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The Veiled Kingdom #1
The Veiled Kingdom
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Romantasy (2024)Gefangen zwischen einer Rebellion und der Herrschaft eines Tyrannen.
Nyra ist auf der Flucht vor dem grausamen König von Marmoris – ihrem Vater! Dass sie dabei in ständiger Gefahr schwebt, nimmt sie in Kauf. Allerdings darf niemand erfahren, wer sie in Wahrheit ist. Vor allem nicht die Rebellen, die sie unterwegs aufgreifen und zwingen, sich ihrer Sache anzuschließen. Doch je besser sie die Gruppe und ihre Ziele versteht, desto größer wird Nyras innere Darf sie Loyalität für ihr Königreich empfinden, wenn klar ist, dass die tyrannische Herrschaft ihres Vaters ein Ende haben muss? Und dann ist da noch das, was Dacre, der Sohn des Rebellenführers, in ihr auslöst. Er zeigt ihr, dass Liebe und Hass zwei Seiten derselben Klinge sind.
»Sie dürfen nie erfahren, wer ich wirklich bin. Niemand darf das.«
Veiled Kingdom ist der Auftakt der aufregenden, dreiteiligen Romantasy-Serie von USA-Today-Bestseller-Autorin Holly Renee – eine Geschichte voller unerbittlicher Gefahren, verbotener Leidenschaft und mit Feinden, die zu Liebenden werden
Nyra ist auf der Flucht vor dem grausamen König von Marmoris – ihrem Vater! Dass sie dabei in ständiger Gefahr schwebt, nimmt sie in Kauf. Allerdings darf niemand erfahren, wer sie in Wahrheit ist. Vor allem nicht die Rebellen, die sie unterwegs aufgreifen und zwingen, sich ihrer Sache anzuschließen. Doch je besser sie die Gruppe und ihre Ziele versteht, desto größer wird Nyras innere Darf sie Loyalität für ihr Königreich empfinden, wenn klar ist, dass die tyrannische Herrschaft ihres Vaters ein Ende haben muss? Und dann ist da noch das, was Dacre, der Sohn des Rebellenführers, in ihr auslöst. Er zeigt ihr, dass Liebe und Hass zwei Seiten derselben Klinge sind.
»Sie dürfen nie erfahren, wer ich wirklich bin. Niemand darf das.«
Veiled Kingdom ist der Auftakt der aufregenden, dreiteiligen Romantasy-Serie von USA-Today-Bestseller-Autorin Holly Renee – eine Geschichte voller unerbittlicher Gefahren, verbotener Leidenschaft und mit Feinden, die zu Liebenden werden
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2024
7128 people are currently reading
177386 people want to read
About the author
Holly Renee
28 books7,317 followers✨USA Today Bestselling Author
🤠 Cowboy Casual out October 7th
Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorhollyrenee/
Join my Reader Group, Hollywood: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HollyRenee
🩷🤠COWBOY ROMANCE🤠🩷
Cowboy Casual | Coming October 7th
✨🌙⚔️FANTASY ROMANCE⚔️🌙✨
The Veiled Kingdom Series
The Veiled Kingdom
The Hunted Heir
The Rivaled Crown
The Stars and Shadows Series
A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows
A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal
A Kingdom of Venom and Vows
A Kingdom of Fire and Fate
🖤🫦CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE🫦🖤
The Boys of Clermont Bay Series
The Touch of a Villain
The Fall of a God
The Taste of an Enemy
The Deceit of a Devil
The Seduction of Pretty Lies
The Temptation of Dirty Secrets
The Good Girls Series
Where Good Girls Go to Die
Where Bad Girls Go to Fall
Where Bad Boys are Ruined
The Rock Bottom Series
Trouble with the Guy Next Door
Trouble with the Hotshot Boss}
[book: Trouble with the Fake Boyfriend
The Wrong Prince Charming
The Wrong Prince Charming
🤠 Cowboy Casual out October 7th
Find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorhollyrenee/
Join my Reader Group, Hollywood: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HollyRenee
🩷🤠COWBOY ROMANCE🤠🩷
Cowboy Casual | Coming October 7th
✨🌙⚔️FANTASY ROMANCE⚔️🌙✨
The Veiled Kingdom Series
The Veiled Kingdom
The Hunted Heir
The Rivaled Crown
The Stars and Shadows Series
A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows
A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal
A Kingdom of Venom and Vows
A Kingdom of Fire and Fate
🖤🫦CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE🫦🖤
The Boys of Clermont Bay Series
The Touch of a Villain
The Fall of a God
The Taste of an Enemy
The Deceit of a Devil
The Seduction of Pretty Lies
The Temptation of Dirty Secrets
The Good Girls Series
Where Good Girls Go to Die
Where Bad Girls Go to Fall
Where Bad Boys are Ruined
The Rock Bottom Series
Trouble with the Guy Next Door
Trouble with the Hotshot Boss}
[book: Trouble with the Fake Boyfriend
The Wrong Prince Charming
The Wrong Prince Charming
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,260 reviews
April 4, 2024
idek where to start here…because i was so thrown back with that last chapter. i wanted to point a gun at my head and do a little razzle dazzle ✨
i was so excited for this to be a full 5 star read, make it my entire personality, and talk about it non stop for at least 2 weeks until i read that last fucking chapter. when i tell you i physically recoiled. i wanted to cut my heart out, one artery at a time, throw it on a sizzling hot cast iron skillet, and burn it to chards… finishing it, i sat there thinking of ways to run into the wall i was staring at for 10 minutes straight. because wtf did i just read?! 🙂🔫
let it be known that i don’t regret reading this, in fact im currently breaking into the authors house for the manuscript of the sequel. not even batman could stop me. this is a pretty fast paced romantic fantasy with divergent and fourth wing vibes. i actually wasn’t expecting this to be as addictive as it was. but here i am, sweating at the temple, as i shit write this review🫣
basically: lost princess ends up in rebel territory. no one knows she’s the lost princess but hot shot home boy doesn’t trust her and is very suspicious of her (as he’s mentioned in every chapter) but he’s drawn to her like a magnet (he doesn’t understand why as he’s also mentioned in every chapter) and can’t seem to keep his hands to himself as he trains her to be one their warriors. lost princess is pretty good at keeping her identity safe until her lies catch up to her. there’s heated moments, stolen glances, cave scenes, longing, pining, wanting, and shortness of breath. i lowkey dare, Darce, our beloved mmc, to come to my house tonight…
more on the characters, my favorite part:
if i see Darce in person one day, just know my clothes would immediately evaporate. the way that his man was jealous of anyone nearly even breathing the same air as Nyra…my self respect left my body… he’s all control this control that. but it all crumbles at the thought of Nyra. and that’s poetic to me 🥹
Nyra, the woman that you are. a wicked smile would climbs its way onto my lips every time she put Darce in his place. the banter goes crazy with them. she was serving cunt every time let me tell you that much! these characters had me outta my seat bowing 🙇♀️
i’m pretty sure i dislodged an internal organ while reading this book and i can’t lie it was worth it. 😪
4.5 ⭐️
i was so excited for this to be a full 5 star read, make it my entire personality, and talk about it non stop for at least 2 weeks until i read that last fucking chapter. when i tell you i physically recoiled. i wanted to cut my heart out, one artery at a time, throw it on a sizzling hot cast iron skillet, and burn it to chards… finishing it, i sat there thinking of ways to run into the wall i was staring at for 10 minutes straight. because wtf did i just read?! 🙂🔫
let it be known that i don’t regret reading this, in fact im currently breaking into the authors house for the manuscript of the sequel. not even batman could stop me. this is a pretty fast paced romantic fantasy with divergent and fourth wing vibes. i actually wasn’t expecting this to be as addictive as it was. but here i am, sweating at the temple, as i shit write this review🫣
basically: lost princess ends up in rebel territory. no one knows she’s the lost princess but hot shot home boy doesn’t trust her and is very suspicious of her (as he’s mentioned in every chapter) but he’s drawn to her like a magnet (he doesn’t understand why as he’s also mentioned in every chapter) and can’t seem to keep his hands to himself as he trains her to be one their warriors. lost princess is pretty good at keeping her identity safe until her lies catch up to her. there’s heated moments, stolen glances, cave scenes, longing, pining, wanting, and shortness of breath. i lowkey dare, Darce, our beloved mmc, to come to my house tonight…
more on the characters, my favorite part:
if i see Darce in person one day, just know my clothes would immediately evaporate. the way that his man was jealous of anyone nearly even breathing the same air as Nyra…my self respect left my body… he’s all control this control that. but it all crumbles at the thought of Nyra. and that’s poetic to me 🥹
Nyra, the woman that you are. a wicked smile would climbs its way onto my lips every time she put Darce in his place. the banter goes crazy with them. she was serving cunt every time let me tell you that much! these characters had me outta my seat bowing 🙇♀️
i’m pretty sure i dislodged an internal organ while reading this book and i can’t lie it was worth it. 😪
4.5 ⭐️
March 30, 2024
➸ 3 stars
➷ this book follows nyra, the princess of marmoris who is on the run from her tyrannical father, the wicked king. she has endured the cruelties of palace of life, since she is a fae without any magic. when the rebels raid the kingdom, nyra escapes and ends up living on the streets, but that all comes to an end when a pick-pocketing goes wrong and she is captured by the royal guards and then captured again by the rebellions, where she is forced to become one of them. she must keep her true identity a secret or be unalived.
— i loved how this book was very fast paced because i literally read this in one sitting. though i did enjoy this book but because it was a quick read i was wanting more with the world-building and wanting it to be more fleshed out and i felt like nothing was happening at all in this book. there were so many times where i kept thinking that something was missing like maybe i skipped the first 2 whole books and i’m missing a whole lot of background info even tho this is the first book. this book needed so much more depth, especially with the characters. idk if it was just me but it felt like there was no fantasy element whatsoever.. he just trains her majority of the story and that’s just it.
i feel like we all have different interpretations on “enemies to lovers” because i don’t consider them enemies if they are instantly attracted to one another from the get-go and he was so possessive and controlling over the fmc.. like aren’t you all supposed to be enemies?? so why tf do you care about what she does or who likes her. this just undermines the animosity. he also makes decisions for her and she goes along with it?? GIRL STAND UP OMFG. their connection seemed more rooted in lust than genuine romance. there was a distinct lack of romance, and the focus seemed to be more on physical desire rather than emotional connection.
nyra/verena:
the princess and heir who has escaped her kingdom and has changed her name to nyra so she isn’t found by the king and brought back to the palace. i wish she had more of a backbone to her, she gave in to dacre way too easily, given how cruel he was to her i thought she would’ve put more of a fight up but dacre was literally walking her like a dog and she was just obeying everything he says. like she would push back but then all of a sudden she is compliant to his demands lmaoo. she was naive and after living on the streets for a year i thought she would’ve had more life skills and would know how to defend herself but nope, she knows nothing. wdym you don’t know any self defence?? girl you have been living on the streets 🤡 i wish we also got more of her life living in the palace, the night of the raid, and her life living on the streets. i was not invested with her character at all which is a shame bc i was getting girlboss vibes from her at the start then comes dacre and she becomes a complete doormat🧍🏻♀️her character is a mystery to me so hopefully we uncover so much more depth to her character in the next book.
dacre:
he is your typical alphahole with severe trust issues, but when i tell you that THIS MAN BETTER GROVEL ON HIS MF KNEES.. I MEAN IT, I WANT THIS MAN A WHOLE MESS!! but aaa i lived for this mans dirty mouth like “fucking beg me, little traitor.” ugh okay 😩 i feel like i know nothing about his character except that he is the son of the leader of the rebellion. i loved how much he loves and cares for his sister. i hope the author dives more into his character in the next book bc i would love to learn more about him and his backstory.
while “the veiled kingdom” held promise, its shortcomings in the world-building, the depth to the characters and the execution of its romantic aspect fell short for me and left me wanting more. it also felt a little like powerless.. i just kept getting the same vibes and kept comparing the two as i was reading this book. i lost a lot of interest once the spice happened bc everything was moving way too quickly and it just felt really random. despite its flaws, the cliffhanger ending leaves room for redemption in the next installment, so hopefully everything will be much more fleshed out!!
───♡─────────────
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ pre-review:
enemies to lovers and forbidden romance?? oh i’m about to eat this up!! (pls get me out of my slump)
“i have been starved, nyra. until you.”
➷ this book follows nyra, the princess of marmoris who is on the run from her tyrannical father, the wicked king. she has endured the cruelties of palace of life, since she is a fae without any magic. when the rebels raid the kingdom, nyra escapes and ends up living on the streets, but that all comes to an end when a pick-pocketing goes wrong and she is captured by the royal guards and then captured again by the rebellions, where she is forced to become one of them. she must keep her true identity a secret or be unalived.
— i loved how this book was very fast paced because i literally read this in one sitting. though i did enjoy this book but because it was a quick read i was wanting more with the world-building and wanting it to be more fleshed out and i felt like nothing was happening at all in this book. there were so many times where i kept thinking that something was missing like maybe i skipped the first 2 whole books and i’m missing a whole lot of background info even tho this is the first book. this book needed so much more depth, especially with the characters. idk if it was just me but it felt like there was no fantasy element whatsoever.. he just trains her majority of the story and that’s just it.
i feel like we all have different interpretations on “enemies to lovers” because i don’t consider them enemies if they are instantly attracted to one another from the get-go and he was so possessive and controlling over the fmc.. like aren’t you all supposed to be enemies?? so why tf do you care about what she does or who likes her. this just undermines the animosity. he also makes decisions for her and she goes along with it?? GIRL STAND UP OMFG. their connection seemed more rooted in lust than genuine romance. there was a distinct lack of romance, and the focus seemed to be more on physical desire rather than emotional connection.
nyra/verena:
the princess and heir who has escaped her kingdom and has changed her name to nyra so she isn’t found by the king and brought back to the palace. i wish she had more of a backbone to her, she gave in to dacre way too easily, given how cruel he was to her i thought she would’ve put more of a fight up but dacre was literally walking her like a dog and she was just obeying everything he says. like she would push back but then all of a sudden she is compliant to his demands lmaoo. she was naive and after living on the streets for a year i thought she would’ve had more life skills and would know how to defend herself but nope, she knows nothing. wdym you don’t know any self defence?? girl you have been living on the streets 🤡 i wish we also got more of her life living in the palace, the night of the raid, and her life living on the streets. i was not invested with her character at all which is a shame bc i was getting girlboss vibes from her at the start then comes dacre and she becomes a complete doormat🧍🏻♀️her character is a mystery to me so hopefully we uncover so much more depth to her character in the next book.
dacre:
he is your typical alphahole with severe trust issues, but when i tell you that THIS MAN BETTER GROVEL ON HIS MF KNEES.. I MEAN IT, I WANT THIS MAN A WHOLE MESS!! but aaa i lived for this mans dirty mouth like “fucking beg me, little traitor.” ugh okay 😩 i feel like i know nothing about his character except that he is the son of the leader of the rebellion. i loved how much he loves and cares for his sister. i hope the author dives more into his character in the next book bc i would love to learn more about him and his backstory.
while “the veiled kingdom” held promise, its shortcomings in the world-building, the depth to the characters and the execution of its romantic aspect fell short for me and left me wanting more. it also felt a little like powerless.. i just kept getting the same vibes and kept comparing the two as i was reading this book. i lost a lot of interest once the spice happened bc everything was moving way too quickly and it just felt really random. despite its flaws, the cliffhanger ending leaves room for redemption in the next installment, so hopefully everything will be much more fleshed out!!
───♡─────────────
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ pre-review:
enemies to lovers and forbidden romance?? oh i’m about to eat this up!! (pls get me out of my slump)
August 22, 2024
That was a nice surprise. I guess my expectations were realistic enough that it helped me brilliantly with my book hangover.
I loved how fast paced and interesting it was from the beginning. We are given no bs, no lengthy inner monologues to start off. I loved that there were action sequences, which were quite immersive. This was my first book by the author and am impressed, it's definitely not the best work but I enjoy engaging books. Plot wise? Things are slowish but one won't feel that way reading it. There are not many twists and turns but it keeps one quite engaged.
Nyra and Dacre are both intriguing characters. Although I found Dacre to be more of substance. His possessiveness and dirty talk is hot ngl but I like how he can be caring as well, only for her. Nyra was a bit too innocent and fragile imo. But given the situation she is in, it makes sense. I hope there will be more growth for her given the last few chapters. I liked Wren a lot. She seems like a good side character.
The romance was mostly spice; well written spice tho. The tension and chemistry between the two is perfect 😌😌
Things that could have been better-
1. It could have used a little more world building. I assume we will expand on it in the next one? At least I hope.
2. The book lacked emotional connection. It was quite on the surface and the romance between the characters was purely physical. The two could have used more moments together just getting to know each other but am not too bummed about it given the spice.
I loved the way it ended. It was sort of predictable but the way it was done in a tense and emotionally high way, that was too good to read. Can't wait to continue the next book already.
Thanks to beautiful Lindsey, who made this reading experience fun💗
~•~•~
Have heard nothing but good things about it.
I loved how fast paced and interesting it was from the beginning. We are given no bs, no lengthy inner monologues to start off. I loved that there were action sequences, which were quite immersive. This was my first book by the author and am impressed, it's definitely not the best work but I enjoy engaging books. Plot wise? Things are slowish but one won't feel that way reading it. There are not many twists and turns but it keeps one quite engaged.
Nyra and Dacre are both intriguing characters. Although I found Dacre to be more of substance. His possessiveness and dirty talk is hot ngl but I like how he can be caring as well, only for her. Nyra was a bit too innocent and fragile imo. But given the situation she is in, it makes sense. I hope there will be more growth for her given the last few chapters. I liked Wren a lot. She seems like a good side character.
The romance was mostly spice; well written spice tho. The tension and chemistry between the two is perfect 😌😌
Things that could have been better-
1. It could have used a little more world building. I assume we will expand on it in the next one? At least I hope.
2. The book lacked emotional connection. It was quite on the surface and the romance between the characters was purely physical. The two could have used more moments together just getting to know each other but am not too bummed about it given the spice.
I loved the way it ended. It was sort of predictable but the way it was done in a tense and emotionally high way, that was too good to read. Can't wait to continue the next book already.
Thanks to beautiful Lindsey, who made this reading experience fun💗
~•~•~
Have heard nothing but good things about it.
March 21, 2024
I hated this book. There’s no romance, just lust. The ending is super gross and really makes me confused why all of the reviews are so positive and also obsessing over Dacre. He’s just a massive fuck boy taking advantaged of a sheltered girl with minimal life experience and zero sexual experience.
I don’t think a book has made me experience physical rage like this in a long time. Why do I keep trusting booktok?
I don’t think a book has made me experience physical rage like this in a long time. Why do I keep trusting booktok?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2024
What in the possessive obsessive toxic bullshit was that?? Why did she have absolutely no backbone or any sense of self worth. This was not it. I can’t believe I actually finished this book.
There was little to no character or world development in this book and not much plot happening either. We still don’t know jack about the world the book is set in or many of the motivations of our main characters or villains.
I was very uncomfortable with how Nyra would verbally not give her consent to anything physical and Dacre would not listen to her verbal non-consent. We are in her head and know that she wants to do the thing, but she still verbally said no. Dacre, you can't read her mind, you have to listen to what she verbally says and she said no! It was a mess.
1 Star
There was little to no character or world development in this book and not much plot happening either. We still don’t know jack about the world the book is set in or many of the motivations of our main characters or villains.
I was very uncomfortable with how Nyra would verbally not give her consent to anything physical and Dacre would not listen to her verbal non-consent. We are in her head and know that she wants to do the thing, but she still verbally said no. Dacre, you can't read her mind, you have to listen to what she verbally says and she said no! It was a mess.
1 Star
March 23, 2024
I honestly can't understand how this book got published
April 29, 2024
3.5 ⭐️!!
April 4, 2024
y’all lying with all these 5 stars ratings
August 7, 2025
This book wasn't that awful, but it was way too underwhelming for me to rate it higher. It had so much potential but the execution fell entirely flat.
For a fantasy novel, there was 𝗡𝗢 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 in this book. I still don't know how the magic works or any other details about the hidden city they resided in. There were no explanations provided for what type of magic everyone possesses and how it comes into play. I kept forgetting I was reading fantasy and not contemporary romance.
Coming to the brighter side, the only thing I liked about this book was, romance. The tension, the banter, the constant push and pull, my typical favourite enemies to lovers and "who did this to you" trope was executed with utmost perfection. I really adored both the characters.
However, what disappointed me further was not only the lack of world building but also the fact that nothing happens for the most part of the book. Romance took up the majority of the book, leaving little to no room for plot build up, world building and character development.
Nonetheless, I'll still read the next book in the near future to see where this trilogy is headed. Hopefully the next book will be more plot-focused instead of focusing on the romance aspect alone.
For a fantasy novel, there was 𝗡𝗢 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 in this book. I still don't know how the magic works or any other details about the hidden city they resided in. There were no explanations provided for what type of magic everyone possesses and how it comes into play. I kept forgetting I was reading fantasy and not contemporary romance.
Coming to the brighter side, the only thing I liked about this book was, romance. The tension, the banter, the constant push and pull, my typical favourite enemies to lovers and "who did this to you" trope was executed with utmost perfection. I really adored both the characters.
However, what disappointed me further was not only the lack of world building but also the fact that nothing happens for the most part of the book. Romance took up the majority of the book, leaving little to no room for plot build up, world building and character development.
Nonetheless, I'll still read the next book in the near future to see where this trilogy is headed. Hopefully the next book will be more plot-focused instead of focusing on the romance aspect alone.
June 12, 2024
♾️⭐
DACRE IS EVERYTHING 🥵🥵
Wow. I am blown away. I could not put this down!!!
If you enjoy fantasy with light world-building, magic, hate to love, top-tier banter, and a possessive MMC... you are going to freaking LOVE The Veiled Kingdom.
Everyone is going to be obsessed with Dacre.. like pheww - the things he says made me legit GASP.
I am so excited about the next book because the plot is just SO ADDICTING and I need to know what is going to happen next.
Swoon Worthy Quotes:
"Jealousy isn't a good look for such a handsome guy." - Nyra
"Did you just call me handsome?" - Dacre
"It's okay if you think I'm handsome." - Dacre
"I also think you're an ass but you're really clinging to the handsome thing, aren't you?" - Nyra
"I am." - Dacre
"Use your words, Nyra. I need to hear you say how badly you want me."
"You're taking me so good, little traitor."
"Drop that bow and get on your knees. Then I want you to crawl to me and beg." 🫠🫠🫠
-romantasy
-world with magic
-hidden identity
-TRUE enemies to lovers
-possessive & jealous MMC
-top tier banter & angst
-friends brother
-love triangle
-who did this to you?
-"crawl to me"
-"good girl"
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Thank you Valentine PR and Holly Renee for the advanced copy! I truly enjoyed this so so much
DACRE IS EVERYTHING 🥵🥵
Wow. I am blown away. I could not put this down!!!
If you enjoy fantasy with light world-building, magic, hate to love, top-tier banter, and a possessive MMC... you are going to freaking LOVE The Veiled Kingdom.
Everyone is going to be obsessed with Dacre.. like pheww - the things he says made me legit GASP.
I am so excited about the next book because the plot is just SO ADDICTING and I need to know what is going to happen next.
Swoon Worthy Quotes:
"Jealousy isn't a good look for such a handsome guy." - Nyra
"Did you just call me handsome?" - Dacre
"It's okay if you think I'm handsome." - Dacre
"I also think you're an ass but you're really clinging to the handsome thing, aren't you?" - Nyra
"I am." - Dacre
"Use your words, Nyra. I need to hear you say how badly you want me."
"You're taking me so good, little traitor."
"Drop that bow and get on your knees. Then I want you to crawl to me and beg." 🫠🫠🫠
-romantasy
-world with magic
-hidden identity
-TRUE enemies to lovers
-possessive & jealous MMC
-top tier banter & angst
-friends brother
-love triangle
-who did this to you?
-"crawl to me"
-"good girl"
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Thank you Valentine PR and Holly Renee for the advanced copy! I truly enjoyed this so so much
January 24, 2025
this was incredibly frustrating.
because there were hints, as i was reading, of things that i enjoy. the physical chemistry between dacre and nyra was palpable for sure. and the sex scenes were pretty well written. which is my complaint with romance lately. the sex scenes feeling blah or over done. not the case here, imo.
but that's where my compliments end unfortunately. the fantasy elements were practically non existent. the plot was wildly boring. and the characters? so so irritating. nyra was pitiful and dacre was an over the top asshole/weirdo.
had the fantasy been more present, the dynamic between dacre/nyra would have made more sense. but his weird hatred of her felt misguided. idk. no interest in reading the second one.
because there were hints, as i was reading, of things that i enjoy. the physical chemistry between dacre and nyra was palpable for sure. and the sex scenes were pretty well written. which is my complaint with romance lately. the sex scenes feeling blah or over done. not the case here, imo.
but that's where my compliments end unfortunately. the fantasy elements were practically non existent. the plot was wildly boring. and the characters? so so irritating. nyra was pitiful and dacre was an over the top asshole/weirdo.
had the fantasy been more present, the dynamic between dacre/nyra would have made more sense. but his weird hatred of her felt misguided. idk. no interest in reading the second one.
Want to read
July 14, 2024 I wasn't a fan when I tried her other series - A Kingdom of Stars & Shadows Please tell me this is better? Starting this week. 💖
March 20, 2024
Nyra definitely is a masochist cause tell me why she was getting butterflies when Dacre publicly humiliated and degraded her💀💀💀💀not a single apology was given afterwards 🤦♀️
Dacre sucked ass man needs to get off his high horse hoping he dies in the next book 🤭
Dacre sucked ass man needs to get off his high horse hoping he dies in the next book 🤭
December 16, 2024
Had potential to be really interesting but the book was SO short there was no build up. The last chapter was just absolutely wild and made me feel weird
August 21, 2024
Nyra has been hiding in plain sight, hiding from her father and his cruelty. Then she gets captured for stealing coins from a royal guard and put into a cell. When she is rescued, by Dacre- the son of the rebellion leader, she doesn't know which is worse. Nyra is the lost heir of the King, in the cell she would be at the mercy of her father's cruelty. However, with the rebellion she is constantly having to live behind a lie, hiding her true identity. If they were to ever find out that she was the princess, the daughter of their enemy, she would meet an even worse fate.
Dacre, lost his mother to the cause of the rebellion, so he will continue to fight it and one day lead it for her. He trusts no one besides his younger sister Wren, and his best friend Kai. When his younger sister gets captured by a royal guard, he goes to rescue her with the help of his friend. What he wasnt expecting, was his sister refusing to leave with him, unless they also took her cellmate--Nyra. Dacre does it to save his sister but he knows two things, he does not trust Nyra and he knows she is lying about something.
*:･ﾟ✧ What to Expect *:･ﾟ✧
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Hidden Identity
✨Forbidden Romance
✨Possessive MMC
✨Spice
✨Tension and Banter
✨Virgin FMC
✨Who Hurt You
✨Elemental Magic/Unique Magic System
This was a fast-paced and enjoyable read. My absolute favorite thing about this one was the angst and tension between the characters...it was absolute chef's kiss. The kind I look for in every romantasy, and the spice....Dacre has a beautiful and filthy mouth. The one think that I felt needed work was the world building...for a fantasy/romantasy I feel it really lacked in that aspect. However, even without it I thoroughly enjoyed this book and that ending...OMG!
✨❤️ Thank you for buddy reading with me SK bby ❤️✨
I have been wanting to read this one for awhile now so I am so excited to start it!
Dacre, lost his mother to the cause of the rebellion, so he will continue to fight it and one day lead it for her. He trusts no one besides his younger sister Wren, and his best friend Kai. When his younger sister gets captured by a royal guard, he goes to rescue her with the help of his friend. What he wasnt expecting, was his sister refusing to leave with him, unless they also took her cellmate--Nyra. Dacre does it to save his sister but he knows two things, he does not trust Nyra and he knows she is lying about something.
*:･ﾟ✧ What to Expect *:･ﾟ✧
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Hidden Identity
✨Forbidden Romance
✨Possessive MMC
✨Spice
✨Tension and Banter
✨Virgin FMC
✨Who Hurt You
✨Elemental Magic/Unique Magic System
This was a fast-paced and enjoyable read. My absolute favorite thing about this one was the angst and tension between the characters...it was absolute chef's kiss. The kind I look for in every romantasy, and the spice....Dacre has a beautiful and filthy mouth. The one think that I felt needed work was the world building...for a fantasy/romantasy I feel it really lacked in that aspect. However, even without it I thoroughly enjoyed this book and that ending...OMG!
✨❤️ Thank you for buddy reading with me SK bby ❤️✨
I have been wanting to read this one for awhile now so I am so excited to start it!
October 31, 2024
‧₊˚ ┊ “𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍, 𝙽𝚢𝚛𝚊. 𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞.”
★★★ ┊𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚? 😭
°•*⁀➷ This was my first ever book club read and this was a slight letdown for me! This book was giving me slight Heartless Hunter vibes but not nearly as good.
─ .✦ I was really wanting something that drew me in, and I felt this book had many points of action 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢? 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜? These important aspects felt non existent and let the book fall flat for me.
─ .✦ I really wanted the magic system explained so there was some idea of how the magic was used, the different types of magic, and differences in power. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙎𝙀 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙?? Magic was used a couple of times for healing, and power moves but it was never really explained.
─ .✦ I felt like a lot was happening in the beginning, action and advancement in plot 𝒃𝒖𝒕, 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, yet Nyra wasn’t getting better and didn’t use her training at all?? 𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓗𝓤𝓗?
╰┈➤ I do have to say 𝑰 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑫 the 𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑺𝑻 between Dacre and Nyra, and my lord did Dacre have a mouth on him. I did enjoy some aspects of the relationship, but I also got sick of him calling her “𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓” 𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕.
‧₊˚ ┊“𝙵𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚐 𝚖𝚎, 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚛,”
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙭 𝙚𝙬𝙬𝙬 𝙬𝙩𝙛 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚, 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩 😭
જ⁀➴ This book gave me the super weird feeling like nothing was really going on but I just kept turning the pages 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮, 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙.
°˖➴ 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙩𝙛 𝙉𝙮𝙧𝙖 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝘿𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝙃𝙀 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝙆𝙀𝙋𝙏 𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙊𝙒𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙊 𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙀𝙉. 𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀 𝙃𝙐𝙉𝙉𝙄. You are not a dog stand tf up for yourself and get a backbone. And while Dacre was giving Alphahole “𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚒𝚎” vibes, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙛 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣… 🤡
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨┊🏹
› 𝕋𝕠𝕦𝕔𝕙 ℍ𝕖𝕣, 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕚𝕖
› 𝔼𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤
› 𝔽𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕪/ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕔y
› ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖/𝔸𝕝𝕡𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕖
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓥𝓮𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓭𝓸𝓶
➵𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕍𝕖𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕂𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕕𝕠𝕞 3★
➵𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕚𝕣
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
જ⁀➴ 𝓜𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓼𝓽. 𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌? 𝑵𝒐. Am I going to read the second one? Yes. I am reading it with my book club so for purposes I must push on and read the second one. I heard the second one isn’t as good I 𝑰 𝑨𝑴 𝑵𝑬𝑹𝑽𝑶𝑼𝑺 𝑩𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑬𝑺 🤧
‧₊˚ ┊ “𝙸’𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚎.” 𝙸 𝚜𝚗𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑. “𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎’𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞.”
★★★ ┊𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚? 😭
°•*⁀➷ This was my first ever book club read and this was a slight letdown for me! This book was giving me slight Heartless Hunter vibes but not nearly as good.
─ .✦ I was really wanting something that drew me in, and I felt this book had many points of action 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢? 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜? These important aspects felt non existent and let the book fall flat for me.
─ .✦ I really wanted the magic system explained so there was some idea of how the magic was used, the different types of magic, and differences in power. 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙐𝙎𝙀 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙?? Magic was used a couple of times for healing, and power moves but it was never really explained.
─ .✦ I felt like a lot was happening in the beginning, action and advancement in plot 𝒃𝒖𝒕, 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, yet Nyra wasn’t getting better and didn’t use her training at all?? 𝓛𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝓗𝓤𝓗?
╰┈➤ I do have to say 𝑰 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑫 the 𝑻𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑺𝑻 between Dacre and Nyra, and my lord did Dacre have a mouth on him. I did enjoy some aspects of the relationship, but I also got sick of him calling her “𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓” 𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕.
‧₊˚ ┊“𝙵𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚐 𝚖𝚎, 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚛,”
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙭 𝙚𝙬𝙬𝙬 𝙬𝙩𝙛 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚, 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙩 😭
જ⁀➴ This book gave me the super weird feeling like nothing was really going on but I just kept turning the pages 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮, 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙.
°˖➴ 𝘼𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙩𝙛 𝙉𝙮𝙧𝙖 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝘿𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝙃𝙀 𝙅𝙐𝙎𝙏 𝙆𝙀𝙋𝙏 𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙊𝙒𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙊 𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙀𝙉. 𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀 𝙃𝙐𝙉𝙉𝙄. You are not a dog stand tf up for yourself and get a backbone. And while Dacre was giving Alphahole “𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚒𝚎” vibes, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙛 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣… 🤡
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨┊🏹
› 𝕋𝕠𝕦𝕔𝕙 ℍ𝕖𝕣, 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕚𝕖
› 𝔼𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤
› 𝔽𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕪/ℝ𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕔y
› ℙ𝕠𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕧𝕖/𝔸𝕝𝕡𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕖
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓥𝓮𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓭 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓭𝓸𝓶
➵𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕍𝕖𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕕 𝕂𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕕𝕠𝕞 3★
➵𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕚𝕣
𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
જ⁀➴ 𝓜𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓼𝓽. 𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌? 𝑵𝒐. Am I going to read the second one? Yes. I am reading it with my book club so for purposes I must push on and read the second one. I heard the second one isn’t as good I 𝑰 𝑨𝑴 𝑵𝑬𝑹𝑽𝑶𝑼𝑺 𝑩𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑬𝑺 🤧
‧₊˚ ┊ “𝙸’𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚎.” 𝙸 𝚜𝚗𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑. “𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎’𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞.”
May 28, 2025
✩ 4 stars ✩
What to Expect:
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Secret Identity
➼ Possessive MMC
➼ Fated Mates?
➼ Rebellion
➼ “Who did this to you?”
➼ Only One Bed
➼ Miscommunication
➼ Duet Narration
➼ Dual First Person POV
Damn, that ending was brutal! I honestly really loved this and it was heading towards five stars until that final interaction. I get that he thought she was basically a spy and thought she had been playing him the whole time, but still… that was so harsh! Pretty much all of their problems boil down to the dreaded miscommunication trope. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I honestly believe miscommunication is a necessary evil (in books) because most books would only be about 10 pages long without it. 😝 I do really hope they open up to each other and sort out their issues in the next one though!
I included fated mates as one of the tropes and I honestly don’t think the author came out and said that directly in this book, but the foreshadowing is there. Maybe too early to claim it on a trope list, but I’d be shocked if they aren’t. They are Fae after all… I feel pretty confident that she will also eventually have powers and I’m excited to see how that all plays out!
This book was so short compared to most fantasy. It definitely left me wanting more! Planning to read the second book this week too, hopefully I don’t get distracted… 😅
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: Trying to squeeze in some of the books that have been on my TBR for a while now rather than just focusing on new releases.
It may not make sense, but the longer something has been on my TBR, the more accomplished I feel when I can finally check it off my list.
I’ve heard good things about this one! Looking forward to meeting Dacre! 🫶🏻
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
What to Expect:
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Secret Identity
➼ Possessive MMC
➼ Fated Mates?
➼ Rebellion
➼ “Who did this to you?”
➼ Only One Bed
➼ Miscommunication
➼ Duet Narration
➼ Dual First Person POV
Damn, that ending was brutal! I honestly really loved this and it was heading towards five stars until that final interaction. I get that he thought she was basically a spy and thought she had been playing him the whole time, but still… that was so harsh! Pretty much all of their problems boil down to the dreaded miscommunication trope. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I honestly believe miscommunication is a necessary evil (in books) because most books would only be about 10 pages long without it. 😝 I do really hope they open up to each other and sort out their issues in the next one though!
I included fated mates as one of the tropes and I honestly don’t think the author came out and said that directly in this book, but the foreshadowing is there. Maybe too early to claim it on a trope list, but I’d be shocked if they aren’t. They are Fae after all… I feel pretty confident that she will also eventually have powers and I’m excited to see how that all plays out!
This book was so short compared to most fantasy. It definitely left me wanting more! Planning to read the second book this week too, hopefully I don’t get distracted… 😅
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: Trying to squeeze in some of the books that have been on my TBR for a while now rather than just focusing on new releases.
It may not make sense, but the longer something has been on my TBR, the more accomplished I feel when I can finally check it off my list.
I’ve heard good things about this one! Looking forward to meeting Dacre! 🫶🏻
≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫
Connect with me on Instagram
October 29, 2024
˖ ࣪ ⟡˚ 2 stars ˚⟡ ࣪ ˖
you need absolutely no brain power to read this.
i genuinely loved the premise and the first 50% of this book. i’m always down for a book about rebellion with a ton of secrets and a dystopian vibe.
the FMC was also really great for the most part. i felt connected to her immediately.
ᝰ writing ⊹.˚
it was fine. it was very understandable and easy to read, but it felt a bit immature at times. i wasn’t expecting anything amazing, anyway.
ᝰ world-building ⊹.˚
it was none existent. like, what happened there? why was absolutely nothing explained? i still have no idea how the magic works. why some people have it, why some don’t. the world itself isn’t really explained either. and the map doesn’t help in any way.
ᝰ characters ⊹.˚
⭒ Nyra, i feel like if the writing was better, she could’ve been an amazing character. although, in general i really liked her. she was very badass and if it weren’t for the terrible MMC and the authors need for them to be together, she would��ve definitely stayed that way.
⭒ Wren, she was my favorite character. she was so sweet and such a good friend to Nyra. girl deserved to become a main character instead of the MMC!
⭒ Dacre, is the king of cringe. everything that came out of bro’s mouth was absolutely insane and out of pocket in the worst way possible. he shit talked the FMC non stop and then suddenly acted like he cares for her and would kill anyone who touched her? bro, bffr. what a loser.
ᝰ tropes ⊹.˚
⭒ enemies to lovers
⭒ runaway princess
⭒ touch her & die
⭒ trainer/trainee
⭒ secret identities
⭒ dual 1st person POV
⤷ spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
ᝰ final thoughts ⊹.˚
the reveal at the end… i don’t understand how it was supposed to be shocking. to me it was obvious since the beginning, and if the MMC had even 1 singular brain cell he would’ve figured it out too.
you need absolutely no brain power to read this.
i genuinely loved the premise and the first 50% of this book. i’m always down for a book about rebellion with a ton of secrets and a dystopian vibe.
the FMC was also really great for the most part. i felt connected to her immediately.
ᝰ writing ⊹.˚
it was fine. it was very understandable and easy to read, but it felt a bit immature at times. i wasn’t expecting anything amazing, anyway.
ᝰ world-building ⊹.˚
it was none existent. like, what happened there? why was absolutely nothing explained? i still have no idea how the magic works. why some people have it, why some don’t. the world itself isn’t really explained either. and the map doesn’t help in any way.
ᝰ characters ⊹.˚
⭒ Nyra, i feel like if the writing was better, she could’ve been an amazing character. although, in general i really liked her. she was very badass and if it weren’t for the terrible MMC and the authors need for them to be together, she would��ve definitely stayed that way.
⭒ Wren, she was my favorite character. she was so sweet and such a good friend to Nyra. girl deserved to become a main character instead of the MMC!
⭒ Dacre, is the king of cringe. everything that came out of bro’s mouth was absolutely insane and out of pocket in the worst way possible. he shit talked the FMC non stop and then suddenly acted like he cares for her and would kill anyone who touched her? bro, bffr. what a loser.
ᝰ tropes ⊹.˚
⭒ enemies to lovers
⭒ runaway princess
⭒ touch her & die
⭒ trainer/trainee
⭒ secret identities
⭒ dual 1st person POV
⤷ spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
ᝰ final thoughts ⊹.˚
the reveal at the end… i don’t understand how it was supposed to be shocking. to me it was obvious since the beginning, and if the MMC had even 1 singular brain cell he would’ve figured it out too.
Read
June 4, 2025plot where
November 4, 2024
im sad....every books i read recently didn't hit enough...
January 29, 2025
3.5🌟
WIEEEEEEEEE kann man einen Prota, über das gesamte Buch RICHTIG mögen und in den letzten drei Seiten dann HASSSEEENNNNNNN?!?!?!
Das Buch war FANTASTISCH! Eine kürzere Romantasy Enemies to Lovers, Secret Identity, Forbidden und Spannungsgeladene Geschichte..
Ich hab Dacre wirklich richtig gemocht.. er war düster und voller Geheimnisse aber trotzdem so protective und possessive gegenüber Nyra. Obwohl die beiden sich gegenseitig GARNICHT ausstehen können..
Trotzdem kommen die beiden sich näher und ich hab jede einzelne Szene SO GELIEBT. Dann kamen die letzten drei Seiten… und das Buch hat fliegen gelernt. ICH BIN SO SAUERRRRRRRRR (und kann garnicht auf den zweiten teil warten)
ABER DIE WELTTTTTT??? Die Karte und das Worldbuilding wirklich unglaublich toll! Ich will dahin ziehen…
WIEEEEEEEEE kann man einen Prota, über das gesamte Buch RICHTIG mögen und in den letzten drei Seiten dann HASSSEEENNNNNNN?!?!?!
Das Buch war FANTASTISCH! Eine kürzere Romantasy Enemies to Lovers, Secret Identity, Forbidden und Spannungsgeladene Geschichte..
Ich hab Dacre wirklich richtig gemocht.. er war düster und voller Geheimnisse aber trotzdem so protective und possessive gegenüber Nyra. Obwohl die beiden sich gegenseitig GARNICHT ausstehen können..
Trotzdem kommen die beiden sich näher und ich hab jede einzelne Szene SO GELIEBT. Dann kamen die letzten drei Seiten… und das Buch hat fliegen gelernt. ICH BIN SO SAUERRRRRRRRR (und kann garnicht auf den zweiten teil warten)
ABER DIE WELTTTTTT??? Die Karte und das Worldbuilding wirklich unglaublich toll! Ich will dahin ziehen…
March 17, 2024
4 Little Traitor Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
I was very sceptical going into this because when it comes to my friend's ratings and previous Holly Renee books, they are polar opposites. Some of them love her books and nonstop hype about them, and some of them do not particularly like her writing. So what better way to form my own opinion, than by reading the first instalment of her new adult romantasy???
AND LETS JUST SAY.... THIS IS BASICALLY CATNIP IN WORDS...
I loved this and if I could have inhaled the book faster I would...but sometimes a girl has got to get her beauty sleep...
From the very first line, I was hooked. There was something about the characters, their situations, the ease of writing and how the plot was set up that just played into everything I adore.
This is a dual POV that follows Nyra and Dacre. Nyra is the runaway princess, having fled her abusive father who only wants to use her. The only problem is she is the only fae that does not HAVE MAGIC. Living on the streets for about a year, she is captured and lands in the hands of Dacre, the son of the Resistance General. The same Resistance who are desperately trying to capture this princess so that they can overthrow the King. Having no choice but to join the Resistance, Nyra is forced to become one of the warriors, while also keeping her true identity a secret.
Nyra was everything that I look for in an FMC in a fantasy. While she does have flaws, an innate vulnerability due to her cloistered naivety, she also has scars. But she does not let those aspects define her. She is tenacious and determined to survive so is willing and able to be strong and to show some teeth when required. Given that she has had a very rough life, even though she is a princess - this has not broken her spirit and she makes the best of whatever situation she is placed in. I like the way that she pushed back and gave back as much as she got - and that she was feisty.
Dacre is just a walking metaphor for what makes your panties wet. He was morally grey PERFECTION but was completely and utterly smooth and swoony. He might be a literal asshole and knows he's an ass...BUT my god- THAT MAN AND HIS DIRTY MOUTH. Also that he is confident, cocky and dominant. I say it again...PERFECTION! I enjoyed his internal dialogue dealing with his grief as it made him incredibly real, also seeing how actions that he has to commit for his father affect him. I loved that the man stands for his morals and is incredibly motivated to do the right thing he believes.
The Banter between Nyra and Dacre was heel-kicking squeal-inducingly good. As I mentioned...THE MAN IS PERFECTION, so obviously his banter would be too... duh.
I loved the slow burn push and pull between the two. You could feel the animosity and sexual tension between them at the start and I DELIGHTED in the slow steps they walked as that transitioned to attraction.
I had one problem with the book, and the reason why I didn't give this 5 stars was I felt the story was a little bit lacking in depth and too short. Aspects were a bit too simplistic and high-level and I craved the story to dig a little deeper - without necessarily having this information in the sequel. Because it is such a quick read, the worldbuilding is not as fleshed out and Holly Renee does not go into too much on the backstories of the characters. BUT I WANTED MORE BACKSTORY. The same with aspects of their trauma - while it is touched on I think it would have added a little more to the characterisation if this was fleshed out a little more.
A lot of the book was spent in the training grounds focusing on banter and footwork so it didn't have as much action. There are just things that you are told and not shown, and I prefer to be shown, so I wouldn't have minded if this was an extra 100 pages longer to flesh out a bit more of the story and foundation. There are a couple of other things but they are spoilers - so only read them after you have read the book!
Trope Summary:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Royals and Political Intrigue
▶ One Bed
▶ Who Did This To You
▶ Captor/Captive
▶ Hidden Identity
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Found Family
▶ Forbidden Romance
(Like seriously....these are just MY CATNIP TROPES... - I TOLD YOU THIS BOOK WAS CATNIP)
Even though I wanted more depth, this was a fantastic first instalment, the ending blew my mind and I am salivating for the next book. Mostly that I can see what new dirty things come out of Dacre's mouth...
Thank you so much to Holly Renee and Valentine PR for the ARC in exchange for a review.
All thoughts and opinions are my own
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5
I was very sceptical going into this because when it comes to my friend's ratings and previous Holly Renee books, they are polar opposites. Some of them love her books and nonstop hype about them, and some of them do not particularly like her writing. So what better way to form my own opinion, than by reading the first instalment of her new adult romantasy???
AND LETS JUST SAY.... THIS IS BASICALLY CATNIP IN WORDS...
I loved this and if I could have inhaled the book faster I would...but sometimes a girl has got to get her beauty sleep...
From the very first line, I was hooked. There was something about the characters, their situations, the ease of writing and how the plot was set up that just played into everything I adore.
This is a dual POV that follows Nyra and Dacre. Nyra is the runaway princess, having fled her abusive father who only wants to use her. The only problem is she is the only fae that does not HAVE MAGIC. Living on the streets for about a year, she is captured and lands in the hands of Dacre, the son of the Resistance General. The same Resistance who are desperately trying to capture this princess so that they can overthrow the King. Having no choice but to join the Resistance, Nyra is forced to become one of the warriors, while also keeping her true identity a secret.
Nyra was everything that I look for in an FMC in a fantasy. While she does have flaws, an innate vulnerability due to her cloistered naivety, she also has scars. But she does not let those aspects define her. She is tenacious and determined to survive so is willing and able to be strong and to show some teeth when required. Given that she has had a very rough life, even though she is a princess - this has not broken her spirit and she makes the best of whatever situation she is placed in. I like the way that she pushed back and gave back as much as she got - and that she was feisty.
Dacre is just a walking metaphor for what makes your panties wet. He was morally grey PERFECTION but was completely and utterly smooth and swoony. He might be a literal asshole and knows he's an ass...BUT my god- THAT MAN AND HIS DIRTY MOUTH. Also that he is confident, cocky and dominant. I say it again...PERFECTION! I enjoyed his internal dialogue dealing with his grief as it made him incredibly real, also seeing how actions that he has to commit for his father affect him. I loved that the man stands for his morals and is incredibly motivated to do the right thing he believes.
The Banter between Nyra and Dacre was heel-kicking squeal-inducingly good. As I mentioned...THE MAN IS PERFECTION, so obviously his banter would be too... duh.
I loved the slow burn push and pull between the two. You could feel the animosity and sexual tension between them at the start and I DELIGHTED in the slow steps they walked as that transitioned to attraction.
I had one problem with the book, and the reason why I didn't give this 5 stars was I felt the story was a little bit lacking in depth and too short. Aspects were a bit too simplistic and high-level and I craved the story to dig a little deeper - without necessarily having this information in the sequel. Because it is such a quick read, the worldbuilding is not as fleshed out and Holly Renee does not go into too much on the backstories of the characters. BUT I WANTED MORE BACKSTORY. The same with aspects of their trauma - while it is touched on I think it would have added a little more to the characterisation if this was fleshed out a little more.
A lot of the book was spent in the training grounds focusing on banter and footwork so it didn't have as much action. There are just things that you are told and not shown, and I prefer to be shown, so I wouldn't have minded if this was an extra 100 pages longer to flesh out a bit more of the story and foundation. There are a couple of other things but they are spoilers - so only read them after you have read the book!
Trope Summary:
▶ Dual POV
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Royals and Political Intrigue
▶ One Bed
▶ Who Did This To You
▶ Captor/Captive
▶ Hidden Identity
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Found Family
▶ Forbidden Romance
(Like seriously....these are just MY CATNIP TROPES... - I TOLD YOU THIS BOOK WAS CATNIP)
Even though I wanted more depth, this was a fantastic first instalment, the ending blew my mind and I am salivating for the next book. Mostly that I can see what new dirty things come out of Dacre's mouth...
Thank you so much to Holly Renee and Valentine PR for the ARC in exchange for a review.
All thoughts and opinions are my own
February 24, 2025
Obwohl mich die Grundidee von "The Veiled Kingdom" (Prinzessin des Landes muss ihre Identität verbergen & landet bei den Rebellen) angesprochen hat, konnte die Umsetzung mich nicht überzeugen. Es handelt sich um ein Romantasy-Buch, bei dem die Fantasy-Aspekte jedoch nicht im Fokus liegen. Worldbuilding gibt es kaum - über die Magie, den Aufbau des Reichs sowie die genauen Ziele der Rebellen erfahren wir nicht genug. Auf der Handlungsebene passiert insgesamt wenig, zudem ist der Verlauf deshalb vorhersehbar, weil wir als Leser von Anfang an über den "Plot-Twist" informiert wurden. Der Fokus liegt also verstärkt auf der Romance oder vielmehr der Tension. Diese entwickelte sich jedoch so schnell, dass ich sie nicht mitfühlen konnte. Beide Perspektiven werden nicht so emotional-tiefgründig aufgearbeitet, dass ich verstehen konnte, was unsere Protagonisten ausmacht. Außerdem ereigneten sich Perspektivwechsel oft in genau den Szenen, wo die Gedanken/ Wahrnehmung des anderen Charakters relevant fürs Verständnis gewesen wäre. Abgesehen davon empfand ich die Liebesgeschichte in einigen Situationen als toxisch (der männliche Prota 🚩), auch da für mich der Consent nicht immer ausdrücklich gegeben war. Die letzte Szene am Ende hat bei mir persönlich dann eine Grenze überschritten, wodurch ich das Buch nicht mehr empfehlen kann.
ACHTUNG SPOILER AB HIER
Für das Verhalten von Dacre in der letzten Szene gibt es für mich keine Rechtfertigung. Wenn eine redemption arc in Band 2 dafür sorgen soll, dass man ihm diesen emotionalen Missbrauch verzeiht, bin ich so raus. Klar hat sie ihre Identität verheimlicht, aber ihm muss klar sein, WARUM sie es verheimlichen MUSSTE. Dacres respektloser Umgang dagegen war einfach nur ekelhaft, fand's SO schrecklich, die Szene zu lesen.
ACHTUNG SPOILER AB HIER
Für das Verhalten von Dacre in der letzten Szene gibt es für mich keine Rechtfertigung. Wenn eine redemption arc in Band 2 dafür sorgen soll, dass man ihm diesen emotionalen Missbrauch verzeiht, bin ich so raus. Klar hat sie ihre Identität verheimlicht, aber ihm muss klar sein, WARUM sie es verheimlichen MUSSTE. Dacres respektloser Umgang dagegen war einfach nur ekelhaft, fand's SO schrecklich, die Szene zu lesen.
April 13, 2024
The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee drew me in with its promising premise. In the beginning, I found myself invested in the plight of the kingdom’s people, trapped between the oppressive rule of a tyrant king and the relentless rebellion seeking to recruit or eliminate any who dared to escape. The world building laid a decent enough foundation, and Renee’s writing style carried a certain appeal.
Yet, as I delved deeper into the narrative, I couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment. Plot holes riddled the storyline, leaving gaping voids in the logic of the tale. Characters appeared, only to vanish without a trace, without contributing anything to the narrative. The lack of coherence left much to be desired, with numerous threads left dangling, begging for resolution. What frustrated me most was the lack of significant events throughout the book. Instead of a riveting plot filled with twists and turns, I found myself wading through endless passages of military training and superficial romance. While the physical attraction between the main characters was palpable, it overshadowed any meaningful development or progression within the story.
As the plot of The Veiled Kingdom stumbled along, its execution left much to be desired. The sheer implausibility of Nyra’s identity remaining a secret throughout the narrative bordered on the absurd. It felt as though the characters stumbled blindly through the story, their obliviousness to Nyra’s true nature becoming increasingly laughable with each passing chapter.
My frustration peaked when it became evident that Holly Renee had chosen to prioritize the shallow romance between Nyra and Dacre over the rich tapestry of political intrigue and rebellion that initially drew me to the story. From the midpoint onwards, the narrative veered sharply away from the suffering kingdom and the complexities of the rebellion, instead fixating solely on the physical attraction between the two protagonists.
Even when Nyra’s long-dormant powers resurfaced—a development with significant implications for the entire kingdom—they were inexplicably relegated to the background. The characters, much like the author herself, seemed content to brush aside this crucial aspect of the plot, ignoring it as readily as they had when Nyra was powerless.
Holly Renee’s portrayal of Nyra lacked the depth and development necessary for me to truly connect with her on an emotional level. As the narrative unfolded, Nyra felt more like a vessel for the plot rather than a fully realized character with her own desires and motivations. Throughout the story, Nyra’s behavior often struck me as contradictory and inconsistent. On one hand, she lamented her sense of confinement, whether it be within the confines of the kingdom or amidst the rebellion’s ranks. Yet, in the same breath, she expressed a sense of security and belonging with the very group she claimed to feel imprisoned by. This internal conflict felt unresolved, leaving me puzzled by Nyra’s shifting perspectives and priorities.
Furthermore, Nyra’s lack of a clear plan or sense of direction upon joining the rebellion only added to my frustration. Instead of seizing agency and forging her own path, she appeared passive and indecisive, easily swayed by her burgeoning physical attraction to Dacre. Her apparent weakness and susceptibility to temptation diminished her credibility as a protagonist, leaving me questioning her ability to drive the narrative forward.
Dacre left me thoroughly unimpressed with his inflated ego and overbearing demeanor. His character had a sense of false grandeur, masking his true nature as nothing more than an arrogant individual with a penchant for belittling others, particularly Nyra. His relentless arrogance and penchant for dominance grated on my nerves, as he seemed more interested in asserting his superiority than forming any genuine connection with Nyra. Basically he was being an utter jackass!
What truly irked me was Dacre’s blatant disregard for Nyra’s agency and boundaries. His possessive and jealous tendencies only served to exacerbate his already unlikable persona, leaving me questioning his suitability as a romantic interest. Even when faced with the revelation of Nyra’s true identity, his selfish desire to indulge in one last physical encounter with her spoke volumes about his shallow priorities and lack of genuine concern for her wellbeing.
Despite the abundance of intimate scenes that filled the pages of The Veiled Kingdom, the supposed emotional connection between Nyra and Dacre fell disappointingly flat. For a narrative that purportedly centered around their relationship, the depth of their connection felt superficial at best, lacking the emotional resonance necessary to invest me in their romance. Dacre’s incessant desire to assert ownership over Nyra, coupled with her seemingly endless willingness to submit to his dominance, painted a troubling picture of their dynamic. Rather than fostering a sense of mutual respect and understanding, their relationship seemed to revolve solely around power dynamics and physical attraction, devoid of any genuine emotional depth.
In the end, The Veiled Kingdom fell short of its initial promise. While it held the potential for a gripping tale of rebellion and intrigue, it ultimately failed to deliver, leaving me longing for a more fulfilling read.
Yet, as I delved deeper into the narrative, I couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment. Plot holes riddled the storyline, leaving gaping voids in the logic of the tale. Characters appeared, only to vanish without a trace, without contributing anything to the narrative. The lack of coherence left much to be desired, with numerous threads left dangling, begging for resolution. What frustrated me most was the lack of significant events throughout the book. Instead of a riveting plot filled with twists and turns, I found myself wading through endless passages of military training and superficial romance. While the physical attraction between the main characters was palpable, it overshadowed any meaningful development or progression within the story.
As the plot of The Veiled Kingdom stumbled along, its execution left much to be desired. The sheer implausibility of Nyra’s identity remaining a secret throughout the narrative bordered on the absurd. It felt as though the characters stumbled blindly through the story, their obliviousness to Nyra’s true nature becoming increasingly laughable with each passing chapter.
My frustration peaked when it became evident that Holly Renee had chosen to prioritize the shallow romance between Nyra and Dacre over the rich tapestry of political intrigue and rebellion that initially drew me to the story. From the midpoint onwards, the narrative veered sharply away from the suffering kingdom and the complexities of the rebellion, instead fixating solely on the physical attraction between the two protagonists.
Even when Nyra’s long-dormant powers resurfaced—a development with significant implications for the entire kingdom—they were inexplicably relegated to the background. The characters, much like the author herself, seemed content to brush aside this crucial aspect of the plot, ignoring it as readily as they had when Nyra was powerless.
Holly Renee’s portrayal of Nyra lacked the depth and development necessary for me to truly connect with her on an emotional level. As the narrative unfolded, Nyra felt more like a vessel for the plot rather than a fully realized character with her own desires and motivations. Throughout the story, Nyra’s behavior often struck me as contradictory and inconsistent. On one hand, she lamented her sense of confinement, whether it be within the confines of the kingdom or amidst the rebellion’s ranks. Yet, in the same breath, she expressed a sense of security and belonging with the very group she claimed to feel imprisoned by. This internal conflict felt unresolved, leaving me puzzled by Nyra’s shifting perspectives and priorities.
Furthermore, Nyra’s lack of a clear plan or sense of direction upon joining the rebellion only added to my frustration. Instead of seizing agency and forging her own path, she appeared passive and indecisive, easily swayed by her burgeoning physical attraction to Dacre. Her apparent weakness and susceptibility to temptation diminished her credibility as a protagonist, leaving me questioning her ability to drive the narrative forward.
Dacre left me thoroughly unimpressed with his inflated ego and overbearing demeanor. His character had a sense of false grandeur, masking his true nature as nothing more than an arrogant individual with a penchant for belittling others, particularly Nyra. His relentless arrogance and penchant for dominance grated on my nerves, as he seemed more interested in asserting his superiority than forming any genuine connection with Nyra. Basically he was being an utter jackass!
What truly irked me was Dacre’s blatant disregard for Nyra’s agency and boundaries. His possessive and jealous tendencies only served to exacerbate his already unlikable persona, leaving me questioning his suitability as a romantic interest. Even when faced with the revelation of Nyra’s true identity, his selfish desire to indulge in one last physical encounter with her spoke volumes about his shallow priorities and lack of genuine concern for her wellbeing.
Despite the abundance of intimate scenes that filled the pages of The Veiled Kingdom, the supposed emotional connection between Nyra and Dacre fell disappointingly flat. For a narrative that purportedly centered around their relationship, the depth of their connection felt superficial at best, lacking the emotional resonance necessary to invest me in their romance. Dacre’s incessant desire to assert ownership over Nyra, coupled with her seemingly endless willingness to submit to his dominance, painted a troubling picture of their dynamic. Rather than fostering a sense of mutual respect and understanding, their relationship seemed to revolve solely around power dynamics and physical attraction, devoid of any genuine emotional depth.
In the end, The Veiled Kingdom fell short of its initial promise. While it held the potential for a gripping tale of rebellion and intrigue, it ultimately failed to deliver, leaving me longing for a more fulfilling read.
March 24, 2024
worst book of 2024 so far
May 14, 2024
2.5 stars
i’m honestly saddened by how much this ended up disappointing me. i didn’t read the blurb but i saw a pretty cover and that was enough for me but alas im disappointed once again by my own doing. this lacked originality, plot, and likeable main characters.
you would think that because this is labeled as enemies to lovers they would actually be enemies but there was so much insta-lust and attraction that it completely contradicted it. i didn’t feel any sort of chemistry between nyra and dacre besides them finding each other hot which really was so boring.
minor spoilers
we learn at one point dacre had never done something since the passing of his mother but he did it for nyra after a few conversations? all because he felt a pull towards her? spoilers over
like i just sat there confused cause ive seen two rocks with more chemistry like you couldn’t ask me to describe the buildup into their relationship cause there was none!! this mmc was such a walking ick, i cannot stand when authors allow fmc’s to be humiliated time after time and im supposed to be attracted to that?? when dacre told her she had no backbone he really meant it 😬
on top of that this shockingly felt too similar to powerless, from the starting scene where she steals coins off someone’s belt to the mmc pointing out her BLUE EYES (the flashbacks im getting) right away it was just too similar. not only that but she lives on the streets stealing and has NO POWER, she’s powerless which i do think is mentioned once.
lastly the constant use of growling, are we dogs? and the mention of her curves every chance, i thought she was starving on the streets?? but she’s curvy too? make it make sense.
so i’m not being entirely negative here’s a few things i did enjoy and would recommend for some ? reason:
1.it was extremely fast paced
2.although world building was non-existent it didn’t really feel necessary
3.the “who did this to you” always hits even if it’s super predictable
4.theres room for improvement with the second book
5.the betrayal
i just know i better see a whole bunch of groveling and character development with book 2
i’m honestly saddened by how much this ended up disappointing me. i didn’t read the blurb but i saw a pretty cover and that was enough for me but alas im disappointed once again by my own doing. this lacked originality, plot, and likeable main characters.
you would think that because this is labeled as enemies to lovers they would actually be enemies but there was so much insta-lust and attraction that it completely contradicted it. i didn’t feel any sort of chemistry between nyra and dacre besides them finding each other hot which really was so boring.
minor spoilers
we learn at one point dacre had never done something since the passing of his mother but he did it for nyra after a few conversations? all because he felt a pull towards her? spoilers over
like i just sat there confused cause ive seen two rocks with more chemistry like you couldn’t ask me to describe the buildup into their relationship cause there was none!! this mmc was such a walking ick, i cannot stand when authors allow fmc’s to be humiliated time after time and im supposed to be attracted to that?? when dacre told her she had no backbone he really meant it 😬
on top of that this shockingly felt too similar to powerless, from the starting scene where she steals coins off someone’s belt to the mmc pointing out her BLUE EYES (the flashbacks im getting) right away it was just too similar. not only that but she lives on the streets stealing and has NO POWER, she’s powerless which i do think is mentioned once.
lastly the constant use of growling, are we dogs? and the mention of her curves every chance, i thought she was starving on the streets?? but she’s curvy too? make it make sense.
so i’m not being entirely negative here’s a few things i did enjoy and would recommend for some ? reason:
1.it was extremely fast paced
2.although world building was non-existent it didn’t really feel necessary
3.the “who did this to you” always hits even if it’s super predictable
4.theres room for improvement with the second book
5.the betrayal
i just know i better see a whole bunch of groveling and character development with book 2
March 31, 2024
He reached forward and ran his fingers over the edge of my shirt.
He played with the material mindlessly, but it was a stark contrast to the fire he was stoking inside me with each assure touch. "Did you wear this tonight to punish me?
"How in the world would this be punishing you?
"Because you're not mine."
Twinsie says I MUST read this, so read this I must.
***
👸𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗘𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗗𝗢𝗠 - 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗘👸
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
★𝗬𝗔/𝗡𝗔/𝗔: 🅽🅰
★𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦:𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚅𝙴𝙸𝙻𝙴𝙳 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙳𝙾𝙼 #𝟷
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦: 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚃𝙰𝚂𝚈 - 𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙸𝙲 - 𝙿𝙾𝙻𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻 𝙸𝙽𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙶𝚄𝙴
★𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝙳𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙾𝚅 - 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝚂𝚃 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 - 𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚃 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙴
★𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: 𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂 - 𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽 𝙳𝚄𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙿𝙴𝚃 𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂- 𝙲𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙾𝚁/𝙲𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙴 - 𝚂𝙴𝙲𝚁𝙴𝚃 𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝚃𝙸𝙴𝚂 - 𝙵𝙸𝚁𝙴 𝙳𝙰𝙳𝙳𝚈 - 𝙼𝚄𝚃𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚈 𝙶𝚁𝙰𝚈-𝙸𝚂𝙷 𝙼𝙼𝙲 - 𝚅𝙸𝚁𝙶𝙸𝙽 𝙵𝙼𝙲 - 𝙹𝙴𝙰𝙻𝙾𝚄𝚂𝚈 - 𝚃𝙴𝙽𝙳𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚃𝙾 𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳𝚂 - 𝙷𝚄𝚁𝚃/𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙵𝙾𝚁𝚃
★𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘:
★𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: 👥👥👥½/𝟱
★𝗪𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ✍🏼✍🏼✍🏼½/𝟱
★𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: 📜📜📜📜/𝟱
★𝗦𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⛰️⛰️⛰️½/𝟱
★𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦 & 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦: 💀💀/𝟱 (𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷 𝙾𝙵 𝙵𝙰𝙼𝙸𝙻𝚈 𝙼𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁𝚂/𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙳 𝙾𝙽𝙴𝚂 - 𝙳𝚈𝚂𝙵𝚄𝙽𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻 𝙵𝙰𝙼𝙸𝙻𝙸𝙴𝚂 - 𝙸𝙼𝙿𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙴𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃 - 𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 - 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴 & 𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳𝚂 - 𝚆𝙰𝚁 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙰𝙻 𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴𝚂 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝙸𝚃 - 𝙻𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙻𝚈𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙱𝚈 𝙾𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽)
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌻🌻🌻½/𝟱
★𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🌹🌹🌹🌹/𝟱
★𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗘: ❌ (𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 𝙾𝙵 𝙼𝙼𝙲'𝚂 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙾𝚄𝚂 𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚂)
★𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝙵/𝙼
★𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗦-𝗧𝗢-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🖤🖤🖤½/𝟱
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧/𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🔥🔥🔥½/𝟱 (𝙺𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶 - - 𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 - 𝙿𝙸𝚅 𝚂𝙴𝚇 - 𝙾𝚁𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝙴𝚇)
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗬: 🚒🚒🚒½/𝟱
★𝗦𝗠𝗨𝗧 𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗬: 💣💣💣/𝟱
★𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦: 🤐🤐½/𝟱 (𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙶𝚄𝙰𝙶𝙴 - 𝙴𝚇𝙿𝙻𝙸𝙲𝙸𝚃 𝙳𝙴𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸𝙿𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝙲𝙴, 𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻 𝚂𝙸𝚃𝚄𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂)
★𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 💔💔💔/𝟱 (𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝙴𝙽𝙳𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙸𝙽𝙶)
★𝗧𝗬𝗣𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚:
★𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘:
★𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚: 🎶𝟸𝟷 𝙶𝚄𝙽𝚂 𝚂𝙰𝙻𝚄𝚃𝙴 - 𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙲𝙷 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚁 𝙱𝚁𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷🎶
▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰
***I always try to be as objective as I can with my ratings for DARK THEMES & TRIGGER WARNINGS, SMUT TECHNICAL CONTENT/INTENSITY, SMUT QUANTITY, ROMANCE QUANTITY, ANGST LEVEL, ENEMIES-TO-LOVERSNESS; the ratings for CHARACTERS, WRITING, PLOT, WORLD BUILDING, SETTING, SMUT QUALITY, ROMANCE QUALITY, are instead tied to my own subjective reading experience and final opinion of the book.
And she knows me way too well, because I literally ABSORBED this.
Holy shit, what a spicy little gem. I'm so glad I didn't let the A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows fiasco keep me from this because I would have missed out on a super entertaining and addicting book.
Everything, from the plot to the characters and all their interactions, appealed to me, right from the start, in a way not many books can. I couldn't stop reading and every time the two main characters shared a moment, it was pure fire.
There was never a dull moment, never a minute to catch my breath because something was always happening. If you wanna know how to mantain your reader's attention, this book's got some hints for you.
Nyra is a lovely mc. I appreciated her spirit and didn't mind her flaws, because she's a well rounded character and one I can't wait to see to her full potential in the sequel.
Her frienship with Wren didn't feel rushed, especially considering how it started, and to me, a good friendship in books is equally as important as a good romance.
Dacre...Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh, Dacre.
Gods, did that boy make me sweat. I understand why Koisty was obsessed with him..
Not gonna lie, his dirty talk game initially threw me off a little. He was always so composed and broody, I literally didn't expect him to unleash dirty words at FMC after he only had a tad too much to drink, but I got used to it and kind of realized he was simply a filthy little bitch in disguise.
And me likey.
The last chapter threw me off the roof. I could see it coming, of course, but I'd hoped it'd come fuck me up a little more gently than it did.
Can't wait for book 2!
June 14, 2024
i’m sorry- what was that entire book??
plot?? where
world building?? where
a non-toxic man?? where
idk if i read the same book that everyone else is raving about 😃
plot?? where
world building?? where
a non-toxic man?? where
idk if i read the same book that everyone else is raving about 😃
March 6, 2024
Y’all aren’t ready for Dacre. 😮💨
“F*cking beg me, little traitor.”
*thank you Holly for letting me read an early copy*
“F*cking beg me, little traitor.”
*thank you Holly for letting me read an early copy*
April 6, 2024
If you liked this, I’m genuinely happy for you. But this was painful for me to get through. Every character was so one dimensional and uninteresting, and there was so little world building or context other than “the king is evil and there’s a rebellion to overthrow him.” Dacre was an arrogant ass the entire book, and not in a hot “enemies to lovers” way. I was actively rooting for Nyra to just ONCE stand up for herself. She was so meek and uninteresting and turned into a blabbering blushing mess every time she was in the presence of Dacre. There was so little relationship development, that I genuinely do not understand why they like each other. Outside of being attracted to each other, I couldn’t pinpoint a single reason they have for liking one another. The smut came out of NOWHERE and felt so out of left field that it had me cringing and skimming to get past it. I could go on and on with all the little things that had me rolling me eyes. The only saving grace is that it was short so I don’t feel like I wasted too much time on it, but this book was genuinely in need of an additional 200 pages of world building and character/relationship development.
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