This is a dark retelling and new twisted take on King Arthur and Excalibur.

Morgan Pendragon is a half fae princess who’s the eldest of her 2 siblings; Arthur (a ruthless King) and Kaye who’s sweet and innocent.
Her birthright of becoming queen had been stolen from her given her fae born blood. She is sworn to the goddesses to become a High Priestess once she turns 21.

Arthur hires a new royal guard who is mysterious and seems highly suspicious given how quickly he was given the job. Morgan suddenly gets sent on a quest to find a special weapon of great power by Arthur. She is only given 2 guards to accompany her on the journey Whitehorn (one of her brothers most trusted guards) and one of them is the new guard Draven Kairos.

They begin their quest and this is where the story gets really interesting. Morgan discovers more of her fae side on the journey she never thought possible and her and Draven form an unlikely alliance.

The story ends on cliffhanger and I had to jump right into book 2 straight away !!

Tropes
- One bed
- A long quest
- Slow burn
- Enemies to lovers
- World building
- “Who did this to you”

The world building was fantastic. I have no complaints. Easy to follow and very interesting.

The MMC also was written to perfection ! I was swooning and falling in love.

Now the MFC, I could not stand. A bit immature for me when I am reading a NA book.

I also wasn't a fan of the love triangle and how it was written - when this is a favorite trope of mine.

The plot though was great. I was hooked the whole time.

Thank you to Netgallery for this arc.

Firstly I just want to say I really enjoyed this read, it was a fun romance that I cannot wait to read more of.

It is a sloooooow burn which I much prefer, the longer they take the happier I am. So if you’re not into it, this won’t be for you.

I LOVED the King Arthur take on this series, I haven’t read anything of the sort before so it was super refreshing.

The first half of this book was mostly history so it will take some time to get into but please please stick with it.

Overall I really enjoyed this series and will definitely be reading the rest of the story!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read Queen of Roses!

This book starts off by learning what happened to Morgan’s mother and how Morgan lost the crown to her brother when she was a child. Her king brother Arthur is a horrible, gruesome king and sends Morgan on an impossible journey.

I could definitely tell that Queen of Roses was setting up for a series, and it was pretty well done. There’s one character that I had a feeling about the entire time, and I turned out to be right (no spoilers). However the ending was very confusing - which is kind of good - it leaves the reader wanting to read the next book.

Queen of Roses is a dark fantasy romance with a loosely inspired King Arthur retelling with a Fae twist! The story has an EXTREMELY slow burn romance with a top notch enemies to lovers trope and is filled with magic, mythical creatures, tension, banter, forced proximity, sibling love, friendships, self discovery, love, betrayal, adventure, action and unexpected twists! While I enjoyed the world building, character development and plot I could have used a little more fire and spice. Hopefully, that will be the case in the next book in the series

This retelling of Arthurian lore, told from Morgan le Fay's perspective and with gender-bent and lgbtq+ characters was engrossing from the very start. As a reader who particularly enjoys Arthurian legend and books about the fae, I loved the way they were combined in this book, and can not wait to read the next one!

Typically, if a book involves faeries, action, and some romance, you can count me in! It did take me a little bit of time to finish this book, which surprised me. I was really intrigued from the beginning, I thought it was a unique plot amongst various books revolving around faeries. However, as soon as the main characters left the castle walls to embark on an epic journey full of suspense and peril, my interest level dipped. I liked the author's style of writing and some of the character's diaogue, however, I don't think I am going to pursue reading the sequels at this time.

The premise of this book was interesting to me purely because I have always enjoyed and found there to be a lack of modern fiction inspired by the Arthurian tales and I feel that in some ways because of this preconception this book felt a little slow for me. The world building was excellent and I could really picture the scenes that the characters were going through beautifully. I also found it interesting to see Arthur who I have usually rooted for in other adaptations to portrayed more cruelly with his ban of magic but also focusing on how young he is and how he is most likely a puppet himself. Whilst I understand that this is a slow burn, I didn’t feel much chemistry between Draven and Morgan and only a little bit of tension near the very end as she fell for Vesper. I’m intrigued to see more on the fae themselves and how that will link up with the plot in Camelot.

I didn’t know what to expect since I haven’t had much exposure to Arthurian fantasy. However, it was such an amazing introduction to this retelling with a twist. The story is filled with action and drama that kept me engaged all the way through. The protagonist, Morgan, has been through so much which heavily influences her actions (or lack of). Although some readers might not understand Morgan’s choices, I think it’s important to remember everything Morgan witnessed and endured at such a young age which the author makes a point of showcasing from the very beginning of the book. I love Morgan because she is the embodiment of perseverance. She misjudges and makes mistakes, but that is a part of her growth. I can’t wait to see how her character develops throughout the series.

Did I forget to mention slow burn? You can’t go wrong with two handsome men who guide and protect. You have the juxtaposition between hot grumpy Draven and handsome romantic Vesper, which just had my feet kicking in the air. The ending has so many shocking twists and turns; I went straight to reading the next book in the series. I highly recommend you make this your next read.

I really enjoyed this book as the first part of the series. The many twists and turns through out kept me engaged and wanting to know what happened next. I've been devouring more fantasy related books lately and this one did not disappoint. Slow burn along with enemies to lovers is *chefs kiss*. I can't wait to start the next one in the series!

I didn’t finish this book as it wasn’t something that I usually read! The formatting was just not something I enjoy!

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn was a great read! I enjoyed the twist in the book with the characters names being inspired by King Arthur. Morgan is a strong female main character and stands for what she believes in, even if it means going against her brother (the king) wishes.

The book does have a trigger warning for readers and I also liked that there was a pronunciation guide!

I'm so fond of fae stories and had to read this book.
It is a great fast-paced fantasy book with all the tropes I'm here for.
This dark fantasy romance is inspired by the King Arthur lore (a very popular thing now) and it's so fun to see how this is woven into the storyline.

I was really interested going into this book, because a romantasty book was just what I wanted. I liked the main character, Morgan, and was really looking forward to hearing more about her back story and where her story would go.
However, about 25% in, I decided not to continue with this book because the themes were too dark for me and I didn't feel comfortable reading a book with such heavy themes at the moment.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This book being a King Arthur/Camelot retelling with Fae was an interesting approach and has the makings of being a fantastic concept for a fantasy novel.
At first, I wanted less of an obvious retelling of the Arthurian references such as the names. As the book went on I realized that I quite liked the references and how the story was developing into something new and unique. But, unfortunately, that's where it stopped for me.

Again, this book has the perfect building blocks of a wonderful fantasy world and adventure, but unfortunately, it has a messiness about it that tells me it was a first draft and hadn't been edited at all.
If this was truly a debut novel I would be more forgiving, but, this is an 'alter-ego' of a well-known romance author.
The inconsistencies were the first indicator, for example, the medicine, did she know her mother took it or not? The lady in the lake, was her hair amethyst and silver or silver and gold? The wound at the end, was it in the stomach or the chest?
All things that I believe should've been adjusted before publishing.

I found the main character either too naive or just plain stupid, some of the things she said made me have to stop and just stare blankly at the wall for a minute. For someone who has gone through what she is meant to have gone through and at her age, I feel that she seemed too sheltered and naive to be making the decisions she was.
The character development is lack-luster and annoying, the only character that is bearable is Draven and let's be honest he carries the plot on his shoulders alone.

I felt the ending had a good idea but could've been slower to allow the reader to fully comprehend what was happening specifically when the perspective changed. This novel had so much potential, but ultimately, felt rushed and unedited, with more time it would've been a wonderful first book.

This book had me intrigued right from the beginning but it lacked some oomph. I wasn't really feeling the slow burn romance between Morgan and Draven. The addition of Vesper was so frustrating to read, how easy Morgan fell into his hands was too good to be true although living a more sheltered life I am not surprised. Really loved the cliffhanger ending but I think it would've had a better impact if the 'slow burn' romance had more meaningful and convincing development. Looking forward to the next book!

I really liked this one, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest in the series!

Queen of Roses is an alternate retelling of King Arthur, from the point of view of his half-sister Morgan Pendragon, a half-fae queen-who-never-was. She is the oldest of 3 half-siblings, but her father Uther stripped her of her right to the throne before he died, giving it to his middle child Arthur instead. Morgan has been through a lot of trauma, witnessing murders, being sexually assaulted, and being treated as “other” by her family due to her fae blood. Though she is half-fae, you wouldn’t know it, as her family has been giving her medicine her whole life to suppress the “bad traits” and keep her human. Morgan is given a quest by her brother, but not quite out of brotherly love… more like paranoia, resentment & spite. She sets on a journey to find Excalibur that has been lost in the long-abandoned fae lands.

I liked seeing a new story come about from an old legend, and the way they differ only adds to it, in my opinion. In the original, Arthur is the hero, with Morgana being the evil sorceress. Here, we see a complete role reversal, Arthur is the hateful terrible ruler, and Morgan is the traumatized fae that will bring hope to Camelot. In this book, you have a gender bent Merlin and Lancelet, along with new characters I hadn’t seen before. The modern take on the traditional medieval tale is refreshing and much welcomed.

The author did a really great job of writing characters you’ll hate and characters you’ll be skeptical of. And the mystery of the fae is weaved throughout the book in such a slow way that’s so well done.

Though the beginning seemed a bit slow and predictable, I guess you need to do the world-building a bit slowly to make sure it’s well understood. The other thing that kept me from giving this a 5-star rating is that I thought the writing was a bit basic (with some repetitive sentences here and there). But the story makes up for it!

This book series has so much potential and I’m excited to see where it leads!

Thank you to NetGalley & Starwater Press for the ebook copy in exchange for an honest review!

Diving into Queen of Roses felt like stepping into a mesmerizing fae realm. The world-building, with its captivating Arthurian twist, had me hooked. However, the love triangle and certain character choices left me torn. The slow-burn romance and plot twists, especially the mind-blowing cliffhanger, ensure I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel. Cheers to a fantastical journey!

First off, thank you NetGalley for approving me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review!! :)

There are many, many things to talk about here. I will say that I did enjoy the read overall and was intrigued throughout Morgan and Dravens journey to find Excalibur. Did I love the book? No I wouldn’t say I LOVED it, but yes I did enjoy it.

The first 30% of the book was expected to be slow going as there’s lots of character and world building that takes place. I really enjoyed 40%-80% through and I couldn’t put it down. The remainder 20% I was confused and at how fast paced it was going. It seemed like the author couldn’t wait to wrap it up, only to leave on a HUGE cliffhanger at the end and especially with dravens character???? There was a lot of important information and events being skimmed over which I didn’t particularly like.

There were points in the later half of the book where it felt like I was reading a YA book, and then suddenly a spicy scene would emerge, only to remind you oh yeah this is adult fantasy.

I honestly loved that this was a King Arthur retelling, but could have been executed a little better. I think Briar’s ability to create these diverse characters are unmatched and the world she built was stunning. However, I just feel this book didn’t need to be as fast paced as it was. There was tons of foreshadowing which I love in a book, but the twists weren’t very twisty? It was to be expected and wasn’t as surprised as I would’ve liked.

Overall, a solid 3.5 stars from me. I do want to read the second book since I’m so invested with Morgan and Draven and the ENDING!!!

I really, really enjoyed Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn. I missed the steam that I normally read and am used to, but I still couldn’t put this down. I can’t wait for the second book to come out. The ending was full of twists that I definitely didn’t see coming, but I love who was still standing at the end. The book ends on a HUGE cliffhanger. Like, no questions are answered at all.

I received an advance review copy of Queen of Roses for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.