Glass Hearts

by Lore Olesya

A dreamy debut romantic fairy tale about a Glass Princess betrothed to a Sun Prince—until the rogue captain decides to defile fate.

On the evening of her twenty-first birthday, Princess Maralena loses her freedom to a tournament victor—the dazzling but cruel Sun Prince. Torn from her home and thrusted into a kingdom of burning secrets, Maralena finds herself alone and at the mercy of courtly lies and dark ancient magick. In a realm where magick is a dwindling secret and bloodlines hold untold power, Maralena unravels her own hidden potential—one the prince will stop at nothing to control.

To both of their disdain, Mara’s only tether to hope becomes Evrardin, the brooding captain of the Sun Prince’s guard, sworn to obey the prince’s every command. Forced into uneasy proximity, Mara and Evrardin clash with sharp tongues, simmering glances, and touches that linger a little too long, their bickering hiding a tension neither dares to name.

As the prince’s sinister plans unfold and Mara’s power awakens, resisting each other becomes the most dangerous battle of all.



This is a forbidden love, standalone, adult romantic fantasy.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Romance, Paranormal Romance, High Fantasy

448 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2025

About the author

Romantasy & Dark Romance author 📖🗡️🫀

Reviews

[Elizabeth *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually barking on all fours clawing at my enclosure screaming crying seated sat.

[lauren ⋆☽˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tell me, Captain, have your inclinations for me changed since our first encounter? Am I still destined to be your ruination?"

[sam | sammylou.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

“Tell me, Captain, have your inclinations for me changed since our first encounter? Am I still destined to be your ruination?”

HELLOOO grumpy captain of the royal guard!! 😮‍💨I’m such a sucker for the princess x bodyguard trope and baby, this book delivered!! It’s the perfect standalone Romantasy - great banter, actual slow burn, twists & turns, training scenes, unique magic - what more could you want?? & the whimsy x gothic vibe was everything!!

“If you keep dampening those pretty lil’ sounds, I’m going to make you scream so loud, Acastus and the rest of the castle will know exactly what I’m doin’ to you.”

𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐁𝐑 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
💜 Princess x Captain (HoTD inspired)
👑 Adversaries to Lovers
💜 Arranged marriage
👑 Age-Gap (21 and 31)
💜 Forbidden Love
👑 Love Letters
💜 Slow burn

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mara, who is a glass princess, gets engaged and not really by choice, to the Sun Prince. He mostly abandons her to be watched by the captain of his guard Evrardin. This book had one of the most serious cases of enemies to lovers I have read in some time. At one point, I was convinced that there was no way that Mara and Evrardin would ever get together. He really hated her. I however liked Mara a lot. She was in an awful situation and wasn’t given a choice about anything but still did everything she could to help herself. She was very brave despite her circumstances. Evrardin was very dark but once you find out the why, his actions and reactions make more sense. I hope there are more stories in this world as I think some of the side characters would be really cool as main characters.

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love loved this!

My only complaint is that WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE THE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN MARA AND HER FATHER. Other than that, loved it.

The tension between Ev and Mara was delicious and everything I needed. As much as I didn't like Cas, my heart did go out to him at the very end.

[Stephanie B. •literaryland_livin• · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You've done nothing but torture me since you've arrived here.” He grabbed her hand without her realizing, their eyes locked on one another, both snarling. “What I wouldn't give to shed you from the role you seem so eager to take in my life."
"And what role is that?"
"My ruination."

What initially drew me to this debut romantasy was hearing that this was Rhaenyra and Harwin from the House of the Dragon coded. I mean let’s be real we were all robbed by not getting to see that relationship unfold on our televisions so hearing our FMC Mara and MMC Evrardin were inspired by them I immediately ran to read this upon it release. And without a doubt I’m happy to report this story absolutely delivered on everything I was hoping it would and then some. With an arranged marriage, courtly politics, age gap tension filled forbidden love, dark magic, stolen glances and spicy banter, cozy libraries, sinister secrets, knightly battles, unexpected twists, and amazing touch her and die energy I couldn’t help but love this. Not only was the romance a slow burn swoon worthy treat with a wonderfully well done bodyguard x princess troupe but the twists and turns had me easily gripped by this magical and dangerous world. I also greatly appreciate that this is a standalone fantasy with a satisfying conclusion that has left me beyond eager to follow more of Lore Olysea’s future works. If you were anything like me and felt cheated from seeing Rhaenyra and Harwin’s romance from HOTD then absolutely pick this fantasy read up asap!

[Tumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ARC Review:

A huge thank you to Lore Olesya for the privilege of reading Glass Hearts early—a truly fantastical debut. Congratulations! ❤️

Honestly, never would have thought I'd be signing up to read an ARC since I usually wait for release day, but I’ve been wanting to support more indie authors and I’m so glad I did! Especially when I think I might not be able to get the final version due to logistics 😅

Tropes:
💜 Forbidden Romance
⚔️ Snarky Princess x Broody Guard
💜 Political Intrigue
⚔️ Enemies to Lovers
💜 Magic and Curses
⚔️ Pet names
💜 Banters
⚔️ He trains her
💜 Who did this to you?/ Are you hurt?
⚔️ ANGST with a Happily Ever After (I am not ok)

Thoughts:
I have so many things to say about this book to the point that I have more than 300 annotations on my Apple Books 🙂 To start with, I believe that this is probably my first ever enemies to lovers romance and... I think I finally see why a lot of romantasy fans are into this sort of pairing 🫣 and I believe the author did a fantastic job setting it up for the characters to not only evolve their feelings, but also their character which I appreciate ❤️ Our FMC, Mara has surely come a long way from being a doomed, cynical, self pitied bride-to-be to a brave woman who can change her fate and save those she held dear despite the odds against her (Absolute girlboss 🎀). I also appreciate her inner social commentary pointing out the way society expects women to mold themselves around the desires of others—particularly men. Whether it’s being expected to marry for politics instead of love, endure mistreatment in silence, or eventually bear children for men who see them more as possessions than partners, her reflections cut deep and feel painfully relevant 😢. As for our brooding MMC, Evrardin who lived in a torturous, submissive loyalty to the prince where it came to a point he thought only his life was at stake and he could care less about what happens to those that try to defy the crown. (Well that went wrong 😢) Adding to his circumstances, not only was it lawful taboo, he wasn't able to properly express his feelings nor his complete honesty to Mara even after doing the "deed" the first time *whew* 🫣 Anyway, being able to throw fists in a bar for fun, tending to the palace garden, and maybe trying to pen down his feelings for Mara 🤭 were his notable activities when the prince wasn't ordering him around. Though, out of his own volition and growing "affection", he decided to train our FMC to fend for herself if the day came and he wouldn't be able to do anything to save her 🫠❤️ (Please refer to the end of chap. 25 for a surprise 🤭). All that said, I'm glad Evrardin was finally able to gain back his free will, and express his feelings verbally to Mara (I think I even cried during that scene chap. 47 😭). I stil can't forget what a devastation chapter 43 was 💔 All in all, I'm glad this ended in a HEA or I would have gone on a RIOT.

Now for some fav scenes/ quotes:
Chapter 17:
“And I suppose that means you know what my future holds?” - Maralena
“Maybe you were destined to be my downfall. My ruination.” - Evrardin
(I squealed 😍🤭❤️)

Chapter 20 (Probably the best chapter of their banters 🤣🫣):
“You look like shit,” - Maralena
“You know how much I live for your compliments. Careful, liten rev, I might start to think you like me.” - Evrardin

“Oh, watching me read in the library is fun now? You might need to get out more.” - Maralena
“Watching you fluster under my watch is fun.” - Evrardin

Chapter 26 (First is Ev then Mara, one of my favs 🫠❤️‍🩹):
“You’re safe. I’m here. You’re just in the sea. M’not gonna let anything hurt you.”
“You can’t promise me that.”
“And yet, I’m going to anyway.”
“I don’t know how to swim,”
“I won’t let you drown,”
“Good,” she breathed. “Because I’d never forgive you for that.”
“Naturally.”

Chapter 38 (Alexa, play Careless Whisper by George Michael 😍❤️):
“Do I still irritate you or have you grown to enjoy my terrible company?” She let out a mirthless laugh, unable to meet his eyes. “Tell me, Captain, have your inclinations for me changed since our first encounter? Am I still destined to be your ruination?”

Even though he couldn’t verbally answer her, he could show her. Evrardin closed the distance between them and crashed his lips to hers in an abrupt, fluid movement.

Chapter 47 (YAAAAAAASSSSSSS *inhuman noises*):
“I fear I’ve grown to love you, liten rev,” he said softly. (WE DID IT 🥹❤️‍🩹)

I really wanna add more quotes or excerpts here, but I fear I might spoil the experience for those who haven't read it yet 🫠

To conclude, GO READ THIS RIGHT NOW if you haven't yet, and if the stuff here ticks your boxes, then please read it ASAP so y'all can suffer with me hehe.

[rainsbookreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Late ARC review... 🥲🤘

This book is perfect for readers who want that princess x bodyguard trope paired with banter and a LOT of tension, all the while being "forbidde"n to be with each other! Take it as a bonus if you like your MLs that have endearments/nicknames for the FL!! Got me smiling and kicking my feet whenever the ML would call her "Liten rev" 😩🙏



*A bit of a spoiler time!!*

I really liked how Acastus was written—evil but had scenes that portrayed the potential he could've had if he didn't go down THAT path. I felt so sad for him at the end 😢.

Ev and Mara's tension had me BOILING!! Still not over them being so flirty to one another and then being all gloomy to push each other away 😞. I loved how both of them became each other's safe spaces, despite their whole relationship being forbidden and revolving around the prince.

Overall, I really liked it! Would've loved to hear more about the other kingdoms, the Fae king, and the confontation with Mara's father! (even though they weren't really the focus, this is purely out of curiosity hehe). I hope there will be more books about these two and their world. I would gladly read them! Excellent job to the author 🫶

[Morgan Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

*ARC*

Ohmygod, I absolutely loved this book!! I could not put it down, it was an amazing read.

I'm such a sucker for the bodyguard/princess trope and Glass Hearts did not disappoint!

Mara is such a sassy FMC, I fell in love with her straight away. And Evrardin.....oooh I absolutely loved the banter that came out of this man. So broody, such a grump, I loved him so much!!!!

Glass Hearts was such an interesting read too. I was intrigued from the start. The twists and turns were unexpected and I was on the edge of my seat. A mysterious evil, a hateful curse, a budding romance, a battle to a new beginning.

Absolutely loved this book so much! Highly recommend!

[Gail Bookventures · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, thank you author for sending me an ARC. This does not affect my rating nor my overall POV about the book. Unfortunately I wasn't able to post a review asap, not until today. (T_T)

Now, unto my review ✨️

I rate Glass Hearts a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5.

This is a nice read. The pacing of the book might be slow at the start since everything was still being introduced. I find the magic system of the story quite interesting -- it has different places with magic associated to their gods. However, it has slowly died out ever since their gods left them. This is an exciting premise but I honestly think the world building could have been expanded more.

Mara, the princess of Wrens Reach, was forced to an arrange marriage to the Sun Prince, Acastus - who unfrotunately have hidden intentions for wanting to marry the princess. Initially, Mara wasn't my cup of tea as I find her too easy to "tear up" and to get riled up. However, you could actually see her character development as the story progresses. You can feel Mara's frustration from being surrounded by people who cares for her to a totally new kingdom where she feels isolated and has almost no ally and then to learning about her abilities.

While it has already been implied that *EHEM* Captain Evrardin is her love match, I did have my doubts while reading since Ev really seemed to HATE her. But yep, forced proximity and forbidden love it is. There were a some of OMG! moments for me and it was difficult to stop once I started reading.

This was a light read for me and I enjoyed overall though there were just some minor inconsistencies in descriptions that made me confused a bit.

An example would be:

"She tore open the drapes, letting the ICY MORNING light spill into the room completely, reducing Mara’s vision to a squint."

But in the same situation, it was mentioned that:

"Her friend gave her a sympathetic look, tying a clean chemise around Mara’s waist, the weather WARM and calling for a light undergarment."

And,

"Mara turned to face her brother. The gentleness of his countenance mirrored hers, both of their noses rounding at the tip. HIS JAW WAS FAR SHARPER than hers, but other than that, no one could doubt their likeness.......... They both had soft features and ROUNDED faces, creating an air of warmth around them wherever they went."

and some other situations. I'm not too sure if it's just my comprehension of the sentences (as English isn't my first language) but I just became confused. (Sorry.)

Anyway, while this is a standalone story, I'd gladly read if there will be a second book! ❤️

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️’s

Arc reader- but rest assured this didn’t affect my review.

ੈ✩‧₊˚

Some quotes I loved:

🗡️ He took a step closer to her. “You think me only capable of ruining things?”

🗡️”Maybe you were destined to be my downfall. My ruination.”

🗡️”plenty of things destined for bloodshed are disguised in beauty”.

🗡️It was just her. She had to be her own anchor.

Tropes:

💫Prince x her guard
💫Touch her and 💀
💫enemies to lovers
💫unawakened power

Spice:

🌶️🌶️.50 — two open door scenes but not too detailed or graphic.

Review:

This book started off slow, but it gripped me after around a quarter of the way when the tension started to build between the mmc and fmc.

The language was so poetic, beautiful, and eloquent, mirroring the old-time setting of the story. It makes me feel like I’m reading a true period drama set in a fantasy world.

I like how strong minded Mara is, while still allowing herself to feel and accept help from others. It was also a breath of fresh air to see her stand up for herself while embracing her femininity, finding power in it.

Evrardin🫶🏼 The man that you are. I love a good brooding, male character that’s only soft for her, and the author did this so well. Once we find out why he is the way he is, we’re able to connect to him more, and I was rooting for him all the way.

The banter and tension between him and Mara was so so good. I was yearning for more of them after every encounter.

I also loved how the book started off by pointing out the patriarchal society that was more prevalent in history, and still governs people’s views of women’s roles in society today.

Even rich, noble woman, like the princess, are subject to sexism- no one is exempt.

Throughout the book, we could see the sun prince having some kind of internal war, his true self slipping through the cracks of the dark magic corrupting him to show his real persona underneath.

But he’s still ruled by this dark side that’s inevitably winning. However, I wished we got more of an insight into what drove him to use dark magic when he seemed to be a decent human before it consumed him.

I would also say the plot was a bit confusing to follow at times. I found it difficult to work out the motive behind the sun princes actions and how the magic system worked with the gods.

However, I think the whole point was to keep it concealed from the reader so we found out along with Mara?

There was also a war brewing with the fae lands, but we never come into contact with the fae world or anything from it. It’s kind of used as a side plot device and I was hoping we got more of a glimpse into it.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and I found myself rooting for the two main characters so much, hanging onto their every scene 🫶🏼

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars
This was a painful read. I am not sure why I just didnt DNF and be done with it.(This was the only book I downloaded for a flight and suffered through it)
The FL spent the entire book "blushing, sobbing and gritting her teeth". I wanted to pull out my hair the no.of times I read it.
It looked like author had only few words and just formed sentences with it.
The FL was useless the entire book and the climax seemed to be more trial and error because she was totally clueless on what was happening.
The ML's POV was very less in the book and he was also assigned words which kept repeating every other sentence.
I really wanted to count the number of times those words were used but I was exhausted from reading the book and trying to understand odd words used in sentences which made no sense like:
And Mara lacked cowardice. She felt like her spine had been taken from her
Wasnt this supposed to be courage?!

She winced, her eyebrows furrowed as she pleaded.
She wasnt pleading at all in any of the previous sentences!

She would even "yelp"in sex scenes which was really out of place. I can understand "gasp" or "moan" but "yelp"was totally out of place.
They also "cooed" which I can understand if they are talking to an animal or child but using it when talking to an adult was really weird to read about.
She hadn’t realized she was mumbling no over and over again until Evrardin cooed in her ear.
I imagined a pigeon cooeing near her ear when I read the sentence.

There were many other instances but I dont want this to be a long post.

Their bickering was not bickering at all.
She would do it just for the heck of it and it was really irritating. She was childish 90% of the book and she had guts only when she had to scream at ML otherwise she would just keep quiet or act timidly(another frequently used word). There was also no trust involved till almost the end of the book and suddenly they just declared their love for each other. There were no characters to root for and nor was their any edge of seat thrill in climax aaand this has turned out to be a long post just like this book.

[Booksnliftsdiary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4⭐️/5

“Where light meets shadow, her reign echoes in our reflections.”

Sixteen days before the Summer Solstice, Princess Maranela Faintree—better known as the Glass Princess—is basically handed over to the Sun Prince after he wins a high-stakes tournament. Her kingdom’s magic has been dying ever since her mother was lost to a failed glasfairing, and no one has seen that kind of power in nearly a hundred years. Now, Mara’s dragged to Wrens Rench, where the prince—Acastus of Solstrale, charming and dangerous—is prepping for a flashy Solstice celebration. Everyone expects Mara to somehow fix the dying magic, but she’s barely keeping it together. The only person who throws her off more than the prince is Captain Evrardin—his guarded, serious right-hand man—who she bumps into while exploring her parents’ abandoned wing. There’s something about him she can’t shake, even though he’s sworn to serve the prince. With court politics, old grudges, creepy mirrors, and arrogant knights like Sir Orion making things worse, Mara’s realizing fast that she might be the last shot at saving what’s left of the magic—and falling for the wrong person could ruin everything.

This romantasy has a lot going for it—an arranged marriage, forbidden love, mysterious forests, dreamy castles, and even a masquerade ball and an epic knight showdown. The vibe is very whimsical-meets-gothic, with cozy libraries, heated training scenes, slow-burn tension, and swoony love letters. The gorgeous book cover is what first caught my eye, and I’m glad it did! While some parts of the worldbuilding felt a bit loose and I was hoping for a few more answers, it’s still an enjoyable read. If there’s a sequel that dives deeper into the magic and lore, I’m totally in! And if you’re into forbidden romance with a Rhaenyra-and-Harwin kind of fire—this one’s for you!

A big thanks to Lore Olesya for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!

Releasing 06/03/25 on Amazon, KU, and paperback.
E-book pre-orders are available NOW.
—
#AdvancedReaderCopy

[Hana Mahmud · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given an ARC for this book, but this will not affect my review. The premise of this book is unique - I have never read anything like it before. The female character is feisty and unapologetic. For some she can be too much, but she goes through a drastic character development and after all that, the things that make her her is still there, which I admire to be.

Perhaps in the beginning the pace is a little slow mostly because, as a reader, we are kept in the dark about the real conflict going on behind everything. What held me back from fully rating it a 5 was the worldbuilding and the magic system. In fantasy, I usually look for a sense of structure in any magic system (the rules of magic, the exceptions to those rules, etc.), and here those elements felt a little loose or underdeveloped. I kept waiting for things to click into place or be explained more, but it never quite got there yet. That said, it’s still a nice read, and if there’s a sequel that digs deeper into the world and its rules, I’d be curious to check it out.

There are mature scenes and language in the book, but the focus is mostly on the plot and character development. There is banter, lots of banter, look at her wrong and you die moments, tending to wounds moments and breaking the rules for her/him moments.

[Books Past Midnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Lore Olesya for allowing me to read this early. I absolutely loved this book.. Maralena is a “spoiled” princess that is forced to marry the winner of a tournament. The Sun Prince doesn’t seem like a bad option, being closer in age and handsome, but he’s got his secrets and Mara can’t help but wonder, why her? Then there’s the guard, Evrardin. Brooding and always following her. Mara soon finds herself far from home and alone. Things are not as they seem. Warnings from others, darkness creeping in and awakening powers leaves Mara looking for answers. I loved the relationship between the FMC and MMC. It felt real and the banter was definitely there! Now Mara wasn’t a perfect FMC, she’s not a warrior and didn’t wake up perfecting magic and I think that was why I liked her, she’s human. She was feisty and loyal. She had a heart. There were moments I wished I could tell her to stop crying and stop being a spoiled princess but there was someone else there to do that. Overall I would read this book again and probably love it even more. If you liked the Sacred Stones Trilogy, Crimson Moth or One Dark Window this may be the book for you!

[Katie Yager · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review:

Yikes! I felt Like this book had mind blowing moment after mind blowing moment! These moments weren’t always action packed, sometimes it was just finding out more and more hidden information. Lore Oleysa did an amazing job building a dangerous world full of mysterious creatures and magic. The characters were my favorite part of this story! I fell in love with the FMC and her disgust with how women are treated in her world. The MMC is so grumpy it’s hilarious! I was constantly giggling at their dialogu!

Typically, I do not pick up books that are written as a stand-alone. My guilty pleasure is buying an entire series & binge reading all of it from start to finish. Glass Hearts gave me the feeling of diving into a new series, but I’m also extremely satisfied with not having another book to read (although I’ll always pray for more!) . I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves the Dark Fantasy Romance genre! I’m definitely following Lore Oleysa everywhere I can because I’ll be buying up everything she writes!

[lizface · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I told you–your attacker won’t be giving you a fair warning. You expect them to send you a letter in preparation?” Mara’s lips formed a tight line and she bit her cheek. “Do you really think they might? A two-day notice would be most convenient now that you mention it.”

Okay the banter alone in this book hooked me!
I’m a sucker for a bodyguard//princess romance 🥰

I absolutely loved how sassy Mara was, so balanced out our broody guard quite well.
The way the plot was laid out from the beginning and slowly unfolded little pieces here and there was perfection. Every time I thought I had the plot figured out, I was so wrong. The turmoil in land was very interesting. And the glass fairing!!! So freaking amazing! Probably one of my favorite powers I’ve recently read in a fantasy story.

This is a SLOW BURN. But oh so worth it.

Don’t skip the epilogue!!!! 👀

Thank you Lore for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this amazing debut 🫶🏼

[EllasEnchantedReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glass Hearts is a standalone dark romantasy debut inspired by House of the Dragon with an enemies-to-lovers forbidden romance, a unique story premise and magic system, sibling dynamics (I really liked the FMC’s brother!) and some grief representation.

The story takes place in a decaying castle surrounded by mysterious forests with an arranged marriage between a morally black prince to a bratty princess, who still grieves the loss of her mother, and the brooding military captain who guards her. There is a lot of good banter and bickering, forced proximity and slow-burn tension.

If you love whimsical gothic fantasies with open-door forbidden romances, swoony love letters, masquerade balls and cozy castle libraries, this book is for you!

Thank you to Lore Olesya for a copy of this eARC!

[Lb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over all I really enjoyed this book, did feel that some of the story dragged in the middle but I would read more from this author and if you like fantasy/romantasy you will like the twists, turns and drama!

wrote more on my blog: https://elbyslibrary.blogspot.com/202...

Hoping for more stories in this same world!

*ARC read *Romance *Fantasy *magical world *Forbidden romance *fairy tale *450 pages

*multi POV --> dual POV with occasional POV from side characters *drama *slow burn (very slow) *some spice *banter *Enemies --> More

*adult situations/themes

[Brittney Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
First of all, big thanks to the author for bestowing this ARC upon me.
I did enjoy this book. there's something about the writing style that I don't personally vibe with, but Evrardin kept me interested enough to complete it. there's some solid banter but considering the ~situation~ it makes the romance a little off for me but hey who am I to judge mara for wanting to bang the hot captain?
I do feel like a lot of the beginning is just filler and there were some questions that didn't get answered which is why it's not a full at least four stars.

[Ayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC read 4.2 ⭐️ at first I kind of thought the story was slow, but once it hooks you it hooks you. The characters have a lot of dimension, and strength. I would have liked a more clear separation showing the different POV, but that's my only really large complain with this story! I think it would have been cool to have more about both of the princes but I understand it wasnt necessary for the plot, I just like their characters. I did enjoy the enemies to lovers with secret yearning done RIGHT. I really hope there will be a continuation of this story!

[Heather Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a FANTASTIC FANTASY! Holy moly! I loved every once of this book! Ugh it’s so good! Top read this year!

I loved Lore’s writing! The details, the characters, the world building, the turmoils and plot twists, the forbidden romance that just burns to the core!! The best! So easily engaged and hanging on the edge of my seat reading this novel!

If you love a Grump like Gerald from the Witcher. I give you Evrardin! The grump Captain of the guard/ bodyguard!! And the banter with Mara is top notch!!

Go read this!!

[Kristen Cari · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! What a fantastical debut novel. Lore took me to a dark and twisty world that was haunting in its beauty. My favorite element of this book was the unique magic system and storyline. I loved the pacing of how the mystery unfolded. Lore and Ev’s chemistry was lip-bitingly good and so much fun. I’m a big HOTD fan and loved that this story was inspired by them. This story gave me some such a range of emotions; some parts were spooky and dark, other scenes were tender and sweet. Thank you for sharing your beautiful mind with the world, Lore! Can’t wait to see what you do next!

[litlindseyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC Lore Olesya and NetGalley!

I really enjoyed this Dark Romantasy. It had everything you could want - arranged marriage, forbidden love, training scenes, slow burn, enemies-to-lovers. I loved the sassy FMC, the banter, and the plot twists!

If you enjoy the following, then you'll enjoy this book:
-Dark Romantasy
-Arranged Marriage
-Forbidden Love
-Masquerade Ball
-Whimsy x gothic
-Training scenes
-Guard MMC x Princess FMC
-Enemies-to-Lovers
-Slow Burn

[Bri Caminitti · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review::

This book was EVERYTHING!

If you’re a Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon fan, read this one! If you love the romantasy genre, read it! I need more from Mara & Evrardin 😫😍🥰

The ups & downs, twists & turns.. you feel it all. It’s so good! I’ll be getting the physical copy when it comes out! 🙌🏻🥰

[Rachel Neary · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Standalone novel
Enemies to lovers
Forbidden love
Arranged marriage

I received this book as an ARC, but am reviewing this honestly. Enjoyed this book! I was hooked from the very beginning, and I’m typically confused at the beginning of fantasy novels due to world building! I enjoyed the pace at which the FMC and MMC got together & was kicking my feet back and forth as the trust was slowly built. Was not prepared for that ending- I just wish it was longer!!

[Courtney Gittins · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will enjoy this if you like enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine tropes.

This was a lovely story, the description of the characters and settings was well done. I loved that each character had their own journey and development that was perfect for each of them.

I received an advanced reader copy for free but I am leaving a review voluntarily.

[Milla-Maria Repo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story and plot was good, maybe a little difficult at somepoints to a reader whose first language is not english. Very slowburn and maybe is missing little bit of something but I don't know what that something might be!

[Skye Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way this book dragged me in.. This was a fantastic read. At first, I was team both. I was like YAS Why choose. Then my mind changed. Oh EV. The Slow Burn was *chef's kiss*. I need MORE. At least, two more books please. 🤣 I was rooting for Cas to be able to change for the better.

[Whatsbridiereading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to do a full review of this later with a wee insta post but Evrardin had me giggling kicking my feet, we LOVE a moody MMC when he has a reason to be moody

Trust that when booktok gets their hands on this they'll go feral x