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Heart of the Wolf Queen: A sizzling second chance dark fantasy romance
Not yet published
Expected 2 Apr 26Love could be her greatest weakness… or her deadliest weapon.
Sorrow Villente is no princess waiting to be saved.
When a devastating accident partially blinded her, Sorrow was locked away at the top of a tower in the wilderness, offered up as a sacrifice to the gods.
But Sorrow refuses to die quietly. Only she knows a dark magic burns inside her. With her fiercely protective wolf, Pablo, she spends every moment plotting her escape.
And yet when she finally breaks free, Sorrow is captured immediately… by the one man she never expected to see again.
Long ago, Sorrow and Matthias were inseparable. Tall and devastatingly handsome, with sparkling green eyes, the sight of him still sends her heart racing. Then she remembers the truth. When she needed him most, Matthias walked away. He didn’t just abandon her. He betrayed her.
And he hasn’t come to rescue her. Matthias is the ruler of a distant land, where monsters lurk in mist-shrouded forests. To save his kingdom, he needs an alliance with Sorrow’s family – one that can be sealed only by marriage.
Sorrow must marry the man who broke her heart… or die.
🌶️ Spice on the page
❤️ Second chance romance
💍 Marriage of convenience
🔮 Fated love
🗡️ Touch her and die
💔 Yearning
🦇 Gothic setting and atmosphere
The first book in the steamy epic romantasy series, The Star-Crossed Gods. Fans of Hannah Whitten, Leigh Bardugo and Sabel Sorensen will love Heart of the Wolf Queen and its feisty heroine.
Sorrow Villente is no princess waiting to be saved.
When a devastating accident partially blinded her, Sorrow was locked away at the top of a tower in the wilderness, offered up as a sacrifice to the gods.
But Sorrow refuses to die quietly. Only she knows a dark magic burns inside her. With her fiercely protective wolf, Pablo, she spends every moment plotting her escape.
And yet when she finally breaks free, Sorrow is captured immediately… by the one man she never expected to see again.
Long ago, Sorrow and Matthias were inseparable. Tall and devastatingly handsome, with sparkling green eyes, the sight of him still sends her heart racing. Then she remembers the truth. When she needed him most, Matthias walked away. He didn’t just abandon her. He betrayed her.
And he hasn’t come to rescue her. Matthias is the ruler of a distant land, where monsters lurk in mist-shrouded forests. To save his kingdom, he needs an alliance with Sorrow’s family – one that can be sealed only by marriage.
Sorrow must marry the man who broke her heart… or die.
🌶️ Spice on the page
❤️ Second chance romance
💍 Marriage of convenience
🔮 Fated love
🗡️ Touch her and die
💔 Yearning
🦇 Gothic setting and atmosphere
The first book in the steamy epic romantasy series, The Star-Crossed Gods. Fans of Hannah Whitten, Leigh Bardugo and Sabel Sorensen will love Heart of the Wolf Queen and its feisty heroine.
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 2, 2026
5 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Gallego
1 book16 followersSarah Gallego is an author of dark fantasy romance who lives in North Wales with her husband and four children. Sarah is the author of the Star-Crossed Duology. She loves to create unforgettable flawed characters and dark, gothic worlds, with an inclusive cast of characters. Her stories are always filled with the weird and wonderful and she adores to throw in a small dash of heartbreak for her characters along the way. When she's not writing, Sarah can be found drawing, listening to an eclectic mix of music and drinking copious amounts of tea.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is exactly what I want in a romantasy novel! Fast paced, just the right balance of world building and character development, and yearning off the charts. This is so impressive for a debut and I devoured it in less than 24 hours.
I loved the dynamic between Sorrow and Matthias - childhood best friends who had a falling out after Sorrow had an accident that left her partially sighted. Her step-dad sucks and and Matthias is a king now and she's to marry him. Sorrow has A LOT of feelings about all those things and I just love how she still has a spine and stands up for herself.
I loved Sorrow's strength and her independence in spite of her limitations. That girl is never going to let anyone do anything for her if she can help it! I absolutely loved her wolf Pablo who was an amazing animal sidekick but also felt almost like a fleshed out side character - he has impeccable timing.
The found family is wonderful and I love every single one of them. They're supportive, unique, and truly lovely characters.
Thank you Second Sky for the ARC. This one should be on everyone's radar.
I loved the dynamic between Sorrow and Matthias - childhood best friends who had a falling out after Sorrow had an accident that left her partially sighted. Her step-dad sucks and and Matthias is a king now and she's to marry him. Sorrow has A LOT of feelings about all those things and I just love how she still has a spine and stands up for herself.
I loved Sorrow's strength and her independence in spite of her limitations. That girl is never going to let anyone do anything for her if she can help it! I absolutely loved her wolf Pablo who was an amazing animal sidekick but also felt almost like a fleshed out side character - he has impeccable timing.
The found family is wonderful and I love every single one of them. They're supportive, unique, and truly lovely characters.
Thank you Second Sky for the ARC. This one should be on everyone's radar.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a fast-paced romantasy with an fmc who is losing her eye site and has a guide wolf.
This was a very fun read, filled with
🌟found family
🌟humor
🌟he falls first
🌟trans representative
🌟 wolf companion
🌟magic
🌟arranged marriage
🌟 forced proximity
🌟 🌶
Her wolf is protective and very loyal. In this world people are sacrificed, and our fmc finds herself chosen to be sacrificed. well her marriage to person she used to know is the only way out.
Her mother died, her step father hates her, she has a sister, and her only friend left her after an accident leave her with lost sight she will eventually lose.
Well the arranged marriage is to that friend she hasn't seen in 8 years, and well our fmc gives it to him, and takes no shit.
I Loved the banter, and humor in this book. The wolf comes In and interrupts things during the perfect moments.
I think this was a very fun read even though some of it was predictable. I mean I finished it in one day.
I think if you liked the serpent and the wolf you will like this one.
This was a very fun read, filled with
🌟found family
🌟humor
🌟he falls first
🌟trans representative
🌟 wolf companion
🌟magic
🌟arranged marriage
🌟 forced proximity
🌟 🌶
Her wolf is protective and very loyal. In this world people are sacrificed, and our fmc finds herself chosen to be sacrificed. well her marriage to person she used to know is the only way out.
Her mother died, her step father hates her, she has a sister, and her only friend left her after an accident leave her with lost sight she will eventually lose.
Well the arranged marriage is to that friend she hasn't seen in 8 years, and well our fmc gives it to him, and takes no shit.
I Loved the banter, and humor in this book. The wolf comes In and interrupts things during the perfect moments.
I think this was a very fun read even though some of it was predictable. I mean I finished it in one day.
I think if you liked the serpent and the wolf you will like this one.
February 10, 2026
I was lucky to get a chance to read an early version of this book and let me tell you - Sorrow Villente is plucky, determined, living with a disability and takes no prisoners! The slow burn, second chance romance between Sorrow and childhood sweetheart-turned loathsome King is chef’s kiss with arranged marriage and misunderstandings galore on the side! And Pablo the wolf will steal your heart!
Sarah Gallego is a fantastic author (I’ve also read one of her unpublished short stories which was excellent and I secretly hope she turns it into a book!) and I look forward to reading more from her including the next in the series!
Sarah Gallego is a fantastic author (I’ve also read one of her unpublished short stories which was excellent and I secretly hope she turns it into a book!) and I look forward to reading more from her including the next in the series!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Heart of the Wolf Queen is the first book.in a new romantasy duology. At the start of the book is a really nice character list. It has a bio for each character and those got me instantly interested in the characters and in the second chance romance between FMC Sorrow and MMC Matthias.
Heart of the Wolf Queen is a really inclusive book with great representation. The characters felt nuanced and real rather than just existing for the labels that could be applied to them, which can be really difficult to do snd sometimes ends up feeling like a tickbox exercise. But not here - sexuality, gender identity, chronic pain/illness and disability are all portrayed genuinely, and as someone who constantly suffers migraines which affect my vision, I definitely related to Sorrow.
I don't know if I'd say it was a dark fantasy romance though, as it didn't feel any darker than most romantasy worlds and plots.
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.
Heart of the Wolf Queen is a really inclusive book with great representation. The characters felt nuanced and real rather than just existing for the labels that could be applied to them, which can be really difficult to do snd sometimes ends up feeling like a tickbox exercise. But not here - sexuality, gender identity, chronic pain/illness and disability are all portrayed genuinely, and as someone who constantly suffers migraines which affect my vision, I definitely related to Sorrow.
I don't know if I'd say it was a dark fantasy romance though, as it didn't feel any darker than most romantasy worlds and plots.
Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
This was such a great debut novel!
I really liked Sorrow, her character had some wonderful depth. I loved her fierce determination and her strength, and how she continued to fight, inspite of her sight loss. I loved Sorrow's relationship with her wolf, Pablo, and how loyal they were to eachother.
I didn't feel overly connected to the MMC, Matthias. I liked his character overall, but I do think he lacked some depth. I would have liked some flashbacks to his and Sorrow's earlier relationship.
The world building was set up well and is easy to follow, and I found the magic system to be very intruiging. However, sometimes the pacing dragged a bit for me, and I did find myself skimming a few chapters as there wasn't much happening. The last few chapters were brilliant though, some intense actions scenes and a gripping ending.
Overall, this was an enjoyable romantasy read that you could easily finish in one or two sittings.
This was such a great debut novel!
I really liked Sorrow, her character had some wonderful depth. I loved her fierce determination and her strength, and how she continued to fight, inspite of her sight loss. I loved Sorrow's relationship with her wolf, Pablo, and how loyal they were to eachother.
I didn't feel overly connected to the MMC, Matthias. I liked his character overall, but I do think he lacked some depth. I would have liked some flashbacks to his and Sorrow's earlier relationship.
The world building was set up well and is easy to follow, and I found the magic system to be very intruiging. However, sometimes the pacing dragged a bit for me, and I did find myself skimming a few chapters as there wasn't much happening. The last few chapters were brilliant though, some intense actions scenes and a gripping ending.
Overall, this was an enjoyable romantasy read that you could easily finish in one or two sittings.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My first 6☆ read of 2026!
This book was everything I love a fantasy! I devoured the first half and savoured the second as I didnt want it to end.
The second chance love, with the slow burn and yearning *chefs kiss
The bad ass FMC! Sorrow doesnt let anything hold her back. Limitations? what limitations, shes so positive about her sight loss.
Pablo has to my favourite though! I have a Japanese Akita and the whole way through I just saw Pablo been my dog.
I also adored the Empress (if know i probably shouldnt)- I hope we learn more about her in the next book. Id love to know if shes as insane as she comes across as.
Sarah captured the perfect balance of world building and character development. Im a little mad about the ending, but only because I dont have the next book on my hands.
*Thank you to Sarah and Noelle at Second Sky for allowing me to read this ARC from Netgalley
This book was everything I love a fantasy! I devoured the first half and savoured the second as I didnt want it to end.
The second chance love, with the slow burn and yearning *chefs kiss
The bad ass FMC! Sorrow doesnt let anything hold her back. Limitations? what limitations, shes so positive about her sight loss.
Pablo has to my favourite though! I have a Japanese Akita and the whole way through I just saw Pablo been my dog.
I also adored the Empress (if know i probably shouldnt)- I hope we learn more about her in the next book. Id love to know if shes as insane as she comes across as.
Sarah captured the perfect balance of world building and character development. Im a little mad about the ending, but only because I dont have the next book on my hands.
*Thank you to Sarah and Noelle at Second Sky for allowing me to read this ARC from Netgalley
Review of advance copy
I had the pleasure of beta reading this story. It's a perfect representation of what we need from the genre: a flawed yet sympathetic main character, loveable love interest, compelling plot, and engaging side characters. And, of course, a wolf. Well worth the read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A really good read but was just missing something to put it up to 5 stars.
A second chance romance that is full of betrayal, found family and twist. Now just need to wait for the second book to find out what happend to our tragic couple.
A second chance romance that is full of betrayal, found family and twist. Now just need to wait for the second book to find out what happend to our tragic couple.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews