This one just didn’t really hit for me. It was pretty average. I was bored for most of the book because I just wasn’t all that invested in what was happening. I also think that some of the things didn’t really make sense. For example, one of the characters that we continue to get viewpoints from really shouldn’t have continued to have a big part in this book yet they did. There weren’t any surprises or plot twists, I saw everything coming before it happened. I felt like the author also tried a bit too hard for everyone to have a happy ending with someone by there side. It felt too perfectly wrapped up for me. I just wasn’t fully immersed in this book. One last thing that I was disappointed to see was some of the ill-timed spicy scenes the author chose to include, though I know a lot of people will enjoy that.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

“I think… you may have underestimated me. People are always doing that.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you forever publishing for the gifted book!

Okay I liked this a lot more than book 3 😌 It’s still pretty character driven, but once we get to the last 50ish percent things really start to pick up!

So the first half of the book would’ve been about 3 stars for me. I feel like we had so many new problems added to this book and there wasn’t a lot of progress at first, which led to the conflicts being resolved quickly. I’m definitely an action, heavy plot girlie so when the slow stuff gets dragged out I start to get bored.

The second half of this book was definitely more my speed! It felt like a completely different book. It was so fast paced with plenty of ups and downs and action! I really started to get into it 🤭 I also definitely cried towards the end 🥲

“The crown isn’t important. What matters is family and friendship and this burning flame I carry in my heart for her.”

I really enjoyed the characters in this one. I feel like they all really lived up to their potential and they stayed true to their character while growing! Lor will forever be my girl, I just love her 😭 I do wish we would’ve seen more of willow still.

“At one point, I vowed never to let him have my heart. But it’s his now, every last piece of it. And he was never my ruin. He was always my salvation.”

4.5 ⭐️ but rounding to 5
Firstly, thank you NetGalley and Forever publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.

My gosh what a journey! Every character had such a wonderful character arc. The ones who deserved a HEA got it and the ones who had karma coming got that too 👀.

And when I tell you that shit is constantly hitting the fan I really do mean that. It felt like there wasn’t light at the end of the tunnel at some points but we got there in the end and I was in the edge of my seat from start to finish.

With that said I definitely noticed this book was way more plot focused than spice in comparison to book 2 or 3. This isn’t a complaint whatsoever but I just figured to put that out there. I’d give this book 🌶️🌶️.

My ONLY small complaint is that I wanted more in the end. I wanted more time with these characters to enjoy their peace. I feel like I spent so long with watching these characters fight for their lives that I just wanted more to see them happier for a little bit longer. Maybe that’s just me not ready to say goodbye to them yet though 🤷🏻‍♀️.

For Nisha if you see this for some reason:
We met at a signing in Chicago and I just want to say that you definitely delivered everything you promised for this book! Oh and I don’t hate Gabriel anymore. I see what you were doing for his character lol.

I will forever be an auto-buy fan of Nisha’s and this series will always hold a special place in my heart ❤️

Guys listen, I flew through this one so fast that I didn’t even find the time to highlight anything, even though I know there were so many things I wanted to. So, you’re getting a super candid review because my heart will forever be sad this story is over but also so thrilled at the beautiful way it ended for all of our beloved characters in Ouranos. Truly, I cried multiple times, it was the perfect ending. But, boy, does Nisha make us suffer for awhile there! Zerra? The new Regina George, I really very strongly disliked her and was very satisfied with how her part of the story ended. I loved getting to see so many more parts of the history of the artefacts and arks and the domain Zerra inhabits this go around as opposed to the history of what happened on the ground in the last couple of books (though I loved that as well). It allowed so many puzzle pieces to click together in a satisfying way and made for some truly beautiful moments. I am trying my very hardest not to be spoilery here, which is why this all seems very vague, but I promise you this is the most glorious ride that you won’t want to get off at the end. Oh! And getting to see more of other Primaries was a blast. Lor coming into her fierceness even more and doing what she needed to do to finally get to the end of that long journey to the Heart Crown was incredible, and the big bad? Guys, you won’t see the big bad coming and it’s a doozy of a final sequence when they do. This series was flawless from the first book to the last, and I honestly don’t have enough words to convey my feelings!

Read This Book If…you need to know what happens to Lor and Nadir!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Tale of the Heart Queen by Nisha J. Tuli

Genre: romantasy
Series: Artefacts of Ouranos # 4
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: fantasy world
POV: multiple, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: fated mates

My Thoughts:
What an epic end to this series!

Overall, I really enjoyed it. I loved getting to finally see a few of the other courts and their rulers.

For some spoiler-y things… The sexual assault of Nadir was hard to read and I was rooting for him to escape the entire time. Also, I loved that the FMC was not the one to lose her power/magic this time!!

If you’re looking for a completed fantasy series to binge, this is the one!!

Memorable Quote: “Perhaps no one can resist a love story. And if we survive this, ours will be one for the ages.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

This final book and this series is one of my all time favorites. I enjoyed this world. the growth and journey of our main characters, as well as the side characters. This story pulled me in from that first line in book 1 to the very end of Tale of the Heart Queen. All the action, magic, betrayals, twists and turns, banter, slow burn, and more banter was absolutely fabulous. I am sad that the story has ended, but it ended well and I am happy with the outcome.

Tale of the Heart Queen is the final installment of the Tales of Ouranous and it wraps everything up PERFECTLY! The ending had me tearing me up and the whole book made me so happy and hopeful and sad that this was the end! This book might be my 2nd fav book in the series, aside from Trial of the Sun Queen! This was so action packed, everything was getting tied up, and we got the ending that we've been waiting for for so long!
For me, I felt that book 3 was a bit slower paced and I was really glad that this book was a little more fast paced and had constant stuff going on like a fight between Rion (the Aurora King), Zerra (goddess of Ouranous), and trying to be able to bring magic and Lor back to Heart. This book is ACTION packed and I love that! I think that this is a wonderful conclusion to this series and I cannot wait to read more Nisha J Tuli books!
Thank you so much to Forever for an early copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review!💖

I have been immersed in this realm and I am so sad that it is over.

What I loved about this series is that the next book always picks up where it left off. Lor and Nadir are fighting against their father and fighting against the odds of two primaries in love.

I loved their love story and the sacrifices Nadir makes for Lor.

Lor came off annoying at times, but then I had to remind myself of all what she went through to get to where she is now.

The action kept coming and by the end I was sweating to see what was going to happen next.

The reason I took off a star was due to the POV changes. Usually I’m okay with minor characters having their “time to shine”, but I just felt I was being tossed around too much. I also wanted more of Gabriel being with who he would up with (not going to spoil it). I know it was hinted, but considering he redeemed himself in this book, I wanted to see him happy and not just the hint of it.

There also was the plot hole of the man with the house in heart. They said he was a distant relative and then nothing was explained. Would have been interesting to see another family member coming to Lor for advice or help.

I am sad to read this conclusion, but I am so thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this.

What can I say? This series! 🤩 This book! 😍 So many sweet moments that have built throughout the series and resulted in me crying during this book.

Nisha Tuli does a fantastic job world building throughout the series and to see it all come together in this book was a fun ride. Definitely didn’t expect to end up here while reading the first book and I’m so glad I didn’t look at reviews for the other books before continuing the series since I think it would’ve spoiled some of the twists we take along the way.

I enjoyed the character growth on both Lor’s and Nadir’s part. I agree with another reviewer that I would’ve liked to see her as QUEEN a bit more, but otherwise I couldn’t wait to get done with work so I could read this book.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC of the book!

I can’t believe it’s the end of this series! I loved this series from the very beginning so I am very thankful to have received an arc for the last book. And what a way to end the series!

This was the perfect way to wrap up the series. Each characters story was perfectly fleshed out and has a great ending. I loved the different povs in this book. Especially Gabriel’s! We have been seeing his story developed for quite some time and after the ending to the third book I know his story would continue to be so interesting. The biggest surprise for me was getting the Aurora Kings pov. I wasn’t sure how his story arc would end but I honestly wasn’t expecting a redemption arc. His flashbacks made me sad and angry at the same time.

Once again Lor is an amazing fmc and continues to be one of my favorite book characters. Her story arc may be one of my all time favorites. Her character development throughout the series was amazing and I love that she comes full circle with her bar of soap! Nadir and Lor have an amazing relationship and all of their scenes and moments were perfection!

I’m both happy and sad that this series is done but this book may be my favorite! I will forever recommend this series!

What. A. Trip! A riveting and beautiful conclusion to the Artefacts of Ouranos series! After the cliff hanger from book 3, I couldn’t wait to learn the fate of our beloved main characters and Tale of the Heart Queen went in so many directions I never saw coming! I loved the pacing, the action, the absolute ride to the finish. I loved this series and am so pleased that its final installment did not disappoint.

The fourth and final book in the Artefacts of Ouranos series is an epic conclusion to a great fantasy romance series!
This book was a BEAST with a lot of ends to tie up for multiple characters and plot lines. Nisha fit a lot of action into one book! She weaved the conclusion to this story well with multiple POVs and timelines/backstories that offered clarity for some characters’ histories and kept the reader on the edge of their seat til the end. There were some character interactions and internal monologues that didn’t seem to contribute to the overall story and just slowed the pacing down, making it feel longer at times. However, overall I was really pleased with the ending and the redemptions arcs for multiple characters. Also… the gift from her siblings was amazing!! If you know… you know!

This series is a must-read for fantasy romance lovers!

I am sobbing right now🥹 That ending?!! Has me bawling for the last 30 minutes. I have SO many emotions right now. This is such a bittersweet feeling. I have been loving this series since book 1 was released, and have ARC read the rest of the series. When I tell you Nisha is one of my favorite authors I am not kidding!!

She is a phenomenal author and this series is proof of her talent!! I am so sad this series is over😭 But I am happy to finally not be left on any more cliffhangers 😅

I had high expectations for this book since there was so much left unfinished in the last one👀👀👀 And Nisha DELIVERED!!! She wrapped up everything beautifully💕

If you haven’t started this series yet do yourself a favor and read it NOW! Especially since it is now a complete series so you don’t have to be destroyed by the cliffhangers like I was😂

thank you netgalley and forever grand central publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

ok wow i did not expect to cry but that ending and the sacrifices that were made to get there REALLY did a number on me.

this was a fantastic conclusion to this 4 book series! nadir, lor, and gabriel go through so much together. this book was filled with adventure and the found family aspect really was at its peak. i loved how lor, tris, and willow found allies in unexpected places and seeing them come into their magic to retake their queendom was beautiful to read about.

the romance was top tier, and i am happy with how it all ended. but i feel so hallow after knowing how gabriel and tyr’s story plays out. i understand why it happened that way and wouldn’t change anything, but it did not cushion the sting y’all.

now that i have finished this series, i will miss it so much and i hope we can have a novella. i would like to see more of gabriel and tristen and where their lives will lead them as they take on other responsibilities.

You know that feeling in your stomach when you finish a book series that you've been following for a few years, the feeling where you know it's over but you're so happy to have been along for the ride? Yeah, same.
Tale of the Heart Queen delivered all the intense feelings in this epic conclusion to the Artefacts of Ouranos.
I loved having a Gabriel POV in this book and just felt like all of the plot-lines came together seamlessly toward the end. I really don't have much to say besides THANK YOU to Nisha for creating this immersive and wonderful world for us to partake in. Nadir will forever be my favorite book boyfriend.
I had the pleasure of meeting Nisha J. Tuli at Steamy Lit Con and she handed me this ARC herself, so best believe this is one of my most treasured belongings!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

🌶️🌶️.5/5

“And he was never my ruin. He was always my salvation.”

🗡️Who Did That To You?

🥀Found Family

🗡️Female Rage

🥀Romantasy

What a fantastic conclusion to this series 👏🏼 

Lor is such a badass character and powerful woman. The growth in her character from book 1, where she was just doing whatever she could to survive, to the final book where she’s used her pain and rage to become a queen. And of course I love Nadir and his “burn the world down for her” mentality. I love that even though their relationship started out enemies to lovers, it’s not toxic in any way.

The side characters really help pull the whole story together and each of them have their own strengths and growth throughout the series.

Now the actual plot, I won’t talk much about since I don’t want spoilers but just know it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat through the whole book!

This book and series have some of my favorite tropes (found family). This was an excellent conclusion the series. All of the characters are very enjoyable. Having said that, there was both a lot going on and not a lot going on in this book. The first 50% dragged, plus lots of new point of views, new story lines, etc. Some loose ends felt anticlimactic, and I would have liked a bit more character growth. Overall a very enjoyable read.

★★★★
🌶️🌶️

~“Tomorrow I will lay down my life, my crown, and my heart, and I will be yours forever”~

The book’s ending had me reaching for tissues, but it wrapped up the series beautifully. While the beginning was a bit slow and felt drawn out, the action quickly pulled me in, and the trials of love and strength kept me guessing. It was easy to connect with the characters, and the backstories seamlessly tied everything together.

Lor faces some of her darkest fears after making a grave mistake that brings her face-to-face with Zerra, the God of Evanescence. To save her mate, the Aurora Prince, Nadir, she must accept Zerra’s daunting challenge.

Lor’s quest requires her to retrieve all the arks from various kingdoms as her (and their) world falls apart. Meanwhile, the Aurora King, Rion, relentlessly pursues her, driven by a thirst for revenge and in possession of the Heart’s ark. Manipulated by the underworld through the Artefacts and journals, Rion’s vengeance cannot be satisfied.

Will Lor fulfill her destiny and save the Queendom of the Heart, or will the heavy burden of fighting for her people, her love, and her crown prove too much to bear?

This isn’t the review I thought I’d be writing.

For context, I rated Books 1-3 of the Artefacts of Ouranoes 5⭐️. On the whole, I think this is an incredibly engaging series that kept getting better with each book; but, unfortunately this final installment went the wrong direction.

Tale of the Heart Queen starts off strong - Tuli drops her reader into this place of void, the Evanescence, and does it so well - makes the characters’ situation feel so hopeless - that I was a bit haunted by it. That was simply great storytelling and something I’ve not read before.

But as we get further into this book, I think we lose the plot. Most jarring, we get a brand new “villian” (when we already had three). I think that makes it harder for readers like me to connect to the story and characters: is it Zerra they have to defeat? Rion? The high priestess? Yes to all — and then they add the ruler of the underworld too?

Don’t get me wrong, a lot of these threads made sense and I could see the connection - but it was too much for one book, and especially for the VERY END of one book. When all were defeated within the final 10% of the novel, it felt way too neat/easy and, as result, way off-pace.

Again, this is still a series I can/will recommend, but it didn’t end nearly as strong as it started.

I’m so thankful to Forever and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

"That's when an idea occurs to me. It's a risky move and probably the worst plan I've ever had, but when have I ever let that stop me?"

After Lor makes the biggest mistake of her life, she finds herself on the run from the Aurora King and decides it's time to end this, once and for all. But when a new enemy emerges to claim her freedom, the entire fate of Ouranos comes to rest on her shoulders.

And so, after three stellar entries, we reach the grand finale of the Artefacts of Ouranos series, with all the stakes and massive choices that implies. It is epic, it is sweeping, it is a worthy conclusion.

Something that really stuck me with this book was how it handles the villains. Due to the multiple POVs used throughout the series (a list that continues to grow in this final book), we learn a lot about their origin stories, what made them the villains they are. But even when we learn the tragic backstory or inciting incident, Nisha Tuli never lets that be an excuse. Really, when you think about it, heroes and villains often have pretty similar origin stories - they just make different choices. The villains are all offered second chances and redemption arcs at various points in their own stories, they just choose not to take them. That stands in stark contrast to the heroes of our tale, who could do easily turn villainous themselves but resolutely choose note to, each time. It's something Lor and Nadir struggle with throughout the book, and yet they continue to fight their circumstances to make a better world.

Rating: 5/5
Spice: 2/5 (we get some, but honestly they've got a world to save)

Tropes:
- Fated mates
- Fae
- Chosen one
- Spicy romantasy
- Men with wings
- MMCs who support their badass women
- Meddling gods
- Deadly trials

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review (the faint hope that I might be chosen is honestly the reason I joined NetGalley in the first place).