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Harem Lies
They say he’ll ruin you for other men.
And you’ll beg for more.
The war-hungry empire of Sasanian Persia may be crumbling, but Mehr was always going to lose her freedom. Now, she must become someone’s lowly third wife or a concubine for the War Lord, a carnal sacrifice for the glory of the empire. She chooses the latter—but it isn’t what was promised.
As for the War Lord, Kaveh has never made a choice for himself. Thrust from one responsibility to the next, his first priority is survival—not politics. But when a young woman enters his tent—and his bed—under false pretenses, Kaveh is enthralled by her fierce intensity.
Relentlessly focused on her own path, Mehr’s desires start to complicate her idea of freedom. And while Kaveh wishes to keep her for himself, this is another choice that isn’t his.
The empire will always take what it wants.
And you’ll beg for more.
The war-hungry empire of Sasanian Persia may be crumbling, but Mehr was always going to lose her freedom. Now, she must become someone’s lowly third wife or a concubine for the War Lord, a carnal sacrifice for the glory of the empire. She chooses the latter—but it isn’t what was promised.
As for the War Lord, Kaveh has never made a choice for himself. Thrust from one responsibility to the next, his first priority is survival—not politics. But when a young woman enters his tent—and his bed—under false pretenses, Kaveh is enthralled by her fierce intensity.
Relentlessly focused on her own path, Mehr’s desires start to complicate her idea of freedom. And while Kaveh wishes to keep her for himself, this is another choice that isn’t his.
The empire will always take what it wants.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 28, 2025
2 people are currently reading
1 person want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 12, 2026
Harem Lies is a historical romance set in ancient Persia, and follows Mehr, who joins the royal concubine to avoid an arranged marriage contract… and promptly discovers that nothing in the harem is quite what it seems, including her own heart. She uncovers truths about her service, finds herself wanting more from life, and—let’s be honest—what she wants most is Kaveh, the resident grumpy War Lord who is, delightfully, not actually terrible at all.
One of my favorite parts was Rana, the FMC’s best friend. She’s a fully developed character with her own storyline that never feels like filler. The friendship between the women, alongside the slow-burn romance, is really where the book shines. Also, shoutout to the author for the appropriate use and frequency of dropping f-bombs 😂 The inner dialogue lets you know when the FMC realizes she’s being dumb and quickly corrects herself.
I enjoyed this enough to happily give it four stars. I did knock off one star because the pacing occasionally dragged or jumped ahead like it had somewhere to be without me, and because I am apparently an uncultured a-hole and had to look up several terms to make sure I knew what was going on (Goodreads: come for the reviews, stay for the impromptu vocabulary lessons). That said, the world-building is rich once you catch up, and the story rewards you for sticking with it.
Overall, this is a great introduction to historical romance if you didn’t even know this corner of the genre existed. If you like friendship, secrets, slow-burn feelings, and a grumpy-not-awful War Lord, you’ll have a good time—dictionary tabs and all.
One of my favorite parts was Rana, the FMC’s best friend. She’s a fully developed character with her own storyline that never feels like filler. The friendship between the women, alongside the slow-burn romance, is really where the book shines. Also, shoutout to the author for the appropriate use and frequency of dropping f-bombs 😂 The inner dialogue lets you know when the FMC realizes she’s being dumb and quickly corrects herself.
I enjoyed this enough to happily give it four stars. I did knock off one star because the pacing occasionally dragged or jumped ahead like it had somewhere to be without me, and because I am apparently an uncultured a-hole and had to look up several terms to make sure I knew what was going on (Goodreads: come for the reviews, stay for the impromptu vocabulary lessons). That said, the world-building is rich once you catch up, and the story rewards you for sticking with it.
Overall, this is a great introduction to historical romance if you didn’t even know this corner of the genre existed. If you like friendship, secrets, slow-burn feelings, and a grumpy-not-awful War Lord, you’ll have a good time—dictionary tabs and all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2025
I really enjoyed Harem Lies by C. L. Rhodes. The story follows Mehr and Kaveh in Ancient Persia, and I loved how their relationship developed. Mehr is a strong FMC who’s determined to escape the limited choices life has given her — marriage, becoming a concubine, or even prostitution. She ends up choosing to become a concubine for the War Lord Kaveh, only to find herself becoming part of a powerful female army. I loved the twist that Kaveh turned his entire harem into warriors.
The plot is engaging and the characters really pulled me in — I found myself genuinely invested in each of their stories.
If I have one critique, it’s that the writing could have used a bit more depth. Sometimes the story jumped so quickly that I had to stop and figure out what had just happened. But overall, I still really liked it and definitely recommend it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The plot is engaging and the characters really pulled me in — I found myself genuinely invested in each of their stories.
If I have one critique, it’s that the writing could have used a bit more depth. Sometimes the story jumped so quickly that I had to stop and figure out what had just happened. But overall, I still really liked it and definitely recommend it.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews