Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy Book 1)

Julie Mc

Rose in Chains is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time!

"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ From ME!!! Evermore and Bomard are two embattled nations. Bomard has become the victor and enslaved any Eversuns still alive to include Princess Briony. She is auctioned off and is now is the hands of her one time crush, Toven. Briony wants to live in the rage that being enslaved requires, but Toven and his family treat her with respect. She just can’t figure out why. Why hasn’t he stolen her magic, why hasn’t he taken what he wants. As Briony battles herself and what she knows to be true, that her kingdom is in ruins and she is a slave, she discovers that she is not alone, and there are those still fighting for Evermore. Could that include Toven and his family? Rose in Chains was a non stop ride and I was there for every minute! Julie Soto writes characters with depth that leap off the page and make the reader want to know much more about them. Briony is so conflicted throughout the entire book. She is attracted to Toven and feels an affinity toward him and his mother, but cannot reconcile that attraction and affinity with the fact that she is now their slave. They don’t treat her as a slave; instead treating her with as much respect as they dare in the charged political climate of Bomard. You can absolutely FEEL the conflict in Toven. As the reader, you want to shake him and tell him to just open up to Briony, but you understand that there are reasons he’s not doing so. The plot is so engaging. Julie Soto’s story is pure joy to read, alternating between timelines. I always feel that alternating timelines must be done exactly right in order to make a great story, and Jullie Soto gets it precisely right. As you are witnessing what is happening to Briony and alternately learning about her story with Toven in the past you are slowly falling in love with each character. i can’t say enough about how entertaining and compelling this story is. As we follow Briony from trying to escape the Bomard soldiers, fighting through the auction, living with the Hearsts, and attending the vile boys club dinners, we learn so much about her strength of character. Rose in Chains is actually one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. I cannot wait for the second book in this trilogy and look forward to the conclusion. As this was my first read by Julie Soto I’m also looking forward to diving into more of her stories. ["

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February 12, 2026 Verified Purchase

Destiny LeCount

Bound, But Never Broke

"✨ “Promises are only words after all. They can be broken.” This book wrecked me in all the best ways. This is a Dromine retelling of the fanfic The Auction. I didn’t read the fanfic, but Rose in Chains completely stands on its own. ─────────────────── 📖 The Details ⭐ Rating: 4/5 🌶 Spice Level: 1/5 – Very slow burn 📚 Genre: Dark Romance 🔮 Tropes: Enemies-to-Lovers, Forced Proximity, Captor/Captive, Morally Grey MMC, Dual Timeline, Survival & Trauma ⚠ Content / Trigger Warnings: Trauma Violence Torture Sexual Assault/Violence Human Trafficking Forced Sterilization ────────────────── 💭 My Reading Experience This isn’t high fantasy with heavy worldbuilding. The world and magic system (mind and heart) are simpler but feel completely unique. The dual timeline follows the political war between Evermore and Bomardi and its aftermath. Briony captured, her magic stripped, and imprisoned by Toven. It dives deep into the emotional and physical trauma the Evermore women endure. If you love character-driven stories where tension builds slowly and emotions take center stage, this will absolutely work for you. If you prefer faster pacing or early romantic payoff, this may feel slow. 🖤 Characters Briony An extremely powerful mind wielder with some heart magic and one of the last heirs of Evermore. Though trained to stay quiet and invisible, we see flashes of rebellion in both timelines. Her internal conflict surrounding captivity and her feelings for Toven felt realistic and layered. At times she was a little whiny and I wanted to shake her, but it fit her character and emotional circumstances. Julie did a great job showing her growth, and I’m excited to see where she goes in book two. “Briony. Captivity looks good on you.” – Larrissa smiled. “Death looks even better on you.” – Briony said Toven Morally dark, powerful, and dangerous. A heart wielder (and secretly a mind wielder), he purchases Briony after her capture. He walks a constant line between appearing cruel and quietly protecting her. He is not a redeemable golden hero. He has blood on his hands. But if you love possessive, morally grey MMCs with restraint and internal conflict, Toven embodies that archetype. Is he violent? Yes. Is he protective and obsessive? Also yes. “That heartspring is mine. Her mouth is mine, her magic is mine, her skin is mine.” 💖 What Worked For Me Dual Timeline: Added depth and slowly revealed motivations. If you enjoy seeing how past choices shape present tension, this structure works beautifully, and Julie executed it well. The Handmaid’s Tale atmosphere: Dark, oppressive, and emotionally heavy. The “dinners” and the treatment of Evermore women were gut-wrenching and intentionally uncomfortable. The fruit symbolism: A quiet but powerful symbol of rebellion and solidarity among the women. Small but impactful. ⚡ What Didn’t Fully Work For Me Slow burn: A little too slow for me. I kept waiting for Briony or Toven to make a move. The tension is obvious, and while I understand the captor dynamic and his “I’m not good for you” restraint, I wanted at least one reckless moment. The past timeline could have shown more romantic development. At times it felt slightly unclear why he was so deeply obsessed with her. Her brother: I struggled with him. He treats her like she’s lesser simply because he’s male. SPOILER — Even after losing their kingdom and nearly everyone they loved, she’s still feeding him magic. With the prophecy of “heir twice over,” I kept expecting it to mean her. If book two doesn’t address that meaningfully, it could impact my enjoyment of the series. 🔥 Standout Moments Favorite Dynamic: The forbidden tension between Briony & Toven Scene that lingered: Briony witnessing Evermore women suffer while staying undercover Quote: “Sometimes I have to act without your approval to do what’s best for my family! Not just you—all four of us!” ✨ Final Thoughts If you love dark, tension-heavy romance with emotional depth, morally grey intensity, and a slow unraveling connection, Rose in Chains is absolutely worth picking up. If you’re looking for lighter themes or a fast-burn romance, this may not be the right fit. Haunting, immersive, and emotionally heavy, but incredibly compelling and difficult to put down. ["

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March 4, 2026 Verified Purchase

Mara

This is a dark fantasy romance with many triggers

"🌹Rose in Chains 🌹 By @juliesotowrites 6/5 Tropes: ◾enemies to lovers ◾forced proximity ◾dual timeline, past and present ◾magic ◾dark theme ◾check your triggers ◾slow burn ◾prophecy Oh my!!! This book!!! I finished Rose in Chains almost a week ago, but I am still mesmerized by it and I'm still thinking about it daily! So, this book is a dark romantasy, motives here are triggering, so it's good thing to check on that prior to starting this book. It is slow burn, and enemies to lovers, but romance is still very much in its beginning stages at the end of the book. The author took a great deal of time and narrating leading us to understand the relationship between Briony and Toven and for it to be properly built, which added to the depth of it! The hostile atmosphere and conditions they find themselves constantly in, is not helpful either. What I find remarkable are Toven and Briony's characters and hidden signs of affection towards each other and I am eager to get some of Toven's POV in next book and hopefully get some more development to their relationship! Behind the romance that I am fascinated with what also captivate me was absolute detail of the political aspect of the plot! Two sides fighting, using all the immoral, degrading and absolutely deterrent measures to maintain the regime, was writing masterpiece as it is. Also, The Hearst family, fighting the way they are fighting is, per my opinion, unquestionable courage and risk, and again I am very much anticipating the continuation of this story! Rose in Chains was such a delight for my reading soul and I have already reread my favorite parts for three times. An absolute love for this novel and it is very much one of my favorite reads this year if not favorite!! Thank you @juliesotowrites for this literary gem! ["

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January 4, 2026 Verified Purchase

J. B. Murphy

Like the best dark chocolate, bitter but irresistible!

"This is a wonderful read; dark and broody, incredibly harsh, and yet it ropes you in fast and hard. A lot of the plot is based on people keeping secrets, but in this case, it makes perfect sense: there are villains running about that can aggressively read minds. Just knowing a secret is dangerous, if the wrong people take notice. Just about *everybody* in this book is keeping secrets, and as the world falls apart around them, they cling more tightly to those secrets, knowing that just suspicion could destroy them and all they love. The romance is a slooooooooow burn, and at times you'll be asking yourself how this character or that character can be so dense and oblivious. Those of us with a few decades under our belts will look back over our own teens and 20s and, like Frieren, wince at our own stupidity, and recognize the moments of frustrating cowardice in the actions of the characters here, and, at least in my case, nobodies lives were riding on our actions. If only... ::head-desk:: If you're familiar with the previous incarnation of this story, you'll recognize the bones, but this is its own thing, with a unique magic system that could have turned into hackneyed cliches in the hands of a less capable writer; characters who bare only a shallow similarity to their previous selves; and the gloves taken off, revealing the brutal ugliness that was somewhat muddled in the previous version. This story is raw and brutal. Sometimes, you'll know what's coming and it ratchets up the tension; at other times, Ms. Soto gleefully pulls the rug out from under you. The ending left me with more questions than answers, and I'll admit to some trepidation at potential plot holes. But so far Ms. Soto has crafted an enthralling story wrapped around sympathetic characters in horrible circumstances. Waiting a full year for book 2 is going to be agony! But in the very best way. ["

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July 19, 2025 Verified Purchase

Rhiannon Green

Delightfully unexpected! Check your Trigger Warnings though!

"What a delightfully unexpected read this one turned out to be. I literally couldn't put it down. The world building was not difficult at all, yet also unique from other fantasy books. The magic and political systems were interesting but also simple enough to understand easily. My only criticism is I don't care for the main characters names. 🤣 The other major thing to note is the subject matter is definitely challenging. Make sure you check your trigger warnings before reading. Some of the scenes are difficult to read, so it's important to protect your emotional well-being. Overall, as I said, I didn't want to put this one down. It had different timelines which added really great context and history to the storyline. It also has a morally gray MMC, that I just quite can't figure out fully what I think about him. I'm yet again in a place where I've started a new and incomplete series and just living for the next book to see what happens! ["

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January 30, 2026 Verified Purchase