Review: Of Love and Cruelty by Tanja Longoria

July 22, 2026

Synopsis:

In a world where magic is punishable by death, Princess Emory finds herself hiding in the shadows, practising the forbidden.

Discovered by the traitor and exiled Lord Nikolai, she must trust the enemy to keep her alive. In turn, she finds herself falling in love with the one man she can never have.

When her father arranges a marriage to keep the kingdom’s peace, her heart is torn. Two men, as different as night and day. Two sides of her that only one of them knows, and a new life far away from her home.

As she comes to terms with her new life, the kingdom’s fate once more falls into the hands of Nikolai. After her family is murdered by the man she used to love, she has to mask her rage and plans to bring the new queen down.

Will she be able to avenge her family without losing her life?

Review:

I usually stay away from anything labelled dark as a genre, but this one got me interested. After giving it a try, I don’t really know how I feel about it. Compared to other dark romance books I’ve read, this doesn’t even come close. We had some moments of physical dominance, but mainly in a very tame form. We got one more brutal scene, but it felt so out of character for someone I never really got on board with in the first place.
I didn’t really get the romance part. It felt more like curiosity on both sides, and the dialogue and interactions never had me fully rooting for them. A certain second connection came across as far more believable, and I was sorry it never got the chance to unfold.

The world-building was done very briefly and was quite simple: forbidden magic that can get you killed if discovered, and a lot of fighting among the rulers to come out on top.
While I liked some aspects of the FMC, she felt inconsistent throughout the book. Her sudden desire to impress her future husband by caring about her people and the poor felt a bit off to me. For someone portrayed as smart and independent on one hand, she was also very foolish on the other.

Did I enjoy parts of it? Yes, especially the middle section. The beginning and the ending, though, never fully connected me to the characters or the story. In the end, it was an okay read for me, but it didn’t leave me wanting to continue with the series.

🌙 Recension: Of Love and Cruelty (Cruel Fate #1) by Tanja Longoria
📚 Genre: Dark Romance, Fantasy
📅 Release Date: July 22, 2026
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 416
⭐️ 3/5