Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I absolutely loved it! How Broadbent was able to pack in such a fully developed story and characters into a novella is nothing short of genius. I adore Lilith, the FMC. She is brilliant and neruo divergent and I felt for her and how she viewed the world and interacted with others. The romance is built beautifully over time in such a way where you truly understand how this ancient being could fall for a mortal. I loved everything about Six Scorched Roses and as always I can't wait to return to this world.

This was such a well done novella! I usually find it hard to connect with novellas because they’re so short, but the format of this one really let you get immersed in the story and get to know these characters deeply. I love Carissa Broadbent’s writing and I can’t wait to read more in this series!

Carissa Broadbent is a goddess. I love every single thing that she writes and this was no exception!!

I LOVED Vale & Lilith. I’m so glad I’ve only read the first book in the Crown of Nyaxia series because her note said to expect a lot more of Lilith & Vale in book 2, which I am very much here for.

Carissa has a beautiful way of making me fall in love with her characters. I related to Lilith wanting to do anything possible to keep her family healthy. I loved how Vale was grumpy and brooding and fell for her curious mind. The nickname “mouse” was cute too & I’m always a sucker for a nickname.

I loved the romance and (obviously) vampires. I highly recommend if you already love Carissa’s work or if you’re looking for a vampire romance as a quick read.

Some of my favourite quotes:

“You’ve spent your whole damn life dying, Lilith. Now you’ve gotten that out of the way, and you get to go live.”

“It must be hard. To bear the weight of so much affection in a life so short.”

“I only want you, Lilith. Whatever of you I can have. I’ll take one night. One hour. One minute. Whatever you want to give me. I’ll have it.”

“I’ll see you in a month, Vale.” “I’ll see you in a month, mouse.”

This novella was independently published before it was picked up by Bramble, so it’s been a choice to not read it until now. Mostly, I’ve been trying to draw out the process of making my way through Broadbent’s back catalog, as I’ve loved everything I’ve read from her so far. But it did make for an interesting reading experience here, as I had briefly met the main couple of this book in another book already! While I only got a snippet of them there, I was excited to read their origin story in full!

Sometimes I think the ability to write a compelling and rich shorter book is more proof a writer’s talent than whipping together a massive tome. There are fewer pages to get across the themes, character arcs, and hit any plot points that are needed for the story. I’m not surprised that Broadbent was up to the task, as, first and foremost, she’s always had a steady hand on the sorts of characters she writes. And here, that was on even greater display, particularly with the heroine who seems to be mildly autistic, struggling to put words to emotions and often hyper-fixating on her scientific endeavors. As the story is casually pulling in “Beauty and the Beast” references, Vale, as the romantic hero, is a bit more of a straight-forward character. That said, I did like the brief looks we get into the long history of the vampires and the toll that these long-lasting wars and feuds would have on the soldiers and leaders who waged them.

As I said, this book was definitely hitting some “Beauty and the Beast” vibes, and, as such, was a much more romantic tale than Broadbent’s other works. The others that I’ve read from her, while also heavily featuring romance and spice, also involved classic fantasy plots with lots of fighting and exploration. Here, as the story is much smaller in scope, the focus of the book is honed in on the two characters at its heart and the growing love story between them. And it was as lovely as I could have wished for, with a nice slow-burn and a proper balance of romance to spicy scenes.

That said, I was also impressed with some of the side relationships, particularly between Lilith and her sister who is slowly dying of a wasting disease. As its a short book and the primary focus is obviously on the romantic duo, not much time is really devoted to this relationship. But, at the same time, what we do get really packs a punch, with almost all of Lilith’s inner motivation and focus revolving around this relationship, rather than the love story. We also got another confirmation that all the gods of this world are world-class a-holes.

Overall, this was an excellent novella. While I love the full novels, I almost think that, purely with regards to the love story, this is one of the stronger entries. If you’re favorite parts of this author’s other books was the romance, than this is definitely a must read!

Rating 9: Full of romance and sisterly bonds, this book was right up my alley!

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on Jan. 1

This was one of my favorites! I know this is of side characters, but this little novella has my whole heart! Lillith is hunting for a cure, and though she herself is on borrowed time, she puts everything into saving her sister - including facing a ruthless vampire. But what starts as scientific fascination quickly falls into a sweet obsession...or dare I say, love? Vale is so sweet and kind, despite his background of ruthlessness. I only wish we got to see more of them in future books. :(

it was really enjoyable! I have a tendency to dismiss novellas but man, I loved how short this was 😂 I read it in just a few hours and it took no time at all to get to the good stuff. I really enjoyed getting backstory into Lilith and Vale and overall like them both more now. of course the downside of a novella is that there just isn’t enough time to pack a lot of development in, so their love story did feel pretty rushed. I also have a hard time believing that he would have agreed to their arrangement in the first place just because she offered him some special flowers but 🤷🏼‍♀️ overall this was a fun read that got me excited to be back in this world soon!

This novella that works its way into the Crowns of Nyaxia series ended up being my favorite thing that I have read of Carissa Broadbent's so far. It was a simple story with a great character who puts all of her effort into finding a cure to benefit human blood by utilizing Vampire blood after a curse is placed on the lands she lives on. She strikes a bargain with a vampire for six samples of his blood in return for six special roses.

I love Carissa Broadbent's characters SO much, and I don't think I could ever get tired of spending time with them. This little peek into Vale and Lilith and their lives before the Nyaxia duology was an utter delight, full of heart and wry humor and unflinching drama, and I adored every second of it. I can't even say much more than that, other than I cannot wait to get back to Obitraes and the world of these wonderful characters with "The Songbird & The Heart of Stone," and whatever else Ms. Broadbent sees fit to gift us!

Novella, where? This teensy book quite literally felt like an entire 800-page book, the story was told so well and so completely.

From beginning to end, I couldn’t put it down, and I think it’s my favorite one in the series. I read this between the first and second book, however you could at any point in the series.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about this, Broadbent put her whole back into this one. I keep talking about it, and everyone I’ve discussed it with agrees as well..

Thank you to Carissa Broadbent and TOR publishing for an eARC copy of this novella via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Always excited to read this series. One of the best world builders. I really enjoyed this short story.

There is so much I love about this novella. I have not read the series it is connected to. I had no information on the world, characters, situations, or lore. I am a fan of Carissa Broadbent, which drew me to look into this novella.

First, for 187 pages, the story is fully fleshed out. From beginning to end, the author had a clear and concise path for the story. Readers are not bogged down by a lot of extras. There is world building. As I have no experience with the series, I had no issued understanding the world or it's lore. The plague was a bit of a head scratcher, but the details of what Lillith was fighting against were not entirely necessary to the story. I was absolutely enthralled with how the characters were fleshed out and had depth. The romance was also believable and there is legitimate passage of time without adding to the page numbers. Incredible! For those who like a little heat in their fantasy, there is spice as well. Finally, the pacing was perfect. Often novellas feel rushed, but this one felt like it moved at a normal speed. Again, the passage of time in the pages and the construction of the chapters had a lot to do with it.

Kuddos to the author for actually writing a novella that feels like a full novel.

I am so in love with this series and world. I do recommend reading this one between books 1 and 2. I didn’t, but I wish I did. This storyline was so good, especially for being a novella. Sometimes novellas feel rushed and it’s hard to feel a connection to the story and characters, but this one was done so remarkably well that I felt the same connection I would in a full length story. Highly recommend checking out this novella as well as Crowns of Nyaxia books 1 and 2. And I cannot wait to dive into The Songbird and the Heart of Stone!

A novella that felt like a full story??? YES PLEASE!! Carissa Broadbent is so incredibly talented, and I gobbled Six Scorched Roses up in a single setting!! I also adored that it took place in the world of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. ALL THE STARS!!

Six Scorched Roses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in the same world as A Serpent and the Wings of Night, this novella tells the tale of Lilith and Vale. A human with impossible questions and the vampire who has the answers in his blood. Together, they work to find a cure for what ails the townsfolk. A charismatic story, a well developed plot, and two characters who fall in love through letters.

Six Scorched Roses
Carissa Broadbent

“Time, Vale,” I said. “Time is the most valuable resource of all, and some of us are perpetually short.”

Six roses. Six vials of blood. Six visits to a Vampire who could be her salvation, or her damnation.

‘Vale’s blood was beautiful. There was no other way to describe it - it was as undeniably aesthetically pleasing as a field of flowers.’

Lilith has long been marked for death, and has come to terms with her own imminent death but will do anything to save the lives of everyone she knows. As her town slowly withers in the clutches of a mysterious god - cursed illness, she takes matters into her own hands, desperate to find a cure, Lilith strikes a bargain with a Vampire.

This was such a delicious snack of a book. Gave me like Little Red Riding Hood vibes in that she walks through the woods to visit the Vampire Vale. This was an awesome novella and just draws you right into its world. You could read this without knowing anything of the worlds of Nyaxia, definitely can be read as a stand alone but equally ties into books one and two perfectly. I really love these Nyaxia books.

(Review posted 24th September 2024)

A big thank you for the gifted ARC! This is a standalone Novella set in the Crown of Nyaxia series. I loved the other two books, so naturally I really enjoyed this one as well. I pretty much, read this in one sitting, it was that good! This novella was fleshed out well. I wish there was more to the story as it was so enjoyable. Bravo!

Thank you to the Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a review copy of Six Scorched Roses in exchange for writing an honest review and promoting the novel.

Six Scorched Roses is a fantasy romance novella spin off from the best selling series Crowns of Nyaxia. This story is meant to be read in between The Serpent and the Wings of Night and The Ashes and the Star Cursed King. You'll notice two characters from this novella show up and their interactions will mean so much more if you read it between versus after.

Tropes/Elements:
- Vampires
- Healers
- Slow burn even though this is a novella
- Exile
- Chronic/Terminal Illness
- Loss of family members and mourning
- Forbidden Love

To say I'm obsessed with this series is an understatement. I ate this novella up, I could not put it down. This novella is a Crowns of Nyaxia standalone but gives so much into Vale, the Head of War for the Rishan King. Normally novellas seem rushed and like they're missing a part of the story, however this was amazing. The details and the storyline between Vale and Lilith was perfection. Not to mention, Lilith taking on a God?! Queen shit.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.