If you're looking for your next romantasy series - Broken Souls and Bones is a great start.

Lyra just wants to live her life quietly and peacefully, away from the king's obsession with magic. Her abilities, however, are discovered by one of the palace sentries, Roark. Once Lyra is named the king's new Melder, and her life is now dedicated to the service of the crown.

But Roark is not quite what he seems - he is mute and he uses a form of sign language to communicate. And while is assigned to guard Lyra, the connection between them soon becomes much more than that.

I really enjoyed the fantasy setting here, it is Viking-inspired but LJ Andrews has give it enough of a twist to make it her own. I am definitely looking forward to the next book!!!

If a Viking-inspired fantasy world filled with dark secrets and magic sounds up your alley, I’d highly recommend checking out Broken Souls and Bones!

This book was full of high stakes and a really interesting take on magic, which they call craft in this world. Few people are born with the ability to manipulate bone, blood, or soul, but our FMC, Lyra, is a melder which means she can essentially attach the bones of the dead to another person and that gives them strength/attributes of the deceased. This makes her a prime target for the king and puts her directly in the path of Roark.

I loved both Lyra and Roark as individuals, which made their relationship throughout the book SO delicious. Both characters cared deeply for their loved ones and were willing to do horrible things for them. They both had touches of darkness in them which I feel like added to their depth. Roark was also such an interesting MMC because he was mute from an injury so he used sign language throughout and while we get his POV as well, I loved the interactions he had with Lyra through his touch.

The ending is INSANE and truly had me on the edge of my seat, I can’t wait for book 2!! Thank you so much to Ace Books for the early copy, I love being able to support a Utah author 🥰

I love LJ Andrews, so I was super excited to dive into Broken Souls and Bones. This book definitely delivered on the unique world-building and an intriguing magic system — though I’ll admit, the magic mechanics got a little confusing for me at times. It’s creative and original, but I found myself having to slow down to fully grasp certain elements.

One of my favorite parts was the mute MMC, Roark. We don’t get enough representation like this in fantasy romance, and I loved that not only was he a powerful, respected sentry for the prince, but that his silence didn’t diminish his authority or presence one bit. His character had so much potential, and while I adored what we got of him, I do wish he’d been given more emotional depth and backstory.

The romance had strong insta-love vibes, and though it progressed quickly, I’m still here for it. I would’ve loved a bit more buildup, tension, and deeper emotional layering between Lyra and Roark before things accelerated. Lyra herself was interesting — full of secrets, though it became a little frustrating that even her internal monologue kept readers in the dark. It made it harder to fully connect with her, and left some of her choices feeling a bit disconnected.

The pacing was a little slow in spots, and while I liked the main characters, the side characters felt very surface-level. I would’ve loved to know more about them and see richer development across the board, especially in a world with so much going on.

Overall, Broken Souls and Bones is an engaging read with a lot of promise. The magic system is creative, the romance steamy (even if fast), and Roark was a standout for me. I’ll definitely keep reading because LJ Andrews always has a way of pulling me back into her worlds.

THIS BOOK!!! 🙌🏻
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌶️ 🌶️
(Scroll to the bottom for the tl;dr review. 😉)

This was my first by this author and I loved every moment of it! 😮‍💨

That ending has left me REELING! I’m so thoroughly addicted to the world LJ has built. It was brutal and immersive and I am HERE for it! My heart is still racing… I really don’t think it ever stopped.

What you’ll find here: 👇
🦴 Dark Fantasy Romance
⚔️ Vikings/Norse Mythology
🖤 Fierce FMC
🦴 Forced Proximity
⚔️ He’s Her Bodyguard
🌶️ 🌶️ Slow Burn to the most romantic inferno on the face of the planet. 🥹
🖤 Morally Grey MMC
✨ Unique Magic System
🦴 Found Family
⚔️ Plot Twists and Betrayals

“I would burn the whole of this land to keep one heart beating.”

The chemistry and communication between Roark and Lyra was so beautifully done! The slow burn was phenomenal! *chef’s kiss* I haven’t felt and read tension like that in awhile. I loved all the layers that were peeled away as we learned more about them and some were utterly heart-wrenching.

“Break me, I no longer care, as long as it is you who wields the destruction.”

🫠 🫠 🫠

With lines like those 👆 It’s really no surprise that Roark is the newest fictional man of my dreams. *tap, tap, tap*

———
✨ TL;DR: I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for Viking/Norse mythology, morally grey characters, slow burn, bodyguard romance that will leave you feeling all kinds of ways. Easily one of my favorite books of 2025! 🙌🏻

Thank you @authorljandrews , @berkleypub , and @netgalley for this e-arc!

Lyra has hidden a power that kings will do anything to possess her entire life. Roark has been sent to find her. As the two enter the dangerous world of Stonegate where everyone could be an enemy, they’re forced to trust each other. But with the enemy at the gates—and haunting Lyra’s dreams—the danger might be closer than they ever imagined.

Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews has everything fantasy romance readers love about Andrews’ Ever King duology. While some of the pacing could have been improved and the romance felt a little rushed, I still enjoyed my time reading this book!

Read if you like…
🪻Viking inspired fantasy!
💠 Touch her and you die
🪻Magic with a physical cost
💠 Warring kingdoms
🪻A brooding MMC with secrets
💠 A daring FMC who is brave enough to be kind
🪻Simple political structures with interesting politics
💠 SLOWburn
🪻Found family (and a brother that will do anything to protect her)
💠 Sign language creation and representation
🪻She can always understand his words
💠 He writes letters on her cheek to communicate
🪻Casual LGBTQIA+ representation
💠 They sleep better knowing the other is near
🪻He’s tasked with kidnapping and then protecting her

I really enjoyed Broken Souls and Bones! The worldbuilding was rich and atmospheric, and the magic system—while a bit confusing at first—ended up being super unique and fascinating. Lyra is such a strong, loyal main character, and I loved how far she was willing to go for the people she cares about. Roark was an amazing love interest—broody, deadly, and silent, which somehow made him even more intense. Their chemistry was full of slow-burn tension, and the way he communicated through hand signs and touch made every scene between them feel extra powerful. The found family dynamic was another highlight—Thane, Kael, and Emi added so much heart to the story. The beginning was a little slow, but once the plot picked up, I couldn’t stop reading. The last few chapters were absolutely wild! If you like romantasy with angst, danger, and deep emotions, this is definitely one to check out!

"𝓣𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓽 𝓶𝓲𝓻𝓻𝓸𝓻𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓷. 𝓣𝓸 𝓼𝓹𝓵𝓲𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵, 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓽 𝓼𝓪𝓬𝓻𝓲𝓯𝓲𝓬𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓭. 𝓣𝓸 𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂, 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓽 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭. 𝓣𝓸 𝓫𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓬𝓻𝓪𝓯𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓾𝓹𝓽𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽."

Thank you LJ, PRH Audio, Berkley, & Ace! I was lucky to have read an eARC of BS&S last year and with it releasing this week, I lucked out AGAIN with an ALC! The narration is incredible, and I can’t wait to finish my reread before the release!! Y’all are going to love this new world that LJ created!

If LJ writes it, I’ll devour it! I couldn’t wait to dive into a whole new world of hers and fall in love with Lyra & Roark. This book did not disappoint. I have a strong feeling this is going to be the next SMASH HIT romantasy on the scene,

The magic system in this book was so intricate, it took me a bit to understand it, but once I did…. Wow. In an over saturated market, this reads like a true romantasy tale you can’t help but get lost in. This book is descriptive and picturesque with all the things I love to read about in a romantasy. I loved all of the characters, the banter, the found family, the FREAKING plot twists — it truly has everything you crave in a new series. Get you a man who dismembers an enemy who hurts you and pikes his head to the palace walls. The last 15% of the book will leave you screaming!!!

If you’re looking for a new world to dive into and make your whole personality, look no further! I can’t WAIT for the next book, I’m gonna be hanging onto those last few chapters not so patiently wishing for the next one to be released!

“𝓖𝓸𝓭𝓼. 𝓘 𝓭𝓲𝓭 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓿𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓪𝓰𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓹𝓮𝓪𝓴 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓾𝓪𝓵 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓶𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓼 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀𝓷."

𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓫𝓮𝓼:
✨Dark Viking Inspired Romantasy
✨True Enemies To Lovers
✨Forced Proximity
✨Morally Gray MCs
✨Shadow Daddy
✨Villain Gets The Girl
✨Fated Mates
✨Touch Her And Die
✨Sign Language Rep - MMC is Mute
✨Fierce Found Family
✨Lost Memories/Amnesia
✨Bone, Blood, & Soul Magic
✨Political Intrigue
✨LBGTQIA+ Rep

"𝓘 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓫𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓭𝓲𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓮. 𝓘 𝓼𝓾𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓮. 𝓑𝓾𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓷𝓸 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓽𝓸𝓵𝓭 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰, 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓼 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓴𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓪𝓭."

“𝓑𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴 𝓶𝓮, 𝓘 𝓷𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮, 𝓪𝓼 𝓵𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓼 𝓲𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝔀𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓭𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷."

𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒔 & 𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 by LJ Andrews

Um…excuse me— I just cracked open an entirely 𝘯𝘦𝘸 world with this book, and let me tell you—it 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 disappoint. This is the start of a brand new series, completely separate from the others, and yet somehow LJ Andrews managed to bottle the same addictive magic, tension, and emotional devastation we know and love… only with even 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 stakes, 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 lore, and a whole new flavor of 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘯.

The worldbuilding is 𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴—lush, haunting, and spellbinding in a way that feels entirely immersive. And magic system—definitely one of my favorite things about LJ’s books—is 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 imaginative, raw, and just untamed enough to keep you on edge the entire time. There’s this undercurrent of danger and mystery in 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 chapter, and I was living for it.

Lyra, our FMC is fierce in the kind of way that sneaks up on you. She’s loyal to a fault, will sacrifice everything for the people she loves, and walks into danger without hesitation if it means protecting others. But her selflessness is also her biggest vulnerability—watching her slowly reckon with that made me 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦 in the best way.

Roark, our silent (literally), brooding, 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦-𝘵𝘰-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵-𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 dangerous MMC, is mute—and communicates solely with his hands. Can I just say that this simple detail changed 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. His silence isn’t a weakness; it’s 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳. It’s precision. Every movement, every gesture, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 was more deliberate, more 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦, and more emotionally charged than entire chapters of dialogue I’ve read elsewhere. And yes—he’s good with his hands. VERY good. 😏

No thank you to the CLIFFHANGER…you’re left REELING (if you’ve finished Onyx Storm, you’ll get it—yea, it’s like that) and now I’m just sitting here, pacing like a feral creature, waiting for book two.

This book is 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭—not just a fantasy romance—it’s a visceral experience, full of shadows, sacrifice, and slow-burning love that grabs you by the 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 and doesn’t let go.

•Bodyguard
•Norse mythology
•Hidden powers
•Morally grey MMC
•Slow burn
•Forced proximity
•Found family

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥.

I’m pretty sure I just straight up inhaled this one. Absolutely loved it. I couldn’t put it down, not even for family and adult responsibilities (sorry kids)! I was so intrigued and captivated by both Roark and Lyra. Tap tap tap. LOVE THEM.

The lore was equally intriguing, it just took time for me to fully grasp it and once I did, I was already all in. It’s beautifully written and brimming with dark magic, forbidden romance, and found family. I need to know what happens next!!

If you love vikings, romantasy, and tension-filled slow burn that is both rewarding and will have you squealing, you NEED to read 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬 & 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬.

Read if you like…
✨ vikings
✨ norse mythology
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ who did this to you?
✨ morally grey mc
✨ forbidden romance
✨ dark magic

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group | Ace & NetGalley for the eARC.

➸ 4.45 ⭐️

This was my first LJ Andrews book and I loved it! I'd definitely recommend Broken Soul and Bones to fans of A Fate Inked in Blood.

I loved the dual POV and LJA's writing style—I connected with it right away.

The world-building was well fleshed out while the magic system was a little confusing at first but well thought-out, interesting and inventive.

The MCs and supporting characters were fantastic.
Lyra was such a good protagonist—feisty and loyal—she'd give her life for the people she loves and even though it's mentioned several times how she'd been sheltered and there's a lot she doesn't know about her magic, at no point was she frustrating or annoying as a result of this.

Morally grey Roark with his "I'll burn the world down for you" attitude and his way of communicating had me in a chokehold the whole time. He had a very interesting and tragic past that left him without a voice when he was young so he was using hand speak (the book's version of sign language) to communicate with others. Let me tell you, using his hands to communicate with Lyra, brushing words against her skin, created such delicious tension, my gods, I couldn't get enough.
I absolutely adored Lyra's relationship with Kael and Roark's relationship with Thane and Emi. These three, but especially Thane, were my fav side characters—the found family was one of my absolute fav parts about this book.

I know nowadays everything is labeled enemies-to-lovers, but I think a better description for the romance in this book would be hate-to-love, slow-burn, forbidden "we-shouldn't-do-this" romance (+ one more trope but it'd be a spoiler).There was angst and tension and "come hate me at a nearer distance" and I loved it.

Now why this isn't a 5 star read since I obviously loved everything about it. It's probably more of a me thing, I just didn't get that 5 star feeling, I also felt like the first part of the book kinda dragged. I'm fully expecting to love and rate the sequel 5 stars with the way BSaB ended because the last 10% were truly wild. Even though I definitely saw certain things coming and probably wasn't as shocked as some other readers seem to be, it was super interesting to finally have everything explained and click into place.

I know that LJA is hoping to write more than 2 books in this world so I'm super excited to see where she's gonna take the story in the sequel.

Eternal gratitude to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

I've been hearing about LJ Andrews from book friends for a while, so I was excited to read my first of her books! I'm looking forward to trying The Ever King, which seems to be a fan favorite!

The beginning hooked me right away, and I was ready to dive into this world! I haven't read many books with Norse mythology, so it's pretty new to me, which had me more invested in the story. Unfortunately I found a lot of the middle of the book was kind of a drag, but the last 10-15% was redeeming.

The magic system was really interesting and unique, and I'd love to read more about that. Overall I enjoyed the world that LJ Andrews crafted. I loved the nonverbal MMC, that was such great rep to find in a romantasy book! I would have liked more from the romance in regard to buildup and connection, it felt a bit flat to me.

If a very detailed and complex magical system, danger lurking around every corner, and intense world building are things you enjoy, I think you’ll love this one! For me as a newbie fantasy reader, it felt like a lot of it went over my head and got slightly too complicated. I initially started on audio and that was a mistake, as I couldn’t understand many of the names and found it harder to get all of the details straight. I did like our FMC, a brave young woman with a rare magical gift who is forced to leave her home in a very dangerous and bloody scene. The MMC is a perfect morally grey character, very broody and dangerous.

Thank you to Berkley and Ace for the eARC.

I found this to be a fantasy that was intricate in its worldbuilding and the folklore surrounding the magic in this world. It is based around Norse mythology and like the Viking societies of the past, the power dynamics surrounding Lyra, the main character, and others with magical gifts are rife with intrigue and brute force. Lyra, as a protagonist, is brave, fiercely loyal to her found family, and determined to maintain her integrity and sense of self even as she's forced to use magic that could taint her soul to protect those she loves. I found her to be a very easy character to root for throughout this novel. Her love interest, however, is not so easy to like. Roarke is called the Death Bringer for good reason. He is brutal and dark. But also complex in that he does have a sense of fairness and is unwilling to hurt Lyra even though he abhors her magic. It makes for some interesting conflict as the two navigate kingdom politics and discover all is not as it seems in the kingdom of Jorvandal they have each been forced to serve. It was a well-paced and story that weaves together mystery, intrigue and romance that kept me turning the page and made me eager to read more in this series.

Broken Souls and Bones by @authorljandrews
Releasing 04/29/2025

LJ has done it again! And I already need the next book ASAP!

The tension and pull between Roark and Lyra was palpable and ever present right from the start. The way they were drawn to each other from the beginning and watching the truth unravel made this book one I could not put down. I loved the way that Lyra could easily understand Roark and his hand speak. And more than that, I love a man that will defend his love with everything he has, but can also stand back and watch his woman take control and defense into her own hands.

The found family aspect also shines through in true LJ fashion. I absolutely adored Thane and the relationships he’s built with everyone, but especially Roark and Lyra. Plus, he offers the best comedic relief out there! I dare you not to fall for him!

The twists and turns at the end had me on the edge of my seat. I went back and forth all book with several theories and then screamed at the revelations at the end! So so good!!

I cant recommend this book enough and am excited to see what comes next!

This was my first LJ Andrew’s book and it won’t be my last! This Viking story gave me everything I was looking for, full of a complex magic system and so many beautiful details. I loved Lyra’s story and her journey to find herself and her powers. Roark and his broody presence has me yearning for book 2, especially after that cliffhanger ending! You’ll find spice, found family, epic battles, enemies to lovers, everything that’ a good fantasy book needs right here.

I truly did not see the twists coming! Attached is my full review.

I was not a fan of this, unfortunately. It just didn’t keep my attention. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this arc.

“Three taps-this gesture for claiming something as his”
One of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it absolutely delivered.
Rating: easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.75 (there are couple of open door romance scenes).

This was my first time reading LJ Andrews and it definitely won’t be my last.

If you like viking vibes, unique magic system, political intrigue, a broody MMC, bold and sassy FMC, you will love Broken Souls and Bones. It gave me Fate Inked in Blood with a tad of Belladonna for the mirrored reality?

Lyra has been hiding her whole life because of her rare craft, she is a bone melder. The King, obsessed with power has been on a hunt for the lost bone melder. Once she is found, she is forced to serve the crown and Roark is assigned as her personal guard.

And Roark is my new favorite MMC😮‍💨 Silent, deadly, loyal. He is a silent guard of Prince Thane and his best friend. He communicates with his hands which I found fascinating- it added so much tension and uniqueness to his character. Like…how do you command other guards silently? Roark DOES that.

The tension between Lyra and Roark🫠🫠🫠 It has a perfect slow burn romance

I absolutely loved how LJ Andrews wrote all of the characters and their relationships. When it comes to protecting each other, there is nothing they wouldn’t do….They weren’t just on the page, they felt like friends who I didn't want to say goodbye to.

The story starts somewhat slow because there is a lot we need to learn about the world and magic system, characters, but then picks up quickly, I stayed up until 2AM because I couldn’t put it down. The ending??? What do you mean???

✨
Forced proximity
Broody MMC
Strong female characters
Unique magic system
Political intrigue
Enemies to lovers
Slow burn romance

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this eARC.

This is a fun Viking romantasy. It is a very unique world and magic system. I wish there was a bit more explanation of the magic system or a guide at the start. I understood most of it by the end but did feel like I was fumbling a bit in the middle trying to understand. I liked the relationship. There were quite a few exciting plot twists at the end. I saw one coming and didn’t see the other. Overall it was a fun read and I plan to continue the series.

2.5 stars - this one hurt to rate so low...

Let me start off with the things that I really enjoyed about this book:
1. Roark was an interesting MMC who used hand speak (basically sign language) and Lyra was connected to him in some way that allowed her to pick up on his signs rather quickly.

2. The overall story was interesting with the different types of magic used.

Now, for the things that I just didn't gravitate toward:
1. The pacing was veeeeerrrryyyy slow...things didn't pick up until about 40%, and even then, the pacing was still pretty slow.

2. I couldn't connect to the characters (not because they are fictional or fantasy characters)...but they just lacked emotional depth for me. I couldn't feel their chemistry on the pages.

In general, I'm really interested to read more by this author because I think her storylines are super interesting. I think I just really struggle with the slow pacing (The Ever King was kinda slow in the beginning too).

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

LJ Andrews is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited for this book. It did not disappoint! Her ability to build worlds and romantic connections hits EVERY time. If you love Viking Romantasy, this book is for you!! The characters, the magic system, the world were done so well and the ending left me wanting more!!!