I’m so appreciative to receive ARC for the third and final book of The Sacred Stones Trilogy. I commend Kate Golden on her first series and being a published author. I could not wait to read the third book after reading the cliffhanger from Promise of Peridot. Arwen is so tough and has been through a lot and I loved seeing her more feisty side. I wish there was more. I wanted more fleshed out story and more depth. I really want a Mari and Griffin book! It was a nice end to the series. I will be writing a review on social media as it gets closer to the release date. Way to go, Kate! You are on my author list to read everything you write.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed it as a whole, and I am glad to have embarked on this adventure with Arwen, Kane, Mari, and Griffin, but at the same time, many aspects of this book fell a little flat.

This book picks up a few weeks after the end of A Promise of Peridot, and things are dire for Arwen and Kane. The beginning of the book is easy to devour, the pace is good and it alternates between Kane’s desperate plan to kill his father and Arwen’s time as a captive in Lazarus’ palace. For those of you who don’t enjoy it when the main characters are separated, don’t fret, they are reunited before the middle of the book. After that though, I found it hard to remain invested in the book. The middle felt long, the characters were back to planning Lazarus’ defeat and there was a lull in the pace that made it too easy to get distracted and read something else instead.

The fact that our favorite witch and grumpy guard are absent for almost half of the book didn’t help either. Eventually, the gang is all reunited, but we almost don’t see Mari and Griffin until the second half of the book, and I missed them. I am also sad that Mari and Griffin only had a handful of interactions with each other in this book. I needed more of them, I miss their banter and push and pull from the previous books.

As is the case in the previous books of the series, there is a good mix of action, magic, and politics in this book, but I am not sure how I feel about the politics part. Kane and Arwen have to turn to the Rose Kingdom to try to negotiate an alliance that will help them in the war against Lazarus, and they present Rose’s history and its Queen as an important part of their plan, but we never heard about the Queen or Rose’s past before this book. They casually mentioned events and elements like we should have known about them, but it was the first time they talked about it. It would have felt less jarring, or out of the blue if we’d heard more about Rose and its Queen in the previous books before it became such a key aspect of their plan and political maneuvering.

The action and fighting scenes were good. It was a mix of magic and sword fights, but as is the case with the rest of the book, I feel that there is a little something missing. The ending was good but felt a little underwhelming and rushed at the same time. As I said at the beginning of the review: lots of mixed feelings.

Kane and Arwen are still forces to be reckoned with. A strong and fierce unit, with swoon-worthy moments, and spicy ones too. They remain mostly the same throughout the book though, there is not much character development, as the focus is more on the plot and finding a way to defeat Lazarus. Arwen grew so much in the first two books though that I didn’t mind a book where her character development was not as present. The same goes for Kane, I think most of the growth for them was done already in the previous books. We could feel from the start here that they are strong, confident, and a tight unit. Arwen is not looking for meaning and purpose anymore, and she is not afraid to die either, Kane shows us that he is willing to do almost anything for Arwen and for his quest to end Lazarus, but without becoming a “bad guy” in the process. He will sacrifice himself without hesitation but understands that Arwen would never forgive him, nor would he, if he crossed the line and sacrificed others in his quest to kill Lazarus.

Aleksander is such an intriguing character! I need to know more about him. Hart Renwick is also an interesting new character, but just like Aleksander, we saw him very briefly, and then he was absent for the rest of the book. I understand that the author wanted to focus her attention on the main characters and their relationships, but I think I would have been more invested in the plot if we’d seen more of Aleksander and Hart.

I recommend this series to any fantasy lovers looking for their next adventure. Overall, this was a good and entertaining finale to the series, and I am so happy I agreed to read an ARC of the first book back when it was released, because Arwen, Kane, Griffin, and Mari are wonderful, and their adventure was full of magic, politics, and action, but I still feel that this last book fell a little flat. After the explosive ending to the second book, I was hoping and expecting a little more from this final installment.

This was the ending I needed 😭😭 Arwen really came into herself during this installment. The way she sees connections as strengths and not weaknesses. Arwen continued to help Kane become the King he was meant to be. A lot of foreshadowing from previous books finally came to fruition in this one. I cannot wait to see what future spin offs from this series come out of it.

What a satisfying ending to this incredible trilogy! 5 stars all the way! Although, if I'm honest, there have been a few hints in this final book that this series (or at least some of the characters in them) is not over. Hmmm.....

Like the other two books in her series, Reign of Rose is fast-paced which I'm not mad about. It doesn't seem too quick where you think the author is rushing through things, it's just action packed and things are happening all the time (think the last 100 pages of a Sarah J Maas book and that's all of Golden's books throughout the whole thing).

There were multiple things I loved in this book including the despair she writes Kane's POV in. You can feel into your very bones how exhausted and depressed he is from him thinking Arwen is dead (this isn't a spoiler - she's not dead but he doesn't know that). When they reunite and the banter picks up right where they left off, it brings me so much joy.

And don't even get me started with Mari and Griffin... are we getting their book?!?!?! Because that would be awesome.

If you like romantasy, you'll love this series. It's a bit "trope-heavy" but is also welcomed and you sorta know what you're getting into. Although there were a few plot twists that spiced things up a bit in this book. I highly recommend this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a stunning and epic conclusion to one of my all-time favorite Romantasy series! I had the absolute pleasure of being an ARC reader for all three books, and they were so wonderful. Book three really amped up the action, spice, and emotions. I binged this in two days. So good. Can't wait to reread on audio.

Looking forward to whatever you do next, KG! TYSM for letting me be an ARC reader!

I really enjoyed it. Will be purchasing for our library members. Very excited to add this book to our catalog.

3.5 ⭐️

It was a nice closure for this fantasy trilogy. I must say though a lot of this book felt flat. For more than half of this book I was bored. It’s only near the end that it started to pick up and that some plot twist happened. The ending was satisfying but I’d recommend overall to listen to this series instead of reading it. I feel like it’s the best way to enjoy it.

♾️ The perfect ending to this trilogy that I never wanted to end.

This was immaculate and my favorite book in the trilogy - which is insane because book 1 was also an infinity rating. I legit didn't want this to ever end and I am so sad it's over 🥹

Kate Golden crushed this debut trilogy. It is such an amazing fantasy series!!

Honestly, the ending blew me away. BLEW ME AWAY. The action in this book was everything. It was go go go and those are genuinely my favorite types of fantasy books (once you get all the world building)

Kane.. is still everything
Arwen.. is even more badass
Mari + Griffin.. are some of the absolute best side characters EVER
Hart.. is a new side character I am obsessed with. His lines had me laughing so hard

Chapter 14 WAS EPIC
Chapter 21 WOAHHHH 🥵

I will also say this series starts out as new adult but I think I'd consider this book in the trilogy to be more "adult" because it's hands down the spiciest.

Highlights
"Everything... it's all for you."

"Whatever you want, I'm game for." 🤭🤭

"Must I tether you to this bed, my king?"
"I'll be good."

"I love you. I'll love you wherever I am, whatever I am. Always."

-romantasy
-dragons
-magic
-captivity
-banter
-plot twists
🌶️🌶️

This was a good conclusion to this trilogy and i loved the romance, lore, battle and questions that were answered in this book. The spice was spicing, especially when the mmc talked her through it. The main characters were badass, i liked the training sessions, fight scenes and all the longing and chemistry. This is a dual pov romantasy that has action, spice, dragons, politics, queens, kings, war, shifters and so much more. Thank you Berkley for this arc!

This was a great conclusion to this series! After inhaling the first two, I feel very fortunate to have received the ARC, especially when the story was still fresh in my mind. Books 1 and 3 are the best--slow beginnings and satisfying endings. If you thought book two suffered a little of middle book syndrome, fear not. This was expertly paced, especially in the beginning when the two main characters were apart. I think the alternating perspectives with engaging storylines really saved what could have otherwise been a dreadful period of the book (it's never fun when two lovers are separated). I will say, the book is a little long. Maybe a side quest or two could have been trimmed, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. **Spoiler alert** I was initially frustrated that we kept not seeing Arwen's shifting (only those back tingles!), but I'm glad it was revealed only at the end--it would've spoiled everything had it come earlier. And, please, please give us a Griffin/Mari book! I feel like there's enough teeing up for that, so I hope it happens! Merci, again, for this ARC. It was a fun ride.

I cannot believe this trilogy is over! We enter this series in mass chaos. Everyone believes Arwen to be dead, Kane and all her friends are mourning her supposed death while Arwen is actually alive and has been stolen away by our villain to harvest her light!

I loved how these characters found their way back to each other and tied off their loose knots! I am hoping, with the little teaser of Aleksander and his focus on Kane and Arwen's future daughter that their will be a continuation of this series following new characters!!! I also have to know if Mari and Griffin finally get together. Kate Golden, I have loved this series, please don't leave me hanging!

I really cannot share much, but this was a great ending to a great series. The steam/spice were a great balance with the development of these characters. Please add to your TBR!

Special thanks to the publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoyed A Dawn of Onyx and A Promise of Peridot, so you can imagine my excitement when I was approved for an ARC of the final book in the trilogy, A Reign of Rose!

This book picks up about two months after the second book ends, and we are instantly thrust back into danger, danger, and more danger—perfect for me because I want all the suspense!

Personally, I found the pacing of this book to be just my cup of tea. In some fantasy romance series, I find that by the time the trilogy rolls around, the tension and buildup have burnt out. This was not the case in this trilogy! There were so many thrilling and challenging moments that had me clutching my pearls.

The side characters also brought tension and suspense, making this book all the more enjoyable. The author definitely laid some crumbs for possible storylines to come, and...consider me hooked! Wrapping up Arwen and Kane's story is so bittersweet, but I'm excited to see what's next in this magical universe!

What a great ending! What a great, fantasy romance series.

What to expect:
- fae, shifters, witches ✨
- magical quest 🧭
- kingdom politics 👑
- epic battles🗡️

Plot summary:
There are 9 kingdoms (named after gemstones) that are on different sides of a fae/mortal war. The fae kingdom led by Lazarus (the supposed last full fae) are the villains set on taking over all the nine kingdoms to get fae back in power. Kane (MMC) is not only Lazarus's son but also the King of the Onyx kingdom. In the world, those with fae blood can use their power to shift into other creatures (dragons, griffins, hydra, harpies, etc). And did I mention there is also witches?

Book 3 picks up right where Promise of Peridot left off. Arwen and Kane are separated after the battle with Lazarus. Lazarus has taken her and Kane thinks she is dead.

Truly, the heartbreak that Kane is going through is gut-wrenching. And the way the author writes his POV is so full of melancholy, it's tragic. But no matter what, Kane will always fight for Arwen and that is an MMC I love.

And Arwen is such a survivor through this whole series. If you like BAMF female main characters, then you will love this series and this book. This is a story about a woman who defies the odds and comes into her own power. Everyone wants something from her but she has to decide for herself what she is willing to sacrifice.

Other random thoughts:
- The forest scene was so hot I melted 🫠
- Ryder is the worst
- With the atmosphere, this would be great to read around Halloween 🍂
- This tension between Mari and Griffin is immaculate and I need more! 🥵
- Can I get more of Aleksander because he is giving broody, Viking zaddy?
- When she made him submit 🥵🔥💥 go off, Arwen!
- Also loved the witch/coven elements

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌶️🌶️.75

The final installment of Kate Golden’s Sacred Stones trilogy is an incredibly wild ride from start to finish and readers will love to get to the end, but will be sad to finish the book. After reading this book in one sitting, it’s quite enjoyable the thrill of what would come next, which was a bit of a change from the previous two books. I think part of the reason is the fact that the characters we’ve grown to know and love displayed some true growth in this book, and there are some bits of story that are revealed and seem to be hinting at Golden not being finished in the Sacred Stones world.

I’m going to do my best to avoid spoilers, but there are a couple that are inevitable due to events in the previous book. I would recommend scrolling away if you’re wanting to avoid them. A Reign of Rose finds the king of the Onyx Kingdom a broken man. Kane would do anything for Arwen’s safe return, but it seems like she might be past saving. Nevertheless, he must find a way to fulfil the prophecy and kill his father, even if it means his own death. For Arwen, the battle has already begun, and there is nothing she’s willing to sacrifice to save the realm from destruction.

Of the three books, Reign of Rose was my favourite. Although the book is fast paced like the others, it makes sense for the general atmosphere of the characters and the story itself. I’m going to do my best not to spoil any major plot points, but I appreciate the amount of growth displayed among the characters. We got to have more of Kane’s perspective, and in my secret little heart, I also wish we could have gotten into the head of a couple more characters too. However, getting to see just how much Kane is affected by what’s happened to Arwen and the consequences of that are just perfect.

Spice-wise, there was a little more to this book than the previous two that I think will absolutely delight romance readers. I did enjoy Kane and Arwen’s banter, too. Mari and Griffin are the couple to watch though. Golden keeps bringing them up…so I wonder what’s happening there?

There were times in this book that I felt like the reader might be a little stretched thin for the things that they had to remember, so if someone is picking this up upon release, I would definitely recommend a re-read. I started this just after finishing A Promise of Peridot, and I still had a bit of trouble.

While I tend to lean toward stories that feature heavier worldbuilding, the way that Golden wrote her story to develop both the romantic and fantasy aspects of the story. There’s just enough to tantalise the reader, but not so much that it’s overwhelming either. I genuinely think that this would be an excellent start for a reader that’s wanting to delve into romantasy, or even take a break from some of the heavier fantasy stories out there.

There are a few reveals in this book that have lead me to believe that the story won’t end with this trilogy, and I am so excited for what might come next. Is it a bit trope-heavy? Yes, but I definitely think it’s a worthy read. I would add it to any romance and fantasy reader’s shelf. This book served as a bit of a palate cleanser, since I have some pretty hefty books up next for review.

I had been awaiting the conclusion of the Sacred Stones series, and I was lucky enough to be gifted the ARC via the author’s newsletter. I love this series and the final installment was no exception.

the conclusion to The Sacred Stones trilogy by Kate Golden ✨

it’s me, hi, i’m the problem it’s me. Reign of Rose was a bitter sweet end to a romantasy series I had so much fun reading, but ultimately I was left somewhat disappointed. While A Dawn of Onyx captivated me with the courts and kingdoms, and A Promise of Peridot made me fall in love with the characters (especially side characters), A Reign of Rose left me wanting for that epic conclusion we all strive for in fantasy.

things i did enjoy: being back in the world of the sacred stones, kate golden’s fast paced writing, well written spice 😮‍💨, and the introduction of some reeeaaally cool side characters.

some things I wished for: character depth all around. this is HARD when it comes to a conclusion of a series where things are being all wrapped up, but i was disappointed in missed opportunities when it came to character depth and development. Mari and Griffin are some of my favorite side characters and they only had a few interactions. The Queen of Rose and Aleksander were SUCH cool characters that only made a few appearances. Even Arwen and Kane, who have been through so much, felt somewhat surface level.

i write this with a heavy heart because i really enjoyed this series, but this book just wasn’t hitting for me! i would still recommend the series for anyone looking for a captivating romantasy series akin to A Court of Thorns and Roses. Thank you to Berkeley and NetGalley for the eARC!

What a great end to the trilogy! I loved this series so much. Please please read it if you get the chance!

THIS SERIES is EVERYTHING I want from a Romantasy. I loved the slow burn from the first two books alongside the magic, action, and the politics and war plots. The Romance and Fantasy were so perfectly balanced with each other that I was completely invested.

A REIGN OF ROSE concluded Arwen and Kane and Onyx's story so well. Dare I say this one did lean a bit more on the fantasy/war plot - which I believe was required to provide us with a satisfying conclusion. I loved that we got a book where the slow burn tension had resolved (but still got some of that gloriously decadent tension with other characters!) and we got to see our leads being hopelessly in love and fighting the world to be together. I do love when the romance "crisis" isn't between the character but between the two of them and some outside force. With the prophecy, Lazarus, both of their love for their kingdom we truly got quite the crisis.

I did miss some of the side characters in this one. I didn't feel like they were as prominent as the other books but when they were on page, everything felt right.

There was so much to tie up and resolve and Golden did a great job crafting a solid conclusion to this trilogy.

I can’t believe it’s over. This series has my heart forever and I’m so happy they got the happy ending they deserved 💜

A fantastic end to the Sacred Stones trilogy!

I devoured this romantasy series and cannot wait for more books from Kate Golden. This unique world was full of mystery, love, and courage. A Reign of Rose ties up all the loose threads from this series, while still leaving room for more. A sequel series, perhaps?