3/8 stars!

This book was mediocre for me. It was just..., not horrible at all. All right. This is certainly totally up your alley if you're looking for a fast read that covers all the typical romance clichés with a fantastical tale about fated mates and fairies. The plot moves quickly and has a hint of spice, and the major characters are compelling.

I think this book just wasn't for me. It's a very trope orientated and same-y novel that I've read multiple times before. The writing was good, I just strive for more originality in the books I read. Not my thing, and it will be others, and thats okay!

3 stars

For me this book was just okay. It definitely wasn't bad, it was just... alright. If you're looking for a quick read which hits the usual romantasy tropes with a fantasy story about fae and fated mates then this is probably right up your street. The main characters are interesting, the story is fast paced, has a sprinkle of spice.

However, I found the story wasn't too original and falls into the the usual captive romantasy plot and became very predictable fast. This is also marketed as enemies to lovers, however they are enemies for like 5 seconds and this is mainly through the FMC escaping and MMC catching/saving her. Now don't get wrong this was entertaining and for a quick read I enjoyed it, but it did not blow me away or have me giggling and kicking my feet.

Would I read the next book? Maybe. I saw pretty quickly where the story was going, but it could be interesting to see how the authors develop the story, there were some elements to the plot that kept me interested to finish the book.

Overall if you love reading the easy-read tropey romantasy captured by (insert mythical love interest here) I think you would enjoy this but I think there are better books that hit these tropes and keep the story original and entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I tried really hard to get into this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.. the plot was in many ways predictable and whilst i dont necessarily see that as a bad thing it was not enough to keep my attention.

Thank you so much, Netgalley, for giving me an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was enjoyable, but utterly predictable as it followed the plot I've seen dozens of times in other books. An ordinary girl gets abducted by a dark Fae prince for some sacred reasons who places her in his castle and despises her very much. And she is trying to escape back to the human world, but, of course, unsuccessfully. I can't stop for rolling my eyes here, because so many books start like this one. Of course, it is complicated with the Prince; he has issues, his family has issues and there is some awful prophecy as well. Okay. This story has a right to exist, because for some reason I loved the secondary characters much more than Tarian and Imogen. Well, I can't deny I love the presence of the Fae world in the books, and I appreciated the idea of the garden that defends itself.

I might read the rest of the series because I am interested how this dark prophecy rolls out after the ending of the book one, so I place my hope in the sequel.

This book was giving acotar vibes which I loved but the chokehold acotar has me in meant I kept thinking of acotar throughout and it made it really difficult for me to see this as its own. I felt like it jumped around a bit which made the story not flow very well but it was still an enjoyable read. I'm disappointed in the relationship development between Tarian and Imogen. I've read a few books recently where it goes from 0 to 100 with no development between the characters which is really frustrating and it doesn't make the relationship feel authentic, or believable. I thought the ending cliffhanger was quite anticlimactic and felt a bit like an easy way out to end the book. I'm still eager to read the next book in the series but the ending did not have the impact it should have.

This high-fantasy enemies-to-lovers romance is an enchanting and imaginative read. Imogen, a shy librarian, is kidnapped by Tarian, a broody fae prince. Their fated mate bond complicates their relationship as they navigate a dangerous realm and a foretold prophecy. The push-and-pull dynamic between them is captivating. The world-building and fae storytelling are familiar yet compelling. While the romance develops quickly, the ongoing series promises more obstacles and growth for the characters. The cliffhanger ending leaves readers eager for the next book. Plus, the cover is stunning.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the authors for a digital arc!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I absorbed this book in two days mainly as I really enjoyed the mosen, sharp dialogue between the fae prince and the human MC.

Things I really enjoyed:
⚔️ ❤️ The Enemies to Lovers trope. Some great back and forth and 🌶️ scenes!
👄 How every character was easy to remember because their voice was so different. I got straight into the story without having to remember lots of names and settings.
❤️ I really enjoyed the romance. There is a lot of chasing but I love a good chase scene!
✨ The magic. There was so much subtle magic throughout that the world developed easily.
😡 Some great characters/villains to truly hate/rile you up!

Things that confused me:
* I really liked her bestie but wasn't sure on him cropping up and was even more confused if he was ever truly there or not.
* Pace - some chapters I wanted more but overall I LOVED that it was short and easy to read.
*Solas King - I wanted to know more about the Unseelie Court but I'm ready for book 2!

I'd recommend this book to adult fans of The Cruel Prince and also fantasy lovers to enjoyed The Twisted books.

I will be reading the sequel!!

Thank you @netgalley and @loreleijohnsonauthor for a chance to give this my honest review. Prince of Never is the captivating first book in the Curse of Fate and Fae series with Duel POV, fated mates, political intrigue, and star-crossed love.

💭Review: This is the story of Imogen feeling out of place or abused her whole life and unsure of how to move forward. When she is taken from her home by her fated mate seeking her out to kill her, she is willing to risk everything to leave him for the comfort of her home.
The biggest problem with this book is that we just feel sad or Imogen the whole time. There is nothing (other than fated mate bond) that makes the reader root for Imogen and Tarian to be together. They hate each other, he treats her terribly, they both have poor communication, and side characters have to explain a lot to Imogen.

Some good parts of this book include the spice being interesting, the banter is cute when they get to know each other better, and that there are real consequence for characters actions. Overall, I think that the second book has room for improvement ❤️

This was a quick read that was pretty straight forward. The dual POV is nice as it breaks things up a bit, but overall it could lean a bit cheesy. I'm not sure if one author wrote one POV and the other author the second POV, or if it was a complete joint effort. Nice palate cleanser after reading some complex, heavy books lately.

This high-fantasy, enemies-to-lovers romance, between a human woman with a whip-smart tongue and the broody fae prince who steals her away from everything she once knew, is an enchanting, imaginative, and sexy new read for romantasy lovers to sink their teeth into.

When Imogen, a seemingly shy librarian with a muddled past, finds herself kidnapped from our world by Tarian, a fae prince with ulterior motives, she is quickly thrust into a magical realm full of danger and duplicitous royal scheming. To make matters worse, she finds herself saddled with a fated mate bond to the moody prince—who can’t seem to decide whether he wants to kiss her or kill her—made more complicated by a foretold prophecy that marks Imogen as the destined downfall for the unseelie court Tarian is meant to one day rule.

The romance aspect of the story had a fun push-and-pull to it that always makes me favour enemies-to-lovers pairings in my romance reading. Imogen was ballsy and combative, not taking a single shred of Tarian’s bossy demands, fighting at every turn to try and get home and out of the mythical hellscape she finds herself a pawn in amongst the powerful high fae. Tarian, also stubborn and headstrong, and trying to deflect the prophecy he’s weighted under, doesn’t expect Imogen to be his mate and is rightly perplexed over the increasingly complicated dynamic he now shares with his destined lover AND destroyer.

I’d argue that the shift from disgruntled enemies to impassioned star-crossed lovers came perhaps a bit fast for my personal liking, but the fact this is an ongoing series and the last act left their relationship and their fate up in the air to be continued, settled any qualms I initially had, knowing that there will be a lot more obstacles and growth to be found for these two before they reach any sort of well-earned happily ever after. What can I say, I like to make them work for it and I think this series will deliver in that respect.

As far as fae storytelling and world-building is concerned, this felt both familiar and compelling to me. With warring fae courts, Beltane festivals, and depraved high fae hunts of the lesser beings for their own twisted delights, this story kept a decent pace and wove many fae folklores, themes, and archetypes nicely into the story.

This story does essentially end with a cliffhanger (of sorts), and the wait for book two will no doubt be a pain in my arse, but I think I enjoyed myself enough to be intrigued by the road this story will take in future sequels.

Also, that cover! *chef's kiss*

This was a pretty easy read. A little bit boring and cheesey. I typically don't love enemies to lovers either.
Didn't necessarily love it and it took me a while to finish. Thank you Netgalley & Lorelei Johnson for the ARC.

I liked the idea of this book – not that it’s anything new, of course – but I’m not sure it was executed that well.

The plot was simple, and mostly what you would expect. I did like the fae realm setting, and it felt a bit different other other fae-heavy books I’ve read. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but it was quite fun to read in that respect.

Overall, it was an okay fantasy read. While it didn’t grab me in perhaps the ways I thought it would, after reading the synopsis, I did enjoy reading it. I wouldn’t read it again, and I probably won’t read the second in the series (I assume there will be more than one book), but I appreciate not every book is for everyone.

I have been reading way too many romantasies lately because this one did not hit the mark for me. I miss the ache of love and yearning.

I first want to thank NetGalley and the author for making it possible for me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Let's start by talking a little about the plot itself.
Imogen is a simple, yet complicated human that works at a university and often feels a little crazy (well... if we all had been attacked by a supernatural force that left a mark we can only see ourselves... we would all think to be a little loony too). She’s seen things others can’t... so it is obvious she is imagining it. Right?

Wrong.

Enter Tarian, a fae prince. He’s the prince of darkness, and people fear him (I must admit I did not see or found a funded reason for this nor did I feel other people were scared of him. I think it felt like the natural always seen and read respect among someone who is the boss with super powers and mommy issues). His mother, queen of the unseelie court, won’t let him have his birthright until he takes care of the one who has been fated to make him destroy the unseelie court as it is (again, mommy issues. Hello? Freud ... anyone?. Since none of his people can’t seem to take care of the issue in the human realm, he’ll have to do it himself. Only he did not. Cause of the whole mates for life thing.

This is a two POV book, alternating between Imogen and Tarian. Which I love because I always like to check perspectives when reading an enemies to lovers book. Just to check the toxicity level of it all. Jk.

It ends on a cliff-hanger with heartbreak and betrayal and questions left unanswered.


Things I liked:
- Enemies to lovers
- Double POV
- A strong, independent, stubborn enough main character.
- The betrothed was a well grounded, not full of herself woman. And I'm always here for it. I hate when the supposed "bride by order" is stuck in the mindset of power and being Queen and lover of the King. And also we could have a future sequel with her finding her mate.
- Tarian was not the monster, abusive, scary monster he was painted to be in the synopsis.

Things I did not like so much:
- I feel there was so much missing. I would have loved for Tarian to have been a part of the human world a while longer before taking Imogen to his realm. I didn't have time to grow fond of Ethan or her other friends. Felt too quick.
- Why was Tarian feared? I felt like everyone said it, but did not show it. His mother was the b****. She was the ruthless, mean girl, powerful feared queen. Not Tarian. Felt like that title was just imposed on his character by default of the whole enemies to lovers/ mates/rulers of realms scenario.
- And why not making a scene where Imogen finds Tarian after being tortured by his mother?
- The betrayal was just a fault in the communication between main characters. And I hate that. IMOGEN was also a victim of being forced to say and do things against her will by the queen and she still did not understand Tarian did not betray her on purpose?

I give this 3 stars because it did its purpose and entertained me. I would like to have an amazing SEQUEL, so I will be waiting for that.

A quick and easy fae fantasy read. I love fast pacing, but I couldn't connect to any characters in this one. If you need a quick romantasy read to get you out of a slump, this could be the book for you.

I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers or fated mates/soulmates so this was right up my alley. I love the sassy banter between the characters and the fact that we have a morally grey love interest is hook line and sinker for me. Loved it, had everything I was looking for, strong female character, morally grey love interest, fae, slow burn enemies to lovers and more!

sweet and sexy! loved the feel of the star-crossed lovers!! new author for me and i really loved the writing style!

⭐⭐rating
?? spice

DNF-ed @ 38%. Was so fucking corny. Could not handle this story.

REALLY TRIED TO HOLD ON FOR THE SPICE. I just cannot do these types of books where the FMC is touted as being a strong female character but just sucks? Author really tried hard with the librarian trope but also she doesn't seem to be particularly well-read (and I say that as unpretentiously as humanly possible).

Absolutely hated her desire to escape at all times (with zero to no plan btw), always be rescued by the love interest where he tells her repeatedly not to do it again, and she responds the.same.way.every.time.

What probably didn't help was that imprisonment romances aren't really my vibe. Piled on with the maid aspect in the vein of "you might as well work while you're here" really were the straws that broke my desire to try to get through this. It was giving vibes that the spice would be good, but I hated both of the characters I ultimately didn't care.

Regardless, grateful to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Voluntary ARC review
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️ /5
Top emojis used: 😂😏🥹
Spice level: 🌶🌶/5
Favorite highlight: ‘You know, Tarian, they say that a man often meets his destiny on the road to avoid it. Do you think that’s true?’

This was such a cute story. Dual POV, which I love, but does end on a cliffhanger. But after reading this book, I will definitely be reading the next installment to piece together the 🍞 crumbs that were dropped all over. The plot was a bit predictable but to me, this was a fairly decent story.