Okay, I LOVED THIS and you will too.
This book does NOT have a slow start, instead there is so much excitement and anticipation starting in the first few chapters. Once I started reading, I simply just could not put it down until it was over.
In the beginning we are introduced to our FMC, Imogen. She is a librarian currently working on campus, a wallflower due to some past complications. 12 years prior to where we meet her she was attacked at a night club, by a strangely attractive man with sharp eyes and pale skin. Doctors and police shrugged her off as crazy since all of the evidence (literal fang marks on her neck) could only be seen by her. Since that attack she walks through life with a brave face, and a fear for seeming crazy. Just when life gets a little normal for her, she is attacked by another monster. Since mace is illegal she sprays her new attacker with deodorant and hits him with her car. Turns out the monster man who attacked her in the parking lot works for a Fae prince who is trying to get ahold of her. Imogen unknowingly has been written of in an ancient prophecy, foretold to be what brings the prince to his knees. He needs to find her and kill her, except when he does find her killing her is the last thing he's able to do...so he basically kidnaps her instead and the adventure begins.
Imogen is sassy, and despite all she has been through she is brave, and witty. She is the female lead of my dreams! Absolutely perfect and makes any scene feel fresh and exciting. She single-handedly is impressive enough to want to keep reading about.
Tarian the Fae prince, our MMC is dark and seemingly made of stone and scary to all who work for him or know him until Imogen abruptly lands in his dangerous kingdom. We find out he has a softer side to his not so charming character defects. I loved how sarcastic he could be, and his over protectiveness. Honestly when I learned about his past and what has happened to make him become who he is, I felt all the emotions and wanted to hug him.
If you love enemies to lovers, banter, betrayals, rivalry between courts, fated mates, modern Fae, magical worlds, a singular sassy griffin, and so so much more you will love this as much as I did. Also their take on fated mates and magic systems were so good, it definitely kept things interesting.
Thank you so much to NetGally and Xpresso Book tours for this ARC, I'm so happy I got to read something that made me happy and excited! I can't wait to read what comes next from Lorelei and Hailey! #PrinceOfNever #NetGally

Prince of Never
Lorelei Johnson & Hailey Jade
⭐️ 4/5 🌶️ 2/5

If you enjoy romantic fantasy with enemies to lovers, fated mates, a steamy cramped storage room moment, and witty banter between a sassy human librarian and morally grey fae prince then this book is for you!

Summary: Imogen is a librarian who has grown up being told she is crazy for claiming to have been attacked by other-worldly creatures. Her fears are confirmed when she is kidnapped by Tarian, the Unseelie Prince, and taken to another realm. Tarian has grown up with a cruel mother as Queen and told he is cursed to have a mate who will bring down his court. Tensions fly between the two as they discover more about themselves and their unwanted bond.

Review: Overall, I loved this book! The authors did a great job of making me strongly dislike Tarian before he began to redeem himself (although he still has a way to go). I loved Imogen’s journey of self-discovery and character development. She learns how to stand her ground, and is not afraid to share exactly what’s on her mind. The tension and spice between the two was chef’s kiss! The story featured several magical creatures such as satyrs and griffins, which I really enjoyed. It is easy for romantic fantasies to be formulaic, but elements such as these helped differentiate the story. I wish Ethan’s character and backstory had been more developed, as he seemed to just pop in at perfect moments with little explanation. The ending left me wondering what happens next, and I will definitely be reading the next book in the series!

You might like this book if you enjoyed:
- A Fate of Wrath & Flame
- What Lies Beyond the Veil

Thank you to the authors and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Firstly, happy *almost* pub day to this beauty of a book, which is out tomorrow, 9/25! I can’t wait for other folks to get a piece of this exciting first installment in a new fantasy series by Lorelei Johnson and Hailey Jade!

Admittedly, I haven’t read anything from these authors before, nor did I have an idea of what I was getting myself into when I began this book. I had been drawn to the cover and the title, and thought I’d give it a shot. Ohhhh how glad am I that I read this. This book starts with the bones of a pretty classic Beauty and the Beast retelling, with a kidnapping of our heroine librarian, Imogen, from the human world into the fae realm by the Unseelie Prince, Tarian. From there, however, the book diverges in all the best ways.

To start with: Imogen has a fire and spunk to her that is so easy to root for. She spends a lot of the book trying to get back home, and though numerous roadblocks begin to make that effort more and more difficult, her headstrong attitude and refusal to cow to her surroundings is endearing, believable, and refreshing. Tarian is your typical morally grey, sexy and brooding grump, but the kernels of ✨broken, soft boi✨ that we see are heartbreaking and makes the reader want to give him a big hug (or, at least, I did).

The story also puts its own spin on fated mates, a trope that usually isn’t my favorite for what feels like a lack of agency, but it is cultivated so well in this book that I actually found myself pretty feral for the way the subsequent romance was written around it lol. For those wondering, yes, the spice is also fabulous when it happens, but the writers are good and make you wait for it till a bit past the halfway point.

Complete with a slew of side characters I either was intrigued with or intensely hated, the world is fleshed out in ways that kept me guessing, and with one huge plot twist near the end of the book that had rippling repercussions—some that I could see coming and some that I couldn’t—the cliffhanger at the end left me on the floor staring at the ceiling, wondering how I am supposed to wait so long for the second book. For all of this, I give the book 4.5⭐, and a glowing recommendation for anyone who loves fated mates, hate to love, courts and political intrigue, and a very very headstrong heroine!!

*Thank you again to NetGalley and Xpresso Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was absolutely addicting. I read it in a day even with a four month old to take care of. I loved the writing style, the characters felt relatable and I liked that they were a bit older instead of the usual 18 year old we seem to get in most fantasy novels. While the romantic aspect of it could be seen as predictable, I still loved it just the same. My only real complaint with this book (apart from the ending that has me agonizing over what is going to happen next) is that I felt like some of the bigger plot points were glazed over - for example, when Ethan finds her in the fae realm for the first time and casually mentions he is half-fae and Imogen just accepts it without a second thought. Why did he never mention anything when she was obviously a believer, he also could absolutely see the scars on her neck - he never mentioned anything or made her feel less crazy for the things she thought and believed? Seemed a bit far fetched that she wouldn't have any follow up thoughts or questions about that. Apart from that - the world immersive, the world building was a really great balance between being descriptive without being too much and becoming hard to digest. I found some people saying they didn't think the romance was believable but I thought the author's did an amazing job of enemies to lovers, wanting to hate someone so desperately but longing for them all the same. I'm a sucker for fated mates. I can't wait to read the sequel!

4.25 rounding up

This is such a good fantasy that really hooks you from the start and has you so wrapped up in the story and sassy bater that you don't realize you're almost at the end.

Only one thing stands between Tarian and his crown: a woman prophesised to be his downfall. He'd expected a formidable enemy, but what he found was a human librarian. One who seems to have a penchant for recklessness and a serious lack of self-preservation instincts. One who poses a serious dilemma.

You'll find:
-Enemies to lovers
-Strong willed and sassy FMC
-Banter
-1.5/2🌶 spice
-Plot twist
-Vampires/Fae/deadly magical creatures

Prince of Never tells the story of Imogen, a human librarian who is spirited away by the big bad prince of the fae, who needs to end her in order to stop a prophecy from happening. Turns out they are fated mates and he literally is unable to kill her.
I really didn't enjoy the book. It was fast paced and the writing was ok, but the characters were absolutely insufferable. Imogen is very shy and sweet in the human world, but once in the fae realm she becomes this obnoxious, belligerent and rude person, even with figures of authority.
The MMC is an asshole with absolutely no redeeming qualities, so when they finally get together you find yourself wondering how did that happen. They haven't had a normal conversation in the book and they say they have feelings for each other but don't actually show it.
Also, the worldbuilding was very poor. I have no idea what the difference between Seelie and Unseelie are, or where are they exactly, or the different types of fae.
Also, Imogen is an expert on all things fae but when someone points out that there are fated mates she's like "Oh and what is that exactly?". Really?
It was a quick read and a fast paced story at least, so there's that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy. All opinions are my own.

I first want to thank Lorelei Johnson, Hailey Jade, and NetGalley for this ARC ebook edition.

This book was great! I loved it! The enemies to lovers trope was perfect. The characters were wrote so well! I adore Imogen and I felt really connected to her! Tarian was so great! I loved him and that we slowly learned more about his past along with Imogens past throughout this story!

This book was absolutely unputdownable! I flew through it and was left wanting more!

2.5 stars ⭐️ a vampire bitten librarian who is the key to the prophecy the prince has been looking for

This was a quick read and fast paced. With that, I couldn’t really relate/empathize with the characters really, none of them even stood out and the MMC, in my opinion, was too much of an asshole in the beginning for me to even warm up to him. That being said I am not a big Stockholm syndrome trope girl and this is what it was kind of giving if you add in the “fated mates” in there too. Also, I feel that the FMC changed a lot when she got to the new lands because she started off as a very shy and panicky girl literally scared of everything to a girl climbing out windows and giving sass to people who clearly hold lots of authority. Regardless it was a fun read and went by quick, there were some plot points I didn’t expect so that was nice to be surprised too!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own

The Prince of Never, book one of the Curse of Fate and Fae series by Lorelei Johnson and Hailey Jade is to be published on September 25, 2023. I want to thank the publishers, Lorelei Johnson, Hailey Jade, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC copy!


My first thought of the Prince of Never is, I absolutely loved the strong main characters, Imogen and Tarian. I enjoyed their enemies to lovers relationship and their banter. I laughed out loud many times. I wasn't expecting the steamy moments between them and from this book, I was pleasantly surprised! Overall, I think all of the main and the supporting characters are well developed and are interesting. It didn't take me long to become invested in them!


I read, I should really say consumed, the Prince of Never very quickly! I read the book in a few short hours. Honestly, I didn't want the book to end, I had to know more! The plot is intriguing! I loved the concept of fated mates and I found the prophecy interesting. I wish there had been more information given about the prophecy involving Imogen and Tarian. I'm hoping the sequel will answer many questions that have been left unanswered regarding the prophecy and Imogen's role to play in it.


While there are two authors, I felt the writing was as one voice and the style was consistent throughout the book. Often with two writers the writing styles can be conflicting, I think Johnson and Jade did well with their collaboration of the Prince of Never. The dual point of views of Imogen and Tarian from chapter to chapter were also done in a manner that was concise and clear to the reader.


The cliffhanger ending took me by surprise. The ending came up suddenly and I was not mentally prepared. I generally do not like cliff-hanger endings in books. It's something most have come to expect from television shows, but with book series, I enjoy when each book has a clear ending and beginning. The ending is my only complaint with the Prince of Never. I can only pray that Johnson and Jade release the sequel, The Queen of Ever quickly so that my suffering in waiting will be over soon.


Definitely don't hesitate to pick up The Prince of Never, you will be hooked from the start. Prepare yourself to enter the realm of the Fae, the Unseelie and Seelie Courts, and to Shadowmire; you won't want to return to the Human realm!

"The Prince of Never" was an exciting read! There were a lot of plot twists that kept the story interesting and insisted on me to turn to the next page. I am looking forward to the next book in this series; it's going to answer a lot of pressing questions that I have revolving around the fate of our heroine.

An easy to read page-turner with some of my favorite tropes! Imogen's story starts out slow in the human realm but escalates quickly once she finds herself stumbling into the fae realm. I was not a huge fan of the beginning of Imogen's story where much of the dialogue and internal dialogue felt a bit immature but I was hooked once the main plot really started to develop! Prince of Never has a great cast of characters. Imogen and Tarian have great potential but I did find that their internal dialogue felt quite repetitive even as the story progressed. Ethan was a fun and mysterious 'side-kick' to the FMC and I also really loved Haddock and all of his rambling! I'm a sucker for the fated mate trope and Imogen and Tarian's chemistry was *chef's kiss*. I can't wait to read more in this series!

If you're a fan of Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer L. Armentrout you should definitely pick up this book!!

Firstly, thank you to the Authors and NetGalley for this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review. This book had everything for me. Enemies to lovers, fated mates, fae, slow burn and a strong female character. For lovers of ACOTAR and From Blood and Ash this one is definitely for you.

We start out with Imogen, who is a librarian with a interest in mythical creatures (go figure lol). But not everything is at it seems. After being attacked years before by what she believes to be a vampire, Imogen questions her safety at every turn. The problem is , no one believes her. When a second attack occurs and her credibility is again called in to question, Imogen is left to question her own sanity.

However, that all changes when she is attacked and swept away to the fae realm by Tarian , the unseelie prince. A prophecy has lead him to seek her out, however what he found isn’t what he expected.

Although this is a slow burn, the tension between the two main characters was greatly depicted and left me wanting to keep reading.

Excellent, simplistic world building that allowed me to see the Fae realm through the authors eyes . A great approach to fated mates that allowed for great character development and allowed us to delve into Tarian’s background.

A quick read, but one I could not put down and demolished in 24 hours. With an ending that has left me excited for the next in the series.

This one ticked a LOT of boxes for me! Story of the Fae that's rooted in mythology? Check. Enemies to lovers? check. Broody male with an attitude problem? Check. FMC that's a LIBRARIAN?? Also check.

Imogen is whisked away from the human world into the realm of the Fae so that she may be destroyed and prevent a prophecy of doom and destruction, and end Tarian's "curse." But of course, things aren't that easy and Tarian can't bring himself to kill her due to the small problem of them being fated mates. Imogen wants to leave, she wants to stay. Tarian wants her safe and far away with their bond broken, but also can't stand being away from her. Wants aside, there's the threat of war from the other court, an evil Queen, and danger lurking around every corner. What's a human girl to do?

Overall, I enjoyed the book and will read the next book in the series when it comes out. It's a very fast and straightforward read, no excessive world building or lore that often bogs down fantasy novels. However, that also means that it's...kind of boring? There wasn't really any plot development or conflict outside of "He hates me/She hates me" for the first 75% of the book, and I don't feel particularly connected to any of the characters--main or otherwise. I wish the book had been maybe 100 pages longer and devoted more time to Tarian and Imogen's character development, or given more lore/backstory/plot. But if you're a fan of the genre and looking for a fast read, this is probably for you!

This book was laugh out loud funny in so many places! I couldn't stop, it just kept me so sucked in to find out what would happen next. Imogen is a strong, sassy, and brave human girl who is kidnapped by the Unseelie prince, Tarian. His plan is to kill her to prevent a prophecy from fulfilling, but the moment he touches her, everything changes. I loved watching everything unfold between the two of them, especially because everyone around them had it figured out long before they did. Funny, spicy, and dramatic, I can not wait to see what happens next!

I ended up really getting sucked in (pun intended) right from the first chapter!

The characters were well written and developed, the fae world was really intriguing, and the fantasy element as a whole was really well done. A very engaging fantasy romance that runs along the lines of ACOTAR, but to be honest, this grabbed me even more from the beginning.

This was such a good read. The writing was really good, easy to read and I really couldn’t put it down. It gives acotar vibes but more heavy on the romance than the family/magic world. A perfect read for those that want a romantasy series. I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the world building was so easy to understand.

Lorelei Johnson and Hailey Jade did a fantastic job of creating the story with such evocative description it plays out as if you’re part of the vivid scenery. The protagonists alternate by chapter from Imogen to Tarian, giving us even more background, intel, and perspective while adding to the highly absorbing storyline. It took me a second to fully appreciate the characters, but I’ve got a thing for Fae stories, and factor in the inexorable bonds, gothic castles, imperious beasts, swoon-worthy talk of dark matter, and dying stars — this gem kept me reading late into the night. That ending tho 😩 I’m gonna need book 2 asap.

I cannot get over how much I enjoyed this absolute masterpiece 👏🏻

Every thing came together so beautifully for me that by the end I was DYING to know what was going to happen and even until the last sentence I was like !!!!!!

This itched my post ACOTAR scratch I didn’t know I had. The character building between Imogen and Tarian was *chefs kiss* and I couldn’t get enough of them and tbh I’m nervous the direction book two will go but also I want to read it RIGHT THIS SECOND because I’m going to heel over if I don’t know how this all plays out immediately 🫠

I first want to thank Lorelei Johnson, Hailey Jade, and NetGalley for this ARC ebook edition.

Imogen is a librarian at a local university. When she was younger, she was attacked by a vampire and bitten. The only problem with this story is... no one believes her. And nobody can see the scars on her throat. For years now, she's struggled with the truth she remembers and the fact it makes everyone else think she's crazy. Is she crazy?

When she's attacked again while walking out to her car after work, she's thrown back to those memories she can't trust. The man who attacks this time doesn't go for her throat, but his long claws on his hand gouge into the hood of her car. Again, though, it seems as if nobody else can see them but her.

The next night, she gets home to find a man in her apartment. His intention of killing her clear. After a brush of their skin, though, he seizes up and though the hatred is still clear in his eyes, he no longer seems to have the ability to cause her harm. Instead he whisks her away to the fae realm where he is the prince of the Unseelie Court. And Imogen? She's the center of a prophecy predicting his downfall.

I really loved this book. I loved the tension. I loved the politics. I loved the constant question of who you could trust and who was using careful half-truths to get what they wanted. There's tension throughout the entire story, making it so the book felt impossible to walk away from.

I will say, I really wish the prophecy would have been included as, perhaps, an epigraph at the beginning of the book. For the first half of the story, we're only really given vague notions of what it was, what it outlined, and how the prince saw it as unavoidable, even when his advisor urged him that some prophecies could be misconstrued. As it stands, we aren't given the prophecy in full until we're at least halfway through the book. And I would have really loved to try to unravel it throughout the whole book on my own.

As things come to light, a lot of my initial hunches about some truths that were being withheld proved to be right, so the plot twist, if you want to call it that, wasn't really much of a shock. However, that didn't take away from the story in the slightest. By the time I finished the last page, I was buzzing with the anxiety and tension of wanting to read more of this story. And I absolutely will as soon as the next book becomes available.

If you like fae realms, fated mates, cursed prophecies, and enemies-to-lovers, I highly recommend this novel. It's well written and will leave you at the edge of your seat long after you close the book at the end.

I absolutely loved this book, thank you for gifting the eARC!

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for fantasy romance, add in reluctantly fated mates that just can't help but be drawn together? *chef kiss*

From the very beginning we're thrown right into the mix, and the drama doesn't stop once. I might've appreciated just a bit more world building, especially if I was a new reader to the fantasy genre, but overall it was pretty easy to follow and keep up with the plot.

One of my favorite scenes was definitely the hunt, I viscerally felt the tension and adrenaline rush between all of the characters. (I didn't include this in my Goodreads review to avoid spoilers!)

I already can't wait to read the next book in the series, that ending has me dreaming up theories and all the possibilities of where Imogen will end up.

PS for the side characters, Sarah and Ethan are some real ones, and I hope we see some more comedic relief from Haddock in the Queen of Ever

My review can also be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5844888509