Summary
I will disguise myself as the vampire’s bride. I will win over his family. And then I will murder every last one of them.

Raziel is just as ruthless and deadly as I expected, but I had no idea how magnetic he would be up close, with an intoxicating smile and ruby-red eyes that seem to look right into my soul.

I know I have to strike fast. But as I sharpen my blades and prepare to take my revenge at last, I need to face the truth…I’m falling in love with Raziel Nostrom
[The first book in a spicy vampire romantasy series.]


Review
🖤 Dark Romance
🩸 Vampire x Fae
👀 TRUE Enemies to Lovers
🌶 Spice

THIS IS WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY I WANT A TRUE ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE.

Kathryn Ann Kingsley has written the perfect enemies-to-lovers, revenge romantasy. I hadn’t read any of Kingsley’s other work, but this was excellent. It took me a little while to get my teeth into, but I usually find that with romantasy anyway with world-building etc… By the end, however, I was absolutely hooked and desperate for the next installment.

Our FMC is Nadi - an shapeshifting Fae with what was described as a fish-like tail (think mermaid fae vibes). Nadi’s family was killed by Raziel Nostrom and his family, prompting Nadi to spend her life training as an assassin so she’s able to exact revenge on the Nostroms and pick them off one by one.
We find out very quickly that Raziel appears to be from a mafia-like family, with each family member dealing in drugs and prostitution, among other things. His marriage to his human bride (of whom Nadi takes shape and stands in for) is a marriage of convenience, which will inevitably lead to a sacrifice of sorts.

I was all over this plot. It was written so powerfully, with such detail that I could really dive in to. There are unexpected twists and turns and ending on a cliff-hanger to die for. There wasn’t a huge amount of world-building as this was quite straight forward for a typical romantasy reader.
It was ✨ spicy ✨, but not so much dark/spicy as it was initially advertised as. Don’t get me wrong, the spice was sizzling - just not what I would usually expect from a ‘dark’ romance. I’ve only recently dipped my toes into the dark romance pool, though, so this was perfect for me.

I am SO looking forward to book two and highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky Books, Bookouture Audio and Kathryn Ann Kingsley, in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ SHAPESHIFTERS AND VAMPIRES

The Serpent’s Bride by Kathryn Ann Kingsley completely hooked me from the very first page (and minute, since I immersive read with the audiobook and ebook). I devoured it in just a few hours because I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The pacing was sharp and fast, pulling me along without a single dull moment.

The characters were fantastic, and the dynamic between them had me grinning, gasping, and occasionally clutching my Kindle like it was gossip from a friend. I especially loved the FMC—her being a shapeshifter added so much intrigue, and her personality made her feel like someone I’d actually want to hang out with in real life.

By the end, I wasn’t ready to leave this world. I need more of its magic, danger, and charm. If the next book dropped tomorrow, I’d be reading it immediately.

This. Was. AMAZING!
This story was narrated by Desiree Ketchum. As someone who prefers dual narrators, she did an exceptional job at portraying both male and female characters. After a while, I got used to it and forgot that it was a female doing all of the parts. I was too busy playing the story out in my head, "watching" it as it were. For the main character, Nadi, she did such a great job bringing the fierce, witty character to life. I can't praise her enough on how much her narration helped me fall in love with this book. I hope she's here for the second book as well.

There was not a lot in the way of world building, but there was enough plot and story building that I was able to do the world building on my end. The spice wasn't anything outlandish as long as you have experience with it in stories. As a reader, Nadi having the back and forth with herself when it came to Raziel was frustrating, but being able to put myself in the character's POV I was able to relate to what she was going through and that made it make sense. At one point my reaction was, "WHAT???" and I had to rewind it to hear it again. Talk about my mind being blown! This story was so twisty turnie that the flow was great and I was gutted when it was over. I am not generally one for mafia or vampire romances, but this one left me wanting more. It's not even out yet and I'm ready for book two and, from a reader, that's a little rude.

Thank you Netgally & Bookouture

This is a decent enemies to allies. The pace is steady and the ending leaves you needing the next book. My only gripe is I felt Nadi overlooked her lifelong goal a little too quickly.

The audio is done well for only have one narrator. The emotion is there to make each scene come to life, but I do struggle to stay fully connected when she lowers her voice for the male's voices.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Kathryn Ann Kingsley for the audioARC in exchange for a review.

The small town girl and the Vampire are not who they seem.
A shape shifter takes the form Monica, the Vampires betrothed. She has a past, thanks to her future husband and she is out for revenge.

This is a typical dark enemies to lovers, with some wonderful twists. The ending HAD ME.

I'll be looking for the next in the series!

4 stars

Let me just start by saying. WOW.
When I started this book I wasn’t 100% sure I was going to like it as I was decently bored for the first few chapters but then something happened and it got me hooked! I couldn’t stop reading.
I knew something was going to happen in the end that would make me jaw dropped but that was NOT what I was expecting.
I’ll be over here not so patiently waiting for book two of this series.

Thank you NetGalley, Katherine Kingsley and The NerdFarm for allowing me to read this as an ARC

The Serpent’s Bride 🩸🖤
Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC 🩷
📅 Expected Release: August 28th, 2025

This is one of those books that will stick with me for a long time. Revenge plots? ✅ Vampires? ✅ Fae? ✅ An ending I did not see coming? ✅

I listened to this in one sitting. I just couldn’t stop 👀 Nadi, our morally grey fae FMC, has a quick-witted, fiery energy that had me hooked from the first chapter. Her past trauma is tied directly to Raziel Nostrom, the infamously brutal (and yes, very attractive) vampire of a mafia clan 😍

“I will disguise myself as the vampire’s bride. I will win over his family. And then I will murder every last one of them.”

The romance unfolds like layers of a secret, the world is dark and lush, and the tension is delicious 🩸🖤

Things I Loved:
🩸 Vampire mafia boss vibes
🖤 Enemies to lovers
🩸 Shapeshifters
🖤 Marriage of convenience
🩸 Hidden identity

This is the first in a spicy vampire romantasy series 😍 The ending left me desperate for book two! I definitely recommend, this is a dark vampire romance so mind the warnings if needed!

What. In. The. Cliffhanger. HELL.
Kathryn Kingsley really said, “Here, fall in love with these characters, get comfortable, and OH—by the way—let me rip your heart out and yeet it off a cliff.”

This dark, delicious tale blends romance, myth, and danger so seamlessly you don’t even realize how deep you’re in until you’re gasping at that final page. Our heroine is bold but not reckless, our serpent leading man is sin wrapped in scales, and together? They’re a power couple forged in tension, temptation, and fate.

The worldbuilding? Immaculate. The tension? You could cut it with a ceremonial dagger. The emotions? Like being dragged underwater—terrifying and addictive at the same time.

But be warned: this isn’t a “happily ever after” (yet) kind of ride. It’s a “oh no, she didn’t just end it there” kind of ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC of The Serpent's Bride. If you are a fan of dark romances and/or vampires, this book might check a lot of boxes for you. It was a good time and while maybe not a literary masterpiece, it's definitely a great vibes read. I will continue with the series and would recommend!

This is exactly everything I want from a dark vampire romance. I had the most incredible immersive reading experience with this book, only a few chapters in I realised this would be amazing but I never would have guessed that ending, an actual MASTERPIECE I need the next book like yesterday

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately I have DNF at 37%. At this point I would have expected some action even some spice but there's nothing. I can't go any further. Sorry.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

ARC review

Oh. My. God. I have to begin by saying how much I absolutely LOVED this book. The characters are really well written. (And Raziel is definitely one of THE book boyfriends)

This has been a fantastic read and Iloved the fact that it was an actual enemies-to-lovers (if ya'll are looking for one, look no further), not just first 20% and the rest 80% lovers like most books are these days (TT).

Now moving on to the reason why I gave it 4 stars.

The first 27% ~ 30% felt kind of rushed, the characters seemed a little attracted to each other as soon as the MC arrived at the MMC's house (but, happily, that got better later).

Aside from that, I felt like there could have been something more added to the plot as the tension wasn't THAT big - at least for me. (don't get me wrong, the way Kathryn ended the book is EVIL.)
All in all, it was an amazing read and I look forward to the next book in the series, super excited to see what's next.

*Thank You NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!*

Well, I didn't see that ending coming, but color me intrigued. Fae, vampires and humans. One race hunted to near extinction and another indebted to the third. The social class structure is interesting to say the least.
I almost feel like Nadi is going to need her own redemption arc after her transgressions and I can't wait to see what mental gymnastics can turn this into a HEA.

The story is told from a dual point of view and is well done. Unfortunately the story is not told in dual narration but the female narrator did an amazing job with the male voices. They didn't sound like a woman passing for a man. When Raziel's character had a chapter or dialogue, it felt like a distinct character.

I cannot wait to see where this story goes!

I was shocked at how good this is, I have read a lot of vampire books and this one managed to completely surprise me with the ending/cliffhanger. Great pacing and the narrator did a great job of switched between the male and female characters. One thing that was lacking was the spice to me, it had a lot of build up. But fell a tad flat for me. Still can’t wait to read the next one!

Kathryn Ann Kingsley’s The Serpent’s Bride plunges listeners into a gothic, vampire-infused world of revenge, deception, and dangerously magnetic romance. Narrated by Desireé Ketchum, this audiobook delivers a darkly seductive experience that’s hard to pause.

The Serpent’s Bride is a must-listen. It’s not heavy on world-building, but it thrives on character dynamics and razor-sharp tension. Just be prepared for a cliffhanger that’ll leave you craving book two.

Publication date August 28, 2025

A Special Thank you to Bookouture Audio, Katheryn Ann Kingsley and Desiree’ Ketchum for this ALC.

As electrifying as a thunder strike on a stormy day. Kathryn Kingsley Whisked me away into a world of fantasy, where vampires rule with fangs as sharp as a butcher’s blade and Faes as beautiful as they are cunning.

This book was so good that I almost overlooked the fact that it was on Audio ( and I don’t listen to Audiobooks very much), but I requested the ARC anyway because it seemed too good to pass out on, and I’m glad to say I wasn’t disappointed.

The slow simmering chemistry between the MMC and FMC was undeniable. She went in to world of vampires with her mind dead set on avenging her family that was ruthlessly killed by them, However, as the story progresses, she finds herself torn between her thirst for revenge and her simmering attraction to the ruthless vampire- all the while trying to hide her natural fae form underneath her disguise as the MMC’s bride.

When the MMC comes to the realisation that she is not the kind of woman he expected, who keeps surprising him unexpectedly with her charm and banter, he can’t seem to resist her! I enjoyed reading about the other characters as well, who made the story more engaging in their own ways.

I can’t wait to see where the rest of the story goes in the next book- I need it as soon as yesterday!

4.5 stars! Wow what a fun read! Stunning and sexy! This story kept me locked in and alert. I loved this version of Fae x Vampire. It felt unique, modern and fresh. Assassin and a Mafia Prince... both toxic, both forbidden loves. And that ending?! YES PLEASEEEE!

This book had me in a chokehold (in the best way). One of the truest enemies to lovers books I have read, with a morally DARK grey MMC, forbidden love, vampires, fae, and rival gang families. Decent 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️, with some dark romance elements that make your toes curl. And the ending was chefs kiss. My only complaint is now having to wait to see how this story continues.

This book was seriously addictive! I’m OBSESSED!

The Serpent’s Bride follows Nadi, a shapeshifting fae, who disguises herself as the mortal bride of the infamous Nostrom family vampire, Raziel, who killed Nadi’s family decades prior. She plans to avenge her family’s deaths by killing Raziel and his entire family whilst undercover.

The storyline was so fast paced but really easy to follow and I really enjoyed the unexpected chemistry between Nadi and Raziel! The spicy scenes were well written and incredibly steamy!

I especially loved Nadi’s character! I am a huge fan of a morally grey FMC and Nadi did not disappoint! She reminded me of Dianna from Amber V Nicole’s Gods and Monsters series (a huge compliment).

I can honestly say I did not see that ending coming either and it’s made me even more excited for book 2!

This dark vampire romance will take you on a journey where the fmc is supposed to kill the mmc, and his entire family so she disguises herself as the vampires bride to get closer to them,

It took me a while to get really invested in this, but I did enjoy it, and that ending made me interested in continuing this series. I do really enjoy when immortal characters are a bit older, so that was a big plus here.

4,5 star