𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 & 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏 ♡

"𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈!" 𝑰 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.
"𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒕𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒕." 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅. "𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒂 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒕."

I am kicking my feet screaming a feral scream over this book! What a fantastic start to a fantasy series. The world building was incredible. The characters, the lore. I absolutely LOVED this being a retelling of Camelot/Arthur but where everything is changed - Arthur is the bad guy, Lancelot and Merlin are women and our leading lady is the half sister from Arthurian Legend - Morgan Le Fey Pendragon and all of this is wrapped up in the twist of magic and fae!

Morgan was shunned by her father, now her younger brother King Arthur and pretty much everyone else because her father hated half-fae and Morgan is half-fae. People fear her and dislike her and it's because she has grey hair, is half-fae and her father stripped her of her being the heir and future Queen. Morgan meets Draven, a new royal guard who has some secrets of his own and Arthur sends them on a quest for Excalibur.

I absolutely go feral over a good "who did this to you?!" moment and Draven delivered that early on. 🥵 Morgan is such a strong woman despite everything, she had everything stripped from her, was abused, watched her mother die, and yet she forced herself to stay strong, she learned to train with the other knights, she's kind, empathetic and fierce. Draven Draven Draven, we know very little about him. He's an assassin of some sort, he's incredibly skilled, tough, growly (swoon). But there's still so many secrets about him we don't know. This was the perfect setup for the series. And I cannot wait for book 2!

That cliffhanger had me in shambles. Honestly the last few chapters did. I had some suspicious about a certain character but, was NOT expecting that. I love a good betrayal that you don't see coming or the depths of said betrayal.

Thanks to both Briar and Netgalley for letting me read this baby.

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔:
✨️: 5/5
🌶: 2/5

*3.5 Stars*

A Camelot retelling with gore, betrayal and a tease of magic that’s to come.

“Queen of Roses” finds Morgan resigned to her fate as the cast off sibling under cruel King Arthur’s reign due to her Fae heritage but when the legends of Excalibur take root within the palace walls she finds herself on a mission of death with only a select few of questionable characters at her side.

To start I am not the biggest fan of the King Arthur story so once I realized this was part of that (silly me I know) I was a little apprehensive but thankfully this was a good deal of fun and probably one of my favorite versions of the story.

The characters were fun I like Morgan a lot and it was nice to see her begin the journey of coming into her own though it’s clear she has a long way to go. The characterizations of the main cast was fun with some now portrayed as women adding a fun layer to the story and the cruelty of others who I’ve normally seen as the heroes.

The plot itself is well paced as we settle into what Morgan has to deal with being a sort of black sheep who is kept tucked away out of shame or rather fear given her heritage which teases a fun payoff down the line of the series if/when she reunites with her brother with all she’s learned. There are definitely more adult themes which set it apart from other books I’ve read though little smut though I imagine that changes as the series progresses too.

Not a bad story and one I was surprised to see has been out for some time meaning I can get to the end without waiting for future release dates.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for an ARC of this book!

This book follows the story of Morgan. Morgan witnessed her abusive father murder her mother when she was just 5 years old. She's a princess but was supposed to be a queen but her abusive father robbed her of this title. He did this because Morgan has traces of 'fae blood' like her mother. Instead, her terribly evil and sociopathic little brother, Arthur, becomes king and rules with an iron fist. He sends her on a quest to find Excalibur, a blade that will grant its wielder an immense amount of power and make them invincible. Joining her on this quest is the captain of the Royal Guard, Kairos Draven. Draven and Morgan seem to not like each other from their first encounter but are now forced to travel together for months. This is complete with a 'only one tent'-moment.

This story is a Camelot retelling set in a magical world where humans find fae disgusting. Thus, Morgan tries to hide her fae blood with 'medicine'. Even if it literally makes her sick. There's also LGBTQ+ rep.

The world building is great. This book is full of royal court drama, political intrigue, deception and murder. There's also a battle against undead beings.

The journey makes up half of the book which I usually despise. I normally find journeys in book painstakingly boring. I don't know what kind of magic Briar Boleyn has put into this because I absolutely loved this journey. I did not feel like I had to push myself through this story at any moment (which doesn't happen a lot). In fact, I loved every second of it. I flew through this book in less than 24 hours.

Main characters:
Draven is the dark brooding MMC complete with a 'Who did this to you?' growling moment. He's also a mysterious one.
Morgan is a 20 year old dealing with self-hatred and acceptance. Her whole life she's been brainwashed to hate her fae-blood and grey hair. Now she must come to accept herself for who she is and stop hating herself.

Draven kill count: 3
Morgan kill count: 4

Romance:
This is a slow burn romance. Do not expect the FMC and MMC to do anything just yet. Some people classified the romance as enemy to lovers but they are not enemies nor lovers by the start or finish of this book. I assume this will change in the rest of the series of course. I would say it's more of a dislike to dislike a little less type of 'romance' (if you can even call it that since nothing happens in the first book). Don't go into this book expecting romance between these two.

Check your trigger warnings. This book deals with SA, drugging and abuse.

In conclusion, I really really like this book. I would definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of fantasy, fae world, slow burn romance and tall, dark and handsome MMC's. I rate this book 4.5 stars!

I DNF'd at 40%. Incredibly slow with somewhat unnecessary descriptions of surroundings that just seemed to drag on for pages. I was almost half-way into the book and had met half the city of Camelot for a couple of lines each, and the quest aspect hadn't even started. I appreciated this is the first in a series and requires some scene setting etc but this was just too slow for me and I couldn't get into it at all.

Thank you to net galley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is new twist to an Arthurian legend.
Draven is a protective,alpha male, travelling with Morgan on a quest into the Fae lands, searching for a lost artefact Excalibur.
I was not expecting that ending!

I enjoyed the world building and looking forwards to continuing the series and exploring all this world has to offer!

Nothing better than a strong FMC and a broody guard who is secretly a teddy bear! This book kept me coming back for the plot and the perfectly placed spice in it. A little sprinkle of magic, fighting, and an unfinished slow burn. The cliffhanger has me RUNNING to start the next book like yesterday!

I really enjoyed Book 1 of this series. In the middle of the book where they're deep in the journey I was beginning to think it was dragging a little but realized it was needed to develop areas they were traveling through and the history/creatures that are known in each place. I went from being sad for Morgan, to be excited for her, (even though I didn't want her heart to go where it went) to being traveling through and the history/creatures that are known in each place. I went from being sad for Morgan, to be excited for her, (even though I didn't want her heart to go where it went) to being mad for Morgan. Can't wait to see what book 2 holds in store!

Okay wow!
I put this book off for quite some time, but I was finally in the mood to read it and oh Boy! It was truly magnifecent.

From the first Page on I was hooked. The world building is superb. I love and loathe all the characters equally. The story hast everything you need. Just perfect. After I finished it, I instantly started with the second book.

If you are a fan of Jennifer L. Armentrout or Sarah J. Maas you're in for a treat.

This one took me a bit to get into, which I think was mainly because I started it during exam season, but by chapter 10 I was fully engrossed. I wasn’t a big fan of the structure when it started off, but I did find that it improved. At the beginning I felt overwhelmed by backstory and world-building, though as the book continued on it made sense because of how complicated the world was. I loved that it was a twist on the Arthurian story, which I have always really enjoyed.

The bonds between the characters were beautifully written, and I genuinely enjoyed getting to witness them develop. Especially Morgan and Lancelot's friendship. I loved Darven from the beginning, his obvious kindness and gentle but fiercely protective nature. And on the other side, hated Vesper from the beginning, though their connection initially seemed innocent, there always seemed like there was more he wasn’t saying.

The plot was definitely fast-paced (and I found it kinda choppy at times) but was definitely enjoyable. I’ve heard it can be kinda predictable, but I found lots of twists that I wasn’t expecting and that kept me on the edge of my seat.

And though I have many books on my physical tbr that I am determined to finish before the end of this summer, the rest of this series is on the list to read right after and I can’t wait to share my review for those as well.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A plot driven, dark romantasy re-telling of Authrurian Legands ⚔️ with beautiful world-building (still dreaming about the Rose Court🌹) and exciting action! Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer L Armentrout 🧚🏻‍♀️🧝🏻‍♀️🧙🏽‍♂️. The first book in the series acts as a wonderful introduction to the world and characters and will leave readers hungry for more (heads up it ends on a juicy cliffhanger 😉). I'm so excited to start reading the rest of the series and uncovering all the secerts hidden within the pages!

Be sure to take care of yourself and look over the triggers before reading the book because it does get a bit intense 🤗

Thank you to Netgalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for the eArc in exchange for an honest review 🥰

This was a very good dark fae romantasy. The relationships that Morgan has to figure out while figuring out the magic of her own was very daring of her. I feel like we definitely have a good new book boyfriend from this series. I wish Morgan and Draven had a bit more of a deeper look, but looking forward to book two for this! This was well written and kept me at the edge of my seat!

Thank you NetGalley, Starwater Press, and author Briar Boleyn for a copy of this ARC!

This book has so much potential! I have been in a massive fantasy reading rut but was able to pick this one up and enjoy reading it.

I feel like there is a whole lot going on in this book yet at the same time not enough. The world building was there but I was a little bored until about 45% into the book and then it really picked up.

I love the way Morgan and Draven were written, they were the many aspect that had me excited to pick up the book and see what they were going to do next.

I loved some of the side characters but also felt like there were a few that were introduced that had me a little confused. In saying that I am curious to see if they will be coming back in the next books.

Overall, I did enjoy reading Queen of Roses! I will definitely be finishing the series.

*Thank you NetGalley, Starwater Press and Briar Boleyn for sending me a copy of Queen of Roses to review.*

A CAMALOT / ARTHUR RETELLING?! Ummm sign me up.
I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I absolutely loved our MFC AND MMC !!
Morgan went through a lot, and I loved how bad ass she was and continued to be throughout the book.
Daddy Draven 🤌🏼 I loved his character because not only did he protect her.. he let her make her own choices. They might not have been right. But it never felt like he was taking away any of her rights, just stood beside her or next to her whenever she needed it.
Vesper.. IT KNEW IT KNEW IT KNEW IT. Ugh!!!!
Together that enemies to lovers ugh, I can’t wait to read book two.
Lancelet….🫶🏼🥹
So many twists, turns and betrayal at the end!! I can’t wait to watch them POP OFF in the rest of the series !!

I have all the feelings.

I’m angry. I’m giddy. I’m confused.

Arthur strangely reminded me of Jeoffrey from Game of Thrones. A young and evil heir who lets the power go to his head.

I love the contrast in this book. Fantasies romanticize mystical creatures. How beautiful and mesmerizing they are but in this book, we see how ashamed our main character is to have even part of that blood. Morgan doesn’t even want to look like them.
Eventually, we come to understand that she’s not embarrassed, it’s people around her who have made her fear that part of her because they’re scared of her powers.

I wouldn’t say this is a fast paced book. Half of it was world building and the true premise doesn’t start until then. Still, the first half was very engaging. It wasn’t just the author giving descriptions and folklore about the land. I barely noticed it was world building actually.

EVERY CHARACTER HAS CHARACTER!

It’s weird and impressive how well the characters managed to get developed. We don’t know everything about them but we know enough. There are three more books in this series so, we will know more but each and every person that was deemed important in this story got their spotlight in such a special way. There was no one-dimensional character.

I’m impressed and will be expecting better from book 2.

Thanks Netgalley for this book!
I went into this book not knowing what to expect, and ended up really enjoying it! It had the perfect balance of everything, including plot twists, mythical and magical creatures, romance and more.
I never knew what was going to happen next, and there were so many little side plots that I really enjoyed and were really well detailed.
It ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, so I’m off to read the next one.

Also, fuck them kids.

Queen of Roses is the first installment in Briar Boleyn's series, Blood of Fae. This series is for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout. This book series explores the story of Morgan Pendragon, who is a princess that has lived in the shadows of her brother King Arthur. She soon finds out that she blood of fae. Her life is turned upside down when she is being tasked with finding a dangerous but legendary Fae weapon.

🗡️🗡️Book Review🗡️🗡️
#queenofroses by @briarboleynauthor
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

Let the #fae Queen begin her journey of self identifying in book 1 of a 4 novel series! There are triggers, but they are lightly touched and 🌶️spice only occurs once in this book which bad me wanting more!!
"Queen of Roses" is a fantasy romance novel that follows the story of Morgan Pendragon, a half-Fae and half-human princess who is rejected by her brother, the king, due to her Fae heritage. She is sent on a perilous journey to retrieve a legendary sword, accompanied by two murderous bodyguards, one of whom is the enigmatic warrior Kairos Draven. As Morgan navigates the treacherous world of Fae politics and magic, she discovers secrets about her past and her destiny that threaten to destroy everything she holds dear.

It's an adventure with beautiful moments that will make your heart soar and sadistic moments that will make you wish for the worst to befall some of the characters. The world-building is incredible, with a richly detailed Fae world that is both brutal and alluring. The characters are well-developed, with complex motivations and backstories that add depth to the story. The writing is engaging, with a captivating plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

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In this amazing Authrorian fantasy you have everything. Action, magic, plot twist and a varied lineup of characters that keep you guessing. You find yourself in a world that you don't expect and follow Morgan, the FMC as she is sent on a journey she isn't ready for. You follow along as she discovers the world outside her kingdom and learns more about her world and the people in it. There is never a dull moment as you go through a quest and don't know who to trust. The plot twist hit you when you least expect it. Very well done, will be reading the next installment.

This was a great dark fantasy romance. It was fast paced and I couldn’t put the book down. I enjoyed the mystery of knowing there were plot twists coming and characters were not what they seemed, but not yet knowing how or why. The world building was the best, I’m intrigued by the unique world created. The idea mixed with the classic King Arthur/Excalibur story is very interesting. Cliff hanger was frustrating…but I’ll definitely pick up the next book as soon as possible.

Okay, I’m so in love with this series!! Coming off of an ACOTAR hangover and this is a complete godsend. The Arthur and Camolet storyline twists are so addicting! It’s kept me on my toes page after page! Starting Book 2 now because there’s no way I can wait with that cliff hanger!!! ❤️