You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book felt like it flew by, and I can already tell this epilogue is going to stick with me for a while.
A Bargain So Bloody is a vampire & witch Romantasy full of tension, betrayal, and secrets.
The writing caught my interest early on as the world building is incredibly rich and the characters refreshingly in-depth. At times, it still followed some of the standard Romantasy patterns, but there was plenty of uniqueness to keep me invested. One of the aspects I really loved was the use of hyper-classic vampire traits. I feel like you never see some of these used anymore, and their inclusion was a very welcome surprise.
The characters were what made this story, though. Even through morally grey situations and trials, they stayed true to themselves, which is what gave way to the gut-wrenching end.
Due to Samara’s past, she is very innocent, and at times, her internal monologue felt a bit monotonous. But overall, I did appreciate her desire to always uncover the truth, while a lot of other Romantasy FMCs would have just buried themselves in their own ignorance. And in direct opposition to Samara’s innocence is Raphael, a true morally grey MMC. His dedication to Samara’s happiness and safety knows no bounds. Together, these two MCs are just a masterclass in tension.
So, if you are in the mood for a slow-burn romance, with an in-depth magic system, one horse, one tent, AND one bed, then I would highly recommend picking up A Bargain So Bloody. I am personally already patiently waiting for book two!
Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC and the opportunity to give my candid feedback.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit, Grief, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an amazing book. Samara was trapped in a prison at a very young age after something terrible happened to her mother. She is a Void. She has no magic no extra anything she just lives her days catching rats for the prison dinner and her nights finding good hiding places where she can sleep safely. One night a prisoner came in and she had to care for his wounds. These wounds were put there by the prison keepers. Little does she know this prisoner is a Vampire. She knew he was dangerously , she knew she didn’t want to be near him no matter how beautiful he may look. He offers makes her an offer she cant refuse. A Bargain So Bloody is full of longing and fear, a story where I kept me wondering who could really be trusted. Thank you to Vasilisa Drake for my ARC copy. This is my honest review. I can’t wait until the next one comes out. I will want to be first in line to read it!!
Enemies to lovers 💕
Found family
Romantasy
Enemies to lovers 💕
Found family
Romantasy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🫑
🎧 ALC received from @victoryeditingngc and @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
🎧 ALC received from @victoryeditingngc and @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
As this was the audio version, I want to touch on that experience first:
I had to bump the speed to 1.5x, which is a tad higher than my usual, but that’s the beauty of audiobooks—you can match the pacing to your brain speed. The narration by Cecily Foster (@cecilysexily) was excellent. The main character, Samara, is quiet, calm, but resilient with lots of internal monologue, and the narration really brought that out.
I had to bump the speed to 1.5x, which is a tad higher than my usual, but that’s the beauty of audiobooks—you can match the pacing to your brain speed. The narration by Cecily Foster (@cecilysexily) was excellent. The main character, Samara, is quiet, calm, but resilient with lots of internal monologue, and the narration really brought that out.
This book is a very slow burn—so slow that I’m not even sure I’d call it full romantasy yet. There are twists and tension that kept me intrigued, and although I saw the cliffhanger ending coming, it still landed well.
What really surprised me is the emotional tone. Despite being dark in theme, it also had this strange sense of healing and calm woven through it. Can a book be both? Apparently yes—this one is. It’s a unique feeling I wasn’t expecting.
I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and magic system in this world. In Part 1, we learn about:
- Witches
- Voids (those born without magic)
- Vampires
- Magic cards: Used by both magic and non-magic users, they carry types of power like healing, strength, transformative...
It was refreshing to see it explained in a way that felt organic—not a big info dump, just cleverly introduced as needed.
Part 2 shifts the vibe, we start to see that Raphael, the vampire, never really intended to let Samara go. His energy becomes more possessive—touch her and die vibes. The romantasy element is more noticeable here, though it’s very much a push-and-pull dynamic that leaves you questioning everyone’s motives.
I liked however how Samara stayed true to herself. She’s calm, steady, and strong—and both the writing and narration captured that beautifully.
This one’s not spicy—more of a bell pepper 🫑 level. There’s tension, yes, but not much in the way of actual on-page spice (yet, maybe).
This is Book 1 in a series, and the story is not complete. The ending delivers a dramatic epilogue that leaves plenty of unanswered questions for the next installment. If you like slow-burn, dark fantasy with deep lore and emotional undertones—this could be your vibe.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Vampires, witches and magic oh my! Loved every minute of it! Dark,broody, will burn the world for her MMC? Check! Small FMC who has to find herself? Check! The twists this story take are crazy and I can’t wait for the next one! 1/5🌶️ slow burn.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My Initial Thoughts
I was interested in this one just by the blurb and the cover! I was not disappointed. I was pulled into the world of Samara straight away, and had nothing but intrigue and wonder over how she became in the predicament she was in. I loved the way the MMC Raphael was introduced to and the pull of the story line just had me hooked and I didn’t want to take my headphone off!
Plot
I LOVED LOVED the plot line of this. The start to what I can imagine will be an epic romantasy series! This has got to be the first 6 star read of the year! I was in deep, the vampires, witches and then the voids. The setting was always mysterious and I loved how vampire culture was slowly dripped in! There wasn’t a part of this that I didn’t like! The plot ran effortlessly and never dulled, keeping me enticed throughout, losing track of time, thinking I could make a good Samara right. The ending had me gasping, shouting, and then oh my goodness! That cliffhanger – Mind blown. When is book 2 ? I need it like yesterday!
Characters
The characters of this book are so unique to their own!
I was interested in this one just by the blurb and the cover! I was not disappointed. I was pulled into the world of Samara straight away, and had nothing but intrigue and wonder over how she became in the predicament she was in. I loved the way the MMC Raphael was introduced to and the pull of the story line just had me hooked and I didn’t want to take my headphone off!
Plot
I LOVED LOVED the plot line of this. The start to what I can imagine will be an epic romantasy series! This has got to be the first 6 star read of the year! I was in deep, the vampires, witches and then the voids. The setting was always mysterious and I loved how vampire culture was slowly dripped in! There wasn’t a part of this that I didn’t like! The plot ran effortlessly and never dulled, keeping me enticed throughout, losing track of time, thinking I could make a good Samara right. The ending had me gasping, shouting, and then oh my goodness! That cliffhanger – Mind blown. When is book 2 ? I need it like yesterday!
Characters
The characters of this book are so unique to their own!
Samara is a void – magic less human – and she bargains with the vampire to gain freedom, she is strong at heart after all she survived Graymere, but she’s also right to be extra curious and unlearning something that is so deeply embedded to her soul, takes a lot of trust and help from the morally gray MMC Raphael – Think Witcher vibes, he is a touch her and be unalived, she’s mine kind of vampire and he definitely falls first.
Recommend
YES to everyone, its simply amazing!
Narrating
How was this whole book narrated by 1 person? Cecily does an impeccable job and really brings the soul to the story in the way she narrators.
Overall Wrap up
I absolutely fell in love with this book! There was not a thing I didn’t love about it. It’s also the first ever audiobook I’ve finished that I thought straight after I need a physical trophy of this one! Patience isn’t my strong key and now to wait for book 2. If you’re a lover of Romantasy when this is published you need to read it. It deserves so much hype.
Stars & Spice – 5 stars, 1 chilli but its more a bell pepper.
Recommend
YES to everyone, its simply amazing!
Narrating
How was this whole book narrated by 1 person? Cecily does an impeccable job and really brings the soul to the story in the way she narrators.
Overall Wrap up
I absolutely fell in love with this book! There was not a thing I didn’t love about it. It’s also the first ever audiobook I’ve finished that I thought straight after I need a physical trophy of this one! Patience isn’t my strong key and now to wait for book 2. If you’re a lover of Romantasy when this is published you need to read it. It deserves so much hype.
Stars & Spice – 5 stars, 1 chilli but its more a bell pepper.
Book Information – A Bargain So Bloody by Vasilisa Drake.
Narrators – Narrated by Cecily Foster.
Genre – Romantasy.
Length of audiobook – 11 hours and 56 minutes.
Tropes –
Morally gray MMC
Genre – Romantasy.
Length of audiobook – 11 hours and 56 minutes.
Tropes –
Morally gray MMC
Touch her and be unalived.
He falls first.
Slow burn.
Vampires, witches and voids.
Available on Kindle Unlimited – This will not be available on kindle unlimited.
Available Formats – Available on kindle, audiobook and hardcover – coming to paperback next year.
Publishing Information – Due to be published on 30th June by Late Night Daydreams LLC.
Format in Which I Read – Audiobook.
Where my copy come From – Netgallery.
POVs – Told from Samara’s POV.
Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – Told on a single timeline.
1st or 3rd Person – Told in 1st person.
HEA, HFN or Cliff hanger – Ends on a cliffhanger.
Series or Standalone – The start of the romantasy series Kingdom Of Dark Magic.
Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.
Available on Kindle Unlimited – This will not be available on kindle unlimited.
Available Formats – Available on kindle, audiobook and hardcover – coming to paperback next year.
Publishing Information – Due to be published on 30th June by Late Night Daydreams LLC.
Format in Which I Read – Audiobook.
Where my copy come From – Netgallery.
POVs – Told from Samara’s POV.
Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – Told on a single timeline.
1st or 3rd Person – Told in 1st person.
HEA, HFN or Cliff hanger – Ends on a cliffhanger.
Series or Standalone – The start of the romantasy series Kingdom Of Dark Magic.
Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing was good, easy to read. I enjoyed the characters and the possibility of character development. It had a good vibe. It had a hooking ending, I’m looking forward to future books. It did take me longer than average to read, kinda put me in a slump but that could be a me thing. I do kind of wish the characters had better communication and were a bit more likeable. Although as a first book in a series goes, it achieved its job of getting me hooked into the series and I am thankful I got to ARC read this book.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was excited to read this one—the description sounded right up my alley, and I wasn’t disappointed.
From the very start, the writing pulled me in. The pacing was spot on: not too fast, not too slow. Just that really satisfying middle ground where things unfold steadily, giving you time to connect with the characters and the world without feeling like you’re being force-fed plot points. The details are revealed with care, and I appreciated that not everything was tied up neatly—there are enough lingering threads to have me genuinely looking forward to the sequel.
The characters are the real standout for me. They’re vivid, well-rounded, and stay true to themselves in a way that felt refreshingly consistent. Even when they made choices I didn’t always agree with, I could understand why they were doing it—it all tracked emotionally and logically. They weren’t perfect or polished, but that made them feel real. It’s rare for me to say this, but I didn’t feel like anyone was just filling a trope or role—they each had a purpose, a personality, and depth.
There’s a decision that Sam makes near the end (and the fallout that follows) that honestly hit like a gutpunch. And for me, that’s one of the clearest signs of a good book—when something fictional can land like that emotionally. It didn’t feel manipulative or unearned, just… painful and right for the story. I still keep thinking about it.
One thing that really stood out thematically was the tension between choice and consequence. The story doesn’t shy away from the emotional weight of decisions—whether it’s about loyalty, survival, or personal growth—and that gave it a depth I wasn’t fully expecting. It’s not a light read emotionally, but it’s not crushing either—it strikes a nice balance.
The settings, too, were described with just the right amount of detail. I could picture the scenes easily without feeling bogged down in description. Everything felt grounded, whether it was gritty or atmospheric, and I always knew where I was in the story without needing to go back and re-read.
I’m honestly excited for the sequel. This book didn’t just set things up—it told a complete story while making it clear there’s more to come, and I’m fully invested.
This is an honest review given in exchange for an advance copy of the book.
From the very start, the writing pulled me in. The pacing was spot on: not too fast, not too slow. Just that really satisfying middle ground where things unfold steadily, giving you time to connect with the characters and the world without feeling like you’re being force-fed plot points. The details are revealed with care, and I appreciated that not everything was tied up neatly—there are enough lingering threads to have me genuinely looking forward to the sequel.
The characters are the real standout for me. They’re vivid, well-rounded, and stay true to themselves in a way that felt refreshingly consistent. Even when they made choices I didn’t always agree with, I could understand why they were doing it—it all tracked emotionally and logically. They weren’t perfect or polished, but that made them feel real. It’s rare for me to say this, but I didn’t feel like anyone was just filling a trope or role—they each had a purpose, a personality, and depth.
There’s a decision that Sam makes near the end (and the fallout that follows) that honestly hit like a gutpunch. And for me, that’s one of the clearest signs of a good book—when something fictional can land like that emotionally. It didn’t feel manipulative or unearned, just… painful and right for the story. I still keep thinking about it.
One thing that really stood out thematically was the tension between choice and consequence. The story doesn’t shy away from the emotional weight of decisions—whether it’s about loyalty, survival, or personal growth—and that gave it a depth I wasn’t fully expecting. It’s not a light read emotionally, but it’s not crushing either—it strikes a nice balance.
The settings, too, were described with just the right amount of detail. I could picture the scenes easily without feeling bogged down in description. Everything felt grounded, whether it was gritty or atmospheric, and I always knew where I was in the story without needing to go back and re-read.
I’m honestly excited for the sequel. This book didn’t just set things up—it told a complete story while making it clear there’s more to come, and I’m fully invested.
This is an honest review given in exchange for an advance copy of the book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received an ARC of this book and this review is voluntary and expresses my own opinions.
Holy fork balls. This book. It gripped me from page one and kept me hooked all the way through.
Our FMC struggles to figure out who she is while also dealing with so much contradiction to her new lived experiences versus what she was taught as a child.
Our MMC is complicated. He definitely falls first, gives major touch her and die vibes (and literally does ☠️ people who harm her), and is in burn-the-world-down kind of love with our FMC.
The side characters are good and I liked watching Samara and Thea’s friendship develop.
Holy fork balls. This book. It gripped me from page one and kept me hooked all the way through.
Our FMC struggles to figure out who she is while also dealing with so much contradiction to her new lived experiences versus what she was taught as a child.
Our MMC is complicated. He definitely falls first, gives major touch her and die vibes (and literally does ☠️ people who harm her), and is in burn-the-world-down kind of love with our FMC.
The side characters are good and I liked watching Samara and Thea’s friendship develop.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am so glad I listened to this in audiobook form, the narrator is top notch. I listened all through work, through lunches, and my commute home for 2 two days, I was LOCKED IN. I'm so glad I picked this book, I really enjoyed it!
I love a good vampire romance, and the other trope this book has that I can't say because of spoilers. The characters are both interesting and believable, they don't trade the idiot ball back and forth or act needlessly petulant. Both of them can be stubborn at times, and while Rafael is worse about it, it's consistent with his character. Their burn is slow and believable as well, although they are attracted to each other very early, there's no insta-lust or insta-love which I feel was appropriate for the vibes of this darker fantasy romance.
The magic system? I absolutely adore it! It's so interesting to have magic available to everyone at all times, just for the right price. People who can afford it can buy enchanted cards and use them, meaning that people can be carrying around a whole deck of cards that give them access to minor magic.
I don't know how much more I can say without getting into spoilers but I adored this book and I need the next one YESTERDAY. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for facilitating me with a review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligation. I reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.
I love a good vampire romance, and the other trope this book has that I can't say because of spoilers. The characters are both interesting and believable, they don't trade the idiot ball back and forth or act needlessly petulant. Both of them can be stubborn at times, and while Rafael is worse about it, it's consistent with his character. Their burn is slow and believable as well, although they are attracted to each other very early, there's no insta-lust or insta-love which I feel was appropriate for the vibes of this darker fantasy romance.
The magic system? I absolutely adore it! It's so interesting to have magic available to everyone at all times, just for the right price. People who can afford it can buy enchanted cards and use them, meaning that people can be carrying around a whole deck of cards that give them access to minor magic.
I don't know how much more I can say without getting into spoilers but I adored this book and I need the next one YESTERDAY. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for facilitating me with a review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligation. I reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.