Ruthless Royals

The Shadow Kissed #4

by Rebecca L. Garcia

The City of Nightmares mourns their fallen king and his daughter. Little do they know, Olivia is alive and deep in hiding with Sebastian by her side. With the deadly annicperre guarding the castle, Salenia, the goddess of the underworld, takes the throne. Astor is the only one who knows Olivia is alive. They thought locking him away would allow them to find a way to destroy Salenia. Until he manages to escape, now it's a matter of time until the malicious goddess hunts her down. They must move on Salenia before she forms her attack, yet Olivia’s group is divided. Some are ready for battle. Others seek out powerful allies whose loyalties may lie elsewhere. Back at the castle, Niall learns of Salenia's true to ensure Olivia stays dead, and to find the lover who betrayed her and his soulmate. The matron of the Underworld locates a ritual that will return her to her original form. To Niall’s horror, he discovers the mortal he cares for is caught in the middle of that ill fate. As the sands of time run out, dark secrets come out that will change the course of destiny… forever.

Read the final book in the Shadow Kissed Series now.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romantasy, Vampires, Fantasy Romance

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2023

About the author

Rebecca writes dark fantasy romance, usually with gothic elements and always with morally gray characters. Originally from England, she lives in Texas with her husband, and two sons. She loves anything with enemies to lovers, slow burn, and lots of angst.

Find out more about Rebecca and check out her books here:
Website: www.rebeccagarciabooks.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/rebeccalgarciabooks

Reviews

[Anshul (stories.buddy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marvellous world came to an end but the journey was not simple, it was full of hardships, emotional breaks, uncovering history, and lots of political strategies. I enjoyed each book, all ended on solid cliffhangers. Rebecca got me completely spent in this world of vampires and gods and humans. I read this book as slowly as I could since I was not ready for it to end. I got a lot of questions answered and I never settled by the end of it.

The story took off almost where it left off in the third book, and the suspense of Olivia alive was fantastic. Salenia not knowing about Olivia was thrilling, her focus on Niall gave me full entertainment. Niall’s character has improved a lot and I came to love his personality more than ever. He is very intriguing and his obsession with Elizabeth was the icing on the cake. Smooth, the story flowed smoothly. I loved how these characters have come together and fought for their family.

The tension of the unknown was till the end but then everything got well and we got the HEA. I appreciate how well everything turned out, the sacrifices made were needed. It was all and all full house. A must-read series.

[Sophie Koufes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruthless Royals (The Shadow Kissed Series Book 4) is the final book of this urban fantasy romance series. The suspense drizzling through the pages was captivating. The royalty aspect of the story brings more excitement. All characters are intriguing in their own way. I love the world building settings and descriptions. Multi pov, giving each character their own voice. It's an entertaining novel. It's an epic ending to the story.

[thespookybooknerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an epic ending to the Shadow Kissed series! What's not to love about a dark, vampy story filled to the brim with all the best tropes?! (The aniccipere, that's what shudders) 😆. Ruthless Royals features tropes such as fake engagement, forced marriage, royalty, prophecy, chosen one, found family, secret identities, fated mates, and only one bed! 😍
I seriously love the found family aspect in this one. I couldn't put together a better circle of friends for Olivia! I love them all. I also liked the bit of mystery factor that the secret identities trope gave us.
I have continued to enjoy the three different points of view given from Olivia, Sebastian, and Niall. Nialls character really grew on me in book three, and he did not disappoint in the final. Another character I really liked was Erianna. Not only is she an incredibly fierce warrior, but she's also so kind, caring, and just an overall wonderful friend to have. I liked getting to know a bit more about her past in this one and seeing a bit of a different side to her.
Like the other books in the series, a lot happens in Ruthless Royals, and I once again could not stop myself from tearing through it! I had to know what was going to happen next and how it was all going to end!

I'm sad that this series has come to an end. Everything wrapped up nicely, but I'm just not ready to let these characters go! If you need me, I'm off to find out where I can apply to be Sebastians soulmate. 😍🤣

If you're a fan of dark stories full of vampires, magic and some spice thrown in, definitely check this series out sometime!

⚠️TW: Contains scenes or mentions of sex, graphic violence, torture scenes, suicide, demons, adult language, blood, human trafficking and slavery, and murder. Intended for readers 18+.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endlich kommen wir zum Finale der "The Shadow Kissed" Serie. Und ich hab mit einem weinenden und einem lachenden Auge Abschied genommen von Olivia und ihren Freunden.

Es geht auch in Band 4 nochmal so richtig heiß her - sowohl im Sinne von spice als auch im Sinne von Abenteuer, Politics, Twists und Wendungen.
Endlich verstehe ich auch, warum Niall seinen eigenen POV bekommen hat, es macht Sinn und die Autorin hat mich hier umgehauen - das hab ich so nicht geahnt oder kommen sehen. Ja, ich hatte Vermutungen, aber wie genau, das konnte ich dann doch nicht sagen.

Aber ich bin froh, dass Olivia nun ihren Frieden mit der Welt, mit Sebastian, mit ihrer Familie gefunden hat, und auch der Epilog hat das ganze toll abgerundet.

Eine tolle Serie und perfekt für Fans von Romantasy mit etwas spice, starken Charakteren und jede Menge Action.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruthless Royals by Rebecca L. Garcia
“Sometimes, the armor one wears best is words and diplomacy.”
~~~
Alrighty so final book in the 4 book series. Plot was really detailed, and showed great emotions. Loved seeing the final version of the main characters and how all their strengths and abilities worked with each other. Then there was the bonus couple from book 3 which was a 180 plot twist, that was a shocker.
Had great spice and then the ending was very emotional. One thing I would’ve liked is if a certain part at the end was dragged out a little longer just for more emotional effect. But I won’t spoil anything; especially for those planning or in the process of reading the series.
Overall great series, and would recommend it to friends that would enjoy a quick series read with enemies to lovers, vampires, found family, spice, and a whole lot more!

[Jessica Bruno · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was the best book out of the entire series but very predictable. There were no surprising twists or turns for me but I did enjoy that every question was answered. I also struggled with the massive amount of printing errors to the point that conversations were hard to follow because misplacing "he" and "she" was common throughout the book and you had to go back and re-read to figure out who was talking. I loved the concept of the series and enjoyed the plots but I think it may have needed to be fine tuned a bit more.

[Danae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I like Niall now because he had so much growth in this book and with the few glimpses we got it made more sense why he acted the way he did. I only like Olivia because Seb loves her and he is one of my favorite characters. A lot happens in this book which is why I’m okay with the ending being a bit slower. It gives a sense that it’ll be a Happy for Now scene like I’m sure there will always be something that could threaten the tentative peace the ending has, but either way it’s enough to satisfy any reader. (Hopefully 🤞)
⭐️4
💧7

[Maria Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prophecy fulfilled

What a great ending to this series. Although for awhile I thought this book was about Niall and Elizabeth considering how much of their story made up this book. But i loved it. I fell in love with their story from the beginning more so than Olivia and Sebastian. So I was a little disappointed they didn't get one last chapter on how they were doing especially considering their roles in all this.

[Bee Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored the ending of this series. I felt like it was completed perfectly. It didn’t feel rushed in anyway and left the rebuilding with plans for the future which I enjoyed. I’m so happy my suspicions about Niall were right and him and Elizabeth are together again. I love Olivia and Sebastian and was so made up to have a long and queen to bring light to the ending of this series. I highly recommend.

[꧁•Hita Caires•꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨✨✨✨✨

I'm going to miss Olivia and Sebastian, but Niall was a pleasant surprise for me.

I loved how the story ended; the way the writer presented the events to us from different points of view was just brilliant.

The ending was amazing, although I wonder why Olivia left Sebastian suffering with that uncertainty. I guess if he had known the truth, he would have been more relaxed and that would have created distrust. And for the plot it was exciting.

Honestly, it was an excellent story.

[laubookstories · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha encantado el viaje de esta saga. Oscura, sangrienta, cruel y apasionada. Ha ido in crescendo cada libro pero... después de tres libros, esperando una batalla épica, una guerra impresionante, se me ha desinflado. No ha sido épico y ha durado cuatro páginas. Creo que al final no ha estado a la altura.
Aún así me ha encantado la saga. La evolución de los personajes, cómo odias y aprecias por igual. Mezcla de dioses, magia y vampiros...
👌🏼👌🏼

[Sarabeth Bohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

surprisingly loved it!

Aren’t we all over the vampire craze? Perhaps not, because this series was just so great. Yes, it need some edits. I’ve seen all the reviews on all the other books, but the content is phenomenal. I LOVED the mental health aspect in this series (intentional or not) and this story will stick with me for awhile. Give it a read!

[Kiley van Brero · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this whole series but the ending felt so abrupt for all the buildup we got. I wish olivia going through and being at peace with her trauma and guilt was addressed. The whole big fight was only 50 pages and I would have loved to see her meeting with the gods again. I was def a bit disappointed but overall I loved the series

[Ruth Hinojos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good series finale. So much happened, so many twists and turns that one keeps wondering what will happen next.

It was great to see the development of each character from the beginning of the series to the end.

Each plot was closed very well without leaving any loose ends.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect

A Wonderful end to a wonderful series that I enjoyed immensely. A must read folks one you won’t regret reading.

[Caitlin Denman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series from start to finish. I swear you won’t go wrong picking up this series. So happy with the amazing ending!

[Shannon Marcos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful ending to the Shadow Kissed series. As always, Rebecca Garcia keeps you entertained and wanting to read more.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than last book but predictable and didn't care about other couple at all lol didn't think they needed to be included tbh

[Chastity Arceneaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Awesome series! This series keeps you entertained and nail bitting with Suspense! Love the art work on the books can't wait to buy the books!

[⚡eli⚡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 :)