These two stories in this collection were fun but with the throughly of the Black Rose Auction I had expected a cohesive shared universe between them despite having different authors.

Instead what you end up receiving are stories intertwined with their respective previous works. I really enjoyed Katee Robert's Wicked Pursuit but found myself feeling like I was missing a lot of enjoyment that someone who has read her Villains series would have. Same thing with R. M. Virtues's Divine Intervention.

The worldbuilding is too intensive and entirely different from Carver City. I couldn't honestly believe that they were connected beyond the auction.

I'd say if you like these authors beforehand you'll probably have a fun time, but if not maybe do your "homework" before and take a look at their past titles.

Wicked Pursuit - 3.75/5

First time I’ve ever seen such an immersive reading experience with the use of music and footnotes in story. Used it the whole way through and loved it, super different and immersive.

Ruby was an… interesting character. Maybe she goes on about being an heir a bit much which I found does tend to take you out the story a tiny bit, but overall a likeable character. She had a lot of fire, which you don’t see enough of from the women in the Italian Mafia stories I’ve read so far (although fairly limited).

Casimir was clearly completely obsessed with Ruby from the first text, who doesn’t love a simping man? Moments before the big reveal I was wondering “how mad would it be if it was actually Luke?” mainly as a what if to myself, yet it was still a shock to find out who Casimir was.

Honestly, I couldn’t really get my head around a lot of it, I completely get he was trying to sneak his way into her life unsuspectingly, but there were some points that didn’t quite add up to me. Her family met him but did not recognise him as a key member in the Russian mafia equivalent. They knew him by his pseudonym, surely given high-level security surrounding their family, SOMEONE would have noticed who he was? Or the new boyfriend to the heir would’ve been vetted? Some other plot points/comparisons that didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but overall I’m so glad it was indeed him, made for a great story overall!

Katie ALWAYS delivers on some of the best written smut scenes I’ve ever read and this was no exception. She made some of the most depraved scenes a fun read, and for that I’d never turn down a chance to read her stuff!

——

Divine Intervention - 3.25/5

I’m kinda torn on my feelings on this one… I absolutely loved the backstory of the angels vs demons with the angels teetering towards being the bad guys, potential war, etc. Had so much potential and depth I wished there was a full novel explaining the this political landscape, the backstory with Elias and the rest of the fallen angels.

I appreciate it was supposed to be a goldilocks retelling/adjacent, but “papa bear” is NOT a cute/hot/sexy name for your sexual partner. After three or four times of this repeated in the bedroom I wanted to drop the whole book, but Mumma didn’t raise a quitter so I preserved.

There’s a fair bit of repetitive inner monologue, maybe too much for a novella, I definitely think those pages could’ve been better spent on more of a build up or explanation about all the things that weren’t explained in much depth, would have probably taken it up a star or two in my ratings.

The characters individually were all pretty interesting and this little novella really did leave me wanting to read more about them all. Overall an entertaining read.

3.5 stars - I really wanted to love this book and I think if stalker romances are your thing you probably will love this book. I read the Wicked Villain's series a few years ago and it was nice to be back in that world with the next generation. The stalking was thrilling to the point of making me anxious. I don't think I would have made and single decision that Ruby did in this book which is fun for escapism but still made me sick to my stomach. I'll still be tuning in for the next one though.

Thank you to Net Galley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG this was better than I could have imagined. I knew for sure I wanted to read this when I saw Katee Robert. I had not read R.M. Virtues yet, but this was so good I need to go add more to my tbr. I think Wicked Pursuit was my favorite, only because I was familiar with the characters. I was instantly hooked into both books right away, and could not put them down. LOVED IT.

Katee Robert is, in my opinion, the reigning author in this genre. Wicked Pursuit is exactly what I would expect from Katee: spicy, well written, developed plot and characters, inclusive and well worth the read. Her books tend to be perfectly paced and balanced with hot chemistry and some great plot twists. 5-Stars!

R.M. VIrtues is a newer author for me. They proved a story that was unique and interesting enough to get me to the end of the book satisfied. The book's pacing was a bit off; I honestly can't identify what exactly it was. In the end it just wasn't as believable and developed as I would like. Perhaps this is because it is a shorter book. It would not stop me from trying another (longer) book from this author. 3-stars

I'm a huge fan of Katee Robert and I loved this book, R.M. is new to me but not any less loved. These story's are dark, delicious and unhinged like we like it. Cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy and tell all my friends to read this spicy retellings!

Wicked Pursuit & Divine Intervention
by Katee Robert; R.M. Virtues deluxe


WICKED PURSUIT by Katee Robert
4⭐️ I love the premise of the story. It’s a little red riding hood retelling where the nicknames for the main character is red and wild. LOVEE it. I felt like the pacing was perfect and I love myself a fictional stalker! There’s a lot of kink exploring and it is pretty spicy. Katee did a great job incorporating consent in the book. This was so much fun to read and I devour this part of the book so quick.

I felt like the ending was a little rushed and I would have liked a little more but I think it’s because I didn’t want it to end yet haha.


DIVINE INTERVENTION by R.M. Virtues
2⭐️
This is the second book in the Black Rose auction series and I think if it wasn’t being sold and market together as a book then I would have skipped/DNF it. I was not a fan of the characters, the names, and all the backstory.

The world building seems quick, like the author is in a rush to set it up so you feel a little lost and confuse for the beginning of the book.

I think the writing is ok and the spice is spicing but this story overall was skipable. Kinda a let down after reading the first one.

I wasn’t a fan of the whole Papa Bear and some of the characters names. It just felt like there was too much going on and I couldn’t get into the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This is part of a new duet version being released with a special edition version.

Wicked Pursuit

4/5

Ruby, heir to her aunt's criminal empire, has gained a stalker who wants to prove that she isn't as "good" as she pretends to be.

This is the first book about the next generation of Wicked Villains. It kept me guessing the whole time of who Ruby's stalker would end up being. I'm excited to read more about these characters, and to see where the new criminal element that's introduced goes.

Divine Intervention

3/5

A magical chalice is up for auction, and both angels and demons would like to claim it. Tlalli is one of the angels, but her history with the witch Cahuani as well as her feelings for fellow angel Elias make things more complicated.

There was a lot of backstory and world-building in this novel, some of which I suspect I would have understood better if I'd read another book by the author. I really liked the world-building and would be interested in reading more about it, but it did leave me feeling that I didn't really understand the character's actions or motivations, especially when they seemed to rush into everything.

Wicked Pursuit: Listen, I am obsessed with Katee Robert and the way she writes her men—so it’s no surprise that Wicked Pursuit had me absolutely hooked. This Little Red Riding Hood remix is dark, dangerous, and dripping in sin, just the way I like it. he stalker trope? The mine energy? Katee Robert delivers on the obsessive, dangerous hero who will burn the world for his girl. And I ate it up. There’s something so extra about this kind of exclusive, secretive event where all sins have a price. It adds that perfect blend of luxury, danger, and forbidden temptation that keeps you turning the pages.

This was way too short for me, and I was highly upset when it ended. I get it—it's part of an anthology, but girrrrrrl, I needed more. I wanted deeper world-building, more tension-building, just more of everything.

If you love dark, possessive romance with an alpha to the extreme hero, Wicked Pursuit is a must-read. Just be prepared for it to end way too soon and leave you begging for more. Now, excuse me while I dive into the rest of the Black Rose Auction series.


Divine Intervention: Nothing spices up a book like past betrayal, and the dynamic between the FMC and her ex’s father (yep, still processing that) is filled with tension and history. The mix of revenge, resentment, and unresolved emotions makes for some very intense scenes.
R.M. Virtues delivers when it comes to steamy moments. Whether or not I was 100% on board with the dynamic, there’s no denying the chemistry between the characters is fire. Even when the story wasn’t fully working for me, the writing itself was solid. The author has a way of crafting immersive, darkly seductive worlds, and that alone makes me want to explore more of their books.

Okay, I love an age gap, ex’s bestie’s dad kind of trope, but something about this one squeemed me out. Maybe it was the way it was handled, or maybe it just wasn’t my cup of tea—but I couldn’t fully get into it. The pacing was slow for me in the beginning, and I struggled to stay fully engaged. The setup felt a little drawn out before the real action and emotional weight kicked in.

While Divine Intervention wasn’t a perfect fit for me, I can definitely see why readers who love dark, taboo romance with high stakes and scorching heat will eat this up. Even though certain elements didn’t work for me, the writing was great, and I’ll definitely be checking out more of R.M. Virtues’ work.

Overall it was a pretty good read, very fast paced and enjoyed the reading it even though some of the characters were a bit annoying and immature.

Wicked Pursuit and Divine Intervention by Katee Robert & R.M. Virtues offer thrilling, spicy twists on classic tales, blending fairytales with a Mafia underworld and a Heaven vs. Hell war. These novellas feature diverse characters, showcasing different cultures, relationship dynamics, LGBTQIA+ representation, and mental health, providing a safe space for readers to escape reality.

Wicked Pursuit is a Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf retelling where Ruby, a Mafia heir, finds herself drawn to a mysterious and dangerous Wolf, discovering hidden parts of herself along the way. Divine Intervention reimagines Goldilocks, with an archangel and a demon descendant caught in a complex love triangle with another archangel. As they navigate the truce between Heaven and Hell, they must decide whether breaking the rules is worth it for love.

Wicked Pursuit
The Beast is one of my favorite Katee Robert books so I was really excited to read Wicked Pursuit. The trio's daughter is the star of the book. She is in a boring relationship and looking for more excitement when she starts being stalked by "The Wolf". I was worried I was not going to like this when she dedicated it to "Haunting Adeline". I love stalker romance but I need it more lighthearted than that particular book.

Katee Robert always does spice well so no complaints there. If you really hate cheating you may not like this. I think I could have gotten over the cheating aspect if "the wolf" reveal made more sense. I haven't been impressed with any of Katee's most recent releases.

Divine Intervention
I honestly only read this book because it was attached to Wicked Pursuit. Overall, I did not like it. The writing was really odd. Cahuani's POV was especially hard to understand because the author would randomly switch to third person. I felt like the smut was missing something, and then I saw the author that wrote this was male so I'm thinking that is the issue (I have not read any spicy books with male narrators before).

**Potential spoiler** This was described as MMF but those scenes do not come until the very end. I will say I preferred the MMF scenes to any of the other spicy scenes. I also agree with other reviews that the use of "Papa Bear" in the bedroom was not as sexy as the author seemed to think.

I also don't think this fit in that well with Wicked Pursuit. It barely overlapped so it doesn't make sense to put in same collection.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Wicked Pursuit:
Set back in Carver City as a next-gen to the Wicked Villians series, this is a Little Red Riding Hood remix. Ruby is the heir to a crime family, and Wolf is her stalker. Finally bored with her nice-guy boyfriend, Ruby leans into his games and MAN does this story take off. Personally, I'm still dipping my toes into dark romance, so this definitely has those elements if that's what you're looking for. But it's fast-paced enough, if you're a newbie like me. I really hope this is the start to a sequel series with the rest of the heirs & spares! I feel like I can't go into much more detail without adding spoilers, but if you're a Katee Robert fan, this will likely be a 5-star addition to your TBR.

Divine Intervention:
I'll start off my saying I'm not familiar with R.M. Virtue's work. For the length of the book, and the general content I was expecting given the premise of the series, there was a lot of world-building in this one. Angels and demons, a whole heist backstory, celestial politics, etc. This is set up as a Goldilocks remix, and involves a witch-turned-angel and the witch-working-for-demons, who happens to be her ex's dad, meeting up at the Black Rose Auction to obtain the same item (and getting together along the way, not to ruin it for you). I appreciate the effort that went into making this fantasy world fit into a shorter novel, and maybe it would have been easier to get into if I had read Virtue's other work, I'm not sure. I enjoyed it once it came together, but it took me a bit to get into this half of the split book. I'd be open to reading more from R.M. Virtue

Wicked Pursuit (4 stars)
I’m honestly sad that it’s just a novella. If this was a full length book, it had the potential to be more. It is packed with stalkerish vibes, mafia romance, masked man. Etc. I enjoyed it. It did its job


Divine Intervention (3)
I personally did not care for this book. I mentally couldn’t get over “papa bear” and that’s where the author lost me.
Tropes:
Exs dad
Age gap

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity. I follow several of the authors who participated in the black rose auction so I was so excited to get a chance at this set. I loved Katee's story. It fit perfectly with her style and happy to see other characters I knew. I loved the twist and the ending... wanted more. I always enjoy her writing primal. It makes me want to know more about other characters in the series ... especially Reaper. I also enjoyed the second book. It was a new author for me. I just didn't love it. I think part of it might have been because it didn't hit the auction vibe as much (good spice though).

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the ARC

Make it spicy and make it deliciously dark. Both authors are bringing up the heat in these novellas and I'm all in! Not much plot, but all the more vibe and spice

Absolutely phenomenal and got me out of a major reading slump! I couldn’t put this down and was immersed until the end!

Katee Robert has to be one of the best authors that I've ever read. Her writing is incredible and I seem to easily devour everything that she writes. Wicked Pursuit falls onto that list of great books that she has written. This book was a dark and spicy mafia red riding hood retelling. The spice in this book wasn't even spice.... it was LAVA. Overall, the spice were amazing. No complaints over here.

This was my first time reading any of R.M. Virtues books. My first impression was "WOW" Just like Wicked Pursuit, Divine Interventionis also has great spice and a great plot. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

These books are INCREDIBLE!!!!! Katee Robert's spin on Little Red & the wolf had me by the throat and R.M. virtues continued the saga nicely. I love how spicy the first initial chapters of each were, and while the world building was on the weaker side, I also understand that's not the primary focus of these ones. I think the premise was also very original and I love a dark/underground setting and mafia nepo babies (so to speak). A super fun read <3

❤️Wicked Pursuit🐺
- stalker romance
- Little red riding hood remix

4.5⭐️ 4🌶️

Ruby is currently in a relationship with Luke, although he isn’t completely aware of exactly who she is or what her parents do. One night, Ruby decides to sneak off, only, she doesn’t realize that she gets caught on camera. Or at least, she doesn’t realize until the Wolf starts making himself known and begins blackmailing her.

Whew!! Katee!! I have not read the wicked villains series yet but I will for sure be moving it up the TBR after this!



Divine Intervention
- he’s her ex’s father
- MMF
- Goldilocks remix

3.5⭐️ 3🌶️

This story follows Tlalli, who is part witch/part angel, while she’s going on a mission to New York for her employer where she happens to find herself at the Black Rose Auction.

This was my first RM Virtues, and I am extremely impressed with the world and character building!