“Humans, Vampires… the rest of the Orders. It’s as if everyone has forgotten that there’s life outside of fighting. That Demesia… Mazyr… could be something wholly different without it.” He took a long drag, and then said, “Something better.”
“I knew you were lying when you said you don’t dream.”
******

This book is a masterfully woven urban fantasy that throws strong, sarcastic characters into a marriage of convenience…and then turns their unlikely partnership entirely on its head. I absolutely loved becoming acquainted with this world, and while the romance will leave you begging for more, the twists and turns will leave you breathless.

From the world’s history and lore, to the independently powerful main characters, absolutely iconic side characters, and scorchingly slow burn romance, this book is a CANNOT MISS for urban fantasy lovers and anyone else looking to dip their toes in the genre. An instant favorite!!

“𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚”

Enemies to lovers? ✔️ Forced Proximity? ✔️ Marriage of Convenience? ✔️ Magic? ✔️
Spice? ✔️
Vampires, Witches, Fae, and Humans? ✔️

This book gave everything it said it would. The plot was tight, fast-paced, and action-packed from one chapter to the next. I just finished the book and I can’t think of anything not to make it a 5-star. It’s definitely on my list of favorite reads of 2025! Also, please, I need Book 2 as soon as possible 😭✨

Thank you, Netgalley!

This is my first book by Victoria and I have to say it was very well written and thought out. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between the characters and storytelling. I'm really looking forward to discovering more books by Victoria.

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥
𝐛𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐖

- - -
Read this book if you like:
□ marriage of convenience
□ enemies to lovers
□ vampires, witches, humans, fae, etc.
□ Both main characters are morally gray

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

I was really struggling with this book. I really wanted to like this one. The title and the blurb sounded very promising, but after 44 % in the book, I decided to DNF.

I was waiting for something exciting to happen, something shocking, but it never came. There is just a lot of banter, sexual tension between the main characters, and some violence. I thought the FMC was a tad annoying. I love books about vampires, but I expected more. So sadly, this book isn't for me.

I received this book from NetGalley and Victory Publishing.
This book pulled me out of my reading slump, and I can’t wait to see what Rae and Aiden’s story will bring in book 2. Demesis is a city divided between the fae and vampires with humans stuck in the middle. I love the dynamic between Aiden and Rae, but I really love the friendship that developed between Rae, Baelin and his daemon, Quinn. Rae is such a fun, badass fmc, who was constantly making me laugh with her witty comebacks. This book has everything you could ask for from a fantasy romance: magic, vampires, fae, shifters, witches, cute cuddly pets, and an enemies to lovers storyline.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC copy! This book pulled me out of my reading slump, It was so good and I enjoyed every second of it. It has vampires, humans, fae, witches, shifters - LITERALLY EVERYTHING. The MMC is everything VERY morally grey. I love that Rae the FMC is a badass and can hold her own. It is a dual POV and I absolutely loved getting both sides throughout the book. The world building was also amazing all while keeping the action going. From start to finish this book had me absolutely hooked. I can’t wait for the next one.

Rae and Aiden are going to take you on a wild ride of Demesia. Both fighting for a new kind of world, they have differences of opinion and tactics but no-one, not even them, can deny the attraction that glows between the smithing maverick and the broody vampire Lord!

Aidan Vale is one moody, broody, domineering but weirdly vulnerable vampire lord. Hiding a few surprises under that suit!

Rae Farren is cunning, chameleon-like, swears like a sailor, bada$$ with a strong sense of justice - also not averse to hiding more than a few secrets!

The banter between these two and Baelin, Aiden's ascendant and Reed, a Fae/shapeshifter is epically good. There are a plethora of sweet (and weird) pets to meet. However be wary who you click with in the secondary characters 'cos they don't all make it out alive and I did rage when one of my fave's kicked the bucket!

One of my favourite quotes between Aiden and Rae:
"What are you?"
"The biggest fucking headache you've ever had the pleasure of experiencing."

The world is complex but now overwhelmingly so and there are a smattering of real world things to keep you grounded - cell phones, cars, etc. Think Earth in another dimension/universe where magic just happens to be a thing! Did I guess the "princess" yes, well it was always a choice of two for me but it didn't ruin the big reveal. I enjoyed watching the threads knit together for the other characters.

There is spice but it's well spaced and doesn't overwhelm the fantasy/rebellion plot and the tension is so tasty sometimes!

The "my wife"/found family vibes are strong with this story and I'm here for more. Rae is causing a lot more mayhem in the coming books I feel!

This book had me doubting my guesses of the events in the book and kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed this urban fantasy with a little bit of everything. The spice and tension in this book was great! All the twist and turns in this book was keeping me from wanting to put down this book down even though I had adult duties to take care of.
I am excited for the official release of this book to buy the physical copy for my bookshelf and I am hoping there is a second book in the works.

Never Run from an Immortal was an okay read—great if you’re looking for a vibes-heavy dark paranormal fantasy with vampires, some spice, and light worldbuilding that doesn’t demand too much.

The FMC was a bit of a mixed bag. I liked her strength, independence, and determination, but her willful stubbornness got under my skin. The MMC, on the other hand, was more enjoyable—broody and quiet, but again, not particularly memorable. Neither character left a lasting impression.

The plot had a few fun and interesting moments, but overall, it felt very predictable. I saw the FMC’s history, the fated mates reveal, the bestie’s fate, and the FMC’s final choice all coming a mile away. The only element that felt like a slight twist was the magic component, but it wasn’t enough to elevate the whole story for me.

Still, I can see how readers who enjoy low-stakes tension and familiar tropes might find this entertaining. Just didn’t fully land for me.

Tropes:
• Vampires / Witches / Fae / Shifters
• Enemies to Lovers
• Fated Mates
• Hidden Identities
• Dual POV
• Spice 2/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Ahhhhh this was so good!!! TRUE enemies-to-lovers. The story was so creative, along with the world building. The magic system was well done, and the tension/banter and spice… 🥵 I can’t wait for everyone to read this book, and I am DYING for book 2!

I like the main characters Aidan and Rae. The banter was enjoyable and the storyline between the two was interesting.
There were some inconsistency at the beginning when it came to some scenes. It was very sudden that you were in a different part and I had to reread what happened in one chapter to see if I missed something.
The world building is different. I appreciate the collab of humans, vampires and Fae living in a more “modern” world in a sense. It threw me off at first because all of a sudden Aidan was driving a car. I think maybe a better description on the world and how it had come to be that way at the beginning may have been more helpful. But I still liked the different beings in one world together! It made it interesting!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC! I enjoyed this book!

I really liked this one! Rae is doing her best to survive and protect those that she loves. But everything has to be more complicated than it seems. When she starts working with the Vampire Lord himself, her trust is stretched to its extent, and harsh realities surface.

Rae has been alone for so long, she tries to push Aiden away as much as possible, but he keeps finding a way back in. His defenses have also wavered when it comes to her, and while they fight for their lives, long buried secrets surface, changing absolutely everything.

A fun, fast-paced fantasy romance that can be predictable at times, but no less enjoyable. The characters shine in this book, particularly the FMC; she's strong, knows who she is and is completely insane in the best way, 4.5 stars!

First, thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review💖

I have never been a fan of vampires in books. I’m not sure if it was because the whole twilight series didn’t appeal to me or if I hated that they were always romanticized with a human blood bag of a person.

However!!! this book was not like that for me. I surprisingly really liked the vampire elements and how the author wrote our MMC, Adrian.

Rae, our witchy FMC, is badass and a big part of why i enjoyed this book. She is strong and traumatized and a lot of things i like to see in MCs.

The romance was good. I feel like they’re a true example of enemies to lovers. I feel like a lot of people jump to calling books enemies to lovers but this felt like actual hatred at times.

Other tropes included: forced proximity, marriage of convenience, and morally grey characters.

The plot was always moving and intriguing. The ending had me itching to start book 2 that’s not even out yet. I was surprised a few times and I enjoyed that her writing didn’t make it too obvious.

Things I didn't like:

The FMC is always half-naked and its described each time. Even while metalsmithing (her job). I just can't realistically see this happening around such hot metal. It also just feels kinda icky to me the way she is sexualized but alas this is a smutty book so that's to be expected.

*To note, my preference in books is always closed door but I will read and typically skip or skim smut scenes.

The smut was, in my opinion, unskippable as it shows their growing vulnerability and trust within each other. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as it means that it at least served a purpose rather than writing smut just to write smut. However, it did require me to read it which as I've said, I don't enjoy as a personal preference.

All in all, I did really like this book and would be likely to recommend it to others. It surprised me that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

Rating: 4.5⭐️ (4 on goodreads due to limitations)

Never Run from an Immortal was a wild, fast-paced ride that kept me hooked but also left me a little breathless. The story moves quickly, and between the large cast of characters, shifting alliances, and all the magical creatures in conflict, it sometimes felt a bit scattered. The third person narration made it a little harder for me to connect emotionally, which is why I didn’t give it a full five stars.

That said, I really enjoyed the vibe of this world. It felt dark, dangerous, and full of tension. You’ve got vampires, witches, and all kinds of magical beings caught up in this ongoing power struggle, and it creates a moody, high-stakes atmosphere that’s super compelling.

But the real star? Rae, the female main character. I was completely obsessed with her sass, strength, and chaotic energy. Her interactions — whether flirty, snarky, or straight-up intense — were easily my favorite part of the book.

If you love morally gray characters, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a fantasy world with serious edge, this one’s definitely worth a read.

Thanks NetGalley and Victory Editing for the arc!

Love Romantasy? Read this one!

Set in a world featuring vampires, witches, and fae, humans struggle to be seen as anything but bloodbags, pets or slaves. Demesia is no safe place for those without power, yet humans long for a seat among the rulers of the city. Led by the Lord Aidan Vale, the government is more or less in shambles, weakened by the selfish and uncaring nature of the vampires that form this regime, their ongoing war with the fae and the absence of the witches since they tried joining forces with the fae by marrying off their princess to the fae prince - a plan that did not succeed following the disappearance of said witch princess.
Rae, main character, silver blacksmith and leader of a rebellious human party, will do everything to make Demesia a safer place for humans - even if it means entering into a marriage of convenience with her worst enemy, Aidan Vale. Their union promises to benefit both parties, yet trust a hard thing to win when in close quarters with the enemy. But soon, an even greater challenge awaits them both: in an attempt to crush the vampires with their own magic, some unknown party started kidnapping humans, fae, witches and vampires alike to run tests on them in a gruesome testing facility. When someone very dear to Rae goes missing, she joins Aidan, threatened in his position as Lord by the results of these tests, in trying to crush this inhumane forces behind this organization.

This book has great worldbuilding. Vampires are subdivided in 5 orders with unique magic systems, whilst fae present in different forms like Horns, Wings and Hooves. The class of vampires is clearly overpowered to no end, but I am really interested to see where this series takes us with the new threat to their power in further books. Demesia as a scene felt very alive and the city had its own unique character.

Rae, our main character, has an interesting backstory that is sprinkled into her perspectives. She is more of a Mary Sue character, pretty overpowered whilst dealing with trauma to balance it out. Rae is 27 and mostly acts her age, which I really appreciate. We love characters that are a little bit older than what I feel like is the standard for New Adult Fantasy!
Aidan also is super overpowered. Whilst his powers were interesting, I never felt any sense of worry or similar emotion towards him. His powers were just so great, anything at all happening to him seemed unrealistic. I felt that his character was not developed a lot further than tortured lone wolf with trust issues. What bothered me most was that it felt like he really had the power to change things, but he was too caught up in his "I hate everything and everyone" bs to act upon it? Idk; I am, however, looking forward to learning more about his backstory in upcoming books.
The main characters were lovely, as far as we got to see them. They all seemed very interesting and/or sweet and I would love to get to know them more!

The worldbuilding was simultaneously the best and worst thing about this book. As I said, I loved the setting, the magic system and the different classes of supernaturals here - but for me, the story was way too simple and focused on the tension between Rae and Aidan to really utilize this stunning setting. The first 100 pages felt super overwhelming getting to know the places, classes and, most of all, orders of the vampires, right until the point Aidan and Vale get to know each other better where the setting doesn't seem to matter so much anymore. I know, this will be a series and things will be developed further, but this is a high fantasy urban setting worthy of a min. 500 pages book which was used as the backdrop of a very unoriginal enemies to lovers setup. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate both, but at this length of book I think the author should have edited things a bit to be more streamlined.

The plot is pretty much what the summary promises. Rebellious groups, vampires and a romance. I saw the plot twist at the first mention of the possibility which did not just take the surprise away but also felt disappointing as I think this specific plot device really has been overused. The story seemed to have super high stakes, but when reading I felt like there were no stakes at all since the protagonists were so incredibly overpowered.
Still, I absolutely loved the idea of the testing faculties and all that they imply!

Summary: read if you like Romantasy with a cool backdrop

This was an amazing book, and probably contains one of my all time favorite FMCs to date. I myself am sarcastic as heck, so I love characters that are sassy and pretty BA overall. It was so well written that I absolutely lost track of time while reading it, and it has all the best tropes. The dual POV was perfectly done, I'm a sucker for being able to be in both characters heads. And Aidan, yes please.

I've read Never Run from an Immortal by Victoria J Price. I got this as an arc in exchange of an honest review, thanks to Netgalley, Victoria J Price and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op.

It's a story set in a corrupt world of magic and deceit where Rae Farren wants to eliminate all her enemies. She meets Aidan, the Vampire Lord, and together they go on a mission and try to rescue Rae's best friend Nim. Even then they find difficulties in this mission with the other Orders.

It's a very entertaining book and an emotional roller-coaster from start until the end. For me it's definitely a strong 4-star read! I can't wait to get my hands on the 2nd book.

I would say it is well written. I can’t wait to see more work from this author! This story is definitely worth being looked for on the shelves!

By the end of this, it was so hard for me to figure out who was running from whom. Set in the urban fantasy city of Demesia, Aidan and Rae reluctantly enter into a marriage of convenience when a series of events pushes them into working together. The story has political and social intrigue, secret factions, and enough magic to fuel the mystery of what is happening to propel the reader through to the end of the novel and still want more.

Although it took me a while, I ended up really enjoying this book. I hope there's a book 2 and that it comes out soon! The world building is vast but not too complicated which makes the story easy to follow. The story is dual pov but not in the first person, which I really appreciate because it allowed for a smoother flow of events and plot. I really liked how the story came together and the overall development of the relationship between Aidan and Rae. While their initial meeting was not necessarily from the best event, each of their interactions was sassy and playful despite their misgivings. As the story continues, what they want/don’t want on a personal level gets a bit muddled as they continue to work together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Victoria J. Price for gifting me the opportunity to read this ARC! All opinions are my own.