ARC Book Review: Of the Curse or the Crown (The Veridian Empire #2) by V.B. Lacey

July 17, 2025July 12, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 566 pages
Author: V.B. Lacey
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 24th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Princess Diaries 2 meets King Midas in this swoon-worthy forbidden romance fantasy standalone.

An heir. An Empress. A Queen.

As a former rebel leader, Clarissa Aris is no stranger to power. She’s ready to reclaim the throne of the Veridian Empire and is eager to guide her people out of a past of violence and into a better future.

But when a mysterious king unexpectedly asks for her hand in marriage to restore peace between their two lands, she chooses to accept. Clarissa travels to meet him in Mysthelm, a realm they had been cut off from for centuries, and is thrust into a foreign kingdom with secrets around every corner, a betrothed she isn’t sure she can trust, and brewing tension with his handsome best friend and advisor.

Clarissa’s search for answers uncovers the truth behind a deadly blight sweeping Mysthelm and a centuries-old curse threatening to destroy the people she’s come to care for. When she learns her magic may be the only cure, she’s determined to both rescue this kingdom from danger and keep the Veridian Empire safe from meddling forces.

Time is running out. Which will fall the curse or the crown?

Of the Curse or the Crown is the second book in a series of interconnected dark fantasy standalones. This book includes a summary of book one, In the Wake of the Wicked , for those who have not read it. While it is advised to read book one first, it’s not necessary. Of the Curse or the Crown follows a newly appointed Empress who chooses to unite with a feuding kingdom in a marriage of convenience. She finds herself thrown into a world of curses, secrets, and meddling Fates while battling feelings for her betrothed’s best friend. Perfect for lovers of Princess Diaries, Greek mythology, and The Plated Prisoner series, this book is full of plot twists, lovable side characters, unique magic, witty banter, and no spice forbidden love romance.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

A GREAT READ!

I am just the biggest fan of V.B. Lacey. Do you know how hard it is to find closed door fantasy authors that still bring the heat? I just love picking her books up.

I adored all of the nods to Princess Diaries 2. It made me giddy every time that I noticed the subtle movie moments (y’all don’t even know how many times I’ve watched PD2). It worked perfectly with the plot and made it a fun journey. There were many memorable scenes and pieces I enjoyed. It’s a good romantasy to sink into and watch the expansion of the world and magic systems. I loved seeing a new land and new people with new dynamics.

This was missing a touch of something for me. A little more swoon and a tightened up pace. While I loved the moments between Clarissa and Thorne. And this had a surprise trope that I wasn’t expecting but was nice to see in a fantasy romance setting (it is NOT surprise pregnancy y’all!!!). The endearing quality of the connection between characters was really sweet to see.

By the end this truly had me salivating over the third book. I am HERE FOR ITTTTT.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy romance
Language: none
Romance: closed door
Violence: moderate
Content warnings: loss of life, PTSD and panic attacks, weapons/physical violence, near death experiences

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Book Review: In the Wake of the Wicked by V.B. Lacey

January 19, 2025December 28, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 644 pages
Author: V.B. Lacey
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: November 14th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Wherever she goes, darkness follows.

An orphan with a tragic past and a penchant for wicked deeds, Rose Wolff has never been accepted by her people. She’s learned to live in the darkness, content with her Alchemy magic and her quiet apothecary.

When a terrible curse sweeping the land forces her to enter the Decemvirate, a magical tournament among the strongest of the empire, Rose is pulled from the shadows and thrown into a world of power games, deadly trials, and entanglements with a handsome, mysterious rebel.

With divisions in the empire worsening, there may be more at stake than becoming the champion. Secrets about her magic and encounters with the all-powerful emperor make Rose question everything, leading her down a path she may never come back from.

All magic has a price, and Rose must choose: truth, love, or power?

In the Wake of the Wicked is the first book in a series of interconnected fantasy standalones. This story follows a young woman who finds herself caught up in the glory of magic and unexpected love during a time of hardship and divisions among her empire. Perfect for lovers of Wicked, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and The Hunger Games, this book is full of deadly trials, morally grey characters, mythical creatures and shifters, unique magic, witty banter, and no spice romance that will have you swooning.

NEW AUTHOR FAV.

I have been anxiously waiting to get some time to dedicate to this behemoth and I loved it. It is a nice long slow burn that pays off on all the fronts. I also super duper love that it’s a no spice romance. While I do read a low level of spice, I feel like the fantasy romance market is way too heavy on how much spice can be thrown in and this is a nice breath of a swoony read (with fantastic kissing scenes, don’t you worry) without an open door.

ANYWAYS. I loved these characters. And I loved that it was dual POV. Seeing both Leo and Rose’s POV was perfect. i loved Rose’s character arc the most. Seeing her slowly let people in, realize she’s worth staying for and finding some people that could be and want to be in her circle was incredible. There were many resonating moments throughout where my heart squeezed tight.

I enjoyed the action and competition plot line. It was a great balance of not being ALL competition while still giving those big action scenes their due. It’s dark and gritty and keeps you on edge.

And y’all know how standalone fantasies are so hard for me to love because they always need to be longer???? WELL HERE YA GO. 650 pages of goodness. I actually felt like I got to know all of the characters, understand the world building and magic system and really let the relationships develop.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate – high
Content Warnings: loss of life, blood/gore depiction

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Book Review: Long Live (The Elementals of Iona #1) by V.B. Lacey

January 17, 2025December 17, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 475 pages
Author: V.B. Lacey
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Isla Belthare lives an ordinary life in her small village of Lockhurt. Since losing both her mother and the man she loved two years ago, all she wants is stability and peace. But her world is forever changed when her family is attacked on a journey away from home and she must travel to the Aataran mountain range to find them.

Across the realm, four ancient beings who control the elements of nature are awakening.

After a civil war that tore the humans apart, the elementals entered a thousand year slumber. Now, they are being summoned to prevent a dark force that is greedy for power and threatening to overturn the balance of nature.

When Isla’s path crosses with one of these elementals, she finds her fate is more entangled with theirs than she had ever imagined. As she risks it all to follow the elementals on their journey to defeat the unknown foe, she discovers that not everything may be as it seems. Isla is torn between protecting her loved ones or following her heart down a dangerous path of power and magic, of truth and lies.

What will they sacrifice to stop the coming storm?

THOUGHTS.

I fear this may have been over hyped to me and I lost a little steam when I was reading it. The second half was really great though and I feel very much inclined to read the conclusion (it’s a duology) to see where everyone ends up.

The insta-love is what frustrated me most. Things went from 0-100 real fast and I don’t think there was enough tension, especially with it being what was supposedly enemies to lovers.

I did like Isla a lot. She was fiercely loyal, willing to learn and train and wanted to help those around her. I found her to be an easy FMC to root for. Even better was the fact it was multiple POV. One of my favorite things. I liked how this gave insight to the world building and the past. The combination of everyone’s motives helped the book along immensely.

The writing was easy to read and I thought flowed well too. I did like the general concept of the story and the plot. There was action and some good twists and enough to keep me invested throughout.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: low
Romance: kisses
Violence: moderate
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, small battle scenes

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Book Review: Forever Reign (The Elementals of Iona #2) by V.B. Lacey

August 10, 2024June 17, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: V.B. Lacey
Publisher: Fiction & Fates Press, LLC
Release Date: April 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nothing could have prepared Sebastian and the elementals for what occurred on the beaches of Iona three months ago. In the aftermath of loss and betrayal, they’re left to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives, recovering in their separate corners of the world. That is, until the long-lost kingdom invites them back to their shores for a festival of peace.

Isolated to the spirit plane, Isla Vasileia has received a quest from the ancient gods.

Ever since Isla took the magic from the elementals, the balance of nature has been greatly altered. Violent disasters have wreaked havoc across the kingdoms, decimating villages and tearing families apart. To bring the world back into balance, what was taken must somehow be restored.

When Isla finds herself back on the beaches of Iona, she reunites with Bri, Sebastian, and the former elementals, and they are thrust into a world of secrecy, fear, and lies. Danger lurks around every corner, but so does new love and a chance for a happy ending. Isla is once again caught in a game amongst gods, racing against fate and time to save the kingdoms from destruction, forced to make a decision that will change her world forever.

One way or another, the end will come for all.

A GOOD CONCLUSION.

After some mixed feelings with book one, I was hoping this would capture my attention a bit more, and it did! I thought the writing was even better and I fell in love with these characters. I love found family and I love multiple POV and I thought this was handled really well.

The romances had some swoony moments and I liked that there were multiple ones to pay attention to. I loved seeing more of the world and how the elements were coming together to solve the final arc of this story.

I did have a few pacing issues, and I think this lacked some *intensity* for me. It had an epic fantasy feel but put into a shorter series so a few things weren’t quite all the way there.

Minor issues aside, I’m very happy with how this wrapped up. I loved the character arcs, the feels and where everyone ended up. I look forward to more books from Lacey!

Overall audience notes: