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Tenebris #3
Of Grave & Glory
Emma Mather is having trouble telling friend from foe…and being wrong about whether someone is her ally or her enemy could cost her more than just her life.
The Candle has taken Gigi Gage as their prisoner, and Emma will do anything to save her friend from whatever torture Dr. Thaddeus Kirkbride is putting her through in the Arnsmouth Asylum. But even if Emma—and her trusty fire poker—can manage to free Gigi, she’ll have to avoid the clutches of the Idol, as well.
To say nothing about the Church or the man she loves, who is incrementally losing himself to the eldritch horror taking over his body.
Nowhere is safe. No one is safe. Not Gigi, not Rafe, and certainly not Emma herself.
Between the Dark Societies and the Church on the one hand and her increasingly complicated love life on the other, Emma finds herself surrounded by shadows at every turn. And she'll be lucky if all that happens is that she gets eaten alive by Rafe and his new friends.
Because the other options might end the world.
And the clock is ticking.
The Candle has taken Gigi Gage as their prisoner, and Emma will do anything to save her friend from whatever torture Dr. Thaddeus Kirkbride is putting her through in the Arnsmouth Asylum. But even if Emma—and her trusty fire poker—can manage to free Gigi, she’ll have to avoid the clutches of the Idol, as well.
To say nothing about the Church or the man she loves, who is incrementally losing himself to the eldritch horror taking over his body.
Nowhere is safe. No one is safe. Not Gigi, not Rafe, and certainly not Emma herself.
Between the Dark Societies and the Church on the one hand and her increasingly complicated love life on the other, Emma finds herself surrounded by shadows at every turn. And she'll be lucky if all that happens is that she gets eaten alive by Rafe and his new friends.
Because the other options might end the world.
And the clock is ticking.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 16, 2022
52 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Ann Kingsley
68 books2,487 followersKathryn has always been a storyteller. Years of scriptwriting for performances on stage and for tourism in Boston led her to writing romantically dark, fantastical tales, which was an obsession of hers that began once seeing The Phantom of the Opera at a young age.
When she isn’t penning new villainous leads, she works in video game development. There, she has been everything from Creative Director to Chief of Staff, Design Manager, Executive Producer, and Principal Writer for various companies in the industry.
She shares her antique home with three very fluffy animals and one very patient and loving husband.
When she isn’t penning new villainous leads, she works in video game development. There, she has been everything from Creative Director to Chief of Staff, Design Manager, Executive Producer, and Principal Writer for various companies in the industry.
She shares her antique home with three very fluffy animals and one very patient and loving husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 20, 2022
The last 30 or so pages made me up this to 4.5.
I really enjoy all of Kathryn's books and I say us every review that she writes villain romance very well. The villain is always ge uinely a villain, but it written is such a way that there is something you can match onto to go between being horrified to rooting for them. This is very much still the case in this book.
Again, as in all of the previous series, the world building is deep, imaginative and original. Her mind just cooks up amazing ideas.
However, my only real issue is that every series just feels the same. And when they're all good that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does prevent in being 5 stars. I just want to see her break her formula a bit ut keep the amazing villains and world building.
I think the biggest factir that makes the series feel samey is the female MC is pretty much the same mixture or characteristics is every series. Again, they're not bad characteristics, but I feel like I am reading the same character over and over again. I did find Emma quite annoying at times, or more people's reactions to her. Everyone instantly adored her strange mix of brave but innocent and a bit dense at times personality, and that got on my nerves a bit.
Regardless, these are nit picky issues of a long time fan who loves this author, ut just wants to see something a little different. I highly recommend this book!
I really enjoy all of Kathryn's books and I say us every review that she writes villain romance very well. The villain is always ge uinely a villain, but it written is such a way that there is something you can match onto to go between being horrified to rooting for them. This is very much still the case in this book.
Again, as in all of the previous series, the world building is deep, imaginative and original. Her mind just cooks up amazing ideas.
However, my only real issue is that every series just feels the same. And when they're all good that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does prevent in being 5 stars. I just want to see her break her formula a bit ut keep the amazing villains and world building.
I think the biggest factir that makes the series feel samey is the female MC is pretty much the same mixture or characteristics is every series. Again, they're not bad characteristics, but I feel like I am reading the same character over and over again. I did find Emma quite annoying at times, or more people's reactions to her. Everyone instantly adored her strange mix of brave but innocent and a bit dense at times personality, and that got on my nerves a bit.
Regardless, these are nit picky issues of a long time fan who loves this author, ut just wants to see something a little different. I highly recommend this book!
August 22, 2022
Way too much screentime for secondary characters for me. Too be fair I never relly like when a secondary pairing gets brought in, but this still felt excessive, and their story just wasn’t very interesting. If it got released as a spinoff I would probably not buy it, to put it like that.
Also at some point in the course of three books, at least one character should have a reaction to Emma that isn’t “gosh, you are just so dang cute, brave, quirky and adorable and I see why everyone loves you“, i feel. I also feel like Emma is just a bit too similar to earlier books like Alice from the Julian Strand books. Like give Alice an unlimited budget and they would be very same-y. Not huge sin, but you know..
But yeah, not a bad book but it felt rushed and kind of disappointing. I think it had a lot more potential in the first book. I enjoyed it somewhat, but started skipping secondary characters in the second book, and rolled my eyes a but at times. Fans of weird sex scenes should def give it a try though.
Also at some point in the course of three books, at least one character should have a reaction to Emma that isn’t “gosh, you are just so dang cute, brave, quirky and adorable and I see why everyone loves you“, i feel. I also feel like Emma is just a bit too similar to earlier books like Alice from the Julian Strand books. Like give Alice an unlimited budget and they would be very same-y. Not huge sin, but you know..
But yeah, not a bad book but it felt rushed and kind of disappointing. I think it had a lot more potential in the first book. I enjoyed it somewhat, but started skipping secondary characters in the second book, and rolled my eyes a but at times. Fans of weird sex scenes should def give it a try though.
May 22, 2023
Thank all that is unholy that this series is over....
Seriously, I think this is one of the worst series I've ever read. And I truly hate to say that because I actually like this author. One of her other series (Harrow Faire) is one of the best series that I've ever read. And I'm beginning to realize that anything I read by this author is either going to fall in the category of extremely good or extremely bad.
First off, this series was all kinds of bad. It was like being stuck in a fever dream. Nothing really made sense. Perhaps that was done on purpose. But I found it extremely frustrating. The pacing was disjointed and had zero flow, the characters were all a little unhinged and hard to really appreciate, and the story just lacked.....everything.
After finishing this series, I can honestly say there's nothing much to it. Thus, for simplicities sake, and for those that may not want to waste their time reading this trilogy, I'll sum up all three books for you.
Of Visions and Secrets
Emma Mather comes to the town of Arnsmouth in search of her missing brother, Elliot. Elliot and Emma are twins, they're super close, and Emma is worried that something is wrong. This leads her on a dark path to an occult made of five societies that obviously have something to do with her missing brother: The Candle, The Blade, The Key, The Idol, and The Mirror. Each society has a different specialty in dark magic and each leader of each society is looking for Emma.
Emma meets Ralph, a teacher who knew her brother, who is also a member of one of the dark societies (The Mirror), and who vehemently tells her to leave and forget about her brother and that he is beyond her help. At this point we learn that Emma and her brother both suffer from hallucinations. Emma can see events of the past as if she's reliving them and Elliot experiences dark and disturbing voices that drive him insane.
Emma stubbornly refuses to give up on finding her brother. She eventually enters a sexual relationship with Ralph, and to protect her from himself (he's possessed by some weird otherworldly demon btw) and the societies, he wipes her memory and sends her home.
Of Flesh and Bone
After losing her memory Emma knows something is wrong. And it all leads back to Arnsmouth. So in true Emma fashion, she returns, remeets Ralph and other members of the Society she forgot, and decides once again to find her brother and regain her memories. She meets a guy named Yuriel, who she later discovers is in possession of her brothers body when she regains her memories. Despite Yuriel not really being her brother, they get really attached.
*Patrick (The bishop, is part of a special church to keep the dark societies in line) and Gigi (leader of The Blade) take up a lot of head space in this book. You're still reading mostly from Emma's POV, but I'd say a good 40% is also from Gigi and Patrick's POV. Essentially These two are on opposite sides, but really want to fuck each other.......So they do. Gigi used to be a man, and used her powers with The Blade to change into a woman. That's about all you need to know on that score.
Ralph eventually becomes fully possessed by the demon that posses him and reaches sainthood (which is when a member of one of the five societies gain ultimate power and becomes immortal). Ralph becomes obsessed with Emma and decides to keep her forever.
Gigi, the leader of The Blade, gets kidnapped by the leader of The Candle so that he can also attain sainthood. Emma decides to save Gage against Ralphs wishes. She temporarily kills him to leave and save Gigi.
Of Grave and Glory
Emma kinda saves Gigi. Patrick also comes to save Gigi and nurses her back to health after she's been tortured. Patrick kills the head of The Candle. Patrick's job is to kill anyone that reaches sainthood; including Ralph, whom he promises to kill next.
Emma get's kidnapped like two or three times. She eventually discovers that the societies formed to free some great beast. There were originally six houses, and one backed out and prevented them from releasing the beast and trapped it instead. The sixth house is the church, or The Cross. And Patrick has reached sainthood in The Cross, which means he's essentially part of the Dark societies too. But apparently there can only be one saint in Arnsmouth at a time, so Patrick kills anyone else that reaches sainthood. Which is a bit hypocritical if you ask me.
So there are currently three saints in Arnsmouth, Ralph, Patrick, and Yuriel (who we find out ate Elliot's soul and reached sainthood, and that Emma and Elliot have special powers that allow the leaders of the dark societies to reach sainthood when they're sacrificed).
Yuriel and Ralph kinda kill themselves to keep things in balance......And Patrick is once again left as the only saint.
This, of course, makes Emma sad, she makes a deal with the beast of Arnsmouth to bring back Ralph if she sets him free. She becomes the saint of The Key, and everyone lives happily ever after.
AND BREATH.....
I know that was a lot, but I felt like this series warranted a review that went into detail of just how bad it was.
The author strings you along with a lot of suspense and mystery, when there really is little to no substance to this series. It was like she had a half formed thought of how this series should go and just ran with it. This series is mostly Emma following mysterious leads, Emma getting into trouble, and Emma, Ralph, Gigi, or Patrick fucking. Eventually the story and characters fall apart. They literally have no substance. The story was terrible and lacked flow, and I literally hated every character.
Emma: was impulsive and stupid.
Ralph: reserved and moody. And was essentially a multi personality entity the second and third book, so was hard to pin down.
Gigi: Horny, sassy, and horny. I disliked her the most because she came of as shallow and self centered.
Patrick: also self centered with everyone but Gigi. He was the only one allowed to reach sainthood because I guess he was just such a great person. And his relationship with Gigi was portrayed as being deep when these two probably only had a handful of conversations and fucked a lot.
Yureil: depressed and suicidal.
Every one of these characters struggled mentally with something. We all do. But I felt like the author was really shoving the trans LGBTQ theme down our throats sometimes. Like I stated in a previous review, this series read like it had an agenda. It felt like the author put more thought into that agenda than her story or characters. Being inclusive and progressive doesn't excuse bad characters and story.
As always, I think that she's an amazing writer. But everything else about this book was trash to me. 1 star.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2023
Loved this. Harrow Faire is still my favorite, but this series is a close second. The bantering, the side characters, the romances, Emma fuckin' Mather, and how everything works out. The story flows really well. I cannot think of a negative here.
August 11, 2022
A beautiful conclution to another of Kat's series full og monsters. Her stories are never predikdable and I was on the edge of my seat right to the end to see what would happen.
I loved the way Gigi's story ended. And the resolution with Rafe was amazing.
I loved the things The Mirror and The Blade could do. The candle was horrorfying, the idol was shooking and the key was perfection.
I love the lengths Emma was willing to go to be happy. How big her heart is and how mucth she was puched in this series.
IT could have used more bloks to play out in. But in the end i love it.
I got a free ARC copy for an honest reveiw.
I loved the way Gigi's story ended. And the resolution with Rafe was amazing.
I loved the things The Mirror and The Blade could do. The candle was horrorfying, the idol was shooking and the key was perfection.
I love the lengths Emma was willing to go to be happy. How big her heart is and how mucth she was puched in this series.
IT could have used more bloks to play out in. But in the end i love it.
I got a free ARC copy for an honest reveiw.
August 26, 2022
As always I get drawn in by the villain romance and stay for the story. One of my favorite villain authors. Her character and world building is really enjoyable and you never know what dark mysteries lie in her work.
January 16, 2024
If Emma Mather has a million haters, I'm one of them.
If Emma Mather has one hater, that one hater is me.
If Emma Mather has no haters, it's because I'm no longer alive.
If Emma Mather has one hater, that one hater is me.
If Emma Mather has no haters, it's because I'm no longer alive.
August 21, 2022
tw: death, transphobia, conversion therapy, gore, mutilation, body parts, dark magic(?)
gigipatrick outsold rafemma by a long shot and i'm mad they didn't get a feature in the epilogue. sigh anyway these characters are close to my heart now idk they were so distinct and homely. usually sequels are hard to get into, information doesn't go down that easily but that didn't happen here. you glide in so easily, probably bc the plot isn't too complex and the characters aren't forgettable. i really enjoyed this series and i will! be thinking about them for a long time.
there's resurrect trope in play here multiple times but it didn't bother me in the least bc it actually made sense here with the whole sacrifice for sainthood thing. it was funny how rafe died like three times
- spoilers -
¤ now for the discussion.. what became of robert? his mystery was not resolved to my liking. hope he gets a spinoff bc i liked him
¤ i do not like things being introduced in the very end so the whole beast fiasco and emma getting powers for a day was absurd
¤ im so glad normal rafe is back. venom rafe was not IT. had my nose scrunched during all their scenes like wheres my rafe at?
¤ yuriel rip i am sad 😔 he was there for two secs but the impact was strong
¤ gigipatrick going from jazz singer-club owner-leader of the blade (gigi had way too many credentials)/bishop-cultist to hollywood actress/malewife was too funny and cute and i could not have predicted it in a million years
gigipatrick outsold rafemma by a long shot and i'm mad they didn't get a feature in the epilogue. sigh anyway these characters are close to my heart now idk they were so distinct and homely. usually sequels are hard to get into, information doesn't go down that easily but that didn't happen here. you glide in so easily, probably bc the plot isn't too complex and the characters aren't forgettable. i really enjoyed this series and i will! be thinking about them for a long time.
there's resurrect trope in play here multiple times but it didn't bother me in the least bc it actually made sense here with the whole sacrifice for sainthood thing. it was funny how rafe died like three times
- spoilers -
¤ now for the discussion.. what became of robert? his mystery was not resolved to my liking. hope he gets a spinoff bc i liked him
¤ i do not like things being introduced in the very end so the whole beast fiasco and emma getting powers for a day was absurd
¤ im so glad normal rafe is back. venom rafe was not IT. had my nose scrunched during all their scenes like wheres my rafe at?
¤ yuriel rip i am sad 😔 he was there for two secs but the impact was strong
¤ gigipatrick going from jazz singer-club owner-leader of the blade (gigi had way too many credentials)/bishop-cultist to hollywood actress/malewife was too funny and cute and i could not have predicted it in a million years
January 16, 2024
patrick my g
August 25, 2022
I'm sad to be saying goodbye to Emma and Rafe. This book was a perfect conclusion to this dark occult romance. I really enjoyed Emma's whit and the depth of Rafe's infestation (eldritch tentacle smoke monster) I loved the different POV's and the LGBTQ positive characters. I enjoyed that aspect of acceptance and unconditional love. (Gigi and The Bishop)
At any rate, I highly recommend this series for dark romance lovers. Enjoy!
At any rate, I highly recommend this series for dark romance lovers. Enjoy!
August 17, 2022
That was such a great read! I definitely love Rafe and “Them” lol. Actually I loved all of the characters (aside from Kirkbride, he totally creeped me out lol) It was interesting learning more about of the societies and the different roles they played in Emma’s story, I also about cracked up when Emma was carrying that fire poker around with her 😂. Kathryn did a great job with the character development, and I especially loved GiGi’s character. I am so happy I was able to read this series, it was a bit of a roller coaster but I loved it!!
August 16, 2022
Great ending!
What a good book for a good ending. I love how everything just ends so smoothly. I usually don't like reading other couples but bishop and gigi is a rare gem of a pair. They are both adorable and I'm happy they have a hea
What a good book for a good ending. I love how everything just ends so smoothly. I usually don't like reading other couples but bishop and gigi is a rare gem of a pair. They are both adorable and I'm happy they have a hea
September 12, 2022
I read the entire series in about 2-3 days. I enjoyed and it was perfect for spooky season. Emma was hilarious but very much the victim and the villain in these stories lol. Like ma'am, if you could sit down for 2 minutes, a lot of this stuff wouldn't have happened..
Question: Them is still around at the end does that mean the Great Beast never went home? Or is this basically a simulation? I could've sworn Rafe said that they go away when the Great Beast goes away....
Probably one of KAK's lighter villain stories, while Rafe is unhinged, it's really only cause he's possessed and wants to keep Emma safe.
Bishop and Gigi--fantastic. no notes. Love them dearly and hope they continue living their kept husband/movie star life.
Question: Them is still around at the end does that mean the Great Beast never went home? Or is this basically a simulation? I could've sworn Rafe said that they go away when the Great Beast goes away....
Probably one of KAK's lighter villain stories, while Rafe is unhinged, it's really only cause he's possessed and wants to keep Emma safe.
Bishop and Gigi--fantastic. no notes. Love them dearly and hope they continue living their kept husband/movie star life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2024
3☆. spoilers ahead.
I mean, I guess I enjoyed the conclusion to this series as much as I enjoyed the rest of it, but that does also mean that I found the same things lacking that I have the entire time while reading this. I will say that I enjoyed seeing more "action," as it were, in this installment as I have always felt like the strength of this series is its atmosphere. Which does include how the characters behave, which seemed to have clearer motivations in Of Grave & Glory than in previous installments in this series, which was nice, but I still felt like everyone was developed too little. With the plot now have somewhat more robustness, I was hoping the characters would get the same, but instead, the plot seemed to move too quickly for that. I'm happy everyone ended up well-off at the end of this, but more in a "wow, the ending wasn't depressing" kind of way and not a "these characters I love are okay, hooray" kind of way because... I didn't love the characters, even in throughout this last story. Still, I loved getting deeper into the underbelly of the city this took place in because the more horrific aspects of it were the pieces of the story that were so interesting to me. Had the entire thing been more well-formed, it would've made the perfect gritty, surreal, villain romance. As it is, I still may get the itch to come revisit this world just to reexperience it. If nothing else, it's left an impression on me.
August 29, 2022
This series was actually really nice. I didn't expect much from the book itself when I started reading and then liked it enough to buy Book 2 and then 3. Im extraordinarily picky about the things I read, but I found myself asking "what's next? what's next?" this entire time. Emma is a decent character, I have no real opinion on her. Raphael, I have conflicted feelings about. When I read, I assumed the nastiness of his character would get the better of him and was right, but what I couldn't stand was how much Emma excused him.
He's getting taken over? Cool. He's doing bad shit? Love it. His girlfriend who he just threatened with a knife gave him the benefit of the doubt? Why...? I understand doing things in the name of love, but there were a LOT of moments in this book where I was hoping Emma would briefly turn against him and not just when she was taken away. Every time she had the thought of "Im going to leave" I was clutching the book in excitement, ready for her to be truly, genuinely feeling worry only for her to be "hehe it's okay~ Ill figure this out differently."
And then there's this....
Give me sexy weird monster smut, I LOVE IT! What I don't love is the sex scene being described as consensual. Maybe I'm not the right demographic for this sort of kink but the blatant "No, we need to leave" and "I said enough-" doesn't scream "this is okay."
That's all I'll say about that.
Overall, good resolve, good characters (Gigi is the best) and an enjoyable read, all things considered.
He's getting taken over? Cool. He's doing bad shit? Love it. His girlfriend who he just threatened with a knife gave him the benefit of the doubt? Why...? I understand doing things in the name of love, but there were a LOT of moments in this book where I was hoping Emma would briefly turn against him and not just when she was taken away. Every time she had the thought of "Im going to leave" I was clutching the book in excitement, ready for her to be truly, genuinely feeling worry only for her to be "hehe it's okay~ Ill figure this out differently."
And then there's this....
Give me sexy weird monster smut, I LOVE IT! What I don't love is the sex scene being described as consensual. Maybe I'm not the right demographic for this sort of kink but the blatant "No, we need to leave" and "I said enough-" doesn't scream "this is okay."
That's all I'll say about that.
Overall, good resolve, good characters (Gigi is the best) and an enjoyable read, all things considered.
March 8, 2024
This series is soooo hard to rate! The story was definitely super interesting. And it could be that my expectations are simply higher than for other authors because I love Kingsley's villain MMCs SO much.
Raphael definitely felt less villainous, monstrous and insane than some of her other MMCs. Well... at times. In the end, I like Raphael as a character, but I didn't love him.
I think my biggest critique point is that the book was packed too tight with action. Emma really stumbled from one miserable situation to the next. A nice breather where she just felt safe and okay with Raphael for a short while would've been nice. Though there were few moments like that, they just felt very short.
In the end, I did enjoy the story a lot either way. It was a very wild ride and I really felt relieved with how the ending felt.
Raphael definitely felt less villainous, monstrous and insane than some of her other MMCs. Well... at times. In the end, I like Raphael as a character, but I didn't love him.
I think my biggest critique point is that the book was packed too tight with action. Emma really stumbled from one miserable situation to the next. A nice breather where she just felt safe and okay with Raphael for a short while would've been nice. Though there were few moments like that, they just felt very short.
In the end, I did enjoy the story a lot either way. It was a very wild ride and I really felt relieved with how the ending felt.
August 16, 2022
****Potential Spoilers Ahead*****
This was the perfect ending to this trilogy! Book three started right where it left off in book two, and boy, does sh*t hit the fan. Emma continually has to choose between what's right and wrong as well as her own selfish desires. I think Kathryn really did an impeccable job of keeping Emma true to character. We are also gifted with multiple POVs which I appreciated. I thought it would be confusing and perhaps I would get lost but it only added to the story's suspense.
Gigi and the Bishop's story also continues and it was so heartwarming even though all the bloodshed and the end of the world doom. Gigi's story was gut-wrenching for me. To know that she never felt accepted and finally found something good with the Bishop. Her coming out to him was everything at the end of the book. Honestly, that storyline hit me right in the feels.
If you loved the last two books I am not sure why you wouldn't love this one. You get all your burning questions answered and it was so fast-paced I finished it the same day I bought it.
This was the perfect ending to this trilogy! Book three started right where it left off in book two, and boy, does sh*t hit the fan. Emma continually has to choose between what's right and wrong as well as her own selfish desires. I think Kathryn really did an impeccable job of keeping Emma true to character. We are also gifted with multiple POVs which I appreciated. I thought it would be confusing and perhaps I would get lost but it only added to the story's suspense.
Gigi and the Bishop's story also continues and it was so heartwarming even though all the bloodshed and the end of the world doom. Gigi's story was gut-wrenching for me. To know that she never felt accepted and finally found something good with the Bishop. Her coming out to him was everything at the end of the book. Honestly, that storyline hit me right in the feels.
If you loved the last two books I am not sure why you wouldn't love this one. You get all your burning questions answered and it was so fast-paced I finished it the same day I bought it.
October 9, 2024
Okay, I did finish this series so I clearly didn’t hate it by any means but I did have some issues. The positives are that it’s a super unique story with a really cool magic system. I loved the world building and the romance, especially once we got more than one romantic story line in the second two books. With that being said, this book felt a little repetitive and drawn out. How many times can the main character be kidnapped before it gets a little tiring? I also am not sure I loved Emma, she just seemed so… stupid a lot of the time. I think it’s a series that’s more than worth the read, I just found myself skimming a little in this last book. Honestly, if you are looking for a series to start with for this author I’d recommend the Harrow Faire over this one. It’s still fun, entertaining, and enjoyable, just not my favorite books I’ve read from this author.
January 6, 2025
There was ALOT going on in this one for such a short book but it was a ride.
I still have a few leftover questions but I could tell that was on purpose
1. What happened to Robert? After he took the hand/candle, the handle, we don’t see or hear from him again so why was that mentioned?
2. Did all of their dark magic abilities leave with the great beast? Now this was definitely left out on purpose because obviously right at the end one of Rafe’s shadows makes an appearance but he said he no longer heard them. I hope Gigi was able to keep her powers because that strong woman deserved hers but I love that she became a movie star.
3. What on earth was the Idol? It wasn’t the same as the other leaders
4. Why did Rafe lose his memories of the time after his sigil was broken?
But in summary I loved this series so much it was so good.
I still have a few leftover questions but I could tell that was on purpose
1. What happened to Robert? After he took the hand/candle, the handle, we don’t see or hear from him again so why was that mentioned?
2. Did all of their dark magic abilities leave with the great beast? Now this was definitely left out on purpose because obviously right at the end one of Rafe’s shadows makes an appearance but he said he no longer heard them. I hope Gigi was able to keep her powers because that strong woman deserved hers but I love that she became a movie star.
3. What on earth was the Idol? It wasn’t the same as the other leaders
4. Why did Rafe lose his memories of the time after his sigil was broken?
But in summary I loved this series so much it was so good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2023
I feel very conflicted.
This was a decent story. The plot was well tied together even if it didn't always make sense how they got to the points. But, the author states in the very beginning of the book that all scenes are consensual, and that is NOT the case in this particular book.
There is one scene where the FMC clearly says "NO," multiple times, and yet the MMC continues on the road without stopping.
So I floated between and 2 and a 3 star review and ended up on a 2. I don't like when authors claim consensual and don't follow through. The author should have found a way for the scene to become consensual and still kept true to the plot.
This was a decent story. The plot was well tied together even if it didn't always make sense how they got to the points. But, the author states in the very beginning of the book that all scenes are consensual, and that is NOT the case in this particular book.
There is one scene where the FMC clearly says "NO," multiple times, and yet the MMC continues on the road without stopping.
So I floated between and 2 and a 3 star review and ended up on a 2. I don't like when authors claim consensual and don't follow through. The author should have found a way for the scene to become consensual and still kept true to the plot.
May 13, 2025
Of Guts, Grave & Glory….
This is the last book in this series. It culminates in Emma, Rafe, Gigi, Patrick & Yuriel’s (AKA Elliot) Eldritch adventures. I can’t leave out Hector. What a cutie patootie! Kat has some serious writing skillz! I haven’t been disappointed yet! I’d say more but I just hate spoilers, don’t you? I highly recommend this series & all of her books.
Que "Stanglehold" by Ted Nugent. Crank it up!
This is the last book in this series. It culminates in Emma, Rafe, Gigi, Patrick & Yuriel’s (AKA Elliot) Eldritch adventures. I can’t leave out Hector. What a cutie patootie! Kat has some serious writing skillz! I haven’t been disappointed yet! I’d say more but I just hate spoilers, don’t you? I highly recommend this series & all of her books.
Que "Stanglehold" by Ted Nugent. Crank it up!
November 23, 2022
This was a dark and fun series to binge. This would make a hot as heck mini series for a company brave enough to give us twisted eldritch horrors and kinky fear play. I really appreciated the how the series played out, even if I didn’t always love the characters choices they made. It stressed me out and made me laugh. Fingers crossed this gets made into a series someday.
February 17, 2023
5 stars
This is, by far, one of my favorite Kingsley series. She is the queen of villain romance. She put together a dark jer teetering on the edge of psychotic, an upbeat heroine who leaves a trail of chaos in her wake, threw in a eldritch god, some cultists, and a whole lot of zany, and you have the fantastic story that is this series. I love it.
This is, by far, one of my favorite Kingsley series. She is the queen of villain romance. She put together a dark jer teetering on the edge of psychotic, an upbeat heroine who leaves a trail of chaos in her wake, threw in a eldritch god, some cultists, and a whole lot of zany, and you have the fantastic story that is this series. I love it.
February 7, 2025
I liked the ending of the series.
Emma really came into her own and showed that she would do what she could for the people she loved.
Rafe was so taken over by shadows that he lost himself.
Some of the parts were hard to understand where it was going but overall a nice way to end the roller coaster ride.
Emma really came into her own and showed that she would do what she could for the people she loved.
Rafe was so taken over by shadows that he lost himself.
Some of the parts were hard to understand where it was going but overall a nice way to end the roller coaster ride.
June 6, 2024
Stayed up all night to finish this series
And it was worth staying up on a random Thursday morning. We finally have a smart, brave, loyal female main lead. Grumpy x sunshine and a soul shattering romance, what else do you need.
And it was worth staying up on a random Thursday morning. We finally have a smart, brave, loyal female main lead. Grumpy x sunshine and a soul shattering romance, what else do you need.
August 16, 2024
wow
I really admire this author and have read several of her books. She keeps you guessing as to how the story will evolve, right to the end. Tenebris was terrifying, incredible and thought provoking. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommended.
I really admire this author and have read several of her books. She keeps you guessing as to how the story will evolve, right to the end. Tenebris was terrifying, incredible and thought provoking. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommended.
October 7, 2022
This series was filled with enough twists and turns to keep my satisfied until the end.
December 14, 2022
She wrote harrow faire, so i know she can write better than this. Its a nice quick series though so there’s that.
June 30, 2023
This was my favorite book of the trilogy by far.
March 4, 2025
It's giving cults, its giving the darkness itself is on my 'hear me out cake', it's giving 'I want to fuck a priest' to qoute Fleabag.
I loved this series, the way Kingsley can wrap up a series and leaves you a little hollow, but still give you warm fusy feelings. I don't have the right words to describe it, but I'm feral for this author. I loved the way she ended this series, leaving the unknown door slightly ajar. I LOVE THAT AGH.
I loved this series, the way Kingsley can wrap up a series and leaves you a little hollow, but still give you warm fusy feelings. I don't have the right words to describe it, but I'm feral for this author. I loved the way she ended this series, leaving the unknown door slightly ajar. I LOVE THAT AGH.
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