I... Did... Not... Read between the lines in the summary! 🤣
This is SPICYYYY.. I loved it, completely unexpected but I loved it! 🤣

Publisher's summary
Keep the cold. I’ve always understood my duty. As heir to the Winter Court, I must be ready to take my father’s place and keep the realm safe under a blanket of frost. But my father never taught me how to protect my people. That role has fallen to his best friend, Ronan, who agreed to serve as my guardian after my father grew ill. Charming and dangerous, Ronan hasn’t let illegitimacy or family tragedy stop his rise to power. A master of the elements, he’s a faithful ally.
Until my father dies.
Pushed from the throne, I run to the one place Ronan won’t venture. Crossing into the human lands will weaken my magic, but I need new allies. I find one in Sigurn Brighthelm, the dark-eyed rebel Prince of Nordlinga. Sigurn is no stranger to power. But as I discover too late, he’s no stranger to Ronan, either.
Now I’m caught between two men with conflicting desires. As battle lines are drawn and secrets are revealed, I’m determined to claim my crown. My freedom—and my kingdom—hang in the balance. But as passions heat up, I’m not sure the ice I’ve built around my heart can endure.
Because ice doesn’t always thaw. Sometimes, it shatters.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book!

The Frostbound Queen
By: Amy Pennza
Narrated by: Benjamin D. Walker, Ellis Evans, Mollie Stark
Series: Realms of the Covenant, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
Release date: 08-13-24
Publisher: Dreamscape Media

The storyline of this was interesting enough that I wanted to know what would happen next, and the spice kept me listening after that. I will say that Amy Pennza clearly writes some super spicy MMF fantasy! I definitely loved the way the polyamory was woven into the storyline and that it wasn’t just a love triangle but a why-choose.

However, I got the ick about the fact that Ronan basically raised Liria. Even though they are elves and don’t get together until she is an adult, it still just was not a detail that I could get past. Especially because he kept bringing it up?! WHY?!

If you don’t mind a ward/guardian romance, I would recommend it based on spice alone, but for me personally, that trope knocked this book down to 3 stars for me.

As I got to listen to the audiobook of it, I will add that the narrators (all three of them) did a great job. I especially loved the narrator for Sigurn! 😮‍💨
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance listening copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I was expecting a story full of betrayal, anger, and a quest for revenge, and instead, I got some miscommunication with a side of insta-love and smut that eventually replaced the plot. It started well, but I lost interest halfway through, and once the smut replaced the plot I had to force myself to continue reading.

Here is what happens *mild spoilers in the next few paragraphs*:

Princess Liria’s parents went into a sorrow-sleep that is not uncommon for elves after they go through a horrible event. At 11, she is left under the care of Ronan, her father’s best friend. He will act as her guardian and help raise her until her father comes out of his catatonic state.

Ten years later, Liria’s grown up and she realizes one day that she is attracted to Ronan and might even love him. Ronan, who has been distant up until then decides to tell Liria how he is obsessed and in love with her, and that they should marry.

After her parents die, Liria learns that Ronan plans to steal her birthright and become King. Liria runs away and into the arms of dashing human King Sigurn. Lyria decides to seduce Sigurn so he will help her in return, but she also realizes that she can’t resist him and is developing feelings for him after having spent only a handful of hours with him.

Liria finds out that the big betrayal (you know, the one that was promising angst and thirst for revenge) was in fact only good old miscommunication. She decides to forgive Ronan because she loves him and he loves her, so they are going to marry and live happily ever after.

Liria is also in love with Sigurn (hello insta-love), but thankfully, they can all live happily ever after in a throuple that feels forced. The plot takes the backseat for a while and there is smut and more smut until the characters remember that they need to defeat the big bad guys trying to invade Sigurn’s castle before they can have their happily ever after, which they do without much trouble.

The end.
End of mild spoiler.

The world-building is interesting, and I would have loved to know more about the other courts and their politics. I had to download the Kindle so I could look at the map because it was hard to picture the layout of the land. This book is the first of the series, but it reads as a standalone, and the next book will follow new characters, so hopefully, those who will read the next book will be able to discover more about the world-building and politics.

Besides the insta-love and lack of angst, anger, and revenge that would have made the plot much more interesting, the characters were all bland and lacked depth. I couldn’t connect to any of them and didn’t care about what happened to them or their love life. Lyria was a good main character I guess, but nothing was amazing about her. Ronan and Sigurn were unidimensional and I didn’t care about them at all. The fact that Ronan has been a father figure to Liria since she was 11 also made it hard for me to get invested in their romance and enjoy the spicier moments between them.

At least, the smut is good and spicy, but while some scenes were smooth and flowed well with the story, others felt a little forced. It’s as if the author absolutely wanted to add those spicy moments to the plot, even if it didn’t 100% fit with the relationship development. The insta-love between Lyria and Sigurn was the main issue, but the sudden admission of romantic feelings between Sigurn and Ronan was not the best way to make me care about them for sure.

The Frostbound Queen is a lot of spice with a side of royal political elvish and human drama. Ronan is Princess Liria's guardian after her parents effectively orphan her despite still being alive. There is some icky sexual tension very early on. Ronan being her guardian and knowing her since she was born, her guardian since age 11 is just unnecessary. They are elves. She could be in her 30s when he took over guardianship and still be considered relatively young with the length of their lives being much longer than humans.
Sigurn is a another romantic interest of both Liria and Ronan, but it's complicated. At the same time, Sigurn manages to be a bit boring somehow despite all he has going on. When we first meet him, his King father is unwell, his mother is not loyal to anyone but herself, and he's standing on the brink of another civil war after only just having won the last one. Yet his instalust with Liria because she's pretty and sassy feels cheap. His actions, while explained, still feel like they don't make sense, like he's trying to fit the plot instead of making his own choices.
This book has multiple, lengthy, extremely spicy scenes. Read this book if you are looking for a fantasy romance very heavy on the romance. Pennza clearly knows how to write spice very well.
I listened to the audiobook, and to their credit, all three narrators in this shifting POV story did a great job distinctly bringing their characters voice especially Mollie Stark.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC!

Dnf at 34 percent. I gave it a fair chance but I can't get behind the power dynamics here. He's having sex with her and is in love with her even though he raised her as a foster daughter of sorts. I just can't do it.

This audiobook was so well done! I honestly thought I was requesting a different book with frost in the title, but yay for happy accidents!

I don’t think the fantasy plot was particularly well developed or super easy to follow in this book, but I don’t think that’s the main goal. The relationships were built very well and the spice was amazing!

Narrators did a fantastic job, especially during explicit scenes. They did not overact to the point where it was cringy which can be an issue sometimes. Would definitely recommend!

When I first jumped into this adventure I thought I knew exactly what I was in for. Boy, was I wrong. This is not your normal fae royalty fantasy, it is so much more.

The narration was fantastic!
Highly recommend!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were great. I DNF due to guardian and ward relationship, it creeped me out. However I did love the author’s writing style and I will look for other books by her!

Going into this book I didn't know much about it. I soon realized it was an MMF. I think this author did a great job with the relationship between the FMC and each of the MMCs. I think this book might have helped by having a flashback or 2 of the 2 MMC so we learn more about how they fell in love. We are kinda just told they loved each other for the last 10 years and there wasn't much of a backstory with it. Having these scenes I think would add to the book as a whole. One other major issue I had was I didn't like that her guardian was one of her love interests. He has known her since she was a child, and it gives off grooming vibes. When they get together he is all over her saying he always loved her and it was a little bit creepy. The sex scenes were fantastic. She did an amazing job writing these scenes.

As for the review of the audiobook itself, I think all the narrators did a fantastic job with the audio. There seemed to be some quality issues with the person who voices Sigurn at times. It isn't as clear as the other narrators.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the audioARC in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me! I can see where this might be a home run for some, but I felt stuck between a book that you read for the smut factor and a burgeoning plot that just couldn’t grow with the amount of time spent in the bedroom. It was a weird limbo I just couldn’t keep waisting time in.
This is a MMF situation and that is just fine with me, but the scenes felt awkward and forced. The dialogue was a bit cringy and unrealistic to the situation this throuple found themselves in. I just wasn’t able to stand behind any of the character and root for them. While, in the beginning, the storyline was intriguing and pulled me into the story about a fae winter princess whose parents are stuck in a weird state of stasis, who is then raised by a handsome warrior badass who she later has a “daddy” hot relationship with, it just fell flat and lost all wind in its sails.
Like I said, this may be a home run for some, but this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Maybe a few regrets!!!!

The Frostbound Queen is a deliciously smutty fantasy romance. This would be a great for people new to the genre. I found the fantasy world to be a little light. I would have liked more worldbuilding and information about the magic system. I loved these characters and their romance. It was fun seeing the three of them come together. Where this book shined for me was the spice.

There was a lot to love and a lot to not about this book. Let's start with the positives. I loved the narrators (3 total) and their voice acting. They really drew you into the storyline and captivated the audience. It also really helped to keep the characters separate and helped define who they were. It was a great performance. I also loved the beginning of the book and world building. It was easy to fall right into the world they lived in and understand the dynamics and politics involved. There weren't an overwhelming amount of characters to make it confusing. The book was well written in that regard.

For me the spice and the romantic scenes were more raunchy and less about a true connection between people. A few things made it this way I believe: **Spoilers**
1. The first scene was between a young women and her guardian. The opening part of the book explained that since 11 yrs old she was the ward of Rowan, and then at 21 they were sleeping together. I am not a fan of this type of relationship and felt it made the female role less dominant and more submissive. I like books with a STRONG female lead and this book didn't provide that.
2. 3 days after her first romp in the sheets with her guardian she was sleeping with someone else. This also bothered me a lot because the book was trying to portray their close connection and then she just decided to sleep with a different character - I feel this took away from character development and caused me to detach from her greatly.
3. The language was very explicit - I would say 4.5 out of 5 stars for how descriptive it was. While I do like reading series such as ACOTAR and other fantasy romance genre, this one was over the top and at times I felt uncomfortable with some of the verbiage used. This had situations of F+M, M+M, and M+M+F in it.

I would recommend for my friends who love this type of romance but alas, it wasn't for me.

If you are looking for:
Fantasy
MMF
Spicy
Ward/Caregiver
Royalty
This book is perfect for you! It’s spicy without taking away from the overall plot of the book. The world building is fantastic and the kingdom comes alive in narration. All three narrators do a phenomenal job letting their character’s personality and emotions shine. Liria is the future queen who is faced with the coming deaths of her parents after the loss of a child. Her protector, Ronan, has been keeping the frost while her father was in mourning and seeks to wield the septor upon his death. Sigurn is the human that Liria meets on the edge of the covenant. She finds herself drawn to both men and through a series of surprising relationships, politics and magic Liria’s life changes forever.

“The Frostbound Queen” by Amy Pennza is a compelling read that intricately combines an engaging plot with a significant amount of romantic and explicit content (spice), which generally aligns well with the storyline. The development of romantic relationships is portrayed in a mostly believable manner, adding depth to the characters and their subsequent interactions.

The narrative features steady pacing and good world-building, making it an easy page-turner that preserves its momentum from beginning to end. The book wraps up conclusively, leaving me curious about the potential for future installments that may explore the same universe with new characters or continue the existing storyline.

One of the standout elements of this novel is the narration by Benjamin D. Walker, Ellis Evans, and Mollie Stark. Their performances are clear, precise, and emotive, significantly enhancing the story and bringing it to life.

However, I found Ronan’s role as Liria’s guardian to be somewhat unsettling. His long-standing relationship with her from a young age made the initiation of their romantic relationship feel a bit inappropriate to me. Additionally, I felt that Liria’s character development was less pronounced in comparison to that of Sigurn and Ronan. I would have appreciated seeing more growth and depth in her character throughout the narrative.

It is important to acknowledge that this book includes a significant amount of romantic and explicit content, featuring MF, MM, and MMF scenes. While this element neither detracted from nor enhanced the narrative, it should be noted for readers who may have preferences regarding explicit material.

Overall, “The Frostbound Queen” is an engrossing read featuring solid world-building, a captivating plot, and a story narration. Despite a few minor shortcomings, it is a book I would recommend to those who appreciate a well-crafted blend of romance and fantasy and a notable amount of spice.

I was provided with a free complimentary advanced listener's copy (ALC) of this book from Dreamscape Media and NetGalley in exchange for providing my honest review. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.

I absolutely devoured The Frostbound Queen! I completed this over the course of 24hours and loved every single minute! It is fast paced and filled to the brim with magic, lust, quick wit and humour, fiesty back and forth conversation and incredibly detailed and delightful spice! Both M/F AND a beautiful twist - M/M & M/M/F - Liria the FMC is everything you want in a female lead - how her character evolves, the strong will she posses and her quick come backs and powerful resilience to an ever changing life. Amy Pennza the author- did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life and the narrators for this audiobook were a fantastic choice! I felt like they added that extra layer of depth to the characters and breathed even more life into them - if that was even possible!

I'm so excited to continue with this world with the next book in the series The Shadowbound King! I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for the release 🙌

❄️🏰🗡️The Frostbound Queen🗡️🏰❄️
If you like:
❄️Romantasy/Erotica
❄️Elves vs Humans
❄️Age Gap (21/221)
❄️Taboo (Guardian/Ward)
❄️All The Schemes
❄️Court Drama ☕️
❄️Complex Family Dynamics
❄️Power Struggles
❄️Multi POV
-Liria- Fierce, Resilient, Ice Queen
-Sigurn- Sweet, Flirty, Gentle Giant
-Ronan-Broody, Lean, Lethal Menace
❄️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
❄️MF, MM, MFM, MMF, ⚔️
❄️Voyeurism
❄️Fantastic Narration
❄️Fast Paced
Then you’ll enjoy The Frostbound Queen!

R: “How dare you put your filthy hands on her, he growled!”
S: “It was hard not to when she rubbed her right little a$$ all over my d!ck, I smirked. Did you teach her that?” 💀💀💀

****I’m all for taboo books, but the aspect of ward/guardian in this one just wasn’t for me. And that’s a me issue, and not an author/book issue. It was my fault for not looking more into trigger warnings before listening. I know it’s fantasy/fiction, but in my brain I can’t get over the fact he was her guardian since she was 11 and now sleeping with her at 21. That being said, people who are into the guardian/ward trope are gonna eat this book all the way up!

Narrators: Benjamin D. Walker,Ellis Evans, Mollie Stark
Format: 🎧Audio
Time: 11hr 27min 1.25x
Listened on: NetGalley🎧
Pub Date: Aug 13, 2024

Thank you so much Dreamscape/NetGalley for giving me a chance to listen to this ALC.

This is a fun, fast paced polyamorous romantasy that I can definitely recommend!

The only thing I think this audiobook needed however was a section for trigger warnings. I didn’t realize it was MMF nor did I expect the subtle grooming trope for one of the romances. It definitely didn’t bother me but I think it’s the kind of thing readers should be warned about before they decide to read a book. And I didn’t gather that from the brief synopsis.

Anyways!

Cover:
Amazing! The cover is so gorgeous and mysterious and romantic. It totally captures the feeling of the book.

Writing:
Amy Pennza’s writing is excellent. It moves between three different perspectives smoothly. I could visualize so much and that’s really important for fantasy books.

Storyline:
The storyline was just okay. A lot of the plot points felt a little forced for me - like existing just to justify tensions and romance. I liked the characters more than their story.

Main Characters:
I loved the characters! Liria is a great FMC, just trying to uphold her family’s legacy and protect her people. Sigurn and Ronan have some cute banter / arguments. They build a sweet and supportive relationship together.

Secondary Characters:
Not much time is spared for secondary characters imo. Which is fine. This is a romance book with three MCs and that takes a lot to develop well.

Romance:
I was so happy with the romance! I think polyamory is quite difficult to write well so I’m always a bit critical of it and was really happy that it didn’t feel forced for me.

Narration/Audio:
Wow these three audiobook narrators did a fantastic job! I always felt like their voices connected with their characters and it helped to imagine the characters themselves.

All in all this was a fun, steamy romance in a snowy, frozen fantasy world!

Two royal fae and a royal fae-ish human walk into a castle…and end up in bed together.

Sounds like a bad joke. But that’s basically the premise of this book.

The spicy? Pretty darn solid. This was a MMF romance and I loved that element of the story. The author sure knows how to write smut.

The plot itself? It just wasn’t my very favorite. It overall was just kinda unbelievable.

I listened to the audiobook of this, and thought the narrators did a great job.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book✨

This one was a bit more on the erotica side than the romantasy side. The sex scenes were extremely detailed and over the top, such that they might distract the reader (if you like that kind of thing) from the lack of character development and plot. That being said, the narrators of the audio version did a good job, but this one was not for me.

***SPOILERS***


The target audience for this book is someone who likes heavy spice/erotica. Which unfortunately wasn’t me. It started off really well! I was engaged in the story line, curious to see what would happen. Only to be absolutely shocked at the turn of the entire book. The story dropped off and all that was left was “spice” which felt closer to erotica. The FMCs first love interest is also her guardian and father’s best friend, which feels a bit too weird for me since he raised her from the age of 12. She then acquires a second love interest. It quickly becomes an entanglement of all 3 of them. If the story was more than sex I would’ve continued but at this point in the book I felt like the storyline had gone out the window.

I felt like the narrators were great and really helped to make the story more enjoyable. I love when there are multiple narrators.