Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of The Ever King by LJ Andrews!

I adored this book so much. The storytelling was so compelling, the world was incredibly captivating, and the characters were so easy to fall in love with.

Like most readers, I love a good MMC with a tortured soul who wants to kill everyone until an FMC brings him to his knees, and LJ served that on a silver platter. The two main characters were everything, and although the story wasn’t really enemies-to-lovers because they kinda fell into the lovers role pretty quickly, their dynamic was truly so fun to read.

I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!

The love I have for this story and LJ Andrews knows no bounds. You will fall in love with Livia and Erik in The Ever King, Book 1 in the Ever Seas series.

Livia, an Earth fae was drawn to visit a boy prisoner, Erik of the Ever. She would read him stories until one day he is freed but he vows to get vengeance on her people. There is one problem, he is bound to the Ever and separated by a violent Chasm unable to cross.

But Livia grows up and continues to feel the draw to the Chasm and one night she unintentionally breaks the bond binding Erik to the Ever and he comes to get claim his vengeance.

The angst between these two is so delectable and Livia does not stand down from Erik one bit, giving him back everything he throws at her. This man fights for her and it is so swoon worthy and you can’t help to love him even when he may be the enemy. The burn is so worth it and with the ending you are left on you will be craving more.

The found family in this story is so great and I was excited for the bonus content about Sewell and his family long before the events of The Ever King and before Erik and Livia even met. Oh my heart reading these bonus chapters. We get to learn more about the family history that is touched on in The Ever King, the love they have for one another and what they are willing to do to protect one another.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

A man he's not, we work we rot,
No sleep until it's through.
A sailor's grave is all we crave.
We are the Ever King's crew.

This is the book that introduced me to LJ Andrews and I’m forever thankful!

Hooked from the dedication: To the queens who love the beautiful black hearts of the villain. Face it, they're hotter than the hero.

I just finished my reread and I loved it even more than the first time! Erik Bloodsinger. The Ever King. Is PERFECTION 🫶

I love the world and all of the side characters, seriously every single character is fun and different and they all have amazing roles to play.

I’m still working my way through the broken kingdom series which is the parents stories for the main characters in The Ever Sea series. Definitely recommend checking out!

Favorite quotes:

"Careful with your threats of my untimely death, love, or you might end up stealing my heart."

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

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

"Curse me, hate me, but don't lie to me."

Soooo much fun! A romantasy adventure full of action and surprises and fun.

I think the backstory was well crafted, and the romance carefully built.

This is the genre well balanced and done right. And heck, I really want to read book 2 (I’m so bad with sequels)!!

Where to start? This book, loved every minute of it, so hard to put down. The world building was perfect...I know this is a spin off series from The Broken Kingdom series, the world building in this was so well done, that there is no need to have read the previous series to understand this book. Although after reading The Ever King, you will want to go back to the Broken Kingdom series.
This book had everything I love in fantasy, pirates, fae, magic, mystery, passion, spicy dark fantasy romance, misunderstood broken villain with a soft heart...Absolutely beautiful and well written. Enjoyed the bit of bonus content too!!
Highly recommend

Rating: 4.5 🌟
Spice: 3 🌶️

Tropes & Themes:
- Adult fantasy romance
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Dual POV
- Morally grey MMC
- Strong, witty FMC
- Kingdoms at war
- Pirates & Vikings
- Slowburn romance
- Forbidden love
- Tension!
- Secrets, magic, & curses
- Intricate plot & world-building
- Found family
- Interesting cast of characters

Wow, what a great book and start of a new series! I picked up this book on a whim, and I’m so glad I found it. It’s refreshing to read a fantasy romance book that has a new take on commonly loved tropes and themes in this genre. It’s nice to take a break from fae, vampires, shifters (although I love them!). It was really refreshing to read about pirates and vikings, which is a group of people I never would have imagined in a fantasy world, but it totally works!

Years ago, the Valen Ferus, King of the Night Folk, defeated King Thorvald of the Ever. As consequence, the Sea Fae folk are unable to pass through to the other Fae Realms and are stuck in The Ever. Livia Ferus, the Princess of the Night Fae folk, unknowingly opens up a pathway for The Ever King, Erik Bloodsinger, and his crew to pass through the Chasm. Seeing an opportunity to take revenge on Valen and get justice for his family, he kidnaps Livia as ransom until the Valen returns his amplifier, a powerful relic used by the Ever King to strengthen and control their magic. The Ever is being consumed by a dark magic, and Erik is desperate to gain back control of his amplifier. However, what Erik doesn’t know, is that his amplifier was broken accidentally by Livia years ago….

I absolutely loved this book! Not only was the plot interesting, but I really loved the characters as well. Livia is strong and feisty. She can physically fight with weapons, but does not possess strong earth magic (or so she thinks). However, this does not stop her though! She is quick-witted, and definitely can stand her own ground. Erik is definitely morally-grey, but his actions are more so a facade, as he has to continue to upkeep the “savage” reputation of The Ever King. These two have some of the best banter I’ve read in a fantasy romance. I really loved all the scenes they had together, especially towards the middle/end when they start acknowledging their feelings for one another. Their romance is slowburn, and I swear the author enjoyed teasing the readers 😅. Just when I thought they were finally going to be together, they would get interrupted somehow 🫠. But the wait and pay off is so worth it ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥.

The side-characters are also really interesting as well. I love the found family aspect of this book. I actually don’t really like it when there are too many characters, because it can feel overwhelming at times and hard to keep track of who is who, but it was not the case at all with this book! There is foreshadowing that one of the characters may not be who they say they are… and normally I’m really good at guessing who it may be, but I was NOT expecting the character/plot twist at the end at all!

This book/series is a spin-off to another of the author’s series (I believe that series follows Livia’s parents). I haven’t read the original series, and overall I didn’t have any issues understanding the world. However, I did feel like I was not grasping certain aspects of the world-building, or felt like I was “missing something” when starting out this book. So because of that, I do think reading the original series may help readers understand the overall world of these books (or at least it will add to any existing knowledge).

**The newly published version will have exclusive bonus content!**

Thank you to the LJ Andrews, Berkley Publishing, and Netgalley for the ARC!

I loveddddd this! This book was everything I look for in a romantasy. Suspense and twists! Longing and tension between our FMC and MMC. I loved the whole dynamic of the story and that ending!! I can’t wait to see where this story goes in the Ever Queen

This is the pirate romantasy of my dreams. If you want a couple with Elizabeth and Will vibes but with magic…. Livia and Erik have got you. Enemies to lovers. Rivals. Met as kids. So many great tropes. I love the magic system and world building as well. I’m mad I didn’t read this sooner!

When I decided to review The Ever King and The Ever Queen I knew I wanted to do it as a joint review. For me, you can’t have one book without the other and I knew after the first few pages of The Ever King that I would be continuing my journey with the next book.

You all know I rate on vibes and this duet had ALL THE VIBES. The Ever King was angst, enemies to lovers, the villain gets the girl, wars between worlds. This book had it all. The Every Queen almost reads like a love letter between the two main characters: A villain who loses the girl and fights to get her back, and the girl who realizes she has a little bit of a villain in her as well.

One of the best things about this duet is that the side characters are priceless and you absolutely fall in love with them just as much as the main characters. You can already see who is (hopefully) going to get their own books (if you watched my stories while I read you know who I need to read about ASAP).

*minor point: This series is set in the same world of LJ’s Broken Kingdom series. I did not read it first and do not think it is essential to read it before The Ever King. I will be going back to read it though, because I’m loving this author.

A special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. The way this singing pirate literally had me in a chokehold!! This is exactly what I want in a morally grey MMC who will do anything for his girl! This fantasy would is very reminiscent of pirates of the Caribbean and Davey Jones but still very unique. The sea fae have powers that they sing to use and it literally gave me chills! The enemies to lovers was TRUE enemies to lovers since he does literally kidnap her. I loved seeing the development of their relationship and how much they really balance each other. Erik’s character development arc was done so well! He’s still ruthless and morally grey but with Alivia’s help he learns love isn’t a weakness. And Alicia!! She truly sees all his dark parts and loved him for them and not in spite of.

3.5 🌟
I am enjoying the pirate theme, main characters and where I think the story is going. I love the flashbacks to when Eric and Livia are young and learning how connected they are. There are a few twists that were fun, even if a few are expected.

I feel less connected to most of the side characters than I probably should be and thats hard. I love getting attached to the friends and family but just lacked any real want for this here. Other than SeaWell, he needs to be protected at all costs.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a free copy of "The Ever King" for review purposes. All thoughts are my own.

"Erik Bloodsinger had a heart, one buried deep inside. One that felt a great deal, but one he despised. A beautiful, black heart."

This may be one of my favorite books of the year. These characters are fae, but they have such unique magics! Earth fae's magical abilities are called their fury, while the water fae have a whole different slew of terms for their abilities. Their last names are related to their magic, not family names. I feel like the fae/romantasy genre is really saturated right now, but this absolutely blew me out of the water. 😉

The Ever King is a lot of things: a vicious ruler, a bit unhinged, if I do say so myself. He's also been abused, unloved, and mistreated for so long. Used for his toxic blood. Even after all that, he finds a way to show Livia genuine love and kindness. 

Livia sees the good and the bad in this man. She has loved him since she was a girl. I really enjoyed her character. I think she differs a lot from the "badass FMCs" you see a lot in romantasy. She embraces her softness and femininity, and that doesn't make her weak at all! She doesn't have world-ending power or the extensive training of a killer, but she stands up for Erik. She definitely finds her viciousness toward the end, but she's definitely still a soft woman. It's one of my favorite things about her!

This book is so rich in emotion! The end revealed so many plot twists; I am still reeling.

I’m obsessed! Livia is kidnapped by her father’s enemy, little does she know, this is exactly where she’s always meant to be. I absolutely loved this book! Found family, forced proximity, enemies to lovers and so much more! And did I mention pirates? I haven’t read a good pirate book in forever! I will always remember the serpent and his songbird.

From the very first page, The Ever King swept me away into the vivid and enchanting world of the Ever Seas. This story is everything I look for in a romantasy—fast-paced, emotionally engaging, and full of immersive worldbuilding that feels both expansive and accessible. Whether you're a longtime fan of the genre or just dipping your toes in, this book delivers a compelling and magical reading experience.

Livia, our fierce and beautifully layered protagonist, is a joy to follow. Her growth throughout the story—from determined survivor to confident force—is one of the highlights of the book. And yes, the morally gray male lead is as captivating as you'd hope—intense, complex, and wonderfully swoon-worthy.

What really stood out to me was how well the magic system and lore were integrated into the plot. Nothing felt overly complicated or hard to follow, and yet the world still felt rich and unique. The pacing kept me turning pages late into the night; every chapter brought new stakes or intrigue.

Overall, this book is a strong start to what I think will become one of my favorite series. Romantic tension, adventure, and high-stakes fantasy combine in a way that feels fresh and addicting.

Thank you Berkley for this arc I really enjoyed reading it and will explore more books from this author.

Absolute perfection!! This is my first LJ Andrews book and WOW!! I couldn’t put this book down. I wish I had the creativity it takes to build a world like this because my gosh!! Incredible!! Erik Bloodsinger, the man that you are. 👏🏻

Erik, the scarred and embittered King of the Ever Kingdom, is a prisoner both physically and emotionally, driven by a burning desire to avenge his father's murder. Andrews masterfully crafts a protagonist shrouded in pain and hardened by years of captivity, making his internal conflict deeply palpable. His ruthlessness and single-minded determination are both captivating and chilling, leaving you questioning his every motive.
The introduction of his enemy's daughter throws a wrench into Erik's meticulously planned revenge. Innocent and unsuspecting, she becomes a pawn in his dangerous game. The dynamic between these two characters is the heart of the story, a captivating dance between victim and captor, hatred and unexpected attraction. Andrews excels at portraying the slow burn of their relationship, highlighting the vulnerability beneath Erik's hardened exterior and the surprising strength within the seemingly naive heroine.
LJ Andrews has crafted a compelling story with complex characters, a well-paced plot, and a satisfying blend of fantasy and romance. If you enjoy dark fantasy romance with a morally grey hero and a strong-willed heroine, this book is definitely worth diving into.

Holy cow. I loved everything about this book. This was my first LJ Andrews book, and now I must read everything with her name on it. I was immediately invested in Livia's journey. I loved the world and magic systems. The stakes were fantastic. The plot was fast-paced. I was just as intrigued by Erik as Livia was. Livia's ability to admit to and face her fears while remaining fierce made me love her even more.

One of my favorite things about this book is that you can enjoy the Ever King as an entry point into LJ's world of the Broken Kingdoms, but if you've also read the prequel series, LJ leaves readers plenty of easter eggs to enjoy.

I don't think I can explain my SHEER LOVE of Erik Bloodsinger. He is everything to me. I love love loveddd reading the story of the Broken Kingdoms children and starting with Erik who just ripped our hearts out at the end of BK was truly an incredible experience.

I read this as an indie and loved it even more in its trad form. I can't wait for more people to have a chance to meet the Ever King!!!

This was a delightfully engrossing read and one that once I feel into it I could not put down. This book has all the hallmarks that I long for in a Romantasy book and all done in an original way. Think of this combination Enemies to Lovers, Morally Grey MMC, Snark and Banter, Forced Proximity Possessive Lovers and did I mention Pirates, Fae, and Vikings? This is a unique story of a beautifully detailed world and lovers who do take that title seriously. The spice in this book is just right but it high and will leave you fanning yourself when the moment arises, all the tension and the banter between Livia and Erik truly was setting the stage for The Moment.

This is my first book by LJ Andrews and it will not be my last!

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and LJ Andrews for sharing the #gifted earc for me to devour

✨𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨

The Ever King is a dark romance fantasy with a morally grey sea fae MMC who is as loyal as he is vicious. Livia, our earth fae FMC, is fierce yet compassionate, having grown up with a loving family and close friends.

While Livia befriends the young Erik during his capture, their relationship and fates are forever altered one night, ten years later. The fragile time of peace is shattered thanks to Erik’s thirst for revenge and they must now navigate dangerous waters of uncharted territory. With the turning tides, will the Serpent and Songbird sink or swim?

Tropes/themes:
👀 Dual POV
⚠️ Enemies to lovers
🫂 Forced proximity
🩶 Morally grey MMC
🚫 Touch her/him and 💀
❤️‍🩹 Mental health rep
🙋🏻‍♂️ He falls first
🏴‍☠️ Pirates vs Vikings
🌶️: open door

I was completely engrossed in Livia and Erik’s relationship- their connection in their youth, their unexpected reunion as adults, and their shifting bond thereafter.

While I lived for the snark and banter, the tender moments melted my heart. Glimpses of Erik’s past that shaped him into the ruthless and broken man he is now further inspired my own bloodlust for him. I’m looking forward to seeing if Livia begins to acknowledge and perhaps even embrace her inner darkness in the next book.

I was captivated by the unique magic of the fae and sirens in this story and the brutality of this world. The world building is impeccable, the pacing is perfect, and the romance is irresistible.

The Ever King is an epic tale that calls to your heart like a siren’s song and leaves you devastated with the most vicious book hangover!

Huge thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group, Ace Books, and NetGalley for the review copy opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review