I absolutely devoured this book! It's sooooo good. I was holding my breath at parts, I was hooked from start to end. I can't believe how good this book is! Such a fun romantasy book! I so need book 2!

When I tell you I INHALED this book 😮‍💨

I’ve been wanting to read a Kathryn Ann Kingsley book for a hot minute and I’m so glad I’ve finally dived in with The Serpent’s Bride because I loved it.

A fae x vampire x mafia dark romance? Say less, I’m here for it 🙋🏼‍♀️. The banter and tension throughout was exquisite, Raziel was SEXY AF and I do love a good stabby FMC assassin, which Nadi plays super well.

The world building was done well enough that it wasn’t overpowering and I really enjoyed the character building around the Nostrom family. They are all despicable but in a way you love to hate them.

If you like a morally black MMC, Raziel is your guy. Don’t expect this guy to be all sweet at any point, he’s pure evil and I lapped it up. I hope he keeps a semblance of this in future books because even though I do like when the MMC is only soft for the FMC, I’m gonna need Raziel to keep up with the bloodthirsty vibes. Am I the problem? Maybe 🤷‍♀️

Oh and that cliffhanger? I yelled. Give me a second book IMMEDIATELY!!

The only reason I didn’t give this one a five stars is because 1) it’s urban fantasy which isn’t my preference and 2) Nadi’s inner monologue was extremely repetitive. Two minor things though in a what was otherwise a delightful read.

Thank you so, so much to NetGalley, Second Sky & Kathryn Ann Kingsley for the ARC. I’m super grateful and can’t wait to see what Raziel & Nadi get up to next ❤️‍🔥

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

If you’re looking for a true ‘enemies to lovers’ read, look no further - our FMC is literally planning to murder his entire family.

As soon as I read the blurb for The Serpent’s Bride and found out this was about a fae assassin infiltrating a vampire family to seek revenge, I was immediately excited. This book delivers on everything it promises and is a totally addictive page-turner that will have you desperate to find out how it’s going to end.

The world that Kathryn has created in The Serpent’s Bride is rich and decadent and is the perfect backdrop for Raziel and Nadi’s relationship, which was balanced perfectly with the more action-packed moments that drove the story along. The ending was the perfect twist on the story and has left me reeling as we now wait for book 2!

My first read from Kathryn Ann Kingsley and will definitely not be my last! Thank you to Second Sky books and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I am brand new to Kathryn Ann Kingsley, and honestly, there is no looking back now.
I asbolutely devoured this in one sitting and this was one of the most enjoyable new books I've read in a while.

This is truly an enemies to lovers, that doesnt necessarily entail falling in love. What they feel is a whole lot of lust without the insta-lust, insta-love development.

With Nadi, the FMC being a morally black fae shapeshifter and her blood smelling different to humans, it makes Raziel, her arranged betrothed vampire mafia husband find her quite alluring, and I love the use of blood to drive the lust in a vampire setting as we've moved away from bloodlust to sustenance in the last few years of vampire stories. Raziel, a firm detester of the "filthy faekind" believes he has been arranged to marry a human... Oh what a surprise he is in for. Raziel murdered Nadi's parents, and Nadi's is determined to murder them straight back...


What follows is an incredible satisfying mafia-style storyline, a dark seedy underworld full of murder, substances and a heavy dose of secrets and betrayals. Raziel's family are brutal, witty and full of dark humour and are quite literally power drunk of the centuries of rule and stepping on each other to get the top. Their family dynamic is so delicious to devour whether you are a fan of a mafia theme or new to it (as I was)

Nadi is clever, and stubborn but doesn't fall in the annoying fmc trap, whereas Raziel is dark, brooding, wickedly intelligent and quietly calculating. It makes for such an interesting dynamic between him and his "little murderer" and the lust between them is undeniably delicious. There is even mention of "rutting" which is honestly, quite exquisite. I was so ungrossed I didnt realise I was on the last page was quite incredibly distressed to reach the ending realising I had to wait for book 2.

A huge thanks to SecondSky for getting this on my radar, this is for sure a new auto-buy author and can't wait to devour her back catalog.

First off I would like to thank netgalley and secondskybooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Now onto my non-spoiler review!

I have personally never read anything by this author before so I definitely went into the story a bit blindly. The only thing I knew was the little blurb of the book, but other than that I wasn’t sure what to expect. I felt that the hidden identity concept is a trope that I actually quite enjoy. For our FMC to be able to pretend to be someone she is not to enact her revenge honestly made me think back to a show that I used to love that was called Revenge.

Marrying your enemy in order to seek out your revenge from the inside is such an amazing plot so seeing that this was done fairly well made this reading experience so enjoyable! Seeing as how both our MMC’s were both ruthless and had to keep their walls up around each other definitely made for an interesting game of cat and mouse. Especially since they both had a darkness too them! Which again was a fun concept because most books I’ve read, there was always someone who was considered the light and the other considered the darkness but both Nadi and Raziel were more on the darkness side of things.


I felt like the world building was decent but the characters definitely stole the show with their personalities and their banter. Overall this was a solid book and I am so glad I got the chance to read it!

Thank you to Second Sky books for the ARC of this book. I love me a good vampire book, and this was no exception. Vampires ✅, mafia/politics ✅, fae shapeshifter ✅. Nadi spends 80 years preparing to take down Raziel and his family for what he did to hers. However, she isn’t prepared for the feelings that Raziel brings out in her…absolutely captivating and THE CLIFFHANGER AT THE END IS CRIMINAL. Definitely recommend!

The Serpent’s Bride is a dark, thrilling, and intoxicating ride into a world of vampires, mafia politics, and forbidden attraction. The premise instantly hooked me—an assassin disguising herself as a vampire prince’s bride to take down his entire family—and it delivered on that delicious tension.

The atmosphere is rich and gothic, the writing sharp and compelling, and Raziel is every bit as magnetic and dangerous as promised. The enemies-to-lovers tension sizzles, and the mafia-vampire twist makes the stakes feel even higher. I loved how the heroine’s resolve to kill collides with her growing (and very inconvenient) attraction to Raziel—it makes for some seriously addictive reading.

That said, I’m leaving it at four stars because there were moments where the pacing slowed just a touch, and I wanted a little more development between the action-heavy scenes. But overall, it’s a strong start to what promises to be a spicy, high-stakes series. If you love morally grey characters, dangerous romance, and a heroine with a dagger hidden under her wedding gown, you’ll want to pick this one up!

ouldn't put it down!! The Serpent's Bride was the vampire mafia dark romance I didn't know I needed 🐍🖤 and the ending?!? 🤯🤯

Loved Nadi and Raziel's twisted relationship! Their tension was written so so well 😍🔥 only reason it's not a full 5🌟 from me is that there were little bits that were repetitive and I felt like Nadi was making a few decisions that didn't really fit with her expert-assassin background 🤷🏼‍♀️ But I would still recommend this book FOR SURE! Can't wait for Book 2 🖤🖤

Thanks so much to the author, The Nerd Fam, and Netgalley for my copy to review!

Thank you to NerdFam, Second Sky and Netgalley for this ARC. My opinion is fully my own.

I enjoyed this story overall but it took me a bit to get into it. Some parts were slow even after Nadi is in the thick of it. Despite being a badass assassin, she seemed weirdly far too merciful and also gullible. The side characters also weren't super exciting or evil on page despite being this big evil vampire mafia family. The star of the book to me was Raziel. He was fascinating and a total contradiction. He is third in power but acts like he's in charge. He is murderous but also is into consent. He was always one step ahead so was super clever. Every time he appeared on page, the story picked up and sucked me back in. That ending was brutal. I will definitely read the next book in the series.

I enjoyed this book more then I thought I would. The plot was interesting with a different take on fae and vampires. However, I did find myself a little annoyed with the Nadi's immediate attraction to Raziel and felt like there wasn't a lot of build up to it. I also found it annoying for everyone to keep bringing up that she was going to die, like every other conversation. What I did like was the banter and that is what kept me interested. I liked how he did take care of her and he did ask for consent and never forced anything on her, however I don't think I could ever be attracted to a man who killed my whole family, especially my parents in front of me. Maybe another reason for revenge would have made it more enjoyable. Overall it was a easy read. I have no idea if I will pick up the second or not.

Thank you The Nerd Fam, Netgalley and Second Sky for this ARC.

Shapeshifter fae and vampires. Yes, please.

This was such a fun and easy to follow book. I flew through it. Not going to lie I didn’t realize I was so close to the end so that cliffhanger nearly took me out.

I love that we are starting off with true enemies. This trope will absolutely never get old. I cannot wait for the next book.

Thank you so much to Second Sky and The Nerd Fam for the ARC/ALC! The audio was wonderful.

I'’m still reeling from the spicy scenes🤭 Coupled with the fast-paced revenge plot and magnetic dynamic between the fmc and mmc, I gobbled this up pretty quickly. Also, I didn’t expect the book to be in an urban setting (think peaky blinders).

Something to note: Things were getting a little repetitive 60% into the book. The fmc constantly proclaims how she wants to seek revenge but not much was done to kickstart the process. The main bulk of the plot was more focused on the fmc coming to terms with her attraction to the mmc imo.

However, the final chapters got better and that cliffhanger ending caught me by surprise! Can’t wait to see how the story unfolds in the sequel.

Thank you secondskybooks for the arc!

Two things about me. One I am an absolute slut for a good vampire romance. And two, I am an absolute filthy slut for a spectacular vampire romance. This book was so deliciously addictive to the point where I’m not sure how I am going to survive without the next book in my hands in the next 5 seconds.

I absolutely loved the way the author told the story and even though it was in 3rd person, which I usually dislike. It was still done in a way that absolutely pulled me from the moment I started. I also loved how it was also told from dual POV as well. I was in such a reading slump but this book not only got me out of my rut, but also made me want to read more from this author. While there isn’t necessarily spice that goes on, there is a lot of other stuff that does happen😏🤭

I don’t want to give too much away, but it does end on a major cliffhanger. I know that is sometimes off putting to some readers, or in my case it drives them absolutely bonkers for the next book. But honestly? I had the biggest grin on my face when I got to the end. It just made me love the book so much. If you are obsessed with vampire romance or even fae romance, you need to add this to your TBR immediately. Then thank me later because you will be absolutely addicted the way I was to this book. (Also, if you have any vampire recs, your girl is all ears👀)

The Serpent’s Bride will be available on 8/28, and will also be available on KU as well!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

*Thank you to The NerdFam, NetGalley, Second Sky and the author, Kathryn Ann Kingsley for the ARC!*

I was intrigued by the synopsis, and I'm not new to dark romance, but unfortunately, the book wasn't for me.
I loved the idea for the plot; alas, I didn't feel or believe their attraction on both sides.
Hard for me to grasp was what they saw in each other—he said himself that he had so many different "toys" , but the only thing different about her that was conveyed to the reader was that they were both killers, and that's what hooked him. It's challenging to believe, given his line of work, that he hadn't slept with killers or strong characters before her, so the question remains….what he see different in her?
- As to her…he killed all of her family without regretting it, without some redemption arc, and he remains a bloodthirsty killer that hunts her kind…so that was a big turnoff and prevented me from buying that she fell for him. Moreover, there were other bits that didn't add up, but my biggest problems were: - It felt like from day one, she didn't do anything to advance his plan for revenge. She did absolutely nothing (even he said so in their final dinner); the only bit she did was kill one of his bodyguards, and that was it.
- She let the real Monica and one of her people live out of mercy and some guilty conscience but had no issue killing in a brutal manner her own uncle, who tried to get her out and save her? That was a tough one to understand.
- In the last couple of chapters, she repeated the phrase that he's going to kill her so many times that she was annoying ,furthermore she repeated so many times that she has to kill him without doing anything that in the middle of the book, I stopped believing her at all that she will do anything about her revenge.

Huge thanks to Net Galley & Second Sky for the ARC!!

Oh wow… The Serpent’s Bride completely sucked me in. Nadi is a total badass fae assassin, and her plan to take down Raziel, the vampire who murdered her family by posing as his bride? YESSS Get it girl 🔥

What I loved most? Basically everyone in this book is villainous in some way, and I ate that up. Raziel isn’t just “morally grey” or misunderstood—he actually loves the horrible things he does, and he owns that darkness. It makes him feel real, terrifying, and magnetic all at once. And Nadi? She’s just as deadly, just as dark. Honestly, I think both of them are products of the lives they’ve lived, and it makes their story feel so much deeper. The fact that Nadi can hold her own because she's been training her whole life to do so and not just miraculously wakes up a powerful world saver overnight is something that I really appreciate in a FMC these days.

The worldbuilding, the dark mafia vibes, the plot twists—they all kept me glued to the page. I actually finished this in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. I did have a few moments where the romance insta-lusty given everything going on, and how she was feeling towards him even though he slaughtered her full family but the story and characters more than make up for it and this only feeds into Nadi having a side just as twisted and dark as Raziel. Perfect Match.
That ending?...That cliffhanger? I’m screaming for book two. So upset that I actually need to wait to see how things play out... i just know that it's going to be even better. CAN'T WAIT!!

Audiobook : I listened to the audio for a parts also and the narrator was great. As always its not my particular favourite when the narrator is playing both parts but it was still enjoyable ( once I sped it up a bit, but this is personal preference)

Enemies-to-lovers, morally grey leads, dark fantasy, and villainous vibes galore? This one is a must for your TBR

Wow. Just wow.

If you ever wanted to read urban fantasy with enemies to lovers, this book was everything. The storyline reminded me of the movie ‘The Invitation’. And it was written spectacularly.

I enjoyed Nadi and Raziel’s interactions and banter. I especially loved how she stood up.

The story was well-paced, and the characters were written well.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I cannot wait for the next installment.

Thank you for the ARC!

5 ⭐️ NO NOTES

HOLY SHIT

if you like fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, vampires and fae but you also like mafia men, dark romances, and *holy shit the enemies to lovers are really enemies* then this is THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!!!

our fmc, nadi, is a shapeshifting fae assassin. YUP! YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! and she has been planning her revenge for *80 years* against the mmc and his entire family. nadi is such a badass and i never felt like she was weakened for the plot. she had her goals and she did everything to stick to them

on the other hand, you have our mmc raziel. he is a vampire and third son of basically vampire royalty. he can also hypnotize humans and loves to make them k!ll themselves instead of getting his own hands dirty (he has lots of creative ways to do this!) his entire family, and basically all vampires, hate fae and think of them like savages.

the book is set in a semi-urban fantasy. think: cars and electricity is new but g!ns are pretty regularly used. i’m not normally an urban fantasy girlie but this felt like a natural progression of technology instead of just inputting a fantasy plot into the real world.

i need the next installment of this series immediately because the ENDING? had me screeching!

huge thank you to The Nerd Fam, Second Sky, and Kathryn Ann Kingsley for the ARC and ALC of this book!

The queen of villain romance herself has taken on mafia romance + vampire vs fae enemies-to-lovers...and utterly delivered. Unique world-building puts a metropolis ruled by vampiric elite directly atop the winding wilds the few remaining fae call home. The twists keep on twisting as the characters surprise even themselves. I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into the rest of the series!

ARC & ALC Review

If you like:
- Vampire Mafia
- Spice
- Marriage of Convenience
- Dark Romantasy
- Revenge
- Fae shifter

This is the book for you 🧛🏽🩸

Overall, this was a good read. It was dark, spicy, and entertaining.

My one thing is this is advertised as true enemies to lovers but I fear it is not. The fmc falls for the mmc almost instantly. Although she fights with herself a lot in her head about him and does things an enemy would do, she fell for him fast. When you write an enemies to lovers, you want them to be true enemies where they actually hate each other and have that tension and attraction build up slowly. We didn’t get that here. Other than this, I did enjoy this book and look forward to book 2.

The plot had me very intrigued. We had mafia meets vampire which is a first for me and I loved it. It was something different for me which I liked. The spice was spicing, I love Vampire smut 😩🤭


The audio was good! It was your average audiobook, I honestly have no complaints about it. It wasn’t amazing but it also wasn’t bad. It was a good, solid audiobook. The narrator did a great job for the mmc, the voice was deep and dark! Especially during the smut scenes, I was like “okayyy”


4 Stars ⭐️

I alternated between reading the e-book and the audiobook, and both formats were really good.

The story follows a fae assassin seeking revenge for her family’s death by pretending to be a vampire bride. Both the MMC and FMC were really well developed, and I couldn’t help but be drawn into their enemies-to-lovers dynamic.

That ending left me desperate for Book 2....I need to know what happens next and why!

If you’re a fan of fae, vampires, and shapeshifting with just the right amount of spice, this one’s for you.