Of Love & Cruelty

Gosh, where do I even start with this book? "Of Love & Cruelty" billed as a romantasy, but it’s more a period romance than a fantasy romance. If you’re looking for dragons and mages and elemental battles, this book ain’t it. This book is ladies in waiting and expensive gowns and embroidery circles. It took until chapter 30 for anything of substance to really happen, but it was a peaceful build, not mentally taxing trying to keep different royal lineages or magic systems separate in your mind. The only element that makes this somewhat fantastical is that magic has been eradicated, but still persists in small objects here and there. One of those ”objects” being our FMC. But because she’d be put to death if she was discovered to have magic, she has to use it in small quantities, on the sly, or not at all. Mostly, not at all. 

I was caught fully off guard (no pun intended (iykyk)) by the plot twist/cliffhanger at the end. It was so good it had me shouting “WHAT!?” so loudly my partner enquired if I was okay from a different part of the house. The pace and the action really pick up in the last quarter of the book and just barrel you straight into the ending. Good news, the second book is already done being written and will be released later this year. So while the cliffhanger will leave you (and your jaw) cliff-HANGING, you won’t have to wit very long for a resolution. The ending slaps. Seriously. So good. 

Purity culture is handled in a period way and I’d say the spice is 2 or 3 🌶s. That being said, a small trigger warning: there is “rape”. Quotation marks because our FMC takes sleeping pills and while unconscious her husband has sex with her to produce an heir. She is only ever drugged by her own hand for sex and the sex only ever happens for the purposes of producing an heir, and she prefers it this way. It’s glossed over all but the first time it’s mentioned. And if you really want to deeply analyze your romantasy, one could make the argument that this form of marital copulation is the kindest thing the husband can do. I’d love to read your hot takes in the comments after you finish reading it. 

Overall, I’m giving this one 4 stars. The pace is slow, but it held my attention throughout. It subverts the typical trope by being an enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers? romance. Deals with the historical pressure of a woman’s place in society being her worth and with the cost of love, meaning you have to think a little… if you want.

Order your copy here and enjoy!