🍷🍷🍷.5 #Review of The Ever Queen by L.J. Andrews

Title: The Ever Queen
Series: The Ever Seas #2

Author: L.J. Andrews

Format: 452 pages, Kindle Edition

Published: January 26, 2024 by Victorious
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 
Source: eARC from Author 
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating:  🍷🍷🍷.5 / 🌶️🌶️ 

The Songbird:

Captive. Challenger. Queen.

Enemies took her from the man who holds her heart. They might see her as weak, as a pawn in wicked games, but they’re no match for the first Ever Queen.

Let them think they’ve won. Her heart belongs to a beautiful monster, and she will never stop fighting until she’s back in his arms.

The Serpent:

Captor. Villain. King.

His enemies stole the woman who claimed his soul. They betrayed him out of greed and desire for the crown, but they won't die for that betrayal. No.

They’ll die for touching her.

His heart belongs to a stunning little bird. He will never stop searching for her light across the skies. Not until the blood of his enemies spills at her feet, and his queen wears their bones around her neck.

Welcome back to the world of the Ever Kingdom where pirates collide with Vikings in passionate romance, brutal battles, and an unforgettable dark fantasy world. This book concludes the love story between Erik and Livia, but new, standalone romances with other favorite characters will continue to build the world. Readers are encouraged to check the TW inside the book for their reading comfort.

Crystal's Thoughts:

"...She is more than my queen. She is my every thought, my every breath..."

The Ever Queen by LJ Andrews in the stunning sequel to her hit fantasy romance, The Ever King. The story picks up right from the end of the previous book, and you should definitely read these books in order. I adore the entire Broken Kingdoms world, and Valen and Elise are my favorite characters from there. So it is no surprise that their daughter, Livia and her beautiful monster, captured my heart right away. The Ever Queen had everything that I loved about The Ever King in it. Fun characters, sensational world-building, and an interesting plot. 

"Hello, love." My voice broke, dry and jagged. I pressed my lips to the side of her head and whispered, "I promised I'd come for you..."

However, I did not enjoy The Ever Queen *quite* as much as I did The Ever King. The semantics behind the blood bound/heart bond was confusing, and while all of Andrews’ previous stories feature war, fighting, and blood, this one seemed a little over the top with the bloodthirstiness. More for shock than for any actual value to the storyline. The writing was in the author’s usual poetic style which I have always adored, but the litany of romantic prose was a bit much here. The same thing could have often been said with half the words and worked just as well. 

"King or not, Erik Bloodsinger, I would follow your darkness across the skies and seas. You are mine, a beautiful monster,  passionate lover, a loyal friend, a viscous king. All mine. And that is all I will ever want."

All in all though, The Ever Queen was an enjoyable read. The ending really made the book for me and I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

"I'm not here to save them. I'm here to keep you breathing, damn the rest."

Trope Checklist: 

✔ FANTASY ROMANCE
✔ SEQUEL
✔ DUAL POV
✔ 1ST PERSON POV
✔ PIRATES, VIKINGS, FAE
✔ MENTAL HEALTH REP
✔ ENEMIES TO LOVERS
✔ VILLIAN GETS THE GIRL
✔ SUPPORTIVE FAMILY
✔ FOUND FAMILY
✔ MORALLY GREY
✔ BLOODY/ WAR
✔ RELUCTANT ALLIES
✔ CURSED LAND
✔ SOUL BOND/ FATED MATES
✔ “WHO DID THIS TO YOU”

The Ever Seas