Super entertaining and fast paced King Arthur retelling featuring fae! This story had a little bit of everything from forced proximity and a love triangle. Morgan could be a little annoying at times but I think that was all part of the plot. I hated so many of the slimy men but they got what they deserved! That ending!!! Im so excited to start book 2.

Thank you netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

Queen of roses was a fast paste science fiction/romance Young Adult novel that I absolutely loved. I can not wait to read the next book.

First, thank you NetGalley for granting me access to this book.

I really enjoyed this book, I'm very intrigued to see how the story progresses and can't wait to read the next one!

I also can’t wait for the main couple to grow closer together!

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for this dark romance.

No a book I would normally.puck up to read. The cover is beautifully done and called out to me.

Am so glad I gave it a go. Really enjoyed this book, much to my surprise.

It has my favorites magic, paranormal creatures, tension, banter, and love.

The book is full of adventure, action and unexpected twists!

It ended on a cliffhanger so now I must read the sequel.

Recomnend.

Queen of Roses is a twist of King Arthur with a mix of Fae. Briar Boleyn is a new to me author. I went in pretty blind. Just recognizing it as a Fae story and hints of King Arthur lore. The world building was great, and easy to understand and slip into Camelot. I also thought the pacing was perfect! I didn't find any parts that I struggled to get through. I actually found it pretty fast paced. -Enemies to lovers -Slow burn - magic - Adventure - LGBTQ+ Rep
An introductory story that left me GASPING at the end and wanting more! Morgan's story is incredible! I was immediately hooked from the first chapter down to the last! I will definitely be reading the second book.

***If Sexual assault or abuse is a sensitive topic for you (Only mainly in the first quarter of the book) Please read the trigger warnings, and take care of yourself.

Loved this story! Had me at the edge of my seat and couldn’t wait to finish it! Immediately started ready the second book and currently at 49%. First book had a 2 twist I was not expecting can’t wait to see how the story ends !

Queen of Roses
Blood of a Fae : Book One by Briar Boleyn

Spoiler warnings
(because I can’t keep anything to myself)

I had the great fortune of requesting this book via Netgalley and was surprised as being new to social media and reviewing in general that I was given the privilege to be able to read this story.

I downloaded the Kindle app to my phone as I had not used it in years, in fact I had a little laugh to myself when I saw the previous ebooks I had been reading. At this time I was having to use my mobile phone but a few days later I made the purchase of a brand new Kindle Signature Edition | 32 GB with a 6.8" display. I have to say having had the original Kindle devices when they were first launched by amazon all those years ago, it is a far better device than I could have hoped for. All the issues I had with Kindles (such as not being able to read them properly in bright light, low light etc and the annoying add ons of it being more of a tablet than a separate e-reader, were all corrected), I am in love with this device and use it daily now. It has been worth every penny.

Anyway, back to my tale of being acquainted with this wonderful story by Briar Boleyn. It is of course a retelling of the legendary story of King Authur and I am embarrassed to admit that it took me longer than I want to be honest about to realise this. It felt familiar, but it wasn't and in no way was that a negative from the author. The book is queer inclusive with lots of visibility and changes to the genders of some male characters to being females in the book. Of course, that made it much more interesting for me to read.

I went into it completely without any idea of trigger warnings (I like to live dangerously, although after a misjudgement on the prologue of Belladonna last night, I may have to rethink my carelessness in this department) or spoilers, I didn’t even read the synopsis. I liked the look of the cover and the initial story drew me in. This was one of the first books I read after having a dry spell in relation to reading, and despite reading the first half on the screen of my phone, I got lost in the world that Briar built around its main character Morgan.

Morgan Pendragon is a wonderful character who develops well over this book and is transformed both physically and mentally by the end of the second book. More on that in a different review though. It focuses on her POV and follows her from being diminished by an abusive father, the King of the Realm who passes over her title of Queen in the line of succession being the eldest child, to her sadistic half brother Authur. This is done because the King, her father, believes that she would be unsuitable to rule due to being both female and her Fae heritage thanks to her mother who is killed while she is still young.

Morgan suffers a lot of tragedy and does as well as she can to survive at Court, mainly taking to training with the Squires and Knights. She has friends in Lancelet whom I much prefer as a woman, and Galahad who I thought were great examples of friends, supportive to her despite her position. Even as Princess, she never seems to take the role seriously, slipping out of the castle and mixing with those who she realises too late actually might want to cause her harm solely because she is the princess, half sister to the King who is not doing a great job at looking after those who live in the Kingdom. The people are starving and he is preparing to go to war.

Morgan has mostly given up, rescinded to her fate of joining the religious factor within the community. They worship Goddesses who we later learn are Fae who were instrumental in the wars that shaped the Kingdom’s into what they are today. The humans mostly dislike the Fae and have warped the stories and turned them into monsters to be feared and avoided, such is the paranoia that Morgan fears for herself due to her part Fae heritage.

The love interest is a mysterious character who appears most literally from thin air as far as Morgan believes, not understanding who this man is and where he has come from, not believing a story about him once being a farm boy as he quickly climbs ranks to become part of the Royal Guard. In the beginning, Kairos Draven is described as being an intimidating wall of a man, built bigger and stronger than Morgan is used to seeing. He is rude and insolent, especially in the fact he is addressing the Princess of the King he is sworn to protect. Little cracks in this armour show though especially when Morgan is attacked by a man who believes he has entitlement to her and violates her in a sadistic way. The wrath that comes from Draven when he discovers this is very “Who did this to you” despite there being no emotional connection between the pair at all, only a fleeting physical lust, at least on Morgan’s side anyway.

The tension builds between the two of them as they embark on a journey of King Arthur’s brilliant decision making, and continues to do so slowly over the time they spend away from the Kingdom. Before they leave, Morgan is attacked by her would-be husband and she is forced into a horrible position of having to defend herself, ultimately killing him. She has no regret for him due to the physical & mental torture that this man has put her through over years, and is happy he is now dead. She does struggle a little with balancing the fact that she killed someone. The reason I spoil this particular part is because Draven comes to her rescue, too late to help but does take charge and hides the body, making sure that she is not linked to his disappearance let alone murder. That’s always a trope I root for.

The creatures in this book were unusual and I found them fascinating and having read the second book, I really loved the development there too. Morgan is a bookish girl who is well read and knowledgeable of history. I liked that because she finds wonder in everything around her, which is dampened at Court under the harshness of the humans she lives with. Out in the wild, on her epic trek is an opportunity for her to see and experience the wider world as she had only seen in books previously. Books as it turns out were quite limited in what was allowed to be divulged to others.

Draven and Morgan are joined on their adventure to find the famed sword which in this retelling is a Fae artefact that Arthur believes will give him a winning chance in the fight against the other Kingdom’s who he believes are coming to attack him and take his throne from him. He sends Morgan after it, with Draven and a man of his own and it quickly becomes obvious that whether she comes back with the sword is optional but believes due to her Fae heritage that she needs to be the one to collect it. That particular companion gets lost along the way, which is of course a shame. Sarcasm.

They do pick up another companion, one of which charms Morgan despite her growing lust for Draven. In a way she does this to make him jealous but also because this young man sees her as desirable, and with her position at court she has not really experienced men actually pursuing her in any healthy way. She enjoys the attention and falls very quickly, putting her trust in Vesper who did help out when her and Draven were in a particularly sticky situation. All I shall say is that he deserved what happened to him in the end… I said what I said.

The last part of the story is quite frightening. Between being stuck in a poorly lit tunnel with not much in the way of exits, they are chased by zombie children who swarm and attack - not everyone makes it out alive. It’s scary, the fear building as you move with Morgan through the challenge of having to retrieve the sword at the expense of some of the others in the group.

The book of course ends on quite the cliffhanger as certain information is revealed about both Morgan herself and her mysterious companion Draven whom she had come to trust after their long adventure together. This goes against everything she thought she knew about herself and realised that she knows nothing about Draven. The information that is revealed about Morgan of course builds towards bigger revelations over book two.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and there were moments where I genuinely laughed out loud. Morgan is actually hilarious, in both a genuinely funny way but also in her aggression or frustration at times, especially when it comes to Draven and the names she calls him. The romance was strong and slow but not enough that I got bored and I am very easily disinterested in anything that takes too long to get into. This is a story for anyone who enjoys Fae romances, enjoys magic and a different world which has a bright and colourful history rich with fae, magic, creatures, strong female characters and ball gowns. I absolutely adore in-depth descriptions of formal Courtwear.

The book is definitely aimed towards a more mature audience, themes are quite adult so I would recommend looking at trigger warnings before reading of course.

#bookreview || Queen of Roses (Blood of Fae #1) by Briar Boleyn

▪︎Star rate : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
▪︎Spicyness: 🌶

I just finished the first book of the Blood of Fae series and holy sh*tballs! 😱
Holy freaking lawd!
This book, you guys!
This book literally blew my mind.
I can't express how invested I am in this series.
The angst, the banter between Morgan and Kairos are out of this world.
I can't even erase the smile on my face everytime these two bicker. 😏🤭

The slow burn of this book made my blood pressure go up by the way but it even reaches it's peak when that leech Vesper came but still, this book literally captured me.

I need more from from Kairos and Morgan!
I need more fighting, action and more spicyness! 😉

#bookblogger #bookrecommendations #book #bookworld #booksofinstagram #bookworm #bookcommunity #booklover #books  #booknerd #bookstagram #booklove #bookaddict #booktok #bookshelf #bibliophile #love #bookobsessed #bookstagram #bookporn #booknerd

I really enjoyed this plot, but it didn’t get my full 5 stars because I felt there were too many different characters to keep up with. I did finish it in a matter of days, which backs up my thoughts that it was an engaging read. There were some plot twists I was not expecting at the end, so very convincing writing throughout. Great fantasy read!

The narrative unfolds at a perfect rhythm, with each scenes strategically placed. This meticulously crafted book offers a delightful reading experience, seamlessly blending elements and comes with a strong character development. It caters to all the essential components for an engaging read.
I highly recommend this book to enthusiasts of this genre. It promises not to let you down. Many thanks for this compelling read. I am looking forward to continue reading this series.

Review:
🚨 This is a dark and twisting fantasy story, please read trigger warnings before reading this book if you have triggers to certain topics. 🚨

- "Bloodstains wore away. The memories of those lost faded with time, for better or worse."

I love that this book has a map & a pronunciation guide. 🙌🏻 Has a medieval times/King Authur vibe, which I like. The world-building is extraordinary. It's a slow-burn plot, but fast at the same time. It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did I had a hard time putting it down. There is fighting, lore, magic, lies, fae, & an enemies-to-lovers trope. That ending though! 😲🤯 This is labeled as a dark fantasy, but to me, it isn't that dark. Has some dark parts in it. To some, it would be a very dark fantasy. I enjoyed this book and I'm so excited that I got approved to read the next two. 😍 Whenever the 4th one is available on Netgalley to request for an ARC I'm going to try to get it.

First off, I received this book from NetGalley & Victory Editing for giving me a chance to read this book.
Now for the review. *Beware of Spoilers*
Queen of Roses follows Morgan Pendragon, a 20 year-old princess forced to live under the rule of her younger brother and tyrant king, Arthur. When Arthur announces he is sending Morgan on a mission to find a mysterious object of power, she is forced to face the truth of who she is.

Here are some of my comments
- I like this book, but I wish I could love this Book. Some chapters were unnecessary in my opinion because they didn't add much to the plot nor to the character development.
- Morgan, I love her but she needs to get herself together. First off, I do not doubt for a moment that the medecine she is forced to drink, isnt dulling her powers. I do not doubt for a second that she has magic. I do not doubt for a second that she has no idea that monsters exist. Yet she proceeds to deny all the above even as she lay dying in the last chapter. I was so frustrated by how she just lets herself believe that magic doesnt exist and she is more human than fae. Sis, how?
- The confusion was confusing. I did not understand the last few chapters, how could she allow herself to be dragged away from her friends fighting for their lives by a complete stranger.
- She unknowingly releases a High Fae from a "prison" without so much as asking any question. "who are you?" "Why are you stuck here?" "What do you mean you are happy to be released from this place?" So many questions, yet Morgan asked none as she walked right out of there with the Fae in toe.
Needless to say, I think the lack of actual admission of facts was causing more confusion than mystery. I hope the second book helps get things in order.
Again, thank you for the Book, I did enjoy it and am more than excited to finally get my questions answered

I did enjoy this overall, but in parts it felt a little slow and like not a lot was achieved. I’m going to take a break before reading the next one.

I was so excited to read this book courtesy of NetGalley and i was NOT disappointed. If you love the magical world of the fae with a twist on the legend of Camelot, this is the book for you. Boleyn’s writing style is very unique and took me a little bit to get used to but I absolutely love how she writes dialogue and how the book is paced. The representation that is present without shouting at you is also very refreshing. I cannot wait to read the second in the series (just wait, you’ll be ready to read book 2 also!) A great read and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of fantasy romances with a slow burn.

I want to start by saying thank you to the author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for this honest review.

This book is a dark fantasy romance book loosely based on the story of King Arthur with a twist. What I look for in a fantasy book is great world building with a slow burn romance and fast paced and this book checked those boxes for me, I read through it very quickly.

What I enjoyed
- The retelling of the king arthur story except with the introduction of the Fae, which I really enjoyed.
- The side characters were really well written and I could feel the love (or hate!) through the eyes of the FMC towards them.
- The whole Fae side of it to be honest, I will read any book that includes them and I love this authors take on it.
- The FMC was really interesting for me, you could really sympathise with her throughout this book and I enjoyed her journey and how she grew as a person.
- Draven, need I say more?! (Jokes I will say more). I could kind of tell from the start where we were going with this character however I absolutely loved him.

What I did not enjoy
- Arthur
- Florian
- Vesper
That is all!

Overall, loved it and thought it was a great set up for the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley, Victory Editing and author Briar Boleyn for an E-copy in exchange for a review - All views are my own :)

I was so surprised by this book, I knew that it was a re telling of Arthurian legacy with a fae world setting, but I never expected to devour this book in under two sittings!

What I really loved
*World Building/Lore - The author really brought the world/lore to life with descriptions used - not so much that it was confusing at any point even for those in the beginning of reading fantasy - The build up at the start of the book just before their journey was fantastic!

Characters
Morgan - I didn't love Morgan at the start, I found that she was quite a timid FMC and that never quite changed for me even at the end of the book. She had been through a lot in her early life but I felt she could have been developed more once the journey started and away from the castle.
Kairos - the small things this man done for Morgan *chefs kiss*
Vesper - Nope! This guy (I predicted the outcome) but I could not stand this character or his music!

What I didn't love
I honestly think I read maybe four of the same kind of descriptions of Kairos by Morgan through the book, The FMC needs more character development for me. There is very little romance BUT I cannot wait for book 2 to see how this develops after that cliff hanger!

After reading the synopsis of this book, I was really keen to start it.
I found the first half of the book a little slow, but this can happen in the first book of the series so you get a feel of the characters and the world that they're in.

Once I got to where Morgan leaves Camelot the pace really started to pick up. When Vesper came into the story this felt a little too fast and he kind of just appeared as did Odelna. I also wasn't entirely sure where she came from or what her purpose is. Hopefully there'll be more information in book 2.

Overall, I did enjoy the plot and the open ending, which encourages you to read the next book, which I hope to do.

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn 📕

Morgan is a princess but given her dual blood type (part-fae), her father, the King, refuses to let her become Queen after his death. Morgan is then sent away on a trip by her brother to seek out a Fae weapon with a dark enigmatic warrior, Kairos. On the trip, Morgan meets outcasts and soon they create an unlikely team to battle together. There are dangers out there beyond their wildest dreams.

My Review 📖:
Queen of Roses starts slow but does pick up so I would suggest sticking with it because the ending of the book is very interesting; an intense cliffhanger than leaves you wanting more. It made me want to pick up the second book in the series.

Not a huge amount of romance in this book but the story doesn’t go where you think it will (which is a good thing because who wants to read predictable storylines?!).

Off to read book two!

My score: 3/5 ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley for access to this book.

This book was sent to me by netgalley and I 100% had every intention of putting it down without intending to pick it back up UNTIL ARTHUR HAD THE THEIF BEHEADED!
I swear the book was a slow burn right until that moment and I dove into it headfirst. This book, this whole world she's created took me way farther than I ever imagined I did not ONCE see where this book was going.
I will say I was a little skeptical of the newcomer so late in the book which now I can see was for good reason but I'm so glad that Morgan came into her powers and just in the nick of time too!
10/10 will be finishing the series!!
I even downloaded it on KU to read just to make sure the author gets her $$ cause she DESERVES IT!!!

This book was very well done. The world was very well written and the romance was perfect. I could not stop reading and was sad when it was over.