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Member Reviews

Tropes and Vibes:
๐Ÿ’ Marriage of convenience
๐Ÿ’” Enemies to lovers
๐Ÿ–ค Morally gray MMC
๐Ÿ”ฎ Dark/urban magic
๐Ÿ™๏ธ Mafia houses & cartel politics
๐Ÿ—ก๏ธ Serialโ€‘killer hunt
๐Ÿ  Forced proximity (newlyweds)
โ™Ÿ๏ธ Power plays & intrigue
๐Ÿ”ฅ Slow-burn tension with spice

I have no idea why this book isnโ€™t getting more attention, itโ€™s a hidden gem that absolutely deserves a place on BookTok! House of Bane and Blood sucked me in from the start with its gritty, magical world and fast-paced plot. If youโ€™re into dark fantasy with political intrigue, family secrets, and steamy tension, this is one you need to read.

The dynamic between Milla and Nico is everything. The banter? On point. Their chemistry? Electric. Itโ€™s the perfect slow-burn, (supposed to be) enemies-ish-to-lovers setup, but with real emotional depth that makes you root for them beyond just the romance.

There are several plot twists throughout the bookโ€”some I saw coming, but that only made the reveal more satisfying because it was so well-executed. Watching everything unfold, especially with the mystery of the Collector and the stakes of Millaโ€™s family legacy, made for a really immersive reading experience.

The worldbuilding feels like Peaky Blinders vibes, full of arcane science, political tension, and a post-industrial magical landscape thatโ€™s both gritty and lush. Iโ€™m dying to see more from this world.. especially if Alexis decides to build the series out more!

Highly recommend for anyone into dark, twisty fantasy with strong heroines, morally gray love interests, and a whole lot of secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for an ARC!

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๐‡๐Ž๐”๐’๐„ ๐Ž๐… ๐๐€๐๐„ ๐€๐๐ƒ ๐๐‹๐Ž๐Ž๐ƒ ๐›๐ฒ ๐€๐ฅ๐ž๐ฑ๐ข๐ฌ ๐‹. ๐Œ๐ž๐ง๐š๐ซ๐
~ ๐‘ถ๐’“๐’…๐’†๐’“ ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐‘ช๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’” #๐Ÿ
โ™พ๏ธโญ | ๐ข๐ง๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ฌ

"๐ˆ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐›๐ซ๐จ๐ค๐ž๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐š๐ง๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ž, ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ž ๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ž๐ฑ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐›๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐›๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ. ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š ๐ฐ๐ž๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ž. ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ˆ ๐ฐ๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐ˆ ๐ฐ๐š๐ค๐ž, ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ง๐ž๐ž๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ก, ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐ˆ ๐œ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ž๐ฒ๐ž๐ฌ.โ€

House of Bane and Blood is an adult fantasy romance, set post-industrial revolution โ€” powered by the steam punk sub-genre, perfect for fans who love the atmosphere and tone of Peaky Blinders with magic and unique lore.

This was an immaculate book. I cannot believe that I read this in less than a few hours. My rating went from 5โญ to 6โญ to โ™พ๏ธโญ because the more I thought about this book, the higher my rating kept going every minute.

The world building was absolutely phenomenal. I was drawn to the story from the very beginning. The post-industrial setting server a perfect backdrop to the city divided by magic.

The magic system is entirely unique and nothing I've seen before. The authentic and unique lore of the book, the fuelling backstories, the jaw dropping plot twists and unexpected twists and turns in this book kept me on the edge of my seat every single moment.

Nicolai and Camilla are from rival families who have great amounts of tension and grudged between them. Their chemistry was cracking and sizzling the entire time and was intense. Their romance dancing a fine line between love and hate. Their banter was one of the best parts of the book and kept me entertained.

The family dynamics was something i really enjoyed. The relationship between Camilla's family and Nico's family were different experiences and I came to love their dynamics in the end.

๐Ÿ Marriage of Convenience
๐Ÿ–ค Post - Industrial Setting
๐Ÿ Forbidden Romance
๐Ÿ–ค Adult Fantasy Romance
๐Ÿ Unique Lore & Magic System
๐Ÿ–ค Slow Burn Romance
๐Ÿ Rival Families

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This book was everything and more. I devoured it and could not put it down - it was such a unique and refreshing fantasy and I found myself wishing I could live in this world. The witty banter in this book had me smiling and laughing more times than I can count, I fell in love with the characters and adored the Attano family, this book made me cry which I was not expecting. I loved the marriage of convenience and rivals to lovers aspect of the story. The tension and slow burn sizzle between Milla and Nico was perfection, I absolutely adore these two! This easily has to be one of my favorite books of all time and I cannot recommend it enough!

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Just a casual reread for this sunny Sunday morning ๐Ÿ˜ gosh I was so happy to dive back into the Attano Family world. It awaked everything that I loved originally in this book and brought it back to life. Itโ€™s giving Peaky Blinders Vibes and I promise you DO NOT want to miss this!! Thank you to NetGalley and @secondskybooks for the opportunity to re read this book in exchange for my honest review!

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Wow wow wow! Whรกt a book! This sucked me right in and didnโ€™t let go! It had me absolutely in a chokehold! The perfect book to battle the oncoming reading slump I was feeling, I just couldnโ€™t put it down. Not a moment where I was bored or where I thought the book was slow, I absolutely ATE THIS UP
The banter, the yearning omg, totally kicking my feet and squealing.
Do you like:
- Enemies to lovers
- Fierce fmc
- Banter
- โ€˜Who did this to you?โ€™
- Peaky blinders vibes
- Elemental magic
- Marriage of convenience
This book has it all!
I had a little bit of a hard time understanding all of the conflicts in the city and the power struggels between the families but that aside this book has a good amount of plot and romance.
I totally recommend this one!๐Ÿ˜

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Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. An instant 5 stars for me. Can't wait for the next book to come out. Loved the characters.

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โ€œ๐‹๐ข๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐ž๐ซ, ๐ฅ๐ข๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ, ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ˆ ๐ก๐š๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ž๐ž๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐›๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐œ๐ก๐ž๐œ๐ค, ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ๐Ÿ๐ญ๐ž๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐œ๐ซ๐š๐ฌ๐ก ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ.โ€

๐‘ฉ๐’๐’๐’Œ: House of Bane and Blood
๐‘จ๐’–๐’•๐’‰๐’๐’“: Alexis L. Menard
๐‘ฝ๐’Š๐’ƒ๐’†๐’”: ๐Ÿฉธ๐Ÿ–คโœจ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿฆพ๐Ÿ

Dark mafia-style romantasy. Need I say more.

House of Bane and Blood immerses you in the story immediately. Milla and Nicolai come from two sides of the same coin- both of their lives woven into the grisly business ventures of their city. The premise of the book intrigued me and I am so glad I picked it up. There were all the tropes I love: a marriage of convenience, found family, and โ€˜whereโ€™s my wife?โ€™!! You really cannot beat the โ€˜whereโ€™s my wifeโ€™ that comes out of Nicolaiโ€™s mouth, thatโ€™s all Iโ€™m saying.
I really empathized and loved Milla, our fmc. She is gritty and willing to do whatever it takes for her families business. Sheโ€™s carrying a huge weight on her shoulders but she doesnโ€™t let it keep her down. I loved watching her and Nicolia grow on one another- and the tension was perfect!! I read this book so fast and thatโ€™s a testament to the story! It has me needing to know what happens next!!
I rated it 4 stars because I got a bit confused with some of the story line. Being thrown into it so quickly I didnโ€™t understand the bigger dynamics at play until a bit of a ways in and that hindered my immersion. But by the final chapters I was all in. The action and ending were crafted very well. I will definitely be picking up book two!!

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4.5 stars

I loved this story. The characters are well written. Camilla is such a great, strong FMC. She is a businesswoman who knows how to handle most situations. Nico is the love interest who is a perfect match for her. He is also a businessman and will do anything to protect his family. Camilla has been through a lot of crap, but still comes out fighting on the other side. I can't wait to read book 2 to see what happens next. I highly recommend this book!

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC!

"I'm not the princess here anymore, Attano. I'm the f*cking dragon."

Is Milla one of my favorite FMCs ever? ABSOLUTELY.

I read this book when it was indie, and it was truly WONDERFUL to get to revisit it as it is about to be released in trade paperback!

The worldbuilding of this book is truly top notch, and I absolutely adored how you feel the inspiration from Peaky Blinders. You immediately get dropped into this world of crime and intrigue, and Menard continually builds up the world around you as you read (and does it so, so well).

The tension between Nico and Milla is truly so satisfying, and I love that this book contains action, crime, SUPER interesting magic and characters that truly stand on their own. I loved this book so much the first time that I read it, and loved it EVEN more when I was able to read it again.

I truly cannot recommend this book enough!

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4.5 โญ๏ธ

Wow. I LOVED this. House of Bane and Blood really nails everything I look for in a marriage convenience as a lover of that trope. The dynamic of Milla and Nicoโ€™s relationship is so perfect. They start with a bit of a contentious relationship, but as you see them settle into their marriage you see moments of softness between them. You also see that both of them are willing to burn the world down for each other in order to protect the other. By the end of the book I was so sold on their love. The characters were both great on their own as well. Milla was so badass and willing to march into danger. I found her โ€œrecklessnessโ€ justified and never thought she was being dumb. Meanwhile, Nico was dangerous, but he was doing everything he did for family, which made his actions valid and made me really enjoy his character.

This book also had a really intriguing world and setting. Iโ€™ve never read a romantasy that with this unique of a setting. I loved the vibe of the dueling crime families and the old timey-ness of the world. I will say that some of the world building as far as magic goes was confusing. A glossary of some sort might have helped because there were a few aspects of it that I was still foggy on by the end.

I canโ€™t wait to read book 2!

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I loved every single thing about this book. Oh the son and daughter of rival families have to enter into a marriage contract to pay off some debt and prevent a war? Sign me the F up.

Let's talk about our main characters Nicolai Attano and Camilla Marchese because I am obsessed with both of them. Camilla was an absolute badass with a snarky attitude. I loved that she could hold her own and had such a commanding presence wherever she went. Nicolai is book boyfriend perfection. He's broody, he's mysterious, he's a family man who would do absolutely anything for the ones he loves. The banter between them? Top tier. I was smirking and giggling the entire time. Their slow-burn romance? Again, top tier. We really got to see both of their walls crumble with each other and that moment of vulnerability where they finally let themselves admit what we all knew they were feeling. Ugh, so so good.

Romance aside, I also really enjoyed the magic system and thought it was incredibly intricate and unique. I am a massive Grishaverse fan and the magic here felt reminiscent of the Grisha and the 'small science'. I loved learning about the different types of magic as well as the history with the saints, the remni and the descendants.

The Mafia-style plot was gripping and kept me engaged the entire time. The gaslamp, steampunk, 1920s-but-make-it-fantasy vibes were immaculate. I had such a good time reading this and immediately picked up book 2.

Thank you to the author and Second Sky Books for providing me with an eARC. This review reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

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This was such a fast paced fun read! I did not want to put it down. Think mafia meets fantasy with Peaky Blinder vibes. I ate it up!The romance was my fav! The banter and tension between Nico and Camilla *chefs* kiss! The slow burn was perfect!!

I was equally invested in the side characters. Hopefully we get more in book 2. There was a lot of political movement and secrets that kept me turning the pages. The magic was interesting, I will say I still don't fully understand how it works. I think a chart with the saints and their magic would be helpful.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the second book. This does end on a cliffhanger.

Read if you love:
โœจ๏ธPeaky Binders vibes
โœจ๏ธForbidden Romance
โœจ๏ธMarriage of convenience
โœจ๏ธTouch her and die
โœจ๏ธSlow burn
โœจ๏ธPolitical intrigue

โ€œWhatever you want, princess. The heart in your chest, the air in your lungs, Iโ€™ll take whatever you offer me, and I wonโ€™t regret it. I never do.โ€

โ€œI would do it all again,โ€ he said in the absence of my denial. โ€œI would run through fire and burn for you. I would lose arm and leg and limb. Iโ€™d do it all over, knowing what would happen to me, if it meant eventually having you as I do now."

โ€œWanting you isnโ€™t hard, princess. Itโ€™s all the rest that makes it difficult.โ€

Overall 4.5โญ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐Ÿ—“Releases September 8, 2025

Thank you Secondsky for the ARC. All opinions are my own

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This is a book you read for the vibes, and the vibes are everything!!!

Is the magic system underdeveloped and confusing? Yes
Is the writing chopping and a little disjointed? Sure
Did any of that matter to me while I was reading this masterpiece? Absolutely not!!!

This is a romantasy combined with mafia, but set in a steampunk setting and it was just beautiful. Mila and Nico where such wonderful characters and I loved everything about theme separately but also together. They worked so well together and their banter was so good.

I have seen some people call this enemies to lovers, or rivals to lovers, but I would disagree. These two are immediately attracted to each other but it's more of a star crossed lovers things because they both hate the other's family. They battle this attraction to each other because of these family ties, but its clear from very early on they both want each other.

This is a marriage of convenience story and I ate it up. This was such a delight to read that had me giddy and kicking my feet with a giant smile on my face. The plot was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't want to put this book down.

Thank you to second sky for sending me an advanced reader copy. This book was independently published before being picked up traditionally.

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This is one of the most addicting books I have ever read!! As soon as I started I couldnโ€™t put it down!
Love everything about it!! The vibes are perfect. Dark, peaky blinders inspired with perfect tension!

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Wow. Just wow. Wooooooow. This was absolutely brilliant.

As someone who loves government and politics, this was just TOP TIER! The maneuvering, the conspiring, the plotting. Just so fantastically well written!

What will you find in here?
- Peaky Blinders vibes
- Mafia style family politics
- Magic vs. Science
- Marriage of Convenience
- Found-ish family?
- so. Much. Politics.


Wow. Iโ€™ll be sitting on this one for a while. The world and politics were deep and rich and the world-building was introduced throughout the book. The character develop, plotting, pacing, atmosphere, TWISTS, everything was done so well! I canโ€™t wait to jump into books 2. Buuuuut going in with low expectations just to be safe!

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This breathed life into the romantasy genre for me. It felt like something so different then all the rest I have been reading.

For one this is no fae romance. It's actually an urban steam punk setting, there's guns and politicians and a war between the humans and the magic users. But the non magic users use science to help even the playing field.

There's an important train๐Ÿ˜‚

A marriage of convenience

A metal hand๐Ÿ‘€

Our male main character is known to be ruthless but a serious softie at heart.

I loved the banter between them, but also loved the small moments between them.

Please please please pick this one up

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โ€ขโ€ข โ€œ๐˜ˆ๐˜ฏ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜จ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ญโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ โ€ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅโ€

Did you ever wonder what Tommy Shelby would have been like if he had magic? I did, and Alexis L. Menard gave me everything I could have hoped for and even more. A marriage of convenience thatโ€™s bursting with tension, an air of mystery and suspense, gas lamp vibes, and banter that had me blushing - trust me when I say this should be at the top of your tbr.

โ€ขโ€ข โ€œ๐˜ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜บ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜บ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถโ€™๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ, ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ง ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถโ€™๐˜ฅ ๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜บ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅโ€
โ€œ๐™‰๐™ž๐™˜๐™ค๐™ก๐™–๐™ž!โ€
โ€œ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ด ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต. ๐˜’๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฑ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จโ€

Oh Nicolai. I loved just about everything that came out of this manโ€™s mouth and his pov was perfect. Heโ€™s ruthless and will cross any line to protect those he cares about, but also knows when Milla needs him to be soft and sweet - not that sheโ€™d ever admit it. He had me laughing often, and ready to burst into flames the rest of the time.

โ€ขโ€ข โ€œ๐˜ˆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ญ?โ€
โ€œ๐™’๐™ž๐™˜๐™ ๐™š๐™™ ๐™ฅ๐™ช๐™ง๐™ฅ๐™ค๐™จ๐™š๐™จ, ๐™ค๐™› ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ช๐™ง๐™จ๐™šโ€
โ€œ๐˜‹๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏโ€™๐˜ต ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด. ๐˜ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜บ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถโ€

While this is romance heavy thereโ€™s still lots of action and mystery, giving a nice balance to the plot. Thereโ€™s betrayals around every corner, unlikely allies to be found, and battle between remnant magic and arcane science that makes this impossible to put down. Hope may seem lost at the end but donโ€™t worry, Nicolai will handle it ๐Ÿ˜‰

โ€ขโ€ข โ€œ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ต, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ด, ๐˜โ€™๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏโ€™๐˜ต ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ต. ๐˜ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐโ€

What you can expect:
โ€ข๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ธ๐˜† ๐—•๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐˜€
โ€ข๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ
โ€ข๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€
โ€ข๐—ง๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป / ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ
โ€ข๐—™๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜†
โ€ข๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜€

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House of Bane and Blood is an exciting fantasy with magic, an arranged marriage, powerful families vying for control, and a secret that could destroy everything.

"I'm not the princess here anymore, Attano. I'm the dragon."

Camilla Marchese is the heir to a powerful family that runs the steam railway in and out of the city. But after the death of her father, her family's empire is in ruins. When a mysterious offer arises that could restore her name and her business, Milla has no choice but to accept. Unfortunately, this means and arranged marriage with one of her greatest rivals, Nicolai Attano, of the Attano benders clan. Nico is not what she suspected - ruthless yes, but he needs to secure a powerful alliance with Milla, and is willing to pay off her families debts if they can make it to six weeks of marriage in exchange for her help. But when mysteries begin adding up, Nico and Milla realize they need to work together and their relationship might be deeper than either of them could have ever expected.

Amazing! I LOVED this so much! If you like fantasy romance with Peaky Blinders vibes, marriage of convenience, and a unique magic system, you need to pick this book up!! I love the worldbuilding and the gaslamp vibes of this book mixed with the mob type rival families. The overarching plot gets deeper and more intricate, and the relationship between Milla and Nico is wonderful. I love their tension and banter, and when they finally realize their feelings for one another, ah, so good. The ending is intense, and had me absolutely reeling.

I had read this book previously as an independent release, and I am so, so thrilled to see it get picked up by Forever/Second Sky Books. It is an amazing story and one of my absolute favorite duologies.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Second Sky Books for the advanced copy of this incredible book. All opinions are my own.

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The story, plot and characters are incredible- gives magical peaky blinders vibes throughout!

Nico is a protective, deadly cinnamon roll! Heโ€™s so consistent in his love and protection of those he cares about! Heโ€™s always a step ahead!

Milla is everything we love in a FMC- independent, strong and with a great character arc! Milla and Nico together are full of tension, banter and just the perfect concoction! I canโ€™t wait to see where their story goes ๐Ÿ‘€๐Ÿ˜ฎโ€๐Ÿ’จ

What you can expect:
๐Ÿš‚ Steampunk, magic, peaky blinders vibes
๐Ÿš‚ Hidden identities, plot twists, cliffhanger
๐Ÿš‚ ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ
๐Ÿš‚ Tension, banter, forced proximity
๐Ÿš‚ Arranged marriage, โ€œmy wifeโ€ ๐Ÿ˜‹
๐Ÿš‚ Unique world

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I first read this book in 2023 when it was indie, and Iโ€™m so pleased itโ€™s been picked up.
The book is original and unique, yet contains all the tropes we know and love in romantasy. My absolute favourite thing about it is the magic system and worldbuilding because itโ€™s unlike anything Iโ€™ve read before and itโ€™s so expansive. It does take a minute to get your head around, but once you do, itโ€™s absolutely fascinating.
The characters have immense growth, and the plot is unpredictable. I enjoyed having a romantasy where I didnโ€™t predict every plot element for once.

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