This book definitely moved faster, the timeline jumped faster than I expected and gave hints to all my favorite why choose stories. The Never List was not what I originally expected, we are in a world where the Goddess's have provided power to the leaders through a ritual for mates. This not only made them powerful, but immortal. There are also those out in the world, known as Demi's who have different levels of power that have been diluting through their lines from different goddesses, but these people from my understanding need to keep this fact a secret or else they will be put on The Never List.

Our story follows our FMC and her group of guys, each a "prince" of their world and in charge of their own city. Rylee is looking for her sister who has gone missing after sneaking into an event known as the choosing. The choosing is essentially a party held by the kings for their sons, the "Legends of Chaos" to find their mate who will open the full potential of their powers and essentially be their wife and future queen alongside them. Rylee is secretive, full of banter, can handle her own, but the very last thing she's looking for is love. So what happens when she takes a risk and ends up having stolen heated moments with a man at the choosing ceremony? She's now the Potential Mate, and in order to survive she has to capture the Legends hearts, all while protecting her secrets unless she wants to end up in the dungeons. Or worse. Dead.

Like I said before this story moves quickly, it's divided into parts as we follow each month she shares with an individual Legend and then lastly the epic conclusion. While I did find one of the big reveals a bit predictable, I was left stunned by a couple of events at the end of the book. Jade has us jumping through time quickly with each of the guys where its become very insta-love and heavily leans on the smut rather than world building. I really wish this was just a bit MORE to the characters, their building connection and the side characters to get a better feel for the world and make the romance between Rylee, Jax, Pierce, Axl and Kal a bit more believable than just lust. Because all it feels like now that it's just a lot of lust driving their decisions. I also wish the trials were stretched out, I understand what happened but I just was expecting..more.

This is still a solid read and I did enjoy it very much. I am interested to see where Jade takes this story as we move forward, maybe the world building and plot will become more prevalent going forward, but at the moment this story seems to be more character driven. Like I said, I'm excited to see where we go from here because THAT ENDING has left me both angry, confused and with so many questions.

Thank you Red Tower and Entangled Publishing for the e-copy. All opinions are my own.

The Never List | Jade Presley
Format: ebook - (eARC)
Review: Why Choose is always a hit or miss for me but OH MY GOD. This one??? ABSOLUTELY everyone needs to pick this one up. Rylee Gray goes to The Choosing to try and find her sister, Erin, who has been missing for a year. What is the Choosing? Its a grand ball where all of the eligible women of the country attempt to convince the 4 immortal princes of their nations to pick them to be their next, shared, queen. Yes - you read that right, SHARED QUEEN. Rylee isn't one of those eligible women however, coming from the Ashlands, the bottom class of working individuals, and hiding a huge secret. Her plan? Get in, get her info, and get out. If she *has* to flirt with a dashing masked man along the way, so be it. Well, her plans didn't include that masked man being a member of The Legions, The Nightmare - the most terrifying member of the group of four princes (THIS IS IN THE FIRST LIKE 20 PAGES Y'ALL, ITS GOGOGOGGO).

This was such a fun read, it was sexy, but not overly sexy, it had an amazing plot, and the characters were so well crafted. Rylee has to spend a month with each of the Legion, which allows us, as the readers, to get to know each of the MMCs and none of them are written in the same way, they're distinct people with habits and quirks and ways of speaking. It was such a fun time and even though the book is over a short period of time it had so many moments where everyone is so strong and brave. Absolutely loved this one!

4⭐️Why Choose, Forced Proximity, Fated Mates. I really enjoyed this romantasy. I’m not typically into a why choose romance but I really liked it in this world. I can’t wait for the next book!

Thanks Red Tower, Entangled Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

Initial Reaction:
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, that ending! Jade Presley, a new to me author, has me swearing, which is something I don’t do often, so that should be a little insight on how invested I was while reading, and then BAM were hit with a whopper of an ending.

Review:
Simply Amazing, I don't know what else I can say. I loved getting lost in the world Jade Presley penned for us; it was so easy to start reading and find myself hours later in the same spot and not wanting to move because I was so invested in what was happening. I loved the relationship between Rylee and each of the four immortal god-princes. Rylee had snuck into The Choosing Ceremony, where one of the Princes picks their potential Queen/mate with the hopes of saving their Kingdoms.

The four Princes all have nicknames- The Dreamer, The Mind, The Player, and The Nightmare. And their magical gifts correlate with their names, no big surprise there. But what you may find surprising is The Nightmare. I didn't find him nearly as scary as I should have.

Anyway, this book was, for me, a great read. I know why choose is not for everyone, but if you enjoy that subgenre and you like romantasy, I recommend this book to you.

Happy Reading!!!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I absolutely loved it. It’s terrific, the world building was superb – interesting believable history, culture and gripping storytelling. Each character was well written and felt like different distinct individuals. There are some super steamy scenes here, literally burning up the pages, so possibly best not to read this in public!

I love the Why Choose trope so I was excited to read The Never List. It didn’t disappoint. I had a fun time reading this fast-paced romantasy. I actually really liked all of the princes, but of course Jax was my favorite.
There was definitely more spice than plot but honestly? It worked for me. It was a good time and enough to keep me engaged and interested in finishing.

I really liked our main character, Rylee. She’s feisty and brave. Rylee just wants to find her sister or figure out if she’s on the ‘Never List’. The four princes, dubbed The Legends of Chaos, are looking for their mate. So, of course our main girl is chosen. She has to hide her true background and her secret powers while also staying alive and falling for the princes.

I did predict the big twist at the end but it was still a fun book. The cliffhanger is brutal, though, and I’m anxiously awaiting book 2. Highly recommend to all my fellow why choose fans. Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was my first foray into the Why Choose genre, and while I don't think I'm a Why Choose girlie, this book was such a fun ride...no pun intended.

I am soooo glad I got a last minute ARC of this book cause I was having severe FOMO from all the hype! And let me say, the hype was hyping! I was hooked from the very beginning. I’m so glad this will end up being a series because I need MORE 🔥

I cannot begin to describe how much I loved this book and I cannot wait for the next one! The plot is fast paced and fun, the world building is interesting, and I just love when I'm immediately invested in a book like this.

Our FMC sneaks into a ball where the princes are looking for their mate fully intending to fade into the background and just enjoy the free food/vibes only to be picked as their potential mate.

There's a mystery to her missing sister, hidden identity (she wasn't supposed to be at the ball), and obviously a lot of great romance!

I do love jade Presley's books so if you liked any of her other books there's a good chance you'll enjoy this one!

From the first moment I read that there were 4 princes, I knew I was going to love this book. I was enthralled from the very start with how much was going on. Rylee is such a bad ass. From the start she is on a mission to find her sister but fate brings her exactly where she needs to be and changes her life forever. And the fact that the first prince she hits it off with is the Nightmare? The most bad ass of the 4 princes! It’s just icing on the cake. All 4 princes are all different and she fits with each of them so well. They complement each other beautifully. I love the way this book was written and how she got to spend time with each of them. And the part with all 5 of them together left me heated! I received an ARC of this from Entangled pub and I am honestly so grateful! I can’t wait for the next book!!!

POV: You pick up The Never List by Jade Presley thinking it’s just another romantasy…

Then suddenly you’re emotionally attached to a badass heroine, four magical princes, and questioning all your reading standards 🫠🔥

Fast-paced? ✅
Steamy? ✅
Emotional damage? Also ✅
And that cliffhanger?? RUDE.

This book did not come to play.

Wow. Holy spice.
That’s it. That’s the review. (Jk. But also….)

This is very spicy and heavily focused on the romance and relationships between Rylee and the four princes. There’s not a lot of world building and any magic plot points are heavily focused on the Legends and their magic.

Now, that said, this was a very well-paced read with no dull moments. The author did a great job in building out each of the princes and their individual character traits which I appreciated because each of them are so different! I like how we were really thrown into the thick of it right up front with the Choosing ceremony so we didn’t really waste any time getting to the plot line of Rylee needing to spend one month with each Legend because each of those interactions were great to move readers along.

Now…there were some predictable points in my opinion (ahem….the Faders. IYKYK), but I didn’t mind them. I also feel we’ll see similar predictability in the next books of the series

Highlights:
⚔️ rebels
👑 royalty
😮‍💨 that spice did not disappoint
🪢 mates
🦋 nicknames and terms of endearment
🌊 Axl
🧩 Pierce
🔪 Jax
🧸 Kal
❤️‍🔥 “I will burn the world for you”

The cliffhangers were 100% awful (in a “I hate this as a reader but YAAASSSSSSS we need more” vibe) and I’m excited to read the next book! Like…where do we go from here? Also…can we see more of our mommy goddesses?? I need that!! We need the Legends and their Mothers!

Also…Jax’s dad is a prick and I don’t like him.

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I don't normally like why choose books, but I thought this one was well done. I enjoyed all the MMC's and like that they were all unique in their own ways. I am looking forward to the next book in the series to see where the story goes after that big cliffhanger!

*The Never List* is everything dark fantasy romance dreams are made of—intoxicating, dangerous, and utterly addictive. Jade Presley delivers a sizzling, high-stakes tale packed with tension, magic, and smoldering chemistry that crackles on every page. The world is lush and deadly, the four rulers are deliciously primal, and the heroine? Fierce, cunning, and impossible not to root for. From the seductive power plays to the pulse-pounding danger, this book had me hooked, gasping, and fanning myself all at once. A perfect blend of spice, suspense, and savage romance—Booktok won’t shut up about it, and for good reason!
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Presley delivers an intense, fun, sexy, and mystical story with The Never List. I loved the world-building and getting to know all of the characters and how their powers influence their personalities (or vise versa). Kal is kind and calm, Axl is playful and adventurous, Pierce is intelligent and analytical, and Jax is dark and moody. And Rylee’s outgoing and protective personality, her ability to read people and situations, and overall survival instincts enable her to endure the challenges ahead.

What I loved most, though, was that the author incorporated a “why choose” storyline that was integral to the plot. The FMC has four love interests not just for the trope’s sake. The magic system and world require that the four princes share one mate. And consent and choice are at the forefront of the situation. The story is steamy but also has layers and parts that all fit together once the reader connects them – such as political powers, oppression, class inequality, and more.

Without giving away spoilers, my gripes about the story is the ending. Some moments were predictable and one of the major twists could have served as the cliffhanger instead of what we get. However, the cliffhanger did its job and I absolutely cannot wait to see what’s next for Rylee and her Legends. I absolutely recommend this book for adult romantasy lovers out there – but beware of content warnings such as sexual assault, poverty, class disparity, violence, and mental/emotional abuse from a parent.

The Never List
Jade Presley

- Review posted to Goodreads, BookBub, and TheStoryGraph on 6/2/25
- Review posted to Amazon on 6/3/25

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5 ⭐

“It’s easy to laugh at death when you’ve got nothing to lose.”

~~

Did… Did I just fall in love with romantasy all over again?? 😍

No seriously, I haven’t devoured a 500+ page fantasy romance like that in a minute. Despite being a full-time working gal, I literally gave up sleep to binge this beast in just a few days because I literally could not fathom putting it down! There’s tension, there’s angst, there’s yummy heat, and a bit of mystery. Mom responsibilities, who?? Project deadlines?? Never heard of ‘em! Simply put, Rylee and her guys have me so very hooked!

One of my favorite things about why choose romances is watching individual relationships develop on their own while simultaneously strengthening the group bond as a whole. I loved how Rylee was able to spend essential alone time with Jax, Pierce, Kal, and Axl, allowing her to slowly open up to each. For a strong-willed, sassy FMC who’s been taking care of herself for a long while, watching her lean into these men was wildly satisfying. And hot. So so hot 🔥

The magic system and world-building was easy to follow and just flat out enjoyable to navigate. The pace was nice and consistent, and my interest in the storyline never once wavered. Also, I’m generally not one for rereads but I can totally see myself reaching for this story again when the mood strikes. And that right there tells me this book is something special. Gah it was just really freaking good!

I have super high hopes for book 2! That is, if I can wait that long for it 😭 To all my romantasy girly pops, I’m going to neeeeed you to read this one and report back asap!

Why you’ll love The Never List
💜 Why Choose Romantasy
💜 Multi POV
💜 Mating Trials
💜 Secret Identities
💜 Hidden Powers
💜 Forced Proximity
💜 Political Intrigue
💜 Found Family

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC | Red Tower Books for sending an early copy. These are my honest thoughts. 🖤

GUYSSSSSSS IM SCREAMING THIS WAS SO GOOD!!

first i wanna say how thrilled i am publishers are finally giving why choose books their time to SHINEEEEE, they deserve all the love! and this one right here is no exception. i think this is a great read for those wanting to dip their toes into a romantasy why choose book.

the plot is so good, not too heavy but not too light either. it sucks you in from the very first page and just keeps you hooked all the way to the end. and that ending?? SHOOOOOK!

rylee is a strong & badass fmc, i loved how unapologetic she was! the player & the nightmare were my absolute faves. but the mind & the dreamer were just as fantastic mmcs. the spice here was SPICIN and i cannot wait for book 2!

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one—not because it’s a why choose romance, but because of how many men were involved in the dynamic. I was worried it might feel awkward, forced, or overly jealous. Thankfully, it didn’t at all!

The pacing is fast and engaging from the start, and Rylee is such a strong, determined main character. I loved seeing her grow, fight for her sister, and find her place in a world that had pushed her aside.

Each of the love interests brought something unique, and their relationships with Rylee felt real and natural. No weird tension, no unnecessary drama—just genuine connection and chemistry.

And that twist near the end? I didn’t see it coming until right before it hit. Loved it!

A solid four-star read for me, and I’m definitely looking forward to book two.

This was the perfect why choose book. Just when you thought one character fit perfectly with the FMC, another character shows us that they fit with her as well. The strong group of friends our FMC had was refreshing to see, and I loved how, even when she was facing a challenging situation, she remained herself.

One of my favorite books!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book! The absolute cliffhanger this book left off on, I wanted to chuck my kindle across the room. I absolutely loved Rylee's relationship with her friends. And her relationship with the princes of Chaos!? Ahhhh, I need more. NOW