Thank you to Caitlin Denman and NetGalley for giving me an e-copy of this book.

"She may be called the Blood Queen, but Layla will do anything for her kingdom's peace.

As queen of a kingdom plagued by murders, Layla struggles to live up to the expectations her parents had of her. Whispers of rebellion and dissent grow daily, and a murderer stalks the townspeople.

In agreeing to marry a foreign prince, she hopes to find a way to bring stability back to the land. But, she fears the marriage, unlike her parents, will be devoid of love.

On the eve of her betrothal's arrival, Layla sneaks away and enjoys one last passionate night with a stranger. But doing so threatens everything her parents laid out for her. As more lies come to the surface, Layla will do whatever it takes to keep her kingdom safe—even murder."

I love this book, I can't get to the next one. This was so easy to read & I was hooked from the first chapter. Some twist are predictable but it did not stop me from reading.

DNF

I made it about 15 chapters before giving up completely. First of all, the author uses the word grunt way way too much. AND THE ENTIRE STORY IS IN ITALICS. I just felt like this was going no where and I was not about to risk my sanity in reading an entire book where every single page has grunt and the whole thing is in italics.

The story quickly gets to the plot twist from the description. And then the story tried to follow too many plot lines. The Romance between the royal couple, trying to solve the 5 year old murder case of the King and Queen, and the mystery surrounding the drug problem, the FMC feelings on who she can trust. They didn’t intertwine smoothly, making the story feel slow as we jump from problem to problem. Loved the ending, the story ended quickly with a surprise plot twist.
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Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own

This fantasy romance was very good. It was a little slow to start but it picked up and I enjoyed it a lot. The plot twist of this story was very good and it kept me on my toes. I would highly recommend this book.

Blood Queen started out interesting. Layla is a great female lead and Rune is also a good main character. However, their character changed so abruptly it was jarring for me. One moment Rune is stuttering all flustered then he's a tough dominant man then he ends up following Layla's every whim. And the same for Layla. First she seems to be a tough queen only to cry her heart out for hardly any reason...

I didn't like the sl*t shaming, just nope.

The magic system was a bit bumpy but still very interesting and hopefully, book two will cover the questions not entirely clear here.

Kudos for the cliffhanger, definitely hooks you and makes you want to read the next installment.

This book was really enjoyable to read, I did struggle a bit at the start but once the pace got going I found myself having a great time within this world. The animal sidekicks were a great add on and the magic, romance and oh the bloodshed were top notch. Layla was seeking revenge for her parents murder and the whole mystery with that was so interesting, as well as the handsome Rune.

The spice in the book is simmering, and the tropes within it were some of my favourite, to name a few: arranged marriage, possessive mmc and a feisty fmc.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of Blood Queen on exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars

We follow Layla who has become an assassin of sorts. Dispatching citizens of her Kingdom who her advisor has told her had to do with her parents murder. We also are with Rune. A prince from one of the three kingdoms who is her betrothed. Layla is discovering how little she knows of her kingdom, the lies she’s been told about her parents death. She’s not sure who to trust.

This was a fun read! The world wasn’t overly complicated (which I appreciate!) and was very easy to fall into. It was refreshing reading about an FMC who is a little older, 28. Overall I really enjoyed Blood Queen.
* arranged marriage
* Political intrigue
* Shadow Queen
* Secret identities
* Murder

*I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley for an honest review *

I think the story of Layla (FMC) was fascinating, well written and kept my interest through out the entirety of the story.

It was a bit of a slow build up; but once it picked up; I couldn’t put it down. I am excited to see how the story continues.

I really want to like this book, I like the first few chapters but after that it wasn't catching my attention anymore. I'm sure there are some people that love a more slow burn type books but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc for an honest review!

First I would like to thank netgally for this e Arc


So this story follows Layla Bathory she is the last royal of her bloodline after her parents are murdered. For years, she's sought solace in seeking answers, avenging their deaths, and secretly protecting the vulnerable.
Following a violent incident, she became known as the Blood Queen.

I love Layla's character development throughout the book. After the tragic deaths of her parents, she was completely lost and turns to revenge. As truths come to light, she slowly begins to embrace her role as the true queen.
Rune is a mysterious, possessive, morally grey MMC. They challenge each other and
compliment each other so well - I'm dying to see what happens next with their story!

Blood Queen is a binge worthy read with a staby
FMC, sizzling chemistry, and exciting storyline. I can't wait for Layla to lay waste to her enemies in the next book!!!!

My Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5990913238

I enjoyed this book a lot and it kept me wanting to go back and read the entire time. I loved the plot twists and the characters. The writing style was done well and easy to follow and keep the reader interested.

I’m definitely looking forward and ready for the next book!!

I am a fantasy girly pop. Make it a royal fantasy and you can bet I’ll read it. This one was fun but the pacing was a bit too sporadic for me. Some parts you were just breezing over something interesting and others less engaging were drawn out.

The instant love vibe is really what knocked my review down some. Now if you are into instant love trope then this will probably rate a lot higher for you!

Thank you net galley for the ARC of this!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️.5

⚔️Arranged Marriage
🩸Magical Powers
⚔️Royal Families
🩸Possessive MMC
⚔️Strong, Independent FMC
🩸Mystery

This.BOOK.
This book was a fun, enticing, quick, entertaining read. It's not one that has a huge amount of world building or complex political systems. It is simple but it still has everything I love about a Fantasy Romance.
If you are looking for Epic Fantasy stories that include chapters upon chapters of world building and explanation, this is not for you.
This story is one that has intrigue without the exhausting and sometimes boring aspects of a much longer more adventure filled fantasy.

Caitlin has done an amazing job with the relationship between Rune and Layla. There is a lot of push and pull between the two throughout but it is never overdone. The way Rune seems like he would burn entire continents down for someone he cares about is 🔥.
I also really enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story regarding the murders of Layla's parents. Even though I could tell where the story was going, it didn't make it any less enjoyable when the climax came.

And to end it on a CLIFFHANGER?! I am just beside myself...
I can't wait for the second book!

I loved this book. It was a little slow at the beginning and the ending seemed rather abrupt but it was still great. I did find myself getting annoyed with Layla and her inability to see what was happening, once she didn’t kill Val. But other then that I definitely enjoyed this book and look forward to book two.

TLDR Review: Great book! Fantasy world-building and character development are a little weak, but I still enjoyed the read.

Spoiler-Free Review:

Blood Queen is a solid choice if you are looking for a fresh read. The beginning was a little slow, but as soon the random man from the bar said “I don’t want you frightened. I simply want you to submit”, I was hooked. This book is full of constant surprises (mostly logical, some not) and the characters are good. While I wish that there was a little more character development and some better plot clarification in some areas, I still definitely enjoyed the book. I recommend this read!

It’s a fun book to read and I really

Review with Spoilers:

While I wasn’t at all surprised that Layla’s one-night stand turned out to be the groom of her arranged marriage (the book description hinted at that), I never expected to like him as much as I did. In some ways, I like him better than the main character. I also wanted to see more spice between him and Layla. Also, the fact that her advisor turns out to be the bad guy was clear to me very quickly, but it took a long time before Layla discovered that, and even longer time before she does anything about it.

Again, this book isn’t perfect. It has some weak areas that could have been made better, but that doesn’t mean the book is bad. I really enjoyed the book and I highly recommend it. The ending of the book is unclear about whether or not there will be a sequel, but I will definitely read it if it comes out.

Wow, what a ride! This was one of those books that the cover was calling my name and then the description contained one of my fav trope (arranged marriage/secret identity) that I was like BET, lol it totally sealed the deal for me.

While this was my first time diving into this author's work, I was immediately captivated by their writing style. Admittedly, the chapters were a tad longer than my usual preference, but the narrative's fast pace and lack of mundane slice-of-life moments created a relentless cascade of events. The storyline may have leaned towards predictability, but, personally, in the realm of fantasy, I often find continuous twists a bit overwhelming. So, it was a welcome change to unwind and let the plot unfold without constant war between my heart and brain. Nonetheless, the romance between the MMC and FMC was AGHHH-mazing. Their initial connection was strong, followed by a reality check that led to a relentless enemies-to-lovers scenario (more of a "hate you but not really" vibe). I couldn't get enough of it!

The plot, though simple and straightforward, was enjoyable. Layla, the main character, stood out as a fierce warrior. I appreciated how the author portrayed her as stubborn and wise, breaking away from the quieter female leads often found in fantasy. This one's a recommendation for those who crave a strong, independent female protagonist. I'm eagerly anticipating the second book!

Big thanks to Netgalley and Victory Editing for providing me with an ARC copy to share my honest opinion!

Tropes:

-Enemies to Lovers
-Arranged Marriage
-Secret Identity
-Magical Powers
-Witty Banter
-Royal Families
-One Bed
-Possessive MMC

Spicy Level: 🔥🌶️ 2.5 chili peppers

I really enjoyed this book. The writing style was nice and I liked the characters. Layla undergoes a compelling transformation in the narrative, grappling with loss and vengeance after her parents' tragic demise. As hidden truths emerge, she gradually embraces her destiny as the true queen.
Rune, a enigmatic and morally ambiguous male lead, adds an intriguing dynamic to the story. The interplay between Layla and Rune, their challenges and complements, leaves me eagerly anticipating the next chapters of their tale. The witty and entertaining personalities of Keir and Betsy, their bonded animal soulmates, provide delightful moments. I'm eagerly anticipating more of their presence in the upcoming installment.
Blood Queen is a great read, featuring a resilient female lead, scintillating chemistry, and an enthralling storyline. I'm anxiously looking forward to the next book.

You know how you start a book and you know you are not going to like it? Yep that happened to me with this book. When I first saw the premise of this book on one of the Facebook groups I was very interested as it got all of my favourite tropes. However once I started reading the book it didn't matter anymore as the characters were not likeable and the writing put me off.

Devoured this book!!!!! Can book 2 please come out now?

Layla starts off a bit naive and not dealing with what’s right in front of her, it was good reading her slowly become strong, independent from certain characters and badass AND figure out what we could as readers.

Rune was as morally grey as you can get them with a sprinkle of unhinged behaviour which sometimes was a bit like surely not?!?!? 🤣

Also can’t forget the amazingly snarky Keir.

Fast paced with Lots of twists and turns, solid spice and slow burn romance which keeps you on your toes but some of the twists were obvious due to lots of foreshadowing.

Lacked a bit of world building which I wanted more of, it was hard to fully follow the different kingdoms being mentioned- however this is likely me being greedy as I did love this book!

If you want to binge something, pick this book up 🩸🖤

**copy of the book received by NetGalley, opinions are my own**

ARC Review

Okay first of all, the cliff hanger at the end of this work was just beyond cruel and had me pondering like at 1am 😂

However, I loved Layla, she was the definition of an independent woman in this book who graciously allowed a man to tag along. This fantasy work has magic, and world building but thankfully without the heavy confusion of new magic systems, races, tiers, and more that is known to accompany fantasy works.

Unraveling the character of Layla as she strives to take over her kingdom while navigating the relationships around her made for an engrossing read which I highly recommend.

4⭐️ from me easily!