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The Eastern Quarter's Mana
These Bittersweet Vines
After stumbling from the blood soaked catacombs, Prince Ortherion discovers he's lost more than just his memories. His father is gone, leaving the kingdom crumbling, and his rightful crown has been given to his brother. Even his lover has abandoned him.
While finding a deeply needed companionship with his guard, Ortherion works to heal and piece together his broken memory and kingdom, amending what his father has destroyed. But a horrifying creature has other plans, whispering warnings and threats, refusing to leave the prince alone. Ortherion has every bit of trust in his new guards to protect him from this threat, but the treachery runs deeper than he knows, and the past refuses to be forgotten.
While finding a deeply needed companionship with his guard, Ortherion works to heal and piece together his broken memory and kingdom, amending what his father has destroyed. But a horrifying creature has other plans, whispering warnings and threats, refusing to leave the prince alone. Ortherion has every bit of trust in his new guards to protect him from this threat, but the treachery runs deeper than he knows, and the past refuses to be forgotten.
526 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2024
1 person is currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Dorian Valentine
6 books77 followersDorian Valentine is a LGBT+ author living in a haunted house in rural Connecticut. He loves to write about vampires, fae and gothic themes—and he can’t be damned to write anything else. When he isn’t writing you can find him bothering his cats, walking in the cemetery or scaring the locals.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 16, 2024
Oh Dorian, you’ve done it again. I was gobbling up these pages right from the start and you had me hooked and obsessed with this world and these characters all over again. It was written so addictively and in an immersive way, I lost my memories with Ortherion and completely forgot why I was mad at him in the first book because this story was so thrilling, sexy and dripping in gothic charm. Also, who doesn’t love a bit of fae drama.
Anyone who read Rosemary & Iron, I KNOW you will adore this book. READ IT. I promise you, you will thank me😎
Anyone who read Rosemary & Iron, I KNOW you will adore this book. READ IT. I promise you, you will thank me😎
July 10, 2024
These Bittersweet Vines is both the sequel to Rosemary & Iron and Dorian Valentine's sophomore release. I personally read and loved Rosemary & Iron, and this read was a great way to revisit the entrancing gothic world we were originally introduced to and explore one of the previous tale's villains as the protagonist. Though this can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading Rosemary & Iron for more context and just the enjoyment of it!
When we meet Ortherion, a Prince of the Unseelie, at the start of this novel he's grappling with the aftermath of his life crashing down around him... and not being able to remember a good portion of it. Following Ortherion on his journey of redemption, healing, and love was the perfect dose of comfort to the hurt his character had endured.
As he starts unlocking his memories, an eerie figure starts to hunt him. Ortherion isn't deterred with the help of his devout guard, Lucien, to protect him. Together, the pair unlock his memories and work through their own respective traumas. Ortherion and Lucien are here to prove that love is deserved no matter the flaws and insecurities each of us may carry.
There is gripping action, steamy smut, and found family all along the way, so if any of that piques your interest this is one you don't want to miss!
When we meet Ortherion, a Prince of the Unseelie, at the start of this novel he's grappling with the aftermath of his life crashing down around him... and not being able to remember a good portion of it. Following Ortherion on his journey of redemption, healing, and love was the perfect dose of comfort to the hurt his character had endured.
As he starts unlocking his memories, an eerie figure starts to hunt him. Ortherion isn't deterred with the help of his devout guard, Lucien, to protect him. Together, the pair unlock his memories and work through their own respective traumas. Ortherion and Lucien are here to prove that love is deserved no matter the flaws and insecurities each of us may carry.
There is gripping action, steamy smut, and found family all along the way, so if any of that piques your interest this is one you don't want to miss!
May 8, 2025
(BETA READER THOUGHTS)
These Bittersweet Vines is a delightfully captivating fantasy novel that kept me up at night for days to see what would happen next and put me on a roll to actually give a chance to fantasy. The writing is a mix of classic fantasy dreaminess and a casual tone that results in a lovely reading experience. The world-building and the storytelling are excellent. Despite not having read the first book, not only did I enjoy the story as it is, but I also found myself wanting to read the first book in the series, Rosemary & Iron, to get more of this universe. Valentine crafts a tense yet soft queer dream full of moral dilemmas with classic fantasy aspects and mixes them in with delightful gothic elements. It's a great fantasy novel for the readers of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles who are bored with the constant issues of the series.
The characters, the writing, the world building, and the political intrigue of the book were all thoroughly intriguing. (Please check the content and trigger warnings.) Ortherion became one of my favourite characters from the moment I opened the book. He is very complex yet very simple in his nature and is conflicted in what his life is made out to be by his family. His worries, even in the most intimate moments, struck a chord in me. I am really glad to see kink as a means for self-expression without realising. Every aspect of him was thought about, I loved that. It was like that with everything about the book. Every detail is woven in very well, Valentine is a true crafter. There are no pure good or pure evil; every character has their background, which takes away the "hero-villain" situation and instead gives the reader a cast of people.
It was my first book by Dorian Valentine, and it definitely won't be last. Valentine is high up on my radar for new releases after this! I read the book as a beta reader, but despite its length and my weird schedule, I devoured this book with delight. I am not the biggest fantasy enthusiast, nor do I like big books, but the plot intrigued me enough to apply for beta reading. I found myself rushing to the next page and eventually getting through this chonker of a book in no time, with a love for fantasy at the end.
These Bittersweet Vines is a delightfully captivating fantasy novel that kept me up at night for days to see what would happen next and put me on a roll to actually give a chance to fantasy. The writing is a mix of classic fantasy dreaminess and a casual tone that results in a lovely reading experience. The world-building and the storytelling are excellent. Despite not having read the first book, not only did I enjoy the story as it is, but I also found myself wanting to read the first book in the series, Rosemary & Iron, to get more of this universe. Valentine crafts a tense yet soft queer dream full of moral dilemmas with classic fantasy aspects and mixes them in with delightful gothic elements. It's a great fantasy novel for the readers of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles who are bored with the constant issues of the series.
The characters, the writing, the world building, and the political intrigue of the book were all thoroughly intriguing. (Please check the content and trigger warnings.) Ortherion became one of my favourite characters from the moment I opened the book. He is very complex yet very simple in his nature and is conflicted in what his life is made out to be by his family. His worries, even in the most intimate moments, struck a chord in me. I am really glad to see kink as a means for self-expression without realising. Every aspect of him was thought about, I loved that. It was like that with everything about the book. Every detail is woven in very well, Valentine is a true crafter. There are no pure good or pure evil; every character has their background, which takes away the "hero-villain" situation and instead gives the reader a cast of people.
It was my first book by Dorian Valentine, and it definitely won't be last. Valentine is high up on my radar for new releases after this! I read the book as a beta reader, but despite its length and my weird schedule, I devoured this book with delight. I am not the biggest fantasy enthusiast, nor do I like big books, but the plot intrigued me enough to apply for beta reading. I found myself rushing to the next page and eventually getting through this chonker of a book in no time, with a love for fantasy at the end.
July 7, 2024
“Thank you for loving me,” Ortherion said quietly.
“Loving you has been the easiest thing I’ve done in this life. When this one ends, it will be the easiest thing I do in our next lives.”
Catch me finally finishing this book. It was a wild but fun ride, with rich world building and an even richer writing style. I love how woven the characters are in the story and in each other's lives; their relationships with each other feel natural and rich with history. The way we learn more about the world because of their place with it also made the book feel not too info dumpy. Sometimes I do wish the time passing would be less aprupt, it made it a bit awkward to follow the story in my case. I do understand the passing of time, and how it was needed to tell what needed to be told.
To its core, this book felt like an insight in how a relationship slowly devolped, with in the backdrop a handful of mysteries that wave the plot nicely together, as well as of course the yearning and internal conflicts of status vs love. In well known fashion there is a big battle at the end and sacrifices to be made, but their weight felt through the rest of the story. I really enjoyed following these characters, and their ending felt perfect.
“Loving you has been the easiest thing I’ve done in this life. When this one ends, it will be the easiest thing I do in our next lives.”
Catch me finally finishing this book. It was a wild but fun ride, with rich world building and an even richer writing style. I love how woven the characters are in the story and in each other's lives; their relationships with each other feel natural and rich with history. The way we learn more about the world because of their place with it also made the book feel not too info dumpy. Sometimes I do wish the time passing would be less aprupt, it made it a bit awkward to follow the story in my case. I do understand the passing of time, and how it was needed to tell what needed to be told.
To its core, this book felt like an insight in how a relationship slowly devolped, with in the backdrop a handful of mysteries that wave the plot nicely together, as well as of course the yearning and internal conflicts of status vs love. In well known fashion there is a big battle at the end and sacrifices to be made, but their weight felt through the rest of the story. I really enjoyed following these characters, and their ending felt perfect.
June 29, 2025
3.5 stars. My feelings about this book are all over the place. In it, we get to see things from Ortherion's perspective - Ortherion being the Unseelie fae prince who was something of a villain in the first book in this duology. He, along with his guard/lover Lucien, get a redemption arc here - a very, very long one, after the horror and drama of book 1.
My favourite thing about this book was the world-buidling. We get to experience the great fae city of Saltus Innexa, and I enjoyed the glimpses we got of fae culture, I definitely think for a book that is more than 500 pages long, we don't see enough of it. But the world felt fully realized and vivid in a way I appreciated.
The thing I liked least was the plot - it literally takes hundred of years to resolve, and then ends up being pretty anticlimactic and predictable. It centers around the murder of Ortherion's parents and a mysterious creature that seems to be dictating the course of Ortherion's life. I really struggled with the slow pace, I had to take long breaks from this book out of boredom.Tthere was a lot of "slice of life" moments with Ortherion and Lucien but they felt a little pointless and repetitive. I hardly remember the middle of this and I finished it this morning. The romance was sweet and cheesy, but they did have a few very hot sex scenes (again, pretty few for the length of this book).
Did I enjoy this book? Yes, mostly. Could it have been 200 pages shorter? 100%. I do like this author though, I enjoyed the writing style a lot. Will definitely keep my eye on him.
My favourite thing about this book was the world-buidling. We get to experience the great fae city of Saltus Innexa, and I enjoyed the glimpses we got of fae culture, I definitely think for a book that is more than 500 pages long, we don't see enough of it. But the world felt fully realized and vivid in a way I appreciated.
The thing I liked least was the plot - it literally takes hundred of years to resolve, and then ends up being pretty anticlimactic and predictable. It centers around the murder of Ortherion's parents and a mysterious creature that seems to be dictating the course of Ortherion's life. I really struggled with the slow pace, I had to take long breaks from this book out of boredom.Tthere was a lot of "slice of life" moments with Ortherion and Lucien but they felt a little pointless and repetitive. I hardly remember the middle of this and I finished it this morning. The romance was sweet and cheesy, but they did have a few very hot sex scenes (again, pretty few for the length of this book).
Did I enjoy this book? Yes, mostly. Could it have been 200 pages shorter? 100%. I do like this author though, I enjoyed the writing style a lot. Will definitely keep my eye on him.
Want to read
August 26, 2024Autistic MMC, ADHD MMC
April 17, 2024
In These Bittersweet Vines, Dorian Valentine expands on the world created in Rosemary & Iron. While it can definitely be read as a standalone, I adored the cameo appearances of Rosemary & Iron's MCs!
This novel is billed as Prince Ortherion's redemption arc, and redeem him it certainly does! Learning more about the past of this poor, tortured fae and watching him grow throughout the novel was fantastic. His relationship with his guard Lucien, is a sizzling hot & super sweet one. I enjoyed following their adventures over an expansive period of time while they solve the mystery of the 'corruption' threatening the fae realm.
Recommended to anyone who enjoys high fantasy world-building, lots of action and scorching hot spicy scenes.
(I read an early copy of this book.)
This novel is billed as Prince Ortherion's redemption arc, and redeem him it certainly does! Learning more about the past of this poor, tortured fae and watching him grow throughout the novel was fantastic. His relationship with his guard Lucien, is a sizzling hot & super sweet one. I enjoyed following their adventures over an expansive period of time while they solve the mystery of the 'corruption' threatening the fae realm.
Recommended to anyone who enjoys high fantasy world-building, lots of action and scorching hot spicy scenes.
(I read an early copy of this book.)
May 12, 2024
There are books you know you’re going to love before even reading them. This is one of those books. I was lured in by the cover and slowly became obsessed while reading it.
The atmosphere was great, the relationship between Ortherion and Lucien was so well done and the character growth of Ortherion throughout the book was fantastic.
These Bittersweet Vines expands on the world created in Rosemary & Iron. I knew this going in without having read the previous book but I was still able to follow the story perfectly. This is also due to the fact that Dorian’s writing style is absolutely beautiful.
If you enjoy high fantasy, world building, action and hot and spicy scenes this is the book for you.
(I was given an ARC which I’m so immensely grateful for.)
The atmosphere was great, the relationship between Ortherion and Lucien was so well done and the character growth of Ortherion throughout the book was fantastic.
These Bittersweet Vines expands on the world created in Rosemary & Iron. I knew this going in without having read the previous book but I was still able to follow the story perfectly. This is also due to the fact that Dorian’s writing style is absolutely beautiful.
If you enjoy high fantasy, world building, action and hot and spicy scenes this is the book for you.
(I was given an ARC which I’m so immensely grateful for.)
May 5, 2024
*I received and e-ARC*
I was hooked from the beginning of the story, making me turn the pages to know more about Ortherion and unravel his past along with him. His relationship with Lucien is so sweet and tender that it had me kicking my feet, and they both have a special place in my heart.
You won't get bored navigating the lost memories, secrets and plots within the story.
I read this knowing that it was a sequel and without reading the previous book (Rosemary & Iron) and I could follow the story perfectly. It could be read as a standalone.
I was hooked from the beginning of the story, making me turn the pages to know more about Ortherion and unravel his past along with him. His relationship with Lucien is so sweet and tender that it had me kicking my feet, and they both have a special place in my heart.
You won't get bored navigating the lost memories, secrets and plots within the story.
I read this knowing that it was a sequel and without reading the previous book (Rosemary & Iron) and I could follow the story perfectly. It could be read as a standalone.
March 4, 2024
These Bittersweet Vines is an epic gothic tale of fantasy and family—with suspenseful twists and turns, and a writing style that is just so pleasing to read. Dorian Valentine has done it again, writing characters you just can’t help but fall in love with. Ortherion and Lucien’s stunning relationship will forever be cemented in my heart. If you’re a lover of fae and incredible mystifying lore, don’t hesitate to read this!
May 15, 2024
*** I received an E-Arc**
The second installment of The Eastern Quarter's Mana sees Prince Otherions life after the aftermath of book one.
Normally I'm not a big fan of sequels that deal with other side characters but, after reading this book. I changed my mind, this book was well done in capturing a well deserved redemption arc and finding romance along the way for Otherion.
If you're a lover of fantasy with romance along the way, I highly recommend picking this up
The second installment of The Eastern Quarter's Mana sees Prince Otherions life after the aftermath of book one.
Normally I'm not a big fan of sequels that deal with other side characters but, after reading this book. I changed my mind, this book was well done in capturing a well deserved redemption arc and finding romance along the way for Otherion.
If you're a lover of fantasy with romance along the way, I highly recommend picking this up
June 15, 2024
I’ve been itching for this book since the end of Rosemary & Iron, I absolutely love Villian redemption arcs! This was a delight to read from beginning to end! Well written, with beautiful world building, story telling and twists to keep you interested! With plenty of spice, angst, and sweet moments it’s a beautiful tale. I absolutely loved seeing Ortherion fall for Lucian-his guard with a secret all his own. Ending in a HEA, I highly recommend for any fae loving fans.
June 5, 2024
I got an ARC.
This was SO GOOD! When I read the first book I was like " Jeez I wanna know more about Ortherion. The poor guy needs a break." and boy oh boy did I get everything I wanted and more with this one. 👏👏👏🔥
This was SO GOOD! When I read the first book I was like " Jeez I wanna know more about Ortherion. The poor guy needs a break." and boy oh boy did I get everything I wanted and more with this one. 👏👏👏🔥
August 17, 2024
oh god I really enjoyed this one
I was a little sceptical at first because I didn't really liked Ortherion in the first volume but I really loved his true self in the 2nd and his relationship with Lucien was so adorable
and I'm really happy Amias and Célestin appeared for a short moment jdjsjskzk
I was a little sceptical at first because I didn't really liked Ortherion in the first volume but I really loved his true self in the 2nd and his relationship with Lucien was so adorable
and I'm really happy Amias and Célestin appeared for a short moment jdjsjskzk
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2024
Picked up this book for the plot and Stayed Seated for the less plot-ty parts (the sucking and fucking to put it eloquently🔥)
June 11, 2024
I liked the first book in this series, but I loved the second one! Where Rosemary and Iron focused on romance and slow world building, These Bittersweet Vines throws the reader into political strife, secret plots, and of course a well fleshed out, slow build romance. I really enjoyed how the world is built up as Ortherion tries to fix up things that his father left in ruin. The focus on forgiveness and moving on to build a better life is strong throughout the book, and makes each page that much more worth it. Highly recommend.
April 25, 2024
These Bittersweet Vines is a sequel following a villain of Rosemary & Iron. Knowledge of the events of Rosemary & Iron isn't required as Prince Ortherion has amnesia so enjoy as a standalone if you wish!
Potential trigger warnings (may change between now and publication):
● Genocide
● Consensual sex
● Gore
● Drug use
● Interspecies racism
● Fantasy racial slurs
● Depictions of familial abuse
● Public executions
● Murder
● Mentioned child death
● Depictions of mental illness, including: PTSD, mania & anxiety.
Potential trigger warnings (may change between now and publication):
● Genocide
● Consensual sex
● Gore
● Drug use
● Interspecies racism
● Fantasy racial slurs
● Depictions of familial abuse
● Public executions
● Murder
● Mentioned child death
● Depictions of mental illness, including: PTSD, mania & anxiety.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews