Fans of Serpent & Dove are not going to want to miss this sequel!

Blood & Honey picks up where Serpent & Dove left off, and our favorite characters must now figure out how to defeat Morgane while also dealing with their own inner demons. Reid must come to terms with who he truly is, all while watching the witch he loves fall deeper down a dark path. Lou, Reid, and the rest of their party will make new friends and a few new enemies as they travel the land, but their biggest test will be their love for each other.

This sequel was just as fascinating as the first book. Lou and Reid continue to grow as characters and their world expands like never before. Shelby Mahurin brings in new types of characters while still staying true to what readers loved in Serpent & Dove. With a whole lot of action, and characters that will keep you guessing, Blood & Honey is a fantastic second installment in Mahurin's fantasy world.

As I feared, Blood and Honey has suffered from the "Curse of the Second Book." I absolutely loved the relationship developments established between Lou and Reid in "Serpent & Dove". But the insecurity, magical stumbles, and foibles lack...well, magic. The first book was a dangerous, humorous, and sexy race to a finish line you didn't even know you wanted to run. Whereas in Blood and Honey, Mahurin tells you at the beginning where the finish line is. And the rest of the book is simply reading how the characters slog through the journey, making questionable decisions, and embark on their own herky-jerky journies of self-discoveries. I still love the characters. I love the development of Cosette's world and the development of Madame Labelle's character. And I'm sure I'm going to read the 3rd book (there has to be one now!!) which I know will be fantastic.

I enjoyed this but didn’t love it. Reid drove me nuts. He was so moody and annoying. That kind of damped the book for me. I’ll still read the next one though because that ending.......

2.5 "Should have been a duology but was extended to a trilogy" stars

{GIF}

No one is more disappointed that I am that my MOST anticipated 2020 release didn't work out the way I had hoped, but here we are. Serpent & Dove was a surprising favorite last year; I've read a good bit of YA fantasy, and it offered unique glimpses at some of my favorite tropes, a cast of characters with diverse personalities, and a slow burning romance to die for. Jumping into Blood & Honey, I wasn't exactly sure what we would get, but I didn't think it would be 600 pages of absolutely nothing happening but Reid and Lou fighting. The previous installment worked so hard to organically bring this couple together, and I was excited to explore some of the bombshells dropped at the ending of the first book while seeing our two main characters grow as a couple, but alas, this didn't happen. I found myself truly missing so many of the supporting characters who took book 1 from being a good read to a fabulous one. Right on schedule, 80% of this book was slow and I trudged through hoping for something big to happen, and of course we're left with a wild cliffhanger to ensure that, even if you were mad at the lack of substance in this book, you'll probably check out the last book to wrap things up. I have no desire to be mean in this review, so I'll just say that I hope this installment works better for you than it did for me. The cover art is stunning, and it will look gorgeous on any shelf!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book for a review. All opinions are my own.

I'm hiding this entire review because I don't want to risk spoiling anything since this book doesn't come out for another month.

I rated it 3 stars. I'll try and get into WHY i did.

<i>"Together, all of us - humans, witches, werewolves, maybe even mermaids - we have a chance to change the world."</i>

the general summary of this book starts out right where the last book ended. after rescuing Lou, and our group is on the run, trying to gather their allies to start a war against Morgane Le Blanc. The book then follows Lou using magic, and turning dark, and Reid not wanting to use magic at all.

I'm really trying not to say it wasn't annoying, but it was very annoying. It was to the point where they were having constant fights about it. The characters were almost acting out of character? I loved the first book, and this was so dull in comparrsion. At several points I wanted to slap Lou and Reid both, because they were both annoying.

This book is way darker then the first. I'll just say that. There's a huge cop out at the end. I'm not going to spoil that one. But oh boy. You guys are going to really be angry over this. The last 50 or so pages of the book was a wild ride.

I rated it 3/5 stars. I enjoyed it, but overall it was just not as great as the first, and the characters were just awful people.

UMMM THAT ENDING??? I’M STILL SCREAMING!

Okay this was really really really good. There were a few missteps here and there... just some things plot wise that were brought up and then forgotten about. BUT WOW THIS WAS GOOD!! THE GANG’S BACK!!

It reads exactly like the first one as in there’s the action the romance the angst but this was one was so much more elaborate because it expanded on Lou’s and Reid’s world and it fleshed them out more as characters. I would recommend reading the first one before this just because you get thrusted back into the world pretty quickly but you won’t be disappointed.

This was exactly what I wanted!! It served me typical Lou and Reid angst with romance and fluff!!!!

I loved how we were introduced to more people especially fantasy wise and our secondary character we saw more of.

If you loved serpent & dove you’re going to LOOOVE this because this is literally what we asked for. Shelby Mahurin delivered us this gem wrapped in a big red bow on a silver platter.

Lou, Reid and their tribe are on the run from multiple forces, and having some issues within their unexpected marriage. They have no one to turn to. Protection has a price tag, and the band of misfits are thrown into separate quests. Leather pants, a circus, character development and a cliffhanger.

Now you have the gist. This book does not read like the first of the series and as other reviewers have stated, it is a filler. It is a long filler…I would like to compare it to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Anyways, I still love Shelby Mahurin. I realize her publishers were probably pushing for a trilogy. That is the in thing these days. The book does a bit more world exploring and I did enjoy that aspect. I am still struggling to place the time-period, as I was in the first book, but it does not bother me as much anymore. Reid is going to be very easy for the college aged readers to relate to as he seems to be struggling immensely with his desire to love Lou for who she is, and accept himself, and the beliefs he was raised with. The book has significance and you will have a take away after reading it! It just as hilarious as the first, the kind of funny that you always have to explain when you’re reading in front of someone else and then they do not get it and you end up feeling like a major nerd...so be prepared.
I cannot wait for the final (?) installment. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 & 𝙷𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢— 𝚂𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚋𝚢 𝙼𝚊𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗
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Thank you Harper Collins and Net Galley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.
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Blood & Honey picks up right where Serpent & Dove left off. Reid, Lou, Coco, Ansel, and Reid’s mother are all in the woods seeking help from The Dame Rouges.
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I went into this book with my expectations so high, because I absolutely LOVED S&D. So I’m pretty sad that this didn’t live up to the hype I built for it; which is my fault 😅.
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A couple of things that made this a bit of a let down was the fact that I couldn’t stand Reid’s character throughout most of this book. I understand that he’s going through MAJOR internal conflict at the moment. You know finding out you’re a witch, when you’re a witch hunter will do that to you. But the amount of self loathing here was annoying, and it clouded his judgement so so much. Which for me, made his character so very unpleasant.
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Secondly, it seemed like it took a while to get to the meat and bones of the story. With S&D I couldn’t put the book down because the pace was so exciting. With B&H I felt it was a little slow until about 60% into the book.
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Although those two things bothered me this book was overall good. Especially once Reid got over himself, and realized “Yes I’m a witch, no that doesn’t mean I’m going to rot in Hell.” I loved switching POVs between Lou and Reid. Although I would’ve loved to have a POV of Coco, since this book does center around her and the Dame Rouges as well.
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Also, this may be an unpopular opinion but I love the “lack of romance” for lack of a better phrase. Between Lou and Reid. It made their relationship seem more realistic. Reid is in an emotionally unstable place, Lou is trying not to lose control of herself, and they all might die at any moment. There shouldn’t be time for a pinning love scene every other chapter. So for me the lack of that actually made me really appreciate their relationship more. Especially once they started to mend things at the end.
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Speaking of ending, that cliffhanger 😱. Definitely saved the book for me. It makes me so eager to read book 3!
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B&H was a good follow up, not great. But good. It had some lovable new characters that I can’t wait to see more of. Lots of heartbreak, lots of anger, but also lots of growth. I’m excited to see how Reid and Lous story continues.
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🌟🌟🌟.5/5
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Review will be post on Instagram closer to publication date.
Review is currently posted on Goodreads.

This book was received as an ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books - HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a topic I was reluctant to read. Fugitives escaping and one does EVERYTHING the other does, sometimes gets me confused to the fact that they can't think for themselves and get tired of living on the run but Blood & Honey was different for me. It focused more on the love aspect rather than the lifestyle aspect and the love between Lou and Reid is nothing to be mad at. The writing style was so different that it was actually brilliant. Our teen book club loves books like these and are sure to spark intelligent conversations from reading it real soon.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

My reading of this book featured a series of horrified gasps and quiet hopes this story wouldn’t hurt as much as the other sequels I’ve read this year. I was so wrong and it was SO MUCH WORSE. After all of these soul shattering sequels, I’m definitely going to be picking up something more lighthearted for my next read. However, before I do that, I’ll definitely be talking up this amazing book. The characters are all trying to work together to defeat evil, but their own fighting against each other might end them faster than the witch that’s hunting them down. Lou’s snarky banter with Reid was just as fun as the first book, and their relationship development in this book was so intense that I wasn’t expecting that absolute curveball at the end. This story packs a wallop that I don’t think readers will be prepared for, and will need some time to recover from. One thing is for sure, Shelby Mahurin has one hell of a third book in store for us. Also, if you’re sensitive to violence and trauma, this might be a book to approach cautiously.

While I try my best to avoid spoilers of the books I’m talking about, it can sometimes be inevitable when talking about sequels. If you haven’t read Serpent & Dove yet, I highly encourage you to read that one before continuing on.

We last saw Lou, Reid, Coco, and Ansel on the run from Les Dames Blanches. They have nowhere to hide, since they’re also being hunted down by the church and the crown. In order to fight against their enemy, the group will need allies. However, protection comes at a cost, and soon, the group will be separated in order to gather allies. As Lou and Reid try to mend the widening rift between them, they’ll be caught in another of Morgane’s deadly games of cat and mouse.

However brief of a summary, there is so much packed between the pages of this book that it honestly felt like I was reading something much longer. This isn’t to say that it took a long time, because that was not the case at all. I definitely panicked when I realised I only had around 50 pages of the book left. It moves quickly out of necessity, and adds to the added elements of danger and suspense that the characters are facing. What I love are the moments in between, where Shelby manifests some of the best bantering between characters. My favourite scenes are at the beginning of the book, and toward the end when the group is reunited.

The character development here is fascinating. I can’t talk too much about Lou, but there is definitely quite a bit going on within her that makes for some fascinating perspectives. Reid is still struggling with the fact that he’s now the very thing that he vowed to hunt. The inner turmoil within this man is really something because it manages to unseat him in the most unfortunate of moments. Then there’s my dear Coco! Oh, she’s feisty, but her love and bond with Lou just transcend everything. We get to find out so much more about her and her life in this book, and while not all of it is good, there’s definitely some growth. As for Ansel and Beau, both of these gentlemen were equal parts light hearted and serious at the right moments, and while I am lumping them together in this description, they were quite different characters. We get to see sides of both I wasn’t expecting.

Of course, I can’t talk about this book without talking about the romantic tension you could practically cut with a knife. It’s not just Lou and Reid either, and I revelled in the drama of it. The way that tension is woven in with that ending just ties this book together in one of the messiest bows.

Villainess and villains-wise, it often feels like our poor group is definitely fighting against losing odds, and it’s only a matter of time until someone cuts them down. However, the hope that Mahurin writes in her characters is palpable, but so is their despair and desperation to get out of horrible situations. Her descriptions bring the characters and their emotions to life, and it’s set against such a brutal backdrop. I loved getting to explore more of the world, especially at the end of the book.

Something that threw me off a little was that this book’s pacing felt a bit off. Not very noticeable at the beginning, but I definitely felt like there were moments where the book slowed down and it took it a moment to pick up again. Like I said, it’s not too noticeable, but it does make you stumble as you go through the book.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the next book, and I’m definitely worried for my favourites. Once you’ve read it, please come and join me in some awed yet worried silent screams into the void. Add this book to your TBR list if you can, it’s definitely worth the wait.

Blood and Honey was emotion-packed. Told from both Reid and Lou’s perspective again we get two unreliable narrators ruled by their emotions, both thinking they’re doing the right things for the right reasons. They had such a hard time syncing up which made for a ton of misunderstandings between the two. Secrets and lies abound in this book with love being at the center of it all.

We get to see a darker side of Lou and explore more of the magic we only got a taste of in the first book. Magic can be good or bad it just depends on how you use it and while Lou has good intentions, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Reid is such a sad little sticky bun, bursting at the seams with his emotions. How can you come to terms with being something you’ve always found abhorrent? We get front row seats to that fun internal struggle that really pushes a wedge in between not only him and Lou but with himself.

Even with both struggling internally and within their relationship though, Mahurin still manages to bring the steam. We get so many hot and heavy moments between Lou and Reid it was excruciating.

The world building was expanded on and it was interesting. Some new magical creatures are added to the mix along with new places. We also get a ton of new characters who I loved! Each played a key part to the story and never felt two-dimensional. I do have to say that my favorites from book one did take a backseat to the Lou and Reid show though. Except for Ansel who clocked so much page time! So if you loved him you’ll be happy.

The pacing stalled a little over halfway through, when the group separated, and seemed to drag a bit. It’s hard to continue the romance plot when the lovers aren’t together and the romance is key to this story. The plot line with Morgane while important does fall a tad flat and take backseat to Lou and Reid.

The ending gutted me. I knew it was coming but I still shed a few tears so be sure to have some chocolate or tissues on hand.

While it may not have been as amazing as Serpent and Dove I still really enjoyed Blood and Honey and think others will too. After the events of last book our characters are bound to not be the same in some ways. Lou is still quick witted and funny as though with her a Reid always managing the best banter.

Although this book took me longer to finish than my usual, it was very, very worth it. Lou, Reid and their band of merry misfits are back. On the hunt for freedom, the group runs into more trouble than they can handle (as usual). With some unlikely allies, they continue the quest to defeat Morgane.
I get like the story moved so slowly, even though it was full of adventure. The whole second book is set over a very small bit of time with a lot of information shoved into it. I would highly suggest reading the first before continuing the story. I had to go back and look up characters, part of the plot, and more through the course of this book.

STILL SO GOOD. I DON’T WANT TO WAIT FOR THE THIRD!

Maurin’s sophomore novel, Blood & Honey, sequel to last year’s hit, Serpent & Dove, is sure to leave readers gasping and cursing and ugly-crying in equal measure. Picking up immediately after the events of Serpent & Dove, Blood & Honey steeps the audience back into Lou & Reid’s brilliant and harrowing escape from Morgane’s gruesome plot.
Though both survived, neither Lou nor Reid are unscathed. While opening chapters have much more intimacy and steam to offer, it is clear tensions are roiling beneath the thin veneer of a front these two are offering each other.
Now, their ragtag group of rebels must split in order to stand a chance of ending Morgane’s reign and saving Lou’s life. But even more dire, is the possibility that while the fate of the world hangs precariously in the balance, the fate of Lou’s and Reid’s relationship is even more fraught.

I’m not sure what I expected from this book but I definitely wanted more. While it was a good story, it wasn’t great.

I’ve not read books about witches so that was fun. However it felt very childish at times. I don’t like comparing series but when I read Six of Crows I forgot I was reading about teenagers/young adults. With this book, I KNEW I was. The men/boys were quite disappointing in that way. I was hoping for more mature behaviors but alas, there wasn’t. I love reading about strong women but not at the cost of the men appearing weak. While they did show up and grow up by the end, it took too long to get there, IMO.


The first half was a lot of build up, that seemed to drag and drag. It felt like the first book in a series, not the second. I wanted to reach in and knock some heads together and get the story moving along.

The last 40% or so was the clincher for me. Without that, I’m not sure if I would continue the series. These last few chapters were quite exciting and emotional. I was happy to see some issues resolved and a path was made. However I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen but I still wasn’t prepared for it.

It really was a good book, even though my review doesn’t seem that way. Not everyone feels the same way about every book, right? But I will be grabbing the next book when it releases. I need to know what happens!!
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I loved this book. I also loved Serpent and Dove, and I'm excited for the next installment. I wish there was a little more time spent on the relationship between Lou and Reid, and I'm hopefully we will see more of that in the next book. This series is perfect to curl up with in fall.

I just loved Serpent and Dove, so I was THRILLED to come back Mauhrain's witchy fantasy France for more shenanigans with Lou, Reid, Coco, Ansel and Beau. I['ll admit I was surprised that Blood and Honey isn't the conclusion of a duology, but the middle of what's now a TRILOGY? Sure, why not! :)

Blood and Honey resumes just after the WILD ending of Serpent and Dove, with the gang hiding out from Lou's mom and the Chasseurs in the forest. They know they need allies, but how are they going to convince anyone to take on Les Dames Sorcieres? Will the Red Witches help? Will Reid embrace his magic? Will Lou finally stop keep secrets? Mauhrain serves us all the sass and banter that we've come to expect, and adds new allies, enemies and frienemies to the mix. I couldn't put Blood and Honey down, and I'm very much so ready for book #3!

More like 3.75-3.8 stars, because there's a touch of Second-Book syndrome, but Shelby Mahurin is a great author, and I do find her characters delightful albeit wicked; I just wanted a little more from this.

I enjoyed the first book in this series so much, I really wanted to love the second just as much. Unfortunately, as can happen when you're so highly anticipating the next installment of something, it didn't quite get there for me. Also, given the title, I thought the protagonist in this one might be Coco, of whom I absolutely did not get enough in book 1 (#unpopularopinion: I honestly think her zip and bravery outstrip our brazen Lou's.), so I was kind of bummed that it's only told from Lou and Reid's perspectives.

Regardless, this is a fairly solid second-in-a-series. The plot moves forward apace without any serious lags or hiccups; the magic systems of the Dames Blanche and Rouge are explored more, which is always fun for fantasy geeks; and a couple extra wrenches are thrown into the mix just to heighten the stakes. The introduction of the loup garous culture was fun. Don't know what it is about werewolf lore, but I've always found them a sympathetic creature, and it irks me when authors treat them like completely unfeeling monsters, so I liked Shelby's version of them. She puts a focus on the lupine pack structure, and extends the concept of fierce loyalty often associated with wolves into an unyielding stance when it comes to debts and balance. It felt, to me, like a lot of thought and consideration went into these secondary characters, which is always appreciated.

Morgane is the worst. She's a great villain. Honestly, the concept of a mother that twisted blows all the other evil fairytale mothers out of the water (Hansel and Gretel's mother should've taken notes) and makes you loathe her passionately.

There are a few other secondary characters introduced who are quite enjoyable, and I hope they play a big part in the culmination of the story, because there's a lot of potential.

Finally, there are mythologies that are so old and well-known that I think folks think of them as played out, so they don't really crop up in pop lit too frequently any more, but I am always happy to see them explored in new ways, and the best part of this book, for me, is a twist that works in classical mythology, and I'm SO MAD I didn't see it coming because the clues are all there. Well played, Shelby, well played.
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[ The inclusion of the particular god/goddess that Shelby chose really brings the whole setting, in terms of time and space and the impact of the witches on their culture, full circle for me, since we're operating in an alternative early medieval France. There would still have been a lot of Celtic/Druidic beliefs and practices alive and well in that area (especially farther away from the urban centers), which would have further exacerbated the tensions between the Church and the people, God and the old gods, which huge conflict serves as a cosmic backdrop for the struggle within themselves and with each other that Lou and Reid are experiencing. Beyond the sort of predictable, hot-cold, do I love them do I not YA romance aspect of this story, there's a deep, troubling question gnawing at both of them regarding what you do when faith and love are at odds. I mean. When your whole life's experience has been based on one set of beliefs, and you find yourself soulmates with someone who cannot or will not abide by those beliefs... what do you do? We hear Lou's desperate prayer on the rooftop (which just absolutely broke my heart), answered in the form of Deveraux, and Reid's final acceptance of the old magic that exists in him. Lou keeps having to drag herself back from the depths of the darker side of her magic, to fight becoming what Morgane is, and Reid has to keep accepting that the existence of magic itself isn't an evil, and that some tenets of his faith may not be the truth but rather political machinations. That whole...thing...for me is at the heart of this trilogy, and I almost wish this had been written as an adult series so it could have escaped some of the YA tropes and delved more deeply into these issues.
But then, I never would have read it, because I don't read adult fic, and then I never would have met Lou and Coco and Ansel (sob). So do I really want that? No. No, I don't.
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Again, I love the concept of this story, and have so enjoyed getting to know these characters and to immerse myself in the re-invention of a world I thought I knew; I can't wait to see how it ends.

**I received an eGalley of this book in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you, NetGalley!*

My only regret in reading this book is that I now have to impatiently wait for the third one.

Shelby did it again! This book is wonderful and a beautiful continuation of Serpent and Dove. It was hard to put down and the intrigue continued to sweep me into this world of Blood Witches and Dames Blanche. Pre-order this book now, you won’t regret it!

First off, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! The full review is on my blog.

“I’ll follow you into that darkness, and I’ll bring you back. Do you hear me? Wherever you go, I will go.”

Oh. My. Goodness. Y’all. This book. It ripped my heart out. Seriously. Shelby and her beautiful characters and world reached in, grabbed a firm hold of beating heart, and just wrenched it the hell out. Am I ruined because of it? Yes. Do I mind? Not in the least.

Blood and Honey took me on an emotional roller coaster that had me both laughing and crying (quite literally). My heart broke for Lou and Reid as they struggled to grow both as individuals and as a couple in light of the events of Serpent and Dove. We see them lie to themselves and to each other, work on overcoming deep seated prejudices, and attempt to come together in the most beautiful ways in spite of the whole world being seemingly against them. We meet fascinating and eccentric new characters that add extreme depth to the story, in addition to seeing the characters we already know and love grow right along with Lou and Reid. And at the end of all of this, we are left with a massive cliffhanger that has me absolutely dyyying for the next book. Do yourself a favor and preorder this book now, and prepare to have your heart ripped out in the best possible way.

This is one of the most anticipated sequels of 2020. Although you can read this book as a standalone it is best read in order. We pick up not too long after the first book. Lou and Reid are now married, and trying to escape. Lou is performing more magic at a cost, while Reid puts it off for as long as he can. You will love the characters and the storyline.

There are witches and werewolves for those that love the supernatural. It's not all otherworldly as Lou faces the mother in law blues. You will enjoy this book. Just remember honey is sweet, blood is bitter.