This was a great read. It's a unique approach to fantasy, dragons and damsel in distress storylines. For starters, the dragon lore is different to anything else I've read and it was a really refreshing take! Nesrin is a great fmc. She's relatable, down to earth and well rounded. The reverse damsel theme is a lot of fun, I loved seeing her fight off wannabe rescuers from the start with a dragon at her back. I did feel like her inner monologue did her a disservice at times, having her wondering about things like other women showing interest in the mmc did take away from her "I don't need a man" personality. I was also hoping to see more displays of strength from her further on in the book.

This book was an enchanting adventure filled with rich worldbuilding, compelling characters, and thrilling twists. The story pulled me in from the very first page, weaving magic, intrigue, and action into an unforgettable journey. I can't wait to see where the series goes next!

This book was a cozy romantasy with witty banter and clever writing. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the descriptive style she used. There were times I laughed throughout the book. I enjoyed the story and I appreciated the coziness of the book; however, it is not one that I would read on my own. I am more into higher stakes romantasy and the tropes fell flat for me. I enjoy a strong FMC, but I want a stronger MMC!! Read this book as a pallet cleanser with light hearted cozy romantasy vibes! It was well done!

Love myself a romance fantasy book! Great vibes early on. I’m a sucker for good banter and this book was so sassy and witty, it got me excited to continue. Literally gobbled my way through the book. It was That good.

‘He’d been saving my life for years before I met him, and I clung to him now, buried my face against his neck. Breathed him in. He was mine.’

Wow! I don’t even know where to start. This was such a great story!! Original & total LOTR / tomb-raider adventure vibes. Lots of action. I loved the role reversal with the strong female knight fighting off would be suitors & the supposed meek male monk as the main protagonists. Their slow burn romance blossoming on their adventures helping each other grow with a HEA had me gushing. The plot twists (big and small) were mapped out well to enhance the storyline & characters growth. This combined with adventure, forbidden romance, retribution, found family, loss & dragons kept the storyline interesting! A must read for fantasy romance fans. I was lucky enough to receive a free arc of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nesrin is a Knight of the Trove - a princess who was sacrificed to a dragon but instead she ended up being taken in by the dragon. She was sacrificed by her evil uncle, who stole the throne after her father died and is now enemy number one. She now helps defend Ady's trove and has become a beloved companion of the dragon.

The good vs evil romantasy is full of memorable characters, some that you will hate and some that you will love. I liked that I got to travel along with Nesrin and Kas on their journey and watch them both grow and fall for eachother. I liked this story and can’t wait to read what happens next.

I’d definitely recommend this if you’re into fantasy, romance and ofc dragons.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC!

An exciting fantasy story

Nesrin is the knight of a dragon's trove, and contrary to what the rest of the world thinks, she does NOT want to be rescued by a prince. After her uncle killed her mother and stole her throne, she was abused by him until rescued by a dragon. And she's happy there. But when Kas, a man forced into the monastic order as a child, comes to ask for her help retreaving a magical casket that could help them win the upcoming war, Nesrin decides to set off on this quest with him. Between growing forbidden feelings and the enemy pursuing them throughout the land, they will have to be quick and smart if they want to save their kingdoms.

The beginning of this book felt somewhat childish and I thought I'd misread the age range of the story at first. But don't be fooled, this is indeed an adult book and once Kas was in the picture, it was impossible to put down. I really loved how independent and stubborn Nesrin is, even if it enraged me at times, because it makes her a relatable and real character. As for Kas, he's sweet and devoted and hot at the same time, and the forbidden romance they wanted to cave to was exciting to read, making for a very entertaining slow burn. The quest was exciting, full of twists and turns, enemies and allies scattered across their path. The pacing of the book was also very addictive and I just couldn't put it down. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, it's an amazing adult fantasy romance that stole my breath several times.

I recommend if you like intense fantasy romance with dragons and quests.

"No other would ever attract my heart and soul like this, like a moth to a flame."

After being sacrificed to a dragon by her kingdom-usurping uncle, Nesrin becomes a Knight of the Throve, defending her dragon's horde from would be champions and cataloguing the riches therein. When news that a box containing a great evil has resurfaced, Nesrin and the priest Kas will try to locate the box before it can unleash calamity.

A couple of nice fantasy tropes used here. Nesrin and Kas are great characters. I did feel like the pacing was off; sometimes the novel felt more a montage than a narrative, but that might be a stylistic choice.

It’s a little hard for me to write a review for this because I have such mixed feelings!

I definitely enjoyed some aspects: I liked Kas, and found the world-building to be very interesting.

I struggled with quite a lot of this though. I found it to be very heavy with tropes that seemed like they didn’t really have a place in the book, they were just there to hit that marketing aspect and moved on from quite quickly.

The tone was also pretty jarring, we went from light stuff to it being more heavy and then back to light so abruptly, it was a little hard to adjust to.

I’d definitely recommend this if you’re into fantasy, it just wasn’t really for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc. 🫶🏻

To be honest, this one was just OK. I didn't hate it and I think the writing was actually quite good, except trying too hard in certain spaces, but overall not bad. The story itself was a little tropy and there were times I felt it a bit unrealistic. I'm not entirely sure what this book was supposed to be. It had serious undertones but then was suddenly very lighthearted again. I would have preferred it to decide on a tone of the story and just kept it there. The characters were alright. I wish Nesrin had a bit more fire to her but I liked Kas. He had a bit more depth at certain times in the story. Overall, not a bad story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC!

I actually started this about 2 months ago, and then kept struggling to finish it. There wasn't any particular reason, I think I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time. But I've now finished it, and I found it to be a pretty good fantasy story overall.

Nesrin is a Knight of the Trove - a princess who was 'sacrificed' to a dragon, who instead ended up being taken in by the dragon. She was sacrificed by her evil uncle, who stole the throne after her father died and is now enemy number one amongst the world. She now helps defend Ady's trove and has become a beloved companion of the dragon. As one might expect, she frequently gets princes turning out trying to 'save' her, but she's pretty quick to show them who's the real boss here. Until Kas.

Kas is a Prince of Veytia, but as the fourth born son he was sent to a monastery to give his life in worship to the goddess Hivathe. He turns up at the trove to seek Ady's help in discovering something that Nesrin's uncle, Galter, seeks. If Galter finds it, then it could mean the end of the world. Nesrin ends up going on a quest with Kas to find this object, and they both experience a lot of adventures along the way.

Our female heroine is highly independent and capable, but she's not oblivious to how attractive Kas. The problem? Kas is a vestal monk, meaning he took a vow of chastity. As you might expect, this leads to a lot of tension between the two over the course of the book.

I enjoyed the characters in this, and Kas is just a huge cinnamon role of a man. He's such a sweetheart, and it's not fair he's THAT sweet whilst being that hot as well. It's a good job he's such a nice guy. Nesrin is headstrong and capable, but I appreciated how she was willing to acknowledge her faults when things went wrong. They both bounced off each other really well, and their failures were bolstered by the others strength. Ady was amusing, as you might expect a powerful dragon to be.

My main issue with this book is the pacing. It feels like it should have been a duology, with the book split in half. This is because everything moves far too fast given how much travelling they're doing. I got to the end of the book and thought 'is it realistic they fell in love?' but then remembered that they'd basically travelled around the known world in the space of a book. Which is one of the big problems for me - there's no sense of time or scale.

They will spend one chapter in one city, and then decide to go somewhere else and the next chapter is them already at the place. There's no mention of how long it takes to get anywhere, so it get's a little Game of Thrones Season 8 in that it feels like they're fast-travelling. This also means that we don't really get to know anyone outside of Nes, Kas and Ady. Prince Ashur is evil for...some reason, and he doesn't get to be truly fleshed out. We're casually introduced to other important people, yet they get a few sentences before we never see them again. So this definitely needed to be fleshed out more with more time spent in these areas.

It was a great read and the tension between the characters was real. The female protagonist was indeed the most coolest and confident fmc's I've read so far!!
Loved the book! Might to a reread again again 😁

The Knight of the Trove is the first book that I have read by Holly Rose and I can’t wait to read more from this talented author. Once there was a young princess and a dragon, who came in and took her away. But what if the dragon was sent to save the princess from her evil uncle? The Knight of the Trove is that story. Read what happens to Princess Nesrin in this good verses evil fantasy story.
This good verses evil romantasy is full of memorable characters, some that you will love to hate and some that you will love to love. I loved that I got to travel along with Nesrin and Kas on their remarkable journey and watch them both grow and fall in love. I loved this story so much and can’t wait to read what happens next for Nesrin and Kas and the rest of the gang.

I have been provided with a review copy of The Knight of the Trove from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

I loved this!! It had everything you want from a fantasy novel; dragons, a damsel in distress, magical artifacts, adventures, and swords. What I loved most though is Kas, our MMC, he's a monk, a fighter, a total cinnamon roll! I think he was just a really nice change of pace from the intense, grumpy, shadow daddies we've been getting in literally every fantasy book (and I love every one I read haha) but it was nice to have a soft, kind, intelligent hero. PLUS he's an incredibly hot, off limits monk, who knew that would be such a turn on! I also loved how Holly Rose flipped the damsel in distress story line and Nesrin was a fierce warrior guarding the trove and her freedom, and besties with the dragon! This was a fun, wild ride and I can not wait for the next book in the series!

I had a hard time getting into this one. The plot of the story was good but the characters were just not my cup of tea. I’m sure that it would be a wonderful read for someone else though!

Forbidden romance is my favorite. Dragons are my favorite. I love cinnamon roll male main characters. This book has all three- and does them SO well! Nesrin is a fierce, strong independent damsel-in-distress who doesn't need a man to save her. It's a slow-burn romance with Kas due to her stubbornness- and it is addicting. Absolutely loved it and cannot wait for the rest of the series.

A Princess who do not want to be rescued - a Prince in disguise or in other words: she is a Knight and he is a Monk - and oh dragons!

A fantasy fairy tale with banter, adventure a bit of romance and a heartfelt friendships.
I thought it might have been a YA buuut adult emotions and open-door spice.

Captivating story and lovable characters!

Post on IG the 5..nov 2024 (one_fair_tale_at_the_time)

• dragons
• found family
• badass FMC
• MMC with a heart of GOLD
• lots of love + a little spice
• sweet revenge
• HEA

I loved this! The story is fantastic & entertaining from beginning to end. I smiled throughout and shed tears more than once. I highly recommend. TW for an animal death. It is brief, but it will rip your heart out. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I went into The Knight of the Trove expecting an adult fantasy, but it leans more into the YA space than I anticipated. That said, it's an enjoyable read for what it is! The plot grabbed me right away—I always love the plot of a strong female lead who isn't looking to be rescued, but this one is unique in that our main character, Nesrin, has a mysterious backstory on why she is now a knight guarding a dragon trove.

I enjoyed learning more about the unique fantasy world of Mellora. There’s a nice mix of adventure, magic, and tension as the story unfolds, especially as Nesrin and Kas are pursued by the enemy and forced to work together. The slow-burn romance is just what fans of the trope would expect, but for me, that’s where I hit a bit of a wall.

Both Nesrin and Kas are sweet and innocent, almost too sweet, for the stakes they face. They felt more innocent and naïve than I expected from characters living through such brutal times. Their softness, while endearing at times, made it hard for me to fully connect with their chemistry. I found myself wishing they were more hardened or ruthless in certain moments, especially given everything they've been through.

That said, if you're into soft, tender heroes, slow-burn love, and forbidden romance, this book will deliver. The writing is strong, the pacing works, and the quest they embark on is compelling. Just know going in that it reads more like YA fantasy than adult, which might impact your enjoyment depending on what you’re looking for.

Thank you to Netgalley and Star Siren Press for an eARC of this book!