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! 🫶❤️⭐️🌹

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I went into this story completely blind and I feel that is the best way to do it. I grew quite fond of Morgan & Draven and their adventure and I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

What an utterly phenomenal ending to a magical and magnificent series. I’m heartbroken that their story is over, but mended by their ending. Utterly perfect.

This has been one of my favourite series, it just gets better with each book! Camelot meets fae, meets shadow daddy, meets gods.. just wonderful.

I’m hoping we’re going to follow what happens with Medra in due time but I’m glad than Draven and Morgan got the ending they deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley, Starwater Press and Briar Boleyn for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review.

I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book, although it took a little while to get into. Book One was a bit slow, but as Morgan begins her quest in Book Two, it picked up and became more intriguing, in my opinion.

The spice is very minimal, and I would suggest reading the trigger warning list as there are some topics that can be sensitive for some. In terms of being a romantasy, I would say this book is heavier on the fantasy aspect.

While there is romantic tension between Morgan and some of the male characters, her mission was definitely the main focus. This is definitely a slow burn enemies to lovers.

There were multiple twists throughout the book that kept me on the edge of my seat. I feel that this book sets up the next book well, and I am excited to continue this story.

Spicy Fae Athurian fantasy! What more could a book worm ask for?!
I mean- it literally ticks the below tropes:
Morally grey characters
Enemies to lovers
Magic system/magical creatures

I'd highly recommend for fans of Iron flame and court of roses.

Happy reading!

I love Arthurian legends and retellings! This book is hands down one of the best I've ever read. It's told from Morgan's point of view which is completely interesting. Arthur tasks Morgan with finding Excalibur. Morgan takes an awful potion to surprise her Fae blood. Will Morgan find Excalibur for Arthur? Will Morgan continue to take the awful potion? Find out in Queen of Roses.

I'd like to thank Starwater Press for this ARC via Netgalley.

While I loved that this book had Camelot and Arthurian legend flowing throughout, I had to DNF this book almost halfway through. It started out really fun and I was super intrigued, but the farther I got I just realized this wasn't the book for me. I had seen so many rave reviews and am SO glad that other people have fallen in love with it! It was just a lot darker than I expected and I wish I had been able to see the trigger warnings before, because that's what didn't work for me personally. A few of them were just a bit too triggering for me and that's just on me! I did think it was a fun storyline and I know a lot of people will enjoy this one, but it was just too dark for me and that's okay! I am excited to see what else this author writes in the future though!

First off I received this book from NetGalley for exchange of an honest review. Thank you so much Starwater press for the access to this book.
If you’re looking for an EXTREMELY slow burn of a romance from enemies to lovers than this book is for you! This book is also filled with magical creatures galore, banter back and forth, betrayal, adventure, action and lots of amazing twist you’d never see coming! The reason I’m giving it a 3 1/2 star is slow burns just aren’t for me as well as retelling seem really lazy but other than that amazing writing!

This book had me enthralled. I can understand the similar books it was compared to but at the same time it maintained many differences. I was not expecting a twisted tale of Arthur & Morgan & I am actually so very glad it was. I cannot wait for the next book, I NEED to know what happens next.

If you like slow-burn romance, enemies to lovers, world building, cute sidekick and spice! then this is a book for you.

You get all of it is this book!! this dark romantasy book pulls you in so well that you dont even know it till you finish the book, it is one you wont want to put it down once you start. fast - paced plot with the slowest of burns romance.

the FMC Morgan, she is forced to hide and suppress her fea side, living with her brother who is the king the family drama is very interesting to read about and there is ALOT of it.
Kairos the MMC he seems to be very angry most of the time, with a past full of secrets. he is portrayed as dark and mysterious. he slowly opens up more and becomes very protective or Morgan and devotes himself to protect the way no-one else has.

no spoilers in my review but Briar well and truly knows how to write a character that makes you HATE them!! the rage i felt! woman i bow down to you with this!!!

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book, and I think it’s right up the alley of anyone who likes a good morally grey MMC with a good helping of enemies to lovers. (Or enemies on the way to being lovers.) “Touch her and die” is a popular trope for a reason, so seeing that pop up is an element I absolutely liked.

I thought it was a fun twist on Arthurian lore, and I appreciated the diversity of the characters. It definitely stands out from other Arthurian retellings I’ve read.

I found it to be medium-paced, and the twist at the end makes the next book a must read. We learn so much in the last few pages — there are so many questions to be answered!

Definitely a must read!! I seriously could not put it down the plot is just … AMAZING & it left me wanting more! So excited for this series!

If you are new to fantasy and have no clue where to begin, this is the book for you.

I must admit, I can sometimes struggle with fantasy as I can often become confused or overwhelmed with the range of characters and settings, but I followed this book well. Boleyn has made a world that is so far away from where we know and yet so familiar at the same time, and integrating myself into the setting and familiarising myself with the world felt like a breeze. I found Morgan to be an extremely likeable and multi-dimensional character.

Really enjoyed and a great fantasy to beginners.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for this ARC copy in exchange for my review.

You definitely won’t be bored reading this book!

The world building was fabulously done, with great pacing and the perfect amount of drip fed information. There was definitely no white room syndrome going on here, the descriptions were elaborate and clearly well thought out.

The characters were really well written. Arthur reminded me (unfortunately so) of Geoffrey from GoT and there were plenty of times I wanted to shake Morgan for being so complacent, not only with him, but also with Whitehorn on their journey. Her youngest brother Kaye was by far my favourite character, I love anything with a sweet, innocent younger sibling who must be protected at all cost.

I also really liked Kairos, though at his first few introductions I thought he was going to turn out boring and similar to plenty of other MMCs, but I’m a sucker for a protective role and was fully invested by the time they left Camelot.

Also, this is random but I loved the depictions of animals in this. The wild creatures, the horses… as an animal lover I really enjoyed reading those parts of the world. Honestly I’m just insanely relieved that her horse survived the whole book.

There were some really brutal and shocking deaths of various side characters which I was devastated by at times, so read the trigger warnings beforehand if you don’t like that sort of thing.

Can’t wait to read book two!