I didn't like this as much as I liked the first book, but it is a good sequel. Anyway, I found the story dull at times.

This book includes:
- pirates and hot sailors
- sisterhood
- doppelgangers
- political scheming
- lies, backstabbing, reconciliation, and more backstabbing
- references to book 1
- a baker with a past
- love in all its forms
- found family x 100
- multiple POV but mostly dual POV

"A Tale Told By Traitors" is a sort-of sequel to "A Story Spun in Scarlet" and follows Lionyra Vara, a humble and friendly baker. However, it quickly becomes clear that Lionyra is not who she seems, and he sordid past - with all of its wicked secrets - has come back to haunt her. Taken from her beloved bakery and forced to confront her past, all of the precarious lies which Lionyra built her life upon come crashing down around her. She is finally forced, once and for all, exactly who she is and if she is really to lose it all in order to take a stand.

This book has pirates and conspiracy and non-stop political scheming. Lionyra is a very dynamic character, flawed in a way that makes her nuanced and compelling. I looooved Bash, of course, and actually found if to be an even more fascinating character with all of his swagger and brokenness (iykyk). I would love to have gotten more from his POV, but I'm glad we got at least a small view into his POV. Looking forward, I realllyyyyyy hope we get Tristah's book because I would LOVE to hear about her journey with [redacted] leading up to [redacted].

My main issue with this book and the reason I docked points was that the pace was incredibly slow and it took me forever to get through this book. Maybe some editing would have fixed this. "A Story Spun in Scarlet" is still one of my fav books, and I am looking forward to reading more of Dugan's work in the future.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Renee Dugan, and Wave Walker Press for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
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A Tale Told by Traitors" by Renee Dugan is an engaging fantasy adventure with political intrigue, secret identities, and a touch of slow-burn romance. The story follows Lionyra Vara, a baker with a hidden past as the lost heir to Amere-Del. When she’s forced to return to her homeland, she teams up with Ryker Kassian, a pirate with his own troubles, leading to an adventure full of betrayals, shifting alliances, and personal growth.

Dugan’s world-building is solid, and the characters—especially Lio and Ryker—have an interesting dynamic. The plot has plenty of twists, though the pacing slows down in places, particularly in the middle. While it doesn’t quite reach five-star territory, it’s still an enjoyable read with strong themes of loyalty and identity.

Overall, it’s a good choice for fans of character-driven fantasy with political intrigue and adventure, even if it takes a little patience at times.

If you like enemies to lovers, pirates, and found family, this is the book for you. It is a standalone, but I recommend reading the first one, A Story Spun in Scarlet, not only because it is also a great book, but because I think the things you learn in it will enhance your reading experience with this one.
The character development, the surprises, the plot twists, the heartache, the swoony moments, the banter - between friends as well as love interests, the pacing, was all perfection.

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.

The balance of action and romance is perfect, exactly what I look for in a book. The tone is great and the characters are fun and diverse!

Thank you for the ARC

Amazing story line and plot like the first one. Couldnt finish it fast. I finished reading it sometime ago but don't know why haven't updated my reviews here. anyway the author did an amazing job and the cover of this series......so good. I want them on shelf.

One thing i did not enjoy was the romance because probably i am not very keen into that, but love the world building and the overall plot of the book.

I once again loved the tone of the story and the writing style of the author. I loved how there was always something going on like we as readers don’t have a time to get bored or distracted.

I think what I loved the most about the stories other than the characters is how it makes you introspect about yourself and your life

4.5 stars

I loved this book. It was an action packed adventure that also had the element of romance. Who could ask for more?! I loved the characters and their complexity. I think the author did an amazing job on this one. I can't wait to see what is next. I definitely recommend this one.

Thank you Net Galley ARC

Lio is on a mission to find Tristah to warn her about what is coming. When Lio finds herself kidnapped by Lucretzia who is uploaded to take her bake tonShadewyle, she befriends a pirate named Bash. She later finds out the truth on who he is and he helps her on her mission to make sure Tristah is safe. Lots of traveling and fighting and one character lost a finger for information.

DNF at 36%
This wasn't a bad book exactly, and there were moments where I quite enjoyed it, but it is just far too long for me, personally. I read a good 200 pages before I DNFed, because I wanted to find out where the story was going, but at some point I just admitted to myself that I wouldn't be able to read 400 more pages of this. I liked the world the story takes place in, and the main characters were interesting, but there was never anything that truly had me hooked. Logically, I also didn't quite understand the whole Delina thing, like why would the Del ever agree to hand over power to some orphan that he picked up off the street. Maybe this is explained later on, but if so, the book would've really profited from having that explanation early on.

Absolutely loved this book! The mix of action, romance, and adventure had me hooked from start to finish. Lio and Ryker are such complex, relatable characters, and their chemistry is chef’s kiss. The pirate cities and looming revolution made the stakes feel so real, and I couldn’t put it down. If you’re into swoony romance and epic fantasy, this is a must-read.

I had read A Story Spun in Scarlet so I had been anxiously awaiting this book. I loved it. I thought the story was amazing, the characters were great. Loved everything about it.

A fantasy with pirates and the heir to a kingdom in hiding? Count me in! I cannot even begin to describe how much I love (and sometimes envy) Ranee's writing style. Her prose and the incredible detail with which she crafts every single sentence make the book a beautiful experience.

Characters are another one of Ranee's strengths, and I had such a fun time getting to know them in this story. If you're looking for a fantastical adventure with heart, this one is a must-read. Definitely recommend!

Yes! A book that leaves you smiling for all the right reasons! Well developed characters, great world building, a plot that leaves you guessing and biting your nails, tension that is chef's kiss, relationships that make sense but are developing at the same time. This book has it all. I did not read the first in the series, so now I need to pick it up. But I will be reading the next.

I am so happy to be able to meet this book because I am a huge fan of pirates and adventures. At the first time, I was surprised that this is the second book of the series, but I let myself go through the story and find it's a page turning even I get hit and miss of the world-building in some parts (it just because I didn't read the first book). The writing style is captivating, all the characters is well-written. I love all the characters here, I wish I could read the first book before read this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wave Walker Press for providing me the ARC, and thank you so much to the author for writing this amazing adventure of pirates, I have to say that finally I find a good-reads here.

I’ve never read anything from this author before, but I absolutely love, love, love pirate themed books and I just KNEW I had to pick this up.

At first, it really took me a while to get into the story. It’s clear this author knows how to weave a world. But the complex history, lengthy number of characters (and their name pronunciation) threw me for the first 150 pages or so.

However, the author intricately combines each character story, development and a vivid world and I was sucked in. It’s not often I enjoy a book with romance as a main plot point without it venturing into the adult target audience, however this firmly remained in YA and yet still had me absolutely swooning. Found family is an absolute favourite trope of mine, and this had it in abundance. I could not get enough of these fantastic characters at all. Imagine my delight realising that although this is a standalone, there is an another released before this!

As I read this book as an ARC, I jumped into it unaware that it was the second. While this put me at a disadvantage initially with the many world building details, A Tale Told by Traitors had a storyline that had me intrigued to keep reading at every turn. I was fully invested in the characters and found myself blindsided by several of the plot twists. The one aspect of the book that I didn't love was the ongoing parallels drawn between the main female protagonist and her propensity towards baking. Otherwise, it was a worthy read full of action, adventure, pirates and "princesses." Reminiscent of The Princess Bride, this voyage is worth taking.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I did appreciate how the author incorporated imagery associated with cooking to hone Lio’s identity as a baker. Unfortunately, I struggled a lot with this book overall. I thought I would enjoy the book because I liked the premise that Lionyra was the lost heiress of Amere-Del. However, the pacing felt off and I couldn’t connect with the characters.