Broken Souls and Bones

De: LJ Andrews

Narrado por: Lindsey Dorcus, Will Thorne

Together they’ll restore a divided kingdom—or burn it down—in this new romantasy from USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation LJ Andrews.

Lyra Bien intended to live a quiet life to avoid the attention of the magic-obsessed king in the fortress of Stonegate. Until Roark Ashwood—the prince’s silent guard and rumored killer for the crown—invades her village and uncovers the truth behind the silver scars in her eyes. To save her best friend from death, she’s forced to reveal her abilities, and is immediately claimed by the crown as the next melder.

To be the King’s melder is to be revered and feared in equal measures, but above all it is a slow death sentence. Lyra is determined to find a way to free herself and her friends from bondage. But first she must get more information from the silent, brooding sentry who first took her captive: Roark.

As Lyra gets closer to Roark, she soon learns he’s nothing like she assumed—and in fact everything she needs. The more they work as allies, the harder it becomes to ignore the growing passion between them. After a sinister truth is revealed, Roark and Lyra must choose to stand against all they know, or accept their dark destiny.

©2025 LJ Andrews (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"LJ Andrews transports us into a rich and dangerous Norse-inspired world. With angst and sizzling romance, pulse-pounding action, and plot twists that left my jaw on the floor, I was hooked from the very first page!"—Demi Winters, author of The Ashen series

"Powerful and gripping, Broken Souls and Bones has everything a romantasy reader wants—strong writing, fascinating magic, and a romance to absolutely swoon over. I guarantee you'll love Lyra, Roark, and the compelling, Norse-inspired world they live in. I knew from the first page that I'd be giving this one a rave review, and sure enough, it's five fierce and dazzling stars from me!"—India Holton, USA Today bestselling author

“LJ Andrews is a powerhouse within the romantasy genre. Broken Souls and Bones has everything you could want—a unique magic system, a vivid world, and a swoony romance that’s both tender and scorching.”—Olivia Rose Darling, USA Today bestselling author of Fear the Flames

Excuse me?!

LJ Andrews has done it AGAIN and I cannot wait for the next book omg

Wonderful! Must read romantasy

Great story and fun characters. The narration having a one accent for inner dialogue and another for spoken word did through me off a bit, but otherwise very enjoyable! I loved the story so much that I read the KU version also after listening. I can’t wait for the next book. LJ Andrews always delivers the best plot and character development with a dash of spice that I am so here for!

I jumped into Of Mischief and Mages next as I’ve read almost everything else by the author. Exceptional writing style!

Action Packed Yearning

Honestly, I love the writing of LJ Andrews. She weaves magical lands that you can experience with ALL of your senses. You feel the yearning and terror. You smell the forest and blood. You hear the howls, rasps, and screams. You feel the touches, the betrayals, and see the gazes. You are pulled by the magnetism between the characters. You feel the clash of metal during battle. To say that I cannot wait for more Lyra and Roark is an understatement. Roark can tap on me three times ANY TIME he pleases. I love the mates trope but this is done differently and it makes it refreshing. The voice actors also did an excellent job with the characters. If you want to be transported into another world because this one stinks from time to time, give it a try!

Vikings, Magic, and Slow-Burn Tension

Broken Souls and Bones easily lands in my top 5 Viking romantasy reads—L.J. Andrews absolutely delivers. From the very first pages, I was hooked by the rich, atmospheric writing. The dual POVs from our fierce FMC, Lyra, and brooding MMC, Roark, pull you into a world of secrets, shadows, and slow-burning tension.

I listened on Audible, and I’m so glad I did—Will Thorne’s narration had me in an absolute chokehold. His voice brought Roark to life in a way that amplified every intense and intimate moment.

Lyra is a compelling protagonist, shaped by a traumatic past that’s left gaps in her memory. Her bond with her brother Karl is a beautiful example of found family, grounding the story with emotional depth. The magic system is fresh and immersive—based on bones, souls, melders, blood, and shadows—adding a layer of dark intrigue that perfectly complements the Norse-inspired world.

As Lyra and Roark’s relationship deepens, so do the stakes. Secrets are unearthed, loyalties tested, and powers awakened. Andrews nails so many favorite tropes:

Hidden powers
Bodyguard romance
Enemies to lovers
Political intrigue
"Touch her and die" energy
And yes… shadow daddy vibes

“He saved me as a girl, and loved me as a woman.” – Lyra
This line hit so hard.

The plot twist? Absolute chef’s kiss. I thought we were headed into love triangle territory, but the reveal was surprising in the best way. No spoilers—but the payoff was perfect. And the ending, I wasn’t mad at it.

If you're a fan of romantasy with depth, danger, and delicious tension, Broken Souls and Bones is a must-read (or must-listen). Can’t wait for the next one.

Totally willing to do a book 2 ARC if interested Ms. Andrews.

YES YES YES 👏🏻

Wow!! Amazing read! Great plot, characters and romance! I loved every second of this book and cannot wait for the next to come out!

Yesssss! Such a fantastic audiobook!!

Wow! This story was so so fun. Little twists and turns and always wondering how the story will unfold. The voice actors nailed their rolls. Just such a very good time.

LJ does it again

This book was fantastic. The world building, character development and creativity were on point. The only thing that’s disappointing is having to wait for book 2 after that ending. It’s 345am and my jaw is still on the floor after finishing 30 mins ago.

Book 2 asap or we riot!

Whhhaaaatttt!

This book was so good! It was a little hard at first to get use to the accent but once I did I was hooked! The storyline is fantastic and I'm so sad that the book is over. I can't wait for the next one!

I'm torn...

I was so excited for this book and wanted so badly to like it, but I was just so confused. The magic system is a bit strange cause all the crafts are so similar in their abilities, and the whole backstory with Roark seemed all over the place. There were multiple times a name was dropped and it was like we were just supposed to know who it was and I had to go back a few times to try and figure things out. I'll probably re-listen to this another time, and I'm sure the second time around will be easier to follow. The female narrator's accent was kinda brutal and I wish she just spoke normally. Overall, an ok read.

Great story, not so great narration

The story met my 5 star criteria - a fantasy world I could escape into, characters I cared about, sweet and spicy romance, and most importantly enjoyable! There were a few story elements I wasn't feeling at first, but by the end I was fully on board and it left me wanting more.

Rest of my review is for the audio- I personally didn't like how the female narrator used one voice for the 'internal thoughts' of Lyra but then put on a different accent for Lyra to speak out loud. The accents she used for other characters were inconsistent too. These 2 things really took me out of the immersion because it was splitting my sense of Lyra as a character, and for other characters I would sometimes be confused over who was speaking (or it affected how believable the character felt). I also got the kindle edition so that was helpful in clearing up confusion but it still affected my enjoyment of the book. I actually loved the main voice the female narrator spoke in, I wish she just stayed with that!