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The Venom in our Vows
The pack wanted me dead.
Instead, they’ll kneel—or bleed for the monsters who claim me.I was the runt. The outcast. The weak little wolf born to be broken.
Then they tossed me in a dungeon with a starving vampire chained to the wall.
Death by suffering, or strike a bargain with the devil in the dark?
I chose the bargain. My blood for his freedom... and his vengeance.
He should have killed me.
Instead, he kissed salvation into my veins.
My blood bound us in ways I never expected, and awakened a power I never knew I had.
Now four exiled immortals—dangerous, devoted, and utterly mine—crave me. My blood. My magic. My heart.
The pack that broke me thought I was prey.
They were so wrong.
I’m the venom in the vows that bind monsters.
Instead, they’ll kneel—or bleed for the monsters who claim me.I was the runt. The outcast. The weak little wolf born to be broken.
Then they tossed me in a dungeon with a starving vampire chained to the wall.
Death by suffering, or strike a bargain with the devil in the dark?
I chose the bargain. My blood for his freedom... and his vengeance.
He should have killed me.
Instead, he kissed salvation into my veins.
My blood bound us in ways I never expected, and awakened a power I never knew I had.
Now four exiled immortals—dangerous, devoted, and utterly mine—crave me. My blood. My magic. My heart.
The pack that broke me thought I was prey.
They were so wrong.
I’m the venom in the vows that bind monsters.
567 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2025
1493 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
February 19, 2026
DNF 60%
I could not get into this book. Absolutely everything else was distracting me. I even found myself fascinated by the shape of a grape....
Brynn was very much a mehhh heroine to me. I didn't feel sympathy for her at all because it wasn't written in. What I did feel though was annoyance. If these vampires are centuries older than her and have been through waaaayyyyy more than her, what the heck is she angry about that they are protecting her??. Being "controlled" by them is laughable she could barely hold her own against just one of the MMCs but she wanted to take on a whole pack.
I have no energy for TSTL behaviour.
The MMCs were there yes, did I actually see romantic connections no.
Let's talk about the castle does it or doesn't it have magic??? One minute it does next someone is leaving drones left right and centre and they don't know about it......... A world build is desperately needed.
I'm just underwhelmed.
I could not get into this book. Absolutely everything else was distracting me. I even found myself fascinated by the shape of a grape....
Brynn was very much a mehhh heroine to me. I didn't feel sympathy for her at all because it wasn't written in. What I did feel though was annoyance. If these vampires are centuries older than her and have been through waaaayyyyy more than her, what the heck is she angry about that they are protecting her??. Being "controlled" by them is laughable she could barely hold her own against just one of the MMCs but she wanted to take on a whole pack.
I have no energy for TSTL behaviour.
The MMCs were there yes, did I actually see romantic connections no.
Let's talk about the castle does it or doesn't it have magic??? One minute it does next someone is leaving drones left right and centre and they don't know about it......... A world build is desperately needed.
I'm just underwhelmed.
December 6, 2025
Got boring at some point
December 23, 2025
4/5 ⭐️
I’m actually surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did.
It had a lot of PNR and sci-fi elements. The world building and magic system were unique, and the characters were well written. I wish the last 20 percent weren't rushed and that we only got to witness her relationship with Qu' Blossom towards the end. It had me worried for a minute that he wasn't going to be part of the harem.
I'm glad Brynn got her revenge, her men, and an ending she deserves. Though it felt more opening for a sequel, maybe with one of her kids? 🤞🏻
I’m actually surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did.
It had a lot of PNR and sci-fi elements. The world building and magic system were unique, and the characters were well written. I wish the last 20 percent weren't rushed and that we only got to witness her relationship with Qu' Blossom towards the end. It had me worried for a minute that he wasn't going to be part of the harem.
I'm glad Brynn got her revenge, her men, and an ending she deserves. Though it felt more opening for a sequel, maybe with one of her kids? 🤞🏻
January 31, 2026
Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why do I continue searching for a decent reverse harem like it’s a mythical creature I might finally spot if I suffer enough? Haven’t I learned? Clearly not.
This was a DNF at around 20%, and the reason is simple: inexperienced writing that resulted in an FMC who makes absolutely no sense and actively works against her own survival.
Let’s begin, so you don’t have to go through what I did.
The book actually started strong. I was intrigued. I had hope. The FMC is the pack runt, constantly sabotaged by the mean girl™ and physically abused by the alpha. The story opens with her being beaten and thrown into a dungeon to die. Dark, yes, but promising.
In the dungeon, she meets one of the MMCs, a terrifying “monster” who turns out to be a starving vampire imprisoned for decades. The FMC, shockingly, starts off… good? Logical? Brave? Instead of screaming and throwing a tantrum, she shows cautious kindness. She shares her pain meds (given to her before being tossed into the dungeon) and some food. They talk. They connect. When she realizes her injuries will kill her, she offers herself as a sacrifice so the vampire can drink her blood, escape, and slaughter the village.
Honestly? Iconic. No notes. I was fully on board.
But then, surprise, she doesn’t die. The vampire saves her and takes her to his home: a palace/gladiator-arena castle in the middle of a deadly forest (as one does). The other MMCs are there. They heal her. Give her clean clothes. Feed her. Let her sleep in an actual bed.
And this is where the FMC apparently suffers a total personality transplant.
She wakes up, starts wandering the castle, meets another MMC… and immediately chooses violence. Verbal violence, mostly. She becomes aggressively sassy, rude, and confrontational for absolutely no reason. From this point on, her entire personality is just: mouth first, brain never.
She insists she wasn’t rescued…oh no, she was captured. Despite the fact that she can leave whenever she wants. Sure, the forest is lethal, she has no resources, and the MMCs clearly saved her life and are trying to protect her… but sure. Prison. Totally.
Let’s pause and think logically. You’ve been abused your entire life. You were literally left to die in a dungeon. You’re now surrounded by four extremely powerful supernatural beings who could kill you in half a second if they wanted to. Is your instinct:
A) Lie low, observe, and quietly plan an escape
or
B) Be rude, combative, and mouth off constantly
Because she picked B. Every time.
They even offer to train her so she can defend herself. She refuses. Because obviously, surviving is overrated.
Girl. You have:
• No money
• No weapons
• No warm clothes
• No allies
• No plan
The forest will kill you in five minutes flat. What exactly is the strategy here? Vibes? Spite? Pure stubbornness powered by bad decisions?
Yes, trauma exists. Yes, the MMCs are dangerous. But maybe just maybe assess the situation before acting like you’re invincible. Especially when you very much are not.
I wish I could say this was the first time I’ve encountered this FMC archetype, but unfortunately, she comes standard in too many RH books. Same model, different font.
Is it time for me to retire from reverse harem?
Because my patience is gone. And my hope is fading.
This was a DNF at around 20%, and the reason is simple: inexperienced writing that resulted in an FMC who makes absolutely no sense and actively works against her own survival.
Let’s begin, so you don’t have to go through what I did.
The book actually started strong. I was intrigued. I had hope. The FMC is the pack runt, constantly sabotaged by the mean girl™ and physically abused by the alpha. The story opens with her being beaten and thrown into a dungeon to die. Dark, yes, but promising.
In the dungeon, she meets one of the MMCs, a terrifying “monster” who turns out to be a starving vampire imprisoned for decades. The FMC, shockingly, starts off… good? Logical? Brave? Instead of screaming and throwing a tantrum, she shows cautious kindness. She shares her pain meds (given to her before being tossed into the dungeon) and some food. They talk. They connect. When she realizes her injuries will kill her, she offers herself as a sacrifice so the vampire can drink her blood, escape, and slaughter the village.
Honestly? Iconic. No notes. I was fully on board.
But then, surprise, she doesn’t die. The vampire saves her and takes her to his home: a palace/gladiator-arena castle in the middle of a deadly forest (as one does). The other MMCs are there. They heal her. Give her clean clothes. Feed her. Let her sleep in an actual bed.
And this is where the FMC apparently suffers a total personality transplant.
She wakes up, starts wandering the castle, meets another MMC… and immediately chooses violence. Verbal violence, mostly. She becomes aggressively sassy, rude, and confrontational for absolutely no reason. From this point on, her entire personality is just: mouth first, brain never.
She insists she wasn’t rescued…oh no, she was captured. Despite the fact that she can leave whenever she wants. Sure, the forest is lethal, she has no resources, and the MMCs clearly saved her life and are trying to protect her… but sure. Prison. Totally.
Let’s pause and think logically. You’ve been abused your entire life. You were literally left to die in a dungeon. You’re now surrounded by four extremely powerful supernatural beings who could kill you in half a second if they wanted to. Is your instinct:
A) Lie low, observe, and quietly plan an escape
or
B) Be rude, combative, and mouth off constantly
Because she picked B. Every time.
They even offer to train her so she can defend herself. She refuses. Because obviously, surviving is overrated.
Girl. You have:
• No money
• No weapons
• No warm clothes
• No allies
• No plan
The forest will kill you in five minutes flat. What exactly is the strategy here? Vibes? Spite? Pure stubbornness powered by bad decisions?
Yes, trauma exists. Yes, the MMCs are dangerous. But maybe just maybe assess the situation before acting like you’re invincible. Especially when you very much are not.
I wish I could say this was the first time I’ve encountered this FMC archetype, but unfortunately, she comes standard in too many RH books. Same model, different font.
Is it time for me to retire from reverse harem?
Because my patience is gone. And my hope is fading.
Read
January 19, 2026Repetitive and unfortunately boring
February 4, 2026
I wanted to like this so bad but I was so bored
Genuinely
It’s a lot a lot a lot of internal monologue
There is no emotion there is no romance. There’s not really much depth at all.
The FMC uses trauma as her entire personality
The MMC’s are one singular note
I understand what the author was trying to accomplish, but it was incredibly drawn out
By 125 pages in nothing has happened
You don’t have any actual answers they keep talking around in circles
The FMC trust no one doesn’t want anything to do with anyone
The MMC’s don’t really even like her
It would work if you had a resistant FMC that that’s been traumatized, and then you had men that wanted to heal and protect her and make her better and came from maybe even an obsessive point of view because at least then I would feel something
But they’re all clinical and they talk about her and the way they see her they are constantly talking about how weak she is they see how traumatized she is and just sleeping under the rug
Honestly, this book was not great and it is over 500 pages
Why?
Genuinely
It’s a lot a lot a lot of internal monologue
There is no emotion there is no romance. There’s not really much depth at all.
The FMC uses trauma as her entire personality
The MMC’s are one singular note
I understand what the author was trying to accomplish, but it was incredibly drawn out
By 125 pages in nothing has happened
You don’t have any actual answers they keep talking around in circles
The FMC trust no one doesn’t want anything to do with anyone
The MMC’s don’t really even like her
It would work if you had a resistant FMC that that’s been traumatized, and then you had men that wanted to heal and protect her and make her better and came from maybe even an obsessive point of view because at least then I would feel something
But they’re all clinical and they talk about her and the way they see her they are constantly talking about how weak she is they see how traumatized she is and just sleeping under the rug
Honestly, this book was not great and it is over 500 pages
Why?
February 11, 2026
2.25 stars ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ The Venom in Our Vows☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
⁺₊★·.´🎧✩°｡ 0:56 ──♡───── 3:32 ⁺₊🎧★·.·´
🎶 ”I should've known it was strange. You only come out at night” 🎶
Cast aside as the weak runt of her pack, Brynn (h) is thrown into a dungeon with a starving, chained vampire and left to die. Instead of accepting her fate, she strikes a bargain, trading her blood for his freedom and his vengeance. The bond awakens a hidden power within her and draws four dangerous, exiled immortals to her side, all bound by blood and desire.
🤍•.¸✿¸.•💌•.❀•THOUGHTS •❀.•💌•.¸✿¸.•🤍
I am not sure how to explain what I just read. It felt like a fever dream. Brynn goes from being the runt of the pack to a Queen creating her own religion with Qu, Isael, Caius, and Tomon. The start was good. She was hopeless, had completely given up, and just wanted revenge. Making a deal with Caius should have been enough. However, when he tasted her blood, he noticed something different and ancient about her. Because of that, he could not fulfill his promise and decided to take her with him instead. He kept her close. He claimed she was not a prisoner, but he also did not want her wandering off alone, and she definitely was not a guest either.
He is this ancient vampire who had been gone for decades and suddenly comes back with no real explanation of how a pack was able to keep him for that long. Anyway, the enemy is an organization called the Vigil, who experiment and create forced hybrids. Brynn is some kind of magical entity with all three bloodlines, which Caius and Isael realize when they drink from her and when Isael uses her magic. Caius offers her protection, and the entire time he is training her but never really explains why. He just keeps reiterating that she needs to know how to fend for herself. Over time she grows stronger, and Brynn starts learning about Mother, the source of her bloodline. This book was mind boggling. I was genuinely lost at times. Random things would just happen. One second she is training. The next, Isael is fighting his curse, dying, getting resurrected. Then Brynn is eating a heart. It was absolutely wild.
Qu was a silent MMC. He could not talk the entire book because he is a reverent and had his throat slashed when he was alive. So he is just this steady presence for Brynn without being able to communicate. Then suddenly she performs a ritual, he can talk, and he is semi alive so they can breed. It was very different from what I expected. Not bad, just odd. The one I felt most disconnected from was Qu. Not because he did not speak, but because he had a wife and daughters in his past. He felt more reminiscent than romantic. At times it felt like he saw Brynn as someone to protect like a father would, not as a partner. He was very protective and nurturing, almost to the point of coddling her. The scene where she was embarrassed about her period stood out. It took Qu to ease her embarrassment because he had experience handling that situation with his daughter. That dynamic made him feel more like a caretaker than a romantic interest.
Isael felt more transactional. He was fascinated by her magic and tested her because he wanted to understand it. Then he was on the verge of death after seeing information about the Vigil. Brynn felt him dying and broke down, brought him back, and suddenly they were closer than ever. But again, I did not fully buy the romantic leap. Tomon was probably my favorite. He was blunt, and he spent the most time with her. His feelings made the most sense. He trained her, gave her advice, and was personally a victim of the Vigil, so there was a natural tether between them.
🤍•.¸✿¸.•💌•.❀•OVERALL •❀.•💌•.¸✿¸.•🤍
I am still not sure how to feel about this standalone or what I was supposed to take away from it. So much happened, yet somehow nothing happened at all. It felt like a mad scientist experiment gone wrong. The romance felt unnecessary. There was curiosity and intrigue, but I never understood how they went from training to suddenly sleeping together and having babies. There was no real buildup or believable emotional connection.
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ The Venom in Our Vows☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
⁺₊★·.´🎧✩°｡ 0:56 ──♡───── 3:32 ⁺₊🎧★·.·´
🎶 ”I should've known it was strange. You only come out at night” 🎶
Cast aside as the weak runt of her pack, Brynn (h) is thrown into a dungeon with a starving, chained vampire and left to die. Instead of accepting her fate, she strikes a bargain, trading her blood for his freedom and his vengeance. The bond awakens a hidden power within her and draws four dangerous, exiled immortals to her side, all bound by blood and desire.
🤍•.¸✿¸.•💌•.❀•THOUGHTS •❀.•💌•.¸✿¸.•🤍
“Mother gave me—us—317 years to build a community that remembers her,” I continued, meeting each of their gazes in turn. “A place where she’s honored, where people call to her when the spaces between stars grow too empty. In return, she didn’t take me beyond the Threshold immediately.”
I am not sure how to explain what I just read. It felt like a fever dream. Brynn goes from being the runt of the pack to a Queen creating her own religion with Qu, Isael, Caius, and Tomon. The start was good. She was hopeless, had completely given up, and just wanted revenge. Making a deal with Caius should have been enough. However, when he tasted her blood, he noticed something different and ancient about her. Because of that, he could not fulfill his promise and decided to take her with him instead. He kept her close. He claimed she was not a prisoner, but he also did not want her wandering off alone, and she definitely was not a guest either.
He is this ancient vampire who had been gone for decades and suddenly comes back with no real explanation of how a pack was able to keep him for that long. Anyway, the enemy is an organization called the Vigil, who experiment and create forced hybrids. Brynn is some kind of magical entity with all three bloodlines, which Caius and Isael realize when they drink from her and when Isael uses her magic. Caius offers her protection, and the entire time he is training her but never really explains why. He just keeps reiterating that she needs to know how to fend for herself. Over time she grows stronger, and Brynn starts learning about Mother, the source of her bloodline. This book was mind boggling. I was genuinely lost at times. Random things would just happen. One second she is training. The next, Isael is fighting his curse, dying, getting resurrected. Then Brynn is eating a heart. It was absolutely wild.
Qu was a silent MMC. He could not talk the entire book because he is a reverent and had his throat slashed when he was alive. So he is just this steady presence for Brynn without being able to communicate. Then suddenly she performs a ritual, he can talk, and he is semi alive so they can breed. It was very different from what I expected. Not bad, just odd. The one I felt most disconnected from was Qu. Not because he did not speak, but because he had a wife and daughters in his past. He felt more reminiscent than romantic. At times it felt like he saw Brynn as someone to protect like a father would, not as a partner. He was very protective and nurturing, almost to the point of coddling her. The scene where she was embarrassed about her period stood out. It took Qu to ease her embarrassment because he had experience handling that situation with his daughter. That dynamic made him feel more like a caretaker than a romantic interest.
“You’ve given me back my voice,” he said, the simple statement laden with meaning. “Now let us build something worthy of being spoken of for generations.”
“We did good, didn’t we?” Tomon asked, uncharacteristically reflective. “Built something real.”
“We did.” I squeezed his hand. “Though I remember you mocking the very idea when we started. In fact, I remember you saying you didn’t want any...” I paused. “What did you call them? Ah yes, snot-nosed ankle biters.”
Isael felt more transactional. He was fascinated by her magic and tested her because he wanted to understand it. Then he was on the verge of death after seeing information about the Vigil. Brynn felt him dying and broke down, brought him back, and suddenly they were closer than ever. But again, I did not fully buy the romantic leap. Tomon was probably my favorite. He was blunt, and he spent the most time with her. His feelings made the most sense. He trained her, gave her advice, and was personally a victim of the Vigil, so there was a natural tether between them.
🤍•.¸✿¸.•💌•.❀•OVERALL •❀.•💌•.¸✿¸.•🤍
I am still not sure how to feel about this standalone or what I was supposed to take away from it. So much happened, yet somehow nothing happened at all. It felt like a mad scientist experiment gone wrong. The romance felt unnecessary. There was curiosity and intrigue, but I never understood how they went from training to suddenly sleeping together and having babies. There was no real buildup or believable emotional connection.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2026
DNF @ 50%. Just couldn’t get into it, found myself bored and kept checking how much left I had to read as I found myself wishing it was over
November 27, 2025
This book has so much potential but I just didn’t resonate with the characters.
I feel like I barely know each character other than surface level information.
There needed to be more detail into each character and their interactions with others.
Brynns relationship with each character isn’t really explored other than they each had sex once.
For example,
How does Caius deal with sharing her ?
How does Qu feel about his dead wife ?
Etc etc
I just feel it’s all rushed to fit into one book and it needed to be more detailed and more explained.
I feel like I barely know each character other than surface level information.
There needed to be more detail into each character and their interactions with others.
Brynns relationship with each character isn’t really explored other than they each had sex once.
For example,
How does Caius deal with sharing her ?
How does Qu feel about his dead wife ?
Etc etc
I just feel it’s all rushed to fit into one book and it needed to be more detailed and more explained.
January 29, 2026
DNF
This book needs an editor, big time. While grammatically it is correct, it suffers from standard continuity issues. We went from “after I clean up, I need to confront Isael” immediately next to “time to face the isael”. I’m not saying we need a play by play of her cleaning, but in the span of 3 seconds - she ponders the danger of her gifts and abandons cleaning despite openly declaring that her next step would be to clean up.
Another example is earlier in the book, during the beast meets our girl.
“Once the site of Nova Roma’s most vicious gladiatorial games, now home to creatures society would rather forget.
“We’re not in Nova Roma,” I said flatly. “That’s thousands of miles from the pack lands.”
Tomon raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about Nova Roma?
My guy, you did????? You said “once the site of this place’s most vicious games” and you’re confused as to why she asked about THE PLACE???
“Hmm yes I love Italian ice cream! Gelato is great”
“But we’re not in Italy”
“Who said anything about Italy”
Like??????????? I ignored it at the time cause I figured it was a one off error. Nope. Get a lot of that.
Later we get a whole scene of FMC confronting Isael to teach her magic, and it’s a good character development scene on establishing that Isael sucks. Idc how he progresses, he’s a bad character but I digress. We get
“This is pointless,” I muttered after several minutes. “Your frustration is counterproductive.” Isael’s voice was cold. “Emotion is the catalyst, not the fuel. Your anger is useless without focus. Try again.” I tried again. And again. And again. Days blurred together. My new routine exhausted me completely”
Wait so that’s that? He just…lets her train? She doesn’t get it and then we time skip??? It’s so abrupt and stilted. Why did it cut there?? We literally were mid conversation and suddenly time skip wherein she’s training montage and just…chill I guess?? And the skip immediately goes to fighting with Tomon which is whiplash inducing given we were just developing Isabel’s weird transactional relationship with FMC.
Basically, book needs an editor. A good one. Better than what happened here.
Also, other readers mentioned it but this feels AI supplemented. We get SO much “it’s not just this, it’s this” or “this not this, it’s that”. Or just repetitive list-like descriptions. Could be an author on a crutch. But given the bumbling story beats, I’m skeptical.
Final gripe taking this from 2 to 1 star: oh my lord everyone is so boring. Isael is a dick, but he’s the only one with a character at all. Everyone else is cardboard. Romance isn’t a thing here. And it’s not like “oh this is a romance 2nd and a fantasy 1st” cause 1) tomon and FMC get their tongues acquainted real quick and 2) the fantasy bit sucks. The world building is poor, and FMC only exists with these men. It’s a reverse harem book, and advertises itself as that. I’m not saying it needs to be erotica, but these people have NO CHEMISTRY. It was a slog of repetitive, weird editing choices, poor writing, and poor characters. Not the worst book I’ve read - but I wouldn’t recommend it.
This book needs an editor, big time. While grammatically it is correct, it suffers from standard continuity issues. We went from “after I clean up, I need to confront Isael” immediately next to “time to face the isael”. I’m not saying we need a play by play of her cleaning, but in the span of 3 seconds - she ponders the danger of her gifts and abandons cleaning despite openly declaring that her next step would be to clean up.
Another example is earlier in the book, during the beast meets our girl.
“Once the site of Nova Roma’s most vicious gladiatorial games, now home to creatures society would rather forget.
“We’re not in Nova Roma,” I said flatly. “That’s thousands of miles from the pack lands.”
Tomon raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about Nova Roma?
My guy, you did????? You said “once the site of this place’s most vicious games” and you’re confused as to why she asked about THE PLACE???
“Hmm yes I love Italian ice cream! Gelato is great”
“But we’re not in Italy”
“Who said anything about Italy”
Like??????????? I ignored it at the time cause I figured it was a one off error. Nope. Get a lot of that.
Later we get a whole scene of FMC confronting Isael to teach her magic, and it’s a good character development scene on establishing that Isael sucks. Idc how he progresses, he’s a bad character but I digress. We get
“This is pointless,” I muttered after several minutes. “Your frustration is counterproductive.” Isael’s voice was cold. “Emotion is the catalyst, not the fuel. Your anger is useless without focus. Try again.” I tried again. And again. And again. Days blurred together. My new routine exhausted me completely”
Wait so that’s that? He just…lets her train? She doesn’t get it and then we time skip??? It’s so abrupt and stilted. Why did it cut there?? We literally were mid conversation and suddenly time skip wherein she’s training montage and just…chill I guess?? And the skip immediately goes to fighting with Tomon which is whiplash inducing given we were just developing Isabel’s weird transactional relationship with FMC.
Basically, book needs an editor. A good one. Better than what happened here.
Also, other readers mentioned it but this feels AI supplemented. We get SO much “it’s not just this, it’s this” or “this not this, it’s that”. Or just repetitive list-like descriptions. Could be an author on a crutch. But given the bumbling story beats, I’m skeptical.
Final gripe taking this from 2 to 1 star: oh my lord everyone is so boring. Isael is a dick, but he’s the only one with a character at all. Everyone else is cardboard. Romance isn’t a thing here. And it’s not like “oh this is a romance 2nd and a fantasy 1st” cause 1) tomon and FMC get their tongues acquainted real quick and 2) the fantasy bit sucks. The world building is poor, and FMC only exists with these men. It’s a reverse harem book, and advertises itself as that. I’m not saying it needs to be erotica, but these people have NO CHEMISTRY. It was a slog of repetitive, weird editing choices, poor writing, and poor characters. Not the worst book I’ve read - but I wouldn’t recommend it.
February 28, 2026
RH Vampires-Shifters-Mages/Enemy to Lovers/Genetic Experimentation and Breeding
SYNOPSIS: The FC, Brynn, was brought up in a shifter pack but picked on and beaten down her whole life as the runt of the pack. When she is thrown into a dungeon and fed to a captive vampire they escape together. The Vampire, Caius, takes her back to his castle where she meets Timon, a Shifter/Vampire hybrid, Israel, a mage, and Qu, a replicant (essentially a zombie). Brynn is taught to fight and she discovers that she is being sought by an ancient group called The Vigil who want her for some sacrifice to which they have been building for hundreds of years. The story covers how Brynn and her men fight back against the Vigil to create a better world.
HEAT LEVEL: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/🍆🍆 There’s plenty of spice although it the scenes didn’t really connect for me. They are vanilla but graphic with no MM.
In summary, I found this an odd story with a lot of gaps, a lack of connection between the FC and MCs and some very off-putting scenes with the Zombie 🤢 It’s just badly written and a mess. This is another of those stories geared around genetic breeding, mistreatment of shifters etc. and hidden labs. I would not describe this book as being a romance as there was a distinct lack of anything romantic between the FC and the MCs but there is some drama, violence and angst.
The lack of background for the main characters is glaring as is the limited worldbuilding and lack of secondary characters. There’s maybe one reference to Brynn’s parents dying in unusual circumstances but no one asks about them and no further information is provided. It’s a frustrating lack of background on Brynns upbringing. The FC was weak and unlikeable and the MCs just came across as creepy with no real romantic link or attempt by the author to build relationships. Do not get me started on Qu - seriously, the author implying that there was some kind of attraction between the FX and the Zombie was just grim.
There are so many parts of the story that just didn’t make sense. For example, Caius has been missing for over a decade and yet there is no reference to anyone searching for him when he disappeared and his return is treated with no real surprise or question. There’s also no real explanation of how he was captured or why. The narrative jumps forwards missing parts of the story such as when Caius and Brynn escape from dungeon. Their escape is not described even in retrospect and noone asks how they escaped? Then, when they coming across Brynn’s pack in the forest the story jumps over the capture of one and moves straight to them being questioned. There’s a further scene when the MCs go after intruders and Timon says he’s kept a couple alive but then it’s like they’re forgotten and the MCs return to the fortress without them being mentioned again; or when the MCs are going out to check The Vigil, discover that the Vigil have sent a force to the fortress but the MCs head out anyway with no further mention of the Vigil force. Did they just disappear??🤷♀️ The inconsistencies are never-ending, for example, Qu has “black voids” instead of eyes yet is occasionally described with emotions “flashing through his eyes”; Qu makes various outfits for Brynn which fit perfectly (which is even remarked upon) but then is described as needing to measure her; Brynn is supposed to have accelerated healing beyond that of a werewolf but then seems to have scars from training and bruises that linger 🤦♀️ There are even parts of the book where it feels like the author forgot what she previously wrote. Just before the final climax there’s a scene where the characters convene a war room and discuss their three options. Then a chapter later the characters convene a war room and discuss their three options…?? Even the basic premise of the narrative makes no sense. It’s like the author forgot what the story was she was writing and never reread her own book. There is supposed to have been all this breeding by the Vigil to engineer “the Key” but then it turns out the FC and her ancestors have always been the Key? I mean, WTF??? 🙄
Their time period in which the story is set is unclear. Whilst there are references to the Roman Empire being gone for hundreds of years and the MCs being “ancients” there is then reference to carriages being used, waxed paper for sandwiches and a copper bath to bathe in but then further on there is a reference to advance technology. So there’s technology but no indoor plumbing or cars?? It’s odd to have the story seemingly set in an era with no modern evolution.
I’m not going to go into the climax and the scene with the “Heart” which was just grim and then sex in the escape shaft? Really? Finally, the Epilogue section (although it’s not called that) was just odd and what she did to Qu was just disturbing and with the final “I’m Queen” it was just enough.
Overall, there are much better books out there. If you’re looking for a shifter romance and engaging characters this is probably not the book for you and not a repeat author for me,
SYNOPSIS: The FC, Brynn, was brought up in a shifter pack but picked on and beaten down her whole life as the runt of the pack. When she is thrown into a dungeon and fed to a captive vampire they escape together. The Vampire, Caius, takes her back to his castle where she meets Timon, a Shifter/Vampire hybrid, Israel, a mage, and Qu, a replicant (essentially a zombie). Brynn is taught to fight and she discovers that she is being sought by an ancient group called The Vigil who want her for some sacrifice to which they have been building for hundreds of years. The story covers how Brynn and her men fight back against the Vigil to create a better world.
HEAT LEVEL: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/🍆🍆 There’s plenty of spice although it the scenes didn’t really connect for me. They are vanilla but graphic with no MM.
In summary, I found this an odd story with a lot of gaps, a lack of connection between the FC and MCs and some very off-putting scenes with the Zombie 🤢 It’s just badly written and a mess. This is another of those stories geared around genetic breeding, mistreatment of shifters etc. and hidden labs. I would not describe this book as being a romance as there was a distinct lack of anything romantic between the FC and the MCs but there is some drama, violence and angst.
The lack of background for the main characters is glaring as is the limited worldbuilding and lack of secondary characters. There’s maybe one reference to Brynn’s parents dying in unusual circumstances but no one asks about them and no further information is provided. It’s a frustrating lack of background on Brynns upbringing. The FC was weak and unlikeable and the MCs just came across as creepy with no real romantic link or attempt by the author to build relationships. Do not get me started on Qu - seriously, the author implying that there was some kind of attraction between the FX and the Zombie was just grim.
There are so many parts of the story that just didn’t make sense. For example, Caius has been missing for over a decade and yet there is no reference to anyone searching for him when he disappeared and his return is treated with no real surprise or question. There’s also no real explanation of how he was captured or why. The narrative jumps forwards missing parts of the story such as when Caius and Brynn escape from dungeon. Their escape is not described even in retrospect and noone asks how they escaped? Then, when they coming across Brynn’s pack in the forest the story jumps over the capture of one and moves straight to them being questioned. There’s a further scene when the MCs go after intruders and Timon says he’s kept a couple alive but then it’s like they’re forgotten and the MCs return to the fortress without them being mentioned again; or when the MCs are going out to check The Vigil, discover that the Vigil have sent a force to the fortress but the MCs head out anyway with no further mention of the Vigil force. Did they just disappear??🤷♀️ The inconsistencies are never-ending, for example, Qu has “black voids” instead of eyes yet is occasionally described with emotions “flashing through his eyes”; Qu makes various outfits for Brynn which fit perfectly (which is even remarked upon) but then is described as needing to measure her; Brynn is supposed to have accelerated healing beyond that of a werewolf but then seems to have scars from training and bruises that linger 🤦♀️ There are even parts of the book where it feels like the author forgot what she previously wrote. Just before the final climax there’s a scene where the characters convene a war room and discuss their three options. Then a chapter later the characters convene a war room and discuss their three options…?? Even the basic premise of the narrative makes no sense. It’s like the author forgot what the story was she was writing and never reread her own book. There is supposed to have been all this breeding by the Vigil to engineer “the Key” but then it turns out the FC and her ancestors have always been the Key? I mean, WTF??? 🙄
Their time period in which the story is set is unclear. Whilst there are references to the Roman Empire being gone for hundreds of years and the MCs being “ancients” there is then reference to carriages being used, waxed paper for sandwiches and a copper bath to bathe in but then further on there is a reference to advance technology. So there’s technology but no indoor plumbing or cars?? It’s odd to have the story seemingly set in an era with no modern evolution.
I’m not going to go into the climax and the scene with the “Heart” which was just grim and then sex in the escape shaft? Really? Finally, the Epilogue section (although it’s not called that) was just odd and what she did to Qu was just disturbing and with the final “I’m Queen” it was just enough.
Overall, there are much better books out there. If you’re looking for a shifter romance and engaging characters this is probably not the book for you and not a repeat author for me,
February 21, 2026
If I was rating this based on vibes, I'd say 4 stars. If we remove the "I was entertained while reading factor" it is probably more like a 2 star book. Normally I go with my "based on entertainment vibes gut rating," however there are issues with the book that make it rating seem too high to be accurate. But 2 star books are books I should have DNFed so that seems wrong too because I don't think that. It did it's job and entertained me.
In general, I liked the characters. The romances were fine until the end for the most part. The plot was interesting. None of it was new to the genre but I still enjoyed the book despite that.
However, I had several issues with the writing and then with one relationship development that kept bringing me out of the story.
The writing was not consistent. We needed better world building.
We had wagons at one point in what felt like a medieval town but then we had spy bugs and "vehicles" in a context that sounded very much like the baddies had modern trucks or something. But they rode horses instead of vehicles at one point. It was basically earth then the magical stuff collided and now it's a world built on that ruins. But was it like a dystopian future with magic or was there still enough society that we still had modern stuff like the spy gadgets? I still don't understand basic world fundamentals after finishing the 500+ pages book.
Two, pacing/writing would be off. And we took shortcuts at the wrong moment.
Like a character decides he needed to capture one of the enemy scouts. In the next sentence, we've already moved on to interrogating said prisoner.
Another time one character was trying to get her to light a candle and in the next sentence we are somewhere else and a week has passed.
In general, I liked the characters. The romances were fine until the end for the most part. The plot was interesting. None of it was new to the genre but I still enjoyed the book despite that.
However, I had several issues with the writing and then with one relationship development that kept bringing me out of the story.
The writing was not consistent. We needed better world building.
We had wagons at one point in what felt like a medieval town but then we had spy bugs and "vehicles" in a context that sounded very much like the baddies had modern trucks or something. But they rode horses instead of vehicles at one point. It was basically earth then the magical stuff collided and now it's a world built on that ruins. But was it like a dystopian future with magic or was there still enough society that we still had modern stuff like the spy gadgets? I still don't understand basic world fundamentals after finishing the 500+ pages book.
Two, pacing/writing would be off. And we took shortcuts at the wrong moment.
Like a character decides he needed to capture one of the enemy scouts. In the next sentence, we've already moved on to interrogating said prisoner.
Another time one character was trying to get her to light a candle and in the next sentence we are somewhere else and a week has passed.
February 7, 2026
Badly written, illogical book. I DNF-ed at 15-20% because the story really wasn’t engaging and made no sense.
Illogic 1: It was revealed to the reader at the start the creature in the dungeon was a vampire, and at this point in time, the FMC shouldn’t know anything about the shore of her cell mate. However, in the next chapter, she somehow knew she was with a vampire? There were no signs exposing him as one and at this point in the story, all she knew was there was this mysterious creature with red eyes hidden in the shadows… ? How did she make that conclusion then?
Illogic 2: so then Mr vampy drank FMC’s blood (which wasn’t a lot btw cause her blood was ‘special’) and apparently this tiny amount was enough for him to travel THOUSANDS OF MILES back to his castle? He was imprisoned for a heck of a long time, surviving on rats and the occasional deer for food , so I would expect he needed more time and blood to get back to his all powerful self. But nooo just a tiny amount of FMC’s blood was enough to undo decades of damage.
Illogic 3: So then mr vampy got back to his castle, FMC in tow. In explaining the castle’s location, it was said they are where ancient Nova Roma once stood, but then his housemate said something along the lines of “who said we’re in Nova Roma?”. Umm, WHAT. And when Mr vampy’s housemates find out their friend is back after being missing for DECADES, they just calmly accept him back without asking any questions as to how he disappeared, if he’s injured etc.
Hellooo..? Is the logic in the room with us??
Illogic 1: It was revealed to the reader at the start the creature in the dungeon was a vampire, and at this point in time, the FMC shouldn’t know anything about the shore of her cell mate. However, in the next chapter, she somehow knew she was with a vampire? There were no signs exposing him as one and at this point in the story, all she knew was there was this mysterious creature with red eyes hidden in the shadows… ? How did she make that conclusion then?
Illogic 2: so then Mr vampy drank FMC’s blood (which wasn’t a lot btw cause her blood was ‘special’) and apparently this tiny amount was enough for him to travel THOUSANDS OF MILES back to his castle? He was imprisoned for a heck of a long time, surviving on rats and the occasional deer for food , so I would expect he needed more time and blood to get back to his all powerful self. But nooo just a tiny amount of FMC’s blood was enough to undo decades of damage.
Illogic 3: So then mr vampy got back to his castle, FMC in tow. In explaining the castle’s location, it was said they are where ancient Nova Roma once stood, but then his housemate said something along the lines of “who said we’re in Nova Roma?”. Umm, WHAT. And when Mr vampy’s housemates find out their friend is back after being missing for DECADES, they just calmly accept him back without asking any questions as to how he disappeared, if he’s injured etc.
Hellooo..? Is the logic in the room with us??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2026
DNF
I tried, I just couldn't get into this.
The writing was incredibly dull and repetitive, fixating on certain aspects of the characters and world in a kind of obsessive redundancy that felt borderline neurotic. This might have worked if it seemed like that was just part of a particular POV - a personality trait - but no... no, this was just the writing in general. It almost read as if it was generated off of the most bare bones prompt of what the world and characters were supposed to be, then the formulaic tendency of machine learning did what it does and spit out artless drivel.
Every POV had the same kind of abbreviated, pulsed, Rule of Three, AI-esque phrasing in the writing that can be good in moderation, but this book was fucking inundated with it. Like a song made up of just chorus, it quickly became tedious after the second or third chapter of it.
Example:
What's funniest, is that in my example one might assume those were three separate instances. Except that they aren't... that is one, single, unedited block of text. Who tf wants to read that?
I tried, I just couldn't get into this.
The writing was incredibly dull and repetitive, fixating on certain aspects of the characters and world in a kind of obsessive redundancy that felt borderline neurotic. This might have worked if it seemed like that was just part of a particular POV - a personality trait - but no... no, this was just the writing in general. It almost read as if it was generated off of the most bare bones prompt of what the world and characters were supposed to be, then the formulaic tendency of machine learning did what it does and spit out artless drivel.
Every POV had the same kind of abbreviated, pulsed, Rule of Three, AI-esque phrasing in the writing that can be good in moderation, but this book was fucking inundated with it. Like a song made up of just chorus, it quickly became tedious after the second or third chapter of it.
Example:
What indeed? Something unprecedented, perhaps. Something dangerous, certainly. Something... valuable.
The beast within stirred again at that thought. Valuable meant worth possessing. Worth protecting. Worth keeping.
Mine, it growled, the possessive instinct of predator toward prize. I silenced it firmly. The girl was not a possession. Not prey. Not a weapon, though she could perhaps become one with proper training.
What's funniest, is that in my example one might assume those were three separate instances. Except that they aren't... that is one, single, unedited block of text. Who tf wants to read that?
January 3, 2026
Stunning Brilliance!
A different take on vampires, werewolves, gods , monsters, even humans and all things in between.
Brynn Ashling, a werewolf runt, a young woman who’s only ever been subjected to cruelty, made into the ‘whipping boy’ of the pack. Given the misnomer of “Bad Luck Brynn”. An unsuccessful hunt means the pack goes hungry again and it’s always Brynn’s fault, regardless of where blame actually lies. This time the punishment doesn’t end at the whipping post, the alpha loathes Brynn. Her life is forfeit, thrown into the dungeon where a feral monster waits starved beyond recognition desperate for blood.
Would you die quietly and alone or would you make a deal with the monster in the dark? Brynn’s choice has far reaching consequences, much farther than she ever imagined. She offered blood for revenge.
Four monsters wait unchanged and unchanging, until her the broken little wolf. Caius the ancient vampire, Tomon the hybrid, Isael the blood mage and Qu the silent warrior revenant when they meet everything changes. They’re her monsters now all bound by blood.
A seriously brilliant read.
A different take on vampires, werewolves, gods , monsters, even humans and all things in between.
Brynn Ashling, a werewolf runt, a young woman who’s only ever been subjected to cruelty, made into the ‘whipping boy’ of the pack. Given the misnomer of “Bad Luck Brynn”. An unsuccessful hunt means the pack goes hungry again and it’s always Brynn’s fault, regardless of where blame actually lies. This time the punishment doesn’t end at the whipping post, the alpha loathes Brynn. Her life is forfeit, thrown into the dungeon where a feral monster waits starved beyond recognition desperate for blood.
Would you die quietly and alone or would you make a deal with the monster in the dark? Brynn’s choice has far reaching consequences, much farther than she ever imagined. She offered blood for revenge.
Four monsters wait unchanged and unchanging, until her the broken little wolf. Caius the ancient vampire, Tomon the hybrid, Isael the blood mage and Qu the silent warrior revenant when they meet everything changes. They’re her monsters now all bound by blood.
A seriously brilliant read.
February 5, 2026
I really tried to like it but the world building was weird and the details were just kinda randomly thrown in?
When one MMC drank her blood and was going to kill her she randomly said a Latin phrase that she shouldn’t have known and it was just never brought up again why she would know this. The MMC didn’t kill her bc of this so I feel like it should have been more important.
There was a twin mentioned that actually turned into an ancestors heart or something along those lines and when they were trying to escape with said heart the FFC just decided instead of leaving it behind to EAT IT?! Absolutely no explanation why she felt the need to do that.
One MMC was introduced as having a hatred of touch but was never brought up again and was fine with the FMC. Why even add this detail if it’s never mentioned again.
The 4 MMCs were all treated very differently with one getting very little time with the FMC and up until over 80% through the book nothing has happened with him physically at all while she has had sex with I think all the other guys.
I’m DNF this book at 80% of the way through.
When one MMC drank her blood and was going to kill her she randomly said a Latin phrase that she shouldn’t have known and it was just never brought up again why she would know this. The MMC didn’t kill her bc of this so I feel like it should have been more important.
There was a twin mentioned that actually turned into an ancestors heart or something along those lines and when they were trying to escape with said heart the FFC just decided instead of leaving it behind to EAT IT?! Absolutely no explanation why she felt the need to do that.
One MMC was introduced as having a hatred of touch but was never brought up again and was fine with the FMC. Why even add this detail if it’s never mentioned again.
The 4 MMCs were all treated very differently with one getting very little time with the FMC and up until over 80% through the book nothing has happened with him physically at all while she has had sex with I think all the other guys.
I’m DNF this book at 80% of the way through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2026
Mixed feelings
I liked Brynn at the beginning. But once she gained a bit of confidence she was boring, as if her trauma was her entire personality.
The magic was both fun and yet completely disappointing. I understand everything cant be large and impressive but we flipped from unsure and untrained to completely unstoppable only to immediately pivot again to helpless.
The ending was the worst. The entire book there was buildup of this big unknown, most likely to end the whole world.. only for it to peeter out into a benevolent entity. The Last two chapters was a summary of listing the 10 or so "children", their father and their magic.. the youngest being 19 already. At that point it was just being informed. After the Veil battle there was no more storytelling, only info dumps.
The author also did not flow from one scene or location well. No new chapters or even paragraph breaks. It was odd and forced much rereading.
It seemed like the author's first book, so there is definite potential, just needs some work. I'll look for more by this author in the future.
I liked Brynn at the beginning. But once she gained a bit of confidence she was boring, as if her trauma was her entire personality.
The magic was both fun and yet completely disappointing. I understand everything cant be large and impressive but we flipped from unsure and untrained to completely unstoppable only to immediately pivot again to helpless.
The ending was the worst. The entire book there was buildup of this big unknown, most likely to end the whole world.. only for it to peeter out into a benevolent entity. The Last two chapters was a summary of listing the 10 or so "children", their father and their magic.. the youngest being 19 already. At that point it was just being informed. After the Veil battle there was no more storytelling, only info dumps.
The author also did not flow from one scene or location well. No new chapters or even paragraph breaks. It was odd and forced much rereading.
It seemed like the author's first book, so there is definite potential, just needs some work. I'll look for more by this author in the future.
February 9, 2026
Standalone Fantasy RH with a strong FMC
What a ride this story was.
It starts with the h, who's a werewolf and mistreated by her pack until they decide to give her to a starving vampire so they dont have to deal with her anymore.
The h, is hurt and has an infection that is making it hard for her to stay alive, so she decides to save the starving vampire and makes a bargain with him. Her blood in exchange for vengeance on her pack. The vampire doesn't end her, and instead saves her by taking her to his fortress with his 'friends'.
So begins the h's evolution from victim to queen.
I enjoyed the writing and the storyline. This is set in an alternate universe where magic exists. It was interesting and kept me hooked through all 500 pages.
I will say I liked the h's character more in the beginning than in the end. The last chapter made her seem less human and more distant queen/ goddess, which i suppose is necessary to show character growth but was also less relatable.
This was the first book I've read by this author and honestly can't wait to read more.
What a ride this story was.
It starts with the h, who's a werewolf and mistreated by her pack until they decide to give her to a starving vampire so they dont have to deal with her anymore.
The h, is hurt and has an infection that is making it hard for her to stay alive, so she decides to save the starving vampire and makes a bargain with him. Her blood in exchange for vengeance on her pack. The vampire doesn't end her, and instead saves her by taking her to his fortress with his 'friends'.
So begins the h's evolution from victim to queen.
I enjoyed the writing and the storyline. This is set in an alternate universe where magic exists. It was interesting and kept me hooked through all 500 pages.
I will say I liked the h's character more in the beginning than in the end. The last chapter made her seem less human and more distant queen/ goddess, which i suppose is necessary to show character growth but was also less relatable.
This was the first book I've read by this author and honestly can't wait to read more.
February 13, 2026
What Goes Beyond
A One-Shot Romantasy that’s just plain good™️.
Tropes
- Romantasy
- Reverse Harem
- Trauma
- Secret Society
Romantasy can really cover such a broad base of what you can have in a story. This one has vampires, werewolves, blood mages, hybrids, magical revenants that aren’t tied to necromancy, curses, and even godly beings. For a story that doesn’t seem to be getting a book 2, I really enjoyed the world I was in. Everything felt fleshed out and whole. The growth from the FMC was a slow and steady felt very natural. The entire pacing in general for the book was good. Almost 600 pages flew by quickly and nothing dragged. The vengeance that people got was satisfying but I don’t know if I really cared for it. Though I am happy it happened. When I see things like reverse harem I usually think the book will be on the spicier side and I was wrong. This was a medium to slow burn story. I mean 90% of the story was done before the 4th MMC even got a kiss! So be warned this is 90% fantasy and 9% romance and 1% spice.
4/5 ✨
2/5🌶️
A One-Shot Romantasy that’s just plain good™️.
Tropes
- Romantasy
- Reverse Harem
- Trauma
- Secret Society
Romantasy can really cover such a broad base of what you can have in a story. This one has vampires, werewolves, blood mages, hybrids, magical revenants that aren’t tied to necromancy, curses, and even godly beings. For a story that doesn’t seem to be getting a book 2, I really enjoyed the world I was in. Everything felt fleshed out and whole. The growth from the FMC was a slow and steady felt very natural. The entire pacing in general for the book was good. Almost 600 pages flew by quickly and nothing dragged. The vengeance that people got was satisfying but I don’t know if I really cared for it. Though I am happy it happened. When I see things like reverse harem I usually think the book will be on the spicier side and I was wrong. This was a medium to slow burn story. I mean 90% of the story was done before the 4th MMC even got a kiss! So be warned this is 90% fantasy and 9% romance and 1% spice.
4/5 ✨
2/5🌶️
January 14, 2026
Honestly i am torn. I kinda liked the storyline, or at least I liked the idea. I am unsure about the execution thought.
It felt sloppy in countless places. There were repeats of the same thing over and over - that kinda felt like a way to fill more pages. I don't know hoooooow often they said that the curse turned into those nice patterns, but damn, I got it after the first time.
Some places have whole sentences repeated in short successions. its kind tiresome to read. there where times when I thought I couldn't finish this book. I don't know if it's because it seems to be the debut book of this author or just their "style" but some parts felt AI-written -> This is not me saying they are! I can't prove this, nor do I want to try! This is just my perception of it.
As I said, I am torn about this.... This book has a good story in it. It's simply a bit buried under redundancy and some questionable storytelling choices.
It felt sloppy in countless places. There were repeats of the same thing over and over - that kinda felt like a way to fill more pages. I don't know hoooooow often they said that the curse turned into those nice patterns, but damn, I got it after the first time.
Some places have whole sentences repeated in short successions. its kind tiresome to read. there where times when I thought I couldn't finish this book. I don't know if it's because it seems to be the debut book of this author or just their "style" but some parts felt AI-written -> This is not me saying they are! I can't prove this, nor do I want to try! This is just my perception of it.
As I said, I am torn about this.... This book has a good story in it. It's simply a bit buried under redundancy and some questionable storytelling choices.
January 17, 2026
Underwhelming
The story itself was decent.
FMC is abused by her pack, then used as a sacrifice to feed the vampire in the basement. Instead of becoming a meal, she strikes a deal to release him first so long as he promises her vengeance after he drinks her blood. Instead of killing her and everyone in her pack, he tastes her blood and decides to keep her and train her for her own vengeance. He takes her home where you meet the other three from her harem. They band together to fight the cult that had a hand in her creation who want to use her to summon a god during a special astrological event.
Spice level 🌶🌶
Story idea ❤️
Execution of story was disappointing. Contradicting plot points.
Repetitive in places.
Wishy washy fmc
Confusing feelings. One point the men were jealous of each other, then the next paragraph they didnt care to share her.
Confusing time period. There's slight mentions of modern technology or themes but the world felt very under advanced.
The story itself was decent.
FMC is abused by her pack, then used as a sacrifice to feed the vampire in the basement. Instead of becoming a meal, she strikes a deal to release him first so long as he promises her vengeance after he drinks her blood. Instead of killing her and everyone in her pack, he tastes her blood and decides to keep her and train her for her own vengeance. He takes her home where you meet the other three from her harem. They band together to fight the cult that had a hand in her creation who want to use her to summon a god during a special astrological event.
Spice level 🌶🌶
Story idea ❤️
Execution of story was disappointing. Contradicting plot points.
Repetitive in places.
Wishy washy fmc
Confusing feelings. One point the men were jealous of each other, then the next paragraph they didnt care to share her.
Confusing time period. There's slight mentions of modern technology or themes but the world felt very under advanced.
February 4, 2026
A good story and premise but the beginning and middle dragged while the ending seemed rushed. It felt like the author was determind to make this book but had too many details and points she wanted to add.
There is something greatly aggravating about a character being so gungho about something, like honesty, when it comes to other people and then doing the same shit themselves! WTF?!
Towards the end, there is quite a bit of repeating dialog and scene descriptions. Almost like the author had 2 ways to describe the scene in their draft but somehow both versions made the cut. There were also scene jumps too that interrupted the flow of the story.
There are also a few typos and punctuation errors. For example, centauries should have been centuries and punctuation showing. too soon in the sentence. (Yes, that was initial) This is all happening towards the end of the book, like the author ran out of steam for consistency.
There is something greatly aggravating about a character being so gungho about something, like honesty, when it comes to other people and then doing the same shit themselves! WTF?!
Towards the end, there is quite a bit of repeating dialog and scene descriptions. Almost like the author had 2 ways to describe the scene in their draft but somehow both versions made the cut. There were also scene jumps too that interrupted the flow of the story.
There are also a few typos and punctuation errors. For example, centauries should have been centuries and punctuation showing. too soon in the sentence. (Yes, that was initial) This is all happening towards the end of the book, like the author ran out of steam for consistency.
December 14, 2025
venom
I found that most “errors” are formatting and easily overlooked (primarily random spaces between paragraphs for no reason) or a sudden scene transition without warning, which can be a bit jarring. Deduction of star also due to (spoiler in a way…)
Qu- he goes from a father figure, teaching, guiding, and protecting to a lover without showing any more intimate bonds forming. Nothing that can be seen more than just fatherly care. So that was a bit of a “what the…”
While the story was good I also found the ending to drag, with no real ending despite it jumping an bit into the future, to show the continued growth of the characters, society, and a foreshadow of another story to come.
I found that most “errors” are formatting and easily overlooked (primarily random spaces between paragraphs for no reason) or a sudden scene transition without warning, which can be a bit jarring. Deduction of star also due to (spoiler in a way…)
Qu- he goes from a father figure, teaching, guiding, and protecting to a lover without showing any more intimate bonds forming. Nothing that can be seen more than just fatherly care. So that was a bit of a “what the…”
While the story was good I also found the ending to drag, with no real ending despite it jumping an bit into the future, to show the continued growth of the characters, society, and a foreshadow of another story to come.
January 11, 2026
WOW 🤯
I had to skip through the very first part because I don’t like reading about torcher. This gets graphic, but What A Story. It is soooo good. I can’t even explain it lol. There is such humor too. Tomom (I think that’s how you spell) is the comic relief (needed), and actually made me laugh out loud I was iffy about this book, but so glad I read it. The characters are so well written, the story flows, and it kept this woman’s ADD attention (which can be an issue lol). This author only has this book, but I hope she writes more. I would read them all. This is well worth getting!! This book is at the top of my favorite books. I have kindle unlimited, but I will buy this book in support of this author and such a well written book!!!
I had to skip through the very first part because I don’t like reading about torcher. This gets graphic, but What A Story. It is soooo good. I can’t even explain it lol. There is such humor too. Tomom (I think that’s how you spell) is the comic relief (needed), and actually made me laugh out loud I was iffy about this book, but so glad I read it. The characters are so well written, the story flows, and it kept this woman’s ADD attention (which can be an issue lol). This author only has this book, but I hope she writes more. I would read them all. This is well worth getting!! This book is at the top of my favorite books. I have kindle unlimited, but I will buy this book in support of this author and such a well written book!!!
January 27, 2026
I really enjoyed this like really really enjoyed this standalone fantasy. The writing style was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed the plot. It is RH but that is a teeny blip to the plot. Her relationships with them are part of the plot but it is not overly RH spicy. The only reason it is not 5 stars is because I was a little confused by the time we are in…it seemed modern at times (mentioning of pavement and “electric”) but then they work and operate by fire and lamp light just slightly confusing there… post apocalyptic or modern or “old ways” just needed some clarity. I loved the epilogue and tying of everything together. I know it’s stand alone but I wouldn’t mind a story explaining what happens at the next convergence. Overall very good borderline 5 stars.
February 13, 2026
No, this book was stupid, and I should have just DNF’d it from the first chapters. You’re telling me you let a wholly capable girl with legs and arms stay with a vampire who can literally be freed because there is a key right there? Oh yeah, absolutely, she won’t free him because she’s “too injured.” Like, WTF.
The other characters were boring as hell too. No emotion at all. And the word “variable” being mentioned? The moment we read that damn word, we knew you wrote the book with AI.
The ending was just as plain. She had children with the four men and worshiped an entity called Mother. Yeah. I gave it a chance, but the smut wasn’t good either. The author can’t write at all. Either make it smutty or don’t bother at all.
The other characters were boring as hell too. No emotion at all. And the word “variable” being mentioned? The moment we read that damn word, we knew you wrote the book with AI.
The ending was just as plain. She had children with the four men and worshiped an entity called Mother. Yeah. I gave it a chance, but the smut wasn’t good either. The author can’t write at all. Either make it smutty or don’t bother at all.
January 31, 2026
Different in a great way (Spoilers Below)
Interesting story with distinct characters. The world building was narrow but interesting. The focus is on the immediate characters with no sense of how other communities operate/function. The story was written well and the flow of the plot was pretty well balanced. I could see this becoming an interconnected series easily.
There were some holes that left unsatisfactory questions for me. Such as: will Qu die before the next convergence if he's aging at the progression he is? Does this mean the children also will/do age and die? Why doesn't Brynn age? What will happen when they inevitably cross the threshold?
Interesting story with distinct characters. The world building was narrow but interesting. The focus is on the immediate characters with no sense of how other communities operate/function. The story was written well and the flow of the plot was pretty well balanced. I could see this becoming an interconnected series easily.
There were some holes that left unsatisfactory questions for me. Such as: will Qu die before the next convergence if he's aging at the progression he is? Does this mean the children also will/do age and die? Why doesn't Brynn age? What will happen when they inevitably cross the threshold?
February 21, 2026
I rarely DNF (60%) books but this was insufferable. Zero chemistry between the characters - they acted and spoke about the FMC in a more paternal than romantic way and it gave me a massive ‘ick’.
I’m also suspicious of the writing - it’s so bombastic yet dry at times it suggests the use of AI. There’s a lot of short sentences (‘No mercy.’ ‘No hesitation.’ ‘The kill.’ ‘I attacked.’ ‘Home.’ ‘Sated. Stronger. Changed.’) sprinkled for fake emphasis in almost every single paragraph which makes it tough to read; the sentences don’t flow, the dialogues are stiff and borderline childish.
It’s a no for me.
I’m also suspicious of the writing - it’s so bombastic yet dry at times it suggests the use of AI. There’s a lot of short sentences (‘No mercy.’ ‘No hesitation.’ ‘The kill.’ ‘I attacked.’ ‘Home.’ ‘Sated. Stronger. Changed.’) sprinkled for fake emphasis in almost every single paragraph which makes it tough to read; the sentences don’t flow, the dialogues are stiff and borderline childish.
It’s a no for me.
March 5, 2026
I really liked this but ..
It felt incomplete at the end.
!(Caution spoilers!) Don't read if you don't want the end ruined!
I felt like I waited with bated breath 🫁 the entire book to read about Brynn finally getting pregnant and the birth of her baby. I wanted to feel how it impacted her and her husbands, but I felt cheated of that.
Yes I briefly got to see a bit of her children and the interactions between their dads but they were all older. I wanted some tender moments when they were born or at least much younger.
Just something to think about when you write another book Talia Shepstone.
Everything else was really imersive and written so beautifully!
It felt incomplete at the end.
!(Caution spoilers!) Don't read if you don't want the end ruined!
I felt like I waited with bated breath 🫁 the entire book to read about Brynn finally getting pregnant and the birth of her baby. I wanted to feel how it impacted her and her husbands, but I felt cheated of that.
Yes I briefly got to see a bit of her children and the interactions between their dads but they were all older. I wanted some tender moments when they were born or at least much younger.
Just something to think about when you write another book Talia Shepstone.
Everything else was really imersive and written so beautifully!
Read
March 5, 2026Before reading
Please, please, please, PLEASE let this be good. I saw the reviews and their mid, but SOMETIMES I can still like the book, and the story sounds so interesting, and I'm just hoping it's readable. Wish me luck.
Reading
It's... kinda bad. I'm not really hooked.
To summarise this story, I would say:
A girl abused all her life gets thrown in a dungeon by her pack with a vampire who she makes a deal, and asks him to feed on her and kill her in exchange for killing her pack. While the vampire feeds on her, he realises she's special, so grabs her while she's unconscious and flees to his home, where a blood-obsessed mage, a mute undead warrior and a silver-tongued wolf/vampire lives, who are the vampire's friends.
I'll probably DNF this book- like nothings happening.
All the MMC's are practically the same, except one can't speak and the other is a little unhinged.
The FMC is annoying and always whining about her trauma.
An unbelievable amount of grammatical errors. This was my favourite one.
The hell u talking abt? You literally said Nova Roma 5 fucking seconds ago.
Please, please, please, PLEASE let this be good. I saw the reviews and their mid, but SOMETIMES I can still like the book, and the story sounds so interesting, and I'm just hoping it's readable. Wish me luck.
Reading
It's... kinda bad. I'm not really hooked.
To summarise this story, I would say:
A girl abused all her life gets thrown in a dungeon by her pack with a vampire who she makes a deal, and asks him to feed on her and kill her in exchange for killing her pack. While the vampire feeds on her, he realises she's special, so grabs her while she's unconscious and flees to his home, where a blood-obsessed mage, a mute undead warrior and a silver-tongued wolf/vampire lives, who are the vampire's friends.
I'll probably DNF this book- like nothings happening.
All the MMC's are practically the same, except one can't speak and the other is a little unhinged.
The FMC is annoying and always whining about her trauma.
An unbelievable amount of grammatical errors. This was my favourite one.
“Welcome to the Forgotten Arena," he replied, sweeping his arm in a theatrical gesture. "Once the site of Nova Roma's most vicious gladiatorial games, now home to creatures society would rather forget." His grin turned self-deprecating. "Myself included."
Nova Roma? We were that far from the pack territories? Impossible.
"We're not in Nova Roma," I said flatly. "That's thousands of miles from the pack lands."
Tomon raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about Nova Roma?”
The hell u talking abt? You literally said Nova Roma 5 fucking seconds ago.
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