The Deadly Knight Rises by R.C. Matthew is a captivating tale that left a lasting impression on me. The story is rich with intrigue, and I found myself completely absorbed, reading it in a single day because I simply couldn't put it down. The fate of the knight in this narrative truly blew me away; I admired his sense of honor amidst the chaos. Packed with secrets, bloodshed, and prophecies, this book had all the elements I love. This was my first experience with R.C. Matthew’s writing, and it certainly won't be my last. I can’t wait to dive into the next installment in this series!

I really enjoyed reading The Deadly Knight Rises. I've been very into retellings lately, and I found that I was able to just kind of lose myself in this story. I will definitely be sticking with this series.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

I don't typically read books with a male main character as I find it hard to immerse myself in the story. However, The Deadly Knight Rises was an interesting book that captured my attention from the get go and I appreciated it.

"The Deadly Knight Rises" by R.C. Matthews is a mesmerizing dark fantasy that weaves together elements of romance, adventure, and magic in a spellbinding tale. Set against the backdrop of a kingdom shrouded in eternal winter, the story follows two unlikely protagonists—Death and Life—as they navigate a precarious path towards love and redemption. Death, cursed with invincibility and eternal winter, finds himself drawn to Linora Beckett, a woman gifted with powers as the White Witch. Together, they embark on a journey fraught with danger and betrayal, as they seek to break the curse that plagues their kingdom and their own hearts. Matthews' richly imagined world and complex characters leap off the page, drawing readers into a captivating narrative filled with twists and turns. With its blend of high-stakes adventure, slow-burn romance, and dark fairy tale elements, "The Deadly Knight Rises" is sure to enchant fans of the genre and leave them eagerly anticipating the next installment in the Spring of Beimeni series.

Thank you NetGalley and author R.C Matthews for the copy in exchange of my honest review.

"She runs from me at every turn... But I will always find her. I am Death but cannot be killed. I’m alive, but the flesh has rotted from my bones. This is the price I paid for invincibility. With that curse came eternal winter over all the lands and the bitter chill of life without the simple act of human touch … until Linora Beckett stumbled into my arms and didn’t die. I want her. But to have her, I must betray my queen, chase my temptress across the kingdom, and fend off those who would harm her. As if that wasn't impossible enough, I must woo her to my bed. His rotting corpse is a mirror of his soul… But our union could save all humankind. I am Life but I feel dead inside. All I’ve ever wanted is to blend in with society, but people call me the White Witch and stare at me with mistrust. I didn’t ask for my gifts or the notice of the queen. She wants me to break the curse of eternal winter, but to do so, I must mate with Death of my free will. Our child will bring a new dawn or thrust our kingdom into its darkest hour yet. But can I give myself to the one being incapable of love? The Deadly Knight Rises is the captivating first book in the Spring of Beimeni dark fairy tale series. If you love high-stakes adventure and slow-burn romance, then you’ll love R.C. Matthews’ dark fantasy. Buy The Deadly Knight Rises to fall in love with the unlovable today!"

This is the first book in the Spring Of Beimeni series. I enjoy reading this. I devoured it in one sitting. I can’t wait to read the next in this series.

Honestly this book started out rather slow and thank goodness that I kept going because wow this book turned very quickly. This was based on a fairytale and this novel exceeded all of my expectations and more.
This story is action packed from beginning to end. Queen Devina of Shroundthaven has heard rumors that a sorcerer in Glenarm has been able to grow crops successfully during the never-ending Winter and she's determined to have the sorcerer grow crops to feed her army for her fight against King Cedric. She sends General Derek Tate "Death" and his trusted soldiers to bring the sorcerer to her but a secret between father and daughter leads the general to take Lunos Beckett thinking he's the sorcerer and not his daughter Linora, the true crop grower better known as the "White Witch". General Tate is special in his own way as his punishment has turned him into bones and is touch is deadly. Deadly to everyone except Linora, which surprised them both. Linora hates Death, yet he wants her, but the Queen isn't so willing to lose her biggest asset in her war. There was never a dull moment in this story that's filled with suspense, twists and turns, suspense, betrayal, secrets, surprises, both heartfelt and laugh out loud moments, and steamy scenes. The cliffhanger ending of this story definitely left me wanting to read the next book in this series.

Loved this and I can’t wait to read the next in this series. The fate of this Knight blew me away and I thought him honorable. I read this in one day because I couldn’t put it down and it had all the things I loved. There were secrets, bloodshed and prophecies.
Everything in this story just worked for me and I loved the romance.
Thanks R.C. Matthews via NetGalley.

Rating 5/5
Spice 2

Honestly this book started out rather slow and thank goodness that I kept going because wow this book turned very quickly. This was based on a fairytale and this novel exceeded all of my expectations and more.

The abstract comparison between life and death was absolutely amazing. And it didn’t confer with the usual perception of good vs bad either.

This book was written beautifully and I cannot wait to read the next one in the series! I am very interested in how the story/plot will play out.

2 stars

It's truly a shame I didn't enjoy this book.
I tried trust me, the first bit was slow but enjoyable yet the story just didn't grabbed my attention.
The overall plot was interesting but the execution and certain things in the story -especially the romance- felt force and even some scenes were uncomfortable to read.
This had a lot of potential but sadly for me it didn't work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

“The Deadly Knight Rises” by R. C. Matthews is a beauty and the beast retelling. Linora has a rare gift of being able to grow plants even in winter. When the Queen hears of this, she sends Derek out to capture the one who can create in winter. Derek has been cursed, everything alive he touches turns to dust. When they find out Linora does not die, when Derek touches her plans change and then change again.

I loved this book. The side characters are one of my favorite parts. The relationship with Derek and Linora was good and bad while the characters were developing and learning who they should be. I did think some of the POV’s were unnecessary and would have been fine to not have them. I can’t wait to read the next book. 5 out of 5 stars.

-Slow Burn
-Enemies To Lovers
-Pregnancy
-Beauty and Beast Retelling
-Magic
-Talking Bear

The plot held my interest, and the concept of it intrigued me. However, certain aspects, particularly the romantic storyline, felt rushed, transitioning swiftly from loathing to love without ample development. More time and depth in character relationships would have enhanced the overall experience. Nevertheless, I did find enjoyment in the book and look forward to continuing the series. I'd recommend "The Deadly Knight Rises" to those who appreciate dark fantasy with a romantic twist.

Rating - 3/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - November 25, 2023
Publication Date - October 21, 2023

*I received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @xpressotours and @netgalley!

For all of you fairy tale lovers out there, The Deadly Knight Rises gave me serious Beauty and the Beast vibes, which is one of my favourites (duh, I'm book lover)!

Unfortunately, there was a major trigger of mine in the first chapter, which threw me off from the start. I can't handle when animals are killed in books, movies or real life. Also, there is a cliffhanger ending, so consider yourself warned!

If you like slow burn, enemies to lovers with lots of action, The Deadly Knight Rises by R.C. Matthews is the book for you!

*Please check trigger warnings*

Okay, I have to be honest and say that this book just wasn't for me. Now that doesn't mean it was bad or poorly written or anything!! I just sometimes struggle with dark romance and unfortunately there were just too many things working against this book for me. The cliffhanger though, will likely bring me in for the next book because I just can't help myself.

HOWEVER, if you are someone who likes multiple (like, many) POVs, dark romance, and this sort of "possession"-kink, you might really enjoy this book.

Who doesn’t love a Beauty and the Beast retelling?? And throwing in a little hint of a Snow White plotline?? And having a talking bear??

Our heroine Linora is able to keep plants growing through an endless winter, capturing the attention of the queen who seeks her skills to keep her army alive on conquering missions. She sends her general Death, an immortal skeleton warrior who just happens to have been the most handsome man in the land before making a deal with the gods, to retrieve Linora and bring her to the castle. I think we can all see where this is leading, which is a thrilling enemies-to-lovers curse-breaking love story!

Overall, I loved the characters and the concept of the world. Linora is brave and so deeply good, and Death aka Derek and his brother Adam and best friend Josef show the joys of connection. Linora’s magic and growing relationship with Derek is fun to see, however the writing started to devolve into a lot of tell don’t show by the midway point in the book. They were falling in love and telling us about it, but we weren’t always seeing those moments growing.

Finally, I do have to say the amount of times they referred to “seed” threw me in a way that I did not love!!

Thank you to RC Matthews and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!!

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

It took me a little time to get into this story but not any fault of the author’s. Once I really devoted my time in it, I ate it up. I love Beauty and the Beast and this twisted retelling was delightful. It also had some hints of Snow White and probably others that I am less familiar with. The lies, the secrets, the political maneuvers were all well done. Of course, the way Death and The White Witch work together is both light-hearted and serious. The stakes are high, the emotions run wild. I really enjoyed it and want more!

This was my first book by R.C. Matthews, I didn’t know what to expect but I am so happy I decided to give it a try. The idea for the story is so different from anything I’ve read and it kept me invested until the end of the book. I can’t wait for the next book to come out so I can continue learning the story of Linora and the Deadly Knight.
I definitely would recommend this book!

4 stars

"I will always find you, Linora. I do not sleep or tire or grow hungry. Your scent is engraved on my mind. Remember, I am invincible. And we are one"

I've always had a soft spot for beauty and the beast retellings. This story was a unique spin on it, I loved the contrast of life and death.

Derek is such an interesting character. Throughout the book, we see many different sides of him. He starts off as a ruthless and grumpy general but grows into a charismatic character. Even though he is morally gray, we still fall in love with him.

Adam and Josef are amazing side characters who overall I really enjoyed. They helped us see the human side of Derek, aka Death. They were like the three musketeers.

However, I do feel like parts of the book were rushed and not fully explored. I wish we could have gotten more details overall as well as seeing how Linora and Derek grew closer. Some important steps seemed to be missing.

The Deadly Knight Rises does start off a little slow, but by the halfway mark I was hooked. I'm still invested in reading the next book. I can't wait to see where R.C. Matthews goes next.

This was a struggle for me... I feel like there were way to many POV's, the pacing was weird. This sounded so good to me, and it just fell flat.