First, I am just going to say that I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye to these characters! From the first moment I read the ARC of Dawn of Onyx, I knew this book was special.
Something about the rich character development, the world building, and the selfless love that Kane and Arwen shared was so breathtakingly beautiful.

These characters have grown so much in these three books that I can only hope that Kate Golden gives the same love to our wonderful side characters! I would die for another set of books or even just a duology of Griffen and Mari’s relationship!

The things I love the most in this book were the loose ends she tied, but also the ones she unraveled for us to keep us wanting more! All the twists didn’t end with just Arwen and Kane which has me holding out hope for another set of sacred stones characters to reappear!

Kate Golden, you did a phenomenal job creating your first book all the way to the last in this series and I am so happy I got to be apart of this journey from beginning to end!

Spice: 2/5

I have enjoyed reading this trilogy so much. The first two books satisfied every romantasy read need I have. Reign of Rose was no different. It was a truly wonderful conclusion to the trilogy.

Picking up from Promise or Peridot’s cliff hanger was gut wrenching from the start. Kane’s devastation at believing Arwen dead and Arwen’s desperation to escape her captors is were both raw. The ensuing events were so well done and had me in tears multiple times.

Kate Golden does a good job of expressing the fear, anxiety, and dread of impending war and loss while also showing how to find joy and love in the midst of all that. The side characters are wonderful and the found family was beautifully done. The conclusion had me on the edge of seat but ended up being very satisfying. I’m very much hoping that some of the questions intentionally left unanswered at the end means that we might be getting more books from different POVs (WE NEED A GRIFFIN AND MARI BOOK). I’m so grateful to Kate Golden, Berkeley Publishing, and Kate Golden for allowing me to read this ARC.

Tropes:
🗡️ War
✨ Captivity
🗡️ Death
✨ Revenge
🗡️ Touch her and ☠️
✨ Dragons + more
🗡️ Magic

Can they save the realms and each other?!

Kane thinks she’s dead… Arwen is fighting for her life and both have the same goal in mind!

Lazarus is building a war to take over all! Kane and Arwen refuse to let this happen.

War and chaos continues! Can love conquer all and save Kane and Arwen from the dreadful fate of a life and a kingdom?!

With the help of those closest to them and an unexpected kingdom.. there just might be hope!

“𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘢𝘮, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘢𝘮. 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴.”

💬I will always appreciate a series that only gets better as it continues! This is the third and final book in The Sacred Stone trilogy. This book delivered! I laughed, cried and cheered these characters on so hard! Kate did a phenomenal job ending such a tragically beautiful series.

Title: A Reign of Rose by Kate Golden
Genre: NA Fantasy
Pub Date: October 8, 2024
📖 496 pgs

💎 Savage King + Mad Queen
✨️ Dual POV
💎 Longing + Pining
✨️ Masquerade Ball
💎 Touch Them and 💀
✨️ Dragons, Witches + Fae
💎 Only One Bed

My Review:

First I want to say that I absolutely adore this trilogy. When I found out that it was a debut series, I was honestly speechless. The world building is great, the characters are well developed and the story is intriguing. Now...
A Reign of Rose was heartbreaking and beautiful. It's not often that I cry over side characters but the little group is so close knit I cried more than once. The end was perfect and I love how Golden wrapped everyone's story up with a nice bow. I wouldn't mind a novella featuring Mari and Griffin, if that could be possible?!

The Sacred Stones trilogy is a must read for my fantasy besties who love slow burn with increasing spice, an underdog FMC, found family, and beautiful morally grey men! 💕

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the digital review copy ❣️

This was an interesting read! It really grabbed my attention and I really enjoyed reading it. The plot was good, the characters were also really good. There was a lot of great things about this book. I will say it did take me a little bit to get into the book but once I did I couldn’t stop reading it!

It just keeps getting better!! Full review to come. Happy about this third installment- loved the pacing.

This was such a spectacular conclusion to such a fantastic and romantic fantasy trilogy. The love story between our two main characters Arwen and Kane really blossomed in this story. We have such a high intense plot filled with such tender and raw moments. I love the found family aspect of this and how much these characters believe in redemption.

We’re left off with an intense cliffhanger and immediately dropped into this story two months later. The grief and longing we have to insure before our characters are given their happily ever after was worth every word this author wrote. She created such a vast world with so much depth to it. Her plot was fast paced but also making sure all the plot points from the series were answered in a way you feel satisfyed and completed at the end. I would have loved a ton of chapters at the end to see more what our characters have been through but I almost feel like we’re not yet done in this world and that the author left room to come back.

This book has such a good tale of living through every day even when grief threatens to strangle you, living with anxiety, finding a place you can call home in the most unlikely places and that every person deserves kindness and redemption. I definitely recommend this whole series to romantasy lovers as there’s so much tension, longing and just enough spice to keep you going but not to much where you feel the plot is pushed to the side.

Loved this trilogy and this concluding instalment! Kate Golden brought all the loose threads together in a satisfying conclusion. Great characters, solid world building, good pacing. I can’t wait to see what stories Golden chooses to tell next!

Absolutely glorious ending to a trilogy! Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House for giving me a copy to read!

The character growing in this novel is fantastic! Arwen is queen and Kane is just one of those guys you can't help but be obsessed with. The additional characters, their interactions with our mains are perfect chemistry. There is the one main villain, but having these extra ones within the storyline really made the adventure tense and fast paced. Lots of battle action. I loved being able to read the perspectives of Arwen and Kane.

One thing to mention, this book does have much more spice in it than the other two books. However, considering how Arwen and Kane have developed through this story, I think it's necessary to have to show just how much their bond has grown. It doesn't take up the story, just about two-three chapters, and then goes straight back into the task at hand.

Again, can't express how in love I am with this trilogy. Once it does come out in October, totally grabbing a copy.

I found that this book, much like the second book in the series had a good mix of politics, quests, romance and battles.

I’m curious if there will be a Mari and Griffin spinoff, as their little moments in this book really stole the show for me.

Overall, this book was a great conclusion to Arwen and Kane’s story and my fave out of the three books.

Honestly the way Kate Golden writes is just above and beyond. It took me a really long time to read this book. NOT BY CHOICE. I just had a baby and I was stuck between do I want to read a chapter or do I want to sleep? I picked reading chapters about 50 percent because this book is just that good. It’s romance perfection. My heart aches for Kane in the beginning of the book when he thought he lost Arwen. I laughed at the banter and smiled ear to ear. Being an ARC for Kate has truly been one of the best experiences with books I’ve had in a long time. This 3rd book has made me feel things that books don’t normally get out of you. And I cried actual tears I don’t think I’ve actually cried from a book since I was 18. I can’t wait to continue to read any book Kate creates. It’s truly been a pleasure. And we definitely need a spin off on our grumpy commander and our spit fire red head.

After the major cliffhanger in the previous book, we are back at it again with Kane and Arwen. It picks up right after the cliffhanger, which I love so much. Kane believes that he has no other options left when Arwen is dead. And he is more than willing to accomplish the ultimate goal with the deadly gods help. Yet Kane is out of his depth when dealing with the gods. They are always tricky when they want to help or appear to be helping the fae.

Arwen is alive!!! That’s right, she never died. It was all a trick and ploy. A deadly one-ploy. Arwen is now in the midst of the high fae, aka Kane a-hole father. And it doesn’t help that she has no ally in her corner. Thank goodness, she has strong determination to get back to her love, Kane. She is more than willing to do anything to get back to him, no matter what.

I have been waiting for this book ever since the previous book, Cliffhanger. It left me on the edge for days. I literally needed to know what was going to happen. And thankfully enough, I was able to read this book early. I was so glad that it picked up right after the cliffhanger. There was no rushed or slowed time. It was action-packed until the end. And so much has happened that leaves me shocked or gagged half the time. It’s a good romance-fantasy read.

A Reign of Rose delivers on everything in the romance fantasy genre. I literally felt so many emotions as I read throughout the book. I never felt unsatisfied at all. I felt like I was watching a series, but I was reading it instead. And I do think that they should do a series. It’s really good.

I do recommend that you read the series from the beginning to understand everything. It’s a good romance fantasy series with morally gray characters, dragons, and steamy scenes in the mix.

Spice: 3/5

Read if you like:
-fantasy romance
-forced proximity
-steamy scenes
-morally grey characters
-betrayals
-deadly gods
-dragons and phoenix

Trigger warnings:
-abuse
-implied sa actions toward fmc if fmc doesn’t comply

Thank you Berkley Romance for the gifted eARC!

I was SO anticipating this final book after enjoying the heck out of the first two, but despite Reign of Rose being entertaining…it fell flat ☹️ A lot of major plot points got lost or brushed over, and Golden decided focusing on the steam was more important. Don’t leave us confused about a blood oath but have a whole chapter set in the bathtub! (Also, there’s a scene where Arwen and Kane hook up while in the same hotel room as their two friends, which is just rude and major ICK so automatic star loss for that.) I’m also disappointed the ending had to be an automatic marriage and pregnancy. Is that the only way to achieve a happily ever after, even in a fantasy world??

A Reign of Rose

Love the Cover! It’s great how you keep all the cover’s similar. The next series the author works on I would caution against this style of cover. The majority of books are doing this type of cover and it’s making them all look the same.

The beginning really does suck you in and keep you. I was a quarter of the way through and was not bored at all. It’s great how the story is constantly building and moving forward.
I like that there is enough story and details that you don’t have to read the first two books to get what’s going on or to get the read on the family drama. This book was absolutely incredible and I loved it!

I didn’t like how the author would drag scenes on. For example, getting out of the castle or finding help.. We don’t need all the inner dialogue or the 20 pages of details. Get to the point.

ARC review of A Reign of Rose, By: Kate Golden

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

+ found family
+ romantasy
+ character growth/arcs
+ banter
+ angst
+ magic, fae, mythical creatures
+ battle scenes

Please take my review as a grain of salt, just because this series was not for me doesn’t mean that you will not enjoy it.

The transition from book two to three was flawless. There was a lot of buildup and interest in the first few chapters but the story went down hill for me from there. Most of events in the middle of the book were drawn out and felt that they were there purely just to add length. There were a few chapters that felt out of place and left me confused to why they were included. I felt that many sentences were overly descriptive and flowery and again were that way to lengthen the page count.

I appreciated the dual POV, but found myself enjoying the side characters more so than the main characters in this finally installment. There was character growth from both Arwen and Kane felt natural and I liked that they were still themselves but a better version.

Many of the resolutions to problems felt exmachina and rushed. It is always off putting to me when a character seems to have nine lives and gets to come back multiple times. I was left with many unanswered questions which left me feeling dissatisfied

I enjoyed that this series was an easy fast read but unfortunately found it to be predictable, and was never blown away.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Ah what a end to a lovely trilogy! I was filled with a whirlwind of emotions throughout this book, and a bit sad that with this book it's over. My heart shattered for Kane at the start when he believed Arwen was gone. The transition from the end of book 2 to the beginning of book 3 was seamless, keeping the intensity alive. Arwen's despair while under Lazarus's control was palpable, leaving me on edge about their fates.
Witnessing the growth of each character since book 1 was truly satisfying. A re-read before diving into book 2 refreshed my memory, and I admired Arwen's newfound self-worth and resilience. Kane's protective nature emerged as he fought for a cause greater than himself, while the supporting characters also underwent significant development. The theme of "found family" resonated deeply, especially as each character coped with personal losses.
Although some loose ends remained at the conclusion, hinting at potential spin-offs for Mari and possibly Griffin, I found the overall resolution of A Reign of Rose to be fulfilling.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

The final volume in the sacred stones trilogy. This books wraps up the series perfectly, in my opinion.. Arwen must battle her own mind to find the strength to do what she must., while Kane seeks to find an alternative path to save both realms from descruction.

This was the best book in the entire series. I admire an author who isn’t afraid for things to go wrong for our main characters. It makes the stakes higher and the plot more realistic. I was shocked, gasping audibly, and crying several times throughout it. I adored the way we got to know every character as well as their relationships with each other. It was never a surprise when characters formed any sort of relationships with each other because you could see why. In my opinion, the series was perfectly wrapped up. I didn’t wish for more or have any question, but was excited to see potential opportunity for the author to explore other characters in the future.

This book was truly so wonderful! I highly recommend the entire series, but mostly because this book right here.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!

Before I start this review off I want to give a massive thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for my arc of the book! Let me tell you when I got that email 3 weeks after finishing A Promise of Peridot I had a massive freak out moment. Thankfully I was at home and no one saw my crazy self. And once I had a chance to calm down and gather my thoughts I immediately jumped into A Reign of Rose. Just a hint this finale does not disappoint. A Reign of Rose comes out on October 8, 2024, so you have plenty of time to start the series if you haven't already done so! So what are you doing already?!?!! Get up and start this series!

So without further ado It is my pleasure to provide an honest review.

First let me tell you how devastated I am that this series is over! I read book 1, A Dawn of Onyx, immediately fell in love and it became one of my top books of 2023. Book 2, A. Promise of Peridot renewed my love for this series and that ending. How dare Kate Golden, how dare ;) I digress, like I said earlier Book 3, A Reign of Rose did not disappoint. I love these characters so much and I’m forever grateful I got to go on this journey with them and it's extremely hard to say goodbye. Even with all that said, I’m happy with how everything wrapped up!

I loved seeing how much each character developed throughout the series. Especially Arwen, seeing her come full circle and really start to value and believe in herself was incredible and inspiring. I also loved seeing Kane's softer, even shadow daddies can be marshmallows. Lastly, I loved the "found family" element to this series. I was routing and equally terrified multiple times throughout this journey for all of our side characters. Especially Mari and Griffin, (PS this is for Kate Golden and Kate Golden only) Pretty pretty please may we have a spin-off of these two characters I will love you forever. I mean we already love but this would just be icing on top.

Again Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of A Reign of Rose. Please check out this series, it’s not one to miss!

I am so sad this series is over! I just love these characters so much that it's hard to say goodbye. That said, I’m happy with how everything wrapped up! Sometimes you don't know what you'll get in a final book of a series, but I'm happy to A Reign of Rose didn't disappoint!

My emotions were all over in this book. My heart was broken for Kane in the beginning of the book when he thought Arwen was dead. We saw a sneak peak of how he was doing at the end of book 2, and book 3 picks up immediately after book 2 ends, so the events of book 2 are still very fresh for him! I felt the hopelessness Arwen felt at points while she was held captive by Lazarus, and I was so curious how everyone would get out of the predicaments they were in.

I loved seeing how much each character had grown from book 1 as well. I did a re-read prior to book 2 coming out, so everything was fresh for me reading this advanced copy, and I loved seeing Arwen really start to value herself, and believe in her strength. We saw Kane's softer side come out as he found someone worth fighting for, and we saw many side characters have their own growth arcs too. I loved the "found family" element to the trilogy too, especially because each of our characters lost someone important to them at some point.

At the end of the book there were still some open questions and plot points that were unresolved/unanswered, which I hope means that we’ll get a spin off for Mari’s (and hopefully Griffin's) story!