Ooooo I loved this one so much. It was just so good. From beginning to end. Watching Draven and Morgan’s love was the best thing ever. I hated Fenyx with everything in me. Gosh, I love the dream word Morgan and Draven shared. I lived for those scenes. Arthur deserved a worse punishment because of what he did to those children but that’s just my opinion. This is the perfect dark Romantasy. I cannot wait to read the last one that comes out in March. I give it a 5/5 ⭐️ and a 4/5

Read the trigger warnings

“I’d rather be a villain by your side than play the hero for anyone else.”

I feel like this series gets better and better with every book! This one was a wild ride, and I can’t wait for the final installment.

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.

❤️ Strong FMC
❤️ Nicely done “Forced Separation” trope
❤️ Side characters and fluffy sidekicks
❌ Predictable “Betrayal/False Friend” trope

Make sure to read the trigger warnings, as there are many and things get pretty dark here and there.

Plot:
Morgan ran from the Court of Umbral Flames and her forced husband to return to Camelot. But the situation in her former home is worse than she thought as King Arthur will stop at nothing to control the magical sword Excalibur and eliminate any threat to his reign. To save her kingdom and her friends, Morgan needs to infiltrate the Court of Roses and survive long enough for the Siabra army to arrive.

The stakes are high: Morgan’s youngest brother is in mortal peril, her best friend is alive but drastically changed, people are dying on the streets, enemies are closing in from all sides, and she is sent to the viper’s nest to spy on Arthur and his court. There’s court intrigue, action, trauma healing, friendship, love, etc. The balance between plot and romance/spice was juuuust right, and I feel like Morgan and Draven’s time apart was a very good thing. In the previous book, there was too much arguing for the sake of the slow burn / hate to love tropes, and I’m more than happy that Morgan is out of her “I hate you” phase.

Characters:
Morgan is, finally, growing on me! She is coming into her own and embracing her power. She is still a little too naïve for my liking (she *should* have suspected who was the traitor right from the start), and I can’t forgive her actions toward Lancelet in this book, but I still liked her better than in the first two books. We didn’t see a lot of Draven in this one, but he was *chef’s kiss* every time he was there. As usual, the side characters are great. Hawl has my whole heart. Love Gawain. Guinevere was a great addition. And why do I love Orcades so much?!

Writing:
I love Boleyn’s writing. The descriptions are vivid and evocative, the dialogues feel natural, and the pace in this one was superior to the first two books. The only thing that annoys me a little is that some of the characters’ features are mentioned many times, and described exactly the same way each time. Instead of reading over and over that Draven’s skin is bronze-tinted and that Guinevere is curvy with brown hair, I’d like to know more about their other features, or even about how they talk or walk.

This is book 3 of the Queen of Roses series!

This book picks up where book 2 leaves off. While book 2 was all about Draven’s world, this book pummels back into the kingdom of Pendragon and the war that has ultimately decimated the kingdom and its people thanks to Arthur’s cruelty.

Morgan must act as the dutiful sister to the King in order to gain information to remove Arthur from the throne. Nothing goes as planned. There is a traitor in their midst, and Arthur’s new Queen is not as innocent as she seems..

I enjoyed the way that the author was able to keep Morgan and Draven together, even if it was only in their dream world for majority of the book. You could tell that he gave her strength even when them meeting wasn’t really face to face. There are so many moving piece at play here and the never ending twists make it so much better. I enjoy being sucked into this wonderful world!

A couple sections left me with questions.. how did the sword basically teleport Draven to Morgan? It was never explained.. what actually happened when each of the dying fae went to help Morgan with her injuries.. her eyes changed color, does that mean her powers did too? Will her and Draven keep Medra? What did Guinevere actually do to Arthur? He wasn’t blind cause he was looking at everyone..? And what is with the owl.. the fact that it keeps being noticed means it’s important.. right?

3.5/5 ⭐️
2/5

Up front I want to thank NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for this ARC! I got the entire series in one go and I couldn't be happier getting to binge all three back to back!

To say I have been enjoying this series is an understatement! The third installment did not disappoint. We pick up with Morgan and Draven being separated from each other but the two still feel their bond between them! I normally am not the biggest fan of separation because I have come to be so attached to the relationship of the main characters but I feel this really helps Morgan's character shine as you see her develop more.

The continuing world building is fantastic and how she can do it within 400 pages is unreal, but what we really need to see more of! I loved how fast paced book 2 was and with this one being a bit slower I actually enjoyed that for a third book so you're not finding yourself with an increased heart rate at all times. I am so thrilled to have read this series and cannot wait for book 4 to release!