I went into this story completely blind. I didn't realize that it was necessary to read the first book in the series. Upon figuring some things out I continued reading. This isn't a bad book, it's just not great. Maybe if I had read the first book I would have been anxiously awaiting the news in this one. I apologise for not reading the first one. Maybe I should have put this one in the did not finish file.

The Fiery Crown is the sequel to The Orchid Throne and you must read them in order, they are not standalones.

The second book in the series was a much stronger book than the first and really had some focus and strong storytelling behind it. Anure is a powerful villain, and the story of Lia and Con is much more compelling in this book. The characters voices are really starting to shine through and the character growth is evident and apparent.

What a unique fantasy! I quite enjoyed this story with all its uniqueness and creative storyline. I haven't read the first book to this series though I want to go back to see how Conri and Lia’s marriage came about.

There is a lot of tension between Conri and Lia in this book. From page one Conri seems like the typical alpha man wanting things his way but throughout the story your feelings will soften towards him as he begins to understand Lia's point of view. I applaud the author for how she is able to kept his the strong military leader personality and mindset while he softens towards Lia and her desires.

Lia is quite amazing, her strength and what she hides from everyone is startling and I kept trying to get my head around it. I would really love a visual of her to see if my mind created the right image of her from the authors description. This character is the hardest to get my mind wrapped around. I can only imagine how hard it has been for her to lead and keep her people save.

Emperor Anure is a great villain! His desire to possess Lia is felt throughout the book and adds the suspense needed to keep this storyline from going flat.

I can’t wait the read the final book to this trilogy. I do recommend this series to Sci-Fi & Fantasy readers.

The Fiery Crown is the second book in Jeffe Kennedy's Forgotten Empires fantasy series. A fake emperor has overthrown all kingdoms claiming the lands, resources, and citizens for himself. All that is but Calanthe, the flower island, because he was promised Euthalia's hand in marriage - a marriage Euthalia has managed to delay time and time again. In book 1, she made the delay permanent by marrying Conrí, a former crown prince, now king, of a long-destroyed kingdom.

Their union is one of convenience and has slowly turned into one of uneasy alliance. Euthalia and Conrí continue to battle for control over what to do about Emperor Anure and how to protect Calanthe. Concessions are made that both allow for Conrí’s revenge and for Euthalia to protect Calanthe but the Emperor has tricks up his sleeve that may destroy Calanthe and Euthalia before the battle is over.

I love both Euthalia and Conrí. They have endured so much in their short lives. So much death, destruction, and injustice and they both seek revenge on the tyrant that brought it all about. I was equally intrigued and horrified by the events that unfolded during the battle between Calanthe and the Emperor. What transpires in the last half of the book had me on the edge of my seat trying not to cry as the inhumanities of war were delivered front and center. The author’s descriptions and vivid imagery brought forth disturbing scenes and emotion-evoking events, but they were necessary parts of the story being told.

I enjoy the author's continued slow path bringing Euthalia and Conrí together. As their affection for each other grows in The Fiery Crown, we get to see the different, tender sides to them, providing views into their humanity outside of the revenge and protection armor they typically wear.

With breathtaking imagery, heart-wrenching scenes and events, and a plethora of twists and turns, The Fiery Crown drew me in, captivated me, and kept me engaged. The book weaves together many other genres besides the fantasy element. The book also features paranormal and magical elements, romantic undertones, mystery, and suspense. I devoured this epic fantasy novel and look forward to The Promised Queen’s release.

An amazing rollercoaster after the events of The Orchid Throne. This book takes the story right after the wedding of Lia and Conrí, and is a page turner you will really enjoy. Waiting for the next book and the final part of the prophecy!

The Fiery Crown by Jeffe Kennedy was fabulous! I am really enjoying this series. So very good, I would love to read more from this talented author.

After putting this book off I picked it up and I should have picked it up sooner it gave so much more insight to the characters and the end was such a nail bitter. Fingers crossed there will be another one because how you gonna end like that!?

Fantastic Read. The Fiery Crown is the sequel to The Orchid Throne, (another wonderful read, and one you should read before reading The Fiery Crown) Queen Euthalia and Conri formed a marriage alliance to fight against Emperor Anure. As the story unfolds will their alliance survive and become stronger against the forces coming against them or will betrayal be the answer? Read The Fiery Crown to find out. Jeffe Kennedy's story is set in a wonderful world of fantasy, danger and romance. Highly recommended.

A big thank you to the Author Jeffe Kennedy, the publisher St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

I loved the first book in this series so much that I requested the ARC from NetGalley for this second of three books. HOWEVER, I loved the first book so much that I also purchased the book.

This is a great fantasy series of books that is about a different world in which AN EVIL RULER attempts to take over all kingdoms in the world. Two rulers (that we know of) still exist, the Queen of an exquisite floral country that is still in existence because the now dead king, promised his daughter in marriage to the EVIL ONE. The other existing ruler is one that was captured, his county over run by the EVIL ONE and was then sent to be a slave in a horrible mine. This man then became the Slave King.

This story is about how the remaining Queen and the Slave King attempt to thwart the EVIL ONE"S plans to take over the world. There is magic, wizards, sentient worlds, and a very unique and strange cast of characters.

I have been enjoying this well-written fantasy series. Anyone who is a fan of Tolkien or David Eddings or any of the other epic fantasy writers will enjoy this series. I can't wait for the next book to be published!

Emotionally thrilling, action packed adventure filled with engaging and exciting charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and exciting turns all in the battle for the future. Great reading from beginning to end.

The Fiery Crown is the second installment in author Jeffe Kennedy's Forgotten Empires series. The book is written from both Con and Lia’s points of view (alternating chapters), and that gives readers a full picture of what was going on. The story also picks up after the events of The Orchid Throne with Queen Euthalia (Lia) of the Kingdom of Calanthe and Con, the fallen prince of Oriel and King of Slaves, navigating their marriage of convenience as well as getting ready for the Emperor Anure's response now that Lia broke her betrothal to him to marry Con.

This book dives deeper into the backgrounds of both Con and Lia. Lia is having presentiment dreams and forewarning of death and destruction that will ravage her country and wake Calanthe up from her slumber. The worst part is understanding that she was betrayed by her best friend who knew everything about her and that best friend may have revealed all of Lia's deep secrets to the Emperor which could really hinder Lia and Con's efforts to keep Calanthe safe and Lia out of his hands.

Con is a warrior itching for a fight. He, along with Sondra, Captain Kara, and Wizard Ambrose, have put together a rebellion against the Emperor who claims to hate magic, but keeps (4) wizards around. Con escaped Anure’s mines chasing a prophecy that told him, "Take the Tower of the Sun; Claim the hand that wears the ring, and the empire falls." One of the things that is driven in this story is Con's connection to Oriel and the fact that he is, in fact, the de Facto leader of a conquered country whether he likes it or not.

It's especially revealing how much pain and suffering Con, Kara, and Sondra went through after Emperor made Oriel his first stop in taking over the entire world. From being sent to a mine where he watched his father suffer and die, to leading a rebellion, to sacking entire supply lines, to also taking the Tower of the Sun before coming face to face with Lia who is way more than she seems. With the stunning revelation of a spy within Lia's own lady's in waiting, it's just a matter of time before someone else betrays Lia and Con.

In fact, Lia is really a powerful woman who I would be wary of pissing off but Con loves to play with fire, especially when it comes to the bedroom. She's much more than a woman who wears jewels in her clothes, or wigs to cover her bald head, or an Orchid Ring. Her connection to Calanthe actually makes her powerful and not someone who will idly stand by and allow anyone, especially Con, to push her into make bad choices. The author does a good job of showing the conflict between Con and Lia have with Anure, but also between themselves. They battle each other as Con wants his revenge while Lia is determined to protect Calanthe and her people from being caught in the middle of an unwinnable war.

The final part of this book reveals some surprising things. When Lia is taken by Anure, she pays the price. When Con is snookered by Anure, he almost resigns himself to the fact that Lia is lost to him and loses himself in revenge at all costs. Then, the twists happen one after the other leaving a mouth dropping ending. At this point, anyone who has read the first two installments, must now wait for the third installment to figure out what's on the authors twisted little mind.

One of the very few sequel that is as good if not better than the first book.

I love how the story unravel : the continuation of the war against the emperor, Conri's blind and viceral need of vengence, and Calanthe fierce protector, Queen Euthalia. But most of all, I LOVE the main characters' partnership and relationship. It is far from perfect and at times really frustrating but oh so captivating and well written.

The Fiery Crown did it for me, truth be told, even more than The Orchid Throne, and that is saying a lot!
I can't wait for the third book !

This was a very satisfying sequel. We get to see the relationship develop. We get answers to many of the questions that have been plaguing us since the first book
I do have to say that most.of.the problems and misunderstandings could have been avoided by the queen being honest with her king.

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the 1st one but it's still a solid fantasy-romance read. It picks up right around where the 1st book left off and my main complaint is that the first half of the book is on the slow side. However, once things got moving, it was much more enjoyable. The cliffhanger ending ensures I'll be reading the 3rd one so I can finally have my questions answered.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

It took me a while to finish this book. That was not because the plot was boring, but the book was very slop paced at times. I liked the plot a lot. It was an adventure. It was great at time when action and twists took over, but at some chapters I wished it I could skip it and move on. Overall 3.5 stars.

Conri and Lia got married and now they need to establish who is the more powerful in this duo. It will bring the funnier moments to history.
I wanted to really enjoy this book as this series he potential from the very first book as the world and the situation created by the author was really intriguing, but something went wrong and this story had not enchanted me in the way I was looking for.
This story, in my opinion, is even SLOWER than book one and this makes reading it really slow and tiresome as things will only start happening in the latter part of the book.
The potential was lost to the dialogues that were like 80% of the story and characters we're not developing while the plot followed I felt like they were put in one place and that's all, nothing had changed for then, or almost to none.
I'm not sure if I will pick up book three as this one had let me down on a bigger scale than book one.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Just loved this book and recommend it to everyone.

I enjoyed this book more than the first book in the series, but it shared an annoying characteristic with that book - uneven pacing. Most of the action takes place in the last half to quarter. I like the continuing development of the relationship between Conri and Lia, but I feel like that could have been addressed in just one book. I'm looking forward to seeing more of them, but I hope the third book has less info dumping and more even pacing.

Excellent second book in the Forgotten Empires series. The characters, storyline, and continued world-building kept me fascinated and entertained. On to the next book.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

Two improbable protagonists. A queen who never shows her true face to her people. A former slave who does not play well with others. Before the story begins, Lia and Con are already married due to events that occurred in The Orchid Throne (book 1 in the series). A political union that is not much more. I take that back. They are good in bed, but beyond that, they rarely see eye to eye.

I liked that Lia and Con are so different. That they have different motivations and even different goals. It makes their relationship challenging and therefore, interesting.

But the story is not all about Lia and Con. There is a bigger story line that involves the possible destruction of their island kingdom of Calanthe by a man who would dominate the world. It is this theme that ties the series together.

The world domination theme is not original, nor is Ms. Kennedy’s version particularly creative. What makes the story great is the characters who must prevail. Their past, present, and their hopes for the future.

While I read and enjoyed this book without having read the first book in the series, when I was done, I knew the story was not complete (a semi-cliffhanger). So, if you don’t like to be kept hanging, it’s best to wait for the series to be complete. But then – go for it!

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.