Crown Me Dead & Crown Me Yours by. Liz Zander | Mini Book Reviews

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Crown Me Dead (#1)

Author: Liv Zander

Format: ebook

Pages: 270

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publication Date: 4/10/26

Categories: Dark Romance, Dark Fantasy, Series

Wed me. Bed me. Slit my throat.

Born in dirt, raised in rot, I dig graves for the dead, while the living decay around me.

When my brother coughs blood, he appears.

A man too polished for the graveyard, with a bargain too cruel for the Seduce the King. Become the Queen. Die. And my brother lives.

Kael is a nightmare of living ruin, the rotting ruler of a festering realm. And Vale is his shadow, the cold architect of my demise.

One man needs my heart to beat. The other plans to stop it forever.

They think I’m a pawn. But I’m the gravedigger’s daughter. And I know exactly where to bury them.

Welcome to the funeral.

Content Warning: violence, death, body horror, maggots

World Building: This is a dark fantasy where a whole kingdom is rotting, and I don’t only mean the crops and buildings, but the people too. There is a curse that the current King Kael is trying to starve out, he’s supposed to take a wife he loves and slice her throat to feed his crown blood, but he refuses to do it but it means people will rot and die. There is body horror and…maggots. So if you are totally grossed out about both those things, this might not be for you.

Characters: I love Elara. She is always around death because she is a gravedigger along with her mom and brother. She’s not afraid of it and has seen so much of it that it doesn’t phase which makes her perfect to be King Kael’s bride since he is rotting. King Kael is someone who wants to end the curse, he’s rotting, he’s angry, lashes out but he softens towards Elara’s brash attitude and I was enjoying their growing friendship. Vale is a mystery – he’s handsome, and claims he is a steward for the king. His plan, to get Elara to make the king fall in love with her, so he can sacrifice her and feed the crown – which would remove the rot killing everything in the land.

Romance: For a moment in this book I thought there would be a love triangle. Elara is getting to know Kael, but her body wants Vale. And I was all for her attraction to the dark, mysterious man, even though I thought Kael was the nicer one of the two. There is a lot of mystery around both men, and you can never tell who is good or bad, who to trust. There is spice but nothing too overboard.

Story: I could not put this book down and I didn’t realize it was under 300 pages until I finished it so quick! I love Elara and how strong and brave she is. She loves her family and will do whatever it takes, even give up her life to save them from rotting. She gets under Vale’s skin and she befriends the Kael. There are secrets and lies and everything comes to a head in a cliffhanger. But thank goodness book two is out – because I had to read it right away. There were decisions that Elara made that I was frustrated about, but I understand she was trying to play her own game too and survive the situation she was in.

Vibes: dark vibes, some gross moments, but death is all around

Final Thoughts:

I love this book and only lowered my rating because some of the body horror was gross. But I was horrified and couldn’t look away – and I love Elara. I had to see if they could break the curse! It’s why I had to read book two right away.

Read if you like:

dark romance
dark fantasy
secrets, betrayal

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Crown Me Yours (Heartstrings Duet, #2)

Author: Liv Zander

Format: ebook

Pages: 244

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publication Date: 4/16/26

Categories: Dark Romance, Dark Fantasy, Series

Wed him. Bed him. Slit his throat.

I killed the king.
Crowned myself in his blood,
But the curse still festers.

To break it, I need Death,
On his knees,
A ring on his finger.
My blade at his throat.

The god fights me to the grave,
Evades my touch,
Mocks my wanting.

He would rather tear himself apart,
Than let me close enough to end this.
But I didn’t come this far to lose.
I came to crown him mine.

Welcome to your wedding, my love.

Content Warning: violence, death, body horror

Part two in this duet – this is a love story that makes me cry because what do you mean Elara makes Death fall in love with her? He tries his hardest to not succumb to her but he cannot resist. I love them together. There is spice and banter, it’s less dark than book one – less body horror and there is a battle of wills but Elara is a force.

And the ending chapters which is basically an epilogue? Ugh…my heart! For some reason it was reminding me of Jack and Sally in Nightmare Before Christmas 😅 maybe because of all the skeleton parts of Death when he is revealed as himself. But hello his heartstrings? I could not take it. 💔 What a beautiful ending to this story to show us that love is always worth it, even through loss and pain.

I will say this was shorter than book one and I feel like both books could have been combined since most romantasy books these days are long. I was totally engaged in this story and I really loved it.

Quote from the book:

“You can’t have love without embracing grief. Pain is the price we pay for participating in life.” – Liv Zander, Crown Me Yours

Final Thoughts:

I love this duology which I feel could have just been one book – but besides that, what a story. It’s dark, but so heartfelt at the end. It pulled at my heartstrings. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author!

Read if you like:

dark romance
dark fantasy

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Us Dark Few by. Alexis Patton | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Us Dark Few (Us Dark Few, #1)

Author: Alexis Patton

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 321

Publication Date: 5/5/26 (first published: 6/28/23)

Publisher: Bloom Books

Categories: Dystopian, Dark Romance, Series

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Bloom Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Khalani is a Prisoner
Takeshi is a Guard
Both are slaves to the Underground

Khalani Kanes has never stood on the surface of the earth. In the underground city of Apollo, faith and dreams are as absent as the sun. She longed to visit Genesis, the infamous Domed City and the final place where humanity lives aboveground. But when Khalani is given a life sentence and thrown into prison for a theft she didn’t commit, those wishes shatter into oblivion.

In Braderhelm Prison, murderers are neighbors, ruthless and cold-blooded guards live to punish, and every second is a battle to survive. She thought the danger lay in befriending criminals and avoiding Takeshi Steele, the nefarious Captain who runs her cell block. But darker traps and secrets await her within the shadows of imprisonment. Khalani’s blood will coat the walls in flaming silk before her enemies let her escape to the surface, a feat no one has successfully achieved. If the reclusive and callous Takeshi Steele won’t kill Khalani, then the merciless prisoners and her fractured mind will.

Enter Braderhelm Prison, where only the Wicked remain.

Content Warning: violence, death, sexual assault

World Building: Apollo is a world built underground because of what happened to the Earth years ago. It’s where the poor people live and prisoners like Khalani. Whereas Genesis is a domed city on the surface where there is sunshine and the wealthy afford to live. Khalani is in prison so most of the story takes place there, I think we’ll learn more about the surface throughout the series. Another area that is mentioned is Hermes but we don’t get to know much about that place yet.

Characters: Khalani is an interesting character – she’s lost her parents, now she’s in prison but she doesn’t lose her sweetness in a sense, which made me wish she would toughen up faster so she doesn’t get hurt. She does learn to be harder, and a fighter, but she still doesn’t lose her humanity even with everything she experiences and sees in prison. Takeshi is her prison guard and a captain who is ruthless but he trains Khalani when she dares to ask him. There are some other characters, who make up Khalani’s new found family but would love to get to know them better.

Romance: It’s an enemies to lovers, prisoner/guard romance, and is filled with a lot of dramatic angst at the end. It feels a little young adult at times I think because Khalani comes off sweet and naive, but upper YA since there is a steamy scene but no real spice. But it goes from enemies to lovers to not sure until book two.

Story: Most of the story takes place in the prison where Khalani is adjusting to prison life, but she learns a little bit more about Apollo and Genesis, and even gets to go to Genesis and be around the Governor who seems friendly to Khalani but we aren’t sure why because he comes off evil also. But there is a twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting and sets up for book two.

Vibes: prison break, prison romance, a little bit of poetry (reminded me a tiny bit of Shatter Me)

Final Thoughts:

I think a lot of this story was predictable but it was a quick read. I liked the world building and learning about Apollo, Genesis and I hope we get to learn more about Hermes. The romance is enemies to lovers and for the most part I enjoyed it though it reminded me of some other dystopian romances. I did like the twist in the end and will probably continue the series.

Read if you like:

prison romance – prisoner/guard
prison break
dystopian

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bloody Black by. Rhiannon Hargadon| Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Bloody Black

Author: Rhiannon Hargadon

Format: ebook

Pages: 534

Publication Date: 9/12/25

Categories: Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance, Pirates

He stole her throne, she’s come back to reclaim it.

Anne was a reckless, arrogant royal who had never tasted defeat. After a brutal betrayal on her wedding night, Anne vanishes from the kingdom she was meant to rule. Years later, she’s returns from the grave—no longer a princess, but a terror of the seas. Known only as Blackbeard, she’s hunting down the men who destroyed her, one by one. Vengeance doesn’t come without a cost. Brutal bargains with a demon collar her, and bind her to a dark promise.

When she captures Lieutenant Robb Maynard—a too-handsome, too-calm officer loyal to her enemy—Anne intends to trade him for leverage. Instead, she finds herself locked in a dangerous game of secrets and seduction, where the greatest threat isn’t a blade—but the way he looks at her.

Like she’s still a woman worth loving.

And while she knows better than to believe in anything but pain… Anne must decide if life is worth the risk—or if trusting the wrong man will cost her everything she has built.

A full list of trigger warnings can be found on the author’s website. Your mental health is important; read at your own risk.

Content Warning: rape, sexual assault, murder, violence, death, torture

World Building: I haven’t read a pirate novel in awhile and I picked this up in Kindle Unlimited because of the title and the book cover. Anne was, as princesses go, pretty privileged – to the point her dad let her pick her own groom if she could defeat his soldiers in a tournament. She picks her groom but gets a harsh lesson in love when she realizes she’s made the wrong move. Left for dead, she finds herself on a ship with other prisoners and from there she learns to rule the high seas and make a name for herself as Blackbeard. I loved the pirate adventures and fights that are featured in this story. Anne and her crew travel all over to hunt down her attackers and free people who are enslaved. Would have love to see them rescuing people though since that’s what their mission was all about. Also, Anne’s dad, the king, was a horrible man, but we only get information about that from people he had wronged. I kind of wish this was a duology so we could get more world building.

Characters: Anne isn’t the most likable character but I liked her. She goes through something very traumatic so her fears and anger are ruling her decisions – she is female rage on borrowed time. So I understood her tunnel vision mission of finding her attackers and picking them off one by one. I also didn’t like some of her decisions because of what that fear and rage is doing to her, but it’s part of her growth. I was all in on her revenge tour after what happened to her. I love her crew members full of misfits and different species! Every one had their own issues to deal with, and I didn’t blame Prudence for doing what she did – but it broke my heart. But together, they were all so funny and I was glad Anne had them.

Romance: After what happened to Anne in the beginning of the book I was hoping this would be a slow burn and it was! She’s had trauma and when Robb comes along, he has to learn to be more gentle with her. It is enemies to lovers though, since Robb is hunting Blackbeard. But right away I could tell he was good for her because of his patience. I enjoyed the spice because he was patient with her. He’s kind of a softie when it comes to her. She seems to be the more domineering one in the relationship which I thought was cute. There are some secrets between them though but I was rooting for them!

Story: This is a dark fantasy with many triggering scenes. So definitely check the triggers. I loved how this was a story of Anne’s survival – she had to become someone else, Blackbeard, to help herself feel strong again. But she also had to learn how to be strong again with help and not always pushing people away to be alone. I didn’t mind her hunting her attackers one by one and torturing some of them, I was angry with her. I love how Blackbeard is retold as a woman, and I really did enjoy her crew of pirates.

There were some parts of the writing where I had to read again because a character, will kind of be forgotten. There were a few chapters where one of my favorite secondary characters wasn’t mentioned anymore and I even stopped and wondered where she was. Then she’d reappear again in other chapters.

Vibes: revenge and pirates

Final Thoughts:

Outside all the dark themes of this book, I thought the pirate themes of the book was really fun – especially Anne and her crew. I love them! But as I said, this is a dark book with horrible things that happen to Anne and to the people that wronged her. She’s a person bent on revenge but it consumes her so much that she doesn’t appreciate or know how to be friends with the people that have her back until it’s too late. I enjoyed the romance also but would have loved if this was a duology so we could have had more world-buidling. Other than that though, I enjoyed this retelling of Blackbeard which is full of pirates, some romance and lots of revenge.

Read if you like:

pirates
dark romance/dark fantasy
revenge

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Blood & Roses by. Callie Hart | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Blood & Roses (Blood & Roses, #1)

Author: Callie Hart

Format: ebook

Pages: 397

Publication Date: 3/10/26 (first published as Deviant in 2/12/2014)

Categories: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance

What happens in the dark never stays in the dark.

As one of Seattle’s most dangerous, feared men, Zeth Mayfair always carried out the jobs he’s sent on without a second thought. Drugs? Guns? Dirty money? They’re all fair game. But girls? Girls are another matter entirely. When Zeth’s employer decides buying and selling kidnapped women is a lucrative sideline, Zeth’s usually uncomplicated life suddenly becomes very complicated indeed. And his biggest complication goes by the name of Sloane Romera.

Sloane’s sister is missing, and she needs to find her, yet all doors leading into the seedy world of human trafficking are firmly closed in Sloane’s face. She’s a trauma doctor; she needs information. What she really needs is help…and help presents itself in a most unlikely form. Zeth is terrifying, scandalously hot, and comes fully loaded with a terrible attitude and wicked smile. He also looks like he’s Sloane’s only hope. Can she work with the guy without getting herself killed, losing her job, or falling head over heels in love?

Content Guidance: Blood & Roses is a dark romance series that contains explicit content and heavy themes intended for mature audiences. Readers are strongly encouraged to consider their personal sensitivities. This book contains: graphic violence, human trafficking, murder, psychological abuse, coercion, child abuse, substance abuse and addiction, and BDSM.

Content Warning: see above in book synopsis⬆️

World Building: Check all the trigger warnings because this one is dark. Zeth is part of an organized crime group – he’s dangerous. Sloane is an ER doctor looking for her sister, Alexis who’s been taken/kidnapped, she’s assuming by traffickers. Their worlds collide when Sloane needs information about her sister and will do almost anything for it. This is a cutthroat world that Zeth is in, these men are killers, violent, are trafficking people and drugs among other things.

Characters: Sloane is all about her job as an ER doctor and also needs to find her sister. When she meets Zeth he brings out some things in her that she never knew existed especially when it comes to sexual matters. But she is tough and shows it as the story progresses. Zeth is hard and tough, barely allowing himself to be vulnerable, which was really frustrating. For my preferences he was a little too hard for me (and I’m not talking about in the bedroom 😅) as an MMC, emotion wise he was totally closed off and I just wanted to be like Sloane and slap him…a lot. There are some other interesting people in Zeth’s crew, like Michael and Lacey. I think with Lacey is where we see Zeth show the most vulnerability.

Romance: What romance? This was 80% smut, 20% plot. I didn’t totally mind that there was no emotional connection – yet, because they started off with insta-lust, and it seems like Zeth is a tough person to crack. And Sloane is hardened in ways that make her efficient as an ER doctor, so in this book it’s clear Zeth has boundaries and for Sloane that might be okay in their sexual relationship but she’s wary he will never be ready for more. And I don’t blame her for feeling that way – he’s a total red flag and he needs to figure out his stuff out. I wasn’t totally into him, I needed more chemistry – not just insta-lust and some kinky sex. I wanted a little yearning at least near the end of this book, but he’s not the type…at least not yet. The smut is very spicy – kinky, definitely BDSM and pain/pleasure scenes that was a little too much for me.

Story: Looking up this story I see that this was published 12 years ago as an erotica called Deviant. And knowing that it was erotica makes sense as to why most of the story is mostly smut. And if I’m judging it as erotica then hey this was pretty good, but I think it’s being categorized as Dark Romance now and Mafia Romance, so I wanted a little more plot. The first half of the book I was kind of waiting to see how this missing sister plot was going to play out and I feel like we really only get into it almost near the end of the book. Because Zeth is in organized crime, there is a lot of different bosses he is dealing with and their power plays, trying not to get killed himself, and I was waiting for some news about Alexis but it takes awhile for that to play out. The ending has a twist and I kind of felt bad for Sloane and understood her frustrations about it. I am curious about Rebel another interesting man who is mentioned.

Vibes: Mostly smut, little plot. The smut happens right away too like in chapter one. Though I wasn’t feeling all of the smut, I still was entertained.

Final Thoughts:

I read this because it’s Callie Hart, and I love Quicksilver but this one is not for me. I want more plot with my smut, but though Zeth is dangerous and hot, I just wanted more from his character. I did enjoy Sloane’s character but I also wanted her to stand up to Zeth a little more. The smut is super spicy and not for me so I don’t know if I will continue this series – if I do, it’s to find out more about Rebel, a new character that kind of entered the story at the end.

Read if you like:

dark romance
mafia
BDSM, kink

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Brimstone by. Callie Hart | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Quicksilver by. Callie Hart | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Souls in Ruin by. Jacqueline White | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Souls in Ruin (The Soulbound, #1)

Author: Jacqueline White

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 635

Publication Date: 3/2/26

Categories: Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance, Series

A marriage forged in blood. A kingdom bathed in silence. And a princess who refuses to break.

When Princess Mireille is wed to a foreign king with cold eyes and colder intentions, she expects distance, perhaps cruelty, not chains. Kept imprisoned within her own kingdom’s walls, she learns her father’s past sins are not easily buried.

But neither is she.

As her world twists into something unrecognisable, Mireille finds herself caught between two powerful immortal beings – one who wants her obedience and one who wants what little soul she has left.

But Mireille was not born to kneel.

*This is a dark fantasy romance for a mature, 18+ audience and contains themes and content that aren’t to everyone’s liking. Please check the author’s note at the beginning of the book for content warnings before reading.*

Content Warning: violence, death, abuse, torture, humiliation

+ This one is for the dark fantasy girlies – so check the trigger warnings before you go into it. There was something addictive about the writing of this book. Princess Mirielle tells us her story – of how she is an outcast at court, an illegitimate daughter of the King and we see how she is unloved. And then she is forced to marry The Blood King, a man with a monstrous reputation for killing and pillaging, but to save her kingdom, the price is marriage. Her marriage to him starts the unraveling of her mind, body and soul.

+~ Though this is a story about Mirielle’s fight for survival as her husband does everything to break her, there is a lot of lore we learn about the Gods once we learn who her husband really is. I enjoyed the story of the Gods and trying to see how it connects to Mirielle. But because the story happens mostly in the dungeons, the world-building wasn’t detailed. It starts off good before the dungeons, but once there, we see nothing else. I hope the world opens up in book two.

+~ Mirielle goes from a Princess, to a Queen that is tortured and lives in a dungeon. It’s not a pretty story. It was easy to see how Valen, The Blood King, deceives her – because even I was thinking it was going to be a story where she makes him fall in love with her, but I was wrong. She is already someone who is vulnerable, someone looking for love and attention, someone who thinks because she was already abused that she could take what comes next with Valen, but this man is evil. The more I read on, the more I hated him. There is no redeeming qualities in him even when she confuses desire with the abuse. He really messes her up mentally, physically and emotionally. So if she makes a few mistakes around Valen, I’m not holding it against her because she is just trying to survive. As for the other prisoner in the dungeons with her that Mirielle cannot see, he’s mysterious, powerful, she calls him Death and he also eventually wants to possess Mirielle, so though this woman has two Gods wanting her – the price of their obsession and desire for her is so painful and deadly.

+~ There is no romance in this story, because none of what I witnessed from both these Gods are romantic. Death seems like someone who is more gentle with her but he has questionable actions also, and could totally be deceiving her. There is spice, but again, it’s dark – Mirielle is in the dungeons so just keep that in mind. What she has with Valen is not love, and Mirielle doesn’t think she’s capable of love, so yeah…there is no love and romance in this story and I’m kind of glad? Because Mirielle is broken – I want her to fall in love when she’s had some healing hopefully!

~ It’s a long book at over 600 pages, so some parts of her torment in the dungeons become a little repetitive. She’s alone with her thoughts and feelings so a lot of the book is that. But it really made me hope she could find the strength to overcome the torture Valen was putting her through. I was also needing to see her escape or maybe get revenge on him. Though I think we will have to wait for book two to see some revenge.

~ I hope we see Mirielle build herself up on her own without a man (looking at you Valen or Death) trying to claim her. It looks like she will be getting a little bit more power after that ending so I can’t wait to see her grow. I was over these two Gods messing with her – I want her to have her own power to bring them to their knees.

Final Thoughts:

I was addicted to the writing of this even though there are some parts that became repetitive and most of the story happens in a dungeon. I was invested in Mirielle’s story of survival at the hands of her husband. She is already someone who is somewhat broken before the marriage but it gets worse, it gets darker but that’s why her journey to endure kept me invested plus I was just waiting for some revenge to kick in – but maybe in book two? I would love to see her with some female rage in the next book. Also, this is not a romance story, both Gods had their issues, Valen was the worse though – he is horrible, but Death has to still prove some things so I’ll be looking to book two to see what direction this story goes.

Read if you like:

dark fantasy – check the triggers
Gods
story of survival

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Serpent’s Sin by. Kathryn Ann Kingsley | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: The Serpent’s Sin (Bloodlines, #2)

Author: Kathryn Ann Kingsley

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 318

Publication Date: 1/23/26

Categories: Dark Romance, Vampires, Fae

To destroy the vampires who killed her family… she must become one of them.

Nadi is trapped in a deadly alliance with Raziel Nostrom. After a honeymoon soaked in blood and desire, they make a pact—to take down his criminal family together.

Now Nadi is at the heart of the Nostrom empire, pretending to be a vampire. If her act slips even for a moment, they will tear her apart.

Raziel holds Nadi’s life in his hands. And her heart… His wicked smile sets her body aflame, drawing her closer and closer. Still, he is a born killer—alluring and utterly ruthless. He could turn on her in an instant.

But Raziel is not the only one in his family with a taste for betrayal…

When his brother and sister approach her with proposals of their own, Nadi faces a desperate choice. Will she stand by Raziel, as the world turns against him? Or seize the perfect chance to destroy his family forever?

Content Warning: violence, death, torture, abuse

+ I like how Nadi and Raziel are always circling around each other, pushing, pulling, not sure what to make of what they are together. Because Nadi has had many changes to kill Raziel, and vice versa but here they are, not dead, but still with one another, not wanting to admit that maybe their relationship has changed into something different. They can’t put the words to it yet and I’m glad because as much as I want them to fall for one another, I didn’t want it to happen quickly because he killed her family. She has to work through some of those complicated feelings of hate turning into love.

+ We learn more about Raziel in book two! He’s just a morally black sadistic killer in book one, but in this book we know more about what he endured when he was growing up, how his family treated and how the things he loves gets taken away from him. I warmed up to him and realize he is a broken vampire with lots of issues and I can see why he hates his family. I like seeing him vulnerable but I also don’t want to see him lose his killer edge – and can’t wait to see what happens in book three.

+ I like that the spice is creative! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 And it meets my expectations of how I assume Raziel would be in bed, so I’m glad he lives up to it. I love how as their relationship changes it shows in the spice also, sometimes dominating, sometimes soft, sometimes desperate. And speaking of their relationship, what a journey it goes through in this story! There are so many trust issues but that ending…I think that ending says it all about what they mean to one another and I love it. I am rooting for them.

~ This is a short book at barely over 300 pages which I love but I also wish it was 350 pages. Here I am complaining about books being too long these days and now I want this one to be longer! 😅. Again, it is light on the world-building but we did get a little more here because we are introduced to another vampire family, and we learn more about Raziel’s family. There are games afoot, and everyone is trying to entice Nadi to be on their side and she has to try and play it right. Though there is family political intrigue between the siblings, it’s never anything heavy – this is a light fantasy read, mostly all vibes, so it’s not like the cat and mouse game between any of them is super intense with surprising plot twists. At times I don’t even feel like Raziel and Nadi is staying ahead of anyone – they keep getting trapped, maybe because of their feelings for one another being their weakness? I’m not sure. Even the violence I feel could be more intense but it isn’t. But I don’t mind because this is one of those addictive reads that you can consume really quick.

Final Thoughts:

This one lived up to my expectations because I like seeing how Nadi and Raziel’s complicated relationship unfolds. I love them together and their spice is just right as much as their questions about what they feel for one another. They are becoming Bonnie and Clyde and I love it. I’m glad we learn about Raziel and his family. And that cliffhanger ending makes me eager for book three right away – I’m glad I don’t have to wait long because it comes out in July! This is an addictive series, light on the world building and easy to consume, I’m really enjoying it so far.

Read if you like:

mermaid/vampire
light world-building
kinky spice, power dynamics
to kill or not to kill
family drama/politics
complicated relationships

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Serpent’s Bride by. Kathryn Ann Kingsley | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: The Serpent’s Bride

Author: Kathryn Ann Kingsley

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 306

Publication Date: 8/22/25

Categories: Dark Romance, Vampires

I will disguise myself as the vampire’s bride. I will win over his family.And then I will murder every last one of them.

All my life I’ve been training to take revenge on the vampire who killed my parents. But Raziel Nostrom is a prince of the city’s most powerful mafia clan—completely untouchable.

When I learn that Raziel is marrying a woman he’s never seen before, I know my chance has finally come…

I will disguise myself as Raziel’s sacrificial bride. I will gain access to his vicious and beautiful family. And I will murder every last bloodsucking one of them.

Raziel is just as ruthless and deadly as I expected, but I had no idea how magnetic he would be up close, with an intoxicating smile and ruby-red eyes that seem to look right into my soul. There’s a dangerous tension between us that I’m struggling to ignore.

I have to strike fast. Every second I wait brings new danger to my life—and my heart. But as I sharpen my blades and prepare to take my revenge at last, I need to face the truth…

I’m falling in love with Raziel Nostrom.

The first book in a spicy vampire romantasy series perfect for fans of true enemies-to-lovers romance and marriages of convenience tropes. Readers who could not get enough of The Serpent and the Wings of Night and Haunting Adeline will love The Serpent’s Bride.

Content Warning: violence, death

I saw someone recommend this on Tiktok and she got me at “vampire mafia”, so I decided to try it out since it was on kindle unlimited:

+ Nadi is a Fae, an Iltani, enemy of the vampire mafia family the Nostrom’s. And now she wants revenge against them. First on his list, Raziel Nostrom, the man who murdered her family. He’s about to get married so Nadi uses her shapeshifting skills to pose as his human wife and hope she can get close enough to him, so she can kill him.I like Nadi because she’s willing to do anything to avenge her family’s death and she’s a one woman show. Raziel on the other hand is a killer that loves what he does. There is nothing soft about him! He has a very interesting family and would like to learn more about his siblings in the other books.

+ I assumed because this dark romance that it would be spicy right away but it was surprisingly not, which was nice since I wanted to get into the story instead of the smut. It’s a quick read, which I like, and a slow burn. But when the spice does hit, it’s creative and kinky as I expected out of Raziel! 😅. Will there be an emotional connection between them? Is Raziel capable of that? We shall see as the series goes on.

+~ There is a cliffhanger ending but honestly, I was waiting for Nadi to take him out! This is a vibe read, so I wasn’t expecting detailed world-building but I think I got enough from this that in this world there are different species vying for power. Would love to learn more about the Wilds where Nadi grew up though.

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one and glad I took a chance on it! I love the enemies to lovers dark romance going on and wonder what is going to happen next after that ending. I’ll be reading book two right away, so stay tuned for the review for that one.

Read if you like:

a quick, vibe read
enemies to lovers, arranged marriage
vampire mafia
kinky spice

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Poison Daughter by. Sheila Masterson | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: The Poison Daughter

Author: Sheila Masterson

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 668

Publication Date: 10/3/25

Categories: Romantasy, Dark Romance, Vampires

To err is human. To avenge is Divine.
Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition.

Her first husband is in the ground. Her new betrothed is next.

But the merry widow has a secret. When she’s not acting as an assassin at her parents’ whims, she moonlights as a vigilante for abused women in their walled-off city.

Meet a man. Lure him in. Kill him with a kiss. Until one night Harlow kisses a mark and he doesn’t die.

Worse, her invincible partner in passion is her new betrothed, Henry Havenwood, and now he knows about her double life. Instead of selling her out and bringing the rival families to blows, he does something much more sinister—whisks her away to wed in his wild mountain fort.

Harlow doesn’t trust Henry, but the only way to protect her family and the city of Lunameade is to figure out what his family is planning.

Cursed with a husband she can’t kill and trapped in a fort miles of vampire-infested woods from home, Harlow’s survival requires her to do the impossible: Make the man who knows she’s a killer fall in love with her anyway.

Content Warning: violence, death, abuse, murder, toxic family, grief, trauma, debilitating migraines

**Check book trigger warnings**

I saw this on Kindle Unlimited and saw it had good reviews so I wanted to try it out. Here are my thoughts:

+ There are 2 POVs in this story, Harlow and Henry. Harlow is from a ruling family of magic users. What makes them the top family of magic users is they are the only ones who can see magic – which comes in the form of auras. I thought Harlow’s family was interesting because they are all under the thumb of their father. Harlow’s parents are not the affectionate type – their goal, to stay in power and they use their children for that purpose. But you can tell Harlow is close to some of her siblings – mostly, Aidia and Kellen. Everyone else, we don’t know much about and I believe there are 8 children in the family. Henry is from a place everyone thought was destroyed years ago. In this story, there are magic users and non-magic users. Non-magic users pay a blood tithe so that the elite magic users can protect the city but the public is getting tired of the demand for tithes and now there is a rebellion trying to take her family down. Also in this world, there is a forest with creatures called the Drained (basically vampire monsters).

+~ There is a lot of female rage in this story and a theme of women being abused. It gets dark. There are a few twists, turns, political intrigue, secrets, betrayals, magic, and vampires. But there were parts of the story that I felt some of the twists and turns didn’t have a punch like I was expecting. Also Henry was contradictory – he’s all for not controlling a woman, but then picks out her clothing. He’s a nice guy and is all about consent but he also wants her to behave in his society because his image matters. Pacing was a little off also and it’s a long book.

+ I love that Harlow is 30 – we need more older heroines. Harlow has been honed into a weapon for her family. Her power? A deadly poison kiss. Harlow is moonlighting as the Poison Vixen, a woman going around the kingdom, killing men (but not just any men – abusers, etc…). Things change when her parents marry her off again but to a man from a stronghold they thought was annihilated 10 years ago by the Drained. Harlow has attitude and keeps Henry on his toes. She is rage in disguise and I liked her a lot because I knew all of her bravado came from something traumatic. She was always in survival mode. And as the story goes we learn what made her this way and I found it so heartbreaking.

+ I loved Harlow’s relationship with her best-friend/sister, Aidia. I felt like that was the most emotional part of the story – the relationship between the siblings. There is a lot of trauma, lots of grief that both Harlow and Henry have to navigate because of their love for their sisters.

+~ I for the most part enjoyed the romance between Harlow and Henry. Both are motivated by different things and are thrust into this arranged marriage. I love the banter between them because Harlow has attitude and she keeps Henry on his toes for sure. I think the two of them are fun together because of it. Desire is there from the start but it was a slow burn – but once they give into their desires, it’s very spicy, and where the dark romance part comes into play. Voyeurism is big in this one, and I’m not sure how I feel about it? I don’t know that it did anything for me maybe because of the circumstances. For me, I was missing an emotional connection between them during the spice scenes and I get it, they are enemies, they both have ulterior motives, and it was just a physical act, but I wanted to see more emotion. I think that was the thing I felt was kind of missing between them…both are reluctant to fall in love, they don’t believe in it, they’ve been hurt badly, they are both playing the other. Also I don’t think I loved Henry as much as I wanted to, he didn’t handle some situations very well.

Final Thoughts:

I loved beginning, the middle kind of slowed down, and the ending was good. I know it’s a romantasy and this is mostly about Harlow and Henry’s enemies to lovers romance, which had fun banter but the emotional part I loved about this story was between Harlow and her sister Aidia. Their story made me cry. The whole story tackles trauma, abuse and grief. The romance is a slow burn but the spicy scenes are very spicy, if you like voyeurism – this one is for you 🤭. Harlow is an FMC, 30 years old, with lots of rage and I loved her attitude because I get it girl, I get it! I enjoyed the political intrigue but I did feel at times it didn’t pack the punch I was expecting. Though I had some issues with it, I still enjoyed it!

Read if you like:

FMC who is 30 years old, female rage
vibe read
enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, banter
unique magic
spicy spice
and don’t mind – trauma, abuse and grief

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Caged by Fallen Crows: Part One by. Ava Larksen | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Caged by Fallen Crows: Part One (Of Crows and Thorns, #2)

Author: Ava Larksen

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 635

Publication Date: 2/11/26

Categories: Romantasy, Dark Romance, New Adult, Series

Living together? That’s a war Graysen was never trained for.

Imprisoned in Graysen’s tower, Nelle Wychthorn finds herself ensnared by something far more dangerous than chains.

The sway is awakening. His tamer influence bleeds into her thoughts, seizing hold of her will—and he doesn’t even know it.

If he ever discovers the hold he already has… she’s lost.

Escape is her only chance. Convince him to open the door, find the hidden tunnel, and run.

Graysen Crowther walks a knife’s edge. He defies his family by keeping Nelle in his tower instead of the dungeon. She’s a pawn to force her father’s hand—surrender the god‑forged weapon, or lose his daughter.

But living together?
He’s utterly out of his depth.

Nelle wages war, tormenting him mercilessly, upending his carefully ordered world. Yet within the intimate chaos as roommates, fury and heat collide. Wild. Consuming. Ruinous.

When Graysen is ordered into the catacombs to hunt an elusive beast, long‑buried memories resurface of his mother’s secret life—and a mysterious Horned God who may know the truth about her final day.

To right the terrible wrong that haunts him, he must find the Horned God to unlock everything he desperately needs… if his family doesn’t uncover his true intentions first.

Content Warning: violence, death

This is book two in the Of Crows and Thorns Saga, so I’m not sure why this one is called Part One?

~ I gave book one three stars because though I was intrigued with the characters, I thought book two would have more world building which it needed badly in book one. Once again, this story is focused on the characters and there is no new world-building at all. I need world-building. This story mostly stays in the Crowther family fortress or keep. Graysen does leave and we sort of follow him on a mission but again…it needs more world-building.

+~ This is a very character-driven story. Graysen is stuck between a rock and a hard place, either to save his mom, or save Nelle. He knows what he and his family is doing to Nelle is wrong, but he needs to find a way to appease everyone, which sucks. Nelle is a prisoner at the Crowther’s fortress and they plan to auction her off in order to find their mother. I liked learning more about Graysen’s home life, but I need him to step it up big time and do the right thing and let Nelle go. As for Nelle, I wish she was older than 19, because she does act like a teenager. The bickering should be funny, but they were just like two kids fighting at times. So I’m still waiting for Nelle to grow, but I know there isn’t much she can do stuck at the fortress- actually I want to see her carry out her promise and burn the place down but nothing like that happened. I do love her wolf-wraith, Sage.

+~ I can’t believe I’m happy about a book having LESS smut, but yay, it has less smut than book one. Though Graysen and Nelle are forced to be together, there is the issue of him betraying her and her being a prisoner that keeps them apart emotionally and physically for most of the book. There is eventually some spice because she’s a Wyrm and he’s her Tamer and it is a kind of mating bond that is hard for them to deny. I feel like they finally get to know each other better in this book but I still want to see more of an emotional connection between them. And speaking of smut…it felt so comical at times! I think it’s supposed to be funny because these two are always fighting. I was laughing at times but also rolling my eyes at these two – I could not take them seriously.

~ At this rate, I want to learn more about Silas Boone and less about the Crowthers. 😒. The story barely budged forward and this is a 635 page book (but it does read quickly because I kept waiting for something to happen). We learn a lot about Tabitha, Graysen’s mom, but I want to learn more about the Horned Gods – what is their deal? I mean, can Nelle have another romance option, like maybe Silas? I’m open to it because Graysen needs to lose her and hurt about it. 😅

~ I wanted Graysen to grovel, but he hasn’t even said sorry…it’s the only reason I read this book actually. To see how Nelle would punish the Crowthers…but except for some pranks she pulls on Graysen, there is no punishing happening, except to Nelle. I actually haven’t read a book that’s made me so mad at the characters before 😂.

~ And speaking of lack of world-building…I have no sense of what this world is, but they name drop brand names a little too much.

Final Thoughts:

This book feels like filler, because nothing much happens to move the story forward. I still want more world-building, character growth, and emotional connection in the romance. I want to see Nelle enact her revenge and leave Graysen actually, which I know won’t happen – maybe that’s why I’m mad at the story 😅. She’s going to forgive him and help his family out, isn’t she? I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Bound in Inked Flame by. Ava Larksen| Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wolf and the Crown of Blood by. Elizabeth May | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: The Wolf and the Crown of Blood (The Broken Accords, #1)

Author: Elizabeth May

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 560

Publication Date: 1/27/26

Publisher: Aria

Categories: Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance, Romantasy

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Aria for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A thrilling and incredibly sexy new dark romantasy series from Sunday Times bestselling author Elizabeth May.

A princess and a war-weary god met in the ashes of a broken city, forging a pact in blood and sacrifice.

Now, centuries of fragile peace are on the brink of collapse…

Bryony Devaliant was born to die — again and again. In Vartena, royal blood is the currency of peace, with every monarch sacrificed and resurrected to appease the gods. But when rebellion stirs, the god-king sends his deadliest weapon to restore order: an immortal assassin known only as the Wolf.

Evander has perfected the art of killing over centuries — until his latest target becomes the one person he cannot destroy. When forbidden desire burns between the assassin and the sacrificial princess, their connection threatens the fragile boundary between gods and mortals. And when that boundary shatters, empires crumble. Because when gods fall in love with mortals, mortals are always the ones to break.

Content Warning: violence, knife-play, death, torture, gore, trauma

+ I went into this one without really reading the synopsis and once I started reading, I was hooked. Now the prologue had me worried that I was going to read another romantasy, with all the same tropes – and sure that is clearly all there – but the love story in this one gripped me and didn’t let go.

+ The world building is interesting – mortals and Eternals have been at war for ages, until a mortal, a Devaliant and, Alexios (an Eternal), make a pact to end all the killing. The accords require a Devaliant to give a blood tithing to Alexios to keep the Shroud (veil between god and human realms) intact. So Devaliant heirs bleed on the altar and try not to go mad, but now something else is at play – the humans have a black market selling immortal flesh and consuming them to gain a little bit of power. And the Eternals are mad as hell and trying to figure out who is in charge of this operation. But this world is violent and I liked that it was. The Eternals are ruthless!

+ There is a bunch of characters in this story but it’s told mostly in Evander (Wolf) and Bryony’s (Devaliant) POV. There sometimes a break in that and we get Alexios POV but very rarely. I loved Bryony! She’s a sacrifice, she bleeds when the tithing is due and she’s been used, hurt, killed, repaired again, since the age of five. Her parents are gone, so she and her older sister, Theodora, have their uncle as their guardian but he’s doing a bad job of running things. The people love Bryony, so much so, that Alexios gets mad when they start to worship her and not him, and the tithings from the people get less and less. Bryony’s story is one of survival and I loved seeing her grow! I love seeing her strength and bravery. Evander has had his own trauma – his family and friends have been gutted by the mortals and in that grief and rage has turned into a killing machine. He is morally black, but when he meets Bryony, things change, even though he doesn’t want to admit it.

+ I loved the secondary characters and hope all of the eternals we met in this book get their own book! I love Theodora and really loved her bond with Bryony. And Amara, love her too! All the Eternals have a story that needs to be told. I kind of hate Alexios but I see why he’s so deranged, will be nice to see how he opens up.

+ The romance…it’s dark and it’s spicy! It’s the kind of enemies to lovers romance I’ve been craving. It’s very villain gets the girl, and touch her and die…like no, he is ready to burn the world down for her. But because they both have such trauma, and his hate for her family is deep – I really wanted to see how she was going to get beyond his hate and grief. I love that she stood her ground on some things with him. And I like that the romance didn’t happen right away, yes he’s contracted to kill her, but he reaches a deal with her that allows her to grow and train enough to take down who hurt her, and then he would step in and end her. Also, the spice? Yikes! It starts slow, and he doesn’t force her but once they give in, it’s a blazing inferno. There is some knife play, even some M/M kissing, a lot of times it’s rough play, but I felt like this couple’s bedroom play complimented them as a couple. It’s totally who they are and wouldn’t expect anything else!

+~ There is a whole trigger list for this book because there is a lot of trauma going on in this story. This is a dark story, with dark themes. There is a lot of death and killing on both sides, there is so much violence, but I think that’s why I like Bryony’s journey so much. She was put on an altar to bleed, she had no choices, no bodily autonomy, and knew this would be for her whole life…and yet she fought and got her power back. It’s why I loved the book so much, outside of the romance…it’s Bryony’s personal journey that is relatable.

~ I think the only thing that made me wonder what type of world the mortals were in is the language. It’s a bit modern, sometimes too modern, when they say things like “catch feelings”. But for the most part, I thought the modern speech was okay, though I know there will be some who won’t like it. They ride in carriages but I think Bryony mentions a train also so I feel like it’s giving a sort of industrial age kind of world.