S. Usher Evans: The Curse of the Wretched

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245063491-the-curse-of-the-wretched

Book Blurb:

Five hundred years ago, the Legendary Balfour vanquished the evil witch Ophesia, saving Genad Kingdom from her heinous curse. So when that same witch crashes his father's coronation and revives the curse, Prince Thom is charged with finishing what Balfour started.

Thom is more diplomat than warrior, and if a throne room of soldiers can't kill the shadow wielding menace, he has little hope of success. Armed with Balfour's ancient journals, Thom hopes to convince Ophesia to free his people with charm instead of steel. But his plan goes sideways when the beautiful and mysterious woman imprisons him, vowing he'll never leave her magical castle hidden in the mountains.

Thom's new prison is much friendlier than he'd expected, with a quartet of enchanted housewares at his beck and call. As Thom learns more about his mysterious captor, he discovers Ophesia's not just an evil witch, but a woman who sacrificed everything for the man she loved once upon a time. And saving his kingdom might just mean mending her broken heart first.

The Curse of the Wretched is the first book in the Wretched Curse series.

*High Gravity ALC  *Romantasy *Beauty & The Beast retelling (Gender swapped)

*reverse Age Gap *reverse grumpy/sunshine *Shadow magic *Mirror magic *Slow Burn

*Curses  *Family drama  *Cliffhanger *Cinnamon Roll MMC  *enemies to lovers 

*enchanted friends 

Thoughts:

Beauty and the Beast but reverse the genders and make it spicy --> sold 

Thom (MMC) is the crowned prince he is different from his father and younger brother who just want power and don't care about the people of their land, ever since Thom lost his grandfather things have gone down hill... and quickly.  Thom is caring and thoughtful he actually listens to the people and wants to do what is right for everyone... not just what is best for himself.  

Apparently 500 years ago Thom's ancestor Balfour, that is highly celebrated as a legendary hero for defeating an evil witch (Ophesia the one that cast a curse over the lands)... but maybe his greatness is a bit (or a lot) embelleshed since Ophesia wasn't vanquished... in fact she's very much alive and while on his death bed Thom's grandfather told his father to be careful and not have a public coronation it needed to be private he urged everyone to be on guard as he knows that Ophesia is still alive and she is coming down from the mountain to cast judgement on the newly appointed king... as she does for every new king.

Naturally Thom's father who is arrogant and selfish doesn't listen and holds public celebrations which draws the Evil witch to him where she makes sure the curse over the land during his rule holds fast... or did she? 

Thom's father who always felt Thom was too much like his own father and would rather have his youngest son as his heir decides to send Thom on the impossible mission to rid the land of the evil witch once and for all... this is doable he just needs to go up the mountain take care of the witch (who apparently no one has defeated) and come back down... yea that's going to happen.

Thom with the help of his trusted friend (who is also his secretary), his friend's fiance and his great great great great (you get the idea) Grandpa Balfour's journal's finds the entrance to the witches mountain home... only once he gets there things are not as they seem.

Thom knows that he can't defeat the witch as is but maybe he can talk her into lifting the curse on the lands once and for all, she can be reasonable right? 

Now trapped with the evil witch Thom being the guy he is decides to make the most of it and get to know (or try to) his captor better... she is stand offish and short tempered at first but over the course of their time together more of her story comes out and we learn she has reasons for keeping her distance... along with reasons for everything that she does.  

The pacing was a bit slow at times with the action picking up towards the end.  This is a slow burn and our couple getting to know each other throughout the book feels natural the spark between the two is there... one of them just needs to make the first move!

I really enjoyed this gender reversed Beauty and the Beast it had enough of the original elements which we all love (including the enchanted items) but with enough twists to make it an enchanting tale all on it's own.  That ending... I need the next book now!! 

I got this ALC copy from High Gravity ALC and I think the narrators did a great job with this story I stayed up way too late wanting to know what happened next.   

Rhiannon Hargadon: Lily & Thorne

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230282562-lily-thorne

book blurb:

She hit a fae lord with her car. Then she brought him home.

Lily's life has already fallen apart — divorced, broke, running a bookshop in a town that doesn't read. She isn't looking for magic. But magic finds her on a winter night, and now he's unconscious on her doorstep. She can't bring herself to leave him there.

Thorne is a Lord of the Earth Fae. Ancient. Powerful. He has no reason to stay in this bookshop in Tennessee... yet he can't bring himself to leave. And the one law his kind has never questioned?

He's about to break it.

*Dark Star Romance ALC  *Romantasy *Fae Prince x human FMC  *Fated Mates  *Spice

*State Challenge Tennessee (Repeat)  *Cozy Fantasy  *Bookshop owner  *Small town romance 

*Infertility, loss of child  *Magic  *Loyal MMC  *Fierce MMC  *Broken heart FMC *Divorced FMC 

*Forced proximity *Novella 

Thoughts:

To start with we have Lily who is a down on her luck book shop owner in small town USA (Tennessee), her book shop is floundering due to lack of customers and bills are backing up... to top things off her own family (meddling sister) keeps harrassing her to talk to her ex-husband who has clearly moved on since he is now married to his mistress and they have a baby together. 

Picking up some supplies from the store she ends up running into a man...seriously he is in the road and she hits him with her car worried he might have a concussion she brings him to her bookshop (she lives above the store in an apartment) and with 911 services unable to come out due to the storm she is now stuck with this stranger... lets hope he isn't an escaped convict!

Thorne is a  handsome & charming Fae Prince who has recently been banished from his home world by his mother while he's on earth he has plans to find his brother but instead finds himself getting cozy in Lily's bookshop and doesn't seem to be able to stay away from her... there are rules but some rules are meant to be broken.

Check your trigger warnings as this story weaves in our FMC's experiences with infertility, a cheating husband and loss of a child.  

I loved how attentive and kind Thorne was he was just what Lily needed to help her see that she was beautiful and worthy of love.  I found myself really irritated with Lily's sister and her ex for continuing to just "pop" back into her life randomly... you lost that right when you did Lily dirty get lost! 

I enjoyed this story overall it was a sweet and cozy read but felt I would have loved it more as a longer story giving more time for a natural progression of the story there were parts that felt more rushed and instalove.  

The Narrators did an excellent job bringing these characters to life and I also loved Lily's bestie... everyone needs a friend like her who would go to the unknown with you to get your man back if necessary!  

Thank you to Dark Star Romance and the author for this ALC I truly enjoyed it!  

Have you read this one?  What did you think?  

J.E. Larson: A Trial of Fate

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246583486-a-trial-of-fate

Valdor Series:  Book One 

book blurb:

Our world is dying.

Skylar Cathal is a twenty-two-year-old half-human, half-shifter with a curious mind and knack for bending the rules. Gilen Warrick, Skylar's childhood friend and the next Alpha of the Solace pack, wants more than just her friendship—but fate has a will of its own.

When Skylar is marked as the shifter champion, she must overcome her darkest fears to leave her home and those she loves behind. Daxton Aegaeon, High Fae Prince of Silver Meadows, has sworn to protect Skylar as his ward, but only she can protect her heart.

One night can change your life . . . one decision can change everything.

A Trial of Fate is the first book in the Valdor series, an epic romantic fantasy that follows a "spitfire" heroine who defies her darkest fears in order to save those she loves. This book will appeal to fans of character-driven adventurous romantasy tails such as Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, and A Ruin of Roses.

Contains mature themes.

*Netgalley ALC 9/12  *Romantasy  *slow burn  *Shifter romance  *Fae  *Magical World *Dying world 

*Chosen one  *Epic Quest  *fated mates  *drama  *violence & 💀  *Trigger warnings  

*Age Gap (😂) *broody MMC  *deadly trials await  *PTSD  *small amount of spice

*Loss of parents (past but mentioned throughout)  *Found family  *Love triangle  *protective MMC 

*Touch her and 💀

Thoughts:

Skylar (FMC) is a strong, fierce warrior she is part shifter part human and her father was the packs leader prior to his death, she was taken in by her Uncle and his wife and they raised her with their daughter.  Throughout the book we know that Skylar has more power than many of the other shifters she has some healing magic along with some other things but we don't fully know what her capabilities are yet.  

Coming up on the ceremony where their clan's younger members might shift for the first time Skylar becomes aware that one of the other pack members Gillan might see her as more than just a friend... she's a romantic at heart and wants a love match... could he be her fated mate?  Once the members of their pack shift for the first time it becomes more apparent if they find their fated mate they will feel it and their animal form will agree... but something happens prior to the ceremony that will change everything for Skylar.

Their world is dying there is a magical curse on the land that has been held back for hundreds of years by the powerful Fae Queen with the help of other high Fae royalty... but it is only a bandaid it is not a true fix and she can't hold back the curse from creeping further into their world forever.  Every 100 years the Fae cross the magical barrier that was built to seperate the Fae, Shifters and humans to keep the peace in search of what they hope will be the last time... They need a shifter (who has not yet shifted) to go through a series of trials in the hopes of breaking the curse and saving their world.

Only problem is it is a mission no one has ever succeeded at before... in fact no one has even gotten through the first trial... but their sacrifice is enough to help the Queen hold the curse back for another 100 years until the next Shifter selection arrives.  

In a moment kind of like The hunger games Skylar's younger cousin (who is more like her sister) is chosen and Skylar comes forward to take her place... from there the story kind of goes down a different road for awhile, There are some repetitive areas like discussing that the shifters often wear loose clothing or walk around naked for easier shifting, and there were some parts of the story that lagged I think some of these sections could have been edited down.  

Daxton (High Fae Prince) is a legendary warrior, over 500 years old and hot as sin... Skylar is immediately drawn to him and this has her questioning if she and Gillan are meant to be... but Skylar shouldn't really be worried about men troubles she needs to figure out how she is going to save the world and Mr. Broody Fae and his younger brother are going to help train her she needs to focus on this at all costs... only Gillan keeps trying to interfere with her plans (and some things happen to delay the trip).

Skylar is very inquisitive almost to the point of being obnoxious... like girl settle down they will tell you what they can tell you when they can.  There is again a lot of hanging out and chatting I would have liked the book to progress further towards the actual trials that she needs to go to but she doesn't even start training until the last few chapters and then they get side tracked again... so I think it's just going to be one of those series that is going to take forever and a day to actually get to the first trial.  

I haven't read the bigger romantasy's so I don't have a lot to compare it to but I enjoyed the book well enough to want to find out what happens next... I just hope that they actually get to a trial in book 2.  

I got this from Netgalley as an ALC and I think the narrator did a great job and definately made the characters come to life.  

Have you read this series?  What did you think?  

Elisa A. Bonnin: The Night King's Court

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239413682-the-night-king-s-court

Book Blurb:

Caraval meets Flowerheart in this rich and immersive cozy fantasy, where dazzling magic, lush descriptions, and a sweet sapphic romance cast an irresistible spell.

Ida’s father went missing without a trace seven years ago, last seen at the court of the enigmatic Night King, which comes to life only after dark with magic and revelry.

So when a position opens up for a new court Luminaire, Ida doesn’t hesitate. She inherited her gift for enchantments from her father—and with this position, she’ll use it to find him again.

Ida is swept into the king’s collection of magical beings, those who bring light and entertainment to the Court’s midnight gatherings—and swept away by the Court, where faerie gardens edge into underwater masquerades, dreaming revels offer blissful escapes, and life is a mesmerizing euphoria.

Yet a sinister thread interrupts Ida’s nights of decadence. Memories go missing, the castle’s magic takes on a malevolence, and Ida can’t seem to leave the boundaries of the court itself.

Enlisting the help of the king’s breathtakingly beautiful daughter Lenore, Ida must unravel the castle’s secrets… before this enchanted world destroys her.

*2026 ALC Netgalley  *Young Adult *Romantasy *Sapphic  *Closed Door  

*ALC 1/12 (Netgalley) *Unique magic system *fast friends *sweet cozy fantasy 

Thoughts:

So I recently went on Netgalley and just started requesting a bunch of audio books that sounded interesting... at the time I didn't think that I would get approved for all of them and then I got approved for pretty much all of them at the same time.  Knowing that I now had to get through so many ALC (along with a few others from different ALC sites I signed up for) I randomly chose this one to start with.

Ida is a young adult (not quite 20) and decides to go on a journey to find her missing father, he disappeared around 7 years earlier while working for the kingdom as the court Luminaire.  Ida lives in a world where magic exists just not everyone has the ability, she inherited her father's skills and while she uses a different medium she decides to leave her family home in search of answers despite what everyone around her says she knows that her father didn't just leave their family on his own free will and she wants to get to the bottom of it!

Essentially she goes to the King after she learns that a spot has opened up and he is searching for a new Luminaire... she has the skills she has been practicing for years and what better way to get answers than to go where her father was last known to be residing when he went missing.  Only once she gets there she has to audition for her job, no one has heard of or remembers her father when she brings up his name and she is told very early on to be careful who she questions and to never ask the King directly.

The narrator does a great job bringing these characters to life and I really enjoyed the world building that the author shows throughout the story it really felt like I was at the castle with Ida searching for her father.  Ida shortly after arrival realizes that she is bound to the king and no longer able to freely leave it is brought up later that leaving is possible but it would come with a great loss that she's not willing to sacrifice.  

Ida meets some friends along the way including Lenore (The king's daughter (not through marriage)), Vegard an Ice spirit from the north, gloam a being that was like a navigator to new arrivals and even her assigned maid.  Learning Ida's quest Lenore and Vegard offer to help even at risk to their own safety while in the castle but they would like answers too they remember arriving but certain memories are gone and even though they were there at the time her father would have been neither one knows of him it's like he never existed at all.

The author does a great job keeping everything kind of eerily mysterious throughout and as the mystery unravels and Ida finds ways to help her friends regain their missing memories will they ever be the same?  Sometimes lost memories should stay lost.

As far as the "romance" aspect goes it's really on the light side like barely there like a few "glances" or a brushed hand but I would say this more focused on the mystery surrounding Ida and her missing father but the story pulled me in and I wanted to know what happened to Ida's father as much as she did by the end of the story.  

I think that I might have an advantage when listening to this story as I am just starting my romantasy journey so I don't have much to compare it to and might have enjoyed it more over others who have read loads of romantasy.  Over all I enjoyed this story and would recommend this to those interested in Young Adult, Cozy Mysteries, Romantasy's (light on the romance) with detailed world building with unique magic systems.

Have you read/listened to this one?  What did you think?  Tell me in the comments!  

E.V. Everest: Kissed by Iron and Glass

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250419411-kissed-by-iron-and-glass

Book Blurb:

When my stepmother sold me at auction, I thought I’d experienced the cruelest fate. I was wrong.

Because now I belong to the Iron King, a fae with a heart as cold and unyielding as the cursed iron that encases it. To keep his throne, he needs a queen–his fated mate. And I’m supposed to use my ability to protect him, to see through deception… by posing as one of his potential brides.

Assuming I can survive.

The Iron King’s Bridal Trials are a glittering nightmare of cutthroat fae and deadly secrets. His kingdom is on the brink of rebellion, and every fae lady is willing to kill for the crown.

But when the clock strikes midnight during my first dance with the Iron King, everything changes. Because maybe, just maybe the man I loathe might also become the man I love...if two hearts can break a curse of glass and iron.

*Fairytale retelling (Cinderella) *Political intrigue *ruthless Fae *Bridal trials  *truly unlikeable villains *Fated mates *brooding/grumpy MMC *Cursed MMC  *Fierce FMC  *Some spice (light)  *Familiars *magical world *touch her and 💀 *Romantasy *ARC read 2026 *Dual POV

**This is book 2 in the series it is a stand alone and I didn't read the first one but now plan to

Thoughts:

Alette (Cinderella) is a magical fae with the ability to see through glamour spells (rare in this world) 

She is sold by her evil step mother at auction to the head guard at the palace and now is blood bound to serve him and he wants her to find threats that others have hidden or are trying to bring into the castle.

Harry: MMC brooding, grumpy he was the 4^th son of the king and never expected to inherit the title so he left years ago to forge his own path with his best friend… they were both cursed together (in the first book which I haven’t read but now plan to) and now that his friend has found happiness and he hasn’t since he is still cursed he is headed home after years away… only when he’s on his way back he gets word the palace is under siege by rebels and arrives too late to save the remainder of his family… he takes care of the current issue but now there are rumors that he came back to steal the throne and he lets these rumors fly if it causes fear and helps him keep the throne in his family… for now but he knows there will be more uprisings if he doesn’t do something drastic.

He decides to host an ancient event that where he will find his queen through a series of possibly deadly trials… an Iron King needs someone strong to stand beside him

This is where Alette comes back into play she has now against her will been brought to the castle to work and is now part of this bridal competition she wants no part in.  There is a cute Meet cute between our leads in the kitchen when she doesn’t know who he is.

Alette has had a hard life since her parents past and it’s about to get worse since 299 other noble ladies are fighting for the crown… they can have it as far as she’s concerned

Then she finds surprise allies in the castle with the kitchen staff, Princess Ember (widow to one of the fallen princes), The former queen’s familiar (a very large cat), and even the King himself who might not be as iron hearted as she originally thought…. In fact could she be falling for her enemy?

The only negatives for me were that there were some slower parts in the middle in between the trials and then the ending wrapped up a bit quickly but I'm looking forward to going back and reading the first book to see what happened to Harry previously.  

I truly enjoyed this romantasy fairytale retelling and I thank the author for letting me be on their ARC team!  

If you've read this one or any of this authors other books let me kwow what you think in the comments 

 

Emily Blackwood: Prince of Sins and Shadows

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62229268-prince-of-sins-and-shadows

Fae of Rewyth Book 2

This book picks up right where the first book left off Jade has been trying to just survive among the Fae after marrying the Prince but with someone still after her and not knowing who she can trust things get a little more difficult when she and her new husband are told (by the King, her new father-in-law) they need to go to live in the Human territory where they are not a fan of Fae and not a fan of her either now that she is married to one.

While in the human territory Jade and Malachi begin to learn more about Malachi's mother who is now in the picture and how Jade is now part of a bigger plan, she could potentially be the key to everything but since she is new to all of this this is the first time she's hearing of any of it.

When they are summoned into enemy territory more dangers lurk... and that includes the danger of falling for her husband.  Will Jade and Malachi ever be safe?  Will she be able to live up to his mother's expectations?  Who can they trust in enemy territory?  

Honestly this book doesn't really have much that clarifies anything in this magical world, we don't get to really know our couple better and they don't get to know each other better either.  

*Fae prince X Human female  *magical world  *Romantasy  *age gap (haha) *family secrets/drama

*touch her and 💀 *enemies to more  *strangers to more *young adult  *need to read in order

Thoughts:

The first book lacked some world building and explanations for any of their magic systems and I overlooked most of that during the first book due to it being a series of 5 books with time for more explanations.  This book had potential to be good the thoughts were started... I think of it like ordering a grilled cheese sandwich but when you get it they didn't grill the bread and the cheese is not melted so it's just a cheese sandwich if the sandwich was actually grilled (story better developed) it could still be an amazing sandwich.  

The plot was thin, the author has added a possible second love interest for our FMC... but she clearly doesn't feel that way for him, we don't get to know our main characters better and our MMC spends a good portion of the book avoiding our FMC but they are somehow "in love"... not sure how that happened when they  haven't had a true conversation throughout most of the book.

The MMC's mom believes Jade to be part of this prophecy where she will help unite the lands and create peace she knows "certain things" will happen but she doesn't share any of it with the class so we are still in the dark about all that stuff.  

I'll probably continue the series for now while knowing that the rest of the series will probably continue with the same types of elements as this one.  Time will tell.  Not much really happened in this book until everything was happening too quickly considering the slow pace of the book... was like going 0-60 in the last few chapters.  

Book 1 blog post:  https://elbyslibrary.blogspot.com/2026/01/emily-blackwood-house-of-lies-and-sorrow.html

S.G. Castell: Resonance Of Souls

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/244808720-resonance-of-souls

Princess Aelorea (Solennea) has been raised to believe that certain emotions are sinful and need to be hidden... thinking for oneself and standing up for a woman's rights for anything is unheard of and most recently she has been told that she is to marry a stranger from Vardania... where she is basically from a religious culture anyone raised in Vardania is taught that violence/brutality is the answer to everything... unfortunately women in their culture are also subservient and expected to bend to a mans every want, truly Aelorea is in a bad spot any way you look at things.

Aelorea and Commander Rhyven must marry whether they want to or not because while there is magic in their world... they have a supply shortage and in order to keep a trade agreement between these two cultures their marriage must continue.

While Rhyven has been raised for combat he also doesn't want to be the brute that everyone thinks he is and when he meets his bride to be he is expecting a timid/meek/mild maid instead he gets a passionate woman who even when she's afraid still speaks her mind and he doesn't want her to lose that fire... he also knows that while they are still around Solennea it's dangerous for her to voice her opinions or she will end up in a chamber where women go in but when they leave they are never the same again the "cleansing" kills their souls, he doesn't want a woman whose spirit is broken... he wants her whole.

Bound to each other through a magical bond our couple learns more about each other than they ever have about anyone else and love slowly grows over time, unfortunately... there are outside forces from everywhere that want their relationship to fail and the trade agreement to be null & void.  There is so much corruption with the system that you wonder if there is anyone trustworthy in this world. 

To be honest I am just starting my romantasy journey and haven't read many... but I am so glad I found this book it has everything you would want for your epic romantasy -->  passion/love, drama, shady black market magic trades, tension, villains (who are truly unlikeable) and heroes, a unique magical system that you learn more about throughout the book, a fierce warrior prince who is brutal but tender only for her... yes please!  It has you wondering if our couple will ever have a happy ever after when so many people want to pull them apart.  

The Epilogue left me wanting the next book now... like seriously when is it coming out?  

*arranged marriage  *dark romantasy *spice  *slow burn  *enemies --> more  *strangers --> more

*Magical world  *political drama  *trigger warnings --> read your triggers  *forced proximity

*touch her and 💀 *some miscommunication/no communication *Indie Author 

Emily Blackwood: House of Lies and Sorrow

 Fae of Rewyth book 1

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60816947

Jade Farrow is used to struggles in her life she has been forced to grow up quickly after her mother passed away and her father turned to drinking instead of focusing on taking care of his family she has been responsible for protecting her younger sister, she hunts and forages in the forests surrounding their cottage and she takes the brunt of their father's anger so that her younger sister won't have to deal with him... only time is running out for her in a moment of weakness to save his own life her father made a deal with the Fae King that he will give his daughter's hand in marriage to one of the King's sons.

While in many stories it would be a dream come true to be married to a handsome prince it is not the case in Jade's story, while the prince (Malachi) is handsome he is also the most dangerous Fae in the land and if rumor has it correct his previous 3 human wives died on their wedding day... rumor has it he is the one responsible for their demise.  

Only when Jade goes to the Fae Kingdom expecting this to be her last day alive Malachi surprises her... while he is still just as dangerous as all the rumors make him out to be, he's not a danger to her he is just as upset about the outcome of his previous marriages he has had enough... no one is going to touch what now belongs to him and that includes his new bride Jade. 

Without knowing who she can trust Jade meets many shady characters in her new home including his 4 ruthless (but slightly less powerful) brothers, his father the king who has been using him as a weapon of mass destruction for an unknown period of time to take out his enemies... even Malachi's ex situationship has her on guard.  His sister seems trustworthy even if she does keep talking her into doing things that lead them into a bit of trouble... but someone in this place wants her gone just who could it be?  Will she even get a chance to eat her wedding meal or will she be gone before the end of the day as she originally expected?  

If she does make it past the day will she ever be able to see her sister again?  

*Fae  *Romantasy  *arranged marriage  *age gap (😁)  *fierce FMC  *Shadow Daddy MMC  

*Touch her and 💀 *enemies to more  *no spice just kisses  *magic  *magical realm  *young adult

*Slow burn  *ends on a cliffhanger  *need to read in order

Thoughts:

*My husband saw the title and he sang in a Meatloaf voice "In the House of Lies and Sorrow, Girl there is no tomorrow, no, no, no" he has asked me to put this into my review*  

From reading a few other reviews if you are a super big Romantasy fan and have read a bunch of them this one might not be for you, I haven't read many and haven't read the popular ones but a lot of the reviews compare it to being ACOTAR fan fiction.  I thought it was an interesting enough start to a story to continue with the series and finished this book in a few days.  

I thought it was a quick read, I wouldn't really consider this as much of a romance story at this point as they kissed a few times and might have felt some "heat" of some sort but neither character makes much effort to get to know the other one and our MMC spends a lot of time away from the FMC doing Princely business.  Also seems his protectiveness in book one stems not as much from actually having "feelings" for her as it does that he's had enough of losing his human wives and wants to put an end to that... however he has to do it... You can see towards the end that maybe his feelings are starting to change so looking forward to seeing what happens in the next book.  

Our FMC is fierce and stubborn and sometimes gets herself in trouble by doing things that are obvious to us as the reader as a bad idea... like going by herself to meet try to meet a shady character at night, or venturing out into the forest when she was told to stay in the room with the guard outside.  She really doesn't have much control over her life before or after going to the Fae world.  

The book is fairly repetitive, it is hard to determine the timeline of events or how much time has truly passed between any event.  The dialogue is sometimes awkward at points it is more modern (like we speak) and other times it tries to sound more romantasy worldish "Saints."  The book also goes from not much happening to things happening quickly at the end feeling more rushed, so maybe some of the pacing will work itself out in the rest of the series.  Hoping to learn more about the world and about how any of the Fae's magic works there are vague hints but nothing concrete.  

book two blog post:  https://elbyslibrary.blogspot.com/2026/02/emily-blackwood-prince-of-sins-and.html

Juliette Calloway: A Crown of Thorns and Vows

 ARC read 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235480990-a-crown-of-thorns-and-vows

Tessa (our FMC) finds herself transported from her own world through a magical portal while trying to walk home from the library after a late night of studying legends of a magical Fae world that she now finds herself in.  Tessa is now very much on her own in a new land where magic is real and she is at the center of an ancient prophecy where a human from the mortal world will come to the land and marry the prince binding their lives together which will cause great change... per the prophecy it might lead to ruin or salvation.

Shortly after meeting Prince Erian she is told that she will marry him as this is part of the prophecy, now she is stuck in a new world and forced into an arranged marriage.  To be honest she really handles all of this better than most people would, although I guess giving the fact that she has no clue how to get back to her own world she kind of has to go along with the Fae for protection and any kind of support.

Many in this land believe that this prophecy was an ill omen and that the ruin is coming not trusting Tessa and making her feel like an outcast in her new home where she already was feeling so alone.  But she does have some strong allies and one of them is her new mother-in-law the Queen (Aurelia)... Going to space this out since this might be a spoiler:

**** the King on the other hand is being ill advised by this shady guy that keeps spouting about the need to send Tessa "away" for her own safety... he is up to something nefarious... or is he?  He has been a trusted advisor to the king and royal family for many years after all (he gives off Jafar from Aladdin vibes.)*****

End of spoiler

Tessa befriends the librarian while trying to learn more about her new home and the ancient prophecy she is apart of and shortly after ill omens end up in her room and surrounding her... she is attacked in the garden when someone is controlling a thorny plant with magic and later she is poisoned... but who is behind these dastardly deeds?  

The prince (now her husband) at first not wanting to be married to someone he doesn't know and being fed his whole life on the fact that this foreign person is probably going to be an evil enchantress when in actuality she is real and scared and she is now his to protect he begins to see Tessa in a new light and together they form a bond by trying to find the source of the chaos and danger surrounding them.  

Beautiful descriptive world building but I felt this took up a really big portion of the story so much so that it kind of felt like too much to get through this and on to the story at times, our lead characters had minimal contact with each other throughout the first half of the book and while the prince did keep saving Tessa I felt Tessa was building a better relationship with the Queen than her husband Erian. 

By the time Tessa and Erian did end up spending more time together over 50% of the book was done and left not much time to really build a relationship without it feeling kind of rushed I was hoping for a spark between the couple which kind of happened in the woods after a near death experience for the two of them making this feel more like an insta-love story.  I had questions about the fae magic and if/how it replenishes?    

I received an ARC copy of this book and appreciated the opportunity to read about this magical world and Tessa and Erian they both handled their less than ideal situation with grace and dignity that many others in their situation wouldn't handle as well (including myself).  The book sets up for a sequel and I would love to read more in the series.  

The chapters were all very long, this is probably just my own personal preference but I like a mix of long and shorter chapters and I often have my kindle set to time left in chapter, seeing over an hour left at the beginning of each chapter was a bit daunting. 

*ARC  *Romantasy  *Fae + Human  *strangers --> more  *travel to another world *portal magic

 *written in 3rd person  *allies to lovers *Indie author *arranged marriage 

*bullying by fae people towards FMC  *drama/political intrigue  

*super slow burn  (no spice) *insta love 

What is your favorite Romantasy?  

Lore Olesya: Glass Hearts

 Read in 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223915382-glass-hearts

Princess Maralena (The Glass Princess) and her family are still grieving the loss of her mother she passed away several years prior but the King has since forbidden mirrors and the ones that are around are either broken or covered.  There is magic in the world but seems to be less magic in the Glass kingdom since losing the Queen, later we also find that the gods for the different kingdoms have left the realm and that's one reason for decreased magic in the world.  While usually noble females are married off as a teenager Mara remains unmarried but the King has decided this needs to change she is turning 21 after all... good news for her is that at least she is getting the opportunity to choose her own husband.  

The Sun Prince is handsome and determined to have Princess Mara as his wife even though word has gotten out that the Glass Kingdom's magic is dwindling he knows that the princess is bound to have hidden power and he wants to be able to get his hands on her magic... Yes our handsome Sun Prince is up to shady shenanigans!  

The Glass King has invited many eligible men from all over the different kingdoms to come to compete in a tournament for his daughter's hand.  While many of the men are way older Mara still believes that she will be able to choose her own match.  Mara's older brother is also unwed but she envies him at least he won't have to leave the only home he's ever known and become a pawn in the royal game to build alliances.  

Mara meets Evrardin while he's at the castle for the tournament with the Sun Prince (Evrardin is the captain of the guard for the sun kingdom) he exchanges some flirtations with Mara and then he makes her a bet that she will end up engaged to the Sun Prince by the end of the tournament, she takes the bet knowing that she has been given the approval from her father to select her own husband... only at the start of the tournament her father makes some jabs towards one of the other kingdoms and in the same speech announces that the winner of the jousting tournament will also win his daughter's hand.  This is a huge blow for Mara her life is being decided for her and she now lost the last choice she had left.  

Evrardin has taken to following Mara and she is irritated by Evrardin's presence she doesn't need him around she has her own guards... he has the pleasure of telling her that the Sun Prince has given him the task of being her personal protector once they are back in the Sun kingdom... leaving them a lot of time to get to know each other better.   

The Sun Prince makes unreasonable demands on Mara once she returns with him to his kingdom and while she is working hard to figure out how to accomplish what the prince wants, she desperately wants to be anywhere else, how is she going to get out of this?  

While Mara works towards the princes goals she stumbles upon secrets that the Sun Kingdom wants hidden and more than just her own life may be at stake.  

Evrardin's life has not been his own for quite some time will he be able to shake the Prince's demands and go after what he really wants?  

Over all I really enjoyed this book, did feel that some of the story dragged in the middle but I would read more from this author and if you like fantasy/romantasy you will like the twists, turns and drama!  

Hoping for more stories in this same world!  

*ARC read  *Romance  *Fantasy  *magical world  *Forbidden romance  *fairy tale  *450 pages 

*multi POV --> dual POV with occasional POV from side characters *drama  *slow burn (very slow) *some spice  *banter  *Enemies --> More 

 *adult situations/themes