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

Did I stay up until 2am to finish this book? I most certainly did.

Queen of Roses is the first book in the Blood of Fae series. This book follows Morgan as she journeys across the country to find the fae sword, Excalibur, for her brother Arthur. While traveling, she learns more about the secrets of fae culture while being left with more questions about herself and her brooding mysterious bodyguard.

This dark fantasy is inspired by King Arthur's story and keeps you on the edge of your seat! This book is action packed, full of twists, and has a slowwwwwww burn romance. It ends with QUITE the cliffhanger.

You might like this book if...
+ You like the new adult fantasy genre, but want something different than the typical romantasy plot
+ You like plot lines, character arcs, and slowwwww burn romances that span over multiple books
+ You enjoy strong female main characters
+ You like twists and turns that keep you guessing

Please keep in mind that Queen of Roses has some themes that might be triggering for some readers; content warnings can be found in the back of the book.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Tropes: Found Family, Enemies to Friends, Baddie FMC, Diet Spice
Star: 5/5, I cannot wait to read book two

Whatever you think you know about the story of King Arthur and Camelot, prepare yourself for having everything turned upside down and put in a blender and combined in literally the very best way possible. From the first pages of the book, you find out that this version of the story is from Arthur’s sister Morgan’s perspective, and that Arthur is a villain. Morgan is the eldest child of Uther Pendragon, and is purported to be partially Fae, through her mother’s side. This makes her a mixed-blood offspring and not ideal for succeeding her father. Additionally, she is forced to regularly consume a potion to suppress any Fae characteristics that might manifest. Her best friend in the court is Lancelet, a female knight, and Merlin, also a woman, is the high priestess at the temple. While there is quite a bit of world building and backstory involved at the outset, it is interwoven very seamlessly and does not detract from the current timeline of the book. Arthur sends Morgan on a quest with escorts that include his newly appointed captain of the guard, Draven, who is a newcomer to the kingdom but has a reputation that precedes him. There are many revelations during this quest, the world building is steady without being heavy handed, and well-interspersed in the action, and the twists and turns in this story just come at you one after another. Within the storylines, you learn more about Morgan’s past, and meet new characters, and find out more and more about the mysterious stranger, the captain of the guard, that is accompanying her. She has been sheltered at court her whole life, and thought her future was certain. She didn’t like it, but had resigned herself to it. And during her quest, she has to process a lot of information about her history, her court, and herself. Morgan gains courage and confidence, and the skills she has learned both from sparring with the knights, and studying with Merlin, develop and blossom as the story unfolds. There is not much at ALL that is predictable in this book, even though I have some familiarity with the legend. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next, and I was so glad I could read the next book in the series right away. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark fantasy, fairy tale retellings, morally grey characters, found family, forced proximity, slow burn romance, strong female characters. This series will be a part of my personal library in both physical and digital copies, and I’m already tempted to re-read it and take notes. It’s so jam-packed, compelling, and intensely emotional. (Warning: Familiarize yourself with the possible triggers for this book before you read!!!)

🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟

🌹Queen of Roses🌹 by @briarboleynauthor

Available to Purchase now.


✨️This is book number 1 in the Blood of A Fae series and is a twist on the legends of King Arthur. It follows the story of female protagonist Morgan and the perilous Journey Arthur sends her on to retrieve Excalibur.

✨️Review✨️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have so many good things to say about this book it was fantastic. @briarboleynauthor immerses you into a world full of magic, myth, legend and romance. What more can you ask for! I was gripped by this story from the get go, the world building was fantastic and I absolutely adored the concept for this book. As a history nerd, you mention King Arthur and Excalibur and I am in. This story surprised me in a very good way, the retelling of this legend was done in a fresh and new way I haven't encountered before and it worked seamlessly. It was really interesting to see this story told with Arthur as the villain instead of the hero he is known to be. The character development was excellent and the book covered numerous complex issues and did it well.

The writing style throughout the book enabled you to fully engage with the characters whilst also allowing the story to vividly come to life in your mind. I really enjoyed the relationship development between Draven and Morgan in this book and I am excited to see where things go in book 2. The cliffhanger at the end!! I am still recovering, thank god book 2 is already available 🤣.

I would highly recommend this series to anyone it was a spectacular read and I devoured it in a day.

#queenofroses
#excalibur
#kingarthur
#romantasy
#slowburnromance
#briarboleynauthor #netgalley

Manually added to goodreads as netgalley said isbn couldn't be found

I really enjoyed this book. This book is about Morgan and Kairos. Sometimes it was a little to slow for me but overal it was a great book! I really did love the character building!
This book contains:
- Touch her and .... vibes
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Slow Burn
- Spicy fantasy romance

Epic fantasy adventure - a creative and fresh refresh of the story of Camelot with new takes on Arthur, Morgan, et al. Action, betrayal, secrets, wars, and a bit of slow burn make this a must read for fantasy and Aurthurian fans alike!

The plot starts out exciting and compelling. I was immediately immersed in the story and was completely hooked until the end. The whole idea and world building is incredible. It reminded me a lot of From Blood and Ash, but I don't think that's a bad thing. The book has so much more to offer. I think it's really great how the Arthurian saga is cleverly incorporated and reinterpreted.
The world building often surprised me. I love the intrigue at court, the dark places on the journey and the creatures we meet. I especially like that they are not the "typical" creatures and monsters, but more unusual ones.
I immediately fell in love with Morgan and Draven. I love their dynamic and how casual they are with each other. They are refreshing characters who have yet to reveal all of their secrets. One thing is foreshadowed, not only Morgan is good for some surprises and hasn't revealed her true nature yet ;). I'm looking forward to learning more about both of them and following their development.
I am absolutely in love with the story, the world, the creatures, the protagonists... .... I highly recommend this book. It's a lot of fun to read and the beginning of a great, exciting journey. I look forward to finding out more in the next volume.

This Arthurian-inspired story immediately drew me in. It is a very slow-burn, slow-paced first book in the series, and this definitely allows for fabulous character development.

Morgan grows from a plain, forgotten princess into a strong woman who is beginning to embrace her heritage. King Arthur is no hero in this version but a cruel and jealous brother who will stop at nothing to feel superior.

With a will they-won't they that never quite reaches its climax, I am eagerly moving on to the next book in this fae-themed romantasy series!

3.7 stars. Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for this e-book in exchange for an honest review. Queen of Roses is giving a hybrid of fae and King Arthur and it's a pretty good time. Put this into your dark romantasy circulation if you enjoy enemies to lovers, slow...and I repeat SLOW burn, great banter, friendship and magic, it's just not the spicy book I thought it might be. But that's okay because the world building is fun and there's a great cliffhanger ending to get you into the next book.

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is a dark fantasy in the current trend of fae romantasy. ❤️ With a bit of spice. I found myself pleasantly surprised to be meeting characters named for those in Arthurian legends, but while I expected more of a retelling, it was more loosely inspired by. I think it still helps to speed up world building. I felt like more relationship building between our 2 MCs was needed and there was a lack of depth in the characters, but this is just the start of a series. The dialog in casual moments felt unnatural, which may have something to do with the author's more formal tone.
Overall an entertaining read and I appreciate the Arthurian spin. Fans of ACOTAR, TOG, and FBAA should check it out.
It would not allow me to check the "post to Goodreads" button but I did leave a Goodreads review.

Queen of Roses is a dark fantasy book that reimagines King Arthur with fae. Morgan is a half-fae princess and older half-sister to King Arthur. He sends her on a quest to find Excalibur and sends her along with two guards, neither she feels she can fully trust- with good reason.

This is my second fae series after the Maasverse and it didn’t disappoint! Boleyn quickly paces the book and the world building so it’s easy to jump in and get lost in the story. And then the cliffhanger of an ending! I’m immediately picking up the second book so that I can find out what happens next!

*There are content/trigger warnings for this book that are important to note before embarking on the adventure.*

A fantastical Camelot retelling. I had a hard time getting into it; the writing style was a little too simple and the old English speaking style a bit forced and inconsent. I almost DNFd every time I picked it up for the first 30%. Around 75% it felt like it hit its stride and the end was more satisfying than the start. Good enough to give the second book a shot.

Queen of Roses is a dark fantasy, Arthurian retelling with Fae.

This is perfect for people who enjoy:
●Slow Burn
●Forced Proximity
●Enemies to Lover
●Banter
●Betrayal
●Touch Her and Die

The story follows Princess Morgan, who is part fae. Her brother King Arthur decides to send her with two of his trusted guards, Draven and Whitehorn, on a journey to find Excalibur. Can she truly trust either one of them?

Draven is a mysterious, grumpy, morally gray character who is also protective. He made the story more interesting, keeping you guessing what he was thinking or what his motives really are. Throughout the book, I had so many questions about his background.

I strongly suggest this book, especially if you enjoy reading Jennifer L Armentrout. I got From Blood And Ash vibes. The beginning is a little slow and semi uncomfortable, but it quickly became captivating. I didn't want to stop reading because I needed answers. The ending only left me wanting more!! Draven is quickly becoming my next book boyfriend. I can't wait to read Court of Claws to see where Briar Boleyn will take us next.

Queen of Roses is the perfect book for any Jennifer L. Armentrout fans. It gave me blood and ash vibes while still being a completely different story. The world-building was great and nice and easy to follow. At times it felt rushed but never a slow part. Excited for the next book

I love the unwitting hero goes on an adventure trope. It’s a classic, I always enjoy it. It’s made better with a heroine. I do like the tension between Draven and Morgan at the start before they leave.

Really liked all of the gender norms being whatever they were. Merlin as a high priestess and Lancelet a queer almost knight. It was great!

Definitely a great kick start to a series!

Ummm, tell me why more people don’t know about this book and how awesome it is?!

This is the perfect story for people who love from blood and ash and a court of thorns and roses.

I did not expect a King Arther retelling but I am a sucker for stories like this so this book is right up my alley.

It is SO well written and keeps you wanting to turn the page as you get closer and closer to the upcoming revelations. You can tell this was a lot of (very well done) world building to get us into what I’m sure is going to be an epic story.

Oh my god the cliffhanger with which the book ended with can't even describe it in words
The book was awesome
I can't wait to read the next book in the series

An Arthurian fae retelling with all the deliciousness of the New Adult genre. As an English lit girl I'm a sucker for a good Arthurian retelling but mix in the promise of spice and a mad king Arthur. I was hooked from the prologue. If you like Scarlett St. Claire's Adrian and Isolde series you're bound to enjoy Briar's reincarnation of a classic.

This book was amazing. I loved the main character Morgan and this whole new take on the King Arthur legend. The slow burn and spice were perfect. I’m already on book 3 and it just keeps getting better. Those who love a good slow burn fantasy with spice will love this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and series for a review!

I liked it! It’s definitely a Romantasy that follows others in the genre but it’s decently written with likable characters and a plot that’s fun and easy to follow. I’m happy I got to read this series in celebration of book 3 being released this year. I am so excited to have more coming from this new genre and to see how authors are bringing new ideas to light. The Arthurian connection (I can’t really call it a retelling) is nice and I liked the blend of familiarity and newness in this series. I also see that there is more to come, so I will probably be doing a reread as new entries are released!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

The book started off slow, with a lot of story building but around the half way point I was really invested and loved the story. Some twists I expected, others I did not. With no spoilers, I’m rooting for the bond and hope forgiveness can happen in book two. Overall I really enjoyed the book and cannot wait to start book two.