Briony Rosewood and her twin brother Rory have been battling the Bomardi for control of Evermore ever since their late father the king’s death. When their castle is under siege and Rory dies, Briony attempts to escape but is captured by the Bomardi. As a female Eversun prisoner Briony is sexually abused by the high ranking Bomardi and is put up for auction. Of all the outcomes, Briony did not expect to be purchased by her old school nemesis Toven Hearst. Confined in Hearst Hall with Toven and his family Briony begins to discover the many secrets Toven and his parents have been hiding. Complex mind magic being one of them. As Briony learns to harness both mind and heart magics she and Toven begin to work together to thwart Mistress Mallow and the Bomardi. But can Briony truly trust Toven and his family? Or will they betray her in order to survive?

This is a rich, magical universe that sucks you in immediately. The treatment of the enslaved Eversun women is heavy, dealing with issues of rape and consent so be warned. I do see why it was important for Briony and the other female characters to go through those experiences in order to show how resilient they are and how they pick themselves up from rock bottom. And let me just say it is hard not to like Toven no matter how hard you try not to. It was nice to see how the Hearst family works together in their own misconstrued way.

Julie Soto proves she can write anything she puts her fantastically creative mind to that she is an unstoppable force in the publishing world.

I absolutely loved this book and I am DYING to read the next installments! I am an OG fan of the fanfiction, but I am so delighted to see how Julie Soto transitioned this story into a new world. The magic system was incredibly interesting, the familiars bring a new addition, and the switchup of our villain was unexpected. I also loved the characterization of Toven and Briony, and the family unit that makes up the Hearsts. Such an enjoyable dark fantasy!!

4.25/5
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a really good introduction to the trilogy. You get thrown right into the action from the first page. You get to know the world, the magic system and the characters progressively throughout the book with the present and past timelines.
The start of the book was gripping and kept me at the edge of my seat. I found the middle to be a bit slow and I was getting a bit bored, but it quickly picked up and I couldn't put it down.
I loved both our main characters Toven and Briony, even though I wish we had Toven's POV. The tension was palpable and I was eating up every interaction they had together.
I will say I think we are introduced to way too many characters, whether on page or just by mention. It is very hard to follow and remember their names and their role in the story.
I overall loved the book and cannot wait for the next one! That ending left me with so many questions and I'm excited to see where the story goes!

Every now and again, a book comes along that flays you open and restitches your very skin and bones into something new. Rose in Chains is one of those books for me. I’ve been up all night devouring this book and I’ve never felt more alive. Julie Soto couldn’t have written a more perfect book if she’d been trying to write directly to my ID. This right here rang all my bells and checked all my boxes. The messy, the fucked up, the YEARNING.

Briony Rosewood is smart and accomplished and powerful (?) and the Princess of Evermore, but ultimately burdened by the expectations of a patriarchal society. And on the losing side in a terrible war. It’s fallen to her to salvage what’s left of her broken kingdom, which isn’t much. What follows is a series of horrifying circumstances and terrible choices that aren’t really choices at all. And Briony navigates it all with a spine of steel. Folks, I beg you to heed the content warnings and protect your peace, do not go into this if you find the subject matter triggering or otherwise distasteful. This is a dark romance with gruesome, dark themes. I for one, started off concerned about it being too bleak for my current state of mind, but the vein of hope running through the depths of despair in the story is what I held on to. This book really got me like half AGONY, half HOPE.

Speaking of dark, let’s talk about Toven Hearst, our…MMC? Is he the villain? Antihero? Hero? Yes I know he’s allegedly done no good very bad unheroic heinous acts, and will do more (do we really know this). I’m sorry but I’m supporting all his wrongs until proven otherwise. He’s just a boy, and I am one messy bitch. He’s arrogant and mysterious and ice cold but that ice thaws under the right conditions which may or may not have to do with our princess. We shall never know, because one thing a broody tortured man will be is secretive and terrible at communication. But that’s fine, he has Reasons. Which I could not hear over the noise of his slutty forearms in his slutty button downs and slutty waistcoats. Sorry, horny humor.

Soto is a master of tension; you don’t really know what’s going on, but you still FEEL IT because Briony and Toven don’t even have to be in one room for the tension to leap off the page and slap you in the face. She only has to think of silver hair and gray eyes and you are panting like a dehydrated dog in the desert. Only intensified by the acerbically witty banter which makes you want to make heart eyes at a man and smack him at the same time. Soto also is a master of the slow burn, and for aforementioned dark reasons, it makes perfect sense for the development of their non-relationship (even though you will yell “NOW KITH” a lot).

A truly sweeping fantasy romance is incomplete without compelling secondary characters and villains, and this book is chock full of all the above. I have a lot of feelings about all the amazing wonderful brilliant women, treated as little more than commodities for trade and spoils of war, and rising fiercely to the occasion anyway. Some dudes were okay too but they’re all on notice as far as I’m concerned. I did not quite see that one twist at the end coming but I’m abuzz with glee at the possibilities for the future developments in the story.

The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead.


I feel like I say this every time BUT ITS TRUE. The cover?! STUNNING.

There were many times where I found myself having a very hard time continuing to read given the subject matter. Was I horrified? Yes. Could I put the book down? No.

I felt myself holding my breath almost the entire book waiting to read what would happen next. I loved where the book progressed to and am super intrigued to see what happens next. I thought the world building was really well done and that this book set up the trilogy really well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and eagerly await the announcement of book two! This one publishes on July 8th.


read if you like:
- romantasy
- warring kingdoms
- hostile takeover
- political intrigue

quotes:

“I am accustomed to having the finest thing in the room, after all.”

“You won’t stop until every last one of us is dead or in chains.”

“When I come, I call you Briony. And you love it.”

“The Rose in Chains.”

“This wasn’t a love story.”

thank you so much to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own!

💜 Rose in Chains book review 💜

Thank you so much @readforeverpub for the chance to read and review this early! I have been so excited for this book since the first time Julie shared it! Rose in Chains comes out July 8 and I’m telling you now to run and preorder it!! This book will keep you reading until 3 in the morning like I did 😅

🥀Slow burn
🥀Dark vibes
🥀Morally grey MMC
🥀World building
🥀SO MUCH TENSION 🥵
🥀Different magic systems

This is a world about two kingdoms, Eversuns and Bormardi. Every year the children switch schools for neutrality. One kingdom uses heart magic and the other uses mind magic. Until Bormardi starts war and everything falls apart. The Bormardi take over and win the war, but that’s not all. They auction off Eversuns women to Barmardi men to marry and keep captive.

The way I was INSTANTLY captivated into this world and these characters so quickly was the best! I truly had no idea what was going to happen next! This book was set up so perfectly for a series that I can’t wait to read! Julie Soto truly cannot write a bad book in my opinion. Her writing style is always so beautiful and you feel so connected to the characters. I just know so many people are going to love this book like I did!!

ok so.... i read this in less than and 24 hours I DEVOURED THIS??? apparently this is based off of a dramione fanfic called The Auction which makes sense in the overall general premise / the relationship between briony and toven vs draco and hermione in dramione fanfic. it is pretty dark, a lot darker than I expected and much more politically driven than a lot of romantasy books i've read, but I also didn’t read any reviews going into it. I will say, a lot of the captured women are sexually assaulted (not necessarily on page) but just trigger warning for that. There is a trigger warning page at the beginning of the book, so that's good!

i'm sat for the next book and honestly am really excited to continue this trilogy. the yearning was so good but i also feel like i needed MORE romance before the end bc now i can't wait until the next book </3

Thank you netgalley and publishers for this arc. This is my honest opinion and review.

I've read all now 4 of Julie's books and the first 3 were all 5 star reads for me. I expected nothing short of another 5 star with her 4th one, Rose in Chains.

I went into this blind, I don't follow fanfic so have not read the original version of this. I expected a great Draco/Hermione romantasy. That is not what I read. At all.

Read the content warnings and take them seriously.

I've sat on giving my feedback for a while now, waiting to see if my thoughts changed. They have not. I can not justify giving this more than 2 stars.

For about 80% of the book all it is is repetitively talking about women being kidnapped, sold as property and slavery, and to be raped and sexually aassaulted over and over.

I felt physically sick to my stomach while reading this at many times. I kept pushing through because its Julie - people are raving about this one - it has to get better... right?!

Wrong.

I don't know how this is justified as a romantasy. There is no romance. There's some personal fantasy mentioned, but its really more Stockholm syndrome than any kind of actual romance.

I wanted to love this. I was so excited to read this. And so very disappointed, this was not a good read for me.

I had to sit and collect my thoughts because wow. I gobbled Rose in Chains up in under 24 hours and you can find me disassociating until book 2 comes out because…WHAT DO YOU MEAN we have to wait at least a year after that ending?!

I am a massive Julie Soto fan and an ardent romantasy lover so odds were I was going to adore this, but I fear that Rose in Chains is going to become my whole personality. I settled easily into the world of mind and heart magic and quickly felt a kinship with main character Briony. Her arc in this book is exquisite and her strength is something to be admired. She goes from subduing her power in order to boost her brother’s prowess to utilizing her gifts to fight for her own survival. She doesn’t sacrifice her empathy but she does hone her soft edges and learn how to play the game in a dangerous world. I’m very much looking forward to see how she continues to grow as the series progresses.

Toven Hearst has without a doubt solidified himself in the book boyfriends department and I am so ready to see the book community lose their minds over him! This is a true slow burn enemies to lovers to the point where I’m not even quite sure they can be called lovers yet. Briony and Toven are obsessed with each other from the start but their strenuous circumstances keep them from fully submitting to their feelings. Their relationship is all angst and pining, every glance between them charged with searing want. Soto’s writing is a masterclass in tension, deliciously concocted to illicit visceral reactions from readers (or maybe that’s just me). I was feverishly flipping pages just to get to the next scene where Briony and Toven interacted — it’s just that good! We follow them during their school years, the beginning of their delectable back and forth dynamic, which ultimately informs how they interact in the present. We’ve barely scratched the surface with these two and I am so ready to see how their kiss or kill mentality will play out in future books.

One last thing I’ll note is how perfectly Soto created this world. I could capture the aesthetic just from the descriptions and felt fully immersed in this society. The world within the pages of Rose in Chains is intricate and oftentimes barbaric. I checked the trigger warnings before jumping in and highly recommend doing the same before picking it up. That being said, there is purpose behind the brutality. So much of this society parallels the atrocities we’re witnessing in our world today. Soto brings forth prevalent themes of political upheaval and bodily autonomy to the point where much of this novel hit eerily close to home. There is violence, but it’s not needless. It’s there to prove a larger point and hold a mirror up to the world we’re in. As far as world building goes, the flashbacks are intentional, dropping just enough breadcrumbs so that we are able to piece together a full picture in the present timeline. The past academic scenes also do a wonderful job establishing the magic system in a way that doesn’t feel like an info dump. The magic system itself is unique and realized and I love how there is so much more lurking under the surface that we have yet to uncover.

The epilogue left me with a variety of thoughts to mull over. I was able to guess part of the twist towards the beginning of the novel but the journey getting there had me on the edge of my seat. I am rapt and ready for any lingering questions to be answered in the next installments and foresee myself rereading this book again to fill the void in the meantime.

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 stars! I've read Julie Soto's two contemporary romance books, so I was excited to read her debut romantasy! There's something about Julie Soto's writing that I find really engaging, so I also found this book fairly addictive. This was a very solid first book in a trilogy. The world, political landscape and magic system were laid out fairly well and it set the stage for future books. I was hoping for a little more action and romance, but I don't fault the author given that this is the first book in a series and the TENSION was definitely there. I hope that we get Toven's POV in future books or in bonus chapters! I really liked the flashback chapters as they added a lot to the current timeline, especially the ones that flashed back to the days in the magical academy.. There are some dark themes/elements, but the slow burn romance is not dark. But, please check content warnings! I will definitely be continuing this series and can't wait to see where it goes!

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Julie Soto and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025 and it did NOT disappoint. I did not wanna put this book down while also wanting to make it last as long as I could. not a single thing I would change. I really liked the flow of the book and it was honestly exactly what I needed atm to help with my slump. I have my theories but am really excited to see where this leads.

ROSE IN CHAINS is magical, devastating, thought provoking, complicated, and oh so difficult to review. So many spoilers to avoid because Julie Soto's world and characters unfold little by little and yet always keep their deepest secrets tucked safely on the lowest inaccessible shelf.

Before anything else, yes, from the content warnings "the buying and selling of human beings into captivity is a core theme of Rose in Chains." As well as explicit sexual content, gore and violence, sexual assault of a POV character, rape (off page), forced sterilization, death and torture. This is a work of dark fantasy. Do not proceed past the content warnings without considering yourself first.

That said, ROSE IN CHAINS is a thrilling read. I was immediately invested in Briony and Toven's journey. They are enemies in so much they are a princess and a noble of opposing kingdoms. But glimpses of their past hint at a personal chemistry in a very dangerous star-crossed lovers sorta way.

I appreciated the emphasis on multiple levels of resistance demonstrated by a number of characters. For the worst of the most complicit offenders, there was also overt rebelion and covert resistance. Atrocities are committed on page, but I felt the fuse of vengence sparking. Briony and Toven have to figure out where their goals align and how much they can trust each other to topple the oppressors and restore peace and decency between peoples.

Again, I'd like to emphasize the content warnings. In fandom, I'd tag this was "Dead Dove, Do Not Eat." There are dark themes here. Think of what those warnings entail and yes, thats exactly what you're gonna get.

Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing | Forever for the advance digital copy to read and review.

going into this, I was completely unsure what to expect for a fic to trad fantasy adaptation. julie was able to create an entirely new world with lore, magic, and characters that felt both unique and known, if that makes sense. it feels like the dramione dynamic but I do think this book can stand on its own. briony and toven are enemies and their relationship is tense and a sloooooow burn. given the close 3rd person from briony’s perspective, we don’t get a lot from toven. it’s a lot of tense hands, a tense jaw, etc. but in the little moments and the flashbacks, we see literal breadcrumbs from him. my biggest complaint with this book is the pacing. it felt so slow to me. and the addition of the flashback chapters and their placements made it feel really choppy. I did have a good time though. just be forewarned there’s like no real romance in this one and the cliffy is a big one.

thank you so much forever pub for the arc!!

what to expect ⟢ adapted dramione fanfic ⟢ she gets auctioned off to him ⟢ ENEMIES to lovers ⟢ slow agonizing burn

I devoured this book and if you enjoy a dark[ish] romantasy with magic, stolen princess, and tension for dayyyysss you'll like this. I am not new to Julie Soto so when I heard that she was rewriting one of her fanfictions, I was hesitantly excited. Overall, this book did not disappoint! If you have never picked up a dramione fanfiction (you definitely should) BUT you will still love this for what is. If you are an avid fanfic reader, you'll love the dramione coded vibes and the breadcrumbs that Julie leaves us. I loved our MC Briony and how she handles herself throughout the situations she is put in. She is a strong character, who realizes she can't do everything on her own and can see her own faults. But Shes also not going to take no as an answer. Toven... lord I love him. His intentions aren't directly shown to us but you can tell pretty early on where a lot of his loyalty lies. I find his family as a whole really interesting and I am in dire need of the second book so I can see more of them. I hope within the next two books we get some of Toven's POV. This is on the low end of spice, and I think the way the author snuck that first scene in there was genius. For those who are concerned about the overall plot and how dark this gets, I can say as someone who struggles with SA and SA like content, the way this is written it is on page, but in a vague way and did not affect me. I feel that given the nature of the story, those moments are needed but Julie did not write scenes simply to add to the darkness of it. It's also important to note that while our MC goes through some rough times, there is no noncon between her and our MMC. It does end on a cliffhanger, so keep that in mind! Happy reading and thank you from the bottom of heart Julie and netgalley for the arc.

I had so much fun with this book. I read it in two days and I loved every second. Toven was such an enigmatic character and I can't wait to see him soft for Briony. This is absolutely a slowburn as we didn't get any romance until the last 25 pages. But I do think it's going to be worth the wait because of the tension between them. I can't wait to see Toven absolutely weak for her.

My only issue is the strange focus on the girls' virginity. Wanting her to be sterilized does make sense in the context of the story, but the weird thing about her virginity threw me a bit. I just found it so uncomfortable for some reason. If there's an explanation for it later in the books, I am absolutely ready to change my opinion.

Oh my gosh this BOOK. I found myself thinking about this book between reading sessions and could not get it out of my head, partly because it started with a bang. In this book, we follow Briony, a princess of a kingdom that has been (very recently) conquered by a kingdom that previously held a peace treaty with hers. The heir has been killed and her people are enslaved and put to auction. This book is DARK and disturbing (so check trigger warnings please!!!!).

Things I loved:
- The female friendship
- The dual timeline that provides context to the characters and intensifies the slow burn
- The SLOW BURN romance
- The political intrigue

Things I did not love:
- While I really enjoyed the world building and the setting, I felt like there was too much at once and too many characters for me to fully keep track of. I don't know if this is because it started as a Dramione fic (so there is an assumption that we know the world already) but I had difficulty following at times and needed to re-read parts.
- I wish we knew more about Toven's character to see the development of who he is. We were told a lot about him but have many questions remaining.
- I saw the plot twists coming a mile away

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this romantasy, it felt a bit different than what I normally read, and I will definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy! Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rose in Chains is an absolute whirlwind of a story, full of magic, betrayal, and an enemies-to-lovers romance.

The kingdom of Evermore has fallen, and the enemies are at the gates. Princess Briony Rosewood was captured during her escape and is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Prized for the strength of her magic, and as the last of the Evermore line, Briony is sure to bring a hefty price at auction as a heartspring, a bonded magic user who can funnel power through the bond. After an intense bidding, she is sold to Toven Hearst, the son of a powerful family of magic users high in the enemy's council, and her tormenter from her years in magic school. But as much as she should hate him, Toven surprises her with his actions, and Briony wonders which side he is on after all.

Wow, what a ride this book was! I have read Julie Soto's contemporary romances and loved them, and I was so excited to dive into this new romantasy. I was totally immersed right from the beginning, and could barely put it down! I knew this was a rewrite of a popular fanfic, but otherwise I was not familiar with the story. I do see some of the similarities to the fanfic's original inspiration, likely because I was looking for them, but Rose in Chains is a totally new and engaging story. The tension is high, the story leans a bit darker, there is a delicious slow-burn romance, and the character development is good. I read this in less than 24 hours and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. As the first book in a planned trilogy, the pacing felt as if we were slowly building up to something big. I know this is only the beginning of a much larger story, though, and I am really looking for more in this world. The ending of the book had me gasping, and I need the next book immediately! This is definitely a darker story, and some elements were a little disturbing, so this book may not be for everyone. I encourage any readers to check the content warnings first.

Thank you so much to Julie Soto, NetGalley, and Forever Publishing for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this completely blind as I have never read the any of the stories this book is based on or inspired by. That being said, I was hooked from the first chapter. I could not stop reading this book and it literally overtook my entire life for 48 hours.

The flashback chapters I felt added so many details for the backstory. There are so many layers to this story and I couldn’t wait to find out more in every chapter. Characters and events are not as they seem and everyone has secrets and hidden agendas.

There are some truly awful things that happen and you really begin to understand Briony and how she’s felt trapped for her entire life. And somehow when she is literally trapped and sold to the highest bidder, she almost becomes more free than ever.

Overall, I could not stop reading this book and I cannot wait for the next one.

⸻

I wasn’t even planning to read this book yet, but when I realized I’m going to be seeing Julie Soto when she comes to Sacramento in July, I knew I had to bump it up my TBR. I love it when the hometown girl comes home, and I wanted to be able to tell her in person just how much I loved this book. Huge thanks to Forever / Grand Central Publishing, the author, and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Rosen in Chains is the kind of story that hooks you before you even realize it. The war is lost before page one. The hero is dead. Evil has won. There’s no long lead-in, no buildup—we are dropped straight into the aftermath. Briony Rosewood, princess of Evermore, is captured as her kingdom falls. Her magic is taken from her, and so is her freedom. She is stripped down, paraded in an auction, and sold to none other than Toven Hearst, heir to a family known for cruelty. From there, the story only deepens, darkens, and tightens its grip.

This book isn’t light, and it definitely isn’t a feel-good fantasy romance. You need to take the trigger warnings seriously—this world is cruel, especially toward women, and the constant threat of violence, assault, and dehumanization hangs over every chapter. But that’s part of why I was so invested: because Soto never flinches from showing the horrors of this world, and because Briony refuses to let them break her.

I wasn’t sure at first how I’d feel about the flashbacks, but in the end they worked beautifully. They give us glimpses of Briony and Toven’s shared past at the Academy, and every single one made me more obsessed with their dynamic. It isn’t just enemies to lovers—it’s enemies with layers of misunderstanding, shared history, unspoken longing, and undeniable chemistry. Watching that tension simmer and build through the present timeline, with the added weight of those flashbacks, was so satisfying.

Julie Soto is a master of writing tension. There were so many scenes where I caught myself holding my breath, or clutching my Kindle just a little tighter. And the banter? Perfect. Sharp, biting, layered with subtext. It reminded me exactly why I keep coming back to Soto’s books no matter what genre she writes in—rom-coms, thrillers, fantasy—she just gets character chemistry.

The pacing here was deliberate, sometimes slow, but never dragging. I know some people say it’s a medium or slow-burn story, but to me it was paced exactly as it needed to be. We are watching Briony navigate impossible choices, surrounded by enemies, unsure who to trust, with her very survival on the line. There was no rush. Every moment felt earned.

And let’s talk about Briony. I loved her. I loved that she wasn’t this perfect, all-powerful chosen one. She’s smart, strategic, loyal, stubborn, sometimes reckless. Her entire life has been spent hiding her true strength in her brother’s shadow—and now, when she’s finally free to be her full self, she’s trapped in the heart of the enemy’s house. Watching her navigate that, make impossible decisions, and fight in every small way she could was one of the best parts of this book.

Toven Hearst—what a character. If you love morally gray, deeply layered love interests who will absolutely ruin you, get ready. I was obsessed with how Soto wrote him. The flashbacks, the guarded moments, the lines he would and wouldn’t cross—it all worked so well. Watching him struggle with his own role in this broken system, with his feelings for Briony, and with his loyalty to his family was genuinely compelling. And when the walls finally started to crack—chef’s kiss.

I also loved that Soto didn’t just focus on the main romance. The political intrigue, the magic system (mind magic vs. heart magic—such a cool concept), the rebellion brewing beneath the surface, the complicated dynamics within Toven’s family—every thread added depth to the story. I was fascinated by Serena and Orion Hearst, and I absolutely want more of their story in future books. And Finn! I’m going to need more Finn content immediately.

The side characters deserve their own praise too. Cordelia broke my heart and deserves a redemption arc. Larissa surprised me in the best way. And the moments of quiet solidarity between the Eversun captives, the way they held onto hope in the smallest ways, were so powerful.

Now let’s be real—the cliffhanger wrecked me. I knew going in that this was book one of a trilogy, but still. I am desperate for book two already, and this one hasn’t even released yet. The twist at the end wasn’t completely unexpected—I’d guessed part of it—but Soto still managed to land it with impact and leave me needing more. I need to know how Briony’s relationship with her brother will evolve, what role the Hearst family will play going forward, and how the larger rebellion will unfold. And I need more Briony and Toven.

One last thing—I’ve seen a lot of talk about this book being a reworked fanfic, and here’s my honest take: you don’t need to know that. You can absolutely read this as a standalone fantasy novel. The world Soto builds here is fully realized, the characters are compelling on their own terms, and the story stands. I loved it because it was this book, not because of anything else behind it.

In short, Rosen in Chains blew me away. It’s one of the best fantasy books I’ve read this year, hands down. If you love slow-burn romance, political intrigue, layered characters, and morally gray dynamics—all in a dark, brutal world—don’t miss this one. Just be prepared to scream at the ending.

★★★★★ five stars from me. And now I’ll be counting down the days until July—both to see Julie Soto in Sacramento and to get any crumb of info about book two.

This book! Wow. I never wanted to stop reading “Rose in Chains.” It is dark and addicting, and the slow burn romance kept me so locked in to this story. Please check the content warnings on this one. It is a dark story and the content is difficult to read at times. This story starts with the enemy kingdom winning. It’s a hard but beautiful tale to see those in captive begin to rise from the ashes. The world building was so well done. Julie Soto is a powerful writer. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel.

For those who love:
💟 Forced Proximity
💟 Enemies to Lovers?
💟 Mutual Pining
💟 Dramoine
💟 Slow Burn
💟 High Stakes Fantasy

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.