3.5 stars -

In the Kingdom of Everness we meet Lara, who is one of a group of bandits. These bandits live hidden out in the woods, where like Robin Hood, they steal from the rich to give to the poor. Lara finds herself being hired to steal a necklace from the Royal Family and unbeknownst to her this sets off a chain of events that could change her life forever.

I raced through this book reading it in one day. I liked both the FMC and MMC and found the book to be fast paced with plenty of action. I did guess the twist but overall I enjoyed it and will read the next in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the advanced copy.

DNF ~20%

I was intrigued by the book description and always love to try new fantasy stories. However, I'm learning that I should know by now that if a book is being pitched as Throne of Glass, ACOTAR, The Cruel Prince and every other popular booktok fantasy title, it is unlikely to measure up in my opinion. This is no exception. I wanted to give this a fair shot, but having to reread chunks of text multiple times to understand what was going on was too tedious.

I found the writing incredibly clunky and hard to process. Things move very quickly in terms of plot, which is fine, but also in some ways that don't make sense - there is no tension if after being captured, out main character is instantly brought to the prince and also apparently still has the item she was captured while stealing? It gives a lot of "not like other girls" in the way that our main character is protrayed as being this amazing and dangerous thief, but all we have that proves that is her saying it a bunch of times (I mean, we meet her as she literally getting caught. Even if it did turn out to be a setup, that seems really not in her favor). The hidden identity set up that is made early in the book also doesn't really make sense - the motives are confusing both from a real life and within the book world point of view. Nothing that we are told early in the book makes it seem like the incoming prince would start a war over a necklace. The writing style and lack of editing does not help - a lot of missed punctuation, lack of capitalizing and errors in quote placement make it difficult to know where one thought ends and another begins, or which character is talking. To me, this reads very much as an early draft rather than a final, polished draft.

I really found myself not being able to put this down. I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced!! The characters are well developed, as is the plot. I did predict the twist, but thought it was a great one to throw in. The romance is a slow burn. There is even opportunity for one bed AND THEY DON'T TAKE IT! hahaha! The main characters have great chemistry and banter. I felt the tension every time they interacted. I hope this continues to develop in later books. The morally gray villain...can't wait to see what happens there!

Leanè, I adored this book. It was so beautiful. I hope there will be a book 2. We need some answers about Scott!!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I enjoyed this book but I thought the pacing was a bit off. The last quarter of the book went by really fast and plots and events that could probably take up a whole chapter ended up being 1-2 pages, making the events seem super random and sometimes the characters to be a bit 2-dimensional.

The premise of the book is great - our FMC , Lara, is in a clan of bandits and ends up working as a spy for a prince in a botched robbery. She ends up having to spy on another prince, our MMC Cai, from a neighboring kingdoms - I mean I’m a sucker for this: forced proximity, secret identities, she’s the spy, secrets abound - pure gold but the development of these fell a little short.

There were some missed opportunities such as the one-horse and single bed tropes and the build up of the relationship was missing that slowwww burn.

I really enjoyed the characters and wished we got to see a bit more into them, esp Cai and Lara’s relationship. There were some great side characters too that I would’ve loved to read more about - Lance and Rhen in particular.

Overall I did enjoy this book and would recommend to someone who wants fast easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for a copy of this ARC! If the Crown Fits moves at break-neck speed from the very first chapter. It is fast-paced and captivating. I think that strength is also a slight weakness with the book, because there isn't as much context and background detail as I would've liked.

However, overall I really enjoyed this book. It's a quick and fun read. It has similar vibes to Robin Hood or Into the Woods, with bandits, adventure, heists, princess, and a very strong female character.

I think one of the biggest strengths in the book is the two main characters. The plot is filled with action and adventure, and both are captivating leads. There are a few twists and turns in the plot, which intrigued me and will definitely keep readers hooked as well! I'm also loving how the little spark of romance unfolded. It was very well done, and can't wait to see where this heads in book two!

This was a quick and enjoyable read for me. Well written, although the pacing felt a little slow in the middle. However I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the dual pov and looks forward to the next book.

This was such a great time, I was instantly hooked (and I find that it takes a minute for me to get super invested in fantasy novels because they usually start with so much worldbuilding).

I sped through this book (it definitely helped that this book was pretty short for a fantasy book) but I really enjoyed it and I think it was the right length for this book and what happened in it. And it's the first book in a trilogy, so I am very excited to read the rest of the series and I definitely will be!

Our FMC is a thief and is caught trying to steal something from the royal family, but instead of getting in trouble for it, it turns out to have been a test. Her being able to steal from the royal family was basically a job interview. So she has now been recruited to steal something from the prince.

And this a multiple POV fantasy! I always tend to like those more than singular POV. I get more invested in the story because I'm learning about it and seeing the world from different angles and perspectives.

Not too heavy on the in-world politics, we get hidden/mistaken identities, twist and reveals, the start to some great character development and arcs!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a light fantasy with lots of adventure! A perfect short read and the start of a trilogy.

Although the start felt a bit disjointed, which I am sure a little editing will resolve, we were off with a blast from the start. Written from two perspectives, Lara, The Masked Bandit, a thief and a good one from Everness and Prince Cai, from Norrandale, neighbouring country and fiancé to Eloisa, Princess of Everness. Cai dreams to bring unity to the countries and hopes his arranged marriage will do just this.

After the first quarter of the book, the story really found its feet including confused identities, manipulation, treachery, reluctant romance and twists and turns along the way.

It was very enjoyable and the tension between Lara and Cai built up brilliantly. I do agree with a previous reviewer saying that a trick was missed with the one bed option. As readers we were wanting more and now waiting with baited breath for book 2. If you are looking for a definitive ending, then this book is not for you. However, I was completely hooked and have already been looking up when the second book will be available to read.

Recommended read, very enjoyable, the book started at 2 stars and ended with 4!

This fantasy romance novel, which has a Robin Hood bandit vibe, is easy enough to read and for the most part, it’s enjoyable. The author has a very succinct writing style, which isn’t very descriptive, making the story hard to follow at times. There is some action, which is good, but plenty of times the story dragged. I was just about to give up at around the halfway mark when things got interesting with an unexpected twist; although it did lose momentum again at around the 70% mark. Overall an OK read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for allowing me to get an early copy of this book, which is out on 6th November 2024.

Some simple editing errors, missing quotation marks (several instances) or capitals.

A fast paced read for fans of tales of rogues and princes. This was a fun read with interesting twists and worldbuilding. It reminded me a little of Robin Hood with the bandits in the woods vs the evil King.

It was very quick but there was a few time skips that made it harder to keep track of what was going on at times. The writing wasn't very descriptive so as a reader you are kept more in the action, adding a lot of speed to my reading experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

I wish this was single pov as i was lead to believe in the blurb. I find it really hard to switch perspectives as it is just way to confusing for me, if it wasn’t for that i would probably have loved this book

Very much enjoyed this, 1st book of a trilogy?
Lara the thief and Cai the Prince,the story moves along quickly and I liked the turns it took.
Will definitely look for the next book in the series when it comes.
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

This book was both intriguing and heart stopping. I had a very hard time putting it down because it was so fast paced. Because of this, I felt like some details may have been skipped. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the read and recommend it.

I really found myself not being able to put this down. I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced. The only sacrifice of that is sometimes it felt like some things could've used more details. That is only because I wanted more of the story. The characters are well developed, as is the plot. I did predict the twist, but thought it was a great one to throw in. The romance is a slooooowwww burn. There is even opportunity for one bed AND THEY DON'T TAKE IT! hahaha! The main characters have great chemistry and banter. I felt the tension every time they interacted. I hope this continues to develop in later books. The morally gray villain...can't wait to see what happens there!

I loved the premise of this book, deception, spying, infiltrating a palace! What’s not to like? The plot encapsulate so many classic and well loved tropes.
I liked the pace and found it an easy read. Personally 3 stars is a good rating for me so I hope this is reflective of it being an enjoyable story.

I enjoyed this light fantasy, it was an easy read without heavy politics and world details. I was quickly able to understand the division in the world and the rivalry on either side.

We’re straight into the drama, the opening line of “I was dead” got me, I needed to know what Lara had gotten herself into.

I loved the case of hidden/mistaken identities in the introduction of Lara and Cai, it added a lighthearted element and a touch of humour, I could easily picture the scenes in my mind.

The twists through the story were great! The “double agents”, the big reveal, and the character redemption were also good.

I feel like the author missed a trick with the “only one bed” scenario ;)

I would have loved to see more tension between Cai and Lara, will that come in a second book? We can only hope!

This a new fantasy novel by Leane Giliomee following Lara and Cai, actually quite nice reading a fantasy novel with character names you can pronounce.

This a quite a slow start. But once the story started to evolve between Lara and Cai the story picked up and became twisty. Lara has to decide between her freedom or offering her services to a spoiled and cruel prince. Bound by a dangerous secret and driven by a desperate need to protect those she loves most, Lara's path to freedom is rife with treachery and complexity. Most of all, an infuriating and charming prince who can only lead her to becoming an enemy of the crown, or an enemy of her own heart . . .

Thankyou to NetGalley for the ARC of this story- it’s much appreciated.

I found this story to be fun! You’re thrown straight into the action and it’s very fast paced which I enjoyed, it made it so it wasn’t slow and kept me wanting to read on. However in the same breath, it made some parts feel a tad rushed. Thats a personal preference for me however, as I’ve found recently I dislike books that are TOO fast paced as even though they are easier to read, I personally enjoy a bit more development and tension between characters (especially the romantic ones!).

However, I did find that there were some spelling/grammar mistakes that were noticeable from the get go, which need to be looked at before
publishing because personally it would probably make me want to stop reading if I noticed an error in the first chapter - even if after reading I know that this improves as we get further into the story.

Other than that I did overall enjoy the story, and am grateful for the opportunity to read it before others have the chance to do so!

If The Crown Fits is a quick, easy read and very much in your classic romantasy style.

I really liked how this story opened and it felt we were thrown into the action from the first page with a chase scene. Lara is an enjoyable fmc and I liked her dynamic with Cai. I felt their relationship was believable and will always appreciate the slower burn approach. The dual pov was well done and hoping we will see more from the wider cast of characters as the story develops. There were a lot of tropes and they didn’t feel too forced but don’t think they helped much with the story progression.

I felt this had a decent writing style with minimal world building. It did read as more of a historical fantasy in the beginning with mentions of folklore and mythology. I imagine we will delve more into the magical side of this world as the series progresses.

Overall, I found this enjoyable and looking forward to seeing where the Twisted Crown Trilogy goes. I would recommend this to lovers of romantasy!

In the kingdom of Everness, we meet Lara, a skilled thief whose reckless decision to steal from the ruthless royal family lands her in a dire situation. To avoid execution, she is compelled to work for the cruel prince regent, tasked with retrieving a stolen heirloom from an enemy crown prince while posing as his betrothed. As Lara navigates this treacherous mission, she encounters danger and a surprising connection with the charming prince that threatens everything she holds dear.

I found the premise of the story captivating and the overall plot engaging. However, the writing initially felt a bit clunky, with dialogue that didn't always flow smoothly. Fortunately, the second half of the book improved significantly in terms of pacing. I would have appreciated more development and tension between Lara and Cai to deepen their connection and heighten the stakes of their relationship.

The fast-paced narrative has a solid foundation, but it sometimes rushes through key moments, making it hard to fully connect with the characters. A bit more depth in both the main and side characters would have enriched the experience.

I'm definitely eager to continue the series. I genuinely enjoyed the story and am excited to see how the plot unfolds.
3.5