I devoured this book. I loved the characters and the story.
It was very well done. Writing style was something that I enjoyed.  I love romantasy genre and this didn't disappoint.

Can't wait to read next book!

I love Arthurian legends, slow burns, and fantasy so this was exactly up my street! A really entertaining read, with a refreshing feel to it. Definitely will look out for the next book!

If you love a historical retelling within a magical world I highly recommend reading the Queen of Roses series!
I was hooked as soon as I started this book and fell in love with the characters and the story telling!
I loved it that much that I'm already (im)patiently waiting for the latest book after powering through all 3 books out so far 😅
Have you read this incredible magical retelling of King Arthur?! 💭📚

You know what, I was adamant I was going to try not reading as many Fae romances this year. I must thank NetGalley and Starwater Press for dragging me back into this genre of romantasy as I binged three books in 2 days and honestly i haven't recovered.

queen of roses was a fantastic opening to the series. It has so much going for it. brilliant premise, grand potential and honestly I lived up to it. I have seen a lot on Kindle unlimited that are seen as Fae based retellings, and read so many that just didn't hit the mark. But a Camelot/legend of Arthur Fae based book? Ok you win as I have not seen anything similar yet personally and after this I want more.
The worldbuilding is one of the best I have seen in a long while and it kept me captivated in the world.
I loved most of the characters, some did annoy me and my goodness the romance was possibly my biggest annoyance but not because of the writing style, which was actually delightful, but because....and i should have seen this coming into the story, I'm not a fan of love triangles and Arthurian legends are full of them so that's on me.

I will however review the next two books which I have read. Overall it's a great start to the series and I'm so glad I decided to give it a shot!

I really enjoyed this book! It was an entertaining and relatively quick read that definitely has me wanting to keep going with the series!

Things I enjoyed: strong and intelligent FMC doing her best in a world has never given her a chance, dark and dangerous MMC, slow burn (and I mean slow), close friendships, magical world that is well built out, high stakes and moral dilemmas.

Things I didn't enjoy as much: book starts off a bit too slow such that you can tell it was always meant to be drawn out over multiple books and isn't great single book pacing (but lots of worldbuilding, which does help), sometimes the villains seemed a bit too much and their motivations were kind of confusing at times (like why are they so intensely evil).

I like the characters and the story, though I don't like the setting - I can't see, why it has to be a retelling of Arthur and Camelot. The LQBTQ+ friendly, women empowered setting would have been cool in a new story but taking one of the most famous tales makes it seem a bit forced.
Yet the general story is good, although a bit slow.

I wish there was a half star rating button, because I would give this one 4.5 stars. This is one of the most fun and beautiful romantasy books I've encountered in quite a while. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but wow! Morgan's story begins with such tragedy, and despite being a princess, there really isn't much joy to be found in her life. Then, she is tasked to go on this quest to get an object with a handsome guard, Draven, who seems to have secrets of his own. More characters are added along the way, and many questions are still unanswered, which makes this a very interesting and complex fantasy you will not soon forget. I cannot wait to read the next one to find out what happens to these characters! ...and by the way, nothing happens the way you think it will. ;) Enjoy!

Check your TWs before you read this book!

The Queen of Roses tells the story of Morgan Pendragon. She holds the title of princess of Camelot. She is a firstborn and the rightful Queen, but her right to inherit the throne is denied because her mother is a fae. Arthur, her brother, was chosen as the king instead. Whereas she would be dedicated to the Temple of the Three Sisters upon reaching her twenty-first birthday. One day, King Arthur instructed her to travel to a distant and unexplored location. A location that is not even mapped. She set off without knowing the actual mission, with just two guards accompanying her.

The book is a loose retelling of King Arthur and Camelot that incorporates elements of the fae world. It has quite a fast pace in narrative, but at some point the plot feels dragged. The world-building was excellent, and I feel that it has a solid foundation for the upcoming sequels.

I see a lot of potential in the character's development. Although the plot is predictable, I have a good understanding of Morgan's character. She had to deal with both the trauma of her mother's death and the cruel people around her. Morgan's love interest's unexpected turn was shocking, but the wrong thing about it was also predictable.

There are still many mysteries surrounding the ending, as there are sequels following. It excites me enough to read the sequels. I have high hopes that the next book will be better!

I thought this was good! It had a good plot and characters that I actually liked. I felt there was a little bit of confusing plot holes here and there but it was good!

“She was everything beautiful, everything good. She was all I knew of that mystical emotion called love.”
This was everything I hope it would be. I really enjoyed the twist on the King Arthur legend. All my favorite things in a book, enemies to lovers, slow burn, a little spice. I loved the adventure, action, and character development. I'm seated for the sequel!

This book was a really good read and the world building and cliffhanger were an amazing start to the series. Morgan was a great female main character and this book was a good start to her character development I felt. Draven was such a fantastic edition also, I loved his character.

Queen of roses follows Morgan Pendragon, sister of King Arthur, who is rumoured to have fae blood. Morgan is treated as an outcast and promised to the goddesses once she comes of age. When Arthur orders she go on a dangerous journey to obtain a fae relic that may not even exist, Morgan takes the chance to see the world before her fate is sealed.

I gave this book 3.5 ⭐️. I really wanted to love this book. At its core, it is everything I should love. Fae, mythological retelling, romantasy, a dark and broody MMC. But this book took forever to get into. The first 50% is mostly world building, with excessive detailing and too much focus on court politics. While it does try to set up the family structure and the world building, it does so in a way that takes far too long to get to the point. However, at around the 50% mark, the book completely changes. The main plot begins, the excessive detail tapers off, and it becomes an intriguing and more polished story.

This book features:
- Dark broody MMC
- Fae
- Long journey
- Court politics
- Hidden powers
- Mythical creatures

While this book was laborious getting into the main plot, once it got there this book was twisting and exciting. I cannot wait to start book 2 and continue with Morgan’s story

Queen of Roses is a great fit for readers who enjoy slow-burn romantic fantasies with a touch of danger, featuring morally gray characters and fae lore.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book! I throughly enjoyed reading and can’t wait to start the next one!

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

This was quite an exciting and highly anticipated read for me as I love the story of King Arthur and Camelot and when you throw in fae and romance I knew I would be hooked!

I really liked the pacing the author took in this book as it was fast yet you got to understand the world and the characters' backgrounds well enough to feel invested in it all. I also really enjoyed how the characters aren't just their tropes and you can see the dimension in each of them and understand why they act the way they do.

This book will have you hooked early on and you won't want to stop until you finish. It is definitely worth adding to the list of fantasy romance books that are a must read! I cannot wait to read the next installments!

Thank you NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for the ARC!

Excellent book that adds a new realm to the fantasy genre. Gripping storytelling, fully developed characters, and intrigue that makes it hard to put down. Highly recommend for adult audiences into fantasy romances.

"But in war, people often disintegrate, becoming versions of themselves they never thought they could ever be"

A refreshing take on the Arthurian Legend, with a fae twist. Morgan Pendragon knows better than anyone what it's like to be overlooked, and underestimated. Having her birth right taken from under her nose, for the rumours circulating that she's part Fae, Morgan is forced to serve the three goddesses on her twenty first birthday, rather than taking her rightful place upon the throne. So, when her brother the King of Camelot sends her on a perilous mission to find a legendary Fae weapon, she sees a way of bargaining to change her fate, and finally take control of her life.

Morgan is an interesting character, she's intelligent, brave and bold. Finding subtle ways to defy the duties placed upon her, and rebelling against her depraved brother's rule, Morgan learns to fight alongside members of the Royal Guard, visits the town tavern with her friends, and secretly helps the people of her kingdom who are struggling to survive on the meagre food available, determined to take as much control of her life as possible before she's forced into a life of servitude. It was really beautiful to see her growing into herself, and embracing all sides of herself as she embarks on this journey. She starts off as this naïve and timid young lady, who although has big feelings, often obeys to keep the peace, which given the trauma and pain she's dealt with, makes her feel even more fully realised. Morgan is sweet, tender, and easily trusting, but becomes so tenacious and bold as she begins to trust her instincts a little more, embracing her inner strength, and beginning to heal from all the trauma and brutality she's faced at the hands of those who were supposed to love and protect her.

Kairos Draven is the newest recruit of the Royal Guard, a cold, aloof and majorly grumpy, intimidating mountain of a man who had me in an absolute chokehold. He's got a darker, more callous side to him that was truly delicious to see. His snarky, cocky attitude and quick wit when bantering with Morgan was utterly delectable and just so fun to watch, I loved seeing a jovial side to this stone faced grump.

Lancelet... oh this woman... she has my entire heart, this woman is such a powerhouse, blunt and forthright, she enjoys a little confrontation every once in a while, especially if it means bringing a man's ego down. She is a fierce, and strong warrior, and I adored her, and her ability to hit on the prettiest woman in the room with unwavering confidence, a queen after my own heart.

This is a slow, slow burn enemies to lovers, with a dash of love triangle smooshed into the middle, which I was unsure of, as I felt like it took away a bit of the tension that was brewing between Draven and Morgan, and I loved watching them constantly trying to outwit each other. However, it felt like as soon as the new interest was introduced it revolved heavily on them getting closer to Morgan, and Draven kind of fell out of the picture, which was a little frustrating.

'Queen of Roses' is a gritty, dark and immersive read. The world building was atmospheric and seamlessly transports you away from reality into this action-packed, intriguing and thrilling story. Brimming with betrayal, fae, an intricately crafted world, deep political intrigue, and beautiful character growth and development. The pacing was slow at first but it was heavy on the world-building for that part, but it soon picked up, even if there were some parts that I felt still dragged on a little longer than needed. However.... the action scenes... holy fuck, they had my heart POUNDING and the last few chapters?!?!?Excuse me.... I was gasping and pacing the floor... I was SHOOK by the twist, and it just kept twisting, it was INSANELY GOOD like head exploding good. I am gasping for the next book in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

This was a great introduction to the series. Loved it. I did predict some of the plot towards the end and got a bit confused but definitely looking forward to continuing on with this series and having things come together more. Thankyou so much for the ARC!