This is such a fantastic spin on the old tales of Merlin, King Arthur, Lancelot, and Camelot. I wasn’t expecting that spin to be as intriguing as it was. I never would’ve imagined the spin that Arthur wasn’t such a great king and the realm included fae, magic, and a host of fantastic creatures.

The only reason that this isn’t a 5 star read for me is because I wanted to throttle our MFC through the majority of the first half of the book for being a doormat and being a spoiled brat other times. I loved the mysterious MMC and the host of supporting characters.

Overall, I definitely recommend this read for those fantasy lovers who don’t mind the question, “what if Arthur wasn’t the hero in his tale…”

** Thank you netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for honest review**

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I knew I this book was going be good the second I realized its a Camelot retelling and it did not disappoint! I will say that it started a bit slow but around 1/3 of the way in I was hooked!

I also loved how Morgan wasn't the usual impractically strong and gifted type of FMC I'm used to seeing. She could be overpowered and has her flaws but could save herself when it mattered. Draven, our morally grey love interest, is fascinating from the start. He's fiercely protective for reasons unknown and always seems to know more than what you'd expect. A captivating mystery from the start.

There's spectacular world building, some magic, and a slow burn romance that makes it hard to put the book down. The cliffhanger ending-- 😱😱😱. Needless to say, I will be reading book 2.

Okay, let's start this off with I LOVED it! It was so good, I got sucked in once I got through the start. The start was a little slow, but it was worth it. It was building up all the backstory you need to get into the quest Morgan is eventually sent on.

It's definitely a slow burn, which is a plus in my book. A lot of slow burns aren't all that slow, but this one definitely setting up the romance for later in the series. I can't wait to see where the romance goes in the next book! Especially with THAT ENDING. I was legit sucked in and could not put the book down for the last 40 pages. I had to know what was going on lol.

I do think that Arthur being evil is something I've personally never read before. I've mostly only read Camelot retellings from Gwen's POV to be fair though. I've never read one from Morgan's! I was instantly intrigued when I read the blurb and realized we were going to be following Morgan. Definitely a character I've personally never seen fleshed out before, so I was stoked.

Also though I figured Vesper was going to be some kind of evil or just not great. It was a little too weird that this guy just shows up and gets to tag along with them and Morgan is instantly connected with him. But it is nice that she got to experience something romantic with someone other than her ultimate love interest. I did like that. Not a lot of fantasy romances ever let the FMC experience any sort of romance fully with another character other than the MMC.

Overall, loved it! Will definitely be going on with the series. I legit already checked out the second book from Kindle Unlimited last night before I even completely finished, because I KNEW I was going to want to read the next book soon. Can't wait to see where this series continues to go!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this title to review!

When I was done with this book, I sat in my car for about five minutes and was happy that I don't have to wait for book 2. Because WHAT!? There was so much going on at the end, I was absolutely hooked! The hits just kept coming.

Overall, I enjoyed the heck out of this book. I was really excited when I figured out that it's a spin on King Arthur because The Sword in the Stone is one of my favorite movies from childhood. It was done very creatively and I loved how she switched some of characters. The entire book I was yelling at Morgan to stand up, but I still liked her (and glad that she stood up for herself when she really needed to). The tension between the two MCs was on point and the mini love triangle was amusing - I was expecting that twist at the end, but not to the extent it was written. Talk about cold blooded! Can't wait to see where this story goes next - more with Draven and his past, the political aspects with the war, how we (yes, we - these are my friends now) are coming back at Arthur, and more.

First, thank you to Briar Boleyn & NetGalley for a chance to read this series in exchange for an honest review.

This has been a ride (and I am immediately diving into book two). At first, the writing style DID have me questioning if this tale would be for me. Fortunately, that quickly because completely moot because the story itself has me trapped.

Positives:
I loved finding little pieces that I feel are foreshadowing. I don’t know the author’s style, but there were some things I felt strongly about (and I was right multiple times some are still unknowns).

The characters. While Morgan drives me a little crazy sometimes with her decisions, I really think it’s going to be an opportunity for excellent character development. I also love her very few trusted people.

Villainy. The villain is villainy as hell. Like I hate him. I can’t wait for her to stop making excuses for him and treats him as the pure evil he is 💁🏻‍♀️

Not so positives:
So many sentences start with “and” and “but” and are choppy partial things. I usually ignore improper sentences but it was driving me a little crazy.

The descriptions got to be a little much. I felt like I was informed of every piece of furniture in every room. Like, I just want to move on with the story. I started skimming a bit when we got into new rooms or areas.

Overall, I had a great time and now want to post this so I can start reading the second book because I am so excited!!

I'm a huge fan of all things medieval, Arthurian, and this story had it all! Starting off slow but builds up the world, the characters, and the suspense as you go. The characters are build so well they seem real. It was very well done, and I'm glad I bought them all so I don't have to wait to read the second one!

And a special thank you to victory editing, netgalley, and of course Briar Boleyn for giving me this arc copy!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4 stars

Liked:
Interesting take on the Arthurian legend

LGBTQ rep

Good world-building without it being clunky or overbearing

Epic journey for a magic weapon

Fun read that is easy to get pulled into

Slow-burn enemies to ?

Good character development

Cliff-hanger leaving me eager for more

Disliked:
FMC can be very naive at times- yes, this is necessary for plot development but sometimes can border on her being completely oblivious and missing things that are rather apparent


Overall, a very enjoyable book!

Notes: Unfinished Series, Cliffhanger, 4/5 stars, 2/5 spicy, CW/TW

I stayed up until 2:30 am because I NEEDED to finish this book! I’ve already jumped into book 2, Court of Claws and I’m so excited to see where this story continues to take us. I did receive a copy of this book through NetGalley, but books 1-3 are available on Kindle Unlimited, and book 4 is set to release spring of 2024.

This series is based on King Arthur and Camelot, but I would not say it’s a retelling. We have our MFC, Morgan Pendragon, who is the sister of King Arthur; Lancelet, a female Lancelot, is the best friend; and last but definitely not least, our morally grey MMC, Kairos Draven. There are plenty of other side characters throughout this book that I can see hopefully making a return in the rest of the series.

Overall, I really enjoyed the start of this series! While Morgan can be a little frustrating at times, a bit naive and spoiled, I have a lot of hope that we’re going to watch her character continue to grow into a strong female lead. Draven is perfect. 10/10. This is an extremely slow burn romance, so don’t expect to have a lot of hot and heavy scenes. Very PG-13 for this most part. The author did an incredible job with world building, and while one of the plot twists I could see from miles ahead, there were a couple of other twists that left me completely shocked and a bit confused. There is a cliffhanger at the end of this book, and whew... Like I said, I IMMEDIATELY snagged book 2 and started it.

I would 100% recommend this for anyone who enjoys Romantasy. I haven’t seen this book talked about much, but I will definitely be recommending this to all my fellow readers and groups!

Thank you net galley, the author Blair Boleyn, and Victory editing for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book!

A gripping, fast paced, fantasy story that kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time!! This is a King Arthur and Camelot retelling about Morgan who is on a quest for her king/brother. With slight world building and politics at the beginning of the story, a quest that leads them on a journey through the world, and the cliffhanger ending all made up for a great story! Morgan has lived her whole life in the shadows of her father, then her brother, and is finally allowed to leave her home in turn to find an object for the king that’ll ad in their war. You follow along her encapsulating journey through eskira.

If you love enemies to lovers, a cliffhanger ending, adventure, danger, fae, magical upbringings and a good slow burn romance this book is for you!!!

I will say that the beginning and the ending of this book is here it picked up for me the most and was held captive by the story. The middle was a little slowly placed for me, but I still wanted to read it.

I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series, I desperately need answers!!

This is a dark fantasy story so please check trigger warnings before reading!

I really enjoyed learning about this world, and it's magic and trickery and power. It simultaneously felt new and old, with the Arthurian elements scattered throughout. I was having a blast questioning everything and finding fun little twists like golden nuggies.

The story is written in such a way that it has you feeling all the emotions. I particularly felt strong hatred toward a certain few, like enraged enraged (iykyk).

I really liked Morgan, but I wanted her to slay her enemies with such force that no one would ever dare cross her. I admired that she cared though, even when people certainly didn't deserve her to.

Appreciated the LGBTQ+ rep!

The ending had me freaking out, wanting more, and that's always a good sign! Can't wait to jump into the next one.

Thank you to all involved for my Netgalley copy of this wonderful story.

★★★★☆

This book was really good! The concept and writing was done well and left me wanting more. There was a Camelot retelling aspect with fae elements that I wasn’t sure would work but it did. This would be a great book for any fantasy romance lover! Can’t wait to continue

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This Camelot retelling adds a fae twist that makes you want to keep reading. I really enjoyed the dialogue throughout this book. The one thing I wasn't fond of was how the hunt was so abruptly introduced. I lost track of what was happening and had to go back and reread to make sure I hadn't missed anything.

Just finished devouring Queen of Roses. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating = 4.5 stars.

I loved this re-imagining of Arthurian legend entwined with fae lore. As much as the names might be familiar, the story is unique. The setting is well-laid, if a little too verbose at times. The characters are intense. The burn is SLOW. A little too slow for my liking, but I anxiously await the spice that seems promised in book 2. That aside, the pacing of the book is near perfect. Never feeling too rushed. Giving breathing room to let the story unfold organically. This, in turn, allows time for character growth and dimension to emerge. For worlds to unfold before the reader. For this tale to be beautifully woven, as we journey with Morgan to free Excalibur. The slow build of trust between her and Draven, a mystery in his own right, yet to be uncovered. In many ways, this book did what I wish many would... it took it's time but was never boring. It built anticipation. It gave us just enough to want more. Well played on the part of the author, Briar Boleyn. I very much look forward to where the rest of the series takes Morgan, Draven, and their companions.

King Arthur Retelling? I LOVE IT!

King Arthur is the bad guy? EVEN BETTER!
Merlin is some kind of weird priestess that is providing guidance to the King?

Fae exist in Avalon and there is she - Morgana, sister of King Arthur, rughtful heir to the Throne and hal fae - this is so brilliant I just can’t!

The plot was awesome yet it was kind of predictible, but I am dying to know what is going to happen next?

And Kairos? That man was everything..

amazing start to a new fantasy series! spicy and sweet! author never fails to disappoint with a romance full of angst, feels, and heartbreak

I could not put this book down- I devoured it within one day. I loved the world building and the characters. Cannot wait to read book 2! Queen of Roses is excellent. Cannot recommend highly enough!

Thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

“You could tell a great deal by what a monarchy chose to remember about its own history–and even more by what it chose to forget.”

I am pleased to say that I loved this book! Queen of Roses is a loose retelling of the Arthurian Legend and initially I was honestly a little put off by this. I still feel that the plot and characters were strong enough to stand on their own, but the idea did grow on me a little. The quote above really set the scene for the reader to learn what “really” happened in the kingdom of Camelot. Since most readers are familiar with the Legend of Arthur, the author was able to skip over lengthy explanations and world building and jump right into the plot. The beginning of this book was a little slow, but once they headed out on their quest, the pacing was perfect and I was hooked.

For the most part the author wrote her characters extremely well. I loved our hero’s and hated our villains in equal measure. If I could change one thing, it would be to give Morgan a bit more backbone at the beginning of the book. We did see her step out in a small show of defiance, but I think the author could have developed this more. I would have preferred her to have been defying Arthur and helping her people in a more long term way to show that she is deserving of their loyalty. I think we are heading towards her ruling as the true Queen so it would have been nice to see more evidence that she is deserving of that title.

Draven on the other hand was the perfect hero. This is a slow burn enemies to lovers romance. We have yet to see things truly develop between our two MC’s but I have no doubt that it will be an epic love once it gets going. Always happy to find a new book boyfriend!

The next installments are already available on kindle unlimited. Thrilled that I won’t have to wait to continue the series! They have quickly become some of my most anticipated reads!

I was drawn to this because I hadn't read a YA ish Arthurian fantasy romance for a while, and this trilogy was offered as completed. And if there was ever a semi-mythological character who can be bent out of all shape, its King Arthur - usually the worst character in his own tale. He is not the star here, rather his elder sister Morgan, some say Morgana, some say Morgan Le Fae - and I almost stopped there. Because I'll read any old rubbish, but I'm broadly allergic to the word Fae, particularly as a catch all term for magical creatures we are inventing on the fly but will almost certainly be having sex. But I stuck with it to enjoy lots of solid tropes being trotted out.

Old school tropes, well Morgan is good at pretty much everything except she seems to think the guy she is strangely drawn to and describes as being very attractive, is the villain. That's OK, she will make lots of terrible decisions to rile him up as per proper romance lore. More modern trope, Lancelot is not Lancelet, and hot for the queer action. Morgan - being half fae - is passed over for the throne and once Arthur gets in the previous fae loving, genderfluid society becomes all patriarchal and nasty (there's a early doors rape which is heavily trigger warninged). Arthur sends Morgan and Sir Sexyloins off on a quest for Excalibur for - questing reasons - and things get all messed up but a bit sexy, and then it ends with a giant cliffhanger and even though it was quite rubbish I went in hard on the next book.

I haven't read any Arthurian retellings, and this was such a fun and enlightening read. The diverse cast and strong mc's bright life and relatablility. And I really enjoyed the banter between the two mains. The dialog in general is very well done throughout the story. Great world building as well, without it being overwhelming and losing my interest. Honestly such a strong start to a series and can't wait to continue

I really enjoyed this book! It is an Arthurian retelling with a fae twist. Before reading, I did a little research into Arthurian legends and characters so that I could better appreciate all that the author incorporated. There were some twists on characters such as evil King Arthur, female Lancelot (Lancelet), female Merlin, Galahad is a close friend (rather than Lancelot’s son). There is LGBTQ+ representation in this book with both Lancelet and Galahad. I thought the pronunciation guide at beginning was a nice touch!

I really liked the Female MMC. She is strong and resilient, but struggles with her insecurities which makes her quite relatable in some ways. The way that the character was portrayed felt pretty authentic as far as her trauma responses. The male MMC, Kairos Draven, was great. He had the best who did this to you and touch her and die vibes/moments. I was hanging onto his every word. He’s a bit mysterious and I’m excited to learn more about him in the next book, especially after how things ended in this book!!

I loved how the dialogue and the banter between characters were written! Especially between Morgan and Draven. I thought this book had good world-building as well. The explanations of lore/history and the introduction of characters, etc. all felt very smooth and well-done.

This book gave off FBAA vibes. There were several similarities to FBAA, but not in a way where it felt like it was derivative. More so, in that sense that if you liked FBAA, you’d likely like this book too as it had a lot of the same tropes and some similar elements.

Reasons for taking one star off: The romance in this book was definitely more of a subplot and is super slow-burn. My main complaint with this book was that the slow-burn was disrupted by a kind-of love-triangle situation (but not really a love triangle because everything with Draven pretty much stops progressing as she focused on the other guy). It makes sense given how the story goes, but I think I would’ve preferred a true love-triangle where I still felt like things were progressing with Draven or at least felt more tension building between them rather than just pivoting all of her interest to the other guy aside from a few lustful glances. My other small complaint was that certain parts felt a bit slow. That said, that is to be somewhat expected in the first book of a new series due to all of the world-building and set-up.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to those who enjoy Arthurian legend, Fae, forced proximity, true slow-burn romance, bodyguard romance, enemies-to-lovers, banter, betrayal, hidden powers, quests, or those looking for a book with FBAA vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for providing me with a copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review!