Never the Roses - Tor Publishing Group
Skip to content
Tor Publishing Group
Home / New Releases / Never the Roses

Never the Roses

Cover for the book titled as: Never the Roses

Available From:

Add to your Goodreads To-Read Shelf

DELUXE EDITION—featuring beautiful stenciled edges, designed endpapers, casestamp and map.

UNSTOPPABLE WAR.

UNSPEAKABLE SINS. IMPOSSIBLE LOVE.

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 stenciled edges.

The Dread Sorceress Oneira has retired. She’s exhausted from fighting the endless wars of kings and queens, and has long accepted that her death is near. Alone at last but for a few uninvited companions—a near-mythical wolf, a goddess’s avatar, and a feline that embodies magic itself—Oneira realizes that she’s bored. 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.

By recklessly stealing a book from him, Oneira inadvertently initiates a forbidden correspondence. Taunting notes and clever retorts reveal a connection neither has found—nor could ever find—in any other.

But 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 alight the long-extinct flame of life within her...or it could destroy her entirely.

Reviews

“Such an extraordinary novel! Full of unexpected love, magic, heartbreak, and healing, it completely stole my heart! I absolutely loved it!” —Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

“Absolutely exquisite. Never the Roses is a stunning entry into the realm of romantasy with a broken yet fiercely powerful heroine, a hero who will wend his way into your heart and set up camp, and a story you will not be able to stop reading until you have savored every delicious word. No, really. Every. Delicious. Word.” —Darynda Jones, New York Times bestselling author of the Charley Davidson Series

“Every time I think that the borders of fantasy cannot be stretched, Jeffe Kennedy proves me wrong.” —Maria Vale, award-winning author of The Legend of All Wolves series and Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death.

“Both ethereal and sensuous—and with a story as arresting as its pink-pebbled beaches and lavender roses, Jennifer K. Lambert’s Never the Roses is a fantasy as seductive (and dangerous) as the Dream through which it often wanders. An absorbing read!” —Connie Willis, Nebula and Hugo-Award winning author of Doomsday Book and The Road to Roswell

“Jennifer Lambert has created a world and characters every reader of epic fantasy will love and reread time and time again.” —Grace Draven, USA Today bestselling Author of Radiance.

“Never the Roses is never anything less than enchanting.” —Jennifer Estep, New York Times bestselling author of the Crown of Shards and Gargoyle Queen series

“Step into an enchanting tale filled with heartache, mystery, a lush and vibrant world, and the slow burn delight of two compelling characters at war with desire. Never the Roses delivers a lyrical feast for the imagination.” —Charissa Weaks, author of the Witch Walker Series

“Masterfully crafted, Never the Roses will entice you with its lyrical narration, powerful characters, and magical enchantments. Beware, it’ll also capture your heart with its sharp thorns.” —Maria V. Snyder, New York Times bestselling author of Poison Study

“I just love a good epistolary romance, and the debut novel by Jennifer K. Lambert, Never the Roses, delivers. Readers are in for a treat.” —Melinda M. Snodgrass, author of the Imperials & Carolingian series

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, Oneira, is forthcoming from Tor in June, 2025. She also writes as the multi-award-winning and bestselling author of 64 published titles, Jeffe Kennedy, primarily in epic fantasy romance, and is the current President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA). She is represented by Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

Learn More About Author

Book Details

  • Imprint: Bramble
  • Genre: Fantasy
  • ISBN: 9781250360342
  • Page Count: 368
  • On Sale:

    July 8, 2025
The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.