Thank you to Jessica Thorne, NetGalley, and Second Sky for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! This is a quick read and a great pick for anyone new to the romantasy genre, and the world immediately draws you in. If you're a mood reader like me, it's also a great autumnal read as it takes you through dark and spooky woods as Wren and Finn embark on their adventure. I also really enjoyed the multiple POVs, and the characters were easy to root for (especially Elodie and Finn). I listened to the audiobook, and Helen Keeley did a masterful narration. I will absolutely be listening to more audiobooks narrated by her.

My main critique of this book is that I wish we had gotten more lore/world building. The historical conflict and magic system were really interesting, from the glimpses we saw, but I would have loved an even earlier prologue giving us some more insight into Elodie's beginnings. I also felt Wren was a bit underdeveloped as a character, but I'm hopeful she'll gain some more complexity as the series progresses.

All told, I would gladly spend more time in this world and am interested to see where the story goes from here.

A Touch of Shadows by Jessica Thorne is book one in The Lost Queen Series. If you like forbidden love, fantasy, enemies to lovers, hidden identities, forced travel, shadow magic, spicy, multiple POV’s, world building, prophecy, court intrigue, with a strong FMC then you will love this audiobook!

Wren, raised by Elodie, has been in hiding her whole life, her mom wants and pushes her to find the light. She feels like the darkness has been calling her, she doesn’t want to use her magic so she fights it, her mom is always warning her to never let the darkness into her life. Elodie is very intriguing, powerful, and has a mysterious past. She has the power to change the fate of anyone she comes into contact with.
Wren and Elodie’s village is attacked by Ilanthian, Wrens escapes into the dark forest and that’s where she meets Finn, a knight who wants to protect her and they soon feel drawn to each other.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by Jessica and I can’t wait to read more. Jessica did a great job with the storyline, plot, and world building. She did a great job with the characters and I’m very interested to see where Wren’s story is going, I’m so intrigued by Elodie and wonder what secrets she has, and can’t wait to see what happens between Wren and Finn. I couldn’t stop listening to this book and it kept my attention. I can’t wait to see what Jessica does with the world building. I think Helen Kelley did a fantastic job with the narration, I was really impressed. Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky, and Jessica Thorne for letting me listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. Sorry for the very late review, August was a rough month I lost someone who was a second dad to me and I got behind on my ARCS.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Jessica Thorne and the publishers for the review copy of this audiobook!

I absolutely adored the blurb of this book, and for the most part I loved the story line as well. For me however, I felt that something was always lacking, I just needed more.

It is a super easy read, easy to follow along with. Will recommend to anyone who wants an easy romantasy. Its not heavy on the world building and character development. Its simply a relaxing read to pick up.

I am unsure if maybe that could be portrayed slightly different for those reading the book, since I did listen to the audiobook.

Sorry but I had to dnf this book. It just simply wasn't for me, although I do love fantasy. Something just gave me the icky dn I can't pinpoint what exactly it was.

While I was eager to enjoy this book, I found it difficult to remain fully engaged. The writing is undeniably beautiful, but I wonder if the narrator may have influenced my overall experience. I struggled to connect with the characters on a deeper level.

Nevertheless, I intend to give the book another opportunity by reading it on my Kindle, hoping that this different format may offer a new perspective. Despite my initial challenges, there were several aspects of the book I appreciated, and I remain hopeful that a second reading will provide a more favorable experience.

"A Touch of Shadows" is such a fun listen! Jessica Thorne creates a magical world that pulls you right in, and the mix of fantasy and romance keeps things exciting. The narrator does an awesome job, bringing the characters to life with their voices and emotions. I found myself totally hooked and didn’t want to stop! If you’re into stories about love, adventure, and a bit of mystery, this audiobook is definitely worth a listen. Perfect for a cozy day or a long drive!

Best describing word: Forbidden.
Wren and Finn are a *Chefs Kiss* perfect pair. Saving the kingdom with the magic she's hidden for so long... Ugh.
I loved the narrator and the different voices made it easy to follow/envision the character swaps.

Wren has done her best to hide her magic and hide her true self to stay alive, but a chance encounter has her scrambling with hope to keep her secret safe. Finn is the unfortunate man who was attacked by shadows and, in order to save him, Wren revealed her secret.

The two of them navigate this and many other secrets of magic, politics, and even romance as they try to figure out how to move forward against the shadows. Through struggles both large and small, our characters face challenges together and learn more about one another as they go.

A Touch of Shadows opens in a war-torn country with a woman holding a small baby. Flash forward to when that baby is grown and feeling growing pains of being in the shadow of her guardian. There is a feeling of secrets that have not been revealed in her life. They are working as medicin women in a remote village with the threat of people finding the, but the danger of that happening is not revealed. Finally the conflict happens and the girl and her guardian are seperated. The girl goes on the quest and starts discovering her powers...the good and the potential evil of it. The story ends on a perfect cliff hanger that is a perfect segway into book two which is to come.

This audiobook was a quick, easy listen with a fast-paced plot and a good narrator who brought the characters to life. The world-building was interesting, though it felt like there was potential for more depth, especially with the unique magic system. The characters were likable, though their development was a bit minimal. If you're new to fantasy romance, this is a solid pick to get started without getting too bogged down by complex details.

The story had a mix of adventure, hidden secrets, and magic, with a bit of romance sprinkled in. While the insta-love between the main characters wasn’t overdone, it might not be for everyone. The ending came as a bit of a surprise with a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting to dive into the next book. Overall, it's enjoyable, and I'd recommend continuing with the series to see where the story goes.

THis was such a great audio. Loved that there were different voices and it was easy to follow along and picture who was who.

3.75⭐️ 🎧 1/5🌶️
An entertaining and fast-paced fantasy book! The narrator Helen Keeley did a great job with the audio in this book. There is something about a British voice reading a fantasy book that gives it an extra edge! Keeley changed her tone & inflection based on the characters, which helped given there was quite a few different POV's. The book follows Wren who hides her magic to stay alive in a small, rural town. An aggressive encounter outside of an inn leads to Wren meeting the MMC Finn. Once Finn intervenes, Wren takes off into the woods and Finn goes after her to make sure she is ok. The tables turn and Wren saves him from the shadow kin (creatures). The book then launches into a battle of countries & heart. You follow Finn & Wren and their journey to discover if they are fated hearts or if something more nefarious is compelling them to be together. I found some confusion in the pacing of the book. On one hand it would feel disjointed and then it would suddenly make sense. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I will be adding A Kiss of Flame to my TBR!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review

I loved this - book 1 of a new series "The Lost Queen" and I was hooked by this audiobook and listened to it in one day. For those of us who love fantasy and romance and are looking for a new world to fall in love with, this is the one!

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

There wasn’t much world-building in this book and it seemed very short to me for this genre. I’ll need to let this marinade for a bit and then make a decision if I want to continue the series when the next one comes out.

Hunter and hunted. Forbidden magic and forbidden love. Is their meeting by chance or are their other forces at work?

I had a hard time getting into this one. The romance took off from the beginning. Instant love isn't my favorite. I think if the book had taken more time, world building, and developing the relationship between the characters, the story would have taken off for me more than it did. I love romantasy but this one just missed the mark for me. Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC of this audio.

It was absolutely spell binding and extremely thrilling read. A perfect Fantasy thriller!!!!! I am extremely excited to read the next part

A Touch of Shadows
By Jessica Thorne
(NetGalley)

3.5 ⭐ 1🌶️

Tropes:
Slow Burn • Multiple POV’s

Main Characters:
Wren & Finn

Stand out lines/quotes:
She was lost in him and it was wondrous. She never wanted to be found again.

My Thoughts:
This was a super-fast read (listen in my case), the ending was unexpected. Not in the way that something totally wild happened, just that I was listening to the book then all of a sudden it said, “if you want to know what happens next...”. It was a bit of a rollercoaster, not of emotion but of interest. There were parts where I was almost enthralled then other parts were just a bit dry.
I think this would be a good book for someone who wants to start reading fantasy romance. The world building isn’t so complex that you’ll need help understanding it and the romance wasn’t so heavily focused on so you can pay more attention to the storyline more. This could have been marketed as YA, if it had been I think I might have rated it higher. Either way I think I would still like to continue with the series to find out what happens with Wren and Finn.
I did enjoy the book. You can’t go wrong with a lost queen, a “possibly, destined for evil” witch, a handsome prince, and a hot morally grey male. Oh, and of course, an evil King!
This ALC was provided by NetGalley & SecondSkyBooks for my honest review and opinion.

This was a great audio book. The narrator was great and very easy to listen too. And it was very well written

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen to this book!
Loved the narrator and was a quick listen. Wasn’t a huge fan of falling for each other right away but it did make it a faster pace.