I'm not okay.. I couldn't put it down and it ends with a cliffhanger so my only question is when the next one is coming out??? also I have to admit that I didn't liked the other naughty evolvements the FMC had with the characters, specially when she was married.. I'm not saying that she shouldn't work, I'm just saying that for multiple times the MMC saved the FMC and I felt she did disrespected him for her own selfishness and pleasure without consider his feelings

A mortal lost her memories, and a fae lord held back by his.

I really liked the premise for this book, but it dragged for me. It only started getting interesting at 80% of the book.

I really didn't like Carra for the majority or the book, even though Straid was fine with what she was doing.

I could see the two of them going closer within the storyline, I just hope for book 2 it has a bit more oomph.

It was an ok book, but I'm not sure I would read it again.

Memories bind and shape you more than you’d think.

Memories can make or break you. Having too much of a person you’ve loved and given your heart to when they’re gone makes you feel truly empty. Having none of yourself or all you’ve experienced gives you a sense of loss of your identity. Memories hurt, they heal, they protect and preserve, they burn, and they provide.

The story got medium world-building, as we were mainly focused on the characters and the mysteries. Which I see as good, nothing too rushed and we weren’t given information overload on any aspect of the world. What we do learn is really interesting, with all the spoken contracts and rules mortals should learn when in the fae realms.

The plot was really interesting! The concept would really catch your eye and keep you to it. All the characters did not act in ways you’d expect, which made it a fresh take on some dynamics. The story went through many twists and turns, making for quite a cliffhanger by the end of it.

Carra may not have known much of herself, especially in the start, but it does not take away her fire. She’s strong-willed and she does what she loves with no shame for it. She’s smart and clever, quickly adapting to her situation.

Straid had to deal with soul-crushing grief at such a young age, and it made him more restrained and lost. But he’s a trying male, a fae of honor. And he only wishes to protect everyone he cares about.

The very, very slow burn romance just left you wanting so much more with all that heat and tension and will-they-won't-they dynamic.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I liked the banter and the conversation style between Carra and Straid, but I felt the story still had a few plot holes that left me wondering. Also having the one main character named Straid, but having him be a fairy not a vampire, kinda threw me off.

Oh my god, the ending!! Literally the last line of the book killed me, I need the next one. It ends on a major cliffhanger. This is a fae and human romance story like no other. Carra is a human female who has lost her memories and ends up married to a fae lord. She slowly regains her memories, and she’s a prostitute. Straid, the fae lord, is ok with her continuing to work while he is searching for a friend who has disappeared. Due to the nature of her job, there is a lot of spice, very detailed with different species of fae. Straid is falling for her as the story continues, and just as he’s about to tell her, she disappears. I read this as a NetGalley arc, these are my opinions.

Carra is a mortal woman found alone in the Fae Quarter, missing all her memories. Straid is a fae male whose fiancé died fifty years ago. After the death of his fiancé, he shut himself away from the world until the night that he impulsively decided to save Carra’s life by marrying her. People have been increasingly going missing in the Fae Quarter and Carra and Straid team up to try and solve the mystery of the missing people and recover Carra’s missing memories.

This book was full of surprises. I really enjoyed the mystery of the missing people. This part of the plot was so fun and I liked learning about the politics of the world and the adventures through the Fae Quarter. The relationship between Carra and Straid was unique, I really loved that he was so accepting of her job and went out of his way to make sure she was protected when she left his estate. Their relationship kept me hooked. I personally did not love the spicy scenes that Carra had with her clients, although this was key to some of the plot, it just wasn't for me. This is fun as a mystery, fantasy story.

Thank you F. A. Eden and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved the concept of the book and truly wish I could have powered through to finish it but I only got about 60% through until I DNF'd. I struggled to understand the FMC and the choices she was making and got the ick a couple times until I just couldn't keep going. I tried rationalizing some of her choices, but just couldn't get there. There was very little world building that took place before being put right into the action of the book and it made it feel like I was playing catch up rather than following along at some points.

I'm obviously biased, because I wrote it, but I do love this book. All the grammar and continuity issues have been fixed and will not be present in the published version!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a copy of this book to review.

I struggled getting into this, but pushed through. Ultimately, I found Carra really difficult to believe as a character and this skewed my perception of this book. I think the idea of it was interesting but just needed more thought in writing.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this eCopy to review

I just finished reading Mortal Memories by F. A. Eden, and it was quite an intriguing experience. The story follows Carra, a mortal woman who wakes up in the fae Quarter with no memory of how she got there. Her life is saved by Straid, a fae lord who claims her as his wife to protect her from the harsh laws of the fae world.

From the moment Carra is introduced, I was captivated by her struggle to piece together her past while navigating the complexities of her new life. The amnesia plotline added a layer of mystery that kept me turning the pages, eager to uncover the truth behind her lost memories.

Straid, on the other hand, is a character shrouded in his own past traumas. His fiancée died fifty years ago, and since then, he has withdrawn from society. His impulsive decision to marry Carra to save her life brings him back into the world, and their relationship evolves in a slow-burn, tension-filled manner.

One of the strengths of this book is its character development. Carra and Straid’s interactions are filled with emotional depth, and their journey from strangers to partners is both believable and engaging. The romance is very slow to build, but it feels authentic and well-earned by the end.

However, I felt the world-building was a bit lacking at times, and there were a few plot holes that left me with unanswered questions. Some parts of the story could have used more development, especially regarding the fae world and its rules.

Despite these issues, Mortal Memories is a compelling read. The blend of fantasy, romance, and mystery makes for an entertaining story, and the characters’ emotional journeys are genuinely moving.

BOOK: MORTAL MEMORIES
AUTHOR: F.A EDEN
PUB DATE: OCTOBER 2O24
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To be honest, there was not much I liked in this book. I didn't even finish because I didn't like the characters or the storyline. I didn't even finish it, but I got past 50% of the book.

First of all, the storyline was just too fast. Striad practically lived as a loner and then literally offered marriage to a mortal woman. It was totally unexpected and out of character. Then, it turned out the woman he saved lost her memory.

Carra/ Anna was a character I didn't like at all. She lost her memory, then literally a few chapters into the book. She recovered some and went back to her job of being a prostitute.

If you want to be a prostitute, do so without being married to someone even if the marriage was a cover. Besides, if I lost my memory, the next thing I would do was not get back to a job when I didn't even have all of my memories.

All the talk of independence and freedom and stuff really annoyed. I believe in those things, but when you're married, both parties have to compromise and make decisions together. Carra was married, but she kept saying it won't affect her job, her job being a prostitute. And Straid didn't have any problem with that because he also believed that. So, this really set the tone for me.

50% of the book, and I didn't notice any romance or development of love in their relationship. The plot didn't deliver

That aside, I just didn't think the plot was well thought out. This was not my favorite book. There was hardly anything I liked shout it.

Below is what I posted on my Instagram and Goodreads! I really did enjoy your book. It felt like a different take on fantasy. Some aspects just felt a little glossed over. I would have really liked to see Straid and Carra interact more. Sometimes it felt like her job was focused on more than their relationship but that was what I was the most interested in. Also when you started introducing Straids family at the end, I was SO interested in them! I can't wait to learn more about them in the next book!

I have to start by saying, I really enjoyed this book. It got me hooked right from the start and I had to keep reading until the very end to see what happened to the MFC. Although....spoiler alert, sort of....we have to wait for the next book to find out. The ending definitely leaves you needing to read the next book.

I really enjoyed the marriage of convenience trope and Straid and Carras relationship. However, I wish we got to see a little more of it. There were times were it felt like spice was thrown in just for the sake of having spice and it took away from their relationship. I also really wanted more information on Straid and his family. However, it looks like we will get more of that in the next book!

Overall, if you like spice in your fantasy books and you like the marriage of convenience trope, this should definitely be added to your TBR!

DNF at 30%.
I am so so sorry but I just couldn’t connect with anything or anyone.. i feel like we are missing half the story and everything is just very conveniently happening in a way that is just not very coherent. I read to forget that I’m reading, in this book I very much knew that I was reading.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Carra finds herself fleeing from danger, and doesn't remember anything. She has to choose to get married, or risk being killed. She chooses to marry the mysterious fae. Carra works on trying to recover her memories while her and Straid try to navigate the marriage they were thrown into.

I loved the characters in the book, and the story was very intriguing.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This book has me torn on what I should rate it. On one hand with my enjoyment, how quickly I read the book and how invested I was in the story I would definitely rate it a 5 star! However, with all the grammatical errors, editing problems and even revealing the FMC name earlier to the MMC when reading before she actually does is another error that probably should be addressed before it is published. For those errors I would definitely give 3 stars overall.

This is where I'm torn, I absolutely loved this book and the uniqueness of the story. You are following our FMC who is found in the Quarters by a guard. She has no memory of who she is or anything from her past. She is saved by a very handsome fae male that states they are getting married before sunrise. She has a choice, but she chooses to get married to this Fae to save her life.

As the story goes on, we are trying to solve a mystery within the Quarter, our girl has a side job that her Fae husband doesn't have a problem with her doing. I understood this concept and felt it was done very well, however, I don't think it should have went on as long as it has. I feel that the side job should have been wrapped up by at least 70% of the book.

Not really sure where this story is going but I definitely want to read more!

This was an unfortunate DNF for me due to writing, rather than plot. I was very intrigued by the story, but the grammatical errors were hard to get past. If this got another pass from an editor, I would be interested in seeing!

This had everything described plus more. The slow burn romance was written really well and I had little idea where the book would take me and I loved reading to see what would happen! Would recommend this is you like books by Sarah J Maas and Hannah Whitten.

3 ⭐️

I really liked the concept of this book and was excited to see how the author made it work.

I really struggled at the start with getting into it. I think about halfway thru the plot finally grabbed me and I was invested. The ending left me with more questions than answers and I’m still confused.

Not much world building, I’ve would’ve liked to read more about the Quarters / the human town. Also interested to learn more about the magic system.

All in all, I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. Just meh.

**I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity!**

This review contains spoilers.

I am rating this book 3.5 stars. I actually am struggling with the rating to be honest. There are things about this book I did not enjoy at all. Yet, I picked it up because of the description. Intriguing - a mortal woman running in the dead of night in a Fae area where mortals are not allowed. A prince in hiding, mourning the death of his fiancee (who'd died 50 years before). The woman has no memories of her previous life, nor why she was running or from whom she was running from. She must marry the Fae who saved her or face death. He vows to help her but not demand anything from her or their marriage. So - yes, sign me up. Mystery, intrigue, betrayals, love (maybe).

Maybe I should have read more into the content warning "One of the main characters is a sex worker and one side character does take issue with this.

And that is where my hang up is. The woman quickly recovers her memories of her "profession" - which is call-girl to the Fae Lords, a very well paid prostitute who enjoys her job greatly. I mean, I guess my old-fashioned sentiment comes into play here. I would think she'd have some loyalty to the man she is with. Maybe, some distaste for prostitution and maybe wanting to change her life. This is actually the first book that I have read where given a chance to leave that lifestyle the person chose to stay in it. I would even say that this book paints prostitution as any other job with several of her clients telling her that she provides valuable services, that her job is important. Even a memory from her father saying something along the lines that prostitution is the oldest form of work (much like my own grandmother's sentiment of bartending). I just had an ick feeling, it made me uncomfortable. Though I am not one to judge people, I have walked along side people of all sorts of jobs, picked a girl up out of a prostitution ring, and myself been a victim of SA in the form of "loaned out to people". Maybe because this is her choice it is something that confounds me, makes me deeply uncomfortable, and just gives me an overall sick feeling. And worse yet was when her husband cleans up an entire wing for her to use for her clients in his house! That was just it for me. Then he hires guards to walk her to the clients houses who don't want to come to her. And the person who takes an issue with this just so happens to be a gaurd - who is promptly shamed and fired for his conviction that her behaviour would negatively impact her husband and that she should be loyal to her husband or in the very least practice discretion for her affairs.. He was fired. Fired because he believed in fidelity and loyalty. Fired because he opposed prostitution.

This may be unfair to some. May be a tangent not worth discussing. But this bothered me so deeply that finishing the book was difficult - but I did. I finished it. And in the end - well, I am not even sure I understood the ending. Was Cara actually Lyenna? Or was Lyenna needing Cara to become immortal? It sounds like Lyenna took over Cara's body. I was so confused on the last two chapters and the epilogue I don't even know. And now I am wondering is there more to this I seriously read the last two chapters and epilogue THREE times trying to figure out what really happened. I am lost, and deeply disturbed and unsettled.

Scenes:
This book contains on page scenes with each of the four major clients of the MC. These are scattered throughout book. Because they are clients, scheduled it is not an unfolding scene that you stumble on - it is obvious, and therefore it is easy to flip the page and skip.

Things I absolutely do not agree with: The glorification of sex trade work. This work comes with a sacrifice of self. Unpopular as that opinion is that is the truth of what I have seen as a counselor. As a survivor of SA I can say that while you learn to compartmentalize, to disassociate, or to pretend there is always a part of you that detests it. I was very glad when I was able to escape. That being said I realize that some women make tons of money willingly involved in this type of work - I still believe that even those women long for the fidelity of a relationship that is mutual and secure. Maybe not. But I don't think that for YA this type of work should be glorified. And I find it disturbing that a husband would set up an entire are of the house for his wife's "work". But then I knew of open marraiges while I was growing up.

So - in the end I loved the premise of the book, just not how it was carried out. The writing was good. The characters are okay.