Review: The Crimson Throne by Sara Raasch & Beth Revis

The Crimson Throne by Sara Raasch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.  In full transparency I ended up listening to the audiobook while reading this.

This follows Alyth, half fae and half human, she is sworn to protect Scotland from the Red Caps and English fae clan.  In doing her duty, she has been Queen Mary's protector from both magical and human threats.  Enter Samson, a spy for the English serving Queen Elizabeth, who only wants to live a normal life.  To do so he must find someone to break the curse that has plagued him and hurt those around him for his entire life.  His latest mission to enter Mary's court and work with her wretched husband Darnley promises answers and a way to break the curse.  He meets Alyth and everything changes, while she doesn't initially trust him they can't deny that they are drawn to each other and to uncover the truth about the Red Caps and the plot against Scotland they will have to work together.

I loved how the authors blended history, fantasy, romance, and Celtic lore together.  The romance aspect takes a backseat to the history, fantasy, and court intrigue that is happening around Samson and Alyth.  If you are looking for a more spicy romantasy, this isn't the book for you.  I do like more developed romantic relationships, however the history, magic, characters, world-building, court politics and plotting more than made up for it.  I thought the authors did a good job describing the various types of fae and other magical creatures we meet throughout the book.

I'm loving what Raasch and Revis are doing as a writing duo.  I've really enjoyed their other works and this is no exception.  I really loved this and can't wait to see what happens in the next book as things heat up between the English and the Scottish and we get to learn more about the different types of fae.  I also look forward to seeing Alyth and Samson's relationship develop more and to see  how their powers grow as they work together.

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