Please do yourself and read this book!

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you enjoyed the ACOTAR series and you are looking for something new to read, look no further. This book has it all!

Morgan, the main character, was written beautifully and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how she finally got answers to some of her life long questions. She did make me furious at times by doing some very stupid things! But it definitely helped add to her story. I also love that her two best friends are attracted to the same gender, I loved that there was some representation in this book.

Arthur... the hate I felt for this man! The author did a fantastic job at writing this character. Even when I thought I couldn't despise him more... the author proved me wrong. This character had my blood boiling!

I think that this book was well paced for the most part, the end could have been made a bit longer or the actual rise of the story could have come sooner. However, the ending really left me questioning most of my assumptions about certain characters.

There is also some spice in the book. It's not extremely smutty... but I'm hoping the next book gives me more.

This book really bought out so many emotions and I highly recommend giving it a read. Please read the trigger warnings that are provided if you are a sensitive reader.

Ok so I literally just finished the book and I…don’t know what to say. Lol I liked it, I think? I mean there were moments I enjoyed where I giggled a little or got a little emotional for the characters but I wasn’t like “deeply moved”. The story throws you right into Morgan’s life and while I usually don’t mind jumping right in I found myself confused at times or wondering what the heck is going on. I feel like it could’ve used more/ better world-building and an expansion on the characters so I could feel better connected to them. Quite often I felt that Morgan was a bit dumb/gullible and weak. Don’t get me wrong she grows a bit throughout the story but it was so frustrating to read how easily she is deceived, how gullible she is knowing her brother wants her dead and how unwilling she was at first to stand up for herself or protect herself! Yet the love for family, her friends, her people is moving. You want her to wake up and rise up so bad I couldn’t help but root for her. There were things throughout the story that were interesting enough that the story did hold my attention till the end at least. Despite a few aspects, I still enjoyed the story enough to continue because I want to know what happens with Morgan and her powers, Dravens goals & aspirations, and what happens to Kaye, Lancelot and the rest of the gang. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone except someone just coming into the fantasy romance genre. I feel like to someone more advanced you’ll find this book enjoyable but lacking and if you’re new to the genre then you might just devour this.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for sending me a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!)

When she was young, Morgan watches her father kill her Fae-blooded mother. Now 20, Morgan lives in a very human kingdom where anyone with Fae blood is heavily persecuted. Due to being part Fae, she’s passed up for the throne and the only thing that really saves Morgan is that she is King Arthur's sister. Instead, she is expected be sent to the temple when she turns 21 to study under the High Priestess Merlin, a fate she’s not exactly thrilled with, but one she must accept. Arthur comes to her with an important task that could save the kingdom.

I kind of went into this blind as I’m personally not familiar with the story of King Arthur and Excalibur, but I know enough understand this is a dark re-telling and a fresh take as many of the characters are gender-bent. So while Queen of Roses encompasses all of our favorite tropes, it actually ended up being very unique for me. There’s a lot of world-building, secrets, and witty banter. It’s difficult to know who to trust and encourages turning the pages to find out. I have to say, the beginning of the novel is on the slower side, but pacing does improve as it goes on.

I especially love the character of Morgan. She fights for her people. I love that she isn't perfect at everything, but she tries her hardest. She has people who push her and care for her. I enjoyed her journey of becoming what she has been suppressing and embracing herself. She’s no damsel in distress and can save herself in this one.

Special shoutout to all the little creatures. I would love to have my own little Exmoor.

**Planning to come back and update with instagram post.

Thank You to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tropes
❤️‍🔥Slow Burn between FMC and MMC
❤️‍🔥Who did this to you
❤️‍🔥Touch her and die
❤️‍🔥Forced Proximity
❤️‍🔥Fated
❤️‍🔥Self Discovery


What can I say about this book.....? I loved it! Briar took the Aurtherian tale and tipped it on its head! She said lets make it a fantastical fantasy world with Fae, Magic, and full of mystical creatures. She did such a wonderful job with the world building that I felt like I was along for the ride.

I loved that she role reveresed a few of the side characters ( i.e. Merlin and Lancelot).

But most of all she made me fall in love with our FMC Morgana Pendragon. Who is the older sister to Aurther. The story is about discovering who she is. She is a half fae half human (maybe) who has no idea what she is capable of. She is witty, snarky, caring and courageous.
Then we meet her match the mysterious, broody, insuffrable MMC Kairos Draven. Who is chosen to be one of her personal protectors/ guards on the epic journey that King Arthur sends Morgan on to find The Sword of Perun ( better know as Excalibur).

Overall I enjoyed this book and look forward to seeing what book two brings!

Warning it does end on a cliffhanger!

I am a sucker for Arthurian legend retellings. Everything we know or are familiar with when it comes to Arthurian legends is turned on its head with a fae twist to it.

It was so refreshing to read a re-telling that isn’t just cut and paste of the original tale! Especially with the added element of fae. I loved the plot. The story itself is super easy to read and goes along at a comfortable pace.

I found the main female character Morgan to be very one dimensional and incredibly naïve. Even at 80/90% through the book she STILL hasn’t figured out the lies she has been told & the truth of the world. I preferred the other characters so much more!

Despite my struggles with the female main character, I actually enjoyed this book. The plot had me hooked from the get go and I will be continuing on with the series.

Morgan Pendragon, bound by her brother's commands and promised to a pious existence in the temple of the Three, has a life already decided for her. Hindered from claiming her rightful throne due to her fae lineage, she seizes an opportunity to escape, embarking on a quest for a potent weapon. Amidst inner conflict, she uncovers world-altering revelations.

This book has its highs and lows, but on the whole, it's enjoyable and lays the foundation for the series. It has great potential to become a fan favourite, thanks to its engaging Fae storyline and well-crafted plot. But it somewhat felt lacking in some other aspects.

The world-building is vivid and dynamic, avoiding excessive poetic descriptions. The brisk pace keeps the action alive, unlike many fantasy books that tend to take their time picking up.

Kairos Draven's character is amazing. He’s compassionate and respectful not only to the heroine but also to the surrounding nature.

On the downside, Morgan comes across as annoying. While her sheltered nature and naivete are understandable, her self-deprecation and excessive submission grind my gears. Particularly her unquestioning acceptance of a harmful drug and failure to seek aid after torture.

The romance was disappointing, diverting from a promising slow burn to an unexpected love triangle.

But despite flaws, the series starts well, concluding with a compelling cliffhanger I'm eager to know more about. I’m hopeful for Morgan’s character growth in the following books, and a return to the more fitting slow burn romance that the story initially hinted at.

(Posting review on Instagram soon @beco_books)

🌹 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 🌹
𝖡𝗋𝗂𝖺𝗇 𝖡𝗈𝗅𝖾𝗒𝗇

I do love a good fantasy and I discovered this one and its sequel on @netgalley , so thank you for the complimentary copy! Imagine the world of Camelot, but fae. Arthur is on the throne, despite his half sister being the true heir and he feeds off power and fear, sending

Morgan Pendragon, a princess whose life has been bound by duty and sacrifice is stripped of her birthright because she is rumored to carry the fae's tainted blood. She is destined to serve the Goddesses in the temple upon reaching maturity, but Morgan craves more, yearning to seize control of her own fate. She is sent on a treacherous quest by her brother and King, Arthur, to uncover a legendary fae weapon, also known as Excalibur. As Morgan unravels the intricacies of the fae world, a shocking revelation dawns upon her – the secrets coursing through her veins render her a greater threat than she could have ever imagined.

This is a slow burn enemies to lover fantasy romance. All things considered this first installment is mildly spicy, which left me slightly disappointed in that department, but I am excited to see what book 2 brings. The story and the characters are setting this up to be a great series. I love that many of the familiar Camelot characters are women in this version including Merlin and Lancelet (instead of Lancelot) Book two, A Court of Claws is already out and I know there’s going to be a third book for sure.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Queen of Roses in exchange for a review!

This is a King Arthur inspired story with a Fae twist. I enjoyed the character building, as well as the world building. It’s a slowwwwww burn, but the world building and the plot make it exciting. I would love to have seen a more in depth development of Morgan’s powers and coming into her Fae heritage, but I have a feeling that we will see plenty of that in the next book. I can’t wait to see how the relationship between Morgan and Draven grows.

Oh my gosh, the cliffhanger ending though?! I loved that it switched to a different POV - I love dual POV, especially in fantasy, and would have loved even more of that.

I think it’s important to read the trigger warnings listed for this book, but I think that the author handed all these dark themes really well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to dive into book two!!

This book was such a delightful re-imagining of the classic tale of King Arthur. Believe me, this stands entirely on its own as an entertaining and original story. This book pulls on so many familiar characters that you think you know, yet casts them in new roles.
Our FMC Morgan is fierce yet naive and she goes through a lot of personal growth throughout the story. This young woman has endured all sorts of trauma and has been forced to hide who she really is. It was great to see her start to embrace herself as the book went on.
As far as Draven, the MMC goes..I can't wait to read book two. By the time I finished this book, I had so many questions about him. He is a protector, a defender, and seems to be so much more than he lets others believe.
Our secondary characters were fun additions to the book. I loved the way all the characters support each other. It makes me want friends like that too.
The lore and mythology created in this story is intricate. There are gods and goddesses of old that tie into the history of this world. These legends help lead where the story takes us.
There are a few of my favorite tropes in this book such as enemies-to-lovers, one horse, and "who did this to you?" If you like these tropes, check this book out!
There is little bit of spice in this story, but it is a slow burn.
This story features pain and cruelty but also shows the power of friendship and hope.
There are a few trigger warnings, so please check the list before you read the book if this is a concern for you. This was a 5 star rating for me because I loved the storyline and am hooked so much I need to read the next book!
Thank you NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: April 15, 2023

Queen of Roses is the first in the Blood of Fae series by Briar Boleyn. This is my first book by this author and I already have been approved for book 2!

Morgan Pendragon was born to be a Queen. The first child of the King and his first wife who was rumoured to be Fae. Fear of her bloodline ensures her father skips heirs and bestows the crown on her brother who is just as evil and uncaring as her father was.

Promised to the goddesses, Morgan spends her days training for a war she’ll never fight and learning about the goddesses she doesn’t believe in. As she watches her kingdom and people starve in the wake of her brothers rule, Morgan does everything she can to give back and help her people.

Morgan is sent on an impossible mission to the Bloodlands in search of Fae artifacts that are said to contain magic and power. Accompanied by her brother’s handpicked goons Morgan sets out on an adventure of a lifetime.

After refusing the medicine she has taken for years to keep the “Fae blood” at bay, Morgan’s appearance begins to change and power flows through her. As Morgan struggles with who to trust and what these powers mean, we’re left with a cliff hanger leading into the next book

This is a 3 star read for me. There were some bright spots in the writing and story to keep me interested in reading the next instalment. There were parts that seemed unnecessarily long and detailed and other important elements that weren’t teased out or explained enough. I see potential, so am looking forward to seeing what’s next!

#NetGalley #queenofroses #briarboleyn

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy for review.

I enjoyed reading this - the main characters were well developed and there are some clever twists on Arthurian legends here, most notably the character of Arthur and indeed Morgan herself, which prevented predictability. The world building was done well, building out from the Court to the city, surrounding lands and then Morgan's journey.
A weaker area, however, are the secondary characters, particularly the villainous ones - the motivations for some of their actions, particularly those carried out against Morgan by Florian, for example, was never clear to me, which leads to some elements feeling gratuitous or simply there to show how horrible Morgan's life was.

The romance is slow burn indeed, a little surprisingly so, in fact considering the emphasis placed on 'spice' in the description, but gets there in the end, although with a love triangle on route.

Overall, a good first novel in what I assume to be a trilogy, that sets the stage, with a dramatic cliffhanger, for the next book.

2.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for providing me with the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this was quite a enjoyable read! This wasn't a complete surprise, because I love (retellings of) the Arthurian legend and anything involving fae.

The plot was predictable at times and the characters felt a little flat, but the story has potential and I will be reading the next book!

2.75 stars
Pros: Draven, King Arthur inspired characters, world building quite well done, beautiful writing despite the style.
Cons: I did not like the writing style at all. The sentences and paragraphs were too short and at some times they felt more like a telegram, I felt that it did not let the story flow easily and I could not focus on the plot and storyline.
I could not see any character development and the relationships between them were written quite strangely and at times they were frustrating.
I did not understand the addition of Vesper, he was not a convincing character at all and it just made Morgan seem foolish and weak.
Also, I did not like that she regained her powers instantly and she could instantly conjure fire and heal Draven.
The ending was quite cliché and I could see it coming.
I will not be reading the second book as the story was not convincing.

I was absolutely enthralled with this book! Couldn’t put it down! Great action, fantasy, romance, and plot twists. I loved every bit of it plus the added bonus scene with the subscription to Briar Boleyn’s newsletter 😍

This was my first Briar Boleyn's book and she now has one more devoted fan in me!

I am an avid romantasy reader, so I'm quite familiar with the genre. Still, this book is something different. It is a romantasy novel, but with a twist. It explorers some darker themes, but in the perfect amount. It builds world, stories, characters impeccably.

I think it's quite enough to say I was hooked since the prequel. It kept me on my feet, made me not wanting to stop and left me wanting for the sequel, which I am sure I will devour as fast, or even faster than Queen of Roses.

I know this is author's first step into the genre, and I'm so happy she shared this world and characters with us.

What is it? Queen of Roses is the first book of the Blood of a Fae series by Briar Boleyn. It’s an Arthurian retelling following the badass main character Princess Morgan Pendragon (but of course, Morgan is just fine). Due to her fae blood, her absolutely awful father, and almost-if-not-equally-awful brother, her future and her destiny have been decided–by everyone except Morgan herself. When being given the opportunity to decide her own fate, Morgan sets off a journey to find the legendary Excalibur sword. Along the journey, Morgan discovers there's a lot more to her life, her history, and her kingdom than there seems to be.
What made me click on this book? Well, the Goodreads description was enough to convince me, but then there’s also… well… just about **everything** the description on NetGalley provided… I mean, come on, “Grab this book if you enjoy…” spicy fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, only one bed, forced proximity, “Who did this to you?”, broken stabby heroine, training scenes, “Touch her and…”, found family, ride or die best friends, betrayal, intrigue, mystery…. How could I not? And honestly, I’ve been in a bit of a reading drought, so I think this was the perfect place to start to get out of it.
What made me stay? Well, within the first 100 pages, I think I could count a solid handful of times where my “just one more page” turned into “if I don’t get to the end of this chapter/start the next one, I’m going to combust.” We are also lucky enough to get “who did this to you,” within the first 100 pages as well. There are some chapters that are slower than others, but honestly, any time I found myself disengaging a bit, the next chapter picked it right up and I felt like I couldn’t look away, especially around the chapter 12 mark. The only thing I didn’t love was the end of the book feeling a little rushed, but I can deal with that as I usually find myself speedreading when I know I’m close to finishing the end anyways. Following that, you’re left with so many questions at the end that you want to get to the second book already anyways. There were only about 2 and a half spicy scenes, but it’s been stated that they’re going to get spicier and spicier as the series goes on, so that’s another thing I’m looking forward to.

I liked this book overall. I haven't read an Arthurian retelling before so this was a refreshing aspect for me. I connected with Morgan and was very emotional when the horrible things happened to her. The author does a great job of painting Arthur as the villian and I definitely hate him so much. I also enjoyed that Morgan can fight and take care of herself, she isn't a princess who can't defend herself. I also liked that we didn't know for sure who the MMC was going to be - I went back and forth and it kept me guessing until the heartbreaking betrayal.

I did feel like this story was pretty slow, but that is probably on purpose to set everything up.

I am excited to continue on with this series and see where this story and these characters take us.

Fae Arthurian novel?! Sign me up, Briar had me completely enraptured from the very first page. Slow burn and forced proximity are two of my favorite tropes and Briar nailed it. Morgan could be a bit annoying and overtly difficult but overall I enjoyed the read.

Queen of Roses is an extremely creative spin on the story of King Arthur with Arthur being an evil spoiled king, Lancelet a knight who is a gay woman, Merlin a high priestess and Galahad as an acolyte pledged to the temple.

In this story, the sister of Arthur, Morgan Pendragon is tasked by her abusive brother to go on a quest with a royal guard accompanying her into previously Fae lands to obtain Excalibur. Her younger brother is kept behind to ensure she returns with it.

I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t elaborate on things that happen but this is a roller coaster ride that finds Morgan discovering things about herself and encountering creatures and found family along the way to retrieve the sword.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the familial relationship between Morgan, Lancelot and Galahad and Draven is a grumpy guard who slowly emerges as what we hope is swoon worthy hero.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, romance, found family, hot broody men and a villain who is so easy to hate! I can’t wait to read the second book and eagerly anticipate the 3rd book in the series!

“He was the air I breathed. I could not live without him.”

Morgan Pendragon was bypassed for the throne by her brother Arthur, who is a savage ruler and hates all magic. Morgan happens to be half fae so he despises his own sister and sends her on a mission to find Excalibur, which is in a treacherous area that he does not expect her to make it back alive from. He uses this time to wage war on the surrounding territories, pushing outdated ideals. Meanwhile Morgan begins to come into her own power as she journeys to the old land of the Fae and struggles with who her companions really are and if they’re trustworthy.

Honestly, I knew I was going to love this book from the beginning. I have been obsessed with any sort of Arthurian retelling for a long time, but to add Fae on top of it? I ate this book up. It had slow burn, enemies to lovers, love triangle, suppressed powers, and a morally grey love interest. Not to mention the ever shocking line “Who did this to you?” I felt engrossed in this world and like I was part of the action. I wasn’t reading a book, I was living the story in my mind. If you loved ACOTAR or TOG, you’ll love this book. I honestly prefer this to ACOTAR, which is saying a lot!

Thank you NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for an eARC of this novel. All opinions are my own :)