Thank you NetGalley for this audio book. The narrator was compelling and did a great job. I likely will DNF the book based on the content not enjoying the constant want to break and hurt sexually although maybe it ends differently. Overall the audio and the book content to about 60% has been nice to listen too and the writing is good minus me feeling put off by what I mentioned above. May give it another shot in the future.

BK-R
🌶️ Spice: 2
👁 POV: 3rd Person, Dual
🎧 Audiobook: 5/5 – Single Narration (Desiree Ketchum)
✨ Genre: New Adult Vampire Romantasy

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ALC of The Serpent’s Bride!

If you love dark revenge plots mixed with slow-burn romance, this one delivers. After witnessing her family slaughtered by the vampire prince, Raziel, a lone Fae girl escapes and grows into a lethal assassin, driven by her vow to kill the monster who destroyed her world. But when fate draws them back together, she must decide: is vengeance worth more than her heart?

This story hooked me right away. The assassin vibe, court intrigue, and steady pacing made it feel like a 5-star read in the first half. The narration by Desiree Ketchum was excellent, capturing the tension and emotion perfectly.

Where it fell a little short for us was the subplot with the uncle. It felt underdeveloped, and her loyalty there didn’t fully land. Where did the loyalty come from? Why was he not part of her revenge? We also struggled to believe Raziel was redeemed enough for her to fall for him (mate bond vibes, maybe?). Those pieces pulled my rating down.

But THAT ENDING??? I need book two immediately.

✅ Recommend for fans of enemies-to-lovers, assassin heroines, and vampire romantasy.
❌ Skip if you need your villains fully redeemed before romance kicks in.

Spicy Chapters: 7, 19, 25

Annie's Rating: 3.5⭐
Laura's Rating: 4⭐
Average Rating: 3.75⭐
⭐ Rated: 4/5

This was a great audiobook the narrator was fabulous & brought life to the story. I enjoyed the world & the characters. For the story itself I did enjoy this but I just wished there was a bit more a backstory to our main characters woven throughout.

Thank you NerdFam and Second Sky for the audio arc of this book. The narration is very well done and really helped me get in the mind of our FMC.

I loved Nadi as our FMC. She is a fae shapeshifter and goes undercover as the vampire rulers bride. I enjoyed the back and forth between Nadi and Raziel though sometimes their thoughts got very repetitive. Also while I loved Nadi, I never really grew to like Raziel. To me it felt like he didn’t have much a backbone to his family and let them walk all over Nadi and him. Also he doesn’t seem to have a redeeming qualities to make me root for him since he kills many innocent people and just doesn’t care. Honestly I was kind of rooting for Nadi to complete her mission and kill him.

The ending of this book though does make me look at Raziel in a different light and I’m excited for the sequel.

I was really drawn to the premise of this book, a fae shapeshifter seeking revenge against a vampire.... But I did not finish this book. My decision to stop reading isn't a reflection of the author or the effort, but rather a matter of personal preference. One of my biggest struggles was with the world-building. It felt underdeveloped and lacked the immersive, atmospheric quality I was hoping for. I had a hard time visualizing the setting and placing myself in the story. I also expected a badass revenge driven main female character, but she seemed more passive than anticipated, which made it difficult for me to connect with her.

That said, the concept itself is creative, and I think readers who enjoy dark, morally gray romance and the arranged marriage trope may still find something to love here, especially if you are a vibe reader and not looking for something too deep.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I don't believe I could give a fair rating if I pushed through knowing this, so I decided not to finish it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky Books, & NerdFam for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate every opportunity to read, review and/or listen early.

Let's start with what I like!
* Yes, there is a cliffhanger. Though, I’ll admit, it is a very good cliffhanger. I was thinking for most of the story that I probably wouldn’t continue the series because I didn’t really have strong feelings for the FMC or MMC, but the end does make me want to continue and dig into who they are in the next book.
* Both the FMC and MMC are clever and strong. It’s very clear that they’re evenly matched by the end of the book.
* KAK’s descriptions of the world and beings are amazing.

What I didn't like :(
* I received the audio ARC, so this will not affect physical readers… The narrator’s voices for male characters sounds too similar and it’s sometimes difficult to decipher who is speaking when there is a conversation with multiple male characters.
* FMC has sex in front of a deceased person they were close to by choice after nearly having a meltdown over a decision she had to make. I understand that it’s dark fantasy romance and that this probably isn’t abnormal for the genre, but this felt like it was forced and out of place. I think it would have been a better scene if it was someone she wasn’t as close to and she wasn’t in the throes of grief.
* The story is not as captivating as other works of KAK. It does get a bit repetitive. Especially when the FMC kept saying over and over how much she should hate her situation but doesn’t. We get it, you’ve got it bad.
* A side character is revealed to have betrayed the FMC in the end. Rude. I’ll never forgive that character or KAK for this.

Mafia Romance. Fae. Shape-Shifters. Vampires, Enemies-to-lovers. Cat-and-mouse game. Morally grey all around. This one is about an assassin Fae FMC intent on revenge from the big bad vampire mafia lord. She poses as his betrothed to get closer to him to inact her evil plan. Wicked, sexy banter. This is all around a dark, fun read. It is fast-paced, and you won't be able to put it down. And the chemistry between the leads - is so dark and delicious.

The narrator does a great job with the female rage of the FMC and the power of the vampire prince. Amazing job!

This one was just… okay. The book had a storyline buried in there somewhere, and I’ll give it credit for a strong cliffhanger that definitely hooked me at the end. But the journey to get there was painfully slow—whole stretches dragged without much to keep me engaged.

And while I went in hoping for spice that would add some spark, those scenes felt flat and uninspired, almost like they were written on autopilot. Instead of being hot or memorable, they were just awkward filler.

Overall, not terrible, but not something I’d rush to recommend. A solid “meh” read with a great ending that deserved a much better middle.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Second Sky Books for the free audio-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Repetitive, badly written and full of smut although it did warn this before downloading. I especially disliked the repeated phrase 'my little murderer' and the growl that eminated from the speaker as if it was sexualised. Similarities with Vampire So Virtuous and How to Kill your family, so similar in fact I was reading Vampire So Virtuous at the same time and I kept getting mixed up they were so similar. Awful ending not even a cliffhanger just a ploy to buy the second book.
Trickery and deception between a Fae who conceals herself as a human and a Vampire who has no problems killing in front of her and reminding Nadi she will die. A bizarre read.
Themes: vampire, fae, death, murder, deceit, lies, romance, smut, spice

<b>Huge thank you to Bookouture Audio | Second Sky Books and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy!</b>


The Serpent’s Bride is my first Kathryn Ann Kingsley book, but it definitely won’t be my last because this was sooooo good. After struggling through my last couple reads this was just what I needed— fast paced, easy to follow, sexy, and thrilling! This book sets up an almost film noir world where vampires rule and “protect” the humans from the wild fae. Raziel is the finisher for his vampire mafia family, and Nadi is the shapeshifting fae who watched him murder her family. To say there is bad blood (haha vampire pun) is putting it lightly.

Both characters are morally grey on a good day, but most of the time they are just plain villainous. 😅 They both are willing to do whatever it takes to meet their goals, and it makes for some crazy twists. When Nadi takes the place of Raziel’s intended bride, things get messy. I honestly couldn’t even blame her for forgetting Raziel’s crimes a few times, because this man was CHARMING, even with the murder-y parts. 😂 And the ending??? I was so engrossed I didn’t even realize I was near the end and thought my headphones had died. Miss Kingsley is diabolical for that cliffhanger, but I kinda love her for it. 😫

Desireé Ketchum did a fantastic job with the narration, even the male chapters. She was dynamic and I could easily tell the characters apart!

A morally grey vampire MMC & a vengeful shape shifting Fae assassin FMC? Say less. I devoured this book! It was well written, fast paced, twisty with a sprinkling of spice for good measure. And that ending?!? Ma’am, it is a CRIME to leave us hanging on that last line! 👏🏻
I would’ve liked a little more world building to be fully immersed, but I loved it regardless!

I listened to the audiobook of this and Desireé Ketchum did a phenomenal job of narrating!

What a fun book! The Serpent's Bride is my first book by Kathryn Ann Kingsely. The story was easy to follow along with but balanced it perfectly with having enough interesting things to keep the plot moving. In this story, we meet Nadi, who is a shapeshifter out for revenge. Raziel, a vampire, kills her family and she decides to pose as his bride to get close enough to exact her revenge.

I loved the darkness in both characters and that Nadi had a backbone with skills to back it up. The banter and interactions between Nadi and Raziel were fun but I think if you can't suspend just a bit of belief in the character motivations, I could see people really disliking Nadi's attraction to Raziel. There was a couple of times I caught myself thinking... girl, he killed your whole family and you are over here mooning over him. However, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the ending. I will definitely be picking up the second book to see how this series continues.

I listened to this on audio and thought Desiree Ketchum did a great job narrating both characters. I do hope for the future books in this series, that they consider adding a male narrator to really add to the immersion experience.

The serpent's Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley is a dark vampire mafia romance.

I rated this book 3.5 stars. There is some spice but it's not overbearing. Please check trigger warnings.

I found this book entertaining and intriguing as I finished it in two days.

A Shapeshifter Fae seeking vengeance disguises herself as a human bride and enters into an arranged marriage with the Vampire who killed her entire family.

The Plan: Infiltrate the vampire mafia family by posing as his to be bride whom he's never met before. Then kill each vampire family member one by one and especially my soon to be husband.

The execution: Well that's where the problem lies......because what could possibly get in her way? Tension and yearning!

The Serpent’s Bride was a fast-paced, fun read that was super easy to get into from the start you’re connected to Nadi’s character and her revenge arc. When she meets Raziel, our killer Vampire, her life long training is tested to carry out her plan without giving herself away. The problem is that she slowly starts to feel attracted to him and is he feeling the same towards her? The tension thickens until they are a tangled mess of limbs and desire and lust in the most unconventional way ever.

The world building was interesting, specifically the Wilds and the history between vampires, humans, and the fae. I also really enjoyed our characters Nadi and Raziel. Neither of them are good people so there is no good girl/ bad guy vibe here. In fact, they are toxic beings willing to go to drastic lengths to accomplish their own agendas. Meet your match while underestimating each other and trying to resist the urges to devour one other.

The plan that Nadi has becomes complicated when her cover is nearly blown several times and she shows how vengeful her character really is and how far she is willing to go to complete her lifelog vendetta against Raziel.

But when Raziel is being forced to sacrifice his human wife in a ritual, will he be able to fight the desire? Or will his yearning for her overcome him?
When Nadi's true identify is discovered will she be prepared for what Raziel will do? Or will she play this ruse out as far at it will take her?

Nadie's internal dialogue was giving me whiplash with her hatred towards Raziel and vampire kind and her resisting the yearning she felt for Raziel, even daring to call it love. While, Raziel’s indecision over what to do about his new wife also became tedious because you can feel the tension between them and the possessiveness that he subtly displays.

This was entertaing and enjoyable. I’m very interested in finding out what happens next in Nadi and Raziel’s story; especially after the ending left me gasping for more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an audio arc of The Serpent's Bride in exchange for my honest review.

Immediate thoughts:
It's all fun and games until you fall for one you are supposed kill...

This was way better than my expectations.
I read the synopsis and thought, OK... Vampire and Fae with a revenge storyline. Cool.

But I was in for more.

Clever, dark and deliciously spicy, I thoroughly enjoyed the story line.

That last line though? Really got me - I actually gasped aloud and said "Girrrrrrrrl!!! You cannot leave it there!" Had me laughing at the sheer brilliance. Was beautifully delivered too.

Thoroughly entertaining, and a great cast of characters; ones you will love to hate but also fall for.
Nadi is badass. Plain and simple. I thought her fae character and abilities were really interesting. And beautiful in a dark way. She is strong lead character which is definitely requred to match Raziel, who is dark and unrepentant in his actions. Initially, I didn't take to Raziel. I needed more time with him before I could get his character.
The relationship between them is written well- the tension builds as they get closer. As a duo they are a great pairing.

There's plenty of plot twist and close calls to keep the listener (or reader) engaged and guessing.
The plot, though predictable (its vampires, of course he'll do vampire lusty things, that's why as dark romance fans we're here) it moves at a fast pace and is never dull.

A steamy dark romance with bite *pun intended * that will leave you wanting more.

Narration:
Desireé Ketchum's narration/ delivery of the story had me hooked. I couldn't stop listening.
I wonder if having two narrators to voice the roles may have added to the production. Equally, I don't think by not having that element made it less enjoyable.

Gratitude
I would like to thank those that made listening and reviewing: The Serpents Bride possible. The author, publisher and NetGalley.

3.5⭐️ 2🌶️ BK-R
There is nothing better than a female fae shape shifting assassin with a blood thirsty vendetta. Also we have a Vampiric MMC who is an enforcer in a mafia family.
Really like the book, a plot lines that didn’t fit, but I’m still interested in book 2.

BK-R
2🌶️
POV: 3rd Person, Dual POV
🎧: 5/5 - Single Narration, Desiree Ketchum
New Adult Vampire Romantasy

To start off, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC of The Serpent’s Bride!

Fae family member goes against vampire. Vampire kills Fae family members, 1 Fae girl escapes and becomes assassin. Assassin girl has vendetta to kill vampire. Will she?

This is a fun story of a woman out for revenge. The Serpent (aka vampire prince) killed her family so she is planning to take his.

This book was on track to be a 5 star read. However, the uncle subplot and why she did what she did was off. Where does the loyalty come from? I also don’t believe she redeemed the vampire, Raziel, enough for her to fall in love with him. Suspected mate bond here? So for these reason, I took a star away. Still a great book!

THAT ENDING?????
I will be recommending it out.

Now I need book 2!

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Spicy Chapters: 7, 19, 25

She's a shifter fae assassin, he's a vampire mafia boss, and they're supposed to kill each other. I was hooked from the start.

Both main characters are morally black, not just the MMC, which I appreciated. The story is fast-paced and engaging. I didn't want to put it down until I was getting closer to the end and then I would purposely put it down just because I didn't want it to end just yet.

Nadi is strong-willed, conniving, and deadly, and Raziel is mysterious and charming even though he's a cold-hearted (literally) killer. The Vampire mafia family dynamics were also fun to watch Nadi navigate. And that ending?!? I'm kind of upset I read this as an ARC because now I have even longer to wait for Book 2.

I read this on audio and the narration was done very well. It's a single narrator but she does a great job of differentiating between the male and female characters and the pacing and speech style matched the story.

I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book in a new series. It follows the FMC, Nadi, a fae woman who sets out to get revenge on the vampire prince Nostrom by impersonating the woman he's supposed to marry but hasn't seen. Along the way, she finds herself falling in love instead.

The chemistry and banter was great, and the spice was fun - though not particularly dark for a dark romance. I listened to this on audio, and I thought that the narrator did an excellent job. I would always appreciate a dual-POV narration with two narrators, but the narrator did a great job differentiating the voices.

I am utterly OBSESSED!

I devoured this audiobook in a single day, it completely consumed me. The writing, the atmosphere, the morally black choices... it’s everything I crave. This was Dark, Messy, and Addictive.

The narrator brought an intensity that pulled me in deeper, layering the tension so perfectly that I couldn’t stop listening. This book is unapologetically twisted.

And then, the freaking ending. A cliffhanger that left my jaw on the floor. I’m left desperate for book two.

THANK YOU TO THE AUTHOR, PUBLISHER AND NETGALLEY FOR THE ADVANCED LISTENING COPING. Let's get into it🤭.

This book had some of my favourite tropes which included: Arranged marriage, one bed, revenge and enemies to lovers so I was bound to like it🙂‍↔.

I was so excited when I got approved for this book, a shapeshifter fmc and a vampire mmc? I devoured it🙂‍↕. Also might I mention that Raziel has the power to commend people to kill themselves and that Nadi is an assassin who has it out for him? Again, devoured🤏🏼.

The tension between them was written so great that I caught myself mumbling a bunch of times 'Kiss her.' Raziel's dry sarcasm made me giddy, I'm a sucker for a man with sarcasm (cue Loren Hale). The story itself was entertaining and the plot had me hooked, the world building wasn't that difficult to understand which was something I appreciated. Also, the cliffhanger? Yes, ma'am, I'm sat for the next book🧎🏻‍♀


While I did love the book, there were things that kind of threw me off. The narrator (no hate to her) but I couldn't take it quite as serious when she thickened her voice to speak as a man. She did an amazing job narrating the fmc though, her voice is adorable. The next thing that threw me off was not actually getting to see Nadi in action when killing people. I mean if I'm being told she's an assassin then I would very much love to see how she gets the work done instead of it being told afterward. Or am I just a psychopath?

Oh well. Overall this was a good listen and the cover is absolutely gorgeous, I love a good cover🥰.