The King's Wren: Part One: An Enemies to Lovers Romantasy

by Ari Roper

They called the crown’s assassin a ghost.

When Prince Caelan Thorne orders the “man” behind the kingdom’s discreet victories dragged into his castle, he expects a weapon he can aim. He doesn’t expect Nyra—sharp-tongued, blade-fast, and furious enough to spit in a prince’s face… then vanish through a locked door five minutes later.

Caelan should let her go. He should forget the way she looks at him like he’s the enemy she was born to end. But the moment he realizes someone is hunting her inside his own walls—and using her kills to spark a war—he does the only thing he he keeps her close.

Nyra has survived tyrants, handlers, and holy men with torches. She’s not about to become a royal pet now. She wants freedom, not a throne. Especially not the kind built on lies and blood.

But as conspiracies tighten, oaths start snapping, and the kingdom demands a monster to blame… Caelan and Nyra are forced into an alliance neither of them can afford.

Because if the traitor wins, Caelan loses his crown.

And Nyra loses the one thing she’s never had—a choice.

Enemies to lovers. He falls first. Assassin heroine. Forced proximity. Deadly court intrigue.

563 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 15, 2026

Reviews

[Beckreadz25 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of receiving this book as an ARC. The author does an amazing job of bringing the world and characters to life. It feels like you are right there in the room watching the drama unfold.

The story is a perfect blend of fantasy and romance with everything from kings/princes, bandits/ruffians, political intrigue, assassins, magic, curses.....what more could you want?

The main characters, Caelan and Nyra, come from opposite worlds. They should not be together, but necessity deemed proximity. In a world that tries to keep them apart, can they actually be together or are they just doomed to be star-crossed as a bigger threat awaits?

Bravo to Ari! I can't wait gor Caelan and Nyra's story to continue in part 2.

[Anna Kratowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I CANT WAIT FOR MORE

I am completely absorbed into this world and Nyra and Caelan.

This world the author has created is so beautifully detailed and described. Normally, I struggle with being able to picture the scenery but Ari has written in such a way that I can view the camp, the castle, the various chambers/rooms — and I want to translocate

Onto the real stars of the show: Characters

Nyra - she is so smart, savage and kind wrapped in a beautiful but rough around the edges package. It’s amazing to me how someone with so much power uses it for such greater good. She’s so compassionate and empathetic. Especially when her family has been cursed. Her shadow and poison are a fascinating combination that had me absolutely anxious to see how she would manage to use them and exist in the world.

Caelan - clearly sheltered by the crown, we get to see the veil lift through this story as the reality of the world is exposed. His chapters are both wonderful and heartbreaking as his monologue describes his reactions to seeing the kingdom without his rose colored glasses.

BEST SUPPORTING CHARACTER GOES TO JORY
Ok, so I’m heavily bias because I adore him, but Jory is THE comic relief among a story where a prince hires an assassin to protect him from other assassination. I had may laugh out loud moments with Jory.

What makes this story such a good read besides the above is we get these blurred lines between good/evil, necessary/unnecessary, the crown/the people. This is a slowburn romance but I assure you this story is not slow. There is a plethora of drama and action. You won’t even realized how much your reading cause you’ll be sucked in.

WHO SHOULD READ:
If you love Romantasy, world building, character building, yearning/longing, action/battle, antihero’s, sarcasm, blurred lines between good and evil all wrapped up in a “who is trying to assassinate the print” story, this is for you.

Keep in mind - this is a part 1, that means there will be a part 2 necessary AND I NEED IT 😍

[Katie Sprietsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading a story where the MMC prince is such a softie. He seems so tough and stubborn in his role and yet balances it all with empathy and kindness which is a nice break from the scary shadow Daddy.
The FMC and her complexity was vital to the story. The internal battles she has within herself, trying to be good but convinced she's less than. I wish we got the curse dealt with this book, or at least figured out who the assassin was. BUT a bit of a spicy ending never hurts. It was a tad confusing though. Did they? did they almost?! I couldn't tell.
I do wish the pacing was a bit faster than it was. The book was filled with about 20% plot and 80% banter and internal dialogue. Then the plot we were led on with ended up giving us no answers. So that was a bit disappointing.
The captain is hot in his broodiness but how is he always awake?! Maybe that's a guard thing.
The rest of the Wrens cohort seems like a fun vibe. although I have a feeling their character development will come out a lot more in the next book. Then theres the king (regent). His dynamic I find really intriguing. He seems really kind but I have a feeling he is somehow tied to what's going on with Caelan. No clue how!! Very mysterious, but just a little prickle of a feeling.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently still reading and plugging along with my busy life schedule rn, but I already know if you LOVE world building, crazy mysteries with banter, hotties with some issues, and a golden comic relief character, this is most definitely for you! I absolutely LOVE Ari's writing style and this book is no exception! Everything this woman writes is gold in my book, no pun intended. Please, if you love strong world building that you can get lost in with your imagination, great/memorable characters (especially side characters), just give it a try. It is time well invested I'm telling you ♥️ I cannot wait to see how she continues the story in PART 2 since I'm already so hooked! (Not me reading in my car with what little lunch break I have left and staying up waayyy past my bedtime 🫣)

*Hopefully will come back to update with an ending reaction since I'm terrible at updating my progress on goodreads while actually reading, and sometimes even when I actually do finish a book 😅😮‍💨

[Erin]

ARC copy provided by the author
DNF 12%
The art is amazing! There will definitely be readers for this. It's fast paced. The writing style just wasn't for me. There were SO many em dashes! (This is NOT an AI accusation. It was a clear author choice. People use them too. And this was clearly written by a person.) Part of the fast paced-ness comes from one sentence paragraphs. Then one phrase kept jumping off the page… as if. I searched the book. 309. Just look at the page count and the number of times those two words appear together.

Truthfully I was ready to call it quits after chapter 1, but thought it might just be that narrator in the style I didn't care for. Nope, both. But I kept going because there were some good laughs. The story seemed to be going in a good direction. If you like the writing style on the first few pages, then you'll probably like the book.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was well written from page one. The world building was done beautifully. It was descriptive like a movie in my mind. The characters were likable. Very well thought out. I found myself rooting for each of their personal character growths. I loved the Prince and how he was tough and commanding in his role to the kingdom but then the kindness and almost soft nature to him with Nyra. I felt all the emotions while reading his chapters. The FMC was strong, resilient and smart. I loved her chapters and learning about her shadows and poison. A female assassin sign me up. I quickly devoured this and can’t wait to read part 2. This book is perfect for anyone who likes good world building, slow burn love, he falls first, good versus evil, romantasy and assassins.

[Ashley Ulrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exquisitely written. The details are so well thought, you feel you are in the book with the Wren. Every scene, from gruesome to intimate, easily comes to life. You’re lured in with mystery and intrigue and rewarded with humor, drama, friendship, and romance.

There are a couple scenes that felt a little repetitive, with the introduction of council members and the wording that is used to describe them. This does allow you to visualize the characters though and retain that information for later parts of the story.

The author does a wonderful job with character building and creates a MMC and FMC you can’t help but root for.

I quickly devoured this and am eager for part two.

[Bookish_Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc Review: This is not the first book I have read by Ari Roper and for another time, she did not disappoint. I have slowly started getting into more fantasy romance and I am so glad this was on the list! There was a lot of build up into this one so that we could get the entire backstory to the heir of the throne as well as the Wren. Each has their own story and they perfectly meshed with one another during a moment of the prince’s desperation to protect his people. Their story gets more and more interesting the further you get into the book. I felt so connected to the wren the more I learned about her and wanted to keep getting more ! I can’t wait for the next book to come out !

[Stephanie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I normally give to much away in my reviews :)


We have a kingdom, the king is about to retire and the prince is going to take over so he needs to do these normal events to get to that point - problem is people want to kill him.

We have a cooky King, (but honestly I think that is part of what I love about him) a servant to the prince that reminds me of Niles from the Nanny, a fighter that no one in the court knows is a fighter -

I loved this series so much that I bought the hardback books - I can't wait.

There is great dialogue - (my annotation tabs will come in play here), danger, death, love, intrigue, :)

You will not be upset that you read this book!

[Serena Knights · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is honestly an absolute blast. I love the pacing, and it was a privilege to actually be in the process of watching the writer write this book. This is only one half of a double release and I honestly cannot wait for the second half to drop. The tension is spicy; the desire is right there (so close yet so far) but holy damn that last chapter. 🥵🥵🥵
Banter 10/5
Spice Scene 5/5
Mystery 5/5
Would I read this again as a guilty pleasure? Hell yes.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to get this as an ARC and I am so happy I did!
To say this this is a a painfully slow burning romance with tension and longing is an understatement. I loved the character building and the more unique take on shadow magic.

At times I did find the descriptions repetitive and feel this could have been avoided. However, the story and the premise were great!


I can't wait for the second book.

[Ambreezy83 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This romantasy novel is amazing. Great world and story building. It’s a very very slow burn and it leaves you wanting for more. She’s a hired blade cursed with a deadly touch and he is a reluctant prince that needs outside interference to survive. Through lies and half truths, she keeps me breathing but at what cost to herself? Once he discovers who she really is, they are too entrenched to walk away. I can’t wait for a King’s oath.