Refreshing to read a Fae fantasy world rooted in Black culture, speech, and traditions. Kadeesha and Malachi have undeniable enemies to lovers energy from the start of this fast paced novel of fae court intrigue, battles, and romantic entanglements. Loved the strong supporting cast and magical creatures as well!

This was the Perfect fantasy romance! Featuring my favorite elements.

Enemies-to-lovers dynamics (Vicious Bonds, Legendborn)
Morally grey characters (Unbroken, The Good Lie),
Magic systems rooted in power struggles (Blood Over Bright Haven, Daughter of the Merciful Deep).

The political intrigue and fae courts add a fresh layer to themes I will never not love —grumpy/sunshine tension, forced alliances, and high-stakes emotional bonds.

Its apparent I tend to gravitate toward fast-paced "touch her and die" protectiveness (Cappadonna 3.5), this book’s focus on slow-burn, ok ain't nothin slow about this burn, and political maneuvering immediately gratifying action-forward romantasy.


10/10

I’m completely in love with this book. It was an absolute blast! The level of world building and character development that Davenport managed to weave into this standalone novel blew me away.

This story perfectly blends the enemies to lovers trope with a fresh twist, making it stand out in the romantasy genre. The chemistry between Kadeesha and Malachi was off the charts! While the book is undeniably spicy, it never compromises the plot, maintaining a great balance. Kadeesha’s journey to navigate the misogyny of the Southern fae culture and rise as the leader and warrior she’s meant to be was both powerful and relatable.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any romantasy fan!

This book was everything I expected it to be and more. Our Vicious Oaths gives you a traditional fae story accompanied with magic, pointy ears, political intrigue and more. The world building was phenomenal and the story telling was excellent. I haven't read many fae stories but this was the first one where the characters were melanated. The main male character had grills. I enjoyed this story from page one and I can't wait to see what else NE Davenport creates next!

***3.5***
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book had most of my favorite things- dragon(ish) riders, arranged marriage, and political intrigue- but something felt off for me.
Usually, when I'm thrown into the action page one I get drawn into the story- in this case I was a bit confused and disconnected during the first scene.
I think the writing style just did not click with me, it was third person and so repetitive- especially the overuse of names.
I also could not tell if the language was suppose to be older or more modern- sometimes the dialogue was quite old fashioned and other times it was 'normal'/modern.

I am really intrigued and love the premise of the book- the characters were cool, the plot was a generally good pace, and the world was interesting- but the writing style/language just really took me out.

This was fast paced and exciting all the way through. Arranged marriages, assassinations, and plots for a crown are only the beginning.

I wish I could read this book for the first time OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!! Nia did her BIG ONE with this one! I absolutely loved this book and it filled my black fae heart over the brim. I love how it's a standalone because sometimes it can be tedious to read series especially ones that are unfinished but Nia did very well at world building and wrapping up the plot in this one installment. If she did want it to be a series I can definitely see the potential! As for the African American culture that was perfectly and effortlessly placed within this book....CHEF'S KISS!!!! I literally felt SAFE and SEEN within the Nimani realm! Our culture was portrayed so well within a fictional place, it's mind blowing. Don't let me forget about the spiciness that spanned over multiple chapters....YES PLEASE! The power and dominance that were at play was phenomenal, it was great seeing a FMC that wouldn't easily submit and made sure her intentions and needs were heard and met. To see a shadow daddy that abided by her every wish even if he didn't want to was really nice as well! Nia's way for describing the elemental magic, fae customs, and characters was great! Our Vicious Oaths is a 5 star read for me! It has pushed me to read Nia's other books. :D

I had a hard time getting into this book. the story was alright, standard fantasy fare. I didn't personally jive with the writing style, it felt a little stilted and juvenile at time - enough that it was hard to immerse into the story without being put off by the story telling. I will say overall it entertained, and different people have different preferences! give it a shot!

A fresh, fast-paced, fae romantasy, this book is packed with lots of heart and heat. The world is unique and compelling with political intrigue, a nice twist on fae/immortals, their magical systems and lore.

Malachi is a bloodthirsty but oh so lovable shadow daddy and Kadeesha is a fierce, feisty, and quick-witted FMC. I loved seeing the story from both POVs and being able to equally connect with and enjoy both main characters as individuals and as a couple. They had sizzling chemistry, flawless banter and the author touched on all the fun romantasy tropes in a bold yet thoughtful manner with an added feminist flair (enemies to lovers is only the half of their romance but I won’t go into detail so this review can be spoiler free as possible).

Outside of the romance and spice I enjoyed other relationships highlighted and represented. From dragon bonds to sisterhood, bromance snd even complicated family dynamics and drama, you can tell the author really put her heart and soul into this story. Game of Thrones meets Fae romantasy with fresh and reinvigorating flavor, this book was a phenomenal 5-star read.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager, Netgalley and the author for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

Talking Bonded Kongamatos (half bird & half dragon flying serpents), a lovely cast of black characters, shadows & magic, and a prophecy! This is my favorite standalone Romantasy of the year!!

This story is a refreshing enemies to lovers fantasy with the right balance of revenge, politics, magic, spice, and romance. I really appreciate how strong, smart, and capable the FMC Kadeesha is! The author was able to deliver a well written standalone that does not feel like it was rushed or unfinished. I love this story and I can’t wait for the rest of world to appreciate it as well, so I definitely recommend!!!🧝🏾‍♀️🐉⚔️

🌶️🌶️🌶️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🖤Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

. Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport

Review:
N.E. Davenport returns with a vengeance—literally—in Our Vicious Oaths, a sharp, high-octane fantasy that combines political intrigue, brutal action, and emotional depth. The novel picks up with a protagonist driven by vengeance, navigating a volatile world full of dangerous magic, secrets, and betrayal. It’s a strong follow-up that expands on Davenport’s talent for creating morally complex characters and immersive worldbuilding.

The action scenes are some of the best aspects of the book—tense, vivid, and cinematic. The political dynamics add richness to the narrative, and the protagonist’s internal conflict provides a compelling emotional core. Davenport doesn’t shy away from exploring themes of power, loyalty, and the cost of ambition.

That said, the novel can feel overstuffed at times. With so many moving pieces—conflicts, characters, plotlines—some arcs feel underdeveloped or rushed, especially near the climax. There were also moments when the dialogue felt more like exposition, disrupting the otherwise strong pacing. Readers unfamiliar with the previous book may find themselves overwhelmed by the density of information.

Still, Our Vicious Oaths is a bold, intense, and satisfying read that solidifies Davenport’s place in the fantasy genre. It balances action and emotion while leaving enough unanswered questions to keep readers eagerly awaiting what comes next.

Rating: 4.5/5

A thoroughly enjoyable romantasy standalone with morally grey characters, well-written spice, and entertaining personalities. With one of my favorite tropes, I flew through it and thoroughly enjoyed every page.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this arc for an honest review.

This book was on my radar from the moment i saw the beautiful cover and character art. The premise was intriguing, exciting, i simply could not resist a Dark romantasy novel with Black faes.

Upon the first chapter we meet Kadeesha, a fae princess and warrior facing looming threats over her father's kingdom, a father who had been grooming her since childhood to marry a king from another kingdom, with the belief that this marital contract will come with high economic benefits and ultimately a fruitful alliance.

Outside of the southern lands we have a shadow king named Malachi, young around the same age as Kadeesha, harboring power only elders have been able to. At a very young age he lost his parents, murdered by a rogue group that's been conspiring against them. Malachi has it out for every monarch, council member responsible for this heinous betrayal, he wants power, he is hungry for it but he also wants loyalty and most of all vengeance.

At Kadeesha's wedding to King Rishaud, a massacre occurs, killing numerous council members of her court , royal bloodlines and her father. Upon Rishaud's escape, Malachi and Kadeesha make a bargain. She is to come back to his kingdom with him behaving as his war prize to antagonize Rishaud and bait him. The unexpected happens while the two monarchs, Kadeesha and Malachi are busy crafting their ploy amidst their differences.

The world and magic system were interesting, very intricate. The customs, the cultures and relationships between kingdoms, the architecture, the cruelty and political machinations were the highlight of this book. Kadeesha is an awesome character, with a tongue of fire, she always had a retort ready everytime Malachi's arrogance came forth. Malachi 's wit, his magic, the way he carries himself definitely had me blushing. My issue with him is that his character and Kadeesha's felt a bit one dimensional. It was anger and aggression almost all of the time, with the occasional humour between those they consider kins. They felt very formulaic with not enough depth. Yes there were moments where vulnerabilities were exposed yet still i craved softness to balance it all out, everytime you feel like the story is leaning there, we are pulled back and anchored with the usual rigidness both of them are accustomed to.

The sex scenes were numerous, fair warning this is a fast burn, the dirty talking is excellent, if you enjoy that sort of thing you will have a great time here. But as far as romance goes, we don't really get intimacy from them, outside of their sexual endeavors in the bedroom. Aside from both of them enjoying each other's warmth and compatibility in bed i cannot come up with a single thing they learned about each other that made them want to be life partners. I kept waiting for those deep explorations and conversations, for them to drop their guards down, it barely happens and the little we got was not enough for me to be convinced that their erotic chemistry was sufficient to justify having a romantic relationship. I think there could've been a decent balance of spice and romance.

There's a plot twist around 70% into the book that almost pulled me out of the story. This is not the author's fault, this is a me thing. Maybe it could've worked for me if the love interests connected a bit more.

I will definitely read other works by this authors. This book was just not for me, but i know there is a demographic for it out there that will thoroughly enjoy it!

Happy reading!

✦ 𝓞𝓾𝓻 𝓥𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓞𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓼 ✦

𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: N.E. Davenport
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Standalone
𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 528
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: adult dark romantasy

𝓥𝓘𝓑𝓔𝓢
✦ powerful magic
✦ enemies-to-lovers
✦ political intrigue
✦ fmc is a warrior-princess
✦ mmc is a vengeful king

𝓣𝓗𝓞𝓤𝓖𝓗𝓣𝓢
In the mood for a captivating fae story with a spicy romantic plot that is a standalone? This dark romantasy has everything: prophecy, shadow daddy, banter, political/court intrigue, magic, and an epic battle scene at the end. You will find 𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓮𝓼𝓱𝓪 is ruthless, cunning and kind. You will find 𝓜𝓪𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲 is powerful, funny and loyal. I cringed for a second because the story had a surprise pregnancy which is not my favorite trope BUT it was done well and turned out well. Dark romantasy lovers, if you’re looking for a well-crafted absorbing read, then add this one to your tbr today!!
Rating: 4.5/5

✦ Thank you @netgalley , @harpervoyagerus , @Avonbooks , and @nia.davenport for the gifted eARC!

I liked the general ideas of the plot. I can't imagine the amount of work put on to bring all the plotlines together.

It just wasn't for me. I struggled with the dialogue between characters and some of the terms used. I pictured a more medieval setting, but the conversations and descriptions were very modern day. It kept a disconnect for me as a reader.

I just didn't connect with the story as much as I hoped.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for this e-arc!

In summary: yall, buy this book 😂request it at your library, do some bartering, idk idk, JUST GET IN HERE.

When I tell you, I was kicking my feet this WHOLE book. This book is so, SO unapologetically Black. To the point that - to be honest - I was in the group chat saying "yall, this is tradpubbed??" because I usually tend to only find this level of authenticity in indie books.

That being said, Malachi and Kadeesha, I love you both. Their dynamic was amazing. The enemies to lovers, the matching each others' freaks, I have NO notes for this book. If you love powerful women, morally grey men who would burn down the world for her, fae, magic systems, and again POWERFUL WOMEN because I know the babes are gonna love Malachi BUT KADEESHA DOES NEED HER FLOWERS, PREORDER THIS BOOK. Get your library to order this book. Ask for it for your birthday idk but this is THE Black fantasy book of the year to me. I can't WAIT to read more.

Harper Voyager, if you see this - this book needs merch, it needs a fandom, midnight release parties, literally everything you have - should absolutely be put into this and N.E. writing fantasy.

I wanted to enjoy this book. The plot sounded great. A princess forced into a political marriage and goes out for one last night of debauchery that turns into her sleeping with her biggest enemy.
But this just wasn’t it. Maybe this just wasn’t a book for me. I’m not a fan of the good guy being okay with excessive torture. And complimenting her friend on being a great torturer. I’m also all for woman empowerment, but the first interaction between the FMC and MMC was odd, the FMC walks up to the MMC and basically said “Let’s f*ck.” And so they did. The spice was okay. Nothing extraordinary.
I also don’t stand beside sleeping with someone just to use them. The MMC knew exactly who he was sleeping with. He didn’t sleep with her for information, just to sleep with her. Cool let’s sleep with a mark so I can say I slept with her before I assassinate her. Idk. Doesn’t make sense to me.
The world building is a little confusing as well.
I just didn’t love this. I know others who will.
DNFed.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the arc.

I truly enjoyed this book ! All black fae ? Sign me up !

This book had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next . Reading the action scenes made me feel like I was watching a movie !

Kadeesha was a strong FMC fighting for her independence. while staying true to herself and her beliefs , refusing to let the confines of her Aether society bind her to play small when she is both a great warrior and woman. Which is a powerful combination her enemies would soon learn. Malachi was book HUSBAND. He was unapologetically ruthless , cunning and confident. He didn’t shy away from his dark side. In fact he wore it like a second skin and that made him all the better . He sought revenge for tragedies of his past but never let that blindside him. The two of them were a match made in heaven and a force to be reckoned with.

Side characters like Yashira and the little doses we got of Nychelle also stole the show for me.

This story was gripping and a whole lot of fun to get lost in. I love the effort the author took into her world building and the intricate details she provided within it. The politics and fight for power were so well thought out as well. I will say that I wasn’t expecting all the spice that we got but it didn’t take anything away from the story so that was good.

Thank you to the author , Netgalley and Avon/Harper voyager for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I did really like the strong fmc in this book. However, that was about it. The world building was very confusing to me. It felt like modern times but also ancient, but then they are in a club? I just couldn’t understand it enough to get into the book. The naming of the creatures really threw me off too. I think other people may like this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

Princess Kadeesha is a force to be reckoned with—sexy, fierce, and unapologetically badass. As the Archprincess of the Aether Kingdom, she's set to marry Hyperion ruler, King Rishaud, whose arrogance and power-thirst make him anything but worthy of her. But fate has other plans. On the eve of her wedding, Kadeesha shares a steamy, soul-shattering night with a mysterious stranger—no promises, no expectations. A wild, passionate encounter that burns through her in ways she never expected.

The twist? On her wedding day, she learns that her passionate, forbidden lover was none other than King Malachizrien, the ruthless ruler of the Apollyon Court, and her sworn enemy. The plot thickens as she’s kidnapped and taken to the Apollyon Court, now a war prize—and hostage.

What follows is a delicious, enemies-to-lovers saga that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The chemistry between Kadeesha and Malachizrien is absolutely explosive. It’s a tantalizing game of power, betrayal, and undeniable attraction. Every interaction crackles with tension, and just when you think you know where it's headed, NE Davenport pulls you deeper into a story that’s far more complex than you could imagine.

And the spice? It is insatiable. The kind of heat that has you blushing and turning pages faster than you can keep up. It’s more than just chemistry—it’s a raw, unrelenting pull that will leave you breathless.

This book is EVERYTHING—epic in scope, rich in emotional depth, and unflinchingly bold in its romance. It’s hands-down one of the best reads of the year, and NE Davenport’s first book won’t be her last for me. If you’re craving a story that’s as thrilling as it is steamy, one that will have your heart racing and your mind spinning, you won’t want to miss this one.

Ms. Davenport, you’ve crafted an absolute masterpiece. Thank you for sharing your incredible story with the world—it's a gift that will stay with me for a long time.

A massive, heartfelt THANK YOU to Harper Voyager for blessing me with an advanced copy of this epic, unforgettable book! I’m beyond grateful and completely hooked.