Tbh I was just a bit underwhelmed by this one. This is partially on me as I perhaps should have been a bit more familiar with the story this is a retelling of, as maybe that would have helped me connect to it more? I was just a bit bored and disconnected from this one and felt like I was just waiting for something to happen... but it didn't.

4/5 stars! I DEVOURED this book!

When Morgan Pendragon, an outcast princess, embarks on a journey to find a famed sword with the new captain of the royal guard, Captain Draven, lies unravel and truths about herself and her family are revealed. This book had tension, betrayal, and political intrigue- really all the things you look for in a good fantasy read. My only mild dislike (which I eventually overlooked because I didn't realize it was a retelling going into the book) was the parallel/ references to the Knights of the Round Table/ Medieval lore. I would have enjoyed a completely new world rather than half-building upon this lore with the addition of fae or other creatures.

Anyway, I also really enjoyed the characters, especially the side characters- it felt like they all had dimension and actually added to the story. I'm excited to see how they develop in the next book. Additionally, Morgan, the FMC also had the perfect backstory. Sometimes, in fantasy, I feel like the FMC can sometimes come off as whiny or almost too girl-boss (in a forced way), but Morgan was written perfectly.

Also, this writing style was great. I felt like the dialogue wasn't too formal or casual, and the world-building flowed super well with breadcrumbs spread throughout.

Otherwise, it was a wonderful book that I quite literally finished in one sitting because I was so intrigued. Needless to say, I'll be reading the next book ASAP. I must know what happens!

The imagery written in the pages of this book immediately captured my attention. As the book progressed, I grew fond of world building and character development. It is appealing to me that the story is based on the lore of Camelot, and I enjoy that lore quite a bit. Throughout this story, I felt such hatred and betrayal for the antagonists, just as the main character did. My pride for the character was immense as a result of the victim serving her own justice. Toward the end, there were so many twists coming our way, which made the cliffhanger highly anticipated.

Thank you Netgalley & publishers for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review!

First - thanks to NetGalley and the author for giving me ARC copies of this entire series! If you are a fan of Sarah J. Maas or Jennifer L. Armentrout, you need to check out this series!

I am a huge Romantasy reader and I always struggle to find series that live up to SJM and JLA series. This series really does the trick. You will love the characters, the story, the action, and of course the romance.

Add this series to your TBR immediately and cure any ACOTAR or FBAA hangovers you may have!

I WAS NOT PREPARED!!

I am a big lover of fae, romance books and this did not disappoint! The detail that went into the description of the scenery to the characters was incredible. From the very first chapter I was hooked and couldn’t put it down!

To my fellow ACOTAR devotees- DONT SLEEP ON THIS SERIES! Page turner 100% I lost so much sleep over these books because I needed more! I was so excited to be able to read them all! The slow burn, feel the tension in the air..chefs kiss! Please, more!

Thank you to NetGalley, Starwater Press, and Briar Boleyn for a free e-copy!

Queen of Roses is a fantasy romance that follows Morgan Pendragon, a half fae princess, on her journey to find a legendary weapon.

I enjoyed this book! It reminded me a lot of From Blood and Ash at times. There was a sufficient amount of world building, but it was easy to follow. The twists were a little predictable but I didn't mind since it was still an interesting story! It had some of my favorite romance tropes e.g. "who did this to you?" I'm still waiting for the slow burn to catch fire so I am excited to read book 2!

GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6434024104

This book slaps. I loved it so much. The world building was epic and the characters sucked me in from the beginning. I cannot wait to read the rest.

I liked this, definitely fast paced enough to keep me reading, but there was a lot of telling rather than showing, I’ll likely continue the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for giving me an ARC copy of the Queen of Roses to read and review.

I am impressed by Boleyn's twist on Camelot, Arthur, Merlin and the legend of Exacliber. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I started to read this book. I was immediately drawn in and held captive. I am so excited to start book two and am grateful I was given a copy of that book as well from NetGalley. If you are looking for adventure, a slow-burn romance, fantasy, fantastical creatures, mystery,
and intrigue, then Queen of Roses needs to be added to your must read list. Don't sit on this book. Banish any doubts and pick it up. You'll be happy you did!
My favorite character so far is Draven, but Morgan is a close second. I'm looking forward to seeing where their journey takes them and how the story will unfold. Boleyn has done an excellant job of developing her characters as well as the world her characters reside in.
I will say this book series contains many topics that could be triggering for some readers. Boleyn has provided a warning at the beginning of the book to see the list of trigger topics located at the back of the book. I personally felt this was very considerate of Boleyn to provide for their readers.
Overall, Queen of Roses was a very enjoyable read that kept me on toes! I will be recommending this book to others to read! By others, I mean everyone I know who loves a good book series involving the fae!

Queen of Roses is a dark fantasy romance that is very slow burn with enemies to lovers trope and a love triangle (sort of). While there was a lot of action and adventure as you got further into the book, it took me a while to get into it. The character development and individual story arcs are interesting but the writing style wasn’t necessarily my favorite. I found that there were a lot of details that were repeated. I think this would be a great book for someone who was new to fantasy since it can be hard to know what details are important. Overall, this book definitely picked up for me in the second half and the cliffhanger makes me want to read the second book.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

★ ★ ★ | 🌶

check TWs 18+

Note: I try my hardest to not include spoilers in my reviews. However, spoilers and how you define a spoiler is subjective. Proceed with caution.

.
.
.
.
.

I wanted to love this book so much.

I went into this pretty blind, so I had no idea that this was a Camelot retelling. (Though not my first, which is funny). I love that idea for a fantasy, even more so for a fae based fantasy. The storyline and the incorporation of the myth and fae was so interesting. It wasn’t too on the nose, which I liked.

What I had an issue with was the pacing and the execution of the story. The first 50% of the book is kind of slow. And I felt like there was a lot of showing and not a ton of telling. I’m a firm believer that there needs to be a relatively good balance of both.

That being said, I’m not sure if I will read the next book.

This is my first NetGalley read/review. The story was good & I do plan to continue it with Court of Claws. I did struggle to pick it up to read, as some of the chapters are very long and I dislike stopping in the middle of a chapter. Readers will have no problems imagining anything in this book, as the descriptions of everything are very detailed. The world building is top notch. I do feel like it took a healthy amount of time to get to what one would call the “climax” of the story. (And no, you smut readers, I speak of a different kinda climax) Often, I was a bit lost, as I was trying to figure out different characters and what their roles were when referring to past events vs present. I’m hoping with book two, things become more clear.

After reading all the popular fantasy/romantasy books currently out, I decided to give this book a chance. I was honestly blown away. It was well-written and the story was amazing. I fell in love with the characters quickly and absolutely love the main character!
I have the other books in the series in my Kindle and I can't wait to start the second book and see where the story goes next!
Thank you so much for you hard work writing these books!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve been sitting on this book for quite some time. With the upcoming release of book 4, I finally decided to delve into this series! And, I’m glad I finally did!

I knew the premise of the book going in as I am a huge fan of King Arthur and Camelot; but I was pleasantly surprised by the unique twists Boleyn spun. This series is an Arthurian legend reimagined with a fae twist and dark undertone. I was captivated almost from the beginning. The world building was beautifully done in a way that made me feel like I was right there in the midst.

I especially enjoyed the liberties the author took with some of the legendary characters. I was intrigued that she chose to portray King Arthur as evil and morally grey. And the gender role reversals for Merlin and Lancelot were inspiring.

Morgan Pendragon (think Morgan le Fey) has spent her life in the shadows, deemed as being not good enough, with her half fae, blood to rule Camelot. Her story starts quite tragically, having witnessed the death of her mother as a young child. Her half brother, Arthur, essentially rises to become King and he is no better towards Morgan than their father was.
Arthur, I’m sure for quite nefarious reasons, sends Morgan away from court on a quest for a magical fae relic with unimaginable power - Excalibur. She is sent off with two guards, one being Kairos Draven. Their journey is full of peril with twists and turns around every corner.

The romance, or lack there of, between the FMC and MMC was full of angst and the slowest of slow burns. The relationship dynamic between the MCs was full of witty banter and so enjoyable to read. I’m actually anxious to see where it goes in the 2nd book.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was different, but not in a bad way. The book was filled with intrigue, family betrayal and plot twists that had my head reeling. The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger and includes multiple trigger warnings.
I’m immensely grateful that I can dive right into book 2!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to read this!

Thank you NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for a chance to be provided this arc!

This book was fabulous! It has FBAA vibes but with a twist.

Magical creatures! Yes!
Protective MMC! Yes!
Badass FMC! Yes!
Slow-burn! Yes!

and the twist at the end was unexpected and we were left off on a cliffhanger.

A good fast read as is the entire series!

Want a Camelot retelling but always felt that Morgan got a raw deal, or at least she needed more of her story told? This book is perfect for you. The only (minor) thing I disliked was that its such a slow burn, but seeing how its a 4 book series, I'm ok with knowing there is more to come. Very tropey (is that a legit word?) at some points but there's enough going on, so it doesn't feel stale. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC opportunity.

I couldn’t get enough of this book! It was filled with action, adventure, and romance. I look forward to the continuation of the story!

I really enjoyed this but it did take me a while to feel fully immersed and into it. Overall this was a great read. Thank you for the opportunity to read the arc

Morgan is a princess that will never be queen. Her father made sure of that. Now her brother, Arthur, is on the throne and he will do anything to keep it. He sends Morgan to the lost realm of the fae to retrieve a mythical sword that is said to have the power to vanquish all enemies. But he hasn't been honest about this quest, nor Morgan's birthright. Now the quest begins.

I don't know where this series came from but, boy, have I been missing out. It's so funny that this year I have run across two VERY different Arthurian/Camelot retellings or reimaginings (however you want to describe it). This series centers around Arthur's half-fae sister Morgan and the acquiring of Excaliber. I adore Morgan and Draven (the sexy assassin). I can't wait to see what this relationship develops into. Arthur is giving Jofferey Baratheon vibes really hard here. I've never read an Arthurian story where Arthur was the villain. This is exciting. I'm so glad that I was gifted the whole series of this. Onward!