This is book 2 in The Four Horsemen series and I would absolutely read them in order as these events build upon each other. They came to earth—Pestilence, War, Famine, Death—four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all. The day Jerusalem falls, Miriam Elmahdy knows her life is over. Houses are burning, the streets run red with blood, and a traitorous army is massacring every last resident. There is no surviving this, especially not once Miriam catches the eye of War himself. But when the massive and terrifying horseman corners Miriam, he calls her his wife, and instead of killing her, he takes her back to his camp. Now Miriam faces a terrifying future, one where she watches her world burn town by town, and the one man responsible for it all is her seemingly indestructible “husband”. But there’s another side to him, one that’s gentle and loving and dead set on winning her over, and she might not be strong enough to resist. However, if there’s one thing Miriam has learned, it’s that love and war cannot coexist. And so she must make the ultimate choice: surrender to War and watch humankind fall, or sacrifice everything and stop him.

I absolutely loved this story!! Miriam is an awesome character!! She doesn't ever back down, even when she knows that it isn't going to get her anywhere. She knows she needs to keep trying. I loved that about her. And even when she starts caring about War, she knows that she needs to do what is right for her conscience. War is most definitely the type of character I pictured when I hear his name. He fights hard, plays hard, and rules hard. He doesn't abide by betrayal's at all and will not hesitate to kill someone who he perceives a threat from. But he finds his humanity in Miriam. And learns that sometimes, war and brutality isn't everything. That there are other things that are worth more than that. I loved everything about this story!!

Laura Thalassa creates such a fun, dark, twisted and sexy world with a fun cast of characters, interesting dynamics, and a very well written world-building. It’s a must read for people that love both dystopian and romance mashed up together in a fast paced and intriguing series.

These are such great slow burns! My favorite type of apocalyptic literature is the kind that focuses on the best and worst of humanity and these absolutely do that. Loved War and Miriam and their story. Can't wait for the next one

“You are mine wholly and completely—and I am yours. For now and always it will be this way.”

All the stars for my favorite horsemen! I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved this book. Now as someone who normally stays away from really long books, I couldn’t put this book down! This story had me in chokehold from beginning to end. There was just something about this story and the relationship between War and Miriam that completely captured my attention.

It’s been a long time since a book has kept me at the edge of my seat and War definitely did that for me. Unlike the previous book, War was filled with more angst, heartache, suspense and steamy goodness! I also felt that the connection and emotional tug of war between War and Miriam was so much more deeper and raw. I loved every bit of it. For me, there’s nothing better than a morally grey hero/villain fall first for the heroine and change his ways for her. Seeing the ways War would care for Miriam just made my heart swoon every time. Honestly I cannot recommend this book and series enough. There’s just something about Laura’s storytelling that always has a way of drawing you in and not letting you go until the very end. And she completely knocked it out of the park with this book!

“Husband and wife pitted against one another—now that’s the true war.” He backs away. “I’m interested to see who will win.”
...
My rating: 3.5 stars

War is the second book in Laura Thalassa's Four Horsemen series and it lives up to its name. Action packed and full of tense moments, I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book.

Unlike Pestilence, War enjoys his purpose. He thrives on it, even. It was interesting to see him embrace so much of humanity while striving to eradicate it. That being said, it was hard to like War when he is, in fact, the embodiment of war itself: brutal, violent, and uncaring of the carnage he leaves in his wake.

Miriam stressed me out with some of the choices she made, but I have to admire her bravery. She fought like hell to save as many people as she could, however she could. I cannot imagine a better character to match the horseman of the apocalypse that is War.

Miriam and War's relationship was fascinating to read about, as he believes they're meant to be together but she can't understand how she could be meant for someone hell-bent (heaven-sent?) on killing off the rest of humanity. Their chemistry was off the charts, however, making them have a great enemies-and-lovers dynamic.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of War. This review contains my honest thoughts and was posted voluntarily.

Oh my goodness! I have no words! I’m immediately getting the next book and reading it! This series was spectacular!

Ahhhhhhh I am beyond obsessed with this series!!!! I already knew I’d be based off of my love for Pestilence, but the love truly does just keep going and going! This was an incredible next installment to this series. Laura delivered another incredibly fascinating story with characters that were captivating and lovable. The tension was top tier and the plot was insanely attention-grabbing.

I again just adore the way Laura combined fantasy with this type of romance. I was in awe the entire time with how she wrote this story. I was just enthralled the entire time and wanted this story to go on forever. I absolutely CAN’T wait for the next one even though I am now halfway through this series that I don’t want to ever end!!!

*Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Ahhhhhhh I am beyond obsessed with this series!!!! I already knew I’d be based off of my love for Pestilence, but the love truly does just keep going and going! This was an incredible next installment to this series. Laura delivered another incredibly fascinating story with characters that were captivating and lovable. The tension was top tier and the plot was insanely attention-grabbing.

I again just adore the way Laura combined fantasy with this type of romance. I was in awe the entire time with how she wrote this story. I was just enthralled the entire time and wanted this story to go on forever. I absolutely CAN’T wait for the next one even though I am now halfway through this series that I don’t want to ever end!!!

*Thank you Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

War & Miriam

“War” is the second book of Laura Thalassa’s The Four Horsemen series and tells the story of the apocalyptic rider War and the human woman Miriam.

Miriam has a heart of gold and is extremely brave. After the terrible events, she does not lose her humanity and acts with courage and kindness. Her past broke my heart.

War is, as expected, the lord of war. He has a clear goal in mind and is difficult to dissuade from it. He sees Miriam as his wife, chosen by the gods. The two have different values and goals and I find the path they take together and how they develop interesting.

“War” gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

Many thanks to Bloom Books for providing me with an ARC.

If you're a fan of "touch her and you die" then this installment in Laura Thalassa's Four Horseman series is a must. But truly aren't they all?? Weirdly addictive and capable of having you engrossed in the world, characters, and the romance. This series is such a guilty pleasure of mine. Miriam is such a kick ass female lead and I love how much she pushes back against War.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was a really good experience. The writing and plot were very original and exciting. Definitely recommend.

I am very glad that I have all of these!! Because this is one of those series where you just binge the entire thing!! I loved this one and am diving into the next one right now! That is how good this is!

I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

Love everything by this author and this was another example of why. Can’t wait to finish the series.

The Four Horeseman Series by Laura Thalassa is such a fun unique genre-bending ride. It's a dystopian apocalyptipc paranormal spicy romance that skirts lightly religion for the frame work (managing to be a respectful and true to tradition), but spares no punches. While you can read them individually as quite a bit of time passes between each book, they meld together into an overarching story cherishing love and respect as central to each relationship.

Because they work so well together and when you finish one you will need to delve right into the next one I'm going to give you the four book run down. They are each similar in that you'll see an enemies to lovers arc. However, each woman and horsemen is unique in their background and worldview. We travel the world with them crossing continents and cultures.

The first to arrive is Pestilence and he is out to ravage the land.

Following is War, and it starts in Jerusalem. Appropriate. This couple is definitely different but I think I liked them even better than the first two.

After, Thalassa definitely mixes things up with Famine. In fact, it begins in a most unexpected way with a most unexpected character in South America.

Finally, Death. This one is probably best read after you've read the first three as the band does get back together to do some end of the world stuff. But, again, this book stands on its own as not only has Death come but he has found the one person who won't stay dead.

This series is completely additcting! Expect each book to be devoured in one sitting.

I loved this book so much! Has to be one of my top 10 books this year!

Once I picked it up—I couldn’t put it down!!

Cannot wait to read the rest in the series 🖤

A wonderful next installment for this series. I think I loved War more than Famine. I'm really looking forward to the next book though I'm worried about leaving this universe with these men behind.

The four horsemen!
Everyone I know that had read this series has absolutely adored it and I can only agree.

This was an emotional roller coaster!

At first I wasn’t too thrilled about it, but, as the story progressed, I found myself very entertained.
They were not my favorite couple. What I loved here was the scenario. I tend to enjoy more books that take me to a place I’ve never been before, and War did that.

War (The Four Horsemen, #2) ♦ Laura Thalassa | Review

It's a really thrilling and emotional read, and I wish I could give Laura Thalassa's War more than four stars. The storyline of the story keeps getting better and better as it explores more of the horsemen's fascinating world and lives.


War ♦ Laura Thalassa

Opinion

There’s no denying Thalassa’s storytelling prowess. Every chapter reveals the emotions and challenges of the well-developed characters. This novel keeps you turning pages because of the tension between the main characters — Miriam and War —, their nuanced relationship, and the detailed world-building.

The reader is kept interested without being overly overwhelmed by the perfect pace. The right amount of romance, adventure, and supernatural elements are included. You’re constantly on the edge of your seat, turning the pages to see what will happen next because of the tensions and twists.

Thalassa deserves particular praise for her ability to build a world that is completely original and recognizable at the same time. Her skill as a writer is demonstrated by the way she skillfully combines the apocalyptic scenario with romance.

Conclusion

All things considered, War is an excellent series continuation that makes you want more. This book is a must-read if you love paranormal romance and dark romance stories, as well as fantastic apocalyptic fiction!


I received an advance review copy for free from SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This review was first published at The Art of Reading.