The fact that this book isn’t more popular is wild to me! I loved the 1920’s steampunk vibes… with magic. Are you kidding me?! Absolutely perfect combination.

All the characters were well written and well rounded. Nico and Milla were a vortex I happily got sucked into from the beginning. The banter had me so giddy. I’m a sucker for a book with good banter. These two would literally do anything for the other. And the way Nico’s family welcomed Milla in and treated her like one of them was so heart warming.

I loved the way magic was mixed with technology. This was refreshing because it wasn’t like a lot of fantasy books we’re seeing published currently.

This does end on a pretty intense cliffhanger. It definitely left me wanting and extremely eager for the next book. I’m looking forward to listening to City of Mirth & Malice as an audiobook!

This book was originally indie published and now being trad published with a new colorful cover! We love that for this author!
This is book 1 of the Vows of Vengeance series, and both are available on KU!

What to expect:
This book has rival families; the Marcheses, who own the railroad and steam engine, and the Attanos, who fought their way up t o their power and status from the bottom. Camilla Marchese is the heiress to the railroad, and is arraigned to marry this rival family at her brothers' behest. She has 6 weeks to infiltrate the Attanos and find a way out of this marriage of convenience.

What I like about the book:
There is a disability rep, an anxiety rep, and female empowerment. We watch as Camilla grows into herself after being dampened by men her entire life. And her "husband" helps her find herself by being the first to believe in her. The book gives off steampunk vibes a little bit which I think is very fun. The banter in this book? LOVE. I am a sucker for good banter between rivals.

What I was a little disappointed about:
The layout of this book is a little lacking. We have this vast world, including the continent (which we can no longer access) but we do not have a map or a breakdown of where we are. The area where the book takes place is also broken down into districts, such as the Wet District, the Row, etc. Those districts have distinct class differences, and Remnant accessibility. That is not explained very well (imo). A map and a little more world building would easily clear this up. The author does try to fit the worldbuilding seamlessly into the story (which I love and think is very effective) but in this case it left me with a lot of questions still.
This magic system seems very cool. There is a legend from long ago about god passing down gifts to humans, creating Remni, and those passed magic down to their children, creating those with Remnants. I want to know how these remnants work. What are all the possibilities? Each god passed on certain gifts; which remnants are from which god? Which ones are rare or more common? What are all the possibilities? Are there certain remnants that haven't been seen in decades or ever? How do these remnants work? Do they have a certain range? I know Nico has a distance range on his air remnant, but what about his time remnant? I have sooooo many questions. I feel like a prologue defining the legend is necessary to spell out the world you will encounter within the story.

To me, this is a solid foundation for a series. The plot twist was also great. I was just left wanting; more world building, more explanations, more happenings between a character being in one place and then another.

Thank you to Second Sky and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved this book! I liked how unique it was and I loved Milla. I thought she was strong and capable and brave. I loved when she figured things out and the mystery of it all. I really liked the unique vibes that felt very 1940s meets steampunk. I love a found family moment so that was great. I'm excited to jump into book 2 and I love that it's a duology. I hope to review more of Alexis's books in the future!

I loved enjoyed reading this so much! It was truly addictive. The tension, the world building, the characters, the mystery and some action..it was just what I needed my next read to be. I wish there were more details about the origin of the source of powers but maybe that's in the next book? I cannot wait! Thank you NetGalley!

**Features:**

- Members from opposing mobs come together in a marriage of convenience and try to stop a killer.
- Rivals to lovers romance
- Morally grey characters and underground shenanigans
- A steampunk setting

**Synopsis:**

After her father’s murder, the family has fallen on hard times. Unfortunately, the path to salvation will mean marriage to Nicolai, a ruthless member of the family responsible for her father’s death. But Nicolai has problems of his own when people start turning up dead on his side of the river. When trying to catch a killer, even Nicolai has to admit that two heads are better than one. Camilla and Nicolai agree that a temporary marriage is all that is needed for both to get what they want. However, as the spark between them begins to ignite, their alliance might just attract more problems than it could solve.

**Thoughts:**

This book definitely delivers all of the angst and tension you could want in a rivals to lovers romance! Even in their more contentious moments, Camilla and Nicolai have great chemistry. Though Camilla finds herself in desperate circumstances and surrounded by some truly awful and controlling brothers, she is a strong FMC that really shines. She is clever, capable, and a true equal to Nicola despite his more protective tendencies. Watching them grow to both respect and care about one another while navigating some tricky and dangerous circumstances is really what carried this book for me. There is only one truly spicy scene towards the end, but there are still plenty of steamy moments and the build up really pays off.

Though I found the world and plot premise interesting, the execution of both was a bit scattered. I never really felt lost in this story, but we do jump around to different ‘events’ without much thread to lead from one thing to the next. I was still intrigued by what was unfolding and had the sense that everything had a purpose in the overall story; it just lacked a natural ‘flow’. However, the story telling gets a lot tighter as everything starts to come together at the end. The last 20 - 30% of this book was absolutely mind blowing and impossible to put down! I hope that this momentum continues into the next book.

I think it's safe to say that, definitely, after this book, I am 1,000% in my Romantasy era of life. I cannot get enough of Romantasy books. And this book is just a clear indication of why we have two warring households, so straightaway it gave me the Romeo and Juliet vibes. We have a mysterious stranger, and we all know who it’s going to be: you have the arranged marriage. You have a whole worldbuilding going on with riches, and you have to understand the families and how their hierarchy works. And while all that's going on, you have to understand that there are things called remnants, and that certain people have powers, and you have vampires, who are called bleeders, and then you have people in pits fighting, and they're fighting beasties that are just all fantastical.

And all the while, you've got Nicolai and you've got Mila, aka Camilla, and you've got this simmering, ever so simmering love story where, you know, there's the will they or won't they, you don’t know if it's going to be a happy ever after for the Pair, but that slow, slow burn I was here for it. I love these two people. I think they are phenomenal characters. They are so real. They're trying to navigate new worlds themselves. They're enemies. They shouldn't like each other. Nicolai’s family has done something awful to Mila's family, and yet they find themselves ever so slowly falling in love.

I guessed a twist near the end, and so I wasn't as upset as I probably should, but I think the author made that very obvious with the pointed words that were used in a speech. You knew not everything was as it seemed, and yet you're still there for Nicolai and his feelings. You're still there for Mila and her feelings. And it definitely sets up Book Two, and I cannot wait for it.

I'm getting the audiobook as soon as I can, because I have to know what happens next. I am so invested in these people.

It's just that his world is addictive. They are addictive, and I mean, there's so much going on, and yet I feel like not a lot did happen. I feel like we could have had even more in this book. I don't feel there were enough words in this book, because I want more, and I cannot wait to see where this series goes, and I cannot wait to see what happens next, especially after that Epilogue.

House of Bane and Blood plunges you into a dark, gaslamp-steampunk world brimming with danger, intrigue, and magic. The setting crackles with life—industrial smoke, hidden secrets, and rival houses that make every twist land with impact.
Milla and Nico’s sharp, addictive banter simmers into a slow-burn romance that feels both earned and unforgettable. While their chemistry shines, the found-family bonds and mafia-style power plays bring even more depth and grit.
If you’re drawn to razor-sharp dialogue, slow-burn romance, fierce found families, and the allure of dark, glamorous mafia drama, this book is a must-read.

This is how to write a darker fantasy romance! perfect spice in the right places that helped the story rather than just jammed in for word count

I loved this book - from the slow burn enemies to lovers, to the magic system. While not perfect - it suffers from some pacing issues and what might be some plot holes - it is still highly enjoyable. Peaky blinders with romance? Sign me up!

I’ve been with Alexis since the beginning, and to see when she first published House of Bane and Blood to this story now being traditionally published! I couldn’t be more proud and excited for her!
I love this world, the characters, and the spice! Grab your copy of House of Bane and Blood today.
Thank you @secondskybooks for sending me my first physical ARC copy and thank you @alexislmenard for bringing this world to life!

I did enjoy this, but wow - some of it was seriously cringy. Once I pushed that to the back of my mind, though, the story got a lot better. I liked the marriage of convenience angle and the found family vibes, plus the steampunk-meets-gangsters setting was fun and different. The magic system confused me a bit, and my biggest gripe was that massive mysteries were introduced and then just… brushed past without much depth.

That being said, I’ve been thinking about the ending and the next books ever since I finished, so clearly it left its mark. I’m calling it 4 stars for now, but if I dwell too much on the flaws, I might have to knock it down.

This rivals to lovers fantasy romance has a unique setting and mafia family style storyline. I was very intrigued by that concept and was excited to dive into this series.

The story and romance was very entertaining at points, but I didn't find the characters to be very loveable and I didn't think we got to know the side characters well enough throughout the story. There were also a couple pieces in the storyline that felt like direct rip-offs of other fantasy books. I read a lot of fantasy, so maybe it is just that I have been exposed to all the main types of stories and plotlines, but this is the first time I have noted very obvious similarities.

Thank you to Second Sky and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

5 ✨

𝐀 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

“𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬.”

I loved this! Very unique fantasy world and just the best combination of mafia and fantasy!
Atmospheric, especially if you are a Peaky Blinders fan and great chemistry between the characters!
Nico was just one of the hottest MMCs and with a good reason, so was Camilla, she didn't back down and this is just what you seek from a female protagonist in these books!
Really excited for the next one!

There were A LOT of swoon-worthy moments, but this declarations were just 🫠🥵

“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐛 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞. 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰.”
...
“𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞. 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐤 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐈 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐝.”
“𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐢!”
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

And of course:
“𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧.” 🫠🫠

This was a strong start to the Vows of Vengeance series, it had that element that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening. I enjoyed this as a opening chapter and am excited to read more in this universe. The characters had that overall feel that I was wanting and enjoyed the concept. I enjoyed the fantasy romance element in this and how the story was told, it left me wanting to read more in this world as it was so well done. Alexis L. Menard wrote this well and was engaged from the first page.

ARC REVIEW

Thank you netgalley for the Arc in exchange of my honest opinion!
4,7 stars

This book was so unique and fresh compared to what is released in the same genre. I loved the characters , especially Mila and how fierced, wild and passioned she was. The banter ..oh the banter.. don't let me start with this one , the angst , the slow burn ...i want to scream ! I had heart eyes at chapter 35 and i was melting !!
My only complain is that i would like the magic system to be more readable . It was interesting and quite complex but after a point the complexity of it , i think was done deliberately to disorient the reader with the twist at the end. So since the twist was predictable all that was left was the difficulty in reading and understading the magic system!!

Alexis weaves a story full of the most unique magic in a steampunk era following rival gangs fighting over territory, magic, money, and resources. Think Peaky Blinders with magic.

I loved getting to know the history of the conflict and Nico’s family. They provided a lot of insight and comedic relief. Literally fell out laughing so many times.

Camilla and Nico’s chemistry was sizzling. And their banter could be a book of its own. I adored this slow burn romance so much.

If you love arranged marriage, morally grey characters, found family, and touch her and ☠️ with a steampunk alchemy vibe, you’ll want to pick this baby up!

Thank you to Second Sky, Alexis L Menard, and NetGalley for the advance copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Alexis L. Menard has created a dark, atmospheric world with a unique magic system and a fast-paced plot. I really enjoyed the banter between the main characters and the originality of the magic. I'm not usually a fan of mafia style plots but this worked really well and wasn't too tropey. I wish Camilla was a bit more consistent - her choices and behaviour seemed inconsistent and confusing at times which made it difficult to connect. Overall I'd definitely recommend and will be picking up the sequel after the cliffhanger!

House of Bane and Blood pulled me into a gritty, gaslamp/steampunk world full of danger, intrigue, and magic. The setting feels alive with industrial smoke and shadows layered over secrets and rival houses, making every twist hit even harder.

Milla and Nico’s banter is razor-sharp and addictive, with chemistry that builds slowly and pays off in an epic, earned romance. Their connection anchors the story, but the found-family bonds and mafia-style power struggles give it real heart and grit.

If you love sharp banter, slow-burn romance, heartwarming found families, and darkly glamorous mafia vibes in a richly built world, this book is absolutely worth your time.

As far as i’m concerned, Alexis L Menard can do no wrong. I originally read House of Bane and Blood over a year ago, and was lucky enough to receive an ARC for the traditional publishing of it, which is so well deserved. It is even better the second time around. this book quite literally has everything a plot-driven romantasy lover like myself is looking for.

yearning? got that. morally grey MMC? absolutely. steamy tension? ooohhh yeah, baby. arranged marriage? rivals to lovers? magic versus science? check, check, aaaand check.

the pacing throughout the entire story was so perfect, i was never bored or left wondering when the story would pick up. when the action slowed down, the tension between the main characters started steam rolling, and my eyes stayed glued to the page (or in my case, my kindle haha).

This continues to be one of my top reads of all time, and that will never change. thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for this ARC!

Not even the “Who did this to you?!?” trope could save this book for me. Which is a shame because I’ve enjoyed Alexis Menards other books.

House of Bane and Blood is pitched as Peaky Blinders meets Romantasy. Now that pitch is a stretch, I’d say it’s more mafia romance set in a fantasy world. Except the magic is hardly explained and half the time makes no sense.

Sadly, I think this could’ve had the potential to be really great, like I see what Alexis was trying to do I just think it didn’t hit the mark. For the most part this book bored me to tears, I also struggled to keep track of every individual who was introduced (and trust me there’s a lot). Now I did enjoy our FMC Camilla, she’s a sassy take no crap woman who makes it her mission to verbally spar with our MMC Nicolai. And of course Nicolai is our alpha male gangster who makes it his mission to be overly protective and possessive. And see usually I love that in books. However, they were brought together through an arranged marriage and there was no build up or tension between them. It was just immediate instalove.


Overall, even though this wasn’t my favorite by Alexis I’d still recommend it because I think it would easily appeal to readers just starting out with the mafia genre. Lastly thank you to NetGalley & Second Sky Publishing for providing an ARC for me to read and review