Holy moly. Wrath & Desire absolutely blew me away — a solid 5 stars and my favorite of the two books (and I loved Oaths & Vengeance at 4.5 stars!).

This picks up immediately after book one, and the momentum does not let up. The character development for both Aella and Dare is on another level. Watching their relationship evolve as fated mates — while battling both physical and emotional barriers — was intense, messy, and completely addictive. They’re trying to find their way to each other in the only ways they know how, and it’s anything but easy.

Aella goes THROUGH it in this book. One brutal hit after another, and I honestly don’t know how she keeps standing. She may seem soft, warm, and full of light, but in book two she’s forced to confront the harsh reality that the world isn’t what it seems — and neither are the people in it. The growth we see in her strength, awareness, and resilience made me love her even more. And getting to meet more of her family? Incredible. The emotional weight just keeps building.

And Dare… he is raw power. Full of secrets. Full of pain. You learn more about this childhood growing up in Karganoth. The half dark elf doesn’t just want a political marriage with Aella — he wants everything: body, heart, soul. His possessiveness, his internal conflict, his desperation — it’s deliciously tortured. You go through the entire book thinking, is it really him being possessive because she is his fated mate, or did he already fall in love with Aella deep down? He believes he cannot love her, yet he cannot let her go. The tension between needing to resist and wanting to surrender? Absolutely unmatched.

The stakes are sky-high in this installment. We’re talking war with the dark elves. A spreading blight killing the land. A monarchy on the brink. Ruthless invasions. Political manipulation. Powerful forces working to divide realms. Somehow the enemy is always one step ahead. The epic fight scenes? Truly epic. High intensity, cinematic, and emotionally charged.

The worldbuilding expands beautifully in this book. We get deeper lore, more insight into the realms, and a richer understanding of the magic system. Everything feels bigger, darker, and more immersive.

And somehow, in the middle of war and devastation, we still get the garden and the chicken. I cannot explain how much I love this detail. The cozy little touches woven into such a high-stakes plot make the story feel grounded and human. It makes me giggle every time.

This book is emotional, brutal, romantic, and powerful. It tests both Aella and Dare to their limits — and maybe beyond. If book one hooked me, book two owned me completely.

Obsessed. Five stars. I need the next one immediately.

Thank you to Susan for sending the eARC to me via NetGalley (also thanks!) in exchange for an honest review. It was amazing to ARC read for Oaths & Vengeance and now Wrath & Desire.

Wrath & Desire is a true epic fantasy with spicy romance.

Aella and Darrow are in their 30's and 40's, which in itself is a breath of fresh air. They both have strong personalities and traits, that we grow to learn about. Darrow especially shows signs of ADHD, through restlessness and fidgeting. They are/were enemies in book 1. W&D takes place directly after book 1 and we get to see so much more:
🌎 world building
❤️relationship development
🥹Character development
🆘️plot thickening
🫅🏼political strategising
📚book series linking
🐔hilarious side characters. Think chickens and plants!🌵

For those of us that enjoy spice, you'll be excited to know it starts getting heated in the beginning of the book in a unique way.

Aella is a true representation of surviving trauma. She hasn't got it all worked out. She does keep it bottled deep. Like many of us do. I really connected with her in how she handles herself and own emotions while still being selfless.

Darrow is swoon worthy in this. He has a deeper narrative in this book and his actions betray his reputation, and he's hot 🔥

This series is somewhat of a standalone, but if you want a better connection to the book and all the races that inhabit the Realm of Zadrya, I highly recommend reading Susans' earlier series called Dragon Breath.

It has been a wild ride, waiting for this installment and reading it. The chapters from 40 onwards had me unable to put it down. I am grateful to the author for the early copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
I am counting down the days until book 3!

Thank you to Susan Illene (via Netgalley) for my ARC

This series is one of my absolute favourites! I cannot believe how good each book has been and I will now (very impatiently) wait for book 3.

I love how it picks straight up from the end of book 1 so you jump right back into the story. Aella and Darrow have me rooting for them the whole way through with the way they each try to begin to overcome their pasts and prejudices to make their marriage and relationship work.
Aella really goes through it in this book but Darrow doesn't get an easy time either. Finding out about his past and his magic really gives you perspective respect for him. The switch from 'marriage of convenience' to 'touch her and die' is beautifully done. Old friends become found family and new friends become allies as war threatens everyone as well as the planet.

I love the expansion on the sentient plants! I so wish that was reality as it would make gardening so much more interesting!
But Dolly the chicken...OMG I was cackling at her. She was most definitely the side character you never knew you needed but you will never forget.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5-Star Read (4.5, rounded up)

Continental war, morally gray choices and feral scene-stealing fauna. Susan Illene is keeping it up for book 2!

Book two opens at full force. The dark-elves launch a coordinated offensive across the continent, sparing only Aella’s treacherous family. The tone is sharper, darker, and unapologetically war-driven.

Aella keeps Darrow at emotional arm’s length, denying tenderness as self-preservation. Darrow remains deliciously morally dark gray and curse-bound. What changes is Aella. She adopts his brutality surprisingly quickly, using torture as survival and perhaps as an outlet for her own trauma. It is uncomfortable, but thematically consistent.

The romance circles familiar ground. The emotional loop of I will not fall for him, I want her anyway, what if I tire of her does not progress as much as I hoped. I am invested, but I am very ready for that curse to finally break.

The world-building continues to shine. Killer frogs at the worst possible moment, an absurdly powerful superchicken, devoted cacti, and returning threats like the crunchertrap make the ecosystem feel alive and slightly feral in the best way.

And yes, the scent appears. Leather and sandalwood.
At last.

A darker, immersive sequel that keeps me hooked, even if the emotional evolution is clearly being saved for book three.

If you like:
• morally dark gray, curse-bound MMCs
• high-stakes war fantasy
• dangerous, sentient flora and fauna

Not for you if:
• you need fast romantic progression
• morally questionable survival tactics frustrate you
• you prefer lighter fantasy with softer edges

Book: Wrath & desire
Series: Realm of Zadrya (#2)
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Rating: 5⭐️

5/5 Relationships
5/5 Characters
5/5 Plot
3.5 🌶

*:✿˚⋆ SPOILER FREE REVIEW *:✿˚⋆

I was so, so excited for this book — definitely one of my most anticipated 2026 releases — and it did not disappoint. Susan has once again released an absolute banger into the world, and I’m so grateful I got to read it early… although now I’m sad I don’t have book three yet.
We start W&D right where we left off in Oaths & Vengeance, which I’m all for. It truly feels like you just hit pause on the story and pressed play again with zero gaps or missing moments. I reread most of book one in preparation, but honestly, if you revisit the last 10 or so chapters of the previous book, it’s very easy to jump into W&D without confusion.

— Plot —

The plot was already one of my favorites, and this installment only made me love it more. Because we pick up immediately where we left off, the story wastes no time regaining momentum — which I was very grateful for. There is some recap, but it’s blended in seamlessly and never feels like an info dump.

As the plot thickens (wink wink), the anticipation builds alongside a growing sense of dread for what’s coming. Just when I thought I could predict the summit of the conflict, Susan humbled me real quick. I was genuinely shook more than once — and as someone who usually predicts plot twists easily, my ego was thoroughly bruised. The stakes in this book are high, and no one and nothing feels safe from physical or emotional turmoil.

— Worldbuilding —

The intergalactic element in this series remains one of the most unique and refreshing things I’ve seen in the fantasy/romantasy space. The world itself was already richly layered, but with the intergalactic expansion, we’re introduced to an entirely new setting that feels just as fully realized. I’ll admit I was slightly nervous about how the intergalactic addition would be executed because it can be tricky to balance — but I should have known better than to doubt Susan’s brilliant mind.
Speaking of which, I don’t know what Susan puts in her morning coffee, but I would very much like some. The creatures she creates deserve their own book. In book one, we had the sentient flora (which I am still devastated don’t exist in real life because I adore them). In this installment, we meet another particularly terrifying creation that once again showcases just how wildly creative S.I. is.

— Characters —

One of my main issues in the previous book was the lack of truly likable characters — but that completely changed here. As more layers are peeled back, I found myself growing attached to many more characters, which only heightens the emotional tension as the conflict unfolds. I now have far more characters I’m deeply invested in.

— Relationships —

The romance also develops beautifully in this installment. Even with the clear limits and complications surrounding Darrow & Aella’s relationship, we still get the satisfaction of watching the affection blossom. I also really appreciated the subtle hints of potential future romances as well.

— Writing —

The writing style, consistency, and flow remain just as strong as in book one — no complaints whatsoever.

— Cliffhanger —

The cliffhanger in W&D is gentler than the one in Oaths & Vengeance. It’s still stressful and surprising, but it doesn’t leave you spiraling into full emotional distress (thankfully).

— Final Thoughts —

Overall, I loved this book almost as much as the first. I knew I’d fall into a book hangover the moment I finished — and I was absolutely correct. When I finish a story I truly love, I need time to sit in my feelings before starting something new. I finished this two days ago and still haven’t picked up another book.
Susan Ilene truly makes art out of worldbuilding. I’ve read a lot of fantasy, and I stand firmly by what I said in my review of book one: this series is criminally underrated.

All the stars!!!! Let me just say...... Chicken, and Frogs, and Dragons OH MY!!!!! And can't forget our murderous plants.

The chicken stole the show for me BTW. That was amazing! And the amount of fear around the yellow frogs had me giggling.

Ok, so this book leaves off where the first one ends. So good! We have our MMC (Darrow - AKA Dare) and our MFC (Aella). We meet some new friends and get back with old friends. There is a betrayal that cuts majorly deep! We have more plants and I so want a plan. As the story progresses, we find that our MMC and MFC need to "finish" their bond. They do this in the most usual way. And I'm here for it! I was actually a part of how to "list" this and was cracking up trying to figure out how to name it without giving away a bunch of details. As the story does progress, there is a lot of relationship building and world building. The world they live on is dying and our friends need to work to save the planet by returning the fountain (which is on another planet if you recall from book 1). Dragons are dying, plants are dying, people are dying.... Everyone is dying... Ok, well that was an exaggeration. BUT the story is great. There is spice in this one and you learn more about our MFC and her darker side. There is some vengeance in here of course. And I absolutely love Dare... He's now in my top 10 book boyfriends. Even with his curse. And we meet a cute new plant...... that can kill you. HAHAHAHA.

The ending of this book isn't a cliff hanger per se. It does leave with wanting more and needing more but it doesn't leave you in a WTF moment. It's a nice way to leave the story off.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early. It would have been read faster if it wasn't for being sick.... The last half of the book I was struggling to put it down. It's soooo good. All the stars from me. And those that read my review, know I don't give out 5 stars like candy.

“You can’t ask me to be the monster for you anymore…”

“Wrath and Desire,” by Susan Illene

This book was so good! Dark, funny, chaotic, romantic-it was balanced by it all. The scope of this world with dark and light elves, dragons, gods, portal magic, and on a different planet was so big and perfectly set up throughout the two books. The vibe was dark with curses, political intrigue, and divine manipulation but then the humor shows up and lightens the mood.
The tension with the relationship was everything. I loved the MMC not being able to love, it adds so much complication to their story. FMC was so strong and brave but still has a fear of frogs, which is hilarious. The gods being involved as they were was something that stood out to me, it made me way more curious about the plot.
My two favorite parts of the book was one the dangerous garden, I loved this from book 1 and was so happy to see more of it and two the dangerous and really annoying chicken, trust me he was so worth reading the book.
5 out of 5 stars, one of my favorite reads this year.

-Dark and Light Elves, Gods, Dragons
-Curses
-Dangerous Garden
-Portal Magic
-Political Intrigue

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

“…I have no doubt I’ll love you so much the whole world will feel it.”

“Sometimes danger whispered, sometimes it roared.”