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Desperate Disguise #1
Lies Within the Darkest Tower
No one can know the newest guard in the Black Tower is a woman.
When my younger brother’s name is called in the lottery for life-long service in the most dangerous army in the kingdoms, I know my ruthless stepfather is responsible and I must take his place.
It doesn’t matter that I’m a woman and only men are allowed in the Black Tower. My cursed ability to sense when someone is going to die tells me my brother won’t survive a fortnight, and I refuse to lose my only surviving family member.
So I do the unthinkable. I secretly take on the spell that binds the lottery’s "sacrifice" to the Black Tower, cut my hair, and pretend to be my brother. All I have to do is keep quiet and avoid undue notice.
But things go wrong from the start. I walk through the fae ring to the Black Tower at night, drawing deadly shadow monsters to me and barely escaping. My mistake earns me the wrath of every guardsman, who makes it their mission to make my life miserable.
As if that weren’t enough, the three leaders of the Black Tower are beautiful fae, men who are as enticing as all the minstrels’ tales say, and they have far too much interest in me as the newest sacrifice.
I can't let them know the truth. I have to keep up my desperate disguise until my brother can bring our stepfather to justice, or I’ll have doomed both of us.
*Lies Within the Darkest Tower is the first book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
When my younger brother’s name is called in the lottery for life-long service in the most dangerous army in the kingdoms, I know my ruthless stepfather is responsible and I must take his place.
It doesn’t matter that I’m a woman and only men are allowed in the Black Tower. My cursed ability to sense when someone is going to die tells me my brother won’t survive a fortnight, and I refuse to lose my only surviving family member.
So I do the unthinkable. I secretly take on the spell that binds the lottery’s "sacrifice" to the Black Tower, cut my hair, and pretend to be my brother. All I have to do is keep quiet and avoid undue notice.
But things go wrong from the start. I walk through the fae ring to the Black Tower at night, drawing deadly shadow monsters to me and barely escaping. My mistake earns me the wrath of every guardsman, who makes it their mission to make my life miserable.
As if that weren’t enough, the three leaders of the Black Tower are beautiful fae, men who are as enticing as all the minstrels’ tales say, and they have far too much interest in me as the newest sacrifice.
I can't let them know the truth. I have to keep up my desperate disguise until my brother can bring our stepfather to justice, or I’ll have doomed both of us.
*Lies Within the Darkest Tower is the first book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
316 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2024
1198 people are currently reading
3503 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
February 2, 2025
Damn, I had a great time reading this. This is a fantasy Mulan-retelling why choose book, and I'm so invested in these characters already. It was pretty slow at the start, but by the end of it, I was itching for more. I'm happy that book 2 is already available - off I go!
October 7, 2024
I really wish I hadn't picked this up, as I did not realise how brutal that cliffhanger would be! I am honestly desperate to know what happens next.
This started off as a slow burn for me, I wasn't sure it was really pulling me in at first as there was a lot of world building and mainly FMC POV...but it really crept up on me and by the time I got to the end I was not ready to leave the characters.
I loved the whole world created, the characters were all really interesting too. It felt like there was a lot of thought and effort put into the creation of this. Each character came across as really well developed, and it was easy to distinguish one from the next. It is still early on, so the focus was mainly on the FMC and getting to know her and the world but the snippets we get of the MMCs has me hooked...
This started off as a slow burn for me, I wasn't sure it was really pulling me in at first as there was a lot of world building and mainly FMC POV...but it really crept up on me and by the time I got to the end I was not ready to leave the characters.
I loved the whole world created, the characters were all really interesting too. It felt like there was a lot of thought and effort put into the creation of this. Each character came across as really well developed, and it was easy to distinguish one from the next. It is still early on, so the focus was mainly on the FMC and getting to know her and the world but the snippets we get of the MMCs has me hooked...
December 8, 2024
Review for book 1 and 2
I normally wouldn't judge both books as one but it's a must for this series. Both these books are over 300 pages and honestly could have saved me a lot of time and annoyance by being one book. The writing style is very very repetitive. The heroine, Sage, is like a broken record and so are the MMCs the plot moves by two pages at the end of book 2. I'm not impressed.
Sage is a 20 year old female and this whole mess is about her saving her 15 year old brother from being conscripted into the guard. For her to "change" into a man she cut her hair (not military grade style, mind you) and bound her already small breasts (we are reminded about their size constantly). Believe it or not people that's all she does. Doesn't really talk differently, walk differently or change her mannerisms. In the Garden (A fae spiritual meeting place) boom long hair, a dress and she's the most beautiful woman they have ever seen. Just how blind are the men in a "military" guard post? ??? I think they have bigger problems than guarding the Gate cause surely intelligence, even just attention to detail should be a given.
We keep getting hints about Sages powers, hints. To keep us reading I suppose, she has a premonition and that made me read book 2 thinking any minute now. Sigh.... If the whole series plot was meant to be about her hazing and being bullied then a job well done.
I know am rolling on a tangent here but what part of her watching Riders (one of the MMCs) sister have sex with her mates was meant to be enticing. It would have been just as icky as watching her own brother. So again just Why??? Could have picked any other orgy to make whatever point that was meant to be.
The only thread of the plot that kept my interest was hoping to watch Sage grow into her powers or explanations about her heritage, you know the meaty stuff. That's over 600 pages lacking in any weighted depth that would make me endure book 3.
I normally wouldn't judge both books as one but it's a must for this series. Both these books are over 300 pages and honestly could have saved me a lot of time and annoyance by being one book. The writing style is very very repetitive. The heroine, Sage, is like a broken record and so are the MMCs the plot moves by two pages at the end of book 2. I'm not impressed.
Sage is a 20 year old female and this whole mess is about her saving her 15 year old brother from being conscripted into the guard. For her to "change" into a man she cut her hair (not military grade style, mind you) and bound her already small breasts (we are reminded about their size constantly). Believe it or not people that's all she does. Doesn't really talk differently, walk differently or change her mannerisms. In the Garden (A fae spiritual meeting place) boom long hair, a dress and she's the most beautiful woman they have ever seen. Just how blind are the men in a "military" guard post? ??? I think they have bigger problems than guarding the Gate cause surely intelligence, even just attention to detail should be a given.
We keep getting hints about Sages powers, hints. To keep us reading I suppose, she has a premonition and that made me read book 2 thinking any minute now. Sigh.... If the whole series plot was meant to be about her hazing and being bullied then a job well done.
I know am rolling on a tangent here but what part of her watching Riders (one of the MMCs) sister have sex with her mates was meant to be enticing. It would have been just as icky as watching her own brother. So again just Why??? Could have picked any other orgy to make whatever point that was meant to be.
The only thread of the plot that kept my interest was hoping to watch Sage grow into her powers or explanations about her heritage, you know the meaty stuff. That's over 600 pages lacking in any weighted depth that would make me endure book 3.
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October 15, 2025Time of death 38%, page 115.
Yeah, this is a solid no for me. Unfortunately, I don’t really have anything nice to say because there wasn’t one thing I actually liked about this book in what I had read so far of its contents. It drug by soooooo slowly and harped on things not only that weren’t interesting to me as a reader, but just weren’t necessary in general. The author had so much to say about particularly nothing at all. It was the damndest thing, because even 115 pages in, the plot had not made any progress at all. She had JUST made it to the guard tower and I had yet to read anything that captured my attention. Toss in there that I started to suspect this was a why choose so I went to the reviews to confirm and yep, I’m definitely out of here! I won’t leave a rating, but, to put it plainly, I don’t like it.
Yeah, this is a solid no for me. Unfortunately, I don’t really have anything nice to say because there wasn’t one thing I actually liked about this book in what I had read so far of its contents. It drug by soooooo slowly and harped on things not only that weren’t interesting to me as a reader, but just weren’t necessary in general. The author had so much to say about particularly nothing at all. It was the damndest thing, because even 115 pages in, the plot had not made any progress at all. She had JUST made it to the guard tower and I had yet to read anything that captured my attention. Toss in there that I started to suspect this was a why choose so I went to the reviews to confirm and yep, I’m definitely out of here! I won’t leave a rating, but, to put it plainly, I don’t like it.
December 21, 2024
2.75⭐️
at first the premise was good and the way she writes is good, but at like the 30% mark it kind of fell flat. it was dragging way too much, to the point where i had to stop multiple times because i was getting bored, the love interests’ personalities are kind of flat and boring, i don’t feel connected to them at all, i liked sage her personality was enjoyable, and the cliffhanger was shockingly good!
also i don’t like how she dragged on the “dream manifesting sequence” because it got boring way too quickly, also i hated how everything was being presented to sage on a silver platter, where it should’ve been more suspenseful and it should’ve been presented not all at once.
i still don’t know if i’ll read the second book, but all i know it wont be right now!
at first the premise was good and the way she writes is good, but at like the 30% mark it kind of fell flat. it was dragging way too much, to the point where i had to stop multiple times because i was getting bored, the love interests’ personalities are kind of flat and boring, i don’t feel connected to them at all, i liked sage her personality was enjoyable, and the cliffhanger was shockingly good!
also i don’t like how she dragged on the “dream manifesting sequence” because it got boring way too quickly, also i hated how everything was being presented to sage on a silver platter, where it should’ve been more suspenseful and it should’ve been presented not all at once.
i still don’t know if i’ll read the second book, but all i know it wont be right now!
did-not-finish
March 6, 2025some books are character driven, some are plot driven, this book was yap driven !!
was so excited to read this book but it's not moving at all !! events of chapter 27 should've been happening around chapter 5 or something.
was so excited to read this book but it's not moving at all !! events of chapter 27 should've been happening around chapter 5 or something.
February 23, 2025
Is this particularly any good? Not really. But the way I ate it up! Ooof! The characters and plot were such a mess but it was a FUN mess.
November 9, 2024
Buddy read, 4 stars, this one surprised me! Good pick but the next book isn't out yet so be prepared to wait. Cliffhanger but not as brutal as some I have read.
This story is mostly "told" to you, so the style is a little forced. You do get used to it as the story and characters suck you in. The book blurb is spot on, not much I can write here that gives you more. It seems like the magical vagina trope, we do have MM partners looking for the 1 woman and she can make all their problems disappear.
I was surprised that Sage can all of a sudden manifest as well as that whole SPICY detour. Very unique, so well done. Rider, Talon and Quill and set up as separate characters so its easy to keep them apart. Ash, he is awarded the first O and he is intriguing since we have no idea which Novice he is during training.
Actually really looking forward to finding out.
Highlights and Spoilers-
-
Sage has her brothers number:
Yes, fighters needed to be pushed past their limit to grow, but Sawyer could trip over his own feet without moving.
Lord Commander upon meeting Sage (as Sawyer) "the Idiot":
“Congratulations, Vyell. Your evening stable shift has been cut in half for the rest of your rotation. This idiot here will take your first half of the shift after the evening meal.”
“Yes, Lord Commander,” Vyell said. The fae, the Lord Commander of the Black Guard, turned his attention back to me. “You’re also getting the full stable shift in the morning, too. Report to the stable at the second bell. You’ll muck the stalls, day and night, until you’re no longer stupid.”
-HA- that's going to be a while!
And ha, love the justification to have dream sex:
I was never going to get anything so incredible in real life because sex wasn’t like that, and I wasn’t a woman that men desired, so I might as well get it in my dreams.
When Sage wakes up:
What were the odds that the men of the Black Tower liked to freshen their sheets with petals?
Talon and Quill, sob:
He’d latched onto this human female in a desperate, probably unconscious need to fulfill his heart’s desire. “She’ll break your heart,” I whispered. And that would break mine. I loved Quill so deeply it hurt. It had taken me far too long to figure out how I felt about Quill and by then I’d spent years succumbing to the desire of the shadow trapped with in me.
-------
And then I’d realized the truth. That I was desperately in love with Quill and that the shadow took something it needed from my sexual partners. I weakened them when we had sex, but I couldn’t ignore the compulsion to have sex, or I’d lose control of the monster inside me. And that could never be allowed to happen again.
We find out why Talon is a slut and how badly his monster wants Sage :)
This story is mostly "told" to you, so the style is a little forced. You do get used to it as the story and characters suck you in. The book blurb is spot on, not much I can write here that gives you more. It seems like the magical vagina trope, we do have MM partners looking for the 1 woman and she can make all their problems disappear.
I was surprised that Sage can all of a sudden manifest as well as that whole SPICY detour. Very unique, so well done. Rider, Talon and Quill and set up as separate characters so its easy to keep them apart. Ash, he is awarded the first O and he is intriguing since we have no idea which Novice he is during training.
Actually really looking forward to finding out.
Highlights and Spoilers-
-
Sage has her brothers number:
Yes, fighters needed to be pushed past their limit to grow, but Sawyer could trip over his own feet without moving.
Lord Commander upon meeting Sage (as Sawyer) "the Idiot":
“Congratulations, Vyell. Your evening stable shift has been cut in half for the rest of your rotation. This idiot here will take your first half of the shift after the evening meal.”
“Yes, Lord Commander,” Vyell said. The fae, the Lord Commander of the Black Guard, turned his attention back to me. “You’re also getting the full stable shift in the morning, too. Report to the stable at the second bell. You’ll muck the stalls, day and night, until you’re no longer stupid.”
-HA- that's going to be a while!
And ha, love the justification to have dream sex:
I was never going to get anything so incredible in real life because sex wasn’t like that, and I wasn’t a woman that men desired, so I might as well get it in my dreams.
When Sage wakes up:
What were the odds that the men of the Black Tower liked to freshen their sheets with petals?
Talon and Quill, sob:
He’d latched onto this human female in a desperate, probably unconscious need to fulfill his heart’s desire. “She’ll break your heart,” I whispered. And that would break mine. I loved Quill so deeply it hurt. It had taken me far too long to figure out how I felt about Quill and by then I’d spent years succumbing to the desire of the shadow trapped with in me.
-------
And then I’d realized the truth. That I was desperately in love with Quill and that the shadow took something it needed from my sexual partners. I weakened them when we had sex, but I couldn’t ignore the compulsion to have sex, or I’d lose control of the monster inside me. And that could never be allowed to happen again.
We find out why Talon is a slut and how badly his monster wants Sage :)
November 22, 2024
Oooooh this book was amazing.
The world building was good and easy to understand (Can't wait to find out more)
The FMC is really a strong and brave woman. I absolutely froth for the secret girl trope and this book has not disappointed me yet. I know she has some real hard times coming up, and I can't wait to read more.
The world building was good and easy to understand (Can't wait to find out more)
The FMC is really a strong and brave woman. I absolutely froth for the secret girl trope and this book has not disappointed me yet. I know she has some real hard times coming up, and I can't wait to read more.
October 18, 2024
Sage only has her brother Sawyer left of her true family. Sage has a premonition that shows danger and performs a spell she doesn’t fully understand and has no time to figure out. She must swap places and go to the guardsman. The shadow gate and dark tower have fae and humans… but is there something else lurking under sage’s exterior… I loved reading this. The descriptive details, open relationships and protection of the fae give ‘Sawyer’? the freedom to watch, observe, wander and learn while feeling safe. I loved the inner battles each character had. The character and world building were well done. I could drown myself in the fae males and females fascinating stories over and over again. I really hope there will be more on each character that played a significant role in capturing my attention. Thank you booksirens and Tessa Cole for the opportunity to read and review this lovely book a head of schedule. I rate this a 5/5⭐️ and recommend to anyone who loves reading about the fae! Happy reading!
November 23, 2024
*Why Choose
*Fantasy
*Multi-1st-PoV
*Fae
*Shadow Monsters
*FMC in disguise
*Established Harem (4)
*Slow building
*Mid Burn
*Book 1/?
Gripping start 😃
This book focuses on Sage and what she will do to protect her brother, which leads to some serious mishaps and risky situations! In their world of far and humans there’s a gate the Black Tower watches to ensure the shadow monsters don’t come through…and it’s a lottery of who gets chosen 😖 I’m sure you can imagine what happens next! Disguising herself as a human boy she managed to do just about everything wrong 🤦♀️ but in doing so she manages to catch the eye in some way of the three lots of the tower ….not necessarily in a good way 😳 on top of that she has these weird dreams that gives her qualities outside of her everyday life and creates more questions!
There’s a lot of action in this book to keep you interested and looking forward to the next one 😃
*Fantasy
*Multi-1st-PoV
*Fae
*Shadow Monsters
*FMC in disguise
*Established Harem (4)
*Slow building
*Mid Burn
*Book 1/?
Gripping start 😃
This book focuses on Sage and what she will do to protect her brother, which leads to some serious mishaps and risky situations! In their world of far and humans there’s a gate the Black Tower watches to ensure the shadow monsters don’t come through…and it’s a lottery of who gets chosen 😖 I’m sure you can imagine what happens next! Disguising herself as a human boy she managed to do just about everything wrong 🤦♀️ but in doing so she manages to catch the eye in some way of the three lots of the tower ….not necessarily in a good way 😳 on top of that she has these weird dreams that gives her qualities outside of her everyday life and creates more questions!
There’s a lot of action in this book to keep you interested and looking forward to the next one 😃
October 22, 2024
This book was really good. Different to what I expected but I really enjoyed it.
I wish there was more though. I didn’t realise it was a series when I started reading it, and now I have to wait to find out what’s going to happen next!
I’m still wondering which guys are part of ‘it’. At the moment, I’m feeling Rider, Talon, Quinn and Ash, but is that a lot. Is it all of them, or just three?
Really good story, I love that she’s a girl but better than them, but they don’t know she’s a girl, it’s great.
Can’t wait for more!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I wish there was more though. I didn’t realise it was a series when I started reading it, and now I have to wait to find out what’s going to happen next!
I’m still wondering which guys are part of ‘it’. At the moment, I’m feeling Rider, Talon, Quinn and Ash, but is that a lot. Is it all of them, or just three?
Really good story, I love that she’s a girl but better than them, but they don’t know she’s a girl, it’s great.
Can’t wait for more!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 21, 2024
Kindle.
Solid four.
This is the first book in a while that I have read that generally grabbed and kept my attention. I love a secret girl trope. Slower burn, good world building, good character development. I like how the build up is done which is rare for me.
It had a good plot to smut ratio. Well written and was easy to read in general and flowed well. Minor spelling errors. I can see how some of her “pep” talks/justifications to herself can become redundant, I didn’t mind.
I just hate waiting for the big reveal.
Definitely continuing on to the next book.
Solid four.
This is the first book in a while that I have read that generally grabbed and kept my attention. I love a secret girl trope. Slower burn, good world building, good character development. I like how the build up is done which is rare for me.
It had a good plot to smut ratio. Well written and was easy to read in general and flowed well. Minor spelling errors. I can see how some of her “pep” talks/justifications to herself can become redundant, I didn’t mind.
I just hate waiting for the big reveal.
Definitely continuing on to the next book.
December 17, 2024
Cliffhanger ending. RH, dressed as a man, m/m, fae, shadow, powers, keep hidden, saving sibling, personal sacrifice, prophecy. Strongish female lead, almost grape, abusive home life.
Needs more filling.This book series has been cut up into too smaller bites. I hate it. She can see into the future, but hardly anything is based around that. I wish she would try and grow her skills. I like the male characters and the writing style. Good world building(she needs more than four men)
Needs more filling.This book series has been cut up into too smaller bites. I hate it. She can see into the future, but hardly anything is based around that. I wish she would try and grow her skills. I like the male characters and the writing style. Good world building(she needs more than four men)
January 15, 2025
3.5 stars
I think this has so much potential, but there was too much repetitive filler & I felt like I was on a mouse wheel running in circles. The story doesn't progress a lot. A BUNCH could have been taken out & it would've made for a much more engaging & progressing read, in my opinion.
I think this has so much potential, but there was too much repetitive filler & I felt like I was on a mouse wheel running in circles. The story doesn't progress a lot. A BUNCH could have been taken out & it would've made for a much more engaging & progressing read, in my opinion.
February 20, 2025
DNF - writing is clunky and nothing happens.
August 24, 2025
No one can ever know that the newest guard in the Black Tower is actually a woman.
When Sage's younger brother's name is called in the lottery for life-long service is the most dangerous army in the kingdoms, Sage knows that her ruthless stepfather is responsible and now she has to take his place.
It doesn't matter that Sage is a woman and only men are allowed in the Black Tower. Sage has the cursed ability to sense when someone is going to die, and that sense tells her that her brother isn't going to survive the next two weeks, and Sage refuses to lose her last surviving family member.
So Sage does the unthinkable. Sage secretly takes on the spell that binds the lottery's “sacrifice” to the Black Tower, she cuts her hair, and Sage pretends to be her brother. All she has to do is keep her head down, keep her mouth shut, and avoid any undue notice.
But, right from the very start things start to go wrong for Sage. Sage has to walk through the fae ring to get to the Black Tower at night, and it draws deadly shadow monsters to her and Sage manages to barely escape. And her mistake earns her the wrath of every single guardsman, and they all make it their mission to make Sage's life as miserable as possible.
And if that's not enough trouble for Sage, the three leaders of the Black Tower are stunningly beautiful fae, the men are just as enticing as all the minstrels' tales say and they are way too interested in having Sage as their newest sacrifice.
Sage knows that there is no way that she can let them know the truth. She has to keep up the desperate disguise that she has crafted until her brother can bring their stepfather to justice, either that or Sage has just doomed them both.
*Lies Within the Darkest Tower is the first book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
Lies Within The Darkest Tower is the 1st book in the Desperate Disguise series by Tessa Cole. This is the first book by Tessa Cole that I have read and I was surprised by this book. I waited till book 3 was out before I read this series and finally got into this series.
I found that this story is rather a “told to you” story over a “shown to you” story. It takes a bit of getting used to but I love the way that the characters pull you in and they enthrall you. We do get an MM pairing in this book but they are looking for their female partner to join them and they believe (I think wrongly) that all their problems will disappear overnight if they just have that female partner.
It was a shock that Sage was able to suddenly manifest add to that the entire spicy and hot detour that we got taken on. It was really a very unique take and I found it to be really well done. Rider, Talon, and Quill are all beautifully set up as their own unique and individual characters and I had no problem whatsoever keeping them apart. Ash, is the lucky man to be given the first O, and that is honestly rather interesting in and of itself as we have no idea which Novice he is during training.
There are a few things that I am really looking forward to finding out in the next books:
- Sage has and controls her brother's number and is doing her best to protect him and what's going to happen if she is discovered.
- We know that fighters need to be pushed, but Sawyer could trip over his own feet, and he doesn't need to move to do it.
Quotes I loved:
Lord Commander upon meeting Sage (as Sawyer) "the Idiot":
“Congratulations, Vyell. Your evening stable shift has been cut in half for the rest of your rotation. This idiot here will take your first half of the shift after the evening meal.”
“Yes, Lord Commander,” Vyell said. The fae, the Lord Commander of the Black Guard, turned his attention back to me. “You’re also getting the full stable shift in the morning, too. Report to the stable at the second bell. You’ll muck the stalls, day and night, until you’re no longer stupid.”
I loved the way that Tessa wrote in a justification to have a s*x dream:
“I was never going to get anything so incredible in real life because sex wasn’t like that, and I wasn’t a woman that men desired, so I might as well get it in my dreams.”
And then when Sage wakes up:
“What were the odds that the men of the Black Tower liked to freshen their sheets with petals?”
We also get the chance to see Talon and Quill both, sob:
He’d latched onto this human female in a desperate, probably unconscious need to fulfill his heart’s desire. “She’ll break your heart,” I whispered. And that would break mine. I loved Quill so deeply it hurt. It had taken me far too long to figure out how I felt about Quill and by then I’d spent years succumbing to the desire of the shadow trapped within me.
-------
And then I’d realized the truth. That I was desperately in love with Quill and that the shadow took something it needed from my sexual partners. I weakened them when we had sex, but I couldn’t ignore the compulsion to have sex, or I’d lose control of the monster inside me. And that could never be allowed to happen again.
I loved when we got the opportunity to learn why Talon is the sl*t that he is and just how badly his monster wants Sage and why.
I really enjoyed this book and I was so happy that I got the opportunity to jump straight into the next 2 books. I can't help but recommend this book and I know that this book is going to find a great home in a lot of readers' hands.
I will warn you that this book does end in a cliffhanger, although it isn't as bad as some of the cliffhangers that I have read (I'm looking at you Zodiac Academy, once again). But, thankfully you don't have to wait to jump right into the next books as books 2 and 3 are already out for your reading enjoyment.
When Sage's younger brother's name is called in the lottery for life-long service is the most dangerous army in the kingdoms, Sage knows that her ruthless stepfather is responsible and now she has to take his place.
It doesn't matter that Sage is a woman and only men are allowed in the Black Tower. Sage has the cursed ability to sense when someone is going to die, and that sense tells her that her brother isn't going to survive the next two weeks, and Sage refuses to lose her last surviving family member.
So Sage does the unthinkable. Sage secretly takes on the spell that binds the lottery's “sacrifice” to the Black Tower, she cuts her hair, and Sage pretends to be her brother. All she has to do is keep her head down, keep her mouth shut, and avoid any undue notice.
But, right from the very start things start to go wrong for Sage. Sage has to walk through the fae ring to get to the Black Tower at night, and it draws deadly shadow monsters to her and Sage manages to barely escape. And her mistake earns her the wrath of every single guardsman, and they all make it their mission to make Sage's life as miserable as possible.
And if that's not enough trouble for Sage, the three leaders of the Black Tower are stunningly beautiful fae, the men are just as enticing as all the minstrels' tales say and they are way too interested in having Sage as their newest sacrifice.
Sage knows that there is no way that she can let them know the truth. She has to keep up the desperate disguise that she has crafted until her brother can bring their stepfather to justice, either that or Sage has just doomed them both.
*Lies Within the Darkest Tower is the first book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
Lies Within The Darkest Tower is the 1st book in the Desperate Disguise series by Tessa Cole. This is the first book by Tessa Cole that I have read and I was surprised by this book. I waited till book 3 was out before I read this series and finally got into this series.
I found that this story is rather a “told to you” story over a “shown to you” story. It takes a bit of getting used to but I love the way that the characters pull you in and they enthrall you. We do get an MM pairing in this book but they are looking for their female partner to join them and they believe (I think wrongly) that all their problems will disappear overnight if they just have that female partner.
It was a shock that Sage was able to suddenly manifest add to that the entire spicy and hot detour that we got taken on. It was really a very unique take and I found it to be really well done. Rider, Talon, and Quill are all beautifully set up as their own unique and individual characters and I had no problem whatsoever keeping them apart. Ash, is the lucky man to be given the first O, and that is honestly rather interesting in and of itself as we have no idea which Novice he is during training.
There are a few things that I am really looking forward to finding out in the next books:
- Sage has and controls her brother's number and is doing her best to protect him and what's going to happen if she is discovered.
- We know that fighters need to be pushed, but Sawyer could trip over his own feet, and he doesn't need to move to do it.
Quotes I loved:
Lord Commander upon meeting Sage (as Sawyer) "the Idiot":
“Congratulations, Vyell. Your evening stable shift has been cut in half for the rest of your rotation. This idiot here will take your first half of the shift after the evening meal.”
“Yes, Lord Commander,” Vyell said. The fae, the Lord Commander of the Black Guard, turned his attention back to me. “You’re also getting the full stable shift in the morning, too. Report to the stable at the second bell. You’ll muck the stalls, day and night, until you’re no longer stupid.”
I loved the way that Tessa wrote in a justification to have a s*x dream:
“I was never going to get anything so incredible in real life because sex wasn’t like that, and I wasn’t a woman that men desired, so I might as well get it in my dreams.”
And then when Sage wakes up:
“What were the odds that the men of the Black Tower liked to freshen their sheets with petals?”
We also get the chance to see Talon and Quill both, sob:
He’d latched onto this human female in a desperate, probably unconscious need to fulfill his heart’s desire. “She’ll break your heart,” I whispered. And that would break mine. I loved Quill so deeply it hurt. It had taken me far too long to figure out how I felt about Quill and by then I’d spent years succumbing to the desire of the shadow trapped within me.
-------
And then I’d realized the truth. That I was desperately in love with Quill and that the shadow took something it needed from my sexual partners. I weakened them when we had sex, but I couldn’t ignore the compulsion to have sex, or I’d lose control of the monster inside me. And that could never be allowed to happen again.
I loved when we got the opportunity to learn why Talon is the sl*t that he is and just how badly his monster wants Sage and why.
I really enjoyed this book and I was so happy that I got the opportunity to jump straight into the next 2 books. I can't help but recommend this book and I know that this book is going to find a great home in a lot of readers' hands.
I will warn you that this book does end in a cliffhanger, although it isn't as bad as some of the cliffhangers that I have read (I'm looking at you Zodiac Academy, once again). But, thankfully you don't have to wait to jump right into the next books as books 2 and 3 are already out for your reading enjoyment.
June 6, 2025
I dnf at 32%.
I like the story idea of Mulan mix with a little of Divergent elements, but the story is just so slooooow. It draaaags and progresses VERRRRRY SLOW. Very repetitive and I’m just like on the verge of like having dyslexia mix with amnesia. Like, didn’t I just read what the FMC is thinking?
Honestly, this book has potential, if it has the right pacing with less repetitions. I’m not sure how the characters are altogether since, like I said, dnf at 32%. I would like to see character developments, why they do the things they do, why they are where they are in the first place, and etc.
HRMM, onto next.
I like the story idea of Mulan mix with a little of Divergent elements, but the story is just so slooooow. It draaaags and progresses VERRRRRY SLOW. Very repetitive and I’m just like on the verge of like having dyslexia mix with amnesia. Like, didn’t I just read what the FMC is thinking?
Honestly, this book has potential, if it has the right pacing with less repetitions. I’m not sure how the characters are altogether since, like I said, dnf at 32%. I would like to see character developments, why they do the things they do, why they are where they are in the first place, and etc.
HRMM, onto next.
November 29, 2024
Nothing happened. Felt like one big prologue.it should have been longer to flesh out the story.
January 2, 2025
This could've easily been a 5 star read, closer to a 4.5 but rating as a 4.
The summary gives hints that we'd be getting a story of mainly a girl pretending to be a boy, to save her brother, and her trials and tribulations as a novice in the Black Tower. And having to deal with sexy fae men who may or may not be her fated mates/lovers. With the fact that she had magical abilities mentioned, and this being considered a fantasy, my brain immediately though there was going to be an overworld plot going on, especially at 300+ pages.
It takes until Chapter 25 (out of 38) before she arrives at the tower. And then after that, just a little more than 24 hours go by before we get to a cliffhanger like ending that reads like a chapter end than a book end.
The thing is, I really loved every single word written. I can't be like "this could've been edited down or lose 100 pages easily" because I appreciated all the thoughts and details we got from Sage, and the few times we get to see in the other men's heads. But nothing happens than just a lot of world set up, and we don't even get answers to everything. The pacing is extremely slow.
So this is a very complicated review that again I can see why people give it five stars, but also it kind of does a disservice to itself. I feel like this trilogy (with the third part coming out in April) was originally one huge manuscript that got sliced up, cause who wants to read a 900 page smutty book where nothing happens? (Me. I'm that person. Especially when the smut is great, the characters are beyond excellent and we have normalized queerness in at least one realm). It should've been then edited to give a proper beginning, middle, and end to each part.
But gods... I do love this book. I love the angst, the juxtaposition of Sage's world view of what it's like to be a human woman compared to what it's like to be a fae woman, and also despite all the shittiness of pretending to be here brother in a place that hates the kind of person they think he is, she still has all the freedom. This is also not a virginal girl (though sort of in some ways), and she takes what she wants when she feels safe to do so, with consent of course. I love that. It's as much of a romance as it is a smut book, and doesn't shy away from either.
And then the men we get introduced to. They all have vary distinct personalities and backstories and how they treat Sage is so fascinating. I almost wish we had more chapters (yes I know) with their perspectives. There's such a nice slow burn, and the fact that some of the men are in love with each other too? *chef's kiss*
The worldbuilding about why the Fae realm is the way it is, by acknowledging different forms of love was fantastic. We also get hints on the magic, and how other human kingdoms view the draft. Also, as this is fated mates, the way it's done... It's so good. It's not just instalove/insta sex. It's not just simply accepting it at "mated at first sight" as there has to be approvals and consent. And Sage's reasonings for not wanting to be bonded/mated makes absolute sense.
I want more of this world, of these people. I hope we get more of that after this "trilogy" is done. If any of this sounds interesting, please check it out, just know that you won't be satisfied until the entire series is out and done with. But luckily we won't have to wait too long.
As for the cover... I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy trend of just using random dramatic objects and fabrics, especially when it's a romance... However, I'll take that any day over AI art. The purple is gorgeous, and the sword is too. But the title and the artwork really doesn't fit with what we get in this book. Still, an attention grabber~!
The summary gives hints that we'd be getting a story of mainly a girl pretending to be a boy, to save her brother, and her trials and tribulations as a novice in the Black Tower. And having to deal with sexy fae men who may or may not be her fated mates/lovers. With the fact that she had magical abilities mentioned, and this being considered a fantasy, my brain immediately though there was going to be an overworld plot going on, especially at 300+ pages.
It takes until Chapter 25 (out of 38) before she arrives at the tower. And then after that, just a little more than 24 hours go by before we get to a cliffhanger like ending that reads like a chapter end than a book end.
The thing is, I really loved every single word written. I can't be like "this could've been edited down or lose 100 pages easily" because I appreciated all the thoughts and details we got from Sage, and the few times we get to see in the other men's heads. But nothing happens than just a lot of world set up, and we don't even get answers to everything. The pacing is extremely slow.
So this is a very complicated review that again I can see why people give it five stars, but also it kind of does a disservice to itself. I feel like this trilogy (with the third part coming out in April) was originally one huge manuscript that got sliced up, cause who wants to read a 900 page smutty book where nothing happens? (Me. I'm that person. Especially when the smut is great, the characters are beyond excellent and we have normalized queerness in at least one realm). It should've been then edited to give a proper beginning, middle, and end to each part.
But gods... I do love this book. I love the angst, the juxtaposition of Sage's world view of what it's like to be a human woman compared to what it's like to be a fae woman, and also despite all the shittiness of pretending to be here brother in a place that hates the kind of person they think he is, she still has all the freedom. This is also not a virginal girl (though sort of in some ways), and she takes what she wants when she feels safe to do so, with consent of course. I love that. It's as much of a romance as it is a smut book, and doesn't shy away from either.
And then the men we get introduced to. They all have vary distinct personalities and backstories and how they treat Sage is so fascinating. I almost wish we had more chapters (yes I know) with their perspectives. There's such a nice slow burn, and the fact that some of the men are in love with each other too? *chef's kiss*
The worldbuilding about why the Fae realm is the way it is, by acknowledging different forms of love was fantastic. We also get hints on the magic, and how other human kingdoms view the draft. Also, as this is fated mates, the way it's done... It's so good. It's not just instalove/insta sex. It's not just simply accepting it at "mated at first sight" as there has to be approvals and consent. And Sage's reasonings for not wanting to be bonded/mated makes absolute sense.
I want more of this world, of these people. I hope we get more of that after this "trilogy" is done. If any of this sounds interesting, please check it out, just know that you won't be satisfied until the entire series is out and done with. But luckily we won't have to wait too long.
As for the cover... I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy trend of just using random dramatic objects and fabrics, especially when it's a romance... However, I'll take that any day over AI art. The purple is gorgeous, and the sword is too. But the title and the artwork really doesn't fit with what we get in this book. Still, an attention grabber~!
January 15, 2025
What in the Wattpad did I read? Seriously 300 pages with very little structure, bones or plot. I liked the premise of this story but the execution was just bad. The main characters inner monolog rambled on and on and on over the same things. The repitition got on my nerves. Not to mention how many times her body, her breath, her essence stuttered. Apparently she's a stuttering fool...and what the heck is her essence. It's repeated so many times. It made my essence do this, feel that...like what?
When the inner repetive monologuing wasn't getting on my nerves, it was just cringe. Sage spend countless hours talking about how she has to pretend to be a man...and yet barely dies anything to change or act like a man and yet all these men and fae don't seem to notice...really?
Then there's the chapter breaks...the placement is weird. Chapters are usually a break in a scene or to change pov but these just roll on continuously. Picking right up where the other left off. Like...why was that chapter ended there? There's no big thought to make us think about something, no pause to give us a breath between scenes. It's like the author was like...yea I need chapters so I'm going to throw random darts at pages and put them right here and keep on rolling with the same scene and conversation.
The pots were the same. The few looks into another characters pov didn't sound like a different character, they all thought and directed and inner monologuing the same way Sage did, making it seem like none of the characters are fully fleshed out.
But the story itself doesn't seem fleshed out either. Several times they refer to a goddess, then a father, then a shadow, as if these are dieties, but there's no explanation on thier religious system. There's this weird spiritual garden thing thrown in at Random where all far basically have origins, and stuff, and it's obvious all these fae men are Sages mates even though she's not a fae. So I suppose it's trying to lead up to revealing oh look at that she's not a human even though everyone thinks she is. And the sex scene she watched was a little cringe. Mostly because her thoughts and inner monologuing distracted from the scene, and it was like she was trying to sound innocent and inexperienced but failing at it and knew she was so she was trying to cover it with excuses, like oh yea it's cause Talons fae magic, and this why my fantasy is like this. Very cringe.
Reading this made my essence stutter...😒
And then the book ends on a cliff hanger. At least it continues with the same plot, but honestly it's not that much of a surprise.
I'm so mad at how highly rated this book was. I for sure thought it was going to be better than this, but it's really not worth how many stars it's given. Normally goodreads ratings aren't that far off the mark, but reading through the other ratings I'm wondering if we read the same book, it sure doesn't sound like it.
When the inner repetive monologuing wasn't getting on my nerves, it was just cringe. Sage spend countless hours talking about how she has to pretend to be a man...and yet barely dies anything to change or act like a man and yet all these men and fae don't seem to notice...really?
Then there's the chapter breaks...the placement is weird. Chapters are usually a break in a scene or to change pov but these just roll on continuously. Picking right up where the other left off. Like...why was that chapter ended there? There's no big thought to make us think about something, no pause to give us a breath between scenes. It's like the author was like...yea I need chapters so I'm going to throw random darts at pages and put them right here and keep on rolling with the same scene and conversation.
The pots were the same. The few looks into another characters pov didn't sound like a different character, they all thought and directed and inner monologuing the same way Sage did, making it seem like none of the characters are fully fleshed out.
But the story itself doesn't seem fleshed out either. Several times they refer to a goddess, then a father, then a shadow, as if these are dieties, but there's no explanation on thier religious system. There's this weird spiritual garden thing thrown in at Random where all far basically have origins, and stuff, and it's obvious all these fae men are Sages mates even though she's not a fae. So I suppose it's trying to lead up to revealing oh look at that she's not a human even though everyone thinks she is. And the sex scene she watched was a little cringe. Mostly because her thoughts and inner monologuing distracted from the scene, and it was like she was trying to sound innocent and inexperienced but failing at it and knew she was so she was trying to cover it with excuses, like oh yea it's cause Talons fae magic, and this why my fantasy is like this. Very cringe.
Reading this made my essence stutter...😒
And then the book ends on a cliff hanger. At least it continues with the same plot, but honestly it's not that much of a surprise.
I'm so mad at how highly rated this book was. I for sure thought it was going to be better than this, but it's really not worth how many stars it's given. Normally goodreads ratings aren't that far off the mark, but reading through the other ratings I'm wondering if we read the same book, it sure doesn't sound like it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2025
Dear readers... my two cents? Wait until the series has been completed.
Despite enjoying the overall premise of this series so far (books 1, 2, & 3), here's why I'm ragingly PO'd...
I finished three books in less than a day. Sure, I could just be a fast reader, but no, that's not why.
No, we're just blessed with another author who decided to separate the equivalent of a single effing book into three installments. Three frustratingly short blips, each ending almost randomly, thoughtlessly, haphazardly - except for book 3, which ended on a genuine, albeit weak, cliffhanger.
And here's the thing - when you stop and start a story, there's a whole lot of foundation repetition that happens so that you don't lose the reader in the details. Which means that these ridiculously short installments were even freaking shorter if the repeat information, repetitive POV overlap, and excessive amount of - again - repetitious daily minutiae was removed. All three books could have been condensed into a single 500 page full length novel.
EXCEPT... it still wouldn't have been full length because in three books, we still have only had around one week of time elapse with not a single resolution or consolidation of even the tiniest of issues to be found, no rise in action or climax, and yet question upon question and mystery upon mystery continue to accrue. Sure, the reader can make some very obvious assumptions of the future mates, but it's only because it's a no brainer, not because anything solid has actually been put to word. However briefly entertaining, these book meander without any actual plot, and end up reading like random chapters on Kindle Vella.
And what exactly are we reading in these three very brief releases? Let's call it A Series of Unfortunate Events... all of which land upon the FMC. Misfortune heaped upon misfortune, each escalating in severity, while she picks herself up and dusts herself off time after time. *yawn* I think the most telling part, the part that really emphasizes just how much repetition and mundanities this author packs in is that by the end of book 3, the FMC still has the bruise she gained at the very beginning of book feckin 1! And what does she have to show for all this? Nothing - she's achieved nothing. Won nothing. Earned nothing. Not a mate, not respect, not recognition or acknowledgement, not even more strength or power.
And then I see book 4 on Amazon claiming a March 2026 release date? Are you kidding me? What... I'm waiting an entire year for another freaking novella installment?? One which will probably do the same plotless skirting of resolutions and maintain the nonstop chain of abuse on the FMC?
I am so beyond fed up with this bs fragmented writing that I'm tempted to swear off any authors that employ it. I've said it before, but I'll say it again - Amazon's KU algorithm is ruining the reader experience when authors care more about fluffing page count than the actual story.
Despite enjoying the overall premise of this series so far (books 1, 2, & 3), here's why I'm ragingly PO'd...
I finished three books in less than a day. Sure, I could just be a fast reader, but no, that's not why.
No, we're just blessed with another author who decided to separate the equivalent of a single effing book into three installments. Three frustratingly short blips, each ending almost randomly, thoughtlessly, haphazardly - except for book 3, which ended on a genuine, albeit weak, cliffhanger.
And here's the thing - when you stop and start a story, there's a whole lot of foundation repetition that happens so that you don't lose the reader in the details. Which means that these ridiculously short installments were even freaking shorter if the repeat information, repetitive POV overlap, and excessive amount of - again - repetitious daily minutiae was removed. All three books could have been condensed into a single 500 page full length novel.
EXCEPT... it still wouldn't have been full length because in three books, we still have only had around one week of time elapse with not a single resolution or consolidation of even the tiniest of issues to be found, no rise in action or climax, and yet question upon question and mystery upon mystery continue to accrue. Sure, the reader can make some very obvious assumptions of the future mates, but it's only because it's a no brainer, not because anything solid has actually been put to word. However briefly entertaining, these book meander without any actual plot, and end up reading like random chapters on Kindle Vella.
And what exactly are we reading in these three very brief releases? Let's call it A Series of Unfortunate Events... all of which land upon the FMC. Misfortune heaped upon misfortune, each escalating in severity, while she picks herself up and dusts herself off time after time. *yawn* I think the most telling part, the part that really emphasizes just how much repetition and mundanities this author packs in is that by the end of book 3, the FMC still has the bruise she gained at the very beginning of book feckin 1! And what does she have to show for all this? Nothing - she's achieved nothing. Won nothing. Earned nothing. Not a mate, not respect, not recognition or acknowledgement, not even more strength or power.
And then I see book 4 on Amazon claiming a March 2026 release date? Are you kidding me? What... I'm waiting an entire year for another freaking novella installment?? One which will probably do the same plotless skirting of resolutions and maintain the nonstop chain of abuse on the FMC?
I am so beyond fed up with this bs fragmented writing that I'm tempted to swear off any authors that employ it. I've said it before, but I'll say it again - Amazon's KU algorithm is ruining the reader experience when authors care more about fluffing page count than the actual story.
July 16, 2025
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Wow. Can our female lead keep her eye on the target rather than on the eye candy?
Nope. Not at all.
I should have guessed what I was walking into with this one, but I figured it would be more drooling than loaded with nudity, sexual thoughts, actual sex in both the real and the dream world tossed in around a plot of a girl, Sage, who disguised herself as her brother, Sawyer, and takes his spot serving the Black Tower as one of its new human recruits (chosen via lottery). The reason? Sage has premonitions from time-to-time, but upon fae Lord Quill’s arrival to her family’s home, Sage has a vision of her brother’s dead body and realizes Sawyer will die within days of reaching the Black Tower.
Of course it’s only natural for a woman pretending to be a man spending most of her time fighting her attraction (or fantasizing over it) to four different fae even though they all think she’s a prepubescent young man. No problem, because it turns out that in the tower where there are no women allowed, boy on boy is totally acceptable, so now the tower recruits believe she’s a boy currying favor from their leadership.
Geez.
Of course this leads to hostile and bullying behavior from a lot of the tower’s residents.
And the men she wants fill her dreams in a fae garden of sex and attraction, and her days with hard training to where she’s about to drop from pain and exhaustion. Not to mention she is still recovering from the cracked ribs and deep bruising down her torso from her abusive stepfather before she ran away to the tower. Talk about a deck stacked against her favor.
If only the boys who are attracted to her in the “dream” (nope, the fae garden is totally real) realized that she is the very same boy they are putting through training hell during the day. Boy would that change their attitudes fast… and land her either in chains or her head on the chopping block.
The main male characters are immensely likable- heck, even some of the secondaries are (Kit and his crew), but it’s the men who really carry the weight here. Yes, our female lead is stubborn and refuses to break. She is tough and determined and will not back down… but she spends far too much time thinking with her tingly bits instead of focusing on the matter at hand.
It’s our four leads- Ash (a spy who is pretending to be one of the new recruits, but in the garden is Sage’s lover), Talon (Captain of the Gold Tower and the hottest fae whose talents include creating lust in others), Rider (Captain of the Dark Tower who lost his first love and isn’t looking for another) and Quill (Captain of the White Tower, who is a fae without magic, thus he is doomed to never fulfill his wish to find a mate to have a family with) who keep you moving forward with the story, as there is a backstory building of political authority corruption that is in motion, along with the mystery of why there are more and more shadow beasts showing up if the Shadow Gate has been firmly closed for eons.
Too bad Sage’s new vision has revealed that instead of Sawyer’s death it is now she who is destined to die at the foot of the Shadow Gate.
So far I’m conflicted with either following the story or not, but am going to move ahead anyway- I guess you’ll have to look for the next book’s review to see if I made it through or not.
Wow. Can our female lead keep her eye on the target rather than on the eye candy?
Nope. Not at all.
I should have guessed what I was walking into with this one, but I figured it would be more drooling than loaded with nudity, sexual thoughts, actual sex in both the real and the dream world tossed in around a plot of a girl, Sage, who disguised herself as her brother, Sawyer, and takes his spot serving the Black Tower as one of its new human recruits (chosen via lottery). The reason? Sage has premonitions from time-to-time, but upon fae Lord Quill’s arrival to her family’s home, Sage has a vision of her brother’s dead body and realizes Sawyer will die within days of reaching the Black Tower.
Of course it’s only natural for a woman pretending to be a man spending most of her time fighting her attraction (or fantasizing over it) to four different fae even though they all think she’s a prepubescent young man. No problem, because it turns out that in the tower where there are no women allowed, boy on boy is totally acceptable, so now the tower recruits believe she’s a boy currying favor from their leadership.
Geez.
Of course this leads to hostile and bullying behavior from a lot of the tower’s residents.
And the men she wants fill her dreams in a fae garden of sex and attraction, and her days with hard training to where she’s about to drop from pain and exhaustion. Not to mention she is still recovering from the cracked ribs and deep bruising down her torso from her abusive stepfather before she ran away to the tower. Talk about a deck stacked against her favor.
If only the boys who are attracted to her in the “dream” (nope, the fae garden is totally real) realized that she is the very same boy they are putting through training hell during the day. Boy would that change their attitudes fast… and land her either in chains or her head on the chopping block.
The main male characters are immensely likable- heck, even some of the secondaries are (Kit and his crew), but it’s the men who really carry the weight here. Yes, our female lead is stubborn and refuses to break. She is tough and determined and will not back down… but she spends far too much time thinking with her tingly bits instead of focusing on the matter at hand.
It’s our four leads- Ash (a spy who is pretending to be one of the new recruits, but in the garden is Sage’s lover), Talon (Captain of the Gold Tower and the hottest fae whose talents include creating lust in others), Rider (Captain of the Dark Tower who lost his first love and isn’t looking for another) and Quill (Captain of the White Tower, who is a fae without magic, thus he is doomed to never fulfill his wish to find a mate to have a family with) who keep you moving forward with the story, as there is a backstory building of political authority corruption that is in motion, along with the mystery of why there are more and more shadow beasts showing up if the Shadow Gate has been firmly closed for eons.
Too bad Sage’s new vision has revealed that instead of Sawyer’s death it is now she who is destined to die at the foot of the Shadow Gate.
So far I’m conflicted with either following the story or not, but am going to move ahead anyway- I guess you’ll have to look for the next book’s review to see if I made it through or not.
August 18, 2025
Caveat:
4 stars if you can overlook the pedophilia that is not pedophilia but sure feels like pedophilia.
FL (20 yrs old) pretends to be her brother (15 yrs old) who everyone believes to be barely 16 years old, which is the age of maturity in this story. Mind you, many characters suspect that FL, posing as her brother, is less than 16. For the sake of my sanity, I am mentally aging her fake age up to closer to 20. I don’t care that this is fiction; people like to say that even historically people used to marry earlier than they do now so we just need to put aside our modern, real-world mindsets, but that’s not really a valid argument here. The romantic leads often think of her and refer to her (posing as her brother) as a “child” and they’re not entirely convinced that she’s hit the age of maturity, so, no, even by their standards, their sexual feelings towards her are not okay. Even if there weren’t any reason to suspect that she, as her brother, was in fact below the age of 16, this would still seem weird. The romantic leads are decades and decades older than her real age, and it says something about them that they mentally and sexually connect with someone they would think has all the mental maturity of a 16 year old (and that’s not even getting into the potential grooming aspect). My sanity requires them to think of her (posing as her brother) as a scrawny albeit mentally mature 20 year old, and her (as herself) as a 20+ shy yet completely age-appropriate adult.
Side note: I’m also rather annoyed that the 2 MLs who are at least semi-sexually attracted to her when she is posing as her brother are the two most solidly queer MLs of the group. This feeds a false notion that a certain group of people like to push who cant see the difference between being queer and a pedo. One of them straight up just cant help his sexual attraction because of the demon (here, shadow) inside him, which is the exact argument pedos use. The other is only sort of attracted to FL as her brother because he sees visions of the real her when he looks at fake her. It crossed a line, though, when he considered offering to help her get off, tho, cuz there he was really thinking of her as her brother, and trying to deny his visions of her as herself in that consideration. Even if we were to ignore that particular incident, tho, I mean, really? I guess I can go hump Stacy so long as I think of her as her mom, and that will be the story I’m sticking to, judge, right?? No. Not right. And it’s really doing a disservice to the queer community when the two ML characters who most distinctly identify as queer are the most pedo in this situation
4 stars if you can overlook the pedophilia that is not pedophilia but sure feels like pedophilia.
FL (20 yrs old) pretends to be her brother (15 yrs old) who everyone believes to be barely 16 years old, which is the age of maturity in this story. Mind you, many characters suspect that FL, posing as her brother, is less than 16. For the sake of my sanity, I am mentally aging her fake age up to closer to 20. I don’t care that this is fiction; people like to say that even historically people used to marry earlier than they do now so we just need to put aside our modern, real-world mindsets, but that’s not really a valid argument here. The romantic leads often think of her and refer to her (posing as her brother) as a “child” and they’re not entirely convinced that she’s hit the age of maturity, so, no, even by their standards, their sexual feelings towards her are not okay. Even if there weren’t any reason to suspect that she, as her brother, was in fact below the age of 16, this would still seem weird. The romantic leads are decades and decades older than her real age, and it says something about them that they mentally and sexually connect with someone they would think has all the mental maturity of a 16 year old (and that’s not even getting into the potential grooming aspect). My sanity requires them to think of her (posing as her brother) as a scrawny albeit mentally mature 20 year old, and her (as herself) as a 20+ shy yet completely age-appropriate adult.
Side note: I’m also rather annoyed that the 2 MLs who are at least semi-sexually attracted to her when she is posing as her brother are the two most solidly queer MLs of the group. This feeds a false notion that a certain group of people like to push who cant see the difference between being queer and a pedo. One of them straight up just cant help his sexual attraction because of the demon (here, shadow) inside him, which is the exact argument pedos use. The other is only sort of attracted to FL as her brother because he sees visions of the real her when he looks at fake her. It crossed a line, though, when he considered offering to help her get off, tho, cuz there he was really thinking of her as her brother, and trying to deny his visions of her as herself in that consideration. Even if we were to ignore that particular incident, tho, I mean, really? I guess I can go hump Stacy so long as I think of her as her mom, and that will be the story I’m sticking to, judge, right?? No. Not right. And it’s really doing a disservice to the queer community when the two ML characters who most distinctly identify as queer are the most pedo in this situation
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2025
🌶️🌶️/5
This book is so bland and forgettable. Honestly, I’m disappointed in myself for finishing it. The writing is rough. It’s not even that long of a book, but it took me four days to get through it because it’s just not engaging at all. I kept finding other things to do rather than pick it back up.
There’s barely any world-building. The plot? Nothing new. And the author doesn’t even try to put a fresh spin on anything. A story like this, I’d usually knock out in a day, but wow, this one dragged.
Also, authors really need to stop throwing magical creatures into their books just because they want the aesthetic. If you’re not going to actually make them real magical or fantastical, what’s the point? The fae in this book exist only to be hot and pretty. There’s nothing about them that really sets them apart from humans besides their huge size and pointy ears. Half of them don’t even have magic. What’s the point of calling them fae?
The main character is incredibly cringey and painfully bland, probably so readers can easily self-insert. Her entire personality boils down to:
1) traumatized and demure (the word 'demure' used at least 7 times)
2) super tiny so everyone thinks she’s a boy
3) self-sacrificing andwants don't want pity
4) constantly horny.
That’s it. That’s the character.
The author repeats information so much that I honestly felt like I was being talked down to. Like yes, I remember you said that already. We don’t need to be reminded in almost every single chapter about:
1. How weak her brother is
2. How she’s secretly a better warrior
3. How she’s only pretending until her brother can escape
4. How everyone sucks and being a noble means nothing
5. How she a noblewoman won’t know what true love is
6. How her first time was bad and how inexperienced she is
7. How she’s meek but somehow trained to be a secret warrior
8. Please remember how incredibly petite she is
The entire book only takes place over two days, which just makes everything feel even more rushed and fake, especially the relationships. Her “magical skill” are barely fleshed out, and overall she just feels like a meek Mary Sue.
Honestly, how does this book have such a high rating? I don’t get it.
This book is so bland and forgettable. Honestly, I’m disappointed in myself for finishing it. The writing is rough. It’s not even that long of a book, but it took me four days to get through it because it’s just not engaging at all. I kept finding other things to do rather than pick it back up.
There’s barely any world-building. The plot? Nothing new. And the author doesn’t even try to put a fresh spin on anything. A story like this, I’d usually knock out in a day, but wow, this one dragged.
Also, authors really need to stop throwing magical creatures into their books just because they want the aesthetic. If you’re not going to actually make them real magical or fantastical, what’s the point? The fae in this book exist only to be hot and pretty. There’s nothing about them that really sets them apart from humans besides their huge size and pointy ears. Half of them don’t even have magic. What’s the point of calling them fae?
The main character is incredibly cringey and painfully bland, probably so readers can easily self-insert. Her entire personality boils down to:
1) traumatized and demure (the word 'demure' used at least 7 times)
2) super tiny so everyone thinks she’s a boy
3) self-sacrificing and
4) constantly horny.
That’s it. That’s the character.
The author repeats information so much that I honestly felt like I was being talked down to. Like yes, I remember you said that already. We don’t need to be reminded in almost every single chapter about:
1. How weak her brother is
2. How she’s secretly a better warrior
3. How she’s only pretending until her brother can escape
4. How everyone sucks and being a noble means nothing
5. How she a noblewoman won’t know what true love is
6. How her first time was bad and how inexperienced she is
7. How she’s meek but somehow trained to be a secret warrior
8. Please remember how incredibly petite she is
The entire book only takes place over two days, which just makes everything feel even more rushed and fake, especially the relationships. Her “magical skill” are barely fleshed out, and overall she just feels like a meek Mary Sue.
Honestly, how does this book have such a high rating? I don’t get it.
September 26, 2024
"Lies Within the Darkest Tower" was a great start to a new fantasy why choose series. Seriously, I loved this book, and I wish it was possible to dive into book two immediately because I was absolutely not done with these characters yet. I love the whole mystery around Sage's "status", the mix of fae and humans, the dangers lurking in the background (and sometimes at the forefront as well), how our fmc has to hide she's a woman between a bunch of men, ... There is so much to unwrap in this series, and even more to look forward to.
It's hard to explain this without giving away any spoilers, but the author created an interesting background to do the character building of the men in this story. It's as if we see them in two different roles, and I loved getting to know them this way alongside our fmc. It's a little hard to pick out favorites at the moment, but I believe Talon might be my current favorite. His treatment of Sage makes the most sense to me, and he managed to touch me the most. Still, even though there is no real bullying from the men towards our fmc, their treatment of him/her does influence others to do what they do, so if the bully trope is a hard no this might be triggering. For me, it makes me all the more excited to see what happens when they find out the "boy" is actually their fated soulbond.
Usually, as a reader, I'm not a fan of characters having lots of spicy thoughts and being a part of them because they are all written down. It did make me skip a few parts, but it's definitely not enough to stop me from continuing the rest of the series. And I'm hopeful those thoughts will be toned down once the real work starts...
All in all, I really loved this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on part two!
It's hard to explain this without giving away any spoilers, but the author created an interesting background to do the character building of the men in this story. It's as if we see them in two different roles, and I loved getting to know them this way alongside our fmc. It's a little hard to pick out favorites at the moment, but I believe Talon might be my current favorite. His treatment of Sage makes the most sense to me, and he managed to touch me the most. Still, even though there is no real bullying from the men towards our fmc, their treatment of him/her does influence others to do what they do, so if the bully trope is a hard no this might be triggering. For me, it makes me all the more excited to see what happens when they find out the "boy" is actually their fated soulbond.
Usually, as a reader, I'm not a fan of characters having lots of spicy thoughts and being a part of them because they are all written down. It did make me skip a few parts, but it's definitely not enough to stop me from continuing the rest of the series. And I'm hopeful those thoughts will be toned down once the real work starts...
All in all, I really loved this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on part two!
September 16, 2024
There’s more than meets the eye.
A Mulan-esque fae fantasy romance was not on my 2024 bingo card, but I’m here and I’m hands down, loving it.
There was good worldbuilding, it answered a lot of the basic questions. It’s lore as well was good, teasing us for a greater world ahead. Which is really great for a first book in the series!
The plot was also pretty straightforward, which I loved. There were moments that were a bit unexpected, but everything about the flow from beginning to end ran smoothly. Not at all rushed or awkward. Meaning, this was a decently-paced book.
Sage is our Mulan for the day. She’s really mentally strong and she does her best for her brother. She has also been pretty much mentally trained under a very rough gaze and will be having a hard time breaking some habits, but she can take her time this is completely fine! She’s already beginning to crack that shell.
The romance hasn’t happened yet, but there is definitely a lot of steam (and she hasn’t been discovered to be a woman yet! gasp). This is a multiple POV book, however, so you’ll know who’s who on the reverse harem. But only one person has touched her, and only a few have shown interest or affection (towards her or otherwise). So this is probably a slow-to-medium burn with some much lust involved.
Can’t wait to read the next book!
A Mulan-esque fae fantasy romance was not on my 2024 bingo card, but I’m here and I’m hands down, loving it.
There was good worldbuilding, it answered a lot of the basic questions. It’s lore as well was good, teasing us for a greater world ahead. Which is really great for a first book in the series!
The plot was also pretty straightforward, which I loved. There were moments that were a bit unexpected, but everything about the flow from beginning to end ran smoothly. Not at all rushed or awkward. Meaning, this was a decently-paced book.
Sage is our Mulan for the day. She’s really mentally strong and she does her best for her brother. She has also been pretty much mentally trained under a very rough gaze and will be having a hard time breaking some habits, but she can take her time this is completely fine! She’s already beginning to crack that shell.
The romance hasn’t happened yet, but there is definitely a lot of steam (and she hasn’t been discovered to be a woman yet! gasp). This is a multiple POV book, however, so you’ll know who’s who on the reverse harem. But only one person has touched her, and only a few have shown interest or affection (towards her or otherwise). So this is probably a slow-to-medium burn with some much lust involved.
Can’t wait to read the next book!
October 28, 2024
The only home Sage has ever known is Herstind Keep, but that will all change when one of the fae from the Black Tower appears at the keep. It can only mean one thing; her conniving stepfather has bribed the local magistrate to make sur her underage brother was chosen to fulfill the bargain made between the fae and humans a hundred years ago to guard the Shadow Gate. But a nobleman's son and heir should have never been chosen and Sage will do anything to prevent her brother's death which she has already foreseen in a vision. People have always remarked that she and her brother look like twins, so she is determined to take Sawyers place by secretly activating the binding spell that forces compliance in joining the Black Guard. Unfortunately, in her rush to protect Sawyer, Sage arrives through the gate at night with immediately makes her a target of the other humans drafted into the Guard. Yet, Sage knows that she has to hide that she is a woman and survive long enough to allow Sawyer to make it to one of the neighboring kingdoms.
Wow, what a great book. I couldn't put it down. The characters are all fascinating and engaging whether or not you "like" them. Some action and magic, unexpected twists in the plot, and even a little steam kept me engrossed and on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Wow, what a great book. I couldn't put it down. The characters are all fascinating and engaging whether or not you "like" them. Some action and magic, unexpected twists in the plot, and even a little steam kept me engrossed and on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
September 15, 2025
I was really excited about the first book and I really loved the first book but unfortunately. I have to DNF the series. I never write reviews, but I would so annoyed by this that I stayed up all night and couldn’t sleep because of how bothered I was about it and decided to write a review.
Book one was great. Book 2 was alright book 3 I realized I was on chapter 18. They still didn’t know she was a woman. I still didn’t know who the big bad was and I still didn’t know what the fuck was happening with the main character. It just seemed very repetitive.
I don’t think I should be halfway through book 3 still trying to figure out these questions. That’s just a waste of my time.
There are more sexual assaults / attempts than there is actual romance with her mates. I counted about 3 SA attempts and only sex scenes with one character she actually likes.
The main character is just overall severely annoying to me. She doesn’t wanna mate, but likes Ash so then she gets her mate bond put to sleep and then she’s wondering who her mate could be be are you serious? Are you serious?
As somebody who has survived several SA attempts you cannot convince me that a character who’s been through three in a span of three books is all of a suddenly gonna be worried about her mates and marks 2 scenes after being assaulted.
I’m just a little annoyed and I wish I could get my time back. three books and all this girl has done is cried and be sexually assaulted
Book one was great. Book 2 was alright book 3 I realized I was on chapter 18. They still didn’t know she was a woman. I still didn’t know who the big bad was and I still didn’t know what the fuck was happening with the main character. It just seemed very repetitive.
I don’t think I should be halfway through book 3 still trying to figure out these questions. That’s just a waste of my time.
There are more sexual assaults / attempts than there is actual romance with her mates. I counted about 3 SA attempts and only sex scenes with one character she actually likes.
The main character is just overall severely annoying to me. She doesn’t wanna mate, but likes Ash so then she gets her mate bond put to sleep and then she’s wondering who her mate could be be are you serious? Are you serious?
As somebody who has survived several SA attempts you cannot convince me that a character who’s been through three in a span of three books is all of a suddenly gonna be worried about her mates and marks 2 scenes after being assaulted.
I’m just a little annoyed and I wish I could get my time back. three books and all this girl has done is cried and be sexually assaulted
November 18, 2024
Di solito sto molto attenta a non iniziare una serie che non è completa, o addirittura, come in questo caso, una in cui è uscito solo il primo volume, ma la trama di questo libro mi aveva colpito e stuzzicato, così per una volta mi sono lasciata andare.
E' stato un errore, perché mi è piaciuto tantissimo e adesso fremo dalla voglia di avere tra le mani il secondo.
Il libro all'inizio appare più come un historical romance, sembra ambientato nel nostro tardo medioevo, con la differenza che in questo mondo ci sono i fae che coesistono con gli umani intrecciando anche politica e collaborazioni militari.
Protagonista assoluta è Sage, una ragazza di 20 anni con il dono della preveggenza, e proprio a causa di questo dono prenderà una decisione coraggiosa ma anche totalmente folle, e cioè sostituire suo fratello come guardiano della Torre nera, ma se suo fratello fosse andato sarebbe morto, questo è quello che ha visto.
Durante la storia conosceremo anche quelli che saranno i 4 interessi amorosi della protagonista, ben caratterizzati e soprattutto distinguibili l'uno dall'altro, e non è una cosa da sottovalutare.
La trovata del Giardino, un regno onirico dove i fae si incontrano per socializzare ma anche per incontrare i propri compagni mi è piaciuta tantissimo.
Ho intenzione di leggere altro di questa scrittrice perchè sembra molto interessante e promettente.
E' stato un errore, perché mi è piaciuto tantissimo e adesso fremo dalla voglia di avere tra le mani il secondo.
Il libro all'inizio appare più come un historical romance, sembra ambientato nel nostro tardo medioevo, con la differenza che in questo mondo ci sono i fae che coesistono con gli umani intrecciando anche politica e collaborazioni militari.
Protagonista assoluta è Sage, una ragazza di 20 anni con il dono della preveggenza, e proprio a causa di questo dono prenderà una decisione coraggiosa ma anche totalmente folle, e cioè sostituire suo fratello come guardiano della Torre nera, ma se suo fratello fosse andato sarebbe morto, questo è quello che ha visto.
Durante la storia conosceremo anche quelli che saranno i 4 interessi amorosi della protagonista, ben caratterizzati e soprattutto distinguibili l'uno dall'altro, e non è una cosa da sottovalutare.
La trovata del Giardino, un regno onirico dove i fae si incontrano per socializzare ma anche per incontrare i propri compagni mi è piaciuta tantissimo.
Ho intenzione di leggere altro di questa scrittrice perchè sembra molto interessante e promettente.
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