I think Jude Deveraux is an excellent historical writer but I don’t think fantasy is her cup of tea. I found the story boring and stale and the characters were unbelievable. . I really wanted to love it as I met Jude at an RWA event in NYC and she was such a lovely person too. I give this book 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All words, thoughts and ideas are my own.

I received this as an ARC but did wait until an audio was available at my location library. This was definitely different for me. It was a mix of fairytales but also its own plot. It felt like a lot jammed into a book. It was more on the lengthy end- which I get since it was mini stories within the story. There were times I was a little confused and times I thought it was a little longer than it had to be. I did start to get more invested after about 50%. I was trying to put all the little pieces together. The ending did leave on a cliffhanger.

DNF like 10% in. I’m really not jiving with the writing style and the complete lack of basic understanding of the process of someone earning their PhD have made me decide it’s best I don’t continue reading. The PhD thing is very easily researched and not niche at all - I mean I know the process and only have an undergraduate degree. I’m sure there are people who would enjoy Order of Swans very much, I’m unfortunately not one of them.

After having read the blurb, I thought I had an idea of how this story was going to go. I was wrong. It followed a different path and I was surprised at how much I liked it.

This is an incredible story. I love the sprinkling mix of genre. The world building is absolutely amazing. I am so in love with the characters. Maybe not Nessa? But the others are so interesting and inviting. The plot is an intense and crazy ride. The miscommunication and how it feeds into everything keeps the drama pot boiling perfectly. I am salivating for more from this world and author.

This was a weird blend of science fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, and found family. I'm not sure how I should feel about this book, but it wasn't bad and I will likely always remember reading it.

This book had such a cool concept—a folklore expert dropped into a magical world where she can literally rewrite fairy tales. I was immediately intrigued. The world of Bellis was lush and imaginative, and I loved the idea that stories could be bent or broken. But while the premise was strong, the execution felt uneven. The pacing dragged in spots, and I struggled to fully connect with the characters, especially Kaley, who sometimes felt more like a passive observer than an active heroine. There were moments of magic and wonder, but overall, it didn’t quite live up to its potential for me. It was a decent read, but not one that fully swept me away.

When I first read the blurb for Order of Swans, I was really excited about this book. I loved the fact that the FMC is completing her PhD and that she finds herself in an unknown world. I think the biggest challenge with this book is that the author gives away the biggest plot twist right from the beginning; if the reader didn't know that she was on a different planet and discovered this later, this would make the book way more exciting. But since we already knew this, seeing Kaley's ignorance about where she was made it just frustrating to read. How is someone who studies folklore and who is well educated so unaware of being on a new planet? There was also a weird love triangle that was not a love triangle, and the MMC I found was just unlikable. There were so many times where I almost DNF'd this book, but I pushed through hoping it would get better.

Overall, I just feel like this needed way more editing; the concept was GREAT but the details were just all over the place and needed more of a of a structured plotline and more of a focus on the romance aspect of the story.

Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

DNF at 10%

There was a disconnect in the advertising for the novel and what was actually in the content of the novel. It's marketed as a fairytale-centered fantasy and that's true! It's also, inexplicably, a sci-fi novel. Not even in a particularly interesting way. I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi where the only things that make the aliens different is that they're hotter/slightly better humans. Sorry if this changed later in the novel but I got annoyed and closed the book. (Though I tried to pick it up several time, I couldn't read a page or more before giving up again).

Disappointing because I was super excited about the premise.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for a free advanced reader copy of this book.

I had high hopes that this could be the fairytale retelling that sold me on fairytale retellings. Fairytales with a bit of sci-fi sprinkled in. But unfortunately this just did not hit for me. I felt like there was too much left for the reader to fill in. Character depth was lacking for me. The twist was predictable in a way that was not satisfying we it was revealed. The romance moved too quickly for trying to be a slow burn. Just over all a little underwhelming. Maybe this is all because I feel no nostalgia to classic fairytales, so I think this would hit a little different fr one who grew up really loving them.

I will say that the cliffhanger was interesting enough that I would like to read the next book to see what happens. Hopefully there will be more depth and explanations to the story.

I could not get into this for some reason. i could not get into the story and it was kind of just all over the place.

Can someone yell "Cliffhanger!"?
I had no idea that Order of Swans would end in a cliffhanger. Up until the ending, I was loving this book! It is a romantasy by an author I love so I was anticipating a feel-good, happily ever after ending. Oops! Not happening.
Here are the high points thus far. As stated, Order of Swans is a romantic fantasy (romantasy). Kaley is from planet earth and is tricked into going to Bellis. She meets some interesting people and discovers that the fairy tales on earth are real events being played out and only Kaley understands the stories and their endings. I found Kaley's snark hilarious and the conversations between her and Tanek and Sojee highly entertaining. Also, it turns out that Kaley can talk to and makes friends with animals and fairies.
Tanek is of the Order of Swans and, while he and Kaley have a rough start, they slowly learn to understand each other. As the end of the book approaches, I am hit with the realization that Order of Swans will not be delivering the HEA ending I looked forward to. NOW I have to wait for another book to pick up where this one leaves off. I cry FOWL (pun intended lol)
The only think left to say is: Write faster, Jude Deveraux!

Jude Deveraux has been favourite author since her A knight in shining armor was published. Touted as a romantasy and fairy tale retelling I knew I had to request Order of swans. But I wish I hadn't. The prologue immediately set me off and left me confused -- space travel? There seemed to be little world building, and was chaotic. The female main character, Kaley seemed to just move through the story accepting everything, and there was no chemistry with her love interest. I tried to continue reading to the end but finally had to give up at 60%. While I don't recommend Order of swans, I do recommend the author.
Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

The first book in the Blue Swan duo. This story is a blend of fairytale fantasies, space travel and a hint of romance.

High level, a young woman is unknowingly taken from earth to another planet because she is believed to be the "key" to saving their world. She is a fairytale expert and is able to use her knowledge to help those around her face various situations throughout the book.

The characters really make this book stand out. We have Jobi, the family friend, almost grandfather figure, who we also can't trust and are unsure whose side he is on. Tanek is our reluctant guide with a traumatic past and part of a historical order of Swans. Sojee is our gentle giant, fierce protector and sees more than anyone else realizes.

This book was weird in the best way!! It was unique, odd and often had me scratching my head but I didn't want to stop! There is still much left unknown at the end of book 1 and I am interested to see how Deveraux wraps up all the lose ends to give a satisfactory ending in just one more book.

I made it all the way to chapter 8 before it felt too... simplistic for me as a fantasy novel. I can enjoy low fantasy novels with low stakes but this wasn't that. When I say simplistic I mean I feel like this was the first draft of a debut novel. (Which isn't true since this author has multiple books out). The characters were all very flat to me and I didn't enjoy how often Kaley would reference stories. I understand that it was the whole point, that she can influence fairytales but... it gets to a point where if someone is constantly referencing their PHD dissertation it becomes annoying. I also just... could not get past the fact that Jobi essentially kidnaps Kaley and, although he told her the truth about where they were going, she didn't believe him and he decided to NOT have a frank conversation with her. I'm not sure if she pitches a fit later when she finds out that she can't go home? Or she's been away from home longer than she realizes? But if that was me, I'm sure I'd fight Jobi tooth and nail over his lies. Also, the fact that they call each other lifelong friends when he's SEVERAL decades older than her and she didn't even meet him until she was 25 is wild to me.

It’s been a while since I last read one of Jude Devereaux books. I remember them fondly, and have been an avid reader. This book did not disappoint in providing a detailed and engrossing environment, character and plot. I want to know what happens next and did not realize this was the beginning of a series when I started reading. I did find myself challenged with the romance aspect because of the role of kidnapping, coercion, lies, imprisonment and imposed unconsciousness/nonconsensual drug use. These were unexpected and for me are undesirable in romantic fiction.

Did someone tell Jude Deveraux that she needed to pivot because romantasy was on trend? This book feels like a writing exercise, not a finished novel.

On the positive side, I enjoyed the friendships formed by the three featured characters. I’m a sucker for strangers thrown together for a mission. But what that mission was exactly is unclear. I thought it was so Kaley could collect folktales, but she never meets with anyone to hear their stories. There is effort made to collect a prince - the task I thought was kind of a side mission but instead became the focus.

The entire set-up is pretty ridiculous. And the plot made no sense at all. I was especially surprised to discover after reading that the author is a well-known, long-time romance writer because there was zero chemistry between the main characters.

There were moments when I was amused by the banter between characters. But in the end, this was more a hodgepodge of ideas than a cohesive story.

I give this a 3.75

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for the ARC

I liked the mix of fantasy and sci-fi. There were a lot of interesting characters and I am curious to see where things are going and what some secrets are.

That being said, the one thing that really bugged me is Kaley sees all of these extraordinary things, she can talk to animals even, yet it takes her forever to come to terms with the fact that she’s on a different planet…. It seems small but it was just ridiculous. She sees a dragon and doesn’t bat an eye but laughs off talk of a different planet? It made no sense.

The love was a little too insta for me as well, but I’d still listen to book 2.

I loved this story! I really related to the FMC because I just finished a grueling PhD program so I found this very relatable. I expected this to be a fantasy and didnt expect the sci fi aspect to it but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a lovely way of combining all aspects and adding in fairy tales as well. I love the spin that is put on fairytales and how Kaley plays a direct part in those stories. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in fantasy and sci fi cross over!

Unfortunately, this was not a good fit for me. The concept of a fantasy meets sci-fi adventure littered with traditional fairytales a la the Brothers Grimm certainly sounded like a dream come true, but I found not only the execution, but character development and pacing severely lacking. All of our main characters feel very surface level. You do get a bit of background for them, especially Kaley, but at no point do they show any sort of emotional depth or connection with either the reader or one another. The world building is almost nonexistent, making it difficult to follow the events of the “quest.” It feels very disjointed and chaotic. I had high hopes, but will likely not pick up the second book.