**ARC REVIEW**

I recommend this book for those who enjoy romance and fated mates with some enemies-to-lovers vibes.

"Destined to love him. Destined to own him. Destined to destroy him."

Imogen is a librarian who is prophesized to be Traians, the Unseelie Prince, downfall. Imogen is kidnapped by Tarian and taken to another realm, as he is trying to maintain some control of the situation. But when tensions start to fly between the two they both can't deny what is happening.
The plot of the story is like taking a deep dive and when you finally come up for a breath you are on the last page of the last chapter devastated it's over.

I enjoyed the slow burn of this story and the way the authors wrote the chemistry between the characters. It flowed with the storyline and kept me wanting more.

The Prince Of Never

I really enjoyed this book. The romance, the characters, the attitude from the main character. Overall I did enjoy reading this but there were a few things missing for me.

The writing wasn't very descriptive and I think it jumped into the storyline really fast and left nothing to the imagination.

I liked the plot twist and the cliffhanger.

There wasn't enough worldbuiling for me and there were a few repeated sentences throughout.

But overall a good read.

I really enjoyed this book even though it was a little too formula. Most of the plot line was predictable and told many times over in other stories, but I still liked it and look forward to reading the next in the series.

At first I was worried because I don’t like “bully” romance where the MMC is overly cruel to the FMC. Thankfully, it didn’t last long. Perhaps too quickly Tarian changed his mind, I prefer a lot of build up and tension and he seemed to become infatuated rather quickly. I loved the dual POV I think it just adds so much more especially with a romance aspect to a book. I loved the tension, the politics, and the witty banter. This book had lots of promise and I’m excited to see where book two goes!

If you enjoy romantasy or enemies to lovers then this book is for you.

Prince of Never, the first book in the Curse of Fate & Fae series by Lorelei Johnson and Hailey Jade, is a novel that I initially thought would underwhelm me as it went on after a strong start (especially with the interesting approach surrounding our leading lady’s mental health) due to it seemingly stuttering out due to the change of pacing and repetition grinding on me somewhat… although obviously not enough to declare it a DNF! But I was surprised by how strongly it picked up once it really found its legs though, so I highly recommend sticking to it if you find it starting to drag too if the setting interests you! In no way would I have guessed that I’d end up giving it a 5 star rating, which I based on the satisfaction I felt with the journey on the books completion and I’ll certainly be on the look out the the next in the series after it ends on a cliff hanger which left me wanting so much more yet still managed to be a satisfying conclusion to the story that’s played out so far. I’ll be checking out both of the authors other works too, absolutely!

It starts off in the ‘real’ world, where we meet our plucky yet introverted librarian and fantasy literature geek lead called Imogen. She feels plagued by the aforementioned mental health issues that she’s developed quite remarkable coping mechanisms for. I think this was dealt with in a way that didn’t trivialise mental health as a simple plot device and highlighted the issues of the care some patients within various modern day societies may potentially experience… especially the part where she tried to secure the help of the police. I do wish it was revisited a tad more towards the end of the book since I felt it humanised Imogen a lot. But yeah, it turns out that her concern and hallucinations are in fact very real (maybe?) and she finds herself whisked away to a dimension ruled by the High Fae by none other than the Prince of the Unseelie Court himself, Tarian. He wants her dead since poor Imogen finds herself at the centre of a prophecy which predicts that her link to Tarian as being the downfall of the Unseelie Court itself. Although he faces an unfortunate dilemma (well, for himself) as he discovers that he’s bonded to her, which in turn leaves him physically unable to harm her neither directly nor indirectly. As he tries to learn about the nature of the bond and if there is a way to break it, Imogen understandingly tries her best to get the hell out of there but learns of the many, many horrors that lay outside Tarian’s castle walls.

I was unaware that this was set in Australia and written by Australians going in, so that was another pleasant surprise for me! I’ve personally never read a book set down under with Fae involved so that was exciting too. I’ve been finding recent Australian fantasy novels to be very enjoyable to I just might have to seek out more!

To wrap things up, I found myself flying through the second half of the book as the plot ramped up to be strong and intriguing. Most of the characters retain their many flaws and I’m glad that they included Tarian’s POV otherwise I would have found myself absolutely loathing him and probably not able to find those shades of grey within his character if it had stuck solely to Imogen’s experiences.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the authors for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was such a quirky wonderful read!
As an Aussie myself, I had such a laugh at the Impulse quote. I choked, fell, and died all in that sentence. The I realised it was safe to continue (Aussie's can't take anythong seriously hahaha).

The story was fun, the world building was good and the character development was perfect.

Recommend for my paranormal & fantasy romance girlies.

Prince of Never is the captivating first book in the Curse of Fate and Fae series. If you like fated mates, political intrigue, and star-crossed love, then you'll love this seductive fantasy romance by Lorelei Johnson & Hailey Jade.

Pretty tropey, but still entertaining.

I was really rooting for this book! The beginning had me hooked and I loved the psychological elements that were presented. As the book progressed I started to hate the characters and kept getting so lost and confused.

Some of the issues I found:
- There was very little world-building. The book kept talking about the Seelie and Unseelie but never explained what this really meant or any kind of backstory.
- The main female character was very quiet and reserved at the beginning of the book and did a complete 180 once she was brought to the Fae world. She became rude and the feelings she had for the main character male was very teenager.
- The mate bond and relationship between the main characters made no sense to me. I understand that the mate bond would draw them physically to each other but they acted like they loved each other so deeply yet they never had any conversations.

I think overall the book had a lot of potential but just fell really short for me.

Didn't love this one... The MCs had no chemistry or tension. I didn't like the captive aspect or the lack of communication. The banter was good but this just fell short in many ways.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I really enjoyed this Fantasy Romance. The connection between the MCs was fire. I loved the tension and the guessing game throughout this whole book. I do wish we received a little bit more backstory on the prophecy but overall really good read. Very entertaining and you will fly through this one. Enjoy!

Thank you NetGalley for this copy.

This book was great in all of the classic romantacy ways. Dark magic, touch her and die, secret pasts, unexpected twists and turns and spice.

I read the book in one day as once I started I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I like that the world building wasn’t too intense and it got into the story right away with action.

There are some big unknowns I can wait to get the answer to… hopefully in the next book!

This was unfortunately, another addition to the pile of books that eagerly dabbles in popular book tropes yet fails to make the most of them. It was a quick read, and I must admit that it didn't demand much brainpower, but that's not necessarily a good thing. There simply wasn't much happening in the story that personally piqued my interest.

The romance, which should have been a focal point of the narrative, turned out to be a major disappointment. The connection between the main characters felt forced and lacked the depth and spark. It was, in a word, bland.

At the outset, the main characters showed promise, drawing me into their world. However, halfway through the story, it was as if their personalities did an abrupt 180-degree turn in the wrong direction, leaving me scratching my head in confusion. This unexpected shift in character dynamics only added to the overall frustration I felt.

The one saving grace was that it didn't drag on for too long. It was a brief read, sparing me from an extended encounter with its shortcomings.

Thank you, NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I really loved this book! From the first moment, readers are plunged into the action, and it totally hooked me. I read it in one sitting!
The fae world (both the Seelie and Unseelie courts) were familiar but the added details of Imogen's past made the story refreshing. I didn't feel like I was reading "just another fae book," if that makes sense. I really liked Imogen's character and how brave she was (even if she made stupid decisions because of it).
I also loved that this wasn't just an enemies-to-lovers story, but also a fated mates story. It really added an extra edge to the tension that was so captivating. Both POVs felt relatable and there wasn't one that I liked more than the other--although I am a sucker for the protective male voice.
Overall, this was a great read and I can't wait for the rest of the series!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book is for when you want an easy quick read. It has a little bit of all the main elements in fantasy romance- a little bit of plot, a little bit of smut, a little bit of romance, a little bit of character development. Subjectively, it’s just a little bit good. Nothing really stood out to me about the world-building or character development or plot, but I didn’t dislike the book. To me, it just felt a little run-of-the-mill standard fantasy romance, and while I finished the story- I think I’d probably recommend other books before this one.

Disclosure: I did receive a digital ARC copy of this via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This might be a 2.5⭐️ book if I could give 1/2. Since I can’t, I’ll round down. Proceed with caution if you want to read.

Tropes: Miscommunication, Enemies to Lovers, Fated Mates, Captive Romance

Synopsis: Imogen is a librarian stolen from her world by a dark and broody Fae Prince. She is stole due to a prophecy that states that she will be the downfall of said dark, shadow-daddyish Prince's crown. Once in the Fae world she is held captive in his castle, where she is acting as a servant. Fate intercedes, and I’m actually not sure why…

My Thoughts: I did not really enjoy this book even though I finished it in about 24 hours.

Everything develops way too quickly in this book because it is only about 250 pages, but there is very little backstory or development so the reader is left with a ton of questions.The main female and the main male character don’t seem to like each other very much (and neither are particularly likable). There is little chemistry, even with the fated mates thing thrown into the mix. The fact that she is a captive, but a servant, but lives in a suite is really bizarre.

The character development and the world building does leave A LOT to be desired. Imogen goes from a sweet, homebody to a defiant, reckless, foul-mouthed, hot head. Weird change. Tarian seems more like a powerful (not sure the extent) abused puppy who bites due to a trauma response. What is the difference between all of the Fae? I dunno. What is literally any background on the characters? Not sure. What are all these powers that Tarian and Imogen possess? Not a clue.

There was a lot of predictability though. Imogen you know is Fae right off the bat and I assumed she is powerful. Tarian is not thought through as a character at all. You know they are going to go through with the mating bond. I knew that Sarah was the daughter that she was switched with. You know that he is going to give up her true name (which is weird since his whole being wants to protect her, so why did he let her tell him?), you also know that she is the key to the prophecy, but only to break down the prophecy and remake it into one kingdom. I assume that she will be the Queen and Tarian will be the consort.

I did find a few story inconsistencies/plot holes/spelling errors that I am sure will be fixed before the book is released. I won't be reviewing on social media since this was less than 3 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Lorelei Johnson for my ARC copy of this book!

Tropes in this book:
fated mates
enemies to lovers
forced proximity
prophecy

This book was such a fun read, I really enjoyed both Imogen and Tarian, our FMC and MMC. I typically prefer the FMC be the main POV with only a few MMC chapters, but this book did a great job of having a POV that was fairly balanced between the two without making it difficult to read. Both Imogen and Tarian are well defined characters with complex backstories. The side characters we meet along the way, Sarah, Ethan and Vys are also a ton of fun to get to know.

I always love a Fae book that touches on politics and has the Seelie and Unseelie courts, and this was no exception. The world and story felt familiar in the best way, and Lorelei provides enough world building to feel immersive and comfortable without bogging down the story or making it drag.

I hope Lorelei doesn't leave us hanging too long waiting for book 2 because I can't wait to read it!

I really loved this book and its premise. It was written for me and the tropes that I love and enjoy in all my books.

The plot was really interesting and definitely had me hooked right from the start. The characters at their base are just meant to fall in love despite the circumstances in which they're brought together (captive trope), however I found them really interesting and really enjoyed their relationship and dynamic by the end. It took me a minute to get there and vibe with it, but when I did I had a lot of fun reading this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really bad. I had to DNF at about 50% because the plot was going nowhere. The amount of cringy lines was over the top. The world building sucked. The relationship did not go well together. I really hated how surface level each character was, and how none of them had a big impact on anything. I really wanted to push through, but I just couldn’t. I’ve been trying for two weeks now and it just didn’t work.

Thank you to NetGalley to the digital copy.

This book was written well, it just wasn’t for me.

~This book was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I was skeptical of this book. Seemed like a lot of typical fae fantasy books in the beginning, but this novel really captured my heart and had me fiending for the next page!

A prophecy that a human woman will end a fae dynasty, a dark prince with control issues, and a seemingly normal human woman. What could possibly go wrong? 😝

Full of action, danger, enemies to lovers 🥵🌶️🌶️, and plot twists to die for! I was thoroughly entertained and I cannot wait to read the next book to fill the empty space in my chest this cliffhanger ripped out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the authors for this read! Only recommendation is to perhaps improve the cover art and provide a map of the world or a family tree for reference. I would also love to see more of the fae world described like the animals, monuments etc.