What Light Breaks

Idle Reputations #2

by Falon Ballard

Romeo and Juliet heats up in the second installation in the Idle Reputations romantasy series by beloved USA Today bestselling author Falon Ballard.

Princess Lia Boscosa of Talia has lived her whole life in isolation, her powerful Gift—the ability to plant memories in people’s minds—kept a secret by her family, even as they exploit her power behind closed doors.

But as Talia prepares for its first presidential election, August, the leader of the Uprising, proposes to put Lia forth as a candidate. Except as the daughter of the reviled monarchs, she can't win over Talia alone. She must be tied to someone sexy, someone handsome, someone charming—and so begins a marriage of convenience to no other than Maro Violaine, Talia’s most infamous playboy.

What starts as a calculated alliance erupts into an undeniable attraction that neither of them can resist. But as loyalties splinter and secrets emerge, Lia must decide where her heart lies—because loving Maro could either save her kingdom, or completely destroy it.

Genres: Fantasy, Fantasy Romance

Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 29, 2026

About the author

Falon Ballard is a Los Angeles native who has been writing stories her whole life. After graduating with a degree in Creative Writing, Falon embarked on an eight-year teaching adventure before opening her own event planning business. When she’s not trolling Etsy for the latest merch from her favorite fandoms, she’s hanging out at Disneyland with a pretzel and beer in hand.

Reviews

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus}]

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!*

I'm beyond excited to read this!!!!
I really enjoyed the first book in the Idle Reputations series, so I'm hoping I'd enjoy this one (more) as well.

[Julia Bozza · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to get an ARC of this because I love Falon Ballard, and it absolutely delivered. I liked this even more than the first book. The romance moved a little quickly for my taste, but it also allowed more focus on the political plot, which I found really interesting and engaging.

Maro was a great MMC and felt more layered than I expected based on his description. I also really liked Lia: her development, backstory, and growth all felt well done. Even some reveals I had forgotten from the first book still landed in a fun way, because I was figuring things out right alongside the characters.

Overall, this was a strong sequel/standalone with compelling characters, high stakes, and a story that kept me invested the whole way through.

[Kate Laycoax · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the first book in this series well enough, but I did have some issues with it and yes, some of those same issues carried over into What Light Breaks. That said, I do think this was a step up overall, especially in the second half.

My biggest struggle continues to be the worldbuilding. I wanted so much more depth when it came to the politics, magic, and overall structure of the world. It felt like the story mostly revolved around the marriage of convenience, their physical relationship, and the election, with only small glimpses of the bigger picture. There are definitely interesting elements here, especially with political alliances and royalty dynamics, but they weren’t explored as much as I would have liked.

I also still found the dialogue to feel a bit too modern for the setting, which pulled me out of the story at times.

That said, there were things I really enjoyed. Lia’s Gift was incredibly unique and one of the standout elements of the book and I loved how different it felt. The journal entries were another highlight for me; they added emotional depth and helped round out the story in a way I wish the main narrative had done more of.

The romance was definitely a strong point. I loved watching Lia and Maro go from strangers in completely different worlds to something real and emotional. Their chemistry was great, and I especially enjoyed seeing how their dynamic evolved over time. The secondary characters also felt more developed in this installment, which I appreciated.

I think this is a solid romantasy and a fun Romeo and Juliet–inspired story. While I still wanted more depth in the worldbuilding, it’s clear Falon Ballard has a lot of talent, and this series has a lot of potential. I can appreciate this romance forward fantasy with great chemistry and a unique magical element, and I am hoping she continues to write more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Falon Ballard, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the eARC of this book.

[Gabby L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Advanced Copy Received from NetGalley

This is the next book in the “Idle Reputations” series, in which the author weaves together a Shakespeare tale (Romeo and Juliet in this one) in a world where people have “Gifts”, which are powers that allow them to do many things. Lia is one of these people, and she has the Gift of altering memories. She also happens to be one of the next presidential candidates, but with no support from her family, she is forced to accept the help from infamous playboy and rake, Maro! This help comes in the form of a marriage of convenience, in which Maro helps make her a more popular candidate in exchange for his own selfish intentions. However, this marriage starts becoming all too real, and both Lia and Maro start to realize that maybe they don't hate each other all too much…

I always love a good arranged marriage/marriage of convenience trope, and this book definitely did a good job of delivering this, especially with the forced proximity and spicy scenes! I enjoyed the spicy scenes much more in this book, too! I felt this story had better pacing and more growth in the main characters’ relationship than in the first book, and the author did a good job with making me frustrated at Lia's decisions in this book, especially near the end! I was surprised to see that an aspect from the first book pops up as a big plot point here, and did enjoy that twist. However, after building up so much of a certain plot line in this series…the ending of this one did feel pretty anticlimactic. Makes me wonder what's going to happen in the next book, though!

[Corey Cesare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much NetGalley, Falon Ballard, and Penguin Random House Publishing for sending me this arc!!!🩷

Princess Lia Boscosa of Talia has lived her entire life boxed in both metaphorically and physically. She comes from a family that doesn’t appreciate her and her gift and is seeking more out of life, while also trying to maintain her class status. She knows that her status will never be solidified alone based on the events that occur in this books predecessor “Something Wicked,” so enter Maro Violaine.

Maro has a history as a playboy and is known around town, but with the convincing of his father, he’s willing to settle down. With who? None other than the princess.

I read “Something Wicked” immediately before reading “What Light Breaks,” and between the two, “What Light Breaks” was my favorite. I seriously couldn’t put this book down, I devoured it in roughly a week (I had to slow myself down). I’m a sucker for a classic story retelling so I knew I was going to like this one due to the description.

Even though I knew roughly what would happen in this story (because I know Romeo and Juliet) I could never predict where this was going. I absolutely adored Maro and Lia’s relationship and (to keep this spoiler free) I was very excited to see a few others from “Something Wicked.” The first book leaned a little too spicy for me, but the second I felt was more even between spice and storyline. I also think I liked this storyline more than “Something Wicked,” but truly it’s because I’m such a fan of classic retellings. I cannot wait to see where everyone from this book goes (assuming there’s a third in the works).

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Shakespeare x romantasy is so spectacularly my niche, and Ms. Ballard has nailed it again. This time, we’re stepping into Romeo & Juliet, and I devoured every second of Lia and Maro’s love story. Their chemistry sizzled right off the page, and their wedding scene in the vineyard was so cute I nearly cried. I really hope once this series is over (far in the future, please!) we get some sort of epilogue novella with every couple, because I get so attached to them all! The Cate and Callum cameo had me giggling and kicking my feet.

This was an issue in the first book as well, but I would love to see more of the political intrigue that keeps being threaded through. Aside from initially killing the king and a few lines from August, we don’t see much more of the Uprising and its resulting political upheaval for it supposedly being the impetus behind everything. The ending also felt a bit rushed, but that might just be me expecting more of a Shakespearean flow - I would have liked to see the plan and its execution rather than doing a jump-cut to Lia in a crypt.

The only thing that truly irked me was how much trust Lia put in her mother when everyone else around her thought something was off. Trust your loved ones, girl!! Not the woman you just met that you yourself feel is suspicious!!!

As for the third book, it appears something’s rotten in the state of Kalmar…since Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare play and one that heavily focuses on politics, I have a feeling it will be my favorite. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

[Sara Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit, I struggled with rating this one. While I loved Part 1, I really disliked Part 2.

When it comes to instant love, it typically works for me. I think that is why I liked Part 1 so much. We got to see the love between Lia and Maro bloom. What was an arranged marriage actually works. They had chemistry and I liked how they took their time with the physical stuff. I mean, this was spicy 🥵🔥🔥🔥🔥not gonna lie, but it worked.

Part 2 brought about a character I hated from the first book. I literally had to roll my eyes and groan when I realized that was the journey the book was taking me on. Ugh. I don’t want to spoil it, so I won’t state who.

There were many similarities between this and Romeo and Juliet. I’m not a huge fan of Shakespeare, and I found there were times when the similarities just didn’t work. Near the end it was a bit rushed and it didn’t make sense. Sort of building up this big ending that was quickly solved in two chapters? I don’t know…it didn’t work.

I’m a huge fan of Ballard and I loved the first book in this series. I will continue with the series so we will see what happens next.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

[Deanna DeCesare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. The book starts with Lia needing to kill her father do to the new rules of the uprising. Maro need to marry her to help restore her image as she hasn't been seen in society for 15 years. Problems start happening when she finds out she is adopted and her birth Mother shows up "conveniently". Lia's mom started to suggest the Lia use her gift when she despises it. Lia finds out she also has 2 sisters they plot to trick their mother by giving Lia, her favorite, a potion that makes her temporarily die. Maro doesn't get the memo that its a trick and he thinks she is really dead. He doesn't want to live without her but before he can do anything Lia's Mother comes to check to make sure Lia is dead only to find out that the sisters are after her. The book ends with Lia and Maro bonded and happy. Now we wait for the next land to kill their Leader.

[Larareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating 3.75 ⭐️

I liked the first book in the series, but I was also confused by it and this went into the second book. While it's a lot better than the first and I actually had such a good time reading it, I just wanted more worldbuilding, more politics and magic and depth.

What I enjoyed the most was the romance, which was so well done. I absolutely adore a Romeo and Juliet inspired story and this delivered everything I wanted. The chemistry between Lia and Maro, their emotional connection was so well written and I just love these two. Also, the spice was really hot!

Even though I wanted more from the worlbuilding, this was a solid romantasy and I had such a good time reading it!

[Larareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating 3.5 ⭐️

I liked the first book in the series, but I was also confused by it and this went into the second book. While it's a lot better than the first and I actually had such a good time reading it, I just wanted more worldbuilding, more politics and magic and depth.

What I enjoyed the most was the romance, which was so well done. I absolutely adore a Romeo and Juliet inspired story and this delivered everything I wanted. The chemistry between Lia and Maro, their emotional connection was so well written and I just love these two. Also, the spice was really hot!

Even though I wanted more from the worlbuilding, this was a solid romantasy and I had such a good time reading it!

[Aniella Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed What Light Breaks and actually found it stronger than the first book in the Idle Reputation series (Something Wicked). The pacing felt smooth, and I appreciated the development of Lia as the protagonist. She goes through a lot, and it was inspiring to see her continue pursuing her goals despite the outside noise. Maro could have easily come across as an obnoxious male lead, but he grows alongside Lia, which made their dynamic, and the story as a whole, much more compelling. I also liked the sutbtle fantasy elements an dhow they played a part in the plot and character development.

[Danielle Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the small connection to Romeo and Juliet in this book. I will say I liked the first one in this series a lot more than this one. I felt like this plot was little rushed especially towards the end. Some of it didn’t even make sense. There was this big build up from the first book with Grecia and this book ended the “battle” and her storyline I feel like in one chapter so quickly. It felt too rushed. The ending left it on a cliffhanger open for another book. I will say I don’t think there needs to be one. I think this one tied up the storyline. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying the world of Avon Falon Ballard has created in the Idle Reputations series. In this book, we move from the kingdom of Scota (in Something Wicked and was based on Macbeth) to Talia. Lia and More have great chemistry, but I'm not a big fan of insta-love, although it's kind of baked in when you're doing a take on Romeo and Juliet. However, I loved getting deeper into the group running the Uprising. I'm really looking forward to the next book, which sounds like it might be inspired by Hamlet!

I received an advance reader copy of this title from the publisher.

[Shannon Grandberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was an average book. However, I DNF'd at 50%. By the halfway mark, the political stuff hadn't even begun and our FMC and MMC were saying they love each other after three days of marriage. Between those two things, I was out. There was no build up for the relationship at all. They banged and suddenly were in love. As for the political component, I can't say much other than I wish there was more of that woven into the first 50% of the book since that's the driving force behind this arranged marriage.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC,
There were many similarities between this and Romeo and Juliet. I’m a fan of Shakespeare, and I found there were times when the similarities just didn’t work. Near the end it was a bit rushed and it didn’t make sense. It felt like the Shakespeare was just tucked into spots to make a connection,

Sort of building up this big ending that was quickly solved in two chapters? I don’t know…it didn’t work.

The steamy bits were good, I liked the banter, I havnt read the first book, so maybe I've missed something?? I didnt love this one.

[Laura Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid Romeo and Juliet inspired romantasy. To be honest the cover is what drew me in to request and ARC through netgalley. I had a good time and wish there was more world building. I have not read book 1 but you could easily read this as a standalone and be just fine.