“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.