All Hail Book Review – No Spoilers
Introduction
This morning I stood on our back porch watching a mojito-colored sunrise over Pikes Peak while Marcus, bleary-eyed, tripped over my sandal on the way to the car. I muttered under my breath, “One day you’ll learn to look.” But that clumsy moment reminded me of how surprising life can be in the small stuff—and that sense of surprise is one reason I picked up All Hail. It promised secrets, power, danger, and romance. And after a few chapters, I was hooked.
Plot Summary
All Hail by J. Bree is the first book in the *Queen Crow* trilogy, part of the broader Mounts Bay / Hannaford Prep universe. After the death of her serial-killer father, Avery expects freedom—and instead finds herself haunted by her past, forced to rebuild from the ashes of trauma. The story opens with her trying to reclaim her identity, while the criminal underworld she once escaped isn’t done with her yet. As new threats emerge in Mounts Bay, Avery must forge alliances, face betrayals, and reconcile complicated relationships. The “hero who should hate her but can’t stay away” dynamic plays out, as does the “protector who doesn’t trust his feelings” trope. Through crime, danger, and shifting loyalties, Avery’s journey is one of strength, confession, and emotional reckoning. The book sets up a slow burn, introduces multiple male leads, and ends with hooks that carry into books two and three.
Why I Love This Book
I love how raw and messy this romance feels. Avery isn’t perfect, and she carries scars—emotional and physical—that make her more real to me. I love how she fights for agency rather than being saved. The push-pull tension between Avery and the male leads had me holding my breath more than once. I also love when a romance brings me into a dark world but still lets me see the softness behind the danger. The emotional stakes feel high, and I kept rooting for Avery even when plot threads got tangled.
I also love how J. Bree expands the Mounts Bay world. Even though some of the side characters felt familiar from the Hannaford Prep line, they carry new weight here. The sense that every move has consequences gives the book a gritty edge. And yes—the chemistry is electric. There are moments that made me blush and moments that made me pause to catch my heart.
If I have a small critique, I love that the narrative sometimes leans on past history more than showing fresh connection—moments that could bring the characters closer feel hinted at rather than fully explored. Still, overall, I was captivated.
Who Will Like This Book
If you like dark romance with tension, multiple love interests, and a heroine who has to fight through trauma, this book will appeal to you. If you enjoy stories with moral ambiguity, criminal underworld settings, and emotional slow burns, this is a good match. If you already know and love the Mounts Bay universe, reading this is almost a must. Be ready for cliffhangers and tangled loyalties.
⚠️ Trigger warning: This book contains trauma, violence, kidnapping, emotional manipulation, and dark themes. It is not light or cozy throughout.
Tagged As
dark romance, reverse harem, new adult, criminal underworld, slow burn, multiple POVs, trauma, redemption, enemies to lovers, protector hero, conflicted hero, series, HEA
Steam Level
This is not a tame romance. There are explicit sex scenes, emotional heat, and intense chemistry. But the erotic elements always feel in service of the characters’ emotions and the story’s darkness. If you’re comfortable with explicit sex in a gritty setting, this will deliver.
