Author: Jaymin Eve

Series: Fallen Fae Gods

First Published: 03 November 2023

“If there was a walking read flag in a book. That was my man. Apparently, the same went for real life. Typical.”  

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank so much Jaymin and the team over Peachy Keen for sending a copy my way!

𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓.

When my phone rings after a night drinking with my best friend, I had no idea my whole world was about to change.
“A book is missing,” a deep, unnaturally enticing voice growls down the line.
Panicked, I race out to Dragerfield Library, breaking all the rules—even if a book is missing, we’re only allowed on property during the day.
But if I don’t find that ancient tome, I’ll be fired anyway.

“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏.”

Too late to retreat, I soon learn why the rules exist. Dragerfield is a doorway between worlds. A doorway to Risest, the Faerie realm. A realm they access at night.
And I’m the moronic human who wandered uninvited into their midst.
The fae use humans for two reasons: entertainment, and well, you can use your imagination for the other.
Even worse, the voice on the line that set all of this in motion is no ordinary fae. Drager, with his dragon scales and smoky scent is one of their gods. A Fallen Five.

𝑴𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒐𝒓.

A missing book is the least of my worries now.
I’d thought I was about to be fired, but instead, I’m heading to Faerie.
And it might be a one way trip.

Gilded Wings is the first book I’ve picked up by Jaymin Eve and I adored it. I loved that we started in a beautiful library, which ended up being the portal to the faerie realm of Risest. This is a fantastic start to a new fantasy romance series. I can’t wait to read more from this series.

Morgan is living her best life away from her abusive family, working in the Dragerfield Library. She couldn’t ask for more in life than getting to work with books and her best friend, Lexi. Sure, the library is a little strange, but she is not one to ask questions on the off chance she might lose her job. That changes when she receives a call in the middle of the night from Dragerfield about a book that’s gone missing. Morgan distinctly remembers putting it away in the special edition section and the voice who thanked her for it. Without thinking, mostly thanks to the after-work cocktails, she heads back to the library hoping to find the book and save her and Lexi’s jobs. The last thing she was expecting was that the library is a portal to the faerie realm of Resist and Drager, the library’s owner, is one of the Fallen Fae, a god among the Fae. Despite Morgan’s wish to live her peaceful, bookish life, she is dragged into Resist and needs to help Drager find who stole the book or risk her life.

Morgan is honestly my soul sister. She wants nothing more than to read books, work at the library filled with ancient tomes and hang out with her best friend, Lexi. She has gone through so much to escape the manipulation and gaslighting of her parents. She still struggles with her confidence and anxiety, especially when stressed as she slips into old habits. She is not too impressed that she has been thrown into a magical world much like the fantasy romance novels she reads. I love the little reference she makes to books as she tries to understand and navigate this new world she’s found herself in.

The highlight of Gilded Wings, for me, was Morgan and Lexi’s friendship. I love it when books feature strong and supportive friendships, as friendships are just as important in life as romantic relationships. My heart broke as Morgan discovered Lexi wasn’t exactly who she thought she was. But I adore watching the pair patch up their friendship. Lexi is the best hype woman a girl could ask for. Even when Morgan does not want to talk to her, Lexi stays by her side and helps her navigate Resist and is doing everything within her power to keep Morgan alive.

The romance is a slow burn, despite Morgan getting hot and heavy with Drager early in the book, thanks to them stumbling into a fertility ritual. The pair hardly know each other, and Darger thinks that humans are pretty useless. So, they are not off to a great start. I enjoyed watching their dynamic develop. I squealed so loud when Darger asked her on a date since he was fascinated by her. We do have another love interest, Zahak, who is another of the Fallen Fae and Darger’s brother. He is your typical broody hero and does save Morgan’s life a few times. I am excited to see how their relationship plays out. There is a bit of a dominance battle between the two brothers, so will be interesting to see how it all plays out. I am praying to all the gods that we get a why choose romance.

I loved learning about this world. The Fallen Fae are the gods of this world because they have brought peace to the Fae. They are dragon shifters and give all the monster romance vibes. They have some scales and dragon-like qualities when in human form. I loved the addition of the magical academy where Morgan goes to learn about Resist. This part did not feel like an info dump as she doesn’t go to the academy until the latter half of the book. Before this point, we have slowly been introduced to the basics of the world. I enjoyed this element since Morgan is also new to Resist we are learning about the world alongside her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Wow, that ending has left me wanting more. Honestly, I have no idea what is going to happen. I cannot wait to get my hands on Crimson Skies. It has fast-tracked its way to the top of my most anticipated releases of 2024. If you love fantasy romance with portal worlds and dragon shifters, you need to pick up Gilded Wings ASAP!