Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I actually read this book before and already gave my feedback but it came with the set of 4 but I still give it two thumbs up

I absolutely loved this book! It's a retelling of Camelot and King Arthur, but a magical twist to it. In this tale, Arthur is evil, as malicious as it gets, and his sister, Morgan, is half fae. If you love fae magic, mythical creatures, and a great fantasy world, I'd definitely recommend this! The world-building is perfect, the story-telling is impeccable, and the suspense is out of this world!
The entire read is suspenseful, however, somehow Briar Boleyn found a way to take it up notch. The climax was a wonderful and suspenseful uphill climb, leading us to the jaw-dropping cliffhanger at the end. Such a great read! I can't wait to start the next book of this series, Court of Claws!

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op, and the extremely talented Briar Boleyn for this wonderful read!

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Queen of Roses is the story of a princess who has been cast aside as the heir to the throne in favor of her younger brother Arthur.

I found this story to be an interesting take on the typical King Arthur tale told in they point of view of Morgan. We see her struggles, her desire to overcome her weaknesses and her strength trying to protect those she cares for.

As a debut novel, I think that this story was really well written. Each character has a distinct personality and is easy to follow. The world building and imagery of this version of Camelot (and beyond) were fantastic. While certain things were a bit predictable, this is the first book in a series so there is plenty of room for shock and awe. As it is, this book ends on a cliff-hanger that has definitely caught my interest and I will be continuing with the series.

This book is just *chefs kiss* amazing!

✨️Hate to Friendship
✨️Fae
✨️Magic
✨️Lost Kingdom
✨️Forced Proximity
✨️Instant Love

A doomed love, a dangerous mission, and a kingdom on the brink of war...
A cast-off princess…
A dangerous temptation…
A slumbering kingdom awoken by blood…

This book is an Arthurian retelling but with a twist. Merlin, A High Priestess, Lancelet, A female knight (you get the idea).
This book is based loosely off Arthurian mythology, with Fae and Mythological creatures.

I loved the world building in this book, it was easy to keep up with, the character development was slow, but the FMC starts to come into who she is suppose to be (I will assume there's more of this to come!) The FMC and MMC start to develop a friendship in the later half of this book, I can't wait to see where it goes! Exmoors! I want one!!

This is the first book in a dark fantasy romance series, so please check trigger warnings!

Thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for allowing me to read and review this series!

Could. Not. Put. This. Down.

In a word, brilliant!

Queen of Roses is the first in the Blood of a fae series and what a way to start! It is told from the perspective of Morgan, a Pendragon princess who should, by birthright, have inherited the throne when her father passed but was instead removed from the line of succession due to her blood. Fae blood.

Instead, her brother Arthur now sits on the throne. Once her beloved kin, he is now something else entirely. Shaped and trained by their father to be his spitting image, he’s as cruel and spiteful as his father was, if not more so.

He tasks Morgan with a perilous journey to retrieve the Sword of Excalibur - not caring if she returns in one piece or not. In fact, he has taken measures to ensure that she doesn’t return at all.

As Morgan says off on her quest, she’s flanked by two bodyguards of her brother’s choosing, both of whom she despises entirely. Or does she?

Brilliantly written, just enough spice to keep it interesting without becoming vulgar and so beautifully imaginative.

It has triggers, but helpfully, Briar Boleyn has included a trigger warning and list. I didn’t find I was bothered by any of the content, but some readers may be, so something to bear in mind.

Triggers or not, I absolutely, one million percent recommend this read.

I LOVED it and have already made a start on the next book of the series.

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

A slow paced fantasy with a dark, brooding, moody MMC.

It does take a while for this book to get going - about 39% before the plot kicks in - which is to be somewhat expected with a 4 part Fantasy series. Once it got going, I was hooked. I am glad I stuck with this and will most likely continue the series at some point in the future. (it ends on a cliff-hanger!)

I did find the King Arthur element to be extremely confusing. A lot of the names are Camelot based but gender-swapped and there didn't seem to be a point to this. Excalibur is mentioned but that is about the only other similar element drawn for this story apart from the names.

Once I got my head around the plot, I found myself cheering at all the right moments. Morgan is irritatingly rightful at times - and is the weakest part of the story (in my opinion). The other characters make this worthwhile - especially Lancelet and Draven. I am confident in the authors ability to character develop Morgan further and am kind of glad she get's a grow-to-love her type ARC.

Tropes

-Enemies to frenemies?
- A quest
- Found Family/Strong Friendships
- Betrayal
- Fae / Half-Fae / Human
- Cute but dangerous pet companion!

Please check the TW for this book. They are suggested not explicit but I would recommend checking.

Thankyou to net galley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First thanks to NetGalley for rereleasing this series in anticipation of the fourth book’s release and granting me access to do this review.

Considering my first foray into fantasy was when I read the Mists of Avalon (at 11…WAY too young of an age), this was a really nice way to reconnect with a King Arthur type retelling. So far, I’m really enjoying all of the twists on the characters and I’m excited to see how this develops over the next few books. It’s only 4 stars for me, but I think the main purpose of this book was more for world building anyway.

If you think you know what this story is about, no you dont.

We have a half fae princess who would have been queen had it not been for her “tainted” blood. The fate of the kingdom rests in her younger brother Arthur’s hands and as we make our way into this world we find out the cruelty of two kings has taken its toll on the realm. Morgan is sent to go find a lost sword with Draven, a man who has risen quickly in ranks. Morgan doesn’t know who to trust but she knows Draven is the least of all evils and finding this sword means gaining her brothers favor which she desperately needs. Though she intends to follow the kings orders as the journey continues she finds herself questioning everyone and everything.
The ending of this book WRECKED me. I truly didn’t see it coming and I am just so happy to have been able to experience this story. There is action, twists, magic, sword fighting, fun banter, “who hurt you?” and loads of detailed world building that I think is really preparing you for the next book. There is romance, but the focal point is the story. Romance just happens to be happening along the way. I thought this was a wonderful book that told a story like no other. I absolutely cannot wait to start the second book and get back into this world.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

I’ll start by saying I’m conflicted. The book ended on what I thought was a high note. It intrigued me and made me want to start the next book immediately when, until about 80%, I didn’t think I would continue the series. For that, and for reasons I will state below, I’ll be giving it 3.5 starts, rounded down.

First, let’s delve into what I liked about this book:
- the premise. I’m a huge sucker for Arthurian retellings. Throw in some fae into the mix? I’m sold!!
- The MMC has a lot of the qualities I appreciate in fantasy/enemies to lovers stories, including that magnificent line we all love: “who did this to you?” GAHH. Love that. Also love how protective he is and how he is willing to fight for her from the beginning, ulterior reasons aside
- We all knew the MMC was hiding something but I liked the way that was written. He never pretended his motives were 100% pure and he didn’t lead her on, didn’t try to get into her pants to get her to trust him. I found that refreshing.
- the world building was very nicely done
- the descriptions were vivid and transported me right into the world of the characters. I love it when books do that.

Now, what I think could have been better:
- I can’t help shake the feeling that this book could have used another round of editing. It wasn’t very often, but I found a few lines that were weirdly phrased (like duplicated words or things like that)
- It’s always hard to balance descriptions and plot, and although I really enjoyed most of the descriptive moments, others I just had to skim over because I felt they were affecting the pace in a negative way.
- I also felt like there was a lot of inner monologue on Morgan’s side. I wish some of the memories she was recalling had been a part of a dialogue, just so we could get another character’s perspective and maybe make things seem less slow. Which brings me to the next point:
- I know it’s supposed to be a slow burn (and I think the book excelled at that) but that applies to both the romance and the plot. I wish we had more action earlier on. It took me until about 50% to actually get into the story.
- Last but not least… Morgan. The FMC. Morgan frustrates me. I think she had a lot of potential, I can still see her grow into what I wish she had been in Queen of Roses in the next books (fingers crossed), but in this one I found her a bit… flat. Girl had no instincts whatsoever, and not much of a backbone. And I could get on with that because god knows who I would be if I had gone through abuse my whole life, if my family felt disgusted by me, and a random dude felt like he owned me (I’m still not sure what the point of this particular storyline was, to be honest), but… wouldn’t that at least make you weary of people? Wouldn’t that prevent you from falling into the arms of the first pretty face you encounter? Wouldn’t that make you weary of your own (weird) feelings? I don’t know. I found Morgan a bit conflicting, to be honest.

Again, I really liked the last 20% or so of the book and I will for sure read the next one. Team Draven all the way!

Morgan goes through so much in this book. This woman is one of the mentally strongest women I’ve ever read. She still wants to think the best of people and do the best for people after all she goes through. She’s truly someone special.

It hurt to read some of the early things in this novel and it does have trigger warnings for a reason. I am happy as it went on that Morgan kept to her ideals and at the end she’s a more whole person than in the beginning and it’s beautiful to see. Even considering the iffy circumstances of the ending, but I’m not going to tell. If you want to know how the book ends you have to read it for yourself.

Queen of Roses has a slow-burn romance that is truly the beginnings and it’ll leave you hoping for the pair to give in to their desires in the books to come. It has so much action and plenty of fantastical creatures to awe the mind. I loved the fantasy elements in this book and when it got to the point we meet our first fantastic creature it propelled me and intrigued me very quickly to the end of this book.

It’s truly an adventure with some beautiful moments to make your heart sore and some absolutely sadistic moments to make you wish that the worst would befall some of the horrific pricks who exist in this book. I hope for even more delicious justice in the next book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book! Here is my honest review for it on GoodReads.

It was a lot of world building at first which was a lot to take in but it soon turned into a journey/quest which got me hooked on the book! I couldn’t put the book down after it! I wish there was more banter with morgan and davern, but loved the tension! Also, Vesper was too good to be true!! I did not see that plot twist coming! the book ended on such a high point!! i was honestly left with my jaw dropped

The story is action packed and really starts to pick up about 25% of the way through. The Final 10% kept me at the edge of my seat.

Queen of Roses is a retelling of King Arthur. Morgan is the first born child of "Queen of Roses" presents a reinterpretation of the legendary King Arthur narrative. Morgan, the protagonist, is introduced as the firstborn offspring of the King. Her mother's identity as a Fae establishes Morgan's mixed heritage, making her half-Fae. Regrettably, the Fae population is dwindling and frequently subjected to brutal killings. Tragically, the King himself committed the act of murdering his Fae wife. Consequently, he made a solemn vow to dedicate his daughter to the Temple of Three Sisters, where she would serve as a priestess, effectively preventing her from assuming the role of Queen. Furthermore, the King fathered two additional children with separate women and named his first born son Arthur as his heir.

Arthur grows up to be cruel and viscious, wanting power. He decides to send Morgan, along with two guards on a quest to find Excalibur.

Morgan has been told/forced to drink a tea to suppress her Fae traits. While on her quest for Excalibur she finally stops drinking the tea and starts to come into her powers. However she still knows nothing about her Lineage, who is she truly????

This book was amazing! The main character is strong-willed, flawed, and is strong in the face of so many challenges. Her development throughout the book is extremely well written. I believe Briar Boleyn masterfully combines the elements of both fantasy and romance. My love for this book comes mainly from how well the main character, Morgan, is characterized. From the start, we can see how she grows from her pain and the author's writing allows us to see how these aspects of her upbringing play a huge role in her literal, but also personal, journey. Aside from this, the book also had a perfect amount of romance/spice for me. Cannot wait to continue this series.

Victory Editing
Review Published to GoodReads on 4/14/24.

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is a dark fantasy romance and is book 1 in the Blood of a Fae series. It is an enemies-to-lovers trope with a slow burn romance. The plot and character development in this novel are engrossing and capture your attention from the very beginning. The world building is amazing and leaves you yearning to be there to explore and see what the characters are seeing. I always say if the authors can make you feel like you are in the novel with the characters exploring their world they have done their job. The spice and steam are slow burn but that is what is expected in a novel like this. It fits perfectly with this plot heavy novel.
This novel is inspired by King Arthur. Morgan is a strong female lead who is sent on a mission where she meets Kairos. Their adventure and story unfolds from there and just to give you a hint this series is 4 books long.
I very much enjoyed this book and it left me longing for more. I can not wait to jump into book 2 and see where the next set of adventures takes Morgan and Kairos. If you love fantasy and King Arthur type stories definitely check this book and series out.

She (Morgan) wants to blend in / be a part of something (group/family wise) belong somewhere but at the same time wants to be invisible because of her looks.
I can’t lie I don’t know how many times and pages Morgan just plain annoyed me.
Like mentioned a few times in the book ,she really is blind. In a way I can understand why she’s that way, but at the same time I was hoping that she’d be a bit smarter especially because she had it so hard growing up… but meh.
I have high hopes for her character development

Also something I’ve noticed very early on: Mega Long chapters. This isn’t the one where you go “only one more chapter, and then I’ll take a break or go to sleep”. No, there were many times I just paused in the middle of a chapter.
Unfortunately I also didn’t have any unpredictable, ‘Oh wow, I would have never guessed that!’, Moments while reading. Maybe there will be some in the next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved this book. It is everything I love, hidden powers, hidden identity, betrayal, "who did this to you", and a long journey to name a few.

Queen of Roses is written in first person with a single POV and is so beautifully written. I love the writing style, it really brought the emotion and characters to life. It is an Arthurian inspired dark fantasy that follows Morgan who was born to rule, but never allowed to.

The world building is beautiful, painting vivid pictures and providing indepth history, without overloading me. I could really picture a lot of the scenes because of the details that were described.

The first scene after the prologue, with young Morgan under the bed, provoked a lot of emotion, and made me fall in love with her mum despite only appearing in this short chapter. The emotion she felt, especially when she wanted to pummel the chest of her mums attacker, really had me feeling like I was in her shoes.

Throughout the whole story we get to see a great balance between Morgan's vulnerability and her strength. Allowing us to really feel how she reacts because of what has been donw to her.

Another emotional moment was the exmoor scene, which had me sobbing. The anger, disgust, and the sadness that Morgan felt was palpable. Using a plauge was a great twist, and refreshing from the typical bloody battles that I read.

Overall, this book was amazing and I devoured it. I will be recommending this until the cows come home as it was brilliant.

Thank you Netgalley, Briar Bolyn, and Starwater Press for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this dark romantasy Arthurian legend retelling! This is the first in a completed trilogy that is all available right now!

I clicked with Morgan Pendragon, the strong fae princess FMC instantly. I LOVE HER! She's the sister to Arthur and all is not what it seems! All the characters are very in depth, and I felt like I knew them. The MMC, Kairos Draven, is an assassin dark and mysterious, and I can't wait to learn more about him! Their banter is lovely! If you loved ACOTAR, and Fourth Wing you will enjoy this series!

At times I felt like the pacing in the novel struggled, especially regarding the Vesper and travelling part of the story. After reaching a point where we find out why some of Vesper's story happened the way it did it made sense though. Some of the ending was very confusing to me I had to reread it a few times to understand what happened and who people were. THAT CLIFFHANGER THOUGH Briar ma'am excuse me?! Overall, I couldn't put this book down. I binged it in 2 nights! Going to start the second one very soon!

It has slow burn, touch her and d1e, fae, enemies to lovers, elemental magic, toxic family drama, trauma, found family, bonded mates and more!

This book was a great start to a romatasy series. It is a loose retelling of the King Arthur story and is a slow burn romance. I thought this was an excellent first book in a 4 part series. The world building and writing were great and I loved both the MMC and the FMC. I am very excited to see what happens next as it does end of a bit of a cliffhanger! I will definitely be reading the second book Court of Claws 😊

rthurian legend mixed with fae is something I was excited to read, and for the most part it delivered.

I enjoyed Morgan being the main character and Arthur the villain, but I couldn’t get past how naive Morgan was. She seemed to believe whatever she was told even though she saw evidence to the contrary.

I am hoping book 2 has some more character development.

✨ARC Review ✨

Book: Queen of Roses
Author: @briarboleynauthor

Queen of Roses is a dark fantasy book based loosely on a King Arthur Retelling - with fae lore and elements. This book has a few trigger warnings so please make sure you read them before starting this book! As stated, this dark fantasy follows our FMC Morgan who is a fae-tainted princess that is in the shadow of her brother 🌹👑

The world-building in this book is great, with the King Arthur influence, it sets up this world in an amazing way. Morgan is a really interesting FMC, however her ignorance of the kingdom she is a part of can be a little frustrating. Despite that, I find her character really interesting and the plot was captivating so I could overlook her ignorance. ⚔️🏹🌹

Draven is really amazing, he is everything!!! He was interesting, strong, moody/grumpy and secretive - which I love. The romance has a love triangle which is not always my favourite but I did find it interesting 🫶⚔️🌹

Overall, I would rate this book a ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5 and I think it was a great first book in a series by Briar Boleyn. I would definitely recommend and I will be picking up the next book in this series! 🫶❤️⭐️🌹