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Desperate Disguise #3
Whispers Within the Midnight Garden
Sage's adventures continue in Whispers Within the Midnight Garden
*Whispers Within the Midnight Garden is the third book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
*Whispers Within the Midnight Garden is the third book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2025
275 people are currently reading
612 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
March 27, 2025
Ok I have a question - are there going to be 85 books in this series?? I'm asking because this is the slowest series of all time. Don't get me wrong, I really really love this premise and the general overarching storyline. However, at the same time,
Want to read
April 30, 2025❌❌🚫I feel like they're selling us this story almost chapter by chapter. I understand that there are narratives that require second and third parts; however, in each installment an important part of the plot should be completed or, at the very least, the premise consolidated. In this case, I clearly feel that the author wrote one single book and then cut it into parts, only to now give us a few crumbs, like for little birds🐦.
This situation is not exclusive to this work; I've seen other authors do the same. Although I understand that they aim to maximize the profitability of their creation, it is quite frustrating.
We want a complete book in which something is resolved, for example:
✔ There are books that divide the story based on the development of each couple, allowing us to deeply get to know each character ❤️.
✔ Others end the first volume with a minor mission, which is then integrated into a larger plot in the next book 🎯.
✔ And there are even sagas set in the same world, with independent yet interconnected volumes that offer a well-developed and coherent story 🌍.
However, in each of these installments nothing is resolved. We're already on the third book and the protagonist still hasn't gotten a boyfriend nor saved her brother 😕. And if it's argued that the focus will be on her development as a soldier in the guard of the black, white, or golden tower, by now she should have risen in the ranks; but nothing of that sort happens, she remains a novice who stumbles left and right.
Please, give us a book in which some concrete achievement is attained: that one of her relationships is developed, that her training to become an elite soldier is completed, or, if you prefer, that the web of her farce is unraveled and she is sent to jail, only to later be rescued by a mysterious shadow that reveals to her that she is the queen of the shadows and, from that point on, she can take revenge on those who have wronged her (I'm just making all this up and having fun, maybe I'll become an author! 😜).
In short, don't give me another book with a few chapters that lead nowhere and that clearly are just fragments of a single story sold in bits and pieces.
That way, I just lose interest in the story, even if it's a good story.. No more, please! 🚫📚
✅💕💕 (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞My Instagram☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) 💕💕
This situation is not exclusive to this work; I've seen other authors do the same. Although I understand that they aim to maximize the profitability of their creation, it is quite frustrating.
We want a complete book in which something is resolved, for example:
✔ There are books that divide the story based on the development of each couple, allowing us to deeply get to know each character ❤️.
✔ Others end the first volume with a minor mission, which is then integrated into a larger plot in the next book 🎯.
✔ And there are even sagas set in the same world, with independent yet interconnected volumes that offer a well-developed and coherent story 🌍.
However, in each of these installments nothing is resolved. We're already on the third book and the protagonist still hasn't gotten a boyfriend nor saved her brother 😕. And if it's argued that the focus will be on her development as a soldier in the guard of the black, white, or golden tower, by now she should have risen in the ranks; but nothing of that sort happens, she remains a novice who stumbles left and right.
Please, give us a book in which some concrete achievement is attained: that one of her relationships is developed, that her training to become an elite soldier is completed, or, if you prefer, that the web of her farce is unraveled and she is sent to jail, only to later be rescued by a mysterious shadow that reveals to her that she is the queen of the shadows and, from that point on, she can take revenge on those who have wronged her (I'm just making all this up and having fun, maybe I'll become an author! 😜).
In short, don't give me another book with a few chapters that lead nowhere and that clearly are just fragments of a single story sold in bits and pieces.
That way, I just lose interest in the story, even if it's a good story.. No more, please! 🚫📚
✅💕💕 (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞My Instagram☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜) 💕💕
April 3, 2025
My most anticipated book and it really fell short for me. But I’m also conflicted.
I adored the first two books but the progression of the series is abysmal, there has been no character growth or development of plot, only more questions and relatively hollow sex.
I finished this book in an hour and a half and felt like I’d finished a chapter. The entire ‘book’ consisted of two days which is typically fine but there was no real thing keeping me attached to the story other than frustration and not the fun ‘omg I can’t wait’ kind of frustration but the frustration that leaves me pissed off that I waited this long for breadcrumbs and have to wait an entire year for what I expect to be more breadcrumbs without resolution.
The story is great, the world is fantastic but something needs to change in the stories progression. Have her fulfil something, literally anything. Especially if it involves her becoming the strong woman I want to see and not the floundering, constantly in distress woman/cadet she has been.
I adored the first two books but the progression of the series is abysmal, there has been no character growth or development of plot, only more questions and relatively hollow sex.
I finished this book in an hour and a half and felt like I’d finished a chapter. The entire ‘book’ consisted of two days which is typically fine but there was no real thing keeping me attached to the story other than frustration and not the fun ‘omg I can’t wait’ kind of frustration but the frustration that leaves me pissed off that I waited this long for breadcrumbs and have to wait an entire year for what I expect to be more breadcrumbs without resolution.
The story is great, the world is fantastic but something needs to change in the stories progression. Have her fulfil something, literally anything. Especially if it involves her becoming the strong woman I want to see and not the floundering, constantly in distress woman/cadet she has been.
April 4, 2025
Well that felt like a waste of time. I think this whole “book” encompassed less than 24 hours. What can happen in 24 hours? Not enough to justify a book, that’s what. This reeks of a money grab. Hey Tessa, write a whole book instead of snippets, I know you can.
April 4, 2025
To be honest, this book didn't need to exist. the story didn't move forward in any meaningful way, there was no character growth, and nothing really happened. Sage got more annoying, and over the less than day covered by this book, all I wanted was for SOMETHING to happen.
I'm not impressed, and pretty disappointed. the writing was alright, but overall it feels like this book could have been a few chapters in another novel and nothing would have really changed.
I'm not impressed, and pretty disappointed. the writing was alright, but overall it feels like this book could have been a few chapters in another novel and nothing would have really changed.
April 3, 2025
Hugely disappointed in the length of this book. It ends at what should have been only a third of the way through. I love the premise of the story and know it could be really great, but we are three books in and it’s only been like 3 days in the story. And the next one won’t be out for an entire year…..big let down.
April 2, 2025
The premise is intriguing, and the characters have the potential to be memorable. However, after three books in the series, I feel like the story is dragging rather than progressing.
One of the main issues is the slow pacing. Time within the narrative feels almost stagnant, only a few days or weeks have passed, yet there’s little meaningful development in the characters or the central conflict. For a series already on its third installment, I expected deeper emotional arcs, more drastic changes, or at least a clearer sense of forward momentum.
Additionally, some plotlines feel repetitive or unnecessarily drawn out. Certain scenes could be more dynamic or condensed, while others that deserve more attention are treated superficially. I think the author could have explored key moments more thoroughly, giving greater weight to the characters’ decisions and the consequences of their actions.
That said, I’m still invested in the story because the worldbuilding and underlying mythology are fascinating. If future books pick up the pace, deepen the conflicts, and deliver more impactful twists, this series could truly shine. For now, though, it feels like it’s "spinning its wheels", full of potential but not yet fully realized.
One of the main issues is the slow pacing. Time within the narrative feels almost stagnant, only a few days or weeks have passed, yet there’s little meaningful development in the characters or the central conflict. For a series already on its third installment, I expected deeper emotional arcs, more drastic changes, or at least a clearer sense of forward momentum.
Additionally, some plotlines feel repetitive or unnecessarily drawn out. Certain scenes could be more dynamic or condensed, while others that deserve more attention are treated superficially. I think the author could have explored key moments more thoroughly, giving greater weight to the characters’ decisions and the consequences of their actions.
That said, I’m still invested in the story because the worldbuilding and underlying mythology are fascinating. If future books pick up the pace, deepen the conflicts, and deliver more impactful twists, this series could truly shine. For now, though, it feels like it’s "spinning its wheels", full of potential but not yet fully realized.
April 14, 2025
2.5 stars
I'm slowly losing patience with the abysmal pacing of this series.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this felt like a filler book. The events in book 3 take place all within the span of one night and while there are lots of scenes, not much really happens in the way of moving the plot forward.
Sage is almost exactly where she was at the end of Book 2, except now we have new characters and potentially more issues.
The sex is starting to feel quite hollow. The scenes in previous books were better because of the implied intimacy, however without the romantic progress, even smut loses interest.
50-50 on whether I will read the next book. If I do and it's still giving the same Vella-style format, I'll probably give up the series then.
I'm slowly losing patience with the abysmal pacing of this series.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this felt like a filler book. The events in book 3 take place all within the span of one night and while there are lots of scenes, not much really happens in the way of moving the plot forward.
Sage is almost exactly where she was at the end of Book 2, except now we have new characters and potentially more issues.
The sex is starting to feel quite hollow. The scenes in previous books were better because of the implied intimacy, however without the romantic progress, even smut loses interest.
50-50 on whether I will read the next book. If I do and it's still giving the same Vella-style format, I'll probably give up the series then.
March 26, 2025
There was more action and movement in this installment than in the first two, which I was excited to see! Still only covered a ~24 hour time period, but it was pretty interesting. We also got some new characters that I’m wondering if they are a part of the vision Sage is trying to prevent or if they’re part of a whole new storyline. Only time will tell.
Unfortunately, I had to deduct a star because it still feels like we’re really far from the conclusions for some of the larger plot points. For example, we still need to see:
I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting. I’m hoping we can start working through these plot points in the upcoming installments of this series (serial?), but I’m still unclear on how many books it’ll take to get there since only 1-5 days are covered in each one.
Regardless, I’m going to keep seeing where these books take me!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Unfortunately, I had to deduct a star because it still feels like we’re really far from the conclusions for some of the larger plot points. For example, we still need to see:
I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting. I’m hoping we can start working through these plot points in the upcoming installments of this series (serial?), but I’m still unclear on how many books it’ll take to get there since only 1-5 days are covered in each one.
Regardless, I’m going to keep seeing where these books take me!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 3, 2025
Good but short
Really good series but at least the other two books had 300 pages while this update feels like we cut 100 pages outta the story just to leave this on, albeit good cliff hanger, but another cliff hanger nonetheless, without much progress from the last book. I really hope the year wait for book 4 is so we get way more story or even big enough to end the series in the next book or another quick after. The offered preview makes me even more sad that we couldn't have just continued for at least another 50 pages.
Really good series but at least the other two books had 300 pages while this update feels like we cut 100 pages outta the story just to leave this on, albeit good cliff hanger, but another cliff hanger nonetheless, without much progress from the last book. I really hope the year wait for book 4 is so we get way more story or even big enough to end the series in the next book or another quick after. The offered preview makes me even more sad that we couldn't have just continued for at least another 50 pages.
May 9, 2025
It moved SOOO SLOW. The story and plot line are interesting, I want to love it, but half the book is a nothing burger and 80% of this book is ONE DAY. I swear books 1-3 could all be one book and the cliff hanger in this book isn’t even good. It feels like the entire book is written and we’re only getting small portions of it at a time. At this rate it’s gonna be a 10 part series.
December 17, 2024
Released April 2nd 2024 but where is it?? Cant leave me on this chiffhanger!!
Read
April 3, 2025The first two in this series left me on some truly horrendous cliffhangers, which I could forgive since the story had enough substance up to that moment.
This one was fun and I don’t regret reading it, but it feels slow. A lot happens, but the story mostly takes place in a short period of time in one or two places. And our heroine is confused, exhausted, scared, and/or carried along by everything else in the story— I’m hard pressed to think of a choice Sage makes that shows a kind of agency up until the final pages (when shit gets good again!).
There are some steamy scenes and some new developments, but I am far more curious about her daytime life and training to be a soldier. Sage is more interesting when she’s fighting and plotting and angry than scared and victimized. I’m not mad that she’s reacting to trauma, I just didn’t want to spend an entire book over the course of a single, bad night.
This one was fun and I don’t regret reading it, but it feels slow. A lot happens, but the story mostly takes place in a short period of time in one or two places. And our heroine is confused, exhausted, scared, and/or carried along by everything else in the story— I’m hard pressed to think of a choice Sage makes that shows a kind of agency up until the final pages (when shit gets good again!).
There are some steamy scenes and some new developments, but I am far more curious about her daytime life and training to be a soldier. Sage is more interesting when she’s fighting and plotting and angry than scared and victimized. I’m not mad that she’s reacting to trauma, I just didn’t want to spend an entire book over the course of a single, bad night.
June 4, 2025
I can’t even
Excellent fodder for a buddy read though.
It brought out all the snark
Spoilers-
This was pretty much the plot for this one:
“Zinnia put my marks to sleep,” she murmured, her voice heartbreakingly soft and uncertain. “I won’t find my mates until they reawaken.”
I opened my mouth to ask how long that would take, but she shook her head before I could get the words out.
“I don’t know when they’ll reawaken,” she said as if she could read my thoughts.
And maybe she could. I didn’t know what magic she possessed, maybe it was mind reading. But even if she couldn’t read my thoughts, my question was the next most obvious one. A woman’s mating marks were essential. She couldn’t mate without them… and she couldn’t conceive.
And the High Priestess’s fury when she found out would put Sage at risk. My pulse picked up. I had to protect her.
OMG the endless internal monologue was killing me-
Excellent fodder for a buddy read though.
It brought out all the snark
Spoilers-
This was pretty much the plot for this one:
“Zinnia put my marks to sleep,” she murmured, her voice heartbreakingly soft and uncertain. “I won’t find my mates until they reawaken.”
I opened my mouth to ask how long that would take, but she shook her head before I could get the words out.
“I don’t know when they’ll reawaken,” she said as if she could read my thoughts.
And maybe she could. I didn’t know what magic she possessed, maybe it was mind reading. But even if she couldn’t read my thoughts, my question was the next most obvious one. A woman’s mating marks were essential. She couldn’t mate without them… and she couldn’t conceive.
And the High Priestess’s fury when she found out would put Sage at risk. My pulse picked up. I had to protect her.
OMG the endless internal monologue was killing me-
January 18, 2026
This is pissing me off so much. What is happening with this series? This book was like a novella filled with NOTHING. I thought it was supposed to be a trilogy and there’s no sight of the end. Calling this fast-paced action is wild
July 5, 2025
Love it love it love it!
I am hooked and there is no way ai wait patiently for a whole year! Sweet torture! But seriously, read these books!!!!!
I am hooked and there is no way ai wait patiently for a whole year! Sweet torture! But seriously, read these books!!!!!
March 16, 2025
Absolutely LOVED this fantastic addition to the Desperate Disguise series!! We got to explore more of the fae world, developed a deeper connection with our wonderful characters and I cannot wait to read what happens next. I love Sage and her journey, it is a beautifully crafted world and the epitome of a gorgeously written slow burn romance. Tessa, you’re an amazing author and I’m so excited to see where you take us next!
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 25, 2025
Danger is constantly lurking behind this stunningly beautiful facade...
Sage is trapped in the fae's magic Garden, and the most powerful fae in the kingdom, the High Priestess has assigned the most intimidating knight to guard Sage until she finds her mates.
Except, Sage has mating marks she shouldn't have when she's in the Garden because she's not fae who has been forcibly put to sleep, and this leaves Sage unable to form the bonds with her mates that could save her.
And what makes matters worse, Sage's attackers are still on the loose, and Sage has to rely on Rider, Talon, and Quill, the 3 men that she vowed she was never going to trust again after they abandoned her while they were on the running trail.
What is most shocking to Sage is that her Fantasy Man, Ash, who's the only man who has actually managed to make Sage feel safe, is actually one of them, he's a captain of the Black Guard, and now Sage finds herself wondering if she can trust him, too.
Now Sage finds that time is quickly slipping away from her. Her body is still lying asleep in the Black Tower, and she knows that if she is discovered, she's going to end up being imprisoned or worse, killed.
If Sage isn't able to find a way to break free from the Garden and get back to her body, the sacrifice that she has made to save her brother will have been for nothing...
*Whispers Within the Midnight Garden is the third book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
Whispers Within The Midnight Garden is the 3rd book in the Desperate Disguise series by Tessa Cole. And after 3 books I have to say that I am still in love with this premise that is just so intriguing, well-developed characters that still have room for development, and are memorable and I am just in love with Tessa Cole's writing and style of storytelling.
I loved all the action and movement that we saw in this instalment, and it seemed like it was so much more than the first two books and I just loved it. I also loved the way we got to meet new characters in this 3rd book. And I can't help if these new characters are part of Sage's vision or if they are part of a new storyline that Tessa Cole has planned for a future series in the same world? I guess that we will only see what happens in the future.
My only problem with this book was that we didn't get to see some of the larger plot points and sub-plot points that were left open. Example:
- We never got to see Sawyer make it out of the larger cities and then we never got to figure out how to break the bond.
- We needed to see the captain's discovery that Sawyer is actually a woman.
- We needed to see that the Captains discover that Sawyer is the same fae Sage they know.
- We never got to see Sage figure out how she was going to prevent her own death.
- We never got to see Sage learn to be fae after being raised human
- We never got to see Sage seal her mate bonds and learn to fully trust all the captains.
- We never got to see the captain's discover who tried and failed to abduct Sage.
- And we never got to learn what the real deal with the High Priestess is.
I really do hope that we get more books in this series so that we can get some closure to the above-stated plot points. I don't know how many books that would take, maybe 1 or 2 more, but I would love to see those books written so we get to really see these plot points fully explored and closed, and get a real and full conclusion to this series.
Despite the above, I still can't help but recommend this series, I highly enjoyed it and I think there are a lot of other readers who would enjoy it as well.
Sage is trapped in the fae's magic Garden, and the most powerful fae in the kingdom, the High Priestess has assigned the most intimidating knight to guard Sage until she finds her mates.
Except, Sage has mating marks she shouldn't have when she's in the Garden because she's not fae who has been forcibly put to sleep, and this leaves Sage unable to form the bonds with her mates that could save her.
And what makes matters worse, Sage's attackers are still on the loose, and Sage has to rely on Rider, Talon, and Quill, the 3 men that she vowed she was never going to trust again after they abandoned her while they were on the running trail.
What is most shocking to Sage is that her Fantasy Man, Ash, who's the only man who has actually managed to make Sage feel safe, is actually one of them, he's a captain of the Black Guard, and now Sage finds herself wondering if she can trust him, too.
Now Sage finds that time is quickly slipping away from her. Her body is still lying asleep in the Black Tower, and she knows that if she is discovered, she's going to end up being imprisoned or worse, killed.
If Sage isn't able to find a way to break free from the Garden and get back to her body, the sacrifice that she has made to save her brother will have been for nothing...
*Whispers Within the Midnight Garden is the third book in a fantasy romance series with a determined heroine and hot dangerous men. This romantasy is a slow burn, steamy, girl disguised as a man that takes place in a magical world of kingdoms and shadowy monsters and is filled with fast-paced action.*
Whispers Within The Midnight Garden is the 3rd book in the Desperate Disguise series by Tessa Cole. And after 3 books I have to say that I am still in love with this premise that is just so intriguing, well-developed characters that still have room for development, and are memorable and I am just in love with Tessa Cole's writing and style of storytelling.
I loved all the action and movement that we saw in this instalment, and it seemed like it was so much more than the first two books and I just loved it. I also loved the way we got to meet new characters in this 3rd book. And I can't help if these new characters are part of Sage's vision or if they are part of a new storyline that Tessa Cole has planned for a future series in the same world? I guess that we will only see what happens in the future.
My only problem with this book was that we didn't get to see some of the larger plot points and sub-plot points that were left open. Example:
- We never got to see Sawyer make it out of the larger cities and then we never got to figure out how to break the bond.
- We needed to see the captain's discovery that Sawyer is actually a woman.
- We needed to see that the Captains discover that Sawyer is the same fae Sage they know.
- We never got to see Sage figure out how she was going to prevent her own death.
- We never got to see Sage learn to be fae after being raised human
- We never got to see Sage seal her mate bonds and learn to fully trust all the captains.
- We never got to see the captain's discover who tried and failed to abduct Sage.
- And we never got to learn what the real deal with the High Priestess is.
I really do hope that we get more books in this series so that we can get some closure to the above-stated plot points. I don't know how many books that would take, maybe 1 or 2 more, but I would love to see those books written so we get to really see these plot points fully explored and closed, and get a real and full conclusion to this series.
Despite the above, I still can't help but recommend this series, I highly enjoyed it and I think there are a lot of other readers who would enjoy it as well.
April 11, 2025
This one was super disappointing. While events happened, I feel like nothing at all happened at the same time. It's felt like reading a book halfway through and being told the other half didn't exist yet. While I'd like to see where things are going, if the next book doesn't deliver I'll probably drop this series. Which sucks, cause it had a ton of potential. Hopefully, this is just a dud and things will pick up in the next book.
April 15, 2025
Listen. I love this series but this book felt like she wrote the first act and was like “oh no my deadline is tomorrow, I’ll publish this.” Because we literally got the build up of a first act and then a “to be continued”
It made little sense to me why it ended there. It almost feels like it belongs on kindle Vella or a site where you release chapter by chapter. Not kindle unlimited.
It made little sense to me why it ended there. It almost feels like it belongs on kindle Vella or a site where you release chapter by chapter. Not kindle unlimited.
April 8, 2025
Not even half a book
It felt like the first 2 chapters of a book. Very disappointing. I’m not sure I’ll read the next book.
It felt like the first 2 chapters of a book. Very disappointing. I’m not sure I’ll read the next book.
April 6, 2025
Ugh. I am so frustrated!
I like everything about these books so far except one blaring thing... this does not feel like a complete book!
It felt like half of a book, and so did the first two. However, this one felt even shorter because of the swift left turn the plot took at the very beginning.
The main thing that set this story apart for me was the back and forth between the fmc as a boy at the Black Tower and her as a highly desired female in the Garden while she slept. And of course, the roller coaster of development of a relationship she had w her guys.
And yet... this book took a totally different turn with her being attacked in her safe place and yet another by bringing us into a political thing with the fae queen?
I didn't care for it. But my main issue was that it took up the entire book. If you can call it that.
It may have been okay if the author had taken the time to make it make sense.
I mean, was her struggle being a boy, and maybe a fae, needing to mate, falling for guys who are hot and cold, learning to fight, etc... not enough of a plot? We already had bully bad guys as well as shadow beasts that I thought would end up as the main plot... but now we have this whole other queen thing going on w a new bodyguard and magistrates in her beeswax and stuff. I hate that she doesn't have a confidant, too. Someone should know her secret by now, like a close friend, at least.
I am really bummed that there wasn't much of any progress made w the guys. Their protective instincts have increased, but they don't know her.
No secrets were revealed. No real progress was made and... then it just... ended.
I'm so disappointed, but only because I love it so much so far.
So please... give me more. 200 pages felt like a drop on the bucket. Honestly.
This story has such phenomenal potential. It could literally be one of my new favorite serieses, but not at this rate. It says the next book won't be out for another year? That's a crazy amount of time for such a small amount. I mean, I wanted a couple of weeks for the one, and it felt like a long time because I was on the edge of my seat.
(Read on Kindle Unlimited)
I like everything about these books so far except one blaring thing... this does not feel like a complete book!
It felt like half of a book, and so did the first two. However, this one felt even shorter because of the swift left turn the plot took at the very beginning.
The main thing that set this story apart for me was the back and forth between the fmc as a boy at the Black Tower and her as a highly desired female in the Garden while she slept. And of course, the roller coaster of development of a relationship she had w her guys.
And yet... this book took a totally different turn with her being attacked in her safe place and yet another by bringing us into a political thing with the fae queen?
I didn't care for it. But my main issue was that it took up the entire book. If you can call it that.
It may have been okay if the author had taken the time to make it make sense.
I mean, was her struggle being a boy, and maybe a fae, needing to mate, falling for guys who are hot and cold, learning to fight, etc... not enough of a plot? We already had bully bad guys as well as shadow beasts that I thought would end up as the main plot... but now we have this whole other queen thing going on w a new bodyguard and magistrates in her beeswax and stuff. I hate that she doesn't have a confidant, too. Someone should know her secret by now, like a close friend, at least.
I am really bummed that there wasn't much of any progress made w the guys. Their protective instincts have increased, but they don't know her.
No secrets were revealed. No real progress was made and... then it just... ended.
I'm so disappointed, but only because I love it so much so far.
So please... give me more. 200 pages felt like a drop on the bucket. Honestly.
This story has such phenomenal potential. It could literally be one of my new favorite serieses, but not at this rate. It says the next book won't be out for another year? That's a crazy amount of time for such a small amount. I mean, I wanted a couple of weeks for the one, and it felt like a long time because I was on the edge of my seat.
(Read on Kindle Unlimited)
April 5, 2025
2.5 stars
Eh, this was my least favourite book of the series so far. It was a bit of an underwhelming addition tbh.
It felt like some random new problems were thrown in out of nowhere, in a story that already had plenty going on, without really making any progress on the plot points that had already been established in the previous books. The book was also really short and basically only covered like a 24 hour period, so that contributed to feeling like there wasn't a lot of progress made. It kinda started to feel like filler/drawing it out for the sake of it, which wasn't helped by throwing in a one-dimensional antagonist (the high priestess) who was conveniently being nasty and meddling just... because?
There was a similar lack of progress with the romance aspect. I love a slow-burn, angsty love story, but this book felt too much like "one step forward, two steps back". I think there's a fine balance between drawing out the romantic tension and stagnating it, and unfortunately this book leaned more towards the latter. Like I was so happy that we made some progress towards Sage and Ash (presumably) becoming mates, and there still could have been angst there with them both fearing rejection, but then the "put the mating marks to sleep" thing was introduced and felt like it just cut everything off at the knees. Instead of making me desperate to see the pay-off, it made me go, "ugh, back to square one, now they're all so far away from discovering that they're mates".
I think the editing was better in this book, at least. Either that or I've just gotten used to the writing style/mistakes 🤷♀️ I still feel like the author could work on how repetitive some things are. How many times were we reminded in this book that Sage just had to hold out another 4 or 5 rotations until Sawyer was safe? Maybe it was meant to be a kind of mantra that she was repeating to herself, but if so, it was poorly executed and didn't come across that way at all.
I still want to see how things play out because it's quite a unique story, but I'm hoping things ramp up in the next book.
Eh, this was my least favourite book of the series so far. It was a bit of an underwhelming addition tbh.
It felt like some random new problems were thrown in out of nowhere, in a story that already had plenty going on, without really making any progress on the plot points that had already been established in the previous books. The book was also really short and basically only covered like a 24 hour period, so that contributed to feeling like there wasn't a lot of progress made. It kinda started to feel like filler/drawing it out for the sake of it, which wasn't helped by throwing in a one-dimensional antagonist (the high priestess) who was conveniently being nasty and meddling just... because?
There was a similar lack of progress with the romance aspect. I love a slow-burn, angsty love story, but this book felt too much like "one step forward, two steps back". I think there's a fine balance between drawing out the romantic tension and stagnating it, and unfortunately this book leaned more towards the latter. Like I was so happy that we made some progress towards Sage and Ash (presumably) becoming mates, and there still could have been angst there with them both fearing rejection, but then the "put the mating marks to sleep" thing was introduced and felt like it just cut everything off at the knees. Instead of making me desperate to see the pay-off, it made me go, "ugh, back to square one, now they're all so far away from discovering that they're mates".
I think the editing was better in this book, at least. Either that or I've just gotten used to the writing style/mistakes 🤷♀️ I still feel like the author could work on how repetitive some things are. How many times were we reminded in this book that Sage just had to hold out another 4 or 5 rotations until Sawyer was safe? Maybe it was meant to be a kind of mantra that she was repeating to herself, but if so, it was poorly executed and didn't come across that way at all.
I still want to see how things play out because it's quite a unique story, but I'm hoping things ramp up in the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Book 3 of (probably) 5 or 6. The author tends to write a series in several books.
I really enjoyed the first two books. Action, secrets, fights in the human lands vs. intrigue, more secrets and lûstful scenes in the Fae Gardens. We get to know all the black tower captains and the human/fae guards and what the days and trainings are like.
This 3rd book was a bit of a snooze fest and I read it in a day. This book takes place within 2 days. That’s it. I think so far, starting at book 1, it’s been maybe a week and a half for this series. I don’t know if we’ll ever see Sage be the strong woman she thinks she could be, if she didn’t keep waking up in the Fae Gardens. It’s like she gets no rest from the grueling day stuff at the Black Tower and then has to pretend to be an un-mated Fae and deal with the issues in the Gardens.
Sage just wants to stick to the plan of keeping out of trouble at the Black Tower (welp! That didn’t happen ((book 1-2)) and now she has a big bullseye on her back!) and make sure her brother gets out of Erellod (would love to hear an update on him. I think that would add to the story) and figure out what visions are true and why she keeps waking up in the Fae Gardens.
This book ends in a cliffhanger. Don’t know when the 4th book “Hidden with the Secret Heart” comes out, but I want to know what happens, so I’ll be waiting for it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Book 3 of (probably) 5 or 6. The author tends to write a series in several books.
I really enjoyed the first two books. Action, secrets, fights in the human lands vs. intrigue, more secrets and lûstful scenes in the Fae Gardens. We get to know all the black tower captains and the human/fae guards and what the days and trainings are like.
This 3rd book was a bit of a snooze fest and I read it in a day. This book takes place within 2 days. That’s it. I think so far, starting at book 1, it’s been maybe a week and a half for this series. I don’t know if we’ll ever see Sage be the strong woman she thinks she could be, if she didn’t keep waking up in the Fae Gardens. It’s like she gets no rest from the grueling day stuff at the Black Tower and then has to pretend to be an un-mated Fae and deal with the issues in the Gardens.
Sage just wants to stick to the plan of keeping out of trouble at the Black Tower (welp! That didn’t happen ((book 1-2)) and now she has a big bullseye on her back!) and make sure her brother gets out of Erellod (would love to hear an update on him. I think that would add to the story) and figure out what visions are true and why she keeps waking up in the Fae Gardens.
This book ends in a cliffhanger. Don’t know when the 4th book “Hidden with the Secret Heart” comes out, but I want to know what happens, so I’ll be waiting for it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 20, 2025
MMMFM? - I’ve really been enjoying this series. In a subgenre where all the stories can feel very similar, this doesn’t super remind me of any other series. But this latest installment… I got to the end and I was like you’re kidding me? It’s done??
While it’s a shorter story than some, the length is comparable to some other popular RH writers’ latest works to which I thought at the end ‘oh that was a quick read’, not ‘that can’t be the whole story.’ This makes me think it’s not about the length of the story. It’s that it didn’t feel like a complete, albeit short, novel. It felt like I got to read a chunk of a longer novel.
It’s been two weeks(?) since I read it so it’s not fresh and maybe I’m not remembering some intricacies but even when I’d just finished it I was like barely anything happened and it’s ending?
Spoilers now:
- she gets attacked in the beginning. The MMCs defend her. Understandably this upsetting events caused a decent amount of tension.
- Then they react to that attack -> she needs to be protected and she gets protected.
- She gets the bracelet cut off that’s keeping her stuck in the fae dream(?) world and returns to the military base / real life.
-Then has a dream/vision of a side character getting hurt. The end. That’s it.
Now that I’m writing it out, maybe it’s that everything happens TO her. Her actions weren’t causing the plot, she was mostly reacting? She seemed like more of a passive participant as a couple plot events happened to her. I still enjoyed reading it and I’ll keep going on the series but this one disappointed me.
While it’s a shorter story than some, the length is comparable to some other popular RH writers’ latest works to which I thought at the end ‘oh that was a quick read’, not ‘that can’t be the whole story.’ This makes me think it’s not about the length of the story. It’s that it didn’t feel like a complete, albeit short, novel. It felt like I got to read a chunk of a longer novel.
It’s been two weeks(?) since I read it so it’s not fresh and maybe I’m not remembering some intricacies but even when I’d just finished it I was like barely anything happened and it’s ending?
Spoilers now:
- she gets attacked in the beginning. The MMCs defend her. Understandably this upsetting events caused a decent amount of tension.
- Then they react to that attack -> she needs to be protected and she gets protected.
- She gets the bracelet cut off that’s keeping her stuck in the fae dream(?) world and returns to the military base / real life.
-Then has a dream/vision of a side character getting hurt. The end. That’s it.
Now that I’m writing it out, maybe it’s that everything happens TO her. Her actions weren’t causing the plot, she was mostly reacting? She seemed like more of a passive participant as a couple plot events happened to her. I still enjoyed reading it and I’ll keep going on the series but this one disappointed me.
Read
April 9, 2025If one broke this book down to the plot bullet points, it would be a very short list. There's was the beginning stages of one character/ relationship developmental point, albeit a significant one, otherwise it's page after page of navel-gazing with a side of self-flagellation. In such a short book, there weren't enough pages to be thrown away on this nonsense. Introspection is fine and often necessary but so much completely fruitless whinging just gets tedious.
Do things happen? Sure. Do they move the plot along in any meaningful way? A few plodding steps. I could have done with fewer intimate scenes and more character development.
This series has such an interesting concept but it's bogged down with the hand-wringing that I don't know how we can get to any major plot developments before book 37.
I don't know how many books this author plans for this series but in a 5, or even 7, book series we'd be nearing the halfway point but this reads like we're still in the opening chapters.
Do things happen? Sure. Do they move the plot along in any meaningful way? A few plodding steps. I could have done with fewer intimate scenes and more character development.
This series has such an interesting concept but it's bogged down with the hand-wringing that I don't know how we can get to any major plot developments before book 37.
I don't know how many books this author plans for this series but in a 5, or even 7, book series we'd be nearing the halfway point but this reads like we're still in the opening chapters.
August 17, 2025
Note to self:
4 stars in terms of continued interest, but 2-3 in terms of worth as a standalone book in the series.
Thus far, the entire series has suffered from pacing issues — three books in and we are only a week into the story. Book 3 itself focuses on only one night and a day. Has a lot happened? Yes. Did every detail that is included in each book (particularly book 3) need to be included? Absolutely not. Some healthy amounts of time skips and summarizations of minor events would have really helped, here. And books 2 and 3 didn’t feel like they deserved to be a their own book in the series — so far, if everything that has happened from books 1-3 (and probably more) were combined into one, that would have made more sense.
I’m still excited to see what happens next, but am wary as to how long this series is going to get before we move past story set up.
4 stars in terms of continued interest, but 2-3 in terms of worth as a standalone book in the series.
Thus far, the entire series has suffered from pacing issues — three books in and we are only a week into the story. Book 3 itself focuses on only one night and a day. Has a lot happened? Yes. Did every detail that is included in each book (particularly book 3) need to be included? Absolutely not. Some healthy amounts of time skips and summarizations of minor events would have really helped, here. And books 2 and 3 didn’t feel like they deserved to be a their own book in the series — so far, if everything that has happened from books 1-3 (and probably more) were combined into one, that would have made more sense.
I’m still excited to see what happens next, but am wary as to how long this series is going to get before we move past story set up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2025
I’d been looking forward to this after how the last book left off but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. The writing honestly isn’t that good, but I’ve been eating these books up because they’re literally like some of the reverse harem Korean Manwha I read. Maybe even a bit too similar now that I think about it. 👀 This book ends in another cliffhanger which is annoying because I feel like we barely got any momentum with the plot. I’m def posted for the next book tho.
Want to read
March 15, 2025Eu preciso ler esse livro ou eu vou m0rreeerrrr
April 4, 2025
YET AGAIN I could not stop reading. And another cliffhanger I will be thinking about all year. I’m so in love with this story and all the characters
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