This is a whole new genre of novels for me and I was quite unsure whether to request this but reading the reviews I really wanted to give it a try and I am glad that I did.

The characters and the vivid imagery of the world really astounded me and I have found a new series that I have fallen in love with and will be reading avidly the whole lot.

The novel is apparently based loosely on King Arthur and with the amazingly added twist of a fae world, which is so new to me that I did have to look up a fair few facts.

We meet main character Morgan who is just brilliants, I love Morgan as a character and found her extremely interesting to read about.

Thanks to Netgalley, Briar Boleyn and the publishers for allowing me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

First things first, I gotta say, this book has got me hooked from the get-go. The way it's written, you wouldn't even guess it's the author's first crack at a novel. I also was very thankful that there was a trigger warning list so that I could prepare for what I was going to read.

The way this book paints its world is so darn good that I could practically see every place the characters strolled through. It's like a fresh take on Camelot and King Arthur, with a sprinkle of fae magic – you can totally spot the similarities.

What I really enjoyed was how most of the main characters are women, like Merlin, Morgan, and Lancelet. And props for including characters with same-sex interests. Now, this book might seem like it's heading into spicy territory, but it's more on the steamy side.

At first, it's all about building the world and introducing the characters, but it doesn't drag or get boring. Once you hit the second part, things start picking up speed, and I couldn't put the darn thing down.

And here's the kicker – the book ends without wrapping things up, leaving us hanging on a cliffhanger. I'm itching to dive into the second book ASAP. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's into fantasy, retold stories, and a bit of family drama thrown in for good measure.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn and Starwater Press for providing the eARC in exchange for a review, but all thoughts are my own*

This is an ARC ebook, provided in exchange for an honest review. A big thanks to Netgalley, Starwater Press & the author, Briar Boleyn, for such a wonderful opportunity.

Blood of Fae #1
Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn
A Morgan Pendragon retelling with dark fae twist.
Morgan, the eldest of the Pendragon royal family, denied of her birthright, witnessed her mother's death, went through physical abuse and lots during her childhood. She was promised to the temple by her father. The people, whom she trusted, be it her father, brother, uncle or her (so called) lover/ boyfriend, broke her completely. Despite everything going on in her life, I loved how strong the FMC was.
The only good thing happened with her was Kairos Draven. I honestly loved this character so much, he was such a sweet, caring and also a complete bada$$, when required. He respected her decisions, was possessive, and was like a father figure to her (personal opinion) who tolerated all her sassy behaviors which was also acceptable for the things she went through previously in her life... I too loved the character of Morgan's younger brother, Kaye, he's such a sweetheart.

Most Favorite Quote
"She was everything beautiful, everything good. She was all I knew of that mystical emotion called love".

"She’s purring,” I exclaimed in delight.
“Stop taming the battlecat,” Draven said, looking slightly annoyed. “She’s a killing machine. Not a house pet.”
“Says the man who snuggled beside her all night,” I retorted.

He moved his lips to my ears. "I would burn for you, Morgan. You've set me aflame..."
"Then let the flames consume us," I whispered back.

Troops
-Mythology
-Fae fantasy
-Magic
-Forced proximity
-Touch her and you'll die
-Who did this to you
-Slow burn
-Enemies to lovers
-FM romance

Review- 4/5 (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The first book of the series was fantastic, would absolutely love to continue with the second part.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for providing me an e-copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Queen of Roses is an Arthurian/Morgan Pendragon retelling, with a side of fae added in. QOR follows Morgan Pendragon, King Arthur’s half-fae, half-sister, on her journey to find herself, rescue her people from the rule of her brother, who is unforgiving, cruel and manipulative. Sent on a perilous journey to find Excalibur, Morgan crosses the country with our fabulously morally grey MMC, collecting tag alongs along the way. She faces thought to be extinct fae creatures, “adopts” a war cat (I need one), realises her fae powers, and face sthe ultimate betrayal. We end on a cliffhanger that has me searching for book 2 immediately.

There is slow-burn romance, enemies to lovers, love triangles, forced proximity, betrayal and plot twists throughout this story. I couldn’t put it down!

This story is great for those that love Arthurian retellings, slow-burn romantasies, and books like ACOTAR and fourth wing. As this is a dark romance, please read the trigger warnings before you read.

3.5 stars, rounded up. This was my first foray into romantasy and I can definitely see why this genre is so beloved especially in recent years. A fae book with a King Arthur retelling twist is a really interesting concept. I had some trouble feeling connected/invested in the FL, but I enjoyed the slow burn romance for what it's worth and I think the world has a lot of potential to grow in future installments.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to read the rest of the series! I really loved the world building in this first book and the plot twist with the main leads.

An easy to read book but the ending did leave me wanting more - it did feel like we were missing crucial information for context at the very end (as in, last few pages end) to make it really pop. That being said, I devoured this book within a few hours.

The romance part of the book was a major plot piece, and we’re certainly left with plenty of cliffhangers and unresolved tendrils of plot so the book does read a bit as a great prologue to the second book in the series.

Looking forward to seeing where this all goes…

Have you ever read a book by an author you’ve not heard of before & after finishing said book thought to yourself “why did I not hear about this book sooner?!” Because that’s exactly what this book did to me 😍

Queen of Roses is a reimagining of the King Arthur story featuring my all time favourite mystical beings, the fae.

I loved this book & it has fast become one of my favourite fantasy reads this year. From the first couple of pages it had me hooked & I couldn’t put it down.

The characters were fab, the storyline was gripping & I now have a new fictional boyfriend to introduce to you all & that is, Draven. Broody, mysterious, protective & drop dead gorgeous. He’s definitely on the never-ending list of boyfriends now 😂 even the not so nice characters in this story (& there’s a few 😬) I enjoyed hating them & watching them get what they deserve 🙊

I found the pacing to be perfect, it wasn’t too rushed or too slow, especially during the scenes involving all of the action!

If you like ACOTAR, ToG & the likes, I think you’ll enjoy this series too! It has action, mystery, magic, romance, forced proximity & what I think will turn out to be enemies to lovers too (my favourite troupe 🥹)

The ending of the book leaves you on a cliffhanger & like me, you’ll find yourself wanting to dive straight into the second book.

I gave Queen of Roses a 5 🌟 rating over on my Goodreads & I will definitely be continuing with the rest of this series.

Thank you again to & for sending me this book in return for a review! ❤️

Let me know if you’ve read this book & if you enjoyed it! 🥰

4 stars ⭐️
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers!

Queen of Roses, the first book in the Blood of a Fae series by Briar Boleyn, is a fantasy romance story set in a world where fae and humans coexist, but not always peacefully. The story follows Morgan, a half-fae half-human sorceress, who is forced to flee her home in Camelot and embarks on a rather interesting journey.
It is a complex and captivating story that will appeal to fans of fantasy, romance, and Arthurian legend. It is a story about love, loss, and the power of finding oneself.

The first half of the book was a bit uneventful, still it was important to understand the whole backstory, how it all came to be and what Morgan's place in this world is.

The reason I can't give it 5 stars is because for me it lacked depth. Although it's written in Morgan's POV I don't really feel connected to her and fail to understand her motives sometimes.
I also think the storyline with Florian and what he does to her/her body could have been portrayed a little more shockingly, I feel like it was kinda glossed over that he carved his name on her chest.

I also really love a good old slow burn love story and I loved the banter between Morgan and Draven and his protectiveness over her (Vesper who???). Still, I am a little disappointed that there wasn't any romance or tension between those two yet.
Finding out through Lancelets arrival that Arthur started a war and that things have been bad in the kingdom for quite some time was top tier.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The author's writing style was beautiful. The storyline kept me interested and I couldn't wait to find out how it ends and if they'd retrieve the sword. The author masterfully weaves together elements of Arthurian legend, fantasy lore, and a captivating slow-burn romance. The cliffhanger at the end of the book left me curious so I am looking forward to reading the second book!

Thank you to NetGalley & Briar Boleyn for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was super promising! I am always itching for a good fae romance and was excited to pick this one up.

I want to start by noting this is considered dark romance and I recommend checking the trigger warnings out before you read it.

I enjoyed the book and plot as a whole. I will say this book almost felt like the entire thing was world-building, but many fantasy series feel like that to me, and I always struggle to get into them until the second book. This is an ultra-slow romance and its enemies to lovers which I enjoyed.

I’m eager to see where the next book takes things. Overall I think my biggest con was that the book had so much detail it was confusing at times and I felt like the pieces of this universe that made it so unique could have been explained better but I’m still excited to finish the series.

3.5. Glad I kept going with this one!

Queen of Roses was a real slow burn for me, I was 50% in before I started enjoying this book.

I was at 65% before I *really* started enjoying it and bumped it from a 2 star to a 3.5!

I love the premise, big fan of all things Fae and magical but the initial chapters of this just dragged for me, it felt very repetitive at times.

BUT, as soon as that 50% mark hit, the story telling came into its own and the pace improved.

I was disappointed with the cliffhanger ending but it’s achieved what was intended and I will absolutely be reading the next instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

This was a really good book, I was completely hooked from the first page and stayed up way to maye reading because I couldn't put it down definitely recommend

This read filled a void that I didn’t even know I had. I was engrossed from page 1 and I can honestly say I enjoyed it and will definitely be reading the next one.

Book Review 🌹 📖 All you really need to know is that I read this book in a few days and immediately downloaded the sequel, because I’m hooked! This is a dark romantasy incorporating King Arthur’s court and Camelot with Fae!! Full disclosure, I knew next to nothing about Camelot and the stories therein before, but you really don’t need to to appreciate this story. It’s got:
🌹Kickass FMC
🌹Mysterious, morally grey assassin/bodyguard who unalives strangers with ease but wants to know “Who did this to you?” for HER and has a soft spot for magical animals *swoon*
🌹Female knights
🌹Quest
🌹AMAZING magical creatures
🌹Court politics, betrayal, plot twists and a massive cliffhanger!

The writing and pacing were EXCELLENT which is so hard to get right with first books in a fantasy series, I was hooked from page 1. My only note was that the romance was a slower burn than I prefer, BUT it promises to make book 2 well worth my while 😏. Books 1-3 are available on KU ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Queen of Roses by @briarboleynauthor

🌹: Check TW friends, this book has significant dark elements. Thank you to the author and @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! #romantasy #fantasy #romance

Thank you to #BriarBoleyn and #Netgalley for granting me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review

An arthurian re-telling with a fae and other magical creatures twist

This is the first book in a dark romance fantasy series
As soon as I read the synopsis I had to read this book. I've always loved any stories set in Camelot and really enjoyed what the author did with these characters and the world in making it her own.
The story centres around Morgan pendragon who is half fae. We go on a quest with her that she has been sent on by her brother, King Arthur. Her motives have always been to protect and support her brothers and I love that she starts to find herself along the journey.

The story has a delicious slow burn romance that is actually slow burn which i LOVE

I have thoughts and theories and I'm excited to delve into book 2 to see how it all plays out.

There is a list of trigger warnings for this book so please look them up before reading if you are sensitive to certain matters.

3.5 rating but i if my hopes for this series play out then I think this will be at least a solid 4 star series for me

Review shared to goodreads and amazon

Wow.. I don't expect to love this book as much as I did. It's an effortless 5* from Briar Boleyn. I'm a huge fan of delicious slow burn, enemies to lovers romance and this book delivered. Alongside the twists and turns this book takes you on, you're also introduced to a really cool world of magic and the lore's surrounding it.

This is a Camelot/ Morgan Pendragon retelling but recently I have found a lot of love for retellings. The world is set up really well, I didn't expect this for a debut book but it leaves us really well prepared for the next one! I'm excited to get to know a few of the characters more, especially Draven.

I would definitely recommend giving this a read if you like Arthur retellings or even if you are a fan of the FBAA series, these two books are very different but they have some similar aspects which I really enjoyed.

A few of the tropes; - Morally grey MMC (YES!), - Found Family, Touch Her And Die,

Loved this book! The characters and storyline was intriguing - even more so as it was based on King Arthur and features his sister. I simply couldn’t stop reading and can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

This is such an exciting slow burn romantasy! Loosely based off of the story of King Arthur, the FMC Morgan Pendragon is Arthur’s sister. This book has a ton of character and world building and I love how strong Morgan is despite a lot of hardships in her life!
This is definitely a slow burn- it’s not really evident who the love interest is until about 90%, but it makes me so much more excited to read the next book!
Honestly this is such an innovative gem and I just had so much fun reading! Thank you to Starwater Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I know the legends of Camelot on a very surface level, and that was completely fine when reading this book. I could have known even less and still enjoyed it!

Currently in my fantasy era, reading the story of Morgan Pendragon was compelling and the story has been planted firmly. Enough was left unexplained and unanswered that I'm itching to read book 2 without feeling like I don't understand what I just read. An antagonistic Arthur and a female Merlin was not what I was expecting and it was the best surprise. I cannot wait for the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Queen of Roses is a very loose retelling of the tale of the Knights of the Round Table - but really it is like a twist in the story where the roles of good and evil vary for the characters.
I found myself enthralled by this story and the journey Morgan went on. The way Briar Boleyn wrote her characters made them uniquely relatable - capturing thought processes that are authentic and resonated with me.
I enjoyed the pace of the story - taking the time in this first book to establish the characters and the world in a way that feels immersive. I loved reading this story and recommend it to those who love Romantasy and want something exciting that doesn't just repeat the same tropes and situations, but instead portrays them in a newer way.