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Briarwitch Academy #1-4
Briarwitch Academy: Complete Series Box Set
Enjoy the best-selling Briarwitch Academy series, now in a single box set!
I don’t look for trouble, it finds me: murderous teachers, sexy supernaturals, devious plots.
My name is Dawn Rose. I was at peace living as a food scavenger in my dystopian fringe society, in what used to be LA County, before the Abnorms turned it into a hellscape.
After witnessing a brutal murder-by-magic and making an unexpected discovery, I find myself whisked away to Briarwitch Academy, where magic goes to grow.
A human like me has no business at a magical school. I don’t really fit in with drunken gnomes, goth pixies, or magical bullies. Then there are the smoldering shifter dudes trying to get in my pants (though I don’t have as much of a problem with that).
The faculty thinks I have an ancient, untapped power. And when evil threatens the academy, I have to make a choice: Accept myself as a human, or accept that I’m something different, so I can help keep the evil away from my people back home . . .
Included in this four-book, "why choose" paranormal romance academy box set is a 13,000-word prequel bonus story:
A Whisper Before Dawn
A Dream Before Dawn
A Journey Before Dawn
A Storm Before Dawn
When They Come For Us (Prequel)
If you like badass female leads, snarky sidekicks, swoony alpha males, edge-of-your-seat action, and a shipload of steam, one-click today!
I don’t look for trouble, it finds me: murderous teachers, sexy supernaturals, devious plots.
My name is Dawn Rose. I was at peace living as a food scavenger in my dystopian fringe society, in what used to be LA County, before the Abnorms turned it into a hellscape.
After witnessing a brutal murder-by-magic and making an unexpected discovery, I find myself whisked away to Briarwitch Academy, where magic goes to grow.
A human like me has no business at a magical school. I don’t really fit in with drunken gnomes, goth pixies, or magical bullies. Then there are the smoldering shifter dudes trying to get in my pants (though I don’t have as much of a problem with that).
The faculty thinks I have an ancient, untapped power. And when evil threatens the academy, I have to make a choice: Accept myself as a human, or accept that I’m something different, so I can help keep the evil away from my people back home . . .
Included in this four-book, "why choose" paranormal romance academy box set is a 13,000-word prequel bonus story:
A Whisper Before Dawn
A Dream Before Dawn
A Journey Before Dawn
A Storm Before Dawn
When They Come For Us (Prequel)
If you like badass female leads, snarky sidekicks, swoony alpha males, edge-of-your-seat action, and a shipload of steam, one-click today!
1340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 2, 2021
237 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
K.C. Kingmaker
29 books152 followersKC Kingmaker lives in San Diego and has been writing and reading fantasy and romance for years.
"Briarwitch Academy" was KC’s first foray into paranormal romance, trying to bridge the genres to make something steamy, funny, mysterious, action-packed, and most of all, fun!
"Dragon Shifter Dominion" came after, trying to meld that same steaminess with traditional fantasy, to create a romantic fantasy explosion!
"Shadowblade Academy," KC’s third series, is technically a spin-off of Briarwitch Academy, though it can be read as a standalone series. It has just as much intrigue and mystery and steam as the others, but things get a bit darker.
"Camelot Untold," KC’s fourth series, is a deep, dark dive into the rich lore of Arthurian legends. It’s reverse harem fantasy romance.
"Robin Hood and Her Merciless Men" is KC’s fifth series, and another spicy, dark retelling of an iconic legend.
"Briarwitch Academy" was KC’s first foray into paranormal romance, trying to bridge the genres to make something steamy, funny, mysterious, action-packed, and most of all, fun!
"Dragon Shifter Dominion" came after, trying to meld that same steaminess with traditional fantasy, to create a romantic fantasy explosion!
"Shadowblade Academy," KC’s third series, is technically a spin-off of Briarwitch Academy, though it can be read as a standalone series. It has just as much intrigue and mystery and steam as the others, but things get a bit darker.
"Camelot Untold," KC’s fourth series, is a deep, dark dive into the rich lore of Arthurian legends. It’s reverse harem fantasy romance.
"Robin Hood and Her Merciless Men" is KC’s fifth series, and another spicy, dark retelling of an iconic legend.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 5, 2021
I absolutely loved these books! They are the story of Dawn’s journey to find out who she really is and they are a definite must read!
A Whisper Before Dawn - This book is amazing and the first of what promises to be a fantastic series! Dawn and her brother Gideon lose their parents when they are forced to leave their hometown when the Others take over. Supernatural beings turn out to be real and now they are on the run. They end up in a place called the Fringe where she meets Derek. On a trip to the Empty Zone one night, she witnesses two murders, Derek being one of them, and sees two babies kidnapped. When she and her brother return the next day for the bodies, they find two babies in the dumpster. She takes them with her and soon she’s finding herself being offered a position at Briarwitch Academy for her apparent magical powers. Her brother and the babies are sent to stay with a woman who will keep them safe. She will struggle at the Academy with a bully named Sadie and her crew. She will also find that one of her professors is none other than the man she saw in the alley that fateful night. She will be thrown for a loop when she finds out that she possesses a very rare form of magic that allows her to enter other’s minds. She will fight to prove a friend innocent of murder, try to deal with exposing the murdering professor and will return to the Fringe in time to catch not only her professor but another mentor of hers involved with stealing the babies.
A Dream Before Dawn - This book is amazing! The second part of the Briarwitch Academy series is a thrilling and exciting continuation of a great story! Dawn has caught Lance Godfrey and is holding him prisoner, trying to find out where the children were taken. He swears he doesn’t know and soon it is revealed that his is working with Orion Steel and that he doesn’t know where Dawn’s children are. He also reveals that Orion is holding his two boys hostage and he is given his freedom in order to spy on Orion. Dawn and Anvel get closer and Harper’s shadowblade brother, Ezekiel is brought in to solve the murder of the professor. A new murder takes place and Dawn travels with Anvel to the Steel home where she will gather information and rescue Lance’s boys. She will be forced to run with Anvel from his family home and when she returns to the Academy, she receives a message from her mentor Daron Nocht. He has a missing Academy student and will trade her for Dawn. She agrees and when she arrives at the Headmistress’s office, she will learn the truth about who she really is and an explanation for the dreams she has been having.
A Journey Before Dawn - This book is phenomenal and I absolutely loved it! The next chapter in the Briarwitch Academy story and it’s a must read! We continue to follow Dawn on a crazy adventure that will take her to places she's never been. She will learn things that will surprise her and find out more about who she is. She will face challenges and hardships but in the end will overcome them as she prepares herself for the next part of her journey.
A Storm Before Dawn - This book is phenomenal and I loved it! This epic story comes to it’s riveting conclusion as Dawn and her friends and fellow students will finally have to face Daron Nocht’s evil forces in the final battle for Briarwitch Academy. Dawn will learn many things along the way that will be a vital part of the battle to come. It will take everything they have and they will all have to come together if they stand a chance of defeating the evil to come.
I read an ARC copy of these books and am volunteering my honest review.
A Whisper Before Dawn - This book is amazing and the first of what promises to be a fantastic series! Dawn and her brother Gideon lose their parents when they are forced to leave their hometown when the Others take over. Supernatural beings turn out to be real and now they are on the run. They end up in a place called the Fringe where she meets Derek. On a trip to the Empty Zone one night, she witnesses two murders, Derek being one of them, and sees two babies kidnapped. When she and her brother return the next day for the bodies, they find two babies in the dumpster. She takes them with her and soon she’s finding herself being offered a position at Briarwitch Academy for her apparent magical powers. Her brother and the babies are sent to stay with a woman who will keep them safe. She will struggle at the Academy with a bully named Sadie and her crew. She will also find that one of her professors is none other than the man she saw in the alley that fateful night. She will be thrown for a loop when she finds out that she possesses a very rare form of magic that allows her to enter other’s minds. She will fight to prove a friend innocent of murder, try to deal with exposing the murdering professor and will return to the Fringe in time to catch not only her professor but another mentor of hers involved with stealing the babies.
A Dream Before Dawn - This book is amazing! The second part of the Briarwitch Academy series is a thrilling and exciting continuation of a great story! Dawn has caught Lance Godfrey and is holding him prisoner, trying to find out where the children were taken. He swears he doesn’t know and soon it is revealed that his is working with Orion Steel and that he doesn’t know where Dawn’s children are. He also reveals that Orion is holding his two boys hostage and he is given his freedom in order to spy on Orion. Dawn and Anvel get closer and Harper’s shadowblade brother, Ezekiel is brought in to solve the murder of the professor. A new murder takes place and Dawn travels with Anvel to the Steel home where she will gather information and rescue Lance’s boys. She will be forced to run with Anvel from his family home and when she returns to the Academy, she receives a message from her mentor Daron Nocht. He has a missing Academy student and will trade her for Dawn. She agrees and when she arrives at the Headmistress’s office, she will learn the truth about who she really is and an explanation for the dreams she has been having.
A Journey Before Dawn - This book is phenomenal and I absolutely loved it! The next chapter in the Briarwitch Academy story and it’s a must read! We continue to follow Dawn on a crazy adventure that will take her to places she's never been. She will learn things that will surprise her and find out more about who she is. She will face challenges and hardships but in the end will overcome them as she prepares herself for the next part of her journey.
A Storm Before Dawn - This book is phenomenal and I loved it! This epic story comes to it’s riveting conclusion as Dawn and her friends and fellow students will finally have to face Daron Nocht’s evil forces in the final battle for Briarwitch Academy. Dawn will learn many things along the way that will be a vital part of the battle to come. It will take everything they have and they will all have to come together if they stand a chance of defeating the evil to come.
I read an ARC copy of these books and am volunteering my honest review.
July 25, 2022
Good storyline but a bit erratic sometimes
The premise of the story was good and the characters enjoyable. There was many humorous moments with the FMC Dawn. And her familiar is a crack up. However, Dawn was very impetuous and made a lot of impulsive and often foolish choices leaping into situations without any weapons, plan or even telling anyone (like her guys or her bestie) where she was going or what she was doing. I can understand this at the beginning but would have expected a bit more growth in the character as the story went on and she got more training and experience. And as she got more people she cared about,
Also I found it a bit odd that she constantly goes off without talking to the important people in her life for long periods of time like her guys, her bestie, her brother or even the kids she is a surrogate mother too. Yet when she sees them again its all fine even though she left the Academy without saying a single word to the guys or her bestie, so they have no idea where she is and she just turns up later like its all good. She states frequently about her role as their mother but she barely spent any time with them and she went off for lengthy periods of time without really trying to get back and see them.
I felt at times that her scattergun approach to jumping all about meant the story jumped all about and often you didn’t get much time with a lot of the other main characters to flesh out their character and to really get engaged with them. So as a reader I actually didn’t feel like I was that engaged with a lot of the other characters especially her guys. Also it was sometimes difficult to know which characters to get invested into or not as things changed quickly and sometimes the person ended up going nowhere or being killed off etc.
The actual plot was good in that it was different. The villain was very evil and cunning and always full of unexpected surprises. There was very different abilities than what we normally see in the supernatural world which was great and I liked that it was a mix of races - Fae, shifter, mythical, humans.
The premise of the story was good and the characters enjoyable. There was many humorous moments with the FMC Dawn. And her familiar is a crack up. However, Dawn was very impetuous and made a lot of impulsive and often foolish choices leaping into situations without any weapons, plan or even telling anyone (like her guys or her bestie) where she was going or what she was doing. I can understand this at the beginning but would have expected a bit more growth in the character as the story went on and she got more training and experience. And as she got more people she cared about,
Also I found it a bit odd that she constantly goes off without talking to the important people in her life for long periods of time like her guys, her bestie, her brother or even the kids she is a surrogate mother too. Yet when she sees them again its all fine even though she left the Academy without saying a single word to the guys or her bestie, so they have no idea where she is and she just turns up later like its all good. She states frequently about her role as their mother but she barely spent any time with them and she went off for lengthy periods of time without really trying to get back and see them.
I felt at times that her scattergun approach to jumping all about meant the story jumped all about and often you didn’t get much time with a lot of the other main characters to flesh out their character and to really get engaged with them. So as a reader I actually didn’t feel like I was that engaged with a lot of the other characters especially her guys. Also it was sometimes difficult to know which characters to get invested into or not as things changed quickly and sometimes the person ended up going nowhere or being killed off etc.
The actual plot was good in that it was different. The villain was very evil and cunning and always full of unexpected surprises. There was very different abilities than what we normally see in the supernatural world which was great and I liked that it was a mix of races - Fae, shifter, mythical, humans.
August 14, 2021
Enjoyable read but…
I really enjoyed the plot of this series and the characters, although I never could understand Dawn’s connection and devotion to the babies She kept referring to them as her children when she actually spent no time caring for them. They were in her care for less than a day before Tessa showed up to take her to school. Her brother was the real caretaker of them.
The buildup to the final confrontation kept me interested in the book when the sex scenes would have otherwise made me pause. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against sex scenes. But these were just cringe worthy. By the last book they were just…. very unsexy sexy times.
I really enjoyed the plot of this series and the characters, although I never could understand Dawn’s connection and devotion to the babies She kept referring to them as her children when she actually spent no time caring for them. They were in her care for less than a day before Tessa showed up to take her to school. Her brother was the real caretaker of them.
The buildup to the final confrontation kept me interested in the book when the sex scenes would have otherwise made me pause. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against sex scenes. But these were just cringe worthy. By the last book they were just…. very unsexy sexy times.
September 6, 2021
Great series!
Tons of action and lots of love. The twists and turns keep you entranced in the story to the point you don't want to stop until you've read the whole series is done. Just a tip though, go to the end of the boxset read the prequel then go back to the beginning and take a magical journey. You won't regret a minute of it! Though you may get annoyed at those who interrupt your reading.
Tons of action and lots of love. The twists and turns keep you entranced in the story to the point you don't want to stop until you've read the whole series is done. Just a tip though, go to the end of the boxset read the prequel then go back to the beginning and take a magical journey. You won't regret a minute of it! Though you may get annoyed at those who interrupt your reading.
Read
December 3, 2021Hooray for a 5-Star'er!
Definitely a recommended read for mature audiences, a delight in audiobook format with the right narrator I imagine, given the self-monologue (book) version read like.
All the characteristic you hope for... great characters, great dystopian world, awesome protagonist, spotless plot, perfect transition from book to book for binge readers like me, decisively finished.
If that's not enough, I don't know what is!
Definitely a recommended read for mature audiences, a delight in audiobook format with the right narrator I imagine, given the self-monologue (book) version read like.
All the characteristic you hope for... great characters, great dystopian world, awesome protagonist, spotless plot, perfect transition from book to book for binge readers like me, decisively finished.
If that's not enough, I don't know what is!
Read
April 6, 2022Nachdem ich mich durch fast 700 Seiten gekämpft habe (womit ich 2 von 4 Büchern beendet habe) kann ich einfach nicht mehr😂
Das erste Buch war so so gut und in Band 2 geht es in so eine abstruse Richtung und Dinge die mich vorher schon ein wenig gestört haben, sind noch soooo viel schlimmer/ anstrengender geworden🥲
Das erste Buch war so so gut und in Band 2 geht es in so eine abstruse Richtung und Dinge die mich vorher schon ein wenig gestört haben, sind noch soooo viel schlimmer/ anstrengender geworden🥲
November 3, 2021
Engrossing and imminently readable magical adventure
The author has compiled a saga that is both interesting and completely enchanting. Non-stop action and enjoyable fantasy involving magic, fantasy, and drama. Well worth the read.
The author has compiled a saga that is both interesting and completely enchanting. Non-stop action and enjoyable fantasy involving magic, fantasy, and drama. Well worth the read.
December 28, 2021
Mezmerizing
I picked up the first book in the Briarwitch series and fell in love with the story. I was so enthralled with the lives of Dawn and Giddy. Once started I couldn’t put it down. I would recommend this story to any and everyone!
I picked up the first book in the Briarwitch series and fell in love with the story. I was so enthralled with the lives of Dawn and Giddy. Once started I couldn’t put it down. I would recommend this story to any and everyone!
March 27, 2022
Awesome
This was an excellent, exciting, enjoyable and entertaining box set. It was also extremely hot! Much like Dawn, I couldn't decide which of her guys I found most attractive, so why not have them all. Awesome storyline and kickass characters, loved it.
This was an excellent, exciting, enjoyable and entertaining box set. It was also extremely hot! Much like Dawn, I couldn't decide which of her guys I found most attractive, so why not have them all. Awesome storyline and kickass characters, loved it.
June 27, 2025
I finished book 1
I just don’t care enough about the characters to keep reading. I really don’t even have an explanation for why I can’t connect to them. I also haven’t gotten invested enough in the plot to keep reading.
I just don’t care enough about the characters to keep reading. I really don’t even have an explanation for why I can’t connect to them. I also haven’t gotten invested enough in the plot to keep reading.
April 22, 2022
good read
I like the series. Sad about one of the characters dying but good ending to the book. Recommend reading this series.
I like the series. Sad about one of the characters dying but good ending to the book. Recommend reading this series.
July 22, 2022
academy
As academy books go this wasn’t half bad, but I did laugh at all the time off from academics. The romance came piece meal but was enjoyable.
As academy books go this wasn’t half bad, but I did laugh at all the time off from academics. The romance came piece meal but was enjoyable.
October 20, 2021
A great series
This was a great story. Action adventure love and magic. I do wish we could see if Rose finishes here quest or if Faith and Able change the way the fey and operate possibly uniting them since love is more power for of magic around
This was a great story. Action adventure love and magic. I do wish we could see if Rose finishes here quest or if Faith and Able change the way the fey and operate possibly uniting them since love is more power for of magic around
April 20, 2022
Awesome but not for under 21!
Loved the plot though it got heavy in places. I know what I signed up for with “reverse harem” “explicit sex scenes”, etc but did find a few to much like pornography. Overall I am glad for the series to be finished so I could read it all!
Loved the plot though it got heavy in places. I know what I signed up for with “reverse harem” “explicit sex scenes”, etc but did find a few to much like pornography. Overall I am glad for the series to be finished so I could read it all!
March 15, 2023
This was an insane and amazing ride!!
I loved the characters and the world! And the way our FMC fights for what she deems right!
It’s an interesting PNR series that kept me turning the pages!
I loved the characters and the world! And the way our FMC fights for what she deems right!
It’s an interesting PNR series that kept me turning the pages!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews