Tricia Levenseller makes a triumphant splash into adult romantasy with "What Fury Brings," a book that is everything fans have hoped for and more. This is a fiercely compelling, utterly addictive read that expertly blends a unique, matriarchal world with a sizzling enemies to lovers romance and a powerful undercurrent of female rage. It's truly a five-star masterpiece.

From the moment we meet Olerra, the warrior princess on a mission to secure her throne by "kidnapping" the perfect husband, I was completely hooked. Levenseller has crafted a heroine who is both formidable and layered, embodying strength, ambition, and a surprising depth of vulnerability. Her choice of Sanos, the "docile" prince from an enemy kingdom, sets the stage for a delicious dynamic. What begins as a strategic abduction quickly evolves into a complex dance of wills, as Olerra and Sanos constantly challenge each other's assumptions and prejudices.

The gender reversed power dynamic is brilliantly executed and provides a refreshing twist on classic fantasy tropes. Levenseller doesn't just invert expectations; she explores the nuances of power, societal roles, and the clash of cultures with thoughtful precision. The world of Amarra, with its warrior women and kidnapped husbands, feels both alien and fascinatingly real.

And the romance? It's scorching. The tension between Olerra and Sanos is palpable from their first encounter, building with an exquisite slow burn that culminates in genuinely steamy and satisfying scenes. Their journey from mutual disdain to a fierce, undeniable connection is incredibly well developed, fueled by sharp banter, unexpected tenderness, and a magnetic attraction.

"What Fury Brings" is more than just a romance; it's an empowering exploration of a woman seizing her destiny, embracing her fury, and challenging the very foundations of power. Tricia Levenseller has delivered an adult debut that is bold, sexy, and utterly unforgettable. If you're ready for a romantasy that burns bright and hits hard, do not miss this book.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this ARC of What Fury Brings!

OMG—this book was so good. Tricia Levenseller’s adult debut is everything I could have wanted and more. From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked and rooting for Olerra and Sanos. Their chemistry? Off the charts. Watching Sanos fall head over heels for Olerra, despite their wildly different upbringings and opposing worldviews, was so satisfying and had me grinning like a fool.

Set in a fierce, matriarchal society where queens kidnap husbands to secure political power, this story brings a fresh, high-stakes twist to the enemies-to-lovers trope. Add in forced proximity, a delicious captor/captive dynamic, and a dash of political intrigue, and you’ve got a romantasy that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Olerra is such a strong, determined FMC—I admired her so much, especially for how she balanced power with vulnerability. And Sanos? A refreshing mix of reluctant royal and emotionally intelligent love interest. I loved the plus-size rep, the thoughtful LGBTQ+ inclusion, and the way Levenseller didn’t shy away from complex emotional and societal dynamics. It all made the romance feel earned and deeply impactful.

There were a few characters I never quite trusted (and with good reason), and the twist near the end? I did not see it coming. It shocked me in the best way.

⚠️ Spice Level: This book contains 3 spicy chapters (17, 21, and 28), with content that leans mature but remains deeply character-driven and empowering.

If you're looking for a unique fantasy romance that blends political scheming, empowered women, emotional depth, and sizzling slow-burn tension, What Fury Brings absolutely delivers. I loved every page.

This book was fascinating. I’ve never read anything quite like it. Part romance novel, part philosophical treatise, I couldn’t put it down. The world created is absolutely not feminist, in that it is the mirror inversion of a toxic patriarchal society, but I do see it as a feminist project, in that it serves as an argument for egalitarianism. And somehow amidst all of that, there is a romance that I actually rooted for. For me, this was a fast and satisfying read. I can’t wait to see what else this author does in the adult space.

this was such a unique book!! It hooked me from the beginning and every time I put it down, I couldn’t wait to pick it back up again!! a world where women rank elite?? sign 👏 me 👏 up 👏 I loved the concept of the plot and the fact that olerra is not the typical character you see in a fantasy. Her thought processes and the decisions she made were questionable but I still enjoyed her as a character.

I liked the romance between sanos and olerra but the only thing that got me was the pacing. I felt like when sanos got a little bit more comfortable, the romance kicked OFF and all of a sudden they were in love? I felt like we spent a lot of time with sanos hating everything and trying to escape, that the romance and last part of the book felt rushed.

thank you netgalley and macmillian/feiwel for this arc in exchange for an honest review <3

I was really looking forward to Tricia Levenseller’s NA book debut, and got very excited when this ARC request was approved. I read (last summer) her Shadows Between Us duology and remember thinking, “Wow, this would be even better if it was NA instead of YA. There’s a lot more I think the author could explore.”

Before starting What Fury Brings, I read the book’s author’s note, watched several videos of her talking about this book and her writing process, even read other ARC reviews. So I knew this was a feminine rage book. I knew it was the author’s idea of a society where women ruled men. But sadly, this book was a miss for me. The degradation of men was brutal, graphic, and consistent throughout the whole book (she never lets up!).

I consider myself an open minded reader, and willing to give anything a try, but this was too much of the author exploring a topic, at the expense of a plot (there virtually was none). (And certainly no romance, or soft moments.)

Overall, it just gave me the ick. Maybe I’m just not the target audience, as a happily married woman of almost 15 years. It was hard to read about men who were basically slaves, humiliated in every single way. (The cover art is a silver armband, which is basically the book’s version of a slave collar. Yikes!)

A good friend of mine helped me process this book, and shared that The Barbie Movie is a great example of “rage against the patriarchy” done well. Yes, there’ve been mistakes in the past, but we (as women) don’t have to imitate what they did to make a point. I think Levenseller was trying to get there with this book, but never quite did.

For me, it’s a classic case of be careful of sprayed edges and beautiful end papers. This book is marked beautifully, just what’s on the inside may not hit for the masses.

All opinions are my own. Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

Thank you netgalley for this arc!
3.5 stars
Definitely check trigger warning!!

I absolutely loved both the daughter of the pirate king, and the shadows between us series. So I was very excited to get this, especially knowing it’s her first debut into adult fantasy.
I honestly do not know how I feel about this one, to be completely honest. I have not read anything else like it and is definitely a one of a kind book, that gets you thinking. I loved the concept of this book. Where men get a taste of their own medicine. In Amarra women are the superior gender, they are the rulers and basically use their power to oppress men. It was a fast and entertaining read. I also enjoyed how inclusive it was to the lgbtq community.
There are some things I did not enjoy. The relationship dynamic between the two main characters is absusive, and definitely has a significant power imbalance. Even knowing that the power imbalance and oppression of these men and LITTLE BOYS is the whole point of this book, it still felt extremely icky. I feel like this book is going to be loved or hated, or people will be confused on how to feel about it. And i’m definitely in the confused category.
In our current political environment, I was definitely excited about the concept for this book. In the future when women are put on the same pedestal that men are currently on, that we as women never use our own power for evil like done in this book.

First let me start by saying thank you to NetGalley, author Tricia Levenseller and Macmillan publishing.In exchange for this E-ARC of What Fury Brings, I promised to give an honest review.
2/5 Stars⭐️⭐️

The story had an interesting premise that pulled me in, with a society that women had the power/ruled and the men stayed home and raised the kids. Our FMC is a princess in line for the crown and she is a badass general and even steals a prince to become her husband from a rival kingdom and all of this sounded interesting but kind of went down hill from there.

I guess I expected women to be better than men and our FMC does try to be but there are a lot of characters that are just disgusting and the behavior made me uncomfortable. There is so much in this book I just felt wrong reading and felt I could have dnf’d it a few times.

What I will say is to take the authors note in the beginning of this book seriously as she does not hold back on the fury she feels towards men. She takes it past feminism and makes it about revenge, it is not a “light” book in any way. The way men are treated in the book went past revenge in a lot of ways in my eyes and it just wasn’t for me.

4.5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Please be warned that this is NOT a feminist story. It is fully a revenge story. I started off very conflicted about this book. On one hand I felt very interested by the story, felt the female rage, thought it was super well written and could not put it down. On the other hand, it was definitely intense at the start and a shock to read, with the torture and slavery and everything.

Once I got really into the book, about the 35% mark, I could barely put it down! The dual POV was extremely well done, switching within each chapter instead of having to wait until a chapter was over to hear the alternating POV.

The romance was spicy and I enjoyed every bit of that aspect of the book very much. I found Olerra and Sanos to be a really good match. She is such a go getter, wants to get her way, very high and mighty, and he is stubborn and somewhat simple minded. I felt their chemistry to be believable.

This is a standalone and it wrapped up perfectly. Chef's kiss!

Thank you to netgalley for the early chance to read this!

ARC REVIEW
Thank you to the publisher for early access to this book!
4.25/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What Fury Brings is a debut adult novel by Tricia Levenseller (who previously wrote YA romantasy)

I REALLY enjoyed the flip on what historically the role women have played in political roles. it was intriguing to have a society that was created by a goddess who bestowed gifts to women with a power to overthrow men.

Olerra as a character is a strong FMC who, despite a deep secret, shows up as a General to the Amaraan army on hopes of becoming crown princess. The play on relationships and use of those relationships between ger cousin Glen and her was well done. I hated Glen and Olerra dodged her machinations perfectly.

Sanos was such an interesting perspective to have, I'm glad the book switched back and forth mid chapter to get real time perspective. Ydra, that girl, I wish I had her in my corner. I know she'd be fighting every way she could to support people in our current political situation. the queen, the brute brothers, all great characters that I hope to get to know more about in the future 🤞

Oh my gosh! When I started this book I had no idea it was going to consume me the way it did. I love how this story is a women run patriarch and all the women are bada*s. It truly is so amazing to read stories of women being strong and worshipped, and let’s not forget a beautiful curvy FMC. We love big girl rep! There’s so much tension and when the prince was kidnapped I was grabbing my seat dying to know what happens next. Tricia does world building like no other, it’s always so easy to follow and I eat it up. And the spice! Oh it was everything I didn’t know I needed.

dnf @ 16%

this made me so unbelievably uncomfortable i couldn’t even force myself to finish it. there were so many out of pocket, unnecessary, vulgar, and disgusting things that were said that i just couldn’t move past it. all of my annotations were just myself questioning why i decided to request this book. and even only at 16%, the pacing was just wayyyyy off. so not only did i despise the characters, the world, the society they were in with the norms they experienced, but the pacing was not it whatsoever.

This book had me hooked from the first page! I absolutely loved the premise, a brutal, unapologetically strong female main character in a world where the power dynamic is flipped, and women rule. Olerra is fierce, complex, and driven by a deep sense of justice (and rage), which made her incredibly compelling to follow.

The enemies-to-lovers romance was perfectly paced, full of tension, banter, and emotional depth. I appreciated that the male love interest, Sanos, wasn't just there to be rescued or sidelined, he was intelligent, emotionally aware, and had his own agency, even in a society that oppressed him.

Tricia Levenseller does a great job balancing action, romance, and political intrigue, all while building a unique world where the traditional fantasy gender roles are turned completely on their head. If you’re into fantasy with fierce heroines, high stakes, and sizzling slow-burn romance, I definitely recommend giving this one a read. I loved every minute of it!

This book really said men in power? In what world? Not this one!

Olerra really made questionable choices in how she treated people… it felt abusive and I really can’t say I actually enjoyed her as an MC.

Per usual I loved Tricia Levenseller’s writing, the pacing was great, and this book truly felt unique.

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

This title will be released September 23, 2025

STUNNING!! Loved the tension and banter, was delicious omg I was giggling and kicking my feet in some bits, thought the premise and overall feminism themes were fresh and gritty, loved this so much!

In no way was I prepared for this book to end. It started off slow and I was under the impression that this was going to be at the very least a 2 book story, but the author wrapped it up perfectly without it feeling rushed or fake. It still ends with the seed that there will be more books about the other characters in this world, which I am very excited for.

The premise is great, but for me personally, I don't like when men do it, I equally don't like it when a female does it Not a world I could get behind. I wanted her to stop messing around and just kill those who needed it, quit playing with your food type of thing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ | 3.5 Stars | A gender-flipped romantasy that doesn’t hold back

What Fury Brings is a political romantasy set in a brutal, female-dominated world - one where women hold the power and wield it with the same cruelty often reserved for men in the genre. But this isn’t a feminist novel. Author Tricia Levenseller makes that clear from the start: she’s not imagining a better world led by women. She’s flipping the script to reframe our understanding of history. Every atrocity typically committed against women is instead inflicted on men.

With that in mind, it read to me as a satire that begs the questions: 


• Does violence feel more extreme when women (the “gentler sex”) are the ones inflicting it?

• Does the forced proximity/enemies-to-lovers trope still work when the FMC kidnaps the MMC?

• Are we more willing to accept cruelty from men as part of the storyline?

It’s definitely over the top, but that’s part of the point.

If you’re looking for a fast, gritty romantasy with medieval vibes and an interesting take on the patriarchy, this is worth picking up. Just make sure you read the author’s note first, as it frames the whole experience and details the (numerous) trigger warnings.

Thanks to NetGalley, Tricia Levenseller, and Macmillan | FEIWEL for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this book. The storyline was unique and something I have not read before so it really kept me engaged. Olerra the main character and her people reminded me of Wonder Woman kind of how her people are in the movies. So if you liked those women they have that type of vibe. It’s very women dominate and men submissive so going into it remember that. It is not your typical love story. But it was very good and not something I expected to love as much as I did.

Extremely sad to hear there isn’t a sequel because I LOVE Olerra and Sanos! The chemistry, banter and spice between them was perfect. The author leaves you wanting more in the best way. I will advise readers to take the content warning seriously. While I personally enjoyed this flipped roles, I know it’s not for everyone and I think she handled the subject matter well.

What Fury Brings has a strong concept and heroine, but the fast pacing and forced romance hold it back. While the story has potential, it doesn’t hook me in. Still, dark fantasy fans may find it worth the read.