“Her wedding bouquet was the color of blood”

“This was wrong. This was dangerous. This was going to get her into a lot of trouble”

This book was … wild. That’s the main adjective I would use to describe it. Dark, spicy, addicting and wild. That’s vampire romance for you guys, done in the most deliciously vampire-driven, bloody and obsessive way. I loved it. Every second of it. I finished it in one sitting. I could not stop. Forbidden romance. Revenge plot. Hidden identity. A bit of BDSM in the midst. A primal and intensely exciting dark romance dynamic between a bloody vampire and the fae who is seeking revenge on him and she masks herself as a human. The moment the tension between them and all the “why am I having these feelings” situation from both of them came to fruition … oh how amazing it felt. It was absolutely amazing and with THAT kind of ending … I need more !!! I absolutely need more !!! I can’t wait for this to be out !!

“Curious creature. But perhaps, just perhaps, she might have a place in his family, after all”

“But here she stood. Fae blood on her hands. And he had never felt such need before in all his years”

“My little bloody bride, my killer, my little murderer”

Wow. I love all of Kathryn Ann Kingsleys books so far, but that ending. Whew.... This was so great and quite different I feel from what I'm used to with her. I loved this so much!

Thank you to Second Sky & Netgalley for the eARC!

4 stars!!

Now, this one was soooo fun to read!!!

I loved how fast paced and straight to the point it was! The dark gothic atmosphere was everything I was looking for in a dark romantasy!

I'm so into reading about vampires again so I loved that part of the story, I do wish we got a little more lore regarding the fae/sirens though!

I thought Nadi & Raziel's romance was the STEAMIEST, and when it finally got to the spice? omggg!!!! 🔥

The ending sentence literally had me screaming!! Looking forward to book 2!!

I think this book will be PERFECT for lovers of dark romantasy!!!

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more! I loved Nadi's character and adored Raziel. I really liked how they were both in denial of their feelings for each other and Kingsley built the tension exceptionally well. The book was intense in many moments and humorous as well. This was my first Kathryn An Kingsley book, but will most definitely not be my last.

This book was dark, seductive, and totally unhinged in the best way. The vibes were immaculate gothic fantasy with a villain you know you shouldn’t love but do anyway. The romance was intense and toxic and deliciously addictive, and honestly? I ate it up. The writing pulls you right into this eerie, magical world that feels like a fairytale gone wrong, and I was so here for it. My only small gripe is that I wish the main character had pushed back a bit more early on but at the same time, the dynamic was the whole point, so it still worked. If you’re into morally gray love interests, dark magic, and stories that lean all the way into their chaos, this one's definitely for you.

I. ate. this. book. up!!

I am an absolute sucker for an arranged marriage trope and it is done so well in The Serpent's Bride. Nadi's fae family was killed by vampire Raziel 80 years ago and she has made it her mission to kill him and the entire Nostrum family. She decides to disguise herself as Raziel's sacrificial human bride to infiltrate and kill them all... Except things and people aren't exactly as they seem.

The back and forth between Nadi and Raziel was great. Such good push-pull and tension - it felt like true enemies to lovers, especially in Nadi's case. The spice was great and their chemistry was undeniable. Raziel is such an interesting character and I loved that we got to see his POV. I appreciated the levels and nuance to his morally grey character.

The book ends in a cliffhanger and I can't wait for book 2 to see what happens next!! Thank you so much Second Sky and Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

Ayoooo! I went into this not know what to expect and I ATE. IT. UP. The spice was spicing. The FMC was a baddie and the MMC was a daddy (metaphorically) and I simply need more.

The way this book just ended has me begging for more. I NEED ITTTTT NOWWWWW

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for the eARC! This was my first time reading anything by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. I would rate this about 3.5/4 stars. This is a dark fantasy romance book centering around our FMC Nadi, a fae assassin, and our MMC Raziel, a vampire. Raziel is getting married per vampire customs, to a bride he has never met yet. Nadi whom is out for revenge against Raziel for ending her entire family, decides to step as his new bride. What I liked: Nadi's fae background/powers and that she was a badass willing to do whatever it takes. I also liked that the world building was easy to follow, there was a lot of action to the plot, and the ending took an unexpected turn!

What was hard for me: I didn't really like Raziel as an MMC. While I usually like morally grey MMC, I find that typically they have some redeeming qualities and so far I haven't seen any in Raziel. He is pretty blunt and dark. I also found it hard to believe how Nadi could potentially look past the fact that he ended her entire family personally? But maybe more will be revealed in the next books. I am definitely am looking to read the sequel and interested to see how the plot develops, but particularly the character development for Raziel. Interested to see if he can be redeemed because there is a lot of valid hatred and motive for revenge by Nadi!

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Raziel Nostrom, a vampire mafia prince, wiped out Nadi’s family when she was a child. She vowed to one day get revenge and the perfect opportunity arose. Raziel is getting married to a human he’s never met and only knows what she looks like from a blurry picture. Nadi is a shapeshifter so of course she’s going to take the human bride’s place. He wiped out her family so she’s going to wipe out his. She just has to get past her very strong attraction to him first.

That cliffhanger had me screaming yes! I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

This pacing was quick and easy to understand - Vampires are always a safe bet for a delicious romantasy and adding in arranged marriage. I*'m hoping that this book is setting the stage for the second book to just blow me away, as I intend to continue the series. It felt somewhat repetitive at certain points, but regardless I had a great time reading.

3.5 Stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Second Sky for sending me this arc.

I did like this one but at the same time, there was some things that didn't quite hit the mark. We have Nadi who is Fae, and her sole purpose in life is to get revenge on Raziel, who is a vampire crime lord who has done some atrocious things. An opportunity of an arranged marriage with Raziel comes up, where Nadi can act out her revenge...

I enjoyed the beginning and it really gripped me from the start. There was a lot of character building which I always appreciate, but I would say it was lacking in world building.

I enjoyed the vibes of the plot. It was dark and mildly gothic and I'm a sucker for vampires! The plot had plenty of action with a few twists and turns. There was quite a few characters in the book, but it didn't get confusing at all. It was such a quick easy read with characters that maybe you shouldn't like, but absolutely do!

The main reason why I can't rate this book higher than 3.5 stars, is because of how much repetition is in this book! There were countless times of our FMC mentioning how she wanted to act revenge, pretty much at the end of every chapter which just wasn't needed.

Also I felt like the romance happened out of thin air and was purely based on lust, but Raziel has done some heinous things that effect Nadi's life and I just can't get past that. I will say that I enjoyed the banter between them.

As for the ending, I'm quite disappointed. I feel like where it was left, was what should have happened in this book, but perhaps it was just setting the scene and book 2 will be action packed from the get go?

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.