Buy It EarlyThe Cinder Crown

ARC Reader Review“Good Morning, Your Grace.”

If you don't get anything else from this book, you're going to love when he says that.

Thalion and Chastaine absolutely made this book for me. The little looks, the restraint, the protection, the things they refuse to say, and the way Thalion's feelings come through in what he does rather than what he admits made the slow burn incredibly satisfying. Chastaine also isn't just there to be protected. She is intelligent, capable, politically aware, and has responsibilities that genuinely affect the choices she makes. Their relationship feels like two people gradually becoming indispensable to one another even when they both know how dangerous that could become. I need the next book immediately.

ARC Reader ReviewIt has this dark, almost devotional gothic quality running through the entire story—old palaces, incense, gods, and a constant sense that something ancient is moving beneath everything. The prose is beautiful without feeling like it is trying too hard to be poetic, and there are several lines I found myself stopping to reread. Even the quieter scenes between Chastaine and Thalion carry this incredible weight of actual people having real problems. If you like fantasy that feels romantic, melancholy, and immersive, this is the book for you.

ARC Reader ReviewIf you love slow-burn romantasy, bodyguard romance, forbidden devotion, and a protective MMC who would burn the world down quietly and then apologize for the mess, The Cinder Crown delivers. The romance is low spice, but the tension and yearning more than make up for it. Add in ancient magic, actual banter and an amazing fight scene, and this hit so many of my favorite fantasy romance tropes at once.