“Then be monstrous, Wife. If that is what you are, that is what I want you to be.”

“I’m not certain I’ve ever felt this way.” He looked at me, confused. “Meaning?” I hesitated. “Peaceful.”

This next installment of the The Ever Seas is just as exciting and addictive as the first two! This was my second time reading this book, after reading the indie edition last year. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of the new traditionally published edition with some bonus content! I have to say that after my second read through, I love Skadi and Jonas even more than before!

Skadi and Jonas want to hate each other so badly, and with good reason. She almost killed his brother, and he (and her grandfather) have forced her into a marriage of convenience. Skadi has never been given a reason to trust a man, having been constantly used, manipulated, abused, and/or lied to by every man in her life. But Jonas quickly sees the fire in her eyes behind her icy mask, and begins to show her he isn’t quite the nightmare he introduced himself as.

It doesn't take long for Jonas to go from barely tolerating Skadi to being fully prepared to murder anyone who has ever dared to cause her pain, and isn’t that what we all want in a husband?? Jonas gets to make my book boyfriend list, along with most of LJ’s MMCs.

As is standard to LJ, in addition to our MCs, the side characters are a blast! Especially in the Eastern kingdom! Living amongst the Alver, a rambunctious and mischievous folk, Skadi comes out of her shell and finds her voice with her new people, her new family. The Alver royals are such a fun group, constantly playing tricks on each other, true to their roots as smugglers and thieves. They are such a contrast to the very proper, royal life Skadi was raised in. She quickly joins in on the fun, and learns to use her supposedly dangerous magic for joy. We even get to Livia and Erik again a few times, and Mira pops back in throughout, always down to throw a party and annoy Kase and Tait!

The ending of this book is so fast paced and had me STRESSING! And that little cliffhanger at the end has me dying for Mira and Tait’s story next year!!

I absolutely loved The Mist Thief!!! This is Jonas and Skadi’s story with a marriage of convenience that they both do out of duty but it’s turns into much more than either of them expected. Their story takes place after the events in The Ever Queen, however you could still read this book as a standalone.
I enjoyed seeing more of this world since I haven’t read the Broken Kingdoms series yet. All the alvers stole my heart! They are all thieves and smugglers but they are so loyal and welcoming to Skadi. I’m so happy she found a home with people who embrace her powers instead of fearing them.
Of course I love Skadi and Jonas together! Jonas is such a cinnamon roll but can be downright vicious when he has to be. I adore how protective he is of Skadi and pushes her to be herself. Skadi is scared of her power so it’s amazing to see her journey of accepting her self and her magic. I also love seeing her stand up for herself and being a badass.
These two have incredible banter and chemistry. The tension is off the charts and their spicy scenes are 🥵! They also have so many fun and sweet moments that melted my heart.
This is definitely a new favourite series for me and I can’t wait for the next book!!

Read this book if you like:
🖤 marriage of convenience
✨ pirates & vikings
🖤 fae & elves
✨morally grey cinnamon roll mmc
🖤 standalone romance
✨ “my wife “
🖤 dark fantasy romance

The Mist Thief was everything I hoped for and more. Jonas is so hot. I loved every second of this book! It was wonderfully spicy, action-packed, and the plot never slowed down. I was hooked from start to finish. LJ Andrews is a freaking genius and I’m obsessed with her writing. Jonas being completely obsessed with Skadi is Perfection. Their chemistry, the tension, the stakes… it was such a wild ride. I couldn’t put it down!

L.J. Andrews has done it again. I have no idea how I’m supposed to function until we get Mira and Tait’s story. This book was everything I’ve come to love about the Ever Seas and Broken Kingdoms universe with high-stakes magic, swoony romances, intense character growth, and a plot that makes you unable to put the book down. Jonas went from bad boy fae who could get any woman into his bed to only wanting her from the moment he laid eyes on Skadi.

I was incredibly lucky to receive an ARC via NetGalley, and I can honestly say this has become one of my favorite reads in the series. I know book 4 is going to be even more epic, hopefully with more high seas and pirate vibes with Hearttalker.

Jonas and Skadi: Chefs kiss

If you’ve read The Ever Seas or The Broken Kingdoms, you already know how easy it is to fall in love with each new couple. But Jonas and Skadi? They might just top the list. For full disclosure...I did not like Skadi in The Ever Queen. Idk what it was about her, but she was just very meh to me and I didn't understand her point being there. Now I do.

Reading The Mist Thief right after finishing Kase and Malin’s books made the experience even richer. Seeing them as parents to Jonas and Sander, and watching their mesmer fully unleashed, added so much emotional depth. The moment Malin immediately protected Skadi and demanded she have a voice in her own fate? Chills.

Jonas...charming, cocky, and secretly the softest cinnamon roll of them all completely stole the show. We’ve seen glimpses of him before, especially his flirtation with Skadi, but this book finally gives us the payoff: the slow-burning fire, the explosive chemistry, and a romance that’s both fiery and tender. His love for Skadi is raw, possessive, protective, and deeply healing. One of my favorite quotes:

"I would not survive this woman. Something had rotted out my resolve...She consumed me—actions, thoughts, fears, desire—they now belonged to her."

YES.

Skadi, on the other hand, completely won me over. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her after The Ever Queen, but this book changed everything. From the moment she finally speaks her mind after the wedding vows, her personality explodes onto the page. She’s fierce, sarcastic, broken, and beautifully resilient. Her affinity, once feared, becomes something powerful and deeply moving as Jonas and her new family help her see her worth. Her growth was so satisfying to watch, and her sass was iconic. I loved that she could put Jonas in his place and make him worship her.

"You are irksome, and I do like to murder irksome things."

Their banter, their heartbreak, their healing was all so well done. And don’t even get me started on the redo wedding scene. That bonus content? Perfect. I promise this trad published version is so worth it for the added content and bonus scenes.

Final Thoughts:

If you’re already a fan of the Ever Seas or Broken Kingdoms world, this book is an absolute must-read. The pacing is tight, the magic system continues to evolve in exciting ways, and the romance hit every note for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read an early copy. I'm counting down the days until we get Hearttalker and Mira’s story!

Dual POV • Arranged marriage
Found family
Fae, Elves, Vikings
My wife • Spice

I was so happy to dive back into the amazing world of The Ever Seas for Jonas and Skadi. There’s fantastic banter, tension, and interesting magical abilities.
This book mainly focused on the romance and their growth as individuals. Their story was exactly what my heart needed. 🖤

“𝘉𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦, 𝘣𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺.”

Jonas captured my heart. He is sweet, mischievous, and strong.
Skadi is vulnerable and so misunderstood.
I absolutely loved the way he encourages her to be her true self. The family dynamic was another highlight for me. It is so refreshing to read inspirational parents in a fantasy book.

The Mist Thief is a phenomenal love story of peace, acceptance, and embracing your darkness.

📖 Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for my eARC

this was a delightfully sweet tale of adventure, heartbreak, falling in love, and learning to not fear oneself. many, many, many of the exact same themes that are found in the ever king repeat throughout this story. i enjoyed skadi and thought jonas was hilarious and cute.

Another amazing read, if I could rate this more than 5 stars, I would!
To say I was excited to start Jonas & Skadi's story is an understatement, I fell in love so fast.
This is the 3rd book in The Ever Seas series and is an interconnected standalone but I do recommend reading The Ever King/ Queen beforehand to understand some of the characters- You should have heard me gasp everytime Erik or Livia was mentioned/showed up 😂

Going back to this world gave me allll the feels! The world building in this series is just phenomenal, you can picture every single detail. This had soo much emotion, the absolute BEST found family like ever, I love watching all the characters form relationships and bonds. This story has the absolute perfect blend of plot, spice and let me telll you the spice was sooo hot, Jonas is top tier (this man built her a library!!!), it had so much action and so much romance, I was kicking my feet and giggling, but I was also on the edge of my seat, Gods this one really finished me!

My favourite thing though in this story was watching Jonas and Skadi's relationship blossom, it started off pretty interesting and the banter is off the charts in this but as the story goes on, you see Jonas show Skadi what a true home and family means, he really is a cinnamon roll underneath his smug, morally gray exterior and I love him for that, he is such a romantic for her, the way he protects her and cares, ughhhh 🫠

Another thing I adored was watching Skadi progress from what she used to be. Seeing her overcome her past and all her traumas was beautiful, she has to be one of my fave fmc's, she's just so strong and the way she and Jonas accept their darkness together had me swooning.

Oh but that ending has me needing book 4 like asap! 🤯

I definitely recommend this if you're in the mood to cry, laugh, swoon, kick your feet and blush because The Mist Thief will do just that!

LJ has done it again, as if there was any doubt!! This couple is one of my favorites and I was rooting for them even when their chemistry was made very obvious in Ever Queen. I love love love this world, the characters and even though my heart was out through the wringer, it is so happy for these two!

YES YES YES SO MUCH YES

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️


LJ Andrews does it again!!! I was so excited for this book after The Ever King duet and I was not disappointed!! The introduction we got to Jonas in The Ever King was perfect, I felt like we got to see his witty side and a little hint of his caring side which was the perfect lead up to this book. Jonas was the perfect morally grey cinnamon roll MMC who definitely had a way with his words 😮‍💨

I felt like this book was a personal healing journey for both Jonas and Skadi, both of them coming to terms with who they are, both separate and together. Being that this was a marriage of convenience, watching Jonas and Skadi learn to trust one another and fall in love over the course of the book was beautiful. I loved that he embraced Skadi and her power and never tried to dull her, he always encouraged her to be herself after a lifetime of being repressed.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it more!


🖤Tropes🖤
🖤Marriage of convenience
🖤"My wife"
🖤Touch her and die
🖤Morally grey cinnamon roll MMC
🖤Fae and elves

Jonas’s story is here . And Skadi is the woman he agreed to marry to save her from an arranged marriage to an evil fae elf who is out for himself and tried to destroy the kingdoms.

Will Skadi give into her growing feelings she’s tried to hide from her husband?

I loved Jonas in the ever seas duology and having a whole book with him protecting his wife is 🔥

✦ Standalone Romantasy Recommendation ✦

The Mist Thief
by LJ Andrews

Standalone ✦ The Ever Seas series
446 pages

Publication date: The Mist Thief is re-releasing in hardcover with bonus content on October 14th, 2025.
eARC: @netgalley

𝘋𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘖𝘝
𝘈𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦
𝘗𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘦, 𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘯
𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦 🔥
𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺
𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤
𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?
𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧
𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘴
𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴
𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 ‘𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦’ 𝘢𝘯𝘥 ‘𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦’

𝑰𝒇 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒗𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕.

👏👏👏 This story right here. Such a captivating romantasy filled with character growth, angst and tension, the best family dynamics, and unique magic. I am at a loss for words. I loved every minute of Jonas and Skadi’s story. Jonas is so high on my book boyfriend list now. 🔥🖤 Arranged marriage is one of my favorite tropes and it was done well here. This story is a standalone but I enjoyed reading it after The Ever King and The Ever Queen because I felt like I already knew the world and the characters.

“𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦.” THIS GUY!!

This is the new cover for the new traditionally published version! I love the pop of color & new end papers inside. I loved the bonus content with Tait Heartwalker at the end of this book, Also, I love the set up for book 4, The Stolen Crown. I'm excited to see what happens with Mira and Tait. 🖤

✦ Thank you Berkley Publishing Group | Ace and @netgalley for the opportunity to preview the new traditional version of The Mist Thief.
Rating: 4.5/5

If you want an arranged marriage done right, done absolutely perfectly.. this book is it!! This story takes place after the Ever Queen and follows Jonas who must marry Skadi to prevent her magic from destroying the other kingdoms.
LJ’s insanely gorgeous writing once again takes us on a beautiful and exciting adventure.

Skadi is born with knowing expectations as an heir to the shadow elves and when her magic is used not for good but to harm it destroys her. Jonas sees something more in Skadi and their relationship unfolds beautifully and with lots of incredible banter and determination. Jonas doesn’t want Skadi to hide or shrink, he wants all of her, wants her to be the powerful and strong woman he knows she’s capable of. I’ve always loved that about Jonas, his confidence and experience, his kindness and his love. He is one of the best MMC’s LJ has written and I will never get enough of him!

Their journey goes beyond an arranged marriage though, and I loved reading them come together on their mission, their relationship develop, their growth as a team and fall in love with such passion.
fire and nightmare, this series has my entire heart for ever and ever!!

“I do not know what kings are like in your land, but in ours, we do not silence our queens”

“Gods, I ought to have thought of something more tangible. Bloodsinger gives Liv jewelry. Daj gives Maj notes.” I slumped in a chair, tossing the book back into the pile. “My gift is a mountain of fables.”

“Be kind, be gentle, and be monstrous. I will want you every way”

☠️ arranged marriage
🧝‍♀️enemies to lovers
☠️forced proximity
🧝‍♀️found family
☠️ Vikings, Fae, Alvers, Elves
🧝‍♀️”MY WIFE”

My favorite book with Found Family! The birthday present heist, perfection!
This may be a standalone in a series, but you really need to read the ever king and queen to understand this book. I can’t wait for Mira’s book!

I loved The Ever King with Livia and Erik so I knew that I would love this book too. I think L.J. Andrews has a creative way of introducing her magic system and I loved her idea of pirate fae.

Skadi and Jonas were perfect for each other and I loved Skadi’s magic, I really hope we get to see more of her magic doing great things in the future of this series.

I absolutely love the gritty, unpolished feel to these characters. It feels like every book I read the characters shine with beauty and perfection but this series creates more than just a fancy character in a fantasy book, it feels like a real world with living characters, just like you see in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. There is beauty without perfection.

As the next couple on display in The Ever Seas series, The Mist Thief features Skadi and Jonas on their way to finding themselves and each other. Light and darkness combine in the fight between the forces of the fae and the elves to make a better world for all. In the middle of unending everything we all once knew, Jonas and Skadi work together to find a way within their arranged marriage to stand for what’s right and fall in love.
I can’t wait for book 4 to see all the couples that we love and see a new couple emerge with Mira and Tate!
LJ Andrews is one of my favorite authors.

I’m a huge LJ Andrews fan so I was super excited to get a chance to read and review The
Mist Thief!

This was such a well done version of “it’s a marriage of convenience but the MMC is secretly pining and desperately in love with his wife.” I loved the focus on Jonas and Skadi’s relationship and how it evolved as they got more comfortable with each other. Skadi has spent her entire life being used by others for her powers, so she expects Jonas to be much of the same. Jonas, however, surprises her and encourages her to embrace her power instead of shy away from it.

“Then be monstrous, Wife. If that is what you are, that is what I want you to be.” -Jonas

We get to see a lot more of the world of The Ever Seas in this book as it focuses on both Jonas and Skadi’s homelands. I enjoyed getting a really good glimpse at the family dynamics between Jonas, his brother, and their parents. They all embraced Skadi and when she found herself in danger, they rallied together to help get their girl back!

So many elements to love in this book:
-Marriage of convenience
-Touch her and die
-Powerful FMC
-Found family
-Forced proximity
-Fae/Elves
-Pirates/Vikings

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for approving me for the ARC!

Thank you so much Berkley for the early copy!

I absolutely loved The Ever King and The Ever Queen (TEK/ TEQ) so I was very excited to read this one. Jonas is the ultimate cinnamon roll MMC and Skadi is nothing short of badass. The whole premise of the book is so fun I love a good arranged marriage with the whole “get your hands off my wife” trope. It was very much a “touch her/him and die” situation as well, and I felt myself totally drawn to Skadi’s personality and powers.

The author has such a great writing style and can really tell a story. I love the language she uses and the different cultures she takes inspiration from. I love how LJ wrote the Broken Kingdoms and created such solid characters and those characters made appearances in the Ever seas books and the Mist Thief. It’s really cool to see those characters as parents and the element of found family really hit the mark for me in this book. I love the Eriksson family so much! I also love seeing Livia and Erik again because they’re one of my favorite LJ couples.

There is a big theme of mental health and I think it translated really well with the magical powers. Jonas and Skadi really seemed to click on that and there seemed to be a good amount of chemistry between the two. Jonas paid attention to so many things she loved and wanted her to feel welcome in his home.

In my opinion this book felt a bit more relationship heavy than TEK/TEQ and didn’t have as much action. But Jonas did have many swoon worthy quotes, and some great spice scenes. I definitely think this is worth reading and now I’m excited for Tait and Mira’s book!!

4.5 stars rounded up!

Honestly I don’t think LJ could do wrong— I just LOVE her characters so much (and their mental health journeys)

Jonas is easy to love and it was fun to get to know him better since we saw him a lot in The Ever King/Queen but didn’t really get to know him or his kingdom. He’s the epitome of “looks like he could kill you, is a cinnamon roll”

Also loved learning more of Skadi’s story and about elven. And the two of them together and their banter… chefs kiss.

If I had to give any criticism, I would say I realllllly wish there was more—

More background with Jonas and Skadi. Since The Ever Queen, LJ has been doing a *phenomenal* job at laying the foundation and foreshadowing Tait and Mira’s story. I wish she would have done this a bit more with Jonas and Skadi in TEQ because it was *almost* ALMOST a little too insta-love for me. I know there was a tad bit of foundation laid in TEQ, but I think because it wasn’t in Jonas or Skadi’s POV it wasn’t as impactful.

More smut?! I don’t who I am and if it’s just me but the scenes, in comparison to The Ever King/Queen, felt a little closed door. Don’t get me wrong… the scenes are there they just felt like they ended quite abruptly (again, compared to how TEK/Q were written)

The plot/big bad was also… interesting. Just very simple. It’s been awhile since I read a standalone and I think this is probably why. It wasn’t bad and the ease of it was somewhat satisfying to be honest… but I was shocked by the lack of stress.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down! It was an easy read and I loved being in the Ever with all our fav characters. And I absolutely cannot wait for the next book after where that left off!

Truly LJ is an instant read for me!

I genuinely didn’t think anything could top my love for Livia and Erik… but Jonas and Skadi? They came in swinging and completely stole my heart. Whatever it is, their connection was instant and magnetic, and it became the emotional backbone of this entire story for me. LJ Andrews continues to blow my mind with how richly she builds not just her world, but her characters and their relationships. One of the biggest highlights for me in The Mist Thief was the family dynamics. Livia’s family is still adorable and soft in the best way. We haven’t explored Mira or Alek’s families much (in this series), but Jonas and Sander’s kingdom of ruffians, thieves, and loyal chaos? ICONIC.

Of course, the action is there. The world-building deepens even more, and we get to explore corners of this world that feel lush, dangerous, and alive. But at the core, and what LJ always does best, are the relationships. That’s what lingers. That’s what makes me want to reread the entire series over and over again.

And I can’t leave this review without quoting one of my favorite lines — a moment that just sealed this couple as a forever favorite for me:
"Then be monstrous, wife. If that is what you are, that is what I want you to be."

Screaming. Crying. Throwing the book across the room in the best possible way. 5/5 ⭐ easily!

Be ready to be swept away the Mist Thief is here. Jonas is marrying Skadi the woman that tried to kill him. I loved the banner and chemistry and the way they danced around each other.
Jonas’ parents, Kase and Malin, his brother Sander and several other characters made appearances. They were very supportive and with their help Skadi learned to accept her gift. The scenes between the two are so heartwarming and super explosive. There is a storm still brewing, in the name of Arion and his court. Battle down the hatches because no one harms anything that belongs to Jonas. Be ready to be swept away into a land of enchantment, magic, mystical creatures and supportive family and friends.

The Mist Thief to be re-released 10/14/25

Bonus scene, to be in hardback copy only - Tate Heartwalker finds out elven princess is missing.

ARC Review - My heart started racing when I read the bonus scene of Tate Heartwalker races to report the stolen elven Princess. When Celine’s call to go to war was made, I had a chill go down my spine and my heart was in my throat. So can’t wait for this tale to unfold.

Thank you LJ Andrews and NetGalley for the ARC and I’m leaving my review voluntarily.