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

This review is for an ARC provided by NetGalley.

🖤Prince of Never🖤

🖤Description
Imogen is a librarian at her university with an interest in fantasy & the supernatural after a vampire attack that everyone told her she was crazy for believing happened.

Tarian is the prince of the Unseelie fae court. When given his true name as a child, he was also given the prophecy of a woman being the downfall of the Unseelie crown.

As Fate would have it, this woman is Imogen. In order to prevent the prophecy, Tarian goes to the mortal realm to kill Imogen. But as soon as he touches her, their mating bond snaps for him and he cannot hurt her.

🖤My Thoughts
I didn't find much in this story that was unique. The personality of Imogen shifted so dramatically from her introduction to when she meets Tarian, and it makes everything that happens less believable. She is introduced as shy and practically afraid of her own shadow due to a vampire attack. But once in the fae realm, she climbs down poisonous vines and runs off into danger practically every other chapter?

I enjoyed the oracle satyr as a funny side character, and he probably had my favorite dialogue. Otherwise it was just kind of meh. Lots of broody Tarian going "this mate bond is a curse" followed by him being upset that Imogen tries to escape again.

I think if you are looking for a fae romantasy, there are a lot of better options out there. There are some interesting directions that I could see this story going with Imogen's past being revealed!

Summary:
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. One who poses a serious dilemma. How to take his crown when he can't remove the one thing standing in his way?

Title: Prince of Never
Author: Lorelei Johnson & Hailey Jade
@loreleijohnsonauthor @haileyjadeauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🌶️🌶️ 2/5

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Human/Fae Romance
Fae World
Dual POV
Hidden Identity
Fated Mates


Triggers:
Complicated Family Dynamics
Emotional Abuse (not between MCs)


Whitney’s Thoughts:
Prince of Never is a great fae romance with my favorite trope of fated mates. Imogen is smart and sassy even in the face of unknown danger, and Tarian is a grumpy prince who is still lovable. The secondary characters are funny and add some great comic relief to some of the tension in the book, and the Unseelie Queen makes for a great villain. I can’t wait to read more and find out what Solas is all about and how Imogen and Tarian move forward!

The first book of a fantasy series that promises a lot !

I've always had a weakness for series with Fae and when there are cruel and grumpy princes, it's even better !

What I particularly liked :

- the universe with the creatures, each more dangerous than the other, and the organization with the different courts ...

- the plot around this famous prophecy (I'm almost sure I've guessed what it means =)) but also the secrets of the characters which are revealed throughout the pages (especially those of Imogen !!)

- the secondary characters very endearing (special mention for Ves who I really liked =D)

BUT I must admit that I would have liked the universe to be more developed and that we had more explanations and the main characters frustrated me a lot !!

Imogen was endearing and I felt so bad for her during each ordeal but she also frustrated me a lot because she trusts anyone she met and she doesn't think before acting or speaking (when she publicly insults a certain character or flees without really having a plan ...)

Tarian spends part of the book being in denial about his connection to Imogen (making Imogen pay for it by the way) and then he acts like an idiot (the thing with the name ... seriously COMMUNICATION !!!)

I would read the rest with pleasure because I am curious (and I would really like to see Imogen gain self-confidence <3)

In short, a fantasy book with Fae and romance that I read with pleasure

PS: to the publisher and Netgalley, thank you so much for the ARC =D

I am obsessed!

This book has such a strong start that I was immediately hooked.

The fae world is familiar but not boring and overdone. I really enjoyed how the authors employed typical troops but not in the typical way. Everything felt very fresh and unique, but maintained the favorites that we all know and love: fated mates, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, only one griffin.

I really enjoyed their take on the mating bond. Nothing was innate. Every part of the bond had to be triggered by certain actions and choices. It kept me interested.

Our MMC Imogen turned out to be this incredibly sassy and stubborn person who wasn’t going to kowtow to anyone regardless of reputation, sharp teeth, magical powers, or royalty rank. She was consistent throughout which is making her journey fun to discover as its revealed.

Our FMC Tarian is wonderfully deep. We learn tidbits about his past that so perfectly explain why he is who he is, and the self doubts he has fight past really make his character arc emotional for the reader.

My biggest complaint is the best friends in the human world, Ivy and Ethan. For me, they were too much. Their personalities, their appearances. It was like they had to be so very extra to stand out against the strong characters of Imogen and Tarian, but it made me not enjoy the moments where they were involved.

I did, however, love the character Sarah. I found her to be a much more enjoyable side character and friend to the FMC. I look forward to her continued presence in Imogen’s life.

There is legitimately so much I enjoy about this book, and I am anxiously anticipating the next in the series as well as planning to devour everything by these authors.

Solid 3; while the writing could at times feel pretty flat, the dialogue had a contemporary, easy flowing feel that keeps you reading. I will still be keeping an eye out for the sequel, but it didn't wow me like I hoped it would.

Absolutely unputdownable. I finished this book in one day and I don't regret a single moment. Chores? Don't know them.

The amount of angst here is off the charts and I am living for it. Imogen comes from the modern world, which is completely different than most fae-human books, and tries her hardest to come back home. She is a stellar FMC that is not whiny nor is she unrelatably brave and strong. She is a fair mix between both that is enough to cheer her on when she is about to go bat shit to feeling her sadness when she feels it.

Tarian's moodiness makes even the king of angst, Edward Cullen (in Midnight Sun, might I add) himself, look like the telly tubby's sun. But, he has the reason to be full of anger and weariness. His life kinda sucks.

I enjoyed even the side characters. Ethan of course, what a cutie. But Ves and Sarah as well. I am hoping for a little more cross over of Ves x Ethan shenanigans in the future, but we will see!!

The snark and light humor in between the dark pieces helps a lot with breaking out the drama. But, the tension? The star-crossed lovers meets impossible fate? Chefs kiss.

The book does seem slow, but it has book 1 struggles of laying down the plot and characters with nothing much happening. However, it was excellent and delicious overall.