L.J. Andrews takes us back to her magnificent world of the Ever King to give us another delicious enemies to lovers with Jonas and Skadi. Thank you, L.J. Andrews, for sending me an ARC!

I always get anxious about continuing books in a world I'm familiar with, without the main characters I'm used to being the main characters. I fell in love with The Mist Thief right away. Jonas is given the advice to work hard to make his new arranged wife happy in her new home. This boy falls...and he falls so hard. I found myself kicking happily throughout the whole book.

It was so much fun to get to know Skadi, her magic, and Jonas's family accepting her for who she is...and corrupting her a little too ;) The dynamic between these two and their worlds was fantastic. The BANTER. Oh my gosh, these two are hilarious. Also, I love Jonas's mom and dad. There were a handful of scenes with them that I laughed so hard. If you loved the Ever King/Queen, you're not going to want to miss out on this one!

Tropes:
Arranged Marriage
Enemies to Lovers
Cinnamon Roll MMC
MY WIFE
Touch Her/Him and 💀

🌶🌶.5

“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 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!!

Absolute five stars, no questions asked. I did not think it could get better than Erik Bloodsinger, but then we meet Jonas Eriksson and whewwww. I am in love. Feral. Down bad. I love Skadi just as much too. She is such a fierce baddie and their relationship is perfection. She has such a tragic backstory and upbringing and we as readers learn about it before she does. 😭 but the way Jonas and his family claim her as one of them is beautiful. I was literally crying on my lunch break reading chapter 50 and 51. Then the epilogue and cliff hanger until the next book?!? Absolute perfection.

Am I just a sucker for a marriage of convenience, or is this actually the best book of the series? Possibly both, I'm not sure. I just really enjoyed the romance dynamics here, even if they are perhaps not groundbreaking in terms of romantasy.

You've got a morally grey MMC... sort of. Not really? He's more gruff than morally grey in my opinion. They start off very much at odds with each other (it reminds me a bit of the first Bridge Kingdom book in that way) but fairly quickly move to building a relationship. I enjoyed the development of Skadi coming into her own with her power as well as learning to trust Jonas.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for a review copy of this book.

"Look at me. Stay here, with me." 🥹
This story broke my heart and then healed it again. The treatment of Skadi was just... horrible. Absolutely awful. That was a twist I absolutely did not see coming. She was taught to hate her power, just like many women are taught to hate things about themselves. The way Jonas got justice for Skadi gave me pure joy. Even though it was pretty brutal, it was deserved a million times over. Jonas was incredibly kind. He came from a land of thieves but was raised and loved so well by his parents. The found family was some of the best I've read. I can't wait to read the next book. 😊

4.5 ⭐ Loved it and will reread/re-listen.

The found family was everything.

ugh! so good.

I got the e-arc from Netgalley but had also purchased the audio and the indie cover and I'm so glad I did.

The Mist Thief
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jonas and Skadi are 🔥
I love these two! Arranged marriage turned love. Happy squealing! This book is absolutely amazing! We all loved Jonas before but wow!! And the bonus scenes! Fabulous! Wonderful! Amazing! Left me wanting even more from this epic fantasy world. I will never stop loving these books!

“MY WIFE” Do I need to say anything else? 🤭

I highly recommend this book if you like:

-Marriage of convenience
-Fae & Elves
-Pirates & Vikings
-Morally gray cinnamon roll MMC

This is part of The Ever Seas series and for the best experience I would definitely read The Ever King and The Ever Queen first (believe me, it’s so worth it!!) but, no worries if you just can’t wait to dive into this delicious book, it can be read as a standalone as well 🙌🏼

As someone who has been an LJ Andrews reader since the Broken Kingdoms series, I’ve greatly enjoyed all of her books, but I LOVED this one. I couldn’t put it down. I really like that this world & these books all build upon each other, but you could technically read each couples set of books (in both The Broken Kingdoms and The Ever Seas) without any of the others. I’m someone who HAS to read everything in order, even interconnected standalones, but I still appreciate that you *could* read out of order if you want lol.

ANYWAY- the banter and romance was so much fun. I thought the pacing was great, and the battle scenes!!!! Totally epic.

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”