Courting War

by Hazel St. Lewis

The number one rule in never make a deal with Death…even if Death is your sister. Theodra, Goddess of War, knows not to break this rule. But like all arrogant gods, she does just that. Unable to hold back, she destroys a ship full of traffickers, unaware there are girls on board. When one of them dies, Theo trades with Death for a soul she will someday love. A soul for a soul. A good deal, in her esteemed opinion, since she is incapable of falling in love. Unfortunately, Theo might have been mistaken. Thirteen years later, as a punishment for killing too many wicked men, she is sentenced to play as a mortal in a deadly tournament called The Sacrifice. The games are played in pairs, and her partner is the sinfully handsome Prince Kellyn. Even though they despise one another and can barely work together, sexual tension burns between them. But if their hatred turns to love, it will cost Kellyn his life, for Death is always waiting to collect. Courting War is a new adult fantasy romance novel and is a standalone book within a larger series. Featured tropes enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity (only-one-bed), forbidden love, and immortals. It is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Carissa Broadbent, and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Enemies To Lovers, Mythology, Fantasy Romance, Forced Proximity

336 pages, Hardcover

Published January 23, 2024

About the author

Hazel St. Lewis is a Northern California-based Romantasy author. Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, she struggled to read and write, but fantasy stories inspired her to start storytelling. Unfortunately, now, she is a little too obsessed with morally grey characters. When she isn’t writing, she can be found playing with her hoard of cats (too many to count…it’s a problem), singing songs to said cats—like Cinderella—or painting.

Reviews

[✨⚡ Kelcey (felinebooktrovert) ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

DNF 28%

Ahh I'm so disappointed! When I read the blurb for this one, I was really excited, hoping for an adult high romantasy. What it ended up being was a young adult low budget play.

I thought the writing was juvenile that seemed desperate to be adult. The only thing that was remotely adult was the MMC randomly throwing in the fact that he "fucked a bunch of women in the past" every time he had an internal dialogue.

Because of this, I was having trouble connecting to the characters and the story overall. It's really a shame because this had so much potential and I was pretty stoked to get the arc. 😔

[darling_book_mage · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's impossible to go through life without hurting the ones you love. Hurt is inevitable. Harming isn't"

Courting War is told by Kellyn and Theodra’s POV. We get to see their struggles and how they overcome these throughout the book.

Theodora - lives by a code of not taking innocent lives, Goddess of War, turned human, now a really pissed off ex-goddess of war. Thee is a lonely, heartbroken, bitter ex goddess who’s got a lot of trauma and has let this said trauma consumed her. She has the most character development that I love and frankly, I quite enjoyed all sides of her. I enjoyed her inner dialogue the most and her snarky responses.

Kellyn - talks in grunts (he really grunts a lot lol), has an “affliction”, “arrogant”, and HOT AF (it’s ungodly). I feel for him. He would rather be known as the arrogant heir than to have his “affliction” be known to the people, but, one thing about him is that he is loyal through and through and kind hearted.

"Did he only know how to grunt? It was like his primary language was grunts, Theodic his second and the common tongue his third."

The representations of disabilities and mental health problems in Courting War is *clap hands*, even a God cannot escape such things. I really enjoyed seeing the friendship overcome the obstacles brought on by The Sacrifice. The sibling love in their own twisted way between Death, War and Light *chefs kiss*. The blissful no miscommunication because Theo got rid of that miscommunication so quick, like the boss that she is and I AM HERE FOR THAT! Because I absolutely DO NOT like a miscommunication trope.

What I did not like is how it felt rush after the MCs got together and I just kind of lost connection towards them. HOWEVER, I am still happy with how Courting War ended because Thee really did deserve that (even Havyn agrees).

I was provided an eARC of this book. These are my thoughts and opinion of Courting War. Thank you BOMM and Hazel St. Lewis for the eARC.

[Angela Montoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading an early copy of Courting War. It was so much fun!!!! I adored the main characters. And some scenes had me 🥵🥵🥵🥵 too.

[Monserrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I got the opportunity to read an early copy of this book because it was so good!!! I absolutely adored the whole story and was hooked beginning to end!
-
I absolutely loved reading about Theo and leaning about her past and watching her character growth as well as seeing her relationships with the other characters develop! The whole premise was also so interesting and what made it even better was the complexity of every character! Almost every character we saw had something to offer and it was just hard to not love a lot of them throughout the story.
-
By the end I was so shocked, sad and I just did not know what was going to happen but I knew I was going to be so mad if Theo didn’t get her happy ending so I’m hella glad she did and I also cannot wait to see where this story goes!
-
Another aspect I truly loved was the representation that the story had for issues like dyslexia and color blindness because I feel that it was so well executed to the end and it just made the characters admirable.
UGH and that ending! It had me crying sad and happy tears but im just so content with how it ended and love the way in which Theo and Kellyn just fit so perfectly together!

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Hazel St. Lewis for the ALC.

A GOOD STANDALONE.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

Audiobook notes: I loved the narrators! There’s two for the dual POV and that’s my favorite way to listen to romance books. Both narrators did an amazing job, definitely recommend that route if you want to read this book!

This was a solid debut and I enjoyed the mythology aspects that were woven into the story. A bunch of villainous gods who just have fun meddling with human lives. It’s a bit dark and a bit gritty and those are some of my favorite fantasy vibes. I liked the soft enemies to lovers and thought for a standalone the romance was paced well. It’s a good slow burn that grew on me the longer I got to know Theo and Kellyn.

Some of the world building aspects were a bit confusing to me. The competition and scoring, exactly how and why the gods were meddling and a few other things. This is a standalone in a bigger world so hopefully in the next book things will be further expanded and explained.

I’m not mad one bit I picked this up and I would love to try book two as well. There’s many fantasy romance aspects that I love seeing that are in here and those moments were written very well.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: strong
- Romance: 1-2 open door; some innuendo throughout
- Violence: high
- Trigger/Content Warnings: dyslexia rep, suicide ideation, grief depiction, loss of life, torture

[ALM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read an early copy of Courting War and what a f****** ride. If you’re a fan of SJM, enemies to lovers, deadly games/trials, Greek Mythology, and Shadow Daddies, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. And in a total twist of the norm, the FMC is the villainous Lady Daddy.

The story is engaging while the lyrical writing reels you right in from the very first line. St. Lewis also wove in realistic dyslexia representation through the MMC (the author herself has dyslexia.)

Some of my favorite lines from Courting War:

“Men are such loathsome creatures.”

“Theo should just fuck him to nullify this wicked attraction, but she promised herself she wouldn’t lie with another male and she’d kept that promise for the last 1,000 years”

“Some call it murder, some call it justice,” Theo retorted. “It’s perspective really.”

“True friendship is accepting that we will be hurt and extending grace and forgiveness when it occurs.”

There’s tension, steam, and of course spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

[(old.enough.for.fairytales) · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!!!! I’ve finished the audiobook and I find myself thinking about the book and characters all 👏 the 👏 time 👏
deadly trials? ✔️
Forbidden love? ✔️
Gods and mortals? ✔️
Plus it’s dual POV and the audiobook has two readers…it had the makings for my favorite sort of book (and audiobook!) and it has NOT disappointed.

Highly recommend!

Thanks to the author for gifting me a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Birb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Sarah MacLean style romance in a fantasy setting, with the tight, pacey writing of Danielle Jensen. I read an early copy.

For fans of:
- SJM, JLA, etc etc
- immortal+mortal love story but the FMC is the immortal!
- the FMC is the shadow daddy
- the MMC is a himbo
- deadly trials
- Greek mythology

This book featured beautiful character arcs, a sizzling romance, and dyslexia rep (which the author shares). I can't wait for the spinoff books!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Hazel St. Lewis for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review. If you are a lover of Mythology, Throne of Glass, and/or The Hunger Games, then look no further Courting War should definitely be your next read. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was a bit slow at first, mostly as a consequence of world building, but once the story found its footing it was impossible to put down. There were lots of jarring plot twists and turns throughout the book. I found the characters super interesting and I was really invested in their fates. Theo is such a great morally grey female protagonist, who goes through a ton of character development from the beginning of the book to the end. The story had a great balance of adventure and romance, and felt equally character driven and plot driven. I love that this book works as a stand-alone. I think it sets a great foundation for future stories set in the same world and I look forward to seeing what Hazel St. Lewis has in store!

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars that I’ll round up. The Greek mythology in this book was really fun and well-done. It’s not something I’m usually into, but the book made me enjoy it immensely. The FMC was fabulous… strong-willed, deeply flawed, and troubled. Her path to retribution was so lovely and heartfelt to read. I love that this was a standalone within a greater series… the 5 book romantasy series gets really tiresome. I wish the book had been grittier at times but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and absolutely would recommend. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Hazel St. Lewis, for an early copy of this book.
If you are a fan of SJM, if you love enemies to lovers, knife to throat tension, only 1 bed, and raw emotions, then this book is for you.

“I don’t like you.”…”And most people I don’t like end up dead.”

St. Lewis captivates you with her perfect prose, tugs on your heartstrings with her emotional depth, and quickens your pulse with angsty tension.

Courting Wars pulls you in with tensions, betrayal, mystery, and chaos. The perfect pace keeps you eagerly turning each page, not wanting to put it down until you get to that ending.

5 stars, wonderful read. Sexy, entertaining, and beautiful. Bring on book 2!


“I’m the villain in most stories, but I don’t want to be the villain in yours.”

“Always on the sidelines of life, desperately seeking a connection she’d never find.”

Spice level🌶️🌶️ plus .5

[Megan B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepare to be swept away in a one-of-a-kind love story filled with gods, humans, and a whole lot of emotional turmoil in "Courting War" by Hazel St. Lewis. This novel took me on a journey through the hearts and minds of Theodra and Kellyn, two unforgettable characters who face their own struggles and triumphs.

Theodra, the formidable Goddess of War turned mortal, is a force to be reckoned with. Consumed by deep-rooted trauma and loneliness, Thee's journey towards healing and redemption is a testament to the power of character development. As I got to peel back the layers of her bitterness and heartbreak, I found myself rooting for her and understanding her inner dialogue, brimming with snarky remarks and a resilient spirit that shines through.

On the other hand, we have Kellyn, a man of few words but with an undeniable charm. Despite his constant grunts and an affliction that he keeps hidden, Kellyn's loyalty and kindness shine through his actions. His internal struggle between concealing his vulnerability and embracing his true self adds depth to his character, making him an endearing and relatable protagonist.

What sets "Courting War" apart is its unflinching portrayal of disabilities and mental health issues, even among gods. Hazel St. Lewis handles these themes with grace and sensitivity, leaving me a front row seat to witness the power of friendship in overcoming life's obstacles. The bonds formed amidst these challenges remind us of the resilience of the human spirit.

One refreshing aspect of "Courting War" is the absence of the overused miscommunication trope. Theodra's swift action in addressing any misunderstandings sets a refreshing tone for the story, allowing it to progress smoothly and authentically. Personally I absolutely loved this and how it added to the overall satisfaction and enjoyment of the reading experience.

However, after the main characters get together, the story does feel slightly rushed, which can disconnect readers from their journey. Despite this minor drawback, the ending of "Courting War" proves to be satisfying and fulfilling, providing closure for Theodra while granting Medusa a well-deserved happy moment, making the entire read worthwhile.

As an eARC recipient of this book, I can confidently say that "Courting War" left a lasting impression on me. Hazel St. Lewis's writing skillfully weaves together raw emotions, complex relationships, and personal growth, creating a truly immersive narrative. I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Hazel St. Lewis for the opportunity to dive into this mesmerizing world and share my honest thoughts and opinions.

[Adrianna Heaney-velu · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It’s impossible to go through life without hurting the ones you love. Hurt is inevitable. Harming isn’t. true friendship is accepting that we will be hurt and extending grace and forgiveness when it occurs.”

“Courting War” by Hazel St. Lewis is the first book of the Vicious Gods series. Theodora, Goddess of War, seeks to hurt men that she deems bad, if her eyes all men are the same, all men are evil. When she starts a fire on a ship of men that are human traffickers, she finds that she has made a deadly mistake. The boat has girls that were to be sold and one of them dies in the prosses. She is forced to make a deal with her sister, Goddess of Death, to save the girls life. The deal is the soul of the one she loves most. Theodora does not love so she thinks its not a problem but when her mother makes her a mortal and forces her into the Courting War, she learns that not all men are evil.

I really like this book. I loved that the main male character is dyslexic which I thought was unique in a fantasy book. I loved all the characters and their development throughout the book was really well done. I loved how the Courting War, which is death trials to appease the Gods, is not about the participants killing each other but have their own missions and quests to overcome that sometimes overlaps each other and sometimes is doesn’t. I can’t wait to read book 2. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Royalty
-Enemies To Lovers
-Gods
-Abuse and Trauma
-Evil FMC

[Jessica Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s it about?

Theo, the goddess of war has become callous to the workings and schemings of gods and mortals… almost. She still holds a grudge against all men and tries to save women from their treachery.

The gods also hold a competition each year where a chosen mortal and their priestess must compete in a series of challenges to either explain victory or give their lives in sacrifice.

Prince Kellen finds himself tricked into the games. And Theo is tricked by her own mother into becoming mortal and partnering with him. The two must overcome their prejudices if they want to live… and Theo must contend with human emotions.., including love.

My thoughts:

This book gave me major Circe vibes. It had the feel of mythic legends being handed down through centuries. Following Theo and Kellen and watching their internal battles was fascinating.

I loved seeing how what Theo thought was “right” clashes with what she comes to realize is right the longer she remains mortal.

There are lots of twists and turns in this book. I loved the element of Kellen’s dyslexia and how Theo reacted when she found out.

The love story is beautiful, though the two definitely struggled to find their connection.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook narration of Courting War. The dual narration was perfect and well cast.

I look forward to reading more in this series!

[Hannah Delano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, especially the magical games aspect (reminded me of the games in The Serpent and the Wings of Night). The story of Theodra and Kellyn does not end on a cliffhanger, but I believe the Vicious Gods series will continue with a focus on other characters featured. The main characters remind me of Meg and Hercules, except Theo is the god in this scenario, and Kellyn the human.

My favorite part about the story was the mental health & learning difficulty representation. Kellyn is depicted as a big, strong, gorgeous man but he struggles with self-image due to dyslexia. His internal dialogue was relatable to anyone who has dealt with poor self-esteem, and it was satisfying to read his journey to a positive view of himself. Theo also battles depression, believing she is not worthy of love or happiness.

A specific note on the audiobook: the narrators did a fantastic job! Personally, and this is completely subjective, the voice/accent of Theo is not what I envisioned so if I were to reread the book I would choose an ebook or physical copy.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🌶️ 🌶️

Key tropes and topics: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, forbidden love, only one bed, magical games, villainous ladies, gods and goddesses, mental health representation, learning difficulty representation, Celtic and Greek mythology

Thank you to Hazel St. Lewis, NetGalley, and Book of Match Media for providing me with advance digital and audio copies of this book! All opinions expressed are my own.

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

Oh, Man!! Oh, Man!! What a whirlwind… I am astounded by the journey the story took. I was not expecting that the story would embrace such a thrilling competition. It was greatly an amazing experience listening to the audiobook. The narrators Ashley Rose Kaplan & Christian Leatherman were very good with emotions and banter and even when in anger.

I really really loved how Ashley spoke, it just connected with my soul. Hazel St Lewis wrote a remarkable plot and then gave it wings with all the twists and turns. I am very excited for the next books in the series as they will have all the interesting side characters as main characters in them. And I recommend everyone to read this and follow the author for more.

Theodra is a God who has been alive for 10000 years, omg I can’t even imagine being alive this long and suffering for what she has gone through. I appreciate her character very much, and the growth that her character shows throughout the story is just hats off. She is strong, resilient and strong-headed with compassion, making her unique to me.

Kellyn is a human with a very humble heart. He brings life to any situation. His character brings joy to me whenever I listen to his chapters and Christian did amazing with the voice in the chapters. It was so soothing and full of love but I wanted more of the story after everything went ok. It felt like a fast-forward type. I wanted to know more about how Nefeli reacted afterwards. What will happen next?

It’s a 4.25⭐️ for me.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This. Was. Excellent!
First: The dedication at the front of this book is absolute gold.
Hazel St. Lewis‘s writing is incredibly descriptive, and such a joy to read.

This is one seriously epic story, the plot was so clever and well-developed, and flowed well.
I loved the concept of ‘The Hunger Games’ with Gods thrown in (along with other mythological influences).
The slow burn, enemies-to-lovers tropes were executed so well. The ‘forbidden love’ element added an extra layer to the main characters that I didn’t know I needed, too.
I would recommend Read the authors note in its entirety before proceeding, it includes all TWs and reasons for some language used.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this book.

I can’t wait for it to be released, and I’m fully up for reading the rest of this series. It’s epic!


Memorable quotes:
“I cannot fault your actions in a game designed to make you betray the things you hold most dear.”

“He was her opium. He was poppy tears and poison. Potent both physically and mentally. He was the drug that awakened her soul, melting the ice in her veins.”

“I'm the villain in most stories, but I don't want to be the villain in yours.”

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never did I think mixing gods, The Hunger Games, and a touch of forbidden romance could be this good, but I am obsessed and need more of this story. This story brings together some good twists on the popular tropes of enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and forbidden love.

This story also does a fantastic job addressing not just overcoming dyslexia but dealing with the perceived shame of having any sort of disability. I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes since I was 8 and I felt that I could connect with so many things that Kellyn was feeling regarding the fear of what others may think about him if he told them about his condition. Hazel St. Lewis does an excellent job addressing the stigma that many people face regarding conditions that they have.

The love and connection that grows during this story feels real and is well paced throughout. Hazel St. Lewis does an excellent job of creating that bond and the high stakes tension between Kellyn and Theodra from their very first meeting. There is some spice, but don’t expect a book full of spice.

For the audiobook side of things, I loved the dual narrators used for Kellyn and Theodra. Having both really increased the immersiveness of the listening experience!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Treat yourself and order this book right now!

“I’m the villain in most stories, but I don’t want to be the villain in yours.”

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Hazel St Lewis for the ARC of this book. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of Courting War.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me out of my slump, I read it in a single day! I loved everything about it, our FMC, MMC, supporting characters, everything! The world building was phenomenal and I did not struggle to understand who was who because St. Lewis gives us all the info we need (refreshing!).

Things I loved:
-This book was everything. I am obsessed.
-The dedication! And how Bella plays a part in the story!
-The dialogue in this book (especially between the humans) feels realistic to me, much more so than many other books!
-I love the premise and plot of this book. It’s giving similar vibes to Crowns of Nyaxia but it’s also totally different and feels new.
-I CANNOT wait to look at fan art when this book is released! Kellyn and Theo are so hot in my head and I need to see it.

Things I think could be improved:
-The end felt a tad bit rushed to me. That said, the end also made me extremely emotional (tears happened) and was great nonetheless.

I am recommending this book to all my fantasy loving friends. This was such a fantastic read.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Duvlina Ann Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courting War by Hazel St. Lewis is a wonderful book.

This book is perfect for a tragic love story fan such as I am. This book got a little bit of enemy turn to lover, slow burn, high sexual tension, action packed, suspense, angst, secret, betrayal, heart breaking moments and lots of tears. I was bawling at the end of the book. As the author said, the book got spicy scene but a mild one which is 2.5 chili pepper level.

I loved how refreshing every characters are such as Kellyn have a dyslexia which is my first time encounter which such a character and it is a good awareness. The deadly tournament called Sacrifice make me feel a Hunger Game vibe while reading this book which brings the suspense and thriller. And I loved how this story got a lot of family secret and every plot twist.

I'll definitely be looking forward towards Hazel St. Lewis and waiting for the next book.

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for providing this ARC through NetGalley. This book was absolutely incredible. I will be recommending this one to my friends when it releases. I really liked how the FMC was the one thousands of years old, I loved Theo’s growth, and the ending left me wanting the next book already. I will definitely be reading Hazel St. Lewis’s next book!

[Chelsea ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could not put this book down at all! The mythology was amazing, the disability representation was an amazing touch, the characters were perfect! I’m normally not the biggest fan of duel povs but this was great! I can’t to read the others when they come out next

[That Nerd Alley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Courting War.

The book was a little slow in the beginning but as the story kept evolving it captivated me and I could not stop reading!

This was my first mythology book but it has definitely given me a desire to read more. I loved the changing of POVs and the beautiful world that I didn't want to leave. The writing was so captivating and I found myself so lost in reading.

This book is a must read for fantasy and mythology lovers and I will definitely be getting myself a physical copy when this book is released!

[caffeinatedbigbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great spin on Gods and Goddesses and for once the female lead is morally grey and a thousand years old compared to the male lead who is young and morally sound. The tempo was perfect as was the length. The one thing that bothered me was the word "drawers", not panties, underwear, lingerie...drawers. I picture a specific non-sexy clothing item when I read that. That aside, though, the book was really good. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Greek God myths or the like.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow where to even begin. I am SO thankful I got the chance to read an early copy of this because it was everything! The only downside is having to wait for book 2 now 🤣

St. Lewis is the new Queen of writing a villainous female main character. Theo was so unapologetically bold and brutal and I couldn’t help but absolutely LOVE her. Watching Theo’s evolution throughout this story was just incredible and I know it’s something I won’t forget anytime soon.

I live for books with lots of angst and tension and when I say Theo and Kellyn had exactly that, I mean it. I could hardly put the book down at times because I just needed to know what was coming next!

On the subject of Kellyn, I can’t help but mention how deeply it moved me to read his journey. As a parent of a dyslexic child this made me feel so seen for her and I am so wildly happy that it was written into this book.

I cannot WAIT to see other readers devour this book like I did!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jules Just Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She was terrifying and arrogant, but there was far more to her than that. More than he had ever imagined, and he wanted to know it all.”

Looking for an action-packed fantasy romance with enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, meddlesome gods and a dash of spice? Look no further! I enjoyed the storyline and high stakes tournament setting with intense trials. The main characters were complex and had to overcome fears and personal struggles to succeed. I loved that the FMC was a morally grey god that was knocked down from her pedestal and had to live as a mortal. The last third of the book was so enthralling and I couldn't stop reading! Although this book ended happily, I'm excited to see what's next in this world!

You'll enjoy this book if you like:
•Fantasy Romance
•Dual POV
•Enemies to lovers
•Forbidden romance
•Meddlesome immortals
•Tournament trials
•Mild steam/spice 🌶🌶

Thanks so much to @bookofmatchesmedia and @hazelstlewis for the ARC! I have a link to the book in my bio and the full blurb is on the next slide! Happy reading friends!

[alltheprettypages Jennifer Garifo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was very creative. Definitely a read for anyone looking for a plot driven high fantasy with a strong female main character! The main male character Kellyn and main female character Theo are thrown into a Hunger Games style competition that’s being put together by the gods/goddesses of their realm. They have to work together to make it to the end. Through their trials each character grows as more of their history comes to life. I really loved the dyslexia rep with Kellyn, that was done so beautifully, bravo to the author for the compassion & insight she brought to that.

✔️Greek mythology gods/godesses
✔️Strong FMC’s (multiple strong female main characters)
✔️Dual POV 3rd person
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Forbidden romance
✔️Reluctant allies to lovers
✔️Detailed & In depth world building
✔️Plotting & meddling gods/goddesses
✔️Cinnamon roll MMC
✔️Morally grey FMC
✔️ Slow burn with Light- Medium level Spice
✔️Dyslexia Rep

I recommend this for anyone who liked Gild, The Witch Collector, and/or Spark of the Everflame.

* I received an E-ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.

[Tati Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do if you traded a soul to save a girl but had to give the soul of the one you love? Keep in mind, you believe you are incapable of love. This story's premise is so good. The tension truly begins when Theo is sent to play as a mortal for a punishment. Then she meets the prince and the VIBES are AMAZING!

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 5 out of 5]

I BINGED this NA fantasy romance !!😍 I love morally grey characters and in this story the roles are reversed and the female-lead is the VILLAINOUS hater of men: the Goddess of War. While the male-lead is a grumpy brute with a heart of gold 😭❤️

The Goddess has her divinity taken away and finds herself stuck as a human priestess to the Prince of Theoden. She is forced to aid him in the deadly trials to sacrifice to the Gods. They are Literally chained to each other as she hides her true identity and tries to find a way back to being a goddess. It’s a slow burn steamy romance with an addictive dynamic! Knife to the throat and all 🔥 what I loved most about this book is that it has the perfect balance between characters and plot! Both are super well done and I was not only intrigued by the cast but also by the challenging trials. The dyslexia rep was also very well done and it’s the first time I see it represented in a book ❤️

Thank you to the author for providing me an ARC for review!

[Toya (thereadingchemist) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theo, Goddess of War, is forced to participate in the deadly games known as The Sacrifice as a mortal as punishment for neglecting her godly duties. She’s paired with Prince Kellyn, one of her faithful subjects even though he doesn’t know her true nature. The two must set aside their differences and work together if they are to survive…

I loved both Theo’s and Kellyn’s characters.

Theo comes off as fierce, unlikable, and closed off due to her past trauma, but we see her process the repercussions of abandoning her subjects as well slowly start to trust Kellyn.

Kellyn is just amazing. He’s so incredibly devoted to the Goddess of War even though she abandoned men, and he has no idea it’s Theo. Kellyn also has major self esteem issues due to his dyslexia and color blindness. St. Lewis also has dyslexia, and it’s clear she poured so much of her own experiences to make Kellyn’s struggles both realistic and relatable.

The tournament itself was WILD. There’s so much mythological lore that went into this, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

And lastly, for the fellow audiobook lovers, Ashley Rose Kaplan & Christian Leatherman do a fantastic job of narrating Theo & Kellyn, so I highly recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to the author & Book of Matches Media for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.