Despite being the eldest child, Morgan Pendragon is passed over for the throne in favour of her brother, Arthur. Rumours swirl through the court that Morgan has fae blood in her bloods, and that her mother had even been a full born fae. This has caused her to be an outcast princess, basically ignored until she is handed over to the Temple on her 21st birthday. But then Arthur asks her to retrieve a weapon of the gods, Excalibur. Despite the danger of the journey Morgan sees this as a chance to break free. Accompanied by a mysterious warrior who seems to know more about the sword than he is letting on, Morgan sets out not knowing the path she is setting out on will change her forever.

A new twist on the Camelot mythos, I found this refreshing. I found the characters and the world building very intriguing. Arthur and Florian were easy to hate and while I was glad to see Florian get what he deserved I cannot wait to see the same for Arthur. I enjoyed the tension between Morgan and Dravos. Even with the brief interlude with Vesper I'm sure these two are endgame. The slow burn is great, and I can’t wait to see this come to fruition. Now onto the next book.

Rating 3.5 stars
*I received a review copy from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review

Having read the first title in this series I was keen to follow it up. The author did not disappoint, it was exciting and mysterious, although the heroine did frustrate me at times for her inability to believe our hero.
Needless to say, as with part one, it ends with a major cliffhanger and a change of scene again. I have just downloaded the third part to keep giing

“Queen of Roses" by Briar Boleyn is a thrilling New Adult fantasy romance! Romantasy will always hold the key to my heart and boy did this deliver!

We have magic, danger, duty/honor and conflict between desires and that duty/honor, and morally gray characters to boot! Gray is my favorite book color.

As a Camelot geek I loved how she honored the legacy of Arthurian mythology and gave it a super fun fae twist. As well as taking the old good and evil legend and reversing it until your head is spinning!!

Princess Morgan Pendragon has spent her life with a shadow looming above her due to her fae bloodline. Yet she lives through duty and sacrifice even though she has a horrible destiny when she comes of age. But her brother offers her a way out by sending her on a quest. Her brother who is…not what you would think him to be. I hope we get more on his motives in the next books!

Enter found family, who did this to you, romance, chosen one, conflict and all the fun and angst of these tropes!

I love how the story progresses in this fast paced plot and the secrets we learn at the end. Prepare to have book 2 in hand!

Reminded me of what it would be like if ACOTAR, blood and ash and King Arthur had a baby.

Make sure you read the trigger warnings prior to delving into this book! While the prose is great, it does touch on some heavy topics. The trigger warning on netgalley for some reason is at the end of the book, not sure if it’s this way on the actual book.

My only problems with the book were just some random grammar errors here and there which is really only a me problem, they seek me out and haunt me in every book I read.

Thank you again to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for offering me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!!! :)

this was a fun romantasy, for the most part. it started off so well: i was incredibly invested, the slow-burn was really slow-burning and giving me all the feels, plus the worldbuilding and arthurian retelling was so interesting! it's rare to get arthurian retellings, especially in casual romantasy novels, so i really appreciated that aspect.

but then vesper got introduced... and i hated him. just a little (a lot). i won't spoil, but the addition of his character - while possibly necessary for the plot - irritated me a little. other than him, i adored the side characters. the platonic bonds between characters was so beautiful to watch, and i also quite liked our fmc.

i'm intrigued to see how this series continues, because this book certainly had a captivating plot. i also need to see the main couple continue to grow closer!
thank you so much to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the arc copy provided.

Trigger Warnings: abduction, abuse (on page, graphic descriptions of beatings), alcohol consumption, animal death (frequent instances, descriptive, assault (on page descriptions), child death (referred to and then seen on page), deceased family member (referenced, witnesses family member being killed), death from child birth, domestic violence (on page, graphic descriptions), drug use (forceable drugging), poisoning, sexual assault (referenced, inferred, manipulation in to sexual acts), violence / gore


I quite enjoyed this novel! I liked how Boleyn took inspiration from Camelot and the story of King Arthur. It was interesting to see those story elements weaved in, and I’m excited to see where the story will go.

The story was quick to read and easily devourable, I was always intrigued to see where the story would take us next. Mostly I was hoping it would take us to a place where Morgan had some wits about her. In some instances I understood her naïveté as a lot was kept from her about herself, the history of her country and its present. In other instances I did not. For someone who was constantly in danger she had absolutely zero common sense, always trusting strangers and drinking and eating things from people that have given her no reason to trust them. She grew up knowing most people were out to get her, but she didn’t act like it!

I also thought this story had an interesting political plot but sadly it felt underdeveloped as we didn’t get to see a lot of it. I also felt this way about the story of the Fae and Excalibur. I understand not everything was to be revealed, but there was a lot of confusing info dumping and I honestly could not tell you who anyone was or what happened or when it happened.

Overall though I did enjoy this for the most part, and I think it was a good starting point for the series, and I think it has the potential to be better.

If you like retelling, you’ll like this Arthur/Excalibur/Camelot. The first half, while it has a lot of world building and was bit clunky for me.. I enjoyed it. However the second half I wish it gave a little more. The story kept me engaged enough, but ultimately I don’t love the mmc, Morgan. Her decisions drove me nuts. However with the fae twist, and how the author changed up some things, it kept me reading and reading. The ending does make you want to chuck your reading device, so make sure to have book 2 on standby. I’m hoping as the series progresses, Morgan will start to figure herself out.

I havent read fantasy in so long but this one and the sequel to this have blown me away. I am obsessed with the King Arthur retelling, plus fae! I am so thankful this series has got me back into fantasy. I am just overly obsessed.

Thank you so much to the author of this book for allowing me to opportunity to read and review this book, I truly appreciate it.

Firstly I like to get the bad out of the way first because this is all honestly nitpicky and some probably the way it formatted on NetGalley. I honestly didn't have many issues with this book, there were a couple times where words were repeated by accident or certain punctuation should have been used but I'm not one of those people so it wasn't that big of a deal. I believe the last chapter should have under the number a certain name, just so you would have got it before you got into it (I don't want to reveal any spoilers). Now I'm not sure if this was the format only on NetGalley or if its that way elsewhere but it bothered me to find the actual trigger warnings at the very back of it instead of the front (I think it was just a conversion issue though) but note just in case elsewhere it does end up at the back of the book, there are a lot of heavy things in this but the author does them so well that you know where she's going but she does not shove it down your throat and make you have to go through them. It was done perfectly and I appreciate that so much, theres some really popular authors that would have made some of the things this book touches on, torture you for multiple pages. I am so grateful this author has a way with words that made you get it without having to get it for far longer than should be allowed "for the sake of the story".

Another issue I have with this book, that I expect might come into something later on is the allusion to Arthurian legends. I have no problem with this at all, as silly as this sounds I really wished the author just hadn't. This author has created at least with this book a masterful way with words that doesn't bore you, a story that doesn't slog on, and a wonderful world you can picture that is all her own, I would have loved if she'd called the characters and world's whatever she had wanted because she is an amazing author and this world she has created deserves all that is fully her own for her own genius and recognition! It could let someone down who potentially picked up for those references which at this moment only seem that way. This authors created world is extremely masterful and I would have preferred all that was hers.

Also biggest of all I don't know why this book isn't in every bookstore, I don't know why it's not all over "booktok" it needs to be! This is the best fantasy novel I have read in a long time! I've read a lot of them. It needs to be all over the place, it really really does. This does not drag at all, it flows so well, the world is magical, the details are not overdrawn at all. I never once got bored at all, or fell to skimming like I tend to with a few books because of the over doneness of them.

All I wanted to do when I started this book was keep reading it! I fell in love, yes some things were slightly expected, but not done in a disappointing manner like usually happens with most books. This was done well, so so well! I need more of this author, I love this book, I love Morgan and I need to know what happens next!!! I also need this all over tiktok and in every bookstore. This needs to be known! It is so much better than a few other "popular" fantasy authors creations!

Thank you so much for allowing me the pleasure of reading your book, I can't wait to hopefully be able to read the rest!

I went into this book with absolutely no knowledge/ expectations. I was blown away. I was not expecting the loose King Arthur references with the fae twist - but it is definitely something I didn't know I needed.
I was enthralled quickly and I cannot wait to read the next few books. It is up there with the first couple books of ToG & SJM. I'm excited to continue with this series and get further into this story & this amazing world.

4 stars! Good book abnd got me interested and intrigued for a while. hoped for a more interesting plot but it was still good enough

I really enjoyed this loose retelling of Camelot/Arthur/Morgana add a mix of fae and I am intrigued. I really enjoyed the slow burn of this, and the story line. I enjoy seeing what the next book will bring.

Lets start with the good:
It's such a unique retelling of Arthurian legends. The author certainly put her own twist on the tale and the characters, and I really enjoyed the liberties she took with the story. The religious system is really interesting and I hope it gets expanded in the future books.
Now, the bad:
The driving force behind the plot feels inorganic. There's a lot of unnecessary dialogue that feels clunky to read. I feel as though a lot of the plot points come out of the blue, and some things that feel like they should have some importance simply. don't.
Morgan:
Weak willed and petulant. As the main character, I feel she should have played a more active role in the story but it felt like things were just happening TO her. I felt the authors INTENTIONS for her more than I was able to see the execution. We have a tragic heroine, which is an amazing trope if done correctly, but she doesn't use any of it. She gets motive about halfway through her hero's journey and then it feels like an afterthought. I wanted to root for her.
Draven:
I never understood why Morgan hated him. Like she saw him and got mad. He is the broody, tall, dark and handsome type, and he exists in a close proximity to Morgan. His motive was never established, not really, and his relationship with Morgan felt forced. She started to like him only because the plot needed her to.
Arthur:
A cruel king with no REASON. Like he's just an asshole. A villain needs a MOTIVE to be believable and he just. isn't.
It's awesome that you hate fae and are homophobic (/s) but like. WHY.
It felt like it had been plotted out as it was being written.
Ideas were introduced with no warning, and dismissed on the same wind and that made it hard to follow at times.
BUT it leaves room for growth, as I saw quite a bit as the story progressed, and I'm excited to see how she expands in the next few additions to the series.
* Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review *

As a merlin girly growing up, this was the perfect combination of Merlin and the Fae world of fiction. It was giving a mix of the best of both the ACOTAR series which I loved, and the Merlin TV show I grew up on. I was hesitant at first with majority of the names of both the characters and places being so similar to the tale of Merlin, but I absolutely loved this book. I waited a full 5 minutes to catch my breath and re-focus after finishing this before diving into the second book. Cannot recommend this enough!

Favorite Quote: "'Who?' I jumped. 'Who did this to you?' Draven's voice was a guttural growl.

The Deets:
This Arthurian based fantasy romance had a lot of the tropes I enoy! "Who did this to you?" obviously being one of the main ones as Draven, one of the Royal Guards to Princess Morgan Pendragon, gives off the 'touch her and die' vibe! The story focuses on Morgan, living a life that was chosen for her by her horrible father, and now her brother, Arthur - who is not the good King you normally read about in Arthurian retellings! I liked that twist to it, as well as the character names being utilized in different ways. There is an underlying mystery around the fae and why they aren't around as much as they may have been in previous years. The book has some good twists at the end and leaves you with questions about more than just one character after the last page.

I'm so tired, only because I could not put this book down and had to read it into the night. This book follows Morgan, an ousted heir to the throne of Camelot as she comes into her power with the help of a mysterious quest and a handsome stranger. While the book felt predictable and a bit cheesy at times it still managed to surprise me with much of the ending. This book has some similarities with Of Blood and Ash, but does go on to build a larger world and plot than that series. If you're a fan of books led by female characters coming into their own, political and magical intrigue, and romance, this is the book for you.

"Queen of Roses" by Briar Boleyn is a thrilling New Adult fantasy romance that brings together elements of danger, magic, duty, and morally gray characters in a tale that weaves the legacy of Arthurian mythology with a captivating twist. In this gripping story:

A cast-off princess: Morgan Pendragon has spent her life bound by duty and sacrifice, her destiny predetermined from birth. Her rumored fae bloodline casts a shadow over her life, and she's meant to be offered to the goddesses when she comes of age. However, the opportunity arises for her to break free from these chains when her brother orders her to seek a legendary fae weapon.

A dangerous temptation: Morgan's journey introduces her to a group of outcasts led by an enigmatic and fierce warrior. Her heart becomes entangled with desires and the allure of something she's never known before, as she struggles to reconcile her desires with her duties.

A slumbering kingdom: A feared fae kingdom, thought to be lost for generations, resurfaces, determined to reclaim what was lost through violence and bloodshed. As Morgan uncovers the secrets of her own blood, she realizes that her heritage makes her a far greater threat than she could have imagined.

The story unfolds with action, magic, morally complex characters, and a slow-burn romance that builds in intensity over time. If you enjoy books by authors like Jennifer L. Armentrout, Raven Kennedy, Rebecca Yarros, and Sarah J. Maas, "Queen of Roses" is sure to captivate your imagination.

Reviewers have praised the book for its fast-paced plot, world-building, and its fresh take on Arthurian mythology. It's a tale that's bound to leave you begging for the next book in the series.

Please note that "Queen of Roses" contains mature situations, adult language, and a slow-burn romance that develops into a more intense dynamic as the series progresses. Multiple trigger warnings and content warnings are available for reference within the book.

King Arthur retelling but make it fae and put some great female main characters in there? Tick!

I really enjoyed this, without being high fantasy it was the perfect balance of new lands, magic, politics all pulled together with a bit enemies to lovers and a darkness (please do check the trigger warnings).

It ends on a massive cliff hanger so I’m excited to delve into the second book!

Thanks to Victory Editing for the free copy in turn for an honest review.

This book gave me heart flutters and not many books do that! I have already added the series to my book store's cart!

One of my favourite Arthurian retellings EVER!!! The character twists were perfect, and I love how there was so many secrets and mysteries woven into the story. You're kept in suspense all the way through, and I left book 1 with the need to devour book 2 immediately.

There were definitely things I liked about this book. I’m always a fan of an Arthurian retelling and this one was so loosely based upon the original that the storyline stayed unpredictable. The world-building was gradual and effective, with no information dump at the beginning for the reader to slog through. The portrayal of the fae grabbed my interest from the very beginning and maintained it throughout.

Overall, though, this just wasn’t for me. I found it slow going for the most part, with long fight scenes and a lot of description that didn’t serve to either develop the characters or advance the plot. The writing around Draven and Morgan’s nascent relationship was cliched in enough parts that I couldn’t get invested, and while I appreciated the diversity of the supporting characters, they weren’t finely drawn enough for me to care about them and their outcomes. The writing style wasn’t a good fit for me, either, with loads of one-sentence paragraphs (which decreases rather than increases dramatic impact when they’re too numerous) and sentence fragments in place of full sentences.

I’m glad I gave this series a try because I can see it appeals to a lot of readers, but it turns out I am not quite in that target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the reader copy.