i think i can easily conclude that i still prefer vampires over witches. mind you, i do love witches but i always had an obsession with those blood suckers ever since middle school. it definitely started out with twilight and then the vampire diaries carries on... specifically the originals (the mikealson's family will always slay)

the scarlet veil has all the fall spooky vibes you need to experience autumn to the max. i've read shelby's first trilogy (not the final book tho...) and i did enjoy it. i truly had fun with the characters but it had been so long that i didn't remember much of the plot from those previous books. however, it did not hinder my reading experience. actually, i do think that it will enhance your reading if you read the serpent & dove trilogy first but i don't think it's necessary to understand the world and its creatures. we're introduced to célie tremblay who's the first lady to take the vow and become part of the chasseur crew. they hunt witches and other dangerous creatures. however, her place is often questioned by her brethen and her fiancé & captain of the crew, Jean-Luc, wants to protect her at all costs. he doesn't think she's strong enough to be part of every missions or secret investigations.

new dead bodies are turning up. no link between each victim other than the fact that they are not human. when célie learns about this plot after finding one body - her late friend- she's determined to help her fiancé and her friends (lou, reid, coco, beau, etc) to find the killer. along the way she's kidnapped by vampires and brought into their secret island where she's locked in that haunted castle owned by the king of vampires, michal vasiliev. he thinks she's the key to finding the killer since he took his little sister away from him and he wants retribution.

i honestly got the best gothic romance vibes from this book. the description, the setting, the characters made me feel like i was also living in that castle. i loved michal, our grumpy cold-hearted vampire and his cousins, odessa & dimitri. i also loved that célie has the ability to communicate with the ghosts in the castle. it was truly such a fun read for fall. i knew that it was only the first book in a duology so i kinda expected the cliffhanger.

i can't wait to see what shelby has in store for us in the sequel and final book.

TROPES :
- enemies-to-lovers
- slowburn
- haunted castle
- only one coffin
- angsty banter
- a talking cat
- soft heroine
- "if anyone touches/harm you, they die" energy
- a villain love interest (vampire) -> klaus mikaelson energy
- a masquerade ball


rating: 4 bloody stars.

thank you again to HCC Frency & HarperCollins Canada for sending me an e-arc of this book <3

Shelby Mahurin is a fabulous storyteller! I loved her previous series of Serpent and Dove and this new series was a great extension of her discography. This is a story of vampires, romance, and finding your true purpose. This story follows Celie as she embarks on an out of character adventure as a new huntswoman, lead by her fiancé who may not be so pleased of her new drive to join the hunt. Feeling discourage by everyone's doubt in her, Celie embarks on a quest to track the killer of the lair of Les Eternels, an ancient creature only spoken of in nursery rhymes. While on this quest he catches the attention on someone who she might not want the attentions of.

I loved this book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. It's really fast-paced and I ended up finishing it in one night. Shelby's writing style is perfect for fans of fantasy and will make a instant auto-buy author for anyone.

4 ⭐ / 0 🌶️

I'll be honest...I wasn't a fan of Célie in the Serpent and the Dove trilogy but I really enjoyed the world that the author created there so gave this one a shot. I'm happy to say that I ended up liking Célie's character by the end and I am looking forward to more from this new spin-off. However, as with the original series...this tale is very slow to build. There is a lot of internal dialogue to wade through, but it is needed for Célie's character growth I think. And while this is a spin-off series, readers new to the Serpent and the Dove trilogy may find references to Célie's past confusing. All in all though, I am looking forward to more from this series. The world built about these captivating characters is fantastical, with intriguing mystery and satisfying journey of self discovery. I can't wait to find out what is in store for Célie next.

"Do not run again. .... Or I will chase you. .... You do not want me to chase you, pet."

✔️ French Gothic
✔️ Past Trauma
✔️ Vampires, Ghosts, Witches
✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Found Family
✔️ Grumpy Meets Sunshine
✔️ One Coffin
✔️ Magic, Murder, & Mystery

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

While THE SCARLET VEIL stands on the shoulders of its predecessors, it carves out its own niche in the fantasy romance genre. The narrative sometimes treads familiar ground, but its execution and the depth of its characters are what truly shine. A solid four-star read for anyone looking for their next vampire romance obsession, it promises darkness, romance, and an adventure that keeps you engaged till the very end.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

A deadly (hehe) cliffhanger. Desperate for book two.

Thanks to netgalley, the author, and publisher for the eARC in exchange for my review.

Shelby Mahurin's atmospheric writing is back with some of the same characters we met in Serpent and Dove along with many newfound family members. This tale pulls you in immediately with its beautifully twisted writing. Mahurin is the queen of setting up the setting well. There's a sense of forbiddenness to this novel's plot that will make it a gothic night read. Unfortunately, it was a little too dark for my tastes!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for an EARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions

While this book had a slow start I still quite enjoyed it. I haven't read a vampire book in a long time and I am so glad that this book came out. The main character however was pretty annoying but the rest of the book made up for it. I am excited for book two!

This is a thrilling read! The Scarlet Veil is a spin-off of Serpent and Dove, but with a new character development and a whodunnit mystery plot. I loved meeting Célie Tremblay, a fierce and determined heroine who wants to prove herself as a Chasseur. She must deal with a lot of challenges, including her overprotective fiancé Jean Luc, her past, and a deadly murder mystery that puts Belterra in danger.

I admit I was a bit confused at the beginning, since I have not read Serpent and Dove, but it got better as I read on. It’s fun having no expectations and being taken by surprise. I loved Celie's character arc, how she defies expectations and shows everyone what she's capable of. The book has it all - action, adventure, slow burn romance, and mystery. It was a thrilling ride and ended with a juicy cliffhanger. I recommend it to fans of Serpent and Dove or anyone who loves a good story with strong characters and a captivating plot.

I have to say, this reads like a love letter to TVD and I’m not mad about it. Our favorite cast returns with an all new adventure, battling vamps and wearing leather, and its general mayhem in the best way.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow. I was obsessed with the Serpent and Dove series so I was worried about how this adjacent series was going to compare. I was not disappointed at all. I could not put this book down once I started. I loved that they had Lou and the gang back for this series so that you still get that nice connection and follow up of what's happening with them all. Seeing Celie really come into her own was fantastic and I'm excited to see where this story leads. I would recommend this book in a heartbeat to anyone who’s already read Serpent and Dove or to anyone looking for a new vampire series that isn’t cheesy and has already been done. This will easily appeal to both teens and adults.

At the end of Gods & Monsters, I remember being like, you know what I am team Célie now. We got a glimpse of her personality & character in the last book and I was so excited to learn about the spin-off series focusing on her. Célie is an amazing character. I feel like she falls into the heroines that don't come out as fierce and strong but have quiet strength, like Evangeline Fox or Elain Archeron.

While I am not a vampire girly, this was an amazing vampire story. It felt comparable to the Once Upon A Broken Heart Series. and I just really enjoyed it.

I loved the banter of course between Michal and Célie. Their romance is addicting. It was also fun to have a returning cast of characters from the other series. The magic system grew and was so fun to explore. Overall I cannot wait to read the next book!

Favourite quotes:

“You are not my friend.”

“No?”

“That you would even think of friendship while you plan to maim and murder my loved ones proves you are quite incapable of it.”

“Every relationship has its problems.”

---

“I think I’m going to kill you,” I say pleasantly

“I think I might enjoy it.”

Requested as I thought it would be a good contendor for our box but then realized it was part of the Gods and monsters series and was unclear if you could read out of order so I did not read it.

I enjoyed the book, but the original story was a little better. Needless to say I liked the characters and the story was entertaining.

Unfortunately, I requested without finishing the Serpent and Dove series and you have to read it to get some appearances and understanding for this book.
Anyone who says you don't LIES!

So I finished the Serpent & Dove series and didn't love it, but from the synopsis of this book I thought it would be better because authors grow in there skills. Sadly it ending up not being a fit for me still.

I was intrigued by discovering Celie's backstory and a more in-depth reveal of her pain but the girl is annoying AF!
I ended up hating her old love interest and her decisions and the plot didn't hit like I thought it would.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this story. I have never read anything by this author, but I definitely want to go back and read her other series.

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin is an amazing vampire story that didn't have all of the "vampires are so cool" tropes that most books fall victim to. Celie really comes into her own in this book and I loved her interactions with Michal and his court. The ending was phenomenal! I'm going back to read all of Serpent and Dove because I really missed this world!

Full disclosure, I had no idea what this book was about when I started reading it. I thought it was just a new book by Shelby Mahurin, so I jumped at the chance to read it. I loved Serpent & Dove as a series, but those characters were the main reason the series was such a great read.

In all honesty, it took me awhile to "refresh" my knowledge of the previous series. It had been a minute since I finished Serpent & Dove, so initially, I had to spend a lot of time reminding myself what had happened. Mahurin made sure to sprinkle the information I needed along the way instead of a dump at the beginning. Thank you for that!

And Célie! She grew on me in this book! In the original series, she was such an afterthought -- and quite annoying in various situations. My opinion of her shifted at the end, but she still wasn't anyone that I thought I cared much about. During "Scarlet Veil", I found Célie to go through personal growth that I never expected and it was perfectly done.

This is a murder mystery, an enemies to lovers, AND a vampire story! I thought this was just going to be a single book, and now I have to wait (not so) patiently for the next.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this novel.

I didn’t like the Serpent and Dove books, but this one was infinitely better. The start to this book was slow, but it got really interesting after a little while. It’s really long, but I recommend sticking with it, because it’s worth the read. There is romance, and it’s my all time favorite; enemies-to-lovers slow burn, which I love, but I needed much more of. It does end on a cliffhanger, which made me want to bang my head against a wall, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you like YA fantasy with witches, ghosts, especially vampires, and anything else paranormal, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this!
Thank you for this ARC!