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Desperate Disguise #4
Hidden Within the Secret Heart
Trapped between two worlds and safe in neither…
Crane escaped justice, and now he’s hunting me through the High Priestess’s court. I’m trapped in the Divine Residence, spirit-linked to a knight I don’t trust, and the newest plaything to the most powerful woman in the fae realm. I can’t refuse her demands, can’t stop manifesting in the Garden when I go to bed, and can’t reveal that my mating marks have been put to sleep… or that I’m human.
To make matters worse, the novices tormenting me in the Black Tower have gone eerily silent. They’re planning something and I’m afraid I won’t survive their retribution.
On top of that, the leaders of the Black Guard have sworn to protect me while I’m in the the fierce Lord Commander Rider, the charming Lord Quill, and the beautiful Talon. But I can’t forget how they turned their backs on me when I needed them most in the Gray, and it’s difficult to remember what I should and shouldn’t know about them to keep my secrets.
Everything is getting more complicated, and I yearn for the one person who makes me feel safe, who I can trust. Ash. Except he’s been banned from the Divine Residence and I’ve no way of getting to him.
It’s too soon for it to all fall apart. If I can’t survive the novices’ revenge, the High Priestess’s games, and the predator hunting me, my sacrifice to save my brother will have been for nothing…
*Hidden Within the Secret Heart is the fourth book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man story that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
Crane escaped justice, and now he’s hunting me through the High Priestess’s court. I’m trapped in the Divine Residence, spirit-linked to a knight I don’t trust, and the newest plaything to the most powerful woman in the fae realm. I can’t refuse her demands, can’t stop manifesting in the Garden when I go to bed, and can’t reveal that my mating marks have been put to sleep… or that I’m human.
To make matters worse, the novices tormenting me in the Black Tower have gone eerily silent. They’re planning something and I’m afraid I won’t survive their retribution.
On top of that, the leaders of the Black Guard have sworn to protect me while I’m in the the fierce Lord Commander Rider, the charming Lord Quill, and the beautiful Talon. But I can’t forget how they turned their backs on me when I needed them most in the Gray, and it’s difficult to remember what I should and shouldn’t know about them to keep my secrets.
Everything is getting more complicated, and I yearn for the one person who makes me feel safe, who I can trust. Ash. Except he’s been banned from the Divine Residence and I’ve no way of getting to him.
It’s too soon for it to all fall apart. If I can’t survive the novices’ revenge, the High Priestess’s games, and the predator hunting me, my sacrifice to save my brother will have been for nothing…
*Hidden Within the Secret Heart is the fourth book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man story that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2026
140 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
Review of advance copy
I did not recieve an ARC i am just in a diffrent timezone and therefore finished the book earlier than goodreads wants to accept. :)
Without trying to be mean, because i wanted to love this book i really did. This book was a clusterfuck and not in the good way. How is it that we are four books deep, we have no viable relationship with any of the guys, hell we are making negative progress actually. No plot points got resolved, we are not closer to finding out anything. We get one minor reveal and essentially nothing of note happens. Theres just more and more subplots being introduced, one more forced than the other.
I am inclined to say, if there was an achievement for how little progress can be made in two books, the recent installments defnitely win it.
It is such a shame really, i loved the first two, then the third fell really flat and unfortunately the fourth seems to follow suit. Safe to say i will not be continuing the series because i dont see any possible resolution without atleast 10 books in the series. I read somewhere that the author herself doesnt really know how many books its going to be and unfortunately it shows. The pacing just does not make sense at all.
Without trying to be mean, because i wanted to love this book i really did. This book was a clusterfuck and not in the good way. How is it that we are four books deep, we have no viable relationship with any of the guys, hell we are making negative progress actually. No plot points got resolved, we are not closer to finding out anything. We get one minor reveal and essentially nothing of note happens. Theres just more and more subplots being introduced, one more forced than the other.
I am inclined to say, if there was an achievement for how little progress can be made in two books, the recent installments defnitely win it.
It is such a shame really, i loved the first two, then the third fell really flat and unfortunately the fourth seems to follow suit. Safe to say i will not be continuing the series because i dont see any possible resolution without atleast 10 books in the series. I read somewhere that the author herself doesnt really know how many books its going to be and unfortunately it shows. The pacing just does not make sense at all.
March 8, 2026
I finished this book, and I immediately cancelled my preorder for book 5. I really really liked this series during the first 2 books, but it has become abundantly clear to me that the author has no idea what to do to move this story forward. She doesn't even know how many books in the series. Her newsletter said that the story is just "too big," but honestly, it's not. This book is about 200 pages of inner monologue that you can completely skim. There is no romantic progression. There is no plot progression - just a bunch of random classes and mini fights that do not feel relevant to the larger story. The FMC barely spends time with any of the MMCs. The reader learns nothing. The characters learn nothing. The cliffhanger is the EXACT ending that happened at the end of book 2 (literally the SAME - it's just recycled plot at this point). The author is just going in circles and nothing is moving forward. I also hate every scene in the Garden at this point. Sir West was honestly the only character who I found remotely interesting in this book. I read the first 2 books in less than 24 hours, but it took me almost a week to read this book (and I'm a fast reader). This was so boring. It was so repetitive. Honestly, you can skip books 3 and 4 of this series because they read like little novellas or bonus content. Absolutely NOTHING happened. I'm really disappointed particularly because this book took 1 full year to come out. As of right now, I have no desire to continue this series because I don't have faith that the author knows what she's doing with this story.
Also, how long is it going to take the real Sawyer to escape the great kingdom? How will Sage even know when he has done so? We are completely losing the plot here. All of the characters lost me in this book.
Also, how long is it going to take the real Sawyer to escape the great kingdom? How will Sage even know when he has done so? We are completely losing the plot here. All of the characters lost me in this book.
March 4, 2026
Waste of a Read
Literally nothing changed from the last book. I don't even mind cliffhangers but stuff has to actually happen in the story for it to work. I was waiting for this to come out because I was interested in where the story goes but this book killed any interest.
Literally nothing changed from the last book. I don't even mind cliffhangers but stuff has to actually happen in the story for it to work. I was waiting for this to come out because I was interested in where the story goes but this book killed any interest.
March 4, 2026
Disappointed
I waited an entire year for this book, I was so excited, and it was pretty much the same thing that happened in the 3rd book. I'm seriously disappointed.
I waited an entire year for this book, I was so excited, and it was pretty much the same thing that happened in the 3rd book. I'm seriously disappointed.
March 4, 2026
Sooo.. slow.. same book over and over..
It's so slow paced, it's the same conflict and the same character. No character building. Just boring.. no changes no plot updates.. same story as last book worded differently.
It's so slow paced, it's the same conflict and the same character. No character building. Just boring.. no changes no plot updates.. same story as last book worded differently.
March 4, 2026
Don't bother. This series started off with promise but it's clearly a dud. The author must think so too, seeing as she's putting out new series at the same time. Nothing happens, there's no plot movement. 2 books where NOTHING happens? Please. The author clearly doesn't know what to do with this story and is floundering.
March 3, 2026
I’m feeling sad and irritated.
This whole book was pure torture. This is book 4/5 and there is still more questions. Judging by how short these books are, I’m wondering how are we going to get all of the answers to the many problems in just the 5th book.I started this book at 7am and now I’ve finished it at 1pm. I love the storyline. I hate the ongoing stories without any solutions or clarity in site. Or maybe I’m just impatient. I’ve waited a year to be disappointed.
This whole book was pure torture. This is book 4/5 and there is still more questions. Judging by how short these books are, I’m wondering how are we going to get all of the answers to the many problems in just the 5th book.I started this book at 7am and now I’ve finished it at 1pm. I love the storyline. I hate the ongoing stories without any solutions or clarity in site. Or maybe I’m just impatient. I’ve waited a year to be disappointed.
March 3, 2026
Will admit, yet another book that felt like nothing freaking happened.
This series is dragging so bad it's almost painful... but it's also so good I keep coming back to it like an abusive ex. It's insane how much these books frustrate me but also completely captivate me.
This series is dragging so bad it's almost painful... but it's also so good I keep coming back to it like an abusive ex. It's insane how much these books frustrate me but also completely captivate me.
March 5, 2026
I am really disappointed with this author and the lack of direction and progress in this story. This is book four, and she seems unsure of where she's taking her characters. She wrote 396 pages of words to say nothing of consequence. Sadly, I won't be finishing this series.
March 6, 2026
2.5 Stars
Gahhhh another book and again barely any forward momentum to the plot until the usual cliffhanger. 😩
These books aren’t necessarily good but I eat them up each time because it’s a chaotic mess of tropes I usually love. I’m praying the next book delivers some explosive reveals or actual developments in the relationships because I’ve waited long enough!
Gahhhh another book and again barely any forward momentum to the plot until the usual cliffhanger. 😩
These books aren’t necessarily good but I eat them up each time because it’s a chaotic mess of tropes I usually love. I’m praying the next book delivers some explosive reveals or actual developments in the relationships because I’ve waited long enough!
March 4, 2026
Book 4 ends in same place as previous books.
Honestly, this book ends in the same place as the previous book.
We are in book 4, the FMC still knows nothing, is still hiding as a boy in 1 realm and has learned nothing about how to use her magic at all.
All 4 MMC’s are still clueless, self-sabotaging idiots.
The enemies have learned nothing, human or fae.
It’s been some 1200 pages of writing where I know as munch now about the castle, magic, shadow, garden, the world, and the antagonist/plot as I figured out halfway through book 1.
The world building would be interesting if the plot moved forward. Next installment is a year out.
Waste of time to be honest. Wait till the author is done with the series before wasting your time.
Honestly, this book ends in the same place as the previous book.
We are in book 4, the FMC still knows nothing, is still hiding as a boy in 1 realm and has learned nothing about how to use her magic at all.
All 4 MMC’s are still clueless, self-sabotaging idiots.
The enemies have learned nothing, human or fae.
It’s been some 1200 pages of writing where I know as munch now about the castle, magic, shadow, garden, the world, and the antagonist/plot as I figured out halfway through book 1.
The world building would be interesting if the plot moved forward. Next installment is a year out.
Waste of time to be honest. Wait till the author is done with the series before wasting your time.
March 18, 2026
Holy!
Spoiler Alert! Don’t read further if you haven’t read the book yet!
Wow! Just WOW! It felt like forever before this book was released and she STILL didn’t reveal her secret! Ugh. I was really hoping she would have told one of them at least but, she didn’t… this book had more attention of her in the garden as a female fae than at the Black Tower although we did get some good action happening at the black tower in this book. I just feel like it was just a super small percentage of the book.
The ending of the last one, had her seeing a vision of the only guys at the Black Tower (the only ones nice to her), dying from a poison. No one knew they had been poisoned and would have missed it, if she didn’t jump out of the bath from the guys room, and raced to the clinic. The amount of chaos in the clinic, no one was listening to her until she decided to take matters into her own hands, by grabbing the poison remedy and forcing Kit to drink it, before Payne voluntarily drank his poison remedy. Everyone is super confused, they fought Shadow bears… not vipers. There’s talk of the shadow bear hunters mobilizing their forces to hunt, when before each shadow fought for themselves only. It’s wondered if they were a decoy, so smaller shadows could unknowingly bite them. Then, on the novices second rotation, Sawyer/Sage is assigned clinic duty. It is much lighter than mucking the stalls. Reef the Doctor, basically refuses to teach Sawyer/Sage and makes him clean the clinic daily. Thankfully, and unthankfully, Payne, and Kit are still in the clinic healing from the fight so they start to put pieces together and realize that Sawyer/Sage isn’t getting a fair shot at learning as Reef the Dr only shows Garridan, another Novice how to suture etc… this was a mistake, because Reef took both Novices out into the Gray to meet a travelling merchant, who was bringing medical supplies. Stupid men thought they could check the medical supplies, testing the purity of the medication, OUT IN THE OPEN IN THE GRAY! It had disaster written all over it, but Sawyer/Sage being only a Novice, couldn’t say anything. Plus, it would just look like he/she was complaining. Not once does Sawyer/Sage complain but the men at the black tower are still salty over him/her coming through the ring during night, which is when the shadow beasts are most active. (I don’t understand why 99% of the men at this stupid black tower treat him/her like it was their lives she put in danger when he/she came through the ring in the dark of night in the first book, when none of them were there to help. Only Ryder, Quill and Talon if I remember correctly came and saved Saywer/Sage. Additionally, Lord Commander Ryder allows all the novices to treat Sawyer/Sage like a bug under their shoe, physically, and mentally bullying him to the point where they thought they could rape him, this of course happened in the previous book, but the bullying Never stopped in this one, even though the lords/captains are seeing a boy who doesn’t complain, ever, doesn’t talk back, follows orders and is reliable. The lords, All know what’s happening. The bullies think Sawyer/Sage is getting special treatment, because he doesn’t complain nor does he fight back, but he isn’t getting special treatment, not for being small, or quiet, he keeps proving himself each and every day even though the bullies boast about doing worse to him/her since he doesn’t cow down. He just keeps on trucking. When the Dr was inspecting the medical supplies, of course a bunch of shadow beast dog like creatures show up, and launch themselves at them all. The travelling merchant gets hurt, and Garradin, the idiot, just stands there in a stupor, even though he’s quite a bit bigger than Saywer/Sage. He just stands there in a daze. Not helping. Sawyer manages to get the merchant, and Garradin in the cart where he does his best to protect them both. He came up with the idea to use a lid from one of the medical barrels as a shield. His long sword is useless in a close fighting quarters. Dr Reed was a former guard so he’s good with a sword and helps Payne keep the dog like creatures off them until the Lords came. Thankfully, Sawyer held off his own dog like creatures until more help arrived. If Payne hadn’t been there and volunteered to go to the ring with them. It would have ended differently.
The fae garden, Sage is confined to the bedroom she was regulated too, along with her new guard West. He’s very quiet and has a really good resting biatch face. He never shows his emotions so Sage can’t tell if he’s sympathetic to her or if he would run and tell her secrets to the queen? I can’t remember the exact name they used but it’s essentially the same position. She saw Sage as a broken thing, and is making sure she can mate her off to those she’s chosen for her since she can sense her power. Thankfully she can’t tell what it is, and the gift for foresight is more of a curse than a gift as they all say when Sawyer has to tell how he knew her friends were poisoned. Sage had Zinnia put her marks to sleep so it helps with her sex drive as the marks just make her arousal worse the more time she holds off on mating. Everyone is searching for her attackers that got away. Unfortunately, the queen hosts a ball in her honor and makes her dance with all the “eligible bachelors” of her choice. Unfortunately, one of the dancers turns out to be one of her old attackers and drew her away from the ballroom, where they planned to finish the job of forcing a mating on her. Her guardian West arrives just in time, along with Ryder, Talon, Quill and Ashe. It broke me to read Ashes rejection to her. The reader knows he’s doing it to protect her but all he manages to do is make her question her worth in the world. No one cares about her besides her brother Sawyer. Not even Detective Yarrow, the one investigating her original assault. He basically implied she asked to be attacked because she keeps showing up at the garden and he didn’t believe she told them she wasn’t interested. Shocker!
Spoiler Alert! Don’t read further if you haven’t read the book yet!
Wow! Just WOW! It felt like forever before this book was released and she STILL didn’t reveal her secret! Ugh. I was really hoping she would have told one of them at least but, she didn’t… this book had more attention of her in the garden as a female fae than at the Black Tower although we did get some good action happening at the black tower in this book. I just feel like it was just a super small percentage of the book.
The ending of the last one, had her seeing a vision of the only guys at the Black Tower (the only ones nice to her), dying from a poison. No one knew they had been poisoned and would have missed it, if she didn’t jump out of the bath from the guys room, and raced to the clinic. The amount of chaos in the clinic, no one was listening to her until she decided to take matters into her own hands, by grabbing the poison remedy and forcing Kit to drink it, before Payne voluntarily drank his poison remedy. Everyone is super confused, they fought Shadow bears… not vipers. There’s talk of the shadow bear hunters mobilizing their forces to hunt, when before each shadow fought for themselves only. It’s wondered if they were a decoy, so smaller shadows could unknowingly bite them. Then, on the novices second rotation, Sawyer/Sage is assigned clinic duty. It is much lighter than mucking the stalls. Reef the Doctor, basically refuses to teach Sawyer/Sage and makes him clean the clinic daily. Thankfully, and unthankfully, Payne, and Kit are still in the clinic healing from the fight so they start to put pieces together and realize that Sawyer/Sage isn’t getting a fair shot at learning as Reef the Dr only shows Garridan, another Novice how to suture etc… this was a mistake, because Reef took both Novices out into the Gray to meet a travelling merchant, who was bringing medical supplies. Stupid men thought they could check the medical supplies, testing the purity of the medication, OUT IN THE OPEN IN THE GRAY! It had disaster written all over it, but Sawyer/Sage being only a Novice, couldn’t say anything. Plus, it would just look like he/she was complaining. Not once does Sawyer/Sage complain but the men at the black tower are still salty over him/her coming through the ring during night, which is when the shadow beasts are most active. (I don’t understand why 99% of the men at this stupid black tower treat him/her like it was their lives she put in danger when he/she came through the ring in the dark of night in the first book, when none of them were there to help. Only Ryder, Quill and Talon if I remember correctly came and saved Saywer/Sage. Additionally, Lord Commander Ryder allows all the novices to treat Sawyer/Sage like a bug under their shoe, physically, and mentally bullying him to the point where they thought they could rape him, this of course happened in the previous book, but the bullying Never stopped in this one, even though the lords/captains are seeing a boy who doesn’t complain, ever, doesn’t talk back, follows orders and is reliable. The lords, All know what’s happening. The bullies think Sawyer/Sage is getting special treatment, because he doesn’t complain nor does he fight back, but he isn’t getting special treatment, not for being small, or quiet, he keeps proving himself each and every day even though the bullies boast about doing worse to him/her since he doesn’t cow down. He just keeps on trucking. When the Dr was inspecting the medical supplies, of course a bunch of shadow beast dog like creatures show up, and launch themselves at them all. The travelling merchant gets hurt, and Garradin, the idiot, just stands there in a stupor, even though he’s quite a bit bigger than Saywer/Sage. He just stands there in a daze. Not helping. Sawyer manages to get the merchant, and Garradin in the cart where he does his best to protect them both. He came up with the idea to use a lid from one of the medical barrels as a shield. His long sword is useless in a close fighting quarters. Dr Reed was a former guard so he’s good with a sword and helps Payne keep the dog like creatures off them until the Lords came. Thankfully, Sawyer held off his own dog like creatures until more help arrived. If Payne hadn’t been there and volunteered to go to the ring with them. It would have ended differently.
The fae garden, Sage is confined to the bedroom she was regulated too, along with her new guard West. He’s very quiet and has a really good resting biatch face. He never shows his emotions so Sage can’t tell if he’s sympathetic to her or if he would run and tell her secrets to the queen? I can’t remember the exact name they used but it’s essentially the same position. She saw Sage as a broken thing, and is making sure she can mate her off to those she’s chosen for her since she can sense her power. Thankfully she can’t tell what it is, and the gift for foresight is more of a curse than a gift as they all say when Sawyer has to tell how he knew her friends were poisoned. Sage had Zinnia put her marks to sleep so it helps with her sex drive as the marks just make her arousal worse the more time she holds off on mating. Everyone is searching for her attackers that got away. Unfortunately, the queen hosts a ball in her honor and makes her dance with all the “eligible bachelors” of her choice. Unfortunately, one of the dancers turns out to be one of her old attackers and drew her away from the ballroom, where they planned to finish the job of forcing a mating on her. Her guardian West arrives just in time, along with Ryder, Talon, Quill and Ashe. It broke me to read Ashes rejection to her. The reader knows he’s doing it to protect her but all he manages to do is make her question her worth in the world. No one cares about her besides her brother Sawyer. Not even Detective Yarrow, the one investigating her original assault. He basically implied she asked to be attacked because she keeps showing up at the garden and he didn’t believe she told them she wasn’t interested. Shocker!
March 4, 2026
The first three books were great, so my expectations for this one were high. Unfortunately… nothing actually happens.
We’re on book FOUR and the plot is still barely moving. At this point we’re just waiting for people to figure out who she is. That’s it. That’s the plot.
And the FMC and MMC are still not even in a relationship. In the fourth book. How is that even possible?
It’s not slow burn anymore, it’s just… slow.
Will I read the next book? Probably. But at this pace we might all need the patience of saints because it feels like the end of this series is about ten years away.
We’re on book FOUR and the plot is still barely moving. At this point we’re just waiting for people to figure out who she is. That’s it. That’s the plot.
And the FMC and MMC are still not even in a relationship. In the fourth book. How is that even possible?
It’s not slow burn anymore, it’s just… slow.
Will I read the next book? Probably. But at this pace we might all need the patience of saints because it feels like the end of this series is about ten years away.
March 7, 2026
These books are quick reads, sure. But we're as far into the plot at the end of book 4 as we were at the end of book 2. I wish something substantial would happen.
She does read a book and find out something about her fae-touched abilities and why she can manifest in the Garden. But really no other plot movement.
She does read a book and find out something about her fae-touched abilities and why she can manifest in the Garden. But really no other plot movement.
March 14, 2026
Another great installment in this story. I'm salivating for the next book. This series is addicting!
The slow, slow burn as she builds trust and intimacy with each MMC is so satisfying. And the constant tension of "will she be caught/will her secret be revealed?" had me turning pages faster and faster.
The slow, slow burn as she builds trust and intimacy with each MMC is so satisfying. And the constant tension of "will she be caught/will her secret be revealed?" had me turning pages faster and faster.
March 12, 2026
“Hidden Within the Secret Heart,” by Tessa Cole
This series honestly still has me hooked. In this book the FMC is stuck deep in the High Priestess’s court in the fae realm, trying to survive political games, enemies hunting her, and the fact that she’s hiding a massive secret about who she really is. She’s trapped in the Divine Residence, spirit-linked to a knight she doesn’t fully trust, while powerful fae figures start pulling her deeper into their schemes. One of my favorite parts of this series is the reverse harem dynamic. The Black Guard guys are all very different personalities, but they all circle around her in this protective, tension-filled way that makes every scene interesting. There’s also a lot of military-style training and guard hierarchy, which I love in academy-type stories. It gives the book this structured tension where everyone is constantly watching each other. The world itself mixes fae politics, shifters, magic, and hidden identities, and the FMC constantly has to keep up the act that she belongs there even though she’s secretly human. The “secret girl disguised among powerful fae” trope is honestly one of my favorites.
5 out of 5 stars. My only tiny complaint is that the slowburn is starting to feel extremely slow. I love the tension, but I’m getting to the point where I’m like… okay please just let them figure it out already. Even if the slowburn is torturing me a little, the characters and world still have me completely invested.
-Reverse Harem
-Slowburn
-Shadow Daddy
-Military Training
-Shifters
-Fae
-Hidden Identity/ Secret Girl
Thank you for the ARC, Booksprout.
This series honestly still has me hooked. In this book the FMC is stuck deep in the High Priestess’s court in the fae realm, trying to survive political games, enemies hunting her, and the fact that she’s hiding a massive secret about who she really is. She’s trapped in the Divine Residence, spirit-linked to a knight she doesn’t fully trust, while powerful fae figures start pulling her deeper into their schemes. One of my favorite parts of this series is the reverse harem dynamic. The Black Guard guys are all very different personalities, but they all circle around her in this protective, tension-filled way that makes every scene interesting. There’s also a lot of military-style training and guard hierarchy, which I love in academy-type stories. It gives the book this structured tension where everyone is constantly watching each other. The world itself mixes fae politics, shifters, magic, and hidden identities, and the FMC constantly has to keep up the act that she belongs there even though she’s secretly human. The “secret girl disguised among powerful fae” trope is honestly one of my favorites.
5 out of 5 stars. My only tiny complaint is that the slowburn is starting to feel extremely slow. I love the tension, but I’m getting to the point where I’m like… okay please just let them figure it out already. Even if the slowburn is torturing me a little, the characters and world still have me completely invested.
-Reverse Harem
-Slowburn
-Shadow Daddy
-Military Training
-Shifters
-Fae
-Hidden Identity/ Secret Girl
Thank you for the ARC, Booksprout.
March 10, 2026
Buddy Read- 2 stars is generous for this tome- this is more of the same but with even less action (sex) or forward momentum in the story. Reading this is a necessary evil at this point, 4 stories in, but we are going to follow it through to the end!
Its annoying in the indecision of all the characters, as they all live different lives between the Gray and the Garden. Its just plain annoying, yet still addictive and easy to read.
I highlighted a few glimmers of humor:
"Maybe I should retreat to my bedroom and leave him with Lord-Even-Less-Chatty, Sir West. The two of them could glare at each other all night."
and
"With a grunt, his gaze shifted to Talon, who gave him a tight nod. Male communication at its finest."
Highlight and Spoiler:
"I closed my eyes and my heart ached to be in Ash’s arms again. Talon and Quill had satisfied a need, and as much as I was attracted to them, desired them, maybe even craved them, I didn’t feel the depth of comfort and safety I did with Ash.
Father, if I could resume what I had with Ash, I could get through anything. With Ash, at least my nights would be safe."
I was so annoyed with her longing for ASH so I was actually rooting for some kind of betrayal so we could have SOME kind of emotion. That's pretty rare for me :)
Spoiler- it happened. Not what I would have expected but hey, it's really my fault for expecting better at this point.
Its annoying in the indecision of all the characters, as they all live different lives between the Gray and the Garden. Its just plain annoying, yet still addictive and easy to read.
I highlighted a few glimmers of humor:
"Maybe I should retreat to my bedroom and leave him with Lord-Even-Less-Chatty, Sir West. The two of them could glare at each other all night."
and
"With a grunt, his gaze shifted to Talon, who gave him a tight nod. Male communication at its finest."
Highlight and Spoiler:
"I closed my eyes and my heart ached to be in Ash’s arms again. Talon and Quill had satisfied a need, and as much as I was attracted to them, desired them, maybe even craved them, I didn’t feel the depth of comfort and safety I did with Ash.
Father, if I could resume what I had with Ash, I could get through anything. With Ash, at least my nights would be safe."
I was so annoyed with her longing for ASH so I was actually rooting for some kind of betrayal so we could have SOME kind of emotion. That's pretty rare for me :)
Spoiler- it happened. Not what I would have expected but hey, it's really my fault for expecting better at this point.
March 11, 2026
*Why Choose
*Fantasy
*Multi-1st-PoV
*Fae
*Shadow Monsters
*FMC in disguise
*FMC thinks human
*Established Harem (4)
*Slow building
*Mid Burn
*Book 4 / ?
Answers need to come out!!
I am really enjoying this series and how Sage is showing her strength of character and that actually half the time she’s wayyyy better than the boys 💪👸
The men are still confounded as to why they’re drawn to Sawyer and feel the strong urge to protect them, it’s creating tension and confusion and those feelings also apply to sage in the garden although and with her desire spikes its lead to some 🔥🌶️ moments!
Sage finds more information on what she potentially is and her powers, and finally Crane is held to account 👏👏which moves that element of the story on however we’re still not quite the wiser as to why Her Brilliance is obsessed with her. But the biggest thing for me is I feel I’m now at the stage of argggggh they need to know she’s a girl and who she is now!!! Otherwise it feels/could in the next one feel a bit stagnating without moving forward 🫤
Hoping for a bit more progress on the next book to match the potential this story really holds 😄 will absolutely continue to read the series!
*Fantasy
*Multi-1st-PoV
*Fae
*Shadow Monsters
*FMC in disguise
*FMC thinks human
*Established Harem (4)
*Slow building
*Mid Burn
*Book 4 / ?
Answers need to come out!!
I am really enjoying this series and how Sage is showing her strength of character and that actually half the time she’s wayyyy better than the boys 💪👸
The men are still confounded as to why they’re drawn to Sawyer and feel the strong urge to protect them, it’s creating tension and confusion and those feelings also apply to sage in the garden although and with her desire spikes its lead to some 🔥🌶️ moments!
Sage finds more information on what she potentially is and her powers, and finally Crane is held to account 👏👏which moves that element of the story on however we’re still not quite the wiser as to why Her Brilliance is obsessed with her. But the biggest thing for me is I feel I’m now at the stage of argggggh they need to know she’s a girl and who she is now!!! Otherwise it feels/could in the next one feel a bit stagnating without moving forward 🫤
Hoping for a bit more progress on the next book to match the potential this story really holds 😄 will absolutely continue to read the series!
March 6, 2026
I really enjoy the characters in this series and the different elements throughout. I preordered this and was disappointed because it felt like nothing happened in it. The plot feels like it was exactly where the last one left off just with a few new details added.
March 4, 2026
So good!
I love this series and can't wait for the next one. The changes between the world's and the suspense as to what is going to happen next is beautiful.
I love this series and can't wait for the next one. The changes between the world's and the suspense as to what is going to happen next is beautiful.
March 18, 2026
This whole series is rage bait. There is NO PLOT PROGRESSION. No progression in romantic interest no nothing. There’s such a lack of consistent progress throughout the whole series it genuinely feels like rage bait. This whole series could’ve been two books max. It feels like the author has no clear goal in mind for the series cause why is it book 4 and we’re in the same place as book one
March 4, 2026
Same ole Same.
Overall I think all the books have been very slow but still somewhat enjoyable but there is absolutely nothing worth remembering that happened in this book. I will probably read the 5th if it’s actually the last to finish the series but if there’s more I’m done with these books
Overall I think all the books have been very slow but still somewhat enjoyable but there is absolutely nothing worth remembering that happened in this book. I will probably read the 5th if it’s actually the last to finish the series but if there’s more I’m done with these books
March 4, 2026
Ugh.....I waited a year for very little progress! These books are becoming so drawn out I figured by book 4 at least one of the men would've discovered Sage's secret. Now I have to wait ANOTHER year and hope everything comes to a close in book 5, if not I give up.
March 5, 2026
This entire book could have been 3-5 chapters attached to the either the previous book or the beginning of the next one. Absolutely nothing of note happened and nobody made any progress in character growth except maybe West who had about 4 flashes of facial expression in the whole 364-page book.
March 5, 2026
No. Surely not. There’s no way that we have finished four out of (what seems to be) five books and they still don’t f*cking know that Sage is Sawyer?! If the next book is the last book, the pacing is going to be horrific. If it’s not, then what the hell is going on with this story?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2026
I found the first 3 books interesting, but there was literally no plot progression in this book.
March 10, 2026
could have been an email
This entire book was characters repeating what we already knew. Was AI involved? Can’t imagine not noticing that you have our characters have the exact same internal dialog 12 times per chapter. Not much happened or changed. Nothing new was revealed. This just feels like dragging it out. Sucks cus the series was 5 stars for me. Such a let down. Hopefully the next will be better :( please have less repetition!!!!!!! We already know what Sage thinks. And what every other character is doubling down on.
This entire book was characters repeating what we already knew. Was AI involved? Can’t imagine not noticing that you have our characters have the exact same internal dialog 12 times per chapter. Not much happened or changed. Nothing new was revealed. This just feels like dragging it out. Sucks cus the series was 5 stars for me. Such a let down. Hopefully the next will be better :( please have less repetition!!!!!!! We already know what Sage thinks. And what every other character is doubling down on.
March 12, 2026
painfully slow
Can the pace of this story crawl any slower? Really was hoping after such a long wait for book 4 only to be disappointed. The last chapter of this book was the only movement to further the story. Again wasted book filled with boring training, bullying and lies. I’m done !
Can the pace of this story crawl any slower? Really was hoping after such a long wait for book 4 only to be disappointed. The last chapter of this book was the only movement to further the story. Again wasted book filled with boring training, bullying and lies. I’m done !
Review of advance copy
Continues to Addict!
Before I start I want to share that the author has stated in her email newsletter that this series has an indefinite number of books to go- do NOT come into this expecting any sort of resolution yet!
I give this latest installment of Sage's adventures a solid 4.15. It's not perfect; particularly, punctuation and sentence structure could be improved throughout the book. However, this is an issue affecting the series from the start and doesn't come as a surprise or put-off by this point. I say. But really... Just one good editor...are they truly so hard to find? (I think this question is rhetorical by now given the number of novels coming out these days with the same issue. I mean, I'd do it... If someone paid me. Which I suppose is the problem.)
What I loved about these books from the beginning is the feel and detail of the world setting. I'm very into fantasy slice of life, loving those finer points which make a world really feel alive: this book delivers on that front very well, building on what's come before and giving us more tidbits, making this story and world one I really enjoy living in.
Having said that, the kind of attention to detail that requires will always slow a story down and in this case the plot progresses incrementally. It DOES progress (thank God!) but it definitely is taking its own sweet time.
Story-time wise, the book covers a period of about ten days. Sawyer continues to settle in at the Black Tower, he and we meet more guardsmen and learn more about daily life in the Tower. In the Garden, Sage continues to appear, unable to stop manifesting, apprehensively juggling her two personas, and the tension is real as we wait for the other shoe to drop.
I am very glad that Sage is mostly self aware, knows her strengths and weaknesses and is focused on becoming stronger in a sensible way. She's realistic about her ability to keep her cross-dressing secret and leveling up doesn't come magically, easily, or as something she's "born with" . She puts effort into everything she does and earns. And I am so SO grateful that she is not a damsel in distress! Well, she is a damsel, and she is in distress, and uh... She does seem to start thinking that her bodyguard Sir West might even help her, and um where was I going with this again? Haha. Right. What I mean is, when push comes to shove, my girl can, will, and DOES save her own dang self! Woohoo!
And very spoilery (seriously)(no really! Seriously!)
With the way things are shaping up by the end of the book I'm hopeful that at least one or two threads will come to a head in the next installment. The anticipation is killing me, but who's to say we readers won't just end up with more and more questions? We haven't even finished unfurling the entire plot yet.
The length and pacing of this book feels like it should be 1/3 of a doorstopper fantasy volume - the type that authors belabour over and release every 5 years or so. With this series the author has chosen to give us a few spoons much more often.
So then I question myself - do I prefer receiving little and often, or do I prefer to have a whole meal?
I surprised myself by realising that I think I prefer to wait a bunch of years to read the whole thing in one go. I've read and reread the previous books so many times and I could feel the wait for book 4 sending me feral with the need to know what happens next- needless to say, its not good for my mental health!
I am very happy to have met Sage from her debut and loved the days I spent living in her head as well as in the MMCs'. I do feel stretched thin by the excitement sometimes though, so here's hoping this next wait doesn't wear me out.
Before I start I want to share that the author has stated in her email newsletter that this series has an indefinite number of books to go- do NOT come into this expecting any sort of resolution yet!
I give this latest installment of Sage's adventures a solid 4.15. It's not perfect; particularly, punctuation and sentence structure could be improved throughout the book. However, this is an issue affecting the series from the start and doesn't come as a surprise or put-off by this point. I say. But really... Just one good editor...are they truly so hard to find? (I think this question is rhetorical by now given the number of novels coming out these days with the same issue. I mean, I'd do it... If someone paid me. Which I suppose is the problem.)
What I loved about these books from the beginning is the feel and detail of the world setting. I'm very into fantasy slice of life, loving those finer points which make a world really feel alive: this book delivers on that front very well, building on what's come before and giving us more tidbits, making this story and world one I really enjoy living in.
Having said that, the kind of attention to detail that requires will always slow a story down and in this case the plot progresses incrementally. It DOES progress (thank God!) but it definitely is taking its own sweet time.
Story-time wise, the book covers a period of about ten days. Sawyer continues to settle in at the Black Tower, he and we meet more guardsmen and learn more about daily life in the Tower. In the Garden, Sage continues to appear, unable to stop manifesting, apprehensively juggling her two personas, and the tension is real as we wait for the other shoe to drop.
I am very glad that Sage is mostly self aware, knows her strengths and weaknesses and is focused on becoming stronger in a sensible way. She's realistic about her ability to keep her cross-dressing secret and leveling up doesn't come magically, easily, or as something she's "born with" . She puts effort into everything she does and earns. And I am so SO grateful that she is not a damsel in distress! Well, she is a damsel, and she is in distress, and uh... She does seem to start thinking that her bodyguard Sir West might even help her, and um where was I going with this again? Haha. Right. What I mean is, when push comes to shove, my girl can, will, and DOES save her own dang self! Woohoo!
And very spoilery (seriously)(no really! Seriously!)
With the way things are shaping up by the end of the book I'm hopeful that at least one or two threads will come to a head in the next installment. The anticipation is killing me, but who's to say we readers won't just end up with more and more questions? We haven't even finished unfurling the entire plot yet.
The length and pacing of this book feels like it should be 1/3 of a doorstopper fantasy volume - the type that authors belabour over and release every 5 years or so. With this series the author has chosen to give us a few spoons much more often.
So then I question myself - do I prefer receiving little and often, or do I prefer to have a whole meal?
I surprised myself by realising that I think I prefer to wait a bunch of years to read the whole thing in one go. I've read and reread the previous books so many times and I could feel the wait for book 4 sending me feral with the need to know what happens next- needless to say, its not good for my mental health!
I am very happy to have met Sage from her debut and loved the days I spent living in her head as well as in the MMCs'. I do feel stretched thin by the excitement sometimes though, so here's hoping this next wait doesn't wear me out.
Review of advance copy received from Author
So much happening in this story - I have to keep reminding myself that even though this is book 4, roughly 3 weeks have passed since Sage, disguised as her younger brother Sawyer, entered the Black Tower pretending to be male, only to have her life turned upside down in ways that she couldn't even imagine.
If you haven't read the first 3 books, stop now and go back and read those now.
Done? Okay, we're all on the same page now right?
I am really enjoying this story, there is so much going on and I have no idea how the author is going to pull it all together, she has indicated she's not even sure how many books this one is going to go, but I'm here for it. Either way, it's a heck of a ride with sexy fae warriors, fated mates, political intrigue, hidden agendas, secret identities, deadly monsters, dangerous magic and more.
When we last saw Sage she had survived her attack in the Fae Garden where Wells and his cronies tried to force mating bonds onto her, and while her mating marks have been put to sleep some of them have changed color indicating one of the fae men in her life is her likely first mate. But Who? Additionally, she has also been tied to yet another fae man called West, this time at the command of the High Priestess in what feels like a cruel game. Can he be trusted? Rider, Talon, Quill and Ash each fighting their own internal battles regarding her as a potential mate have vowed to keep her safe and make sure to be at her side whenever she manifests in the garden. But Ash, the fae man she truly wants to see has been banned from the Divine Residence. Oh and many of her attackers are still at large.
And why is this all happening? She's human after all!
Back in the Black Tower her secret life as her younger brother Sawyer has continued to leave her bruised and battered since the other novices and even Guardsmen still don't think she's learned her lesson. The attacks come daily and they are only getting more brutal. But when a vision of Payne dying sends her crashing into the infirmary to save his life another burden rests on Sawyer's shoulders as now some of the people at the Black Tower know she has "the sight".
What more could possibly go wrong? A lot!
The stakes are ratcheted up with the High Priestess oblivious to the fact Sage's mating marks have been put to sleep and her machinations to push mates on Sage, mates Sage doesn't want. But now there is very real danger of her going insane, having 'the sight' is a dangerous magic and the only recorded fae to have it previously and NOT go mad was a female who's mates kept her sane. If her marks never awaken, will she go insane? She also has to keep her magic secret from the fae, she knows it's dangerous. And with some of her attackers still at large she doesn't know who she can trust. Was the High Priestess part of Wells and his cronies plans? Why is she pushing so hard for Sage to take mates? And while Rider, Quill & Talon insist on protecting her, she's not exactly thrilled to see one of them each night after her daily experiences with them as Saywer in the Black Tower. And with Ash banned from the Divine Residence her nights have become like a prison sentence.
Back at the Black Tower, Captain Rider is trying to not appear to play favorites with Sawyer but now that he knows the 'boy' has The Sight his concerns grow. Captain Quill works to help Sawyer with 'his' magic while Talon and his shadow are still drawn to the 'boy'. The rest of the novices have decided that their new punishment for Sawyer is to ignore him, which would be fine with Sage, if they would truly just leave her alone instead of leaving her on edge for their next attack which she is quite sure is coming, just like she knows the vision of her death is coming as well. Adding in the fact that the shadow monsters appear to be getting bolder in their attacks how will she survive long enough to make sure Sawyer is safely out of the Five Kingdoms and finally turn herself in to face whatever punishment awaits for taking his place at the tower?
So much action packed into this book!
I can't wait for the next one!
Thank you Tessa Cole for the ARC copy.
If you haven't read the first 3 books, stop now and go back and read those now.
Done? Okay, we're all on the same page now right?
I am really enjoying this story, there is so much going on and I have no idea how the author is going to pull it all together, she has indicated she's not even sure how many books this one is going to go, but I'm here for it. Either way, it's a heck of a ride with sexy fae warriors, fated mates, political intrigue, hidden agendas, secret identities, deadly monsters, dangerous magic and more.
When we last saw Sage she had survived her attack in the Fae Garden where Wells and his cronies tried to force mating bonds onto her, and while her mating marks have been put to sleep some of them have changed color indicating one of the fae men in her life is her likely first mate. But Who? Additionally, she has also been tied to yet another fae man called West, this time at the command of the High Priestess in what feels like a cruel game. Can he be trusted? Rider, Talon, Quill and Ash each fighting their own internal battles regarding her as a potential mate have vowed to keep her safe and make sure to be at her side whenever she manifests in the garden. But Ash, the fae man she truly wants to see has been banned from the Divine Residence. Oh and many of her attackers are still at large.
And why is this all happening? She's human after all!
Back in the Black Tower her secret life as her younger brother Sawyer has continued to leave her bruised and battered since the other novices and even Guardsmen still don't think she's learned her lesson. The attacks come daily and they are only getting more brutal. But when a vision of Payne dying sends her crashing into the infirmary to save his life another burden rests on Sawyer's shoulders as now some of the people at the Black Tower know she has "the sight".
What more could possibly go wrong? A lot!
The stakes are ratcheted up with the High Priestess oblivious to the fact Sage's mating marks have been put to sleep and her machinations to push mates on Sage, mates Sage doesn't want. But now there is very real danger of her going insane, having 'the sight' is a dangerous magic and the only recorded fae to have it previously and NOT go mad was a female who's mates kept her sane. If her marks never awaken, will she go insane? She also has to keep her magic secret from the fae, she knows it's dangerous. And with some of her attackers still at large she doesn't know who she can trust. Was the High Priestess part of Wells and his cronies plans? Why is she pushing so hard for Sage to take mates? And while Rider, Quill & Talon insist on protecting her, she's not exactly thrilled to see one of them each night after her daily experiences with them as Saywer in the Black Tower. And with Ash banned from the Divine Residence her nights have become like a prison sentence.
Back at the Black Tower, Captain Rider is trying to not appear to play favorites with Sawyer but now that he knows the 'boy' has The Sight his concerns grow. Captain Quill works to help Sawyer with 'his' magic while Talon and his shadow are still drawn to the 'boy'. The rest of the novices have decided that their new punishment for Sawyer is to ignore him, which would be fine with Sage, if they would truly just leave her alone instead of leaving her on edge for their next attack which she is quite sure is coming, just like she knows the vision of her death is coming as well. Adding in the fact that the shadow monsters appear to be getting bolder in their attacks how will she survive long enough to make sure Sawyer is safely out of the Five Kingdoms and finally turn herself in to face whatever punishment awaits for taking his place at the tower?
So much action packed into this book!
I can't wait for the next one!
Thank you Tessa Cole for the ARC copy.
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