A great standalone spicy romantasy that is well-written, with interesting characters, political intrigue and amazing world-building. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t put this down. It checked all the boxes of a good fantasy/romance.
Thank you to N.E. Davenport, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this phenomenal book!

This book includes public sex and pregnancy

I’m going to be honest: I struggled with this book. I found it to be overwritten, the prose forced and the dialogue stilted, especially in the early chapters. There are moments where words are used incorrectly, such as Kadeesha saying her dragon decreed something when, no, that’s not what a decree is. What her dragon did was make a statement; a decree is something else, an order from an authority figure. Perhaps it’s meant as a style choice, but misusing a word is still misusing a word. And it’s not the only time it happens in the book.

Then there are lines like this: “She forwent grabbing the male’s hand. Forwent touching him at all.”

It’s not terrible, but it’s clunky. It’s too heavily stylized a moment in a chapter that was written with a more relaxed flow. It stands out, and not in a good way. There are moments where the writing relaxes, where it flows more naturally, and some clever touches such as “dagger got your tongue” that made me snort. But … then the author goes back to laboriously focusing on style and the reading experience becomes a chore again.

I really don’t like the constant repetition of fae. Fae folk, fae male, fae this, fae that. Imagine if they weren’t fae but human. Would it read any better when the human male took a drink, used his human hand to wave, thought about his human woman? Likewise the constant use of male. I know it’s now a part of every romantasy novel, but I’m so tired of the constant use of male. (That’s a personal nitpick, though; other people may love it, in which case they’ll like this book.)

Honestly, the book feels formulaic and flat. Sure, there are a few ideas in here, such as giving Kadeesha a squad of girlfriends, but that’s only an idea that remains mostly unexplored. Other than seeing them party at a sex club in their mini skirts and high heels, I have no idea who these people are. They’re names to deliver lines, not characters in their own right. The world building is nonexistent, and the book reads more like a contemporary novel with dragons, ballgowns and fucking rather than a fantasy story, with no effort to make it feel like … well, like anything at all. It’s castles and stilettos and public sex with a seven foot tall shadow daddy who likes choking her, but the world is as formless and shapeless as mush. It’s a hodgepodge of anything and everything — from men wearing grylles to cognac and teacakes, stiletto nails (which are mentioned almost as much as the words male and fae), and modern slang — with no sense that any court, any castle, any one place feels different from anywhere else. It’s bland, it’s ubiquitous, and it’s boring.

Kadeesha remembers every now and then that Malachi watched as her father and his court were slaughtered in front of her, that he engineered it and let it happen, but then she goes back to thinking he’s hot. Malachi likes fucking Kadeesha, and occasional thinks about how it’s a shame he’ll have to kill her. Then the two of them fuck. In a race where age equals power, these two twenty somethings are the most powerful of all, because of course they are. I found them uninteresting and familiar however …

It is refreshing to see black characters in a romantasy. Not tan, not tawny, not vaguely darker skinned, but black. Their hair is in locs and braids, their skin is shades of brown and there’s no ignoring it. There’s also a plot in there, but — again — it’s formulaic and sits apart from the world it ostensibly takes place in. The writing wavers between fine to decent and then clunky and stilted. Honestly, I think if there was less of an attempt to write prose and instead a focus on story, this would be a better reading experience.

However, with a nonexistent world, all-too-familiar character archetypes and a predictable plot, this really wasn’t the book for me. There is an audience out there for it, and I hope they find it. But for me, I don’t recommend it. I do not, though, not recommend it.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

4.5 ⭐️
Okay so here’s the thing— we know I’m a vibes rater and I legit rate on if I had a good time. And let me tell you, I had a good time!
This is a fast physical burn, slow emotional burn and honestly, that’s just not my personal preference. I’m such a slow burn girlie. However, I feel like that makes it even more impressive that I had no trouble sticking with this story and continued to enjoy it and look forward to picking the book up! (A big deal for a girl who’s been in a slump all year!!)
This book has war serpents, political scheming, romance, enemies to lovers and a vivid world of dangerous, brutal, and gorgeous melanated fae! If you’re into romantasy and especially if you really enjoy an enemies to lovers story with a fast physical, slow emotional burn, I think you have to read this book!

Thanks for the arc in exchange for an honest review. :)

Thank you for approving my request! I was so excited to read this I immediately dropped all my current reads and read this last night. Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. This one is very heavy on the romance, and I typically really enjoy romantasy, but the romance scenes weren't really my taste. The author used very modern terms for things, cuss words (which is totally fine) but in a fantasy world it really pulls me out of the story. This book felt very modern to me and not really like it was a fae world or a fantasy book. The main character, Kadeesha, was a really strong female character. I loved that she led a team of fighter women. I enjoyed all that but overall, this one just didn't work for me. I struggled liking the mmc, Malachi. He just wasn't my favorite (he slept around which isn't appealing to me and he was super heavy on PDA.). I think a lot of readers will absolutely love this book and I wish I had because there are nearly enough books with Black fae so I was so excited to read this one. Just the modern aspects pulled me from the story, and I found it was a touch predictable. Since this book relied heavily on the romance and since it wasn't the style of romance I love reading it just didn't work for me. I hope this does well and does open doors to more stories being told from Black writers! The cover is beautiful, and I hope readers will love it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ Stars

I really loved this story, it had a great enemies to lovers which had build up where they didn't immediately fall for each other. The plot was extremely interesting and I absolutely loved the banter between the two main characters.

The beginning was definitely a info dump that was difficult to understand with the fantasy vocabulary plus on top of that the author used "big words" that seemed unnecessary most of the time. Thats why it lost half a star.

Everything else was wonderful. The spicy scenes were 🥵🔥🔥 and the chemistry between the characters because of past issues made the spicy scenes that much better.

The way this story is set up had me thinking this might be a new favorite fantasy of mine, but it didn't deliver. I think my biggest issue was the MMC. Look, I love a morally grey character - but him nearly constantly needing to put the FMC "in her place" was such a huge turn off for me. He needed a major ego check. The spice was hot, I'll give credit where it's due. But it happened much too soon in the book. It was still very well done and had my heart racing, but I prefer a build up to that. And considering he definitely used her intitially, just never sat right with me. There's also heavy court politics and scheming and it got to be a bit much at times. Most of my complaints are small, nit-picky things and you might not mind them! This seems to have pretty positive reviews thus far, I think it just didn't work for me in the end. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

3.5 ⭐! Thank you for allowing me to read an ARC copy of Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport

I had a hard time connecting to these characters/ inner monologues. I was really excited to ready about fae and political intrigue. I was caught off guard by the spice, but that's just me. I know other readers will love that! How the main characters get together is incredibly unique and creates a decent amount of drama!

Kadeesha is a strong badass fmc but not when the mmc is around. She basically she just loses herself it feels like and the inner monologue being repetitive kept pulling me out of the story and wishing that part would be over so I would skim and I hate having to do that...I love when FMCs continue being badasses when the MMC is around.

Overall, it was a decent read! Just not quite what I expected.

A sexy dark romantasy with lush world-building, high political intrigue, and lots of panty-burning spice.

This was such a fun read. Perfect for romantasy lovers looking for something that breaks the mold, yet still has all of the beloved features and tropes.

What’s to love…
- Standalone
- FAE + bonded kongamatos (flying avian/draconic serpents)
- Morally grey MCs
- Shadow Daddy
- Badass Warrior Princess
- Dual POV
- lush prose + imagery + world-building
- SPICY + SEXY AF
- politcal intrigue
- prophecy
- Enemies-to-lovers vibes
- found family

What’s not to love…
- This is SUCH a great example of a standalone that I feel a little bad saying this but I’m a hardcore series fan, so I would have gladly taken two (or even three) books in this world.
- I wanted a bit more relationship development and non-spice related intimacy between the two MCs.

🌶️- Fast-burn, panty-melting, IMMACULATELY written spice. A LOT of it. Some of the things the MMC said 🥵 No chapters for this one, honestly it happened so frequently I kept forgetting to bookmark it, not to mention I was mildly distracted by how good the spice was!

I think it takes a special kind of writer to be able to fit a full high-fantasy story into a standalone novel but N.E. Davenport did it, and she did it well.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the advanced review copy. I'm so thankful I had the chance to read Our Vicious Oaths.

Kadeesha? A badass. I LOVED her independent attitude. For a 25-year old in a land of immortal fae that have been around for centuries, she seems like she should still be considered a child, but she's an extremely strong-willed woman who knows exactly what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get it. And as a 29-year old woman who sometimes struggles to even be presentable on a given day, I admire the hell out of her.
Malachi? H.O.T. it's just a fact - he's hot an he knows it. I usually don't like when an MMC is too cocky, but something about Malachi was just delicious, idk. And gods bless N.E. Davenport for giving us a fae-centered romantasy with age appropriate love interests, yeah?

Hear me when I say that these characters were so well-written. They were COMPLEX and we're really hitting the nail on the head with the definition of "morally grey" in this one. Even the side characters had so much personality and depth. (Side note: I need a story about Trystin STAT as well as an enemies-to-lovers story of ****** and ****** - iykyk, but no spoilies). The worldbuilding was also great; not to in-depth for a stand alone but also not boring or written in a way that left you wondering if you were missing something.

For me, this book was just missing that little *something* to push it over the edge to five stars. I still very much enjoyed it and would recommend it to fantasy/romantasy lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

This is a spicy, hot, fun, adventurous, political standalone romantasy with a badass heroine, a hot hero, a solid plot, interesting world building, and you get SPICE. Davenport made sure of that. This was such a good read, such a solid romantasy and I sincerely hope she continues stories in this world because what a world to be in.

Dragons, enemies-to-lovers, kingdoms, overalls a great read! Kadeesha and Malachi are the target on the bullseye!

Davenport is giving the girls what they want: sexy dark romantsy with shadow men and vicious princesses. This book isn’t doing anything groundbreaking (other than being explicit about the fact that the characters are black) but it’s very much the kind of good time fantasy I like to dabble in. It’s a little formulaic and the pacing could be smoothed out but I had fun and have very few complaints.

I would like to see this woman actually get a trilogy to see what she can do across a longer series but anyway…

I just wanted to say thank you for sending me the ARC for this book . When I saw a picture of what Kadeesha and Malachi on N.E. Thread posted , I was HOOKED !!!! I screamed at work when I got the email that I was approved to read this book.

Overall I had a FUN time reading this book. Kadeesha and Malachi are Hot and sexy ..most of their spicy scene is top tier .. chef kiss . I’m not sure if I want call it “ enemies to lovers” BUT I feel like Malachi lowkey fell first for sure . AND I am also a sucker for 😮‍💨🫡“ my wife” “ my love” “ my darling “ name calling .

Now my only downside is ( slight spoiler) .. the is “ surprised “ baby I didn’t think it needed it but I understand why it’s in the book .. they why K and M were getting down and dirty most of the book they needed something to scare them besides of the six kingdoms lol

I’m also hoping there will be a second book 🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾

No one writes badass FMC quite like NE Davenport. I was obsessed with The Blood Trials duology so I knew I needed to read this book. This story is a master class in enemies to lovers and I cannot wait for readers to sink their teeth into this one. I won’t stop screaming about it and can’t wait to read it again when the audiobook comes out!

Thank you for allowing me to read an ARC copy of Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport

I am giving this book 3 stars because I had a hard time connecting to these characters/ inner monologues. I absolutely love the drama of the MC's getting together before everything happens it always causes so much drama and I am so here for it! Kadeesha is a strong badass fmc but not when the mmc is around, basically she just loses herself it feels like and the inner monologue being repetitive kept pulling me out of the store and wishing that part would be over so I would skim and I hate having to do that...

However I do feel like this book will find its people and they will be all in for this book!

I couldn't wait to delve into this book. Black Fae. Romantasy. Flying magic serpents. Shadow daddy king. Morally gray characters. Magic. And lots of smut. Kadeesha is a badass Fae Princess and very powerful in her own right, and then she meets the Apollyon king, arrogant Malachi and total disruption ensues. The plot is a political intrigue whirlwind aether bomb of enemies-to-lovers trope, revenge, and a powerful prophecy which was a bit predictable but still fun nevertheless. My only gripe is that this is a standalone, and I would follow Kadeesha and Malachi if Ms. Davenport made this into a series. 5/5, thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

On its face, this book could simply be described as a spicy fantasy romance, but stopping there would be doing it a disservice. It's an amazing combination of political intrigue, love for one's people, and character growth. To achieve all this in a standalone fantasy novel is no small feat, and Davenport executed it in a way that I've rarely, if ever, seen before. This book is also a masterclass in tension, yearning, and learning what it takes to be a ruler. While the story doesn't need it, I desperately hope that there will be further books in this series because I never want to leave this world.

OBSESSED! I’m obsessed! Equal parts high fantasy and romance, this is exactly what I wanted from this book portraying Black faefolk. This book is a love letter to herself and to her Black fans. From the badass FMC (I expect nothing less from the woman who wrote Ikenna) to the fashion to the regale of it all, I can’t say what I loved the most. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC copy!

This book is like the perfect sandwich cookie of a romantasy novel. Let me explain to you what I mean. Without giving too much away, both the beginning and end of this novel are great on their own, with suspense, a bad ass main female character, world building, and a sexy hunk of a main male character. Then, the middle of the novel presents us with the most sexy, creamy center that was written to make us swoon where we read. The kind of filling that you want to savor slowly, enjoy on its own rights, and it's so good you don't want it to end. And when you combine with layers of this sandwich cookie? It's a novel so riveting, so spicy, and so enjoyable that you don't want it to end.

"Our Vicious Oaths" is set in the fae world of Nimani. Our main female character, Kadeesha, is a formidable woman. Not only is she the arch princess of the Aether Kingdom, and the leader of an elite Kongomato-flying group of warriors - the Nkita, but she is also set to marry Rashaud, the Hyperion King thus fulfilling her birth prophecy of a united peoples of Nimani. A last rebellion the night before her wedding ceremony introduces Kadeesha to Malachi, also known as Malachizrian, King of the Apollyon fae, a court that is enemy to all the other courts in Nimani. Malachi is sin on legs, and their not-so-much-by-chance introduction sets into motion a chain of events that changes our main characters, their courts, and their nation forever.

The world building is interesting and informative in this novel, and I didn't find it given to me in overwhelming chunks. We learn the history of the courts and our main characters individually in pieces chapter by chapter. This book is a bigger one, clocking in at over 500 pages, but it flows smoothly and kept my interest throughout. I would definitely be interested at seeing another romantasy novel written with this kingdom as it's backdrop.

And y'all. The heat level of this book ought to be 10 out 5 chili peppers. The sexy scenes in this book are so hot that you will spontaneously combust where you sit when reading them. If you like your romantasy HOT, this book needs to be top of your TBR pile because it could honestly combust on the shelf where it sits.

N.E. Davenport is a new must-read name in romantasy for me, and I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to read an early copy of this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and the author for providing me with an eARC of this novel.

A solid 3 stars for this one!

I really enjoyed the premise of this one, the storyline itself was interesting, elaborated on well throughout the story, and comes to a clear and satisfying end. I had a hard time connecting to the characters, but felt that the potential was there, and hope others connect faster and easier than I did! There were times it felt repetitive during the inner dialogue, and I think that unfortunately pulled me out of it a little. But overall, I would recommend this to people looking for something in this genre and am excited to see it make its debut!