The Scarlet Veil is a return home to the city of Cesarine and characters we came to love, but it is anything but comforting. While this vampire romance set in the world is a spin-off and could be read on its own, I highly recommend reading the prior trilogy. You’ll be caught up on the series with the information provided, there are a lot of spoilers and more depth to the world and characters you learn about in S&D.

With that, I was never the biggest Celia fan or Jean Luc, but I came to pity her for what all she has been through in S&D. Then The Scarlet Veil came out with more of her tragic background and gut punching revelations for her past and I just wanted the best for her.

Which came in the form of Michal. Dark and dangerous is my type and the way they two of them collided had me kicking my feet. I’m begging for the next installment of the series already because the impending promise of them was not enough. The mystery and intrigue, the bread crumbs that quickly escalated to expand upon what we knew about the world, the allure of Requiem. Everything about this book captured the essence of the S&D series while adding in a vampire romance reminiscent of the vampire media Iarc up on as a young teen.

I would give my blood to read the second book already.

And also give all of Jean Luc’s blood for way less because he continues to be the most infuriating.

This is marketed to be a spin off of Mahurin's prior series, it works more as a continuation with a different lead than a true spin off. I don't think it would flow very well without having read Serpent and Dove first.
Serpent and Dove, which started as a strong enemies to lovers but lost steam in the later two books into a melancholy slow drag, Scarlet Veil continues at the same leisurely pace the original series left off.

In “The Scarlet Veil”, we get to see the continuation of Célie Tremblay’s story after the events of the Serpent & Dove trilogy as she becomes a Chasseur and embarks upon an investigation in Cesarine where she crosses paths with vampires, ghosties, all sorts of creatures, and it’s one hell of an atmospheric ride with appearances from old, beloved characters, and with the addition of new favorites!

While the whimsy of the Requiem—where Célie’s journey takes her in this book—and the introduction of captivating new characters were exciting to read about, I have to say, my favorite part of this book was just getting to see more of Célie. She starts off in Serpent & Dove as a character you want nothing more than to dismiss, but once Gods & Monsters rolls around, you really get to see how multi-dimensional she is. What “The Scarlet Veil” did, though, is expose her for the relatable heroine she is, the one you see yourself in and the one you want to root for. I just loved this journey for her.

Aside from that, I really liked seeing the mystery format this book takes, as it’s a bit different from the trajectory of Shelby’s previous books. It was fun, suspenseful, and I really truly did not at any point see where the mystery was going or where it would end up. The vibes are also immaculate, as they always are from Shelby. I feel like if you want a good vampire book for fall that taps into favorite aspects of older vampire media, this is the book for you. Throughout “The Scarlet Veil”, settings and, I don’t know, just the vibes were so reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, Interview with the Vampire… and, yes, The Vampire Diaries. Everything you already love about vampires is here, but there’s also so much fresh life breathed into the genre (see what I did there?).

I will say, “The Scarlet Veil” has a slower start compared to Shelby’s other books, but the set-up of our new characters and world requires some groundwork to be laid out first. With that in mind, the romance is also very slow-burn in this book, but, I don’t know, I felt like the pacing worked, like it was a perfect fit for a more gothic fantasy sort of book!

I’m not going to delve into too much else because it’s really difficult without spoiling, but I just wanna say… that ending… lmao, y’all are gonna hate Shelby for the ending in this book because I know I do😀 So, have fun with that!

One last thing, though. The biggest question you might have, is whether or not you need to read the Serpent & Dove trilogy in full before starting “The Scarlet Veil”. And, like… noooo, I guess you don’t have to do that, but I genuinely wouldn’t recommend it. I think it helps a lot to have the background of the other three books first, especially in relation to who Célie is as a character and how she has evolved thus far. And, like… THE OTHER BOOKS ARE SO GOOD, I PROMISE, WHY WOULD YOU WANNA SKIP THEM😭 Seriously, I say this so often, but it’s still true two years later: Gods & Monsters is the best finale to a series I have ever read, and that is the book which really jumpstarts Célie’s development as a character. So, do with that information what you will!

I was dumb and didn't realize you need to read the Serpent and Dove series before this one, so I apologize for that and will definitely be coming back once I finish that series! But I enjoyed the first one and this one has vampires so I'm assuming this will be a win for sure

This was the first book I read by this author. The Scarlet Veil started off very slow. It took me awhile to really get into the story but overall it was just very concentrated. I didn’t connect with main characters. I had high hopes for a new vampire book but I just didn’t connect with it unfortunately.

I read serpent and dove and loved it, and I liked this as well, but I think a lot of that was immaturity in my reading tastes. I'd like to think since then my reading has matured, and so has Shelby Mahurin's work for sure, I just don't think we matured in the same exact direction. More like we t0ok 75% of the journey together, but took different forks at the last turn. This was so close to being a perfect book to me, but something about the immaturity of the main character and her being a BIT too dumb for my tastes didn't land as much as I wanted it to. Still an immensely fun ride, and one I will be eager to continue in hopes that the main cast gathers a bit more intelligence along the way.

I loved this book! Maybe even more than her original series that it spun off of. The world building is great and I love the vampire storylines as well as the twist at the end.

For anyone nursing that Serpent and Dove hangover, Scarlet Veil is the cure for you, following Célie Tremblay's story following the series. If you are picking this book up for the first time, it does provide some spoilers for the trilogy prior to it. In some series, the order is not specific, but I would have been disappointed had I read this before Serpent and Dove.

The great thing about this series is that we have the same cast of characters from the beloved trilogy; while their stories are evolving, we can appreciate why they are in the place they are because of that understanding from previous books. I'm so glad Célie has this book. While she might not have been my favorite character in Serpent and Dove, she grew on me towards the end of the series, completely stealing my heart in Scarlet Veil.

The writing is just as lyrical and beautiful, There's murder, there's romance, there's vampires, could a girl ask for more?

This was a great addition to Shelby Mahurin's world! We saw appearances of loved characters from her previous series and got a better look into Celie Tremblay's mind. The characters Celie meets along the way are diverse and fun. This is a perfect book for spooky season! Definitely recommend!

I loved every second. It had me hooked from the very beginning, and getting to see all of my favorite characters come back was so exciting. Celie's growth was so well done too! And the ending? Emotionally damaging - in the best way.

I absolutely adored reading this book! Just as good at the Serpent & Dove trilogy. Can't wait for the sequel. It's perfect for Vampire Diaries fans.

It. Was. A. Struggle. Just wasn't enjoyable for me. I hate to be so crass and bloody rude about it but I rarely have books that I can't get into and rarely have books I force myself to finish. The only ones I do that with are ARCs because I feel I've made a commitment. I just didn't like it.

Shelby Mahurin hits again with vampires this time!! And we get to see all of our favorite characters in this book as well!! I'm so excited to see more of Celie's story and of course to see more vampires.

Shelby Mahurin has given us the perfect fall read with vampires, a visit from our original favorites, and the introduction of new characters that you can't help but cheer for! I simply adore Celie and Michal and will be rooting for them forever.

This book was pretty good. I don't read a lot of vampire books (only because I don't own them, not because i don't like them). So this was a fun change of pace. The characters were cool, the plot was interesting, and the writing wasn't bad. I think it needed a bit more editing and thoughtfulness, but it was still good.

I have so many things I want to say about this book and literally no one to tell it to. So this review is about to be a lot of word vomit so I can get it all out of my system.

First. I prematurely requested this book from NetGalley without ever reading the blurb. I was sold at the word “vampire”. Then I read the blurb and saw it was about Célie, yes THAT Célie. Then I was kicking myself because I DNF Gods & Monsters over 2 years ago. So like any good little book reviewer, I bought the audiobook of G&M and crafted my through that painful book. No, I did not enjoy much of the Serpent & Dove series past the first book, but I LOVED all the characters…it’s just that so much of the story was BORING and CONFUSING!

Now, back to Célie’s book. After G&M, I was very excited to start TSV. Célie grew up so much on that last book and I wanted her to get a chance to finally prove herself. Jean Luc was always a dud, so I was extra happy to see there would be a love triangle. Remember…Vampires!!!

Okay, I’m not going to rehash the plot, but if you’ve made it this far into my review, your number one question is probably “Do I have to read the first series?” Sorry to inform you, but I think you should definitely read the first series. It’s a must for you to understand Célie and her motivations and why she is the way she is. All through the first series, she was the disliked side character that the core team tolerated. This is her time to shine, and guess what… Jean Luc, Reid, Lou, Coco, and Beau are still trying to protect her…and therefore Célie chooses to do things without them. If you read and loved the first series, this book is soooo much better. And if you read and hated the first series, this book is soooo much better AND you’ve already done the difficult work and are prepared to dive into Célie’s story.

You will probably see SPOILERS now.

What I loved about Célie is she is nothing like all the other heroines out there. She’s not strong and bad ass. She sweet and gentle and good, and that makes her extra special. She feels the need to protect everyone she cares for, even if it’s a sacrifice to herself. This leads her into doing some pretty stupid and irresponsible things. Remember how all her friends feel like she must be protected at all times? Then there is what happened to her in Blood & Honey. Plus Reid broke her heart. And Jean Luc is planning a life for them that Célie doesn’t even want. No one REALLY loves her. She’s just there and in everyone’s way…needing to be taken care of.

Then she encounters the vampires, Les Eternels. I’m not going to tell you how or why. That’s part of the mystery. But you get a WHOLE NEW cast of characters…of potential friends and enemies.

So now I’m going to tell you about Michal. Omg the slow burn romance between Célie and Michal is 100% perfection. Like I could FEEL their love and affection for each other even though they could never admit it to themselves or each other. There’s no naked spicy times in this book, but I could feel the heat between them.

The ending. It took me about 2 hours just to get through the last few chapters. I had no idea what was going to happen, yet I didn’t want it to end. So I kept stopping and coming back. The ending was shocking and the epilogue even more shocking!


SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

My prediction is the next book is probably going to touch heavily on Célie not having a chance to make that “choice”. But clearly Mila told her of two other choices…and Célie was never going to make ANY choice in that situation on her own.

Vampire romance set in the same world as Serpent and Dove with a touch of phantom of the opera but she falls for the phantom? Say less!! To be able to revisit some of the characters from the original series and see a whole new story come out with vampires? I couldn't be more excited when I got this book and the cliffhanger of the ending makes me so excited for the next book. The mystery in this one was fantastic and the vampire vibes were everything!

I think this should be read after the Serpent & Dove trilogy. GAAH!!!! I loved this one!!! Perfect for October reading! Celie as the first huntswoman and dealing with her own demons, tracks a killer who is leaving victims drained of their blood. Celie only ends up captured by vampire Michal. Celie and Michal the tension is bubbling in a pop can! They also have some great banter. Shelby just has ways with descriptions and this book is full of actions as we have learned some revelations. The new cast members are great. I just loved being emersed in this world. Omg that ending!?!? I really hope the next one is releasing in January because I can't wait that long!

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Found this a little slow to get going, and reading the previous trilogy will add to one's enjoyment and understanding of that book. Not my favorite of hers, but still worth having in the collection!

⭐️ ⭐️.5

This was okay; fans of the original trilogy will surely enjoy it, for me it lacked substance…It was incredibly slow and quite dense. Main character felt a tad insufferable. You need to read the trilogy S&D first before diving into this one!