Book Review: Ardent Queen

• Book Blurb

  Colbie’s life has changed beyond comprehension and she’s struggling to come to terms with it all. But the goddess and magic haven’t finished with her and information comes to light that is going to change everything.

  Marks, mates, and missing children are only the tip of the iceberg and Colbie is working against time to solve more problems than she could have comprehended. But her new friends have become the support she has always craved, and with the help of watch team one and the former king and queens, not to mention a meddling goddess, she is starting to feel like she can handle anything that is thrown at her.

  She just needs to get that crown on her head and control of the shifter magic, but to do that she has to chase down her past. And that is not as easy as she had hoped. Can Colbie find the shifter masquerading as a human before someone else gains control of the shifter magic, or worse kills her before she can be crowned Queen of the Shifters?

  Colbie’s life has changed beyond comprehension and she’s struggling to come to terms with it all. But the goddess and magic haven’t finished with her and information comes to light that is going to change everything.

  Marks, mates, and missing children are only the tip of the iceberg and Colbie is working against time to solve more problems than she could have comprehended. But her new friends have become the support she has always craved, and with the help of watch team one and the former king and queens, not to mention a meddling goddess, she is starting to feel like she can handle anything that is thrown at her.

  She just needs to get that crown on her head and control of the shifter magic, but to do that she has to chase down her past. And that is not as easy as she had hoped. Can Colbie find the shifter masquerading as a human before someone else gains control of the shifter magic, or worse kills her before she can be crowned Queen of the Shifters?

• My review

  This was a solid 4-star read for me. Compared to book 1, Ardent Queen has way more spice, and a lot more plot development. It also neatly completes the first “duet” within the Kingdoms series.

  Why not 5 stars?

  Even though I enjoyed myself, parts of the story felt too structured. Almost like Colbie had a checklist of tasks to become queen, and the plot moved item by item—mating X, solving Y, finding Z. Because of this, her matings with each love interest became predictable. Reading the book felt like this: Oh, we need a pool to mate? Look at that—here’s a pool! What a coincidence.

  The convenience became almost funny at times.

  That said, this was still a fun, bingeable book.

  Plot & Worldbuilding

  The worldbuilding continues to be one of the series’ strong points—magic, goddess meddling, politics, coronation stakes, and a mystery that pushes the story forward.

  I enjoyed the action and the pacing more than in book 1, and it ties up the major plotlines nicely while still setting up the larger series arc.

  I don’t think I’ll continue the rest of the series, though. I’m not sure each kingdom will feel unique enough to keep my interest long-term.

  Romance & Characters

  Reverse harem with multiple mates, each with their moment—but again, a bit too sequential for my taste.

  Colbie remains a likable FMC, easy to root for, and surrounded by supportive characters who genuinely enrich the story.

  What I really missed was more badass-queen moments. She’s supposedly insanely powerful, but we rarely see her truly unleash it. A little more “show, don’t tell” would’ve made her coronation journey feel more epic.

  This was a solid 4-star read for me. Compared to book 1, Ardent Queen has way more spice, and a lot more plot development. It also neatly completes the first “duet” within the Kingdoms series.

  Why not 5 stars?

  Even though I enjoyed myself, parts of the story felt too structured. Almost like Colbie had a checklist of tasks to become queen, and the plot moved item by item—mating X, solving Y, finding Z. Because of this, her matings with each love interest became predictable. Reading the book felt like this: Oh, we need a pool to mate? Look at that—here’s a pool! What a coincidence.

  The convenience became almost funny at times.

  That said, this was still a fun, bingeable book.

  Plot & Worldbuilding

  The worldbuilding continues to be one of the series’ strong points—magic, goddess meddling, politics, coronation stakes, and a mystery that pushes the story forward.

  I enjoyed the action and the pacing more than in book 1, and it ties up the major plotlines nicely while still setting up the larger series arc.

  I don’t think I’ll continue the rest of the series, though. I’m not sure each kingdom will feel unique enough to keep my interest long-term.

  Romance & Characters

  Reverse harem with multiple mates, each with their moment—but again, a bit too sequential for my taste.

  Colbie remains a likable FMC, easy to root for, and surrounded by supportive characters who genuinely enrich the story.

  What I really missed was more badass-queen moments. She’s supposedly insanely powerful, but we rarely see her truly unleash it. A little more “show, don’t tell” would’ve made her coronation journey feel more epic.

Character & romance details

Who will love this book

Ooops, no similar books have been added to the blog yet!