Craving in His Blood

Brides of the Kylorr #2

by Zoey Draven

She’s the fated mate he never wanted…and the human that will bring him to his knees.

As the daughter of a traveling chef, I grew up flitting around different galaxies, immersing myself in fascinating cultures, and rubbing noses with socialites. Coming to Krynn was a new chapter, a permanent place to finally call home .

But when tragedy strikes and I’m suddenly alone, broke, and desperate, I take work at a dyaan . An establishment where the Kylorr—blood-drinking, winged, fearsome aliens with berserker-like rages—come to feed on willing necks to satisfy their fierce hunger.

That’s where I meet him. Kythel of House Kaalium, the ruler of Erzos, with his mesmerizing eyes like fractured ice and a sinful voice that captivates me.

We’re polar opposites. I’m a hopeful optimist who always looks for silver linings. He’s guarded and mistrustful, a wealthy heir to a powerful legacy, who thrives on rigid, unbending control. Yet he craves my blood with a frenzy that maddens him, and he’ll stop at nothing to claim me.

But when the forbidden desire between us becomes too tempting to resist, I fear it will destroy us both...especially when an impossible choice threatens to be our Duty or love?

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Aliens, Science Fiction, Vampires, Science Fiction Romance, Paranormal

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2023

About the author

Zoey Draven has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Her love affair with the romance genre started with her grandmother's old Harlequin paperbacks and has continued ever since. As a Top 100 Amazon bestselling author, now she gets to write the happily-ever-afters—with a cosmic, otherworldly twist, of course!

When she's not writing, she's probably drinking one too many cups of coffee, hiking in the redwoods, or spending time with her family.

Sign-up for Zoey Draven's newsletter for new release announcements and bonus content: http://bit.ly/2lkn8M4

Reviews

[readabookonce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoey Draven ONCE AGAIN did the thing

MAIN CHARACTER NAMES
Millicent “Millie” Seren | Kythel of House Kallium

FEATURES
∘ alien-human romance
∘ vampire gargoyle-esque alien
∘ fated mates
∘ grumpy / sunshine
∘ contractual “only for a month” agreement

REVIEW
I saw this marketed as “friends to lovers” and felt a smidgen of disappointment BUT while they become “friends,” we get to see them meet and their relationship develop. I have some preconceptions of the trope I need to shed because if this is what I’ve been avoiding…I’m missing out.

I loved Millie so much. She was so compassionate and sweet and soft and tough and just so UGH. Kythel was a fool for thinking he could resist her.

Kythel’s stoicism and grumpiness was such a nice treat. I love this dynamic so much. His grappling with what happened to his aunt was a good motivation for his reasoning, but I wish what happened was revealed sooner. It was hanging over our heads the entire novel.

All that aside, this love story was beautifully written. Zoey Draven is easily one of my favorite authors. I’d wait ten years for the next book in the series because it would be worth it.

OW/OM DRAMA OW — Kythel is set on marrying for duty, but he does not have feelings for her
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP yes
ENDING HEA

POV dual / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 4.5 / 5

[MissClo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book a thousand stars, I would.

“I can’t seem to stay away from you,” came Kythel’s quiet confession. Tingles ran down my arms. “It’s quite infuriating. I’m at a loss of what to do about it.”

I genuinely didn’t think any book could top DIHB- I have a soft spot for Gemma and Azur but my oh my. This book blew me away. I stayed up till 4am to finish it and immediately wanted to go back to the beginning and read it again.

“I thought myself immune to such things,” he murmured, his voice relaxed and deep despite the bulging strength and tension I felt in his body. “But I quite like seeing my mark on you.”

Kythel is the logical twin, the one who is described by many as a cyborg because of how well he compartmentalises his feelings. But as soon as he meets Millie in the Dyaan, everything goes out of the window. Millie is infuriating in her optimism, her ability to forgive and love. She is everything he isn’t and he just can’t stay away.

She was ugly and beguiling, a study of strange proportions and even stranger beauty. And she smelled divine. Though I’d just had my fill, I wanted to feed from her. I wanted to taste her blood, sweet and lush like sin. I wanted her now.

Millie was a breath of fresh air in this genre. She is reasonable, logical and so so intelligent. She was the sunshine to Kythel’s grump and in a way reminded him how to live for himself again.

When she desperately finds herself needing Kythel’s help, she doesn’t hesitate to go to him. She is prideful but also humble. Honestly, the poor girl’s been through so much but keeps bouncing back and never loses her smile. I would love for her to be my friend, because she’s genuinely a nice character! Kythel is lucky to have her.

Regardless of what happened between us, I would always take care of her. She never had to worry that she’d need to sleep in a storage room or scrounge for food or wear clothes until they disintegrated into threads. Ever again. Did she not understand that?

The third act conflict was perfectly foreshadowed and not a surprise but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. I was crying like a “loon” (Millie’s words) because as always Zoey executed it perfectly. The realisation and later the grovel were *chef’s kiss*.

We get to learn a little more of the brothers in this book and get to see Azur from Kythel’s perspective. I love that berserker alien so much.

If someone had asked me to find fault with this book they’d be disappointed because there is nothing. The book is perfect. The storyline, the pace, the characters and Zoey’s style are impeccable. I don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next book.

I’m not sure who’s in line but I’m hoping for the tattooed, grumpy king of Kaazor, Zyre. His intensity and intelligence is going to make him a yummy MC in the future, I just know it!


Zyre: “I want one more thing. But I won’t ask for that quite yet.

I think we all know what Zyre is going to ask for later *ahem Kalia ahem* and the suspense is so sweet I could die from the excitement.

The overarching plot is developing at a great pace and I genuinely can’t wait. There are also some hints about Kaldor and his future mate in the epilogue. And let’s not forget Rivin and Neela from DIHB. Ahh I’m so excited for the future of this series.

To conclude, run to grab this book when it releases. You won’t regret it.

PS- House Arada were so annoying, and I think it’s ironic that “arada” means “in between” in Turkish because they constantly kept getting between our MCs’ happiness 🤣

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ No one is more disappointed in this rating than me 😭


"You're the answer to the question I never even thought about asking."


WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ sci-fi / fantasy romance
✨ he’s a stubborn vampire-like alien lord
✨ she’s a strong-willed human grieving her father
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ slow burn
✨ 3/5 🌶️ (primal, biting, knotting)
✨ size difference
✨ fated mates
✨ high angst
✨ secrets and lies
✨ continued world building
✨ dual POV
✨ HEA
✨ standalone
✨ TW: death of parent, grief


My Thoughts:

Desire in His Blood (book 1) is one of my favorite books of all time. So maybe my expectations were too high, but sadly, this story fell short in every category.

The romance didn’t have a good or believable foundation. The MMC, Kythel, had a misguided sense of responsibility and was hard to root for. The FMC, Millie, was too forgiving. The conflict and ‘twists’ were obvious from the beginning. The pacing was off - a whole lot of nothing happened from 40-80%. There’s also a lot of telling versus showing with too many time jumps and recaps. The world building was overwhelming and it tended to highlight things I didn't personally care for. It’s a shame because I actually really love this universe, and the characters are cute when Kythel wasn’t being a cold SOB and choosing everything over Millie.

I think this might just be a me thing though because there’s a lot of good reviews of this book. And the writing itself is totally fine! However, a lot of the pieces of this story didn’t really work together. Everything felt forced, but I believe this story could have unfolded in a much more natural way.

Overall, I’m pretty sad about my experience with Craving in His Blood, but I'm hopeful that book 3 will be different.

[Rayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoey Draven is by far my favourite Sci-Fi romance author. Every book is so well balanced between the alien world and the romance. This one was no different. I really liked how the MC Millie, wasn’t new to the culture of their life which brought us more into the world. Her dad was half Kylorr and she spent her whole life travelling the universe with him. I felt fully immersed in more of the world building we got to see from a bigger ent perspective.

I loved the characters as individuals. They were both great MCs to follow and kept me entertained. The only bummer was I wish I felt more connected to them as a couple. I don’t know what it was, maybe was because I just finished reading Gemma and Azur’s book again or seeing this book’s MCs fall too quickly into their wants, but I just didn’t feel them as strongly as the previous book’s couple. That being said, there were still some sweet moments, some spicy moments and some moments that hurt my heart to read. It just goes to show how great this book was as a whole that I loved it even though I wasn’t as invested in the main characters as I wished to be. Her father’s story was also heartbreaking to hear about.

The interconnected plot that started in book one and will probably continue throughout the series is started to develop more as well. As someone who likes character driven plots the most, I like how this big plot of given in bite sized pieces in order to not take away from the romance. It has made be very intrigued to see what’s next to come.

[HankReadsRomance · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I love Zoey Draven but this book was bland as hell by her standards. If she hadn’t given us the absolute magic that is the Horde King series I would probably be more lenient in my rating but Craving in His Blood very much suffered by comparison.

It’s easy to tell from the very beginning what the main conflict is going to be. I kept waiting for the epic conflict/angst/grovel/pining that Draven does so well, but what I got instead was a predictable cookie cutter story with none of the passion I’ve come to expect from her.

Kythel (MMC) was a frustrating combination of selfish and spineless. He knowingly lead the FMC down the “blood mate” rabbit hole with complete disregard for her feelings or what her future would be like without him. He knew what happened to Ruaala yet repeatedly made self serving choices that would condemn his mate to a similar fate. He strung everyone along for 400 pages until the choices of others forced his hand. He made it impossible to respect him so I ended up pretty apathetic about his HEA.

This one didn’t work for me, but you best believe I’ll still be out here buying all her new books ‘cause she’s a damn fine storyteller.

[Crystal's Bookish Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much. Zoey is an INCREDIBLE romance author

[Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, terrific audiobook!



The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💖
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📔📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍🌏
Character development: 😄🙂🥰☺️😋
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration

The heroine: Millie - her father was a culinarian, who at one time devoted his life to the preparation of food for others. Though later in his life, he was devoted to Millie and taught her everything he knew. Four months ago, her father died, and Millie is now trying to make enough money to travel to where he is and get his body before it is too late. She is working in Erzos at a restaurant that serves both food and blood straight from the vein. Millie helps out in any way she can as a waitress and sometimes she helps with the cooking. Though she has asked to be a blood giver so she could make more money, but her boss hasn’t yet agreed.

The Hero: Kythel of House Kaalium, the ruler of Erzos - he is a twin brother to Azur. He is the calm brother. He figures war is coming soon and is trying to do what he can to strengthen his home and his people to prepare. Some of his people don’t agree with the changes he is making in the city, but he does what he can. His family is wealthy, and their wealth comes from a drug called Lore, which seems similar to marijuana. He plans to marry the daughter of a man whose wealth is in an alloy that is stronger than steel. That will set him up to be ready for war.

The Story: One night, Kythel and two of his brothers go to eat at the restaurant where Millie works, and he is enchanted by her scent from the start. He later asks the proprietor if Millie could be his personal blood giver. Millie wanted to agree but her boss warned her not to and offered to pay her more instead. Though in the next days, Millie seemed to come across Kythel everywhere she went. She liked to wander in the Stalara forest and was looking for a noble family her father once worked for because he had loved the daughter. Yet nobody seemed to know that family, or they knew but weren’t telling what happened to the family.

The characters were great in this book, I thought Millie was independent and knew what she wanted. I liked the mystery of her looking for that family and how strong she was to try to save money to get and bury her father’s body. Kythel was a good leader, though I didn’t like the fact that he planned to marry that other woman and how he thought Millie was below him because she was a commoner and a human.

I wasn’t too happy when Kythel started using her as a blood slave and realized she was his fated mate, yet he was still staunchly dedicated to the fact that he was going to marry Lyrea for his kingdom. He was basically just using her for blood and sex and though he no longer saw her as below him, he still didn’t see her as good enough to come first in his life.

This audiobook was told in dual points of view via duet narration and was narrated by Marcio Catalano and Veronica Pace. I liked both of these narrators quite a bit. Veronica Pace has a nice voice and is able to show emotion through her voice. Marcio Catalano has a deep voice and is great at doing different voices for different characters.

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[daemyra, the realm's delight · Rating 3 out of 5]

June 15, 2023:

I love Zoey Draven but sometimes her works aren’t memorable. This is not mediocre or a waste of time. I do feel the author tried here. I was hooked in for the first few chapters but it didn’t have an interesting political intrigue plot, and the angst was missing the X factor. My favourite sci fi fantasy stories by Zoey Draven have both these elements: a story I care about and also incredibly angst attraction.

However, Zoey Draven is an excellent author so it’s not like I have lost trust and faith. With the Horde Kings, there were some books in there I don’t want to reread but others that are absolutely fantasy romance classics.

Some more rambling thoughts:

That the hero Kythiel is immediately obsessed by Millie’s scent was engaging, but then the quiet place chapters were boring. I wanted more angst and I know the author could have done it with the hero with the heroine he shouldn’t be with from a social status/well-being of country standpoint. She’s done it before in ways that make you feel for the heroine and the hero.

Heroine is an orphan who loves food. The food creations were a lot of fun. But aside from fulfilling her father’s dying wish, she didn’t feel compelling.

Hero is also meant to be a proper, cold fish who has never had the time to enjoy life for himself. I think this was a lot of telling not showing. I didn’t feel in his life, aside from not being able to marry his blood mate, I felt that restriction. His story about being an architect was somewhat reflected in his love of beautiful things but I never felt a yearning from him.

As for the set-up for the next potential hero in the wings, I am incredibly intrigued by the king in the North who appears to have a lifelong fascination with the hero’s sister. That is one thing I like to see more of, kylorr with kylorr. It’s nice when it’s a human pairing because you have that outsider perspective but lots of possibilities with 2 vampire aliens 😈


June 16, 2023:

WHAT!! I need to sign up to author newsletters because I can’t believe I could have had 3 whole days to read this 🥲

[siu · Rating 5 out of 5]

me: omg the author has a realistic fmc who isn't the usual stunningly-gorgeous-girl-who-doesn't-know-she's-pretty archetype !!! 💘
also me: HE FR THINKS SHE'S UGLY 😭💔 (IN THE BEGINNING)

[Jac K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a fan of this author, I loved most of her Horde King series. She’s fantastic with world building and character development… and I really liked Desire in His Blood … but this was just missing something.

I really thought with the setup meeting his blood mate just before announcing his politically motivated engagement that this would pack an emotional punch, but it was lacking in the angsty drama department.

There were also long stretches where nothing was really going on but filler (cooking, cabin refurbishing, etc.) and when the “action” finally came, IMO it came about from TSTL/clueless decisions that didn’t fit for “street smart”/resourceful individuals we are supposed to believe should be leading people. Neither of them saw that coming when they knew the other family were spying, threatening, and attempting to manipulate the situations??!! And don’t get me started on how these individuals were “dealt with” … at the very least they should’ve gone to prison. What kind of example did they show? Especially with the two commoners from the town… that was silly.

Bottom Line- Love the author but wasn’t impressed with this one. The strong h came off weak, and the badass H came off as a wimpy martyr. I didn’t feel the chemistry or passion like the first couple who couldn’t keep their hands off each other despite “hating” each other, and there was too much filler with housework crap. The decision came too late for me, and it was pretty much forced on him by other’s actions rather than him being a man and standing up for his woman. Why would he subject his soulmate to the same fate as Ruaala if he loved her so deeply? Then the way he dealt with those other’s actions made him look even weaker and made me feel like he just wasn’t that into her… addicted to her scent and blood--yes, but I wasn’t feeling obsessed love. It was all very bland, and I started skimming. I will definitely continue with the series, but this one was a dud... much like the Mad King book.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
3 on the spice scale

[✩ Yaz ✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved when he was demanding. When he handled me a little roughly, like he knew I wouldn't break but that instead, I would bloom with his touch.

Brides of Kylorr series continues to deliver such sizzling romances and a cast of dynamic characters and Craving in his Blood did not disappoint and I instantly devoured it!

Millie won me over easily with her incredibly heartfelt yet sad backstory and that made me immediately respect her and root for her quest, meanwhile the self-controlled and stoic Kythel is known to b —yet all it took was a little human and her scent to unravel him completely.

And man did I enjoy seeing Millie driving him to madness without even lifting a finger. She had him panting after her and what came out of it was a month-long convenient arrangement which unsurprisingly turned into an unsatiable appetite not only for blood but more.

However, a heavy burden sits upon Kythel's shoulders and he may have to choose between love and duty.

I was genuinely surprised with how much of a romantic at heart Kythel is! He is so affectionate and soft with Millie and he's also so sensual and ravenous for her and that spiced up so many moments between them *wink**wink*.

The tension did not feel as high as its predecessor, but there were some stakes standing in our beloved couple's way from being together.

Content warning: blood, parental death, grief, violence.

[Malene · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
What can I say except that Zoey Draven has got me hooked on sci-fi romance and in particular flying vampires. Book 1 was my introduction to the genre and I absolutely loved that book. Craving in his Blood is no different.
There’s something so intriguing and fascinating about bloodmates and especially when it’s a human and a vampire. Yes, book 1 had a vampire and human too but the tropes here differ. Here the tropes are friends to lovers and grumpy/sunshine and it was so good.

I really liked that Millie had a broad knowledge of the cultures and species. Nothing scared her. She had a purpose and would do anything to make it happen. The friendship between her and Kythel was so well written and explored. The immediate connection because of their blood was palpable and in a way really sexy.
What made me fall for them as a couple was how the author took her time to let them get to know one another through conversations. Yes, they were drawn to each other because of the blood but it had to become more. It had to slowly evolve into them falling in love and Zoey Draven succeeded with it to perfection.
Kythel was a fabulous grumpy and protective hero. How he wanted to get to know her and not just feed from her was so swoony.
Kythel’s brothers appeared and little crumbs were laid so I’m very excited for what’s to come. Another fantastic story to this series.

4.5 Stars

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms Draven is definitely my favorite sci-fi romance writer. I loovveedd the slow burn between Millie and Kythel. All the longing, tension, and heartache made this such a beautiful story that I appreciate that this wasn't overly spicy. I would recommend reading this in order as there's an overarching storyline, but not necessary in that each of the relationships are stand alone. I can't wait to read the next story.

I highly recommend giving this a read.

[Joyous · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨3.5 stars✨

Honestly, I'm a lil bummed. It wasn't half as good as the first one for me. That may be because after anticipating about it so much, it couldn't deliver that sky high expectations of mine.

But the book still is good. Zoey literally writes alien sci-fi as if she's writing fleshed out fantasy.

[Sheia (Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆4.15☆

✅️ Alien-Human relationship
✅️ He is Royalty
✅️ Class Difference
✅️ RichXPoor
✅️ fated mates
✅️ HEA

FMC/ MILLIE:- Adopted daughter of a half-Kylorr Culinarian, Millie has travelled the universe, but is now back to her father's birth planet. Following a tragedy that leaves her father dead, Millie is working hard to fulfill his last wishes.

MMC/ KYTHEL:- Twin of Azur (the first book MMC), Kythel is supposed to be the logical one. But finding his blood mate, when he has decided to be betrothed to another for the good of his family and land, is not what he foresaw.

REVIEW

Solid next book in the series. The world building continues. But Craving in His Blood hits different than Desire in His Blood, because it was less angsty. I still like the premise however, as well as the story.

This series has me hooked!

Let's see what the next books bring, especially with the hints dropped regarding the MMC's sister and their enemy in the north. Or is he?

[riley ☠︎︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars✨❤️ oh my fucking god. I’m almost mad I didn’t read this when I first read Desire in His Blood almost a year ago. I’m genuinely happy I got to experience this book now tho. I’m already screaming and crying for the next book😩

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was, to put it simply, a masterpiece of science fiction romance that I am still thinking about days after reading it. Zoey Draven has yet to write a book that I finish and think, "Wow, that was a waste of my time," because she builds worlds that spark the imagination, creates characters that are multi-dimensional, and writes stories that tug at the heartstrings of each and every reader. I have had sleepless nights where I have chosen to finish her book over getting enough sleep to function the next day, and not once have I regretted it. You will find so much to love in this book - a tortured hero with a heart of gold, a strong heroine who makes him work for her heart, slow burn with a gut-wrenching side of pining, fated mates between two people of entirely different species and classes, and a romance that does not come easy, but when it does, it melts your heart. I already need the next book immediately, and it's like that. Every. Single. Time.

Kythel of House Kaalium and Millie Seren were both fated to meet and destined for heartbreak. Kythel has dedicated his life to serving his house and ensuring peace for his people, as a form of atonement for his past actions that he believes led to his aunt's death and his mother's harsh words towards him. Part of his dedication means marrying for the betterment of all, not for love and certainly not for his fated mate, his kyrana. When he catches the scent of Millie in a local dyaan, where blood givers service the blood-drinking Kylorr, he instantly begins to feel things he has never felt for another. His craving for her is immediate and desperate...but Millie isn't a blood-giver and her employer refuses to allow her to give him blood. So Kythel must do without, even though he continues to cross paths with Millie, and each time makes it that much harder to stay away. And when circumstances change and Millie agrees to give him blood, but only until the next moon winds. After that, they will part ways, and Kythel will marry a highborn Kylorr who can keep impending war at bay. Both are determined to keep their emotions locked up tight...but no amount of determination can stop fate when it wants to have its way.

I was in love with Kythel almost from the start - our poor tortured soul who lived with guilt most of his life and never felt the need to seek out love, let alone deserve it. His actions towards Millie were so sweet, so honorable, and the restraint he showed whenever they came close to going too far was admirable. He cared so much and so deeply, but he forgot to show himself that same level of caring. Millie had a soft heart but was also so strong, having been on her own for a while, desperately trying to bring her adoptive father's body back so he could rest in eternal peace. Not only that, but she was on a mission to ensure he rested in peace with the love of his life, his own kyrana who had chosen duty over love many years ago. She knew the ways of the Kylorr, having grown up learning it, but she couldn't know what being a kyrana meant until she became one to Kythel. Neither could resist the other, so they came together, with enough steam to fog up my glasses through my ereader screen. The pining had a lot to do with it. Knock a slow burn all you want, but when someone has waited so long to finally feel the touch of their soulmate's skin and the soft brush of their lips against their own, the steam factor increases tenfold. The pining was palpable. So well written. I could write a freaking ode to the pining and slow burn in this book. And of course, there is major angst, because Kythel refuses to allow himself to have what his heart desires. Millie won't beg, but she does challenge him to fight for them. It takes him time to figure out how to do that. So be prepared for heartache alongside that steam.

Wherever this series takes us, I am on board. One hundred and ten percent. Gimme more.

**I received a free copy from the author and this is my honest review.**

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything. I loved it so much. If you're a fan of adult fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi romance, I can't recommend this series enough. Or Zoey's books in general. She is a master at her craft.

Her Horde Kings of Dakkar series is one of my favorite series of all time, and this one is quickly becoming a favorite as well.

This was strangers to friends to lovers, super hot, but slow burn(ish) the first 40% in the best possible way. It made their first kiss so much better. The angst was top tier and the world building & storyline so genuinely interesting. I was hooked from the start and couldn't stop reading.

I seriously can't recommend this series enough, and this book was even better than the first, in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I had the chance to beta read this book.

[❀ Jess ( Semi hiatus )]

Loved the first one but this one definitely isn’t for me.


IF
The morning after breaking up with the h, the H realized he made the biggest mistake of his life choosing to marry out of duty and ignoring the heartbreak he caused in his literal mate, IF he went back to her to beg for forgiveness and ask for her hand in marriage instead- and he couldn’t find her because she had already left.

IF he spent a week looking for her, suffering without her, getting a taste of what life would’ve been like had he gone through with his duty, hammering in even more his foolish lapse of judgement.

IF he was truly remorseful, hurt, miserable, and the h saw his pain when they reunited AND he explained he went back to try to get her back the day after their breakup then she accepted him back.

Then I think this would’ve been right up my alley.

As it is, the plots that have a couple together while one of the MCs has an impending marriage to someone else gives me too much anxiety so I’m not the targeted audience for this story, it wouldn’t be fair for me to rate it when I knew going in that it probably wouldn’t be something I enjoyed.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Against my lips, he said, “You’re the answer to the question I never even thought about asking.”

This is the second book in the Brides of Kylorr series. The first book was one of my absolute faves of this year, and I still loved this book but the first one still holds the top spot for me! In this installment, we follow Kythel, who is the lord of his territory, and Millie who is a human daughter of a traveling inter-galactic chef. They meet at a dyann (a blood feeding house, because alien vampires) and Kythel knows the pull of Millie's blood but tries his hardest to resist for the good of the kingdom. He can't stay away, however, and these two form an unlikely friendship. Their friendship is sweet, as it fuses into romantic tension. I really enjoy the world that Draven has created and will continue to tune in for this seires.

[Brittany (Brit.tea.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC 😍🔥

[Ashton Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes:
~alien romance
~class difference
~royalty trope

This one didn’t wow me the same way book 1 did, but it was still a solid sequel and I’m excited to see where the series is going! Especially that hint at a possible romance with the hero’s sister 👀

[Wing Deng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I’ll say it.

The first book in the series blew me away, it was detailed, gave all the excruciating backstory that we needed to see how the world operated. Everything that Gemma did, I could understand and respect. All her family’s responsibility fell on her. Loved the tension, the heat, and the romance, the plot. Giving delicious enemies to lovers.

This one felt a little rushed. Kythel, as much as he wanted to adhere to his duties and sense of responsibility, did he even try to stay away from her? Like there was no slow burn, no yearning, no suffering. Every night he was at her doorstep…? I thought he was the self restraint-ice twin.

I feel like as “strong” of a woman Millie is, where’s her gumption to leave this dude?? You’re just happy that he’s seeing you in your cabin but don’t want to commit to you?

In any case, no hate. I’ll probably still read more of this author’s works!! Just this one fell short after the first.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 "Selfish?" Stars!

This one started off a little slow and I got frustrated with Kythel about his "duty," but overall I liked it. I'm looking forward to the next book. I hope it's Kalia and a certain someone. Happy reading!

[AvidReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 🌟.

What is that one word I always use to describe about Zoey Draven’s book? EMOTIONAL WRINGER!

Add ENCHANTING and MAGICAL to it and you will sum up this amazing book.

She has definitely outdone this time with her writing style. It was lyrical. I didn’t want to stop.

From the beginning itself i was hooked, from chapter 3 I started getting anxiety, sensing the train wreck that was going to happen soon. Through it every single character affected me in some capacity. From anger to resentment to affection to love.

Millie was such a positive heroine, you can’t help but love her. Her complete opposite Kythel was arrogant, tortured and kinda grump. Together they had cheeeeeemistry that set pages on fire.
Some of the scenes were so magical to read. And secondary plots in the book from Joss to Ruaala to Aina was all done well and added so much depth to the story.

Minor spoilers ahead:

Another thing Zoey Draven is expert at? Yeah, breakup scenes and subsequent grovelling.
But here I wasn’t blaming it on hero but got exasperated with heroine. Kythel was honest with her from day 1. Don’t want to spoil anymore as they are so good scenes.
And Zyre and Kalia?? I see a childhood story brewing there. Can’t wait!

So do yourself a favour and Go read the first book if you haven’t and then read this.
There are minor spoilers about first book in this so I highly recommend reading in order.

Absolutely recommended.

I received an advance review copy and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

[rae ✿]

the book 2 is out???? why did i not know about this

[TrippyBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shes a servant girl with nothing to her name & he needs to marry someone else for a powerful alliance to help in the war that is sure to come. Staying away from her is easier said than done when he finds out shes his fated mate.

Im really invested in this world zoey draven has created . This couple is so emotionally connected i loved watching them fall in love . The conflict made sense why he struggled. This book is a bit slower paced than book one but all the feels are there .less 🌶️ than book 1

[Laura Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t love this as much as the first one. The whole “ I can’t have you because I have a duty to marry elsewhere, blah blah blah “ was tiresome. It was an ok read though. I hope the next book is the sister and Zyre. 🤞

[Starre 🇵🇸 🍉 · Rating 3 out of 5]

if there’s one thing zoey draven is going to do in every book it’s making the alien mmc give his fated mate a nickname in his native language, where the translation will be revealed at an opportune point to show that he loves her even if he pretends he doesn’t