This is the first book in the Entangled with Trickery series, a monster romance fantasy where the monster love interest hates humans and a fake princess who will do anything for her family. There are a few dark elements to this story so please read the trigger warnings. I received an advance review copy and my thoughts are my own.

Tropes and themes include:

✨Enemies to lovers

✨Arranged marriage

✨Size difference

✨Slow burn (glacial)

✨Tension and angst

✨Mythical sidekick

✨Learning to love yourself

✨Strong but quiet FMC

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars 1/5 Flames

Nickname: Niliave

The Lovely: I wasn’t sure what to think about this book going into it as I don’t read a ton of monster romances, especially in a fantasy setting. But by the second chapter I was entranced and couldn’t put the book down - as in I read it in one evening. While I’ve read stories with a similar basic premise (she’s intended to kill her soon to be husband in an arranged marriage), I found the application of that basic premise to be unique. She’s got her own strong motivations and biases, as does he. But neither of them know what they other’s are. It made for a tension filled story of pining, torn desires and ultimately, loyalty.

Also Lovely: So she’s a human, and he’s a “monster.” Really, he’s a blue-skinned, black-eyed frost giant. One that is entirely clueless about humans (which causes some kinda-funny interactions). I came to love both of them and their chemistry was definitely on clear display.

Recommendation: That ending surprised me! I didn’t think that would happen at all. But here we are friends with a big cliff-hanger and I’m not certain how it’s going to resolve. Book two is slated for release in January 2026 so I will anxiously be awaiting the next book. If you like a slowburn fantasy romance but want to expand into monster romance a bit, this is a great place to start and I think most readers would enjoy this book!