I LOVED this book. Fae x vampire. Revenge. Mafia. Arranged marriage. Slow burn. It was all so good. Was thrown off a bit at the start with her having a tail instead of legs(although at the start I thought she had legs AND a tail but realised at the end it was only a tail). I hadn’t read anything like that before. But once I started I forgot all about that and couldn’t get enough.

The FMC, Nadia was sassy and I adored her. She gave up everything for her revenge. But it isn’t turning out like she planned. The MMC…Raziel…what can I say about him. 🥵 I want one. So badly.

All in all. This book was so good. I’m going to buy a physical copy when it comes out as a trophy. Can’t wait for the second one.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A quick and easy listen or read, for people who like a slightly twisted romance. It would make a good palate cleanser between heavier fantasy or romantasy books and series.

There were a few surprises in there for me (and some good smutty moments), which made it enjoyable, although in some places I'd say the plot pushes the boundaries on suspension of disbelief... the behaviour in pursuit of overwrought revenge made it difficult to identify with the FMC, but I feel like the MMC could get way more interesting in the next installment...

Thanks to netgalley for the audio ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has a bunch of my favorite tropes in it. But every single one had a little twist to it in which it felt new.

The two main characters in its book are vampire and Fae. I really like that both their ages were older than their physical appearance.

The story is really intriguing because every time I thought oh I knew how this scene is gonna play out didn’t go away I expected. For someone who reads a lot. It’s very nice to find that book that’s still surprises you.

I can’t wait for the next book. I am very curious where this storyline is had it

Not for me, but if you're a fan of dark fantasy romance, you'll probably enjoy this one! I LOVED the setting, it's 1930s mobster with a vampire nobility trope. I liked the main character, I liked that she was willing to make hard choices. The writing wasn't bad, it just wasn't for me. A lot of books do this, where they keep repeating "I can't believe I'm falling for Firstname Lastname of all people. Firstname fucking Lastname." If you read a lot of romance you'll know the style I'm talking about. I didn't find the mmc that compelling, but again I'm not into dark romance. I loved the ending, it was so brilliant. I don't know if I'll read the second one or not, but I know just because this wasn't my thing doesn't mean someone else won't love it. If you like dark romance and want a novel setting, this is the book for you!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc, all opinions are my own.

A faerie seeking revenge on the vampire lord that killed her family goes undercover as his human bride. An interesting concept for a book certainly. The execution and writing wasn’t my favorite and I didn’t connect much to the characters which felt a bit 1D to me but it was an ok read and the audiobook was well done.

I really appreciated the opportunity to receive this book early to review. it was enjoyable to listen to and a good story to follow. was not expecting the end and that is what I love. I look forward to the next book!.

Wow! This book was absolutely fantastic. From the description, I thought that I would love the vibe of this but it delivered even more than I expected.

Nadi is a badass assassin but also has so many layers that she feels like such a believable, real character. I love that we also get the MMC's perspective at times so that we know more about his motivations.

The slow burn, banter, the tension... and the spicy scenes were hot! I can't wait to see where this goes!

TW: Blood, gore, mentions of sexual abuse, mentions of sex trafficking, murder, familial death, etc

This was my first Kathryn Ann Kingsley book and will not be my last. What a fun ride The Serpent's Bride was! Nadi is a shapeshifter fae who is out for the ultimate revenge against the vampire that slaughtered her entire family in front of her. She infiltrates his home and family by taking the place of his sacrificial bride but can she kill him before she falls for him?

The blurb for this book grabbed my attention right away, I'm always down for a little revenge plot! I found Nadi and Raziel's chemistry pretty decent, even though at some parts I was flabbergasted at how UNdisgusted she was by some of the things he did. But this is a Dark Romance so c'est la vie and all that right? I got a lot of mafia vibes with how horrible Raziel's family is and how many businesses they are into so this will be fun if that's your jam. There's loads of murder and mayhem but still moments of tender emotions that make you love these two. The ending was expected and not. I knew he would find her out but I did not expect what happened after that, I will definitely be reading the next book!

I listened to this book after being blessed with an ALC and have to say I really enjoyed Desiree Ketchum's narration. She had just the right amount of sass that I imagined for Nadi and she had great inflection and tone. The pacing was perfect for me at my usual 1.25x and she did well with changing up the voice tone for males and females. I will be looking out for more of her narrations.

Thank you so much to Bookouture Audio and Second Sky Books for gifting me this ALC, looking forward to the next one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in advance.

The Serpent’s Bride offers a familiar fantasy romance setup: a Fae protagonist marries a vampire with the intention of killing him. While the premise isn’t new, I found the execution slightly stronger than in similar stories I’ve encountered. The pacing is fast, the audiobook is relatively short, and the tone fits well for readers seeking light, trope-driven entertainment.

One aspect I personally found less compelling was the character design — the main character is Fae, yet has a mermaid-like tail. I usually enjoy creative fantasy elements, but this particular combination felt a bit unusual to me and didn’t quite resonate, though others may enjoy the unique blend.

The romantic dynamic includes some steamy scenes, especially toward the end — with definite Fifty Shades energy. If that’s something readers enjoy, it will likely add to the appeal. The twist at the end was mildly interesting, but I’m still unsure whether I’ll continue the series.

Overall, this is a quick, easy read best suited for fans of light romantasy with familiar tropes, some spice, and a touch of dark intrigue — as long as expectations are kept in check.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture Audio | Second Sky Books for this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion

So this book starts very schematic. You know evil vampire - Raziel- killing off the whole family of Nadi's family., then FMC swearing to kill him and wipe his family too as an act of revenge. I kinda love when authors build on this schematic formula to make something of their own. however this was so schematic that i got disappointed.
Nadi happens to be assassin after waiting so many years to finally get her vengeance and opportunity arises when Raziel's wedding to a human girl is to be happening soon. As a shapeshifter fae Nadi can take the place of poor girl and make her dream kill come true, right?

Now what irked me in this book is that FMC is supposed to be intelligent, trained killer that was preparing for her entire life to take down a clan full of vampires.... except.... no she it's as intelligent as author wants us to believe or prepared as she should be (aka no plan how to do it). not to mention that her "hatred" is literally suppressed by lust within first meeting of her target who, mind you literally killed her family.
I get this is true enemies to lovers but... there is no buildup to lovers part?? just pure lust straight away??

I also get they are both murdering people but where were a bits of chemistry between characters? the moments they connect besides the lust they feel for each other?
It truly felt like there is nothing that connected them together as people. nothing besides the lust. and i have problem with that. i get this was supposed to be spicy (it wasn't ) romance so i guess some people turn a blind eye on it but do we as readers really don't want FMC and MMC to have anything in common OUTSIDE of bedroom? i mean that's just the whole point of romance, right? two people connecting over their faults and fears and likes and dislikes? i found it lacking in this position.

However, I must admit the ending is interesting and probably only reason why this book is rated 2.5-3 stars instead of 2 stars.

I loved the narrator. They did amazing job and yeah it's it (i could rant more but obviously no spoilers). i will not likely read book 2.

I really wanted to love The Serpent’s Bride, but unfortunately, the story just didn’t fully hook me. The premise is intriguing—a female fae sea creature (think fish-like siren) trying to glamour herself into appearing human in order to attract a vampire—but the execution fell a bit flat for me.

The audiobook narration itself wasn’t bad at all. The voice acting was solid and the production quality was good, so no complaints there. My struggle was more with the pacing and character connection. I never felt fully invested in the FMC or her motivations, and while the worldbuilding had potential, it didn't quite immerse me the way I hoped it would.

Overall, this one had an original concept and decent narration, but it just didn’t pull me in emotionally or narratively the way I wanted.

It's not often that when a book finishes I have to pause and say "Well..... SHIT" but this book perfectly managed that. This book will definitely be well accepted with the dark romance girlies. I know some people complain when narrators don't have a duet narrators scenario and when the single narrator portrays the opposite genders voice, but for me I think it was extremely well done in this book and it didn't throw off the story at all. Fae assassins in a vampiric world with insatiable desires for each other and a plot worth sticking around for. I don't normally like this genre also but I'm already planning to read the second book.

Think, vampires, fae, revenge, fake:ish marriage, dark and urban.
What more do you want?
No, but seriously. This was such a good story and such a good vampire book, I can’t wait for the next one!

The narrator did an excellent job!

That cliff hanger!!! OH MY GOSH I need book two yesterday!! I can’t tell you the last time I binged a book this hard but I was addicted. Nadi is a complete baddie who handled everything that was thrown at her with ease. This book left me guessing till the very end! Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a slow burn romantasy. There are not a lot of spicy scenes so if that is what you are looking for this book isn’t it. This is classified as “dark” however I didn’t really think it was very dark.

Nadia is a fae shifter whose entire family was killed by Raziel Nostrom. He is a ruthless and definitely morally grey vampire. She has decided to seek revenge on him. He is set to marry a woman he has never met. When she overhears this, she realizes she has her in.

I enjoyed the plot of this book very much. The cliffhanger was a little unexpected. I can’t wait for Book 2 in the series.

I listened to the audiobook and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the narration. Even though it was only one person for the MMC and FMC I felt like she did a great job.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio | Second Sky Books for the advanced listening copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Serpent's Bride: A Dark Vampire Romance (Book 1) by Kathryn Ann Kingsley,
Audiobook narrated by Desireé Ketchum
 
When a shapeshifter spends decades plotting revenge against the vampires who murdered her entire family, she finally gets her chance. Being about to shift into anyone, human, fae, or vampire, she can infiltrate the family, posing as the human girl who was sold to them as the bride for the youngest vampire to wed in their ritual wedding.

The plan seemed simple: pick them off one by one and save her new husband for last. What she did not expect was to fall for him.

Book Tropes to expect:

Enemies to Lovers
Vampires
Fae
Shapeshifter
Paranormal War
Political imbalance
Cutthroat Family
Barbaric Traditions
Imposter
Revenge
Planned assassination
Spice

I think the story flowed well and had me interested throughout. The morally black villain showed a softer side, even though he is truly a villain. His family seems to be worse than he is, honestly, with how he controlled himself throughout the book. The cliffhanger was interesting, and I'm wondering how it will all work out in the next book. Do I recommend this somewhat dark romantacy? Yes, if you enjoy fantasy with some spice. I don't think the spice was as prevalent as it can be in other fantasy books I've read. If you don't like open-door spice, you will have a couple of scenes to skip, but the story doesn't dwell on that as much as the FMC trying to plot her next steps and the strange dynamic between her and the vampire that she was raised to know as a monster. 

I received the ALC via Netgalley and Bookouture Audio | Second Sky Books in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set to publish on August 28th, 2025

First and foremost I’d like thank NetGalley & Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book early. I am forever thankful and my review is an honest reflection of my feelings towards this book.
I absolutely devoured this book in one setting. This was probably a very close to perfection Book in the enemies to lovers trope. And I honestly can’t wait for Book too cause that ending had me ready for the second book..
What happens when a shape shifting Fae pretends to be a bride to a vampire that killed her family. To get close to him and his family so she can kill them all.?
I for sure love the female main character. She was so feisty and so witty, and someone that I instantly was like, get him!
But then you get to know Raziel who is this character that got shaped by a vicious family into the man that he is and as you see them begin to fall in love it’s for sure transition that was done perfectly.
I honestly would recommend this book from the rooftops to people who love enemies to lover and marriages of convenience. This book was a knockout.
The narrator Desiree Ketchum was absolute perfection and bringing the story to life.

the serpents bride- by Kathryn Ann Kingsley-

Narrated by Desiree Ketchum
Publishing: August 28, 2025

Desiree’s voice is always on point. I love how she changes her voice. It makes it so much easier to follow along to a book and honestly, I only finished the book because of her voice.

I wasn’t a fan of the instalust or how things happened with her Uncle, it seemed counter productive to her goals. The FMC also seemed to have a lot of opportunities to kill the entire family and never took it.

I was confused by her true form. Did she have legs and a tail or only a tail? This was cleared up at the end of the book.

I almost DNF’d it. But the ending kind of made up for the issues I was having with finishing it.

🎧 Audio Narration - I think this lacked a male narrator, I don’t think Iv ever listened to an audio book that had a male pov but only a female narrator. It didn’t make sense to me and at points had me forgetting I was in his chapters. It really threw me off the book at times
Ok onto the story
- This wasn’t too dark, mostly it’s dark in the way that vampires are proper villains in this.
- I expected to go in and get less story and more smut ( it was just the vibes I got from the first few chapter ) I was pleasantly surprised to say that I was wrong and there was actually a really interesting plot line.
-Don’t worry there was still a few spicy moments.
- The repetition had me rolling my eyes at times ( mostly the fmcs inner monologue debating with herself if she should 💀 the mmc yet or if she should let him 💀 her ) some parts were a bit cringy but this could have been because I didn’t enjoy the narrators male voice.
- The ending was great I really liked where it went
- If I had book 2 right now I’d jump in straight away I would like to see where this one will go.

Disappointed that I have to wait for book 2 as so intrigued to find out what happens next!

Nadi has spent the last 80 years training for and planning her revenge against Raziel, the vampire who killed her family, when an opportunity to get close to the ruthless prince of the mafia finally presents itself; what could go wrong…

The Serpent’s Bride is the first book I’ve read or listened to by Kathryn Ann Kingsley so I didn’t know what to expect but I enjoyed it right from the start, as the story progresses and we learn more about the world and characters I couldn’t put it down, the mafia, fantasy mashup is refreshing, as is the FMC, I can feel a little “meh” about how FMC’s are written at times but I really liked Nadi and found her snarky inner comments so amusing.

There are vampires, fae, shifters an arranged marriage (kind of), morally grey FMC & MMC, enemies to lovers, with a few steamy moments, for me the slow burn was so well paced with great tension, it’s dark without feeling too dark, and then there’s a delicious twisty cliffhanger at the end,

The narrator also did such a good job, conveying the story and characters so well. (especially the FMC)

I can’t wait to read (well, listen to) the next book to find out where this goes and hopefully a little more about the world and Raziel, I enjoyed this one but I think there’s so much more to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!