Being the Masked Bandit of Evenness was hard, but being Queen of Evenness is even harder.

I loved If The Crown Fits and was so excited to have the opportunity to read Crown of Hearts.. Cai and Elara are still dealing with unrest, with the appearance of a new antagonist, King Aries from a neighbouring kingdom. If the last book had the feel of a heist, this one has a bit of a comedy of errors, with two people who are in love with each other, but can't quite get it together. I couldn't put the book down, and I kept screaming at the them to just be honest with each other! I also really enjoyed getting to see Elara's brother Lance again. Is he amoral? Yes. Incredibly entertaining? Also yes. I loved seeing these two near strangers navigate their relationships as siblings. Watching Elara learning who to trust, and that the world is perhaps less black and white than she thought, is incredibly entertaining.

The one thing I wish we had gotten to see more of is Elara's relationship with her ladies in waiting. They were prominent parts of the book, but we got to know them little beyond their relationship ambitions - I would have really enjoyed getting to know a bit more about who they were and their worldviews.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves romantasy novels with a softer bent.

Thank you NetGalley, Joffe Books and Leane Giliomee for an e-arc of this book.

This is the second book in the Twisted Crowns trilogy. It continues the story of Elara and Cai as they navigate their new realities, which they were thrown into at the end of book one. There are more secrets, more court politics, and more betrayals… It is fast-paced, and I read it within 24 hours. There is a twist at the end, and we are left wondering what will come next for our characters.

Looking forward to book 3 - “Once Upon a Crown”

Spice: 0.25/5
Language: 0/5
Favorite character: Elara
Favorite Side character: Rhen
Favorite quotes:
“Whatever happens, promise me you’ll stay alive,” he said. “As long as you promise the same.”

“War could take what it wanted from me, but it could not take him.”

“I could be romantic.”
“Oh, could you now?”

WHATTTTTTTTT!!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for blessing me with a copy of this book! I have to admit, I found out it was the 2nd in the series so OF COUSE I had to devour the first one!

What a damn cliff hanger! My heart, my mind… Thatcher was Cai’s best friend! And now I’m left wondering… is Gwen now to marry Aries?? Was Thatcher promised the throne while he carts his sister off to solidify his power?

My only complaint, is that I wish there was a little more smut! But other than that, well done! Well done!

Brilliant second instalment in the series, picks up straight after the first book and the drama continues.

The second book shows real character development which is brilliant to see, especially in the political climate the book is based in.

I loved seeing the relationship develop too, in the best way, The spice could have been spicier BUT it was refreshing to read a romantasy that isn’t solely based on the spice.

The ending though?! I hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next book!

Fast pace fantasy sequel in the Twisted Crowns trilogy with a cliffhanger in the end. Major character developments for the main characters in the novel. Looking forward to the next one.

4⭐️
1🌶️

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for an e-arc of this book. I am thankful to have received e-arcs for both books 1 & 2 of this series so far!

This is how I will start…..Leane, whyyyyyyy???? 😭 you wound me with that ending!!!!

This is book 2 of the Twisted Crowns Trilogy and follows Elara and Cai as they both navigate their new worlds of becoming monarchs of their respective kingdoms. Each heartbroken of how they left off (at the end of book 1), we follow their journey back to each other, even if still hesitantly. Politics get in their way as alliances, marriages, and war looms in every corner. And an old enemy of Cai’s makes himself known across the sea. Elara and Cai’s love battle it out within themselves to find out if love can conquer their own fears of not living up to their duties to their kingdoms.

I did read this book in less than 24 hours. It’s a good, face-paced story without a whole ton of useless fluff you see in a lot of books. I love the story, but I do wish the spice was a bit more spicy. I don’t need a ton in order to enjoy a story but I feel like I worked all the way up to it and didn’t get the reward I was hoping. Spicy/steamy scenes can be done without being too raunchy but I felt this was lacking and I wanted it to push juuuust a bit more, which was disappointing because I love the story and the characters.

I liked the development of Elara and Cai with their friends and family of their own. I felt we got to know not only more about the side characters, but Elara and Cai too. The witty banter between Elara and Cai wasn’t there as much as book 1, but you got it more with their interactions with the side characters.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and can’t wait for the third one! I really appreciate a publisher/author that doesn’t make you wait a year plus for the next book. It’s been a good amount of spacing.