ALC ARC read of this vampy bride tale had me absolutely gripped girlies. Loved it cover to cover. Our FMC was feral, and unapologetically unhinged. Our MMC was lookie-loo clueless. I didn't want it to end. Easy one-sitting read.

Enemies to lovers every day. Any day.

I am so happy I got the chance to read this, I finished it so quickly I almost wished I had paced myself. I really couldn't though, the whole premise of this story had me locked in.

Nadi is an FMC I can really get behind because she knew what she was about, what she was there for, and she stuck to her guns the entire time. Even getting to have a little blissful fun along the way.

Raziel has so many layers to him. I feel as if we have just begun to stratch the surface of who he truly is under it all. We can already see how his family basically just uses his as an extension of their punishing hands, but seeing the wear it takes on him pulls at my heart strings.

With an ending like that, I can't wait to see what comes next. The audiobook of this was also wonderful to follow along with. Desiree did an incredible job and had been one of my favorite female narrators for quite some time now. I was truly locked in listening to this book, I felt like I was a fly on the wall watching the whole thing.

I can't wait for the next book in this series!

The Serpent’s Bride has an interesting premise:
a vampire x fairy pairing, which is something I’m not familiar with, so it felt refreshingly new to me. The supernatural beings in this world seem to have distinct and unique abilities. Nadie (aka Monica) is a shapeshifting fairy, and Raziel is a mind-controlling vampire.
I was immediately hooked by the wedding scene and Nadie’s calm statement that she was about to marry her family’s murderer and his entire family. She’s quite the FMC: morally grey, with a tragic past and reasonable motives. However, during her quest for vengeance, she ends up developing lust for her parents’ killer. Quite the plot, not gonna lie.
As for Raziel, he’s mostly just there for the majority of the book, either thinking about draining the FMC or engaging in an intense, messy affair with her. But he gave a wonderful surprise at the end of the book.
After about the 70% mark, I felt the characters started to become repetitive in their thoughts, which slowed the book’s pacing. That said, the ending genuinely surprised me.
Would I be open to reading the sequel? Yeah, absolutely.

Okay, so this is more complicated than a rating, so let's get into this review 🤣.
So first, I do think expectations will be important. This is not a romantasy like The Serpent and The Wings Of Night as it is compared to on the blurb. That's not a bad thing, but you should be aware these are true antihero characters!
Our FMC, Nadi, is a fae shape shifting assassin, and our MMC, Raziel, is a depraved vampire. He's not your morally grey standard romantasy MMC (who has sone morals), and he's also not your mafia MMC where everyone is fair game except their other half. This will either be for you or not!
So I was very excited going in as come on, an FMC willing to marry her biggest enemy to take out his entire family then him. Oh yes, please! And we start off strong, banter, darker elements (expect violence), revenge, hidden identity, and it felt like a true hate to lovers set up. Then we had hours of.....well, not much. The assassination plotline, non-existent, very quickly lust took over when I was hoping for more of a battle, especially from Nadi. After all, she's waited decades for this opportunity!
However, the premise was there, and I had to follow through and see where it went.
Then, the last chapter, OMG, everything I wanted from the first moment. 😭
I'm seeing this a lot lately where book one is almost not needed and the longest set up for a cliffhanger to get you to read book two. So I struggled to rate it, and my husband asked "well did it work? Will you read book two?" Yes, I will as I think book two will give me what I wanted from this book. I also thought about that last chapter a few times afterwards. So by that logic, it's a 3 star as I will be carrying on in the series, and I would recommend this book, but with the warning that not much happens. Its alot of talking, thinking, and some spice (this is more kink based, so check triggers if you have them) thats a little funny with the vamp speed 😂.
The romance was not for me at this point but the storyline and family dynamics which were present in the start (later almost non existent except bare bones) show enough promise added with the cliffhanger for book two to have me wanting to know what will happen next and who 'goes' first 😂.

I was lucky to have an ALC of this book! It is dual POV but read by one narrator, Desiree Ketchum. Unfortunately, I did not click with this narrator for this book, this is my first audio with them, and for me it did not work having her doing the MMC. I did notice this narrator on a few books on my TBR, but they are all dual/duet narration, which I think will work better for me as I had no issue with her female characters.
Thank you netgalley and bookouture for the ALC!

It’s cliché, but ever since Twilight, I’ve loved vampire books. Honestly, I haven’t read many in the past years, but when I saw this one, I was immediately intrigued! I love a good enemies-to-lovers with a hidden identity. Add in fae and shapeshifting? Yes yes yes.

Now that I’ve finished the book, I have mixed feelings. Nadia’s POV sometimes felt repetitive, and I often had the impression she was forgetting her main purpose. I get attraction, but wow—she was very easily distracted. Even so, I barely felt the chemistry between her and Raziel. The attraction was there on paper, but it was missing that spark, that electricity, that makes you feel it.

The plot itself gave me a bit of déjà vu, though I can’t quite put my finger on why. When “Serpent” was mentioned, I instantly thought of Rain from Carissa Broadbent’s books—maybe that’s where the feeling came from, even though the stories have nothing in common.

Raziel as a character was tricky for me. Yes, he’s meant to be morally grey, but there were moments where his actions or words felt more outright forceful than “grey.”
The middle section of the book dragged a bit for me, but I did enjoy the worldbuilding—it’s solid enough to make me curious about where the series goes next, though not groundbreaking. And the ending? A completely unexpected cliffhanger that made finishing the book worth it.

On the audiobook: The female narrator did well as Nadia, but oh, please… give us a male narrator for book two. The way she tried to deepen her voice for Raziel or any male character was distracting and, honestly, a little painful to listen to. I’m convinced that if I’d read the physical book instead, certain scenes would have hit so much harder.

Overall, a decent read with some strong moments, but pacing issues, lack of chemistry, and a few character choices kept it at three stars for me.

A fae shapeshifter wanting to kill the vampire who killed her mum. She ends up marrying him whilst pretending to be the vampires human bride who he’s never met. All whilst falling for him even though she knows he must kill her even though he doesn’t want to.
I gave this 3.5 stars, I enjoyed the story but I’m still not exactly sure how we get from the fmc wanting to kill the mmc but then starting to fall for him.
The story for me didn’t really get going and there were some parts which just add up.
The ending however is why I gave it more stars WOW !!
I hoping that in the next book more is explained in better details.

I was lucky enough to experience The Serpent’s Bride in immersive reading thanks to NetGalley, NerdFam, and @secondskybooks, who provided me with both the ARC and the ALC — and it was absolutely worth it.

This is a must-read for vampire lovers and anyone who appreciates a strong, determined FMC and a morally black MMC.

The premise hooked me right away:
Nadi has spent 80 years plotting revenge against the vampire Raziel and his family — waiting for her chance to destroy them. That opportunity arrives when she glamours herself into appearing human… the human that has been sold to Raziel as his bride. But Nadi isn’t human at all — she’s a fae shapeshifter with a deadly plan.

The story is fast-paced, full of intrigue, and kept me turning the pages (and listening) the whole time. The narration by Desireé Ketchum was outstanding — she nailed the dual POV, captured the emotional depth, and gave each voice a distinct life. She was a particularly good Nadi and her male voices were credible.

While the romance and spice weren’t a perfect 10/10 for me (a bit rushed and surface-level), the plot twists — especially the ending — were fantastic. I’m definitely on board for book 2!

If you like vampire and fae then you must read!

This book was twisted from the beginning and I enjoyed every minute of it! From the opening chapter to the ending this book had me hooked.

I listened to this book and I thoroughly enjoyed the voice acting which I don’t say very often, I found it engaging and true to the characters being portrayed. It felt like I was listening to a film which is what I look for in an audiobook!

This book was very well written with twists and turns throughout. Raziel is a very mysterious vampire and I want to know more about him immediately. The events and backstory’s of the characters are very intriguing. I find myself wanting to know more about so many of the side characters. I have so many questions but I guess I will have to wait for book two to find them out!

A very clever take on vampires and fae, different from the usual tropes that you read. The attributes of the species and what defines them was unique which as someone who reads a lot of fantasy I very much appreciated.

I’d like to thank bookouture Audio and second sky books for giving me access to an advanced reader copy of this audio book, I will need to get my hands on a physical copy ASAP!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Dark, deadly, and dripping with tension

The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley delivers exactly what it promises—an intoxicating blend of blood-soaked revenge, mafia intrigue, and a romance that walks the razor’s edge between love and death. The premise hooked me immediately: a bride in disguise with murder on her mind, infiltrating the enemy’s family with the intent to destroy them from within. Raziel Nostrom is the perfect mix of ruthless and magnetic, and the push-pull between him and our vengeful heroine kept me glued to my earbuds.

Desiree Ketchum’s narration is engaging and does justice to the heroine’s sharp inner voice, but I couldn’t help wishing this had been performed as dual or duet narration. A second voice for Raziel would have elevated the tension and immersion, especially in such a character-driven, enemies-to-lovers setup.

Still, the story itself is a feast of lush world-building, unapologetically dark characters, and a slow-burn romance that simmers until it threatens to ignite. If you’re looking for a vampire romantasy with bite, this one’s worth sinking your teeth into.

The serpent killed her family and now she wants revenge.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, a mafia vampire romance, classic enemies to lovers.

The story does end on a cliffhanger leading into the next book of the series. A ruthless vampire, a shapeshifter fae and an arranged marriage.

The audiobook was a pleasant listen, but I found I tuned out when the VOA attempted male characters.

Nadi, is a fae who has the skill to take on another's appearance which includes Raziel's new human bride Monica. Raziel is a ruthless vampire prince who is part of a mafia clan and is responsible for killing Nadi's parents. She swears that she will get revenge and murder him. As she starts to spend more time with him, her goal starts to slip from her grasp. She finds herself in several predicaments and it makes it harder to hide who she really is. Nadi goes to extreme lengths to gain Raziel and his families trust. Despite her efforts, he still plans on murdering her. I thought it was unique that Nadi's true form is a bit different compared to what you would expect most fae to look like.

The spicier scenes were average until the last one. I definitely was expecting something to happen during the final sex scene, but was a bit surprised and glad that it didn't. The story takes such an exciting turn after that bit.

The ending was not what I was expecting and that last sentence definitely makes me impatient and excited for book two. What an interesting twist! The narrator did a fantastic job in regards to everything. The voices were well done and I feel like that made the story flow nicely. Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, and Kathryn Ann Kingsley for an ARC of this audiobook. This review is my own honest opinion.

SUCH a great read! Dark, intriguing, and utterly irresistible!

Imagine a vampire killing your entire fae family & you waiting years to get your sweet revenge by killing him & his entire family…only to do that you have to use your fae ability as a shape shifter to take the place of his sacrificial bride.

Look, this book was so different than any other fae/vampire book I’ve ever read & I just can’t get enough.

And the ending??? HOLY MOLY the ending!?! Where is book two at??

Thank you to #netgalley and #secondyskybooks for the advanced listening copy of this amazing book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ — 4.5 stars
The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley translates brilliantly into audio—a dark, tension-laced romantasy that’s just as intoxicating to listen to as it is to read.

Nadi, a fae assassin and shapeshifter, has trained her whole life to kill the vampire who murdered her parents. When the chance arises to take the place of his arranged bride, she steps into the role with blades hidden and vengeance in her heart. But Raziel Nostrom, prince of a powerful vampire mafia clan, is more than she bargained for—ruthless, magnetic, and dangerously compelling. His unreadable ruby eyes, his lethal charm, and the way he calls her “my little murderer” make it impossible to forget which one of them is supposed to be the predator. This is what I call a true enemies-to-lovers story—two characters who genuinely start on opposite sides, with blood on their hands and more than every reason to destroy one another, yet find themselves pulled into a dangerous, magnetic orbit.

The audiobook narration elevates every moment. Desiree Ketchum is fantastic on the narration—I love her voice, she uses her voice to differentiate characters, and the small reactions she layers in to make the emotions feel authentic. Her performance captures Raziel’s lethal elegance, Nadi’s fierce determination, and the simmering tension between them perfectly. The story flew by, and I’d absolutely recommend experiencing it in audio.

The third-person POV still creates a layer of distance at first, but in audio it works even better, giving Raziel an air of mystery that makes the final reveal and plot twist hit with gut-punch precision.

And then, that ending. Even knowing the twist was coming after reading the eBook, hearing it performed in audio still sent chills down my spine. The cliffhanger is merciless—in the best possible way.

Perfect for fans of: true enemies-to-lovers, marriage-of-convenience tropes, vampire mafia intrigue, and dark romantasy with heat and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky & Bookoutoure audio for providing an advance listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was super intriguing. We follow Nadia, a shapeshifting, as she infiltrates a major vampire crime family in order to get revenge for the murder her own family. To do so she marries the youngest son, aka the Serpent, who is know. To be cruel and murderous. What follows is her dealing with the lies and games the family members use against one another and her attempts to stay alive long enough to bring them all down.
This story is dark and gritty. It has some delicious tension and spice. It is a times a little slow for my liking but overall I liked it, and I was ALL for the ending. I was expecting this to be interconnected standalones, which it is obviously is not, and I am not at all upset about it. I cannot wait to see where this goes next.
Desiree Ketchum is fantastic on the narration. I like her voice, the different tones she uses for the characters, and the little reactions she throws in to make the emotions more realistic. Her performance made the story go by quickly, and I definitely recommend checking this audiobook out.

3.5 ⭐️s

Slow burn with a big payoff. The pacing dragged for me until the end, but the finale hit hard and set up book two to (hopefully) hit the ground running. This one felt like pure setup: heavy on world-building and backstory, with the real crescendo waiting for the last chapters.

But when the spice hit…. Ohhh, she was spicier than a vampire bite at midnight. 🌶️🔥 The tension that’d been simmering the whole book boiled over in the best way.

Tropes & Vibes
🩸 Enemies to lovers
💍 Marriage of convenience
🗡️ Revenge plot
🦇 Vampire mafia family
🌶️ Slow-burn, then explosive spice

If you liked The Serpent and the Wings of Night or Haunting Adeline, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

The Serpents Bride was a fast paced ride that instantly drew me in. On the surface, the premise sounded right up my alley, and in may ways it was. A shapeshifting FMC, Nadi, bent on revenge against a morally grey/black MMC, Raziel, by disguising herself as his bride and positioning herself to take out his entire family. The biggest problem that I had with Nadi's character in this was that there wasn't any reason for her to fall for Raziel, other than outright physical attraction. He certainly never gave her any indication that there was anything remotely redeeming about his persona. I just couldn't buy in to the narrative that after 80 years of plotting revenge and sacrificing her own morals in pursuit of avenging her family, that she gave in so completely to Raziel in what seemed to be a matter of days. I had a great deal of trouble reconciling her character, especially after the interaction with her uncle, and I really would have appreciated more consistency with her actions. I also would have loved a bit more world building and for the feud between the Fae and the Vampires to be explained in more detail, specifically what happened between Nadi's family and Raziel's. That being said, I did enjoy the flow of the story and it certainly held my attention to the very last page. The ending had my jaw on the floor and I am more than eager to find out what happens next. I know there are more fireworks to come, and I want a front row seat.
The audio for The Serpents Bride was engaging and I really enjoyed the female narrators performance for Nadi's character, however I really felt that this audio could have been taken to the next level with a male narrator to read Raziel. Her inflections were done well, and she perfectly captured the essence of Nadi's character, but when she read Raziel's chapters, it just didn't have the same effect.

Summary
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.

Raziel is just as ruthless and deadly as I expected, but I had no idea how magnetic he would be up close, with an intoxicating smile and ruby-red eyes that seem to look right into my soul.

I know I have to strike fast. But as I sharpen my blades and prepare to take my revenge at last, I need to face the truth…I’m falling in love with Raziel Nostrom
[The first book in a spicy vampire romantasy series.]


Review
🖤 Dark Romance
🩸 Vampire x Fae
👀 TRUE Enemies to Lovers
🌶 Spice

THIS IS WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY I WANT A TRUE ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE.

Kathryn Ann Kingsley has written the perfect enemies-to-lovers, revenge romantasy. I hadn’t read any of Kingsley’s other work, but this was excellent. It took me a little while to get my teeth into, but I usually find that with romantasy anyway with world-building etc… By the end, however, I was absolutely hooked and desperate for the next installment.

Our FMC is Nadi - an shapeshifting Fae with what was described as a fish-like tail (think mermaid fae vibes). Nadi’s family was killed by Raziel Nostrom and his family, prompting Nadi to spend her life training as an assassin so she’s able to exact revenge on the Nostroms and pick them off one by one.
We find out very quickly that Raziel appears to be from a mafia-like family, with each family member dealing in drugs and prostitution, among other things. His marriage to his human bride (of whom Nadi takes shape and stands in for) is a marriage of convenience, which will inevitably lead to a sacrifice of sorts.

I was all over this plot. It was written so powerfully, with such detail that I could really dive in to. There are unexpected twists and turns and ending on a cliff-hanger to die for. There wasn’t a huge amount of world-building as this was quite straight forward for a typical romantasy reader.
It was ✨ spicy ✨, but not so much dark/spicy as it was initially advertised as. Don’t get me wrong, the spice was sizzling - just not what I would usually expect from a ‘dark’ romance. I’ve only recently dipped my toes into the dark romance pool, though, so this was perfect for me.

I am SO looking forward to book two and highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky Books, Bookouture Audio and Kathryn Ann Kingsley, in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ SHAPESHIFTERS AND VAMPIRES

The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley completely hooked me from the very first page (and minute, since I immersive read with the audiobook and ebook). I devoured it in just a few hours because I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The pacing was sharp and fast, pulling me along without a single dull moment.

The characters were fantastic, and the dynamic between them had me grinning, gasping, and occasionally clutching my Kindle like it was gossip from a friend. I especially loved the FMC—her being a shapeshifter added so much intrigue, and her personality made her feel like someone I’d actually want to hang out with in real life.

By the end, I wasn’t ready to leave this world. I need more of its magic, danger, and charm. If the next book dropped tomorrow, I’d be reading it immediately.

This. Was. AMAZING!
This story was narrated by Desiree Ketchum. As someone who prefers dual narrators, she did an exceptional job at portraying both male and female characters. After a while, I got used to it and forgot that it was a female doing all of the parts. I was too busy playing the story out in my head, "watching" it as it were. For the main character, Nadi, she did such a great job bringing the fierce, witty character to life. I can't praise her enough on how much her narration helped me fall in love with this book. I hope she's here for the second book as well.

There was not a lot in the way of world building, but there was enough plot and story building that I was able to do the world building on my end. The spice wasn't anything outlandish as long as you have experience with it in stories. As a reader, Nadi having the back and forth with herself when it came to Raziel was frustrating, but being able to put myself in the character's POV I was able to relate to what she was going through and that made it make sense. At one point my reaction was, "WHAT???" and I had to rewind it to hear it again. Talk about my mind being blown! This story was so twisty turnie that the flow was great and I was gutted when it was over. I am not generally one for mafia or vampire romances, but this one left me wanting more. It's not even out yet and I'm ready for book two and, from a reader, that's a little rude.

Thank you Netgally & Bookouture

This is a decent enemies to allies. The pace is steady and the ending leaves you needing the next book. My only gripe is I felt Nadi overlooked her lifelong goal a little too quickly.

The audio is done well for only have one narrator. The emotion is there to make each scene come to life, but I do struggle to stay fully connected when she lowers her voice for the male's voices.