Holy moly what a ride! I devoured this book and even now I am finished I NEED more!

fae v’s vampire
Assassin and killer
Mafia
Dark lustful romantasy
Enemies to lovers to….
Force proximity
Marriage of convenience
Shapeshifter
Spicy
Real bad ass FMC
Deliciously dangerous MMC
Revenge


I am obsessed! Never in my lifetime did I think a shape shifting assassin killing fae verses a sexy, magnetic and dangerous vampire romance would be something I’d love but here I am all consumed by The serpents wife! I was gripped from the very first chapter, Nadi is such a force to be reckoned with and pushes Raziel vamperian ( did I just make that word up?!) buttons to the max…. And he loves it and indeed thrives off it and her!

The tension and the undesired emotions they both feel is addictive. At first I struggled to see how Nadi could end up feeling the way she did until a turning point of ‘ahhhhh I see’ and you really feel the pull yourself and why everything comes about.

Such a complex story of fae and vampire fantasy with some serious kink however the spice for me does not over ride the plot and dept of the story but really brings in the dark side of them both and I never thought dark spice would be my thing, but here we are again loving it!

And that ending wtf! I am still reeling and open mouthed at this ending days later and I am beyond excited to read book 2 and really would love to be considered to arc read book 2! I NEED book 2 in my life as soon as I can, OBSESSED!

TL;DR: Wonderful novel that combines many popular tropes and includes a truly morally grey FMC and an irredeemable counterpart. Vengeful assassin and target turned to enemies-to-lovers.

I am obsessed with this book!

The Serpent's Bride tells the story of Nadi, a trained assassin hellbent on revenge on the vampire who killed her parents. But killing Raziel is not enough; she wants to make him suffer like she did by killing his entire family, the infamous Nostrom crime family of literal monsters. Nadi happens to be shapeshifting fae, and when the opportunity arises to impersonate Raziel's forced bride-to-be, she does not hesitate. What follows is an epic saga, with our main character truing her best to stay alive long enough to carry out her plans.

I was hooked from the very start. Despite a bit of repetitive language at the beginning (a lot of talk of how he is going to destroy or break her), the premise is compelling and we are immediately on board with Nadi's desire for vengeance.

What I appreciate the most is that Raziel is not redeemable. He is a monster through and through. A hitman for his crime family with an unique and sadistic kill style that I won't spoil. He enjoys it, and does not pretend otherwise. He does show some vulnerability, making him a well-rounded character. That vulnerability, however, is not the reason “Monica”, his new bride, falls for him, making this novel a breath of fresh air in an era of “bad boy is secretly a softie” (a trope that I absolutely love, but it is nice to have some diversity). There is an argument to be made that he is a product of his environment and his family's expectations, but that does not override the fact that he does not desire to be redeemed. I hope it remains this way in the sequels.

The world-building itself is pretty interesting. Vampires are stronger, but they can be killed without specific methods such as staked. Fae live underground in the Wild are in conflict with humans, who have vampires as allies. Both magical species contain members with unique gifts, including our two main characters, and I expect it is something that will be explored further in the next books.

Weirdly enough, I consider Nadi to be a charismatic lead. We understand her plight and her quest, and, above all, her frequent daydreams of murdering everyone. He insecurities about her true form also help flesh out her character.

The romance is believable since it stems from a mixture of unbridled lust and a deep curiosity about the other. It did feel somewhat rushed at the start, but not enough to take me away from the story. I think I just chalked it up to supernatural allure.

I am usually not a fan of Mafia AUs, but I wouldn't even classify this book as such. Although the Nostrom family can certainly be referred to as such from their business dealings, it does not really impact the plot beyond Raziel's “job” and why they have so many enemies.

I loved every part of this story and I need the next book ASAP. I am a sucker for actual morally grey characters (or leaning more black than grey), and this book is a perfect example of that. It combines very popular tropes such as enemies-to-lovers, assassin and target, marriage of convenience, lovers from opposite and warring worlds, and forced proximity (ish?), but the combination works very well. I recommend it to all Romantasy fans.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kathryn Ann Kingsley, and Second Sky for the advanced copy. This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

The Serpent's Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley was a bit of a slow burn for me, it took me longer than expected to really get hooked, even though it had all the elements I usually love: vampires, assassins, and that delicious enemies-to-lovers tension. But once I hit the halfway point, I absolutely devoured it and couldn't put it down!
The storyteling was immersive, and the main characters were fantastic. I would have loved to see a little more depth and development for some of the supporting cast, but there was still enough there to enjoy the ride.
I debated between 3.5 and 4 stars, but the ending sealed the deal-it was badass, satisfying, and left me wanting more. Overall, a solid, entertaining read that fans of dark fantasy romance will definitely enjoy!

4.5 ⭐️ Kathryn Ann Kingsley has taken my love of fantasy and my gulity pleasure genre, mafia romance, and combined the two to give me a book I had no idea I needed until now. The way i craved an overnight stay away from my kids and my daily responsibilities was ridiculous. I hated every second I had to put this book down and return to reality 😒

I mean, come on. A dark mafia romance with vampires and fae? Say less 😌 Nadi has now been added to my list of favourite badass FMC's. Following her on her path towards revenge was so much fun, and her inner dialogue was so funny. Nadi's idagf attitude was contagious. Raziel was morally grey perfection. He was controlled, precise, and knew how to play the game of seduction just as well as Nadi did. The chemistry between these two was intense. Once the 'my wife' vibes entered the chat, it was off the charts. The banter between them both was just as entertaining, and I loved seeing them try to push each other's buttons. Overall, this book was an amazing read. The plot, the characters, the banter, the chemistry, the fantasy element, and the spice were all so well done. I ate this book up. And the ending!? I don't think I can wait until 2026 😭

If you are a fan of fantasy and dark romance, then I would highly recommend this book! This would also be a great intro to fantasy if you are primarily a romance/dark romance reader.

Thank you so much to The NerdFam, Second Sky Books, NetGalley, and the author for the chance to read the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

First of all, this is a dark romance with zero morally grey characters, everybody is morally black (maybe Nadi is tittering on the edge between grey and black but... that's only for a while). I loved it, loved there was no cop out of mafia being mafia, no "we don't really do extremely bad things". Nope, the whole Nostrom family are bad people and that's okay. I liked this super dark world where everybody really enjoys being bad.
The world building is interesting and I really hope we get even more of it in book 2. I feel like there's so much more to learn about fae/human/vampire relations.
I liked Nadi's dedication to her revenge - she should definitely dig a grave for herself, too - and how she jumped on the very first opportunity she had in decades to try and take out the family who ruined her life. Now, I had a little problem with her losing focus. Once she jumped into Monica's body and arrived at Raziel's home there was absolutely no planning regarding *how* she'd complete her mission. Not only no plan but no thinking about a plan either. This threw me off a bit because... well, there was only one reason she went there - knowing she'd most likely die, too - and it appeared she just went with the events.
Raziel is morally black. He enjoys killing and breaking and whilst part of him, some very deep one might wonder if the monster is really him, he still very much finds satisfaction in the horrors he commits.
This is definitely an insta lust sort of situation. I don't think we can really talk about love... maybe in book 2. But at the moment, it just feels like two people found their match in each other and it's wrong and messed up but they want it. (Really appreciated the BDSM elements! Finally a story where it actually made sense!)
I really love the Nostroms! Their dynamics are hilarious and I hope we get to see even more of them in the next book.

All in all, this was a great read if you like 100% anti heroes.

I love the characters! Not only the MMC, who's great, but also the FMC. With how many books I read, a lot of them blend together in my memories, (sometimes even ones I've enjoyed) with how similar they are, but both the characters and the story are really unique here. It's so nice to read something new, something different!

I can't wait for book 2!

The premise of this book is great - a fae out for revenge by disguising herself as a human bride, who is arranged to be married to the most ruthless Vampire in the world. What we get is a fierce MMC, tension so thick you can cut with a knife, great banter, and the ultimate enemies to lovers vibe. As Nadi (or Monica) plots her revenge on Raziel, also known as the Serpent, things become more complicated when outside forces, such as his family and their traditions, intervene in their relationship. Nadi has to be quick and nimble to carry out her retribution, but she also finds herself attracted to the man who destroyed her world. I found Nadi's inner monologue dragging a bit. It felt very cyclical ...every situation she would want revenge, but then soften, and then something would happen to re-emphasize why she wants revenge. It was a little tiring. Raziel was also debating with himself about his attraction to Nadi, but he also knows his place and duty. The twist at the end, though, made it much more intriguing, and you really get sucked in during the last maybe 10-15% of the book. It makes me curious about what happens next. I really wanted to like this book, but it fell just a little bit flat for me.

I will disguise myself as the vampire’s bride.
I will win over his family.
And then I will murder every last one of them.

4.5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4 - 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

MCs : Raziel & Nadi
Tropes:
Dark Romance 🖤
PNR
Vampire MMC🩸
Bad Ass Assassin FMC 🗡️
Enemies to Lovers
Marriage of Convenience
Mafia
Revenge Plot

A vampire murders her entire family, and she poses as his sacrificial bride in order to seek her revenge. She’s determined to kill them all, but maybe he’s not who she thought he’d be.

DEVOURED this book! The twist at the end?! 🤯 Very much looking forward to book two. Thank you for Net Galley / The Nerd Fam for the e-ARC opportunity!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really loved The Serpent's Bride! It was such an exciting and engaging read from start to finish — I enjoyed every moment of it. Kathryn Ann Kingsley has once again delivered an incredible story that completely pulled me in.

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more. Kat never disappoints, and this was yet another fantastic addition to her works. I can’t wait for the second book!

That. Was. Rude… That was pretty ******* RUDE! I’m gaping at that ending, the cliffhanger? Straight up diabolical, but let’s breathe and continue with the review.

I’m extremely happy with this book, it delivered plot, romance, spice and definitely strong characters.

Raziel + Nadi? It was exquisitely good, this is exactly what the enemies-to-lovers trope it’s for! The banter, the tension and the thirst for vengeance?? Thank you!!, Nadi for sure knows how to plot a revenge!

Raziel, I hate to love you but it’s something inevitable .. Not gonna lie, I got a little worried near the end but he proved why he’s the Serpent, a sharp and calculating mind at its finest!

World building? I loved the unique premise and unique world (thought I would have loved more details on the world itself and its unique magic system).. so hopefully next book/s will show us just that.

A slow burn vampire x fae romance where betrayal, lies and desire are the name of the game. The FMC is amazing, the MMC is akin to what Joffrey Baratheon, first of his name would be if he was a vampire. Raziel is a pouty, tantrumming toddler of a love interest which was an absolute turn off. Nadi could do so much better, it's not like he's the only morally gray handsome guy out there.

Regardless, the story is a lot of fun, the spice - middling. If you like bratty men then this book is for you, but otherwise, read it for a well written strong fmc who you definitely want as your bestie.

✨𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
🎧The Serpent’s Bride (Book 1 of Bloodlines)
🎙️Narrated by Desireé Ketchum

She’s waited and trained for years to exact her revenge on Raziel Nostrom and his clan. When the opportunity to assume the identity of his bride-to-be arises, she takes it.

He looks forward to breaking his blood sacrifice. And she’s ready to destroy him piece by piece.

Tropes:
⚠️Enemies to lovers
🧛🏻Vampire MMC
🧚🏻‍♂️Shifter fae assassin FMC
🩶They’re all morally grey
💰Mafia
💍Marriage of convenience
😘Revenge
🌶️: open door

The narrator effortlessly brings these characters to life. Both have been molded by their circumstances and as the story progresses, we see their relationship evolve.

Nadi wears many masks and the narrator infuses nuance and subtlety into every facet. The narrator also embodies Raziel’s detachment, lack of remorse, and pragmatism.

The author seamlessly blends elements of organized crime, fantasy, and all the morally grey goodness into this delectable enemies to lovers tale. I loved the mounting tension and their conflicted emotions. Nadi’s thirst for vengeance rivals Raziel’s bloodlust for her. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

With brutal secrets, a touch of depravity, and an ending that had me gasping, The Serpent’s Bride delivers exactly what I crave in a dark and spicy vampire romance. 🔥

Huge thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio, Second Sky Books, NetGalley, and The Nerd Fam for the advance reader and audio listening copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

OBSESSED! Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for the advanced copy. I'm obsessed and will be buying a physical trophy copy for my bookshelf.

Series: Bloodlines
First Book: The Serpent's Bride
This is the first book of a trilogy. (1 of 3)
INCOMPLETE Series
Original series (not a spin off/not same world as previous series)
Spice: 5/5 (Explicit and Plentiful based on romance.io)

I am obsessed with this book. Thank you for already having release dates for the next 2 books! It's pretty dark. Dark romance/fantasy romance readers only. But if that's you, you're gonna love this! Well paced. Great tension. Great villain! Such a fun, fast read. I read it in less than 24 hours!

My rating: 5/5
I would definitely recommend this book/series!

Specifically for:
- Dark romance readers
- readers who love vampires as much as I do
- readers that live for the tension!

This was an ALC and an ebook but I'll start off with the review for the audiobook.

I will admit I have gotten so spoiled with duet style narration that sometimes I dread one narrator, especially if there is any romance in the book itself. Then you get an audiobook like this one, that just shocks you. I had a feeling this audiobook was going to be good because she knocked it out of the park with the deception trilogy, but (throws confetti ) she blew this one out of the water. She took the role of both Nadi and Raziel and made them come to life. I thought that the best part that I see no one talking about is the fact that when she was when switching between Nadi and Monica, her voice shifted, giving the feel of different characters. I love it when a narrator takes characters and brings them to life.
Overall, the audiobook alone deserves 5 stars!

A huge thank you to Netgalley & Bookouture | Second Sky Books

Introduction:
When the book starts with "her wedding bouquet was the color of blood," you know that book is going to be interesting. This gives an amazing foreshadowing of Nadi marrying into Raziel's family for revenge. It's almost like that phrase "she was enraged to the point all she saw was red." This one line was lyrically written to let the reader understand that, yes, the bouquet was red, but it was more that she was out for blood.

The plot:
The plot was kind of predictable but well done. She's angry; he just needs to do what his family wants him to do. Then they start catching feelings. I will say that towards the middle I was kind of worried about how much I was going to like it. Then the author basically splashed a bucket of iced water in my face, waking me up. That twist and ending alone just made the whole book! I was literally sitting on my sofa, and I jumped up and said "Oh sh*t!" almost breaking my whole ankle.

Overall, I loved this book. The only problem is now I need book 2 because that was cruel, lol.

4.75 ⭐️ 2.5 🌶

What to expect:
🩸Vampire Mafia Dark Romance
🔥Moraly Grey FMC
🩸Morally Black MMC
🔥Shapeshifting Fae Assassin
🩸Secret Identity
🔥Arranged Marriage
🩸Revenge Plot
🔥Forced Proximity
🩸Enemies-to-?
🔥Tension & Spice

🚨 Check Trigger Warnings before reading 🚨

Before we begin, I would like to thank Second Sky Books for providing an eARC of this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own!

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

If you’ve never read a Kathryn Ann Kingsley book before, let me tell you one thing; she can write a damn good villain who you hate to love and love to hate! I’m talking about a man so morally black, he might as well be a black hole.

Did he murder thousands of innocents prior to meeting you? Allegedly. But did he also ruin your body for any other lover, provide aftercare, draw a bath and wash the blood from your hair and body? Yes… It’s the little things, you guys.

In this tale, we have a vampire mafia MMC, Raziel, who could care less about humans, fae, and frankly, everything. He has one job, and one job only—kill for his family’s business and maintain their power over the metropolis.

Enter our FMC, Nadi, a shapeshifting fae assassin hellbent on seeking revenge on the man, and family, that destroyed hers, no matter the cost…

When Nadi discovers that Raziel is getting married to a human girl he has never met before, the perfect plan falls into place—she’s going to replace the bride and kill those responsible for her misery, one person at a time.

But not everything is as simple as it seems, and as her mission unexpectedly extends far beyond her original plans, Nadi finds herself frustratingly drawn to the very man who brutally murdered her family. The question becomes can she kill the man who has haunted her nightmares for the last 80 years, or will their intense attraction be the death of her?

What I loved:

The intense dynamic between Nadi and Raziel. It is clear from the beginning that both Nadi and Raziel “feel” strongly about one another. Nadi can barely contain the urge to stab him in the heart, and Raziel is determined to test the limits of his shiny new plaything. The line between intense hatred and attraction is blurred so often, it was hard to predict if they were going to go for blood, or rip each other’s clothes off. The tension was delicious, sordid, disorienting, and intoxicating! I was desperate for every last drop.

The world-building. Kathryn always does a great job crafting unique and twisted worlds with classic folklore. The dystopian setting of a metropolis full of vampires and the humans they control, and the inclusion of “the Wild” where the Fae rule underground, piqued my interest right away. What would a future world of fae, vampires and humans look like? Thanks to Kathryn, I have a better idea. Power struggles, political alliances, manipulation, betrayal, deception, assassinations, arranged marriages, retaliation, rebellion, and ultimately war, with humans caught in between. Kathryn does not write cutesy fantasy, her worlds are dark and deliciously depraved.

The plot twists were plot twisting. I cannot count the amount of times I thought I knew what was going to happen next, only to be proven wrong. All I know is that there were multiple times where I really thought “this is it, she’s going to do it” or “he’s going to drink her dry,” and then something entirely different occured. That cliffhanger completely caught me off guard, and I am both perturbed and incredibly motivated to read what happens next.

More importantly, I just really love Kathryn Ann Kingsley’s writing style. It’s captivating, each interaction carefully crafted and designed to evoke exactly what she wants you to feel at that point in the story. It’s dark, methodical, raw, and alluring all at the same time. I will never get enough.

Overall, if you are a fan of dark, twisted, morally black characters (think Niklaus and Elijah Mikaelson from the Originals, or Eric Northman from Trueblood), then you’re going to love “The Serpent’s Bride.”

"You're mine. And no one gets to kill you but me. Understand?"

The Serpent's Bride was just as diabolical as I'd hoped! Raziel and Nadi are morally black with tinges of grey, and I wasn't sure I'd like that. But I did...ooooohhhhhhh I did. I blew through this book like Raz through a blood supply.

This is certainly on the darker side of romantasy. There are no clear "good guys," and everyone does something despicable for - in their minds - a good reason. Even with this being true, you can't help but love Nadi and Raz. They plot and plan against each other while their feelings bloom like a blood-covered rose.

And that cliffhanger. I was hoping that's how Kingsley would spin it. It definitely changed the atmosphere from War of the Roses to more of an "enemy of my enemy" feel, and I can't WAIT to find out how they pull it off. What will Raz's mother say? Will there be repercussions for what Nadi did in the warehouse? I HAVE TO KNOW!!!!!

Thank you, Kathryn Ann Kingsley, Second Sky Books, and The Nerd Fam, for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First I would like to start off by saying how dare the book leave me hanging like that! I need the sequel ASAP because that ending was WOAH!

I knew I was going to love this book because I’m such a vampire girlie!

I started this book and then could not stop thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it. It was so good!

The chemistry between these two was HOT! Both of them are morally grey, so it makes the chemistry all the better!

I need the second one ASAP because this was so good!

Eighty years ago, when Nadi was a child, her whole family was massacred. Her uncle had dared to cross the locally-reigning vampire gang. They sent their enforcer, Raziel, to eliminate his loved ones: Nadi’s parents and siblings. Her entire life since has been spent in pursuit of her revenge. She’s spent the intervening time building her skills as a well-practiced assassin. Her fae ability to heal rapidly and her more unique ability to shapeshift certainly help. When she learns that a sacrificial human bride has been pledged to Raziel, she sees it for the opportunity that it is. She takes the woman’s place to get close to Raziel and his family.

Raziel, for his part, has grown into the weapon his family shaped him into. He’s talented at eliminating adversaries and sending messages as instructed. It was never his choice, but he doesn’t hate it. What he does hate is the tedium of his family’s dynamics and the tasks they demand of him. He’s bored of the dull humans and the fae who disgust him that he’s sent to deal with. They provide only brief entertainment before he disposes of them. He expects his new bride to be the same. After all, the marriage is only meant as a punishment for her father, and she won’t last long. However, when he meets her, she defies all his expectations.

I don’t usually gravitate toward mafia romances, but I do love vampire fiction. Getting the two in combination may turn out to have been an excellent gateway. It did heighten the vampire trope by adding another layer of danger. It was also a mix that worked very naturally. Vampire clans in fiction have long had similar behaviors and internal politics within their ranks as is common in mafia fiction. I also really enjoyed the combination of vampire and fae into the same romance story.

This is an impressive example of an enemies to lovers story. There’s true animosity in the beginning, and yet the progression of the relationship still makes sense. The attraction they begin to share is believable and also palpable. The buildup of tension is incredible, resulting in a payoff of really good dark romance spice. Do make sure to check trigger warnings down below on this one. It does get somewhat twisted.

I really liked that both partners in the main couple are morally gray. Neither one is corrupting the other here. Each has full agency over the major decisions around their moralities. Instead, they are recognizing their own proclivities in another and being drawn to that. As this is the first in a duology, I expect in the next book they will begin to encourage these tendencies more in each other. Truthfully, I’m already very excited to read the next. The way that this one ends, left me in denial that it was over. I kept turning the page like more paragraphs would magically appear, but instead I’m left waiting. I'm very much looking forward to the next one.

Thank you NetGalley and Second Sky for this ARC!

A captivating read that held my attention from the very beginning.

From the very first chapter, The Serpent’s Bride drew me in and refused to let go. The story has an addictive quality to it, the kind of momentum that makes you say “just one more chapter” until you realise hours have passed.

That said, some plot points were easy to anticipate, and there were moments where the writing style felt less polished than the story itself deserved. However, these shortcomings didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment. In fact, it’s one of those novels where the strength of the plot outshines the writing and carries the book effortlessly.

I’m up for Vampire Mafia romance like this any day! I eagerly await book 2!

This TRUE enemies to lovers vampire mafia romance had me absolutely hooked from the beginning and left me screaming for book 2. Shape shifting assassin Nadia infiltrates her enemy’s home under the guise of his new bride, set on destroying his family the way he destroyed hers. Her quest for revenge finds a hiccup when she can’t decide if she wants to f*ck him, kill him, or… both? Dark, ruthless, twisted fun that will have you on the edge of your seat.