The Orchid Throne

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌍🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.25


First Impressions
The Orchid Throne is the first book in the "Forgotten Empires" series. And this series I saw around so much but I honestly am not sure why I didn't pick it up. I think because I knew it was a trilogy surrounding one couple and I hadn't really gotten on the Jeffe Kennedy train yet or even read any of her books. I am glad I had read some of her other works though before this one. Not sure I would have stuck with this series as this first book is definitely more slow burn. But I was impressed with the world building aspects and the banter between our couple "Conri and Lia". You definitely need to be patient with the first half of the story, but once you get to about Chapter 15, it starts to really pick up pace and then you will be on the edge of your seat.

First Line
The oldest records and recollection agree that it all began with the discovery of vurgsten.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Conri
The Heroine: Euthalia

Summary
Queen euthalia, is queen of the her island and she will do whatever it takes to keep her people safe. She has managed to keep herself from being married from a tyrant who controls much of the mainland. She has learned to play a game of chess when it comes to politics to keep her people safe and free. But there is a tortured man wolf she sees in her dreams that haunts her but also gives her a sense of hope for the future. Conri, who was the former prince of Oriel, was taken into the mines, and he built up his own army and is determined to overthrow the emperor. Conri knows his one chance of hope, is to convince Lia, to marry him and work with her to defeat the mad emperor, but he will have to convince her first….

What I Loved
The Orchid Throne was simply fascinating in many respects. It was definitely slower in some respects but I respected what the author was implementing with this story here. We get background plot lines for the two main characters, Conri and Lia. We see how Conri is imprisoned and forms an uprising and takes control again. Then we have the side of Lia, who is queen of an island and her people have magic and grace and beauty. Lia is such a intelligent and cunning heroine. She still is feminine in many respects but I admired her tenacity and her creativity and how she is so meticulous in how she plans for just about anything. She is like a chess master, she is so careful in each step that she takes when she is working with the emperor and his cronies. And she doesn't trust anyone. We also see that she is a magical being and I can't wait to see the type of woman she is destined to become.

The relationship that builds between Conri and Lia was so interesting. I loved their banter. Their interactions are beyond hilarious and we see how well they come together when it matters. Both of them are so stubborn and firm willed, so they were bound to clash. Conri is very new when it comes to working with women, courting and even the more intimate side of a relationship. I love how he could be this alpha warrior, but when it came to the intimate things, he is like a new babe and is so green. Lia is the one who has mastered courtship, kissing and the like. So it definitely had a unique dynamic that isn't common to see in a fantasy romance. I also loved the forced marriage aspect. And while Lia has her own twists, so does Conri. They definitely match so well and I absolutely adored the ending for this book. Its more of a serial teaser, and not a big couple cliffhanger. Which I really respected.

What I Struggled With
The story is very slow in the second half, our couple doesn't even meet until more than halfway so its definitely more to build up the background for our characters and get a sense of who they are. But it definitely is more slowly built and won't necessarily be for everyone. I recommend the audio if you struggle with slow builds, at least for the first book here. But once you get to about Ch. 15, then it picks up pace. But the first half can be a challenge.

Narration
Not my favorite lol The narration is confusing to be honest. There is just no change in tone or inflection at all, so it can be hard knowing when you are in the POV for the hero or the heroine. So it definitely should have been done better especially for a trad pub fantasy romance book.

Overall View
The Orchid Throne is a Majestic fantasy that culminates the elements of a high risks fantasy with a slow burn romance that will curl your toes and make your heart sing in those small moments of clarity and thrills.

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Epic Fantasy Romance
Character Types: Warrior, Royalty, Alpha Male, Unconventional Heorine, Leading Lady, Virgin Hero,
Themes: Angsty, Witty Banter, Sex/Kissing Lessons
Tropes: Forced Marriage/Marriage of Convenience,

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A blend

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Elizabeth Vaughan
CL Wilson
Milla Vane

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes

Steam/Spice Explanations

Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship.

Narrator:
Elizabeth Brook

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5 Stars) Title: The Orchid Throne Author(s): Jeffe Kennedy Character(s): ― Euthalia "Lia": 26 years old, Gray Blue Eyed ― Conri: Black, Gold Eyed Setting: Calanthe Tag(s): Fantasy, Romance Content Rating: R POV: First Person; Alternates between Heroine/Hero Smexy Level: Warm Favorite Quote(s): N/A Overall Opinion: From page one the "The Orchid Throne" started off slow and within time it started to pick up momentum allowing the author to create a memorable read. The style of writing the author used was able to convey Lia and Conri's feelings and thoughts beautifully throughout the story and the fantasy driven barely there romance which I didn't quite understand how it fill in with the overall plot won me over yet I would like to notate that once the romance was consummation, the ending fell short. Though at completion I was left with more questions than answers, I was left impressed and looking forward to the continuation of this series.

content warnings: (view spoiler)[rape (off-page, but referenced), grief, death of a parent (described on page), slavery (hide spoiler)] With how much I love fantasy romance, I can’t believe I’ve never read this author before. She’s got quite the backlist, but this is the first book in a new series. There’s fascinating world building, a slow burn marriage of convenience, and lots of sly humor. Calanthe is a tropical pleasure island, and the betrothal of its Queen Euthalia to Emperor Anure is the only thing keeping it from being razed like the rest of his conquered territories – though they are forced to tithe increasingly large amounts to the emperor. Euthalia is playing a dangerous game, constantly manipulating her court and the emperor’s ambassador so that it appears that she intends to go through with the betrothal even while she’s secretly looking for ways to work against the emperor. One way she doesn’t want to consider, though? Working with Con, the so-called Slave King, who’s leading an armed revolt of escaped mine slaves and supposedly cutting a violent path through the conquered lands. But a prophecy – claim the hand that wears the Abiding Ring, and the empire will fall – sets them on a collision course. Can they find common ground, or will the emperor use their differences to conquer the rebellion and Calanthe in one fell swoop? The pacing is very slow, and in terms of your traditional fantasy plot, not much happens. Most of the focus is on setting up the relationship between Con and Lia, though it takes a decent portion of the book before they even meet. It’s told from both Con and Lia’s POVs, and it’s interesting to see what misconceptions they both have about the other. I personally enjoyed Lia’s sections more – I thought her subtle manipulations were more enjoyable than Con’s “Imma smash it with my hammer” style. Con is blunt, with little time for anything that doesn’t get him closer to his goal of revenge against Anure. Lia, on the other hand, is more of a magician, both literally and figuratively. Like the kings and queens of old, she’s connected to the land magically, plus she knows the value of a good distraction. Her fanciful and elaborate outfits (I got serious Queen Amidala vibes) and deliberate shows of emptiheadedness are the only thing keeping Calanthe from becoming another of Anure’s conquests. Con initially can’t look past that Calanthe surrendered to the emperor, and views Euthalia as nothing more than a pretty, thoughtless doll – a view that doesn’t survive his first meeting with her, thankfully. Euthalia, for her part, is concerned with protecting Calanthe above all else, and that’s best done by capturing Con as the emperor ordered. She expects nothing more than a barbaric brute, and, well, he definitely lives up to that! “Don’t throttle the wizard, Conrí. Please.” This is a marriage of convenience, and for political reasons it has to be consummated pretty much immediately. I enjoyed that while Lia was technically a virgin, it’s Con who had zero experience in bed, though he’s a quick learner. Their chemistry is excellent and I can see the beginnings of a solid relationship. The side characters, from Con’s right-hand woman Sondra to Lia’s oldest friend Tertulyn, were very interesting, though my favorite is the wizard Ambrose, who’s hilariously reticent about how, exactly, this prophecy will help Con. Overall, despite the slow pace, I enjoyed the lush storytelling and slow burn romance, and I’m very excited for the next book!

3.5 rating I was excited to read The Orchid Throne. When I read the blurb, I thought to myself: “I am going to like this book.” I mean, it had the two genres I love the most: Fantasy and Romance. Now that I have read The Orchid Throne, I was a bit disappointed. It fell short of my expectations. The Orchid Throne starts slowly. It creeps along. There were several times where I wanted to swipe to the end of a chapter because it was that slow. I understand that the author was world-building but still. Once Conri and Euthalia met, the plotline got going. By the end of the book, it was moving along quite nicely. But, the slowness of the first half of the book did put me off. I wished that I could have connected with Euthalia more. But it was hard to. A big part of me not being able to connect with her was the usage of the royal Us, Me, We (etc.) as part of her dialogue. It drove me nuts reading that. I did like the glimpses of the woman underneath the facade, though. The woman that peeked through was a tough cookie. But that was overshadowed by the games she was forced to play. I did like Conri. I felt that he was more fleshed out than Euthalia. He was upfront and honest with his end game. He wanted to kill the Emperor. He didn’t play games or deal with court intrigue. He wanted to get there and get it done. And in no way did he want anything to do with the prophecy. I wish that more information was given on Ambrose, Sondra, and Tertulyn. I was fascinated with Ambrose, but so little information was provided about him. He was shrewd, and everything he did was part of a grand plan. Plus, he had a crow as a familiar, which I loved. Sondra was Conri’s right hand. She was a strong woman who had been through a lot in her life. It showed both mentally and physically. I liked how she brought Conri down a peg or two during the book. Tertulyn intrigued me. I have a couple of suspicions about her, but nothing was confirmed in this book. I can’t wait to see what the next book will bring with her!! I will say that I have never had a favorite villain before. But the Emperor Robho might be one. He doesn’t make a physical appearance in the book, but his presence was always there. He was feared and hated by Conri and Euthalia. Euthalia feared his letters. Which makes me wonder, what will he be like in person? If his letters were enough to strike dread in Euthalia, the real deal must be terrifying. And I can’t wait to read it!!! I wish more time had been spent explaining what the Abiding Ring did and why it was so crucial that Conri gets it. There was a primary blanket reason, but I believe that Ambrose is hiding something. I did find the ring fascinating. The way it responded to Ambrose was telling. As was the way it responded to Conri. The romance angle of the book was “meh” for me. Conri and Euthalia did have some insane chemistry. But that didn’t translate to hot sex scenes. Unfortunately, the first sex scene was awkward and uncomfortable. That set the tone for me. The rest of the sexual encounters seemed the same way for me. I liked the fantasy angle of the book. But a lot of what was going on with Euthalia was released too late. But to keep it until the end of the book? I didn’t like that. The end of The Orchid Throne was exciting. None of the storylines were ended. I am interested in what will go in book 2.