a twisted version of Arthurian legend, Gwen is transported to Avalon and strikes a deal to destroy the current ruler, Mordred, the Prince in Iron.

Sounds cool, right? Well. It's just meh. The setting is interesting, and Merlin is a cat, but otherwise, I was left frustrated. Mordred was not the type of villain I enjoy. (They need to actually like the FMC ok.) He was a bit of a brat and I guess that works cause so is Gwen. Gwen acts way too young, and I started to wonder if I was actually reading YA? I really don't like YA, and I thought I was safe from that with KAK.

All in all, it was an OK book, but the characters left me wanting more, and I'm not sure I'd bother with the rest of this series. I appreciate the ARC opportunity from NetGalley and the publisher.

I didn't care for this book and found it a disappointing read. The set up is pretty minimal and the world building is minimal but I've come to expect that in fantasy romance where the emphasis is more on romance and most of these books lately might as well just be contemporary with a thin veneer of fantasy.

That being said, my main problem was the characters. They were a mess. Gwen's story of why she's not at college with her friends was obviously a way to keep her home and have her boyfriend cheat on her after a week. Mordred.... what is his character supposed to be? Gwen says he's scary, but she's shouting at him earlier. If she's truly afraid, she wouldn't be acting like he's her neighbor down the street. Mordred says she's shy, but she slapped him earlier and screamed at him. Again. She's not shy dude. The knights. They start off like they are loyal and converse with Mordred like adults. And then suddenly they don't like each other and it's all based on magic and mayhem and whatnot. Huh? I am so confused as to what is going on here.

And finally where did the cat go? You know the cat that started all of this? He just disappears for most of the story. I can't even.

The anxiety and panic attacks seems like it hasn't been researched alot .
I've listened 🎶 in audio and read the ebook in tandem.


Merlin makes me laugh that stubborn feline . He's a sarcastic cat that makes me laugh

Gwen has been transported into magical realm of Avalon its a slow burn romance with fantasy elements

Iron Prince

Though it's said it's an adult fantasy it's reads more of a YA It appears that Mordred, the Prince in Iron, has imprisoned the elemental magic of the kingdom in an iron crystal since the Avalon she sees is considerably grimmer than the stories describe. Mordred believed that taking such harsh measures was the only way to prevent Avalon from devolving into eternal war and, finally, total devastation. The stasis that Mordred has brought about, in the opinion of the remaining Knights of the Round Table, is worse than any conflict.

3.75 round up to 4 stars

#ToCharmaDarkPrince #NetGalley

To Charm a Dark Prince is a Dark fairy tale that follows Gwen who is transported from backwater Kansas to the magical realm of Avalon after her asshole cat, Merlin, caught the house on fire and created a portal. While in Avalon, Gwen is found by the ruler, Mordred, the Prince in Iron. Mordred is hated by everyone because he trapped his enemies in an Iron Crystal causing the magic in the Avalon to disappear. Gwen doesn’t see why everyone hates him, especially when he is very gentle with her. Wanting to go home, Gwen makes a deal with Merlin to seduce Mordred and break the crystal to free magic. But, there is a price when you betray Mordred’s trust.

I'm rating To Charm a Dark Prince, 3.5 stars.

My mood has been on a roller coaster with this story. I love that there is representation of mental health in this story ( Gwen has anxiety and it comes with really bad panic attacks.) I have been diagnosed with depression & anxiety so it was pretty nice to have a character that has the same issues that I have.

I also really love Mordred because he is a misunderstood villain. I honestly feel really bad for him. He can’t trust anyone. The people he loved the most, even considered them as family, betrayed him. I feel even more for him when he had to bring them back to life because they are really the only people he really knows. Something deep in my spirit feels like people honestly hate him for a reason and there’s something more that he’s not telling Gwen. I honestly thought that Mordred was actually pretty stupid to break his own crystal to prove a point. Sometimes I think that he maybe did this to get people to understand why he did it in the first place and get everyone to stop hating him. I believe that he is lonely.

As far as Gwen, she is very naive and way too trusting. I was screaming at her the whole story about how dumb she can be. She’s almost like a deer in headlights. Gwen is also pretty stupid to actually trust Merlin. He always disappears when she is in danger and never wants to protect her. She didn’t even notice the red flag when Merlin spazzed out on her about going back into the crystal.

Overall, this story is pretty bizarre. There was a lot going on in the beginning of the story and towards the end, it just left me with a lot more questions than answers. I really want to know what is going to happen in the next few books of the series. Mordred fell in love with Gwen and I want to see if he is going to forgive her, kill her, torture her. I want to know who Merlin really is. I want to know how Mordred is going to create another Crystal. There is so much that I want to know.

Well that was so outside the box, and I loved every page! I felt the characters were well developed and the storyline progressed well, do I wish there was a bit more spice, sure, was I pleasantly surprised by a few twists in the story, yes….. was I ticked at the cliffhanger, hell yes…. Will I anxiously be waiting for the next book, double hell yes!