The bones of this story are good, but I think it could have been a 5 🌟 for me if it was more fleshed out.

I liked how hard the FMC worked to reach her goals, but it all seemed to fall a bit flat as soon as she accomplished the first step.

The MMC had my attention, but I would have liked a bit more of his history and what actually happened to lead him to his current spot.

I don't want to spoil any parts. It is a decent read, but the events happen like bam, bam, bam with no real substance. I guess it all kind of goes back to me looking for more fleshing out.

♥ This book, a first in its series: has a unique magical world and a romance that burns hot and beautiful but the story takes you through to a cliffhanger that leaves you yearning for more. I found it quick to devour and the characters give good ones you love and villains you loathe. With Dual POV but majority being from my FMC , romance that in new adult with some spice, this fantasy book will definitely appeal to those who enjoyed stories like twilight, the vampire academy and even some vampire diaries potential. I would say this is more a Romeo Juliet vibe as opposed to enemies to lovers but it still is sweet. The way you will swoon over “little flower” 🌹 thank you to NetGalley and Kay Marrie for letting me read this ARC, I cannot wait to read the next book!♥

This book is expected to be published on June 15 2025!

I loved the idea behind this book and world but had a hard time with other things. I do love a broody mysterious MMC so that was a hit!

The pacing of this book threw me off a lot. The plot and romance felt extremely rushed and it didn’t let me connect with the characters in a way that made me emotionally invested. I also would have loved more backstory from these characters as I feel their background was interesting. The world seems super unique and I would have loved more of it. I didn’t dislike this one I just wanted more from the story and writing. I’m not a fan of exclamation points in internal dialogue but that’s a personal preference.

Honest review of ARC
I had one reoccurring thought while reading this. It felt as if someone had fed AI a bunch of fantasy romance novels and then asked it to write one of its own. The word count of “hissed” in this story could be in the millions. Dramatics aside, there is just an overuse in general of “growled, hissed, wicked/devilish grin etc.” which was distracting. Along that line I found it to be migraine inducingly descriptive.
The cover and premise really drew me in and I feel like in a more fleshed out version this could be great, but there were some drawbacks.
I think to compensate for the shorter aspect, some plot points should have been removed and replaced with elements that create more of a connection with the characters. I have to hope that some of this story heavily sets the stage for the next story, otherwise I don’t understand why it was there at all. The Ryker romance has the allure of a love triangle which would be enticing. I hope the Huntress training somehow gets circled back to as well.
Every element of romance was instant and had no backstory, which can be most of the fun!
There was also a lot of repetition I noticed. She would learn a fact about something and be shocked, and then learn it again a chapter later and be shocked again. This happened multiple times.
Finally, I would have loved more of Nyx’s perspective.
I don’t want to come across as too critical! If you took the spice and swearing out, it reads adequately as an upper middle school/early high school level. Just enough engagement for that age group! Since it contains some R rated spice and swearing, I’m not sure where it falls. Reads more YA than NA.

I really enjoyed this! A lot of drama that kept me entertained! Loved the romance in this and the vampire aspect.

I won't lie I struggled with this. The FMC was supposed to be a huntress but needed help constantly. The romance was very insta-love and the MMC didn't tickle my fancy 😉

The world building was lacking and the pacing was slow and repetitive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kay Marrie for the ARC!

This book was fast-paced & chaotic in the best way. The plot kept me hooked from start to finish, and the twists and turns were so good. Chef’s kiss.

That said, I do wish there had been a bit more world-building, I feel like there was this whole cool universe just under the surface that we didn’t get to fully explore. Also Lilah being a huntress; such a badass concept but I wish we got to actually see her be one a bit more. The romance gave insta-lust vibes, which isn’t a deal-breaker, but I feel like a few extra chapters could’ve made the connection hit harder.

Still, super entertaining read, zero regrets!

First of all Thank you Kay Marrie for believing in me and giving me an ARC copy. (please note, even though I was gifted this ARC all opinions are my own)

That being said I think right now, it's a 3.75 (Because good reads doesn't do part stars, and if they do I must be dumb)

Please look up trigger warnings, or to the author please put trigger warnings in the front of the printed book...Lots of death, gory description and just lots of F bombs.... (if you don't know what the F bomb is, ask your parents, or wait till your older to pick up this book)

That being said, this book is NOT FOR kids, or faint of heart.

(before you read on this may contain spoilers; so if you dislike spoilers before the book is printed, please do not read past this point)

Nyx is funny and cute, and hot (hello book boyfriend)

the girl is something to be desired. She keeps calling herself a "huntress" but we only get a few pages...if that...in her small huntress "life"

if you can't "deal" with a "huntress" character having to be rescued EVERY SINGLE TIME she is "In trouble" then this book is not for you, but she does get a bit better (But not by much) it's like she can't remember her training.

That being said though, if you like sassy bad guys, and bad guys who can BRING IT, then this is the book for you. I loved the author's way of writing bad guys.

I also liked her magic system, and the dark woods...How it was "alive" It was funny....

again, thank you for the ARC and good luck on your lunch day!

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This had all the good stuff magic, vampires, and a touch of spice. The opening pulled me in right away, and the ending? Full of twists and that cliffhanger hit hard.

I did struggle a bit in the middle things felt repetitive and I wish we’d seen more of her huntress journey. The pacing made it tough to really click with the characters, but overall, a fun and promising read!

⭐️3.5

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!!

This is the first book in the Blood and Vengeance series, and while I think it had amazing potential, something felt missing for me. The beginning was really enjoyable andI got super invested quickly but around the middle, it started to feel a bit repetitive. The FMC kept getting kidnapped or caught in similar situations, and the story seemed to go through the same cycle a few too many times.

some parts had a lot more potential i think. The ending definitely got interesting though! And i did really ended up liking the FMC and her story alot!!
I’ll definitely be reading the second book when it comes out ^^

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 A Court of Blood and Sacrifice
✒️ Kay Marrie
💫💫💫💫

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is nothing new, but it has been executed well.
The plot is simple, the characters connectable, the worldbuilding simple and the cliff hanger highlighting where this series is heading.
I feel like we lost a little backstory though, I was a bit confused and was pretty much launched straight into the plot. A few answers appeared at the end but I would've preferred to understand it at the start, felt a little disjointed.
A promising start to a new series of enemies to lovers with a vampiric lore.

*A Court of Blood and Sacrifice* promises an enemies-to-lovers dark vampire romance full of vengeance, betrayal, and uneasy alliances—but for me, the execution didn’t quite live up to the premise.

Right from the start, the book felt overwritten. The descriptions were so heavy and unnatural that I couldn’t get fully swept into the story. I’m not sure if it was the word choices or just how much the narration tried to pile on the detail, but it made things feel clunky and awkward - especially in the two prologues (yes, two prologues… which I’ve honestly never seen before). The writing at this stage was rough, full of odd sentence constructions and spelling errors that forced me to reread far more than I wanted to. And that visual of the vampires drinking blood straight off the floor where her father died? I couldn’t help but picture them crouched like animals licking the ground—it just struck me as weird and pulled me straight out of the tension the moment was trying to build.

Once I finally made it past the prologues, the writing thankfully improved and started to flow better. But I still struggled to get a proper sense of the world. The story tells of Lilah, a young woman who watched her father die at the hands of a vampire from the Dark Lands, swearing vengeance and training to join the elite Sunfire Court guard, the toughest vampire hunters in existence. But despite this central premise, I felt like I barely knew Lilah as a character. Her name wasn’t even made clear for ages, and when her motivations and thoughts were explained, they were repeated so often, especially her trauma about that fateful night, that it started to feel tiring rather than meaningful.

The book also jumped around in time quite a bit early on, which made it harder to get grounded. That said, I did enjoy the moment where Lilah wrestled with the darkness tempting her as she relished the sunlight, one of the rare glimpses where I felt connected to her internal conflict. And while the society in this world seems to be opening up to allow female warriors, the misogynistic roots are still clearly there, forcing Lilah to work twice as hard for the same recognition. That element actually made me a little proud of her stubborn determination to prove the men wrong about her supposed delicacy.

One of the few relationships I genuinely liked was between Lilah and Eldrich, her sort-of father figure. Their found family vibe was sweet, and gave some warmth to the story.

Other small things kept pulling me out of the world too: odd uses of real-world sayings like “Out with the old, in with the new” felt jarringly modern in this dark fantasy setting. And for someone who supposedly trained as a Huntress for years, Lilah seemed weirdly unfamiliar with things like early-morning training, which made her feel inconsistent as a character. Details like weather changes also felt off; one moment there’s a storm to conveniently let a vampire cross into protected lands, and not long after the heat is sweltering? It gave the impression that the setting was being shaped to fit plot needs rather than feeling like a fully realised world.

Overall, the book struggled with repetition, underdeveloped world-building, and a tendency to "tell not show", especially when it came to Lilah’s knowledge, which was always explained as “things I researched when I was younger” instead of letting the reader learn alongside her. The plot itself felt simple and predictable, missing the layers that make a fantasy romance feel rich and alive.

In the end, *A Court of Blood and Sacrifice* had all the ingredients for a dark, dangerous, enemies-to-lovers vampire story... but the way those pieces came together didn’t feel quite finished or convincing enough to fully hook me.

ARC REVIEW✨️@kaymarrie__author for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!!

Book one in the Blood & Vengeance series is a gripping ride—dark, sexy, and emotionally raw. With a powerful protagonist, slow-burn romance, magic, and monster-filled lore, it delivers classic vampiric romantasy. The execution in spots is uneven, and I craved more depth in Nyx’s POV, but the atmospheric journey, twisting plot, and strong hook at the end make it a worthy four-star read.

Perfect for: Enemies-to-lovers fans, dark fantasy seekers, players of romantic tension, and readers craving a strong female lead carving her own path.

Cannot wait for Book two! 🌹🩸🌹🩸🌹

This book had a strong premise and a lot of promise, but it didn’t quite deliver. I was hoping for a deeper connection and more emotional buildup between the main characters.

The inclusion of vampires initially made it seem like something I’d really enjoy. However, the pacing felt off, and the absence of a slow-burn romance made it harder to stay engaged.

That said, the magical elements were a unique twist and added depth beyond the typical vampire storyline. The book ends on a cliffhanger with many unresolved plot points, which left the story feeling incomplete.

Thank you for the arc NetGalley!!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wound up DNF’ing - I really struggled to get into this book unfortunately. Something just didn’t mesh with me and I found myself not caring to continue the story.

This one just wasn’t for me, and I ended up putting it down before the end. I really wanted to love it—the premise really caught my interest—but I found myself struggling to stay engaged.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 💌

The world building, plot, and writing style was something I wasn't a fan of. The romance was nice though.

I honestly don't know why this book has such overwhelmingly amazing reviews because, I hate to say it, but it's not that good. The FMC is childish, selfish, stupid, and soooo annoying. I truly could not stand her. The concept here was really good. I liked the forest being aware and vengeful, I liked the idea of the vampires only being that way because they were cursed, and I liked the whole mystery of who did what in the past and how that's created this present. But the way this was written just did not work. It never once pulled me in, things were repeated over and over, and it was like the same thing kept happening just in a different location. IE: Lilah was constantly getting taken by bad vampires and Nyx would just repeatedly cheat death and go save her. Even when we get to the ending and it seemed liked things were finally going to get good, it all just built and built and then....Lilah was Lilah....

So yeah, I hated Lilah. She lost her mother to a sickness when she was really young and then she witnessed her father being murdered when she was 12 because he wouldn't tell the attackers where she was. She vowed then that she would become one of the queen's hunters, track these monsters down, and kill them. Then she spends the next few years as a street rat until some random drunk guy takes her home to work on his farm in exchange for room and board. During her years with him, she practices with a sword all by herself after watching the hunters training. And somehow she becomes this amazing kick-ass fighter who beats the best hunter in the kingdom? Don't make me laugh. Oh, but I did again when she proceeds to beat another one of the best hunters in the kingdom. So ridiculously unbelievable. But I can only assume that there's a sort of brainwashing going on here with the number of times we are told that she's a huntress and that makes her a badass fighter who fears nothing. You know, like those things that if you say it enough times you believe it? For someone who's just so strong she sure did get her own ass kicked more often than not.

I guess I liked Nyx. But mostly that's because he has the same name as one of my cats. That was a fun surprise. I really didn't have as big a problem with him as I did Lilah, I didn't care one way or another really. While I can appreciate his character and the circumstances that this exiled prince finds himself in, he was just such a boring love sick sap. Which is too bad.

So basically what happens here is that literally a handful of days after Lilah becomes an official huntress, she is sent on a dangerous mission into the dark forest where all sorts of extremely dangerous creatures and the vampires live. It doesn't take long for their group to be attacked and for her to be separated from them. She's saved by Nyx and we spend the rest of the book with these two lusting after each other. Lilah gets kidnapped multiple times, Nyx somehow escapes certain death multiple times, and every so often Lilah learns a truth about her own kingdom and herself that she never knew. Turns out that Lilah is special....but that's definitely not a good thing and it has put a huge bounty on her head from the vampire king. When he finally gets his hands on her, the story really did get more interesting. But I don't like how this ended and the task that Lilah has to do to save the vampire she somehow fell in love with despite how much she hates his kind. She's just too weak and stupid to pull it off believably, so I can already see the next book annoying me even more. So I'm gonna pass on that.

This book had a great concept with clear potential and drive, but fell flat. I would've loved to see more development of feelings and attraction between the main characters.

The main character's logic/internal monologue seemed to jump around, like thoughts she had in the middle should've come earlier to ease the flow and build her character. FMC and MMC didn't deviate from stereotypes.

The prose had amazing potential, but veered so much into modern day/contemporary idioms and wording that it took me out of the book, rather than leaning on the fantastical elements to immerse the reader. It was too stereotypical (I'm thinking ACOMAF X Twilight) and relied heavily on tropes to move the plot and character relationships forward.

If you like vampires, spice and love to see tropes of the romantasy genre, this book is definitely for you.

Let me start off by saying the book got better as it went but I do have a lot of critiquing to give. There’s still some editing and spell checks to be done but other than that this was a pretty good one.

I would have liked for Lilah to have spent more time really questioning her 180 degree switch from hating all vampires to being in love with one. I would have liked to see that inner conflict resolved more slowly and realistically. Nyx’s too to some extent.

He watched her for all those years but never really explained how he felt for Lilah which could have been sweet. I want to know why he was willing to do so much for her. And why he was he so against his father Dravian. I would have liked to see that back story a little bit. There was almost nothing other than general personality differences. Give me more!

I also want to know more about Lilah’s magic, why the forest hates her, who the Veyls are and why they’re special. So many more questions and not enough room for them all. I asusten we’ll learn more as the series goes on but more development would have made for a better book.

I know I had a lot of negative to say but it was only because I can see the potential to this being a REALLY GOOD BOOK it just needs more development. Right now it stands at ok/good and it’s just SO close