4⭐, 2.75 🌶️

I was hitting a slump with all the contemporary romances I was reading so I finally started this book that I have unfortunately been postponing for FAR FAR too long! But I liked it! I'm not a major romantasy girly so I'm always apprehensive but I liked how easy it was to get into this story and understand the world and structure. I enjoyed that the story essentially starts off with murder and drama and certainly kept me invested!

I listened to most of this story during a long car ride over the weekend and writing this review a few days later, Im slightly concerned that I dont remember much of the middle of the book - I just remember how it started, the main plot points (mostly cause I felt them mostly predictable) and the ending, again cause I had guessed what would happen and was thus very proud of myself.

Im excited to continue this series and see what all will ensue after how this book ended (wow that's super vague, but had to aviod spoilers)

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review!

Last year I was needing something to quench my thirst for a Fourth Wing kind of story while waiting (a long time) for Onyx Storm to come out, so I explored many romantasy books looking for that feeling of being completely entranced by a book and unable to think about anything else. I also love ACOTAR, and I’d read that this gave off similar vibes so I gave it a go. Long story short, this is no ACOTAR. And can I sidebar for a second and talk about how much I hate how many books have given in to the “a court of whatever and whatever” trend? I feel like it tricks readers into thinking they’ve found THE book everyone is talking about. “What’s that ‘a court of…’ book my friend likes so much? Oh, it’s this one!” And then it’s not. lol. Similar title… also about fae… you get the picture. Anyway, I listened to this one because I love dual narration. I was crocheting, the narrators did a great job, and it was a thing to listen to that helped distract me during a hard thing I was going through personally. But it left many things to be desired, and I’m struggling to articulate my feelings in a way that makes sense. This is also one of my more negative reviews and the guilt is setting in a bit as I re-read this before scheduling it to go live soon. I hate writing negative reviews, but I feel obligated to do so since I received this for review from the publisher. So here are my honest thoughts.

To sum it up, this book didn’t feel unique to me. You’ve got the over-used tropes like fae versus human, enemies to lovers, found family, a feisty heroine who doesn’t know she’s magic, etc. These story elements cannot stand on their own existence, though. I feel like they were just there because that’s what people look for. I can tell that this book set out to check off a lot of boxes to please readers, but there was no strong framework, no intricate worldbuilding, and no details given that immersed me in the story. I can’t tell you what anyone looked like, what the world looked like, or anyone’s backstory or defining characteristics. The cookie cutter main characters were unremarkable and flat. The secondary characters were background props. I couldn’t help but feel like the desire to write a unique cast of memorable characters and a rich world… wasn’t there. It seemed more like the goal was to give me enough to remind me of characters I loved from another book and then fill in the blanks on my own with their traits and their personalities. I felt like I was supposed to patch the plot holes and supplement the information I was given with information from someone else’s fully developed world. That’s just, for lack of a softer word, lazy writing.

The spicy moments were uncomfortable for me, and the romance didn’t feel believable and all-consuming. The pacing was off, with a lot happening all at once and then nothing happening at all. The story really dragged in places, and the same things kept happening. There was a lot of telling and very little showing. The more I think about this book, the more confused I am as to why I finished it. I tend to abandon books when I’m feeling like this, especially when they’re this long. I was clearly engrossed in my crocheting and needed a distraction during a difficult time when I didn’t have the brain power to absorb something deeper. I was able to drift in and out and not miss anything, and I think that’s a big part of why I finished it. I also liked the soothing voices of the narrators. It was very easy to keep listening to it, and sometimes that’s what you need in a book. I wanted to love this so, so much, but I will unfortunately not be continuing with the series.

I was able to listen to an eaudio arc of this thanks to NetGalley. A fun romantasy. Great read. Would read more by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A solid romantasy! Looking forward to seeing where this goes

What you’ll find in A Court This Cruel & Lovely:
🗡 Dual POV
🗡 Broody MMC
🗡 Stabby FMC
🗡 Enemies-to-lovers
🗡 Slow burn
🗡 One bed/one horse
🗡 Secret identities

“Don’t try to distract me.”
“But you make it so easy.”

"One day soon, you will have to make a choice. Be a torch for just one soul in the dark... or burn like the sun for all of them."

“I don’t want anything you’re offering. Remember that time you left me to freeze to death?”
He sighed. “Are you always this dramatic?”
One of his men snorted, and I trembled with the need to punch Lorian in the mouth.

A fantasy romance, this story follows Prisca, who has a forbidden magic that will send her to the gallows if discovered. She teams up with some mercenaries to do some rescue missions, and starts a romance with one of them. The story moved rather slowly for me and it seemed like a lot of standing around and talking about what they needed to do, then it took 3 minutes to do it. It was OK.

Okay, I am hooked. Already downloaded the second book, because that ending left me wanting MORE. I loved the characters journey together and watching their tension grow. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

The writing is decent to good, but the dialogue and inner thoughts are a little weird and awkward. Also the story itself, I was not quite sure where it was going a lot of the time. It doesn't seem like much is going on and we get a lot of descriptions for stuff that doesn't really mean anything. So the book is good/decent and at the same time it's not that good. I don't really know how to describe it.

Some parts were enjoyable, while in general it wasn't a story I felt was giving enough or all that unique.

As for the audio part, the female narrator was great, the male was ok.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen & review this audiobook! I wasn't really a fan of the male narrator, but I enjoyed the plot. The female narrator was easy to listen to and put the right amount of emotion behind her words. Overall, it was an interesting listen and pretty easy to listen to.

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a mix of popular fantasy series vibes while also being unique. The characters were delightful and their development was so fun to read. The narrators did great as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Stacia Clark for the opportunity to listen and review this story.

both Tim and Meg did an amazing job with the narration on this one, I was new to both of them so this was a great intro to their work and what they are capable of. I could tell they both took time into getting to know their characters and the world they were speaking on and I love that.

The story itself was also amazing and I look forward to getting more of this series, there were tons of moments where I physically laughed at the banter they had. The spice was great, we love a good, spicy romantasy.

I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley.. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book had been on my radar for quite some time because I love a nice fantasy romance... think Maas novels or Armentrout series. From the description of this book, I really believed this would have a similar feel to some of my past favorites. I wasn't disappointed to find out this book did have a similar feeling without being a random knock off or a combination of every other romantasy on the market right now.
This book has two POVs (Prisca and Lorian) and both are unique and clear from one another, so even if you aren't listening to the audiobook you won't ever have to worry about who you are reading about or from what point of reference. The two main characters are also just fun to read about with both being strong and determined, even when the book is at the height of sexual tension during this slow burn romance. (I am so a big fan of the forced proximity trope and all things involving magic.)
Prisca lives in a northern village, with her mother and older brother, trying her best to get by and keep her dark secret hidden. Prisca has magic when everyone else goes through a ritual at birth to remove it, which means Prisca is one of the corrupt and could be killed if found out. Of course this means she is found out rather quickly and her mother must act to keep her safe, by throwing her off a cliff sending her into her eventual meeting with Lorian and his group of mercenaries.
Lorian is traveling with his group of mercenaries with hopes to find the salvation of his kingdom and because of this when he first meets Prisca he wants to leave her to her own future in the forest without his help, but Prisca is determined and the two end up working together... or at least travelling together. (Lots of drama and I refuse to spoil it.)
Prisca isn't my favorite main character, but the character growth she goes through is more than I thought it would be. She is smart, driven, resilient, and her willingness to take risks and her charismatic charm are enough for others to follow her. My biggest concern with having her being a magic user in a world with almost no magic wielders would be that she suddenly had ALL the power and would somehow just be great at everything, but I was happy to find her faulted and a character we saw make mistakes just like everyone else. Prisca is not a badass fighter and does not control her magic well, but despite that she tries her best and does it with some actual grace.
Lorian is my typical grumpy, morally grey, intense character, who acts like a jerk, but just has a hurt heart and too many responsibilities on his shoulders. To say he is my usual type is and understatement and I appreciated he wasn't the type of man who coddled the female main character or told her she was perfect constantly. The only part I didn't enjoy about Lorian was the mystery around him. I wanted more backstory. I wanted to know why he seemed so distant and unable to open up. Maybe in the next books we will learn more about him and his reasoning. (I also really really wish the author would have explained why Prisca dreamed of Lorian! This part better not just be ignored in the upcoming books because this was the reason I wanted to read this book.)
Did I think by the end of this book that it was a bit predictable? I did. Did it ruin the book for me? Nope. Some of my recent reads have felt completely too much like a mashup of other best sellers and this book didn't collapse into stereotypical bestseller nonsense and ruin its own voice. If you are looking for something completely new, maybe this isn't for you... but if you want to have a good time with magic, fae, and snarky couples then jump right in.

I really enjoyed the world Stacia Stark created in this book. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole rebellion plot and the romance really hooked me. I'm going to be diving into the second book immediately!

Such a good book, and it's narrated so well. The romance is worth the slow burn and has all the tension! This is one of the first fantasy books I've listened to in a long time and absolutely loved it

This romance fantasy novel is absolutely captivating. It combines elements of mystery, as each character in the story holds their own secrets. These secrets pose a great danger to everyone involved, potentially causing chaos not only within the kingdom but also in the entire world. I loved how the story's pace was quickly set in a high stakes adventure on the run.

Narrators Tim Paige and Meg Sylvan perfectly captured the wit and personality of Prisca & Lorian. I love these two narrators. Pick this book up if you love a mystery of magical proportions and an enemies to lover slow burn romance.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the Advanced Reader Copy!

I received an advance audiobook of A Court This Cruel and Lovely. A high entertaining fantasy romance with well-performed narration. I definitely think this is going to be a hit in the fantasy world!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

More people should be talking about this book. It is a great new adult romantasy that I could not put down. It has Enemies(ish) to lovers, One horse, Found Family and spice. It would be a great choice for anyone looking for their next romantasy read. I cannot wait for the next book.

I don't know why more people aren't talking about this book! It was fantastic! I loved the characters, the world building and the plot. I loved the dynamic between Prisca and Lorian and watching their relationship grow. This does leave off on a slight cliff hanger so I am very excited to continue on. This gave everything I love in a fantasy romance!

A Court This Cruel and Lovely is an exciting, intricate fantasy book with a heavy dose of magic, found family and of course swoonworthy moments between enemies turning into…. Prisca is a worthy main protagonist who manages to find a balance between standing up for herself with extreme determination whilst also occasionally having a good mental breakdown wondering how it all turned out so wrong. Lorien is rude and cold and crass, and I just adore him! He quite literally leaves Prisca to die when they first meet so watching him come to regret that decision and grow a tad bit obsessed with her is SO juicy.

This book felt like a true introduction to a new fantastical world and series with high stakes, clear world building (even when Prisca, and therefore the reader, is in the dark), and characters who feel important and worth reading about. The set up for the found family and finding camaraderie in the unlikeliest of places made me beam, and I cannot wait for the ‘family’ to grow and develop throughout this series.

The audiobook was a great way to absorb this story for me as it allowed me to understand the world much better. The voice acting was entertaining whilst not being distracting, and I highly enjoyed it.

I found the pacing to be a little odd and the 3rd quarter of the book dragged a little bit because of this. This novel is also, ultimately, highly predictable. The setting of a world where a corrupt ruling elite siphon magic for selfish reasons is identical to many of the fantasy novels being written today, and the ‘twist’ at the end relating to one of the characters was not super surprising. That being said I still found myself giggling, gasping and galloping around my room when certain scenes hit; I’m already listening to book 2.

This definitely has a classic New Adult fantasy
romance with fae, kingdoms, and powers.
Forbidden powers force Prisca to flee her tiny village. On the run, she meets a group of mercenaries, in that group she meets Lorian. Lorian and the Mercenaries is the main plot line that kept me reading. They are your classic group on a secret mission, taught and mean but really they have a huge heart. (There was a twist towards the end of this book that I saw coming but it was fine.) They agree that she may travel with them to the city. This journey has intense moments, training, magic, and danger around every corner.

This wasn't the best fantasy I've ever read, but it was fun, cheesy at times, over the top with drama, forced proximity, enemies to lovers with a slow-burn romance, and that's what reading is for fun.

This New Adult adventure is wrapped in secrets, enemies to lovers with a
slow-burn romance, and Mercenaries that you don't want to mess with,
will still melt your heart.