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The First of Never: A Dark Neverland Fairytale Romance
Hook meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith — in Neverland.
A dark fairy-tale fantasy romance full of suspense, court intrigue, and a sizzling spy-vs-spy fated-mates pairing.
"Once upon a time" is now.
In this twisted Neverland, the fairies fled long ago. Tigerlily, heir to the kingdom, wears her crown like a curse — and she’s on the run. Now hiding out as Aurelia, she’s pursued by enemies on all sides… including her fated mate, Calix, the assassin hired to kill her.
The kingdom is tearing itself apart. La Crocodíl, a psychotic queenpin with watch faces embedded all over her skin, plots to seize the throne. Meanwhile, Ivo “Hook” Emerald, the ruthless Pirate Horde leader, teams up with icy cold businessman Peter Darlington IV to carve up and snatch what remains of a dying empire.
Beauty is a weapon, and emotion is a weakness in this ruthless royal game where your greatest enemy may be your only salvation. The romance is as dark as the blood that blackens the castle floors and taints the waters of Mermaid Cove, and love is the shot of sweet poison you hope to survive...on The First of Never.
🗝️ Tropes You’ll
✅ Dark romance with a twinkle of magic and fantasy
✅ Royal court intrigue and high-flying luxury lifestyles
✅ Enemies-to-lovers who go from spy vs. spy banter to sizzling hot encounters
✅ A beautiful villainess that makes you want to root for women's rights...and wrongs!
📢 Download The First of Never today, and get lost in this delicious dark fairy-tale where a princess wearing a hoodie and Vans hides in a Midwest sprinkled with fairy dust, your worst enemies can be your own family, and blazing passion sets two guarded hearts on fire.
TW and death (off page, but deathbed scene) SA/Non-con (implied, off-page), light gore, deaths on-page, forced body modification/mutilation.Spice hope you like it HOT. 4.5/5 explicit and plentiful
A dark fairy-tale fantasy romance full of suspense, court intrigue, and a sizzling spy-vs-spy fated-mates pairing.
"Once upon a time" is now.
In this twisted Neverland, the fairies fled long ago. Tigerlily, heir to the kingdom, wears her crown like a curse — and she’s on the run. Now hiding out as Aurelia, she’s pursued by enemies on all sides… including her fated mate, Calix, the assassin hired to kill her.
The kingdom is tearing itself apart. La Crocodíl, a psychotic queenpin with watch faces embedded all over her skin, plots to seize the throne. Meanwhile, Ivo “Hook” Emerald, the ruthless Pirate Horde leader, teams up with icy cold businessman Peter Darlington IV to carve up and snatch what remains of a dying empire.
Beauty is a weapon, and emotion is a weakness in this ruthless royal game where your greatest enemy may be your only salvation. The romance is as dark as the blood that blackens the castle floors and taints the waters of Mermaid Cove, and love is the shot of sweet poison you hope to survive...on The First of Never.
🗝️ Tropes You’ll
✅ Dark romance with a twinkle of magic and fantasy
✅ Royal court intrigue and high-flying luxury lifestyles
✅ Enemies-to-lovers who go from spy vs. spy banter to sizzling hot encounters
✅ A beautiful villainess that makes you want to root for women's rights...and wrongs!
📢 Download The First of Never today, and get lost in this delicious dark fairy-tale where a princess wearing a hoodie and Vans hides in a Midwest sprinkled with fairy dust, your worst enemies can be your own family, and blazing passion sets two guarded hearts on fire.
TW and death (off page, but deathbed scene) SA/Non-con (implied, off-page), light gore, deaths on-page, forced body modification/mutilation.Spice hope you like it HOT. 4.5/5 explicit and plentiful
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2025
About the author
Charlii Darling
14 books7 followersHi, I'm Charlii Darling. #1 Amazon best-selling author of The First of Never!
After falling in love with the timeless magic of a good love story, I set out to write books that feel like your favorite tropes — but with a fresh, modern twist. I call them novel romances: familiar enough to delight, but surprising enough to keep you on your toes.
If you like your tropes on the rocks, with a twist, or straight up, I’ve got them for you — shaken, stirred, and served with a wink.
For readers who love indie films, “weird girl” stories, and a dash of the surreal: these romances are artistic, cerebral, and unexpected — yet still deliver all the heat, heart, and happily-ever-afters you crave.
Love, Charlii
After falling in love with the timeless magic of a good love story, I set out to write books that feel like your favorite tropes — but with a fresh, modern twist. I call them novel romances: familiar enough to delight, but surprising enough to keep you on your toes.
If you like your tropes on the rocks, with a twist, or straight up, I’ve got them for you — shaken, stirred, and served with a wink.
For readers who love indie films, “weird girl” stories, and a dash of the surreal: these romances are artistic, cerebral, and unexpected — yet still deliver all the heat, heart, and happily-ever-afters you crave.
Love, Charlii
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 3, 2025
This neverland retelling absolutely did not disappoint. Highly recommend!
The story follows Tiger Lilly, who is on the run during a war for her father's throne. Calix is a lost boy and a hired mercenary.
Calix is flying straight into my top 10 book boyfriends of all time. I loved absolutely everything about him and his story. Obsessed doesn't even begin to cover how much I adore him.
The story follows Tiger Lilly, who is on the run during a war for her father's throne. Calix is a lost boy and a hired mercenary.
Calix is flying straight into my top 10 book boyfriends of all time. I loved absolutely everything about him and his story. Obsessed doesn't even begin to cover how much I adore him.
July 8, 2025
~*~ arc for honest review ~*~
Love me a fairytale retelling and this one soo did not disappoint
There were lots of fun and spicy twists and turns.
Our FMC is tigerlilly who is on the run
Calix is a “lost boy” assassin for hire
He finds something he never new he wanted in tigerlily
She finds someone worth fighting for in him and that sets both of them free
They have a very good banter and even tho it was a fast lovestory it was believable
Loved this one
Love me a fairytale retelling and this one soo did not disappoint
There were lots of fun and spicy twists and turns.
Our FMC is tigerlilly who is on the run
Calix is a “lost boy” assassin for hire
He finds something he never new he wanted in tigerlily
She finds someone worth fighting for in him and that sets both of them free
They have a very good banter and even tho it was a fast lovestory it was believable
Loved this one
July 14, 2025
Let me start by saying I really enjoyed The First of Never. It was a fun, adventurous, fast-paced read and I love that.
But I'm also torn. Half of me thinks that was such a great, fun book. The other half of me is wondering what the hell I just read.
I'm going to give it a solid 4 and I'll tell you why. The story itself was great, very Game of Thrones. A group of militants trying to overthrow the crown of a kingdom. A princess on the run to keep the bloodline alive to retake the throne. The daughter of a rival leader, unseated and brutalized, makes a new legacy of her own, and hires assassins to take out the princess and all those with a claim to the throne she believes is hers. The assassin hired to eliminate the princess, who falls for her instead.
All of that was fantastic. Where it lost me, was with the Neverland aspect. For me, it was a confusing side plot that I don't feel added to the story.
Where this did work most, for me, was with my favourite side character - La Crocodil. She was psychotic, unhinged and completely feral in all the best ways. She's one of the most captivating characters I've read.
The chemistry between Aurelia and Calix is fire. I love how quickly Calix falls for her, and decides that not only won't he kill her, but he'll do whatever he can to keep her safe. And of course, the miscommunication between the two leads to some very interesting turn of events that had me giggling.
Overall, this was a fun and exciting read!
But I'm also torn. Half of me thinks that was such a great, fun book. The other half of me is wondering what the hell I just read.
I'm going to give it a solid 4 and I'll tell you why. The story itself was great, very Game of Thrones. A group of militants trying to overthrow the crown of a kingdom. A princess on the run to keep the bloodline alive to retake the throne. The daughter of a rival leader, unseated and brutalized, makes a new legacy of her own, and hires assassins to take out the princess and all those with a claim to the throne she believes is hers. The assassin hired to eliminate the princess, who falls for her instead.
All of that was fantastic. Where it lost me, was with the Neverland aspect. For me, it was a confusing side plot that I don't feel added to the story.
Where this did work most, for me, was with my favourite side character - La Crocodil. She was psychotic, unhinged and completely feral in all the best ways. She's one of the most captivating characters I've read.
The chemistry between Aurelia and Calix is fire. I love how quickly Calix falls for her, and decides that not only won't he kill her, but he'll do whatever he can to keep her safe. And of course, the miscommunication between the two leads to some very interesting turn of events that had me giggling.
Overall, this was a fun and exciting read!
August 4, 2025
I feel this is one of those books that just needed another round of editing. There were grammar and structure issues that pulled me out. I had a hard time getting into it. I liked the characters and the story, but it fell short on some aspects. The spice also fell off for me. I don't know. My friends liked it, so even though it wasn't for me, I can see a lot of people enjoying it. It still held enough entertainment, and I enjoyed the vibes for a 3 star. I think it had potential to be even better.
July 29, 2025
Explicit. This started good - I liked the setup, I liked the characters, the concept of the world. But it just spiralled into something so repetitive and plotless that I almost gave up (we get it, she's pierced). But it's a quick read and if you are just looking for some spice with a Peter Pan-esque vibe, it'll be great for you. I think the story could have really benefitted from another round of developmental edits before releasing, because the start was really intriguing.
September 1, 2025
I found this book a little scattered. I got the overall plot, but it did not seem to flow well. My mind wandered a lot, and I had to reread multiple sections. Did not keep me in the story. Also, the spicy scenes just popped up...no real lead up. They were also not greatly written. Could not get into the characters. Could not wait until the end...I am not a DNFer.
July 14, 2025
Dark Fantasy
The First of Never is a dark fantasy packed with enemies-to-lovers tension, wicked romance, and a fierce villainess you can’t help but root for.
The First of Never is a dark fantasy packed with enemies-to-lovers tension, wicked romance, and a fierce villainess you can’t help but root for.
August 9, 2025
Read for my romance book group's dark romance month. Found the storyline confusing. Still very much not a fan of dark romances.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews