I was sent a copy of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.....for a full review please see my Amazon and Goodreads accounts

I loved this, some great dark romance tropes with good fantasy world building. Beauty and the beast retelling with spice.

The things I liked most about North Wind were the flawed heroine with real world issues, the broody Prince with his tragic past, the atmospheric descriptions of the the realm and the world building generally and, of course, the slow slow burn. It's my favourite enemies to lovers story this year so far.

I enjoyed every page. My favourite part of a book is a really good main female character and I’m often disappointed. Wren does not disappoint- she’s everything she should be and I loved her. Congrats to the author on a really fabulous book and my deepest thanks

I am so glad this got picked up by a major publisher as I read the indie version and absolutely loved it!! This author deserves all the success and support! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book.

💫 Beauty and the Beast -with a hint of Hades x Persephone- retelling
💫 enemies to lovers
💫 forced proximity
💫 forced marriage
💫 slow burn
💫 only one bed
🌶 spicy romance
📚 First book in The Four Winds series (interconnected standalones)

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the slow burn enemies to lovers romance and the setting.

Wren was a strong leading character but she was a bit too stubborn. Boreas came across as very cold intially and I wish we could have read his POV too.They both made questionable decisions but learning about their trauma helped to understand their motivations. I loved how their relationship developed and how they helped each other heal.

The ending really shocked and surprised me, I didn't expect it at all. I can't wait to read the next installment in the series!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the eArc!

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers and the general story, but I felt the setting was a little confusing.

With the Greek Gods included, I was constantly trying to figure out what the setting was meant to be, because it felt like a generic fantasy world just with the gods named after the Greek ones. I just felt the author could have leaned into the Greek vibes more and had a more intriguing setting. Boreas also calls Wren “the devil” during sex multiple times and I was left wondering how, if the devil exists, he fits into the pantheon considering Boreas is the one who oversees the afterlife.

I liked the romance though. I liked the vibes of Hades and Persephone and feel of the Beauty and the Beast retelling. I liked that it was a slower burn enemies to lovers than most of the books I’ve read recently, even though they still fell into the trap of instant attraction.

Overall, I wanted more from this book in terms of setting, but I did really enjoy the story.

DNF

This was a bit too wordy for me to get into. The narrative is fine, but very slow and lacking personality. It didn’t hook me.

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book. Special shout out to my fellow buddy readers @bex_boys_and_books and @archerofpages.

👰🏻Arranged Marriage
🥰 Forced Proximity
🌹Retelling (Beauty and the Beast)
🛏️One Bed

This was an easy listen that had all the classic tropes of well-known romantasy books. My favourite part was how the traditional parts of Beauty and the Beast were woven into the story, sometimes with a twist. I'm interested to see what the next book in the series will be like.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

3.5 ⭐️

This one frustrated me. I loved the premise & had clear beauty & the beast vibes throughout, but it just didn't quite hit the mark. It felt a little like a YA book where spice had been added & the story was set up for some secrets, twists & turns that never came to anything.

This is the first in a 4 part series & I can only imagine they are linked standalone books as everything was wrapped so neatly in a bow (including a totally unnecessary & out of theme epilogue).

I wanted more & felt this held back a little, while ticking romantasy trope boxes. That being said I read with with friends & they really enjoyed it, so again, this is a me problem.

4 ⭐️
2 🌶️

Wren lives in a small village with her sister, their parents have died and she will do anything to protect her sister.

The North Wind is a god banished to the mortal realm, comes to the village to choose another woman to take back to the deadlands, and her sister is chosen. Wren ends up taking her place in secret, to protect her sister from him.
Wren discovers that she is set to marry the North Wind, she rebels but she is determined to survive, so she decides she is going to kill the North Wind.

Wren is a very strong willed character, she's very much suffering from her own problems and trauma from her childhood and the rule she took of protecting her sister what ever the cost and the realisation of how that has affected her. The North Wind King has his own trauma and throughout the book you see how much they needed each other. There's suffering and heartbreak but along with tender moments and love.

I enjoyed the storyline, with Wren growth throughout the book and her understanding of the North Wind. It's a slow burn, enemies to lover's trope with lots of tension.

Thank you Netgallary and Simon Schuster UK for the ARC

Wow this was a hard book. The first 35-40% was HARD. I hated both the main characters, they were flat and I was not interested in the story at all. At one point I almost DNF'd due to the female main character being wildly inconsistent.

The great thing about this book is the enemies to lovers is done wonderfully. Despite both the characters shortcomings in the beginning, I did grow to at least tolerate them both rather than wishing I was reading anything else. That said, as their relationship grew and we learnt more about the characters, I did enjoy their scenes where they were together, bickering and learning to love one another.

However, I really didn't like the pacing of this book. It has a few moments where it seems to not know what it's doing and then you end up bored while it tries to bring you back. The slow burn was SUUUUUUPER slow. Just when you THINK you're about to get some at around 70%, it's ripped away from you and you have to wait till nearly the end of the novel to see the pay off. The relationship also feels a little toxic at times but I think this was to solidify the enemies to lovers aspect.

Overall, I had a good time once I was out of the heavy worldbuilding intro and saggy middle. The last 30% definitely made up for the rest of it and I can see why others will go absolutely feral for it.

“The North Wind” is a mythical romance book by Alexandria Warwick.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Plot: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Characters: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Suspense: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Romance: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

What you’ll find in this book:
⭐️ Fantasy Romance
⭐️One horse
⭐️ One bed
⭐️Battles
⭐️ Spicy scenes
⭐️Enemies to lovers
⭐️ Myth retelling

Warning content: alcoholism

OMG!!! I couldn’t put that down! A very quick pace that I loved! A mix of love, betrayal, and understanding, plus lots of my favourite tropes made it one of my favourite books this year. Alexandria writes so flawlessly, the tone, and the chapters are all harmoniously written. The creation of the background and the different places was also amazing. Plus there is a map!!!

A smart mouth/ bad-ass heroine against an ancient Greek God. Who will survive? Who will fall in love first?
Wren is used to putting her twin sister’s needs before her own until she is forced to marry a God/King in her sister’s place in order to protect her. Going into his death realm she is forced to find herself and while trying to free herself from the King she falls hard for him. The plot is inspired by Beauty and the Beast and the myth of Hades and Persephone.

Few of my favourite moments:
“Man & Woman, God & Mortal, we stare at one another, bound by duty, obligation and deceit.”
“Once inside, I halt. Of course, there is only one bed.”
“What have I done? I am the fool who fell in love with my enemy”

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my early copy. All opinions are mine and sincere.

"There are many ugly things in this world, wife. But I do not think you are one of them."

Wren cannot let The North Wind take her sister. No one knows what happens to the sacrifices that The North Wind selects and takes to the Shade, all the people of Edgewood know is that they are never seen again. Wren must take her place, she must protect her sister.
The stories surrounding The North Wind appear to be a true, an immortal with icy blue eyes and a cold, brutal heart to match. Yet bold, fearless and stubborn Wren will not bow down to him easily. A story inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone, this was not one I wanted to miss.

I had not heard or seen this book anywhere, but was very intrigued so decided to give it a go. It starts off very similar to ACOTAR and A Curse So Dark and Lonely so immediately I was hooked.

The romance is very slow burn but the chemistry between the two is apparent quite early on and I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Wren and Boreas as well as them learning more about themselves.

I did find Wren slightly irritating at some points, she was very stubborn and sometimes I just wanted her to be quiet and stop meddling, particular towards the end of the book but Boreas calm demeanor made this a bit more bearable.

The climactic scenes at the end of the book weren't my favourite and whilst The North Wind does nothing new, I found it to be well written, addictive and highly enjoyable - so it still gets 5 stars from me.

I believe this is the first in a series, however I think the next book in the series follows another set of characters so this does read like a standalone.

Try this if you like:
- Beauty and the beast retellings
- Slow burn romance (there is spice!)
- A fearless, stubborn FMC
- "My wife"
- a dark and mysterious MMC
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely

The North Wind selects a woman from the village every few years, and that woman is never seen again. When Wren's sister is chosen, Wren goes in her place - only to discover she is to be wed to the fearsome God.

This book was ok, well written with an interesting plot. There was nothing particularly unique about it though, and it needed to be edited down because it was too long! If you're not bored of the same story (Hades/Persephone, Beauty and the Beast retelling) then it's worth picking up. Just not sure it was for me!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book and once I started I felt that I was hooked and wanted to read more.
The world building is fantastic and I loved all the descriptions throughout the book especially how the ghosts were described.
I felt the plot was great and I felt that this was a lovely refreshing slow burn romance and it was just what I needed.
I loved the characters as especially loved seeing their growth and strength throughout the book. Especially when Wren realises she is worth more than she thought. I love the journey that both her and Boreas go through in the book. The book has been described as a Beauty and the Beast Retelling and I can definitely see where that comes through.
I’d love to read more from the other three gods.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. How did I not know I needed a story that combines retellings of the Hades and Persephone mix and Beauty and the Beast? As soon as I saw the synopsis I knew I had to read it and it definitely didn’t disappoint. I loved the world building, the danger faced outside the castle walls, the mysteries within, and most of all - the romance. It’s safe to say Wren and the god known as the North Wind don’t get off to a good start. Tensions are running high, Wren is feeling protective, and the North Wind’s behaviour is beastly. I loved the progression of these characters and their story, watching them reluctantly share pieces of themselves with each other. The North Wind’s awkward side is incredibly endearing, and Wren’s fierce and independent nature make her such a strong character I couldn’t help but root for. There’s plenty of danger, and both personal and magical mysteries to be unravelled, and time brings these two closer together. I can’t wait to see what Alexandria Warwick writes next!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

4 stars - a dark beauty and the beast retelling.

The story starts with a village that lives in eternal winter. Every so often the ruler of the village, the north wind (named Boreas) claims a girl from the village and she is never seen again. This year Elora is picked, but her elder sister Wren goes in her place. The story then follows Wren, who soon learns she is to be wed to Boreas, and her plots and schemes for her to escape.

I enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope but felt they became lovers too late in the story so we don't get to see much of their time together in love. Very slow burn and lovers at around the 80% mark and as this book is quite long I feel like I would have rated it higher if it was either shorter or the slow burn ended sooner.

I loved the character of Wren from the very beginning of the story and the inclusion of her addiction story line I felt was unique and not something I’ve seen done before.

I grew to love Boreas as the story went on as he let his walls down and thought he was quite funny at some points.

I enjoyed the authors writing but don’t think the world building was well done. I kept waiting for reasons or explanations to why things were the way they are - why the eternal winter, why is the winter going into the spring realm - but it was never explained. Very little backstory to the village also. I also felt as if Eloras story wasn’t fully resolved by the end.

I overall enjoyed the story but it does have some issues that could frustrate some readers . I know this is a stand-alone in a series of interconnected books so the answers may be given later on.

“The immortal who stole my heart”

I loved this book. I finished it last night and I’ve thought about it all day. I want to go right back to the beginning and absorb it all over again.

Boreas, the North Wind, aka the Frost King is a god, an immortal, banished to the Deadlands to judge the dead and rule the lands that lie beyond death. However weaknesses keep appearing in the defences of his realm. To counter this Boreas takes a bride every few decades, taking her from her home in Edgewood, never to be seen again….. Wren lives with her sister in Edgewood, following the death of their parents several years earlier. She is her sisters self-appointed protector, leading a hard life and developing a drinking problem in the process, to ensure that her sister, Elora, is taken care of. When the North Wind arrives in Edgewood to choose a bride, he chooses Elora……. Wren will do anything to protect her sister, including swapping places with Elora and tricking the North Wind into taking her instead…….

This classic ‘enemies to lovers’ tale takes inspiration from Beauty and the Beast and the myth of Hades and Persephone with a side of Uprooted. It is a slow burning plot, depicting the changing course of the relationship between Boreas and Wren, along with the peril faced by Boreas’ kingdom. Wren is a character carrying a lot of trauma and a drinking problem (which is handled really well) She is angry, defensive and determined. At times she is unlikable, insufferable and mean. she refuses to be cowed by the North Wind. On a couple of occasions she went too far in her self centred endeavours but they were also resolved well by the author and added to the story. Ultimately people are complex and it was a change to not be 100% rooting for the main protagonist.

There are side characters that you cherish as the story moves along - Orla, Silas, Pallas and Thyamine. And some you don’t…..looking at you Zephyrus!

And then there’s Boreas. As soon as the author showed the first bit of vulnerability in the cold, aloof, often rude Frost King, I was captivated. I enjoyed his backstory immensely, explaining exactly how he arrived at the place emotionally he is when you first meet him. His awkwardness interacting with others and his dry, often unintentional, wit made me smile. He is a complex character hidden behind a lot of defences that, as his relationship with Wren changes and grows, begins to emerge. Judging by other reviews I’m certainly not alone in being a fan of Boreas! To reference back to my opening quote, I think he stole my heart too. One of my favourite ‘book boyfriends’ to date.

I can’t end this review without mentioning the tension that develops through the story (and by association, the sexual content). I thought this was the most impressive part of the construction of this book. Most of the ‘enemies to lovers’ stories tend to either not be believable in the eventual attraction, as they’ve been too subtle or too fast to be believable. This hit the mark perfectly. Their initial loathing led to electric tension and confused feelings that slowly simmered and developed throughout the story, tackling crossed wires and feelings of shame and rejection along the way. When they eventually crossed into their ‘lovers’ era it was electric and pulled off really well.

I’m really looking forward to reading more from Alexandria Warwick and especially the next instalment in the Four Winds series. It’ll be a tough challenge to try and better Boreas though.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author Alexandria Warwick and publisher Simon and Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this enemies to lovers fantasy novel. The storyline was intriguing and I really enjoyed the Greek mythology connections. Definitely give this steamy romance a go if you like Persephone/Hades and Beauty/Best inspired storylines.