A review by lambsbooks
House of Bane and Blood by Alexis L. Menard

4.25

“Anyone who puts a gun to my girl’s head will lose their hand... and then…they will lose their head.”

4.25 stars

I once vowed after the death of my father that if I ever met an Attano, I’d kill them. Instead, I married one.

Rivals to lovers.
Marriage of convenience.
Warring families.
Forbidden love.
Gangsters.

This trope list packed a punch 😂 Such a great combination though!

I could have sworn his grip locked a little tighter.
“Spoiled little heiress.”
I scoffed. “More like broke little heiress.”
His grip tightened, stealing a gasp from my chest. “
Not anymore, princess. I’m your daddy now.

To pay off a debt and save their family from bankruptcy, Camilla is married off to a competing, feuding family, but there’s murder and mayhem happening in the city, and obviously, our characters are right in the middle of it.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Daddy. Can I go now?” The moment his right dimple deepened with a smirk, I knew I’d made a mistake...
“I’d be very careful about calling me that again.”


This was a super fun steampunk-y fantasy, set in a post industrial era with banter, a unique world, and some great characters. It gets violent and dark, someone gets eaten alive by a fucking horse demon thing, and there’s trauma abound.

“I have lost my parents, my sister, my very flesh and bone, but I haven’t lost my fight. The day I have, you will need to carve the letters for my tomb. Because I will either die for what I love, or I will live forever.”

Milla and Nico were banter-y rivals come to life in this book. She threatens to kill him and he wants to…well

“You have a face that looks constantly pissed off, making you fundamentally unapproachable, and it's highly arousing to me.”

Can you make a review that’s just quotes? Because I have so many and they technically tell you all you need to know 😂 I loved Milla’s witty comebacks! She was a pretty great character, strong on her own but accepting, mostly, of help as well.

He took a step closer. A small one, yet there was a purpose in his stride. A careful approach—almost predatory. “Who did this to you, Milla?

It also had one of my fav tropes 🤭🫠 It also had the “my wife” and I am a HUGE fan of that 🔥

This book was about power, greed, control, and a blend of magic and science.

She shoved me deeper into Oblivion with each day that passed, but if I was already pegged for damnation, I might as well do it right.

The villain was a little predictable, as well the, um history reveal? But there were some surprises and lots of sadness at the end.

Thank you to R&R Book Tours and the author for this ARC! I’m only a fewww months late 😂

"I would run through fire and burn for you. I would lose arm and leg and limb. I’d do it all over, knowing what would happen to me, if it meant eventually having you as I do now."