I adored this book. It could be that it was the perfect mood read for me but I tend to think it was more than that.

This story is about a fae and human who find themselves in a fake relationship. She thinks he hates her and he doesn't think she cares for him. Eventually they find themselves caring very much but it's all quite complicated. I was hooked from the first few chapters and read almost non-stop until I finished it. I really enjoyed this author's writing style and look forward to reading more by her.

This book is the first in a series. I noted that they are all standalones which are interconnected. Therefore, this one didn't end with a cliffhanger which was nice.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Well, wasn’t this standalone new fantasy from Vanessa Rasanen just delicious! I have been a fan of Rasanen almost since the beginning. I LOVED her last series, so I had high hopes for this new venture, and I am happy to say it did not disappoint.

Fated mates. Only One Bed. Fae Shifter Prince. Fake Engagement. Plus, so much more of the things we all love in this genre. All pieced together with the perfect amount of world building that is not overwhelming, characters you can’t help but love, and a plot line that moves things along at the perfect pace. I found this to be a highly enjoyable read from start to finish.

If you are looking for an easy-to-read standalone fantasy romance, this is a great option! When you are a fan of this genre like I am, it is so entertaining to find a story that draws you in but finishes up beautifully in one book. I believe this is going to be an interconnected world of standalones and I am SO excited to see Rasanen continue to introduce characters and build up this world even more.

I really enjoyed Until the Stars Fall! A solid fantasy romance. I loved that it was a standalone as well.

The fake engagement was definitely my favorite part! Slow burn, fated mates made it a quick read.

I knew Connor would be my fav early on. I wasn't a huge fan of Lieke's fascination with Brennan, but at the same time I get it. Who doesn't want to be in love with a fae male. The time jump at the beginning also felt a little odd, and I didn't love all the miscommunication.

- fated mates
- wolf shifter MMC
- fiesty FMC
- fake engagement
- slow burn
- and a little spicy!

I'd recommend this for fans of These Hollow Vows or Defy the Night.

This story is a fantasy and romance blend that hooked me from the start, drawing me into a world where the fates of a human and a fae prince intertwine. Lieke's life as a servant in the fae palace takes a dramatic turn when she's saved from execution by Prince Connor, leading to a pretend engagement filled with tension and unspoken emotions. The slow-burn romance amidst political turmoil and magical conflicts was expertly crafted, making their gradually deepening bond incredibly satisfying. The story balances the elements of fantasy with the intricate dance of a developing romance, creating an engaging and emotionally resonant story. This book stands out for its compelling characters, rich setting, and the beautifully evolving relationship at its heart.

The first half of this book was literally 100% angst. And yes, I know this is a young adult book, but there are plenty of young adult books out there where the FMC knows her worth. She was dumb and whiny and fixated on a male who treated females like objects. I found myself having no respect for her.
When I finally made it to the second half of the book, it was full of anger and borderline abuse.
I am completely disappointed. I had looked forward to reading this book for a long time.

I really liked this one! It started off a little slow, but once it picked up I was enthralled with it. I love a good fake marriage

I rounded up my rating of 4.75 to a 5, I couldn't put it down ! I don't usually read about fated mates, but I had the time of my life with this one. I also am not usually a fan of multiple 1st person POVs, but it was really well done, and the story really flowed from one chapter to another. I wasn't a big fan of the FMC, the MMC was alright, but the second in command stole the show for me. Matthias needs his own book because I absolutely loved his character ! I was giggling, laughing, screaming at them because they wouldn't TALK, every emotion was present. If you're looking for reluctant allies, this one's for you.

3 -⭐⭐⭐

"Dream of not, I needed her like the stars needed the heavens."

Until the Stars Fall is the first novel in a NA Fantasy Romance series, Immortal Reveries. The novel follows Lieke, a mortal who has spent her whole life serving the crown. When she was young she befriends the second prince and a relationship flourished before pulling away. Still holding a torch for him all these years, despite knowing the fae kingdom could never accept what they hate (humans), she never could have expected in her time of need it would be none other than his cold older brother to save her life...but at a cost. A brief encounter where he saved her life is all they have to base their lives off and in a world divided between fae and humans alongside a growing war it may be their lives are not just on the line but may save the realm, if they can find the path between duty and love.

TLDR: I found the characters interesting, the romance angsty, and the book easy to read but I felt the pacing, at times, took a lot away from the book.

Lieke is a character who starts off as a love struck character, idolizing a boy she was friends with as a child. She is courageous and determined when she needs to be but also naive at times when something is right in front of her. I found he growth by the end was enriching and I would love to see her continue this growth.

Connor is the older fae brother and crown prince. He is colder because he has taken on the responsibility of everything. Since his mother's passing he has bared the blunt end of his father's rage and anger at his loss. I found I really cared for him and his frustrations and struggles. He really nailed the pining well and the small subtle ways you see him fall in love drew me in.

On the other side is Brennan, the younger rebellious prince that Lieke remembers. He carries a large facade for a chunk of the book and I appreciated seeing this image change and crumble as he became more away and started to see the people he loved and care for in new lights.

This book does have some spice. I would say 1.5 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. There are three scenes and the author does provide a note in the book telling you where they are so you can avoid them. This is a slow burn romance so while there is a small initial scene at the beginning, it isn't related to the main love interest. The two love interests don't really get along in the beginning but there is a connection they struggle to understand and seeing that banter made the spice work really well in the end. I felt the romance is what kept me reading as these two are adorable together.

"You're mine...And I'm yours. From here and now to forever and beyond, we are one."

The world and story hold a lot of interesting components but I felt things were very jolting or slow at times. It takes about 40% to actually get to the premise introduced in the summary and in the meantime we have the characters doing things that I didn't fully understand. I wish more time had been spent of relationship and world building instead of forcing the story along. I felt after we got to the premise I loved the dynamic of Connor and Lieke and the banter that ensues. I felt their attempt to bring piece, their travelling, and even Brenna's challenging ways helped bring things together. Lieke's old friends...not so much. I felt that area, because it was during the earlier rush, didn't get enough time to build things up. The third act had an angst twist with miscommunication that tugged on my heartstrings but the ending was sweet with an epilogue that brought things together.

Overall, I liked the characters but some of their motivations were lost in pacing. I feel this series will grow nicely as we go along and look forward to seeing that.

Thank you to the author for this e-ARC!

This was such a pleasure to read. It really helped me get over a book hangover, and it has easily become one of my top comfort reads. Connor was swoony and grumpy, so perfect obviously! Lieke had great growth and I loved her as an FMC! Until the Stars Fall is a sweet, low fantasy read and was just what my brain has been craving!

The banter and wit was amazing, and I also enjoyed the side characters (looking at you Matthias). The amount of quotes I highlighted in this book was ridiculously large and I have zero regrets!

As has been mentioned in the past, this is a Sabrina retelling. I will admit that I’ve never seen the movie, but it makes me want to watch it now that I’ve read and enjoyed Until the Stars Fall so much!

What I also loved was that there is no cliffhanger, BUT there are bigger questions about the overall world that definitely peaked my interest.

I’m really looking forward to what this connected standalone series has in store next!

Tropes:

- Fake Engagement
- Only One Horse
- Fated Mates
- Shifter Fae
- GrumpyxSunshine
- Who Did This to You?
- Dual POVs
- Shared Dreams

This is such a great introduction to the series! I loved Lieke and Connor, they have chemistry but also a lot of obstacles preventing them from liking each other much less being in a relationship.

There are times I wanted to shake some sense and self respect onto Lieke but it was the best thing to watch her grow into herself and become something other than a love struck girl. Connor is perfect for her, I loved how much he wanted to protect her and also his annoyance as he fell for her.

The fantasy plot line is just begun but I can’t wait to see where it all goes throughout the series!

I felt like this book felt more like a paranormal romance rather than a romatasy but I can see how the future books in the series will change that!

Thank you NetGalley & Vanessa Rasanen for an eARC of Until the Stars Fall!

To say that I loved this story feels like an understatement! I knew a decent amount of what to expect going into the book because I’ve followed Vanessa for a while: it’s a Sabrina (1954 film) retelling (I haven’t seen it) & that it is a low fantasy that involved fated mates, a fake engagement, & grumpy/sunshine. We get all of that & more & I ate. it. up!!

The world building in this fantasy world is simple to understand which gives so much room for a focus on the characters & I LOVED that SO much because I could not get enough of them!!

All of the tension, chemistry, & swoon-worthy moments between Lieke & Connor were so well done & are truly why I had a hard time putting this book down. Like many other books, there were moments when I was like “what are you doing?!” & some instances of miscommunication that I was like 😒 but overall the parts I LOVED more than made up for those moments. I also thoroughly enjoyed Matthias & am excited he will get his own book!

As this is the first book in a series of stand alones, I loved how we get a satisfying ending yet we are left with several questions which, in turn, leave us wanting to read more about this fantasy world (which we will get in future books! Yay!).

if you’re a fan of..

💫fake engagement
💫fated mates
💫grumpy (Captain America) x sunshine (with an attitude)
💫fae shifter prince
💫one horse/bed
💫slow burn, swoony tension + a bit of spice
💫dual first person POV + short chapters
💫Sabrina (1954 film)

..I highly recommend this book!

4.5 stars - Until the Stars Fall is the start of an amazing new Romantasy series, with interconnected standalones all set in a low-magic fae kingdom. Tensions have been high between the humans and fae after a war 20 years ago when a woman betrothed to another kingdom’s prince escaped here to be with her mate.

Lieke is a human in her mid20s serving in the castle kitchens, and has grown up friends with the fae prince spare. After his rejection of her love, she goes away to her human family for a few years to train, and upon returning murders a far noble in self defense. The crown prince saves her from execution by announcing their engagement.

This story included all the best tropes - fake relationship, forced proximity, only one room/bedroll/horse, fated mates, who did this to you - and flow together perfectly. This is a 500 page book but reads so fast I could have had more. Lieke and Connor’s story was wrapped up and the local unrest is mostly resolved, so I am interested to see how the next books incorporate the greater political implications.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crab Apple Books for this eARC for my honest opinion.

The Facts: Fated mates, slow burn, fake engagement, fae shifter prince, only one horse, retelling of Sabrina.

My romantasy lovers, this book is for you! The world building, romance, and characters are to die for. Lieke and Connor are so well fleshed out and amazing. The banter was chef's kiss. The short chapters made the book go by so much quicker to. It was so easy to devour. I fully recommend this one!

Thanks so much to Vanessa for the advanced copy!

I flew through this book the moment after I picked it up! I love fantasy. I love romance. And this book nailed both aspects. Although I wouldn't consider it high fantasy, it has all of the best characteristics of high fantasy without the extensive and sometimes overwhelming world building and multitude of details to try and keep track of. The world was still developed and enough elements were left open ended for the further development of this world in future standalone novels in this series.

The characters were great. Lieke was a great female main character and I enjoyed her growth throughout the book. I loved her snark and her hopeless romantic heart. Prince Connor was easily my favorite character (besides his best friend Matthias). So often in the fantasy romance genre, we find ourselves rooting for the morally grey villain but it was nice for a change to want the good guy to get the girl. Connor is the kind of person that will do what's best for everyone else at the expense of himself.

The swoon and banter in this book was *chef's kiss*! I love how Lieke and Connor push each other's buttons but ended up being so supportive of one another. The tension between these two is the best kind of slow burn!

Overall, this book is such a comfort read and one I know I'll pick up over and over again!

This is a fast paced, cozy fantasy. I enjoyed the short chapters, the main characters (for the most part) and the ending!

There was a lot of back and forth between characters that kept dragging on, and I wish some characters would have been further explored. While it all came together in the end, it did feel a bit disjointed at times.

Overall this is a quick & fun fantasy standalone book!

3.5 rounded up to 4!
"I needed her like the stars needed the heavens"

I love a good fated romance! This standalone Romantasy book was easy to read and captivated me from page one.
Was it a bit predictable? Sure! But that didn't bother me with this book at all. Lots of things happened along the way that kept me hooked. Even though the fated romance was a slightly slow burn, the book itself was fast paced and I couldn't put it down. I liked the dual point of view with the FMC, Lieke and MMC, Connor. The tension between them throughout the book was good and it definitely had those grumpy/sunshine vibes.
In comparison to other Fantasy novels I found this one to be much more tame, with low spice and easy to digest world building. To some it might not be enough, but to me who also loves a sweet romance novel, this was a good read. I felt like the characters personalities came off as younger and a little immature, but for a New Adult novel that's to be slightly expected.

Read this is you like:
* Grumpy/Sunshine
+ Just One Bed
Fake Engagement
Cute Banter between love interests
Dual POV
"Who Did This To You?"
Fated Romance
Standalone Romance or Fantasy
Low Spice Level
NA Novels
Spicy Chapters: 2 (brief scene) , 63 (one scene), 87 (one longer scene)

This book had a lot of potential but it just felt like it was missing something to grip me.

It’s an easy read, decent world building and quick paced so it doesn’t drag on too much.

The romance is predictable. She is in love with a childhood friend who is also a prince. He’s a playboy and doesn’t really care for her due to grieving his mother’s death. A lot happens and after she doesn’t take the hint he doesn’t care MULTIPLE times, she ends up in a forged engagement with his brother.

As much as I enjoyed the book, I felt like the fated mates was predictable and there were a lot of details either forgotten or missed such as her family and her mother. Maybe this will be brought out the next book?

▪️Fated mates
▪️ Forced proximity
▪️ Fake Engagement
▪️ Enemies to lovers

I have very mixed feelings about this book. In the end, I settled for 3 stars because while I had issues caring about the story, which felt lukewarm to me. Once the main romance started, that was actually fun, and I loved their tension, arranged marriage trope was doing its job. But that's the only thing I actually cared about. Other things felt very flat, unfortunately. I really expected to love this. I would recommend it to someone who isn't looking for a deep story, but maybe just good tension? But you will have to wait 40% of the book for that.

Still thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC!

Inspired by the classic movie Sabrina, Until the Stars Fall is a slow burn, fated-mates tale. Lieke is a human who has served in the fae palace her whole life, but when a violent incident happens with a fae noble, it will never be the same. In an act of self defense, she finds herself before the king sentenced to death. However, the fae prince steps in to save her life. The only way to get out of the death sentence? An engagement between the two and the last time a fae royal took a human bride, it started a war…

First off, I love me some fake engagement/fake dating/marriage of convenience tropes. There’s just something from the tensions it builds and the slow burn to realization/full burn that I just cannot get enough of! And this? This most certainly has that and I ate it up! Lieke is a feisty ray of sunshine while Conner is a grumpy, yet secret hopeless romantic that yearns to find his mate. There is plenty of banter and the chemistry between the two is evident.

Overall, I found this to be a fun read and I enjoyed seeing the Sabrina parallels. This story is romance focused, filled with slow burn and plenty of tension, while being lighter on the fantasy side.

Thank you so much to Vanessa Rasanen and Netgalley for the eARC💕

Until the Stars Fall will be available February 13th so be sure to check it out!!

Lieke has worked in the Palace her whole life, serve the Fae Royal family and even befriending one of them, however, after the death of the Queen Brennans relationship with Lieke changed and she could never quite accept it.

When a string of events lead to Liekes life being threatened, it isn't the brother she expects that steps in to save her!... and she could never expect all that is to come after

I loved this book and both MCs. We follow Lieke and Connor as they live their own lives and also work out they fit into each others lives, even if it is just out of convenience!

Can't wait to see where this series goes next!

Thank you to Vanessa and NetGalley for the early review copy.... run don't walk to get this upon release if you are a Romantasy lover, with a dash of political intrigue