Title: Filthy Rich Fae, Book 1
Author: Geneva Lee
Book Started: 02 May 2025
Book Completed: 12 May 2025
Total Pages: 353 pages
Total Time: 14 hours: 27 minutes
Star rating: 4 stars
Format: Libby (own the book)
If you’re a romance lover with a taste for some serious spice, The Filthy Rich Fae by Geneva Lee is the escape you’ve been waiting for. Known for her steamy, emotionally intense love stories, Geneva Lee turns her signature brand of romantic tension and power play up to eleven in this fantasy-rich, fae-fueled world of scandal and seduction. This book isn’t just romance with some serious Fae magic; it’s full of fantasy, love affairs, and passion that collides into danger, and secrets lurk behind every perfectly carved jawline.
Premise and Worldbuilding
The Filthy Rich Fae introduces readers to an underworld of power, seduction, and deadly secrets in a contemporary world where the Fae elite coexist alongside unsuspecting humans. The central conceit is as decadent as it sounds: immortal fae nobles with unimaginable wealth and influence, who play by their own rules and live far removed from the moral standards of humans. Towards the end, I thought about the first book in the ACOTAR series.
Lee does an admirable job of setting up a dual world that mirrors our own with recognizable glamor and wealth, but with a twist of ancient magic and courtly intrigue. The power structures among the fae are deeply hierarchical and politically charged, creating tension between characters and within the broader realm they inhabit. Fans of Sarah J. Maas and Holly Black will recognize some of the tropes—ruthless fae males, mortal-fae tension, dangerous bargains—but Lee infuses her signature style, focusing more on sensuality and emotional manipulation than epic battles or traditional fantasy heroism.
Characters
The MMC: Fantasy Meets Billionaire Romance
Imagine an addictive drama of a billionaire romance—power imbalances, luxury, forbidden attraction—only now add fae magic, ancient court politics, and a love interest who could destroy kingdoms with a whisper. The story centers on a strong, whip-smart human woman who gets pulled into Fae nobility’s exclusive and ruthless world. From the moment she meets the enigmatic male lead, sparks fly—and not the gentle kind. We’re talking full-on enemies-to-lovers tension that smolders and explodes with every line of dialogue and heated stares across a ballroom full of deadly supernatural beings.
The MFC: A Fighter You Can Root For
You will love the FMC because she’s not a pushover. She’s not wide-eyed or naïve—she knows when she’s being manipulated and pushes back. She is sharp, her walls are high for a good reason (please check the trigger warning for this book), and her vulnerability is earned, not given away for free. She never loses her voice even when she’s clearly outmatched in a world filled with ancient beings and brutal fae rules. That determination to hold her own makes every romantic interaction even more satisfying, especially when it drives the love interest crazy.
Themes and Tone
This series is going to be a very dark romance. Themes of control, temptation, power imbalance, and obsession are explored unapologetically. Consent, while present, is often complicated by fae magic and intoxicating lust—a deliberate move by the author to blur the lines and heighten the stakes. There’s a strong erotic undercurrent throughout the book, and sex scenes—when they come—are vividly described, emotionally fraught, and undeniably steamy.
Tropes Romance Readers Will Love:
- ✨ Enemies to lovers
- ✨ Forced proximity
- ✨ Powerful, emotionally unavailable hero
- ✨ Forbidden romance
- ✨ Touch her and die
- ✨ Slow burn with explosive chemistry
- ✨ “You’re mine” energy without instant forgiveness
If you loved A Court of Thorns and Roses, King of Battle and Blood, or even the Twisted series but wanted more heat and less fluff, this book hits the sweet spot.
Pacing and Plot
The pacing is quick and addictive. It ends with a serious cliffhanger, which I will have to wait till 25 May 2025 for book 2. While some fantasy purists may wish for more in-depth worldbuilding, fans of dark romance and paranormal intrigue will be more than satisfied with the balance struck. It gives a dark DC comic world. The romantic tension and court politics primarily drive the plot itself. There’s enough mystery to keep readers guessing, especially regarding the hero’s past and the heroine’s true origins, but the narrative focus is always rooted in emotional stakes.
My Final Thoughts
The Filthy Rich Fae is a guilty pleasure, just like The Filthy Rich Vampire series. It’s sexy, addictive, and wonderfully over-the-top. Geneva Lee doesn’t pretend this is a subtle book—she leans into every trope and dares her characters fall hard, hurt often, and love dangerously. I recommend this series. It’s not high fantasy and not trying to be—it’s glam-fantasy romance at its finest, meant to entertain, enthrall, and enflame. I already have book 2 in the “HOLD” pool of Libby for when it is released. Of course, there is a wait…ugh!!!
Rating: 4.0/5
Steamy, sharp, and unapologetically indulgent—The Filthy Rich Fae is a fantasy romance you won’t want to put down.
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