5 Idiot Shadow Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. PERFECT!!! There is no other way to describe this.

If you have to look at the dictionary definition of the word perfect, it does not say having all the acquired or desirable elements, qualities and characteristics. As good as it could possibly be, being free of defects.
NO! It will just be the cover of this book! Because this book is the LITERAL DEFINITION of PERFECTION!!!!

This book is an absolutely perfect fantasy romance! It's just perfection wrapped up in the most beautiful, perfect, purple bow. If it is not clear by the amount of perfect... it just exemplifies WHY I love fantasy romance. It ticked every single box that I needed to be ticked, from mindblowing plot, characterisation, worldbuilding and smut... it had it all!

This book starts off exactly where the previous book ends, and dives right into the consequences of what happened at the end of A Kiss of Iron. Kat and Bastian find themselves in Elfhame, thrust into navigating their forbidden attraction while dealing with the full politics of the Dusk and Dawn Court.

This took the worldbuilding up so many notches! As the previous book happened in the Human world, there wasn't as much insight into the Fae Court and Magic. Now we are neck deep, and if you LOVE political intrigue in your books, this has your name written all over it!

We also see so much development of Kat's character. I admit I didn't always like her in the previous book, I wanted her to be able to stand up for herself! I wanted her to learn to be strong and confident and be her own person. It felt like Clare looked at my exact feedback and everything I had an issue with about her was addressed. She grows so much and goes through a difficult emotional journey. It is not always easy as she does deal with some difficult thoughts, but her stubbornness and vulnerability make her so real, that through everything she endures she truly became the role model I needed her to be from the start.

We are also treated to the lovely POV of the bestest Shadow Daddy out there...BASTIAN! To see more of this man's thoughts and have that front-row seat to his emotional struggle with his feelings and desires while her struggles with the impossibility of breaking his moral code due to her marriage... was top-tier and absolutely stunning writing.

I quite frankly think this was the best book I have read in 2023. I adored every aspect of this and I know for a fact that I will be bullying every single person that I know into reading this book and this series.

The tropes to look forward to are:
▶ SUPER SEXY SHADOW DADDY
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Court Intrigue
▶ Found Family
▶ Slow Burn
▶ One Bed Hayloft
▶ One Horse
▶ Hidden Powers
▶ Touch her you die

You'll also be happy to know that the queen of edging has rectified her ways and there is indeed SHADOW DADDY PENIS!

So many thanks to Clare Sager for the gifted ARC!
All thoughts and feelings in this review are my own