First this is my first fantasy book, and I am obsessed with it. love romance and this was balanced so well and had dark romance in it too! Omg was I on the edge of my seat.
It's enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and a series! I really love how descriptive the writing is, it really helped me feel like I was in the story and helped a first time fantasy reader understand and read easier! (I would totally recommend this for any first timer too!) the characters in this book - AMAZING (I'm a big character girl) I will say I have a favorite but it's only book one so l'm not really gonna hook onto one .. yet. The ending?! Was.CRAZY I need to start the next book because I didn't see anything coming my heart was actually racing. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

An Arthurian retelling, 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 is a new adult dark fantasy romance filled with action, danger, diverse characters, and a sprinkle of magic and romance that builds with each book.

Although a firstborn, Princess Morgan Pendragon was cast aside due to her alleged fae tainted blood and her brother Arthur rules as King instead. She is prearranged to live a life of servitude to the goddesses when she reaches twenty, until Morgan is offered a way out: embark on an journey to find the legendary weapon that could help stop an imminent war.

If I wasn’t a responsible adult with two littles, a job, and everything else to keep the castle running, I probably would have finished it in two days because that’s how hard I didn’t want to put it down. This was a great first book in the series. It had intricate world building yet was fast paced; a strong and likable heroine, who’s never really known love; and a moody, mysterious bodyguard that you can’t help but root for. I really enjoyed all of the characters—flapjacks and all—and I was living for the playful banter. I definitely see some potential in growth in our leads, especially since it’s being set up as a true, genuine slowburn and I am so here for it. I cannot wait to dive into the next book, especially after that cliffhanger!

Read if you like…
⚔️ myth/legend retellings
🥀 “Who did this to you?”
⚔️ playful banter
🥀 super cute take on one horse trope
⚔️ genuine slowburn

Please beware that there are content and trigger warnings.

I am obsessed with this new romantasy series! I have already recommended it to anyone who will listen. It's a reimagining of Camelot, but with a lot more diversity, fairies, and other magical creatures. The underlining political story parallels our own modern political drama specifically sexism and homophobia. The magical system is interesting. The characters are charming. The romance is slow burn. The villains are so bad! The pacing and adventure are great. It leaves you excited to jump right into the next book, Thank you Briar Boleyn and ARC provided by Starwater Press for this eARC!

The fantasy setting was fun. I understand this is a retelling, but changing the names might have made it more effective, as the story seems disconnected from the original legend. The modern values in the narrative don’t quite evoke the feeling of being transported to a different time. It was overly descriptive, and the dialogue was clunky and repetitive. The ending interested me in the next book, but I couldn’t get into it until I threw the myth out of my mind.

AMAZING. INCREDIBLE. WONDERFUL. ASTOUNDING. There are so many words to describe how this was. I desperately need to get my hands on the next story! I loved reading this so much. I could not put this down.

What??? Merlin retelling, where Morgan is fae and has Magic and Arthur is bad and twisted? Oh it okay, I'm so happy that all the books are here and definitly going to buy them

Briar Boleyn had me hooked from the start. Court intrigue, mix of human, Fae, and creatures too gives so much intrigue and interest in this book. I listened to the audio while reading along on my kindle as well.

The book starts in the court giving a little background to Morgan’s life as a princess. It evolves into the action and adventure that pulls you in along with the love interest(s). The detail given is extremely well written and (like I said) had me hooked from the start. This is book 1 of the series and it definitely leaves you on a cliffhanger so make sure you have book 2, Court of Claws, ready to read next!!!

I really tried to push through this book as the blurb and what I had seen of the author posting online it looked like it would be an awesome fantasy read. Unfortunately the book just wasn't for me. I ended up DNFing (did not finish) at 28% as up to that point I was just reading the dialogue trying to push through but just reading the dialogue wasn't enough as how the book was written wasn't written in a tone I enjoy very much, it was very olden day royalty which I personally find quite bland. I am sad that I wasn't able to enjoy this book as it did have many tropes and aspects that I enjoy but I just couldn't get into it. I might try again at a later date.

Thanks to NetGalley fo letting me read this book for free! As of right now you can check this book out on kindle unlimited!
Trigger warning!! There is abuse, death, etc.
Follow Morgan on her journey to find a weapon that will help her kingdom on the brink of a war.
I know a lot of people liked this book and you might but I don’t read like any dark books and I couldn’t get myself to keep reading this. If you like a dark far retelling of Arthurian legend than I think you should give this book a shot

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn follows Morgan Pendragon and Kairos Draven in a fantasy/romance twist on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I was intrigued from the first chapter, though it took me a bit to get into the groove of reading, solely due to the fact that I knew I was reading a book based on Arthurian legend.

I never knew what was going to come next in this book. With every new piece of information I learned, I got more and more engrossed in the story. Before I knew it, I had reached the end. The characters are well written and likable, and I looked forward to seeing their growth.

I am very grateful that book 2 is already out! I cannot wait to see how the story progresses.

You should read this book if you like:
- enemies-to-lovers
- plot twists
- fantasy/fae

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn
This is book one in a dark, fae re-telling of the well-known Arthurian legend in the search for Excalibur but Arthur plays a bitter and cruel villain and Morgan is the innocent one.

Plot:
Book one follows the journey of Morgan, who is the eldest of the Pendragon children and should have been queen once her father died, but she was disinherited in favor of her half-brother, Arthur, due to her tainted fae blood because her mother was fae.  She suffers abuse by those in the kingdom who should protect her and her brother King Arthur does nothing to shelter her from it.  He sends her on a dangerous campaign to find Excalibur, a weapon that has eluded many who have tried to find it over the centuries. Morgan is accompanied by two very dangerous guards on this quest and her brother doesn't care what they do to her as long as they accomplish the task.  Kairos Draven and Ragnar Whitehorn, have bad reputations and she is not sure they have orders from King Arthur to return to Camelot with her after it is found.  

Characters:
Morgan is extremely naive throughout the story and although had training to fight, did little to stop her abusers.  Once they were on the quest, however, she experienced growth in confidence and strength and began to fight back with those who meant her harm.  Draven is a handsome rugged "take no BS" kind of man.  As hard as he is, he doesn't like to see people suffer and tries to keep Morgan safe and over the time they spend together she sees a different side of him than what she thought she knew.  These two had some fun banter together and meshed well as main characters.  I was shipping them to be more as they spent more time together.  

Merlin, Lancelet, and Galahad are her friends and they all care for each other.  They are all women too which is a nice little twist.  Rather than them being pro-Arthur, they are pro-Morgan.  She is the one suffering and being the punching bag for being a half-breed and never giving them reason to not trust her.  

Worldbuilding:
This world was more interesting with the addition of fae and included some fantasy animals as well.  It took a bit for the story to build up, so if you hang in there, it gets more action.  I assume as the books continue that will keep happening since the first book sets up the scene.  

Overall Thoughts:
In the first few chapters, I was getting used to what was happening since there were some changes in the well-known characters and I needed to get used to that storyline.  Then the chapters stalled out a bit taking time to build what was going on, how she was as a character and how she was treated.  It was very different from what I knew of this legendary tale.  Once Morgan got out onto the road and their journey got going, things started to pick up and she started to stick up for herself.  The characters are great and I have high hopes that they will continue to grow and the realm with new exciting additions.  The book ended on a cliffhanger and will be interesting to see how it plays out. 

Thank you to the publisher and author for the NetGalley ARC of this book to read and give an honest review.

What an amazing surprise! A completely new spin on the legends of camelot, a tale of knights and Kings, of human and fae.
Morgan lives a life decided for her, hidden and overlooked by most, devoid of the magic that her part fae blood is known to produce and at the mercy of men more powerful than she. When great hardships befall the people, and the Kings prejudices becoming more apparent, she must take on an epic quest of danger, violence, romance and mystery!
I can't wait for part 2!

An aurthurian retelling with a Fae world setting, say no more I was sold!

We follow our mysterious FMC, Morgan whose journey has only just begun. With twists and turns, it’s time to discover who Morgan really is!

With chaotic family dynamics, a daring quest and tests of loyalty was completely spellbinding!

What I liked:
* The prologue was a strong start, it had me gripped and asking all sorts of questions, who is our FMC talking about, what lies ahead?
* The world building was super strong, we travelled across Eskria and you were truly immersed into Arthurian times - lovely descriptions including this quote which I could see so vividly in my head “the walls were covered with vibrantly-coloured tapestries that told the stories of glorious battles and conquests.”, and the rose filled throne room, what a delight!
* The detailing of the garments, such finery. The richness of the court jumped off the page, the knights and so forth. The descriptions of the characters were also beautiful, “like the wings of a swan”
* I also felt like I was learning, with all the history of the statues and goddess sculptures, worshipping of old religions and more, it was so interesting!
* The creatures!! Again I really hope there is much more in the next book, it was thrilling.

Criticisms:
* it took me a while to get into the story, I wasn’t instantly connected to the characters and at times the development felt a little flat, particularly the dialogue at the beginning with the friendly character exchanges. However there was lots of potential and I’m glad I carried on as my opinion changed later into ‘book 2’ where as the story progressed so did the characters
* I struggled with Morgan’s and Lancelets friendship, I feel her dialogue didn’t add too much to the story hence I struggled to feel connected to Lancelet and truly feel their friendship which led to later in the book not being a greater revelation unfortunately for me but that’s just my personal opinion.

characters thoughts:
* kaye is such a sweetie, I really hope we see more of him
* I was genuinely upset with how much I disliked Arthur, after loving the tv show Merlin, I couldn’t fathom how Arthur could be so cruel, well done to the author for really changing my opinion!!
* Florian doesn’t get more mention than this.
* Vesper… I sort of saw it coming, it just didn’t quite add up but all the same I loved his role in the story. All I’m saying is well deserved
* Morgan, I’m so intrigued by her. I want to know more, I need to know more. Especially with that ending!
* Draven, our mysterious love interest. So brooding, with a caring streak of course masked, there’s so much we still don’t know about him and I can’t wait to find out more! the twist at the end left me so intrigued, what happens next? Where is the story going to go?

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Starwater Press & of course the author for this opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book has potential. I did like the storyline and the direction it was going. However, I felt like it just dragged on. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t connect that well with Morgan or if she was just too trusting that drove me nuts. I also didn’t understand the whole brother part. I needed more information. I did enjoy reading the book and it was a quick read.
Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read the book and give my honest opinion. Thank you, Briar Boleyn, for allowing me to give my honest opinion. I will be reading more of your work!

Honestly, this book turned out better than I thought it would. The characters were interesting and well written. The ending left enough hanging to push you to the next book. Except for that weird John Wick part in the middle it's a solid fantasy story.

3.75⭐️

Inspired by the Arthurian legend, set in a world with faes and magic, “Queen of Roses” is a romantasy full of intrigues, court politics, lore, action and a little bit of magic. Although I’m sure the last one will change in the following books.
First things first, Morgan is a half-fae knife wife and I immediately loved her for this. Whenever a princess or queen decides to take up sparring or whatever form of combat, I’m immediately on my knees for her.
Now, in this world Arthur is not the heroic noble king we know nor is Morgan (Morgana) an evil witch. To be fair, Morgan is no witch at all.
Her whole character is enveloped in mystery given that both she and us don’t know much about her past and background, given that she’s half fae. What does that mean? Apparently that she has white hair, that’s all we know in the beginning. But of course, with a kind and compassionate heart, combat skills and determination Morgan is meant for more. And we follow along in her journey of discovery to what exactly “more” means.

Now, I really liked the world building. It was not hard to follow, I loved the court politics, the whole world’s politics along with its tradition, religion and folklore. However, I feel like there were some things that could have been explained in more details. What I mean is that, since the story is from Morgan’s pov and she’s always lived in the palace, there are some things about her history and the mythology of her world when she does. In some scenes I honestly felt like as much as Morgan was the chosen one and the one with a mission, she didn’t care much to learn all the whys and hows. If she did, it would have been helpful for us to understand some key elements better. Or maybe it was done on purpose and we’re going to learn more in the following books. We’ll see.
In regards to the “romance” aspect of this romantasy, it’s a slow burn. So there’s not a lot of it, especially since they can’t stand each other. Are they enemies? Kind of. In this regard as well, I think the base for the slow burn romance could have been woven a little more intricately. Based on what I’ve read so far, the two are very far from forming any kind of relationship. There’s only animosity between them and a modicum of respect maybe. Was that enough to justify the final scene? In my opinion, no. It surprised me a little bit, to be honest.
I also felt like the final scenes were really confusing with the introduction of new characters and consequently more lore that gets only mentioned.
I have high hopes for the next book though. I’m curious to learn more about these characters and this world.

In all honesty I almost didn't start this series at all. After DNF on a different Arthurian series I was tempted to skip this one and I am so glad I didn't. Morgan is a strong FMC who has overcome huge traumas but remains selfless and focused on others. I love that even though it was clear that Draven was the MMC to focus on, it didn't feel forced. This story was a fun adventure with just enough twists and turns to make it hard to put down.

Read this if you like:
➡️ Slow Burn
➡️ He falls first
➡️ Political intrigue
➡️ Morally gray characters
➡️ Road trip on horses
➡️ She thinks she hates him
➡️ Who did this to you

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🔥🔥

Takes Arthurian legend and upends it!

Interesting reworking of the Arthurian legend. In this book, Britain’s King Arthur is not the beloved king who pulled the sword Excalibur from the stone but is a cruel, sadistic tyrant. His sister Morgan (presumably she will become Morgan la Fay) is the heroine of the story rather than the villain. Some nice plot development and I would definitely read the next in the series.

📚Queen of Roses, Blood of a Fae Book 1
🖋️Author: Briar Boleyn
📆Publication date: April 15 2023
🗂️Genre: Adult Dark Fantasy Romance

•ARC REVIEW•

5/⭐️

📌Summary:
“Court of Claws” by Briar Boleyn is the first installment of the series “Blood of a Fae”. The series is an Arthurian retelling but focusing on his sister, Morgan.

Morgan who is rumored to have the blood of the fae, is tasked by her brother to find a fae weapon and Morgan jumps on this opportunity right away. As she plunges in the world, she undergoes adventures and she unravels secrets long buried.

📌Review:
This book was such an amazing start to an epic series. I am a sucker for any fae fantasy books and this book was no exception. I really liked the pacing and I adored Morgan. The slow burn was slow burning and I can’t wait to see that’s next.

📌Thoughts:
As I am writing this, I am reading the second book of the series.

I would like to thank Netgalley for the free copy.

Trigger warnings: descriptions of violence, death, abuse, sexual content, Tropes: slow burn, enemies to lovers, one bed/tent, found family, forced proximity, princess and guard, who did this to you
Thank you Netgalley, Starwater press, and Briar Boelyn for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book so much, I personally feel like so many fantasy books start to get really predictable and just when i thought i had everything figured out, the cliffhanger hit and I was running to get book 2. And then, like the impatient person I am, I then got book 2 and devoured it before i remembered to type of this ARC review. I’ve read so many books that I can usually take a pretty good guess about what is going to happen, and not to brag but I’m often right. I was rarely right during this book and I really can’t say I’m upset about it. Throughout the book my heart hurt so much for Morgan, she had been through so much and still she never yielded. Highly recommend for all of my other Jennifer l armentrout, Sarah j maas readers out there who love badass FMCs!