Review: Ruthless Devotion
Author: Rebecca Kenney
Format: eARC
**Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Rebecca Kenney for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ruthless Devotion delivers a fast-paced urban fantasy that blends dark romance, fated mates, and a supernatural twist involving banshees, necromancers, and divine retribution. Rebecca Kenney introduces an imaginative world with intriguing lore, unique character inspiration, and some compelling fantasy-religious undercurrents. There’s no doubt that the author continues to showcase her creativity, especially in the way she integrates underused paranormal elements into the story.

While the premise was original and the vibes strong, I struggled to fully connect with the romance between the main characters, Heathcliff and Cathy. Their relationship leans heavily on instant attraction and physical chemistry, which made it harder to feel emotionally invested in their bond. The intensity is there from the start, but it might have been more impactful if their connection had been given more space to grow and deepen.

The book is positioned as a loose retelling, and while it draws light inspiration from Wuthering Heights, the reimagining is subtle. Readers expecting a more faithful or recognizable adaptation may not find the parallels immediately clear. Additionally, although marketed as an interconnected standalone, Ruthless Devotion does include a number of references to earlier books in the series. Without that background, some of the plot and character connections may feel a bit underdeveloped or confusing at times. That said, fans of the previous novels will likely enjoy the familiar faces and continuing threads.

If you’re in the mood for a quick, spicy urban fantasy read with a dark edge and an inventive supernatural world, Ruthless Devotion is worth diving into. I’m curious to revisit this story after reading the first two books in the series, as I suspect the worldbuilding and connections may resonate more deeply with that context in place.

This was a solid read and I had a good time the entire way through! I see this marketed as a spicy retelling of Wuthering Heights which I haven’t read, but looking at the book in its own right, it stands on its own. I think Rebecca Kenney did a great job incorporating all of the religious and fantasy elements in the story. The relationship and quality of the spicy scenes were also quite good. For me, I tend to connect better to characters and be more invested in their relationship when there isn’t insta-lust but it’s just my personal preference. The ending was also really well done and satisfying and I’m so happy for our main characters! I actually have not read the first two books in this series of interconnected standalones but would recommend others to do so as main characters from the other books do make an appearance and I feel the impact of their parts would have been greater had I done so. Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC!

This is a **Wuthering Heights** retelling with a dark, supernatural twist. Cathy and Heathcliff come from rival families, but there’s more than just bad blood between them. Cathy is a banshee, forced to hide her true nature, which leaves her craving physical release—and Heathcliff is the perfect outlet. Brooding, intense, and morally grey, he’s the ultimate book boyfriend. A necromancer from a forbidden bloodline, Heathcliff is as dangerous as he is irresistible.

Cathy, misunderstood and suffocated by her fanatically religious father, finds a volatile kind of freedom in their connection. Their chemistry crackles, and the banter is sharp, dark, and addictive—it *sizzles* on the page.

I absolutely loved the gothic, urban-fantasy world Rebecca created. The atmosphere is moody and immersive, and the spice level? Off the charts. Bonus points for the cameos from other characters in the series. While this can definitely be read as a standalone, reading the full series adds depth and richness to the experience.

Rebecca’s retellings always bring something fresh—fun twists layered over the bones of the classics we love.

4.25 stars

When I saw that this was a magical retelling of Wuthering Heights, I was so excited to read it. Set in a cult-like southern town where magic is an abomination, Cathy and Heathcliff find each other as they struggle to keep their supernatural abilities hidden. Our two main characters bond over their traumatic pasts as they try to escape their life of destruction.
This book is dark and messy and full of supernatural, cult-ish vibes... all of which I enjoyed. I loved the small-town-with-secrets type of setting. In this story, we got a mix of tragic and exciting scenes as well as some that were over-the-top and a little bit corny. The plot was unpredictable, fun, and it kept my attention throughout the entire book. However, during some scenes, there was so much going on, it felt like the story got a little lost in all the chaos. Also, this dark fantasy is SPICY. If you are okay with insta-love and with spicy scenes starting in chapter two (yes, two), then this one might be one for you.
Ruthless Devotion is book three in the Gilded Monsters Series and I did not read the first two books. Each book can be read as a standalone even though characters cross over into other stories.
Ruthless Devotion is available now! It's Publication Day was yesterday!

Thank you @netgalley for this e-ARC!
Thank you sourcebookscasablanca

3.5

My favorite of this series so far!

A paranormal retelling of Wuthering Heights (of which you dont have to remember the details before diving in) bringing Irish and Pagan folklore right to the Carolinas. Set in a small-town in South Carolina, Cathy Earnshaw-banshee and daughter of a local deacon-starts to realize that things may not be exactly what they seem.

At a medium-fast pace, we follow the story of Heathcliff and Cathy as they both learn more about themselves, their ancestries, and the Gods that lay at rest (but for how long?) nearby.

I enjoy interconnected standalone novels so much, and I feel like this one tied in the characters from the first two well! This one definitely was a faster pace than the first two, but i think it worked so well with Cathy and Heathcliff. Really enjoyed this one!

ARC review—NetGalley

4.5 stars! My favorite so far of Rebecca Kenney's Gilded Monsters series of interconnected standalones is this fabulous paranormal romantic suspense retelling of Wuthering Heights. The only reason I didn't rate this a 5 is because I felt like the climax and ending was too rushed and somewhat confusing.

Cathy Earnshaw as a banshee and sacrificial lamb in her Christian fundamentalist radical family makes her sympathetic and actually likeable! The tortured hero Heathcliff also gets a makeover as a necromancer with self-preservation instincts. Unlike the source material, all of the characters here exercise autonomy and are enslaved only as far as the limitations of their supernatural powers are concerned. Wuthering Heights is probably the book that I most love to hate, and this retelling has me feeling all of the love without any of the cringe and frustration.

I loved that Jay and Daisy, and Baz and Dorian, as well as Nick and Cody, played such pivotal roles in bringing the story to a resolution.

And the ending? I actually got tearful that Heathcliff and Cathy are finally free.

Bravo!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this novel prior to publication. I was not compensated in any way for this review and all opinions are my own.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC,

I will start this by saying this was not a bad book, it was just not the book for me. Im unsure whether because its a wuthering heights retelling and im unfamiliar with the story that perhaps I didn't see the connections with the story. However there was of course parts I very much enjoyed.

This story features Cathy and Heathcliffe who both come from rival families, Cathy is a banshee, however she has to keep this a secret from everyone in her small town.
Heathcliffe is a Necromancer, who instantly finds a bond with Cathy when they meet and that only grows.

Although I found the first half of this book slow the second half kicked off incredibly. I adored all the supernatural, and mythology elements, plus the cameos from other characters in the previous books. Although they are interconnected Standalone I do recommend reading the previous two books first.

Ruthless Devotion is a captivating reimagining of Wuthering Heights with a modern setting and a supernatural twist. It also has influences from Irish and Greek mythology. It's the third novel in the Gilded Monster series, but can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. Characters from previous books make appearances, and there is a revealing tie-in at the end that readers of the earlier books will catch. However, it doesn't require you to read them to enjoy this book. In this story, religion plays a significant role in Cathy's life; her father serves as a deacon in their local church. Despite being raised with a religious background, Cathy feels like an outsider due to her unique gifts. Heathcliff, adopted into a rival family, faces his own challenges, including bullying from his adopted brother. Cathy and Heathcliff find solace in each other. Overall, it was a fun read, and I look forward to seeing what happens next in this world.

This book as me all in.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the e-arc!!!

As a long time fan of Wuthering Heights, the chance to read a reimagined version of this doomed love story was an absolute must. Heathcliff is the OG of broody, angry hotties (just now realizing how much he has influenced my taste in fictional men 🤔) and Cathy is the OG misunderstood girl in love with the wrong guy. Kenney still nailed these two foundational personalities but made them both traditionally tragic as well as two people you want to root for to get out of their respective terrible situations and be together forever.

This book had so much fun stuff, old gods, eldritch horror, action, suspense, religious fervency, mystery and of course STEAM. Cliff and Cathy are hot hot hot together. I honestly can't think of a dark romance/urban fantasy type story that I have I enjoyed as much as this one in recent history. I really and truly hope you all pick this one up, it will have you glued to your seat. Great writing, great pacing. I think fans of Harley LaRoux and Opal Reyne would also like this book. I am going to go back and read the first two in the series now just because Kenney definitely has writing chops.

Give this one a try!

Wuthering Heights but make it spicy, supernatural, and cults.

The opening dialogue made me cringe but I pushed through and found myself obsessed with this book. I loved the use of Wuthering Heights as a backdrop for this fun read. I have read, and loved, Wuthering Heights but I don’t think it’s totally necessary to have read that to enjoy this.

Our main protagonists, Cathy and Heathcliff, are victims of circumstance. Both of them have supernatural abilities and due to familial dynamics are forced to be people they don’t want to be. They’re both constantly kicked down and don’t ever seem to be given a break.

But these two together! Holy moly! Talk about turning up the heat! They’re earthshaking (literally iykyk) when together, from their sexy times to their fights and everything in between. I was giggling and kicking my feet at all their interactions.

There’s some lovely world building that happens too, however, this is advertised as an interconnected standalone but really, I felt like I was missing something by only reading this one. It seemed like I should’ve had some sort of working knowledge of the series and why should I know or care about characters from the previous books showing up. It feels like there’s an overarching plot I need to be aware of within the series. Guess I’ll have to check out the other two!

All that to be said, I enjoyed my time with this book. And will keep an eye out for more Rebecca Kenny books in the future. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to ARC read this!

I don’t remember how I found Rebecca Kenney’s Charming Devil, but I did and I’ve wanted to read it ever since. I haven’t yet because I’m a procrastinator and it’s never available on Libby when I check and I’m weird about holds in that I worry I won’t want to read the book when it’s my turn, so I’ll either pass on it to make sure I’m giving the book as fair a chance as I can or I do check it out and run the risk of making somebody wait longer than they have to if I don’t read it right away or at all. I know it’s silly, but I try to be mindful about my library holds. Anyway, I had the chance to get an early copy of Ruthless Devotion from the publisher and I thought it would be a good opportunity to read Rebecca Kenney even though it wasn’t the book that me aware of her and while I’m not super attached to Wuthering Heights and co, I have read it and since I’m attracted to heroes like Heathcliff, I thought why not? And I am so glad that I did because I flipping loved Ruthless Devotion!

I felt locked into this book the moment I started reading and it was so easy to connect to Heathcliff and Cathy. I loved them and was rooting for them to get their freedom and happy ending so hard! I won’t lie, there were times when they really frustrated me and made me nervous, but they also warmed my heart and put big grins on my face too.

Honestly, the way Heathcliff and Cathy’s relationship made me feel was just reflective of the book as a whole which as I say that, it seems kind of like a “Duh!” statement, but there’s a lot of plot to this book in addition to their romance. Ruthless Devotion took me on an utterly wild ride where it made my heart pound and race, it had my clutching my kindle and on the metaphorical edge of my seat, flipping the pages as fast as I could, unable to tear myself away because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next! I was completely invested in Heathcliff and Cathy, their story was beautiful and amazing, and Ruthless Devotion is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year. I am just so intrigued with this fascinating supernatural world that Rebecca Kenney has created — it was very exciting and I can’t wait to see even more of it not only with the previous two books in the series, but any that come out the future!

I absolutely-fucking-lutely LOVED this book. Loved, loved, LOVED it! First though, huge shoutout to NetGalley & Rebecca F. Kenney for the ARC! Ok, back to my fan-girling.
Ruthless Devotion invoked a sense of nostalgia and a weird sense of homesickness in me that's hard to understand. I grew up bouncing between North Florida and Southern Maryland and lived in the middle of nowhere Georgia for a little while at the beginning of college before I joined the military to GTFO of there. I lived near weird towns like Wicklow and knew people or knew of people that belonged to secretive, cultish churches like the one Cathy's town was involved in. I don't think any of them were hiding ancient Celtic gods or people with supernatural powers though...that would have been better than what those churches were actually hiding to be honest...Rebecca's description of Wicklow and the surrounding area was so clear that I could smell the red clay dirt and that very specific scent that the south has right before it rains on a humid day. I can picture the beautiful Spanish Moss scattered across the trees or the kudzu growing wild everywhere. Her writing weirdly made me miss a part of the country l honestly can't stand. I find myself actually wanting to travel back East just to see the landscape she described because it was so vividly accurate.
In terms of storyline, if you're a fan of Wuthering Heights, True Blood, Midnight Texas, The Skeleton Key etc. you'll enjoy this book.It is billed as a standalone but part of an interconnected series and I decided to go into it without reading the first two just to see if you really could read it as a standalone...and the answer is yes. Characters from previous books do appear so I guess you're technically spoiled about how things end up for them in certain aspects, but I didn't feel like I missed out on anything when they appeared. Rebecca does a great job at explaining who they are, what they are and enough info for new readers to understand that Cathy and Heathcliff aren't the only supernaturals out there. I do own the first two books and will definitely be reading them immediately because l'm very curious about their individual stories. I'm also curious if there's a bigger, overarching storyline with the gods that's explained in one of the earlier books. And speaking of the gods...I'm so happy we have the Celtic gods (with a cameo, or at least a named cameo of a Roman god) as the stars of the show. My family background is mostly Irish and Scottish so l grew up reading Celtic mythology and folklore rather than Greek mythology (though, I learned all about that in school) and I personally don't think we get enough of it in the mainstream... at least not stuff more on the accurate side.
Cathy and Heathcliff are an explosive, Romeo & Juliet-esque romance that burns hot and quickly from the second they meet. I mean, I was definitely a bit taken aback by how quickly Cathy jumped his bones, but you know what, you do you (or, well, Cliff). Is this something I'd recommend in real life? No. But in book world? Definitely. Do it, lady! I did find myself getting annoyed at how naive and trusting Cathy was towards all the psycho religious folks in town but then I remembered that that's totally normal behavior for people that have been in a cult and/or super sheltered their entire life. Something that seems so obvious to me - like, girl, they're about to sacrifice you, mmkay...took her so long to figure out. If it had been any other time in history I would have had a hard time getting over how clueless she was, but after witnessing what has happened to our country over the last decade - I get it.
There were definitely some twists (I guess you'd consider them twists) that I didn't see coming towards the end that were pretty damn brutal. I really wasn't expecting Rebecca to go there, but she did. Thank god there was a necromancer around...which, I'd like to also point out how cool the way Cliff's power and the Vague were explained. That's a truly unique take on the "inbetween"
"limbo" whatever you want to call it, and the way it was explained was easy to understand and picture.
I feel like l've probably babbled enough here so I'll once again just say how much I loved this book. It's great to see something other than a 'Beauty and the Beast' or 'Cinderella' retelling for once, and even better when it's full of Celtic myths and monsters.

I will literally read anything that is even slightly adjacent to Wuthering Heights and this is a full-on contemporary (erotic) retake. Told from both POVs of Cathy and Heathcliff, this is the third novel in the Gilded Monsters series. All other books are takes on other classics, and you don't have to read them to enjoy this one. Just know going in that this is not the gothic romance we're all used to.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this digital e-arc.*

If my husband doesnt follow me through the woods like the mmc did im not keeping him 🤣 rebecca set the bar for the men

Confession time. I have never read Wuthering Heights. In this instance, I don’t think that works against me at all. I was able to approach this story without having any preconceived notions for how the story would flow. Honestly, it made me want to go read the original to see if any of the themes are different. While we are confessing things, I also haven’t read any of the other books in this series. This is book three but can easily be read as a standalone (as proven here).

This story has an interesting magic system that seems to draw from British mythology. It was also rife with southern conservative church focused culture. This created an interesting dichotomy with gods being buried under a church and blood sacrifices, while there were prayer meetings and deacons going out into the community. There were also necromancers, vampires, banshees, and other magical creatures. Somehow this is all woven in a semi-believable manner. The imagery relating to the woods and the water brought it all together.

Heathcliff and Cathy felt a little rushed as characters but their chemistry made it work. I can imagine that they play a greater role in future books, which would help flesh their characters out a little more. They seemed the most complete when they were on the page together, or referencing the other. Without the other to play against, it felt like I was missing chunks of their backstory. It might have been the tension and steamy spice between them. It is hot.

I am curious how the other books in this series all fit together since this one worked so well as a standalone. After meeting characters from earlier books, I found them intriguing. Overall, I was entertained by what this book offered and expect I will go looking for more.

Thank you to Rebecca Kenney, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an advanced copy of this eBook.

Happy release day to this book!
Thank you Netgally for the ARK.

Wuthering Heights turned paranormal and spicy. This book is one of those where you can’t help but read it in one sitting. The story had a good pull in but the FMC was a little annoying at times. This story had so many little twists that I didn’t expect to happen and kept me on my toes.

2.75 STARS

Overall, this was a quick and easy read that I wanted to love so much more simply because I do truly enjoy some of the other books by Rebecca. However, I think the characters fell a little flat for me and although occasionally I love a good instalust, I just was not feeling it here. I think if the characters were given just a little more breathing room to develop upfront, it would have felt better for me. What I did like were the fantasy elements as I don't see too many instances of banshees or necromancers as main characters and I did like that there were some fun character inspirations and crossovers. If you just want to dive into a quick read with lots of spice and vibes, this is still a solid option.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Kenney, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

Rebecca Kenney knocked it out of the park with the third installment of her modern classics series Ruthless Devotion. Who could resist a contemporary southern gothic retelling of Wuthering Heights? Not this girl. So much fun, and as much as I love the Brontes, Wuthering Heights has always been a pain point for me so I actually like this version better.

-Southern Gothic
-old gods
-Banshees (and more Celtic mythology)
-Necromancy
-interconnected standalone‘s

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely loved. So far Ruthless Devotion is by far my favorite of the series so far.
I haven’t read Wuthering Heights but I have to now. But now I need to especially after reading the bonus scene at the end of the book.
I need more of Heathcliff and Cathy. ( Rebecca’s version)
Their love story is none like any other. It’s almost like a Romeo and Juliet but without the heartbreak.
And I cannot wait for book four.

Thank you NetGalley, Casablanca and Rebecca for the ARC of Ruthless Devotion!

I absolutely love RK’s books and this did not disappoint!!
This book had me in a chokehold from the very moment I opened the first page, and it had my heart racing the entire 384 pages. 👏🏼 I was reading well past midnight because there was so much drama and action. I loved how Cliff immediately took to Cathy from the very minute she jumped him and he never gave up on her. Their tortured souls were meant for one another, and they battle until the very last minute to save themselves. Their heated passion was super addicting, and I couldn't stop reading. I loved the ending, as well. They got what she wanted and what he needed, and it was so simple but yet so beautiful.

Please make sure you look into the triggers as there are several!!

If you love a dark fantasy with tortured souls and forbidden love, you’ll love this one. 🫶