Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is a beautifully written, atmospheric tale that skilfully blends historical intrigue with passionate romance. Set against a richly detailed backdrop, the story captures the tension and drama of its era while weaving a compelling love story that keeps you hooked.

Boleyn’s prose is lyrical and evocative, painting vivid scenes that transport you straight into the heart of the story. The characters are complex and well-developed, particularly the strong, determined heroine whose journey felt both authentic and inspiring.

While the plot occasionally slows down in places, the emotional intensity and historical depth more than make up for it. Fans of historical romance with a darker edge and plenty of political machinations will find much to enjoy here.

Overall, Queen of Roses is a gripping read that lingers long after the final page. I’m looking forward to seeing what Briar Boleyn writes next.

📖 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🎧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is a dark, enchanting Camelot-inspired romantasy that had me hooked from the start. It’s a King Arthur retelling—but with more magic, danger, and morally gray twists 👑🌹

The FMC is clever, strong-willed, and totally captivating 💁‍♀️Draven (who I rooted for from the beginning) Broody, complex, and impossible to ignore 😈❤️. Their connection is full of tension and longing kept me flipping pages way too late.

I gave it 4.5 stars only because I wanted just a bit more depth to the world—but the vibes, drama, and emotional pull were all there. If you’re into fantasy full of secrets, power plays, and slow-burn romance, this one’s for you.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for an eARC of this series! ❤️

Even though some parts felt a bit predictable, I still really enjoyed this story. The world was beautiful and easy to picture, and the romance had just the right amount of tension and softness. I liked how strong and determined the main character was, and the emotional moments really hit.
I’m definitely curious to see where the story goes next.

Queen of Roses continues Briar Boleyn’s signature blend of dark fantasy, courtly intrigue, and slow-burn romance with fierce, flawed characters and high-stakes power plays.

This installment elevates the danger and drama, with the protagonist stepping further into her role in the brutal world of the fae. Boleyn’s writing is rich and sensual, filled with striking visuals and emotional tension. The court politics are razor-sharp, and the romance—while still tangled in trust issues and hidden agendas—adds a thrilling edge to the story.

The pacing is mostly strong, though there are moments where the plot lingers a bit too long in internal reflection. Still, the twists, betrayals, and dark magic make for a compelling read.

Boleyn excels at crafting heroines who don’t apologize for their ambition or their desires, and Queen of Roses proves she’s not afraid to let her characters bleed a little to bloom.

Perfect for fans of fantasy romance with morally gray characters and dangerous liaisons.

I received an earc of this book by Starwater press thank you so much for this opportunity and I can say I thoroughly enjoyed this book and just found out that the rest of the series is on kindle unlimited and very excited to see where the journey takes me. Little to no spice. I recommend this book to everyone!

Realizing I forgot to come back to review this series. I truly enjoyed this book and thank the publisher for giving me a chance to read the whole series

3.75⭐️ | 1 🌶️

In this Arthurian retelling, Morgan Pendragon, an usurped queen due to her fae heritage, was tasked to go on a journey to retrieve an ancient weapon for her king & half brother, Arthur. On this journey with a reluctant ally, the royal guard Kairos Draven, Morgan's goals are simple: find the weapon, return to Pendrath and protect those she loves. Easy! But along the way, Kairos, the once intimidating and dangerous guard doesn't seem as ominous as Morgan thought, even if he has his own ulterior motives for wanting the ancient weapon himself. Trust & loyalty will be tested in an intense (& creepy) ending that will have you turning the pages for that cliffhanger 🤭

I really wanted to love this book since I love a good retelling, but this one fell short for me. It started out super slow in my opinion...14 long chapters later then that's when the plot really picks up. I understand the earlier chapters were needed in some areas for world building, but also, a lot of it were just fluff & over explanation of scenes. I wish there were more interactions between Morgan & Kairos, even though they were on the journey by themselves for the most part, the tensions weren't really there? They still felt very distant to me.

Some things that I did enjoy:
- SLOW BURN romance (& I mean slowwww)
- "Who did this to you?"
- Diversed cast of characters
- Self discovery journey
- Fae & dark fae vibes
- Loyalty being tested

If you want an Arthurian retelling, it's a pretty fun & quick read!

Sadly, I DNF this book at 40%. I really gave it my best shot and would normally try to push through, especially for an ARC and give it the benefit of doubt but I had a really had time following the writing. It felt so choppy and distracting to the plot of the story. I did like the idea of the story, but the writing just wasn't up to par for me to continue.

DNF. I quickly realised this was not the type of romantasy book I vibe with. I also saw reviews that the books get darker as they go and I did not want to start a series that I knew I would end up not enjoying.

Queen of Roses is for the Sarah J. Maas and JLA girlies. The story, her writing style, and tropes (political intrigue, found family, and slow burn) all lend themselves to a great start for a NA romantasy series.

I'm looking forward to the next book! I also can't wait for Briar Boleyn's upcoming releases. Thank you to the author, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for providing me with an ARC of Queen of Roses!

I thought that the author did an excellent job with the world-building. It was necessary to set the tone and move the plot forward, so I appreciated how thorough it was. I love a slow burn, but I wanted it to move juuuuuuust a little faster. I'm interested to see how the story continues on the heels of the cliffhanger!

I loved this and can't wait to read the next one.
I found the slower pace enjoyable after reading a lot of romantasy that seems like a bunch of love scenes bunched together.
This had more history but with some gender-swapped characters.
Morgan was so compelling.

Okay, I finally got to this one and I'm glad that I did.
I love a king Authur vibes fantasy.
I did feel like we could have spent a little bit more time fleshing out the romance to actually achieve romantasy status on this book.
And I definitely think that the the MMC was fleshed out waaaaaay more than the FMC. But overall an enjoyable book and I'll be reading the second because of that cliffhanger. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

AHHHH I AM OBSESSED!!! Queen of Roses absolutely wrecked me in the best possible way!!!
Dark fae vibes? ✔️
Slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance? ✔️✔️
Sword fights, secret powers, and a brooding warrior?? YES PLEASE!!!

Morgan Pendragon is THAT girl — fierce, brave, and just the right amount of chaotic. I was rooting for her SO hard from page one. And don’t even get me started on the tension with you-know-who… I was literally SCREAMING. Like, the banter?? The longing?? The forbidden love angle?? GAHHHH.

The worldbuilding?? Chef’s kiss. The plot?? Twisty and magical and impossible to put down. The vibes?? Pure Arthurian-fantasy-fae realness. It gave everything I wanted and more. Briar Boleyn is seriously a genius. I need book 2 like yesterday!!!

Also: this book may start off a little tame, but don’t let it fool you — the SPICE is simmering and I can feel the burn coming… and I’m READY!!!

If you love morally gray characters, powerful heroines, fae lore, and romance that makes your heart ache (in the best way), you NEED to read Queen of Roses immediately!!!

5/5 stars, infinite stars, eternal stars — just TAKE THEM ALL!!!
I’m still not okay and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Brb rereading my favorite scenes and screaming into the void

PS: That ending?? RUDE. I’m feral.

PPS: Briar, you’ve got me in a chokehold. Never let me go.

PPPPS: Fae + destiny + slow burn = perfection. You heard it here first.

RUN don’t walk to add this to your TBR!!!
Spicy, magical, and utterly addictive!!!

10/10 recommend — I’d sell my soul to the fae to read it again for the first time
(and maybe I already did…)

*spoiler free*
Why did I wait so long to read this!!! This was a great fantasy with slow burn romance. Queen of Roses is a Camelot/ Arthurian retelling with fae and gender twists. The Main Female Character Morgan is a half-fae princess who is caught between love of family and bad decisions being made by her brother King Arthur for the kingdom. She is hiding her fae side since it is looked down upon in Camelot. Morgan is an FMC one can get behind and root for especially for her vulnerable yet brave attitude, love of family and her longing for more in her life. This story develops her character to change throughout the book and I expect even more growth in further books.

This book was fast paced, action packed and the quest for Morgan to find Excalibur for her brother King Arthur was exciting. She is traveling with 2 bodyguards and Draven is a perfect broody morally grey character. She meets many interesting characters and goes through many trials on her journey including coming of age type growth. I enjoyed the world building and well-paced reveals of magic, secrets and twists. The romance sub-plot is something I can tell is going to develop over the series and this gives you the kind of slow burn that keeps you reading and rooting for Morgan to find her happiness.

I immediately started on Book 2 because this book sets up the plot and story for you to continue reading to know what happens next. I highly recommend for those who love an easy to read and understand fantasy with fae, magic, romance, quest, fighting, female rage and a broody hero to cheer for.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish this book before it expired due to timing and life circumstances. I have however got this book on my kindle and I'm very excited to read it.

I am a sucker for anything fae related!
Did I enjoy this book? Yes! Will I be continuing the series? Probably!
However there was just something missing that could have potentially got it to a 4 🌟 for me.

Absolutely love the Arthurian story with a fae twist!! Love the chaotic family dynamic, love the descriptions throughout the book. Despite being dark, it was fun!! I know some didn’t love the love triangle, but I didn’t mind it! I loved all of the magic and all of the creatures. That cliffhanger though!!! My goodness I need to read the next one asap

This was an interesting retelling of the Sword In the Stone/King Arthur fable with Faeries!! Many of the original character names are used (King Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Kay, Sir Ector, etc) to tell the story of our FMC Princess Morgan Pendragon.

Morgan has been the family outcast for years, first rejected as the true heir to the throne by her father for being part Fae and now by her brother King Arthur who sees her as a threat. Arthur decides to send Morgan on a mission to find and bring back Excalibur (the legendary sword in the stone). Alongside Kairos Draven, her "bodyguard" to ensure she completes her mission, Morgan embarks on an epic adventure full of faeries, betrayals and even some romance, all as she also begins unraveling who she truly is and the learns of the secrets of those around her.

This was a really well done retelling of the story with it's own unique twists. I'm usually not huge into the world of Fae but will definitely continue into the next book of this series.

I was able to get the whole series of this and I loved it I’m not very good at reviews but I would like to enjoy reading more by this author. I hope they continue to impress us with their writing