Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
A lethal fae assassin. A powerful vampire crime lord. A marriage built on lies. Nadi sets out to destroy Raziel Nostrom from within his own family, but the closer she gets, the more tangled her loyalties, and her heart, become.
The Serpent’s Bride is a dark, dangerously seductive romantic fantasy that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go.
Nadi is fiercely driven heroine, in a story full of vengeance, betrayal, and forbidden romance. The magnetic chemistry of the main characters and the cliffhanger ending make this a must read for dark fantasy romance lovers!
The narration for this story is also excellent! I really enjoyed it.
Thank yoy to Second Sky Books for an ALC of The Serpent's Bride, all opinions are my own!
The Serpent’s Bride is a dark, dangerously seductive romantic fantasy that grabs you from the first page and refuses to let go.
Nadi is fiercely driven heroine, in a story full of vengeance, betrayal, and forbidden romance. The magnetic chemistry of the main characters and the cliffhanger ending make this a must read for dark fantasy romance lovers!
The narration for this story is also excellent! I really enjoyed it.
Thank yoy to Second Sky Books for an ALC of The Serpent's Bride, all opinions are my own!
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eighty years ago, when Nadi was a child, her whole family was massacred. Her uncle had dared to cross the locally-reigning vampire gang. They sent their enforcer, Raziel, to eliminate his loved ones: Nadi’s parents and siblings. Her entire life since has been spent in pursuit of her revenge. She’s spent the intervening time building her skills as a well-practiced assassin. Her fae ability to heal rapidly and her more unique ability to shapeshift certainly help. When she learns that a sacrificial human bride has been pledged to Raziel, she sees it for the opportunity that it is. She takes the woman’s place to get close to Raziel and his family.
Raziel, for his part, has grown into the weapon his family shaped him into. He’s talented at eliminating adversaries and sending messages as instructed. It was never his choice, but he doesn’t hate it. What he does hate is the tedium of his family’s dynamics and the tasks they demand of him. He’s bored of the dull humans and the fae who disgust him that he’s sent to deal with. They provide only brief entertainment before he disposes of them. He expects his new bride to be the same. After all, the marriage is only meant as a punishment for her father, and she won’t last long. However, when he meets her, she defies all his expectations.
I don’t usually gravitate toward mafia romances, but I do love vampire fiction. Getting the two in combination may turn out to have been an excellent gateway. It did heighten the vampire trope by adding another layer of danger. It was also a mix that worked very naturally. Vampire clans in fiction have long had similar behaviors and internal politics within their ranks as is common in mafia fiction. I also really enjoyed the combination of vampire and fae into the same romance story.
This is an impressive example of an enemies to lovers story. There’s true animosity in the beginning, and yet the progression of the relationship still makes sense. The attraction they begin to share is believable and also palpable. The buildup of tension is incredible, resulting in a payoff of really good dark romance spice. Do make sure to check trigger warnings down below on this one. It does get somewhat twisted.
I really liked that both partners in the main couple are morally gray. Neither one is corrupting the other here. Each has full agency over the major decisions around their moralities. Instead, they are recognizing their own proclivities in another and being drawn to that. As this is the first in a duology, I expect in the next book they will begin to encourage these tendencies more in each other. Truthfully, I’m already very excited to read the next. The way that this one ends, left me in denial that it was over. I kept turning the page like more paragraphs would magically appear, but instead I’m left waiting. I'm very much looking forward to the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Medical content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This TRUE enemies to lovers vampire mafia romance had me absolutely hooked from the beginning and left me screaming for book 2. Shape shifting assassin Nadia infiltrates her enemy’s home under the guise of his new bride, set on destroying his family the way he destroyed hers. Her quest for revenge finds a hiccup when she can’t decide if she wants to f*ck him, kill him, or… both? Dark, ruthless, twisted fun that will have you on the edge of your seat.
I LOVED the narrator for this audiobook. Her voice, pacing, cadence lent itself beautifully this storytelling, switching perspectives between Nadia and Raziel.
Thank you to Netgalley, Nerd Fam, and Kathryn Ann Kingsley for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVED the narrator for this audiobook. Her voice, pacing, cadence lent itself beautifully this storytelling, switching perspectives between Nadia and Raziel.
Thank you to Netgalley, Nerd Fam, and Kathryn Ann Kingsley for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I will disguise myself as the vampires bride. I will win over his family and then I will kill them all.
Vampires fae and shapeshifters and enemies to lovers what more could you want ! I listened d to this on audio and it had me hooked from the start. That ending 😳 Now have to wait for next book 😫
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Kathryn Ann Kingsley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Vampires fae and shapeshifters and enemies to lovers what more could you want ! I listened d to this on audio and it had me hooked from the start. That ending 😳 Now have to wait for next book 😫
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Kathryn Ann Kingsley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I NEED ALL MY FRIENDS TO READ THIS
I received this as an ARC via NetGalley. Thank you to the author, publishers and narrator. All opinions are my own.
First of all I want to say that I really loved the narrator. The way she read the book made it easy to get sucked into the world and didn't break the immersion at all!
The book itself was also really good. I rated it 4 stars. It did, however, take me quite a while to get into. I think that I only really got into the book at the halfway point. That being said I didn't dislike the first part at all. It was just a bit slower in my opinion.
The seconde half was really good! We got more relationship building between the 2 main characters and the story really picked up. The plot twist at the end was also really unexpected for me.
In short I definitely recommend you pick this up!
First of all I want to say that I really loved the narrator. The way she read the book made it easy to get sucked into the world and didn't break the immersion at all!
The book itself was also really good. I rated it 4 stars. It did, however, take me quite a while to get into. I think that I only really got into the book at the halfway point. That being said I didn't dislike the first part at all. It was just a bit slower in my opinion.
The seconde half was really good! We got more relationship building between the 2 main characters and the story really picked up. The plot twist at the end was also really unexpected for me.
In short I definitely recommend you pick this up!
Oh, the sneaky, sneaky deciept!!
This was a terrific story, and the audio narration was on point!! The fmc, Nadi is determined and fierce. And she needs to be going up against the vampire prince Raziel because he is vicious, ruthless, and cruel. So many edge of your seat moments. The tension and build up was steller. And a freaking ending that leaves your jaw hanging open!! wth!!!!
Dark vampire romance, hell yessss! Highly recommend!!
This was a terrific story, and the audio narration was on point!! The fmc, Nadi is determined and fierce. And she needs to be going up against the vampire prince Raziel because he is vicious, ruthless, and cruel. So many edge of your seat moments. The tension and build up was steller. And a freaking ending that leaves your jaw hanging open!! wth!!!!
Dark vampire romance, hell yessss! Highly recommend!!
Let me preface this review by saying that this is not my usual genre. I'm a dark romance beginner so take this into account when digesting my review! I have read others books by this author so I was used to her writing style and strong character development.
There is no way you would ever accidentally call Raziel morally grey. The man is heartless, violent, selfish. Nadi is no shy retiring violet. She has moulded herself into a weapon, an assassin, in order to get the revenge she has been set on of decades! They are on opposing sides from the start and are inescapably linked through a trauma that he wrought and she lived through.
Nadi doesn't want innocents hurt during her plot but Raziel has no such compunctions. The story of well crafted and the pacing is really well done. The world building hasn't been over done but sometimes I did feel i needed a wee bit more context on the wider world.
The spic isn't particularly k!nky but it's more the relationship and the bonds between the main characters that puts this on the darker end of romance. The constant game of one-upmanship between them was entertaining.
There was a doozy of an ending - bloody and intense with a WTAF moment.
There is no way you would ever accidentally call Raziel morally grey. The man is heartless, violent, selfish. Nadi is no shy retiring violet. She has moulded herself into a weapon, an assassin, in order to get the revenge she has been set on of decades! They are on opposing sides from the start and are inescapably linked through a trauma that he wrought and she lived through.
Nadi doesn't want innocents hurt during her plot but Raziel has no such compunctions. The story of well crafted and the pacing is really well done. The world building hasn't been over done but sometimes I did feel i needed a wee bit more context on the wider world.
The spic isn't particularly k!nky but it's more the relationship and the bonds between the main characters that puts this on the darker end of romance. The constant game of one-upmanship between them was entertaining.
There was a doozy of an ending - bloody and intense with a WTAF moment.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Before I begin I would like to thank NetGalley, and Bookouture Audio for the advance listening copy. All opinions are my own for this honest review.
Narration Style: 3rd person Dual POV, Solo Narration
Length: 8 hours
The Serpent’s Bride is kind of hard to explain. It's part dark romance, part romantasy, set in a modern mafia type setting. It's definitely...intriguing, but also at the same time a little murky. It’s got secrets, intrigue, hot mafia guys who also happen to be vampires, but also some fantasy settings with mentions of outskirts (of town), and guns. So all that to say, there is a lot going on, but it's also not always lacks some clarity within the story, but also the stakes regarding the character motivations.
As always, this is an ALC, so jumping into the audio book! Desireé Ketchum. Love her. This is a solo audio and for something like this that is told in 3rd person, but also through both POVs you need someone super strong in both perspectives, which is something that she is very strong at. She’s an absolute pro at voicing distinct characters, with clean, consistent delivery that’s easy to follow.
That said, this particular performance didn't really feel completely even, emotionally speaking, not because Desireé lacked skill, but because the material didn’t give her a whole lot to play in my opinion. Definitely the entire motivation for the FMC was revenge, but it felt lacking in emotional weight because she seemed to be driven purely by that hate, and seemed unconcerned by the stakes that were her death, more on that when I dive into the plot though. Performance wise, as a solo performance, she did brilliantly with the material.
Bookouture Audio did note that this was note that this was not the final audio, but I found that the production itself is rock solid. I found the transitions to be clear, the chapters were well-paced, and a narrator who knows how to guide the listener. I think there were only a few very minor blips, but overall very impressed and I'm sure that they will be fixed in the final (and tbh even if they weren't I barely noticed and it didn't cause any massive disturbance to the listening experience).
On to the story. Personally I did feel like the story pacing dragged at times. The plot didn’t really seem to move with enough urgency. For a book where the death of the FMC is a constantly looming threat, the stakes felt oddly... casual? Which made it harder to stay fully invested. She didn't seem particularly interested in her death either way, she had a concern with exacting her revenge, but even then she didn't really do anything to advance that either though.
I was really interested because it is a bit of a genre-blender: it's part vampire fantasy, part mafia drama, part contemporary world with cell phones and guns, but also where they reference "the outskirt towns" making it feel like it's back to a fantasy setting. I'm very visual, especially when listening to audiobooks and I don't have words on a page to help me make sense, but I couldn't truly pin down what this world looked like. So yea the world-building felt a little undercooked to me. I wanted more grounding in how this setting functions.
As far as character development is concerned, I found it to be very minimal, but it's something I can overlook that since it is the first book of a series. That being said, neither the FMC nor MMC seemed particularly driven to change or escape their circumstances, which made their moral greyness feel more passive than compelling. Both of them felt resigned to their fate.
It's got some spice, but I think it was a little under developed as well. There’s a spicy scene at the end, but it honestly felt just kind of tacked on. Like the author realized there hadn’t been enough heat and tossed it in to check a box. It wasn't a bad scene, but felt kind of contrived, like it came out of nowhere. There was no lead up to it, it was like BAM right into a BDSM scene because it's a dark romance it felt like it needed one.
To sum it up this book left me with some mixed feelings. As negative as this review might seem I swear I did actually like the book, I just really wish we'd had some more. It’s not a bad story by any means, and it definitely has promise for the future of the series (which I am excited to see how it develops after that cliffhanger of an ending. But it is also repetitive, emotionally detached at times, and unsure of what genre lane it wants to live in. I do also think audio-wise, as great as Desireé is this is a book that might have benefitted from a duet or even a dual narration setup to give more weight to the MMC's point of view.
As mentioned in the beginning, I received an ALC of this audiobook from NetGalley and Bookouture Audio in exchange for an honest review. Having said that, all thoughts are my own.
Narration Style: 3rd person Dual POV, Solo Narration
Length: 8 hours
The Serpent’s Bride is kind of hard to explain. It's part dark romance, part romantasy, set in a modern mafia type setting. It's definitely...intriguing, but also at the same time a little murky. It’s got secrets, intrigue, hot mafia guys who also happen to be vampires, but also some fantasy settings with mentions of outskirts (of town), and guns. So all that to say, there is a lot going on, but it's also not always lacks some clarity within the story, but also the stakes regarding the character motivations.
As always, this is an ALC, so jumping into the audio book! Desireé Ketchum. Love her. This is a solo audio and for something like this that is told in 3rd person, but also through both POVs you need someone super strong in both perspectives, which is something that she is very strong at. She’s an absolute pro at voicing distinct characters, with clean, consistent delivery that’s easy to follow.
That said, this particular performance didn't really feel completely even, emotionally speaking, not because Desireé lacked skill, but because the material didn’t give her a whole lot to play in my opinion. Definitely the entire motivation for the FMC was revenge, but it felt lacking in emotional weight because she seemed to be driven purely by that hate, and seemed unconcerned by the stakes that were her death, more on that when I dive into the plot though. Performance wise, as a solo performance, she did brilliantly with the material.
Bookouture Audio did note that this was note that this was not the final audio, but I found that the production itself is rock solid. I found the transitions to be clear, the chapters were well-paced, and a narrator who knows how to guide the listener. I think there were only a few very minor blips, but overall very impressed and I'm sure that they will be fixed in the final (and tbh even if they weren't I barely noticed and it didn't cause any massive disturbance to the listening experience).
On to the story. Personally I did feel like the story pacing dragged at times. The plot didn’t really seem to move with enough urgency. For a book where the death of the FMC is a constantly looming threat, the stakes felt oddly... casual? Which made it harder to stay fully invested. She didn't seem particularly interested in her death either way, she had a concern with exacting her revenge, but even then she didn't really do anything to advance that either though.
I was really interested because it is a bit of a genre-blender: it's part vampire fantasy, part mafia drama, part contemporary world with cell phones and guns, but also where they reference "the outskirt towns" making it feel like it's back to a fantasy setting. I'm very visual, especially when listening to audiobooks and I don't have words on a page to help me make sense, but I couldn't truly pin down what this world looked like. So yea the world-building felt a little undercooked to me. I wanted more grounding in how this setting functions.
As far as character development is concerned, I found it to be very minimal, but it's something I can overlook that since it is the first book of a series. That being said, neither the FMC nor MMC seemed particularly driven to change or escape their circumstances, which made their moral greyness feel more passive than compelling. Both of them felt resigned to their fate.
It's got some spice, but I think it was a little under developed as well. There’s a spicy scene at the end, but it honestly felt just kind of tacked on. Like the author realized there hadn’t been enough heat and tossed it in to check a box. It wasn't a bad scene, but felt kind of contrived, like it came out of nowhere. There was no lead up to it, it was like BAM right into a BDSM scene because it's a dark romance it felt like it needed one.
To sum it up this book left me with some mixed feelings. As negative as this review might seem I swear I did actually like the book, I just really wish we'd had some more. It’s not a bad story by any means, and it definitely has promise for the future of the series (which I am excited to see how it develops after that cliffhanger of an ending. But it is also repetitive, emotionally detached at times, and unsure of what genre lane it wants to live in. I do also think audio-wise, as great as Desireé is this is a book that might have benefitted from a duet or even a dual narration setup to give more weight to the MMC's point of view.
As mentioned in the beginning, I received an ALC of this audiobook from NetGalley and Bookouture Audio in exchange for an honest review. Having said that, all thoughts are my own.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The darkness held wonders, if you weren’t too afraid to see them.”
The Serpent’s Bride was dark, ruthless, and honestly such a fun ride.
Think vampire mafia vibes with morally grey characters who thrive in the chaos—definitely not one for the faint of heart.
The plot itself was pretty straightforward, but it kept me hooked with its steady pacing and short chapters. I flew through it because it was just so hard to put down!
If I had one wish, it’d be for more world-building. I’m so curious about the Wild, the fae, the vampires, and how the humans fit into it all—there’s so much potential there.
The romance? Deliciously messy.
That enemies-to-lovers tension and those burning stare added an extra spark, especially as they started catching feelings they weren’t ready for.
The spicy scenes were hotter than what I usually read—not too wild, but definitely turned up a notch.
And that ending? Chaos incoming!
I need to know what happens next with these two because things are about to get even more intense, I can feel it!
Overall, this was such an addictive dark fantasy romance.
It was my first read from this author, but definitely not my last. That cliffhanger got me good, and I’m 100% continuing the series.
It was my first read from this author, but definitely not my last. That cliffhanger got me good, and I’m 100% continuing the series.
Highly recommended if you’re into stories with marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, vampire MMC x shifter fae assassin, mafia drama, and morally grey characters galore.
I received a review copy through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Death, Torture, Blood
Minor: Kidnapping