Queen of Roses

An excellent book. I read it in one go, almost. It was easy to read, fast-paced and kept me interested throughout. The story runs along the lines of King Arthur's and the Sword of Excalibur tale - but a very different story still. Also the explicit passages were minimal, that was a tolerable amount for me. I would like to continue this series, very much. Glad I snagged this nice book for free from Kindle. 

I didn't hate this... but I won't be continuing the series. I couldn't get past contradictions in the plot (ex. Morgan knowing her mother was taking the same “medicine” she was fairly early in the book then was later told this information by her uncle) and the numerous references to Morgan's hair (and how it made her different/ugly/stand out/etc.).

I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley. As of 21/5/24 all the books are available on Netgalley and I urge you to read them!

This book was fantastic! I've never been a fan of fiction about the fae (I'm not sure why) but this had me captivated! I read it all in one day and LOVED it. The drama, the romance, the action, the banter... It was all top notch. Didn't end the way I had guessed and a bunch of things happened that I couldn't have predicted. This ARC copy one had one error (last paragraph of Chapter 30) but I'm sure this has been fixed now. I'll be diving immediately into the next book (and cursing that I have surgery tomorrow so I can't spend all day reading) and I'm so thrilled about it! Five out of five stars!

#BloodofaFaeSeries #netgalley

Major thanks to the author, Netgalley, and Starwater Press for the opportunity to read & review this book in exchange for my honest review & opinion!

The other night I stayed up super late to finish this read, and couldn't wait to share more about it!

It's the first in a fantasy romance series, and it felt so different from a lot of the fae reads I've read lately.
It was true hate-to- friends-to-lovers, slow burn, stabby heroine, & King Arthur retelling all rolled up into one.

And we all know how much I love a good retelling

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book!

I enjoyed reading this! I got ACOTAR vibes from it, but a Historical Romantasy instead. First off, why do the characters' descriptions remind me of Julie Kagawas with Ash (Draven), Puck (Vesper), and Meghan (Megan) in some aspects?

I just finished the Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn and here are my thoughts.

Morgan Pendragon knows brutality. Watching her mother being beaten by her father, the King. After her mother dies, her father turns on her and her younger brother Arthur, the brother who will now become King after their father takes her birth right away. The rumors around court is that Morgan has Fae blood running through her veins which is likely the reason Arthur sends her to find a legendary weapon, excalibur.

Sent off with 2 men one more dangerous than the next and with the growing attraction she feels for Draven.... Her course becomes more murky. Draven knows the truth about the fae world that Morgan and her people were made to believe no longer existed and the truth is stranger than fiction. The dangers they are facing along the way end up putting the people Morgan loves the most in danger. How can she reconcile her duty over her heart and save everyone?

How did I not know about this series until now? How is bookstagram not a buzzing with this series? I am not going to lie, I read all 3 books back to back. Only took me 5 days.

Let's start with Morgan. I love her. She is strong but unsure of herself and she loves her brothers and friends fiercely. She is everything I love about strong MCs. Introducing her to Draven.... It was instant dislike and watching them build tolerance for each other, into friendship.. To the love.... SIGHH!!!

I loved all the characters. I liked that Lancelot is a woman and so is Merlin. The idea of retelling King Arthur in such a way where Arthur is the bad guy and there are fae... GENIUS!!
The writing was excellent and I was emerged into a world of darkness and magic and the only hope was a young woman with gray hair and the heart of 10 men. Morgan was given a potion to suppress her fae powers and when she stops taking it, she starts to transform.

I loved the plot, I loved the descriptive prose and I think this might be one of my favorite fantasy series of all time now. It was well paced and exciting.

5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy

 This is a dark fantasy romance inspired in the Arthurian legacy and the quest for Excalibur with a touch of the Fae world. It's a slow-burn romance with a lot of good things such as mythical creatures, tension, magic, betrayal, and unexpected twists.    The world building of this book is very good, and the character development is very well achieved. The plot is so captivating, and I couldn't stop reading since it is a fast-paced book with action and magic and twists.    I really liked the fact that the book was focused on the action and the intrigue of the plot and let the slow-burn romance happen in the background of the story. I really like the Arthurian legend and the way it was reimagined and bought to light in such a new way was impressive.    Overall, it was such a good read and I'm starting the next book right away since this one ended in a cliffhanger and I'm too anxious to find out what will come next in this story. I really recommended to everyone who enjoys a fantasy book that focus on the fantasy part and brings such a popular legend back to life in such an innovated way.    Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review. 

Not that I need to start another series (I know how many ongoing series I have, I just don't want to know) but I liked this! It was a good start to a series and kept me engaged throughout. I hope I get approved for the next ones because I definitely want to carry on with them.

I loved the Arthurian inspirations! It was fun and I liked the addition of the Fae – a genre I'm happy to be exploring more of. I liked that Boleyn focused on Morgan and not Arthur as most retellings/inspired books tend to do. She's a strong character, wants to prove herself, and she wants more for herself. I always root for the characters who have this fiery need to prove themselves.

I'm thanking Boleyn a ton because she added the line: “who did this to you line” to the book. Instantly I wanted to read it quicker because that line will always get me to read a book faster. The line comes from the other main characters and while he seems to be your “typical brooding bad boy”; of course you find out he's much more than that. I always enjoy seeing the path that a character takes and specifically how he ‘ll walk his path. Plus I get to see the romance blossom over the series

thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review

verryyyyy strong 3.5 stars.

I am a very heavy romance reader. I love fantasy too, but if it doesn't have romance, I tend to get bored quite easily unless the fantasy plot is EXTREMELY interesting.

The plot definitely picked up after about the 60% mark. It was a pretty quick read and i did enjoy it a lot. the only thing missing for me was the romance. i understand that it is all building for the later books, but i would've liked a bit of development with the two main characters.

Other than that, i did enjoy the book. It was a lot of world-building, so it did take a bit of brain power, which is why i give this a 3.5
I did enjoy the writing style, though. i wish it was dual pov cuz that would've made it so much better.

also, the ending???????????

I really enjoyed this unique Arthurian retelling.
This book is full of action, interesting world building, great banter, a quest, one-tent trope, great imagery, love and betrayal.
This ended on a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read the second book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.