I was absolutely captivated by Rose in Chains from the very first page. Julie Soto has crafted a haunting, emotionally charged, and beautifully layered story that lingers long after the final chapter. This book is everything I love about dark, romantic thrillers — intense character dynamics, a tense, foreboding atmosphere, and moments of tenderness tucked between razor-sharp plot twists.

Briony is a fascinating, complex protagonist, and Soto does an incredible job of making her feel real — flawed, resilient, and impossible not to root for. The tension between Briony and the other characters crackles throughout, and the psychological edge to the narrative kept me breathless, desperate to see how it would all unravel.

I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, and it was absolutely phenomenal. The narrator brought an extra layer of depth and emotion to the story, capturing every nuance of Briony’s vulnerability and strength. Their performance elevated the already brilliant writing and made the experience even more immersive.

The writing is sharp, lyrical, and evocative, balancing darkness with grace in a way that only Julie Soto can. As a fan of her previous works, I had high expectations, and this book not only met them but exceeded them. And now — I genuinely have no idea how I'm going to be able to wait until next year for the next installment. The ending left me craving more in the best possible way.

I am so grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this stunning novel. Rose in Chains is an unmissable, beautifully twisted story, and I can’t wait to see what Julie Soto delivers next.

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto, Ella Lynch (Narrator)

🖤 The Evermore Trilogy: Rose in Chains is a gripping blend of intensity and seduction—devastating, dark, and undeniably delicious. Drawing inspiration from The Auction, Julie masterfully weaves her own original characters into the narrative, crafting a hauntingly compelling tale that honours the essence of the source while adding rich new layers.

🔥 The story's momentum was exhilarating, and the dual timelines added such richness. The interplay between past and present brilliantly illuminates how deeply entwined the characters’ lives are, unravelling their emotions with an intensity that keeps you on edge all the way to the final page.

🎧 Dual-narrated audiobooks tend to capture my attention more, however Ella Lynch's stand-alone performance truly stands out—her haunting delivery masterfully channels the darkness of Rose in Chains, turning it into a compulsively addictive listen.

🖤 Perfect for fans of dark romance, this novel plunges deep into emotional territory, with heavy themes that linger long after the final chapter. Trigger warnings are essential here, as Rose in Chains doesn't shy away from exploring the shadows. It's a harrowing ride that grips you tightly and refuses to let go, leaving you breathless and craving the next instalment.

I have conflicted opinions on this audio, as I read the book and was hooked on it. The audio I thought was well done and I did enjoy listening to, but I thought Ella Lynch wasn’t the right fit for Briony’s character. To me Ella sounds to delicate and fragile even though she does a wonderful job. I would have preferred a more strong and powerful female narrator instead. Thank you again for the listening opportunity for this book I love!

This book starts off fast and pulls you right into a dark, magical world where a brutal war has just ended—and the bad guys won. Briony, our main character, is captured and stripped of her magic, and what follows is a gripping story about survival, forbidden love, and power.

The romance is a slow burn with intense forbidden, enemies-to-lovers vibes—her captor is a former classmate from their magical academy days, and the tension is real. The story switches between their present and their past, giving depth to their complicated connection and the past that shaped them.

If you love immersive world-building, high stakes, magic and characters who feel real and conflicted, this one’s worth picking up.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to be an ARC/ALC reader in exchange for an honest review!

Rose in Chains absolutely blew me away! This is my first dive into Julie Soto's writing and I am just so shook!
The story is quite complex following scenes of the past and the present as well as part of ancient history of magic. The themes through the book are quite dark given that there is human trafficking and assault being a major part of the story. As Briony's character develops we find ourselves in a very rich magic system and the second half of the book had be absolutely flabbergasted.
The stitching scene with Serena gave me literal chills. This is an incredible story and if you don't have any trigger warnings then this book will definitely make it as your top read of the year!

I was given this audio book ARC from Netgalley and Hachette Audio | Forever for my honest review .

I started Rose in Chains with the audio book, but honestly I just didn’t vibe with it. Something about the narration didn’t click for me but I decided to pause and wait until the paperback released. I’m really glad I did because reading it physically gave me a much better connection to the story.

The book itself is dark,emotional and heavy in all the right (and sometimes uncomfortable) ways. It’s not a light read there’s slavery, violence and emotional manipulation but if you're into gritty, morally grey romantasy this brings it in full force. The slowburn,captor captive dynamic between Briony and Toven is intense. At times I wasn’t sure how to feel about either of them, which I think was the point.

Overall I’m glad I trusted my gut and waited to read it on the page. I felt more immersed, and the emotional stakes hit harder in print. Definitely a solid pick for fans of dark romance with a fantasy edge but I’d caution anyone sensitive to trauma or heavy themes to read content warnings first.

Rose in Chains is a brutal, emotionally heavy read filled with trigger warnings and a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance set against a captor/captive dynamic. It reminded me a lot of Melissa K. Roehrich’s Legacy series—dark, morally gray, and often difficult to root for. The romance walks a fine line, and whether you’re invested or unsettled by it will depend on your comfort level with power imbalances and trauma-based connection.

One standout is Briony. So often in fantasy, we’re told the FMC is “strong,” but the story doesn’t deliver. That’s not the case here. Even stripped of her magic and agency, Briony uses her intelligence, willpower, and strategic thinking to fight back in every way she can. She truly embodies strength under pressure, like a pawn quietly working toward checkmate on a brutal chessboard.

The pacing, however, is undeniably slow. There were stretches where I had to push through, but by the end, I was glad I stuck with it. The payoff was satisfying, and Julie Soto’s knack for emotional depth and character nuance came through in the final act. She’s an author I rarely doubt.

🎧 Audiobook Notes:
The narration was strong overall. Ella Lynch brought the tension and emotional stakes to life, especially in the more intense or emotionally fraught scenes. Her portrayal of Briony captured her inner turmoil and quiet defiance well. Toven’s voice felt appropriately cold and conflicted, matching his morally ambiguous role. The pacing of the narration matched the slow-burn feel of the story, though some listeners might find it drags in the middle. If you’re an audiobook fan, it’s a solid way to experience the story—just be prepared for the emotional heaviness.

All in all, while Rose in Chains isn’t an easy read (or listen), it’s gripping once it finds its rhythm. I’m invested in Briony’s journey and wildly intrigued about what’s to come—hopefully with a bit more momentum in the next installment.

My Selling Pitch:
Harry Potter X Handmaid‘s Tale except instead of any social commentary it’s just torture porn and tone deaf Stockholm syndrome flirting.

The audiobook is well done.

On my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
The way these books are being marketed solely by what they used to be is WILD. I feel bad for the people who genuinely love the original series because the creator is a heinous TERF. (And then I read it and you really can’t separate this one from the source material.)

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Hey, so I’ve never read or watched Harry Potter. I just know about it in passing. Is Vindecci Voldemort because that seems on the nose. Briony (Brian E) as Hermione. Like c’mon bitch, don't make it rhyme. At least use some different letters if you’re gonna claim it works outside of the source material.

Violence, what have you been up to?

Magic system seems fun.

Ayyy a Sam

Spelling Reighven like that is criminal.

This is written well. Like the pace is going.

Oh, be so for real. How are you so stupid that you leave those incriminating letters out in the open while you're at war? Are you kidding?

OK, time and place for horny.

A minty boy

Bro, I know why we’re doing flashbacks, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Toven is a stupid name.

Comically evil, cliché blondes just read as internalized misogyny to me.

Oh no, we were doing so well, and now they’re 16 and in high school, and I’m like this is horrible.

Oh, that made me chuckle. Penetrate is so fanfiction.

Reading this and I’m already like… I am never down for master x slave.

Virginity magic makes no sense. Like you cannot tell, and it only functions under the stupid definition that only a penis inside a vag constitutes real sex, and oof I’m heated.

This feels like weird internalized misogyny fetish work, and I’m not onboard. It's very Handmaid’s Tale.

I’m assuming the pin and the necklace are the love magic somehow?

The way she wrote not alone like that’s gonna be any kind of explanation. Like bitch use the word ally and point.

I’m only 18%, and I’m already like no, I’m good 😂 Oh my god, dark romance is not for meeeeeee. I’m not even healthy. I just don’t have rape fantasies. Like be so for real right now.

I’m also annoyed with the romantic pitch of it. Like it's okay now because she wanted him in high school because he was the only one who really saw her-like get so fucked.

Camaraderie, I mean-🎶 (Pry this joke from my cold, dead hands.)

Also, I know they’re the bad guys but permanent winter and pets sounds like a better time than summer school to me.

I don’t know who the Sammy character is in HP, but I unfortunately only like that one so far.

There's a weird virginity fetish to this, and I’m NOT about it.

The way other people are highlighting that like they think it’s a good compliment, and I’m like he called her a thing!

Hey, this isn’t romantic. This is coercive abuse.

This book weirds me out so much because you’re kind of sexualizing a child actress, and I’m not into it. It’s actually so weird to me to do this with a character you met as a child-especially when it’s not your own character!

abort abort

The way magic knows consent, but men don’t.

Hi, I’m actually having the worst time!

Who’s fantasizing about this and publishing this in 2025 while our rights are being stripped away? How do you sleep at night? I know this is fictional, but you’re like actively imagining this happening to other women. For fun. What’s wrong with you?

Caesar Flickerman, got it.

What if he’s written mine on my upper thigh? 🎶 Sorry, jailtime worthy, but also I’m so uncomfortable! Literally, the only thing I have left is my jokes!

Why is it always the white ladies fantasizing about slavery. Go to therapy. Knock it off.

The amount of nervous laughing coming out of me reading this is wild. It’s like 90° here, and I’m chilled, and I’m like I want milk and cookies and to be snuggled up in bed with a very different book.🙃 And if you’re like omg Samantha, that’s why there’s trigger warnings and you should probably read them!
One, I think if you’re not triggered by rape at least a little bit, you need to seriously reevaluate your humanity. Two, warning you that there’s on page assault in a book does not warn you that they’re also going to fetishize it.
It’s my classic example, but you know Ninth House is gonna get a sexual assault warning, and that book could not be more clear that it is the most vile thing you can do to someone and it’s never sexy. It’s not right that this book and that book get the same blanket warning.

Oh, well, he had to hit her. He was undercover! Fuck this. I'm so out!

Out of context- ‘let’s forget our manners together,’ hot
In this context- rapey as hell.
You can’t say I’m gonna kill your brother and enjoy watching you be war spoils and be like teehee, they're flirting. Like there’s enemies to lovers, and then there's this. This is dehumanization from the jump, and I don’t think anyone deserves to be with someone who robs them of their humanity.

Correct, it is disgusting to want that.

The way they keep emphasizing that he’s dead has convinced me he’s not dead and that it’ll be the reveal at the end of the book that he's actually just been in hiding this whole time. (Nailed it.)

Sentient house aids its prisoner is very ACOTAR.

There’s some weird religious undertones to this with the whole marriage is a sacred bond that is supposed to be a union between a man and wife but now people have corrupted it and virgins are best because that magic is just for your husband and I’m gonna barf!

Why not ask the house?

Some of you girls need to leave Beauty and the Beast in the past.

Ma’am, this is Stockholm syndrome.

Gtfo with the oh, he was violated too! We’re both just victims in a corrupt society! Omgggg

This is for those girls who read that ACOTAR scene and were like it’s actually so hot that he’s drugging her and making her do sexual things without her consent!!!

I don’t wanna read this.

She’s like look at the sexual tension between them because they actually like each other. Meanwhile, everyone else in the room is getting sexually assaulted. Like I’m having the worst time!

How do you read this and not feel sick? How do you read this and not get angry and like really miserable? And then the author has the gall to be like it’s still kind of sexy though because they’re falling in love! This is just so upsetting to read!

See, it’s not like it’s being treated respectfully. It’s just kind of torture porn of other women, and I’m really getting upset here.

I don’t wanna read this. Why did a woman write this?

Hey, what’s the messaging in this? There’s trauma going on around you so just disassociate? What the fuck is happening?

Oh good, we get to repeat the scene I’ve already complained about.

No, it’s not. What do you mean? This book has the worst messaging for women. Abuse is not romance!

Bro, how much longer? I’m so out.

Hey, I don’t wanna read this!
Let me pretend to be on a rape serum. It’s romantic. What the fuck?!?

I hate it here.
What has to go so wrong in your brain that you’re like it’s actually feminist to pretend I’ve had so much random sex when I’ve actually had no sex, and it’s actually super hot that I’m a virgin and only he gets to have me. I am aghast.

Hey, this mindfucking her without her consent? Still super weird! Still hate it here.
Also, everyone in that story was a minor when that shit was going on, so he’s lowkey saying show me child pornography in your brain so-
Have I mentioned I’m having the worst time!
(They may be in their early 20s for this, but even then, the other man did not consent to have his sex tape shown to this rando.)

Well, yeah, he just creamed his pants. He’s gotta go change. I hate it here so much.

Here’s the thing, I don’t think this is that poorly written. I think this is pretty decently written. It’s just so appalling in subject matter and messaging that I’m like absolutely not.

So stately, but she can take all of him in her mouth without going into her throat and without pausing and without using her hands. Come on now. I feel like normal people are fine with this, and then size queens are over here like it’s only hot if it’s TOO big.

Hey, I hate it here! Hey, here’s the elaborate scenario I created about how you’re my sex slave without your consent. Isn’t it hot? And the author being like no, it’s actually so hot because she’s into him! Sam’s like lol feminism is dead!

The way she’s like crystal, and I’m like spit or swallow, baby? Oh, the only thing I have is my jokes to keep me sane!!!

I’m stressed out, man. I think this book is giving me gray hair reading it. And I’m so annoyed because I know there’s gonna be so many girls eating this up, and I just wanna take them and hug them and be like what happened to you? We gotta work on this internalized misogyny! This isn't a Sabrina Carpenter situation where media literacy is dead, but it was so clear that it was a parody, but it didn’t translate well because of the exact photo that they chose. Feminism allows you to choose to be a sexual submissive. Submissiveness is not unfeminist. What’s unfeminist is the fact that all this is being done against her will, even if she’s like no, no I think it’s hot. None of this has been consensual, and I just wanna leave!

What the fuck kind of comment was that? You’re too concerned with makeup? Get so fucked. I think Larissa and Sammy are the only characters I like in this book. I don’t think this book passes the Bechdel test.

Do people get their periods in this?
Also, if they can magic away blood with minimal effort, shouldn’t they be able to do the same thing with like semen or period blood?

Also, I feel like she’s obviously gonna be dosed with the elixir at this party now. (I’ve never been so thankful to be wrong, but I’m very worried for book two.) ((The way it also means you invented a rape serum as a plot device to allow your characters to flirt is crazy work.))

Title drop

It’s doing the Disney thing where all the villains are ugly, and all the good people are beautiful. Also, it’s just so unnecessary because they’re NPCs. They're there for all of a minute. They don’t even get names. Man would do the same job, but she makes it a point to add in their appearance to be like oh by the way, they’re ugly, so it's okay that they die.

You’re the spare, babe.

Why are they making Draco‘s dad a hero? Mr. racist himself??? (At least from what I've gleaned.)

They have to get rid of her virginity and something deep inside of her pops, and dislocates, and you can bottle it. In 2025. Written by a woman. What the actual fuck.
Hey, if you like this book, you need therapy. You hate women.

I HATE IT HERE.

Hey, neither can I, but you wrote this!!!!
Imagine being this tone deaf!

Literally how tone deaf can you get that you’re like take all the problematic things in your life and just put them on a bookshelf and ignore them like you do the Harry Potter books! I’ve never been so proud to not be part of a fandom, and I wish it was because of my unfailing ethics, but the books were coming out while I was in school, and I said the last thing I wanna do is read about more school and a 12-year-old boy.

Everything was so much simpler when I didn’t have agency and I just let a man make all the decisions for me! shut up I HATE IT HERE!

Doesn't a murder have to be premeditated? So she’s not a murderer if it’s self-defense, which amounts to what, manslaughter?

How are you gonna produce a body, babe? That wasn’t really your promise to make, now was it?

Everyone’s throat is doing an awful lot of clicking in this book.

A child she couldn’t have wanted? You don’t know her stance on that. Some people are like every baby is important. I’m not one of those people, but you can’t just presume to know that about her.

Let’s romanticize gaslighting. What the fuck?

Is the dragon her brother?

Yeah, like come on why won’t you rape her? Don’t you love her? Is this book for real?

… the dragon did all this because she’s horny. What the fuck.
Every time I think this book can’t get stupider, it does.

Post-reading:
Ha ha ha, I don’t even know where to begin.

You know what we need to stop publishing in 2025? Stories that romanticize slavery. Samantha, you’re kink shaming. Absolutely. All day, every day, 24/7 365. Get this shit, and I do mean shit with full offense, away from me.

I don’t think you can like this book and like women. I think if you enjoyed it, you need to stop and take a hard look at the internalized misogyny you’ve got going on. Feminism gives you the choice to be sexually submissive. This book robs you of that choice. This book literally has the FMC complain that she’s not being raped. I don’t know what mental gymnastics you’ve done, but I need you to untumble fuck yourself and wake up.

This is a book written about characters that are predominantly underage in their native series, and this author said let me age them up a bit, just to be kosher, and then fantasize about them getting sexually assaulted. Constantly. And then instead of labeling this correctly as a horror novel, I’m gonna pitch it as a silly, goofy, good time romance. In 2025. Wake up.

This book has such a weird preoccupation with virginity. It baffles me that a woman would write that virginity is something that can be bottled. Also, she designed this universe with things like virginity tests, but never defines what magic actually decides virginity is, or why it’s valuable, or why it’s only penis in vagina sex that counts. Ew? If you’re not going ew to that, why aren’t you? This literally attempts to validate virginity testing- something that’s been used to harm women for centuries and has no scientific basis. Please chew on that.

This book has no compassion for all the sexual assault that it brings up. My point isn’t that you can’t be a feminist if you include rape in your books. It couldn’t be further from that. But this author tries to sexualize it and romanticize it and make it into something sexy and flirty between the love interests, and it disgusts me to my core. It should horrify you.

I don’t think this book passes the Bechdel test. Other female characters exist solely so that the FMC can yammer on about her crush. The side characters are never relevant, and there’s a weird lens of defining people by their appearance but never naming them just so you can know they’re evil because they’re ugly. It’s a weird move.

The book also has this weird messaging that you should just disassociate from your problems and ignore them until they go away, which feels pretty fitting for someone continuing to use IP created by someone willing to harm the children that gave her her career.

I came into this pretty open-minded. I was like maybe people are overreacting to the fact that it’s being advertised alongside its harmful origin IP. I don’t know what was stripped out other than some names because I don’t think you could read this and not recognize it as Harry Potter fanfiction. And there’s no need for it because the author clearly wants to tell a different story with different characters. From my understanding, the MMC and his family are basically Nazis in the source material. If you’re not going to make them Nazis in this story and are going to rewrite their personalities and backstories, why not just make them a new character? You can write a blonde man with daddy issues and magic without making it feel ripped from Harry Potter. You can write a bookish heroine without unnecessarily sexualizing a beloved children’s book character.

There’s so many ethical choices that were made in this book that I don’t agree with, and it’s frustrating because I don’t think it’s terribly written. It’s pretty standard romantasy fare. It’s 90% well-structured character development, but there’s no plot backbone to it. Because when you get down to it, what actually happens in this book? Her kingdom gets attacked, and women get assaulted by bad men. The end. We don’t get any movement from the rebellion until the last chapter. We just sit there and get backstories and watch NPC sexdolls get assaulted while the main couple flirts. That's it. That's the book. That's not enough.

And look, I’m never gonna tell people they can’t read a book. You can read whatever the fuck you like. You can form whatever opinions you have on your own, and you can be loud and wrong! But when you blithely consume content like this, and when the publishing industry is setting its patrons up for failure because there’s a big difference between warning you that there’s sexual assault in a book and warning you that a book tries to make sexual assault sexy, I've gotta say my piece. This book is being sold as a romance. It’s not one. The author’s previous work, which I admittedly haven't read so I can't vouch for it, hasn't featured such problematic themes. I think a lot of her audience is going to go into this blind, and they’re going to encounter a very different animal than what they've been sold. If you pick this up, I am begging you to read it critically. If you come away loving this, I need you to go look at negative reviews. I need you to set aside your feelings for a second, and just evaluate if the parts of the book that people are critiquing are present in the book. If those parts are there, I then need you to ask yourself why it didn’t bother you. Why didn’t it ring alarm bells for you? Why was it something you were willing to permit? Because even the book itself recognizes that the acts inflicted on characters are so vile that the main character can’t believe there would be another “woman in the world who would wish such a thing on another woman.”

And then remember that a woman wrote this. She made all that happen to those other women-fictional as they are. She made the decision to write the scenes that way. She chose to make it more important to worry about whether a man was paying attention to his crush sitting in his lap than a girl across the table being raped. And instead of denouncing it with every fiber of her being, she told you it was romantic.

I get that this is a cash grab for big publishing, but do better. There are so many original stories out there not linked to harmful IP and not promoting this kind of shit. Publish better stories. Read better books. Feminism only dies if we let it.

Who should read this:
Lol no one
Fanfiction fans willing to engage critically

Ideal reading time:
Anytime

Do I want to reread this:
Fuck no

Would I buy this:
Fuck no

Similar books:
* Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube-same book, different font-harry Potter fanfic with sex slaves
* Firebird by Juliette Cross-historical fantasy romance, master x slave, dragons
* A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas-fantasy romance, yeah, he sexually assaulted me, but he was just undercover so it’s okay and also we’re in love
* Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout-fantasy romance smut, ACOTAR fanfic
* Court of the Undying Seasons by A. M. Strickland-vampire romance, magic college, the horniest book I’ve ever read where no one fucks

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The audio version for this was just perfection. Ella Lynch breathed so much emotion into the performance. The book itself was everything I had hoped for when I first saw this work would move to be traditionally published. It felt like getting to read a favourite story again. I cannot wait until the second one comes out.

Thank you very much for opportunity to review this audio version of Rose in Chains.

If you are looking for your next romantasy, this is it! Rose in Chains is definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, you love some characters, want to shake some, and slap the heck out of others.
- Magical Systems
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Political Intrigue
- Spice
- Captor-Cative Relationship
- Dual Timelines

In devastating aftermath of the fall of Evermore Princess Briony Rosewood finds out the would be saviour, her twin deceased, her magic shattered, her kingdom and its people are in the hands of the enemy and she begins trying to figure out a way out of this for her and her people but things go from bad to worse when she along with the survivors are auctioned off. Briony ends up in the hands of Toven Hearst, a family notorious for their cruelty and mastery of Heart Magic.

This captor-captive relationship is filled with political tension and the constant threat of exploitation. Briony navigates this reality with a fierce spirit and building allegiances.

My thoughts:
I enjoyed the dual pov to get a better understanding of the complexities of Briony a d Toven's historical and present relationship. Additionally, I really liked the building of Briony's character and how she comes into her own, building her self-esteem as well as her magical abilities. This book has dark themes and a gri. Backdrop but also kept be very intrigued and was hard to stop listening. I listened to this on Audio, and the narration was done very well! You can tell characters apart, it created tension and heat where needed!

This book is both heartbreaking and full of hope as we venture through both a brutal and beautiful world.

Over the last several years, I’ve read, re-read, and re-listened to Julie Soto’s 𝑅𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑊𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑠 series more times than I can count.

Respectfully: 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 blows 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 out of a lake with still waters.

This is peak romantasy. Dark and deliberately thorny, with a premise as maddening as it is magnetic. Tension, angst, pining, and a slow burn that still sizzles. Meticulous, immersive, and nonlinear—with a structure that rewards patience and attention.

With Briony and Toven, Soto serves up the ultimate Idiots in Love™ arc. This is the slowest of burns: aching miscommunication, endless pining, and desire so blatantly obvious to everyone but our leads themselves. Across years from past to present, we are fed with lingering looks, possessive outbursts, and thick tension.

Their fights? Glorious. Think that feral spat in 𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑜𝑛 S2—multiple times.

Their touches? Electric. Every shared breath will have your skin prickling. The ballroom sequence lives in my head rent free.

Their flirting? Kicking-your-feet good. Toven is the ultimate little sh*t in the best possible way.

And the heat? No one writes a steamy slow burn like Julie Soto. You’ll be floored by how much this first arc simmers, even without any true spice on-page.

The romance hits as hard as it does because of the precision in Soto’s world-building. Her premise—and the brutal power dynamics it unearths—is intentionally dark, yes. But the trauma isn’t shock for shock’s sake. It’s woven into the larger conflict between Bomard and Evermore, between Heart and Mind magic.

The depravity is depraved. But it tracks. And it makes Briony’s arc feel all the more earned. I cannot wait to watch her rise.

𝑨𝒍𝒔𝒐:
👑 Briony gives Princess with bite—she wields words, not daggers, but they cut just as deep
🌲 The sense of setting is stunning—you feel the cold of Bomard, the sun of Evermore
💜 Even in subtext, Toven’s obsession is painfully obvious (to everyone but Briony)—I’m thrilled we’ll get his POV in Book 2
⛓️ Orion = Daddy. I said what I said
🖤 There’s a particularly steamy fantasy sequence here you can thank Ali Hazelwood for
🥀 The side characters add depth without stealing focus—I’m already desperate for more
🦊 The other woman is both furry and furiously jealous
‼️ Please heed content warnings—this story is very dark, right out of the gate

Worth all the (remaining) gold in the Hearst vaults, for sure. Infinity stars. I’ll be continuing to reread and spiraling about this one for months.

🎧 This story SOARS on audio. Ella Lynch is the perfect Briony. She has the right balance of posh and bite, and nails all the other voices. It’s a dynamic performance that kept me engaged from the get-go.

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC! Views entirely my own.

𝑻𝑳;𝑫𝑹: With Rose in Chains, Julie Soto has crafted something so cohesive, so precisely tailored, you’d never guess this story existed before Evermore. The world is dark by design—full of political intrigue and injustices that make your blood boil. And the romance? The steamiest of slow burns: sharp glances, maddening miscommunication, and pining so visceral it hurts. All the stars.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. The story is dark, emotional, and full of tension that kept me on edge. The characters were complex and their connection felt so real it’s full of push and pull in the best way possible . I listened to the audiobook and it made everything even more amazing. The narration was incredible and brought every moment to life. I didn’t want it to end!
Highly recommended to anyone tho it’s is dark

First, let me start by saying the cover art is beautiful and very eye-catching. Draws your attention to the book. The audio narrator's voice was quite enchanting. Made listening to the book a pleasant experience.

Sadly, the issue was the book's actual content. For a fantasy book, world-building is very important. The story felt long, yet I wanted more from this book with the world-building, characters, and romance. I think I wanted to story to be expanded upon. I didn't love the book, but I didn't hate the book. Personally, it was an okay book.

I will say I was surprised by the ending. Did not see that coming.

Every time I go to read something by her, she serves me something unexpected.

After coming straight from her fantastic paranormal YA thriller, The Thrashers, to a fantasy book, I honestly expected a kind of cookie cutter Romantasy. (I'm so sorry.) Instead, Soto serves up a dark Romantasy with an interesting magic system and a look into what it's like when the bad guys win. I'm extremely interested in the dragon inclusion/storyline in this one.

⚠️Trigger warning: buying and selling of humans, SA, forced reproductive procedures

Pardon the long(er) introduction.

I read this book because I absolutely adore Julie Soto’s writing. I think that every review needs context, and to be clear - I’m not much of a fanfic girlie. So take this review in that vein… a fan of great writing, and someone who has no idea what The Auction is like.

📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: The Evermore Trilogy. Book 1.

📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: Audiobook courtesy of NetGalley.

📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Dark Fantasy Romance

📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀:

📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: When Bomard finally overtakes the Eversuns, the women are sold at Auction to help bring Bomard men more power. Briony, the princess of Eversun, ends up in the hands of Toven Hearst - whom she’s had a long, complicated relationship with.

🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: I’m very interested in where this trilogy could go - and I guess I’m definitely along for the ride now.

Rose in Chains, if I look at it as a standalone story with no context, was a good book. The magic system was interesting, and the characters were all truly layered and shades of gray. But as first books in trilogies often go, it created a hundred more questions with no answers, so I’ll have to wait for the rest of the series to truly make a judgement call.

In the context of its original fanfiction background, it certainly had nods to the fandom. You’d have to be looking, but you could definitely find them - small little nods here and there that brought up nostalgia. If that’s one of the reasons you’re staying away from the book, I’d definitely not open this one to begin with. From what I understand from my book club, though, this book is a pretty big leap from the original story Soto wrote years ago.

The spice level below is indicative of Briony and Toven’s relationship… but I want to be clear this is a dark romance with a ton of sexual content, and triggers should definitely be read.

I will just add I didn’t love the audio experience. The singular narrator was solid, especially as the story progressed, but this book is complicated and with all of the names and families, I think I would have preferred a sight read. But that’s a me thing.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4.25/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 1/5 🌶

𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.

The audiobook for Rose and Chains is absolutely incredible. I need to figure out the name of this narrator and see all her other work because I immediately knew who was speaking without her having to say, her male voices weren’t cringey whatsoever and she really moved me during emotional scenes. This book deals with incredibly heavy subject matter and the way the narrator really pulls you in is astounding.

I was able to read this before release as book an ebook and audio and I have to say I was obsessed with this story. From the very first page I was pulled into the plot. I found the changes made to the plot made this such a different read to the original work it was taken from. The flashbacks were added with precision and to allow the reader a better understanding of Briony and Tovens history. The YEARNING and the cluelessness these two had were perfect and I'll never forget that one scene that make me blush and scream (IYKYK). The ending was SUCH a deviation from the original and I LOVED IT.

I listened to 75% of this and read the last 25% and the audio book narration was so so good. Thank you so much for an advance copy of the audio book. Ella Lynch was PERFECT. The way she narrated the female and male voices was perfect and each was distinct.

A reminder that this book is a dark romance sooooo if you don't like the tags and themes to begin with in other books then keep that in mind when you start this.

Summer 2026 hurry up sis! The enemies need to become lovers asap.

Thank you again to Hatchet Audio, Forever and NetGalley for this arc.

We were able to read this before release as book an ebook and audio and I have to say I was obsessed with this story. From the very first page I was pulled into the plot. I found the changes made to the plot made this such a different read to the original work it was taken from. The flashbacks were added with precision and to allow the reader a better understanding of Briony and Tovens history. The YEARNING and the cluelessness these two had were perfect and I'll never forget that one scene that make me blush and scream (IYKYK). The ending was SUCH a deviation from the original and I LOVED IT.

I listened to 75% of this and read the last 25% and the audio book narration was so so good. Ella Lynch did a FANTASIC job. The way she did the female and male voices were perfect and distinct.

A reminder that this book is a dark romance sooooo if you don't like the tags and themes to begin with in other books then keep that in mind when you start this.

Summer 2026 hurry up sis! The enemies need to become lovers asap.

Thank you again to Netgalley, Hatchet Audio and Forever for this audiobook

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC

4 1/2⭐️ narration
3 ⭐️ story

I don’t even know where to start, I ended up loving this more than I thought I would. When I learned it was originally a HP fanfic that was rewritten I was hesitant, but having not read The Auction I tried to go in with an open mind about the overall story. This is dark so check TW, and when it starts you are dropped right into the middle of a war. I enjoyed the dual timelines giving some glimpses of Briony and Toven’s history, and the build to where the book started and current timeline. The world building felt gradual, but like there is so much more to explore as well as the magical system, and I hope the author continues to build on both. This is definitely a slow burn, the yearning is so well done, and the cliffhanger at the end was almost painful. The narration by Ella Lynch was emotional and she brought each character to life, making you love or loathe them deeply.

“Briony's dress was black lace tonight, with a low neck. It was tight on her body, leaving very little to the imagination.
With shoes on and one last look in the mirror, Briony headed down the hallway. She'd found her footing by the time she descended the stairs, but the sight of Toven watching her from the ground almost sent her stumbling again. His eyes dripped over her face, dress, and legs before tearing away and staring down at the marble.”


Easily one of my top reads of the year! This book had me hooked from the first chapter—equal parts thrilling, heartbreaking, and blazing hot. 🔥
Ella Lynch’s narration is phenomenal; I normally listen at 2x speed, and even then, her performance is flawless. She brings the story to life in the best possible way!