3.5 ⭐️

This was a fun listen with a good twist

The narrator did a great job

Mafia Vampires
Enemies to…
Good spice
Mafia vampires and fae
Stabby FMC
Arranged marriage
Revenge


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Audio ARC 🥰

3.5☆

Thank you Kathryn Ann Kingsley, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for gifting me this ALC copy.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the idea of our FMC hiding in plain sight as our MMC's betrothed to exact her revenge against him for killing her whole family. However, I was a little disappointed in the fact that her whole revenge plan of killing all of the MMC's family members, which is what the whole description of the book is basically about, didn't really happen until the last 20-25% of the book. I wanted to see her being a badass and picking off members of his family one by one throughout the whole story; unfortunately, she only ended up killing one person towards the very end.

Ultimately, I did have fun reading/listening to this book, it just wasn't exactly what I was expecting it to be.

The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Release date: August 28th

Tropes:
🌸 Enemies to lovers
🌸 Marriage of convenience
🌸 Mafia vampires x shapeshifter fae

This book was a lovely surprise and I’m so glad to have had the opportunity to read it before publication. Thank you to @netgallery for the audiobook!

Nadi is a shapeshifter fae who disguises herself as the human bride of Raziel, a member of the most deadly vampire family. She aims to gain vengeance in her families honour who were murdered by Raziel 80 years ago.

However, her plan has faults as she is drawn to his allure and he is intrigued by her deadly nature.

This book had twists and turns along the way that keep you on edge and entertained. There were some points in the novel that I struggled withwhat was happening but as the story progressed it became easier to get wrapped up in the plot.

I found Nadi’s internal monologue a bit repetitive and Raziel’s indecisiveness about how to handle his new wife fairly tedious.

I am super intrigued to read the second novel in the romance fantasy and can’t wait for the publication to have a physical copy!

Absolutely devoured this audiobook!

Nadi, the shape shifting fae badass, wants one thing and one thing only- to kill Raziel Nostrom. To seek vengeance for the murders of her family members all killed in cold blood by an evil bloodsucking vampire. How does she plan on achieving this mission? By shifting into the man's willing bride and marry him.

There was so much I found genuinely refreshing about this story. Not just the genius that is Nadi and her little manipulative brain, but the way the author was able to put these two very morally questionable people in the same room and had them fall in love in a way that felt genuine. Their actions weren't entirely influenced by lust as I so often see in similar enemies to lovers stories, we really had to play the long game with this one and I wouldn't have it any other way.
The tension, the WANT to hate each other but feeling the pull of desire and attraction and real true feelings that put them at war with themselves.

I cannot wait for book 2!!

I read The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley as an ARC, and I’ll be honest — at first I thought it was just fine… but then it got dark, got sharp, and completely pulled me in.

A fae girl agrees to marry a vampire prince — not for love, not for peace, but for something much more dangerous. She’s walking straight into the home of the most powerful vampire family in the city with one goal: earn his trust… and destroy everything from the inside.

But the vampire prince? He’s not what she expected. Charming, brutal, unreadable — and maybe even something more. Every step closer she gets to completing her plan, the harder it gets to tell who the real enemy is.

And by the end? I was staring at the page, jaw dropped.

Although some things were predictable in this story there were also some very shocking moments. Including how it ended. Notti’s character sometime made some choices that I didn’t understand but that didn’t make the story bad at all. Raziel was a very interesting character with lots of different dynamics to him. I would say he is the most “grey” character I’ve ever read.
I very much enjoyed the cliffhanger because it left me wanting more but didn’t leave me unsatisfied. I can not wait to read the next book!
The narrator was great I feel like it was easier to get through because of how she narrated. Made me more immersed.

If the deal at the end doesnt make you so excited for whats to come then we cant be friends lol that was perfect! I loved this book so much. Definitely a favorite of 2025.

A vengeful FMC and a vampire MMC who mind controls people to kill themselves. This has mafia families (Fae vs Vampires) an arranged marriage/marriage of convience, murder, scheming and manipulative moves.The revenge plot was a great starting point to this series. I enjoyed this a lot and would call it a fun, murderous, vampire romance.

I loved the plot and the times of dark humor. I found myself chuckling unexpectedly more often than I thought I would.

The MC's are voiced really well especially the fmc, Nadi. I loved her POV most and admired her ability to get her way into and out of trouble and other dangerous situations. After her childhood trauma, I understood her need for revenge but still thought she walked the line of morally grey perfectly.

Raziel is a dynamic mmc and I think there is a lot more to him than what we see in most of this. His relationship with his family members is so interesting and dysfunctional. He clearly is used by them, but it feels like they also have a close enough bond that made all the family scenes really entertaining. There are moments when it feels like the family is fighting each other over who gets to kill the "human" bride but yet, most are loyal enough to Raziel that it seems like a joke or a way to force him to admit his feelings.

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and second sky for the ARC audio book, I enjoyed listening to this book and th narrator was perfect.

Nadir has worked up to this moment, to kill the vampire who killed her family. A shapeshifter, sheaves on the guise of Raziel Nostrom's human bride, a sacrifice. As she sets out her plans to kill Raziel and his family, will she be able to achieve what she wants as she slowly begins to find herself very attracted to Raziel. With a cliffhanger, that needs to be answered, I can't wait for the next book.

Great for readers who enjoy slightly more erotic vampire book!

This is a true enemies to lovers vampire romance and I was hooked from the beginning!

The narrator did a great job portraying the Nadi and Raziel’s characters. I found myself lost listening to the story and needed to be dragged back into the real world. I already can’t wait to listen to the next book in the series when it comes out.

The premise of this tale is Nadi, watched Raziel murder her entire family when she was younger, now 80 year later (she is a fae shape shifter and he’s a vampire), she put to enact her revenge by posing as his human bride to be! But when it comes down to it, can Nadi make the killing blow? Now that you’ll need to read the story to see.

I loved the chemistry between Raziel and Nadi. They were able to bring out a side to each other that they didn’t know they had which was great to watch but made things even more complicated.

The end of the book gives us a great twist and cliffy that had me kicking my feet.

If you love spicy vampire romances then this is a must!

The Serpent’s Wife absolutely devoured me. I couldn’t stop reading (and listening) I finished it in a single day because I was completely obsessed.

This book is dripping with morally grey characters, danger, betrayal, and sizzling chemistry. Nadi is a badass fae assassin. Raziel is a vampire and the man responsible for murdering her family. So yes, it’s true enemies to lovers, and their dynamic is electric. The tension? Delicious. The banter? Sharp and addictive. And the spice? Whew, it was hot without overpowering the plot.

The story has major dark mafia romance vibes, but set in a richly built fantasy world that I found incredibly unique and compelling. Everyone is a little (or a lot) evil, and I was absolutely here for it. The plot twists kept me guessing, and that ending? I need book two in my hands immediately.

I also listened to part of the audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the intensity and emotion of the story to life — definitely worth the listen.

If you love dark fantasy romance with enemies to lovers, morally grey leads, killer tension, and a fresh world, The Serpent’s Wife is a must-read. An easy 5 stars from me. Thanks to Second Sky books for the gifted arc.

The prologue had me instantly hooked. I craved answers like how the vampires crave blood and Nadi's need to vengeance. I needed the backstory and to see this new world unfold. Now book two can't come soon enough.

This book follows Nadi, a fae woman who, as a child saw her family murdered and remembers every detail, including the name of the man responsible: Raziel Nostrom. Many years down the road she became an assassin and during one of her missions, she stumbles upon an invitation to Raziel's wedding. That's when her plan begins to take shape, she must become the bride to get close to his family and kill them all. This world has a blend of vampire and fae politics, where the fae are despised. And as for tropes it has some of my personal favorites: enemies to lovers, instant lust, and marriage of convenience.

Desireé Ketchum did a fantastic job narrating and truly embodied who Nadi and Raziel are through their POVs. She absolutely captivated me and left me eager to go back to the book and keep listening. Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture Audio | Second Sky Books

3.75 ⭐️ 4/5 audio

Thank you to NetGalley and SecondSky for the ALC!!

Okay wow, the only thing better than enemies to lovers is consistent…. enemies with benefits.

fae v. vampires

the fmc is an assassin that sets out to unalive the vampire that unalived her family. she plans to do this by disguising as his betrothed.

One thing about this is that it is exactly as advertised which is more than amazing!! Fun, spicy, vampire dark mafia romance for sure!!

Audio so deserved to be duet narration, but the narrator did a great job on her own. 2x approved for sure. 1x not approved.

Would recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio arc of this book.

I found both of the main characters hard to like at first, neither the FMC nor the MMC felt particularly redeemable, leaning more toward morally black than grey. Despite that, the plot was intriguing and darkly compelling enough to keep me hooked. There’s a twisted, slow-burn tension woven throughout that made it hard to look away.

What really surprised me was the ending. I didn’t see it coming at all, and it left me wanting more. Even though I struggled to connect with the characters, I’m definitely curious enough to pick up the next book and see where the story goes from here.

This was 2.5 for me.

I was able to listen to this via NetGalley! Thank you for the opportunity!

The narration was good - would have liked different characters but understand that is not feasible all the time.

I wish there was more world building as well as character development.

The ending was not a shocker and seemed kind of bland.

2.5 ⭐️⭐️
🌶️ ish

🎧 Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ALC!

Okay, here’s the tea. Nadi’s entire family was murdered eighty years ago, and she’s been patiently waiting for the perfect moment to get revenge on Raziel Nostrom, the vampire who destroyed her world.

So what does she do? She disguises herself as his human bride to sneak into his house and take them all down. Simple, right? Except… she didn’t expect to actually fall for him. Like, hard.

I wasn’t expecting to fly through this one, but here we are. It’s fast paced, gripping, and that kind of darkly addictive read that keeps you up way too late.

Nadi is fierce, smart, and so driven by revenge. She walks straight into danger, and never loses her edge, unlike me, I was biting my nails, afraid she would get caught.

And Raziel? Lord help me. He’s powerful, terrifying, possessive and way too easy to fall for.

Their dynamic is tense, messy, magnetic.
The story is full of danger and longing.
And that cliffhanger? Ugh, ruthless, but in the best way possible. It sets up book two so perfectly that I’m not even mad about waiting.

If you love:
🩸 fae assassin x vampire mafia heir
🩸 enemies to lovers slow burns
🩸 fake marriages with deadly secrets
🩸 revenge, betrayal, obsession
This one’s for you.

Honest ALC Reviews by Jenny

Spice 🌶️🌶️ (but will probably increase in the next book)
Stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!

What I love about the book:

❤️ I love that, like all of her books, the villain is a villain. There is no sad backstory, no regret over what they've done or what they'll continue to do.

❤️ While they are villains, they are not so villainous that they don't get consent before they do anything.

❤️ The world building amazing. It is rich and just beautiful. You get a glimpse of a world deep in lore and history. It's a dark world run by vampires and criminals. Definitely has that mafia vibe, yet still is set in a world of fantasy.

❤️ The characters, OMG the characters! They are so well written, so complex and beautifully broken. "Notty' (not sure of the spelling, since I listened to it) is bent on vengeance, while Raziel is perfectly fine being his family's executioner. But when they get together there is a connection neither of them expected or wanted. I don't want to give any more away, but these are some of the best written characters I've read in a long time.

❤️ The story is captivating, I listened to the whole audiobook in a day and a half it was just that good! It left me on edge the whole time. I love that about her books, you NEVER know what's going to happen!

🥰 I'm going to sit here anxiously waiting for the next book in this series!

What I didn't like about this book:

😍 Absolutely nothing!

If you like morally black characters, story driven plots, and a beautifully written world and characters you HAVE TO read this book!

I revived this audiobook for free from NetGalley for my honest review.

✨𝒜𝐿𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
🎧The Serpent's Bride (Book 1 of Bloodlines)
🎙️Narrated by Desireé Ketchum

She’s waited and trained for years to exact her revenge on Raziel Nostrom and his clan. When the opportunity to assume the identity of his bride-to-be arises, she takes it.

He looks forward to breaking his blood sacrifice. And she’s ready to destroy him piece by piece.

Tropes:
⚠️Enemies to lovers
🧛🏻Vampire MMC
🧚🏻‍♂️Shifter fae assassin FMC
🩶They’re all morally grey
💰Mafia
💍Marriage of convenience
😘Revenge
🌶️: open door

The narrator effortlessly brings these characters to life. Both have been molded by their circumstances and as the story progresses, we see their relationship evolve.

Monica wears many masks and the narrator infuses nuance and subtlety into every facet. The narrator also embodies Raziel’s detachment, lack of remorse, and pragmatism.

The author seamlessly blends elements of organized crime, fantasy, and all the morally grey goodness into this delectable enemies to lovers tale. I loved the mounting tension and their conflicted emotions. Monica’s thirst for vengeance rivals Raziel’s bloodlust for her. I cannot wait to see what happens next!

With brutal secrets, a touch of depravity, and an ending that had me gasping, The Serpent's Bride delivers exactly what I crave in a dark and spicy vampire romance.

Huge thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio, Second Sky Books, and NetGalley for the audio listening copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio | Second Sky Books for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A shape shifting water fae assassin disguises herself as a bride who is being sent for an arranged marriage with a vampire crime lord to seek revenge for murdering her family.

This book is an easy, quick read without much complexions. Unfortunately the world building is non-existent. I wouldn't be able to tell you much about the cities and countries where the story takes place except the fact that it's in a metropolis.
The fantasy elements were not there either. You could just replace fae and vampires with a mafia family and you wouldn't lose any context in the story. I just don't think you can give a character fangs, red eyes and a goblet of blood and call them a vampire.
The characters don't have much depth and backstory. She's an assassin but we never learn what abilities she actually has. She just stabs any target and they die without much resistance. There are many repetitive inner dialogues about her grand plan every time she meets a new family member but in reality there is no actual plan. She wants to kill this entire mafia family but how? We'll never know, she doesn't know either. Overall, sadly, this wasn't for me.

The Serpent's Bride delivers exactly what it promises: a truly enemies-to-lovers vampire romance that doesn't shy away from the "enemies" part of the equation. Unlike many books that claim this trope but feature characters who are merely mildly antagonistic, Kingsley gives us genuine animosity with Nadi seeking revenge against Raziel, the vampire who murdered her family.

Nadi (a fae shapeshifter) disguises herself as Raziel's arranged, sacrificial bride to infiltrate his powerful vampire mafia family and destroy them from within. The pacing is excellent, keeping me engaged throughout, and I appreciated the dual POV structure, though Nadi's perspective dominates the narrative.

What sets this apart from other vampire romances is that Raziel isn't just morally gray, he's genuinely dark. He openly enjoys causing pain and frequently mentions wanting to "break" Nadi, which makes him feel like a proper villain rather than a misunderstood anti-hero. This authenticity in the enemies dynamic is refreshing.

However, I struggled with the romantic development. While the attraction between Nadi and Raziel creates palpable tension, I found it difficult to understand why she would be drawn to someone who killed her family, especially when he shows clear pleasure in her potential suffering. The spicy scenes are well-written, but the emotional foundation felt shaky to me.

The audiobook narration by Desiree Ketchum was excellent, bringing both characters to life effectively. The story moves at a breakneck pace and ends on quite the cliffhanger that has me curious about where the series goes next.

Despite my reservations about the romance's believability, I couldn't stop listening. The book delivers on its promises of spice, genuine enemies-to-lovers tension, and a morally complex (if not outright villainous) male lead.

While the romantic development didn't fully convince me, the compelling plot and that ending have me planning to pick up book two. Recommended for readers who want their vampire romance dark and their enemies-to-lovers trope taken seriously.

Please be sure to check trigger warnings for this one!

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture Audio for the advance listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️/5

I would recommend this if you enjoy:
- Vampire romances
- Urban fantasy romances
- Arranged marriage
- Marriage of convenience
- Forced proximity
- Mafia elements
- A strong, badass FMC
- Spicy scenes

Thank you for the ALC Netgalley, Bookouture Audio & Second Sky Books - all opinions are my own.

This book follows Nadi, an assassin, and Raziel Nostrom, an evil vampire, who meet when Nadi steps in to marry Raziel and plans to kill him and his entire family as revenge for what he did to her family.

I requested the Advanced Listener's Copy of the audiobook because:
1) I love audiobooks.
2) Desiree Ketchum is one of my favourite narrators.
3) I love anything with vampires (TV shows, movies, books) and this sounded right up my alley.

I liked Nadi's character because she wasn't an irritating FMC. She was strong, had a goal and didn't give a damn what anyone thought. Her POV was interesting to listen to as how her thoughts differed from the way she was going to un@live other characters to her unwanted attraction to Raziel was entertaining. I definitely preferred her to Raziel and his family as well.

The spicy scenes were well written and weren't cringey which I highly appreciate in books. There was also an element of k!nk thrown in towards the end. It was a fun addition and felt right for the characters likes.

This book is marketed as a dark vampire romance. While there are darker themes and mafia elements throughout, personally I wouldn't say it is as dark as Haunting Adeline. This is a subjective opinion and I would read the content warnings, however, as mental health matters.

Overall, I would re-listen to this book because it was fast-paced, fun and Desiree Ketchum did an excellent job at bringing the characters to life. Additionally, I liked the author's writing, the characters and after that cliffhanger, I do want to pick up the next book.