This was my first Vampire/Fae-mob story, and I loved it!

Nadi is out for revenge, and she is learning just how far she is willing to take it. Raziel has no idea what he is in for.

The world-building was easy to follow since it was mostly based in reality (other than the magical creatures). I loved where the story ended. I knew it had to have the revelation at the end, but I just couldn’t see how we were getting there. I was definitely gasping at the end.

The attraction started off a little too early in my opinion, but it bubbled up just right. The spice level was just right.

Absolutely going to read the next book in this series.

Wow. This was my first dark vampire romance, and all I have to say is that I need more! I really enjoyed this one, and I was hooked right away.

Nadi is a strong FMC, and I loved her from the beginning. Raziel is the epitome of a hot, powerful, broody vampire, and I couldn’t get enough. The chemistry between them is amazing, and the tensionnnnn was everything.

There was a little bit of a lull around the halfway point, but it picked back up again. I also wanted Nadi to get closer to fulfilling her deadly promise. But the ending?? Ugh. I can’t wait until book 2.

I mostly did an immersive read with the audio, and the narrator was fantastic! This is one that could easily be binged in a weekend!

This book was such a roller coaster of emotions from page one! I loved it!

This was my first book by this author and it won't be my last. Kathryn Ann Kingley took me to a wild and unexpected but well welcome ride. A very unique story surrounding Nadi and her revenge towards a family that took everything dear to her when she was just a little girl. Years later with a very well guarded heart she is an assassin working on an assignment when she discovers information that can help with her revenge plan. This is when she finds herself impersonating (literally because she is a fae shapeshifter ) as the fiancé of Raziel Nostrom, the infamous cold and ruthless vampire prince.

Raziel is notorious for his cold and cruel actions as well as his whole family but in the world he lives in, they are respected for the pack they have with the humans against all fae. When he meets his new bride to be (his sacrificial bride) he imagines a naive farm girl, but what he finds is very different and he becomes intrigued and invested in his "human" bride.

Nadi's plan don't go accordingly and she becomes distracted with Raziel's dark charm. She faces many obstacles and her heart is constantly at war of what she should do.

This story does end in an epic cliffhanger that left me wanting more. I listen to the ALC and the narrator Desireé Ketchum did an amazing job bring all the characters to life.

Thank you the The Nerd Family & Second Sky Books for the ARC & ALC through Netgallie.

I didn’t choose the vampire mafia life, the vampire mafia life chose me.

This book hooked me from the very first page! The tension between the characters is absolutely electric—angst in all the best ways, perfectly balanced with danger, dark allure, and simmering chemistry. The world felt vivid and brutal, yet completely addictive, and I couldn’t tear myself away from the pages.

And that ending? I was left gasping, wide-eyed, and immediately desperate for book two.

I could not put this book down!

This book ticks so many of my boxes - Enemies to Lovers, Marriage of Convenience, Mafia, Vampires and Fae.

The pacing of this book is excellent, it is fast paced and keeps you wanting more.

I love a book written with dual POVs, and this one did not disappoint. Raziel and Nadi have quickly become some of my most favourite characters, I need MORE! Nadi is such a strong FMC, and I love the dynamic between her and Raziel.

That twist at the end!? Although I could guess something was coming, I am still so entriguied to see where this story goes in book 2.

I would love a deeper dive into the families and the vampire/fae dynamics. I eat fantasy up so that would be a huge tick for me.

Thank you to Net Galley, Kathryn Ann Kingsley and Second Sky books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seductive, unpredictable and filled with tension, this book had me hooked from the beginning. Our fae shapeshifting assassin FMC Nadi enters into a marriage of convenience with our Vampire MMC Raziel - who also unalived her family! This should just be a quest for the ultimate revenge and the take down of his entire mafia family while shes at it right!?! But oh no, this is true enemies to lovers and the tension is exquisite! Nadi’s conflicting emotions are so well written and my head was spinning with her! She is morally grey and he is what can only be described as morally black but when they get together the chemistry is delicious! Family politics and an ending that left me in shock! Nadi and Raziel are one deadly combination! You can see this book is setting up for a thrilling sequel! I need the next book asap!

I’m sorry but that ending?!

I knew I was going to devour this book when I first got the email offering me an arc, and devour I did. Raziel is the perfect grumpy MC with a secret and Nadi is the best female rager FMC I’ve had the joy of getting in the head of for a long time. The plot, the atmosphere, the setting, the family drama - everything was just spot on. This is the perfect book for the time of year we’re in now.

I need book 2 now please

The Serpent’s Bride gives “mafia family of vampires meets snarky water/siren fae FMC out for vengeance.” It’s an intriguing setup, and the story offers some good twists, but the execution is a bit uneven.

The writing style feels very modern, which sometimes pulls you out of the setting. While there are some strong moments, I wished for more background on the characters and deeper exploration of the dynamics between the families and species.

The two major plot twists were well done, and the story itself was a bit different than I initially expected. There is spice, though at times it feels unnecessary and not tied closely to the plot.

The cliffhanger was strong enough to spark my interest in continuing the series—but I’m still on the fence.

The Serpent’s Bride is a dark, intense, and titillatingly spicy story of two enemies-to-lovers playing a cat-and-mouse game of infiltration, secrets, and betrayals that dance along the fine line between hate, desire, and love. The enemies-to-lovers vibe could not be more chef kiss as he murdered her entire family. She’s a shape-shifting fae assassin with a murderous revenge vendetta who swapped places with the bride and intends to unlive her vampire bridegroom’s mafia family.

The writing is immersive with fast-paced storytelling, two POVs, and dark, gritty, urban fantasy world-building vibes around a society built up of simmering tensions between fae, vampires, and humans. Some of the plot elements are a little repetitive. Still, I couldn’t stop turning the pages as the characters were intoxicatingly compelling, with complex personalities and razor-sharp, snippy banter that made my feet kick in the air.

I loved the protagonist, Nadi. She is a formidable character, cunning, vicious, and bloodthirsty, as her vampire bride. She doesn’t suffer fools, and her moral compass is so morally-grey it’s almost black as she will unlive anyone in her way. Her character arc, grappling with her disturbing and illogical attraction to the vampire who killed her family, was a bit unhinged. She finds Raziel fascinating as she discovers the man beneath the murderous mafia mask up close and feels that he sees her like no one else ever has.

The vampires of The Serpent’s Bride ticked all my morally-grey blood sucker vampire boxes. Raziel’s vampire family is so delightfully bat-sh*t unhinged, unstable, and manipulative. I eat it up with a spoon. Raziel is such a complex character that my mind is still trying to decode the many facets of his personality. He’s calculatingly brutal and savagely murderous, with a blood-soaked, gory repetition, and wields a considerate, gentle, and loving side for Nadi alone. I’m sure he’s not done revealing his many masks. Watch out for Raziel’s nickname for Nadi – it’s absolutely morbid, but it made me giggle.

A riveting and dark paranormal romantasy with deliciously dark vampires and an ingenious twisty ending that left me in gleeful laughter, calling Raziel a wee devil. I devoured this in one sitting, and it was the perfect reset read that I needed. Thank you to Second Sky and Katherine Ann Kingsley for the opportunity to read and review The Serpent’s Bride.

This was delicious. The characterization was so much fun and while we saw the twist at the end it was LUSCIOUS

Tropes:
╰⪼ Arranged Marriage
╰⪼ Vampire x Fae
╰⪼ Hidden Identity

I usually love a vampire romance, but this one fell a little flat for me. The plot had potential, but I struggled with the execution. He constantly threatens her, and after a while, it lost any intimidation factor. I kept wishing for a first-person POV—something that would let us into his head and give more depth beyond the fact that he kills.

On her side, the shapeshifter/fey element could’ve been so much more. She spends most of the book in another body, yet her powers barely develop. Their romance also lacked tension; it didn’t feel like a slow burn so much as repetitive back-and-forth—he’s “evil,” she’s hiding her identity, they’re drawn to each other, then homicidal thoughts follow.

By the end, I liked the overall idea of the story, but the character development was thin and I kept waiting for real suspense about him almost discovering her secret. The slight twist at the end was interesting, but not enough to make up for everything that dragged.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

The Serpent’s Bride
2.5⭐️

"I will gain access to his vicious and beautiful family. And I will murder every last bloodsucking one of them".

80 years after Nadi’s family had been murdered by a mafia clan of vampires, she plans to gain access to Raziel and his family so she can get revenge. When she finds out that Raziel is marrying a woman he’s never met, Nadi realizes it’s the perfect time to take her chance. Raziel is well known as being ruthless, powerful, and untouchable, but Nadi has been waiting and training for this moment her whole life.

This book includes fae shapeshifters, vampires, a hidden identity, revenge, and forced proximity. While I feel like this book may be a great read for many, this missed the mark for me, personally. I felt as though some of the conversation was forced and unrealistic. The setting felt unclear at times and there was minimal world building. To me, it felt like there were almost too many aspects trying to be added in and therefore they weren’t executed quite to what I was hoping for. The characters built some tension that kept me listening, but I could never quite find myself connecting to them. It’s also hard for me to emotionally dive in when the FMC has spent her whole life training to exact revenge on the murder of her family 80 years ago, but quickly falls head over heels for the main person she’s seeking to murder. It gave unrealistic insta-lust more than enemies to lovers for me. The twist at the end was a bonus for me because and saved it for me to some extent. I do not foresee me reading the remainder of this series, at this time.

Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted books. #theserpentsbride #thenerdfam
@thenerdfam @secondskybooks.

Absolutely loved! I can’t wait for the next book! The cliff hanger and last chapter were so unexpected! It’s was well written and I loved the dual POV in third person!

Thank you to @netgalley, @bookouture, and @secondskybooks for the this ARC!!

Vampires, banter, hidden identity, and all the delicious darkness that comes with feminine rage!

Thank you for the ARC

This is mafia vampires who hate fae and deal with the humans.

out fmc is a fae whose entire family was murdered by the mmc.

she shapeshifts into his future bride, whom he has never met, so she can kill his entire family and then him.

she has been working as an assassin planning and waiting for her opportunity to take them all out.

I loved the world and the plot. So, she is there for revenge and has multiple opportunities. She knows that shortly after her wedding, he is going to kill her, yet she never kills anyone.
for someone who has been waiting, she surely doesn't take any opts. That's my only complaint with the book.

this book had me hooked from the very beginning, so good and ao addicting.
definitely for fans of dark fantasy romance.

I was intrigued from the beginning. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen and after that ending I need book 2. It didn't end the way I thought it would have. The only thing I don't know how to feel about is the relationship between the main characters.
The fmc disguises herself as the mmcs future bride. She took the disguise as the bride to get closer to the mmc. The mmc is not a good guy at all. He is a bad guy and the fmcs goal is the destroy him and his family. He did something terrible to her family when she was a kid. She made it her mission to do the same to his. There's only one problem she's attracted to him. The man who destroyed her family. Will her attraction win against her revenge? Can she keep her identity hidden long enough to complete her mission?

4.5/5

Dark, sexy, full of rage and revenge. This book is exactly what I would expect from a vampire mafia inspired story. I find it hard to find good vampire romances they are super cliché or drawn out but this has great pacing the hate between the love interests is amazing and I'm a sucker for a good fake/arranged marriage style story. The tension, the banter. *Chefs kiss* the revenge plot amazing. This was a great dark romance.

Ooh this was addicting! It was fast-paced and gripped me from the start. The suspense was ever present between the morally black MMC and morally grey FMC seeking revenge. This was a true enemies to (hate it but can’t help it) lovers. From the initial interactions through to the end, the sexual tension was THERE and I absolutely loved the banter between Nadi and Raziel. Speaking of Raziel, he was definitely giving Klaus from TVD vibes. Irredeemably evil but you just can’t help but want to find out why he is the way he is.

I think this book is perfect for those who enjoy a darker romance that is more plot forward and without a lot of the triggers that are typically found in the genre. The tension was strong in this one. While there weren't many detailed spicy moments, the build up was intense and it made those moments hit harder.
There is a decent amount of gore and creative violence so I do agree with this being labeled a dark romance.

Overall this was very enjoyable. I loved the vibes and that ending was simultaneously very satisfying yet such a huge cliffhanger. Between the mafia-esque Nostroms and The Wild, I feel like there is still so much of the world to explore. I can’t wait for the next book!

ARC provided for an honest review.

4.25/5

I genuinely was surprised that I had such a great time reading this! As it really isn’t my usual style of reading.
Our FMC Nadi is out for vengeance, a shapeshifting Fae who disguises herself as a human to get vengeance on Raziel, a mafia vampire prince.
I really loved Nadi, a very compelling and beautifully written character. I personally did not feel much for Raziel, really not my time of MMC at all - felt very demeaning in places but maybe that’s just my preference over anything.
The world building felt very modern meets old time as well, which personally I love.
The story was great, I was vibing the whole way through and the cliffhanger was also fantastic.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. It was a dark, sexy, and dangerous read. Both main characters were well written and likable. I loved the idea of Nadi using her shapeshifting abilities to get revenge on Raziel and his family.
I loved that, at least for me the cliffhanger wasn’t predictable.
I can’t wait to get my hands on book 2.

If you're a fan of:

🧛 Vampires & Fae
👰 Arranged of Convenience
❤️‍🔥 Enemies to Lovers
🔫 Mafia

Pick this one up you won’t be disappointed! It’s available today!