Mrs LJ is amazing with ALL of her books. When the ever king first came out I was part of that ARC crew and fell in love with it then! Now having it re-published the traditional way im so excited to see this series in stores and fell in love with it again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkely for allowing me to read this ARC. The Ever King is a romantasy which I was in the mood for, so perfect timing! The FMC and MMC had banter to end all banter! I love a morally grey MMC with an FMC with some slow burn romance, so this was perfect!

A fast paced fantasy, with dual POVs. You've got magic, found family, politics and betrayal. Definitely enjoyed the story! A little bit of worldbuilding in the beginning, but the story picked up about halfway through and then I didn't want to put it down. I haven't read the Broken Kingdom series, but now I want to!

I had been wanting a good pirate fantasy and this definitely filled that void.

First and foremost...Erik.

ERIK Y'ALL!

If you thought you liked Rhysand - trust me when I say Erik knocks Rhysand off the top of the list. I loved his character so so much.

Livia is everything I want in an FMC. Strong, brave, passionate.

The enemies to lovers feel between the two characters is top notch. The tension and burn will have to turning the pages as fast as you can.

LJ Andrews has a wonderful way of creating worlds and characters. This book was well written and captivating from the first pages all the way to the end.

It does end on a cliff hanger that is going to have you absolutely feral for book 2!

•• “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳”

I don’t know who enjoyed this journey more, me or Livia Ferus. This was everything I love in a romantasy - forbidden love, warring kingdoms, unique magic - but with Viking-ish pirates mixed in, so naturally I couldn’t put this down.

•• “𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙢” 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦, 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬. “𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩”

The tension between Erik and Livia is red hot and they give us the best banter in their game of push and pull. The more Livia lets her thorns out, the further Erik falls and I love how well they balance each other out. Livia brings him to the light while he allows her to embrace her darkness and it’s clear they’ve always needed each other.

And I mean, there’s something borderline magical about a dark villainous mmc softening up for one person only, and our king here delivers. He’s obsessed, possessive, and a little murderous - just the way I like ‘em.

•• “𝘏𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵”

The plot to romance ratio is nicely balanced and we get lots of action and mystery along with the swoon worthy moments. The hurdles Erik and Livia must face only get bigger but luckily they are surrounded by some great found family that makes the tasks ahead seem much more manageable. This does end on a bit of a rough cliffhanger, but if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that the Ever King will always find his way to his Queen.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
•𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲
•𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘅 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲
•𝗧𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 / 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿
•𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆
•𝗣𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀
•𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗱𝗼𝗺𝘀
•𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰
•𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀 / 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗹𝘀
•𝗔𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗽

The his has to be one of my favorite reads this year! The love story was perfect!

Pirates, star crossed lovers, and a great plot?! Why didn’t I read this when it was first out?!

Erik is a thorn of a man, but loving and caring at the same time. We love those types of men!

Livia is a strong FMC who is so brave and smart. She can be vicious and I love that!

10/10 must read!

As a child, Livia Ferus befriended (and secretly cared) for her enemy, Erik Bloodsinger when he was held captive by her father, the king of the Night Folk fae. After Erik was released back to his homeland, Ever, the earth fae sealed off the Chasm. Until one night, Livia accidentally unseals the Chasm, and a red, raised scar appears on her forearm. Erik devises a plan to strike back at his enemies by taking Livia hostage as revenge. Soon the pair come to realize things may not be as they seem as their bond from childhood starts to overpower Erik's desire for lifelong revenge.

"We were bonded, you and I. Rom the moment you began your little tale."

L.J. Andrews has built such a unique world and magic system within this story. Each type of fae have their own type of magic - Livia has earth magic and Erik has blood magic. I loved how the land they belong to correlated with the kind of magic they had. The sea fae having twists on siren powers was interesting as some of the fae were seen as threats to their own kind, which added a unique challenge to power dynamics. When I initially started reading this book, I assumed the sea fae lived under the ocean, just like Livia thought, but that is not the case. I loved how it is explained as a coin - "either side can be flipped to the top." The storyline was fast pace, never dull, and had lots of twists along the way.

Erik is considered the villain, yet anyone with his treatment as a child would act the same as he does. His childhood is full of trauma and strife, and all he wants is to serve revenge to those that helped destroy everything he knew and loved. Deep down, he has so much love for those around him but chooses not to show it as love is what ripped his world apart so long ago. When Erik is a prisoner, Livia creates a story based on their lives and reads him her tale whenever she can sneak away. While it may appear that Livia is naive, that is not the case. She sees a young boy in need of caring and her nurturing side overpowers anything else, which is something I admire her for. The pair have a complicated past, but when everything resurfaces years later, it is clear the bond between them never truly dissipated. Their slow burn love story is full of yearning that started from the day they met all those fateful days ago. I love how possessive Erik is and how Livia helps him understand and unlearn that love is not a weakness. His growth is something I adore.

"Hate me all your want, but don't regret me. Promise me that."

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and you will too if you like:
✨ fated mates
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ slow burn romance
✨ earth and sea fae as part of unique world building
✨ possessive and morally grey MMC
✨ strong but sensitive FMC

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Five stars for Jonas being a baddie

This book was SO FUN

I haven’t read many pirate books but I was in the mood today & DAMNNNN this hit the spot!

Enemy kingdoms. Rival heirs (err - heir vs current king). He calls her love. Childhood connection. He wants to hate her but can’t. Dual POV.

The MMC pov chapters in this book are DELICIOUS. Tension. Banter. Hate that I want you.

Highly recommend

The Ever King by L.J. Andrews had all the elements I usually love: a broody fae king, an enemies-to-lovers arc, and a lush fantasy setting. But while the concept was strong, the pacing felt uneven and I struggled to fully connect with the characters. There were glimpses of emotional depth and intrigue, but the execution didn’t quite deliver the epic tension I hoped for. Still, fans of romantic fantasy with court politics and magic might find this worth a read!

The Ever King has it all! This book hits every note with exact precision and beautiful melody. My heart just sang for it! We have a high stakes adventure at hand, led by two gorgeous leads with fiery chemistry, all set to a tantalizing world full of pirates, magic, and danger that mesmerizes and immerses the readers seamlessly. I finished this without a single critique, I only ended with an impatient desire to get to that sequel, stat!

Erik, The King of the Ever Kingdom seeks revenge for his father’s demise, and he finds the best revenge is to take what they enemies hold dear, their princess, Livia.

Livia, I love you! Erik, I love you (even when you make me mad)! You two, look at you gooo! What magnificent leads these two are. Livia is a kind, compassionate soul. From an early age we witness her generosity and sincerity, and Erik witnesses it as well. Never forgetting that girl who gave him hope in a dire moment of his boyhood. But he grows into a man of seeming cruelty and thirst for vengeance. And Livia becomes his target when she unwittingly allows Erik passage straight to her. Soft and sharp. Kind and cruel. Truth and lies. Livia and Erik should not fit one another as well as they do, but they do. Oh how they do.

At the beginning Erik is full of cruel, biting words. But Livia does not return them. She keeps true to herself, and even when one would look to cast her down, she stands tall, fierce and bold. She slowly but surely befriends a crew she should hate, who look down upon her, but she still goes out of her way to be kind and to help. She finds her way into their good grace, and in turn she learns more of them, broadening her own perspective. But in a way that doesn’t negate what she already believes in. To try to not delve into spoilers too heavily, I feel there is a certain trope in romantasy where a heroine’s perspective of her reality (be it family, history, etc) is shattered through the hero’s reveal. I was bracing myself for this and I can’t thank the narrative enough for not going there. At least not in the way I dreaded. Livia’s love for her people and the burgeoning love for this pirate crew is strengthened, not weakened, throughout the course of the narrative.

Livia is easy to read and to love. Erik, on the other hand, is a prickly yet infinitely alluring anti-hero. He leads with a heart of stone. A mask of coldness. A voice of cruelty. Or at least, that’s how he tries to be. But his heart once beat in echo to the kindness of a girl, a girl he never forgot. A girl who became a woman who has set his heart to a melody all over again. There are so many layers to Erik. What starts as a hard shell is peeled back to show a boy who grieved tremendously, who was forced into a choice that forever changed him. That made him a man of bitterness, resentfulness, and a belief he does not deserve any goodness. And Livia is the very embodiment of goodness to him. His arc is one of growth and reveals, which once unveiled instantly shifts the original impression he makes.

Erik is closed off, and Livia is open hearted. It’s no surprise the girl who once bestowed him a kindness remains at the forefront of his mind years later. He desires her, but it’s more than just a physical pull, it’s an emotional one. And I so loved how the narrative makes that connection feel well earned. Their relationship begins under tumultuous conditions but the more time spent together, the stronger the pull is. Theit chemistry is, whew!, absolute fire! The lust is undeniable, but the love takes its time. But once it arrives, it’s unstoppable.

The serpent and the songbird, oh how glorious their story has begun! I am now filled with anticipation to see what happens next because of how this part of the journey leaves us. All I will say is buckle up!

Immense thanks to Berkley Romance, Ace, and NetGalley for this advanced complimentary copy. I leave this honest review voluntarily.

The Ever King ⚔️🌊🗺️
1 star - DNF

Thank you so much to Berkley and Ace for the chance to read this free copy!

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. I had heard a lot of hype about this one on my social platforms from my mutuals, and I was immediately intrigued and interested in also reading it.

I read the synopsis, and I was hooked- I love a good fantasy/romance especially when hot pirates, sirens, and princesses all play a role. What didn’t work for me was the laundry list of trigger warnings. These trigger warnings were not listed prior to my request of this book, and I was caught completely off guard by them.

I will admit that I am not a fan of dark romance. I can’t handle grotesque scenes, especially in terms of torture and SA. This book has an intense list of trigger warnings within the first few pages, which I do appreciate, but I do think that there is a disservice to readers by not including this before actually starting the book.

I do think that this book will be perfect for those who are fans of dark romance and fantasy and are not easily freaked out by scenes that contain intense violence in any capacity. I think that this will especially appeal to fans of Emily McIntire!

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. It was better the second time around. The Ever King is perfection. I absolutely love LJ Andrews writing. Her writing is so descriptive that it's easy to picture the world's and the chemistry and love between Erik and Livia. She doesn't go overboard either with wordiness. I love the character development that both Erik and Livia go through and how they learn to love and support each other. The glimpse of Sewell and the past was the little cherry on top too!

I absolutely love The Ever King! If you enjoy a pirate/Viking inspired story than this is for you! This series is in the process of being traditionally published and having read the first three as Indie copies I was ecstatic to get the opportunity for a reread and to review them.

Erik & Livia aka the songbird & the serpent is a story of pirates, battles, romance and fate. We follow Livia as she is kidnapped by the King of the Ever, Erik for revenge and the outcome that ensues.

The link between Erik & Livia from children to adults and the bond they share adds to the mystery of the Ever.

The story line, characters, banter, spice, world building was all absolutely amazing! Plus it's always great when the dynamics between the MC's and the side characters are well blended.

Erik and Livia's story is one of my favorite enemies to lovers plots. Their level of touch her and 💀 and touch him and 💀 is superb.

LJ Andrews has a way with writing morally grey characters. I want to connect with every character and stay locked up in the worlds she creates.

You don't have to read the prequel, The Broken Kingdoms, to follow what's happening in The Ever King, but I still recommend it for even more backstory.

This book gives you so many feels and you truly want to love the villain.

I have previously read the indie version and was given an arc from netgalley/Berkeley which contains new bonus content. I am giving my opinion freely and will say the bonus content is absolutely worth it.

My overall rating is 3.75 rounded up to 4! I enjoyed this book, I loved the pirate vibe & liked all of the main characters! The setting was unique to me as I've never read any pirate novels! Erik Bloodsinger is a JEWEL and I love him. I am so intrigued by the magic of the earth fae & sea fae - very interesting & unique magic systems.

BUT The plot wasn't groundbreaking, & I did guess a lot of the storyline. The enemies to lovers trope was so WEAK. more like friends to best friends with a side of angst. But I ate up their relationship nonetheless. I feel like some of the characters and their relationships get muddled with just the sheer amount of people we are meeting & seeing from both sides of the fae & such similar personalities.

I did enjoy this book & I'm excited to dig into book two of this series!

Thank you Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

📢PSA: If you haven’t already, you need to meet
🩸🏴‍☠️Erik Bloodsinger🏴‍☠️🩸

I haven’t been this excited about pirate vibes since Pirates of the Caribbean, which let me tell you set such an high standard, and hasn’t been matched since… until now! LJ Andrews knocked it out of the park with The Ever King. There’s a touch of Viking vibes mixed in, which is just pure perfection.

In The Ever King there is a captivating world where you become immersed in the waters of Ever and do your part as a crew mate on the Ever Ship. The world building and magic system is so unique and intriguing.

You will find an Enemies to Lovers romance, where the Ever King seeks revenge from old wars. An FMC who presents with anxiety, which is written so well for mental health representation, but is equally formidable despite her internal struggles, while learning to love herself through it. You’ll find found family, in the least expected ways. The tension is delicious, the banter is exquisite, the ending keeps you wondering.

The bonus chapter in this edition brings even more depth to Sewell, a very important character, and the one responsible for feeding the crew. If you didn’t love Sewell at first, you’re sure to love him at the end. I know I loved Sewell from the moment he was introduced to us on the page.

Highly recommend.

I freaking loved this book and the world building! Of course I fell in love with the tension and the characters! The storyline was unique and I love a good pirate love story! Such an incredible magic system as well!!!!!

I should have known that I would enjoy this book!

This was such a great read to get to experience! I first read LJ Andrew's Broken Kingdom Series last year and finally needed to take the dive into this one. And I am so glad I did, I loved having the background knowledge of the realm and the generation before this one because I felt like I could really understand some of the background to the current predicament but it was still totally new!

I loved that Livia is the daughter of Valen and Elise, like I am obsessed with those two. And it was so great to see her similarities to her parents but also charting her own course. For me, this book was so good because of the story but made even better by the fact that the Ever King, Erik Bloodsinger, is literally a pirate. I mean you couldn't get a better story made from pirates.

It was interesting for me since I did sort of know Erik's backstory more than Livia did and so I was interested to see how that would play out in real time, but how it did was so good. I think that Erik really does have this like warm and loving personality but it was twisted by his own upbringing. I love how Livia is understanding of that and I feel really sees him for who he is despite maybe some of his darker actions.

I was so interested in the chasm and the split between the Ever Kingdom and then the other kingdoms and how you get between the two. Obviously that the earth fae and others can't cross into the Ever Kingdom really makes it complicated because I was dying to see Valen Ferus tear the world apart to get to his daughter but he can't so I'm really interested to see what happens in the next book... especially given where we've ended.

The TWIST oh my gosh I did not see a betrayal coming from the person that it came from. I just never suspected and when it happened I screamed. I was not ready. I refuse to spoil it in this review but wow prepare yourself for that twist because it just barreled down the end of this book and then Erik's actions at the end. AH. I am so ready for the Ever Queen now. That is all.

Overall, really enjoyed this book. I think that even if you haven't read the Broken Kingdoms that anyone could read this and enjoy it but I think if you have read the Broken Kingdoms it only adds to this full world and story. Will absolutely be continuing to read the series and see where we go from here!

HOLY ERIK BLOODSINGER!!

This book satisfied ALL of my teenage fantasies about Orlando Bloom as Will Turner. WOW! This was absolutely addicting and I cannot wait to continue with The Ever Queen. The book captures your attention immediately with the main characters meeting as children, and then LJ Andrews just dives us headfirst into this luscious, unique world. It was giving Pirates of the Caribbean in all the best ways, and ERIK BLOODSINGER is my kind of man! The forced proximity was delectable, and when these two finally gave in to each other, that spice was *chef's freaking kiss.*
I listened to the audiobook while following along in the physical and that was a phenomenal experience!

This book leaves on such a crazy cliffhanger that I will be rushing to read The Ever Queen ASAP!!

This is a must-read if you are a romantasy lover who also had an unhealthy obsession with Jack Sparrow or Will Turner.

Enemies to lovers but they were bonded as kids? Yes please! He vowed to come back for his mantle and when he does, he never realized she was what he was drawn back for.

Yes!! Pirate faes!!! I’m so excited to see LJ Andrew’s on an upcoming book event! Hoping to get this book signed ♥️♥️♥️♥️