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Deathcaller Duet #1
Eyes of Devious Burgundy: Deathcaller Duet, Book 1
In the midst of war, love might be the deadliest weapon of all.
For ten long years, Angels and Demons have waged a brutal war, with one man standing between the Demons and total Rokath, the cruel and merciless general feared for his power to raise the dead.
A prophecy whispers of a woman with eyes of devious burgundy who will shift the balance of power, but Rokath has plans of his own. After a deadly plague wipes out millions of Demons across the realm, Rokath issues an unforgiving command—every family must send one male to the front or face being put to the sword.
Assyria, a sharp-tongued, burgundy-eyed farmgirl, is trapped in an abusive marriage to a nobleman who only values her for the power she could give their offspring. Her life unravels when Rokath’s soldiers arrive with the decree. A violent clash leaves her covered in blood—and running for her life. With her rare magic, she assumes the form of her slain husband and marches off to war, hiding among the very men she’s sworn to hate for killing her family.
In a society where women must remain veiled and pure, Assyria's survival hinges on secrecy. Yet nothing can prepare her for the sharp, sinister gaze of Rokath, whose punishments for disobedience are swift and savage.
When their paths cross, fate sets into motion a dangerous chain of events neither of them can control. With tension crackling between them and thousands of lives balanced on a knife’s edge, will their unlikely connection ignite salvation for the Demons—or doom them to destruction?
Eyes of Devious Burgundy is the first book in the Deathcaller Duet, a slow meet, hate-to-love, banter-filled high dark fantasy romance with a vicious, dangerous MMC and a fiery FMC. Perfect for fans of A Choice of Light and Dark, Carissa Broadbent, and LJ Andrews. An Age of War and Prophecy is a series of interconnected duets and standalones centering around the world-altering events of the Great War between the Angels and Demons. It contains mature, dark themes that some readers might find disturbing. A full TW list is available on the author’s website.
For ten long years, Angels and Demons have waged a brutal war, with one man standing between the Demons and total Rokath, the cruel and merciless general feared for his power to raise the dead.
A prophecy whispers of a woman with eyes of devious burgundy who will shift the balance of power, but Rokath has plans of his own. After a deadly plague wipes out millions of Demons across the realm, Rokath issues an unforgiving command—every family must send one male to the front or face being put to the sword.
Assyria, a sharp-tongued, burgundy-eyed farmgirl, is trapped in an abusive marriage to a nobleman who only values her for the power she could give their offspring. Her life unravels when Rokath’s soldiers arrive with the decree. A violent clash leaves her covered in blood—and running for her life. With her rare magic, she assumes the form of her slain husband and marches off to war, hiding among the very men she’s sworn to hate for killing her family.
In a society where women must remain veiled and pure, Assyria's survival hinges on secrecy. Yet nothing can prepare her for the sharp, sinister gaze of Rokath, whose punishments for disobedience are swift and savage.
When their paths cross, fate sets into motion a dangerous chain of events neither of them can control. With tension crackling between them and thousands of lives balanced on a knife’s edge, will their unlikely connection ignite salvation for the Demons—or doom them to destruction?
Eyes of Devious Burgundy is the first book in the Deathcaller Duet, a slow meet, hate-to-love, banter-filled high dark fantasy romance with a vicious, dangerous MMC and a fiery FMC. Perfect for fans of A Choice of Light and Dark, Carissa Broadbent, and LJ Andrews. An Age of War and Prophecy is a series of interconnected duets and standalones centering around the world-altering events of the Great War between the Angels and Demons. It contains mature, dark themes that some readers might find disturbing. A full TW list is available on the author’s website.
734 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 843 reviews
March 5, 2025
⁀ ⊹ ₊ “Make no mistake, little imposter. I am not a hero. I am undoubtedly a villain. And if I don’t scare you now, I will make it a point to do so.”
i went into eyes of devious burgundy with high hopes. the premise was genuinely intriguing: assyria, a woman escaping eight years of horrific abuse at the hands of her husband, vagach, takes the ultimate step towards freedom by eliminating him and using her shapeshifting ability to become him. a woman masquerading as her abusive husband, leading an army against angels? sign me up!
‼️ this is a warning that this review has major spoilers. if you haven't read the book yet, it's best to stop reading now.
the first 35% of the book held so much promise, hinting at a dark, revenge-fueled story of female empowerment. but then... it all went downhill. fast.
the pacing ground to a snail's pace, bogged down in unnecessary details and meandering plot threads. and the characters? forget about them. i actively disliked almost everyone (except for xannirin, kiira, rapp, and olrus). assyria, who was initially presented as a survivor, a woman hardened by years of cruelty and ready to fight for her life, devolved into a simpering, submissive version of herself once rokath entered the picture. where did her strength go? where was the fire that drove her to kill her abuser? it vanished, replaced by an infuriating willingness to bend to rokath's will.
⁀ ⊹ ₊ “You are beautiful, Assyria. The Weaver must have spent centuries creating you for how perfect you are for me.”
and rokath? oh, rokath. this character was a walking, talking, ego-stroking nightmare. his character seemed determined to hammer home how "strong" and "scary" he was, particularly in relation to his dick. the constant harping on his power became tiresome and, frankly, ridiculous. it felt like the author was trying too hard to create a dominant, alpha male, and instead, they just created a caricature.
the supposed "mate bond" between assyria and rokath felt forced and unearned. there was no genuine connection, just insta-lust and the convenient plot device of being "fated" to be together. it completely undermined any potential character development for either of them.
⁀ ⊹ ₊ “Should a group of them drop from above or approach from the front, I would easily slaughter them. Especially with what I have to protect now.”
but my biggest issue, the thing that truly made me want to throw this book across the room, was the ending. rokath, the supposedly strong leader who cares for his people, sacrifices his own soldiers for assyria. let that sink in. he betrays his entire army, the people he's sworn to protect, for a woman he barely knows. it's a complete betrayal of his character, a slap in the face to any semblance of logic, and an utterly infuriating conclusion to a story that started with so much potential.
⁀ ⊹ ₊ “I want you. I need you. I love you. You will not die today.”
i want to make it clear that i hold no negative feelings towards the author. these are just my opinions. i would definitely like to read the next book, hoping for more character development.
thank you, giuls, for sharing this reading journey with me! i can't wait for our next buddy read to be even better 🩷
thank you grey's promotions for giving me the arc in exchange for my honest review!
⤿ hate to love
⤿ fated mates
⤿ war settings (angels v/s demons)
⤿ fierce fmc
⤿ possessive mmc
౨ৎ ⋮ more by lacey lehotkzy
— a choice of light and dark series
August 11, 2025
I actually think this is one of my favorite books of the year.
dark fantasy romance
slow burn
hate to love
TRIGGER WARNINGS PLEASE CHECK THEM!!!
plot, romance, spice, and everything not so nice. I ATE THIS BOOK UP. I couldn’t eat, sleep, or breathe without thinking of this story and these characters. It broke me, punished me, put me back together, made me laugh, made me cry, every emotion was felt and I absolutely loved it.
if you take one recommendation from me this year, please let it be this one.
dark fantasy romance
slow burn
hate to love
TRIGGER WARNINGS PLEASE CHECK THEM!!!
plot, romance, spice, and everything not so nice. I ATE THIS BOOK UP. I couldn’t eat, sleep, or breathe without thinking of this story and these characters. It broke me, punished me, put me back together, made me laugh, made me cry, every emotion was felt and I absolutely loved it.
if you take one recommendation from me this year, please let it be this one.
February 1, 2026
You can tell the author put so much thought into the world-building and character names, but somewhere between my eyes and my brain, everything got ✨rebranded✨I googled…I tried to pronounce everything correctly, but I felt like I spent so much time flipping back to the glossary. I’m not saying this to deter you from the off, but this was a big part of why I dnf-ed.
This might be a ‘me problem’, but all you really need to know is that : demons and angels do not like each other.
Before starting the book, I thought the blurb screamed Mulan. As my favourite princess growing up, I was fully on board, especially when I said “Make a Man Out of You” on the playlist
Much like Mulan, the men in the heroine’s town were conscripted to war, and thanks to an unfortunate (yet deserved) incident, she had to go too. Dressed as a man. In this world, women aren’t seen as equals. She was sold into marriage, valued for her appearance and status (it’s all about the burgundy eyes). She was seen less as a person and more as a vessel for producing powerful children. Very Handmaid’s Tale.
It was marketed as a slow meet, so I expected a gentle build-up to the romance. I worried I might get bored at the start. But with her constantly on edge, worried about being discovered or testing people’s reactions, I was too tense to even notice the ‘main’ romance hadn’t started yet.
That didn't mean nothing was happening. At 17%, we got OW spice. Very detailed, more of a "chase" than necessary. I understood it was supposed to show other women weren't exciting to him, but...was it needed?
There was also some sexual tension between friends (heroine and OM), which kept a bit of romance alive. I loved their dynamic and secretly wished he could be the hero. Spoiler: didn’t turn out how you expected.
Now the hero was already established through dual POV, but they didn’t meet until 45% (but we were warned it was a slow meet). However, in that time, I was imagining her with literally everyone else. Hence, why I liked the OM drama, I think it was too slow a meet for me. She was processing trauma through her OM relationship, whereas the hero was just chasing a thrill.
Once she did meet the hero it was a true enemies-to-lovers story. The hatred didn’t let up. The hero was grumpy, standoffish, and they bickered…a lot. Definitely felt pointless at times, but he carried the weight of a war on his shoulders and she had been through a lot, so I gave them a tiny bit of grace.
Even though the book was unique and the relationship was shifting from “I want to stab you” to “you’re tolerable,” from around the 70% mark I kept checking how many pages I had left (not a great sign). It felt like I’d been on this ride for ages and still didn’t fully understand (or remember) large parts of this world. It wasn’t entirely the plot, it was the pacing. In the end, I just didn’t think this was my book.
This might be a ‘me problem’, but all you really need to know is that : demons and angels do not like each other.
Before starting the book, I thought the blurb screamed Mulan. As my favourite princess growing up, I was fully on board, especially when I said “Make a Man Out of You” on the playlist
Much like Mulan, the men in the heroine’s town were conscripted to war, and thanks to an unfortunate (yet deserved) incident, she had to go too. Dressed as a man. In this world, women aren’t seen as equals. She was sold into marriage, valued for her appearance and status (it’s all about the burgundy eyes). She was seen less as a person and more as a vessel for producing powerful children. Very Handmaid’s Tale.
It was marketed as a slow meet, so I expected a gentle build-up to the romance. I worried I might get bored at the start. But with her constantly on edge, worried about being discovered or testing people’s reactions, I was too tense to even notice the ‘main’ romance hadn’t started yet.
That didn't mean nothing was happening. At 17%, we got OW spice. Very detailed, more of a "chase" than necessary. I understood it was supposed to show other women weren't exciting to him, but...was it needed?
There was also some sexual tension between friends (heroine and OM), which kept a bit of romance alive. I loved their dynamic and secretly wished he could be the hero. Spoiler: didn’t turn out how you expected.
Now the hero was already established through dual POV, but they didn’t meet until 45% (but we were warned it was a slow meet). However, in that time, I was imagining her with literally everyone else. Hence, why I liked the OM drama, I think it was too slow a meet for me. She was processing trauma through her OM relationship, whereas the hero was just chasing a thrill.
Once she did meet the hero it was a true enemies-to-lovers story. The hatred didn’t let up. The hero was grumpy, standoffish, and they bickered…a lot. Definitely felt pointless at times, but he carried the weight of a war on his shoulders and she had been through a lot, so I gave them a tiny bit of grace.
Even though the book was unique and the relationship was shifting from “I want to stab you” to “you’re tolerable,” from around the 70% mark I kept checking how many pages I had left (not a great sign). It felt like I’d been on this ride for ages and still didn’t fully understand (or remember) large parts of this world. It wasn’t entirely the plot, it was the pacing. In the end, I just didn’t think this was my book.
March 5, 2025
➼ 2.5★
the idea was good, but the execution was debatable. the first half of the book is interesting, and basically is all about assyria pretending to be her husband in the war camp. it gives mulan vibes, with assyria sneaking around to wash herself while nobody’s watching, or training with soldiers while forging friendships.
after rokath and assyria meet, the plot goes a little bit off track. there’s no relationship development til the end of the book, which was rushed in my opinion. they basically go from 0 to 100 in a couple of pages. nothing special happens between them, they just have sex (not coupling, SEX) repeatedly and argue over nothing. they don’t know nothing about each other, if not what’s common knowledge at that point.
i’m kinda disappointed because the start was so good—i was having fun, and i was invested. but the rest of the book was meh. it bored me, sadly.
as for the characters, i really liked assyria, but absolutely despised rokath, at least till the last few pages. i liked the fact that the author took seriously assyria’s abuse. i could really feel her emotions while reading it, and i truly appreciated. however, i would’ve loved to get to know rokath on a deeper level. i think he’s been abused too, but i know basically nothing about him so i can’t say for certain.
overall, i think this book could be fun but only if it reaches the right target. sadly, it didn’t reach me. i LOVE dark fantasy, and in my modest opinion this doesn’t deserve to be called such.
💌 to my lovely girl vee:
thank you so much for accompanying me on this adventure! unfortunately, our first br was a disappointment, but i hope one day we’ll find the right book to read together ♡ ily
“We’ll come back from it, twice as strong.”
thank you to grey’s promo and the author for providing me an early copy of this book.
read this if you like:
⚔️ enemies to lovers
⚔️ slow meet
⚔️ spicy spice
⚔️ banter
⚔️ secret identity
⚔️ forced proximity
“Assyria,” he repeated, my name rolling over his gravelly voice. “I am Rokath.”
imagine to read about mulan but set in a demon realm, where demons are fighting in a war against angels.
our fmc, assyria, is married to an abusive husband who only values her for the power she could give their offspings. one day, she’s able to escape and march off to war pretending to be her husband thanks to her rare magic. hiding among men is her only way for a fresh start, in a world where women are forced to be veiled and pure. yet, nothing can prepare her for rokath’s punishments for disobedience. when their paths cross, fate sets into motion a dangerous chain of events neither of them can control. with tension crackling between them and thousands of lives balanced on a knife's edge, will their unlikely connection ignite salvation for the demons, or doom them to destruction?
“If I am going to have a weakness, I at least want to know its name.”
the idea was good, but the execution was debatable. the first half of the book is interesting, and basically is all about assyria pretending to be her husband in the war camp. it gives mulan vibes, with assyria sneaking around to wash herself while nobody’s watching, or training with soldiers while forging friendships.
after rokath and assyria meet, the plot goes a little bit off track. there’s no relationship development til the end of the book, which was rushed in my opinion. they basically go from 0 to 100 in a couple of pages. nothing special happens between them, they just have sex (not coupling, SEX) repeatedly and argue over nothing. they don’t know nothing about each other, if not what’s common knowledge at that point.
i’m kinda disappointed because the start was so good—i was having fun, and i was invested. but the rest of the book was meh. it bored me, sadly.
as for the characters, i really liked assyria, but absolutely despised rokath, at least till the last few pages. i liked the fact that the author took seriously assyria’s abuse. i could really feel her emotions while reading it, and i truly appreciated. however, i would’ve loved to get to know rokath on a deeper level. i think he’s been abused too, but i know basically nothing about him so i can’t say for certain.
overall, i think this book could be fun but only if it reaches the right target. sadly, it didn’t reach me. i LOVE dark fantasy, and in my modest opinion this doesn’t deserve to be called such.
💌 to my lovely girl vee:
thank you so much for accompanying me on this adventure! unfortunately, our first br was a disappointment, but i hope one day we’ll find the right book to read together ♡ ily
Because there was one thing I’d learned time and time again in this life: the only person capable of caring for me was myself.
December 28, 2025
This book starts very strong, grinds to a halt, gets a little better and then ends in complete chaos. If I had to describe the moral of this story it would be “have awesome super powers, never use them.”
Seriously, every single dangerous situation Assyria finds herself in could have been solved in 10 seconds if she just used her freaking super powers. Even in her abusive marriage. Not to victim blame or anything, but seriously how does a person who can shape shift AND fly end up in a handmaids tale style marriage? Pretty much every obstacle she came across I’m screaming because just turning into anyone else would solve everything. Or flying. Or just leaving.
I disliked Rokaths perspective, they don’t even meet until like the 30% mark and nothing he has to say is interesting before that. I also dislike that he doesn’t feel bad about how his policies on women’s rights have affected people until he realizes they allowed his soulmate to get abused. Like that doesn’t redeem him at all for me. And don’t get me started on not letting her do anything after he realized what her super power is. I thought for sure he would make her do assassin things or something but no, he basically locks her in a room for the last 70% of the book.
Plus he’s bald. Yuck.
The ending is so so bizarre. I thought that for sure they would finally use their super powers. I can think of like 5 ways his necromancy stuff could have saved them. Maybe she could have turned into someone else and confused everyone. Maybe he could have brought 50,000 corpses instead of the soldiers. Maybe he could have just killed all of the angels before it got to this point. But no.
Oh and there’s a huge plot hole at the end. You find out that the town she left actually found her husband’s dead body right after she left. Who did they think gave that big speech? Who did they think went off to lead the army? Why didn’t they warn them, like hey that might not be who you think it is??? No???
Everyone in this book is brain dead. Assyria should go be a nun. Rokath should get a toupee.
Seriously, every single dangerous situation Assyria finds herself in could have been solved in 10 seconds if she just used her freaking super powers. Even in her abusive marriage. Not to victim blame or anything, but seriously how does a person who can shape shift AND fly end up in a handmaids tale style marriage? Pretty much every obstacle she came across I’m screaming because just turning into anyone else would solve everything. Or flying. Or just leaving.
I disliked Rokaths perspective, they don’t even meet until like the 30% mark and nothing he has to say is interesting before that. I also dislike that he doesn’t feel bad about how his policies on women’s rights have affected people until he realizes they allowed his soulmate to get abused. Like that doesn’t redeem him at all for me. And don’t get me started on not letting her do anything after he realized what her super power is. I thought for sure he would make her do assassin things or something but no, he basically locks her in a room for the last 70% of the book.
Plus he’s bald. Yuck.
The ending is so so bizarre. I thought that for sure they would finally use their super powers. I can think of like 5 ways his necromancy stuff could have saved them. Maybe she could have turned into someone else and confused everyone. Maybe he could have brought 50,000 corpses instead of the soldiers. Maybe he could have just killed all of the angels before it got to this point. But no.
Oh and there’s a huge plot hole at the end. You find out that the town she left actually found her husband’s dead body right after she left. Who did they think gave that big speech? Who did they think went off to lead the army? Why didn’t they warn them, like hey that might not be who you think it is??? No???
Everyone in this book is brain dead. Assyria should go be a nun. Rokath should get a toupee.
March 12, 2026
3.5/5 ⭐️
March 2, 2025
The only one I feel sorry for is Izgath💔
Should have DNF this
Should have DNF this
June 8, 2025
Dnf at 64%. Okay first of all, the author made the characters look like herself and her husband so that’s all I could picture in my head while reading (cringe). Second, it took 350 pages of useless info dumping for them to meet and it’s immediate instalust (yawn). Third, he’s doing everything her ex husband was doing but it’s not abuse since lust is involved? (Eye roll). Every convo between them for over 100 pages is “don’t defy me or I’ll beat you” “fuck you”. This book has no business being over 700 pages 🍅
April 25, 2025
This shit pissed me off so much
March 12, 2026
✨ “Make no mistake, little imposter. I am not a hero. I am undoubtedly a villain. And if I don’t scare you now, I will make it a point to do so.”
Mulan meets The Handmaid’s Tale.
Set in a world of demons and angels, this story follows the war from the demons’ point of view. It’s written in first-person dual POV, following Assyria, a powerful demon with severe trauma, navigating a world where women are not allowed to exist beyond bearing children, and Rokath, the feared General of the demon army, who battles his own inner demons and past wounds.
─────────────────────────
📖 The Details
⭐ Rating: 4/5
🌶 Spice Level: 3/5
📚 Genre: Dark Romance
🔮 Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, morally grey MMC, secret identity, fated mates, feminine rage, empowerment
⚠ Content / Trigger Warnings:
• Sexual violence
• Physical & emotional abuse
• Mental health themes (PTSD, panic attacks, nightmares)
• Torture
• Suicidal ideation
• Religious trauma & fanaticism
• Genocidal war
─────────────────────────
💭 My Reading Experience
This story explores the emotional scars of a woman, Assyria, who has been taught her entire life to shrink herself and endure whatever men demand of her.
The story begins at a fast pace. Assyria finds herself impersonating her dead husband, who was physically and emotionally abusive, and joining the war between the demons and angels.
The magic system felt completely unique. The darker the shade of red in a demon’s eyes, the more powerful they are. Assyria possesses burgundy eyes, the rarest and most powerful, yet she has spent her entire life hiding that truth.
With the dual POV structure, we gain insight into both main characters from the start. We see the painful histories Assyria and Rokath carry and how those experiences shape their choices.
While pretending to be her husband, Assyria is forced to train harder than everyone else to avoid suspicion, eventually leading part of the army. Through this, she slowly begins unraveling who she truly is. She enjoys leadership. She excels at it. She earns respect.
But only because the world believes she is a man.
The world also carries strong political intrigue centered around the three gods worshipped by demonkind: The Weaver, The Giver, and The Reaper. The three rulers of the demon kingdom are divinely blessed with unique powers. Rokath (Halalhivo) and his cousins, Xannirin (The Kral) and Kirra (High Priestess).
The sacrifices these characters make and the lengths they go to preserve what they believe is right and to save demonkind add emotional weight to the story.
The enemies-to-lovers tension between Assyria and Rokath is compelling. Assyria refuses to ever be controlled again, while Rokath carries the weight of an entire army and his own traumatic past.
Together, they slowly unravel their pain, rediscover themselves, and learn what truly matters.
I was fully engaged from beginning to end, and if you enjoy dark romance with true enemies-to-lovers tension, this is absolutely a story worth picking up.
─────────────────────────
🖤 Characters
Assyria
Assyria was a compelling FMC. Through her journey, we witness the abuse she survived and the quiet strength she carries as she navigates her new life and her will to never be controlled again. The eyes of devious burgendy is prophosised to have a huge empact on the war and I enjoyed seeing how Assyria slowly comes into herself, setting her ground and fights for the change of all women.
Rokath
Morelly grey and powerful necromancer. He is ruthless and the true definition of "I'll burn the world down for you" MMC. He sets and abides by rules as the general of the demon army and has for long been trained to be merciless that we feel how hard it is for him to feel, well anything. Especially towards Assyria. She becomes his weakness the moment they mate and he hates it. As the story unfolds we see his walls come down, the realization of care he feels towards Assyria even when he can't say it and just how far he's willing to go in order to save his mate.
"I will always be able to find you, mate. So run, if you want. I do so love a good chase."
─────────────────────────
💖 What Worked For Me
* Powerful feminine rage & character growth
* Emotionally complex, trauma-shaped characters
* Slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension
* Ruthless, morally grey MMC
* Unique magic system & demon lore
* Strong political and religious worldbuilding
* Meaningful themes of gender and identity
─────────────────────────
⚡ What Didn’t Fully Work For Me
* Assyria has a very unique powerful gift, and she was learning to strengthen and use this gift in the begining but once she becomes mated, she falls back into not using her power although she claims to never be controlled again .
* Really struggled to connect with Xannirin (The Kral). His comment of having Rokath sexually assult her just to make his life and the politics easier had my blood boiling. But perhaps the author did this purposely and he's not a character that is meant to be liked?
⸻
🔥 Standout Moments
* Favorite dynamic: The emotional trauma that Assyria goes through and the femine rage she lets in to change her dynamic and all women.
* Scene that lingered: when Assyria tried to run away and almost died and Rokath took care of her for days and changed the plans of the battle/army for her.
─────────────────────────
🌙 Final Thoughts
This story is about survival, identity, and what happens when a woman stops shrinking herself to survive.
It’s dark, tense, romantic, and emotionally heavy in all the best ways.
Assyria’s journey of stepping into her power while navigating trauma, war, and a ruthless love story made this impossible to put down.
If you love feminine rage, true enemies-to-lovers, and morally grey characters wrapped in a brutal fantasy world, this book will absolutely pull you in.
Mulan meets The Handmaid’s Tale.
Set in a world of demons and angels, this story follows the war from the demons’ point of view. It’s written in first-person dual POV, following Assyria, a powerful demon with severe trauma, navigating a world where women are not allowed to exist beyond bearing children, and Rokath, the feared General of the demon army, who battles his own inner demons and past wounds.
─────────────────────────
📖 The Details
⭐ Rating: 4/5
🌶 Spice Level: 3/5
📚 Genre: Dark Romance
🔮 Tropes: Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, morally grey MMC, secret identity, fated mates, feminine rage, empowerment
⚠ Content / Trigger Warnings:
• Sexual violence
• Physical & emotional abuse
• Mental health themes (PTSD, panic attacks, nightmares)
• Torture
• Suicidal ideation
• Religious trauma & fanaticism
• Genocidal war
─────────────────────────
💭 My Reading Experience
This story explores the emotional scars of a woman, Assyria, who has been taught her entire life to shrink herself and endure whatever men demand of her.
The story begins at a fast pace. Assyria finds herself impersonating her dead husband, who was physically and emotionally abusive, and joining the war between the demons and angels.
The magic system felt completely unique. The darker the shade of red in a demon’s eyes, the more powerful they are. Assyria possesses burgundy eyes, the rarest and most powerful, yet she has spent her entire life hiding that truth.
With the dual POV structure, we gain insight into both main characters from the start. We see the painful histories Assyria and Rokath carry and how those experiences shape their choices.
While pretending to be her husband, Assyria is forced to train harder than everyone else to avoid suspicion, eventually leading part of the army. Through this, she slowly begins unraveling who she truly is. She enjoys leadership. She excels at it. She earns respect.
But only because the world believes she is a man.
The world also carries strong political intrigue centered around the three gods worshipped by demonkind: The Weaver, The Giver, and The Reaper. The three rulers of the demon kingdom are divinely blessed with unique powers. Rokath (Halalhivo) and his cousins, Xannirin (The Kral) and Kirra (High Priestess).
The sacrifices these characters make and the lengths they go to preserve what they believe is right and to save demonkind add emotional weight to the story.
The enemies-to-lovers tension between Assyria and Rokath is compelling. Assyria refuses to ever be controlled again, while Rokath carries the weight of an entire army and his own traumatic past.
Together, they slowly unravel their pain, rediscover themselves, and learn what truly matters.
I was fully engaged from beginning to end, and if you enjoy dark romance with true enemies-to-lovers tension, this is absolutely a story worth picking up.
─────────────────────────
🖤 Characters
Assyria
Assyria was a compelling FMC. Through her journey, we witness the abuse she survived and the quiet strength she carries as she navigates her new life and her will to never be controlled again. The eyes of devious burgendy is prophosised to have a huge empact on the war and I enjoyed seeing how Assyria slowly comes into herself, setting her ground and fights for the change of all women.
Rokath
Morelly grey and powerful necromancer. He is ruthless and the true definition of "I'll burn the world down for you" MMC. He sets and abides by rules as the general of the demon army and has for long been trained to be merciless that we feel how hard it is for him to feel, well anything. Especially towards Assyria. She becomes his weakness the moment they mate and he hates it. As the story unfolds we see his walls come down, the realization of care he feels towards Assyria even when he can't say it and just how far he's willing to go in order to save his mate.
"I will always be able to find you, mate. So run, if you want. I do so love a good chase."
─────────────────────────
💖 What Worked For Me
* Powerful feminine rage & character growth
* Emotionally complex, trauma-shaped characters
* Slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension
* Ruthless, morally grey MMC
* Unique magic system & demon lore
* Strong political and religious worldbuilding
* Meaningful themes of gender and identity
─────────────────────────
⚡ What Didn’t Fully Work For Me
* Assyria has a very unique powerful gift, and she was learning to strengthen and use this gift in the begining but once she becomes mated, she falls back into not using her power although she claims to never be controlled again .
* Really struggled to connect with Xannirin (The Kral). His comment of having Rokath sexually assult her just to make his life and the politics easier had my blood boiling. But perhaps the author did this purposely and he's not a character that is meant to be liked?
⸻
🔥 Standout Moments
* Favorite dynamic: The emotional trauma that Assyria goes through and the femine rage she lets in to change her dynamic and all women.
* Scene that lingered: when Assyria tried to run away and almost died and Rokath took care of her for days and changed the plans of the battle/army for her.
─────────────────────────
🌙 Final Thoughts
This story is about survival, identity, and what happens when a woman stops shrinking herself to survive.
It’s dark, tense, romantic, and emotionally heavy in all the best ways.
Assyria’s journey of stepping into her power while navigating trauma, war, and a ruthless love story made this impossible to put down.
If you love feminine rage, true enemies-to-lovers, and morally grey characters wrapped in a brutal fantasy world, this book will absolutely pull you in.
February 27, 2025
✨𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
📖: Eyes of Devious Burgundy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫
𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.
The war between angels and demons rages on. Assyria, fleeing for her life, finds herself impersonating her late abusive husband when he’s conscripted for the war. With nowhere to go and no one to trust, she must keep her rare magic abilities hidden.
Things get even more complicated when she crosses paths with the ruthless and powerful demon army commander who learns that she may be the key to turning the tides of the war. But what do the fates have in store for them both?
Tropes:
⚠️Enemies to lovers
🙌Feminine rage
🫥Secret identities
🫂Forced proximity
☠️Shadow/Deąth Daddy
🐴One horse
🗣️Banter
🔥Slow burn
🌶️Moderate to high
Oh my goodness I was completely engrossed by this brutal world where demons are stratified by their powers indicated by eye color and females are subjugated to the whims of their husbands or fathers. Think The Handmaid’s Tale meets Mulan with a fantasy twist.
Lacey does a phenomenal job balancing
Assyria and Rokath’s loathing, yearning, and fiery passion. The delicate interplay between hate and love lends to an all-consuming and sinful slow burn.
I loved watching Assyria slowly peel back Deąth Daddy Rokath’s many layers to see what really lies beneath it all. Throughout the story, she begins to heal from trąuma, assert her worth, fight for her freedom, and inspire change. I cannot wait to see what awaits her next!
So grateful to @laceylehotzkyauthor and @greyspromo for the ARC opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review.
📖: Eyes of Devious Burgundy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫
𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.
The war between angels and demons rages on. Assyria, fleeing for her life, finds herself impersonating her late abusive husband when he’s conscripted for the war. With nowhere to go and no one to trust, she must keep her rare magic abilities hidden.
Things get even more complicated when she crosses paths with the ruthless and powerful demon army commander who learns that she may be the key to turning the tides of the war. But what do the fates have in store for them both?
Tropes:
⚠️Enemies to lovers
🙌Feminine rage
🫥Secret identities
🫂Forced proximity
☠️Shadow/Deąth Daddy
🐴One horse
🗣️Banter
🔥Slow burn
🌶️Moderate to high
Oh my goodness I was completely engrossed by this brutal world where demons are stratified by their powers indicated by eye color and females are subjugated to the whims of their husbands or fathers. Think The Handmaid’s Tale meets Mulan with a fantasy twist.
Lacey does a phenomenal job balancing
Assyria and Rokath’s loathing, yearning, and fiery passion. The delicate interplay between hate and love lends to an all-consuming and sinful slow burn.
I loved watching Assyria slowly peel back Deąth Daddy Rokath’s many layers to see what really lies beneath it all. Throughout the story, she begins to heal from trąuma, assert her worth, fight for her freedom, and inspire change. I cannot wait to see what awaits her next!
So grateful to @laceylehotzkyauthor and @greyspromo for the ARC opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review.
December 24, 2025
This one was a struggle to get through. It's about 400 pages too long, and honestly, I don't get the hype for this one.
Assyria was exhausting. We are to believe she's this strong person because of her 'burgandy' eyes, but she acts so immature and childish for a good portion of this book. I get that she was in an abusive relationship, but it just didn't work.
Then you have Rokath. He was more tolerable, but still was rough.
The whole love/hate thing didn't work for me either. Then we have the constant sex, which came at completely ridiculous times. It felt like filler sex, and there is nothing worse than that in a book.
Assyria was exhausting. We are to believe she's this strong person because of her 'burgandy' eyes, but she acts so immature and childish for a good portion of this book. I get that she was in an abusive relationship, but it just didn't work.
Then you have Rokath. He was more tolerable, but still was rough.
The whole love/hate thing didn't work for me either. Then we have the constant sex, which came at completely ridiculous times. It felt like filler sex, and there is nothing worse than that in a book.
December 22, 2025
Once again I have to apologise to the gods of literature for spending my precious time reading bad smutty dark romances. The first part of the book was pretty promising but the end ruined everything for me. Wdym Rokath sacrifices 50 000 soldiers to save his mate? Also i thought he was a master strategist and suddenly he cant come up with anything at all?????? Bullshit. 2,5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2025
3.5⭐️!
if you want HATE to love than this is right up your alley. really enjoyed this and didn’t felt like it dragged on even though it was a big book. i just wish the magic, wings, etc… were more descriptive because that would’ve made such a big and better difference.
if you want HATE to love than this is right up your alley. really enjoyed this and didn’t felt like it dragged on even though it was a big book. i just wish the magic, wings, etc… were more descriptive because that would’ve made such a big and better difference.
March 4, 2025
2.75 ⭐️ | Friends, I tried really really hard to love this book but in the end, this just wasn't my jam.
Going into this, I was immediately hooked when I read the blurb and was excited to dig in but, and I cannot stress this enough, nothing happens in almost 700 pages. I kept thinking that as we moved through the different parts, the author was putting down the bricks to build up to some incredible ending to make the long winded previous chapters worth it and to spring the story forward into this epic fantasy story but alas, I was left wanting and disappointed.
To be fair, I did love the magic system. Shadow magic is so overdone these days but I did enjoy that demons as a whole race had access to shadows while the more powerful ones were given secondary, really cool gifts.
I also enjoyed that our FMC was her own person and really wanted to advocate for change when it came to the female population, especially since Handmaiden's Tale vibes were everywhere.
What I didn't enjoy ---
The pacing. It was so slow 95% of the book until we got to the ending where things really got moving those last 3-4 chapters. That last chapter in particular was literally so cringy to me and was giving ACOWR when the main characters are giggling and making sexual references when they just watched 50K of their soldiers die.
Speaking of the MCs, I don't buy into the romance at all. This is a true enemies to lovers but the switch up wasn't earned in my opinion. They really don't know each other, even by the end of the book, and her getting hurt didn't warrant the shift in their dynamic enough to stop hating and start loving.
Our girl spent a month on the road finding her voice, honing her magic, and really coming into herself before meeting Rokath and it all led to nothing. Supposedly she is, according to a prophecy that is never really explained, going to turn the tide in the war, yet it never occurs to Rokath to see her as a weapon and utilize her, even though she begs to be made of some use so she doesn’t have to sit in a tent day after day. Instead he whines the whole time that she is a liability and isn't worth a second thought outside of what the bond needs from her, aka SEX. Just doesn't make sense when he endless claims to be the “greatest general this continent has ever seen.”
I am going to stop here before this rant gets any longer but in closing, I need justice for Izgath + Olrus. The two side characters you actually felt something for.
Going into this, I was immediately hooked when I read the blurb and was excited to dig in but, and I cannot stress this enough, nothing happens in almost 700 pages. I kept thinking that as we moved through the different parts, the author was putting down the bricks to build up to some incredible ending to make the long winded previous chapters worth it and to spring the story forward into this epic fantasy story but alas, I was left wanting and disappointed.
To be fair, I did love the magic system. Shadow magic is so overdone these days but I did enjoy that demons as a whole race had access to shadows while the more powerful ones were given secondary, really cool gifts.
I also enjoyed that our FMC was her own person and really wanted to advocate for change when it came to the female population, especially since Handmaiden's Tale vibes were everywhere.
What I didn't enjoy ---
The pacing. It was so slow 95% of the book until we got to the ending where things really got moving those last 3-4 chapters. That last chapter in particular was literally so cringy to me and was giving ACOWR when the main characters are giggling and making sexual references when they just watched 50K of their soldiers die.
Speaking of the MCs, I don't buy into the romance at all. This is a true enemies to lovers but the switch up wasn't earned in my opinion. They really don't know each other, even by the end of the book, and her getting hurt didn't warrant the shift in their dynamic enough to stop hating and start loving.
Our girl spent a month on the road finding her voice, honing her magic, and really coming into herself before meeting Rokath and it all led to nothing. Supposedly she is, according to a prophecy that is never really explained, going to turn the tide in the war, yet it never occurs to Rokath to see her as a weapon and utilize her, even though she begs to be made of some use so she doesn’t have to sit in a tent day after day. Instead he whines the whole time that she is a liability and isn't worth a second thought outside of what the bond needs from her, aka SEX. Just doesn't make sense when he endless claims to be the “greatest general this continent has ever seen.”
I am going to stop here before this rant gets any longer but in closing, I need justice for Izgath + Olrus. The two side characters you actually felt something for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2025
this was.... quite something.
now, it's a KU book with 4.12 star rating. my expectations are adjusted accordingly.
it opens with FMC in an abusive marriage. we quickly find out apparently FMC can shape shift into anyone with good likeness. she has not apparently opted to do so in her marriage. she can also fly; I think she does once in the book. in fact her magic appears to just be a sideshow
MMC is leader of the army harbinger of doom and death etc etc. he perpetuates misogynistic propaganda to assist a war effort which despite the extensive world building and word count is never fully explained.
there's a lot of SA in this book. and then the mating bond snaps into place both don't want it it's all very angry..... but almost every single encounter they had was non consensual. MMC constantly threatens to SA in front of the army. the only reason he doesn't paddle her in public for using his first name (so he can maintain his MYstEry) is because he gets jealous others might look?? he hasn't got her interests at heart at all he's constantly thinking about her in the most demeaning way, their encounters are just gross and icky
occasionally FMC has some self awareness but it's all introspection and she says yeah!!! I'm a strong independent woman!!!! which appears to amount to trotting after MMC and occasionally saying something sassy. her thoughts just do not match up with her actions but not in an unreliable narrator way.
then MMC comes out the left field and professes his love??? then he lets 50,000 troops be slaughtered and I'm still not entirely sure how they could have been annihilated like that it makes no logistical sense? how can FMC float two dogs and a horse up the side of a cliff and shapeshift and be so meagre??? how heavy is the MMC that when he gets off his horse the ground shakes???? why are they travelling by horses when they all have wings?????? there is so much information about how they transport water!!!! why aren't you FLYING
the mating bond felt like it was used to justify demeaning and non consensual sex. it was gross. FMC had as much character as a wet paper towel. women are suppressed by the MMC and his cousin but yeah cool will NO ONE THINK OF THE WAR
there was so much world building and yet still so many answers. just really didn't hit the spot.
now, it's a KU book with 4.12 star rating. my expectations are adjusted accordingly.
it opens with FMC in an abusive marriage. we quickly find out apparently FMC can shape shift into anyone with good likeness. she has not apparently opted to do so in her marriage. she can also fly; I think she does once in the book. in fact her magic appears to just be a sideshow
MMC is leader of the army harbinger of doom and death etc etc. he perpetuates misogynistic propaganda to assist a war effort which despite the extensive world building and word count is never fully explained.
there's a lot of SA in this book. and then the mating bond snaps into place both don't want it it's all very angry..... but almost every single encounter they had was non consensual. MMC constantly threatens to SA in front of the army. the only reason he doesn't paddle her in public for using his first name (so he can maintain his MYstEry) is because he gets jealous others might look?? he hasn't got her interests at heart at all he's constantly thinking about her in the most demeaning way, their encounters are just gross and icky
occasionally FMC has some self awareness but it's all introspection and she says yeah!!! I'm a strong independent woman!!!! which appears to amount to trotting after MMC and occasionally saying something sassy. her thoughts just do not match up with her actions but not in an unreliable narrator way.
then MMC comes out the left field and professes his love??? then he lets 50,000 troops be slaughtered and I'm still not entirely sure how they could have been annihilated like that it makes no logistical sense? how can FMC float two dogs and a horse up the side of a cliff and shapeshift and be so meagre??? how heavy is the MMC that when he gets off his horse the ground shakes???? why are they travelling by horses when they all have wings?????? there is so much information about how they transport water!!!! why aren't you FLYING
the mating bond felt like it was used to justify demeaning and non consensual sex. it was gross. FMC had as much character as a wet paper towel. women are suppressed by the MMC and his cousin but yeah cool will NO ONE THINK OF THE WAR
there was so much world building and yet still so many answers. just really didn't hit the spot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2026
Shout out to the dogs, who had more emotional availability and debth than the MMC!
May 4, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ *this was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ until it wasn't*
🌶🌶🌶.5
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I definitely lost some sleep with this book! I got super wrapped up in the story and the tension 🥵🥵🥵
Rokath, the MMC, is the general of the demon army. He is brutal, cruel, and feared for his power to bring back the dead. Assyria, the FMC, is coveted for her burgundy eyes, that shows she has the strongest demon magic. When Assyria murders her cruel husband, she poses as him as a new recruit to the army. Her power is keeping her safe, but it is only so long before she is discovered.
Rokath has a one track mind, where is only goal is to win the war against the angels. When he is told by his cousin, who is a priestess, that he needs to look for the woman with devious burgundy eyes, he didn't expect to find a woman hiding within his army. The moment his eyes meets her, he knows she is his mate, and she isn't a weakness he can afford.
When you think enemies to lovers? This is it. When you want some good hate-sex? This delivers. The MC's hated each other so much in this book, because Rokath only saw Assyria as his weakness, and Assyria only saw him as the reason everyone she loved died. It takes a while for both of them to start to crack, admitting that they loved each other.
The plot didn't lull at any part, and kept good progress. Thank god for the pronunciation tab, because a good part of the book I kept going back and forth to make sure I was pronouncing names, places, things correctly. This book absorbed me in all the delicious ways.
You wanna know why it went from ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️? Basically the last 20-30 pages. Weak ending, and weak cliff. It turned to the point that I don't know if I will care to read the next one. Felt like the author was ready to end, and almost a little rushed. You can't write a 750 page book, and wrap the ending that fast with a subpar cliff. 😒
⟣Tropes⟢
✅ Touch her and 💀
✅ Shadow Daddy
✅ Badass Heroine
✅ Banter *chef’s kiss*
✅ Sassy FMC
✅ Obsessive/JP MMC
✅ Fated Mates
✅ Bully
✅ Dual POV’s (first person)
✅ Captor/Captive
✅ Enemies-to-Lovers
✅ Kinda but no OW/OM drama*** trigger spoiler at bottom explaining
✅ No cheating
✅ FMC not Virgin
✅ Found Family
✅ He falls first
✅ 🔥 Slow Burn 🔥
✅ Hate-to-Love
✅ Chase/Primal
✅ MINE
✅ Cliff, but not too cliffy
***The FMC does find someone before the MMC. And the MMC does hook up with a sex worker before the FMC. Both are on page, but the moment the FMC and MMC meet, there is no one and no one interfering.
🌶🌶🌶.5
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I definitely lost some sleep with this book! I got super wrapped up in the story and the tension 🥵🥵🥵
Rokath, the MMC, is the general of the demon army. He is brutal, cruel, and feared for his power to bring back the dead. Assyria, the FMC, is coveted for her burgundy eyes, that shows she has the strongest demon magic. When Assyria murders her cruel husband, she poses as him as a new recruit to the army. Her power is keeping her safe, but it is only so long before she is discovered.
Rokath has a one track mind, where is only goal is to win the war against the angels. When he is told by his cousin, who is a priestess, that he needs to look for the woman with devious burgundy eyes, he didn't expect to find a woman hiding within his army. The moment his eyes meets her, he knows she is his mate, and she isn't a weakness he can afford.
When you think enemies to lovers? This is it. When you want some good hate-sex? This delivers. The MC's hated each other so much in this book, because Rokath only saw Assyria as his weakness, and Assyria only saw him as the reason everyone she loved died. It takes a while for both of them to start to crack, admitting that they loved each other.
The plot didn't lull at any part, and kept good progress. Thank god for the pronunciation tab, because a good part of the book I kept going back and forth to make sure I was pronouncing names, places, things correctly. This book absorbed me in all the delicious ways.
You wanna know why it went from ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️? Basically the last 20-30 pages. Weak ending, and weak cliff. It turned to the point that I don't know if I will care to read the next one. Felt like the author was ready to end, and almost a little rushed. You can't write a 750 page book, and wrap the ending that fast with a subpar cliff. 😒
⟣Tropes⟢
✅ Touch her and 💀
✅ Shadow Daddy
✅ Badass Heroine
✅ Banter *chef’s kiss*
✅ Sassy FMC
✅ Obsessive/JP MMC
✅ Fated Mates
✅ Bully
✅ Dual POV’s (first person)
✅ Captor/Captive
✅ Enemies-to-Lovers
✅ Kinda but no OW/OM drama*** trigger spoiler at bottom explaining
✅ No cheating
✅ FMC not Virgin
✅ Found Family
✅ He falls first
✅ 🔥 Slow Burn 🔥
✅ Hate-to-Love
✅ Chase/Primal
✅ MINE
✅ Cliff, but not too cliffy
***The FMC does find someone before the MMC. And the MMC does hook up with a sex worker before the FMC. Both are on page, but the moment the FMC and MMC meet, there is no one and no one interfering.
August 25, 2025
okay, now I understand why everyone had this at the top of their list as of late. I fully get it. Nearly halfway through, I was like man this is kinda rough; this poor FMC was just really going through it, I’m talking in the worst possible imaginable ways. So it was making me really sad for her. But then I really loved the direction, the banter, the tension, the growth that came on the other side of that. The world building in this story is really strong, you’ll be immersed to a completely different style of male/female dynamics but also see how they shift. And by 3/4 of the story, I simply couldn’t put it down, it just kept getting better and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen.
If a second book is coming, I’ll really be looking forward to it.
If a second book is coming, I’ll really be looking forward to it.
February 14, 2025
✨Eyes of Devious Burgundy✨
Saying the first of a duet will be one of my most favorite books of 2025 may seem impulsive, but it’s true! It’s so so true. This was an un-put-downable read! I had to force myself to go to bed and adult! And I’m serious y’all cause this is no skinny pop adventure. She thicck and beautiful and I soaked in every single bit of it with a delicious contentment that comes with finding a read that just SUITS you. And gooooooosh does Lacey know how to write romance, tension, and spice. *fans self desperately*
In EODB we get to follow the dual first person POV of both our FMC and MMC. We enter Assyria’s story in the climax of her abusive marriage where she soon finds herself a murderer and using her power to impersonate her husband during a time of war between demons and angels. In disguise, she works her way through the ranks until a series of unfortunate events occurs and she finds herself in the worst predicament: facing the most bloodthirsty demon commander, Rokath. Rokath is our grumpy, tattooed MMC with the world on his shoulders. Pain riddled, broody, merciless, prophesied, and laser focused, he has no time to waste especially on a female. But ooooh do the Fates have an adventure in STORE YALL. Oh, it is sooooo good.
I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE moment in these pages. The character growth with our MCs was so phenomenal. It’s so angsty. The hate spice is on 🔥. The back and forth banter was just so delicious. This book was dark and gritty and interesting and kept me captivated and hanging on, whispering “just one more chapter”. That ENDING. So good. I can’t WAIT for book two!!
Ps. Izgath deserves THE WORLD.
Tropes you may find in EODB are angels vs demons, religious fanaticism, puppy side kicks, Mulan vibes, slow meet, fated mates, hate to love, “I’ve got you”, wound tending, trauma rep, waterfall scene, “good girl”, feminine rage, ALL the banter, medium-high spice, chosen family, forced proximity, high stakes, mind talking, unique powers, and reluctant heroes.
EODB releases February 27!
Lacey, it was truly such an honor to get to read my first gifted arc by you. I can’t wait to get to your other books. Thank you!!
Saying the first of a duet will be one of my most favorite books of 2025 may seem impulsive, but it’s true! It’s so so true. This was an un-put-downable read! I had to force myself to go to bed and adult! And I’m serious y’all cause this is no skinny pop adventure. She thicck and beautiful and I soaked in every single bit of it with a delicious contentment that comes with finding a read that just SUITS you. And gooooooosh does Lacey know how to write romance, tension, and spice. *fans self desperately*
In EODB we get to follow the dual first person POV of both our FMC and MMC. We enter Assyria’s story in the climax of her abusive marriage where she soon finds herself a murderer and using her power to impersonate her husband during a time of war between demons and angels. In disguise, she works her way through the ranks until a series of unfortunate events occurs and she finds herself in the worst predicament: facing the most bloodthirsty demon commander, Rokath. Rokath is our grumpy, tattooed MMC with the world on his shoulders. Pain riddled, broody, merciless, prophesied, and laser focused, he has no time to waste especially on a female. But ooooh do the Fates have an adventure in STORE YALL. Oh, it is sooooo good.
I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE moment in these pages. The character growth with our MCs was so phenomenal. It’s so angsty. The hate spice is on 🔥. The back and forth banter was just so delicious. This book was dark and gritty and interesting and kept me captivated and hanging on, whispering “just one more chapter”. That ENDING. So good. I can’t WAIT for book two!!
Ps. Izgath deserves THE WORLD.
Tropes you may find in EODB are angels vs demons, religious fanaticism, puppy side kicks, Mulan vibes, slow meet, fated mates, hate to love, “I’ve got you”, wound tending, trauma rep, waterfall scene, “good girl”, feminine rage, ALL the banter, medium-high spice, chosen family, forced proximity, high stakes, mind talking, unique powers, and reluctant heroes.
EODB releases February 27!
Lacey, it was truly such an honor to get to read my first gifted arc by you. I can’t wait to get to your other books. Thank you!!
December 31, 2025
⭐️ 2.5- 3 stars? Hard to rate because the first half of the book was great and had me fully intrigued.
The second half of the book felt a lot like filler (some parts still enjoyable). There was a LOT of repetition. After like the 3rd time Rokath exclaimed how great he was, I was rolling my eyes. There were some cringy moments describing the FMC like a piece of “juicy fruit” 😖
Ending was probably the worst part. He sacrificed 50 thousand of his men for his mate and in the next moment they are joking and talking about being turned on. Odd. The book could have been so much shorter.
The second half of the book felt a lot like filler (some parts still enjoyable). There was a LOT of repetition. After like the 3rd time Rokath exclaimed how great he was, I was rolling my eyes. There were some cringy moments describing the FMC like a piece of “juicy fruit” 😖
Ending was probably the worst part. He sacrificed 50 thousand of his men for his mate and in the next moment they are joking and talking about being turned on. Odd. The book could have been so much shorter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2025
4.5⭐️ Absolutely incredible.
This story follows Assyria who’s in an abusive marriage during the time the men are to go off to war. When she accidentally 💀 her husband in self defense, she uses her special magic to transform herself into her late husband and go off to war herself in hopes of becoming a free woman.
For this book being as THICK as it is, I enjoyed every second of it. The author did an incredible job at starting off the book with a bang and following it through the entire book. The book took so many unexpected twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat, I didn’t want to put it down!
Assyria’s character touched a deep part of my soul. The things this woman endured at the hands of her DISGUSTING husband, had my heart breaking for her. The character growth & development on her side was phenomenal. Such a badass FMC that stood her ground from start to finish.
Our MMC was the most perfect shadow daddy we could ever hope for that only has a soft spot for her. He was screaming touch her & 💀.
I loved that the romance in this book was TRUEEEE enemies to lovers with that slow burn with so much tension🔥🤌🏼
Lastly, I want to touch on the found family in this book. LOVED!!! i will eat up that trope every single time & this book ATE. I loved so many of the side characters throughout this book and I always think if it’s done right, it adds so much to the story and in this case it was!!
Had such an amazing time with this one! Thank you so much Lacey & Grey’s Promotions for allowing me to read the ARC of this!🖤
This story follows Assyria who’s in an abusive marriage during the time the men are to go off to war. When she accidentally 💀 her husband in self defense, she uses her special magic to transform herself into her late husband and go off to war herself in hopes of becoming a free woman.
For this book being as THICK as it is, I enjoyed every second of it. The author did an incredible job at starting off the book with a bang and following it through the entire book. The book took so many unexpected twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat, I didn’t want to put it down!
Assyria’s character touched a deep part of my soul. The things this woman endured at the hands of her DISGUSTING husband, had my heart breaking for her. The character growth & development on her side was phenomenal. Such a badass FMC that stood her ground from start to finish.
Our MMC was the most perfect shadow daddy we could ever hope for that only has a soft spot for her. He was screaming touch her & 💀.
I loved that the romance in this book was TRUEEEE enemies to lovers with that slow burn with so much tension🔥🤌🏼
Lastly, I want to touch on the found family in this book. LOVED!!! i will eat up that trope every single time & this book ATE. I loved so many of the side characters throughout this book and I always think if it’s done right, it adds so much to the story and in this case it was!!
Had such an amazing time with this one! Thank you so much Lacey & Grey’s Promotions for allowing me to read the ARC of this!🖤
July 15, 2025
yay they made a demonic mulan boo shang has no hair (and no bedside manners)
November 6, 2025
One of my favorite dark fantasy romances of the year! It was absolutely binge worthy and way exceeded my expectations!
March 10, 2026
And I’m out! 😡
DNF after more than two hours into audiobook on 1,75 speed!
If you decide to write about fated mate in a monogamous relationship, and give the FMC the most terrible fate in previous relationships, like in the handmaid’s tale, why do you need to include in contrast the prowess of MMC in a detailed, very detailed scene with OW? (this scene includes OW’s appealing looks, how she likes to be chased, what her wet smex looks like or her juicy behind or how she’s giving him bj or how tight she is?! 😡) I don’t care they haven’t met - (he only saw her eyes on a drawing and is intrigued by them!), I don’t need these details when you’re selling a fated mate story!
Until this rewarding scene with OW, for MMC, we have in contrast, FMC fighting for her survival after having escaped a brutal past with her ex husband! Yaaay 😡
She will apparently have a relationship with an incubus demon, while pretending to be a man in the army… alas I don’t care to continue, the double standards have been established and I see where the balance is inclining - not in favor of this FMC!
This contradictory way in which they were portrayed rubbed me the wrong way (from the beginning!) and I don’t wish to continue with the story, regardless of how I enjoyed the initial world building and pacing - Let me tell you that I skimmed until the MMC meet and there’s a shift in her character, from a surviver and a fighter she becomes pliable, again, a sort of submissive for the MMC (who talks “the big talk” about his accomplishments, his care for his people and his great powers, yet proves to be the opposite because at the end, he betrays and sacrifices his army for FMC!😡 I don’t care!)
Duet narration 5/5🎧
Story 2,5/5⭐️ (because the beginning and initial world building was very well written)
Spice don’t care about it skimmed through the rest of the story!
DNF after more than two hours into audiobook on 1,75 speed!
If you decide to write about fated mate in a monogamous relationship, and give the FMC the most terrible fate in previous relationships, like in the handmaid’s tale, why do you need to include in contrast the prowess of MMC in a detailed, very detailed scene with OW? (this scene includes OW’s appealing looks, how she likes to be chased, what her wet smex looks like or her juicy behind or how she’s giving him bj or how tight she is?! 😡) I don’t care they haven’t met - (he only saw her eyes on a drawing and is intrigued by them!), I don’t need these details when you’re selling a fated mate story!
Until this rewarding scene with OW, for MMC, we have in contrast, FMC fighting for her survival after having escaped a brutal past with her ex husband! Yaaay 😡
She will apparently have a relationship with an incubus demon, while pretending to be a man in the army… alas I don’t care to continue, the double standards have been established and I see where the balance is inclining - not in favor of this FMC!
This contradictory way in which they were portrayed rubbed me the wrong way (from the beginning!) and I don’t wish to continue with the story, regardless of how I enjoyed the initial world building and pacing - Let me tell you that I skimmed until the MMC meet and there’s a shift in her character, from a surviver and a fighter she becomes pliable, again, a sort of submissive for the MMC (who talks “the big talk” about his accomplishments, his care for his people and his great powers, yet proves to be the opposite because at the end, he betrays and sacrifices his army for FMC!😡 I don’t care!)
Duet narration 5/5🎧
Story 2,5/5⭐️ (because the beginning and initial world building was very well written)
Spice don’t care about it skimmed through the rest of the story!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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December 18, 20254.75 ⭐️
3🌶️
Oh my friends… This is the latest book that had me under her spell 😈 Right from the start, I was locked in! So let me introduce you to Eyes of Devious Burgundy *cracks knuckles*
🪽Rageful FMC
🪽Possessive/ brutal MMC
🪽CRAZY unique powers
🪽Seamless world building
🪽She’s on the run
🪽Believable characters with SO much depth
🪽Prophecy
🪽Angels & Demons
🪽DPOV
🪽Loyal doggie companions 😭
🪽Spice that delivers
War between the Angels & Demons is taxing and when demon troops come looking for abled reinforcements, Assyria’s world turns upside down. Trapped in an abusive marriage with a high lord for a husband, Assyria is desperate for a taste of freedom. But that dream turns into a blood soaked reality to avoid the pike after 💀 her husband. In order to flee, her incredibly rare abilities may save her. Shifting into the appearance of her late husband to hide in plain sight - or they may be her undoing that catapults her fate into the unknown.
I was fully locked in the moment I meet our FMC and this gal… Rage, rage, rage and rightfully so! I thoroughly enjoyed Assyria’s story and her growth throughout the entire journey. It was oh so satisfying to see her gain such confidence and a badass attitude. Her magic ability is very impressive and I hope that skill comes back in the sequel!
Something I found unique is the fact that our main couple doesn’t meet for the first few hundred pages. We don’t see that too often with a duo. Nevertheless, I loved this layered detail because it gave our MCs time to develop on page as individuals before their epic collision! The angst leading up to their meet was the edging I salivate over 🤤
Speaking of drool, our MMC Konath- oh my… Add this one to the list of delicious book boyfriends! There’s something about a brutal bully that makes me go weak in the knees. Besides the fact he can be a d*ck, he does come around! And when he does… that feral possessive male is captivating! But we love a man who can overcome his cold exterior- it’s what we live for!
This debut is packed with action, believable plot, angst, BANTER (from all characters), but most importantly depth and true character development! TRUST ME: you’ll want to add this to your tbr!
3🌶️
Oh my friends… This is the latest book that had me under her spell 😈 Right from the start, I was locked in! So let me introduce you to Eyes of Devious Burgundy *cracks knuckles*
🪽Rageful FMC
🪽Possessive/ brutal MMC
🪽CRAZY unique powers
🪽Seamless world building
🪽She’s on the run
🪽Believable characters with SO much depth
🪽Prophecy
🪽Angels & Demons
🪽DPOV
🪽Loyal doggie companions 😭
🪽Spice that delivers
War between the Angels & Demons is taxing and when demon troops come looking for abled reinforcements, Assyria’s world turns upside down. Trapped in an abusive marriage with a high lord for a husband, Assyria is desperate for a taste of freedom. But that dream turns into a blood soaked reality to avoid the pike after 💀 her husband. In order to flee, her incredibly rare abilities may save her. Shifting into the appearance of her late husband to hide in plain sight - or they may be her undoing that catapults her fate into the unknown.
I was fully locked in the moment I meet our FMC and this gal… Rage, rage, rage and rightfully so! I thoroughly enjoyed Assyria’s story and her growth throughout the entire journey. It was oh so satisfying to see her gain such confidence and a badass attitude. Her magic ability is very impressive and I hope that skill comes back in the sequel!
Something I found unique is the fact that our main couple doesn’t meet for the first few hundred pages. We don’t see that too often with a duo. Nevertheless, I loved this layered detail because it gave our MCs time to develop on page as individuals before their epic collision! The angst leading up to their meet was the edging I salivate over 🤤
Speaking of drool, our MMC Konath- oh my… Add this one to the list of delicious book boyfriends! There’s something about a brutal bully that makes me go weak in the knees. Besides the fact he can be a d*ck, he does come around! And when he does… that feral possessive male is captivating! But we love a man who can overcome his cold exterior- it’s what we live for!
This debut is packed with action, believable plot, angst, BANTER (from all characters), but most importantly depth and true character development! TRUST ME: you’ll want to add this to your tbr!
scenes-with-ow
March 8, 2026what kind of porn addiction makes an authors write about an mmc's descriptive sex life with a woman that is not the fmc ?
if the book is about the MCs why in god's name are we given descriptions of how much the other woman's body is enjoyable to him?? especially that the fmc is given the WORST life ever, so the man gets a great sex life with others, but the woman gets abuse ??
don't get me started on the reviews eating up this cheap book.
if the book is about the MCs why in god's name are we given descriptions of how much the other woman's body is enjoyable to him?? especially that the fmc is given the WORST life ever, so the man gets a great sex life with others, but the woman gets abuse ??
don't get me started on the reviews eating up this cheap book.
October 13, 2025
4.25⭐️
Wow I really did enjoy this one! I needed a good spicy dark romantasy book and this one delivered.
To start off I really felt like the pacing was done well in this book for the most part. While I do feel like some parts were a little slow or drawn out, I do feel like the different events that happened in this book were spaced out well and did not feel rushed.
As for the world building I definitely think there is some higher brain power needed for this one. There are quite a few different terms, territories, and characters in this one, so be prepared to be looking back and forth to the glossary/map in the beginning. With that being said I also LOVED the political intrigue and war strategizing in this book. I feel like it helped the story give a healthy balance between plot and spice.
As for the characters I loved them. While sometimes the FMC did make some questionable decisions, she still was witty, strong, and a survivor through it all. I feel like the character from the beginning of the book was not the same as the one at the end, but in the best way. And as for the MMC 👀 the character growth in this book was also immaculate. Also he had me swooning with his yearning in his POV chapters omgggg. I LOVED the banter between the characters and the push and pull between them. There were also a few good side characters in this one as well too.
As for the overall plot as mentioned before it did feel slow at some points, but I liked the war between the two beings and am interested to see how she is going to finish this duology out
Wow I really did enjoy this one! I needed a good spicy dark romantasy book and this one delivered.
To start off I really felt like the pacing was done well in this book for the most part. While I do feel like some parts were a little slow or drawn out, I do feel like the different events that happened in this book were spaced out well and did not feel rushed.
As for the world building I definitely think there is some higher brain power needed for this one. There are quite a few different terms, territories, and characters in this one, so be prepared to be looking back and forth to the glossary/map in the beginning. With that being said I also LOVED the political intrigue and war strategizing in this book. I feel like it helped the story give a healthy balance between plot and spice.
As for the characters I loved them. While sometimes the FMC did make some questionable decisions, she still was witty, strong, and a survivor through it all. I feel like the character from the beginning of the book was not the same as the one at the end, but in the best way. And as for the MMC 👀 the character growth in this book was also immaculate. Also he had me swooning with his yearning in his POV chapters omgggg. I LOVED the banter between the characters and the push and pull between them. There were also a few good side characters in this one as well too.
As for the overall plot as mentioned before it did feel slow at some points, but I liked the war between the two beings and am interested to see how she is going to finish this duology out
February 24, 2025
⚔️ARC Review⚔️
I was initially drawn into this by the cover. I mean, c’mon, how cool is that cover? Then I saw Mulan x Handmaiden’s Tale + demon vs angels war, and I went, “huh, I wonder how that works out.”
Well friends.. the answer is it works great. Tbh, I never really thought about how those two stories connect and overlap until this book. The way I was obsessed with this book and the chemistry between our FMC and MMC (Assyria and Rokath) 🤌🏾, I’m pretty sure I was in the middle of laundry and got completely swept up in this and well now I have a basket of clean laundry that needs to be folded.
Assyria is an incredible character. I loved loved loved watching her turn from scared to badass and overcoming so many difficult challenges. Also I’m a sucker for shapeshifting so I immediately was into her.
Rokath shoved his way onto my book boyfriend list, we love a [fictional] over-the-top, overly protective, warlord in this house. This man has layers, let me tell you h’what, you’ll just have to see for yourself 😉
(Also I know there’s character art for Rokath and his description is modeled after Lacey’s husband (how sweet is that??) but I couldn’t help imagining Karl Urban’s character Lord Vaako from The Chronicles of Riddick for him.)
Thank you Lacey Lehotzky for this ARC! I can’t wait to get my grubby little paws on book 2 (no rush, of course).
——
This was so good! Longer review soon!
I was initially drawn into this by the cover. I mean, c’mon, how cool is that cover? Then I saw Mulan x Handmaiden’s Tale + demon vs angels war, and I went, “huh, I wonder how that works out.”
Well friends.. the answer is it works great. Tbh, I never really thought about how those two stories connect and overlap until this book. The way I was obsessed with this book and the chemistry between our FMC and MMC (Assyria and Rokath) 🤌🏾, I’m pretty sure I was in the middle of laundry and got completely swept up in this and well now I have a basket of clean laundry that needs to be folded.
Assyria is an incredible character. I loved loved loved watching her turn from scared to badass and overcoming so many difficult challenges. Also I’m a sucker for shapeshifting so I immediately was into her.
Rokath shoved his way onto my book boyfriend list, we love a [fictional] over-the-top, overly protective, warlord in this house. This man has layers, let me tell you h’what, you’ll just have to see for yourself 😉
(Also I know there’s character art for Rokath and his description is modeled after Lacey’s husband (how sweet is that??) but I couldn’t help imagining Karl Urban’s character Lord Vaako from The Chronicles of Riddick for him.)
Thank you Lacey Lehotzky for this ARC! I can’t wait to get my grubby little paws on book 2 (no rush, of course).
——
This was so good! Longer review soon!
February 21, 2026
1.5⭐️
I liked that this was a Mulan retelling. I liked Assyria’s character, and I was so mad when the author killed off Izgath. I felt like her character changed instantly when she met Rozgath and the change felt quite sudden to the point where I felt like she was a different character all together. I found the relationship between her and Rozgath a little frustrating at times. I liked their banter and the constant fight between them, but I didn’t feel like they had much of a relationship other than the fact they were fated to be together and then they loved eachother. The ending was the most frustrating part of all. I was really hoping Rozgath was going to come up with this amazing strategy that was going to blow my mind, and he could save both Assyria and the soldiers. The book had spent the whole time making you believe Rozgath is an amazing general, and then he goes and sacrifices 50,000 of his soldiers! I couldn’t believe what I was reading and it was so frustrating and didn’t sit right with me. I liked elements of the book and I would like to know what happens, but not enough to read a whole other 750 page book. So I won’t be continuing this series.
I liked that this was a Mulan retelling. I liked Assyria’s character, and I was so mad when the author killed off Izgath. I felt like her character changed instantly when she met Rozgath and the change felt quite sudden to the point where I felt like she was a different character all together. I found the relationship between her and Rozgath a little frustrating at times. I liked their banter and the constant fight between them, but I didn’t feel like they had much of a relationship other than the fact they were fated to be together and then they loved eachother. The ending was the most frustrating part of all. I was really hoping Rozgath was going to come up with this amazing strategy that was going to blow my mind, and he could save both Assyria and the soldiers. The book had spent the whole time making you believe Rozgath is an amazing general, and then he goes and sacrifices 50,000 of his soldiers! I couldn’t believe what I was reading and it was so frustrating and didn’t sit right with me. I liked elements of the book and I would like to know what happens, but not enough to read a whole other 750 page book. So I won’t be continuing this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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