Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - King of Battle and Blood

My expectations were very low for this book, but I enjoyed it. There is more plot and emotion than I expected. I found the cuts between the emotional moments and the sex scenes jarring, but hey different people cope in different ways I guess. The MC felt very realistic to me. She takes her emotions out on others by starting fights when she's upset, so I can see why some people found her annoying. She also took forever to figure out the very-foreshadowed reveal, but I thought that was supposed to be some dramatic irony where the reader knows before the character.

Throughout the book, I always felt the need to know what happened next. I picked up the sequel asap. I really love some of the supporting characters, though I feel several are under-developed. Overall, I'd say it's mostly well-written prose. There are a few glaring flaws, but if you can look past them, it's a fun read.

Content Warnings

fannehsm's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A true enemies-to-lovers story—and the fantastic banter that comes along with it! Come to grapple with things you thought you knew about your world and existential crisis, stay for falling in love with a powerful overprotective vampire and coming into the confidence to rule. #feminism #justgirlythings

I had a lot of fun! Adrian’s immediate attraction to Isolde felt a little dumb at first, but the story, characters, and writing were so good I gave it a pass. But

when you find out about why it was so immediate, it makes sense why Scarlett wrote it this way and she was smart to keep it light on all the “why me?” stuff so I wasn’t too suspicious.

HOWEVER, I was a little disappointed, as the clues were laid out, that Adrian’s love is not so much for Isolde than

it is for who she was in a past life.

I felt bad for her for that… like her love was more “real” born out of getting to know him now. Slight imbalance here.

I really liked all their interactions and the build up of their relationship. It wasn’t too obvious that “this plot point will lead to this relationship development” -kind of progression. It felt natural and their interactions were fun.

This is a fun vampire lore fantasy kingdom without feeling like it’s too straightforward with how vampires are presented. I really loved this couple and the growth Isolde goes through. She is also one fierce woman!

Finally, Adrian is a hot “where is my wife” lover boy. He’s powerful, intense, and charismatic. So if you’re looking for that intense and giggly worship, he’s your guy!

Content Warnings

fayeelizabeth's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

would have been 4 stars but killing off one of the lesbians and leaving the other to suffer is a crime i cannot forgive

Content Warnings

ahopson's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Fantasy romance with mythical elements. It has a complex world and characters dealing with power struggles, family, and love. The story is engaging, though some parts are slower than others. If you like fantasy with strong characters and heated romance, this book is worth checking out.

Content Warnings

katerinovaaa's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

1 POV, ich-form, longer chapters
I loved the storyline and I really wanna read the second book but I'm not a fan of angst. Was it slightly cringy at times? Yes. But I didn't mind at all. The smut was pretty vanilla but I liked their connection and desire. So if you just wanna read comforting hard vampire smut then this is not a book for you.

Issa is so badass I freaking love her. And as Adrian said: "I like my wife and her knives."

"What if I miss the sun?"
"Then I will find it for you."

I cried my eyes out in the first 50 pages ngl. 😂 Even though it was insta-lust, the slow-burn was so slow I was scared I'll have to wait till the second book.

Tropes:
🩸orgasmic bites (not used between MCs unfortunately.)
🩸one horse
🩸enemies to lovers
🩸fated mates
🩸forced marriage
🩸witches, vampires, monsters
🩸disrespect my queen and DIE (unless she kills you first)

Trigger warnings:
JEALOUSY - it's there all the fucking time. He says he's not interested but his behavior is sure questionable. However, there is no cheating.
burning alive
sword fights, gore
alcohol (wine, mentioned)
death of a parent
death of a loved one
Killian has anger issues and grabs her once, bruising her arm. Adrian is NOT impressed.
betrayal - NOT between MCs

Content Warnings

alexsnerdycorner's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this so much. This read was a reread and I loved it just as much as the first time, if not more. It’s filled with foreshadowing that’s hard to miss if you don’t know the ending.

Content Warnings

samlauren07's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

3🌶️ ; I gave this 3 chili peppers for the quantity of spice not for the quality.
This book is for the vampire girlies who prefer more spicy content then plot. But I had that expectation going in so I was fine with it. Although I do wish the plot and main male character had more background. This may come in during book 2 but was definitely lacking book 1.
The banter between the characters was hilarious.
Easy universe to understand and jump into.
This is a vampire, forced marriage book.
This book wasn’t bad but could have had better plot/ writing.

Content Warnings

scoutingforbooty's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Really loved this book, the storyline and characters were engaging and interesting and kept me on the hook. Isolde is a strong woman that is able to acknowledge her flaws and misgivings, and learn from them. She is able to cry and feel doubt but come out stronger in the end. Adrian started out as this terrible man but as we got to know him? He truly was a good man, if a little murderous. Touch and die vibes for sure. He had heart and gave Isolde answers, which I frequently find frustrating in other books when the men keep their lovers in the dark. He has good intentions for Isolde and built her up instead of trying to drag her down to keep himself on top.

The twist was fun and I enjoyed it, it wasn’t rushed and Isolde wasn’t giving all knowing power like some books tend to do with this kind of twist. Really excited to see what happens with these two! People say it’s smut with plot but I felt it was pretty even, and I felt the self doubt surrounding the sex was understandable. It needed to be intentional for this kind of book to work so I went with it i can be pretty picky and critical when it comes to unforgivable plot armor for a romance to work in a book. You have to be able to enjoy this kind of thing to really like it

The spice was more of a 3.75-4, I felt like it seemed a little rushed through when it came around but was still hot!

Content Warnings

More...