Ivy Asher

Order of Scorpions

There is something about the way Ivy Asher writes Why Choose romance that gets me every time.

 is a thick, intense, Dark Fantasy Standalone Romance with a reverse harem dynamic that is not for the faint of heart. The first part of the book is especially dark, as our protagonist, Auset, is a blade slave with no recollection of who she was before she woke up in a cage six years prior. As implied by the title, Auset is brutally trained to become a skilled fighter to be auctioned off to the highest bidder among the Orders of Assassins. The torture, belittlement and harassment she and her fellows endure is horrible and not easy to read. Yet, this was my favorite part of the book, because the stakes are at their highest and the tension is palpable. Auset, who is fierce and enduring and different from Ivy’s other protagonists I’ve met so far, quickly became a favorite character. Despite the horrors she faced, she remains unbroken. I admire her courage and determination.

The second part of the book was all about Auset finding her peace and her place within the Order of Scorpions—made out of three incredibly hot and deadly fae men who take her from the ludere. Her healing journey goes hand in hand with her growing connection to the Scorpions. The romance and the dynamic within the group was amazing. I loved how easy it was to tell the guys apart but how hard it was to choose a favorite. And the spicy scenes with each of them individually but also as a group were perfect! However, I feel like this second part of the book could have benefitted from being split into another book at least, so that some things could have been fleshed out more—like the mysterious killings someone wants to pin on the Orders, and the uncovering of the truth behind Auset’s past. That being said, the epilogue gave me great satisfaction!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

There is something about the way Ivy Asher writes Why Choose romance that gets me every time.

Order of Scorpions is a thick, intense, Dark Fantasy Standalone Romance with a reverse harem dynamic that is not for the faint of heart. The first part of the book is especially dark, as our protagonist, Auset, is a blade slave with no recollection of who she was before she woke up in a cage six years prior. As implied by the title, Auset is brutally trained to become a skilled fighter to be auctioned off to the highest bidder among the Orders of Assassins. The torture, belittlement and harassment she and her fellows endure is horrible and not easy to read. Yet, this was my favorite part of the book, because the stakes are at their highest and the tension is palpable. Auset, who is fierce and enduring and different from Ivy’s other protagonists I’ve met so far, quickly became a favorite character. Despite the horrors she faced, she remains unbroken. I admire her courage and determination.

The second part of the book was all about Auset finding her peace and her place within the Order of Scorpions—made out of three incredibly hot and deadly fae men who take her from the ludere. Her healing journey goes hand in hand with her growing connection to the Scorpions. The romance and the dynamic within the group was amazing. I loved how easy it was to tell the guys apart but how hard it was to choose a favorite. And the spicy scenes with each of them individually but also as a group were perfect! However, I feel like this second part of the book could have benefitted from being split into another book at least, so that some things could have been fleshed out more—like the mysterious killings someone wants to pin on the Orders, and the uncovering of the truth behind Auset’s past. That being said, the epilogue gave me great satisfaction!

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.

ORDER OF SCORPIONS is a delight for fans of chunky books, and one I highly recommend to fans of dark fantasy filled with gritty action and tied together with an excellent why choose romance subplot. It’s perfect for long-time fans of this genre as well as those who wish to try it for the first time!

The first half of this book is definitely quite dark, and reminded me of gladiator stories but with fae, which I found really fascinating! In place of an arena, we have the ludere, where the protagonist Auset is sold as a blade slave and trained to fight. As always, Ivy Asher’s incredible writing pulled me right into the story and this character’s mind, which means that all the emotional, physical and mental abuse this poor woman has suffered seeped into my skin and broke my heart. However, despite her troubles, I couldn’t help but admire Auset’s strength and determination. This isn’t a woman who lets her circumstances crush her, and she had all my respect for it! Her story is one filled with mystery, bloody revenge and self-discovery, and I enjoyed every second of it!

The second part of the book was definitely lighter, and the Scorpion boys played a huge role in that! I was gulping down Auset’s interactions with each of the boys from their very first scene together, and by the time things got smexy (with a very slow but totally worth it spicy payoff), I was PANTING. Why Choose romances need a delicate balance for me to like them. I need strong characterization for each of the love interests, solid chemistry between the protagonist and each individual, and some sort of bond of affection or respect among all the members of the harem. 

 had all of these things! The brotherly almost symbiotic bond between Skull, Bones and Scorpius made it so easy to believe that they could fall in love with the same woman and not for a moment enter in a competition for her affections. If you love possessive yet supportive men who wouldn’t hesitate to burn the world for their lovers, well, you’ll have a hard time choosing a favorite. I know I gave up and just surrendered to loving them all.

Despite having adored this book, however, I do wish the story had been broken down into two books. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good standalone, but between Auset trying to remember a past she has no access to, her revenge story and her romance with the Scorpions, there was 

 going on, maybe too much for a standalone. I felt like the resolution came a bit too abruptly, and there were things that could have been explored in a bit more depth if this had been a duology.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

ORDER OF SCORPIONS is a delight for fans of chunky books, and one I highly recommend to fans of dark fantasy filled with gritty action and tied together with an excellent why choose romance subplot. It’s perfect for long-time fans of this genre as well as those who wish to try it for the first time!

The first half of this book is definitely quite dark, and reminded me of gladiator stories but with fae, which I found really fascinating! In place of an arena, we have the ludere, where the protagonist Auset is sold as a blade slave and trained to fight. As always, Ivy Asher’s incredible writing pulled me right into the story and this character’s mind, which means that all the emotional, physical and mental abuse this poor woman has suffered seeped into my skin and broke my heart. However, despite her troubles, I couldn’t help but admire Auset’s strength and determination. This isn’t a woman who lets her circumstances crush her, and she had all my respect for it! Her story is one filled with mystery, bloody revenge and self-discovery, and I enjoyed every second of it!

The second part of the book was definitely lighter, and the Scorpion boys played a huge role in that! I was gulping down Auset’s interactions with each of the boys from their very first scene together, and by the time things got smexy (with a very slow but totally worth it spicy payoff), I was PANTING. Why Choose romances need a delicate balance for me to like them. I need strong characterization for each of the love interests, solid chemistry between the protagonist and each individual, and some sort of bond of affection or respect among all the members of the harem. Order of Scorpions had all of these things! The brotherly almost symbiotic bond between Skull, Bones and Scorpius made it so easy to believe that they could fall in love with the same woman and not for a moment enter in a competition for her affections. If you love possessive yet supportive men who wouldn’t hesitate to burn the world for their lovers, well, you’ll have a hard time choosing a favorite. I know I gave up and just surrendered to loving them all.

Despite having adored this book, however, I do wish the story had been broken down into two books. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good standalone, but between Auset trying to remember a past she has no access to, her revenge story and her romance with the Scorpions, there was a lot going on, maybe too much for a standalone. I felt like the resolution came a bit too abruptly, and there were things that could have been explored in a bit more depth if this had been a duology.

Rachael Wiseman 

You would think I wouldn't like this book because of the dark beginning but it is the opposite lol I loved the beginning and thought this book held a lot of promise. But by the 50% mark, I just couldn't bring myself to finish this book. 

The beginning had me hooked on how edgy and dark it was. I have yet to read a book that made me cringe and feel sick the way the start of this book did. But by the time Auset was ready for the bidding I started to get bored. I kept reading in the hopes it would continue on into something more exciting but it didn't. 

The other thing that bothered me was the insta-love/kindness the supposed order of the scorpion just had for Auset after a few meetings with her and her being their mate. It was such a weird sudden personality change. 

Anyway, just my personal opinion on the book. I am sure others love it but this was what kept me from liking it and finishing it.