Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Scarlet Veil, by Shelby Mahurin. The Scarlet Veil is a spinoff book from Shelby Mahurin’s Serpent and Dove series. If you haven’t read that series, go read it now! One because it’s an amazing series, and two you’ll get a lot more out of The Scarlet Veil if you’ve read the Serpent and Dove series.

The Scarlet Veil follows Celie Trembley, who we are introduced to in the Serpent and Dove series. Celie is engaged to Jean-Luc who is the Captain of the Chasseurs. The story starts off with Celie trying to get her footing under her as the first woman Chasseur. We can see right from the start that Jean-Luc treats her as though she’s this delicate doll that he needs to protect. This doesn’t sit well with Celie at all. Yes, she’s had a traumatic past, but she’s also smart, and thinks on her feet.

Celie wants to prove herself and when a friend is murdered, she sets off on her own to solve it. While investigating, she’s kidnapped, by Michal and that’s where our story really starts. Michal is trying to solve his own murder investigation, and will go to any means necessary to solve it.

I loved The Serpent and Dove series, but I love The Scarlet Veil even more. I enjoyed watching Celie stand up for herself and spread her wings. And Michal, well he’s our morally grey villain, who has a tragic backstory of his own. Michal, didn’t hold Celie back, he valued her. He didn’t wrap her in a bubble and tell her she was too fragile. He needed her help and allowed her to come into her own. The Scarlet Veil is an enemy to lovers slow burn that will have you turning the page until the end. If I could give it ten stars, I would. It ends on a cliffhanger, so I’ll be biting my nails until I can read the next one.

Going into this I had no idea what to expect especially since I didn't finish the Serpent and Dove books (I just read the first two). All I knew was vampires were involved and it was set in the same world as S&D but with Celie as the main character.

I'll say right away I was sucked in but also kind of confused because I was trying to remember who she was in the main story line but thankfully Shelby does a good job of giving us a recap and even if you have read those books you'll catch up. It's just a little confusing at first.

Celie is treated like a doll that must be protected and she's tired of being left out. I was so frustrated for her and ready to see her embrace her independence!

I won't go into much of the story but I was hooked along the way. I was a little bummed that romance isn't super present in this... It's a SLOW burn with some good tension but I wanted more because I'm here for it and SHIP IT. I kind of hoped this was a standalone but be warned it ends on a wicked cliffhanger that definitely has me needing to know what happens.

But gosh I love anything to do with vampires especially morally grey mysterious ones. So even if you've not read or finished the Serpent and Dove series, this is definitely worth giving a shot. Because VAMPS! I just hope we get some more romance and sexual tension cause I'm all about that. It felt especially light on the romance after Serpent and Dove.

To say I loved this book would be doing it an injustice. I was enamoured, obsessed even! The Scarlet Veil ticked all my must-have boxes: enemies to lovers, slow burn romance, a heroine discovering who she is despite the expectations of others. I loved the journey Shelby took me on and how we explored more of her beautiful world. Murder mystery, ghosts, talking cats, and of course… vampires! What’s not to love?

The story starts with Célie as a Chasseur, the first female huntswoman. She’s engaged to Jean Luc and although she’s seemingly living the life she thought she wanted—she feels like she’s not taken seriously. Like she’s continuously placed on a shelf like a doll and people underestimate her. Her fiancé, who also happens to be her captain, placates her and although he tries he really doesn’t know how to make her happy. When Célie visits her sisters grave and finds a dead body instead—minutes later she meets a mysterious man whom she thinks might be the killer. But, she never really gets a chance to find out because Jean Claude drags her back to safety and she’s once more put in her room. Although, this time she doesn’t stay. After an argument with her fiancé her story really begins.

Kidnapped to a secret island by the vampire king, the mysterious stranger, who also has a vested interest in the murders happening around Cesarine. The mystery is too much for Célie to turn away from and she agrees to work with her enemy—and potential suspect—to find out what has been hunting the streets of Cesarine and if it’s the same thing that is now hunting her.

The Scarlet Veil is full of intrigue and such an incredible ensemble of characters—new faces (hello, talking cat!!) and familiar faces! Highly recommend and my many thank you’s to Shelby Mahurin and Harper Collins for the arc!

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an arc of this in exchange for review.

say hello to one of the best YA fantasies i've read in a very long time, after only kind of liking the serpent and dove trilogy i wasn't sure how The Scarlet Veil would be and let me just say its better.

Celie Tremblay goes from being just a minor side character to someone whose just so well rounded and you see her go through so much character development. i didn't want the book to end, although it did. painfully on a cliff hanger.

if you were unsure of this, i'm telling you right now go add it to your TBR. it will leave you speechless like it did me.