I enjoyed this one more than Queen of Roses but I also had things that bothered me. First off, I loved how feisty Morgan was in this book. That was a huge improvement for me. But Draven honestly felt like a different character. Maybe that was on purpose since he was in his court and had to play a certain role. I really enjoyed learning more about Morgan's past and all the battlecat/training montages. The trials were a little meh for me. Especially the last one. It seemed like it was over too fast. The ending was a shock. Morgan's reaction to everything was very childish. I thought she had outgrown this streak but apparently not. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to book 3.

Thank you to the author and Starwater Press for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh. My. Goodness. This book just like the first caught me within the first few pages the last one I finished within a 24 hour period this one didnt even take me that long. I could not stop. The plot twists and the spice make this worth reading. Before reading hunker down with some snacks and drinks because if you start you wont stop either. This one also like the first ends in a cliffhanger but luckily the third and last book of the series comes out November 15th, 2023 and extra bonus all three will be on Kindle Unlimited! I highly recommend reading.

Well! If you thought Morgan had a lot on her plate in book 1 - get ready for a bigger plate in book 2!

She's lost one of her best friends, she's having weird, extremely vivid dreams and she's pretty sure she died at one point. But here she is awake and somehow hundreds of miles and cross the ocean from where she last was!

Morgan was taken to the Court of Umbral Flames by Draven as a last gasp measure to save her. But now he's got politics and his very own tricky family to navigate. His step-mother is right of a fairytale, his sister in law hates him for saving her and his people seem to be split in whether they are happy he has returned or not!

Morgan's reeling from a lot of new information about Draven, the Siabra, Valtain and her place within all this. Oh and the slight matter that Draven told everyone she is his mistress! He says it's to keep her safe but what is his real agenda?

The pacing in book 2 is a bit quicker but no less detailed. The romance is NOT lacking either. Draven is on a mission to cement Morgan to his side, whether to his advantage of hers. He's still not very straight forward with her but you can see that his motivation isn't about control and possession but more about protection and love. He is the epitome of "touch her and die" vibes, lol.

Morgan's walls go up again and again. But as her history unfolds, we can see how some of these walls were not of her own making. She really does have a problem about trusting the wrong people and just when I despaired things were going to go pear shaped she does a truly noble thing. As much as she matures in this book you can still see slices of her naivety and you have to remember that she's not quite 21 yet and dealing with A LOT.

I'm super intrigued to see how book 3 is going to tie up all these loose ends in my head. I mean that last chapter or so - WTH! Now I have to wait to see Merlin and Co fit into the finale.

3 ⭐️

✨Deadly Trials
✨Court Politics
✨Magical Creatures
✨Slow Burn
✨Relationship of Convenience
✨One Bed
✨Found Family

This book was definitely better than the first. I enjoyed the plot and storyline so much more. The idea of the Blood Rise to compete for the empires next ruler, I thoroughly enjoyed.

I also really enjoyed the new characters that we meet in this book and the found family that they have created.

Draven is a total hottie and the fact that Morgan kept denying herself of him for so long is insane to me! I will say though that some of the back and forth with them became a bit long winded.

Some downsides to this book I would say are:

- some things are not fully fleshed out or explained
- there is ALOTTTTT of typos
- a lot of sentence/word/phrase repeating
• the amount of times the FMC said “what do you mean?”
in the last two books is insane!
- the pacing was a bit off for me

Overall I did enjoy this book. It was a very easy ready and I found it very entertaining.

**thank you to the author and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this ARC**

This book wasn't for me. I am not a big fan of the miscommunication trope, which played a pretty big role in this book. The plot also wasn't working for me: it dragged on in the first half of the book, and felt rushed in the second. Also, the MMC is horrible (justifying child abuse, what??). It also reminded me a bit too much of ACOTAR.

Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for providing me with the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

<strong>NOW THINGS GOT SUPER INTERESTING!!!</strong>

This book was la crème de la crème. Briar Boleyn kept all the good parts in the second book!!! Genuinely loved how Morgan grew up in this novel, not only as a person with power, but as person who would become a great paramour to an emperor and it’s people (regardless of her denying it). Draven and her falling even more was amazing and the smut was wonderful. The ending of the trials really was super fast paced and it felt like I was getting whiplashed. Rychel and Beks threw me for a loop and Sephone in some form of way too. I genuinely loved the writing at the end, I could feel the desperation, the longing and grief. Morgan is super annoying, but I understand. I am SO excited for the 3rd book!!!

Morgan Pendragon has now found herself on a new continent within the kingdom of Sorega, surrounded by a new kind of Fae she never realised existed, the Siabra. She is learning many things about this new court, including their prince Draven who had been in disguise while traveling with her. Morgan is desperate to get back to her own court, which her elder brother has turned violent, but in Sorega an internal fight has begun and Draven refuses to free her just yet.
This sequel to Queen of Roses is a beautiful romantasy retelling of Camelot. I found myself submerged in the story, and I love Briar Boleyn's writing. With Morgan in a new environment, I love that we learn things about Sorega and the Siabra at the same time as her. There are some elements of this sequel I didn't enjoy as much as the first book, including how manipulate the love interest is however that's my personal preference as the world and character building is once again amazing. I definitely recommend this series to all my romantasy girlies.
Once again there are graphic themes, so please check content/trigger warnings.
Thank you so much to Briar Boleyn, Netgalley and Starwater Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book 1 was a little slow for me but book 2 made up for all of that! This was a phenomenal read. It had a great slow burn romance with tons of court politics, adventure, and battles. There were quite a few twists and turns and it kept you interested with something new on almost every page.

My only complaint was that Rychel's events at the end seemed like weird timing. The book felt complete and then as if Rychel was tacked on there as an after thought. The fight scene would have been much better moving to the next book or earlier on then at this point. It just felt off. I skimmed through most of this because it just didn't read correctly where it was placed. It was a great idea but the timing kind of ruined that scene.

2.5 ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for the ARC.

Honestly I really wanted to like this book. I was enjoying the book up until the last 1/4. There is a lot of inspiration taken from other books in the genre. And while enjoyable at times, the book just didn’t do it as well as others I have read.

But the FMC just became insufferable. The MMC throughout the book shows her time and time again how he does care for her and all she can do is be angry and accuse him of lying. There is a real maturity missing from the FMC which made this book hard to read. The miscommunication between the two MCs is WAY too overdone. It was okay throughout most of the book but the end really solidified my low rating. I don’t think I’m going to pick up the third book in this series.

Thank you again to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for sending me this arc for free in exchange for an honest review! Please check trigger warnings before you read!

Court of Claws picks up where Queen of Roses left off. I loved this book a little more than the first one! This book was a slow burn book, I don’t usually like slow burns but this was worth it. There was more romance, drama, and action as you read more. This book did keep me on the edge of my seat because of so many twists and turns.

The only thing that made me a little upset was that there was so much miscommunication and secrets between Kairos and Morgan’s relationship, but after reading why I understood a lot better.

Also it ended on a freaking cliffhanger! Definitely recommend and a must read for fantasy lovers.

This was ACOTAR meets hunger games. Super slow burn. If I was Morgan, I’d definitely have dove right in to Draven. Probably back in book one to be honest 😂

I loved the competition and watching their relationship grow. There was a few times when Morgan got on my nerves and I just wanted to scream at her to get over it.

I’m excited to see where the story goes so bring on the next book!

So I totally loved book one in this series, book two was even better!

More action, drama, intrigue and romance as we see the story continue. And so many amazing contrasting moments.

Ones that melted my heart. Those that had my heart in my mouth in suspense. Some that had me glad I wasnt reading this in public. Some that had me cursing NO!!

I adore Draven. Taking morally grey to a WHOLE new level for sure. And seeing the growth of Morgan as a character was unreal in this book. She has definitely escalated to one of my favourite FMCs in this book.

While book one was awesome and slower burn, this was hot and action packed on so many levels.

Brilliant! Loved how the author created such a fantastical world on multiple dimensions and how she escalated the tempo of EVERYTHING in this book.

The cliffhanger at the end will definitely need you wanting more. This is definitely a series must read for all fantasy fans.

Once again thank you Briar Boleyn for giving me the opportunity to fall in love with Draven -- i mean for letting me review this book lol. Thank you Netgally as well!

This book is the second of a sequel and can I just saw... THIS BOOK was way better than the first one. You already know the characters and can we say how I love so much Morgan and Draven they are so fierce and stubborn and kind, it's all I want in MCs.

Court of Claws gives you suspense, laughter and spice --- a lot of steamy scenes that I adored. I devoured it in a day and I can't wait for the third book!!! If you enjoy the world full of different fae races trust me this is a great book to pick up.

Enemies to lovers, fae magic, fake dating-ish, spice & more!!!

highly recommendddd!!!!!

Thank You to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tropes
❤️‍🔥Slow/Medium Burn
❤️‍🔥Morally Grey FMC & MMC
❤️‍🔥Court/ Political Intrigue
❤️‍🔥Touch her and die
❤️‍🔥Forced Proximity
❤️‍🔥One Bed
❤️‍🔥Fated
❤️‍🔥Learning to use magic
🌶🌶🌶

In book two, Morgan, wake to find herself is a strange new dangerous court and her only protection is a man she despises. She discovers that she is stuck one a whole other continent with no means of escape while the kindgom she loves is being torn to shreds by her brother. As time rolls on Morgan learns more about her mothers family history, what her magic is capable of, and the love of a loyal mystical creature.

The relationship between Kairos and Morgan drove me insane 75% with all the secrets and miscommunication. But I understood after reading why. We learn about Kairos' past and what drives him. We learn he is part of a deadly competition as a way to regain his throne.

We meet so many wonderfully complex and interesting side characters throughout the story. There is so much more going on in the background (off page) that we have yet to understand.

This book kept me on my toes they entire time. Theres so many twists and turns you dont know whats going to happen next. I inhaled this book! Cant wait for book three!

Warning it ends on a cliffhanger!

🧐 my thoughts:
I definitely liked this one better than Queen of Roses, only for the fact that we got right into the story without the world building. I understand that we have to build the world first, I personally just don’t enjoy that (even though it is necessary), so I knew that I was going to enjoy this one much more.

👌🏻what i liked:
Right out of the gate you are thrown into a high stakes competition and the story takes off and keeps right on moving. For a slow burn of a book, there was so much else going on that the slow burn wasn’t unbearable. This book was action packed. I didn’t want to put it down! So freaking good! Can’t wait for book 3!

🥰 special thanks
Thank you to NetGalley, Briar Boleyn, and Starwater Press for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed Queen of Roses, but I liked this book even more! I loved the world building and the mythical creatures. I loved the unique fae features of each individual character, it is very common to always have Fae described as beautiful, human like fae, I loved seeing the varying features.

Morgan is still completely infuriating with very little character development. She just seems very young - younger than she is meant to be. Her constantly pushing back at Draven for absolutely NOTHING got very tedious.

There are so many twists and unexpected turns you will be hanging on to every word, enemies to lovers is my favourite trope so this series was always going to be right up my street and the spice was a definite bonus!!!

I can't wait to read the next one in the series,

This book was so much better than the first one! The story moved more quickly and was so much more engaging and exciting. Some sections were still far more detailed than they needed to be and there were a few times when specific phrases were overused too close together. I found the end disappointing and Morgan’s character in general. She has leaned too far into stubbornness to the point of not being likable. I am also a bit frustrated at how cryptic everything seems. It would have been nice to have a bit more concrete information about Morgan’s true background, as I think it would keep me feeling a bit more invested. Overall, this book was much better. Looking forward to reading book 3!

Court of Claws picks up in time where Queen of Roses left off. Draven saved Morgan with the help of Oldena, who isn’t actually a child.

This book was a wild roller coaster ride with shocking revelations until the very end. After Draven was revealed to be a Fae with HORNS, I thought the surprises were over but this story had one shock after another and I was there for it!

Briar Boleyn is weaving a world that is complicated and amazing. The dynamic between Morgan and Draven is full of longing and chemistry and is sizzling hot! The competition to become emperor was reminiscent of the Hunger Games in that it was a competition with death as a constant threat with only one victor.

I am obsessed with Morgan and Draven’s story and this world and cannot wait for it to continue! Briar Boleyn has cemented her place on my auto-buy author list, I will read her grocery list at this point.

If you love fantasy romance with intricate worlds, read this series immediately! I cannot recommend it any stronger. It’s amazing.

Thrown back into the action right away, this magical story takes you through so many shocking and heartbreaking twists even I needed a pack of tissues myself.

The world building does not go unnoticed even in this novel as the story continues, with a little more steam, with Morgan and Draven. Their chemistry is perfection… even if there’s a little help from a friend back in the previous book. I was devastated towards the end between Draven’s sisters doing and Bek.

This marvelous, absolutely spellbinding novel was an absolute pleasure to read and kept me stuck in its spell from the very beginning until the cliffhanger of an end. We’re talking barely able to put it down level of enjoyment from me!

If you like your fantasy with just a dash of spice, this series is perfect. If anything, I would love to see more of Draven and Morgan.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy to review.

This book, the second in this series, relocates our main characters from the setting of the previous book, Morgan's kingdom (and continent) to Draven's, which allows her (and us) to learn more about his history, character and motivations. The additional cast of characters I enjoyed for the most part, especially the developing, albeit somewhat grudging, respect between Morgan and Lyrastra and the charming Beks.

The world building continues to be a strong point of the author's writing, clearly revealing the court of the Siabra, the range of characters here and the complicated politics and history. The writing is clear and immersive and I didn't note any grammar, spelling or formatting issues.

The relationship between Morgan and Draven develops, with her needing to pose as his mistress to the wider court - which goes better at some times than others. However, I did grow somewhat frustrated by some of the inconsistencies and motivations of the characters - at times, Morgan seemed very practical, at others immature. Whilst I also enjoyed the development of Draven's character, the number of times he, or others, withheld information from Morgan or manipulated her grew rather frustrating - particularly on the last occasion, which I felt rather cheated Morgan of her success, so I was actually quite pleased to see her draw a boundary here.

I will look forward to the next book, when the two worlds and Morgan's new knowledge and abilities will collide.