Tales of a Treacherous Fate

The Tales #3

by Jennifer Delaney

THE DARKNESS BENEATH NEVER WISHED TO BE USED AT ALL. IT SIMPLY WISHED TO BE FREE.

With trust fractured and our heroes separated across the burning face of Elysior, full-scale war looms closer. Now the surviving Fey are fleeing into the north in a desperate attempt to rouse the ancient power that sleeps beyond the mountains.

But nothing is quite what it seems. As demons are unleashed upon the earth in their murderous legions, Kat and Emrys must call upon their very last resort for help . . . the Old Gods themselves.

For not all darkness is their enemy and fate is about to begin its final deadly game.

Tales of a Treacherous Fate concludes the Sunday Times bestselling gothic fantasy series that began with Tales of a Monstrous Heart - a sumptuous magical retelling of Jane Eyre, unmissable for fans of Rachel Gillig and Kaylie Smith.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy

540 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2026

About the author

Jennifer Delaney lives in Liverpool, England. She has a BA and MA in Creative Writing from Liverpool John Moores University.
Jennifer has always had a deep love of fantasy, troublesome characters, heart stopping romance and all things gothic.
Tales of a Monstrous Heart is her debut novel. The first book in her gothic fantasy trilogy.

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection. I’m so sad it’s over 😭
Full review to come ♥️

[Camilla_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's all over! What a ride this series has been. And what a totally perfect ending this book was. I have a lot of emotions: sadness that its all finished, happiness that it ended the way it did, and enormous pride for what Jen achieved with these books! The world in the Tales series is well-developed and endlessly interesting, snippets of lore and in-world history at the beginning of chapters has always been one of my favourite things to see in fantasy books, and Jen has always done it so well. The added POVs in this third book were brilliant to have, rounding out the reading experience. Everything was pretty fast-paced so I really didn't want to put the book down at any point - and I basically didn't, managing to read it in one day. Once again, the romance was wonderful but my absolute favourite part of this series is the friendships and familial relationships; the jumbled together found-family vibe; the fierce way Alma and Kat adore and love each other. There are plenty of dark moments in this book, plenty of times things felt bleak and hopeless for the characters. But there's always this incredibly strong thread of hope throughout, too. I just love these books so much and I thoroughly recommend them to anyone who likes a fantasy romance with real substance behind it.

[Emma Mihaljevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapter 45....that all i got to say

[Victoria Knight · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A great ending to this trilogy. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because at times I was a bit lost with the revolutions being made by Kat and some of the law, but once the book concluded I understood better. This book might increase.5 of star on a reread

[Kevin · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

Tales of a Treacherous Fate is the final installment in the gothic romantasy The Tales trilogy. The old stories have been exposed as lies, secrets buried by history’s victors to protect their version of events. Emery, Kat, and their allies must overcome the Countess and her fey rebels, as well as Montagor and his mortal hunters, to right an ancient wrong and free both the world and magic from its taint.

This delivers a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy and is, without question, the strongest book in the series. The storytelling and prose feel markedly improved, though a few scattered misspellings remain. Crucially, the plot is finally explained adequately. Characters discuss what is happening, making the stakes, revelations, and conclusions much easier to follow. For the first time, I was no longer confused.

Expanding the narrative to multiple perspectives (rather than the single and dual POVs of the first two books) was an excellent choice. Most importantly, Emrys’ perspective was sorely needed, and he just rounds out the narrative. The story is highly propulsive, moving step by step as the group overcomes one foe after another. Its reveals feel genuinely surprising, and it builds to an exciting finale while still making room for fun sequences and meaningful character moments.

This book finally completes the found family the trilogy has been building up. Their whole group dynamic really reminded me of Cassandra Clare’s many Shadowhunters books. It has a large ensemble, queer representation, complicated relationships, and plenty of coupling going around. While romances abound throughout the book, the other relationships are just as compelling. Kat and Alma’s sisterly bond finally shines, especially in one powerful early moment that really moved me. Emrys and William’s almost paternal relationship had me crying, while Emrys and Gideon’s fraternal bond and their shared grief for their lost sister finally receives the catharsis it deserves.

Tales of a Treacherous Fate is the series at its best: clearer, bolder, more emotional, and ultimately deeply satisfying.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Kat, you could burn this world down and I’d still be hopelessly in love with you,’ he answered, his thumb dragging across my bottom lip.”

Its always so bittersweet reaching out the end of a series you adore so much. But this bittersweet feeling turns into satisfaction when the finale is done really well, and Jennifer totally nailed it! In fact, Tales of a Treacherous Fate not only is the most emotionally (painful) book, it’s also her best book yet! I cried many times, and I laughed equally, this group of characters will forever live in my heart! The multi-POV approach was also spot on and as I adored every single character, I was always so eager to read all of their POVs.
 
I always said Tales of a Monstrous Heart was a book written for my soul,… then Tales of a Treacherous Fate is a book written for my heart. The original crew Kat, Emrys, Alma, Thean, Gideon, plus the old and new characters Vesper, Isa, Callen… what a phenomenal group!
 
I also just want to say the epilogue was immensely satisfying and I adore it so so so much! It left me smiling the entire way and feeling like I can rest, they’re all ok and happy! Also, Jennifer, I need a Gideon novella like now. Thanks!

[Miri · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Decent ending - I really liked how the light and dark magic combined to be less Manichean. Although it still ends with marriage and children. Oh well. Good comfort reading

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“They called me a monster long before I started playing the role of one.”🩶

I absolutely adore all of these wonderful characters and their story. I’m sad to say goodbye to them. 🫂

“What a fine pair of monsters we shall be in all the tales to come.” 🩶