It was nice to get the second book as well through Netgalley, thank you.


This had really good potential, but. Unfortunately I could not get over the MFC being immature, laked growth, seemed too ignorant to her own world, was way to unforgiving and whiny. Also, I'm not a fan of miscommunication trope. Almost DNF it.. sorry.. The story has potential, but the characters need better personalities.

Thank you to NetGalley and Starwater Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Queen of Roses is a dark fantasy romance with a loosely inspired King Arthur retelling. The story has a slow burn romance with the enemies to lovers trope. I do feel like the character development fell to the wayside a bit, but overall I enjoyed it.

Because it is a dark fantasy romance-check trigger warnings before reading!

Thank you netgalley victory editing for allowing me to read this book. I loved book one and was so excited to read book 2! I was not expecting all the twists that come with book 2. I loved Bek and crescent so much! I didn’t like this book as much as the first one I will say. I didn’t like Morgan at all in the second book and felt like Draven deserved better. I don’t feel the need to read the 3rd book much. I felt like things dropped off for me in this book. The games were very interesting but other parts lost me.

This book was even better than the first. Seeing Draven in his home and with his people was too good. The enemies to lovers is immaculate. The way Briar Boleyn feeds us the lore and history is so refreshing and kept me on my toes the whole time. This book also ripped out my heart and stomped on it multiple times. I throughly enjoyed this book and it’s probably in my top 5 reads for the year. I absolutely cannot wait for book 3!

I enjoyed this sequel a lot. The new world Morgan is thrown into and the premise of the games occurring made for a very captivating story. I also enjoyed watching how Morgan's relationship with Kairos grows despite the negative feelings she originally had for him. The whole family dynamic really helped build Kairos's character which made him into a multi-dimensional character for me. The friendships and relationships Morgan built left me excited for more when she is finally able to take on her brother. Overall it left me really wanting more, especially with how much Kairos came to truly care and support her. Morgan is definitely strong-headed to the point of blindness sometimes which is frustrating but you can't help but root for her. This was a great read! Thank you to Net Galley and StarWater Press for access to this title.

Well this book upped the tempo from the 1st one (queen of roses)
The ending of the 1st left us waiting to see what was next & where the tale would go.
Cripes it went!
It took us into another part of the world and just dragged us deeper into it.
There’s going to be a book 3!
Bring it on I say.

Court of Claws is the second installment in the Blood of a Fae trilogy set in a dystopian world with a mythical altered Camelot twist. This novel cannot be read as a standalone as there are many references to the first book. I embarked upon the second book somewhat hesitantly as I had reservations with the first. My major issue is sadly with the Morgan, the lead female protagonist, she is downright infuriating. I had high hopes this second book would find Morgan coming into her own and emerging into a solid female powerhouse, but it was not to be. Ultimately her character faults are soooooo deeply rooted in passive aggressiveness making her entirely unlikeable and unrelatable. However, and this is big…there are pockets of complete magic within this story involving a host of other characters who are downright fascinating.

Morgan awakens to find herself held hostage within the Court of Umbral Flames by none other than Draven, aka Prince Kairos. Having saved her life, Draven sets Morgan up as his paramour under auspicious means. Their on-again and off-again romance is awkward. Honestly the romance scenes were way over the top for two protagonists that didn’t seem to like each other ALL of the time. Lyrastra, Hawl, Rychel, and even Sephone kept my attention far more, especially with the Blood Rise tournament. Pieces of Morgan’s backstory with the Valtain are revealed and this is the real magic of the plot. I need far more story and far less romance in book three.

Ultimately, my speed-reading abilities came in handy for getting through Morgan’s long self-deprecating monologues to get to the good bits. The epilogue set the story up nicely for a return to Camelot, but hopefully with a far more capable heroine.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Oh my goodness I love this series! I absolutely cannot wait for the third book!

This book is so much different than the first. We have a different setting and different characters. This time Morgan isn’t in her court or even her kingdom…she’s been whisked away to Dravens court…or should I say Prince Dravens court. The court of Umbral Flames. And let’s just say the stakes got a lot higher!

I seriously could not put this book down!

For me Briar Boleyn will go down as one of those authors that I will read whatever she writes.

5/5 stars and have already recommended this book to so many people.

This is the second in the series and I can’t help but say how much I loved this book , I devoured it and didn’t want it to end, it’s so faced paced , full of fascinating characters and world building, its enemies to lovers, fae, forced proximity, strong FMC and MMC what more could you want, the next book if you’re me, can’t wait until November for the next

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!! Thank you NetGalley, Starwater Press and Briar Boleyn for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

GAHHH!!!! FABULOUS!! INCREDIBLE!! OBSESSED!! ADDICTED!! MASTERPIECE!! PERFECTION!! I AM STRUGGLING TO FIND ENOUGH WORDS TO ADEQUATELY DESCRIBE THIS PHENOMENAL BOOK!!! BRIAR BOLEYN HAS DONE IT AGAIN!! THIS SERIES JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER!! HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE FANTASY ROMANCE READ SO FAR FOR 2023!! 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

The story has your enemies to lovers trope and is filled with magic, mythical creatures, romance, sexual tension, witty banter, forced proximity, sizzling chemistry/spice, bonded mates, love, found family, friendships, betrayal, secrets, heartbreak, adventure, action, unexpected twists and turns and a blood right trial! In my review of the first book I mentioned needing a little more fire and spice and boy did the author deliver in this book ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥!! I absolutely loved Draven with his touch her and you die vibes! Seriously, the world building, plot and character development is top notch!!

Court of Claws is a dark fantasy romance with a loosely inspired King Arthur retelling with a Fae twist! It picks right up from the cliffhanger in Queen of Roses with Morgan awakening in a bed that's not hers in an unfamiliar court as Draven's paramour. Umm, she definitely did not sign up for all of this but she quickly realizes that she must go along with the games in order to return home to help save Camelot from her treacherous brother, King Arthur.

ALRIGHT, ANOTHER HUGE CLIFFHANGER!! When I finished the epilogue I kept trying to flip for more pages because I just knew there had to be more!! Consider yourself warned! Now I have to wait for book three of the trilogy😩!!

Overall, I was completely captivated from start to finish! If you love ACOTAR and Hunger Games then this is the book for you! I highly recommend this series and it deserves a gazillion stars!! 💫💫💫💫💫

✨Because of the nature of this being a dark and twisted fantasy story please check the trigger warnings before reading this book.✨

Thank you to netgalley and the author and publisher for an ARC.

This is the second in the trilogy. This one was much heavier on romance with som interesting action. I was excited to get more Draven, but he didn’t seem the same character from book to book? Morgan remains whiny and dumb. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel invested in the characters or the relationship for this one.

Has some detailed, raunchy scenes which are good if you just want a quick read with some smut. But after the constant “Morgan is so innocent” thing from the first book, her sudden turn to expert was unbelievable.

I am mad, i am mad at Morgan for not letting Draven talk or explain himself for like 60% of the book; i am mad at Draven for not telling Morgan what he did in order to save her; i am mad Lyrastra lost an arm and at the fact that Sephone is still alive.

I knew we were gonna be set straight about Morgan's actual father, the amount of power she presentes in the first book had to come from two fae, not just one.

I am mad at the fact that Kairos SHOWED Morgan the love he has for her by cutting his horns and a piece of his heart as a "that's everything you'll get and stop asking for her life", and she just forgets like that was nothing. I agree with her that consent is the way, but girl... what will it take for you to see that there is nothing, not one person, more important for him than you???

I am mad at how easily Morgan says it would have been better for her to die like she wasn't reminding Kairos every chance she got that all she was doing was to save Kaye from Arthur.

I am furious at how she still doesn't realize that all she has to do is not only for Kaye or Lancelet or Galahad or Merlin, she needs to stop Arthur for Pendrath, and Lyoness and Reged.

Hawl, Odessa, Crescent and Gawain, Beks and Javer, Lyrastra and Nightcrawl, and of course Rychel were such nice and insightful characters, i enjoyed them so so much and cannot wait to read more of them. Hawl has a special place in my heart.

Morgan made it incredibly painful for me to read, but the rest of them made me want more which is why it took me so damn long to fininsh the book.

Miss Boleyn, can I jump inside in the next book to slap some sense into our dear Morgan PLEASE?

I absolutely loved this book, I’d even say I enjoyed it more than the 1st book in the and I am looking forward to reading the next one. Romance - fast read - and super engaging! Loved it.

3.5⭐️ 2🌶️

Big thanks to Starwater Press, Briar Boleyn and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

Okay so after that slight cliffhanger of an ending on the first book… we are thrust back into this fantasy world of a Arthurian legend retelling. The first book did a great job of introducing us to the world-building of the tale, the MCs and gave us some action throughout. It did promise dark romance themes which didn’t seem to have happened in the first so I figured there would be more in this one… more on that later.

Well all that world building we got for Camelot? (I think that’s the name of the land where Morgan was from? Honestly I forget) - but all of that… right out the window. New world (continent? land?? I need a map here!) , and ALLL new characters besides Morgan and Draven. So whatever you retained from the first book is irrelevant to this new city. But honestly new city has some wild stuff going on so it’s fine.

What I didn’t expect was for Morgan to be so stupid for the first half. She was was all “You kidnapped me. I hate you.” When this man literally SAVED HER LIFE. Like I get you’re upset but get over it you are alive and can use MAGIC. There’s a whole ACOTAR like trial going on for the title of Emperor of this kingdom and there’s a lot of new characters.

The first half of this book dragged a little but then at the 60% mark it starts heating up and by that time I was HOOKED. There’s romance, a little spice (nothing I would consider crazy or really even that smutty - it’s giving The Love Hypothesis amount of spice), and a whole lot of action. There were parts that had my jaw dropping with things I didn’t expect. So here again I am left with so much information and CRAZY THINGS happening and now I’m ready for the third book!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 since I was almost over it in the beginning but then it managed to reel me back in. I do wish Morgan wasn’t so stupid at times and there was more of that dark romance vibe that I was promised. But the plot twists that had me gasping more than made up for it.

Loved this, I enjoyed it more than the first book in the series and I can’t wait to read the third book when it comes out. Fast paced, lots of adventure and the slow burn romance got burning! Ended on a cliffhanger so desperate to see what happens next to Morgan and Draven. Five stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"But I see you, Morgan Pendragon. I see you truly for everything you are and everything you will be and I claim you as mine."

3.75/4 stars (unsure on which I'm leaning towards more)

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

I liked the concept of this book - Morgan waking up in an entirely new setting, and Draven telling his people that she's his paramour (it's basically just the fake dating trope in a Fae setting) And the concept of the Blood Rise was also really interesting (three brutal trials that they were competing in for the throne). I was absolutely hooked reading this book and it was very fast paced!

The Court of Umbral Flames was such an interesting place to read about, it was so unique! The character development was good in this book, but it annoyed me that Morgan couldn't trust Draven even after everything he'd done to protect her and others, but I suppose if you put yourself in her position, he did lie about things and keep secrets. I found them both quite infuriating in this book to be honest!

I also really liked Lyrastra, and it was nice seeing her and Morgan's friendship blossom. I'm so glad we got more romance between Draven and Morgan in this book, and both of them finally started opening up to each other (until the end...) The ending honestly annoyed me, which is another reason why this wasn't a five star read for me. You get all this character development and then it's just completely erased in the last part of the book. The plot twist was great, but the fact it's torn Draven and Morgan apart just seems unnecessary, and makes it way harder to root for them as a couple when everything is so messy! But the final plot twist had me so shocked - I'm definitely so excited to see how that plays out in the third book!

Overall, I did enjoy this book, but there were a few aspects of it that just took away from my reading experience!

An epic continuation of the first book!

🌹 Dark fae fantasy romance
🌹 Slowburn
🌹 Arthurian lore elements

I loved the Arthurian elements woven throughout the first book and was thrilled to see them continue in the sequel, even if they did perhaps take more of a back seat. This second book is definitely more heavy on the romance (not that I'm complaining) and character development, whereas I felt the first definitely pushed plot more and let the romantic tension build slowly. I think ACOTAR and ACOMAF are a pretty apt comparison in regards to plot/romance building between the two, as a series.

The side characters totally stole the show for me! Morgan and Draven are amazing but I will admit there were time when either Morgan forgot she was a badass or Draven turned into an alpha-hole and kind of lost me - I didn't see any of that in Book 1 and hope it is out of their system by Book 3. Overall a great sequel with a lot of promise for an indie series, but I hope to see Morgan staying true to her badass self in the next one!

I received an arc from Briar Boleyn and am leaving an honest review <3

Thank you to Starwater Press and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange of an honest review!

Book 1 absolutely left us on a cliffhanger and Court of Claws picked up right where it left off. Lots and lots of world building and info dump, we’ve moved away from some Camelot lore and much more to learn! Draven is the prince of the Siabra people, another line of fae. There is a Blood Rite to see who will secure the throne of the Siabra and we meet a lot of ruthless competitions. This book we see Morgan and Draven’s relationship grow as well.

It ends on a cliffhanger!

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Briar Boleyn's 'Court of Claws' takes you to a magical place filled with secrets and exciting characters. Boleyn makes this world feel real with lots of details.

The people in the story are interesting, and it's fun to see the main character change and grow. The story has lots of twists and turns, but sometimes it's a bit tricky to understand everything.

If you like magical adventures, 'Court of Claws' is a great book to read. It's like going on a thrilling journey!

I read and really enjoyed the first book in this series (Queen of Roses), but this one just sort of fell flat for me. This could just be because I read this one immediately after the first, I'm not sure. In reading this one, I just found the main character a little immature and that made it difficult to want to continue reading. Definitely inspired by ACOTAR, but just quite executed as well. Not my cup of tea, but I do think there's an audience of readers who will really like this dark fantasy.