This book pulled me in right away—Tricia Levenseller has such a fun, fast-paced writing style that makes it super easy to get hooked. What Fury Brings had the perfect mix of action, mythology, and just the right amount of romance to keep me invested.

I really enjoyed the main character’s journey—she was fierce but also vulnerable, and it made her feel real. The side characters added a lot of heart too, and the banter kept things from ever feeling too heavy. There were definitely some darker, emotional moments, but that balance of humor and intensity is one of the things I love about Levenseller’s books.

“A sexy, empowering romantasy featuring a warrior general who must kidnap and train a husband in order to take her rightful place as queen.”

While this is my first book by this author, I definitely don’t feel like it will be my last. I had heard so many mixed reviews about this book I was almost hesitant to start, but I am really glad that I didn’t let it deter me.

I honestly had a hard time rating this book because I’m not quite sure star ratings are the way to go. While I enjoyed this book, it is not going to be for everyone. Please read the trigger warnings and synopsis before going in blind. This book turns our current world on its head and rewrites our narrative as a matriarchal society where women hold all the power and political prowess.

The writing style was great and I really loved the character development throughout the story. We see both the FMC and MMC grow and change their ideals and beliefs from polar opposites to ideas that can come together to make a better world.

This story is great for fans of:
⚔️Banter
⚔️Reverse gender roles
⚔️Found Family
⚔️Hidden Identity
⚔️Forced Proximity
⚔️True Enemies to Lovers
⚔️Curvy/powerful FMC

A very special Thank You to NetGalley, Macmillan, FEIWEL, and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: violence, physical abuse, mentions of sexual assault, kidnapping, dubious consent, auctioning/selling men/children, mentions of grooming and underage sexual partners, animal death, penis guillotine

+ I went into this arc, seeing the reviews for it online being very polarizing. People either love it or hate it and it made me very curious as to why. The world building is different – especially for a romantasy. We hear romantasy and think certain tropes, but this is most definitely a reversal of the gender roles and this is a dark romantasy. Olerra is from the kingdom of Amarra where the women are in power. And I don’t mean they just are the rulers of this place, oh no, they housebreak their men – yes, that’s what the call it. Men are the subordinate, they are the househusband, they are used for breeding, they are punished if out of line, they are the whores, and they are the ones being bought. Personally, I thought it was very eye opening and I wanted to see how this story played out.

+ Olerra, as a character, she’s powerful. She fights with men, wins against them, she’s a commander of the military, she’s a big woman and she’s ambitious. I kind of got a kick out of her husband-hunting/kidnapping and being the one to save him in the end. Is she perfect? No. Because she does punish Sanos, put him on display, plays on his lust for her – but this is a role reversal, this is how Olerra has been raised. Readers of dark romance have seen similar scenarios take place in the traditional roles of men and women. The man doing the kidnapping, displaying the woman, etc…so it was really fascinating to see Olerra do all of this to Sanos, who is not a weak man himself. He’s a warrior and fighter just like her, and she emasculates him so she can be viewed as powerful among her people.

+ I like how this book bent my brain because I’m so used to the usual gender roles in all the romantasy I read – and I read a LOT of them. So this book was so good at challenging my thoughts on what I’m used to reading, things I just readily accept about female and male characters. I thought Amarra being a mirror to the Brutes was interesting. The society in Amarra is the result of men doing what they do to women – but instead of flourishing as an open society (which they do – they accept different sexualities), they treat the men as women have been treated. They treat criminals like an eye for an eye – male rapists get their privates removed. The women don’t seem to have evolved but are carrying out revenge. Instead of Amarra’s women taking the high road and saying, this won’t happen here – they do it full force, exactly what’s been done to them, because that’s “what fury brings“. But not going to lie, I was kind of scared for these men!

+~ There is spicy scenes and one that includes bondage. So it’s spicy but might also make some readers uncomfortable because of dubious consent.

~ This is marketed as a romantasy but I felt like the romance was under-developed. It’s enemies to lovers, clearly – the enemies being very obvious, Sanos has been kidnapped and is being forced to marry Olerra. It’s definitely Stockholm Syndrome but again…I’ve read this in regular romance and didn’t mind it. He eventually has feelings for her but I felt like it was all lust. Would have loved to see some tender moments between them, that shows that feelings, more than lust, were growing.

~ Please heed the trigger warnings – this is a dark romance. Stockholm syndrome anyone? There are mentions of grooming, buying young boys and it’s gross and uncomfortable.

~ I kind of wanted to see at the end how Olerra and Sanos would rule Amarra and Brutish because they both win their crowns so would book two show progress as Sanos points out things Olerra can change in Amarra and vice versa? I’m very curious! I did feel Olerra did exactly say all the things she would change as Queen, she mentioned not being as cruel as her cousin. But that doesn’t mean much. Would also like to see Sanos change some things in Brute.


Final Thoughts:

This is a dark romance fantasy where the gender roles have swapped in Amarra and women in take their revenge on men. I like that it was like holding up a mirror to how men treat women but it doesn’t mean what they are doing in Amarra is right. Men sell young women in many dark books – well the Amarran women sell young boys in this book. It’s ugly, but I think that is the point of the mirror. Men do it…but women could do it too. Sanos basically falls for his kidnapper – but we’re not new to stories like this, are we? Nope. Just new to who does the kidnapping and who is doling out punishment in this book. Either way, it’s wrong to live like this or behave this way and I think that’s what I got out of this story. Now there were many uncomfortable moments in this story but I also found it a quick read and there were even some funny moments. So I think you have to read this one at your own risk, read some reviews on this one, and definitely check out the trigger list before going into it. Overall, I found it a fascinating read but did want more out of the romance and maybe see both main characters commit to doing more to change how their kingdoms treat people.

At first the idea of this book seemed very intriguing. It was the same genre that I like to read with a little bit of a twist. The roles of men and women are reversed. After getting about a quarter of the way through there were some things happening that i didn’t like. Maybe I am not the right audience for this book. Definitely check the trigger warnings.

Reverse the roles of men and women. The women are stronger, tougher, and are in charge. Olerra has to go to the enemy kingdom in order to kidnap her a husband and not just any man, the prince.

Debut Adult Novel
Two POVs
Spice I would rate a 2.5 (but a lot of talk about it)
Mine
Good boy
Eyes on me

I really didn't know if I was going to like this book when I first started reading. It was a little confusing trying to learn the world and the roles being reversed. The names of the characters were hard to pronounce and I don't think I ever said them right. Aside from those issues, this book was great!

I loved how the characters relationships changed and evolved. I really didn't think I was going to like the FMC, but the more that I learned and read, the more I started liking her. There was no rock left unturned with this book. The ending answered all my questions and satisfied everything that I wanted to happen. GREAT BOOK!

Okay, I kinda ate this up!

Went in pretty blind beside the blurb. New to me author. And I would read it again! This book fed my dystopian/alternate universe fix in a way thats pro-women and refreshing to digest.

I’d rate this a 4.5 because I wish the connection between the two main characters was more organic and romantic.

Olerra had great sense of duty but was also contemplative and strong in her femininity. Although women have the upper hand in her kingdom’s society, it did not feel like satirical or even misogynistic. She was a very good balance of being a woman with duty and responsibility while also maintaining softness and being in tune with her emotions. Sanos was a good male character as well. He grew as the book progressed. The plot was interesting and engaging!

I’ll have to go back and read more from this author!

This book was not for me. You can't be mad about female prostitution but promote male slaves and prostitution. Yes it flips the patriarchy but both are wrong. I am DNFing my read at close to 50%.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian for the opportunity to read this eARC

What Fury Brings was such an unexpected surprise and easily jumped to one of my top 5 books I’ve read this year! Olerra is a fierce warrior in everything she does and truly has a vision for her country and people that she’s fighting for. To go so far as to kidnap a prince to be her husband from what’s considered the most brutish country, just to give her an edge, was highly entertaining. Even more so when it’s the wrong prince she kidnaps and she isn’t aware of it! Now we have Sanos who’s a warrior in his own right being expected to play husband. While Olerra tried to court Sanos, he’s doing everything in his power to escape. Their push and pull relationship combined with his culture shock made for a book I couldn’t put down!

At first it was interesting and immediately wanting me to read more but as I continued reading, I found that the that story was getting boring. I only got to chapter 6 before having to dnf. I was really enjoying the characters, and the concept was definitely interesting in the beginning but as the story went on, I was finding the FMC a bit annoying. I was also finding the male characters uninteresting.

This was my first Tricia Levenseller book, and it did not disappoint! I was very intrigued by the idea of a society that is the reverse of ours, meaning women have power, not the men.

I liked that the FMC's kingdom was a reverse society of ours, while the other kingdoms were the same as ours. I think it really helped to highlight the differences, the hypocrisy, and that no matter which gender is in charge, there are always people who abuse that power.

Please understand this is a work of fiction, and at the beginning of the book the author states "this is not what I think the world would look like if women were in charge. Far from it." However, I think it raises some questions and could begin some great conversations.

Overall, I really loved the story. I also loved that the FMC was older and more mature than most romantsy books that have come out lately.

I highly recommended this book, but please read the trigger warnings! While this is a fantasy book, there are a lot of dark elements that can be hard to read.

I don’t think I could not love anything Tricia Levenseller writes. I am so in love with this book and have such a book hangover after reading it. Roll reversed in a kingdom where women have the power and men are at their whim. The gods found justice in giving these women the gift of never being weak when it came to men. I loved how Olerra didn’t have that gift but drew her strength from deep within through grit and strength all of her own. The romance and world building will wrap you all up tangle you and not let you go even after the last page.

I ate this furious, hilarious, deeply (and intentionally) problematic shit up.

There’s something so empowering about a plus size FMC who takes zero shit from anyone and fully owns her power. Olerra is both badass and beautiful, purpose-driven and intelligent yet vulnerable and sweetly romantic.

Santos also hit so well for me here. Is there an underlying consent issue in how their relationship starts? Absolutely. Does this man’s journey from hate to love feel anything but earned, given his own background and the experiences they have together? Absolutely not.

While this is still one of my favorite standalones in a while, I do actually wish this had been longer or even a duology. There’s so much to unpack in this world, I’d’ve eaten up more time with these brothers and friends and aunts. I’ll also admit that some of the language came off a little heavy handed.

But I also can’t think of anything that rewrites history in a way that hit quite this hard—and did so with heart, humor, and a romance that hit.

This is not a book for everyone. It isn’t some grand feminist romantasy, nor is it ever trying to be. Read every trigger warning in the author’s note to know what you’re getting yourself into.

But also, for the people furious about this book, I ask you: did you feel similarly outraged watching Game of Thrones? Did you question every time a FMC is captured, tied up, or tortured by a man who ultimately gets some redemption arc?

4.5 ⭐️ rounded 🆙

Olerra’s kingdom is a matriarchal one. Their goddess blessed the woman with the power to overthrow men and flip the tables on them and their cruel treatment of women. Many years later, Olerra is in competition to win the throne against her cousin but she is at every disadvantage. Including not being blessed with the goddess’s gift of strength. So she has proven herself in other ways throughout the years without anyone knowing her secret. But now, she must win the title of heir and her time is running out. If she wants to make changes to her country then she has to win. That plan includes using an old tradition. The one of kidnapping a husband. She sets her sites on the spare heir of the kingdom of Brutus. But without realizing it, she has stolen the actual heir.

Sanos hates his father and wishes the day he can escape from him. Yet he never imagined being kidnapped would do that. Or that pretending to be his brother for a moment, would lead to such a mess. Now he must survive Olerra and her brutal kingdom. Yet, he can’t help but notice the difference between Olerra and many of the noble women in her society. Or the fact that when she turns the table on his own country, that she has made some many points. While Olerra hopes to win his heart, he is adamant that won’t happen. But every moment he learns something new about her, well, his heart may just be softening.

I won’t lie, this was a hard book for me to get into. I love this author and she is brave for doing a book like this. She really does a nice job of flipping the table and showing you a world where the women are in charge and what their side of cruelty will look like. There is definitely a mix of good and bad, but what really makes the difference is that Olerra isn’t one of the harsher ones in her kingdom. Though she has a softer touch and wants to make changes to help everyone in her kingdom. And interesting story for sure!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 50%
I'm a huge fan of Tricia Levenseller's books, so when I first saw she was writing her first adult novel, I was excited. However, unfortunately, this book was not for me. I would recommend that anyone interested in this book read the author's note. I know this book is supposed to be a dark romantasy, but nothing in the book felt like romance. I feel like I understand what the author was trying to get across with this book, but it did not hit the mark for me.

This was more fun than I expected, my least favorite part is the spicy scenes but only the terms that she used.

I had gotten a decent chunk through the book, but had to stop. As someone that loves her other works I was so excited but this I was mortified reading. It's said to be romantasy but there was nothing that screamed romantic about this. Dark Fantasy? Maybe. I was genuinely repulsed reading this one. Even taking the author's note into consideration this did not sit right with me at all.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an advance copy of this book.

When finished, I did have to mull it over for a few days before deciding that ultimately I enjoyed this book for what it is. Levenseller is very clear in her introductory author notes that this story is a role reversal flip where women are the dominant sex of the Amarran society. Now, this society is not all sunshine and roses, as we sometimes speculate a female driven society could be. Amarra has it's own dark side and Levenseller acknowledges it through the Olerra, who wants to make changes if she can become the future queen. There are Amarran women who, literally, treat some men like dogs and I think the biggest thing readers need to understand when reading this story, is that it isn't feminist literature. This is a story about a society where the gender roles have been flipped, and it comes with it's own ugly side.

That being said, I loved the story for what it was because it is very unique. Levenseller does a great job of structering for the Amarran society came to be, how it operates, and how it makes sense in this new world order. I've read other works from this same author, and it follows a similar format where the pace isn't quite fast, but it isn't quite medium either. As a result, I feel there are some details or characters that get glossed over a little too fast. For instance, I would love to know more Ydra and her story. The romance between Olerra and Sanos sometimes felt a little rushed, but overall it was still believable.

For anyone on the fence, if you do read this book, please definitely read the author notes about why it was written and keep an open mind.

<b> Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review</b>

<b>Rapid fire thoughts:</b>
1. The first 45% was rough for me (because of reasons I'll explain later).
2. The last 55% made up for it and I flew through!
3. I liked all the characters and the relationship.
4. Tricia Levenseller is an autobuy author for me so as always I loved her writing!

Now let's deep dive a little bit...

Before the book even starts, Tricia has an author's note (how ao3 of her we love!) talking about the world. She lists the trigger warnings (queen) and also gives a little context about the world we are about to read. She talks about how this is a world where the women have been gifted strength over their male oppressors, and now 500 years later they have switched roles. The women are in charge and treat the men (or most men) like slaves.

Tricia herself says in this note that she is NOT saying she believes that this is what would happen if women became the stronger sex.

That being said, even knowing that... it made it hard to read for me.

I'm a man hater. Fully. Like, I make fun of them all the time. And I was so ready to enjoy watching the women rule...

But this book was cruel. I was so disgusted by the way the men were treated and the thing is... it makes it hard to be rooting for a country who is so awful to innocent citizens. And even though Olerra herself isn't this way, she is holding up this system and complicit.

And I think that if it was just that women were in charge everywhere, I would've gotten it a little more, except the women are only strong in this one country. Everywhere else, the men are still in charge and the patriarchy and misogyny is alive and well. So they are hypocrites because they hate Brutus and Brutes for the way they treat women, yet they are the exact same to men.

And if there's something I cannot stand it's hypocrisy. Makes it so hard to root for them.

The reason why (around) 45% I changed my mind on this, is because Olerra really started to explain why they are this way and the way her people see it.

How could you lose your hatred of your ancestors oppressor when you are watching them continue to oppress your fellow woman right next door. It would make the hatred fester and grow and make you continue to think you are justified in your hatred and cruelty.

Also there was a penis guillotine, and I do love watching a child rapist getting their due.

Olerra was at least aware of these misgivings of her country, but watching Sanos really reconcile with the fact that these acts he finds so atrocious and barbaric are the same things his people do to women and he doesn't even bat an eye? Watching him grow and unlearn his misogyny was a big part of what made this book for me.

Once all of this came together, and I truly understood the meaning of What Fury Brings, I got so into it.

I really enjoyed the romance between Olerra and Sanos and watching them get to know each other and put their guards down.

I do think that Sanos' feelings came on a little suddenly, but what can you do? It's a short book and a standalone.

She did leave it open for a potential spinoff standalone following two other characters, which would be fun and a great way to see how the world continues after that ending!

Because one thing that I think Tricia tends to miss in her books is the politics.

She always sets up these super rich worlds with intricate political happenings, yet she doesn't go into it as much as I'd wish. And it definitely wraps up in a way that if you are thinking about the politics, it's hard to imagine how everything would just continue after this.

Overall though, I did end up enjoying this book a lot!

And the sex scenes?? OKAY TRICIA I SEE YOU! More please.

Yeah this was book was a no go for me. The authors note was not enough to prepare the reader for that happened in this book. It was not a love story. It was a stroy of abuse and slavery. I am personally a feminist and all for female rage but we lose all of our ground when we write stories like this. The way men were treated was never condemned properly. And overall it sets back what women are trying to do which is strive towards equally not reversal.

I was literally sat all day reading this book. I literally couldn't put it down. Female rage was all that needed to be said