"Revenge and justice are one and the same."

I am really enjoying this series! I am definitely a fan of War, there is just something so alluring to him. I love seeing these powerful beings sent to the world to destroy humanity and up finding theirs. This book definitely had an interesting way of getting the characters together. I loved the passion and adoration that bloomed between War and Miriam. I can't wait to read the next one

I’ve pretty much inhaled this entire series and will definitely be checking out other books by Laura Thalassa. She’s got herself a new fan.

This is the 2nd Installment in the Four Horsemen Series. War was very different from Pestilence in his knowledge of humanity. He just always saw the worst of it but he truly surround himself with it. So when he finds his "wife" and knows what Miriam is immediately it was interesting to see him actual learn what she mean to him.
Miriam was a bad ass female who took on a very messy world. She knew how to handle herself and she knew her morals and she wasn't willing to bend, even if it was to a Biblical horseman.
The setting of the war camp was very interesting and I found it the story really well told. I enjoyed how War came to terms with his love of Miriam and his child.

This whole world is so fun but my one quibble was it almost read as a standalone. I think you could have read Pestilence or War first and nothing would really be spoiled. You only heard a few sentences about his brothers and I would have like more interactions. During the epilogue I was wondering if they were going to meet his brother but I did like the ending of finding her Mother and Sister.
Overall this is 5 star and I think the series is just getting better. Can't wait to read the next one.

I fell into this book like you fall asleep. Slowly, and then all at once. Ok so I totally repurposed this line from a famous, not-at-all similar book. But it somehow explains my feelings just right.

How do you follow up a firecracker of a book like Pestilence? You don’t try to recreate it, you write an entirely different story, but with the same heart and soul of the first book. The author continues her exploration of the themes of good and evil, and the blurred lines between them, and what it means to be human even. She does an incredible job of balancing on the razor’s edge between dark romance and the unexpectedly sweet love story. While this one isn’t as laugh-out-loud-at-inappropriate-moments funny as Pestilence, the story is still imbued with a rich vein of humor. It helps that Miriam’s brand of dark humor totally speaks to me.

If War is a dystopian Khal Drogo, Miriam is very much his perfect Khaleesi, strong and stubborn 👑 . Up until halfway into the book, I was sure Pestilence would remain my hands down favorite, but at some point War and Miriam wormed their way into my heart and came very close to that top spot. Even knowing we have a long wait ahead of us, I am breathless with anticipation for Famine, and even more specifically, for Death.

“Loss is a wound that never heals. Never never never. It scabs over, and for a time you can almost forget it’s there, but then something—a smell, a sound, a memory—will split that wound right open, and you’ll be reminded again”

Book: War
Author: Laura Thalassa
Pages: 592
Platform: 100% Read

This is the second book in the Four Horseman series!

When I read Pestilence earlier this month, I decided I would wait until I had read War to make my mind up about this series. And I feel that it's a little bit repetitive but it's also building. The introduction of more characters in War also gave the storyline a bit more depth and helped make the MC's arcs. For this reason, I felt like I could sympathise with Miriam more than I could to Sara. Those that I've spoken to have all told me that either Famine or Death are their favourites in the series so I'm keen to keep going and find out why!

Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for gifting me with a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

War is the 2nd book in the Four Horsemen Series and its War's story. I'll admit I didn't like it as much as Pestilence but it was still an enjoyable tale.

Although the themes were the same (exerting God's judgement on earth), the 2 stories were totally different.
I liked that this story takes place in another continent from Pestilence. As this story was about War, there was alot of fighting and violence in it, as he takes his army to erridicate humanity.

As soon as War saw Miriam he immediately knew she was his wife- given to him by God. However she refused to believe as such and these two had a bit of an enemies-to-lovers relationship from her side, throughout the story as she fights him at every turn, getting creative in her attempts to save as many humans as possible. I will admit although I liked her, she did irritate me at times throughout the story.
War was as expected for a Horseman and the battle of wills between him and Mirriam was well-written. The story gave us action, emotion, danger, angst and sacrifice and I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it.


Quote
The horseman reaches out and draws a finger over my collarbone, his gaze never leaving mine. “I saw you, and for the first time, I wanted.” His words pucker my flesh. “And so, I took.”

What To Expect:
Post Apocalyptic world
Zombies/Living dead
Fiesty resourceful heroine
Battle ready hero
Unexpected twists
Questions to have you thinking about mankind's redemption
Slow burn

Miriam has survived a lot in her short life. She has survived the first arrival of the horsemen and she survived a near drowning incident trying to escape from her ravaged country. However, luck can only go so far and when she comes face to face with War, she knows her time is up. But then he calls her 'wife'.

War is made by man. He is a perfect vision of a man, an angel, with a thirst for blood. With him comes all the atrocities of war in a post apocalyptic world. Saving Miriam is his destiny. She is his fate, his mate. But Miriam is a peaceful strong woman who does not condone War wiping out the human race.

And so starts the story of a fated couple who must grow together and change together. Will War see the good in humans? What will it take to change his mind? I found this the hardest of the horsemen to read. I think it was just because I really don't like war and how humans use it to degrade other humans. Still this was a great read. Maybe not my favourite of the horsemen but still great.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Bloom Books and Laura Thalassa for this early release copy. On to Famine!

I binged this book in two days! I loved the characters in this book. Miriam and War had such great banter between the two, and it was a constant push and pull between the two. I loved how we got to see War portrayed in this in. We saw him be kind and gentle with Miriam after meeting her, and how he strived to make Miriam happy. The internal debates that happen with the females in this series is very realistic. Miriam knows War has done terrible things, and yet she continues to love him. And its through this love that we see War change slowly. The plot of this was completely different, but yet it still and a feel of a repetitive pattern. Laura however did a great job of breaking up that pattern by giving us these monumental moments and events that cause change for the characters. Now this book did have a trope used in it that I’m not a huge fan of, but it was executed well which in turn did not deter my enjoyment. I will say though the epilogue of this book has me wanting to toss my to be read pile out the door and to just binge the rest of the series. I cannot wait to pick up Famine and continue on with this series.

This book is not as strong as the first book, I must admit. While the romance were well written stylistically, the plot of it rubbed me the wrong way. I can enjoy a bit of dark romance, but with War keeping the main character agains her will, and labeling her his wife, it felt extremely forced, and unhealthy. This as a base of the relationship makes it feel as the love that does bloom from it is more of a Stockholm syndrome type of thing.

It was, however, really interesting to have a few chapters from War’s point of view. That really helped the story along at the end.

Should I say “Holy Hades!” or “Oh my god!” because we’re talking about War here and while he’s a heavenly sent creation, he is after all, war.

This book starts a bit slower than Pestilence, but once it hits its stride it’s a horror filled, drama rich, emotional read. I was expecting this to be a copycat of book one, but it is far from that. With an engaging, if often times troubling, plot and characters that are uniquely developed, I was drawn into this story to the point I didn’t want to stop when real life interfered.

Miriam, the heroine, was fierce and capable in a world where survival is the strategy for each day. When War and his army descend upon her town she engages with the enemy in what will surely be a futile attempt to defeat them. But when her failed attempt to kill the warlord brings his attention to her personally, the last thing she expects is him to claim her as wife.

What follows is not only the horrors of war, but some that were never even on my radar. War’s actions did nothing to help me fall in love with him, but his evolution from a creature designed for killing into a man who would do anything to save his wife left me no choice but to do so. Just trying to find words to describe this hero is impossible. He’s so much more than words on a page. This author created this hero to such a degree that he would never fit into a neatly defined checkbox.

While this is War’s story, this is actually Miriam’s tale. She is the type of kick butt heroine many of us love, but she’s very real in the way she reacts to what’s happening around her. Even as she plans her strategies, they are often not completely formed and while I’d never even consider some of the things she does, I totally related to her “not thinking things through”. Despite that glitch in her character, which I found charming, she is not a too stupid to live heroine. Just the opposite. She is real, she is relatable, she is exactly what I would want to be if, god forbid, I should ever find myself in the heart of the apocalypse as she does.

Together, this couple kept me glued to the pages of my Kindle. The romantic angle of this story isn’t in your face. It’s a subtle change in the characters' reactions, thoughts, emotions and beliefs. While we don’t get War’s point of view, it’s apparent his war-hardened heart softens towards Miriam and we are never in doubt as to where his emotions lay, even if those emotions are murky at times.

This is a story rife with brutality, scenes that will make you cringe, decisions that will have you shaking your head, and surprises that will make you gasp out loud. And at the heart of it all is War and Miriam, a battle between two people who are polar opposites, and the demand for surrender.

This is book 2 in the series, but other than a tiny spoiler that really gives nothing away at the end, I believe this can be read as a standalone. However, I highly recommend you read Pestilence because it’s just so good and then once you recover, dig into this one and hold on for a wicked ride.

After being pleasantly surprised by Pestilence, I knew I wanted to read the rest of Laura Thalassa’s Four Horsemen series. Not only are these well-written in terms of character and romance, but there’s a heaviness to them that I wasn’t expecting. As much as these books are about love, they are also about humanity’s capacity for both good and evil—and whether the former outweighs the latter. Is there any hope for our redemption?

Where Pestilence wasn’t discerning about who he killed (aside from Sara, of course), War allows select humans to join his ranks to fight in his army. Moving across the country, he attacks each city in turn, burning their aviaries and ensuring no one escapes to warn the next townspeople of their inevitable fate. He even has a surefire way of preventing any survivors from slipping through his grasp, but that’s all I’ll say here.

One of my favorite tropes is fake/arranged/forced marriages, and though this aspect of the book didn’t hit quite as hard as it has in other novels, I still loved that War was smitten with Miriam from the get-go. Try as she might to resist him, she can’t deny her attraction or their chemistry. In fact, the most surprising aspect of this book was that War was nothing like I expected. Though he is the embodiment of violence and has no issue brutally murdering anyone who crosses him, he is a kind and gentle man when he’s with Miriam. He believes God sent her to him, and yet he never crosses a boundary she doesn’t willingly drag him over. Even when she’s begging, he has enough restraint to stop himself from doing anything until she fully surrenders to him—mind, body, and soul.

Though the story plays out similarly to Pestilence—a human woman crosses paths with a horseman and shows him humanity can be redeemed—War is a very difference person from his brother. He mentions several times that he, as the embodiment of war, was borne from human hearts, and therefore he knows the true nature of our species. Unlike Pestilence, War is experienced in all manner of human culture—but that doesn’t mean he understands the breadth of our emotions or what the true definition of love really is. That’s what Miriam is there to teach him.

Laura Thalassa’s ability to endear us to someone like War still astounds me. Like his brother, War believes that his nature cannot change until he experiences it firsthand. Miriam, like the reader, understands the atrocities that War has committed against humanity, and yet she sees a different side to him than anyone else. She knows he is as redeemable in her eyes as humans are in his, and that is what she fights for throughout this book.

Thank you Sourcebooks/Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a great follow up to the first book. Pestilence was great but War is even better for me! I love the strong and fierce FMCs of this series and that they’re someone who you love to see win at the end. If you love dark fantasy romance books then this series is for you!

If you want to read a book with the same feel of Khal Drogo, that brooding alpha male warrior. Then look no further. This is book 2 (my favourite) out of the 4 horseman series. The heroine Miriam is strong willed and fights War's savagery and tries to teach him humanity. Their chemistry is fire! I highly recommended this book and the whole Horseman series.

One of the Four Horsemen, War arrives to the land that the heroine resides and brings chaos. The heroine ends up being a captive of War while also catching his attention. As the proclaimed "wife" of War, the heroine ends up seeing a side of the hero not known to many. Yet there is no peace when there is war, and the heroine is determined to make War cease his chaotic path so that their happy ending can come true.

This is the second book in THE FOUR HORSEMEN series. The premise of interconnected standalone series is interesting, and that's what makes this Laura Thalassa series an entertaining read. However, there were certain details in this particular book that was not my favorite. Details that were left unsaid should have been mentioned, because it would have helped make the story better. Conversations were needed in some areas to make the romance believable and give different viewpoints some insight that would make some characters favorable to readers. This book may not be the best book in this series, but I still look forward to reading the rest of it in the future.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for letting me review this series!

I knew about The Four Horsemen series prior to it getting picked up by the publisher but hadn't quite jumped yet to read it! I loved this apocalyptic romance! These women were badass and the progression of this story is amazing!

This book is the one I love the most in the series. War was such an intriguing love interest and we got a glimpse into another interesting MC.

This book really intrigued me because of its glimpse more into a setting that focuses on human nature. With the way War operates, we got to see so many more characters and see the way humans react to the world they’re in and I think it was incredible to see that side of things.

While it did offer the same formula as the previous book, it offered that same formula in a different way so I’m not complaining.

Overall, this was a good read.

4/5 Stars

I had a great time reading this book. Laura Thalassa's books just have a way of drawing me in. I will say these books are meant to be a fun time, so of course I don't take the book too seriously. Honestly nothing says falling in love like the world ending, plus I love a possessive alpha male.

I preferred War to the first first book in the Four Horsemen series. The heroine Miriam, seemed a much more rounded character, perhaps it was because her character was someone from what is a dangerous part of the world anyway so the threat of danger was something she had grown up with albeit it not on the a biblical scale. The character of War is also a lot more complex when compared to Pestilence who had an aura of innocence around him and who’s only purpose was to carry out his task whereas War sees Miriam and claims her as his, dragging her along as his army lays waste to everything in his path. There is fantastic world building in this series and Laura Thalassa has a way of setting a scene so that it’s easy to visualise it playing out in your mind as you read. I also love how she doesn’t make the hero do a complete one-eighty just because his woman says so. Their inner conflict is more than apparent, after all they’re not simply bad or evil, they’re on a mission from God

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me this ebook!!

In this novel we follow the second horseman of the apocalypse, War, and Miriam, as war is raging in the Middle East and into Africa. Unlike the first book, this one is enemies AND lovers at the same time. I found that quite interesting but it does lead to many moral dilemmas and dumb decisions made by our FMC. It’s these dumb decisions in the second half that annoyed me enough to lower the rating. Other than that I really enjoyed it and loved seeing how War developed throughout the story as well as his relationship with Miriam.

For those wanting to read this, there are definitely topics that many may not want to encounter so make sure to check any trigger warnings!! Without spoiling anything, there is also a trope that occurs in the last 25% that I know many people don’t like so if this could be concerning to you, make sure to check that out too!

Thank you again to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC! As far as a second books go, War was a very entertaining read. Pestilence still remains my favorite horseman so far but I thought that the setting of the story was particularly interesting. I definitely like the main female character more in this book than the last book, but War was not my favorite. At times, the pacing was a little slow, and I don’t think the book needed to be as long as it is, however, the ending really was entertaining. Overall, it was a good second book.