A princess-turned-spy goes undercover to catch a dangerous criminal—and falls for him instead.
After her mother’s assassination, Kiera gave up her crown to become a spy. She’s spent years training to earn the title of High Enforcer—the elite embodiment of justice in Rellmira. But first, she must prove she’s worthy by hunting down any threat to her father’s rule.
When a mysterious prisoner becomes such a threat, Kiera goes undercover to learn his true intentions.
But Aiden won’t reveal his secrets easily. His charming tongue spins lies as deftly as Kiera’s does, and he claims he’s just a thief looking for gold.
Upon their escape, Kiera proposes they work together on a risky heist—and Aiden agrees.
But the line between allies and enemies begins to blur as he slowly surrenders the trust she is now reluctant to destroy.
When the embers of rebellion, secrets, and desire ignite their world, Kiera must decide who she will be among the ashes—a traitor to her kingdom or to her heart.
Keys to the Crown is the first book in a fantasy romance duology filled with steamy slow-burn romance, found family, and epic intrigue. Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom, Serpent and the Wings of Night, and Blood & Steel. Kiera and Aiden’s story concludes in Book 2.
housekeeping note
I first want to apologize for taking so long to write up this review. I managed to catch the bug that’s been going around my town and it hit me hard. I’ve barely looked at my kindle, let alone done any reading 😭
Anyway, I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things, so be expecting more content 🙂
intro
Leah Mara is a new author and Keys to the Crown is her debut novel. I just want to make that known before giving my full review because this book did not feel like a first novel.
main thoughts
First off, the story is compelling and had just enough mystery that I didn’t feel like I was being spoon fed information, but at the same time the twists weren’t so obvious that they had me rolling my eyes.
Kiera and Aiden are both interesting characters who really had me rooting for them, which could at times be somewhat confusing as for the majority of the book, they’re on differing sides. Each character has a reason for believing what they do and for having the drive behind their actions and both sides provoke empathy in a different way. I spent most of the book unsure of which “side” I was on, lol.
That ending was brutal and I have no idea how I didn’t see it coming cause it almost seems obvious that it’d go that way looking back, but wow. Leah did a fantastic job of writing an ending that sucker punched me, lol.
This book has pretty much everything a fantasy fan could want. There’s royalty, political intrigue, secret identities, a league of highly skilled assassins, an enemies-to-lovers plot line with “he falls first” and “she falls for her mark” tropes. Honestly, this book is fantastic and I highly recommend it for any fantasy romance/romantasy fan.
bullet points
- Aiden 😍😍😍 that’s all.
- I LOVED the scene where she had to go undercover as an exotic dancer. That was something new that I hadn’t read before and it was such a great addition.
- The minor characters are just as charming as the mains (excluding the “bad guys,” of course) and I was just as invested in them as I was our FMC and MMC. I love when books give minor characters just as much depth and don’t make them feel like they were an afterthought or a placeholder.
- The angst was written so well, as was the pining. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous about what’s coming next for Aiden and Kiera. I’m gunning for a HEA, but I have a feeling the journey there is going to hurt lol
quotes
final thoughts
If you’re looking for your next favorite romantasy, look no further. This book is fantastic and has skyrocketed to one of my favorite romantasies I’ve read. I especially would recommend this to fellow fans of Fourth Wing, whether you need something to occupy your time before Onyx Storm is released or if you just want more fantasy romance in your life, you need to read this book.
And as always, if you do end up reading it, please come back and tell me your thoughts in the comments below! I always love to talk books 💖
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