In this Arthurian retelling, Morgan Pendragon's future was set out for her long before she could decide her own fate. She's believed to have fae blood and her birthright, as the rightful heir to the throne is taken from her as a child. Her brother. The current King sends her on a mission. To retrieve a fae weapon. All of this whilst in the care of an exquisitely brutish rogue.

My 3.5 star rating is due the following:

1. Morgan, at times, felt way too naive for my liking. And while every story might not have a strong as nails main female character, I guess I expected more.
2. The story in the first half was a bit flat for me. I didn't find myself engrossed until the latter half. Which I might add was quite the read. You almost don't know who to trust and find yourself waiting for the other shoe to drop. I also feel like it was a bit predictable if not similar to other romantasy reads.
3. In addition to the above, I feel sometimes, and this was especially in the beginning, that things were overly described. There were just too many adjectives that I found distracting. I do get world building, but I guess for it to work, it would need to be strategically knitted into the story.
4. Draven. Obviously, I was not going to leave him out. Yes. Yes. I know slow burn and all. However, I do feel like I wish we had one or two chapters from his pov. For 99% of the book, I still felt like I didn't know him much. Until the end, when you get a glimpse.

Thank you to Netgalley and Briar Boleyn for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A fun Arthurian retelling where Arthur is evil and our main character is Morgan Le Fay - I've seen this series around the booksta world and thought I would give it a try.

Morgan is a half-fae princess who once was the heir to the throne, but because of her mother's fae heritage, now her brother Arthur sits on the throne and Morgan is destined for the kingdom's version of a nunnery. A new guard, Kairos Draven, joins the court and there is an immediate connection between him and Morgan, although at first, it's very much an antagonistic kind of vibe.

Did I find Morgan naive? Yes, I did, but it makes sense given how sheltered she is, and how brutal Arthur is to anyone who defies him. She is terrified to tell anyone about the things that happen to her, and she also has her little brother to worry about.

This is a very slow burn romance, and I am looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Morgan and Draven progresses through the series.

Queen of Roses by B. Boleyn, published by Starwater Press, is the first book in the Blood of a Fae trilogy.
It's the introduction to a new world where Fae are unwelcome, set like a reverse Camelot/ leaned on King Arthur Saga.
Morgan is a 20 year old half fae with brothers Kaye 11, and Arthur, King.
I just wanted to take a peek in the book, but soon I was intrigued enough to rea the whole book, cover to cover, in one sitting.
It's a dark fantasy romance that deals withe sensitive subject, consider you warned. Next up is Court of Claws. Both books are currently in KU.

Queen of Roses by Briar Boleyn is a modern take on the traditional tale of King Arthur.
Boleyn has switched up the roles with Arthur being the villain and Morgan (his sister) being the good person.
The story begins with Morgan witnessing her mother's death, the writer brushes over Morgan's childhood except to highlight that the King (her father) remarried and each marriage bore a child - Arthur - initially was illegitimate, and Kaye (her younger brother). Since the King's death, Arthur has become ruthless and uncaring. He despises his sister as she has Fae blood running through her and he sends her away (accompanied by two male members of his court) to locate and bring back Excalibur.
The story is very descriptive and slow reading, there are interesting relationships between Morgan and Dervan (one of the men accompanying her) and how Morgan learns to embrace her Fae blood.
The book ends with a great twist, one many won't see coming.

Solid 4 star read that I finish in less than a day. Introduced me to the story of Morgan and I can't wait to read more about her.