I absolutely devoured this book! It's sooooo good. I was holding my breath at parts, I was hooked from start to end. I can't believe how good this book is! Such a fun romantasy book! I so need book 2!

I was so obsessed with this narrator! Her voice was perfect and I was so invested! Loved it so much! I highly recommend!

This is quite a slow burn, took me a while to get into it but over all i enjoyed the story. Ive given it 3 stars because although the story was enjoyable and quite well written it did seem to drag a little to begin with. However, overall... definitely give it a read if you enjoy vampire dark romances

This book was a good time. I could not stop once I started and finished within 24 hours. I always enjoy when the FMC is a strong badass who doesn’t need someone to come in and save her but is always morally grey. I already can’t wait for book 2 to come out

Alright, so I wasn't feeling this book at first. Felt a little overdone...vengeance...infiltrate his life...gonna be an enemies to lovers bit coming probably? and it felt a little off in the beginning. But I Kingsley is a new author to me, so I wanted to give it a fair shot.... and then before I knew I was sucked in!
Was it still a little corny sometimes.. sure? Did I occasionally was to give Nadi a shake.. like come on girl? But the whole while I couldn't wait to see what was coming next and THAT ENDING?
I will be back for book 2.

Thank you to Net GAlley for an E-AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to this book while packing for a move, and while I finished it quickly, I did come away quite a few issues.

The premise of this book was definitely intriguing to me. Nadi is a shapeshifter who assumes the role of Raziels mortal bride. Raziel murdered her entire family 80 years ago and since then she has been plotting her revenge. On paper, this setup had me hooked. In execution, however, I struggled with the way Nadi’s decisions aligned with her goals. For someone who has been carefully planning vengeance for decades, she often left loose ends or acted in ways that seemed to undercut her plans.

Raziel, on the other hand, is presented as morally grey/black, controlling vampire but I didn’t fully believe in his complexity. The connection between him and Nadi also felt rushed yet nonexistent. It felt like insta lust/attraction which was confusing considering what he did to her family and did not feel the heat or tension between these two.

Another element that didn’t quite work for me was his constant use of the nickname “little murder.” It was repeated so often that it pulled me out of the story after a while. Additionally, the recurring mentions of Nadi’s potential sacrifice (as the mortal bride) tended to circle back to the same conversation without much new development, which made those moments feel a bit repetitive

Overall, this book did not work for me.

This audiobook was dark, gothic, and completely addictive. The atmosphere was so vivid that I felt pulled into the eerie, romantic world from the first chapter. The dynamic between the characters was intense and layered, with just the right amount of tension to keep me hooked. The narration really brought the story to life and fit the tone perfectly. At times the pacing lingered a little too long on certain scenes, but overall it added to the moody, immersive vibe. If you love gothic fantasy romance with a dark edge, this one is definitely worth listening to.

I loved this! I’m a big fan of a strong and capable FMC and Nadi delivered. I liked how the author showed her inner dialogue paired with what she told others, it made her super relatable and I was invested in her mission. Raziel is the quintessential morally grey MMC, but we also caught a glimpse of his humanity and how different he could be in some key relationship-building moments with her. I enjoyed the back and forth between both of them in their battle of wits and the ending was epic!! I’m so looking forward to the next book 😅 I overall enjoyed the audiobook narrator but felt there were a few moments where she could’ve been more emotionally diverse and less “one note” with her approach.

I loved the characters in this story. There was so much drama, trauma, and tension within, between, and caused by these characters that the book was just so good. The setting for the book was indistinct but easy to imagine and the world building wasn’t overly done which made the book feel like it was fast paced. I look forward to reading/listening to the rest of this series.
The narrator did a phenomenal job with this story and made the characters feel real and bring their emotions to the forefront.

✦ ALC Reveiw ✦

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
Narrated by Desiree Ketchum
Release Date August 27, 2025

Have you ever read a cliffhanger that left you with devilish grin on your face and chills running down your spine? That’s exactly what the Serpent’s Bride did for me. This dark vampire romance is thrilling, tension filled, and fast paced. Our main characters are morally black. To be honest, I think all the characters in this book are. It makes for riveting character dynamics and a stabby good time.

Desiree Ketchum’s narration arouses the perfect amount of emotion. It’s palpable as the story progresses and the emotions of our fmc, Nadi, become more conflicted. Nadi’s wit and humor are delivered in a way that make her an enjoyable fmc.
A lot of times I find the mmc loses a bit of their allure when a female narrator speaks for them. Desiree nailed it. She brought Raziel to life with her sultry smooth voice. He felt like every bit the beautiful monster he’s described to be.

I cannot wait for book 2! I’m anticipating an intense, spicy, enemies to lovers thrill ride.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio & Second Sky for proving this audiobook via NetGalley. All opinions are honest & my own.

I loved the ending of this book! I am so intrigued to find out how the FMC and MMC will work together to kill all of the Nostrums - especially with all of the sexual tension between the two of them! I will definitely be getting my hands on book 2!

There’s a lot to like about this book. Starting with vampire mafia boss meets shapeshifting aquatic fae assassin. I’d love to get more of her shapeshifter abilities, and more of her aquatic identity. A fast paced read, easy to follow and nice enough characters. But I just didn’t connect fully with the story.

The problem I had was I found it a little flat and I kept wanting more. Raziel’s character the most interesting to me, and it was obvious there’s more to his story from the start, but this isn’t explored. I didn’t pick up on any chemistry between the MCs outside of the physical pull.

Desiree Ketchum is quickly becoming one of my favourite audiobook narrators. She brought the world to life effortlessly, and added some spark to the characters. A male narrator would have been great for the alternate POV.

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky and Bookouture for the audio Arc in exchange for a review.

4⭐️

Well, this was a good book about vampires! I’m so glad I received the ALC through NetGalley and had the chance to discover this gem.

The storyline was amazing—exactly the kind of story I love to read.

Nadi is such a great FMC, driven by a single goal: to avenge her family and annihilate the vampire clan responsible for their demise. She’s also a shapeshifter, which added an extra layer I absolutely loved. Watching her struggle to play the part of a simple, defenseless human—and the obedient wife to Raziel—was so compelling.

Raziel was a great MMC. Finally, an unhinged vampire male who actually behaves like a vampire! I’ve been starving for a character like this, and I’m so happy I found him here.

This is a true enemies-to-lovers with a delicious slow burn. But their relationship isn’t as smooth or predictable as you might expect from the trope. So if you’re looking for a neatly wrapped-up romance or a solid, established couple by the end of the book, this might not be the right fit for you.

The plot twist at the end blew me away, and now I can only hope book 2 comes out as soon as possible—because I can’t wait!

A prime example of “don’t judge a book by its cover”. I was hesitant to start this one because I wasn’t a fan of the cover, but I’m so glad I did. This story is sexy, angsty, and has everything an enemies-to-lovers, paranormal, dark romance reader could want. AND THAT TWIST ENDING!!!! Ma’am, straight to jail!!!!

The Serpent's Bride is the story of Raziel and Nadia. Raziel is the head of a vampire clan that murdered all of Nadia's family. When Raziel is set to marry a sacrificial human named Monica. Nadia decides to use her fae shapeshifting magic to take Monica's place. Nadia's goal is to murder all of Raziel's family so he can feel her pain before she murders Raziel. Only problem Nadia starts feeling things for Raziel.

This one was super enjoyable. Nadia is feisty and fierce. She is morally gray and can hold her own. Raziel is sexy, powerful, and morally black. Very nice spicy scenes and the tension between these too!

This is a twist on mafia romance because the mafia is vampires which was fun. There isn't a lot of world building but sometimes that's okay. I don't need every fantasy to be deep. If you like dark romance, marriage of convenience, and enemies to lovers you will enjoy this one. The ending is also so good. I was screaming! But it is a cliffhanger and now I am sad I have to wait so long for book two.

While not normally a fan of assassin books, I thought this sounded interesting and decided to give it a try. It was fantastic. I adore the writing style and how the characters backstories were given. The story was fluid and did not feel clunky or jump around. This was a great read and I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.

Shapeshifter fae and vampires. Yes, please.

This was such a fun and easy to follow book. I flew through it. Not going to lie I didn’t realize I was so close to the end so that cliffhanger nearly took me out.

I love that we are starting off with true enemies. This trope will absolutely never get old. I cannot wait for the next book.

Thank you so much to Second Sky and The Nerd Fam for the ARC/ALC! The audio was wonderful.

Absolutely inhaled this!

This was an easy going and addictive read, perfect for people who love a bit of dark romance with a fantasy twist! I’m definitely keen to continue and see what comes next!

🩸🔫🩸🔫

Premise:
Nadi’s family were killed by a vampire, Raziel Nostrom. And she has spent 80 years vowing revenge.

When she hears of a bride who has been gifted to Raziel. She uses her fae powers to take her place and infiltrate the Nostrom family.

The human brides of the Nostrom clan never last long, but Nadi needs to stay alive long enough to destroy Raziel’s family.

🩸🔫🩸🔫

Tropes / Themes : Slow burn; Enemies to lovers; Kinky spice ; Vampire MMC; Shapeshifter FMC; False identity; Arranged marriage; Revenge plot; Fae vs vampire war; Mafia world; Unexpected twists; Ends of a cliffhanger.

🩸🔫🩸🔫

It was truly an addictive book. I listened to the audiobook and finished it within 24 hours! What I loved:

🔫 Nadi was a fantastic FMC. Firstly I love that she was older and experienced. Whilst she had to play the act of a simpering human, she quickly showed her edge to the characters and had a sarcastic tone that I enjoyed. She was ruthless and a great match for Raziel.

🩸 Raziel was real typical brooding vampire. And morally black with no guilt. But I enjoyed his confusion as his feelings developed for ‘Monica’. Whilst I don’t think the characters are anywhere close to love yet, he clearly has a soft spot for Nadi and I’m excited to see where it leads, and to see him thaw.

🔫 Speaking of the relationship. Firstly I love a slow burn and I love that they both clearly hate / are confused by their attraction. It makes the spice so much sweeter when there’s an element of hate to it. Also Raziel is a kinky one, hence why I think this is a great book for the dark romance community!

🩸The plot. I thought I knew where this book was going, but KAK really threw in some surprises! The way I gasped!! I’m very excited to see what happens next and will definitely continue.

🩸🔫🩸🔫

Audiobook thoughts:
The narrator really suited Nadi I felt and did a great job of portraying her sarcastic nature, whilst also switching easily to Nadi’s fake Monica persona, with a more insipid tone.

My only bugbear, and this is no fault of the narrator, but I wish they had made it dual/duet narration. Given that Raziel has his own PoVs, it’s frustrating that he didn’t get his narrator.

This was such a good start to a series, the best part being that it’s a true enemies to lovers! The fact they are actively trying to unalive each other the whole book and then that ending?! So good, cannot wait for the next book now!!

If you love fantasy and dark romance and wish there were more books with both then The Serpents Bride is the book for you!! I read this book so fast and loved it! The cliffhanger at the end has me wanting book two already!

Huge thanks to Net Galley & Second Sky for the ARC!!

Oh wow… The Serpent’s Bride completely sucked me in. Nadi is a total badass fae assassin, and her plan to take down Raziel, the vampire who murdered her family by posing as his bride? YESSS Get it girl 🔥

What I loved most? Basically everyone in this book is villainous in some way, and I ate that up. Raziel isn’t just “morally grey” or misunderstood—he actually loves the horrible things he does, and he owns that darkness. It makes him feel real, terrifying, and magnetic all at once. And Nadi? She’s just as deadly, just as dark. Honestly, I think both of them are products of the lives they’ve lived, and it makes their story feel so much deeper. The fact that Nadi can hold her own because she's been training her whole life to do so and not just miraculously wakes up a powerful world saver overnight is something that I really appreciate in a FMC these days.

The worldbuilding, the dark mafia vibes, the plot twists—they all kept me glued to the page. I actually finished this in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. I did have a few moments where the romance insta-lusty given everything going on, and how she was feeling towards him even though he slaughtered her full family but the story and characters more than make up for it and this only feeds into Nadi having a side just as twisted and dark as Raziel. Perfect Match.
That ending?...That cliffhanger? I’m screaming for book two. So upset that I actually need to wait to see how things play out... i just know that it's going to be even better. CAN'T WAIT!!

Audiobook : I listened to the audio for a parts also and the narrator was great. As always its not my particular favourite when the narrator is playing both parts but it was still enjoyable ( once I sped it up a bit, but this is personal preference)

Enemies-to-lovers, morally grey leads, dark fantasy, and villainous vibes galore? This one is a must for your TBR