The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley is a dark, intoxicating fantasy romance that slithers its way under your skin with lyrical prose, mythic atmosphere, and a heroine whose journey is as perilous as it is compelling. What sets this book apart is its embrace of moral ambiguity—there are no clear-cut heroes here, only the seductive pull of power and the creeping dread of consequence. Kingsley doesn’t just flirt with darkness; she makes it beautiful, dangerous, and utterly irresistible.

What shines most is the atmosphere. The author’s worldbuilding is vivid and immersive, from the hush of moonlit forests to the visceral transformation scenes that echo the primal roots of old myths. Nadi herself is a standout: a protagonist neither helpless nor wholly in control, learning to navigate a destiny thrust upon her. Kingsley crafts her inner turmoil with nuance, letting the reader feel every flicker of doubt, desire, and determination. The plot also delivers on the promise of high stakes and twists, with political maneuvering and unexpected betrayals that keep the tension simmering.

There are, however, a few stumbles. The early pacing may test readers’ patience—some scenes linger longer than necessary—and a few supporting characters, while functional, could have used more depth or complexity. Additionally, readers who prefer tidy resolutions might find the morally murky ending less satisfying than they’d hoped. But for those who revel in ambiguity, who crave stories that challenge and unsettle as much as they enchant, these elements feel intentional and thematically rich.

In the end, The Serpent’s Bride isn’t just a love story—it’s a story about power, identity, and what it means to choose "transformation" over stagnation, even when the cost is steep. If you’re drawn to fantasy romance with teeth—lush, dark, and brimming with mythic resonance, this book will linger with you long after the last page.

I didn’t particularly like this book. It felt very unbelievable yet also predictable. I disliked both main characters. There is no world in which someone would be instantly attracted to the man who killed their entire family. The magic and world itself was intriguing and different but I just couldn’t get past the impossibility of everything.

I received a ARC of The Serpent’s Bride from netgalley for an honest review.

I love paranormal/fantasy romances and mafia romances so having them combined is a treat I’m addicted to now!

For a while I’ve been seeing so many books get an enemies to lovers trope slapped right on the cover. Every other book I find on amazon or TikTok is an enemies to lovers and I’ve honestly gotten bored with it, especially since the ‘enemies’ label feels forced or unjustified. Doubly especially when insta-lust is involved.

Not for Nadi and Raziel though, in my not so humble opinion.

Raziel deserves every bit of hatred from Nadi for the things he did before and during the book’s setting, and he relished every bit of it. KAK was right when she said they were an absolute murderous joy, because that’s exactly what they are and I can not wait for the next book.

Nadi is a fae assassin hellbent on revenge against the Norstrom mafia family, starting with Raziel, who killed her family. Raziel is ’The Serpent’ and takes care of the dirty work for his family, and now he has to get married.

Nadi, disguised as his fiancé, gets close to him to try to achieve her long awaited revenge but she has to be careful, one wrong move and she’ll be dead sooner than the family is planning.

I really loved how even though both acknowledge that they find the other attractive, the desire for the other doesn’t really take affect until they actually get to know each other a bit.

Nadi is unlike KAK’s previous FMCs, who usually value life more than anything (Like Abigail, Maxine and even Gwen), where as Nadi wants to stab/kill literally everyone that annoys her (though she doesn’t act on it all the time). But very similarly to the other FMCs, she wants to live, despite her horrid circumstances.

I’m gonna be honest, I think Raziel is KAK’s most arrogant MMC yet. Maybe its his age (he’s significantly younger compared to characters like Valroy, Vlad, and Aon) or maybe its his status in his deranged family that makes him so arrogant and a bit petulant, but I love him all the same.

If you’re familiar with KAK’s other books, I went into this with the expectation that Raziel would have a character archetype similar to Vlad or Aon (Maybe it’s the hair?) but he’s more like Simon and a tiny bit like Izael, just more sane and ragey. The setting and the isle of Runne is also making some gears turn in my head given that most of her books are in the same multiverse. I won’t give any spoilers but I’m hoping other readers are having the same thoughts I am.

If you’re not familiar with KAK’s other books I HIGHLY recommend reading the Immortal Soul duology and The Unseelie Shadows Chronicles if you’re craving more vampire and fae goodness

AS FOR THE ENDING, was I surprised? No and that’s fine because I’m rubbing my hands together while laughing evilly because as Raziel said, the fun is about to begin!

…I just have to wait until January 😭

So, I'm giving this 4 and a half stars

This book was so much fun and I need book 2!! That cliffhanger was CRIMINAL!!! I’m excited to see where book 2 takes us. I never knew when the show was going to drop and how it was going to unfold

The Serpents Bride was a quick and fun read, with plenty of action. Absolutely loved how it started and the development of the plot. The world building was straight forward and the characters were multidimensional.

That said, while I appreciated the complexity of the characters and plot, I struggled to feel emotionally invested. There was a certain distance that made it difficult to truly care about their fates or connect with them on a deeper level.

I will pick up anything by Kathryn Ann Kingsley - even before I started tracking my reading again I was reading her Arthurian Legend, Iron Crystal, series on Kindle Unlimited. So I snapped at the chance to read this via NetGalley and it did not disappoint.

This dark fantasy, vampires and fae in a mafia style romance marks the first of her new Bloodlines series and I devoured it in a day. I love any interpretation of vampires that take them in this direction - thanks True Blood - and the world building Kingsley presents is simple but engaging. She gets right to the action and drops us right in the middle of the action, with secret identities and arranged marriages and more delights.

Nadi makes for an interesting, morally gray protagonist posing at Raziel’s arranged wife Monica, and their love (most like lust) created and enemies to lovers dynamic that is intriguing and really pulls the plot along. I look forward to reading more about these two as they continue their deadly story together.

Thanks again to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Katheryn Ann Kingsley for this ARC!

It is an interesting and fun read, with a strong FMC who is wanting to avenge her family and she will get there however she can. Shes fierce, she is bright and she is insanely brave. Enjoyable character to watch and develop throughout the story and keep you engaged from the beginning.

The story is full of twists and turns, leaving you flying through the book. Kathryn Ann Kingsley is a new author to me but I did thoroughly enjoy her story and would recommend on!

Kingsley never misses and that holds true even for this book, Kingsley also loves a good cliff hanger so be warned! I'm already jumping for book 2!

3.5⭐️



Nadi lleva más de ochenta años esperando la oportunidad perfecta para vengarse del monstruo que destruyó su vida: Raziel Nostrom, un vampiro despiadado con el poder de controlar las mentes y una crueldad sin límites. Cuando descubre que está por casarse con una joven humana en una unión política, Nadi ve su oportunidad y se hace pasar por la prometida.

Ahora, bajo el nombre de Monica Valan, Nadi se infiltra en el corazón de la familia Nostrom con un solo objetivo: asesinarlos a todos desde adentro, empezando por Raziel. Pero cuanto más tiempo pasa junto a él, más se da cuenta de que hay una complejidad y una oscuridad seductora en su enemigo… y que la línea entre el odio y la atracción es más delgada de lo que jamás imaginó.


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Hubiera sido más coherente que ella no sintiera atracción por él en este libro, sino hasta el siguiente. Se supone que su objetivo es vengar la muerte de su familia, lleva años planeando cómo matarlo a él y a los suyos, y cuando por fin tiene la oportunidad, su reacción es sentir deseo por él.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

3.5⭐️

This is an ARC review. I want to thank Kathryn Ann Kingsley and Second Sky for allowing me the chance to read this book ahead of release day!

Nadi who poses as Monica Raziel’s soon to be wife truly has a vengeful streak in her and well I don’t blame her. Anyone who murders my family I would want there to be justice. Nadi I will say is a HORRIBLE person to pose as passive and meek. She’s too quick witted and sarcastic to ever be who they might have thought Monica was.

Raziell’s family are all truly despicable and cannot be trusted. I mean none of them. Which is sad he grew up with relatives like that. It is no wonder he came out so murderous like! He’s trying to be who they molded him to be.

Overall, I found this to be a good quick read. The world was easily understood and the hierarchy is shown throughout the entire book. Vampires are top rulers and everyone else (Fae or human) are inconsequential. I enjoyed this book so much as the banter was…bantering!

Let’s just say based on the ending I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

The Serpent's Bride by new to me author Kathryn Ann Kingsley, published by Second Sky, is the first book in the Bloodlines Series.
This is not a stand alone, the story ends in a cliffie.
This enemies-to-lovers story is a dark, fantastic pageturner that had me right from the start.
I read the whole book, cover to cover, in one single sitting, literally unputdownable.
Dark, twisty, full of unexpected turns , suspense til the very last page, 5 stars.