I want to start by saying thank you to the author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for this honest review.

This book is a dark fantasy romance book loosely based on the story of King Arthur with a twist. What I look for in a fantasy book is great world building with a slow burn romance and fast paced and this book checked those boxes for me, I read through it very quickly.

What I enjoyed
- The retelling of the king arthur story except with the introduction of the Fae, which I really enjoyed.
- The side characters were really well written and I could feel the love (or hate!) through the eyes of the FMC towards them.
- The whole Fae side of it to be honest, I will read any book that includes them and I love this authors take on it.
- The FMC was really interesting for me, you could really sympathise with her throughout this book and I enjoyed her journey and how she grew as a person.
- Draven, need I say more?! (Jokes I will say more). I could kind of tell from the start where we were going with this character however I absolutely loved him.

What I did not enjoy
- Arthur
- Florian
- Vesper
That is all!

Overall, loved it and thought it was a great set up for the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley, Victory Editing and author Briar Boleyn for an E-copy in exchange for a review - All views are my own :)

I was so surprised by this book, I knew that it was a re telling of Arthurian legacy with a fae world setting, but I never expected to devour this book in under two sittings!

What I really loved
*World Building/Lore - The author really brought the world/lore to life with descriptions used - not so much that it was confusing at any point even for those in the beginning of reading fantasy - The build up at the start of the book just before their journey was fantastic!

Characters
Morgan - I didn't love Morgan at the start, I found that she was quite a timid FMC and that never quite changed for me even at the end of the book. She had been through a lot in her early life but I felt she could have been developed more once the journey started and away from the castle.
Kairos - the small things this man done for Morgan *chefs kiss*
Vesper - Nope! This guy (I predicted the outcome) but I could not stand this character or his music!

What I didn't love
I honestly think I read maybe four of the same kind of descriptions of Kairos by Morgan through the book, The FMC needs more character development for me. There is very little romance BUT I cannot wait for book 2 to see how this develops after that cliff hanger!

After reading the synopsis of this book, I was really keen to start it.
I found the first half of the book a little slow, but this can happen in the first book of the series so you get a feel of the characters and the world that they're in.

Once I got to where Morgan leaves Camelot the pace really started to pick up. When Vesper came into the story this felt a little too fast and he kind of just appeared as did Odelna. I also wasn't entirely sure where she came from or what her purpose is. Hopefully there'll be more information in book 2.

Overall, I did enjoy the plot and the open ending, which encourages you to read the next book, which I hope to do.

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn 📕

Morgan is a princess but given her dual blood type (part-fae), her father, the King, refuses to let her become Queen after his death. Morgan is then sent away on a trip by her brother to seek out a Fae weapon with a dark enigmatic warrior, Kairos. On the trip, Morgan meets outcasts and soon they create an unlikely team to battle together. There are dangers out there beyond their wildest dreams.

My Review 📖:
Queen of Roses starts slow but does pick up so I would suggest sticking with it because the ending of the book is very interesting; an intense cliffhanger than leaves you wanting more. It made me want to pick up the second book in the series.

Not a huge amount of romance in this book but the story doesn’t go where you think it will (which is a good thing because who wants to read predictable storylines?!).

Off to read book two!

My score: 3/5 ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley for access to this book.

This book was sent to me by netgalley and I 100% had every intention of putting it down without intending to pick it back up UNTIL ARTHUR HAD THE THEIF BEHEADED!
I swear the book was a slow burn right until that moment and I dove into it headfirst. This book, this whole world she's created took me way farther than I ever imagined I did not ONCE see where this book was going.
I will say I was a little skeptical of the newcomer so late in the book which now I can see was for good reason but I'm so glad that Morgan came into her powers and just in the nick of time too!
10/10 will be finishing the series!!
I even downloaded it on KU to read just to make sure the author gets her $$ cause she DESERVES IT!!!

This book was very well done. The world was very well written and the romance was perfect. I could not stop reading and was sad when it was over.

Incredible. Magical.

The best series to get your fae fix and emerge from the post ACOTAR reading slump.

Queen of Roses retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of Camelot as the setting of a multilayered Fae fantasy adventure.

Themes I loved

1. Strong female main character
2. Main character finds out she’s more powerful than she realized
3. “Who did this to you” scene - why was I giggling so hard?
4. Only one bed / tent scene - the tension!!! I could cut it with a knife. I wish we had more tent sharing scenes.
5. Hinted fated mates? I have to read book two to see if it pans out.
6. Enemies to reluctant Allies to possible lovers hiding their feelings - the enemies part was written amazingly. And the begrudgingly starting to care for each other is just *chefs kiss*.

More thoughts

This was a slow burn and not very romance focused, but that tension is absolutely there. I love how Draven and Morgan don’t immediately fall in love and that their relationship really was built step by step.

The first 5 chapters were a little slow with the world building but once that’s out of the way the story feels like we are questing along side the characters. The descriptions are so vivid I could picture the Fae arches and the little towns in my head so clearly.

Truly enjoyed this book. I definitely have high hopes for Court of Claws and will be hoping for more action now that the premise has been set up in the first book.

I wasn't expecting the an Arthurian retelling that reframed Morgan(a) as the MC and also as a fae!

I will admit, fae books are often a miss for me than they are a hit but I've tried to not let it influence my opinion of this ARC too much. The fae elements to the story weren't *too* prominent in this story which made it a better read for me, though I can see why someone who is expecting a lot more 'fae' parts could feel it lacked. I like the world building of Camelot and the neighbouring kingdoms. Arthur's character through Morgan's eyes were really well done too as I got a good sense of the sinister aura that came from her younger brother.

The story moves *fast*, faster than I would have preferred, which left me feeling detached to the romantic elements of the story. Also, with the journey that Morgan embarked on, I didn't truly get a sense of how much of an undertaking it was due to the various time skips (I understand the author may not have wanted to bog down a reader with the mundane details of the trek but I always find that with an adventure story, part of developing an attachment with the characters is often in those scenes) but there were some enjoyable moments.

In summary, maybe not a book for me but I can understand why other reviewers have rated it highly!

Thanks NetGalley for access to QoR!

An Arthurian retelling with a twist! Arthur is a less than desirable king, his sister loves their people, and Excalibur is real?? In Queen of Roses, book one of Briar Boleyn’s fantasy romance series Blood of a Fae, we follow Morgan, King Arthur’s sister on the beginning of an epic journey. This journey is one of danger, discovery, betrayal, friendship, romance and so much more. Morgan is the less than loved sister of King Arthur, she is a pawn in his greater scheme and is sent on a quest to retrieve Excalibur, the mythical weapon that may or may not even exist. Merlin is a high priestess, is she on Morgans side…or Arthur’s? Her traveling companions on this quest are a strange, morally gray bunch that she doesn’t know if she could or should trust. But she will have to trust someone to survive on this journey, who will it be? Oh, lets not forget, two of them are absolutely gorgeous!

I didn’t know how I would feel about this book because I generally have a love/hate relationship with retellings. I’m happy to say I enjoyed this one. In fact, I read it in 5 days instead of studying for my national board exam! There is magic, friendship, sparks of romance, multiple love interests, mystery and suspense. It is written in first person and is a relatively fast paced book that will keep you turning the pages! I like the twists of this retelling, the plot was great and kept me interested. Some books you can easily guess what will happen next, this is not one of those books! I LOVE the mythical creatures that we encounter along the way and the world building as the journey progresses. P.S. Did I mention the slow burn?

Now, what I would have wished to see more of. I enjoy epic fantasy so would have been very happy to have a longer book with more in depth world building, character building, etc. There were several times that a lot of information was given that was just scratching the surface of what I wanted to know. This was especially true in the beginning and end. But the fact that I wanted more kept me reading to see if I could figure out the answers later on in the book. I think I would have liked to see a little more depth of emotion in certain situations from some of the characters as well. I especially would have loved to see more depth in Arthur, how did he become how he is? I also would have loved to see more depth in or FMC as far as emotions, same could be said for MMC. Lastly, I would have loved more depth on why the Fae are hated so much.

I would definitely recommend this book to others that love epic journeys, slow burn romance with spice on the way, magical worlds and Fae (of course!) I can’t wait to read the next one, but I told myself I must wait until I take my board exam so that I (hopefully) get some studying in! Overall I would give this book a 3.5 star and 1 spice rating!

**Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this book**

I found the book quite enjoyable, and it was a quick read. I read it in about 4ish hours. I found the retelling of the story of Excalibur and King Arthur an excellent spin on the story, filled with fae and a believable world! I'm pretty interested to see where this story will go and the story of Morgan (who I totally did not call Morgana more than once).

The relationship between Morgan and Darven was interesting. Still, I did not see a spark of romantic tension between them, which was fine as I got so interested in the world and the story of the fae I forgot this was a romantasy (romance fantasy) book.

Without going into spoiler territory, I enjoyed how Arthur was in this! I loved seeing his arc and change throughout the book, which also helped me like Darven as an excellent comparison.

Morgan Pendragon is a cast aside Princess, promised to a life she never sought, and controlled by bloodthirsty men. She embarks on a life threatening journey at the demands of her brother, risking life and limb with her fierce enemy, Draven.

Queen of Roses is a loose retelling of Authorian rule, with tantalising world building and forbidden Fae. Refreshingly, the Main Characters grew with the plot, teasing at their complex pasts and future narratives.

I found myself saddened whenever I had to put the book down, desperate to see where we were going next; trying to guess which twist was going to unfold next. Most of all, I found myself anticipating Draven’s reactions. I have developed a soft spot in my heart for the MMC; drawn in by his brazen attitude and yet tender care.

As enamoured as I was with Draven, I did feel that there were a few characters whom were reintroduced/introduced too late in the novel to bring weight to the plot. This took away slightly from the plot at times for me, shattering my focus. Saying this, I could understand need to introduce the new characters; but not the reintroduction of old, other than to progress plot explanation which could have been tidied over in a more creative way.

I did like that romance was not the main focus and that there was not much focus placed upon the love triangle. As the romance was not primary focus, it did mean that when it became presented as a large premise in the next addition to the series, I found myself even more interested in character dynamics between the MCs.

Overall an enjoyable read with strong narrative plotting. I am excited to read more.

Genre/Type: Fantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Series?: Blood of Fae Book 1

Tropes and Themes:
- Slow Burn
- Enemy to lovers
- Who hurt you?
- Touch them and die

Triggers?:
- Death
- Physical Harm
- Poisoning

*Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing with this book in exchange for an honest review*

Oh my God you guys this book!!!! 🤯 It was sooooo good that if I hadn't gotten approved for the other two I would have read it again. And again. And again. It's a king Arthur reteeling but do it with fae. I say what???

World building? Excellent.
Plot? Amazing.

I literally couldn't put it down. Best read of 2023! For sure! Man that cliffhanger made me want to throw my kindle to the wall. Don't worry, I didn't. Read it.

This was better than I expected it to be. It was interesting and entertaining enough. Some things I didn't like and the dialogue felt super stiff and flat at times. But overall, this was a fun read and I'm interested in continuing the series.

I don't know what drugs Briar Boleyn magics into her writing, but OMG I physically couldn't put this book down! I finished reading LATE last night and ended up waking up early this morning to buy and begin reading the second book before work; I literally cannot stop thinking about it.

I had so much fun. The morally grey-ness of it all is so well written. Each of the characters are fleshed out enough to make them believable, but not so much as you feel you know everything they're going to do/say.
The friendships are written SO well; and I adored the casual queerness of Lancelet and Galahad.

I must say, when i first began reading I did roll my eyes a little bit at all the obvious connections to the Legend of King Arthur (I admit, I was hoping it would all be a little more subtle), but that VERY quickly surpassed once we got into the swing of the story.

Like all romance books, there is a level of predictability, but as a fairly seasoned romantasy reader, I really don't mind that. I will say, however, this book is next level slow burn and there is a very teeny tiny small amount of spice - though I have had a flick through the second book and can see that there is more on the way, so I think Ms Briar is being a bit of a tease and showing us what we're signing up for very slowly ;)

The only thing I'd say I was a little disappointed about was that it's marketed as a Dark Fantasy Romance; with this first book, I wouldn't necessarily say that was quite correct. Maybe I've read some things that are much too dark and so I was just expecting a bit more darkness, but for me (I would say it's definitely on the edge of a Dark Fantasy), but it's not quite there yet. That said, having read things like ACOTAR in the past, I can understand how these types of stories can get darker and darker over their writing and so, again, maybe this was just a preemptive warning and we'll get darker as we go further into the books.
I love that the trigger warnings are in the back of the book (with notice in the front letting you know they're potential spoilers, but should you wish to know them, they are there for you to see); and the TWs were very accurate.

In all, this books was so enjoyable and I really can't wait to see where this story takes us next!! All I
can say is ROLL ON BOOK 2!!

I'd like to say a big thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book through NetGalley to help celebrate the release of book three in this series. <3

Thank you to Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for allowing me to provide this review!
Review Posted:
• Netgalley
• Good Reads
• Instagram

Queen of the Roses is the first book in the Blood of a Fae series. It is fantasy, romance, and adventure. It has potential to be something great with a few edits. However, I have a feeling that book two is going to be amazing, now that we have a background and a focal point to follow, I think the book will grow as it is written more.

My only major critique is that I wish the main character isn’t as naïve in the second book. There were parts where it made sense to be naive but the whole reunion chapter when they were in the blood lands really put a sour tase in my mouth. How can you be so worried about sleeping and not want to hear everything that you have been missing out on!

Also booooo Vesper, he deserved a longer more brutal ending. Glad he’s gone

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and may finish the rest.

Ok….so….what?!? 🤯
That cliffhanger!!!
Read this in two sittings and struggled to put it down to go to work, Story has consistent movement through adventure, slow burn and twists and turns which kept me gripped the whole way through.
It was a really nice fae twist on King Arthur mythology
So excited to start the next part and see how the story unfolds and how the characters/romance 😉 grow.

I loved reading this! The pacing of the story was just right, with plenty of action and excitement to keep you hooked and wanting to read on. Loved that it was a re-telling of King Arthur and Camelot. I can't wait to read the rest of the series, such a great first book, would thoroughly recommend to all.

I love how Briar Boleyn has woven the characters of Arthurian Legend into a great fantasy novel! These well-loved characters told in a new story is refreshing and exciting! The book took me a few chapters to really get into it, but once I was invested in Morgan I was hooked.


I flew through Book 1 and Book 2 in less than 24 hours, already working through book 3!

WHAT WAS THAT ENDING??????
It was confusing, epic, heart-wrenching. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
I just know I am going to have to read book 2.
It’s not even a want at this point, it’s a definite need

Let me just start this review by saying I went into this book completely blind
I have heard of the author in passing and I love the cover
But I wasn’t expecting anything
And let me tell you I was pleasantly surprised by this book
Both by the depths of the characters, the King Arthur storyline, the amazing engaging dialogues and the world-building that I love
This is not high fantasy — or at least what i count as high fantasy — and it’s so easy to get into this book from the get go that i just couldn’t put this book down

Is it just me or does the character reminds me so much of Fourth Wing character?
Morgan with the silver-hair and Violet Sorrengail
But more than anything I think Kairos Draven is like an older, deadlier, more sarcastic and outspoken, more arrogant version of Xaden Riorson
And I love him okay!
The fact that he’s always been very honest with his expression, the fact that from the get go he cared about her enough to harm the people who harm her! Swoon
He always came to her rescue even when she’s being mean to him too.
And he helped her without her asking, and he never gloat about it afterwards.
Kairos Draven is the blueprint for a new perfect book boyfriend!
I’m surprised I’ve never heard of him before.

Some memorable Kairos Draven quotes:
“Not even a thank you, Princess? I’ll miss you too.”

“His voice was loud and angry as he cursed everything and anything he could think of.”

“My apologies. Should I be more polite because you’re royalty? Pardon me, Princess. And here i thought you enjoyed being treated as an equal.”

“I suppose a princess does not need to eat like other mortals.”

I do not wish to discuss the plot here because i do not want to spoil things for anyone.
I highly suggest just going into this book blind because I did and it was such a delightful surprise; the whole journey of reading this book was.
But if you’re so incline to know I’ll give you some key notes.
The tropes:
- Princess x bodyguard
- Touch her and you die
- Morally grey MMC
- Fae!
- King Arthurian legend

PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS BOOK
I SWEAR YOU WON’T REGRET IT
Five amazing stars for the Queen of Roses

Thank you to Victory Editing, Briar Boleyn, NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book and can already tell I will love this series. I love the spinning of the King Arthur classic characters with the high fantasy fae and other creatures. Although the story was a bit slow to start, this clearly was building up a world and characters that are only truly starting to emerge at the end, and this left me excited to read the next book.
This first book is pretty low on spice, so if that is what you’re looking for, this first book may not be for you, however I could see that changing in the next books.
I love seeing the FMC coming to grips with her realities and her true self, and hope to see her continue to grow in her strengths.
I also absolutely adore the battlecat and Dravan, and also hope this wasn’t the end for Lancelet!
This is a very unique and interesting world, and I appreciate that it feels unique, even for someone like myself who has read ALOT of fantasy that starts to blend together after a while.
All in all, I would highly recommend this and cannot wait to continue the series! This book deserves much more hype!