4.5/5 stars!!!!

Thank you so much for the amazing ARC!

THIS WAS SO GOOOOOOOD!!!! Omg! I love a good, long, fantasy romance book– one with super developed characters and a lot of world building. I feel like this book was overall so good and put together.

The ONLY and I mean basically ONLY thing i can say i absolutely despise, is the use of apostrophes as quotation marks when characters are speaking. I won't lie, that almost made me DNF. I'm not sure if this is just the ARC version or official, but I am PRAYING that its just for the ARC. After awhile i got used to them, but it caused me to accidentally miss when characters were speaking because apostrophes don't mean someone is speaking, quotations do, so my brain was struggling at first. However, once I was about a quarter through the book I stopped noticing, just had to reread a few things.

Yet I enjoyed this! I started to get a little character fatigue though, as Imogen was just doing the same thing over and over and over. Like girl go home if you really about it or suck it up and stay. She fried me with that real bad. I'm so ready for a second book I could cry though, I want to know how this all connects. This reminds me a lot of From Blood and Ash, not in a bad way, but in a good way!!

The way this was written was so nice as well, and I love that the romance was a huge part of this book. I feel like sometimes the romance can get lost within all the fantasy and world building, but these authors did a great job at focusing on the Romance while keeping fantasy elements.

Very excited for the next book!!

I really enjoyed this book! It gave me vibes of "The Dark King' by Gina Maxwell. Though I have never really been into fantasy books The Price of Never really made me fond of the genre.

I loved the tropes like forced proximity and enemies to lovers. I love the detail and attention to the characters.

Imogen was very consistent and very stubborn from time to time and it was enjoyable to watch her story unveil throughout the book.

Tarian is an amazingly written character, we really get insight into his past and how those experiences shaped him into the way he is.

I love the tie-ins between human and fae worlds and the differences in character and so much more. I thought it was written well and not overboard so that readers just getting into the genre can understand the behaviors and tropes related to the main idea.

This book was great and I simply cannot wait to read more from the authors, which by the way, I love the collab of two minds. I really enjoyed how well it was written.

Thank you to the authors and to Netgalley for the ARC. As a smaller booktoker it meant a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Prince of Never was a good start to a new series. I read this book in just one night because it's so fast paced and I felt like I just had to keep turning the page. Which I find is a good sign that other readers will, like myself, be left excited for future books. I really liked Imogen a lot. Tarian definitely grew on me as well. Fated mates isn't my favorite trope in general, but if someone likes it I think this book does a good job with it. The world building wasn't bad, but I'll be hoping for more in future books. As I said, I think Prince of Never was overall a good start to a new series and I'll have high hopes for the next book!

Actually a 3.5.

I thought this was written very well, though there were some typos or words that maybe were incorrectly autocorrected.

While the concept wasn't altogether original, I enjoyed the interaction between the characters and the story progression was enjoyable. I think anyone who enjoys romantasy and books about sexy fae would enjoy this one.

I am interested in continuing on with the next installment to find out what happens.

Thanks to the publisher/author for the e-ARC.

Let’s start with the plot, I think It has great potential enemies to lovers, almost forbidden romance sort of a vibe, a prophecy of doom.

I did like how it started and the writing was a page turner in some section. The setting was well described as well. Plus the book isn’t heavy on detail and can be finished in one sitting being only 278 pages.

The book had all the ingredients but I felt it could be executed better. The emotions of the characters didn’t show through their actions.
The chemistry between the main characters was just missing. The entire book is plagued with miscommunication between the two mc’s.

But I am curious to know what happens next, I’m hoping there’s some character development for both the leads and they learn how to trust each other especially the Mmc.

It's been a while since I've read a fantasy book that I couldn't put down, but I literally read this in less than a day. If you like enemies-to-lovers, fated mates, the "touch her and you die" trope you'll enjoy Prince of Never.

The book is told from two different POVs and follows Imogen and Tarian. When Tarian receives a prophecy that a woman will be his undoing he plans to end her before she ruins his legacy. But all of his plans come to a screeching halt when he realizes he can't harm her. Determined to find a way to get rid of her, Tarian whisks her from the human realm back to the fae realm. Of course, chaos ensues. I really enjoyed getting to read what was going on from both sides. I, as the reader, was getting the full story even if there was miscommunication going on between the characters in the book. I don't usually like the miscommunication trope but in this case, it was done really well.

Imogen has her moments where she is a strong FMC, taking her future into her hands even in the shitty situation she's thrust into, but then she also has scenes where she's making very questionable decisions and is the definition of a damsel in distress. I loved seeing her call Tarian out on his shit when he was acting like a walking red flag. I want to like Tarian, and he has his moments where he is very sweet and clearly cares for Imogen, but then he acts like an asshole to her, and I can't get past that. No matter how much I want to root for them, they just seem to be very toxic for each other. I think there's so much room for character development for both of them in future books and I'm so excited to see it!

The ending had me on the edge of my seat. I'm talking nail-biting, covering my eyes, repeatedly saying "oh my god" on the edge of my seat. I NEED book 2! Thank you so much to Netgalley for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Ahhhhhh!

For the Gods, how hard is to have good communications. I really like the story but I have to say it drives me crazy when a lot of issues can be fix with an hones conversation!

Imogen is nice a does as much as she can with what she know but sometimes her naivete makes me want to shake her and scream at her!

Tarian in the other hand is well aware of his limitations and the power his mom has over him and then goes and makes the most stupid mistake.

I definitely will be reading the rest of the series because I'm a sucker for Romantasy, but please let's let go of the miscommunication trope!

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours, Lorelei Johnson, Hailey Jade and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this ARC.

First, what an absolute ride. This is a fast-paced, super grumpy enemies-to-lovers, found family smorgasbord. There's a lot of potential here.

My two mild criticisms are 1) we didn't get enough world building, including the magic system and 2) I think we needed a Beauty and the Beast, snowball in the courtyard, "maybe he's not so bad" moment and I didn't feel like we got that.

This may be one of the few FMC that I didn't immediately dislike. I think she develops realistically and her actions all seem to make sense. The MMC is understandably an ass but I really think he's going to really show up in book #2. I'm here for it.

I would absolutely recommend this book but BRACE YOURSELF, this isn't a cliffhanger it's a cliff dive into a volcano.

Can't wait for the next installation! Happy reading!

Prince of Never by Lorelei Johnson, Hailey Jade is an absolute jewel of a book. However, be forwarned you will are reading a series that must be completed - and that, my friends, is a testament to good story writing. If you can read one book in a series and never have the itch to read the entire series there is something missing in the writing. And, you may be waiting for a bit for the sequel apparently......(sigh). Which means when the sequel comes out you will need to pick up the first and read it all over again.

Imogen is just a librarian. Well, a librarian that sees vampires and unexplainable creatures and has been told she is crazy her entire life. But that is all tested when a strange man shows up to kidnap her and she runs him over with her car only to have another, more powerful, man show up at her home to take her to Faerie. There she is taken as a captive of the Dark Prince Terrian - feared by all others in his realm and controlled by his awful mother.

This is an enemies to lovers trope but it ends on a cliff-hanger with heartbreak and betrayal and questions left unanswered. The book is a short read - easily finished in a weekend setting, but one that will stay with you and leave you hoping that certain Fae choose the right path even if its a hard one to choose.

Yes! I am going to anxiously be awaiting the second book - I only wish the release date wasn't until August 2024. And I suppose I will have to snag a paper copy in order to get the second one - hoping the cover art is just as beautiful.

Thank you for the great read!!

Disclosure: The MFC and her best friend Ethan enjoy the use of profanity - and the use of the "f" word. If this is offensive then you might want to skip this book. Though it is not excessive it is there. There are scenes within this book that are somewhat graphic. And, keep in mind this is the Unseelie Court - it is the land of the Fae and is violent, and at times rather course and disgusting.....true to Faerie form. Although unable to lie the Fae prove that deception is not above them and court games quickly turn nasty. And humans have no place in a land that is filled with violent and powerful beings who see humans as mere play toys.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book.

Five stars for me. The book had me hooked since page one and did not disappoint. The heart break, the love, bonded mates, and friendship. The longing to want her to be happily ever after to her prince, but instead fleeing into the night due to being lied to by another and choosing to believe them instead of her bonded mate broke my heart. All while her mate was trying to figure out how to love her instead of fearing his fate of her bringing down the seelie court. Highly recommend

As far as enemies-to-lovers goes, this book was great. There was banter, angst, miscommunication, sexual tension, kidnapping, mommy issues, strong-willed heroine vs tortured fae prince *chefs kiss* and it all came together perfectly. The characters were all fairly well developed and the story was consistent. It was an easy book to binge read and I finished it with genuine frustration about having to wait for a second one to be released. I found I was able to guess the “twists” before they happened but I read this trope often and genuinely have no complaints, I’m just looking forward to the next one.

Imogen is a university librarian with a history of psychosis. When she imagines being bitten by a vampire, or being hunted by a claw-handed beast that no one else around her can see, she thinks she is losing her mind.

It isn’t until Imogen is kidnapped by a Fae Prince and taken to his realm as a prisoner, that she realizes all the monsters that she’s imagined her entire life were, perhaps, real.

Among the monsters is a quirky cast of mythical creatures, an evil Queen, and rival Fae courts.

-Enemies to lovers
-fated mates
-2/5 🌶️

You’ll like this book if you liked Cruel Prince, but needed 🌶️🌶️ and romance.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley, publishers, and authors for this ARC.

I was completely engrossed in this book and finished it in one day because I absolutely could not put it down. I thought about it all during work and I stayed up late all night to read it.

The world building is exceptional. The authors' in depth descriptions of how the power is shared between the groups and how the society is made up really helps the reader to understand the characters and their decisions. The authors also give so much complexity to their characters that there are a few I really really hate and others I feel like I am besties with.

I love strong Female Main Characters, and Imogen is never backed down from any challenge thrown at her, even when the world was making her doubt her sanity. She is stubborn in the best possible way. I also enjoy the glimpses of her soft side that the author allows us to have of her as she interacts with certain characters throughout the book.

I look forward to seeing how the story develops, and I can't wait to read the next book!

Topics/Tropes:
- Fae
- Switched at birth
- Enemies to lovers
- Different worlds
- Rivals from birth
- Social class differences
- Mates
- Overbearing Mother

The only negative thing I have to say is that there were A LOT of spelling and grammatical errors. However, this can be because things were lost in translation of the book, I am unsure.

Okay, I LOVED THIS and you will too.
This book does NOT have a slow start, instead there is so much excitement and anticipation starting in the first few chapters. Once I started reading, I simply just could not put it down until it was over.
In the beginning we are introduced to our FMC, Imogen. She is a librarian currently working on campus, a wallflower due to some past complications. 12 years prior to where we meet her she was attacked at a night club, by a strangely attractive man with sharp eyes and pale skin. Doctors and police shrugged her off as crazy since all of the evidence (literal fang marks on her neck) could only be seen by her. Since that attack she walks through life with a brave face, and a fear for seeming crazy. Just when life gets a little normal for her, she is attacked by another monster. Since mace is illegal she sprays her new attacker with deodorant and hits him with her car. Turns out the monster man who attacked her in the parking lot works for a Fae prince who is trying to get ahold of her. Imogen unknowingly has been written of in an ancient prophecy, foretold to be what brings the prince to his knees. He needs to find her and kill her, except when he does find her killing her is the last thing he's able to do...so he basically kidnaps her instead and the adventure begins.
Imogen is sassy, and despite all she has been through she is brave, and witty. She is the female lead of my dreams! Absolutely perfect and makes any scene feel fresh and exciting. She single-handedly is impressive enough to want to keep reading about.
Tarian the Fae prince, our MMC is dark and seemingly made of stone and scary to all who work for him or know him until Imogen abruptly lands in his dangerous kingdom. We find out he has a softer side to his not so charming character defects. I loved how sarcastic he could be, and his over protectiveness. Honestly when I learned about his past and what has happened to make him become who he is, I felt all the emotions and wanted to hug him.
If you love enemies to lovers, banter, betrayals, rivalry between courts, fated mates, modern Fae, magical worlds, a singular sassy griffin, and so so much more you will love this as much as I did. Also their take on fated mates and magic systems were so good, it definitely kept things interesting.
Thank you so much to NetGally and Xpresso Book tours for this ARC, I'm so happy I got to read something that made me happy and excited! I can't wait to read what comes next from Lorelei and Hailey! #PrinceOfNever #NetGally

Prince of Never
Lorelei Johnson & Hailey Jade
⭐️ 4/5 🌶️ 2/5

If you enjoy romantic fantasy with enemies to lovers, fated mates, a steamy cramped storage room moment, and witty banter between a sassy human librarian and morally grey fae prince then this book is for you!

Summary: Imogen is a librarian who has grown up being told she is crazy for claiming to have been attacked by other-worldly creatures. Her fears are confirmed when she is kidnapped by Tarian, the Unseelie Prince, and taken to another realm. Tarian has grown up with a cruel mother as Queen and told he is cursed to have a mate who will bring down his court. Tensions fly between the two as they discover more about themselves and their unwanted bond.

Review: Overall, I loved this book! The authors did a great job of making me strongly dislike Tarian before he began to redeem himself (although he still has a way to go). I loved Imogen’s journey of self-discovery and character development. She learns how to stand her ground, and is not afraid to share exactly what’s on her mind. The tension and spice between the two was chef’s kiss! The story featured several magical creatures such as satyrs and griffins, which I really enjoyed. It is easy for romantic fantasies to be formulaic, but elements such as these helped differentiate the story. I wish Ethan’s character and backstory had been more developed, as he seemed to just pop in at perfect moments with little explanation. The ending left me wondering what happens next, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series!

You might like this book if you enjoyed:
- A Fate of Wrath & Flame
- What Lies Beyond the Veil

Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Firstly, happy *almost* pub day to this beauty of a book, which is out tomorrow, 9/25! I can’t wait for other folks to get a piece of this exciting first installment in a new fantasy series by Lorelei Johnson and Hailey Jade!

Admittedly, I haven’t read anything from these authors before, nor did I have an idea of what I was getting myself into when I began this book. I had been drawn to the cover and the title, and thought I’d give it a shot. Ohhhh how glad am I that I read this. This book starts with the bones of a pretty classic Beauty and the Beast retelling, with a kidnapping of our heroine librarian, Imogen, from the human world into the fae realm by the Unseelie Prince, Tarian. From there, however, the book diverges in all the best ways.

To start with: Imogen has a fire and spunk to her that is so easy to root for. She spends a lot of the book trying to get back home, and though numerous roadblocks begin to make that effort more and more difficult, her headstrong attitude and refusal to cow to her surroundings is endearing, believable, and refreshing. Tarian is your typical morally grey, sexy and brooding grump, but the kernels of ✨broken, soft boi✨ that we see are heartbreaking and makes the reader want to give him a big hug (or, at least, I did).

The story also puts its own spin on fated mates, a trope that usually isn’t my favorite for what feels like a lack of agency, but it is cultivated so well in this book that I actually found myself pretty feral for the way the subsequent romance was written around it lol. For those wondering, yes, the spice is also fabulous when it happens, but the writers are good and make you wait for it till a bit past the halfway point.

Complete with a slew of side characters I either was intrigued with or intensely hated, the world is fleshed out in ways that kept me guessing, and with one huge plot twist near the end of the book that had rippling repercussions—some that I could see coming and some that I couldn’t—the cliffhanger at the end left me on the floor staring at the ceiling, wondering how I am supposed to wait so long for the second book. For all of this, I give the book 4.5⭐, and a glowing recommendation for anyone who loves fated mates, hate to love, courts and political intrigue, and a very very headstrong heroine!!

*Thank you again to NetGalley and Xpresso Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was absolutely addicting. I read it in a day even with a four month old to take care of. I loved the writing style, the characters felt relatable and I liked that they were a bit older instead of the usual 18 year old we seem to get in most fantasy novels. While the romantic aspect of it could be seen as predictable, I still loved it just the same. My only real complaint with this book (apart from the ending that has me agonizing over what is going to happen next) is that I felt like some of the bigger plot points were glazed over - for example, when Ethan finds her in the fae realm for the first time and casually mentions he is half-fae and Imogen just accepts it without a second thought. Why did he never mention anything when she was obviously a believer, he also could absolutely see the scars on her neck - he never mentioned anything or made her feel less crazy for the things she thought and believed? Seemed a bit far fetched that she wouldn't have any follow up thoughts or questions about that. Apart from that - the world immersive, the world building was a really great balance between being descriptive without being too much and becoming hard to digest. I found some people saying they didn't think the romance was believable but I thought the author's did an amazing job of enemies to lovers, wanting to hate someone so desperately but longing for them all the same. I'm a sucker for fated mates. I can't wait to read the sequel!

4.25 rounding up

This is such a good fantasy that really hooks you from the start and has you so wrapped up in the story and sassy bater that you don't realize you're almost at the end.

Only one thing stands between Tarian and his crown: a woman prophesised to be his downfall. He'd expected a formidable enemy, but what he found was a human librarian. One who seems to have a penchant for recklessness and a serious lack of self-preservation instincts. One who poses a serious dilemma.

You'll find:
-Enemies to lovers
-Strong willed and sassy FMC
-Banter
-1.5/2🌶 spice
-Plot twist
-Vampires/Fae/deadly magical creatures

Prince of Never tells the story of Imogen, a human librarian who is spirited away by the big bad prince of the fae, who needs to end her in order to stop a prophecy from happening. Turns out they are fated mates and he literally is unable to kill her.
I really didn't enjoy the book. It was fast paced and the writing was ok, but the characters were absolutely insufferable. Imogen is very shy and sweet in the human world, but once in the fae realm she becomes this obnoxious, belligerent and rude person, even with figures of authority.
The MMC is an asshole with absolutely no redeeming qualities, so when they finally get together you find yourself wondering how did that happen. They haven't had a normal conversation in the book and they say they have feelings for each other but don't actually show it.
Also, the worldbuilding was very poor. I have no idea what the difference between Seelie and Unseelie are, or where are they exactly, or the different types of fae.
Also, Imogen is an expert on all things fae but when someone points out that there are fated mates she's like "Oh and what is that exactly?". Really?
It was a quick read and a fast paced story at least, so there's that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy. All opinions are my own.

I first want to thank Lorelei Johnson, Hailey Jade, and NetGalley for this ARC ebook edition.

This book was great! I loved it! The enemies to lovers trope was perfect. The characters were wrote so well! I adore Imogen and I felt really connected to her! Tarian was so great! I loved him and that we slowly learned more about his past along with Imogens past throughout this story!

This book was absolutely unputdownable! I flew through it and was left wanting more!