A Reign of Rose, by Kate Golden, is the third and final installment in the authors The Sacred Stones trilogy. This is once again a dual POV narrative story between Arwen Valondale and Kane Ravenwood. There are 9 kingdoms (named after gemstones) that are on different sides of a fae/mortal war. The story picks up two months after the cliffhanger ending of A Promise of Peridot. After being betrayed by Queen Amelia, Arwen is prisoner of the Fae King Lazarus Ravenwood.

Lazarus wants pure blooded fae children to rule Evendell and since Arwen is the last pure blood in existence, she is his only chance at getting what he demands. For months, Arwen has drained of her light magic by the sadistic Octavia to make sure she can't try to escape, while Lazarus uses her light to enhance his own abilities. For a long time, Arwen realizes that nobody is coming to save her and that she has to find a way to save herself. There are some curious surprises when it comes to Arwen, and the ending which I refuse to spoil.

Meanwhile, Kane, King of Onyx, has spent the past two months trying to find a way to kill his father but he needs the Blade of the Sun to do so. Kane believes that Arwen fell in the battle with Lazarus, and has no idea that she is being held hostage as a blood mare. In order to find the Blade, Kane travels to meet a man that could make him immortal so that he can kill Lazarus. This story takes our characters to new lands, and new threats, and even more wicked characters who may or may not be open to joining them against Lazarus.

*Brutal ending if I am honest. I didn't think it was necessary to kill off one particular character who was truly one of the best secondary characters and it broke Arwen's heart, but war sucks and sometimes people die. Arwen is definitely a much more interesting character in this book. She takes responsibility for being the one to make sure Kane doesn't die trying to kill Lazarus. I also loved how much Kane goes through in order to take down not only Lazarus, but to save Evendell for everyone, not only fae and humans. Kane is a wonderful character who proves his love and loyalty to his people.

I was blown away by A Reign of Rose by Kate Golden—one of the most magnificent trilogy finales I’ve ever had the delight of reading!!

I’ve been screaming my love for this romantasy series at the top of my lungs to anyone who will listen all year long. I sincerely mean it when I say these books NEED to be on every romantasy reader's radar!!

I started 2024 with A Dawn of Onyx and it has easily remained a top read of the year; after devouring books 2 and 3, I can officially declare the Sacred Stones trilogy a forever all-time favorite fantasy romance series.

P.S. Desperately awaiting a Mari and Griffin spin-off series, Kate!! PRETTY PLEASE?!

This entire series was an enjoyable adventure. I love the way Kate Golden writes. I love how fast the pacing was for book 3. Reign of rose has a perfect balance of romance, magic, and action. This is such an addicting series with the best cast of side characters and an actual “villain” that you will truly hate.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC!

This has been such a fun and exciting fantasy romance series! A Reign of Rose was a great conclusion to this trilogy that was full of interesting world building, great writing, and the best- touch her and die vibes 🔥

I thought this was a perfect ending to this trilogy!

Kane and Arwen went through SO much. Kate really put us through it with the emotional damage in this one 😅

The world was expanded even further, creating an even more whimsical setting. This is one of the most unique worlds I think I’ve read in a fantasy series.

The amount of conflict these characters had to endure, the way they pushed through and never gave up on each other, and the found family aspect of it all was so touching and well done. And after so much turmoil, war, and overcoming of impossible odds, I thought it was wrapped up perfectly!

Highly recommend this series to any romantasy lover!

I loved this adventure. The epic conclusion to the Sacred Stones Trilogy. I had a fantastic time with this story. The conclusion felt final but also left the world open to more. I hope that we get t meet these characters again someday. I love Kane's growth, he was exactly what Arwen needed in her life. Mari and Griffin are the best friends anyone could ask for. Kate's writing was descriptive and I could picture the scenes in my head. No spoilers, making a 3rd book difficult to review, but I will say the ending was executed perfectly! I would recommend these 3 books to anyone who likes adventure, shadowy Dragon shifter MMC, healer FMC and found family that is absolutely top tier.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy of this book.

I have enjoyed this series but have had a difficult time getting into this book. I hope to pick it back up again soon, to find out the finale to this series!!

Picking up shortly after the events of the second book, we follow our main characters as they work together to overcome a common deadly foe.

Overall, this book is very fast-paced and a great conclusion to the series. I just adore Kane and Arwen, and their development throughout the series was amazing. I can’t wait to see what Kate Golden will write next!

3.5/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC (and physical!!) in exchange for my honest review!

This was a great ending to the trilogy that I was lucky enough to read early for each book. I really became invested in Arwen and Kane’s story and like how it was wrapped up. It was an epic adventure that really hit the points I wanted it to. I do wish we had more time with Mari and Griffin but I think the author is going to do more with them as their story felt really open ended.

The final book in the Sacred Stones romantasy trilogy, A Reign of Rose, releases tomorrow, so today I’m sharing my thoughts on the series as a whole.

I really loved this series! It’s an enemies to lovers story that follows Arwen, a young healer who offers her services to Onyx, a kingdom at war with her own, in exchange for the release of her brother, Ryder. It is here that she becomes acquainted with Kane, the Onyx King. Kane has a reputation for being a horrible and vicious ruler, but the more Arwen gets to know him, the more she realizes there’s more to him than meets the eye.

I really loved both Arwen and Kane. They’re both such multi-layered characters. I admired Arwen’s bravery and intelligence, as well as her desire to sacrifice herself to protect those she loves. Sometimes her decisions weren’t always the best, but I loved watching her character growth throughout the series. Kane is a bit of a morally gray character, but he’s so charming and charismatic that he’s easy to love as well.

The enemies to lovers romance is so well done too! I just ate up their flirty banter as well as the more emotional scenes between Kane and Arwen. They really should not love one another, but the heart wants what it wants. I also fell in love with several of the side characters too, who were just hilarious.

Filled with well developed characters, exquisite world building, political intrigue, action, ominous prophecies, a delicious slow burn romance, and cliffhangers that will have you screaming, The Sacred Stones Trilogy is pretty darn close to perfection!

This series ended on a romantasy triumph! It was well written and the world-building was extremely digestible. I loved the love of Arwen and Kane, but I don't think I was ever truly invested or obsessed with the characters as I wanted to be. The middle also really lost me and I saw a lot of the twists at the end. Easily a romantasy series I recommend but I think it's just more of a me thing for this series not being obsessed. I do think it ended where it needed to end and again, on a romantasy triumph!

I’m crying in the club rn

The end to one of my new favorite series and I have so many FEELINGS. I was nervous going into this book just bc I love these characters so much and the last book of a trilogy always has so much heavy lifting to do plot wise.

I shouldn’t have worried. Kate put her entire back into this book and delivered on every front. I ate up all the little moments with side characters. Foamed at the mouth every time Kane was on screen. & teared up all throughout.

Highly recommend for the fantasy romance readers!!

This is an incredibly bingeable romantasy trilogy, and trust me you’ll want to binge them all after books 1 & 2’s cliffhangers… Arwen is a badass and honestly the MCs are forces to be reckoned with, both together and apart. I think the overall plot is compelling and certainly kept me on my toes throughout.

My main complaint with this book was the pacing. The beginning was action packed and honestly stressful, as was the ending, but the book lulled a bit in the middle.

I would’ve really loved to get a bit more about Aleksander and Hart. They were such interesting characters that play a pretty decent role in this one, and I know the focus should be on Arwen and the main group, but I wish we got a bit more on those two.

While this is a solid debut trilogy, I think the courts and some of the rulers needed to be expanded upon a bit in this. Rose and its Queen are discussed as being fierce and sort of feared because of this, but we don’t really get much on them until this final book. Also throughout the series I just don’t understand how Onyx functions as a kingdom when it doesn’t seem that Kane is actively there ruling much?? Idk, I enjoyed this and do recommend, but I hope Golden dives a little deeper into world building as she grows and evolves as an author.

Thank you Berkley for gifting me a paperback of A Reign of Rose. Decision to read/review was my own. Opinion is my own.

Series Highlights:
- Romantasy: MF
- Slow burn series
- Who did this to you
- Burn down the world for you
- Touch her & 💀
- Revenge
- Dragons, witches, fae
- Court politics

Happy release week to the FINAL BOOK in one of my favorite trilogies! A REIGN OF ROSE by @kategoldenauthor is OUT NOW! 🌹👑🥀🍂♥️

My dear friend @old.enough.for.fairytales introduced our bookclub to the first book in this series back in 2022 and we were all (and remain) obsessed! I think I’ve posted about each book in this series on my page - I’ll share them to my stories today! 🤗

When people come to me and say they just finished all SJM books and do not know where to go next, I always suggest these books! They have great world building, fascinating magic, funny side characters, tension-filled romance, and so much more! ♥️

If you are like me and feel somewhat exhausted by the constant cliff hangers in fantasy romance books, this series is now finished! It’s a great 3 book trilogy that you can read and know the entire series is out and you’re going to get a final conclusion at the end of this book! I absolutely loved Kane and Arwen and even though I am sad to see them go, I am happy with how the series ended!

Kate Golden has a fan for life in me! I cannot wait to see what we get next from her! ♥️♥️♥️

Reign of Rose
3.75⭐️3🌶️

Third book
Dual POV
Fantasy Romance
Healer FMC
Magic
War
Dragons
Mythical beasts
Betrayal

Imprisonment, self harm, Death, War

The book picks up nicely a few weeks after the end of book 2. There is some time jumping at the beginning that I feel lessened the impact of the kidnapping/imprisonment. It did introduce new characters that I loved.

The pacing was decent, but there were definite lulls where it just felt like the same plotting from previous books.

With how much plot happened off page, this should have been a multi pov book. Maintaining the dual pov and having side characters just show up with problem solving items/ideas/people in tow made it a bit too clean of a resolution to specific plot holes for my taste.

There was a lot of action/fighting/war but at times it was hard to follow clearly. So much felt jumbled up, especially in the pov shifts.

I feel like sometimes the character choices were very abnormal. They serve the plot, but they’re not consistent with who the characters are in previous books. But then they would have a moment that was very lined up with the character development.

I guess I don’t mind loose ends, if the Author admits that they are loose ends. It felt like a definite set up for expanding this series by at least 2 possible couples, but I don’t know if they would be compelling or high enough stakes after the villain of this story is defeated. I don’t think I would read further in this world.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Sacred Stones Series- 3.75⭐️3🌶️
A Dawn of Onyx- 4⭐️3🌶️
A Promise of Peridot-3.5⭐️3🌶️
Reign of Rose-3.75⭐️3🌶️

This is the third and final book in the Sacred Stones Trilogy. Book two left off in a way that had me grabbing book three immediately! This was the perfect ending to Arwen’s story. I absolutely loved these characters and world, I have missed them since I finished these books. I loved this series so much!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Kate Golden, and Berkeley for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on October 8th.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok.

A Reign of Rose begins a few weeks after the end of A Promise of Peridot. Arwen has been in Lumeria for a few weeks, spending all of her time basically in a gilded cage of a bedroom suite with two good cop, bad cop bodyguards and Kane's aunt visiting every few days to harvest her lighte. Meanwhile, Kane was making good on his promise to find the wizard and become full fae, through unexpected means.

The story was a perfect end to Arwen and Kane. Do I still have questions? Yes. Do I now want spin offs? Absolutely yes (looking at you Griffin and Mari). But overall, I felt like this did justice to the story I've been in love with for years now.

I have loved this trilogy from the start! Kane and Arwen’s love story is just so beautiful! For a first Romantasy series, Kate Golden did such a wonderful job creating this world and characters that make us want to come back to it each book. This last book had so much action and emotions and romance packed in. Because there was so much packed in, I wish I had more time in this world to really dive deeper into some of the loose ends. Maybe we’ll get a companion story? But overall, I enjoyed myself reading this story and this last book gave me all the things I was hoping for and more!

#AReignOfRose:⁣
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Thanks for the free book @prhaudio @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #PRHAudioPartner ⁣
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“Do not equate bravery with fearlessness. If someone like you has nothing left to fear, it will be your heart I worry for. Fear is human, and only grows as we come to care deeply for others.”⁣
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We say goodbye to Evendell and Lumera and it’s so bittersweet. It was so hard to read Arwen’s chapters. It was so unjust and I was so pissed at first. The amount of emotion that I had from reading the chapters just shows how emotionally attached I am to these characters. ⁣
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Like with any war, there’s so much death and destruction that will rip your heart out. There’s also hope, friendship, and a promise of better tomorrow. I cried, I cheered, I clutched my pearls. Typical Romantasy vibes.⁣
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Ruby Cherise and Will Damron will forever be Arwen and Kane. They’re both great readers and I highly recommend the entire series on audio.⁣
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Definitely a series that will stick with me, one of my favorite Romantasies. The found family is so strong with this series, my heart truly bursts with happiness. The 3rd and final book in the series is out today.

A Reign of Rose by Kate Golden is the 3rd and final book in her The Sacred Stones romantasy trilogy. This picks up a few weeks after the end of A Promise of Peridot, with Arwen captured by Lazarus. Arwen fears Lazarus, as he plans on making her have children as his blood heir; she has been unable to escape, with Lazarus making sure guards are constantly watching her.
Kane, thinking that Arwen is dead, is determined to find the Blade that will kill his father, Lazarus. He leaves behind his team, to find his father; and while sneaks in at the ball, he is shocked to see Arwen, dressed to the hilt, and alive. Kane rescues Arwen, and together they manage to escape and find their way home; to gather their soldiers, and hopefully negotiate with other alliances.
Kane and Arwen return to the Rose Kingdom, with Mari, Griffin, Briar and others that are surprised and happy to see that Arwen is alive. They will need all the help they can get to fight the war against Lazarus. Arwen (the last full fae blooded born), is destined to kill Lazarus, accepting her fate in a prophecy meant to be her doom; but Kane plans on getting the Blade and ensuring that he is the one who will kill his father, and answer the prophecy of his death.
Arwen becomes so much stronger and a badass (she becomes a Phoenix), believing in herself, and her powers, as well as her confidence and outlook on her life. Kane loves Arwen so much, that he will do anything to keep her safe. I really loved how much both Arwen and Kane love each other. Great couple. I really liked the found family vibes, with so many of the wonderful characters, such as Mari, Griffin, Dagan, Briar, Wyn, just to name a few.
What follows is an intense, non- stop action, dragons, war and spice. Kane is determined to find the Blade that will kill his father and protect Arwen. The last 1/4 of the book was full of adventure, danger, intrigue, fast-paced, twists and turns, with an epic battle at the end. I was unable to put the book down, as it kept my attention throughout. It was also emotional, as well as steamy; with Kane and Arwen being together.
This was a wonderful romantasy, with the war, exciting, non-stop action filled; and romantic side with the emotional love and spice. The climax and epilogue were great, especially with Kane and Arwen together. A Reign of Rose was so very well written by Kate Golden. I hope that Kate Golden will give us more into this unique world; perhaps Mari/Griffin, Hart Renwick or Aleksander. Let’s hope, as I do want more.