I DNF'd at chapter 6. It was all me. I was just not into the story. The writing is great, but my head was just not in it.

Fastpaced, action-packed romantasy with Fae and MM romance!
It was a fun read, with just enough fantasy and romance to keep you going.

3,5 interesting stars

A Betrayal of Storms was originally independently published and available through Kindle Unlimited. It, and all later books in the series, were bought by Angry Robot and are now being re-released. I did not read the series when it was originally posted, so I can't give details on any major changes but I did enjoy the book and I think fans of spicy male/male romance books will like it!

The book starts with Robin, our main character who is half-Fey, being kidnapped from his bed in the middle of the night. He quickly learns that his abduction is by an anti-Fey hate group. These first few chapters were surprisingly dark due to this horrifying political climate. Robin is soon saved and taken to Wychwood where the Fey (and other magical beings) live. He learns some life-changing information about his heritage and meets Erix, who will be his new personal guard.

Erix and Robin are immediately drawn to each other and have some fun banter. Erix is mysterious but incredibly protective of Robin - and not just because it's his job. Robin leans on Erix as one of his only trusted allies in a world he doesn't fully understand yet. The two are charming and I thought their dynamic was sweet and steamy.

While their relationship is playing out, there is a big political plot that Erix, Robin, and their friends must navigate. As with the politics in the human world, the politics of the Fae are also pretty dire. The two worlds are at a very dangerous crossroads. Robin is key to either preventing war or watching both of his people descend into bloodshed.

The romance between Robin/Erix is in its early stages in this book, as is the political story. Progress is made on both fronts but it's clear this is just the start of a much bigger story. The ending left me really interested in where the story could be heading in the future. I'm glad that the second book in the series releases so soon!

A Betrayal of Storms is a fast-paced political story woven into a very fun and spicy romance. The story follows some similar beats to other fantasy romances but it's told in a way that I found to be unputdownable. It's perfect for fans of "romantasy" who wish there were more queer options in the genre!

Even though the plot of this book seemed really intriguing and intresting, for some reason I couldn't connect to the characters and it was difficult to read.

"Then let us not waste another moment... little bird."

"If you ever have the displeasure of meeting the fey-folk, do yourself a favour and turn the other way. They are never to be trusted, not ever. The only language they speak is lies."

I really enjoyed reading this book. It felt reinvigorating. I wanted back into the fantasy world with fay and magic and everything that comes with that. And I did. I was back right into the mix of a war. Right into the story of a young man, half fay who’s captured from humans and then freed from a vexing, irritating and incredibly charming fay guard who will make it his life protecting him. I was there with Robin, trying to figure out the truth of his heritage and the uncertainty that comes with his future. Trying to figure out the truth about himself and his life and the war he will inevitably find himself in the midst of, without wanting. All the while meeting people who will be like a family to him (I do love a good found family trope) with whom he’ll start to open up a bit. More than anyone, this guard who will find a way to his heart and his mind (the romance was so sweet but also spicy) !!
I really liked it. Add to that a bit of tension and a bit of betrayal (those last pages felt like a bit of a surprise to be honest) and you have a book that will keep you in until the end and leave you wanting more from the future !!! I can’t wait !!

"I have a feeling you are going to be a handful, little bird."

“And if I had to bleed dry to prevent the war, then I was ready to be the one to wield the blade to ensure it never happened.”

I devoured this in a matter of days and have thought about it since.

The story starts fast and Robin is captured within a few pages. From that we quickly learn he's quite capable at fighting and handling himself but he is also very much a soft character. I'd hesitate to call him a cinnamon roll but it wouldn't be entirely wrong. Sometimes I think that his character was soft to the point of being unrealistic, like the immediate understanding of the people who captured him for coin. They sold you, Robin! Be angry!

There are a lot of little gems hidden for lovers of fae and folklore stories (iron, sneaky wording about things, etc). There are also some unique things I felt really added to the world. The wider fae people don't have magic but the ruling families of the seasons do, and the access to magic is diluted the bigger the family is. How without a family to dilute or control the magic of the season realms then it goes out of control. This is sort of the crux of things when it comes to the conflict because the uncontrolled magic is going to destroy the human realm, which is apparently called Durmain and that info could have been more clear when initially introduced.

The makeup of the realms, human and fae, could have been aided with a map. I know the story says the fae realm isn't mapped out but even a list would work. As I said, I didn't really catch at first the human realm was Durmain, I thought I'd missed something somewhere, and then the mention of the capital Lockinge didn't really mean anything since I didn't have an idea of where it was in comparison to Wychwood.

The travel between the fae realm and human realm was interesting. The idea of it being accessed only by invitation and navigating it without an invitation. This kind of goes back to the comment I had about little gems of things for fae and folklore lovers.

I love a lost heir, bodyguard x guarded romance, and a new trope I'm calling 'More than one bed but they're afraid of the dark' because yes.

I think this set up for a good follow on book(s) and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the realm, the court we haven't really met yet, Robin's realm and whatever else is going to come from it all.

A wonderous story of a man searching to find himself and where he belongs. This is a great story for any fan of romance and fantasy

*A Betrayal of Storms* by Ben Alderson offers a captivating and easy-to-follow fantasy world that quickly pulls readers in. From the very first page, the writing captures your attention with its well-paced plot and exciting twists that keep you turning the pages. The world-building is simple but effective, giving just enough detail to paint a vivid picture of the environments without overwhelming the reader. While some might wish for more backstory on the supporting characters, the main storyline is intriguing, especially with the relationship between Robin and Erix, which develops in unexpected ways.

The characters are engaging, particularly Robin, the main character, who shines throughout the story. The bodyguard trope adds an exciting dynamic, and the M/M romance is handled well, though Erix’s sudden intensity in his feelings for Robin left some readers a bit puzzled. Despite this, their chemistry is undeniable, and the plot builds a solid foundation for what promises to be a thrilling series. The balance between character development and action keeps the pace moving smoothly, making this an enjoyable read overall.

While some areas, like the supporting cast, could benefit from deeper exploration, the twists and turns in the story more than make up for it. *A Betrayal of Storms* is a strong start to what could become a standout fantasy series. Fans of the bodyguard trope and M/M romance will find much to enjoy, and the cliffhanger ending leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

A Betrayal Of Storms was my first Fantasy MM Book. There were come great twists in the book that I did not see coming. Definitely keen to read the rest of the books. Given 4 stars, may be harsh but I give 5 stars to my roman empire books

A Betrayal of Storms is a fantasy focused on a half fae male with a hidden identity. I absolutely love that kind of trope. When I read about the MMC, Robin (great name), I found his character presented as a lot younger than I thought he was supposed to be. Very much a submissive character and his love interest is an over protective fae. I did like the spice scenes and felt these were better written than the rest of the book. Generally I felt I was being shown and told a lot and I prefer language that creates intrigue and thought. Some of the language and sentences are lush but they are lost within the context provided. Overall a fun book and I enjoyed the MM romance element. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

This was the first book that I have read by Ben Alderson, and an interesting foray into this new world. A Betrayal of Storms was a bit rocky, but I did like some of the characters and their progression. I liked the absolute betrayal that we continually saw, trust no one, kids. Trust no one. Will I read the next one? Absolutely. It wasn't unforgivable, just a few kinks to work out. We shall see how the next one goes! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to be able to review this.

Unable to finish.


DNF at 23%

Not captivating or entertaining. I felt like I was forcing myself to go through something unpleasant.

The very first page of the book absolutely captivated me. The writing was great. The storyline was amazing and the plot twists were fantastic. I really want to know how the series continues and can hardly wait.

DNF 24%, skimmed the rest.

This book was basically advertised as gay Sarah J. Maas, an author that I like. This book is nothing like those ones.

The main character is immediately obnoxious and unlikeable. Everyone is a copy-paste of what you expect the character playing that role to be, without any depth or motive. It gets very repetitive very quickly, both in content and phrasing. Because the author seems to be aware of this, he uses incredibly odd phrases at points that only make the tiniest amount of sense.

I tried to find one thing I liked about this book. I really did. The only thing I can think of is that it kept me occupied when it wasn't busy at work, and even then there was still too much book left when my job ended and I found I didn't want to bother anymore. I very rarely DNF but I had to for my own sake with this one.

I'm sure someone else could enjoy it, but I could not bring myself to read anymore.

I loved this book. The story was very well written and the characters were engaging. I could not put it down. Highly recommend.

This book was provided to me for free by NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback. Thank you Netgalley! <3
Likely more of a 2.5/5 :(
My first and honestly biggest complaint was the use of the word 'pregnant' to describe anything large or full - this is how I realised it was a male author (I'm sure a very nice man, but I digress), like I'm sorry, it just gave me the ick. Another thing that gave me the ick was the nickname, as others have mentioned, but I mean hey. That's not a reason to knock a book in my opinion. Just wasn't for me.
Now.. I may be imagining this, and I know a lot of things end up in lots of fantasy books because they're just such popular ideas, but this felt like it borrowed a lot from other popular fantasy books, Throne of Glass and ACOTAR in particular. That may not be the case, and it likely isn't, but it does call for maybe some uniqueness to help it stand out from the rest?

The romance... I appreciate the representation. I really do. I got excited when I realised this was an MM romance (somehow missed that when reading the description). The tension at the beginning was chefs kiss. But then it just became a bit... unbelievable, predictable.. dare I say boring? The plot followed the same trajectory, I feel there was a lot of opportunity for betrayal that went to waste. Tarron.. too easy. And why was I actually rooting for him and Robin? He was so much more interesting than Erix... ah whatever. I guess I was just a bit disappointed by it all.

I read this originally in 2022 (??) and remember that I really enjoyed the story. For me at that point, it was everything that it promised to be with minor mistakes/ stylistic errors which I’m happy to forget if reasonable.

On re-read, I am less engaged. Which sucks cause I have been recommending this book as a great read for the last couple years. Although I think at the right audience, then that can still be true. I’ve just realised it’s not longer a reflection of my personal view.

I have not let the reread affect my rating too much (just one star off) as I may have felt it did not hit as hard as I knew what was coming. However, I feel as though this story did have an air of predictability which I just don’t particularly like in fantasy. In romance, I always see what’s coming snd I love it. But in fantasy, I want to be shocked and taken for a ride in terms of twists and turns and that did not do that for me.

Erix is just such a great character. “I am Erix and I am a friend”. So iconic. I felt his personality was well fleshed out and I craved scenes including him. I found all other core characters to be slightly caricature in nature; which I’m not necessarily complaining about as I appreciate this is fantasy. However, I struggled to like the others much or connect with them on any level. I think this is the reason why I disliked the second book in this series.

All round, this is a strong effort by an author that deserves attention but I just don’t think is quite the fantasy writer for me, on reflection.

3.5⭐️ 🌶️2
Main Tropes: Touch Him and Die, MM Romance, Only One Bed, Slow-Burn

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robots for the ARC!

Betrayal of Storms is an enjoyable queer fantasy romance which blends familiar plots and tropes with intriguing and unforeseen twists.

I felt the book is intended to be an entertaining easy read romance rather than aiming for plot complexity and more developed world building, and in this respect it does what it says on the tin!

Overall I found it a fun read and the story is set up well to develop in the following books.

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect and it turned out to be quite an easy read.

The world building is quite simple and easy to understand - I feel like we could have gotten more details, but it was enough to paint a picture of the world and environments. The MMC is quite likeable, I think he seems quite sweet albeit a bit naive at times. I will note, I felt he came across quite confident and cocky to begin with but this seemed to change very quickly (?).

I liked the supporting characters but really not much was learned about them. Whilst I quite enjoyed the relationship between Robin and Erix, I’m somewhat confused as the intensity in the way the latter feels (but I could be missing something?).

I am intrigued by the story and interested to see where the rest of the series goes.

3.5/5

Thank you to Angry Robot Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to review.
I have been following Ben on Social Media for a while and was excited to read this book. It is the first in the Realm of The Fey series and follows Robin's journey into Wychwood as he discovers he is the heir to the Icethorn Court and its power. I mostly enjoyed reading this book but I wish the characters had some more depth. Even though this book was over 500 pages I felt like I learned very little of Robin and even less of Erix. I am not sure if that was done on purpose to keep things secret but I didn't become as invested in the characters due to this. I did enjoy the action-packed plot and the twists (which I did not see coming) made me want to keep reading!
I haven't decided yet if I will keep reading the series as I would like to know what happens to the characters but I am also not overly invested in them at the same time.