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Book: “Never the Roses” by Jennifer K. Lambert
Publishing Info: Bramble, July 2025
Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: The Dread Sorceress Oneira has retired. She’s exhausted from fighting the endless wars of kings and queens, and has long accepted that her death is near. Alone at last but for a few uninvited companions―a near-mythical wolf, a goddess’s avatar, and a feline that embodies magic itself―Oneira realizes that she’s bored. On a whim, or perhaps at the behest of fate, she makes an unlikely trip to the most extensive library in existence: the home of her most powerful rival, the sorcerer Stearanos.
By recklessly stealing a book from him, Oneira inadvertently initiates a forbidden correspondence. Taunting notes and clever retorts reveal a connection neither has found―nor could ever find―in any other.
But Oneira soon learns that Stearanos, bound to a vile king, is tasked with waging war on the queen she once served. A relationship with him is far too dangerous to pursue despite their mutual desire―and yet, Oneira can’t seem to stay away.
A bond with Stearanos could alight the long-extinct flame of life within her… or it could destroy her entirely.
Review: This was such a fun read! From the mature main characters, to the slow (ish) burn of the romance, to the stand-alone (with an open ended conclusion) nature of the story, this is the kind of romantasy novel that is few and far between in a crowded but often too similar-feeling genre.
One of the first things that stood out was how committed the author was to establishing not only this world, but our main characters, disconnected from one another. So often, it feels like romantasy falls into the trap where the entirety of what makes up the characters is tied up in their dynamics together. Here, the book is largely focused on Oneira’s personal arc, one where she explores themes regarding regret, responsibility, and repentance. Through this journey, she almost backs her way into the relationship with Stearnos. And even there, through their love story, both she and Stearnos further these greater themes, even as they fall in love.
I also really enjoyed the slow-burn nature of the romance. The book gets through a solid quarter of the page count before there’s any interaction between the characters at all, and it’s not until closer to the halfway mark where they even really meet in person. That said, between the shifting perspectives and the interesting magical elements that make up this world, there was more than enough plot to go around. However, the story is definitely on the slower side, overall. I, personally, really enjoyed the more reserved approach to storytelling that was used here, as I think it matches well with some of the heavier themes explored throughout. But readers looking for more action may not connect as well. And, as much as I enjoyed the slow nature of the love story, the true highs of the story were found when we did finally get to see these two together. The banter was everything, and the author did a fantastic job with showing this relationship progress in a truly lovely way.
With this strong focus on the love story and the characters’ personal journeys, the greater plot conflict did fall a bit to the side and was wrapped up fairly succinctly towards the end. However, it never felt like any of these greater plot points were the true focus to begin with, so I felt satisfied with the way they were handled. There were moments where I perhaps would have liked to see a bit more fleshing out of the political systems at play and ways in which magic was used and monitored, but I was still happy enough with what we received.
The ending definitely fell on the bittersweet side of things. Though, again, I think the nature of this conclusion fit perfectly alongside the themes that were so strongly centered in the story. As of now, I don’t see anything indicating that this is the beginning of a duology or series, but the door is definitely left open for a return to this world. Readers looking for a beautiful stand-lone love story with a focus on mature main characters should definitely check this one out!
Rating 8: Luscious and deeply romantic, this book is a beautiful portrayal of forgiveness and redemption.
Reader’s Advisory:
“Never the Roses” can be found on this Goodreads list: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025.
The Library Ladies 