Fans who have been waiting for Carver and Bel's story will be clamoring for this book! Their story is everything fans could have hoped for. Filled with Bel's snarkiness and Carver's unwavering love for her. Set up with an almost impossible task it will take them working together to take down their enemies in hopes of taking their fated places as rulers of Atlantis. Bouchet delivers on all fronts here: adventure, fantasy and of course romance. The tension between Carver and Bel is unmatched. A five star addition to the series!

This was awesome! I love this world and reading about all these warriors. Bel was amazing. I love how it was Carver who backed her up instead of the other way around. If you love a woman who can kick some serious butt, you’ll love Bel. And even though Carver was in a support role, he was no beta. He’s strong, a warrior in his own right, and protective even though Bel could handle her own. Even though this featured a different couple from the last book, I highly recommend reading this series in order. Too much has happened in the previous books that connects to this book. It’s worth the investment!

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.

I’m so happy Amanda Bouchet is back in this world—Beneath the Burning Sea is a fantastic addition to one of my all-time favorite romantasy series. This book has everything I love: mythology, magic, sizzling chemistry, and a romance that builds perfectly from friends to lovers.

Bellanca and Carver are total powerhouses—both strong in their own right but even better together. Bell is fierce, independent, and on fire (literally and emotionally), while Carver is the kind of steady, selfless hero that just does it for me. Their banter had me smiling, and their relationship development felt earned and satisfying.

The plot is original and intriguing, with a solid balance of action, romance, and fantasy. The mythology continues to be one of the standout elements of the series, and I loved exploring more of this world (Atlantis!) alongside two characters I could genuinely root for.

That said, I did find myself skimming through the last quarter a bit—it lost a bit of steam for me toward the end—but overall, it was still a great ride. The side characters added so much, and the emotional connection I felt to the leads really carried the story.

If you’re a fan of the Kingmaker Chronicles, don’t miss this one. It’s everything you’d want from a return to this world, and then some. Fingers crossed there’s more to come!

“Beneath the Burning Sea” was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it did not disappoint in the slightest.

From the moment I picked this up, I couldn’t put it down. Bel and Carver’s journey through Atlantis, facing gods and mythical creatures while trying to restore the city’s magic, was everything I hoped for. Their emotional growth, the battles, and the magic created an unforgettable read. This book exceeded my expectations, and I’m already hoping for more.

It’s been years since I’ve returned to Amanda Bouchet’s version of Greek mythology that’s actually built around the resilience of humans—heroes and heroines—and sinks it all in a very recognisable format where fantasy tropes dominate but stay relatable. To say that I remember every minutiae of this entire world that Bouchet has constructed would be a blatant lie and I wasn’t really going to revisit everything from the original trilogy (seeing as I wasn’t too impressed with Cat and Griffin as the first few books wore on).

But everything after them—Jocasta and Flynn, and now Bel and Carver, forging their own paths as standalone stories, really made this series perk up again for me.

It’s easy enough to follow along as a standalone and ‘Beneath the Burning Sea’ is a read of spitting ‘frenemies’ of sorts, full of bad-tempered and ridiculous banter and magic with enough action and adventure that soon turn the heat up between Bel and Carver. I liked that their relationship (after the initial slow burn and indecision) didn’t falter once they decided they wanted each other, because well, the stakes are too high for them to go at it all alone.

Against the bigger backdrop of the petty warring gods with humans being shafted around like pawns, Bel/Carver was the story I wanted to read and the story I got as well. Their shenanigans at times pushed the boundaries of what I nearly thought of eye-rolling petulance, yet their ultimate devotion to each other and to their cause made this pairing a solid one that I knew I could get behind. Bouchet delivers a bloody good HEA and an epilogue; whether this wraps up the series remains to be seen, however. Yet it feels as though in this re-invented version of greek mythology, there are still some stories to tell, of friends and allies who should also rightly get their time of the day.

*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley

It’s been a long time coming, but finally Bellanca and Carver’s story is here!

This world began in 2016 with Cat and Griffin. The original trilogy followed the same main characters and introduced this world of mythology and magic. I was satisfied with the wrap-up of the original plot arc, but did wonder if my beloved secondary characters would also receive their own happily-ever-after. So, I was thrilled in 2022 to discover that yes, Finn, Carver, Jocasta, and Bellanca (and Kato?) would get their own books. It must be said that this series should definitely be read in order. I absolutely do not recommend reading Beneath the Burning Sea as a standalone.

After the events of A Curse of Queens, Bel and Carver have taken on a task from Zeus and agreed to journey to Atlantis and find the Shard of Olympus to restore magic to the land and end their punishment. They might never see their loved ones again, but when given a task by a god, you accept. Bel and Carver have long been adversarial allies, always sniping and verbally poking each other. But they are also steadfastly united in this dangerous mission. Now posing as husband and wife, Bel working at a family-owned restaurant and Carver joining the palace guard, they must find all the clues to the location of the Shard, while also flying under the radar of the current king of Atlantis.

Atlantis is a cruel place where women are second class citizens, and the king is willing to make a human sacrifice a day in his own quest to bring magic back to his island. Bel and Carver quickly realize they are not just up against a murderous tyrant but are also in the middle of a war of the gods.

I’ve been looking forward this story for a while. There is something about two strong personalities, who regularly argue and squabble having each other’s backs and falling in love in the midst of an epic battle. These two have been through it all, and saved each other’s lives numerous times, but that was while surrounded by their allies and friends. Now they are alone and have only each other to rely on. Bel is a royal with incredibly strong fire magic and Carver a magicless warrior, but they make a powerful team who are completely aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Their journey to coupledom has been several books in the making but ended up being well worth the wait as they finally realize what they mean to each other.

I think I’ve been reading so much romantic fantasy lately because I crave an escape from real life. I need the magic; I need the heroes to battle against the odds and come out on top. I need the action scenes and perilous journeys. This book has all of that and more. I really enjoyed how this author has taken well known mythology and integrated it into a whole new world.

For those of you wondering, there is a hint at the end to the next book in the series. I’m not saying Kato is about to find his own HEA, but I’m not not saying it either. I think a journey to the underworld is just what this series needs.