I absolutely DEVOURED this.....slow burn romance, Celtic lore, tension...it's the whole package

Ruthless Devotion is the standalone, third installment in the interconnected Gilded Monsters series.

the characters are top tier, the writing is top tier, the romance.....TOP TIER

Do you mostly read fantasy - but occasionally get the itch to try something new?

I usually stick to fantasy and romantasy, but Ruthless Devotion caught my eye with its intriguing premise and elements I hadn’t explored before. This was my first paranormal romance and I went in blind, with no expectations - just along for the ride.

Ruthless Devotion is the third installment in the standalone, interconnected Gilded Monsters series. Described as a Wuthering Heights retelling with a magical twist, this story delivers necromancers, a banshee, and a romance set in a cultish small town in South Carolina. There’s insta-lust (hello, chapter two spice) followed by a slow-burn romance that deepens with every page, steeped in supernatural tension and Celtic lore.

I loved our two main characters, Cathy and Heathcliff. Both have been dealt a harsh hand when it comes to family, finances, and belonging. Life in their small Southern town keeps them on the fringes - forced to participate, but never fully accepted. Because of this, they’re rough around the edges, and their pain is palpable. You can’t help but ache for them. Their bond is the heart of the story: what begins with hesitation is thwarted by interference, then slowly transforms into a fierce, self-sacrificial love. The title doesn’t lie - these two are truly, ruthlessly devoted.

Having never read a dark, paranormal romance before, this book was a bit of a wild ride for me. I didn’t know what to expect, and each twist kept me flipping pages. Was it a little grittier than my usual taste, set in a modern world rather than a far-off fantasy land where it’s easier to ignore red flags? Maybe. But I couldn’t look away. The eerie atmosphere, ritualistic practices, and cultish church dynamics created a haunting pull I wasn’t prepared for.

While I just implied modern worlds weren’t exactly “anything goes”... the characters definitely thought otherwise - and honestly, who can blame them when the supernatural is a constant presence? If you’re a fan of the touch her and die trope, you’re going to want to pick this one up. Heathcliff’s devotion burns hot, and when Cathy’s well-being is on the line, so does his wrath. It’s intense, unhinged, and I surprised myself by eating it all up.

I’m a fantasy reader through and through, but Ruthless Devotion sparked a real interest in reading beyond my usual genre. I plan to pick up the other two books in the Gilded Monsters series later this year, and I’d absolutely recommend this one to fans of paranormal romance with gritty characters and dark themes - or to anyone curious about stepping outside their comfort zone with an engaging, high-stakes page-turner. Some parts pushed past my usual taste, but that’s also what made it a fun time. Just be sure to check the trigger warnings if this isn’t your usual read.

Ruthless Devotion releases on July 22, 2025, and is available for pre-order now. Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Rebecca Kenney for the advanced copy!

That's what I love about her—she's wild as the cold wind, sharp as broken shells on the beach, tough as the old Southern oaks. She's like the Spanish moss on the trees—lacy and fragile from a distance but wiry and rough up close.
~
The prose in this book, guys. Truly, Heathcliff’s descriptions of his love for Cathy are just stunning and made my heart melt every time. I had to get that out there first, because my heart soared every single time he spoke about her. Anyway! Ruthless Devotion takes a bit of a darker turn in the Gilded Monsters world as we travel to the town of Wicklow (Earnshaws) and the surrounding areas (Lockwood). A rendition of Wuthering Heights, this has all the usual suspects you would expect but in compellingly different forms, such as Edgar, Nellie, and Hindley. Cathy is a banshee in essential hiding, and her father is a deacon in the church that is determined to keep the dark god that the Lockwoods are supposedly trying to raise underground. We start out with a bang, literally, as Heathcliff and Cathy give in to some insta-lust, and instead of Cathy determining to never see him again and agreeing to a date with Edgar, Heathcliff shows up at church the very next morning and follows her out into the woods during her 13-hour mourning episode. There is a lot that happens in this book, and also a lot of familiar faces that I was very happy to see (that is to say, if you haven’t read the first two books, you don’t need to read them to read this but there will be major spoilers for them and a big twist at the end won’t make as much sense!), and the creepy, gothic atmosphere is present throughout the book, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, gasping at every little sound because you know something can and is going to go wrong at every turn. All Cathy wants is freedom and love and Heathcliff is doing his best to give it to her, but his ties to his brother and hers to her father keep getting in the way. I read nearly the entire book in one night because I was utterly enthralled and I can’t recommend it enough! And the surprise at the end? I messaged Rebecca in absolute shock and I am still thinking about it. I have so many theories on where we’re going next, and honestly? As long as she keeps writing in this world, I’ll keeping eating them up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ruthless Devotion is a deliciously melodramatic, angsty, romantic, and passionate reimagining of Wuthering Heights set against modern-day South Carolina. It's both a slow burn and love-at-first-sight obsession, a paradox that somehow works—thanks to Kenney’s bold storytelling.

Mere chapters into the book and you’ll encounter the first (of many) erotic scenes between the main characters. The plot justification for the frequency of sex is, frankly, ridiculous—so much so that it borders on parody. And yet, Kenney takes that absurd premise and transforms it into a genuine, visceral carnal obsession. Until Kenney develops this into the carnal obsession the book promises and delivers. The quality of these scenes fluctuates, ranging from Wattpad-level lines to truly sensual, emotionally charged moments. But to her credit, Kenney knows how to pace them—indulging just enough without dragging the plot or dulling the emotional core. More than the physical intimacy, it’s the emotional depth between Cathy and Heathcliff that elevates these encounters.

The first half of the novel is centered on their intense, often toxic connection. Passion, pain, and entrapment transcend time as Kenney reimagines these iconic characters in the present. While the attempt to modernize the setting mostly works, references to current technology occasionally feel superficial, even distracting—risking what might have otherwise felt like a timeless love story. Similarly, many of the problems from the book arise from half-baked ideas and half attempts at satire. The dialogue can be painfully on-the-nose, particularly in the first half of the book, almost to the point of being satirical. Kenney flirts with meta humor but doesn’t quite work with a story (and characters) that takes itself so seriously. A greater commitment to the dramatic nature of the work could’ve gone a long way.

The second half shifts gears dramatically, plunging into Irish gods, possession, and religious cults. The pacing accelerates, the stakes rise, and the plot becomes undeniably entertaining—if slightly chaotic. At times, it feels like two different novels stitched together: one a brooding romantic obsession, the other a high-stakes supernatural thriller. The transition isn’t seamless, but both parts are individually compelling.
Despite its unevenness, Ruthless Devotion is incredibly hard to put down. The characters are fierce, clever, and unapologetically messy. The gods are terrifying and magnetic. There’s a guilty pleasure in watching Cathy and Heathcliff tear each, and those who have wronged them, apart, and put themselves back together—over and over again. It’s dark, cathartic, and deeply satisfying in ways that aren’t always easy to explain.

Ultimately, Ruthless Devotion is a bold, steamy, supernatural romantasy that dares to go all-in—most of the time. It doesn't always land, but when it does, it's thrilling. It just needs to believe in its own power as much as its characters do.

I loved this book! The spiciness, the characters, the supernatural element! This was really well done. While I am only vaguely familiar with the original storyline of Wuthering Heights I enjoyed the way Kenney wrote the characters and the overall gothic feel of the book still. I am planning to go back and read Kenney’s other works in this series, but also her other works in general. 4.5/5

I never thought I would enjoy a modern retelling Wuthering Heights with a supernatural twist as much as I would with this book! I don’t know much about the classic itself, but I was intrigued by the summary enough to give it a try. And I’m so happy I did. I didn’t know this was apart of a series, and while you don’t have to read the other two books first, there are characters from the previous two books that make an appearance. So if you’re like me and didn’t read/know of the other books, it may get a little confusing at parts.

That being said, I loved all the different aspects we got in this book! If you’re looking for a good blend of magic, supernatural beings, and romance this is perfect for you. Cathy and Cliff have such a unique bond since they’ve both been through hardships in their lives. The author did a fantastic job with making us love these characters, along with the supernatural elements and religious lore of some beliefs and practices (particularly Celtic lore and the views on the supernatural in the religious context).

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This review reflects my opinions alone.

Note: I did not read the other two books in this series, but it seems they are vaguely interconnected and still can be read as standalones.

Supposedly a retelling of Wuthering Heights (one of my favorite gothic classics), Ruthless Devotion starts off with an ungracefully modern introduction to our main characters. I thought that maybe it felt awkward because their names and characters felt so out of place in the modern world, but any notion of the original story falls to pieces quickly.

I’m not sure why this is a retelling of Wuthering Heights at all. Maybe the author had an urge to write some smut with a sprinkle of cultish horror but didn’t want to bother building up the setting? But really, there’s very little trace of the original characters and their stories other than a few nods here and there and some of their striking characteristics taken and made into their only defining personality traits.

The poor reference to the source material colored my perspective for a majority of the book, but even having been able to forget about it, the quality of the story itself is just not there.

We have a questionably built world where it seems there are no real answers or explanations. I will hold most of my judgement since I realize I haven’t read the other books, but, as a standalone, the supernatural forces and people seem to be whipped out of thin air. As much as our narrators seem to be able to talk endlessly about themselves, they seem to be unable to provide any insight into their world, which appears paper thin and built out just enough for the thrill of the occult.

On top of that, it just felt like a smutty fan fiction. The smut of this book was truly just there because why the hell not. There was no real purpose (other than a character’s claims) and it hardly even emphasized the main characters’ primal needs for one another.

Overall, it felt like a salad of smut and supernatural, placed awkwardly into the original Wuthering Heights framework. I wish there was more purpose to the plot (like emphasizing the horrors of the cult, or something), but it seems like there wasn’t much purpose to the book at all.

I am not very familiar with the story Wuthering Heights, but who cares? Because there is always Rebecca F. Kenney to come in and reimagine it so well it doesn’t even matter anyways. I always get a little creeped out (in a suspenseful good way) when I read the books in The Gilded Monsters Series. The gods have been especially unsettling and it is the same in this book. I LOVE the character cross overs and how well they meshed with Cathy and Heathcliff..

I’m not one for the classics but I do enjoy a retelling, especially one that includes paranormal and fantasy. I don’t think you need to read the other 2 previous books to get this storyline but it does help. They are interconnected but the storyline isn’t a continuing arc of the first/second.

I enjoyed the writing, character development and personalities, and romance between the main characters. The paranormal world building was easy to understand and picture. The storyline between the characters and the opposing religious groups dynamics keep me entertained and wanting to keep reading. I think the religious dilemmas and the congregation’s goals added a layer of interest and details to further entwine the characters. The characters are battling so many challenges and it’s easy to empathize with them and want to keep reading to see how the fair.

3.5 Stars
We follow Cathy and Heathcliff in a paranormal retelling of Wuthering Heights. This book took me by surprise. I was worried that this was just going to be an overly spicy romance with a little bit of plot, but boy was I wrong.

The build up of the romance was a little insta-love. But I still feel like the characters made a strong connection due to their circumstances and desires to get out of their small town and do something more. Both have their own paranormal secrets that are more connected than anyone realizes at the start. The end was action packed and there was an overall mystery to the plot that kept me engaged the entire time.

I didn't realize that the characters from the first two books in this series would play an important part, I've only read the first one. But I loved how the author brought the whole story together. A fun, kinda crazy good time if you like a spicy fantasy/paranormal romance with a bit of a mystery element.

Really great book! This is a Wuthering Heights retelling where Heathcliff is a necromancer and Cathy is a banshee and they get their happy ending! The pacing was superb overall, the world-building and setting were complex (it's a southern cult Gothic, soo dripping with brainwashing and humidity), and the story made me intrigued enough to want to read the other books in the series. The writing was very appealing, and Heathcliff and Cathy's relationship was emotional and angsty. Just a fun, juicy meaty time.

2.5⭐️ rounding up. The fact that the word “rizz” was used in the first few pages kind of told me everything I needed to know. Everything about this book is just disjointed and feels thrown together. The spice is nothing exceptional. And the mythology/lore aspects just didn’t mend anything to the story because they were just dropped in the story and never really discussed in a way that acutely propelled the story forward. I can usually deal with a story lacking background or depth of the spice is top notch but this one just missed on all accounts.

First I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.
Ruthless Devotion is the third installment in the Gilded Monsters series, which reimagines classic romantic tales with bold new twists. This time, Rebecca F. Kenney brings a fresh and captivating retelling of Wuthering Heights, blending Irish folklore and supernatural elements into the timeless love story of Heathcliff and Catherine.
The story follows Cathy, a young woman trapped in a small coastal town deep in the swamps of South Carolina. She possesses a rare and haunting ability—she can feel when someone dies, a gift that takes a heavy mental toll. Heathcliff, meanwhile, has been raised by a family that is not his own. Though they rely on his supernatural power to bring the dead back to life, they treat him more as a tool than a son. He longs to escape their grip.
From the moment Cathy and Heathcliff meet, their chemistry is undeniable. Kenney’s writing pulls readers into their love story with vivid descriptions and masterful storytelling. I felt deeply connected to their journey and the authenticity of their love. Beyond the romance, the plot is rich with intriguing elements and immersive world-building that kept me hooked throughout.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Ruthless Devotion. It's a compelling read, perfect for fans of Kenney’s previous work as well as newcomers looking to explore her darkly romantic and fantastical world.

I'm on the fence. The spice in Ruthless Devotion is top notch, and if I were to rate based off that this would absolutely be five stars. The rest of the book, however, was just ok.

Kenney never fails to deliver! The insta-lust to slow burn love here was devastatingly beautiful and I'm obsessed with how the characters not only developed, but developed together! Add in the eerie element of a cultish church and Celtic gods you have one stunning story that keeps you on your toes, breathless for more! I could go on and on about this Must Read, so go ahead and pre-order your copy now!!

I just finished the ARC of Ruthless Devotion by Rebecca Kenney, and I went into it completely blind—all I knew was that it had supernatural elements and some religious cult vibes. I was pleasantly surprised. This is a spicy, dark Southern Gothic retelling of Wuthering Heights, and it totally delivered.

The story is rich with supernatural elements—necromancers, banshees, vampires, and more—all woven into a deeply atmospheric, eerie setting.

If I had to describe the vibe in my own very niche words: think Riverdale Season 2 meets a deeply religious Southern town, with a broody, young Wolverine-esque male lead and a fierce Ariel Moore straight out of Footloose—with the Cullens lending a hand in the shadows. It’s strange, intense, and kind of magical.

The book kept me hooked with its blend of horror, suspense, and mystery. The tension built steadily, and the twists were well-paced—I was constantly trying to figure out what would happen next. The spice was tastefully written and added depth without overwhelming the plot.

Overall, Ruthless Devotion was a highly enjoyable read with an original take on gothic tropes and supernatural romance. I’ll definitely be diving into more of Rebecca Kennedy’s books in the future

Old gods have been waking and affecting the world around them. Supernatural beings thought long gone and powers thought lost to time are popping up in greater numbers and renewed strength.

Cathy is a banshee who can't grieve like she's supposed to, but has to hide who she is from the cultish community she's grown up in. She has no one to understand her and suffers alone during every episode. Always feeling outside and other from those around her.
Until she meets him. The man who will flip her life upside down and will follow her anywhere.

Heathcliff is a great new book boyfriend. 😆 Who doesn't love a man who's obsessed with you.

This book was so good and a fantastic addition to the series! They are interconnected standalones, but all come together in this book so I'd read them in order.
I loved seeing the couples from Beautiful Villain and Charming Devil in this book. It was so exciting to see what they've been up too and how they came together.

Every book in the gilded monsters series makes you reflect on different kinds of grief, mortality, and personal prisons. Very emotionally engaging romances. I love the contemporary elements bringing new relatability to classic characters.

Highly recommend if you enjoy fast paced, exciting, supernatural romantic retellings of classics with fun interconnected couples between books.
Super easy to binge Rebecca's books during a nice reading weekend.

This was such a fun read! I knew nearly nothing about Irish folklore, and I thoroughly enjoyed the weaving of it in a modern setting. I found myself researching more about the gods and other deities throughout reading and it was nice learning more about it in real time while reading a story including them.

One of my favorite tropes is a good slow burn, however this was not one. I was a little surprised by the quick scenes. However, Heathcliff and Cathy's relationship was enjoyable to journey through. Definitely developed into a touch her and d*e type of love. There were a couple more descriptive, hardcore love scenes than I thought were necessary towards the end, but that's just my preference!

Seeing Cathy blossom into her best self was a favorite of mine. Hoping to see them in any future books!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Now, as someone who is not the biggest fan of "Wuthering Heights" (it is my least favorite of the Bronte sisters' works), I can appreciate it and think it was groundbreaking for its time. That said, seeing that this was supposed to be a straight up romance/erotic modern retelling of the novel, I was intrigued. Granted, I find a lot of romance and erotic novels pretty cringey, I wanted to see how the author works with a pretty intense foundation like "Wuthering Heights."

I was unfortunately proved right. This was a laughably simple written book and honestly, whatever inspiration came from the Emily Bronte novel was really just the names. The actual story wasn't great either. In fact, I would argue there wasn't really a story. This read like baby's first porn without plot but the porn is embarrassingly hilarious. Yeah, I didn't enjoy this book at all. The writing is just generally very lazy, very simple, and the characters didn't feel like characters. Everything and the characters themselves were so flat and simple and only served to get the reader to the next "spicy" scene.

Would not recommend even for those who enjoy romance. I will not be taking comments lol

Ruthless Devotion (Gilded Monsters, #3)
by Rebecca F. Kenney

3⭐️
3🌶️
Ruthless Devotion is a spicy, Southern Gothic, she’s a Banshee, he’s a Necromancer, paranormal, Irish Mythology, insta-love, dark fantasy modern retelling of “Wuthering Heights” But to me it didn’t really parallel the universe of the classic “Wuthering Heights “
And I know this is a modern take but to me the modern dialogue / lingo was just very cringey 😬 and made me skim through some parts.

The plot was ok … it was a insta love story so there was no good slow burn in this book .
But…Rebecca does know how to write so toe curling spice 🥵though! And there’s an abundance of it in this book!
And I love Southern Gothic but the world building was minimal which was a bummer.

Overall this story really didn’t pull me in. It was easy to follow and fast- paced but I just didn’t really connect with these characters.
I am curious about her “Dorian Gray” retelling so I might give it a shot!

Thank you Net Galley, Sourcebooks and Rebecca Kenney for the opportunity to read this book.