A Congress of Roses by Melissa J. Cave
Empire of the Stars #4
Fantasy Romance
May 1, 2026- Self-Published
ARC

Review by Angela

I happened upon this series while perusing through Kindle Unlimited offerings and decided to take a chance on an unknown to me author, simply because I was intrigued by the blurb. The first book in the series, Traitor Son, had me hooked and I immediately hit the read now button for Stardust Child, the second book in the Empire of the Stars series. And now after reading early copies of both the third and fourth book, I can honestly tell you I am more hooked than ever.

The Empire of the Stars follows Remin Grimjaw, the son of a house that has been executed down to the lowliest servant and their names stricken from history for allegedly committing treason against the emperor, and Ophele, bastard daughter of the emperor whose own mother was the accuser who took down Remin’s family. Remin becomes a legendary warrior and now holds the title, Duke of Andelin, and in the first book wins the hand of the emperor’s daughter by completing an impossible task.

He and Ophele have a rocky beginning to their marriage, and the first several books deal with their budding relationship and romance, and also the building of Tresingale, the estate and village Remin is constructing far outside the capital. They also introduce all the main players, both central and secondary, and there are quite a lot of them.

A Congress of Roses brings Remin and Ophele to the capital and under the scrutiny of the Divine Emperor, where Ophele must play a sophisticated game within society and with her father. Let me tell you, I thought I kind of knew what was happening with the complicated court politics between the emperor, the empress he absolutely despises, their daughter, who is heir to the throne, and the weird maneuverings between the great houses and the different “courts” that govern all manners of society, but this book demolished all that I thought I knew. Maybe there is a different person or persons behind all of the assassin attempts Remin has experienced over the course of his life. Maybe the emperor has different motivations. Who are Ophele and Remin’s real enemies?

While this book did show character growth for both Remin and Ophele (and some happy news) while also shedding light on the backstories of each of Remin’s Knights of the Brede, I am more than ready for them to head back to Tresingale and find some comfort. But the ending of A Congress of Roses leads me to believe that will be a long time coming. All of the plans Remin made leading up to his and Ophele’s trip to the capital seem to be coming to fruition, and it looks like there will be war. And to be honest, I’m ready. I am positively on the edge of my seat in anticipation of the next book in the series.

If you enjoy intricate worldbuilding, complex court politics, a lovely romance, and hints of magic, this might be just the series to add to your TBR.

Grade- A