Loved how the 2nd book picked right up where the first one ended and it only gets better and better! Looking forward to when the 3rd book comes out. That cliffhanger makes me want to read the next book now!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve read the first book and this one was just as good if not BETTER! Truly on par with SJM, Jennifer Armentrout, Scarlet st Claire etc. a dark handsome hero of questionable morality who turns out to be a prince 🤴 and “forces” our no so damsel in distress heroine to a courtship to “protect” her. I saw a lot of similarities in this book to a Kingdom of Flesh and Fire but with distinct differences that really made it stand out on its own.

This book includes the one bed trope, fake dating trope, and envies to lovers. Our FMC finds herself and unveils a hidden power within herself while discovering the intricacies of falling in love. The first half of this book is slower paced as we get a recap of the last book and build relationships (I struggled a bit during these chapters), but by the second half it’s full STEAM 🥵🌶️ 🌶️ahead with action, violence, gore, death, and sweet sweet love making. Truly the second half /last third of the book really made up for the slower half and now I’m all ramped up for the 3rd book and can’t wait to see what happens next!

I read this book as an ARC. Thank you next galley and Briar Boleyn for letting me read this! One of the best ARCs I’ve read so far!

Though I enjoyed Court of Claws, I didn't love it nearly as much as Queen of Roses. But that's not stopping me from giving it 4 stars for all the Hunger Games and Four Psycho vibes!

The amount of treachery, deceit, and lies by omissions?! Oh, my!

And that epilogue? Yes, please!

Thankfully, it's only a few months until its release date, or I'd be rioting!

Thank you to netgally and the author for the arc.

I overral liked this book, the plot was interesting, the characters felt fleshed out, and the world building was great.

I feel like the authors writing of action scenes has gotten better since the last book, and I found myself at the edge of my seat reading several of these scenes. The character and world descriptions also made the scenes come to life. Though I wish the mc would experience the world more and have less explained to her. The dialogue still suffers a bit as you wonder why characters are explaining these things to her. Especially when she won't listen and throws a tantrum everytime they do. I found Morgan very annoying as she disresrespected and was rude to almost everyone, and I didn't feel like it was deserved. On several occassions I was thinking "please, stop and listen so you might actually learn and grow into a likeable character". There are three times I feel like her outbursts are justified, but all the other times she has responded the same way over nothing makes these scenes less impactful. Like she should be mad at Draven for abducting and keeping her, but she should also listen to his reasons. A lot of the hissy fits could have been resolved by a conversation, which only made them more annoying. The ending would also have been different if Draven and Morgan had just talked things out before the trial. Though both fmc and mmc would be too immature for the conversation needed. Which didn't make sense for Dravens character, as he mostly seems mature and accountable. I honestly sometimes question how he can deal with Morgan at all. I feel like she should have apologized many times over already, and showed an ounce of gratitude over being alive. (She has sometimes, and I love those scenes where she builds other characters up, I want more of these).

The epilouge suffers again from telling us what happened, rather than showing us. I honestly feel like showing us would have the epilouge make more sense. Though I like where it puts the character before the next book.

Again I like the story, the side characters and the world, and despite my dislike of Morgans character at the moment I would still love to read the next installment in the series.

Banter? Check. Tension? Check. Badass creature to ride? Check. He’s madly in love with her? Check. She’s in love with him but refuses to admit it? Also check.

Book two of the Blood of a Fae series picks up right after the first. Morgan wakes up in the Court of Umbral Flames, in which Kairos is the previously exiled Prince. In order to ascend to the throne (and remove the shady Queen Regent) he must compete in a number of challenges and come out as the winner. However, Morgan isn’t quite what you’d call welcome in Draven’s court, so to keep her safe, the people are all led to believe that she is the Prince’s Paramour - a position with some power but also one that is not well respected - and she is mainly confined to their rooms. But that is not going to fly with Morgan!

We get some found family moments, training scenes, a beautiful bond with an exmoor, a little forced proximity and one bed, and also a little swoon-worthy “good girl” moments mixed with some he falls harder. I definitely got some Ashes and the Star Cursed King and ACOMAF vibes, but I was not mad about it. This book checked a lot of boxes and I’m absolutely ready for the next in the series!

However, this book ends on a cliffhanger, so BE PREPARED!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🌶️🌶️.5

This sequel to Queen of Roses did not disappoint. I wasn’t at all expecting what we got either! Morgan wakes up and has been taken to Draven’s home. Which turns out to be a palace on another continent. He’s actually a Prince, not a mercenary, and he’s now forced to compete for the throne.

I love books centered on challenges like this. I was originally expecting it to be Morgan when I saw the trope was being used, but I was surprised to see it was Draven. The challenges are inventive and different, which I appreciated. And learning more about the Siabra fae, Draven’s race, along with his home on the continent of Myntra, was really interesting.

Morgan is learning a lot and also trying to get a hold on her magic. She begins dreaming and starts to put the pieces of her past together. I was pleased to see I was right about where the story was leading and who her true parents were. Though, there’s still the mystery of how she was passed off as a child. I’m hoping we get the answer to that next book!

The characters we meet in this book were a lot of fun. All of Draven’s group are much different to the rest of the Siabra fae. Morgan slowly grows closer to them, but she’s anxious to get back home as well. With her dreams also showing her what Arthur is doing and how Kaye is calling for her. But she’s wrapped into what is happening with the challenge for the role of Emperor and isn’t able to leave.

The relationship between Morgan and Draven had a lot of ups and downs. Since this is in Morgan’s POV, we’re not told a lot of what is happening and a lot of secrets are being kept from her. Which we only learn at the end. So while their relationship finally progresses, we’re only getting half the picture. Just when you think things are going to go well, it all sort of blows up. Draven’s been hiding a lot, too much, and Morgan isn’t able to deal with it.

I really felt for both of them here. Morgan felt lied to, but I’m sure Draven realized if he told her earlier, she’d have lost it and not heard a word he was saying. Much like she did at the end. I’m dying that I have to wait until November for the next book to see what happens next. Morgan is on her way to Camelot to help her brother, but I highly doubt Draven is just going to let her go. Not with the throne and his feelings for her. His dreams are just as real as hers, and what he’s seen, and their bond, will only lead them back together. And then there’s the Valtain fae. With knowledge of who she is now, the fact they have the items created by the gods, and knowledge of her no less, an inevitable clash is coming. I’m so excited to see where it goes next and how Morgan handles all of this!

Court of Claws by B. Boleyn is the second book in the Blood of a Fae Series. The previous book is Queen of Roses. I recommend to read the books in order.
Set in a reverse Camelot world where Fae are strongly disliked, where Merlin and some knights are female, yes I kid you not.
Morgan, Draven, Kaye and Arthur's story continues. I liked the story and the writing is great, I loved how Morgan forms relationships with other characters. Next up is Empress of Fae. Both books are available in KU.

Thank you so much for the chance to read and review Court of Claws! Briar Boleyn has done it again! As quickly as I read through Queen of Roses, I couldn’t want to get to this one! This book picked up right where the first left off, and now, there is a “game” to see who will be the next leader. Morgan Pendragon is an awesome MC…. And it was so great to see her relationship with Draven grow. Spice, battles, an amazing cast of supporting characters… this book had it all! And now, I want an exmoor (think huge, magical cat warrior… just trust me).

There were just a few minor verbiage errors that interrupted the flow, but the story quickly dragged me back in.

Overall I really enjoyed Court of Claws and consumed it in less than a day because I just had to know what happened. The plot was propulsive and it provided more world building on top of Queen of Roses which ws fabulous (could still use a little more, I want to know everything about this universe!). I loved the supporting characters and feeling of found family but I felt the main female character lacked some depth. I expected to see her mature and grow more, especially considering the character development of the male lead. There were times I really just wanted to shake Morgan by the shoulders and tell her to grow up and stop trying to throw away what is clearly the best thing that has happened to her so far. I hope we see this character development happen in the third book this fall, which I am definitely looking forward to reading!

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I received an advance copy of this for my honest review.
I'm so in love with this world! This is such a great second book for Draven and Morgan. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Thank you NetGalley and Starwater Press for providing me with an eARC of Court of Claws in return for my honest opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the Blood of Fae series, Queen of Roses, and was really excited to read Court of Claws. The cliff hanger ending of the first book left me desperate to jump straight into the second book and Boleyn did not disappoint.

The pacing in this book is brilliant. Again we get action, fae magic (much more of this), more world building, a fae hunger games (?!) type situation in the battle for the throne, lots of character depth and back story development, introductions to new characters and so. many. plot. twists. I honestly struggled to put this book down, I devoured it.

The big plot twist/reveal of our MMC's (Draven's) past? Shook me to my core.. I had half expected something along the lines of what was revealed with a couple of hints I had picked up, but holy moly was I surprised at the the full twist reveal. I'm talking mouth hanging open, wtf just happened reveal.

The banter between Draven and Morgan is top notch. Draven is the epitome of a morally grey love interest and I'm so here for it. Could he have been a hell of a lot more honest with Morgan? Definitely. But it's so easy to look past that when you can see how desperately that man is in love with Morgan and is doing everything to protect her. I found myself getting a little frustrated with Morgan at times, I really don't love the miscommunication trope, but even when all the signs were lining up with what Draven was saying, the girl still wasn't getting it!! I could forgive Morgan at the start of the book as her whole world was thrown upside down but then she does it again at the end?! Girl no!! It was incredibly frustrating and I'm hopeful that history does not repeat itself in the third book.

For the lovers of spice there is a good level of pay off for the torturous slow burn in the first book. We get forced proximity, one bed, touch her and die,he falls first and a complex morally grey MMC. But be warned it's an absolute roller coaster of a romance, we go from friends to enemies to lovers back to enemies so buckle up. I also did appreciate that the spice did not take away from the plot or pacing of the story at all.

Again I am a big fan of the side characters in this book, I don't want to spoil anything but I think they all really add to the story and give us insight into who Draven really is. And the Epilogue? I was not expecting that (tiny spoiler: it is not told from the POV of Morgan) but loved it so much and cannot wait to see where this development takes us in the third book.

My final thoughts on this book? ... Book three cannot come fast enough.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this more than the first book but I was pleasantly surprised!
The pacing of this felt much better than the first instalment and once again, the ending has left me needing more! Very much looking forward to the next book!

Copy of book was given to me courtesy of NetGalley & Starwater Press as an ARC; all views are my own and weren't compensated for.

A Court of Claws continues the journey Morgan Pendragon began in Queen of Roses but very quickly diverges from the King Arthur legend of the latter. We're brought immediately into the trials & tribulations of court politics completely foreign and antithetical to everything Morgan knows and experienced back in Camelot while held in the threshold of terrible grief.

Morgan and Draven's relationship up to this point has been an odd source of comfort that is ripped away from her as she discovers the bevy of lies he's given and truths he's held from her, and Morgan has to hold her own as she becomes the target in, and possible savior of, this new royal court she's been thrust into.

Some things of note that I enjoyed in the novel: the presumably non-binary character that we get to see multiple pronouns used for in reference, Morgan pot calling the kettle black over so many things (like you're a princess, lady--you should be more aware of how fucked up royal courts are especially when you've resided in one that is messed up in its own ways), precious Beks, and more that I can't think of at the moment!

The slow burn was enticing & worth the wait: ALSO! The worst "virgin's first time having sex" trope ever was D E C I M A T E D, and it healed a decade's worth of cringing reactions to a plethora of awful smut.

Thank you so much, Briar Boleyn. We are forever in your debt ❤️

This is the second book in the series. From the very beginning, I was hooked. Morgan Pendragon's journey in the treacherous court of Siabra captivated me. While I adored the intense bond between Morgan and Kairos Draven, I did find myself frustrated with Morgan's constant miscommunication and immaturity. Nevertheless, the character development was good, and the addition of Beks and Javen was intriguing. The ending left me yearning for the next installment, eagerly hoping for love to conquer distrust. If you are a fan of enemies-to-lovers, Arthurian retellings, and morally grey characters, this might be for you.

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the subtle references to Arthurian legend, and the little breadcrumbs that were dropped throughout the series. I was gobbling up the clues to try and predict where the story was going and it was so gripping!

Kairos Draven, I don't know what you think you're doing but I can't be mad at a guy who falls first AND hard! I loved the way their relationship evolved, and my heart was breaking for him throughout, I need to know they get a HEA ASAP!

In the first few chapters I did think a bit of "um where is this going why am I learning a new world and race when I don't understand the previous one yet" but actually I appreciated that some of the secrets from the previous book were revealed, and done in a way that did work into the new story that was unfolding.

Overall I really enjoyed this story, and I can't wait for the rest of the series, I will definitely be following Morgan and have a few theories about her that I need answers on!

Roses:
Squeals are hard and sometimes they can get a little lost in the sauce sort of speak. Happy to say this didn’t loose itself. The imagery was still top notch to understand this new world we are in for this book. We meet a lot of new characters and also hear of new creatures that add a lot of amazing depth and heart to the storyline. The amount of friendship and love that is throughout this story really makes it a great read.
We finally are given more background on Draven and his story. Which was heartbreaking but you start to love him even more.
Thorns :
With that being said, I didn’t like that Draven didn’t talk much. His story was given up by another character rather than him sharing it with Morgan. I think it would have been nice to have his pov in this book just to help get to understand him better being that this takes place in his home. Lastly Morgan. She really came across as a young girl in this. In the first story she seemed more mature. Now in this book she acted like a 20 year old and it really dimmed her to me. I had high hopes for her coming off the first book. Not saying there wasn’t parts that she showed the same maturity has she did before but there was so much more indecisiveness with her internal thoughts than she had before. Which lead to my opinion of her to fall more whiny then just the run of the mill sorting through her feelings.

I still found this story to be really good and enjoyable! The series overall is great and I highly recommend for friends to read! I’m excited to see what book 3 brings to this adventure with Morgan and Draven.

Wow!! Wasn't expecting anything like this book!!

Draven saves Morgan's life after she was stabbed and betrayed by Vesper in book #1, what we find out later on in this story is what Draven did in exchange to do so. He sheds his glamour, becomes his true self, a Siabra, and takes her home under the guise of his mistress. The one thing I didn't care for is Morgan acting like a spoiled child most of the book.

Draven brings Morgan back to his kingdom that he was banished from over 20 years ago, but he doesn't tell her why. She's stuck there until he conducts long awaited business. Every piece of information Morgan finds out about the secretive Prince is through others. She learns right off that Draven doesn't have any problems manipulating any situation to his needs, through lies and deceit. Yet, she still lets her guard down time and time again.

When she learns that the Blood Games, a contest for others to try to become the Emperor, was just another manipulation, I didn't blame her for leaving him in the end. No matter what he claims was out of love, lying isn't the way to go.

Can't wait to read the last book!

I thoroughly enjoyed the pace of this book. I read this book in about 2 days. I was not able to put it down past 50%. As soon things were a little predictable, most plot twist caught me off guard.
I loved the friendships blossoming throughout the court with Morgan.
I did find the communication skills with Morgan and Draven frustrating. Everytime they took one step forward, something launched them two steps back. All I knew is this morally grey asshole better be end game.
Also, I would like a pet exmoor now.
Cannot wait for book 3!
Thank you netgalley for the free ecopy!

This book put me through a loop. There trials, zombies?, battle,lies, love, spice. Amazing and the epilogue really got me I wasn't expecting that. Can't wait for the next book thank you netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

I think I enjoyed this more than the first? The action (and spice!) definitely picked up in this one and I liked the new characters that were added. (Well, most of them.. for obvious reasons lol.) Though I do think I need to stop starting series that aren't finished yet because after that epilogue I would like to read the next one now lol.