Warning, this book has rape in it. Overall I found the beginning of the book really confusing and wasn't sure what direction or how things happened. The ending has a cliff hanger. Overall an interesting book but lacking of details in the beginning which could be. confusing.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me.

The synopsis sounded very promising and exciting but the overall execution didn’t live up to those expectations, personally.


Plot:

I like that we didn’t get the answers to the whole story all at once, but a lot of the key puzzle pieces were missing here which ended up leaving a lot of gaps and question marks in the plot.

The story could’ve harboured more unique aspects, though this wasn’t much of an issue for me as I like revisiting similar fantasy plots. However, the plot read in a very contemporary way at times (‘hype’, ‘landfill’ etc) which was distracting from the setting itself.

The Culling was not as gripping as I’d hoped. It would’ve been nice for the MC to engage a bit more with it, which would then allow the relationship between the MC and the love interests to build up more evenly.


Characters:

I really wish the FMC from the synopsis and the intro chapter was the FMC that we got throughout the book. Khiara is described as an assassin but we’ve not actually seen this side of her at all in the book - she carries a knife but never uses it.

The love interests were not particularly likeable - I thought they forced a lot of affection onto the FMC (always kissing her cheek, her hands etc) which didn’t feel natural/convincing. The ‘dammit woman’ comments also were quite icky.

I liked Aisha and the scene in which she appeared, and I wish this part bore more significance.


Magic system / world building:

I feel as though clearly defining the main character’s abilities from the beginning would’ve avoided confusion and a lack of immersion into the plot for the readers. E.g there were inconsistencies regarding the consequences of The Cerise having red hair - at the beginning, the MC hides the colour of the hair because it’s dangerous to be seen with it and then in the next few chapters it starts to not matter anymore.
Things that are labelled as threats to the MC end up not having very much weight later on.

There were mentions of the forbidden forest peppered through but this was never explored in detail, despite there being an emphasis on it. I would’ve loved to see more of this, perhaps by marking it with an important scene, memory or character interaction.

The distance travelled between the different locations is a bit inconsistent - for example, the distance between where Ezra is held and the castle, and the journey from the West to Central Arcane.


Spice:

I didn’t expect the bit of spice that we got at the end which really threw me off. The build up between the love triangle felt rushed towards the end. The spice didn’t add to the plot and the reading experience would’ve been better without it. More importantly, I thought the explicit scenes were not appropriate/didnt coincide with the MC’s trauma that she experienced.

A quote I liked:
“I was born from fire and will never again die by its hand”

This was a quick read for me. I wanted to sit down and get it all done in one sitting but that unfortunately didn’t happen. However, when I did get to sit down and read, I was pulled in and engaged the whole time. The plot of the book was overall good and kept you wanting more.
Khaira is a Cerise and her kind is normally killed. People fear her type and do not want them around. Khaira is out for revenge for her family and isn’t going to stop at anything until it’s taken care of.
We are then introduced to two guys who catch Khaira’s attention. Bash is a charming guy who instantly clicked with Khaira but man does she get him wrapped around her finger and quick.
Then there is Riot who instantly won my vote. He was the perfect guy, witty, protective, sweet and had the looks. He was so protective over Khaira the whole time and didn’t want anything to happen to her!
The book left off on a cliffhanger which I hate but it just makes me want to read the next book that much more. The book was well written and kept you engaged for not only the plot but also the love triangle going on!

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the chance to read this book and give my honest review! Thank you, Bailey Black, for writing a book that kept me engaging and wanting more! I can’t wait to read your next book and more from you!

The Cerise

Thank you NetGalley and Bailey B for the e-ARC of this book for a review, this is a 100% honest review! There will be spoilers below so please do not continue if you do not want the book spoiled.

The Plot
Overall this book had a great concept, but was executed with too little detail. Part of what makes romantasy so gripping is the backstory, how an author pulls readers in to care deeply about their characters and their relationships and this fell flat for me.

I loved how noble, independent and perceptive Khiara was, she, at every point, seemed to be half a step ahead and I appreciated that we weren’t dealing with a damsel. However, her storyline of being an assassin was mentioned a couple of times but never really drawn into, it would have been interesting and pulled depth into the character if we had a bit more information into her past actions.

The culling is an interesting concept and I enjoyed the drama of the day of but give me more information on it! Why was it happening this year? How were each of the girls picked? Has it ever been done before? Loved that Bash was the prince, it definitely surprised me in a good way!

The Relationships
I understood her wanting to save a friend, (Ezra) but I didn’t care about him at all, we had two interactions with him, one where he was pining after her and she wasn’t letting him down gently and the other where he was under a spell. I didn’t particularly care about their relationship or if he was saved.

I liked how complicated her relationship was with her Uncle, I felt like it was a good representation of how complicated family can be. She very clearly was upset with him but still wanted to do what she could to protect him and their family home.

The Romance
I loved Riot, I loved that she ‘picked’ him, however they jumped into bed SO unexpectedly that it made my head spin, I would have loved more angst, more pining, but I’m a massive fan of slow burn so that’s just preference. 🙂
The immediate puppy dog love from the prince was confusing too, I never really understood where that came from right away. However I feel like that might be explained in the next book and that he might be using her for some nefarious plot and wanted to gain her favor quickly with flattery.

Overall, I really liked the book and I”m excited for the second one, the cliffhanger, amazing! I would have just loved to have more detail written on the relationships Khiara had!
Also loved the line “They say a lot of things to keep the women in this kingdom obedient. All of it is bullshit”. You tell ‘em.
3.5 stars :)

Ok first off, the cliff hanger has me hungry for the second book! I loved everything about this book! From the characters to the witchy vibes! I couldn't put it down! The Cerise was an unexpected 5 star read!

Forbidden powers, hidden societies, mortal enemies, multiple love interests, what's not to love?

Khiara is special. She has secret forbidden powers, & beautiful red hair. The men in her life can sense that she is special, & it seems everyone wants in on her magic. Two of the four main men in her life try to take from her forcefully, and one succeeds -leaving her on deaths door, but her magic saves her. Her focus from then on out is revenge... until her best friend decides he is no longer happy being a friend & tries to force her hand. Along the way, she meets a stranger, and his guard, who become allies and additional love interests to complicate things. All the while she still needs to exact her revenge & save her friend.
It seems "men want what they can't have, and a Cerise is the ultimate guilty pleasure."

I really enjoyed this story and will read any sequels - especially considering that cliffhanger ending!

Thank you netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really captivated by this book from what I saw in the synopsis, but unfortunately was left disappointed.

I will say, the premise of the book was really well thought out, I just wish it could have been executed better. I believe this will be a series but even with that some things just felt incomplete and forgotten about. Key elements were about main characters were hard to understand. I just found myself being more confused while reading and I just wish these elements were easily to understand.

Overall, this novel was not bad, the idea was really good and the story had potential to be told in a captivating way.

As an ARC reader through NetGalley, I delved into this book with high hopes, being an avid fan of fantasy novels. However, despite its promising premise, the story felt all too familiar, as if I've traversed similar plots numerous times before. One of the main drawbacks was the scattered narrative, with significant jumps that left me grasping for details that were never fully provided.

A glaring issue was the lack of clarity surrounding the main character's powers. It took me far too long to piece together their abilities, which hindered my immersion in the story. A more thorough explanation early on would have greatly enhanced the coherence of the plot.

Moreover, the portrayal of the love triangle felt forced and unconvincing. I was particularly unsettled by the romantic encounters involving the protagonist, especially considering her past trauma. The lack of agency she had in these moments, particularly in the wake of her traumatic experiences, was deeply unsettling.

While the book maintained a PG13 rating for the most part, the sudden shift in tone and content towards the end was jarring. The introduction of explicit scenes felt out of place within the overall narrative, disrupting the established atmosphere and detracting from the story's appeal.

In conclusion, this book offered an easy read but fell short in several crucial aspects. With a more cohesive plot, clearer exposition of supernatural elements, and a more sensitive approach to sensitive topics such as trauma and consent, it could have fulfilled its potential as a captivating fantasy novel.

Rating: 2.5⭐️

<b>4/5</b>⭐
<b>Spice Rating</b> - 1.5/5🌶️
<b>Genre/Trope</b> - Adult Romantic Fantasy, Love Triangle, Enemies to Lovers

This book starts follows Khiara who is a Cerise, a kind of red haired witch witrh magical powers, whose kind and kin are considered to be a threat to the Kingdom and were hunted down in the past. The book follows her as she sets out on a revenge mission which brings her into the palace and she is forced to participate in the Culling, a Tournament to determine which maiden would be the Prince's Consort and the future Queen.

First thought, this was a pretty easy book to get into. The starting set up for the rest of the story and the magic systems well. I usually have some starting trouble with fantasies and the first 100 pages are difficult for me to focus and keep track of all the new names, characters, places and magical objects being thrown at me. But here, I breezed through. It was also well written and gets right into the thick of it. I loved the characters as well. The second half of the book is very fast paced and engaging. Also, can we talk about how pretty the cover is as well?!

But, there were a few loopholes in the book that left me scratching my head. One of them were that her initial motive was as a revenge killer/assassin. This never gets explored or called back on later on in the book. Secondly, the love triangle that is cultivated here, lacks conviction, seems rushed and comes out of nowhere when she clearly has a better rapport with one of them over the other. I also wished the part with the Culling was longer and the characters had more time to develop a bond together.

This book also has some sexual content, references and deals with some mentions of past trauma as well.

Overall, a really good Romantic Fantasy that will have you up all night flying to the end of the book. I will definitely be continuing the series, especially after that ending! Very well done.

Pick it up if you want a Romantic Fantasy that is quick, fast paced, has easy world-building and lots of action.

<i>I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for providing a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I struggled, I mean seriously struggled to finish this book. I thought I was going to love it based on the plot/synopsis. It seemed to start off great, was a disjointed, tried to get back on track and then got lost in the "culling". I lost focus so many times, I found myself having to go back and read parts, which made enjoying the book almost impossible.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy! And thank you Bailey Black :)

See my goodreads review for gifs, and full review (meaning spoilers)

Fav Quote: "Dammit, woman,"
Gotta read to understand hehe

Spicy?: 3 Chili Peppers

I had to think for a second before writing this review!
There were times I was confused or slightly bored, BUT I didn't want to stop reading! I was very interested in the plot!

Part of my confusion was that she needs to be careful of her hair color, because it represents Cerise. And being a Cerise is a no no. Yet, in the beginning she hid her hair color, but later on, she flaunts it right in front of the kingdom? Confusing!

But the plot pulled me in! This is a quick, romance/fantasy/slow burn with some spice! And boy...when that spice hit... it hit good!


We are following Khiara, and she is a Cerise (witchy vibes). She's on a mission to take down every person on her kill list! We love that ;)

I might be what the world calls a Cerise, but I am not evil. At least, I don't think I am. I mean...sure, I kill people, but only those who deserve it.

But when she gets to her last name on said list...her best friend, Ezra, gets into some trouble. Speaking of trouble, how did no one in the tavern intervene on what was happening???

Anyway, she needs to save him! To be completely honest, I don't care too much about him. The amount of time to get to know Ezra was short before his situation happened. So, I didn't bond with him.

Khiara has to enter into the culling. This will grant her access to where Ezra was taken to. I am still confused how no one was phased by what happened. And when someone she knows dies... I didn't really feel sad.
So after this happens, the culling goes on like nothing happened. This is wild to me.

Bash- I won't get into too much about who he is...but let's just say he was pulling at my heart string. "I set you free, little bird"

I read reviews before reading, and I saw some say Riot over Bash.
And at first, I didn't get it. Bash is handsome and charming! Whenever he was around Khiara, it was YES! MORE BASH!

Slowly, Riot crept in and weaved his way into my heart. At some point, I forgot about bash and wanted only Riot. I wanted Riot so badly.

"Careful what you wish for, Princess"

And let me just say...Riot definitely knows what he's doing in the bedroom


The ending REALLY pissed me off. I'm not against cliffhangers at all, but this one really bothered me.
Even so, I enjoyed the book and wanting to read the second one! Hopefully, it comes out soon!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy this first book in a series. It was slower to start but then right as I was hooked and curious what was going to happen, next it finished …ON A CLIFFHANGER (but I do love those so I’m even more excited for the sequel). I wish the book was longer to flesh out the characters a bit more and expand on the world building a bit more. I would have liked to see the magic explored a bit more. It was just beginning to elaborate on the different elements of the magic system so I’m looking forward to see where that goes in the next book.

I loved how much of a badass the FMC was. She had been through so much and refused to tolerate any crap and protected those around her from abuse as well. I really liked seeing her stand up to the others girls and look out for Jinx (though something is definitely going on with her in those final scenes 👀).

THE ROMANCE - wooooh I LOVED how that played out. So of the two MMC in this book I’m definitely favouring one over the other. One is just too nice and charming, I’m highly suspicious. The other is just sassy and an asshole so of course I love him 😂 (can you tell I’m a Delena Stan?) I’m a huge enemies to lovers fan so this was right up my alley. I wish we had more scenes but I can’t wait to see how that continues to unfold in the next book.

This book is perfect for those who love:

➾ Romantasy
➾ A touch of Enemies to Lovers
➾ Witch in a world where magic is illegal
➾ Royal Competition (think The Selection)

Readers should check TWs before going into this because there are darker elements.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bailey Black for letting me read the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you loved the Crimson Moth then this is the perfect book for you. This book had such fast pacing which hooked me from the start. This book follows Khiara’s journey to save her friend that has been cursed but leads her to be tangled in a competition to be the princes bride. Khiara is a witch/cerise in a world where they have been hunted. It is a single POV and as a FMC she is just so funny and relatable.
It hit so many of the tropes I love:
>Witch + Witch Hunter
>Hidden History
>Multiple Love interests
>Rescue mission

This book ends on a cliffhanger which is usually expected of a series, but this one felt like it came out of the blue. But perhaps I just didn’t want this book to end. I will definitely be looking out for book 2 in this series as I feel Khiara’s journey is only just getting started.

"The Cerise" was a surprisingly really enjoyable read for me! This book had such an interesting plot and characters that kept me guessing for a lot of the book. I will agree with others who said that the start was a little slow, but my opinion is that it only feels slow when compared to the last three-quarters of the book (which felt considerably faster paced). I think we really had to get into the relationship dynamics of Khiara's love interests. I would have enjoyed more world-building possibly but I can appreciate that it's a shorter Romantasy read and thus it's easier if we learn more as the plot progresses rather than info dump at the front end. I actually liked that a lot in particular (the revealing of the world and society as Khiara experienced things and interacted with other characters).

This is a Team Riot household. If they aren't end game, I will be throwing hands. Their chemistry is out of this world (especially after reading those scenes 👀) but also the way they take care of each other. It's really sweet and sold me on them, truly. I will riot (hehe) if we don't get more Riot fr.

The cliffhanger was brutal and 100% solidified my need to read the second book. I physically/spiritually/emotionally have to know what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial & the author for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

thank you to netgallery, the author and publisher for the ARC!
this selection-esque tale of a girl with secret magic in a world of royals amidst a competition to become the queen was surprisingly enthralling.
the plot itself was slow at the start, but soon sped up. the glamorous setting of royal balls and midnight meetings revealed a world of hidden plots and intrigue, and kept me turning pages.
khiara was a character I loved rooting for. right from the beginning, her loyalty and devotion to her loved ones, as well as her tenacity and determination to survive amidst difficult odds, made her one to watch. she wasn't a perfect character, and definitely made her share of mistakes, but they just made her feel much more real and helped me sympathize with her more.
there was so much about this book that I loved, from the romance to the way the story developed, and I would definitely read the rest of this series in time!

An enjoyable and intriguing plot that is well-paced and leaves you wanting more.

This is a typical tale of kingdom in jeopardy, magic powers limited to a few, oppressive leadership and deception. However, Bailey Black has added an intriguing twist and built a believable world to escape into.

This book is romantasy lite. It’s not as fantasy as ACOTAR or Fourth Wing and is more like Once Upon a Broken Heart and Belladonna. However, it’s spicier than either of those two with some truly cringey descriptions of sex. Thankfully those scenes are short and few and don’t detract from the overall story.

At times the writing slips out of fantasy style and when I found out the author also writes contemporary romance, it made total sense.

With a cliffhanger ending, I’ve already pre-ordered the sequel as I look forward to seeing where the author takes this tale!

I love the cover and it fits the book so well!
When I started reading it took me some time to get into the book but I started loving it pretty fast! It is told from a 1st person pov which makes you connect with the MC quickly and I loved that. It was a great romantasy read and it kind of reminded me of The Selection series. The book ended with a huge cliffhanger and I'm excited to see more!

- 1st person POV
- Open door romance
- The Selection vibes

After taking a few days to process the ending, I'm finally ready to write this review. While I found myself a bit confused at the beginning, the story quickly drew me in with its action-packed start.

However, be aware that the ending leaves so many questions unanswered, it's almost torturous. I can't wait to dive into the second book!

The Cerise is romantasy book about a witch who enters a competition to become the queen. The beginning of the book was a tad confusing and took a few chapters to really get into the book, but then it really takes off. I feel like there was something for everyone in this book; a prince, a competition, mystery, a sexy guard, fighting, some spice, and magical powers.
The ending ends on a huge cliffhanger and will make you want the next book now!

Stars: 3.75/5
Spice: 2-3/5

Thank you Netgalley, Bailey Black, and Booksgosocial for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/3 stars
thank you to netgalley for a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
not sure how i feel about this one. i'm interested but the pacing and writing was a little messy. not entirely sure who the love interest really is or who i should be rooting for but the fmc is likable enough and that cliffhanger? i have no choice but to read book 2