Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Folk #2

Forgotten Vows

Rate this book
My mortal skin is gone.

I’m one of them. One of the Folk. And all I feel is anger.

I’m going to kill the Carlin and her sons for everything they did to me. It’s all I care about.

But first, I have to navigate this new world. My new skin. My new brother. And, when I fall into her clutches, my fae mother—the Brid. The Seelie Queen.

I don’t like what I’m becoming, but I can’t stop it. Something’s wrong with me. Something’s missing. There’s a hollow ache in my chest and I can’t fill it, no matter what I do. It’s like I’ve forgotten something vital from my time on unseelie land.

Why do I feel so incomplete? Why do I have an oath etched onto my skin, one I don’t remember making? Why is there a tiny black feather nestled in my throat that I can’t bring myself to take off?

Why do I feel so much longing every time I see a beautiful black-haired, black-eyed unseelie fae, even though I don’t remember him at all?

My life has become yet another game of cat and mouse, but this time it’s not just the Carlin and her sons trying to get me. New threats lurk, and I have to force myself into this new fae skin to be able to fight them.

Forgotten Vows is the second in a mm fae romance trilogy about a dark fae assassin prince and a ‘mortal’ who is thrown into the cruel world of the Folk.

Warning: This m/m love story contains explicit sexual content and is not suitable for young readers. It also contains depictions of violence, serious injury, death, minor drug use and deals with the death of a close family member. This trilogy follows the same couple who get their HEA eventually, but book two ends on a HFN.

347 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2022

428 people are currently reading
2325 people want to read

About the author

Lily Mayne

26 books5,630 followers
Lily Mayne writes what she loves to read: achingly sweet yet gritty romances against unusual backdrops—dark, futuristic, dystopian and more. She currently lives in the UK with her husband and several fluffballs, who like to make a lot of noise while she’s writing.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
3,668 (53%)
4 stars
2,242 (32%)
3 stars
786 (11%)
2 stars
131 (1%)
1 star
25 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 713 reviews
Profile Image for ~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~.
3,574 reviews1,113 followers
July 25, 2022
Forgotten Vows is darker and more gripping than Mortal Skin, with several harrowing, breath-stealing scenes:

Ash demanding Nua return what he took (Nua was only helping, but Ash, understandably, has massive trust issues).

Ash gaining control of his name, and Lonan begging to do the same so he doesn't have to be his mother's murder weapon any longer.

The scene with the giant serpent and the desperate deal Ash accepts because he's brave and good.

Ash remembering what he vowed to forget until the day he died (he's the thrice-lived king after all).

The brutal fight with the Brid and her conniving boar.

Ash's mad dash to rescue the man he loves, and his never-to-be-forgotten vow in the face of the Carlin's unspeakable cruelty.

Agonizing pain but also healing and comfort.

And the final chapter, which ends ominously and abruptly because Lonan's journey is far from over. The chapters from Lonan's POV broke me.

Nua and Gillie are all that is right with the fae.

This series is everything I couldn't imagine it would be.

Wondrous.

Intense.

Breathtaking.

UNPUTDOWNABLE.
Profile Image for Layla .
1,468 reviews76 followers
May 28, 2022
To say that I have been in a HUGE MM slump is a big understatement.
Very few new MM releases have been winners for me, and I have been disappointed by many favorite authors' releases.

And then comes Lily Mayne with this book that I've been waiting for because of the HUGE-ASS CLIFFY in book 1.
I finished this not-so-short book in 1 day. Add this to my slump and you know how good this book is.

I was invested from the very first page and it kept my attention through the whole book, until the very last page where I said: It's done? But I want more!"

So yeah, suffice to say that this is one of the best books I've read this year.

What I loved:
1. The suspense: I'm talking about edge of your seat events, secrets that are uncovered, multiple shocking moments and so much more. I struggled to put the book down when RL interrupted, because I wanted to keep that heart-racing moments and keep the momentum.

2. The lore: I absolutely love the world building Lily has done in this series: Her take on the Seelie and Unseelie, the deities, the creatures, the whole history of both courts. It is intricate and detailed and so very engaging that you can't help but get totally immersed in the book and imagine the setting and events as you go.

3. The Romance: This takes time to restart in a way, because of the events of the last book that I will not share because of the spoilers. However, even though the MCs take a while to get back together, and rightfully so, you can still feel their love and separation for the other. It was heartbreaking to read how both were missing the other, in completely different ways. However, it was Lonan who truly made me cry, with his ultimate devotion to Ash, even from afar.
And for those of you who are leery of the separation: I think you'll appreciate the fact that these men didn't get back together within days and without any kind of believable resolution, because it wouldn't have believable nor logical in any way. I loved the fact that they took their time, with little glimpses here and there of their undying love to fuel the reader.

4. The Steam: This book, in a way, is the least steamy book Lily has written to date, and for good reason. Because ultimately, the Lonan and Ash aren't together for alot of it. But let me tell you, when they reunite?...Miss Lily made up for lost time and the scenes were SCORCHING. Don't worry, we do get some kind steam until they get there: and NOT with other people.

5. The violence: Keep in mind that this book isn't a fluffy fae book. The fae, especially the two queens, are evil. So expect a healthy dose of violence , questionable characters and events and some gore. I found that this added to the "believability" of the book and stayed true to what we saw in book 1.

6. The HFN: Yup! Rest assured. This book ends in an HFN for the couple but certainly doesn't resolve the overall plot. That remans to be seen in book 3. But at least, Lonan and Ash are together and in love in the end of this book.

I probably have more thoughts that I will add later to my review. For now, Let's just say that this book blew me away and made my heart happy!
Profile Image for Julia (bookish.jka).
935 reviews282 followers
June 10, 2022
"He was mine. He was mine. My Ash. My oak king. And I was his. I would always be his. No one else's."

Well. This series is just getting better and better! I absolutely inhaled Forgotten Vows by Lily Mayne despite trying to eke it out for as long as possible. It was totally amazing and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

This is the second book in the Folk trilogy and you do need to read in order, so if you haven't read Mortal Skin yet, then stop here and go and read it now, because there may be a few teasers ahead....

Forgotten Vows starts exactly where Mortal Skin finished, with Ash waking up fresh from his escape from the Carlin, safe (for now) in the forest with Nua and his partner Gillie. He has no memory of Lonan (oh, the ANGST!) and is wholly driven by his desire to kill the Carlin and her sons. Even though he feels like something is missing.....

Prince Lonan is all but mortally injured and completely and utterly devastated to lose Ash. The only thing that drives him is the desire to protect his love. All that stands in their way are two malicious queens who also happen to be their mothers, a sworn vow to forget their love, not to mention treachery and murderous intent, amongst more.

Lily Mayne surpasses herself with the world-building, character development and totally brilliant story arc she has going on in this series - the writing is sublime, the
pacing is fabulous and she keeps the suspense high. The side characters are brilliant additions to the story, and if you like intense (and blood-thirsty) action scenes with your MM romance, welcome to the party!

Oh and did I mention the steam? It's a slow-build in this book but when it arrives, it's soooo worth the wait! These two boys are to die for 🖤.

And best of all it ends on a HFN (but you just know trouble is coming.....)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

ALL THE STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Profile Image for Nazanin.
1,282 reviews838 followers
October 16, 2022
3.5 Stars

Told in dual POV, 1st person, it’s the second installment in the "Folk" series and should be read in order. The first thing that I liked here was that I could read Lonan’s POV but unfortunately it wasn’t as dark as his appearance. Another thing that I liked was that it had more action and I got more excited. But still I wasn’t thrilled about their romance. Considering this series has a good rating so don’t listen to me and read it yourself, hope you like it!
Profile Image for Cat the bookworm (semi hiatus ish).
920 reviews178 followers
June 15, 2022
The first 80% were one hell of a ride, while the ending allows us to catch our breath and get ready for the final book.

Let me start with what many of you probably want to know after reading book 1: there’s no cliffhanger. I repeat: NO CLIFFHANGER!

So yes, in case you put off reading book one because you hate waiting for a resolution, then now’s the moment to go for it and neglect your social life until you finished this book, too.

I’ll try to stay free of spoilers, because one thing I love about Lily Mayne is that she manages to surprise even hardened readers with unexpected plot twists. Just one thing: while I usually don’t really like amnesia plots, here, it was done perfectly. We get both Lonan and Ash‘s pov, and the pain they both feel during their separation is so real, so raw that it made me ache. Especially the fact that Ash keeps forgetting Lonan again and again after seeing him, but feels restless and incomplete, while Lonan knows there’s no way they’ll ever be together again (spoiler: there is a way, but the WHEN and HOW of it caught me totally unaware).

So yes, they’re not really together for a huge part of the book, but when they finally do, it’s EVERYTHING.

The ending of the book is slower paced, and sets up the grand finale in book 3.

A finale I can’t wait to read, even though I know Lily Mayne will release a Monstrous book first.
Profile Image for ivanareadsalot.
789 reviews257 followers
December 18, 2023
Reread: December 18, 2023 - 5⭐

🌿🌳🍄this series makes my heart soar and i am certain that i will love it forever🍃🌱 🍄

-
-
-
-
1st read: June 2022 - 5⭐

OMFG YESSSSSSS! This was an awesome and immensely satisfying second installment in a series that has absolutely captured my heart, AND THERE'S STILL SO MUCH MORE TO COME!!!! I am actually in the minority of LM fans who prefer this Folk series over the Monstrous books, but I absolutely love the lore depth and the lushness and vibrancy of LM's fae world. I adore Ash and Lonan and I can't wait to see how this trilogy ends for them, with the magnificent, swoon-worthy happily ever after they both deserve! So excited for the final installment in this series and everything else LM will release in future novellas featuring this world and the wonderful characters from the series, who were just as fun and delicious as the MCs and deserve some word count loving as well!
5⭐s and a whole lotta love ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Profile Image for Rain.
2,577 reviews21 followers
July 31, 2022
This review will be brief as there's not much I can say without ruining the story.
“You’ve forgotten much already, but it will return. He searches for you always. Pines for you.”
My brows pinched in a little frown. “Who?”
“Your holly king.”
I loved this second story. Not a big fan of separations but this one was written well. Wonderful new characters and a story filled with all things fae. Mysteries and double speak abound. A decent amount of steam and a less-heartstopping cliffhanger than book one.
“My wolf,” I heard myself saying, instead of being terrified that this predator was stalking me. I stumbled towards him and thudded to my knees, burying my hands in his thick ruff. And then he wasn’t a wolf anymore, but a beautiful fae with black hair and black eyes kneeling there. He was staring at me. I just smiled even wider.
I really love these two.

End with a hfn as we wait for the next in the series.
Profile Image for Renae Reads.
760 reviews746 followers
June 16, 2022
Forgotten Vows picks up immediately after Mortal Skin and the heartbreak is still very raw for Lonan, but I appreciated getting his POV to help understand him better and I really did feel his heartache. As for Ash his is embarking on his new journey as a reborn fae, which allows him to go on a fascinating journey.

I enjoyed how even though Ash lost his memory of Lonan, he still felt a longing for something/someone that he couldn't fully understand, which shows the depth of his love.

Overall Forgotten Vows is a great sequel that builds upon the already established characters and makes for an exciting return to this fantastical world. Ash and Lonan are true soul mates and seeing how they find their way back to one another was so beautifully done. I experienced all the feels while reading this and was in awe of where the story went.

I cannot wait for the final entry.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,005 reviews87 followers
February 17, 2024
Loved this even more than book 1. Im very happy i was able to read this immediately after, I could not put it down and loved how everything is slowly coming together and being revealed. Getting Lonan’s POV here is magic and I really enjoyed the delicious pining going on and seeing Ash through his eyes. Wonderful world building, intriguing cast of villains, delightful side characters. Straight into book 3.
Profile Image for Surajat Debbie.
205 reviews104 followers
April 21, 2024
4.5 ⭐️

“After everything, we’re still here. Together. We fought for each other, Lonan. And we WON” 🥹😭♾️

My boys Ash and Lonan came through in book two.

The story picks up after the brutal cliffhanger in book one. I won’t go into too much detail about events because I always try to be spoiler free.

What I’ll say is we see some GOOD character development with Ash. He struggles with his Fae temper and that’s definitely an issue. But at the same time he’s more confident, more lethal. And he doesn’t let things just happen to him anymore 💪🏾👏🏾. I love Ash’s character development because despite being stronger, he’s still our nervous, vulnerable Ash from book 1 🥰

Lonan 🥹 Gosh he tried. He tried to do the right thing. Tried to give Ash up. Tried to escape his family. He JUST KEPT TRYING. Such a beautiful soul who deserved so much more.

The addition of Nua and Gillie was exactly what we needed. More amazing characters to LOVE. Seriously, Nua’s anxious sweet behaviour is exactly like Ash’s 😭🥹 even their nervous ticks are the same. And Gillie? 😂😂 definitely the crazy partner Nua needed to balance him out. Those two were perfect.

The Seelie Fae Queen and Unseelie Fae Queen can piss right off. Someone needs to also unalive Lonan’s family ASAP. The way the author writes villains in this story is excellent. You can’t help but HATE them. They are cruel and unspeakably evil. There’s a particular scene in this between Lonan and his mother that will have you cringing so hard with sympathy pain 🥺💔. I WANT JUSTICE. *

Ash and Lonan together? 10/10 would recommend 🔥🥹❤️🥰🤌🏾

“I missed every part of you. All of you”

“I should have known you didn’t need me.”
“I do need you. I need you, Lonan. I love you”

“I love you. I’m sorry I keep saying it, but I never did before and I…I want to tell you all the time. How much I love you.”

Be right back, going to start crying again before mentally preparing myself for book three. 👋🏾


*sorry, just to add that this is quite gory and cruel. If you don’t like blood, hacked off limbs, family abuse and real cruelty then maybe avoid. Or at least read with caution 💗
Profile Image for Alexandra.
240 reviews35 followers
June 10, 2022
Whirlwind adventures and beautiful love

Ash & Lonan made me cry, laugh, scream and happy when they finally got their HEA.

- Fae folks and magic kingdom
- Unseelie- seelie
- Strong world building, folklore elements
- Clever writing
- Twists and turns
- Unique amnesia story
- Dual pov
- Forever love & forbidden love
- Family business
- Magic mushrooms
- Amazing side characters
- Adventures
- Best revenge
- Heartbreak and longing
- HFN
- Part of a series, can’t read as standalone

After a week of finish the book, I’m still have hangover from it. I try really hard to keep my emotions off while writing this review, to avoid to look like a maniac.

Forgotten Vows was perfect in a ‘couldn’t put it down, I don’t want it to end, I need more’ kind of way.
There is no built up, the story starts in deep water, so I would advise to read the previous book’s last few chapters at least.
It started super intensively and the pace won’t slow down to the end either, it is a constant roller coaster and I enjoyed every second of it. Everything made sense now from the Mortal Skin and I was amazed by the Author clever story telling.

We get know Lonan’s story and see the changes of Ash, the first is heartbreaking and the second is beautiful. I don’t want to spoiler anything because that would be cruel. Let just say, the story ends at HFN and the romance part HEA. Short story with my favourite side characters is coming too! And I can’t wait to the last book in the trilogy!

“”Where have you been?” I kissed him again, smiling against his mouth. “I missed you. I miss you. Come back.”
“I’m here.” He pulled me into his arms hard, burying his face in my neck. “I never left.””💜

I got an arc and this is my honest review.
Profile Image for Gabriel.
901 reviews1,136 followers
January 21, 2025
Lo mío con el protagonista es personal.

Así que como no podía ser de otra forma, a continuación pondré por escrito varias de mis principales quejas con este libro porque debo desquitarme, pasan muchas cosas en un solo libro y todo para hacer lucir de sobremanera al protagonista. Aunque debo admitir que este lo leí más rápido y seguido porque es más entretenido y no hay sexo en cada página.

Primero, odio muchísimo el cliché de amnesia, y aquí pues todo empieza con eso. Aunque de igual forma lo dejo pasar porque en esta segunda parte está más que justificado con el final del primer libro y el voto que hizo Ash para Lonan. Un juramento que más tarde parece un arma de doble filo para él mismo.

Ahora, mi principal problema es que hay muchas conveniencias dadas para Ash. Se vienen spoilers.

A ver, tenemos a dos posibles muy buenas villanas y desgraciadas como La Carlin y La Brid, enemigas acérrimas pero también unas malditas con sus hijos. Y todo sea por el poder, que quieren más y a cualquier costo.
El caso es que el prota, pierde un brazo, se lo reponen y mágicamente es un guerrero súper ágil, sin mucho entrenamiento se vuelve un gran cazador capaz de matar con su arco y flechas a cualquiera. Como quien dice, perdió su piel mortal y una vez siendo fae completo está "destinado" a ser perfecto y grandioso.

Luego por obra y gracia de un Deus ex machina logra encontrar un libro que habla sobre un poderoso veneno de una serpiente capaz de matar a la reina de la corte seelie, o sea, su madre. Una serpiente que aparece cada siete años y oh, sorpresa, ¡qué casualidad!, está a tiempo de conseguirlo porque justo ya se cumplieron los siete años exactos y puede ir a hacerle una visita a dicha serpiente.

El chico es tan aventurero y aguerrido que logra su cometido haciendo un trato con la Gadleg (así se llama la serpiente monstruosa) a cambio de su veneno. Y luego, pues puede vencer a su madre y convenientemente no muere aunque estuviera a punto de hacerlo. Ah, pero no nos olvidemos de las maravillosas, pero también convenientes visiones que tiene Gillie (el novio de su hermano Nua). Que siempre ayudan y dan pistas fáciles de lo que ocurrirá.

Encima, que una vez muerta su madre y con el poder ahora habitando en él (por lo que se convierte en el rey de la corte seelie, lo cual era obvio), va a la otra corte a salvar a su amorcito de su malvada madre ÉL SOLO. Así en mayúsculas, porque es un malote ahora y es imperativo estar con su novio.

Y encima, una vez allí en la corte unseliee puede contra todos (está bien, es todopoderoso ahora, se entiende) pero me da mucha risa que si se supone que él está igualado en poder a la reina Carlin, no entiendo por qué carajos esta mujer es mostrada como una completa inútil que no puede hacerle frente y pelear en condiciones. No, ella utiliza a sus tres hijos igual de inútiles para que la intenten defender.
Pero bueno, ya es sabido que nadie puede con Ash y su furia asesina, defensor de su pobre novio enjaulado y víctima de su cruel y sanguinaria madre.

Y ya, no voy a desglosar más porque al final lo rescata, deja a uno de sus hijos sin partes íntimas y a la madre herida. Se trae a su novio sin pierna, pareja tal para cual, ambos sin una extremidad y de paso, regresa a su corte para su futura coronación como rey seelie.

Eso sí, yo tengo la respuesta para este prota tan maravilloso y perfecto. La autora ama muchísimo a su personaje principal. Y sin temor ni miedo al "éxito" lo volvió un completo y poco agraciado Gary Stu.
Profile Image for Dani.
1,658 reviews310 followers
March 21, 2024
Re-read

Again, definitely better the second time around. A lot happens to move the plot forward but I didn't feel as strongly connected to Ash and Lonan in this one, and barely had any emotional response.

I am excited to read King of Death though, because there are so many things that have started or been mentioned that haven't been resolved yet. Hopefully it has a better balance between plot and emotions again like Mortal Skin.
Profile Image for Jamie.
789 reviews125 followers
February 16, 2024
Just as good as book 1 & super hard to put down.
Immediately starting book 3.
Profile Image for Pauline.
397 reviews183 followers
March 6, 2025
Jfc, this was a lot.

The first half of the book was incredibly angsty and painful in the best (and worst) way. This book definitely leaned darker than the first, pushing the characters (and my patience - looking at you, Ash) to their limits. But despite the pain, I was completely hooked, especially as the world-building continued to unfold. I loved slowly uncovering more about the fae world, with its terrifying rulers, fantastic creatures and intriguing mythology.

One of the best things about this series is how it refuses to fall into a simple ‘good vs evil’ narrative. The Seelie queen was just as bad - if not worse - than the Unseelie one, making it clear that in this world, morality doesn’t matter. There is no good or evil, only power (to quote my good pal Voldemort).

Now, let’s talk about Ash. Because wow, was he difficult in this one. Some of his decisions were so frustrating that I wanted to launch my fucking kindle across the room. He had major TSTL moments, and I struggled to connect with him overall tbh. That being said, I did appreciate one particular moment of violence involving a certain someone’s ahem sensitive area. Well deserved.

On the flip side, Lonan was EVERYTHING. My poor, traumatized, brave, strong, loyal baby. I just wanted to wrap him in a blanket and protect him from all the horrors of the fae world.

Speaking of horrors, Balor was genuinely terrifying and disgusting. One of the most vile characters I’ve read in a while, and Mayne did an incredible job making him feel like a true nightmare.

And finally - Nua and Gillie. My fav characters. Love them with everything I have. I need their novella immediately. Where can I find it?!

Overall, Forgotten Vows was dark, brutal and emotional, with fantastic world-building and some truly hateable (and lovable) characters. Ash tested my patience, but the story itself was gripping enough to keep me hooked. I’ll take a break now though because I couldn’t catch my breath while reading and I need some fluff.
Profile Image for Elena Rodríguez.
1,188 reviews492 followers
December 23, 2022
“A part of you will never forgive me for what I’ve done or what I am. And I don’t deserve it, anyway. Any of it. Your forgiveness. You”.

Voy a ser breve porque en esta época mi cerebro no da para más y está más espeso que un cola cao con leche fría. Además, paso que se me acumulen reseñas porque sí y en esta no tengo que decir nada del otro mundo. Por este motivo,voy a ser concisa:

-Nivel de inglés: un intermedio-intermedio alto. No tiene gran profundidad la historia ni vocabulario específico. Puedes leerlo bien para practicar.

-¿Personajes? Como todos los que crea la historia son muy tiernos pero planos. Te encariñas con ellos, pero eso no quiere decir que tengan mil defectos.

-¿Historia? Cliché como ella sola pero también muy entretenida.

Conclusión: quiero la tercera parte, obviamente porque es el final, me gusta, pero…sigo prefiriendo su saga de monstruos.

"A fine name. Tell no one. Keep it safe".
Profile Image for haletostilinski.
1,520 reviews648 followers
January 29, 2024
SO. I can say after the last book, this one DOES NOT END ON A CLIFFHANGER, woohoo! What a wonderful change from the utter despair of the first one, that's for sure! 😰😭😓🤗

It isn't finished, as we still have another book in this trilogy to go, and the ending of this is still open ended, for sure, but it's not a "AHH!! What's going to happen next, plot wise and romance wise for our couple!" cliffhanger like before.

At the end of the last book, it seemed impossible that Ash and Lonan would find their way back to each other. I mean, after what happened and the vow Ash made, unknowing what it truly meant, and how one can't get out of it, it was like...well, shit, how do we get out of this predicament???

But of course, Ms. Mayne had a solution, we just had to go through some angst and pain first to get to the other side of it all.

So I can say with certainty now that If you were scared to read the first book because of the MAJOR cliffhanger, I can say that now you can read this series after this book, which has our main couple much more settled in a HFN, and while there is still more that is needed in the story wrap things up and get our HEA, it was a lot less calm ending and didn't feel cliffhanger-y at all

It's open ended, is all I'll say. We know more has to be done, and it's slightly ominous because foes still have to be vanquished, but it's not an "Oh shit what's going to happen" ending. I myself don't consider it a cliffhanger even.

If you'd still rather wait for the third book to be out before reading everything, that's fine, but if you were just holding off because of the big cliffhanger, now you can read and get caught up, as you'll be able to dive right into this one and find out what happens, and we don't have a huge cliffhanger at the end of this one either.

In this we deal with the fallout of the first book, with our precious couple, Ash and Lonan separated. But I still absolutely loved this and couldn't put it down, especially because we got Lonan's POV in this as well, and we got to see his longing and pining for Ash as much as Ash's longing for Lonan .

Things start to come to a head as Ash start to settle in to his fully fae life, where before he was half mortal and hadn't "shed his mortal skin yet." But that's all changed now.

And where before we were just dealing with the Unseelie, the Seelie come into play in this one as well, especially Ash's Seelie Queen mother, who is as bad as, if not worse, than the Carlin, the Unseelie Queen.

Lonan's mother and brothers continue to be horrible in this installment, especially Balor, his oldest brother...like...yiKES. When we find out exactly what his deal is, it's quite disturbing. What the Carlin does and has done to Lonan is also quite disturbing too, of course. The other two brothers are shitty and evil too and shitty to Lonan, but far more removed than those two, barely doing anything, so I wonder if somehow they'll...live? Idk! We'll see.

I couldn't put this down, just like the first, and this book just strengthened Ash and Lonan's love for each other. To go through the end of the first book and make it through it? I hope that means they can get through anything together 😁

Also, once we got the smut between these two again...whew boy was it good. These two have some seriously hot sexy times together. And when .

I can't praise this book, this series, and this author enough. I absolutely LOVED this book and I love Ash and Lonan SO so much! I can't wait to see them get their well deserved HEA in the final book in this trilogy.

I just *happy sigh* can't get enough of this author's work, and this series. An absolutely perfect, unputdownable book and series.

Two MAJOR thumbs up from me! I'm SO excited for the last book in this trilogy, you have no idea.

Can't recommend this book enough!❤️🥰😘😍

My Ratings for the Folk Series:

Mortal Skin: 5 stars (my review)
✨ Forgotten Vows: 5 stars
King of Death: 5 stars (my review)
Profile Image for Ben Howard.
1,489 reviews246 followers
January 12, 2023
Forgotten Vows is everything I wanted the sequel to Mortal Skin to be and more!

This had me feeling so many emotions. Ash and Lonan go through a lot, both mentally and physically. I just want to protect them and keep them safe. Due to the aftermath of Mortal Skin,

The action is tense and brutal. In book 1 we saw the Unseelie land and in book 2 we get to see that life on Seelie land is just as precarious and dangerous, just in a different way. Lily Mayne did a brilliant job of expanding the lore and world-building.

Forgotten Vows also properly introduces Nua and Gillie. I love them so much and I'm so happy that the author is giving them a novella. I can't wait for it!!

We get a HFN, but with an ominous scene that lets us know that Ash and Lonan's enemies are waiting, and they are not going to let our couple have their bliss for too long.
229 reviews60 followers
June 9, 2024
This takes off right from the concluding events in Mortal Skin and we are first introduced to Ash with . I loved how their dynamic had a balance of being sweet and playful, and how Ash's physical pain was portrayed very viscerally.

Ash's personality becoming abrasive after the adversity he faced was initially very believable. However, eventually Ash started to make unbelievably asinine decisions that were not conducive to the careful, apprehensive traits his characterization had in Mortal Skin. It read as if Ash's characterization was stringently beholden to the whims of the plot.

Lonan's intense sorrow and misery about the consequences of his actions to Ash was wonderfully written through internal dialogue. However. I had to read about it again, and again, and again, and again. Overdone repetition makes me annoyed instead of convincing me of characters' purported emotion.

Balor was creepy and deplorable and he needed to be established as an antagonist, but showing him and Lonan have similarly structured, drawn-out, hostile conversations multiple times felt redundant. The repetition contributed to the surprisingly slow pacing of the book, which made my investment in the book sporadic instead of consistent.

To end on a positive note, I liked that there were quiet, slightly saccharine moments between Ash and Lonan near the end. It felt like a well deserved break from all the nonsense they had to grapple with leading to that point.

The Folk trilogy :
1. Mortal Skin 4.5 stars
2. Forgotten Vows 2 stars
3. King of Death (will not read)
Profile Image for Jay H (Hiatus).
284 reviews214 followers
November 15, 2024
4.0 Stars

Profile Image for Gabi.
214 reviews
August 3, 2023
4.4 stars
I really enjoyed this book (audiobook), but not as much as the first book in this trilogy.
Great world building, great chemistry between the MCs, 🥰 well written steamy scenes 🔥. Now I'm waiting for book 3 👀 and I'm ready to continue the Monstrous series. After having read these two books, I have enough confidence in Lily Mayne that she won't disappoint me… hope so.
Profile Image for Simona.
679 reviews62 followers
June 12, 2022
The first part was adorable. Ash was a bit harsh in the beginning, especially towards Nua, but in the end he improves himself and becomes more mature and grateful.

Lonan is a sweet pie, so different than the stoic warrior from book 1.

The second part was less adventurous (the incoronation and palace life). There is no cliffy this time, but there are many open points.
Profile Image for Clara's Book Lab.
71 reviews48 followers
March 3, 2024
3.5 🌟

While I didn’t enjoy the second book as much as I did the first, I still had a good time overall! I gasped, I blushed, I squealed. The longing at the first half of the book was so painful and bittersweet. Lonan is just a misunderstood baby girl and must be protected at all cost! 💕💕

But, the storyline itself, I felt like it was anticlimactic and undercooked. Everytime someone said that something is impossible to do, never been done before in centuries etc, Ash just went ahead and did it with little to no problem 🤷🏻‍♀️ and the fact that everything happened in less than a year?? And they are still 21?

Also, this is so weird coming from me because I love me some happy endings. I thought that the ‘happy ending’ was dragged on for sooo long, like I’ve never been bored before reading an ‘ending’.

The spice was mostly incredible, they are just insatiable horny boys lol. But it kept on happening and sometimes it wasn’t anything new? I felt that it was a bit repetitive and redundant. (Wow I can’t believe I just said that!)

As you can see, I am conflicted, so I think 3.5 is a good averaged score 😌

Profile Image for Astra.
172 reviews427 followers
May 21, 2023
The first book is my favorite out of the two. However this one is definitely still worth the read. And now I need book three— like right now.
Profile Image for Princess under cover.
617 reviews319 followers
October 21, 2022
Skipped a lot of this one. Very slow, not terribly exciting. Some sudden things happening out of no where for no reason. Just not the smoothest story. Overly dramatized with the memory loss thing. Lots of crying involved... ugh.
Profile Image for Shelby | Spicy.booknook.
446 reviews70 followers
July 11, 2025
I wouldn’t even know how to review this. Anything I say would spoil it. So I’ll just say:
Lonan Lonan Lonan Lonan
🥺🥺🥺🥺💔💔

That’s the whole review 😅 There is a HFN so there’s that I guess but you know, there’s a third book so shits gonna happen and something will probably piss me off 😅
Displaying 1 - 30 of 713 reviews

Join the discussion

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.