Is this my favourite duology EVER? It’s going to take a lot to top it! This one is book 2 and I hate spoilers so this review will be vague!

This one follows Livia and Erik dealing with the repercussions of the end of The Ever King. Livia is coming into her own, channeling her mother’s badassery. I loved her journey from the unsure terrified captive of the Ever King to a strong woman who stands up for herself. She’s not a Mary Sue, she’s not perfect at everything. But she is cunning, strategic, and capable. Erik is the best book boyfriend because he’s still morally grey but we also get to see an incredibly vulnerable and soft side that only Livia and his love for her could bring out. The quotes from him in this book are many. Erik is my ultimate book boyfriend! I also absolutely loved to hate the bad guys.

I couldn’t pick a favourite of the duet. I loved the enemies to lovers story of book 1, but this book has one of my favourite scenes of any book ever. It was also just so much fun after the setup of book 1 for certain characters to meet and interact. This book made me feel every emotion there is! I will read every book in the series and I truly hope there are many many more!

This will forever be a favourite duology. The Ever Queen picks up straight after the ending of The Ever King and I was instantly pulled in.

Erik travels to Livia’s homeland in search of help from her family after he is betrayed and Livia taken captive he knows full well that he will be captured on sight as an enemy but for her he will go through it all just to find her. I loved seeing the interactions between Erik and Valen and how the dynamics between them worked.

Livia goes through some harrowing moments while being captured but I loved seeing her further character growth in this book, she really stepped into being the queen of the Ever knowing that eventually Erik would find her.

The continued world building is one of my favourite things when reading this authors work, I love that it just keeps being added to and really helps to move the pace and the plot along. I’m excited to see further books surrounding other characters within this world.

Thank you so much to LJ and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review before publication. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

“Your daughter is my beacon. I will never regret taking her, for she is my home. I love her, Queen. There is no part of me that would choose anything over her.”

I LOVE LIV AND ERIK. Where do I find a man that brings me bone jewelry??? Hello.

Whewwwww this book holds the spice, and I am here for it. The way Erik shows his love is one to be remembered, but the way Liv returns it… she is who we want to be. Nothing gets in her way.

Also, the bonus scenes at the back?? *chef’s kiss* They were exactly what I needed. I love how the Earth and Sea fae lives have grown together and I TRULY cannot wait for how they will continue to cross over in the future. I need all the spinoffs. These are my friends and I want to know they’re all getting their happily ever afters… with a little heart-wrenching in there for good measure…

I loved The Ever King and have been anxiously waiting for The Ever Queen. It was everything I needed and more.

It’s hard to properly review this one without spoilers so I will keep it short and sweet. The Ever Queen is the conclusion of Erik and Livia’s story but not the end for this world. The love between our MCs is truly exceptional. The chemistry and spice is off the charts 🥵 but I think what I loved most was Livia’s character growth. Watching her come into her own exhibiting so much strength and bravery. ✨Alexa play Survivor by Destiny's Child✨ AND ERIK! My sweet Bloodsinger. The vulnerability shown was heartbreaking and beautiful. His loyalty knows no bounds and he will stop at nothing to get his queen back.

A few other things I loved: the recap of TEK at the beginning so you can pick up right where book one left off and the side characters and the genuine camaraderie between them all. I cannot wait to see where the rest of the series takes us!

Bonus Content:
"I would follow you across the skies and Seas, Erik Bloodsinger. Long after my last breath, Serpent."
This was everything I needed in a bonus chapter. I've never loved them more.

Thank you LJ, Berkley, and Penguin Random House for the earc with the bonus content. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I just finished the most memorable, action packed and romantic story about Liv and Erik. The story picks up where the Ever King stopped. The story has your heart is beating like crazy because everybody’s emotions are going all over the place. Everyone settles and Erik has help going back to Ever kingdom. The moment when Liv and Erik found each other was EPIC. The story and the author’s writing keeps you on the edge of your seat. I loved the private moments with Liv & Erik — the scenes were super hot. I totally adored Rorik and Sewell in this book. Like in all of LJ Andrews’ books it was impossible to put the book down until you finished it. It was one of my all time favorite books.

The Ever Queen re-release on 9/16/25

Bonus scene with Eric in the House of Ferus after The Ever Queen

ARC Review -
This bonus scene ties Erik and Livia lives together truly in all ways. I laughed, screamed and cried happy tears while reading this extraordinary bonus scene. It was a beautiful touch.

I like say thank you to LJ Andrews and NetGalley for the ARC and I’m leaving my review voluntarily.

Absolutely captivating! I was hooked from the start as the story picked up right where the last book left off.

Full of action, danger, and high stakes this book was hard to put down after I started.

Songbird and her serpent go through hell both individually and together. Their story is beautiful, breathtaking, vicious, and unforgettable. I loved their growth and relationship!

I really enjoyed the side characters as well and hope we’ll be able to see more of them. I can’t wait to see if they will get their own stories!

There’s so much I want to say but don’t know how to put it into words. All I can say is that I really enjoyed this series so far and definitely recommend!

Some more reasons to check this out:

- morally grey characters
- pirates
- unique magic and world
- fierce love
- strong characters
- ‘fight for you’
- family bonds
- vicious characters
- and so much more!

Now for the bonus content… oh still my heart!! So beautiful!! All from Erik’s POV and all so heartwarming! This bonus content is not to miss trust me on this. I don’t want to give away anything but it was so good and the interactions between the sea and earth fae not to miss!!

The Ever Queen was the perfect sequel to The Ever King! I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put this fast paced read down! LJ Andrews executed Erik’s emotional response to the ending of TEK perfectly. She was making me cry in the first couple chapters! The character development in this sequel was truly exceptional. I adored the growth and bonding between the relationship of Erik and Valen. And the reunion between Erik and Livia was perfect! Hands down one of my top romantasy reunion scenes to date! The book was the perfect mix of steamy romance, heart stopping action filled battle scenes and witty banter. Throw in pirate and Viking vibes and you have the perfect mix romantasy fans will adore!

AH THIS BOOK WHERE DO I START

Emily has DONE IT AGAIN. I was obsessed with The Broken Kingdoms, I adored The Ever King, and this book just reminded me of all the reasons why Emily/LJ is one of my all-time favourite authors.

Firstly, the story-telling, the world-building, the way she seamlessly integrates a whole new culture, species, realm, into an existing world - FLAWLESS. She doesn't miss a single beat, every sentence in this book has intention, every word makes you stop and think hey, that feels like foreboding... BECAUSE IT IS. The story grips you like no other, the little clues and the tiny details that dig their claws into your skin and leave you craving more, I will never get enough of it.

EVER KING spoilers from here, if you haven't read The Ever King GO READ IT NOW

The enemies to allies, we knew it was coming, Valen killed Erik's dad, Erik stole Valen's daughter, now she's missing and Erik needs her family to help him hunt down the SOB. But the family don't know that Livia and Erik are now in love and practically married they just think he's some punk with a grudge. And that confrontation was EXCELLENT. The tension, the desperation, the SCHEMING from those cheeky littles. Just like their damn parents.

Which brings me to the found family. Nobody writes found family as good as LJ Andrews, I said what I said. From the crew of the Ever Ship, to the royals of the Earth Fae, to the next generation of royals, these characters will go to BAT for each other time and again. This isn't just a book about the FMC and MMC, all of the characters are so detailed and so well-planned. They all have intricate back-stories, they have wants and desires, they have grudges and meaning, not a single character in this book is flat or boring.

The spice was spicing, the characters were developing, the battles were dramatic as hell. The new characters that were introduced had me mentally plotting where the next five books were going because I am so invested in each and every single one of them, and I cannot wait for more.

Bottom line - if you like fantasy with great world-building and character development, a little spicy romance, this is the book for you. Like if Pirates of the Caribbean had a baby with ACOTAR but so, so much better than you can imagine. All the stars, all day every day.

LJ Andrews never misses!!! I absolutely loved this book and thought it was a perfect conclusion to the story started in the ever king. LJs descriptive language and ability to develop characters throughout the book really shines through. 💕

✨The Ever Queen✨

Beware: possible spoilers for The Ever King!

Firstly, I’m so thankful this was out already because after finishing The Ever King, I NEEDED to know what happened next and I’m so glad I didn’t have to wait. 😂

The Ever Queen is the sequel to The Ever King and full of plot twists, political intrigue, and high stakes as Erik works to rescue Livia and Livia explores her new captivity for answers and escape. Our Ever and Earth crew are back with us and full of wit and banter to bring light to a hopeless situation and hopefully a happy ending.

Despite all the pining and struggles, I felt like my heart, as a reader, was consistently taken care of by LJ. The way she wove this story, it had absolutely everything necessary to complete a masterpiece, which is exactly what this is. Everything about it was perfectly placed from beginning to end and I felt seen, found, and content.

Through these pages, we get to explore the characters deeper as they each grow immensely; we get to learn more about the magics and the world; relationships new and old blossom and grow AND we are left with an open ending for a character we all adore!

The Ever Queen was an absolute delight to read. The relationships were top notch. I cannot say enough good things about this series. Don’t put this off like I did!

Some tropes you’ll find are: morally grey MMC, elemental powers, fae/pirates/Vikings, touch her and die, unique bonds, moderate language, spice 3-4/5, found family, strong female characters.

I’m so thankful for getting to read this story and super stoked for the follow up, The Mist Thief.

"Hello, love." My voice broke, dry and jagged. I pressed my lips to the side of her head, and whispered, "I promised I'd come for you." 🏴‍☠️

I had been so anxiously awaiting seeing what happened aver the cliffhanger from The Ever King and wow. LJ is just a fantasy master. Her ability to make you love or loathe characters is unmatched, as is her ability to make you feel ALLLLLL the feels. I am absolutely forever an Erik Bloodsinger stan. In this sequel he does everything in his power to get his queen/wife back, no matter who he has to un@live or break trust with to achieve it. The moment they reunite- I was crying like a little baby. They are that fictional couple that you literally can't stop thinking about for years. I wish I could stay in this world that Lu crafted so beautifully forever. Absolutely in my top 5 series ever.

I IMMEDIATELY started The Ever Queen after finishing The Ever King. I’m obsessed with this world. This series is one I’ve come to cherish and I will never stop screaming my praises for it! Give me a world fill with pirates, Fae, witches, and Vikings any day of the week

The Ever Queen picks up right where The Ever King left off, Thankgod because I needed all the answers after bk1 ending aha.

My favourite part of this book, and probably the whole duet, the side characters and found family aspect of this book. Honestly for me it’s the side characters that can truly make or break a book. And of course Erik remains the ever gorgeous dark and blood thirsty MMC who is the epitome of touch her and die. Swoon!!! Plus the chemistry that Erik and Livia has really amps up in this book.


What you’ll find in The Ever Queen;
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fantasy Fae / Other World
- Captured Heroine
- Dark Magic
- Pirates
- Anxiety Rep
- True Love

This was an EPIC ending to Livia and Erik storyline. Definitely a duet I’ll be rereading!

The book starts just after where it left off in “The Ever King”, having Erik face the full force of Earth benders for kidnapping their girl. It was excitement when I started the book and then turned into anxiety when things escalated pretty fast and everything on both ends(with Erik & Livia both) was full of chaos with lots of revelations.

The story is fast-paced and covers a lot of depth in this war along with the sweet moments between the characters. Erik's passion to get to his Queen will blow your mind away. Erik has everything a morally grey hero offers in a story where he is a hardshell for others but is a complete softy for his mate.

The involvement of Earth Fae in every step of the story increases the entertainment. They are everywhere and can’t be ignored and now I want each of their stories, one of whom is getting his story in the next few months. I am excited about that book too. The duet is perfect for all the sea lovers. I enjoyed how well everyone understood each other and worked on a common goal. The actions are applauded.

Bonus material in this one started so cute and I was blushing all the way.

This series is so underrated and I can't recommend it enough! There's pirates, found family, a couple that is to die for, complex worldbuilding, and characters who feel like they could step off the page! Read if you like....

🌊I would kill for you, but I trust you to save yourself
✨"Let me make you a Queen" MMC
🌊Gentleness is not weakness FMC
✨SO MUCH hurt comfort (you'll laugh and cry)
🌊Her father decides to make the hero's life... interesting
✨An MMC who would burn down the world to get her back (and goodness does he try)
🌊He's been adopted by her friend group (and her little brother)
✨Insanely accurate character development
🌊Learning to undo trauma
✨They're home for each other
🌊"Let me make a better world for you." FMC
✨A crown made of the bones of their enemies
🌊Pirates of the Caribbean vibes (but make everybody even hotter)
✨Setting up a great interconnected standalone sequel

TES has everything you want in a dark romantasy.
I became consumed with The Broken Kingdoms world and I just knew that I was going to love the second generation spin off series. I’m obsessed with the love that TBK royals have for each other and really loved the conclusion to this duology.

Erik Bloodsinger is savage and I’m here for it. Does that make me a little unhinged? Perhaps. Both Livia and Erik are deeply scarred, embodying the struggles of war-torn children, which brings a wealth of emotional depth to the story.. All the feels.

LJ Andrews weaves epic tales with the perfect mix of spice and plot to keep readers engaged, and I recommend this to any romantasy readers who love to be kept guessing what happens next!

𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮:
🏴‍☠️ Dark Romantasy
🏴‍☠️ Enemies to Lovers: Kidnapper Style
🏴‍☠️ Slow Burn
🏴‍☠️ Morally Gray Villainous MMC
🏴‍☠️ Lies & Betrayal
🏴‍☠️ Fated Mates
🏴‍☠️ Second Gen Spin-Off
🏴‍☠️ Pirate & Viking Vibes
🏴‍☠️ Forbidden Love
🏴‍☠️ Forced Proximity
🏴‍☠️ Bickering & Banter
🏴‍☠️ Real Family and Found Family
🏴‍☠️ Mental Health Rep
🏴‍☠️ Dual POV
🏴‍☠️ Touch Her and I Turn Your Bones Into A Necklace For Her…

“You are a beautiful monster, Erik Bloodsinger.” Her soil-coated fingers covered mine. “All right, what else besides murder brings you peace?”

4.5/5 ⭐️, 2/5 🌶️, 1/5 💧

🏴‍☠️ Fated Mates
🏴‍☠️ Morally Grey
🏴‍☠️ Found Family
🏴‍☠️ Political Intrigue
🏴‍☠️ Dual POV
🏴‍☠️ Pirates, Fae & Others

This picks up right after the Ever King. The tension and drama was fantastic. It started out very fast paced and was action packed. Some tender moments were also added throughout to develop the romance. I found the magical system chaotic in the most wonderful way. This is an epic romance story with great characters, magic, and politics. The writing was illustrative; I could picture all the scenes. The banter was great and not forced. I thought the pacing stuttered a bit with the tender moments, although I could understand why it was important it threw me off. The ending was very thorough - almost over done but I still enjoyed it. Would highly recommend!

— 5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 512 pages
👤 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: L.J. Andrews
🏢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: Ace, Berkley
📅 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 16 September 2025

What you can expect:
— New-Adult Fantasy Romance
— Erik And Livia Duet
— First-Person POV X Dual-POV
— Pirates, Vikings and Fae
— Mental Health Rep
— Enemies-To-Lovers
— Villain Gets The Girl
— Morally Grey Tortured Hero
— Cursed Land
— Reluctant Allies
— Found Family
— Soul Bond/Fated Mates
— "Who Did This To You"

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: violence. attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), explicit sexual content, gore, torture, mutilation, murder, physical and emotional abuse, kidnapping, threats of violence against women.

The Ever Queen is the second instalment in The Ever Seas series which marks the end to Livia Ferus and Erik Bloodsinger's duet, but is not the end to the series by author L.J. Andrews. This series will continue to featuring side-character standalone romances set within the same world. Livia Ferus, crowned Queen of the Ever, has been betrayed and kidnapped by an unlikely foe. In light of an agonising betrayal and determined to return to her ferocious mate's side, Livia must challenge all of her self-doubt in order to survive and learn about the enemies that have stolen her away from her home. Erik Bloodsinger will do whatever it takes to see the woman he loves returned to him alive. Even if that means facing the unknown of his mate's homeland in the hopes of securing the help of her father; the man who murdered his own. Met with hate and distrust, Erik is running out of time and is growing desperate to rescue his mate from a man he thought he knew and once trusted. As opposing forces seek to drive them apart, Erik and Livia must work harder than ever to return to one another's arms and take a stance against those that wish to tear them down. A battle of two Heirs is on the rise... and only one can emerge victorious as King of the Ever.

I absolutely adored The Ever King when I finally picked it up several months back, and the conclusion to Livia and Erik's duet did not disappoint. The pacing of this book was consistent with the first instalment to the series with its descriptive writing which left me enraptured from beginning to end. I could not put this book down and finished it within one sitting... that's how obsessed I am. I was thrilled to see a more present role from Valen Ferus, father of Livia and the main character in the first three books in The Broken Kingdom series, and Steig. I adored both characters within their original series, and it's such a joy to see a more present role on-page with the others including Elise, Kase, Sol, Tor, Ari and more. I'm so impressed with how seamlessly author L.J. Andrews has weaved and combined a lore filled with the past and the present, making new readers read with ease whilst previous readers can better appreciate and enjoy the inclusion of characters we have already grown to know and love.

This book has just further cemented my sheer love and adoration for all things Livia Ferus. Livia holds all of the best qualities from her parents, and to see her utilise those qualities and strengths is such a joy as a fan of Valen and Elise. I always knew Valen would be the most amazing girl-dad, and his role within this book just further solidifies that claim. I adore that as a father Valen undoubtedly wants to see his children safe, loved and out of harm. Livia undergoes a lot of despair and torment in the first half of this story, and seeing the raw love and sense of family that she shares with her father is so special. Valen knows that as much as he wants to lock Livia away in a tower and throw away the key, he could never stop her from facing her fate and her potential. Valen is the best father, supporter, warrior, and leader to his children and people, and his involvement and addition to the story made it all the more sweeter. I already adored Livia as a character from The Ever King, and yet I had found more space for that love to grow after finishing The Ever Queen. Livia's loyalty and fierceness are her greatest attributes, as are her loving and forgiving nature. She proves that she is not a woman who is to be deemed as meek and docile, and is instead a worthy adversary of her own right. Livia's growth and strength was a thrilling journey to go on, and as sad as I am to be leaving her point-of-view in future instalments to the series, I firmly believe this will not be the last that we see or hear of Livia Ferus.

The Ever Queen offers a deeper insight into the emotional vulnerability that can surround a deadly Sea Fae such as Erik Bloodsinger, King of the Ever. After the betrayal of a man he trusted and the kidnapping of his beloved mate, Erik is forced to seek help from outside forces who wish to see him dead as opposed to offering him the aid that he seeks. We see Erik go to great lengths and willingly risk his life several times to ensure the safe return of Livia. I absolutely loved the thrilling and deadly introduction to Erik during The Ever King, and I was glad to see a great deal of growth to his character in the second instalment to this series. Still dangerous and deadly to any who cross him, but with a reluctant willingness to emotionally let more people in. It was emotionally moving to read as Erik realised that he had never truly been as alone as he had thought, and that blood isn't all that made a family. The explosive introduction between Erik and Valen as they forged a tentative agreement to see Livia returned home safely, his unspoken kinship with Steig, and the bonds he forged with his crew on the Ever Ship. Erik's journey is more emotionally driven as opposed to physical, and seeing him gain a new insight on life and what being the ruler of the Ever Kingdom can be is absolutely everything. I'm going to miss this villainous and poisonous man so much, and I hope to see more appearances of him in future instalments to the series.

I am truly amazed and impressed with the follow-up and conclusion to Erik and Livia's duet in The Ever Queen. Author L.J. Andrews has set out to impress with the strong addition to The Ever Seas series, and I cannot wait to see what comes next for Jonas in his story The Mist Thief.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲.

A perfect conclusion to Erik and Livia's story. I loved seeing both Erik and Livia's growth into strong leaders of the Ever Seas and the unification of their worlds.

Passionate- yes- the bond between Songbird and her Serpent is undeniable and strong.
Beauty- yes- from the beginning of this story until the final ending, in the Epilogue, each page brought forth words that created a whole new world and brought so many together.
Breathtaking- YES LITERALLY -I have never held my breath through any battle scenes in any other books, but The Ever Queen… I found myself holding it through 5 Chapters!

As I sit and type of my thoughts, I cannot help but smile at what I just read. A world where mates find each other and where fate keeps spinning new futures and new bonds.

“To the Queen who love the beautiful black hearts of the Villian. Face it, they’re hotter than the hero” - LJ Andrews

Words no truer than this to describe the delicious pirate romance duology by LJ Andrews.

Fast-pace, stakes are higher, a queen kidnap, and a pirate king bent on doing whatever to save his love.

Morally grey villain Erik is - Vicious and cruel when needed. However, this brutally abused child grew into a strong and worthy man, clever at deception and sly at slowly inching his kingdom to a better one from his forefathers. Erik is definitely a book husband!!

I love that Livia’s family and friends get to play such an important role in this book. The dynamic and unique character voice lends to a dynamic and enjoyable story building. Livia herself gets stronger and grows into her role as Ever Queen and I love her character growth.

LJ Andrew must have sorcery because this is movie magic. When pirates are involved, elfs, fae, witches, magic, romance, deception, gore, and witty handsome characters what more can a woman ask for?

This duology is definitely a set to TBR, read, and enjoy because it was delicious!

Thank you LJ Andrews for this eARC for an honest review! I cannot wait to get my hands on a finish copy!!

Andrews definitely set the stage for the novel, a companion focusing on the elusive flirty Jonas.

I love the bonus scene.
I cried happy tears