Never the Roses
Format
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About
THE GREATEST ENEMIES FEEL THE FIERCEST DESIRES
Genevieve Gornichec’s The Witch’s Heart meets Madeline Miller’s Circe in this epic and deeply emotional romantic fantasy debut by Jennifer K. Lambert. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.
After a lifetime fighting other people’s battles, the sorceress Oneira exiles herself from the warring courts of kings and queens. She’s long accepted that her death is near, as destruction has been her constant companion since she was a child.
She seeks solace in a remote forest where the mountains meet the beach, accompanied by three uninvited companions—a near-mythical wolf, a goddess’ avatar in the form of a kestrel, and a feline that embodies magic itself. But Oneira’s peacefulness doesn’t last as long as she’d wished. On a whim, or perhaps at the behest of fate, she makes an unlikely trip to the most extensive library in existence: the home of her most powerful rival, the sorcerer Stearanos.
There, she finds herself stealing a book from him, and this act of reckless thievery inadvertently initiates a forbidden correspondence. Taunting notes and clever retorts reveal a connection neither has—nor could ever—find in any other.
Oneira soon learns that Stearanos, bound to a vile king, is tasked with waging war on the Queen she once served. A relationship with him is far too dangerous to pursue despite their mutual desire–and yet, Oneira can’t seem to stay away.
A bond with Stearanos could light the long-extinct flame of life within her… or it could destroy her entirely.
- ISBN:
- 9781250360342
- Publication Date:
- 2025-07-08
- Publisher:
- Bramble Books
- Language:
- English
- Page Count:
- 355
- Size:
- 8.5" l x 5.63" w x 1.25" h
- Fiction
Topics and Key Themes
Narrative Tropes
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- He Falls First
- Forbidden Love
- Epistolary Romance
Key Themes
- Solitude chosen over survival — a war-weary sorceress finds unexpected warmth after years of deliberate isolation.
- Letters as dangerous intimacy — a stolen book sparks a correspondence that neither rival can bring themselves to end.
- Power entangled with loyalty — conflicting allegiances to queens and kings make every closer step a political risk.
- A woman making peace with death — Oneira's acceptance of her own mortality is quietly undone by one connection.
- Rival intellects, matched at last — two sorcerers find in each other the only mind equal to their own.
Who is this book for?
Spice Level: 3 out of 5 3 / 5: Spicy
Things heat up — open-door scenes with some descriptive detail, balanced against the plot.
About the Author
Jennifer K. Lambert lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband of over thirty years, his chocolate-lab assistance dog, two Maine coon cats who assist no one, and plentiful free-range lizards. Her high fantasy novel, Never the Roses, fell on her from out of the sky and became a dream come true. She also writes under the name Jeffe Kennedy, where she is a multi-award-winning and bestselling author primarily in epic fantasy romance, and is a Past-President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA). She is represented by Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.