Blood & Honey.
Til Death Do Us Part.

Having read Serpent & Dove earlier this year I completely fell in love with the world and characters Shelby Mahurin created so I was beyond ecstatic when I received this e-ARC through Netgalley. I could not wait to find out what was going to happen to Reid and Lou next.

Blood & Honey picks up only a short time after Serpent & Dove and instantly lures you in and sinks its claws into you within the first few pages.

Compared to the first book Blood & Honey had a more dark and witchy undertone which I loved. We get to see and learn more of both the Dame Blanche and Dame Rouge magic as well of some other creatures that I would love to gush about but I don’t want to give too much away.

The author did a amazing job with the character development in this book - I already loved everyone of course from the first pages of Serpent & Dove but I loved watching them grow and change into who and what they need to be to defeat Morgane. I’ve officially decided that Beau is my favorite and no other character can change my mind.

Blood & Honey was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and it did not disappoint at all. Everything about it was perfect and absolutely heartbreaking at the same time. I don’t think I’ll ever be over that ending. If you haven’t pre-ordered it yet then I suggest you fix that because you are not going to want to miss this stunning sequel.

I have received an e-arc of this book through netgalley in exchange for a review.
Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley.
All thoughts and opinions are mine. This is a spoiler free review.

** All quotes are taken from the arc they may change**

this review can be found on goodreads

Wow wow wow!!! Blood & Honey was everything I could ask for in a sequel. I could not put this down it was so captivating. There was LOTS of romance and I absolutely loved how it was written. I still cannot get over the ending (WHYYY) my heart is broken and I don’t think I’m emotionally stable but yet, no regrets. I love this so much though I did cry at certain parts especially the last couple of chapters. This book was outstanding. I can’t wait for the third installment to the series.

“You’re beautiful.” “You’re a liar.” “I’m serious.”

-Setting-
I love the world in Blood and honey. The setting really was uncomplicated to understand. It was very detailed and pretty okay. The setting/world building met my standards just fine/exceptional

“But life is more than those moments, Lou. We’re more than those moments.”

-Writing-
The writing in blood & honey was marvelous. I laughed, I cried, I loved every second of it. The writing was so so good. The writing basically captures my attention and doesn’t let go of it. The pace of Blood & Honey was fast and intriguing. As I stated before: Absolutely love.

“But despite all that, you aren’t alone, Reid. You’ll never be alone.”

-Characters-
My favorite part of Blood & Honey are the characters. I adore how they are all developed and how we get to see them grow. Lou, Reid, Ansel, Coco ,etc were just so well written. I feel for all these characters. Lou’s personality is so unique and beautiful. I liked Reids perspectives and his character development. Ansel oh my gosh I love Ansel and will always love Ansel and his pureness. Basically Ansel in general. Morgane .... I hope she dies slowly like real real slow.

“Are you telling me you were a teenage heartthrob?” One side of his mouth quirked up. “So what if I was?” “So it’s a pity we didn’t meet as teenagers.” “You’re still a teenager.”

-Romance-
For this I will mainly be talking about Lou and Reid. I really delight in Lou and Reid’s relationship. Their relationship is such as a real relationship. The road isn’t always easy but they get through it together. I can’t really say much with out giving spoilers but there were a lot of sexy scenes between them and they were written so good. Honestly I love Lou and Reid they are so well written.

“And Lou—she dropped her head back and laughed. The sound filled me, bolstered me, and the audience fell away. There was only Lou and her laugh.”

-Plot-
The plot is just wow. The plot of Blood & Honey just turned in the right direction. Well minus the end (I don’t think I will ever get over it). Reading about Lou and Reids journey not only as a couple but just in general was amazing. There was so much adventure and action. It honestly was a ride. I for sure love it.

“A hollow pit opened in my stomach as her voice faded into the crowd. I love you. Nothing can ever change that. Damn it. I didn’t get to say it back.”

-Conclusion-
Should I think you should read this? YES absolutely. This book was a prefect sequel to serpent & dove. I need to mention how I hope the ending was just not true that the ending will be (this is so hard cause I’m trying avoiding spoilers) fixed. I highly, highly recommend this series and this book to those looking for romance, adventure, thrill, fantasy, and so much more.

One of the things I loved about the first book, Serpent and Dove, was the fun and flirty banter between Louise and Reid. Unfortunately, now that their feelings for one another have been declared, the dialogue falls a bit... flat. Reid, for the first half of the book, spends his time moping and refusing to learn magic. Reid and Lou keep going around in circles over the same issue, and I felt as though the first half of the book was repetitive, with the whole “look for allies, find the unwilling allies, and make them agree to help” sequence happening multiple times. Fortunately, things do start to pick up during the last ~50 pages or so, and we finally see some character development from Lou and Reid. I loved the side characters and the blood witches, and I only wish we got to see some more of Coco. I also loved Lou’s character, as she is just as powerful and sassy and wonderful as she was in the first book. Blood and Honey ends on a cliffhanger, and I will be eagerly waiting for the next book. Although I didn’t end up loving this one as much as the first, it was still entertaining to read, and I can’t wait to see what the third book has in store.

<I><b>There’s always a cost...</b></I>

How do I sum up the perfect words to depict what went on in my mind while reading this book? I had the same issue with Serpent & Dove. There simply ISNT enough words to do it justice.

S&D is my favorite book. Of the year. Probably the last decade. I’m constantly shouting “read this!” to anyone who will listen. When Shelby announced Blood & Honey, I was so nervous! How will she ever be able to top S&D?!

But you guys, she did.

In S&D, I jut loved Lou and Reid.. the other characters were just side characters to me. They were great, too, but I just devoured Lou and Reid’s relationship. Their banter. Everything about it made me squee inside!

But B&H brought all the other characters to life and I loved them all so, so much. Beau grew on me and I ALMOST, almost liked him more than Reid!! How is that possible?!

B&H is definitely a little darker than S&D. The magic. The heartbreak. Shelby’s words are so poetic I can hardly contain myself. I could read these two books over and over again just enjoying the way she conforms a sentence.

<I><b>”I’ll follow you into that darkness, and I’ll bring you back. Do you hear me? Where you go, I will go.”</b></I>

I was sick to my stomach while Shelby drags you over to the edge of the cliff and makes you peek over the edge just barely then rips you back to safety. That’s a lot what reading B&H was like. I just wanted them to hurry up fix it.

Turmoil, heartbreak, laughter, and love. There’s a little bit of everything in this story and I loved every bit of it. There’s so much to come for these characters futures and I can’t wait!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I am so happy that I was given an e-arc from Netgalley to read and review it!

So, where to start?

Blood & Honey picks up a few days after Serpent & Dove ended. The “planning” stage on what the group is going to do seems to be drawn out a bit, especially because they still hadn’t heard from Coco’s aunt.

Once they eventually do hear from her, they learn that Reid isn’t welcome, and thus the plan to split up is born.

And of course, how could they split up without meeting a new group of people? Right before splitting up, we meet the Troupe de Fortune! I loved getting to know these characters on their trip to Cesarine! We also learn that there are more male witches who are part of this Troupe! I thought this was especially great because it put Reid is a position to be exposed to witches in a non-hostile environment.

One thing I especially enjoyed is that there is more Coco in this book! We meet some of her family and learn more about her people/where she comes from!

There is a lot of tension between Lou and Reid throughout the book. Reid is of course struggling very heavily with the fact that he is a witch, and struggles even more with the cost of Lou using magic. It’s a constant unspoken thing between them, as is the fact that they aren’t legally married. Everything eventually comes to a head and... it does not go well. The secrets and hidden feelings building up all come out at once and I actually cried like a baby. Don’t worry, Reid and Lou are on the mend and working things out.

This book is MUCH darker than book one. Like book one isn’t even on the map of dark in comparison to this and I am here 👏🏻 for 👏🏻 it! 👏🏻 Blood & Honey broke my heart a million times and put it back together. And here I am again, with a huge cliffhanger that is going to drive me crazy and have me ranting about it for months.

There is nothing like having the highest anticipation for a book ever and it falling short of your expectations. It wasn't bad guys, it just was meh. I felt like there was so much more potential for me.

You still have all of the drama and angst as Serpent & Dove and plenty of action, it just was mediocre in my opinion.

I still love LOU and Shelby Mahurin does a great job of her character development and relationships.
Lou & Reid still are some of my favs and the magic is amazing in this book.

Be warned, once things get going in this book - they don't stop. It is non-stop action.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review*

What the actual heck happened in the last 10% of this book?! I am shook. I am shaking. I can't believe I have to wait for the third book.

I definitely felt less urgency in this one than Serpent & Dove which I stayed up all night reading. This one was definitely more of an exploration of Lou and Reids relationship and the actual plot felt a bit slower. I also felt like there were a lot of new characters thrown in that weren't exactly expanded upon and seemed just to be filler.

However even with those issues, I'm a sucker for this series. I love Lou and Reid, I love the setting, and I love the tension that author creates within the story. I honestly cannot wait until the next book to find out what happens because that cliffhanger was insane.

I'd fallen so deeply for Serpent & Dove, so deeply that I ordered custom made signs with my favorite quotes, merchandise, signed copies, and so much more. Serpent & Dove was easily my favorite read when it came up and I would do anything for Lou & Reid's relationship. The world was invigorating, the plot refreshing, and the characters dynamic.

Enter Blood & Honey. An ARC I was so interested in receiving that I just about cried when the email came through that I had been accepted. I started it immediately, excited to be back in the world of Serpent & Dove once again. It was an honor to get it so early and I knew I'd binge read it quickly. Then, I got to 15% of the book and realized I'd read the same series of events no less than three times, that nothing had really happened at all, and that the cast of characters had expanded to be a bit larger than manageable. I ached for something interesting to happen and, while there was a bit of sexy lap sitting that made me happy, it wasn't nearly enough to make me stay interested. I will definitely have to come back and revisit it at a time where I can handle a slow beginning. Truth be told, I'd rather have a 400 page book full of action than a drawn out 500+ page book where nothing happens for a large chunk of it. I dearly hope my mind will change, but I will wait until it is fully released to read it, hopefully when times are slower and I can have the patience for it.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020 and it did NOT disappoint. I felt like I held my breath for the hours it took me to read this book. It was action packed from start to finish, but still found moments of happiness and connection with the characters. I loved the continued world building and learning to understand the magic system even more than in the first book. At times it did feel a bit rushed, but the pacing was overall really good and never lets up. This series is an essential fantasy series that I recommend to all lovers of YA fantasy, witches, magic, and romance. I also appreciate that while there are some steamy scenes, they don't take over the book and make it still approachable for young adults, although I would say keep it to high school and above!

Thank you Net Galley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book!

Wow, what a book and what an ending. Blood and Honey certainly lives up to all the hype surrounding it. This was my most anticipated read for 2020 and I tried not to rush through it and savor every moment. Expect to be shocked, filled with emotion, and, dare I say it, heartbroken.

Trouble in paradise, sweet Ansel, sassy Beau, new and mysterious characters - Shelby Mahurin once again creates an enthralling novel that is so hard to put down. All I can say after those final chapters : is it 2021 yet???