Of Fae and Wicked Kings

Wicked Fae #1

by Jada McCrary, Grace Noble (Narrator), Gregory Salinas (Narrator)

A human, a fae warrior, and the wicked Unseelie king walk into a bar. Just kidding. There is no bar. But there is a quest to find a missing queen. And tension. Lots of tension.

When she and her love, Rowan, went to the Unseelie Court, Gwyndolin only intended to ask the Unseelie king to stop his fae from attacking the humans and Seelie fae. She did not intend for him to insert himself into their quest to find the high queen. But who can say no to the wicked High King Aspen? He takes what he wants, and he doesn’t care who he hurts in the process.

His magic may be useful, but his arrogant, flirtatious attitude may cause a rift between her and Rowan. She hates Aspen, and he seems to only want to antagonize her. So, why does it seem like there’s something else he’s hiding? And will it threaten everything when she finds out?

This novella, set in the realm of the Fae-blessed series but sometime before that series, is full of love, betrayal, and villains. Who doesn’t love villains?

Prepare to fall in love with the villain.

This novella was initially released in the Romancing the Falling for the Bad Boy Villain anthology, now with two more chapters, character art, and bonus scenes! While this book is shorter, the rest of the series will be full-length novels.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Romantasy, Fae, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Fantasy Romance

Audible Audio

First published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Angelina Wittynghan-Pace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received an E-ARC for an honest review.
I'm well aware that this is a novella, originally part of an anthology that is now turning into a series, but man I still wish there was more. It just felt very rushed. The characters definitely have potential, but just needed a little more depth to them. King Aspen is supposed to be this cruel king, and I really wasn't getting those vibes from him. I do really like him though. I like the twist with Rowan as well. I will still be reading the next book as I know it will be longer, so I'm hoping for more world building and character development. I know this story definitely has great potential.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished listening to an advanced copy of a book called, Of Fae and Wicked Kings. This is about Gwendolyn, she is a human that teams up with a fae named Rowan, to go on a quest to find the missing queen. They go to the king of another court to ask him to stop his people from attacking theirs, but when their quest is brought up the king invites himself along for the journey. Gwendolyn has feelings for Rowan, but king Aspen keeps inserting himself and getting on their nerves while tirelessly flirting with Gwendolyn. Tensions are high and things don't go the way Gwendolyn hoped as they travel on this quest.
This was a really great introduction to this series! This was a novella that gave just enough to make me want to read the next book immediately! I was really happy with the three narrators for this, they all really brought the characters to life! This was a strong start and I am really hoping the rest of this series has the audios put onto Netgalley so I can listen and continue this series! 💙📚

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for this ALC of Of Fae and Wicked Kings, in exchange for an honest review.

[Magically Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOU NEVER TRUST THE FIRST MMC. EVER!!!

Okay, so I could have guessed that Rowan was maybe not all that, but I was not expecting him to be full circle evil. Makes you question who is supposed to be the true "villain" of the story. Okay I could keep ranting about him but I will stop... for now.

Gwyndolin, our sweet naive human. She is in better hands now with the Aspen, but I'm hoping in book 2 she gives him some trouble. Make him work for it, cause he already knows he's hot. I would trade places with her though... marry a Fae king, sign me up!

Can't wait for the audio for book 2!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice Level:
🎧 Full Cast Narration (1h 46m at 2X)

Novella
Prophecy
Enemies to Lovers
Fae x Human
Morally Grey MMC
He Comes for Her
Ice Powers

Thank you to Momentum Media and Publishing LLC, and author Jada McCrary, for providing me with the ALC of “Of Fae and Wicked Kings”. Grace Noble, Gregory Salinas, and Anthony Palmini did a wonderful job narrating this book.

[Aleisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was extremely enjoyable for a novella especially, but it went so quick!. I really liked both of the male narrators. I need more information and the next installment asap.

[Brina's Emotional Borrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this 3.5 stars

I normally rate novellas on the lower side… but man, this audio cast completely forced my hand. I was minutes in and already melting. Anthony Palmini is Slade from Plated Prisoner in my head, and hearing him as Rowan? Voice like butter. Then Gregory Salinas comes in with an accent and suddenly I’m wondering how I’m supposed to choose between these men. I’ve struggled with some of his older solo narrations, but in this multi‑cast duet format? He’s killing it. Grace Noble rounds everything out beautifully. Honestly, the narration alone bumped this from a 3.25 to a 3.5.

As for the story itself, Of Fae and Wicked Kings is short, fast, and almost fairytale‑coded because of the length. It was originally part of an anthology, and you can feel that — but in a way that works. It reads like a setup for the next two full‑length books, and I’m genuinely curious to see where the series goes.

Because it’s only 83 pages, things move quickly. Aspen's obsession doesn’t have much time to build, and Gwyndolin’s boldness sometimes stretches believability for a human in this world. (Her “remember me, Queen?? I sold you mushrooms” moment had me smirking.) And the Queen’s mercy at the end… had me suspecting things. Benevolent or not, that was a choice.

But even with those little quirks, this novella packs more action, worldbuilding, and character movement than some full‑length novels I’ve read. The prophecy thread is interesting, and I’m already side‑eyeing the “benevolent” Queen. I have theories...is she actually good? Is she tied up in this mess? Was her capture a setup? I’m watching her.

Overall, this was a quick romantasy with excellent narration and a promising foundation for the series. I’m definitely picking up books 2 and 3.

Thank you to NetGalley, Momentum Media and Publishing LLC, and Jada McCrary for the ALC

[❀ Sarah-Jane ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this novella.

This is an incredibly fast paced novella, it was only 2 hours long and it really does leave you wanting more. It was incredibly quick in the insta love kind of way... and already getting betrayal and intrigue in the first 2 hours? Brilliant!

I enjoyed the narration and enjoyed this short novella. It definitely made me want to continue the series!

[S.M. Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley and the author/publisher for the audiobook.

This was a dark romantasy novella in which the villain gets the girl. It had all the right ingredients for what many trendy readers are looking for in a romantasy. I think this story would please most romantasy fans. It was duet narration too, so that was a nice bonus I enjoyed. It is very short but the beginning of a series, so I am looking forward to continuing with this series. Glad to find a new author I enjoy!

I received an advanced copy of this audio book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great introduction to this series. It held my attention and left me eager to read more. I am looking forward to actually reading the full series.

Anthony Palmini as a bad guy is also kind of hot. 🤷

[Randi Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ ⋆˚꩜｡ 5🎧 ⋆˚꩜｡0🌶️


I just finished a really heavy one and this was definitely a wonderfully placed palette cleanser.

I love a good novella! I am a huge fan of the fae world. The plot definitely plotted!

If you love short stories / novellas, would definitely recommend!

[BookishVibesClub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Aspen ❤️‍🔥 How I do love his possessive banter. This is such a great duology for fans of alluring villain types and fae romantasy. I love the twists and how complete the story feels even as a novella. The FMC is sassy an I love her stubborn personality. The MMCs are possessive in this series and make for a fun story.

Of Fae and Wicked Kings is probably my favorite novella I have read. You get all the best feels and story in this one.

❤️‍🔥 Villain Gets the Girl
❤️‍🔥 Possessive and Protective MMC
❤️‍🔥 Sassy FMC
❤️‍🔥 Morally Gray
❤️‍🔥 Banter
❤️‍🔥 One Horse
❤️‍🔥 Burn the World For Her
❤️‍🔥 Fae x Human

🫑🫑 (no spice, steamy feels)

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐ 3 | No spice

I received this as an ARC, and it turned out to be a very short read—only about 60 pages. Honestly, it felt more like a teaser than a full story. The idea is fantastic, but it really missed the deeper world-building, character development, and slow-burn romance tension that could have made it unforgettable. Right now, it felt a little rushed and cut short.

That said, the potential is definitely there, and it was a fun and easy read to keep me awake during my night shift 😅

👉 Curious: do you enjoy quick fantasy reads like this, or are you more of a “give me 500+ pages of angst, magic, and romance or nothing” type?

[Linda Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook is such a treat! The duet style narration starring such an all star cast of Grace Noble, Gregory Salinas, and Anthony Palmini satisfied all my arrogant wicked fae cravings!!

Gregory and Anthony expertly narrate two duplicitous fae, the Unseelie high fae king, Aspen, and a Seelie fae warrior, Rowan. The bring such wickedness and betrayal and also the start of some unhinged yearning with the Unseelie king wanting to possess a human pet.

Grace does a fantastic job at narrating Gwyn, a strong willed, sassy human girl who has feelings for Rowan. The Seelie queen is missing and so Gwyn and Rowan begin a quest to find her, firstly seeking out Aspen to discover if he has kidnapped the Seelie queen.

This is a story of betrayal, prophecy, hidden identities and motives, and a human girl completely out of her depth.

The simmering tension between Gwyn and Aspen is delicious, and the banter and wickedness between the two is narrated by Gregory and Grace in such a compelling way that you can’t help but start to root for the villain.

The pacing of this novella is great and I was able to listen to the audiobook on speed 1.75x and felt very immersed in this story.

This novella completely has me hooked and I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook of book 2 in this series. I absolutely love wicked arrogant fae and a prophecy!

You’ll enjoy this novella if you love:
🔥 Enemies to lovers
🖤 Villain gets the girl
🔥 He falls first and harder
🖤 Touch her and die
🔥 Burn the world
🖤 Obsessive, morally gray MMC
🔥 Dual POV with lots of plot twists

Thank you to NetGalley and Momentum Media and Publishing LLC for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

[Reese Songbird · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but it wasn’t super interesting to me at the same time. My favorite character…I wasn’t happy with the way he turned out but I’m not gonna say spoilers lol
But the romance felt really rushed and the plot kind of rushed. I understand why, since the author said that it was originally part of an anthology or something where it had to be short. But I wish it had been more drawn out and we’d received more interactions with certain characters and dynamics.
I did like the setting though, it felt immersive and the descriptions were written so well! That was definitely my favorite part. I could feel like I was there and see everything along with the characters.

Content:
Some suggestive comments, a forced kiss, a passionate kiss, violence, mentions putting curses on people but it isn’t graphic, some characters in the book (won’t mention due to spoilers) lose limbs and could be disturbing to certain readers. Two main characters share a bedroll and sleep next to each other.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A human, a fae warrior, and the wicked Unseelie king walk into a bar. Just kidding. There is no bar. But there is a quest to find a missing queen. And tension. Lots of tension."

Jada did not lie. So much tension! This was fast paced, but also still gave background information on the characters to become invested in the story. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'm being careful with my wording, but I loved the connections between the characters and how they developed in such a short amount of time. The narrators were fantastic. They all did a great job with bringing the characters to life and giving the depth the story required of them.

I'm immediately adding book 2 to my TBR!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC audiobook.

[🌙henny✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mostly, but I found it quite difficult to care much about characters I spent so little time with. I know it’s a novella, but I think there’s a reason fantasy books are so long, it’s so you can pack the plot and the romance in there without it feeling like anything is lacking.

I guess this is the ‘backstory’ as it were? It’s just that so much happened so quickly and it didn’t make me feel anything because I had no connection to these characters or the world or anything 😅

Thank you for the ALC!!

[Lupita 🐰 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.
✨Audiobook✨
The narrator that voiced Rowan is 🥵 🌶️
Loved the playful banter. The high king making Gwendolyn ride with him was amusing, he had me cackling the whole time when he was flirting. Ugh!!! The betrayal half way through, that I did not expect. I was literally jaw on the floor, it was so cruel! The words were so cruel!! This was short but made me want to read the series!

[Kortnee - The Closed Door Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

[Erica Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short but awesome read. And the best part? The audio is in duet and has 3 amazing people putting the voice to the characters. Grace Noble, Gregory Salina’s, and Anthony Palmini which did absolutely superb.

She’s a human that thinks she loves a fae. Until the truth comes out. The king isn’t the person she thinks he is, or is he? He’s obsessed with her and can’t figure out why. Her best friend turns out the be the evil person in the world she’s brought in to. There’s nothing this King won’t do for her including defeating another king to protect her!!! I most definitely need to know what happens next!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, Momentum Media + Publishing LLC and Jada McCrary for the ALC! All opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️

This little novella is an interesting start to this series. It was originally a part of an anthology but is being rereleased as a standalone prequel to the Fae-Blessed series. This is extremely short, at only 67 pages on kindle and 2 hours as an audiobook so don’t expect much buildup or world building. To be fair she did say that there was not going to be any character development or world building in this quick novella. I have not read the rest of her series so I can’t speak on it but I hope since they are all full length that she includes some world building.

The ‘plot twists’ in this were pretty obvious from someone that reads a lot of romantasy or love triangles. I will go on record that I will never trust a mmc who has blond hair. They always have me looking sideways at them and this story has just proved that once again blond men are not to be trusted. As stated above, this story moved very fast. I do wish that it would have been extended by another 50 pages or so to make us have a little more of a connection with the characters. Since it was so quick, it made the characters fall a little flat unfortunately. The chemistry felt forced at times and since there was no connection, the dialogue came off as unauthentic between the three main characters.

That being said, this story has a lot of potential! I am very excited to continue with book 2 and 3. This is a great set up for what is to come, hopefully book two has
✨fake engagement
✨forced proximity
✨enemies to lovers
✨rival fae kingdoms
✨human and fae relationships

The audiobook for this was well done. I really appreciated that there were 3 different narrators, one for each of the main characters. I hope that they continue in that format for the following books. The narrators for Gwyn and Aspen were great and easy to listen to. I didn’t love the voice of Rowan, but I feel like that was more of an artistic choice to come off as a little whiny and untrustworthy as foreshadowing.

All in all, I am excited to read the next 2 installments in this series! I would recommend this to anyone who wants a quick straightforward read and is looking to get into a new series.

[All_About_Them_Audiobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead***

Possible triggers: Abusive Relationship, Assault, Attempted Murder, Death, Dead Bodies, Decapitation, Emotional Abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Knife, Sword and Axe Violence, Murder, Oppression, Poisoning, Torture, Violence

Overall star rating (out of 5⭐️): 4.5

Spice level (out of 5🌶️): 0.5 (only two kisses, while the first one was forced)

Content review: Gwen is a human that lives in a world where fae are the rulers. But as the seelie queen goes missing, she set out to find her with Rowan (the man she is in love with) and the unseelie king.
A short novella that moves fast and still presents a full story. This story is full of a lot of typical tropes such as ‘one horse only’ or ‘he falls first and harder’. Definitely recommend this if you want a complete story that is only 1.5 hours long.

Narrator review: Grace Noble, Gregory Salinas and Anthony Palmini did a fantastic job narrating this book! I love the duet style reading! Makes it very immersive 🥰 4.5 out of 5

Reading Format: Duet (FMM)

Tags: betrayal, elf, evil creatures/monsters, fae, fantasy, good banter, insta love, magic, morally grey mmc, prophecy, romantasy, slow burn

Tropes: enemies to lovers, he falls first and harder, love triangle, one horse only, touch her and die

❤️ Love interest: Aspen x Gwen

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already got Book 2 checked out from the library because I need to see these two fall in love -

⋆꙳•❅*‧ ‧*❆ ₊⋆

🧊 Insta-Obsession (him)
🧊 Touch Her and 💀
🧊 Villain Gets the Girl

⋆꙳•❅*‧ ‧*❆ ₊⋆

A bit of a fast start in the beginning; I had to pause and try to figure out who exactly the High Queen was, and such similar things. However, if I had just waited like....60 seconds I would have gotten the explanation like 2 paragraphs later 🤦

Had me laughing out loud; MMC can be QUITE sassy.

I love how this didn't exactly end with the relationship tied up with a nice romantic bow; the ending left plenty of room for us to watch FMC and MMC really and genuinely fall in love. He's obsessed, she's a bit suspicious, and their dynamic is just 👌🏻

Loved the writing style, and all of the narrators made this a LOVELY listening experience. I'm definitely a bit disappointed that Book 2 doesn't have an audio format yet, but that's just me being impatient. I got an ALC of Book 1...so was I really expecting Book 2 to have audio already? smh, me

Anyway - this is a fabulous palate cleanser, ESPECIALLY in audio format. But prepare yourself to commit to the whole series because the romance had me sat and laughing

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to a new romantasy series

This novella is in denial about being short: it packs far more in than expected. Despite its length, the world-building feels rich, weaving humans, fae, and the unseelie into a vivid, dangerous setting. Sharp plot twists keep the pace brisk, while the instalove leans fully into the genre’s charm. A small book with an unexpectedly big bite.

And let's not forget:
🥵 evil Gregory Salinas, who I first fell in love with whilst listening to the Saint View Psychos series by Elle Thorpe

Looking forward to book 2!

What you need to know:
📚prequel to the Wicked Fae series
⏰novella (1h39)
🫂dual POV, 1st person
🎙️duet narration, multi-cast
🖤dark romantasy
🤬enemies-to-lovers
🔀lots of plot twists
🦹🏻villain gets the girl
❤️‍🔥he falls first, he falls harder
💀touch her and die
🔥burn the world
🖤obsessive, morally gray MMC
🫠he calls her Pet
🔚ends on a plot twist

For the safety squad:
🦺content warnings: violence, cursing people (mention of), kidnapping, dismemberment, betrayal,...

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short novella, about two hours on audio, and it was really easy to get stuck into. It jumps straight into the action, and even without much world‑building (understandable given the length) I found it easy to follow. Gwyndolin is a human woman who sets out on a quest with Rowan, her fae best friend with definite potential for more, to plead with Aspen (the morally grey fae High King of a rival court) to stop attacking the humans and the Seelie fae. The three of them reluctantly team up to find the queen and, hopefully, a path to peace.

There were some huge twists and turns that I genuinely didn’t see coming, and I thought all the characters were compelling. My only real issue was the English accent in the audio. I’m English and it didn’t always sound right to me, with words pronounced in the American way, which pulled me out of the story.

I think I’d continue the series, but I’d probably go for the eBook next time rather than the audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and Momentum Media and Publishing LLC for the ALC.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a super short story, this was really good!
I had never heard of this author or this series before picking this up and I am intrigued. I’m definitely interested in continuing this story, I have so many questions and I really liked the Rowan and King Aspen.
Morally gray, hot possessive males, yes please!
Twists and turns in a two hour audio book?! Yes!
Even though it was super short, I felt like I knew a bit about the characters. Definitely way more world building needed and wanted so I’m going to have to read the full length books but to do what this author was able to do in such a short amount of time is awesome.
This was an audio and all three narrators were absolutely perfect. This is worth the listen.

I received and audio advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and momentum media. All opinions are my own.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance listening copy of Of Fae and Wicked Kings through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the audiobook. The story is short, but the writing was strong and the premise was interesting enough to make me curious about the rest of the series.

The audiobook production was excellent. The narrators did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, and their performances really helped elevate the story. I’ve heard both narrators in other audiobooks before and have liked them in the past, so it was great to hear them here as well.

Because this is a shorter story, it feels more like an introduction to the world and characters rather than a full standalone novel. That said, it definitely left me interested to see where the series goes next.

Overall, an enjoyable fantasy novella with a great audiobook performance.

[Grace Farnsworth PA · Rating 5 out of 5]

alc review

This was a short little 2 hour audio (if you listen on 2x like me, an hour).

There isn’t a lot of world building, which was to be expected and communicated by the author/publisher and the rest of the books in the series are full stories with more world building.

I am excited to see the world this author builds throughout the series. So far I like the characters. Even the bad guy and can’t wait to see what happened next.

I was pulled into this story from the jump. And it was a great introduction to this series and the world being built.

Narration was really good and the accents were excellent.

[ChrystalflightsReading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved this book. I thought I'd have a hard time getting investing in the series with the first one being so short bit man was it an immediate chokehold. I think it says a lot about an author when they cab get you invested and feel for characters in such a tight page count. The plot and development has been seamless so far and I feel for both the "villain" and the pressure of the FMC within the few first pages which is not something I can always say. I am so excited to see what comes out of this series in the future!

[Jennifer Wycech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Romantasy
1st person POV

Duet narration - Grace Noble, Gregory Salinas, Anthony Palmini
Love these narration!

Ok this is a short novella that left me needing and wanting more. I really enjoyed the characters and the brief insight into them. I can not wait to listen to more of this series.

I have been struggling lately getting into fantasy at romances and this short story drew me in. I will impatiently be waiting for more!

[Brittany Devereaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super quick listen that I received a copy of from NetGalley. I know the intent is that this is just an introduction to the series and that’s exactly what it is. We don’t get too deep or see much world building, but the reader will definitely get the idea. I’d definitely be interested to continue, especially with the current narrators.

[Shari Waldschmidt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this novella as an ARC and really wanted to like this book, but had difficulty engaging from the first chapter. There was not much world building and definitely jumped around a lot! It felt very choppy and i think that may be why i couldn’t connect to or enjoy this book.