I adored this book. ADORED it. It's everything I wanted in a fantasy romance - full of rich emotional development, characters that are so flawed and faceted you can't help but be fascinated by them, and really fantastic worldbuilding with awesome magic. I loved every second of this, and highly recommend it to fans of T Kingfisher and those looking for fantasy romance that goes beyond cookie cutter and offers depth, warmth, and total stick-in-the-braininess. I can't get over how much I loved this!

Thought the characters were really interesting, it would have been great if it was a bit more fleshed out. We heard about this amazing backstory between the two MC's but didn't really get into it and that was a shame. Really liked the writing style and the world!

Included as a top pick in weekly June New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I’ve received this book as an arc through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I’ve never read any book by this author before, and was mainly drawn by the description of the book and the title. I didn’t realize it was a novella, and 75 pages long at that. However what was fit into those 75 pages thrilled me. I loved every minute of it and it felt like a more of a complete book than a book with 400 pages.

The actual plot of the story is a exiled Sorceress of one side of a war helps an army general of the other, after those in power turned against him and the people he fought to serve. From there it’s a slow burn (as much as it can be in 75 pages) romance between the two as they prepare to stop the war that is tearing the two countries apart.

The magic system, different systems of political power and the dynamics between two people who war has changed them forever choose to heal each other. I look forward to reading more from this author!

This was a fun read. I'm a sucker for good enemies to lovers. I enjoyed the way the main characters interacted with each other. A couple of times, it felt like the wording was running on and made it hard to follow. Not so much so that it pulled me entirely out of the story, but enough that I would have to go back and read over it again. The magic system was interesting. I know that this book was a novella, but I'd like to see more of these two. While they may have their HEA, I see them still having plenty of adventures and I can't get enough of their banter.

I really enjoyed this!

The context set up is great despite getting thrown right into the novella, honestly love it when authors are able to describe the world through story than plainly list things out (BORING!). Same with character development, it didn't take long to feel as if I've read the character description and already know their personalities!

The writing style was easy to read but elegant, not janky/novice-y or uselessly descriptive.

The story was so enjoyable it felt too short!!

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley (thank you!), and this is my honest review.

5 Stars!
Thanks to Netgalley and Casey Blair for this novella.
Great worldbuilding for so short of a span. The female main character is an intelligent badass. (the male character is great too but I have a soft spot for badass female leads) The blossoming relationship is really cute. All the character names are very unique. There is fun magical concepts. Somehow the author was able to fit romance, a war, politics and worldbuilding into 75 pages. Overall Excellent.

tl;dr
What would happen if the leads in an epic fantasy decided they'd rather be a cozy romance? This. This would happen.

Thoughts
I'm currently working my way through a couple really thick tomes, so having a novella to read quickly was a welcome change of pace. Although it has an enemies-to-lovers setup, we're dropped into the story long after the enemies portion, and the leads have pretty clearly been flirting with each other for some time. We get some fun banter and some tasty pining, but don't expect any all-out fights between them. The story is centered around healing, with some serious cottage core vibes for the most part, making this surprisingly cozy despite the fact that also there are armies and sorcerers all killing each other in the background. And while there are definitely some big set pieces and big battles at play, the core of the story is about two people learning to find love and healing together. A pleasant quick read for anyone looking for a cozy romance with a touch of magic.

Thank you to Casey Blair and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is not what I would consider an enemies to lovers romance. The leads used to be enemies and are now retired. Both never actually trying to kill each other because... the other was pretty? I don't really know. Throughout the entire story, there's no hint that they spent their lives as "mortal enemies" or really any kind of enemies. We're just told that.

This book is very poorly written. I read about 65% and realized I had no idea what was going on, and was too distracted by the poor writing to try to go back and understand. I constantly had to read sentences multiple times in order to understand what was being said.

Some examples:

"Varius, very recently Legatus of the Aurelian Empire - so recently he was still bleeding from his sudden departure - reminded himself of that firmly, as breathing grew increasingly difficult, as blood pooled in his armor and dripped down his lims, as he stumbled through the dark, ominous forest."

"And if it wasn't, he was going to show up already injured with nothing to offer her but problems she'd managed the impossible to leave behind."

"He had to believe he'd make it. He had no other choice now, his chances of surviving this reunion - if you could call it that when they'd never been on the same side of the war - merely astronimically bad instead of the definintely catastrophic future promised if he'd remained in the empire."

There's some dialogue that just doesn't fit the theme of the story either. A world of magic and wars, it's odd to hear relatively modern lingo.

"Firing the most successful legatus?"

"You're on my turf."

"It'll help you heal faster to get back in the game."

I'm sorry to say that I would not recommend this book at all.

I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers concept in the romance genre. The characters worked well in this universe and I loved the fantasy elements in this book. I loved the cover and thought it worked well in the universe. Casey Blair has a great writing style that works in the universe, I wanted more in this universe and glad I got to read this.

This novella was a light, entertaining read. It had the majority of the themes in current fantasy romances, that is to say: fantasy, romance, enemies-to-lovers, war, empires, and sorcery. The characters of Varius and Theira are well-written, and they are accomplished fighters in their own right; Varius is the greatest general in his empire while Theira is the Sorceress Transcendent herself. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the classic fantasy-romance stories, with convincing characters.

The world-building was persuasive, and the intentions of the characters from the soldiers of the empire to the other sorceresses were clear. The exact details on how to end the war were interesting, and it was enjoyable to read how each character contributed to the downfall of the current leaders in the world.

Personally, though Varius’s and Theira’s feelings were obvious to each other and everyone around them, I couldn’t relate to the romance at all. I was more invested in the fantasy elements and the novella’s fantastic premise of what-happens-when-your-arch-enemy-knocks-on-your-door-helplessly. Do you let them in? This was how the book started on a high note and intrigued me to keep reading (and truthfully, it was the sole reason I requested to review an ARC of the novella).

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this novel.

This is the cookie filling off-epic fantasy that I didn't know I needed. I love a good epic fantasy to sink my teeth into, and sometimes that's exactly what I want. But sometimes I want to indulge in the deeper moments, or focus on when something important occurs without having to walk the 1000 miles to get there. Done well it's extremely satisfying and indulgent. Casey Blair nails this. I loved this. I loved Theira and Varius and I thought our introduction to them was smart because while it's obvious they know each other from *before*, it's clear this is also a kind of brand new clean slate meeting. The characters are smart and humerous, and confident and respectful - it's delightful and frankly refreshing. It's easy to fall in love with them as they indulge their feelings for one another. This isn't insta-love, it layers the backstory efficiently and believably so that you are delighted for them getting to have a happy-ever-after together.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed reading this short novel. I loved the author's work in the Tea Princess series, and while the characters in this story are very different, all of the things that I loved are still there: strong characters, action, love (I love to understand characters, so a combination of internal narrative and "watching" their behavior is catnip!) and great off-screen history between the MCs. Highly recommend!

WOW!! AMAZING!! Thank you NetGalley and Casey Blair for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

FANTASTIC!!! What an enchanting and magical fantasy romance novella!! I really loved it so much!! 💜💜💜💜💜It has your enemies to lovers trope with the perfect amount of action, magic and romance. This is my first read by this author and now I want to go read her other books!

Varius and Theira have fought on opposite sides of a never ending war for years. Varius is the greatest general of the Aurelian Empire and Theira is a powerful sorceress and the only one to ever escape the war. When Varius finds himself betrayed by his own ruler he flees his land to the only place he knows to go which is to his enemy's cabin in the forest. Will Theira help him or will she kill him?

I immensely enjoyed this delightful novella and it deserves all the stars!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a fantastic enemies to lovers/rivals to lovers story. The characters are great, and the world building is intriguing. I would definitely be interested in more from this setting, though the story itself does not leave the reader unsatisfied at the ending. A fun fast read, and exactly the sort of romantic fantasy I look for.

While I (no surprise here) fully embrace the doorstep epic with intricate worldbuilding, a cast of thousands, and multiple braided arcs in a bricolage of emotional intensity, once in a while it's kind of a relief to get a short version of same. This novella is the "good parts" version of said epic fantasy--straightforward romance between two very powerful ex-enemies as they open a can of whoop-ass on the deserving. Ah-h-h-h!

This is such a sweet novella, full of magic and romance and two people ready to change the course of their lives (and their countries). Although the setting is different from the Tea Princess world, the characters are similarly lovable, funny and vulnerable at the same time. I gobbled this up. Fans of cozy fantasy and closed-door romance likely will too.

Varius and Theira are enemies. But injured and fleeing betrayal, he had nowhere else to go.

Sorceress Transcendent is an enemies to lovers novella with cozy vibes and cool magic. Varius and Theira were key combatants on opposite sides of an interminable war. They both wanted escape and to end the war that was brutalizing their people.
I loved the two main characters in this novella and how their relationship developed - rooted in the connection that was created by being longtime honorable adversaries, but together for the first time. There was great banter with a clear connection and heat between them (although it’s not steamy, more fade to black). I especially enjoyed Varius' interior monologue and the loving care he had for Theira. And did I mention the cool magic?

I would have liked the book to be longer because I so enjoyed spending time with the characters, but really the story was perfect just as it is.

I also loved Blair's cozy fantasy series the Tea Princess Chronicles - baby tea dragon, political maneuvering, and tea magic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Casey Blair for the eARC. I am providing an honest and unbiased review.

Readers of cozy fanfic like the Innkeeper Chronicles, rejoice! If this book was a cup of tea, imagine a blend that somehow manages to combine cozy, slice of life with larger stakes action in a surprisingly complimentary and delicious combination.

Sorceress Theira is a force to be reckoned with on her own turf, and perhaps... even beyond. Who doesn't love a clever, capable heroine that has earned it with honest, hard work? No insta-special-Mary Sue's here. Varius is equally as believable and likable. I was honestly pretty impressed at how much we learned about their characters in the length of a novella.

Interestingly, I found the first chapter less polished than the following chapters. But keep reading, you're going to like it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very fun novella. Theira and Varius were immediately very likeable, and I was impressed with the author's ability to fill them out and write their story so successfully with so few words.

The writing was so wonderful i immediately downloaded Coup of Tea to my digital library. I will look forward to following this author for future releases.