A Kingdom of Frost and Malice by Ashley Mcleo

Blood slave to courtier of the Winter fae . . . you’d think I’d moved up.
I’m not so sure.

The auction block awaits and a vicious vampire prince wants me and what flows through my veins.

So I make a run for it, only to end up falling at the feet of a fae warden. Technically, Roar, the Warden of the West should return me to the vampire court, but he has other ideas.

He needs a fake fiancée.

The deal: if I play his dutiful partner at the Winter Court, and help him trick the cold King of Winter, Roar will hide me from the blood-suckers intent on draining the life from me.

I agree, and for a while, it seems like nothing can go wrong.

That is, until Vale, Warden Roar’s nemesis, sets his sights on me.

A part of me likes the warrior prince’s attentions. Luckily, the more sane part knows Prince Vale is not a fae to mess with.

Besides, I can’t dissolve my contract with Warden Roar. To do so would bring down the ire of the king and ruin my chances of earning my freedom. So I do my best to keep Roar and Vale from each other’s throats, all the while convincing the Winter Court of my love for Roar.

It’s official: I’m a part of the deadly game of noble houses, and losing could cost me everything.

My Review

I saw this romantasy book and thought the cover and title were perfect for a wintry read.  However, it is very political. Neve’s pov is enjoyable for a commoner in a royal world, but the interactions are dull.  I do like Warden Roar, but this story gets boring as things progress slowly. 

Neve is a seamstress and an indentured servant to a more prominent Fae. She is also a blood donor for the vampires in the city. Her status isn’t at the bottom, but it is pretty close. She is a fae herself and seems to have damaged wings. 

Her good heart seems to get her into trouble with the vampire masters and her own. Oh, this gets more twisted as we find out who her master is and who he is related to. 

I admire her bravery in starting this story and her willingness to think about herself. Her escape is fraught with uncertainty, but she finds a chance in the winter fae kingdom. 

I love that this time, she gets a choice. However, her heritage is intriguing. Forced proximity leads to a possible fake relationship that benefits her. I like the winter court already. 

I wish the warden had a better name than Roar. Every time I read it, I think of the sound, not a name. Warden Roar is a total cinnamon roll. He has a strong, overprotective alpha in him, but he meets the knight in shining armor.

Things to fret about at court are intriguing, as there seems to be a love triangle between the Winter Prince and Warden Roar. However, Lady Neve is right in the middle and trying to be the best she can be at this acting royal duty. 

This story gets better right at the end as we go from friend to foe in her life. As interesting as this story is, the characters and storyline didn’t suck me in. I had issues wanting to continue reading it, so I won’t be reading further in this series.

I enjoyed the fantasy-based storyline with a damaged but strong MC, royalty, and the rags-to-riches storyline, but the political and vicious royalty weren’t my cup of tea. The winter theme is well done. 

If you want to read A Kingdom of Frost and Malice by Ashley McLeo, you can find it on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases.

If you like this book, you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories: Urban Fantasy, Fake Relationship, and Winter.