Kathryn Ann Kingsley has highlighted why sometimes it's not always great to read arcs BECAUSE THAT ENDING?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WAIT FOR BOOK 2 LIKE BOOK 1 ISN'T EVEN PUBLISHED YET AHHH. I am truly a victim of my own actions :(((

The Serpent's Bride is a dark vampire romance that had me blushing with my headphones in. I am often worried when reading a paranormal dark romance that it will be too heavy with smut and takes away from the plot but this was not the case with The Serpents Bride.
I am slowly becoming more and more of a fan of dark mafia romances and when you have a vampire/fae/human world too?? SIGN ME UP!
I had the privlige to review both the audiobook and ebook version of this novel and I'm so glad I did. I switched between just listening and immersion reading (audiobook and reading along) and it was such a fun experience.
The narrator truly sweeps you into the story and she does such a good job with the voices. Some of this novel is told from the perspectibve of Nadi, the FMC, and the perspective of Raziel, the MMC. However, the narrator makes it so clear whose perspective it is and when there is a new chapter. In fact, the narrator did such a good job that I listened to this in one sitting... I was addicted, okay??

Obviously, Kingsley is also to credit for me DEVOURING this book with her masterful writing and plot. We jump straight into the action and whilst this would usually annoy me, she does such a good job of building the world around the characters and their motivations that it feels effortless.

This is a TRUE enemies to lovers, as in they both think they are going to kill the other. THIS is what I want in my enemies to lovers romances, where they are HATING that they're having moments of weakness... and maybe a little more....

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up

The Serpent's Bride is a quick-paced read with plenty of intrigue. The story is an interesting take on the enemies-to-lovers trope, which keeps the reader engaged and turning the pages. The plot is somewhat predictable, but the unique twist on the dynamic between the main characters makes up for it. The book ends on a bit of a frustrating cliffhanger, but I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. My reviews will be posted to my socials on August 25, 2025, (Fable and Goodreads).

4 stars!! ✨

its been a minute since i enjoyed a vampire book lmao i was never into it even during its peak during twilight era but this was sm fun!

the cliffhanger ending tho…. unfair 😭

I just finished reading *The Serpent's Bride* and I absolutely loved it! The FMC was such a compelling character, and it was fantastic to see her meticulously plan her revenge. The vampire mafia aspect really added a unique and exciting layer to the story. Overall, it was a thrilling read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark romances.

Oh. My. GOD. This book owned me from the very first line and did not let go until the final page. Kathryn Ann Kingsley has created a dark, intoxicating, absolutely unputdownable masterpiece with The Serpent’s Bride.

Enemies to lovers? Check. Morally gray vampire mafia prince? Check. A heroine disguised as a sacrificial bride ready to stab her way through an entire family? Check, check, and check. Every single trope I adore was not only present but turned up to eleven. This book isn’t just good—it is utterly feral, deliciously twisted, and impossibly addictive.
Raziel Nostrom has officially ruined me for all future vampire love interests. He is lethal, magnetic, sinfully charming, and so devastatingly sexy that every scene crackles with dangerous tension. And the chemistry between him and the FMC? Forget sparks the banter, their pull toward each other, the way every stolen glance made my chest ache, my god it was perfection.

But what makes this book next-level is how it balances brutality with vulnerability. The heroine’s thirst for vengeance is razor sharp, yet her slow, inevitable unraveling in Raziel’s orbit is breathtaking to watch. I was constantly torn between shouting “stab him already!” and fanning myself because the tension was that intense.

4.0 ★—

Story:
Our FMC is Nadi, a fae woman with deep trauma in her past that was directly caused by Raziel Nostrom, the infamously brutal vampire prince of a mafia clan.
Years later, now an assassin, she’s spent decades honing her craft, determined to finally enact her revenge on him by impersonating the fiancée he’s never met and getting close enough to kill him. LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!!!

The book ends on an cliffhanger that makes me really eager to see how it all plays out in the next installment!

wow!! this fast paced fae x vampire mafia romance was everything I didn’t know I needed!

Nadi is a fae shapeshifter who has big plans for Razriel, the most murderous vampire around. He killed her family and now she is out for revenge. The best way she can get close to him is marry him so that is what she does.

This was a short, action packed, spicy mafia romance and I really enjoyed it! I have never read anything quite like it and that cliffhanger will have me in shambles until the next one!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky books for the ARC!

This story follows Nadi, our FMC fae turned assassin when her family is murdered by our MMC, a vampire named Raziel. I really enjoy enemies to lovers and there was definitely tension and angst in this book!

I love that the author gave the vampires and faes all different powers and abilities. I felt like having Nadi be a shapeshifter made the plot more interesting!

This book does end on a cliff hanger and honestly, not the one I was expecting. I def thought I knew what was going on until I didn’t and I love that 😂

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I guess I wasn’t really expecting the main character to be a giant fae with an 8 foot long tail, but here we are.

This was actually so good and I can’t wait for the next one. I have liked every single one of her books that I have read, but I feel like this one was not quite as deep into a fantasy world as the rest. I mean, I say that, but there’s vampires and fae with 8 feet long tails.

This book follows Nandi who is a shapeshifting fae. She’s out for revenge against a vampire who slaughtered her whole family. So when she intercepts his bride to be on the way to meet him, it’s the perfect opportunity to take her place and plan her revenge.

I read this in one sitting and immediately want more so it’s 4/5 stars and I would highly recommend this!

A fun urban? Fantasy full of female rage, a morally black mmc, and vampire mafia vibes!

Told through third person and a dual pov The Serpents Bride is the start of Nadi’s revenge story against the Vampire Raziel who killed her entire family in front of her.

This has a lot of the familiar tropes
- arranged marriange
- mafia romance
- vampires x fae x humans
-female rage
- enemies to lovers
- hidden identity
- mortally black mmc
- female assassin

So it’s safe to say it ticks a lot of boxes and is going to be a huge hit in the romantasy community (booktok watch out)

If your looking for a romantasy with more romance than fantasy I would recommend this one, while I did enjoy the concept of the Wilds and the far who lived there I wished we got more of their lore and background. Hopefully we get more world building in the next book.

Nadi was fierce and smart, always planning her next move and trying to get revenge on Raziel Nostrom, the vampire mafia prince who destroyed her family. The way she pretended to be his fiancée was exciting and tense. Raziel was dangerous and broody, but I liked how they were kind of alike at their core, both being killers in their own way. Their back and forth was everything, with playful tension and small moments of connection that kept me reading. The ending was surprising and left me curious for the next book, so I am interested to see what happens next. Thank you so much to the author, Second Sky, The Nerd Fam and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving an honest review.

Rating: 4 stars

Wow! I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book. I would not say that I typically enjoy dark romance, but I really enjoyed how this story was written. At no point did I feel like the elements were too dark - especially when it came to the spice. I appreciated that we got to start to scratch the surface of Raziel's character and why he has certain proclivities in his personal / "romantic life". I would want to see a continued development of understanding him further in the next book. As for Nadi, I found her to be a likable character. I really loved the tension and banter between her and Raziel.

I was not anticipating that ending AT ALL, and I believe that if Nadi & Raziel team up in the next book together, it will also be another entertaining read. I was also very happy with the page count, as this story is not very intensive on world building, but more focused on the central storyline. It's refreshing to not have a debut novel +400 pages without a large focus on world-building. Overall, I enjoyed this book and will definitely read the sequel to see what happens next with Nadi & Raziel! Definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy mafia/peaky blinder's romance vibes with supernatural creatures!

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publishing company for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Serpent’s Bride is a dark fantasy romance that blends mafia intrigue with supernatural danger. While it didn’t completely sweep me off my feet, it’s the kind of story that many readers of morally grey romance will devour.

The worldbuilding is minimal—this isn’t a sprawling epic fantasy—but that works in the book’s favour if you’re here for the drama, romance, and tension. The two leads are where the story shines. Our FMC, Nadi, is an aqua fae assassin with a revenge agenda, masquerading as Monica, a powerless human forced into an arranged marriage. The MMC is the punisher of a vampire clan, who wields hypnotic powers to kill his victims in chillingly inventive ways. On paper, they’re perfect for each other, but their relationship is complicated by secrets, vengeance, and shifting power dynamics.

The mafia-romance-with-vampires premise is fresh, and the morally grey characters kept me intrigued even when the romance and fantasy elements didn’t completely click for me. The ending delivered a twist I didn’t see coming, which left me curious about what comes next.

If you enjoy dark, dangerous relationships, morally complex characters, and a splash of supernatural mafia drama, it’s worth picking up.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC.

The Serpent’s Bride was a dark, seductive read that pulled me in right from the start. I really appreciated that the main characters weren’t your typical young, naïve leads—we get older, battle-worn characters with history, scars, and sharp edges. Nadi, in particular, stood out to me. She wasn’t written as a flawless beauty but as someone who is dangerous, capable, and unapologetically herself. Watching her shift and adapt to survive made her feel like a truly lived-in character.

Raziel, on the other hand, intrigued me, but I wanted more from his darkness. He was painted as this terrifying figure, yet some moments fell a little short of that ruthless reputation. Still, his dynamic with Nadi was deliciously tense, and their push-and-pull kept the pages flying.

The worldbuilding was one of my favorite parts—the mix of vampires and fae felt fresh, and the political undercurrents gave the story real weight. There were a few sections where the inner thoughts of the characters circled back on themselves, which slowed the pace a touch, but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment.

Overall, this book was moody, morally gray, and addictive. If you like your romances on the darker side with characters who aren’t afraid to get blood on their hands, this one is worth picking up. I’ll definitely be continuing the series.

This book has consumed my soul I swear... we have a dark vampire-mafia romance story & man is it 10/10. You have a fae posing as a vampire bride to wed THE vampire prince to avenge her parents. This has TRUE enemies to lovers with betrayals & the best ✨tension✨ going. I ate this book up in a single day because I simply couldn’t put it down. Every page drips with angst & passion, the mc’s chemistry is absolutely insane as well. I need more of themmmm

I’m so desperate for the next book, without a doubt this is an absolute 5* from me & I cannot recommend it enough to the dark romance girlies!❤️‍🔥

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬
🩸vampire x Fae
🖤marriage of convenience
🩸forced proximity
🖤enemies to lovers (he have no idea tho)
🩸third-person, two POV
🖤modern worldbuilding
🩸Vampire mafia MMC
🖤Assassin FMC
🩸False identity
🖤Revenge plot
🩸Shapeshifter

🎧 🎧 🎧 🎧 /5
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🌶🌶🌶/

𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
Our FMC Nadi, plans to get revenge on our MMC, Raziel, after he wiped out her entire family so she disguises herself as his sacrificial human bride, whom he never saw!
-
This paranormal romance had it all for me: mystery, action, romance, tension, banter, violence, betrayal, and a swoony, bloodthirsty MMC, who knows how to appreciate a fierce woman.

I was a bit hesitant as I haven't read a Vampire romance in so long but I enjoyed it. It was super quick and easy read with enough twists to keep me interested for a book so short. I really loved the writing style and banters. The ending leaves things nicely settled, but with a good opening for the next book.

I love Raziel, he was charming and magnetic. He was just there to enjoy his ride. I love how obsessed he became in short time when she surprises him with her sass and comebacks. I was disappointed when I realized Raziel had no idea that his bride is after him for revenge, half of the book.

I just could not connect to Nadi and felt like she was a bit all over the place. We hear about vengeance a lot but the scenes where she takes it are few and far between. As incredible her character was described in the beginning, it was frustrating to read her turning into a love struck simp over MMC every time he was around.

The cliffhanger had me tho.

This book was so dark and I absolutely loved every single second of it!!

I'm saying it....our MMC is morally black and our FMC is a dark morally grey at BEST. I love that neither of them are trying to pretend that they are good people. One is driven by revenge and the other just....likes being bad (supposedly...let's see where book 2 goes).

The conflict in this story is entertaining from start to finish, and then add on a layer of you can not actually trust anyone. That creates layer after spicy layer of the beauty of this book.

If you are looking for a darker romance with red herrings and Betrayal at every turn....this is a great one for you!

overall: recommend
spice: open door

The Serpent’s Bride is a dark vampire Romantasy , dripping with a beautiful revenge plot, a marriage of convenience, and the best kind of enemies to lovers.

I really enjoyed this and you will too if you love
-vampires
-marriage of convenience
-mafia vibes
-revenge
-dark romance
-morally grey mmcs

The Serpent’s Bride was a book I simply couldn’t put down. From the very beginning, the story pulled me into the world of its characters, and I never wanted it to end. Nadi, the main character, is witty, fierce, and undeniably strong. Writing a powerful female lead who holds her own is no easy feat, but I think Nadi was executed beautifully. Her moments of yearning followed by her return to stone-cold resilience were exactly the touches that kept me hooked. The spice was perfectly balanced, never overdone, and added depth to the story rather than distracting from it. I can’t wait to see what book two has in store!

Thank you TheNerdFam and SecondSky!!

Thank you Nerd Fam and Second Sky books for the eARC. Always very grateful to receive early copies of books and to share my thoughts!

Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me, but it may be for others - and that’s why reading is subjective. I love an assassin heroine and a morally dark MMC but both left so much to be desired.

The main character I just couldn’t connect with mainly because I was so surprised how lust forward she became so soon. The actual enemies to lovers arc just never happened.

Raziel the MMC was also confusing because I never got the feeling he ever wanted Nadi killed either.

I also got very lost in the setting. Sometimes I felt it was the 1800s and other times modern day and it kept throwing me off that visually I just couldn’t immerse myself in this world.

Overall everything felt very surface level and I got very frustrated that 80% of the story was just the two characters thinking about how they wanted to sleep together - yet there was very minimal actual 🌶️