
Member Reviews

This is why LJ is an auto buy for me, Broken Souls and Bones gets all the stars, it was absolutely fantastic!
An amazing new series with unique magic, lots of action, secrets, memory loss and I loved every page of it. Enemies to lovers, slow burn and touch her and ,are my favourite and everything was on point.
Roark is broody, protective and so swoon worthy. He might have lost his voice but he definitely can get his point across. Tap, tap, tap. Lyra is fierce, loyal, smart and brave while trying to free herself and her friends. The banter between these two was perfect.
You'll definitely want to read this when it comes out in April.
Thank you so much @authorljandrews, @berkleypub and @netgalley for this fantastic ARC!

โSoul to soul.โ
This book screams Guilty As Sin? by Taylor Swift!
If you love
๐คenemies to lovers
๐คbadass FMC
๐คsilent broody MMC
๐คforced proximity
๐คslow burn romance
๐คfound family
๐คtouch her and ๐
๐คnorse inspired culture
๐คintriguing magic system
๐คheart-wrenching romantasy
you will absolutely love Lyra and Roark in Broken Souls and Bones! โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
MIND OFFICIALLY BLOWN AWAY!! Broken Souls and Bones intrigued me from the very beginning and it is a story like no other. This world is a very dangerous, bone crushing place in which Lyra must fight like hell to protect the ones she loves.
For so long, Lyra has tried to stay unnoticed, until she is found by the kingโs silent Sentry, Roark Ashwood. As a melder, Lyra is coveted by the king and hated by many. Roark, our mute and deadly MMC, is tasked with protecting Lyra even though he dislikes melders as well.
A true enemies to lovers romantasy? CHECK! Roark and Lyra are forced to work together in tandem to figure out what exactly is transpiring in the kingdom. Roark, although mute, is very passionate with the way he speaks with his hands; through taps and gestures, Lyra is a quick study and they soon begin a bantering relationship of charge and protector.
Honestly, the tension was radiating between the two and the way enemies become lovers had my eye brows raising!! The spice was passionate and the touch of forbidden love was like a jackhammer to the heart. The plot was incredibly well written and the magic system was unlike any Iโve read before. I loved the Viking aspect to the story and how it ties into the different clansโ culture and craft. The sense of found family was strong in this story as well, seeing how Lyra didnโt think sheโd come to care for anyone at the keep. The last 25% of the book was where sh*t got real and I might have cried a couple of times.
I fell in love with LJ Andrewโs characters and storylines last year and Iโve fallen in love with Lyra and Roarkโs story as well. The ending really gut punched me and shocked the hell out of me. I loved how I didnโt expect any of the end to happen, and thatโs what I find to be a really good book!!
That cliffhanger will really have your jaw dropping, eyes wide open wondering what the heck just happened. ๐
Also please read LJโs Broken Kingdom series as well if you love romantasy as much as I!!
Thank you so much to LJ, Berkley and NetGalley for the ability to read this ARC! My words are my own opinion!

I am HUGE fan of LJ Andrews. From The Broken Kingdom to The Ever Seas and now to The Broken Souls and Bones I have loved each new world and character she has created.
My first love was and will always be Legion/Valen he is the OG of my fascination with faeholes, until I met The Bloodsinger and suddenly I loved a fae pirate and now I have Roark, the silent guard who "speaks" through his hands. His hands speak in so many ways and it is always with vigor and passion. He claims Lyra as a captive for the King, but soon finds himself captivated by her. She is spunky, sassy and powerful. He is morally grey, broody and loyal only to his Prince and best friend. Until he meets Lyra, that is. This story is familiar in that it is written by LJ, but also a completely new and exciting world and characters we are meeting for the first time. There is intrigue, secrets, friendship, loyalty that is tested, untold power, and at the heart of the story a betrayal that may tear everything they thought they knew apart. The emotions I felt while reading this book were all over the place, excitement, distress, happiness, sadness, and above all LOVE for this world and the people brought to life on the pages. I will always recommend LJ to people and annoy those who haven't experienced her brand of fantasy to read her books and I can't wait for the rest of the world to get their hands on Broken Souls and Bones at the end of April.
#brokensoulsandbones #ljandrews #thebrokenkingdom #theeverseas #slowburn #romantasy #hespeakswithhishands #newrelease #comingsoon #foundfamily #morallygreyismyfavoritecolor #ljandrewsstreetteam

Really loved the concept and feel of this book. Found it a little tough to really sink my teeth into and absorb myself at first but got there in the end.
Especially loved the connections the characters formed together whether it was a primary character or secondary character. The way Lyra learned about the world around her and the people in it made the world building so seamless with her character growth.
Excited to see what comes next from LJ Andrewโs, her stories are always so detailed and unique.

The book is heaving on world building and establishing the magic system but the payoff is worth the wait. The ending was amazing and I cannot wait to see what the sequel brings. The charters were interesting and if you are a fan of enemies to lovers then you are going to be a fan of this book.

5 โญ๏ธโs because i swear LJ can do no wrong!!! the setting, the plot, the plot twists, and betrayals all had me on the edge of my seat. not to mention how roark has me in a CHOKEHOLD! his hand speak is so hot and the tap tap tap??? i will never recover!
perfect if you love
- norse mythology
- a hot broody bodyguard mmc
- found family
- 10/10 unique magic system

โYou are more than the scars in your eyes.โ
~~~
So right away, canโt say much cause this book isnโt out till 5/29/25; BUT!!
Thisโฆthis was something elseโฆAND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!
The chemistry between the two main characters, the BANTER!!! The side characters, this type of representation (that is rarely seen in any book) all of it was an amazing trip that I want to go back too! @authorljandrews loved it! Amazingโฆand absolutely crave the next bookโฆif there is another one..gods I hope so!
*quote subject to change*

Overall, I enjoyed this! LJ Andrews' doesn't miss with her stories!! I always feel so emersed in the plot and characters.
I did feel a little lost in the middle with the world building. I found myself having to read over passages to fully understand what was supposed to be going on. The magic system is really cool and a unique idea. I also enjoyed have both POVs from each character. The 2 MCs have great synergy. The slow burn was well worth the wait - 2 out of 5 spice level. The last 30% of this book is captivating.
Thank you LJ, publishers, & NetGalley for providing me this eARC. I am very thankful and appreciative.

I LOVED IT.
I was so happy to receive this ARC because I love seeing the growth in Andrewโs writing. She does Viking romantasy so well. While the magic system is nothing new, the way that Andrewโs is able to describe it, immerse us into the world, was done so well.
I love that the world building is done along the way and is not overwhelming.
GIMME MORE PLZZZZZZ

โ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ง๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ . ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐, ๐๐ฎ๐๐จ ๐๐ก๐ค๐จ๐๐. ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ. ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐จ - ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ก๐๐๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐จ. ๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐.โ
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐:
Lyra has spent her life trying to remain unnoticed, but when Roark Ashwoodโthe silent sentry of Stonegateโarrives in her village, her secrets are exposed.
๐ผ๐ข ๐๐๐๐:
Yaโll, the tensionnnnnnnn!
If youโve read LJโs Broken Kingdoms series, a lot of what happens in this book wonโt be surprising. Broken Kingdoms was hands down one of my favorite series I read last year, so needless to say I absolutely DEVOURED this one.
One of my favorite things about LJโs writing is the unique magical systems she creates. The world building is easy enough to follow but also just so cool?! I am obsessed with the magic system in this one & I am so excited to see how she expands on it.
But truly, the thing that stands out the most in this book is the INSANE TENSION due to Roark being non-speaking & using his hands to talk. Lyra & Roark are very much enemies, & yet because he doesnโt speak he needs her looking at him to be able to understand what heโs saying. The face grabbing? The closeness? THE TAP TAP TAP?! Well done, LJ.
Iโve been a big time supporter of LJโs books & this one is no different. Read it, then read her entire backlist. You can thank me after ๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐:
๐โ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐จ๐ค๐ช๐ก ๐๐จ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐. ๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ฃโ๐ฉ ๐ก๐ค๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ.โ
๐โ๐๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐. ๐๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐บ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ช๐ง๐ฃ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ก๐๐ซ๐.โ
๐โ๐ ๐๐ก๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐๐ค๐ฃ๐. ๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐, ๐๐๐ง๐ก๐๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐.โ
๐โ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ข๐, ๐ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐, ๐๐จ ๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐๐ก๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ.โ
๐ฆดNorse-inspired fantasy
๐ฆดpolitical intrigue
๐ฆดhidden powers / identity
๐ฆดnon-speaking MMC
๐ฆดbodyguard / forced proximity
๐ฆดenemies to lovers / slow burn
๐ฆดunique magic system
๐ฆดfound family
Thank you to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! All opinions are my own.

So, Iโm a huge LJ Andrews fan and Iโm so excited that her first traditionally published book is something new! I have adored her other books and characters, my favorite being The Broken Kingdom Series, So I was interested to see if LJโs newest book could top that feeling for me. Plot twist: IT DID! Oh my gosh. Loved the Norse/viking vibes and folklore. And how she made someone who wasnโt able to talk communicateโฆ.it felt so refreshing to have that representation in a fantasy book. Full review to come!

Give me book TWO right now!! Andrews, we need book two immediately!! This book is wonderful. If you liked A Fate Inked in Blood then you will enjoy this one as well. The FMC and MMC are both great. The MMC is interesting as he is mute from a war injury and must use sign language (of sorts) to communicate - this adds to the tension and makes everything great.
If you enjoy viking mytholody, political games/intrigue, unique magic systems, enemies to lovers, and strong world building you have to pick this book up. So worth the read.

This book was absolutely phenomenal. It was everything I was wanting in my next Romantasy read. The Viking mythology, the unique world and magic system, the characters, the tension, the slow-burn. It was all perfection. The ending was so so good and had me in a chokehold. I couldnโt put it down until I had all the answers. I absolutely will be reading book 2. Roark and Lyra had so much tension and chemistry. I absolutely adored Roark. He is mute due to tragic circumstances as a child. But the way he is so tender and soft with his hand language one moment, and fierce and commanding in the next was soo good. His character is so complex and so well done. This book is so well written, the characters are complex, and the world building is unique and intriguing. You definitely want to snatch up this book once it is released next month.

Thank you for the free book, Ace and Berkley!
In the first book of this romantasy series, Lyra is a bone melder who is taken captive by Roark, a sentry for the king. Lyraโs abilities are revered and rare, and she is guarded by Roark so she can follow the kingโs commands. Not all is as it seems, and the two are bonded in more ways than one.
Although I havenโt read as many romantasy books as some, I have been branching out lately to try more. This one was a bit more challenging for me in parts because there is quite a bit of world building. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book and the end was explosive and fast paced, but the middle was hard for me to get through at times. However, I did enjoy how the story ended and would continue reading to find out how Lyra and Roarkโs story will unfold.

Broken Souls and Bones is book #1 in the new Stonegate series by author @ljandrews. The Stonegate series is planned to be a 4-book series, set in a fantastical Norse-esque world, centering around the FMC Lyra Bien, an orphan girl, who has a secret.
One day working in the Jarlโs orchards, Lyra was attacked by a hooded man. She fought him off, but the encounter left her shaken. When she returned to the village, they were surrounded by the Kingโs guards and one guard in particular, who many called the Sentry or Death Bringer - Roark Ashwood. In order to save her friends, Lyra was forced to reveal her rare power and was immediately taken to the king to become his next Melder.
Once taken to the Stone Palace, the king becomes enthralled with Lyra and her powers. Given her unique gifts and their value to him - as well as enemies near and far - the king assigns the Sentry to become the full-time guard of the Melder.
When you read Broken Souls and Bones, you can expect:
Romantasy
Enemies to Lovers
Sign language
Bodyguard
Silent & Broody MMC
โChosen Oneโ FMC
Unique magic system
Forced Proximityโจ
Soul Bonds
Found Family
โTouch Her and Dieโ vibes
Like so many Romantasy stories, there was a lot of complex magic, world and character building at the beginning, but once it hit itโs stride, the story really picks up and I had a really hard time putting this book down.
Let me start with my new book boyfriend Roarkโฆthis man is so possessive and swoon-worthy without even saying a word! He was shunned by his people and lost his voice in the process, so he has to communicate with his hands. HIS HANDS! And for those who like them morally gray, Roark definitely has a dark side and can be quite brutal, especially to those who threaten to harm Lyra, but with her he is sweet and kind and best of all, he treats her like the badass queen she is!
Speaking of the badass queen herself, Lyra is an amazing FMC! She is feisty and strong and she fights for those she cares about. She always seems to get herself into the thick of it, and she wonโt back down. She even saves herself a few times!
And for those who love lovable side-characters, let me introduce you to Kael and Prince Thane! Kael is Lyraโs brother from another mother and Prince Thane is besties with Roark. My SJM fans, Thane gives off major Dorian Havillard energy!
Hereโs one of my favorite quotes (and a gesture Roark used often):
โPulse racing, I touched where Ashwood held his hand, Three taps - his gesture for claiming something as his. It meant mine. A word meaning a dozen things - his to command, his to use, his to protect.โ
A special thank you to NetGalley and LJ Andrews for the ARC. I feel truly blessed and I canโt wait to read whatโs next in store for these characters.

DNF 60%
Loved the characters. Hated the world building.
Let's get straight to the literal bones of Broken Souls and Bones.
The characters were great--The main characters (Lyra and Roark) and secondary characters (Prince Thane and his betrothed and Lyra's BFF, Kael Darkwin). I loved them all but not even great characters could keep me invested in a story with silly world building.
Roark Ashwood was tossed out and maimed as a youngster for failing his people in Dravenmoor. Now unable to speak, he was taken in by the Kingdom of Jorvandal but the king didn't expect much from him, giving him to Prince Thane as a guard. This is the best thing to have happened as Roark and the prince are like brothers. Now that Roark is such a dangerous warrior, commanding a great deal of respect from the army, the King wants Lyra to remove bond with the prince and give one to him instead. Together Thane and Roark created their own sign language so Roark could communicate and while only a few bothered to learn more than the basics, Roark doesn't care to converse with most people anyway. I can't imagine how being unable to speak would work during a battle. He has a translator while giving orders and making rousing speeches but what about in the heat of battle? Making Roark use sign language to converse gave his character an extra depth, and it also made it easier for us to know the nature of the secondary characters simply due to whether or not they could be bothered to learn to communicate with Roark. Upon Lyra's abduction from her small town, she jumped on the booklet of hand signals because she was fascinated by it and wanted to know what Roark was saying.
Lyra Bien has a strong, intelligent personality which helped her fight the darkness that takes over most melders.ย Having a strong backbone also helped her stand up to Roark and the demands of the King. She was told to hide all her life since she had the gift of a melder and melders were always forced into the service of the king. Melders fuse bones of the dead onto hosts, usually strong warriors as a boost to their strength.
I got through about 60% of the story but I didn't enjoy the whole soul-bone melding thing. First of all, in order to fuse the soul-bone to your bone, Lyra has to reach your bones. Not only does she cut the skin, she has to get to your bone so that is cutting through your muscle with a regular old knife, no anesthesia, and let's hope you don't get an infection. Although an infection could be the least of your problems as the soul of the dead warrior fuses with you. Who is this guy? You don't get to choose who it is. "Is that Todd? He was an asshole. I don't want to be part-Todd forever. And he was a sucky warrior, he died during training by tripping over his own feet and falling on his own sword. Who else to you have in that bucket?" They just have a bucket of bone slivers from dead warriors, and this person's personality becomes part of yours but we aren't getting any choices or backgrounds on these people. It's not like the bucket is full of bones from their greatest warriors. I don't think I would want to risk it.
The first thing they do to make sure Lyra is the melder they have been searching for is shatters the bones of her BFF, Kael. Lyra has been hiding her whole life and doesn't even know how to meld. Thankfully, she has a natural talent for it and fixes him but what a way to earn the loyalty of your new, forced-into-service melder, making her rebuild her friend in a panic. Really?
Lyra also goes into a trace as she melds but mentally she is in a dream realm where another cloaked warrior appears (definitely not Roark) who is threatening to kill her for doing her job--which she doesn't even want to do--because she is stealing souls. So she has the King making her meld these bones onto warriors and then this guy in her dream world threatening to take a soul for each one she steals.
And as long as I am ranting, this nutty king also has his mender take a sliver of bone from each of his warriors (Each!!! How many does he have 1,000? 10,000?) and he has that sliver of bone attached to his skull as a show of loyalty, but it also seems to force that loyalty. That's 1,000 or 10,000 cuts into his head! Now what happens when that warrior dies? Does it slough off in his head? Does it hurt? Does he get a sharp pain or a headache when 100 warriors go out and die in battle?
While menders have the most coveted (only by the King) gift, there are also bone crafters, blood crafters and soul crafters. Jorvandal has bone crafters. They can make bone weapons or armor--usually out of animal bones--but they can also reach over and shatter the bones in your body. We don't even hear much about the soul or blood crafters, at least on the first 60 percent, and I am guessing they will be part of future stories as this is Book #1.
This was a tough one and what I felt was a terrible waste of characters since they were wonderful charactes but unfortunately, I am not overly excited about the world-building and the whole using soul/blood/bone magic. As much as I liked the characters, I just couldn't keep reading and I certainly wasn't going to invest the time in a whole series.

I enjoyed this book! I thought that the magic system was really interesting, and I really liked the main character as well. Lyra was a great character to follow, and I enjoyed her character development throughout the book! The romance between Lyra and Roark was well-written, if a bit too insta-lovey for me. I found some aspects of the plot a bit slow, but I overall had a great time with this book, and I am very excited to read the next book in the series, as well as LJ Andrews' other books! :)

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars
A slow start with an explosive end.
I hate to say that this one dragged for me a bit. Some of the storyline didn't seem fleshed out as much as it could have been. While the magic system was really intriguing, we didn't really learn about most of it, only specific parts, and what we did learn about still felt like some details were missing.
And I'll say some of the twists really came out of nowhere and there wasn't really anything in the book that pointed to this being the twist or anything, so I feel like it was just decided at the end that this was what she was gonna make the twist without trying to leave any breadcrumbs.
But I did like the two main characters. Roark was a little different than your usual MMC and I really enjoyed that aspect, and Lyra was pretty great as well.
But the ending was amazing. Even though some of the twists were kind of meh and some of it you could see coming a mile away, it still had me at the edge of my seat. It definitely sets up for a great sequel so can't wait for that one and what else LJ might do with this universe โค๏ธโ๐ฅ

This book was absolutely phenomenal. It was everything I was wanting in my next Romantasy read. The Viking mythology, the unique world and magic system, the characters, the tension, the slow-burn. It was all perfection. The ending was so so good and had me in a chokehold. I couldnโt put it down until I had all the answers. I absolutely will be reading book 2. Roark and Lyra had so much tension and chemistry. I absolutely adored Roark. He is mute due to tragic circumstances as a child. But the way he is so tender and soft with his hand language one moment, and fierce and commanding in the next was soo good. His character is so complex and so well done. This book is so well written, the characters are complex, and the world building is unique and intriguing. You definitely want to snatch up this book once it is released next month.

Andrewโs has a way of drawing you completely into the worlds she creates and this was another perfect example of that. With a perfect blend of world building, character development and overall plot development this was a fantastic start to her newest Stonegate series.
Her characters have well fleshed out backgrounds and motives and you never know whatโs going to happen next . Top off with that cliffhanger and you know the next book is going to be just as good.
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ/5
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ/5