Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Ruthless Vows

and I really like their relationship and chemistry. I wasn't planning on reading this book because I was annoyed and stressed about the cliffhanger at the end of the first one, but this was very well done and a good conclusion.

Some excellent quotes:

"Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me, and fill my empty spaces."

"He let his hands relax at his sides, realizing that he was safe here, that he needed to open those old scars so they could heal."

"It was not always a happy story, although it was an honest one."

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bellebookcorner's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

“I would love to see you burn with splendor. I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.”

Ruthless Vows started right after the ending of the 1st book, this story focuses more on the war part and the gods which we didn’t get many from the previous book.

For those who love to see more of the fantasy element and explore more about the world building, then you’ll like this sequel.

However, I have to admit the war plot and the gods overshadowed the romance of our two main characters - Roman and Iris.

I fell in love with Divine Rivals because of the beautiful romance of Roman and Iris, so not seeing them together as much in this book felt like there’s something missing which is part of the reason this book left me feeling slightly unsatisfied...

The last few chapters were quite heart-breaking with what’s left after the war but the epilogue gives hope that the ones that survive will build back something new while slowly healing from the aftermath.

Overall, as a duology I love reading these books.

The writing style is one of my favorite part from this series - it’s beautiful, lyrical and mesmerizing.

Roman and Iris love story will always held a special place in my heart - I admire their powerful love and trust to one another that conquer distance, war and even the gods couldn’t come between them!

I’m looking forward to read more books from this author in the future!

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luna_lovelace's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The world-building was done well, immersing me in the story and making me curious to know more about Dacre's perspective.

I was initially intrigued by the possibility of Dacre

having a good side, but as the story progressed, I realized that his actions were merely the result of a god's human-like emotions getting the better of him.

While I still love Roman and Iris, I must say that the romantic aspect of this book doesn't measure up to the first book in the series.

However, the author did an excellent job of fleshing out the other characters, like Tobias and Attie. The book was filled with so many likable characters that I couldn't pick just one favorite!

The only criticism I have is

that I don't understand the reason behind Sarah and Forest's death, other than to give Iris more loss in her life.

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anndreya's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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lakinglaze's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

This was lovely. The story came all together in a massive crescendo and I enjoyed every moment of it. I’m going to miss Roman and Iris, but I’ll just keep mentally picturing them from the ending of this book and imagine all the wonderful events of the characters’ lives I’m sure followed this story. 💗

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maidmarianlib's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Solid conclusion to the series, strong characters and interesting setting

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readwithria's review against another edition

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emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

After really enjoying Divine Rivals, I found Ruthless Vows to be slightly disappointing. I couldn’t tell you exactly why that is, but I have some thoughts.

This book didn’t seem to have a lot of character growth. The characters were all solid in their relationships and selves already, so they didn’t have personal flaws that they overcame in this book. The pacing was also very slow, except for the amnesia plot line which seemed to move much faster than the rest of the book. I also didn’t feel as connected to the secondary characters in this book, and they felt a bit thrown in to me.

That isn’t to say I didn’t like anything about the book - I did. I just had such high hopes, and they weren’t met.

If you really want to know how the duology ends I’d recommend reading this book, but if you weren’t invested at the end of Divine Rivals I think you can sit this one out. 3 stars.

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? No

3.5

These books definitely read as more historical fiction with a touch of magic rather than a historical fantasy, in my opinion. Which is fine! But since we get more of the gods in this book, I wished that some of those magical elements had been pushed a bit further. Give me more of that historical fantasy feel. Adding a bit more world building would have helped in that aspect, I think.

We also don't get as much Iris and Roman interactions in this one (because they are basically deliberately being kept apart), but I think that was important to help the overall story move forward. Their relationship, however, was probably the best part of the first book and I wished we got more of that in this book.

However, most of the characters are still very well written and they are what makes this book worth reading, in my opinion. Is it a good duology? Yes. But probably not the best that I've ever read.

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