A review by atrailofpages
Never the Roses by Jennifer K. Lambert

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Oneira has retired from working with her queen and has now become bored. She wants to read something new and remembers that her nemesis, her enemy Stearanos Stormbreaker, has an amazing library, and decides to travel there through Dream to reach his library and decides to take his current read on cultivation of a particular rose. 

Stearanos awakens and knows someone was in his home. He realizes his book was taken and leaves a note knowing this thief will return and he’s determined to outwit them and catch them and find out who it is that could get past his wards and keep him asleep. 

Thus, starts a game between two of the most powerful sorcerers out there trying to outwit each other and maybe fall in love? 

This book is not what I expected. Or it is, but took a moment to get where I wanted it and expected it to get to. 

The first I would say 40% is rather slow. It’s a lot of Oneira and her inner thoughts, what she’s doing while retired and meeting her creature/animal companions. And when I say slow, I mean sloooow. It took awhile to get into the actual story I felt like, and once we did at the 40% mark, it got much more interesting. 

And once it go interesting, it got interesting and fun! I adored the banter between the two of them. I loved how there’s a clear connection between them, but Oneira being the stubborn one she is refuses to accept it. I thought Stearanos, for being such a grump actually came off as super kind and romantic and I fell in love with him. The romance is devastatingly romantic, and dare I say a tragic forbidden one? Ah it was so good. I love a good slow burn romance with an untraditional ending. It just stirs the emotions and the heart and I loved every moment of it. 

There’s also more happening outside of their bubble with a war happening and the two of them trying to prevent it, but the book primarily focused on the two of them and their romance. 

There definitely is a world in this book and I wish we could have explored it more and learned about it more because there was a lot of interesting things mentioned and people, and gods/goddesses and I wanted more or to understand it. It’s obviously a fantasy romance versus a romance fantasy. The focus is solely on the romance really. Which I loved, but it would be neat to read more stories from this world. Plus, I loved the magic system and wanted more of that too, or who the creatures were, more detail on them. 

Overall, if you get past that hump at the start, it’s a wonderfully romantic story. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.