★2.5 stars★
This book would be better without the excruciating amount of filler. There was just so much of it. If you're not willing to sit through long stretches of unnecessary content, this book may not be for you. It definitely didn’t need to be around a thousand pages.
That said, it had a really interesting world and characters. Unfortunately, it often read like poorly written fan fiction. The characters and story did have depth, and I enjoyed peeling back each layer to learn more about the world and the people in it, but it took far too long to get there.
It was packed with Easter eggs referencing other books, which I thought was cool. You can clearly see the inspiration from series like Harry Potter and A Court of Thorns and Roses. The setting and universe were fascinating, and I wish we had gotten to explore more of them, especially considering the book’s size. I expected more insight into the other worlds and the magic system.
Speaking of the magic system, I loved the idea of it being based on runes. However, we were barely given any real information about what the runes looked like or how they were actually used.
Despite its flaws, the book has a compelling plot that, without all the filler, could feel like a solid thriller. I also liked the villain’s unique personality and tactics. The use of gore felt purposeful, helping to highlight the villain’s psychotic nature and add tension, rather than being thrown in for shock value.
The characters come from different species: angels, werewolves, vampires, fae, etc, and it was interesting to learn about their differences. Romance was a major focus of the story, but it felt rushed. I did like the initial complications between the romantic leads and wish we had seen more of that. Unfortunately, the love interest felt very flat and could have used more personality. His brothers and the side characters, on the other hand, felt much more fleshed out.
The book definitely had a strong setting and atmosphere. I’m not sure if I could recommend it, but if the premise sounds like something you’d enjoy, go ahead and give it a try. My personal opinion is that the inconsistent pacing and excessive filler hurt the overall experience, but I’d still like to read more about the world and especially the side characters.

────୨Prosৎ────

₊˚ෆ Interesting Worldbuilding: The universe is rich and layered, with different species (angels, werewolves, vampires, fae, etc.) and a setting that feels alive.

₊˚ෆ Compelling Characters: Many side characters and even the villain have unique personalities and are well-developed.

₊˚ෆ Creative Magic System: The rune-based magic system is an intriguing concept.

₊˚ෆ Thriller-Like Plot (When Pacing Works): The core plot has potential and can feel like a thriller when not bogged down by filler.

₊˚ෆ Easter Eggs & References: Fun nods to other books and series like Harry Potter and ACOTAR.

₊˚ෆ Purposeful Use of Gore: Gore is used effectively to build tension and show the villain's psychotic nature.

────୨Consৎ────

₊˚ෆ Excessive Filler: The book is bloated with unnecessary content, making it feel much longer than needed.

₊˚ෆ Pacing Issues: Progression is slow, and it takes too long to get to key plot points or revelations.

₊˚ෆ Underexplored Magic System: While based on runes, there’s little explanation or detail on how the magic actually works.

₊˚ෆ Flat Romance: The romance feels rushed and the love interest lacks depth, even though the beginning had promise.

₊˚ෆ Fanfiction-Like Writing Style: At times, the writing comes across as unpolished or amateurish.

₊˚ෆ Missed Opportunities: Despite its length, the book doesn’t explore other worlds or the magic system as much as expected.

♡Thank you so much to Rose & Star Publishing's team and Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune for letting me have a review copy. Although my review is more negatively oriented, I loved your book, and I can't wait to see what you write next. I believe it will only get better from here.♡

Did I love this? Yes! Do I feel like it could have been a little shorter? Yesss! Loved the world building and different realms, also loveddd the headmaster😏😏 don’t know how it can just end like that though, I need the next one ASAP😭😭

Considering this is a chunky read I absolutely flew through it and couldn’t put it down! This has everything you could want in a dark academia romantasy. I felt like I got to know each of the characters so well & they had so much depth. I loved the mental health representation, Summer’s inner monologue left me feeling so immersed in the story and added a layer of complexity which isn’t usually found in your typical romantasy book.

The found family is also incredible and I loved seeing summer & Alice’s friendship blossom.

There’s fae, angels, shifters, vampires etc! All of the magical creatures plus a mysterious (extremely delicious) stranger who honestly had me kicking my feet and giggling throughout the entire book.

This first book is such a great start to the series and after that ending I need book 2 as soon as possible as this world and these characters are living rent free in my head every day.

I love romantasy but this just felt like it was constant smut throughout, I wanted more plot and character development.

Obviously books must be harder to write when there is two authors but they needed an editor because the amount of errors really interrupted the world building including the plot holes.

I previously read their book "The maiden and the unseen" which I also felt had too much erotica and not enough plot, obviously if thats what they are going for then I feel like their books shouldn't be labelled "romantasy".

I’m going to be completely honest, there is nothing about this book that I liked. It started off with editing errors and sadly only went downhill from there.

The plot: Minimal, there was not enough worldbuilding. Places different races are mentioned, but we get minimal information on them. A few interesting characters are introduced, but quickly forgotten. The whole ”stalker” plot line was watery at best. We barely got any background on any of the main characters, and what we did get was superficial at best.

This book needed some serious editing work. Not only was it entirely too long, there were many spelling errors, entire sections that just made no sense? The sheer amount of completely unnecessary, generic and repetitive smut scenes that all lasted 3 minutes was insane! It brought absolutely nothing to the plot.

The characters: I disliked them both so much. Summer was written as such an unlikable, selfish, narcissistic girl. Her victim mentality drove me insane. The constant need to be desired, the emotional cheating while claiming to love someone. It was truly, truly bad. Connor was written to be a golden retriever green flag. And he was, to the point of completely lacking a spine. He was in his feminine energy era for the whole book. She never trusted him with anything, constantly lied and manipulated him. Their relationship was one of the worst I’ve ever read. It was obvious from the very start of the book that these were not endgame, and it was painful to be forced to read about them.

I predicted the ending of this book 10% in and I had 0 emotional reaction to it. I was expecting it and was mostly just glad that it was over.

Blood & Betrayals by Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune is such a fun mix of magic, mystery, and drama set in a university full of fae, vampires, angels, and more. Summer is a really relatable main character, and her friendships with Alice and Connor are the heart of the story. Connor is the perfect supportive love interest, and their slow-building romance is super sweet.

There’s a lot going on—murder mystery, secret messages, and a mysterious stranger—that keeps things interesting. Some moments felt a bit extra or the characters acted younger than expected, but overall the world and friendships really drew me in.

If you’re into paranormal fantasy with good banter, complex characters, and a dash of romance, this one’s definitely worth checking out. Plus, that ending will have you wanting more!

A very adult fantasy interpretation. Imagine time travel, Avalon and King Arthur with dragons and wild sorority Academic goings on, and you will have the picture. This is a fun read. You definitely get your moneys worth.
For younger me - yeah!, for older me - maybe a little less bedroom antics. Would have suited me better. The story underneath is strong enough but gets a little hidden.
Thank you to Rose and Star Publication, LLC and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book absolutely wrecked me — in the best way. It’s a spicy, chaotic blend of dark academia, paranormal fantasy, and murder mystery with fae, shifters, vampires, angels, and more.

The characters are the moment. I adored the found family, the chaotic besties (Summer & Alice forever), and all the broody, golden, morally grey love interests. Connor, Emrys, The Stranger… I didn’t stand a chance.

Yes, it’s long. Yes, it’s a little over the top. But I devoured every page. A messy, magical, emotional ride I’ll be thinking about for a while. Bring on book 2! 🔥🖤✨

So I was super excited to receive this ARC as I read reviews that compared it to The Zodiac Academy Series which I really enjoyed; however, this was not quite there for me. It had all the elements of a good story but it was way overwritten. Cut this book in half and I probably would have liked it better. The ending was decent and because there are a lot of elements left unanswered, I will probably check the sequel out to get those answers but there were some issues that I struggled to overlook or didn't make sense to me. For example, I must have missed how they are nearly 30 years old but in college yet they have the maturity and mentality of high schoolers. The "woe is me" act that Summer portrayed got tired. Her mood swings should be studied by a psychiatrist as she seemed to be looking to fight with people to make herself feel bad. Some of the things the FMC said and did were just cringy like calling Connor "Big Guy' and kissing all over Ali's face (like who does that with their girlfriends?! weird.) Some of the characters just seemed unnecessary. Hopefully they are more important in later books. I still don't really understand the world/realm(s) and the magic systems. For such a long book, it didn't really give me a lot of information. I could see this being a really good read if it were reworked and edited more.

Now did this slap me out of my reading slump? Yes!
Did it potentially caused another? Also yes!
This is a very fast paced academia paranormal fantasy with shifters, fae, angels, sorcerers and so on. It does focus on the college aspect but also involves a bit of thriller with a murder mystery sprinkled in.
The FMC is badass, has a black cat energy but is not to stubborn and has great character growth, exactly what I like to see.
The MMC is a golden retriever (maybe a tad bit to much) and the friendships and fount family is really heart warming. Loved the banter!
I also need more of the stranger and the headmaster please, thank you!
In the beginning I thought that a 1000 was to long but I literally finished it in two days and needing more!
My heart can’t handle the ending tho!
I need the second book like now!

Thank you to Rose and Star Publishing for the ARC!

3.75 stars:

Okay so this is an 1000 page book, should it have been this long - probably not. A lot of exposition could've been taken out. However, I mean I read this in 2 days and the plot had me absolutely gripped. This is definitely reminiscent of Zodiac Academy but less of that bully element.

For a long book that ending has left me screaming it kept me reading until the end - also the unanswered questions. Who is the stranger? I need more! The chemistry in this is crazy and the plot is plotting, I need to know how it all unravels in the next book!

One of my favourite parts of this was the found family element - especially Summer and Alice's friendship - I love seeing amazing female friendships written in books!

4.5 stars!!

Well what a journey this book was! Fans of Zodiac Academy, dark(ish) romance, academic settings (students are in late 20s), FMCs who hold no prisoners and lots of magical systems, will devour this book! The story follows Summer, a reluctant fae, as she begins her education in the infamous Avalon University. Along with her angel love interest and vampire best friend Alice. All is not as it seems however, as students are mysteriously targeted and all these students look suspiciously like Summer. Is Summer being targeted or has it something to do with the sinister bot account that seems to have eyes everywhere.

Right I'll be honest, up until the 40% mark it was a challenge to push through - the writing definitely suits readers who love minute by minute descriptions. For me, however, I was struggling to stay invested but WHEN I TELL YOU a switch flipped when we got to that 55% mark! I couldn't put the book down and when I did, I was thinking about the book! Although over 800 pages, the story is so easy to take in and the world is one that can be easily imagined.

For readers for love
- mystery
- plot twists that will gut you
- cliffhanger
- black cat FMC and golden retriever MMC
- a found family that is UNMATCHED
- academic setting
- steamy scenes that will have you wishing you had a Connor Morningstar

This was a perfect binge reading, but I just want to know MORE. In the end, after 1000 pages, we have little to nothing to clinge too, and the need for a second book is real, maybe too real. I wished there were more revelations and less ripetitive description, but in the end it filled a little my zodiac academy emptiness and I really wish I could read the second one like... right now?

2.5 stars

Blood and Betrayals had potential, but ultimately fell flat for me.

At over 1,000 pages, this book felt unnecessarily long. The pacing dragged, and despite all that length, very little actually happened. The ending was predictable, and by the time I got there, I was mostly just relieved to be done.

The characters are supposed to be in their late twenties or early thirties, but their actions and dialogue felt much younger. The relationship between the main characters was the biggest issue. The male lead constantly pushed boundaries, refusing to accept the heroine’s clear lack of interest. There was little to no relationship development, yet they ended up sleeping together quickly and he was already pushing to make things official. It read like insta-love with zero build-up, and the lack of emotional connection made the romance feel forced and unearned.

There is a heavy amount of smut, but it quickly became repetitive and lacked chemistry. When that’s paired with a romance dynamic that feels emotionally manipulative, it’s hard to stay engaged.

There were some glimmers of an interesting world and concept, but they were buried under the weight of poor pacing and a frustrating central relationship. I wish this had gone through more editing to tighten the plot and build a healthier, more believable romance.

5 stars! I absolutely love a magical academy setting and this was no exception. It started off a bit slow and I do think it was a little longer than necessary it’s a thick book, but despite that I had a great time reading this! The found family in this is some of the best I’ve ever read. There was alot of spice and I ate it up. Summer, our fmc, is super relatable she is flawed and makes mistakes but has a good heart. And don’t get me started on Connor. Our golden boy. I love him so much and the way he loves Summer is unmatched. I didn’t expect to love the stranger but wow the banter between him and summer just had me hooked. And that ending?! Omg I need the next book immediately!!!

I am dead, laying over here lifeless after finishing this ARC. Such a wild ride and swear I felt every emotion possible while going through this book. She a THICC girl at 1000 something pages, but I had the BEST time. Definitely will have trauma, and definitely will be reading anything by Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune from now on. The vibes were perfect, spice level.....just perfect. Absolutely will be recommending this!!

No words… I wasn’t prepared for the emotional devastation this book inflicted on me. It’s brimming with compelling characters, and I can’t wait to dive deeper into their arcs as the series continues. The “found family” element in this story truly stole my heart! The friendship between Summer and Alice was 100% IT. Their bond was so so genuine, pure, and realistic. I’d go to the ends of the earth for them, just say the word!

DNF @ 27%

Thank you for this eARC. While I really enjoyed reading about all the world building especially with the different types of species, realms and magic system and how they use runes I found the main FMC and MMC really hard to connect with. I get the female main character has some trauma she is dealing with but the back and forth she was having with Connor got to be a bit too much to continue. Plus the insta love Connor has with Summer was a bit odd. I loved Summers relationship with Alice and the spooky headmaster but the relationship and push and pull between Connor and Summer was a bit too much that it got to be a bit repetitive and boring.

If you’re looking for an academic fantasy book that has a fun magic system and lots of different species and powers this would be a good read but for me this just wasn’t working.

Blood & Betrayals is the first book of the Avalon University series, and I can't wait to read the next one!

After a mysterious person applies to Avalon University on her behalf, Summer Tuatha De Daanan decides to attend the college in an effort to learn more about her magic. Once she arrives at AU, Summer quickly befriends the acerbic vampire Alice and the kind, handsome angel Connor. Summer's typical college experience doesn't last long. Fae who share similarities to Summer are being murdered on campus, and someone Summer dubs the stranger starts sending her anonymous messages. Is he a friend or foe?

The rune-based magic system, different species, and multiple realms in Blood & Betrayals are fresh additions to the fantasy romance genre. What really sets this book apart are the mysteries behind the identity of the stranger and the culprit behind the murder victims on campus. Those questions kept me intrigued. At over 1000 pages, Blood and Betrayals is long and suffered from uneven pacing, especially in the first half when Summer is partying hard with Alice and acting much younger than someone typically would in their late 20's/early 30's. It is absolutely worth persisting with the story though as the palpable and provocative tension between certain characters just continues to build the further you read. The headmaster is particularly enthralling, and every scene with him kept me wanting more. For those wondering, Blood & Betrayals is a spicy read. There are a lot of intimate scenes, but they are well-written, not overly long, and serve to illustrate the love between two characters.

The second book in the series, Sorrow & Strangers, can't come out soon enough!

Thank you to Rose and Star Publishing, LLC and NetGalley for the eBook! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had high hopes for this book. The cover, the description had really intrigued me. Unfortunately, I just don't think it was for me.

This book is long. I'm not intimidated with long books, however, this felt far too long. A positive is it had short chapters which I do think helped push the story along, and did make you turn the pages. I will say the book was quite easy to read but I was definitely skimming the story after awhile.

I feel the story is there, however, there was a lot of repetition and non essential scenes which added to the length and made the story drag. There was some world building but it definitely could have been expanded and seeing as the book was 900+ pages there could have been more focus on that.

I struggled to connect with the main female character, although that could be more of a me problem. For a book this long, it was difficult to be in the same point of view for the majority of the book. There were a few other chapters not is her POV but it wasn't enough to keep me invested. The book had potential to showcase some other POVs to give more perspectives and perhaps, provide more information and depth.

One other issue I had was the characters were aged up to be late 20s/early 30s but it felt like I was reading 18-21 year olds and I didn't quite understand why they were of this age if they were going to act like late teens/early 20s. There was a lot of spice. I'm not opposed to it, however, there was a lot which felt unnecessary and was only there for the sake of having a spicy book, especially because this was more insta lust/love and happened quite fast in the story.

I'm sure other people will love this book judging by the other reviews but I struggled to enjoy it. It is a shame because it had a potential.