Very sorry I am late with this ARC review but my brain just refused to cooperate with me on ARCs in the last two months of the year, especially since I had a lot of ARCs come through at the same time. Panic is not my best friend sadly.

Took me a while to read this I admit. There is slow-burn (although to be real, slow burn doesn't really go slow?) enemies to lovers which worked up to a point. I am very sad to say that I did not vibe with the MMC. The betrayal... I would not forgive.

And this book contains a trope that I am absolutely not for, so I am aware that these things heavily impacted my reading overall, but hey, I know what I like and what I don't. If it only wasn't for this trope, ah, I'm so sad about it.

"A Bargain of Smoke and Vines" combines romance and fantasy in an intriguing setting. While the world and the magic is captivating, the fast-paced romance feels rushed and lacks depth. Amara's feelings for Daed are often frustrating, focusing too much on physical attraction rather than meaningful connections. Despite this, the characters and pacing are engaging, with plenty of twists and a cliffhanger that will draw readers to the next book. While the romance may not appeal to everyone, the rich world and interesting plot make it a fun read worth exploring.

This book was a lot different than others I have read. It was my first dark/gothic romance. So part of me was very skeptical of everything because it was so different from what I am used to, however it was a great read! There were times where I wondered if this was too dark for me, but I’m glad I stuck with it. The character building was great, as well as the world and magic building. You really learned about these characters and I felt like I started to “know” them as the book went on. I love bad boy/protectors, spice and cliff hangers. So this book truly has it all for me!

I discovered this book by chance and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed A Bargain of Smoke and Vines. The balance of plot and romance was great for this story and the world was interesting. I had a good time reading it and I have a feeling we'll be in for some surprises/obstacles - we'll have to see. Looking forward to book two!

What a ride this book was! I am delighted that I found within a book that seemed to be a conventional Romantasy at first to have interesting characters that had more depth! I can't wait to read the next one.

The premise of this book was interesting. I would classify it more in the romance genre with fantasy of course. There were several parts where I was angry with the way she was treated..her journey started harshly just coming over on the ship. I love the bad boys in books though, so her betrothed was my ideal kind of character. And, who doesn't love Fae!!! This was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it. If you haven't seen the character art for this book, please go check it out!!! It helps you to get such a better outlook as you are reading this book.

I really enjoyed everything in this book except the romance. Which is unfortunate as it is a large part of the book. The world, the magic of Amara and her people along with that of the Fae was quite interesting. You don’t get much info on the rebel army that is trying to take over the Grove, nor of their elusive leader. As far as the romance goes, you aren’t really told how much time passes during the book. And Amara talks about Daed and the things he has supposedly done (her being confused by his conflicting behaviors towards her) but we only see this happen a time or two. So her continuing to go on and on about this is a bit annoying. I also don’t do well with romances where physical attraction is all that matters and supersedes your hate for someone else. So they can be the worst person ever, but we are going to overlook that (just this one time, not really) because they are so hot. Then when they do learn about each other and seem to have a real connection, there is a third act ‘breakup’. Daed has done something horrible, never apologizes and is forgiven with no consequences. I loved all the characters in and of themselves, I loved the world, the pacing was great. There are multiple betrayals from different characters and a plot twist with a cliffhanger ending. I will likely read book 2 as I truly did enjoy the majority of the story. The execution of the romance just didn’t do it for me. However, I will say, for many this romance will be 5 stars. So don’t not read it just because of my dislike for it. It will definitely work for a lot of readers.

For fans of Jennifer Armentrout
Great setup. To save her peaceful nation from conquest, a druid priestess is forced to marry a dark fae. Amara is beset by hallucinations in addition to humiliation and starvation. The prince swears he won’t take her to the marriage bed until she begs him… if she lives that long. The ill-omened romance blooms in the second half.

Read this as a romance only. The tale opens like an epic D&D adventure, but my suspension of disbelief was broken often. Why do her frequent kidnappers leave the demonstrated and publicly discussed rune source of her power around her neck?Ultimately, the big battle they build up to for the whole book wasn’t satisfying for me.

This was a fantastic fantasy novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the feel of this. The characters had that feel that I was hoping for and enjoyed how good they felt in this world. J.L. Tomlinson has a strong writing style and was engaged with the overall feel of this.