4,5 stars

I have yet to find something G.A. Aiken (Shelly Laurenston) has written that I have not loved. Her Dragon/Centaur world is right up there and The Heretic Royal was a delight.

I confess I was a bit skeptical when Aiken came out with the Scarred Earth Saga, but I should not have worried, cause she always delivers. The Heretic Royal proves that even more cause we get my favorite queen ever back and a bunch of dragon join the chat. I can’t imagine a better combination.

The romance in this new novel is not as predominant but the intrigue, alliances and relationships (old and new) more than made up for that.

If you have yet to check out Aiken’s books, I definitely recommend them, any of them to you. They are the perfect combination of world building, romance, laughter and action.

*book provided in return for my honest opinion
**review will be posted on Amazon after release

As usual, G.A. Aiken does not disappoint. I found myself laughing very loudly on numerous occasions. I can think of twice where I sprayed my coffee on the Kindle. Thank goodness the dragons have come to Keely's kingdom. They have made my day.

I didn't realize how much I missed the wonderful dragons from the Dragon Kin series. Then Gwenvael let loose with so many things he might have thought better of. The strength of Morfyd shines as she puts Briec in a corner. He may think he doesn't belong there, but his antics say otherwise. Oh my word!!!! My side was hurting. The clashing of personalities was lovely.

The clashing of queens was not so lovely. Others trying to influence the possibility of an alliance created chaos. The rumors have both queens leery of the other. They are not off to a good start. Have no fear, Ainsley is here to help save the day.

The archer is so misunderstood. I don't see it. If I had her family I would be hiding in trees as well. Her actions have its advantages. She listens and learns. She will fight battles to protect her family. She will have Gruff right by her side.

The battle scenes had me wishing The Heretic Royal was on the big screen. But I didn't need that. The author was so descriptive, I could picture arrows flying. The author had me gagging with some of the situations. The Heretic Royal is not a cute romance.

My imagination went wild with Annwyl dropping into to save the day. Queen Beatrix is at war with Queen Keely. Queen Beatrix will stoop to new levels in her quest for world domination. Only Annwyl knows how to destroy the demon army. As usual, it got a little messy. It was a glorious battle.

But there is more to come now that Beatrix has begun to make moves on the Dark Plains. Alliances have never been important. It will now be three queens standing against Beatrix. The question is--will it be enough?

How unfortunate. I was so looking forward to reading The Heretic Royal. Especially since I enjoyed Aiken's previous novels, The Blacksmith Queen and The Princess Knight. Both of those novels garnered five and four stars respectively from me.

The Heretic Royal didn't quite get my attention. Perhaps it's been too long of a time span (2 years) between the last installment and this novel. I was just lost at the get-go and I didn't really want to re-read The Princess Knight to play catch up. Too bad that I thought I could just pick up and go.

With so many new characters (at least that's what it appeared to me,) I was floundering from the start. At least there was the staple of the four sisters. But it didn't help much.

The same entertaining snarky remarks between the characters were there, but after struggling to recall the plot of the previous novel, I called it quits at 33% I think that had I read The Heretic Royal shortly after The Princess Knight, my opinion and outlook would have been a lot different. As it stands, The Heretic Royal is a disappointing single star.

I received a digital ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

The Scarred Earth Saga continues with much occurring -- there is adventure, battles (great & small), humor (sometimes off the wall), family shenanigans and drama, a bit of romance, and twists and turns a plenty. As with the prior books, it is primarily a fantasy story with a relationship forming and becoming serious subtly happening in amongst the rest of the story. This series takes place on the opposite side of the huge mountain range from the author's Dragon Kin series with little more than a brief mention of dragons and the "mad queen" occurring in the prior books as no one crosses those mountains (or at least never returns if they do). However fans of that series will get a treat as part of the royal dragon army has indeed crossed those mountains with Annwyl, Fergus and several of his siblings and other relatives to find out what is going on and offer some wisdom and advice to Keeley and her sisters about what it now means and is expected of their change in status to "royals" and warnings on what might expect on dealing with Beatrice. All in all, it was an enjoyable, interesting and entertaining read that left looking forward to the next book.

This series continues to be an absurd amount of fun. The interactions between Annwyl and the dragons on one side and Keeley, her family, and the centaurs on the other side were delightful. The main characters were great and the development of their relationship was a pleasure to read. Aiken remains on my must-read list.

This is book three in the Scarred Earth Saga, a continuing story featuring four sisters. Two of the sisters are battling for a single throne. One of them would be a disaster for the whole world. This is a continuing story so I'd recommend reading them in order.

The Smythe family is huge as their parents have many, many children. The sisters featured in this book are Keeley (a blacksmith and Queen), Gemma (a War Monk, a fearsome group of warriors), Ainsley (quiet and usually in a tree), and Beatrix, an emotionless, ambitious, and ruthless psychopath. This is Ainsley's book. There is a romance between her and one of the centaurs, Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan.

Ainsley would rather be neutral, but she knows that Beatrix must not be allowed to win the throne. Beatrix married a king of a neighboring kingdom so she is a queen, but she wants to rule it all. Everything. Everyone. In this book, her army takes on Keeley and her allies - the War Monks, the centaurs and the dragonkin.

I already knew from small hints here and there in previous books that the Dragonkin books and the Scarred Earth series inhabited the same world, and the dragons finally arrived! Flying over the huge mountain range that divides the continent and shaking the ground as they landed! With Annwyl, the Mad Queen! Ainsley was the first sister to meet one of the dragonkin.

The ending of the book was shocking - Beatrix causes something to happen that will have a huge impact on everyone and everything who lives near the mountain. I can only hope that the next book comes soon.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher Kensington Books via NetGalley, and have voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read a copy of one of my most anticipated reads of 2022!

This might just be my favorite so far! I love Aiken’s dragonkin series because of the chaos and ridiculousness which this book has in spades. The action sequences were so well-written and the slow burn romance was cute! My only complaint is that I would have liked more progress on the overarching war as this book didn’t offer much in the way of overall plot. Don’t get me wrong, Ainsley and Gruff are adorable and I would read a whole nother book about them, but I also want the war to be resolved so we can get a new villain. Beatrix is a genuine psychopath but also has no fighting skills and doesn’t really feel like a ‘big bad’. Everyone agrees that no one is safe with her alive, and yet no one is willing to use their formidable abilities (physical or magical) to really take action.

I will admit I am having a hard time connecting with the secondary characters in this series. There seems a point in the storyline where I just no longer care what happens to the main character, I am purely interested in what is going on in the background. And this time, there is ALOT going on in the background. The dragons have arrived!
And..promptly took over the entire plot.
I'm not mad. I love the dragons, have read and reread that entire series. I'm just sad that this series feels like an extension of an already fleshed out world, while being marketed as a new entity. Do the crossover! Have the worlds meld, create the chaos.
Just. Don't lose the actual main character in the folds of the story and then seemingly go, oh yeah, she can play too.
I Love this author, I have read ALL the books of hers I can find, and laughed my way through all the worlds she has created. This is a good story, just not the one I was expecting for this series.

It seems like we've waited forever for this book--and it didn't disappoint!!! Yay for G.A. Aiken! From the beginning to the end, it took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Ainsley isn’t your traditional strong-willed heroine—at least compared to her two older sisters. But I love how she and the Hero, Gruff seem to complement each other’s personalities. And I love how we meet the Dragonkin characters again after so many years. I will have to re-read the whole series before the next book (crossing my fingers it’s about the fifth sister, Isadora) so I can get them all straight in my head. And there's so many new characters introduced who might have an interesting future story? (hint, hint) I loved the “Blacksmith Queen” and the “Princess Knight” and I can’t wait for the audiobook of “The Heretic Royal” to come out! I have both the paperback and the audiobook on pre-order! Love, love this series!

When I got approved for GA Aiken's Heretic Royal, I screamed internally & externally. GA Aiken or Shelly Laurenston never fails to make me chuckle, cackle or literally laugh out loud with her banter. This is the 3rd book in the Scarred Earth Saga and is in the same world as her Dragon Kin series. As usual her characters are crazy, out of control and hilariously unhinged.
Ainsley Farmerson, as the 4 eldest sister is constantly trying to find her way without her older sisters ordering her around....and her other sister trying to kill them all. Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan speaks in grunts and holds the esteemed title of Grudge Holder in his tribe (honestly same). As a centaur, humans get on his nerves to know end...except for Ainsley. This book is full of violence, action and great humor. Heavy on the humor.
This book is a 3.75 for me and I just want to note as usual I love how Aiken/Laurenston can write a well-complex character but excels at developing diversity in her worlds.
Please please PLEASE check her out, you will not be sorry!

4.5 Stars

As per usual with this series is chock-full of action, humor, violence, foul language, kick-a*s heroines and just generally a solid good time. The only thing that was a bit overwhelming to me was the sheer amount of names/people to keep track of in this fantastical world Aiken has created. I freaking LOVED the new bunch of characters. They were brimming with chaos and full on entertaining. They were so fleshed out instantly and I fell so hard for them that by the end I'm like PLEASE GIVE US A SPINOFF cause I need Annwyl's whole backstory. And then I made the most incredible discovery....this series already exists! No need to hope and wait, there's like 9 Dragon Kin books plus novellas already waiting for me to consume. Which totally makes sense as to the big introduction and them being so seemingly well established. Having read those first probably would have helped the whole being overwhelmed with all the new people to remember.

Anyhow, back to The Heretic Royal, Ainsley was super fun. I kinda dig her middle(ish) child vibe. Poking at her sisters and able to evaporate from their minds at times and just get up to her own shenanigans. But of course still integral to her family. Ainsley ruffling Gemma's feathers with each passing breath was a fun highlight for me. Gruffyn was a good counterpart for her. His general grumpiness and and aloofness with most people was oddly charming, and the whole champion grudge-holder thing still makes me chuckle. Ainsley probably rants enough for the both of them so him being a more verbally reserved dude works out kinda well. I like that he just quietly was amused by her and had her back from the jump. They established a nice friendship beforehand and it made the leap into something romantic even more enjoyable to me.

Another noteworthy thing about this series, I love that it's really heavy on the fantasy with the smaller side of romance. That's pretty much the icing on the cake for me, gotta love a good solid base. The family dynamics never fail to entertain. I can't wait to see where things go next!

This book lived up to my expectations of being a continuation of the 2 prior books in series and adding suspense and anticipation for the next book. Knowing it is part of a series, should you read the prior books to fully understand this book? Yes, for the enjoyment of snarky whip smart comedy set in a fantasy world with shifters, magic, strong sense of right, wrong and gray area in between. Storyline deftly sucks reader into this medieval Machiavellian feminist forward world, intermingling Aiken's dragon series characters. Using some fancy words but any reader of G.A. Aiken will love it and if you are new to this author/series, this book will have you wanting more. Sorry if I am a bit shy on giving specific details but I don't want to give any spoilers. Heretic witchery using religious zealots who have magic on their side + kickass action from violent monks and nuns + royal politicals, what's not to enjoy?

One of my absolute favourite authors. High energy, over-the-top characters, and constant chaos. Very few authors are this consistently funny. I appreciate that she always brings a lot of focus sisterhood and female friendship. There is a romance but it's not the main focus.

This book was the first true crossover between G. A. Aiken's Scarred Earth Saga and Dragon Kin series, and I really enjoyed the return of the older characters. This book also has a fun romance between Gruff (A True Grumpy) and Ainsley (A Sunshine Middle Sister). I wish I could've seen even more of Ainsley breaking out of her little sister role and finding her place in Keeley's kingdom, but the blend of humor and action was as enjoyable as Aiken's other novels.

Ainsley Farmerson has always planned to break free of the family business—and the family drama. But what was once farming, smith working, and bickering over the dinner table has turned into open warfare between sisters. Sides have been taken, lives are on the line, and Ainsley has no doubt which sister must be queen. She’ll do whatever is necessary to take down the soulless Beatrix. Even if that means joining forces with angry battle nuns, irritating monks, and overbearing centaurs.

Gruffyn of the Torn Moon Clan has no time for human beings. And yet . . . there is something about the uncontrollable princess that he can’t ignore. Maybe it’s the way her eldest sisters underestimate her. Or her bravery facing down dragons and mad queens from distant lands. Whatever the reason, Gruff is willing to fight by this human’s side. Not only for the entertainment value, but because she’s right. Beatrix must never be queen. So whatever he has to do, whoever he has to destroy, Gruff will battle beside Ainsley. Fast. Hard. And with absolutely no mercy .

The third bood in The Scarred Earth Saga also includes characters from Aiken's Dragon Kin series including Annwyl the Bloody, who plays a large roll in the war against Beatrix.

Do NOT start with this book. It will not make sense.

This series is so much fun. They are crazy, bloody (especially since Annwyl joined the cast), and super fast paced. Although this book is supposed to be Ainsley and Gruff's story, there is so much going on that they had to share this book with many, many people.
Be that as it may, this is a good entry to carry the plot forward in the series. I'm not sure how many more there will be, but since the Farmerson family has many children and wars take quite some time to win, there could be quite a few more books. I am here for it.

Mayhem and shenanigans are what makes every G.A. Aiken book so entertaining. This is the 3rd book in The Scarred Earth Saga and I do recommend reading the previous two books to understand what's going on here.

Annwyl the Bloody and her dragons have crossed the mountains to find out who is enslaving children after finding some escaped slaves on her land. It may not sound funny, but trust me. The meshing of the Smythe-Farmerson family and the Dragonkin characters make for pure comedy delight even with the gory, bloody, violence that always takes place. Or maybe because of it. And if you find yourself wanting to read more about Annwyl and the crazy dragons that are her kin you're in luck - there's a whole other series you can binge on after reading this.

This story is loosely based on the developing relationship between Ainsley, Queen Keeley's sister, and Gruffyn the centaur of the Torn Moon Clan. Ainsley is known to hide in trees to get away from her outrageous family; Gruff speaks primarily in grunts and was named Keeper of the Grudge for his clan. Together they play their parts in the fight against Ainsley's other sister, the evil Beatrix.

As with previous stories, romance takes the back seat and we get a fantastical romp full of bickering siblings, undead horses, war monks, centaurs that don't get along and having been holding grudges for 7,000 years, dragons, and the Dark Plains Queen who is known to be insane and has a terror inducing scream but likes to read.

For some reason I had it in my head this was going to be a trilogy, and I'm thrilled that I was wrong and we will be getting more books with these crazy characters. Looking forward to the next one!

I love this series. I was drooling to get my hands on the newest installment. I should have taken that time while waiting to read G.A. Aiken’s previous series about dragons. All of the main characters from that series show up, and I feel I would have had a better handle on this book and found more joy if I didn’t have to get introduced to them and their quirks.

This is still an enjoyable book with hysterical characters, but most of the time was spent getting a handle on many new characters.

The romance between Ainsley and Gruffyn was sweet. It was also interesting to have different-minded (aka battle-hungry) centaurs.

Maybe I’ll read her other series and then reread this one. It’s not going to happen, but it’s a nice thought.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

Omg this book is so funny! If you like wacky and roll on the floor funny this book is for you as a matter of fact any book by this writer is for you!! A 10+ read!!!!!

Aiken aka Shelly Laurenston has been a favorite author of mine for years and I love this new fantasy romance series. Not only is the world building incredibly well written but the characters are kick-butt women and fantastically loveable heroes whom you will root for. While the book slants more heavily to the storyline then the romance don’t think there isn’t some slow burn steamy on page sex. I can’t wait to see what’s next in this awesome saga. This is the third book in the Scarred Earth Saga series and I strongly suggest reading them in order, so check out the first two books, The Blacksmith Queen and The Princess Knight.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books, Kensington in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Shelly can do no wrong, I love her writing and characters.
I found this book evolved a lot less around the relationship of the main characters and more on plot building for the coming books. For some reason I did think that the series would end after this book and it took my head a while to come to terms that we weren't going to have an ending.
Good story, great characters, I look forward to the next book. But hopefully not too many more after that (in this series) Beatrix needs to die!