Kiss of Seduction

Court of Chains #1

by Rawnie Sabor

A succubus's kiss is deadly... to everyone but her.

Evie is trapped. Held captive by the vampiric Court of Night, she has experienced nothing but pain and terror for over a year. Treasured for her rare and delectable blood, Evie knows she will never see the outside of the dark estate that is her prison. She is fated to be forever ruined by cruel monsters. Her freedom is a concept lost.

Natalya is the second-in-command of the Chicago-based Court of Chains. She is among the rarest monsters—a greater fiend, a succubus. A being of pure Sin, whose touch is agony and whose kiss is a death sentence. Following a less-than-diplomatic visit to the Court of Night, Natalya finds herself responsible for a human who was so hurt during her captivity that she is believed to be broken. But there's something different about this strange woman. She suffers no pain under Natalya's touch, and she can survive the infernal kiss of a succubus.

But Sin does not invite peace. The vampire King of the Court of Night is a patient man who doesn't like when people take what he believes to be his property. Or which could be his property. And only few things are rarer or more precious than the bound powers of a greater fiend.

Kiss of Seduction is an emotionally charged, sapphic love story of healing through trauma, reclaiming yourself after tragedy, and trusting another to catch you when you fall.

Genres: Lesbian, Fantasy, Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, LGBT, Dark Romance

560 pages, ebook

First published March 12, 2024

About the author

Rawnie Sabor is an author of fantasy romances filled with troubled people and gorgeous monsters.

She delights in everything dark and dreamy, especially sapphic love stories with a heartache-inducing relationship at their center.
​
Rawnie lives in a Scandinavian harbor town and spends most of her time either writing or thinking about writing. A certified night owl, her free evenings involve researching obscure folklore or conjuring story ideas for her ever-growing fantasy worlds.

Reviews

[Sapphic Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I binge-read all 558 pages in 10 hours? Yes. Yes, I did. I literally could not put it down!

This was easily my favorite sapphic fantasy read! The world is rich with lore and drama to get lost in, but at its core, the story is all about the romance between Natalya and Evie—which I absolutely adored. Their connection felt genuine and beautifully developed, and the epilogue was a perfect, heartwarming conclusion to their love story.

As a side note, the book does explore some heavier themes, so I’d definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings on the author’s website before diving in.

[Sapphic Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of my favorite reads of 2024. I can’t even begin to explain how obsessed I am with Natayla and Evie.

Kiss of Seduction is a part of a series but the books are designed to read as standalone novels. There’s a glossary in the beginning to explain some definitions and help with world building. I found this so helpful and even though I didn’t read any of the other previous books, I wasn’t confused about any of the world building, characters, or context. Honestly I’m excited to read the other books in the series since I loved the characters so much and want to see them shine as mc’s.

But let me get into what this book is about. Evie is a slave owned by a cruel and powerful vampire king (Varro). She’s emotionally shut down and given up hope her life will be anything but pain and torture.

Natalya is the second in command of the Chicago-based Court of Chains and a bonafide badass. She’s a rare and powerful creature: a greater fiend—a succubus. The Lady of Lust. She can make human and supernatural creatures alike cower with a look. Her touch is agony and her kiss can kill you.

When Varro invites Natalya to visit his court, it’s with a hidden agenda. Evie helps Natalya and escapes with her. Now Natalya feels responsible for protecting Evie from Varro in his steadfast desire to recapture Evie.

And, oh my god, there aren’t words for how much I love the way Natalya and Evie’s story develops. Natalya’s kiss should kill Evie, but it doesn’t. Natalya should be able to manipulate Evie, but Evie can resist her influence. Natalya is supposed to be a monster, but she’s so sweet and gentle (but only to Evie 😅).

Check the CWs because this is a dark romance with some traumatic topics. But this story is about more than trauma, it’s about healing from it. It’s about learning to be vulnerable and trust another person. It’s about finding love when that level of joy and comfort seems impossible.

Also if none of this convinces you to read, let me tell you about the steam 😈 I don’t want to give a lot away but it is 🔥🥵 and it is plentiful. I love how detailed the scenes are and the dom/sub dynamic that comes into play.

Overall, this book is brilliant. Please read it (after checking CWs) and tell me you’re not obsessed with Natalya and Evie. I bet you can’t 😂

Publication date: March 12th 2024

Thank you so much to the author for an eARC of this book.

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kiss of Seduction was one of the books I got an ARC for and never read, so I grabbed the audiobook as soon as I could to make up for it. I’d been super excited about it and was extremely happy to finally review it. Finding out that Allie Shae was narrating added to my anticipation because they’re this queen and I was looking forward to hearing one of their performances.

And not only did she exceed any expectations I might have had, but this narration is one of the absolute best I have ever listened to. I’m not even exaggerating, I told all my friends, I posted about it, I stopped my Libro.fm app several times so I could hear a dialogue again. I forgot there was only one narrator.

Even if the novel itself had been just okay, I would have enjoyed it tremendously—though I don’t know if enjoy is the right word for a book this dark. Imagine how much I loved it since it’s so far from just okay. I don’t even know where to start, I loved everything. The worldbuilding (here's a glossary), the characters, the plot, the steam. The way Rawnie Sabor portrays the succumbing succubus, the opening up, the tenderness. I don’t think I’ll forget Natalya and Evie anytime soon.

Kiss of Seduction is not easy listening—you may want to read the afterword, which, sadly, isn’t included in the audiobook. This book is dark and hard at times. It’s also fabulously steamy and surprisingly sweet, a beautiful description of what consent is and how hot it can be.

I recommend taking a look at the content warnings on Rawnie Sabor’s website. And while you’re at it, here’s a podcast in which she talks about the Court of Chains books, and a playlist she made for Kiss of Seduction.

Video review: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKzoL-...

Read all my reviews on my website (and please get your books from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars

[Sam’s Sapphic Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I REALLY enjoyed this one. I saw that it was almost 600 pages and was a bit worried I’d get bored during it, but wow was I pleasantly surprised. It was slightly predictable, but not in a way that was disappointing.

Something that needs to be noted immediately is the trigger warnings, there were so many times I was uncomfortable due to the situations happening but I will say that the author wrote even these scenes well.

Simply put this is DEFINITELY an erotica, a well-written one. There was so much of everything! Action, love, violence. I got MAJOR “touch her and you die” vibes and that’s an easy way into my heart.

I loved Natalya. I loved Evie. I loved every character in this book to the point I WILL be reading at least one more book in this series.

Evie is such a a powerful character and was my #1. She went through so much, endured so much, and I think she was the strongest of them all. This one will definitely be in my head for a while.

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars - sexy, sapphic, erotic, dark, soulmates, true love, fear, bravery, passion

Wow. This is exactly what I want from a dark sapphic romance with demons, vampires, lycan, oh my.

Natalya is the whole package, sexy, powerful, dominant. Evie is frightened and traumatized, but also brave and strong.

I liked the world building and the idea of the seven deadly sins as powerful fiends. Their powers and vulnerabilities completely made sense.

Highly recommend this for people that read the blurb and think it sounds good. It’s available on Kindle unlimited, but I’m gonna go buy it.

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it! Honestly, if Evie and Natalya weren’t so perfect together I would’ve wanted Natalya for myself. I said what I said. The protectiveness, love, and trust they had for one another just made me all warm and fuzzy. Understandably, it took time for Evie to trust and feel safe after all the trauma she suffered and Natalya just patiently waited in the wings. Ugh my heart. The side characters were lovable and so welcoming to Evie, who really needed it, but they also lightened the mood with some comedic moments. The worldbuilding was well-developed, I loved the flow of it, and the plot line made this book hard to put down. Oh my goodness, and the spice was so overwhelmingly hot that I was floored, and I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I loved everything about this book, and it easily made its way from my TBR list to my favorites right where it belongs. 

 
A journey of healing, strength, resilience, and finding love that you weren’t looking for but found anyway. I highly recommend giving this one a read! 

[JulesGP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of reviews so I will just add a Hot Daaamn of my own. I listened to the audiobook and Allie Shae is gasoline on fire. Evie and Natalya have amazing chemistry. I recommend if you are into high heat, Sapphic spice level 14/10, paranormal world building, and bad guys getting effed up to the nth degree. Check author’s website for trigger warnings because this book is dark fantasy.

[lauraღ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What bliss it was to feel Natalya against her. To be held by her, touched by her, be protected by her. To feel safe with her.

REREAD 2025. 4.5 stars. I melted!! I loved this just as much as the first time. I did have the same little nitpicks about the writing and some of the word use, and those things probably did bug me a liiiiittle more this time around? (Like, the word 'tragic' being used in contexts where it was really not appropriate.) But I LOVED these characters so much. Both Evie and Natalya are my darlings; they're so close to my heart. This romance really made me swoon. It's my favourite thing, to see characters bond and heal like this. In an ideal world, this would have been more slow burn, and it would have had a bit more plot, but because I loved the characters so much, I didn't mind those things. Also helped that it was just... really hot. Lol. Bitches were blushing. (I'm bitches.)

Listened to the audiobook as read by Allie Shae, and it was SO good. I thought her voice fit the characters perfectly. Often when I read a book, and then reread it via the audiobook, it can be hard to dislodge the voices I've given the characters in my own head, and make room for the interpretation of the narrator. Not in this case! Her voice for Natalya especially was perrrfect, omg. I was melting. It's a pretty big cast, and she did all the voices justice, but I was mostly so happy that her voices for the main characters were so on point. The emotional scenes, the tough scenes, the sexy scenes... she aced them all. 

I really hope the author is able to do audio for all her books; I'll be eagerly awaiting them! This was such a lovely reread experience, and I can honestly see myself coming back to it yet again.

--

Natalya kissed her again. Deeply and with demand. It was a kiss that had killed hundreds. The pleasurable bane of mortals. A death sentence.
Evie leaned into it, sighing happily.

4.5 stars. 4.75? I know I had a bunch of little nitpicks with this as I was reading, but to be honest, I truly can't remember most of them right now. I love love loved this, so much, and I'm really excited to have found another paranormal romance author and series that I can look forward to. This is the kind of romance, the kind of characters that I couldn't help but fall wholeheartedly in love with. Their story and their romance had me glued to the pages. Since I'm such a big audiobook reader, I always like to mention when I'm able to fly through a sizeable physical book or ebook in a short time. It really doesn't happen often these days. But I quickly became obsessed with Natalya and Evie and I couldn't put the book down. 

Evie is a human with rare blood who's been enslaved and tortured by vampires for a year. Natalya is a greater lust demon who feeds on passion but can't kiss her partners. When Natalya visits the vampire compound with her entourage, she ends up rescuing Evie, with some difficulty, and becomes responsible for her. The slow and steamy romance that follows is just... everything that I could have wanted. It's not quite an erotic romance, but it's more sex-forward than I expected (though I mean, the little tagline does call it a steamy romance, so I guess I wasn't paying attention). But even so, it's sexy in a way that prioritises healing and survivorhood, that lets the characters, especially Evie, explore what she desires from a place of safety. Even though it wasn't slow burn, the pacing and the writing still made it feel natural. There were a few time skips, a notable one near the beginning, which I usually don't like, but which I do think we needed. We get to see Evie making friends, see the beginnings of her progress in therapy, all before the relationship with Natalya really starts taking off. And when it did, it was lovely. I'm simple, and there are few things I love more than seeing a character who's been mistreated and hurt being doted on and loved and cared for. Their dynamic was catnip to me. Evie starts off being terrified by Natalya, thinking that she needs to be obligated to her, but then she's inevitably drawn to her in every way. There's a power imbalance, but in a way I enjoy, especially since Evie stops being scared of her pretty quickly, has certain safeguards, and isn't affected by Natalya's powers in the way everyone else is. 

“With you, the world feels like a gift.”

Another bulletproof theme for me is a tough strong woman being gentle and kind with her love interest. GOD, I loved Natalya. I loved that the book showed how they clicked together perfectly. How, despite all her power and strength and dominance, Natalya understood Evie's pain in a way very few other people could. This has some really tough content, and even though (thankfully) it never gets explicit about the abuse and assault the characters faced in the past, it feels very large on page. But never in a gratuitous way. It felt so cathartic and wonderful when they shared their pasts and pain with each other. I really loved Natalya ruminating on what people wanted and expected from her as this powerful lust demon, and how people before Evie would be turned off when she showed any bit of vulnerability. And that's another part of what made the romance so wonderful for me, that neither one of them had to be strong all the time. It's D/s, and there's no doubt that Natalya has a lot of control and power, but she isn't reduced to some kind of unfeeling pillar. I think some books that explore kink suffer from the assumption that dominance has to come with infallibility, when, of course, it doesn't. All of that to say: I loved that they could be authentically themselves around each other, and even though she had some qualms about it at first, Natalya could let down her guard around Evie.

And I mean, I also LOVED when she wasn't soft, lol. This was my favourite type of loving power play, where's Evie's desires are always put first, and they explore things at the right pace for her, and she's allowed to explore her submissive side with no shame. And then also sometimes Natalya gets lovingly mean, and that's great. No notes. Sometimes when a book gets too smutty I'm like 'okay, okay, move it along,' but not this time. Some of these sex scenes weren't really necessary, buuuuut I wouldn't remove any of them. A+

The plot and the pacing were pretty good. Sometimes it felt like we were moving too slow, and sometimes too fast, but it always evened out. The paranormal elements are pretty standard, with a few unique elements here and there. A seven deadly sins theme is always fun, and this kinda reminded me of the TJ Dallas series. The worldbuilding really isn't hard to wrap your head around, and the little glossary at the beginning is short and really helpful. The plot deals with evil vampires feuding with the Court of Chains, and also trying to get Evie back, because of her special blood. We get a couple chapters of villain POV, which at first I was kinda annoyed by, because in most books, I really think it takes away from the story, to see what the bad guys are up to while the heroes are trying to stop them. But by the end, I didn't mind it. There are a few things that happen at the end that would have been TOO left field, if it hadn't been hinted at in the villain POV. There was some action, some heroics, and a scene I loved wholeheartedly because it involved one of my favourite things: a character who is really, really really terrified choosing to do something really brave anyway. Have I mentioned that I love Evie? I adore her. She's been through so much, and spends a lot of the book being really scared, but she's never infantilised and never looked down on. Also, the villain deaths in this were so damned satisfying. Kill all rapists. :)

There's more I want to say about the book, but really, it's just gushing about how much I love Evie and Natalya, and how great they are together. I loved the push and pull, the mutual pining when they both think they aren't what the other woman needs. There's a lot of sexiness, but there's also an equal amount of softness. I'm simple, but I LOVE a classic term of endearment, and every time Natalya called Evie her darling, I turned into a puddle. I legit teared up at the love confession scene. Which I felt silly about, because this is just a smutty paranormal romance, but I am who I am, and I love tenderness. I just... enjoyed this thoroughly. Over 500 pages, but I sped through it and I want more. (I'm in the minority but please, we need longer romance novels that take their TIME with the characters.) Like I said in the beginning of this review, I know I had some nitpicks with the writing, some word choices that seemed weird, and other miscellaneous things, but I don't really remember them. I just know I loved this. I'm eagerly diving into the next book immediately.

Content warnings: full list at the author's website but the big ones are past rape, sexual abuse, torture (not explicitly described), attempted rape, enslavement, murder, blood, gore

Evie stared at her in disbelief. “You came for me.”
Natalya stroked Evie’s cheek. Her fingers were sticky with blood. “You needed me.”

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was so beautiful! 🥹 I looooved the connection between Evie and Natalya. The tenderness, the themes of survival and healing…be still my heart! I also adored the supporting characters and the way they welcomed Evie into the Chains with open arms. Of course, surprising absolutely no one, I have a giant crush on Natalya. 😈😍💜 There’s something about a scary, powerful, feminine woman being gentle that absolutely slays me every time. 😮‍💨😮‍💨

I will admit, I’m not really into BDSM, and some of the sex scenes weren’t really my cup tea, but that’s most likely just a me thing. Also, at certain points I wanted our heroines to talk more (even though they actually talked plenty)??? Just me? Idk. Despite my very minor quibbles, I loved this book a lot and will definitely be reading more from Rawnie Sabor!

[Lady Olenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

I love it! I love ALL of this book. The lovely parts, the disgusting parts, the over the topness of it all! My first book by Rawnie Sabor and I will myself not to get over this Court of Chains series. But be warned though, there’s some heavy topics discussed in the story. Wade with caution.

[Guerunche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this audiobook. At 19+ hours, it’s the equivalent of two, but it managed to keep this listener both engaged and on the edge of her seat. And it’s sexy as hell.

Narrator Allie Shae does EXCELLENT work on this. Her Natalya voice is hot, hot, hot!

This erotic romance will appeal to those who enjoy a high level of spice content with a solid story behind it.

[Aunt Missa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve only dabbled in dark romantasy in the past, but this one was well worth the trip into the world of Court of Chains. I was hesitant going in but the book dealt with the darker elements beautifully. Both MCs have healing that they have to do and to watch them heal together was great. I wish that the story was able to get more inside Evie’s head during her healing journey and a little bit more of why she had the powers that she had, but the book DID have to end at some point. The spice, and there was a gooood amount of it, was pretty damn good.

I’m so glad I gave this book a shot and will definitely read more Rawnie Sabor’s books.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

pure unadulterated smut WITH a great plot line and such a cute and healthy relationship dynamic with clear communication, consent, feelings, and NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP 😭🙏

amazing read, couldnt put it down LITERALLY did not get any sleep 🥲

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a pretty good time with this one! Sometimes, a smutty paranormal romance just hits the spot and this one did for me.

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! This is one of those novels that I can’t really describe or explain what I liked about it without writing an entire essay. It was simply SO good. This is an incredibly well-rounded novel that succeeded on multiple levels. I also greatly appreciate the authors approach to this series; each novel is interconnected and shares lots of the same characters yet are written such that they can stand alone without any confusion or weakening the reading experience.

My Rating: “S“ (6-Stars)
Converted Rating: 5-Stars

The romance? Awesome. Delightful. They were a perfect match in so many ways and perfectly complimented each other. The timeline of this novel was long, which allowed the relationship to develop and progress in a way that was realistic and believable. If 95% of the plotline was removed from this novel and only the romance was left, it would still be an incredible novel.

The plotline? Also amazing! If the romance element was removed from this novel, the storyline left over would ALSO be a great novel on its own. The worldbuilding was rich and detailed while still being relatively simple and accessible. To say that I was invested in finding out what was going to happen next would be an understatement.

The characters were outstanding. There were several that I would love to be friends with, some that I want to wrap in bubble wrap and protect from the world, and some that I want to violently murder; consequences be dammed. Each of our protagonists had great character arcs, and there were enough side characters to set up several sequels (at least two that I know of are happening soon).

Oh also the spicy parts, of course. Well……just “yes”.

[Angel Beckford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strongly recommend just giving yourself the full day to read it beginning to end. I have zero intentions of putting this down, sleep deprivation be damned.

This is a 10/10, fantasy world building, plot, battle for territory, chemistry, passion, submission, love. The list goes on.

It’s a story with so much pain in the backstory of our MCs, the writing does not hide this with generalities, hence the trigger warnings. You feel the character’s strengths throughout and the road is definitely not an easy one. I think my most enjoyable thing is that I’ve read a few fantasy books mostly focused on Vamps and wolves. Never come across the fiends and then specifically a Succubus. Very very cool angle and so much of the mythology to consider while loving the story.

A kiss lovingly granted. A kiss freely retuned. Urgh so good!!!

I read this as my first book (not starting with the 0.1 or 0.5 editions of the court of chains), knowing it could be done standalone and had no trouble following any areas. The glossary is helpful, but even then everything is explained in the moment. Im sort of obsessed with Flea and Blake so I can see that as I story I would read, happy to step out of a sapphic read to understand more about Flea especially. I smiled hard when Evie thought he might eat her and that was less than 5 chapter I’m sure. Alex and Lily, I feel content enough with what I got here.

There’s so much more I enjoyed about the book but it’s past 4am and I’m not a fiend so sleep is unfortunately calling…

[Lucía · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! Such a beautiful story with amazing characters, and action-packed and steamy scenes!

This was my first ever sapphic romance and I was truly stunned by how wonderfully written it was and the connection I developed with the story and Evie and Natalya.

Their chemistry was amazing and their relationship was so sweet 🥺. How they've never felt safe until they found each other and the way they cared, protected and loved one another was so beautiful.

Also, I love how trauma is represented and how the healing journey is depicted. It was so realistic and it made you feel what they were feeling.

All in all, 5 ⭐

[Sabi.Nhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 🌟

Jesus tap dancing Christ 👀

Rawnie Sabor, wherever it is that you learned to write erotica, it's a good place. Lmao.

These two were ADORABLE. Like yeah there was some crazy fuckin' in there but like......it was intimate. It had feelings, and they actually loved each other as much as they tried to deny it. I could be very, very biased, considering the fact that Natalya really really really reminds me of my wife (aka the love of my life) but WHATEVER it's FINE

I really enjoyed the fact that, like I said, there were feelings involved, even in the sex. Some authors literally just chop it out and it's paper thin and flimsy. This was incredibly well done.

I am also a sucker for the strong silent girl who loves the sweet soft girl and only her. It's my weakness. I fully admit that. Natalya and Evie were....so cute.
I know I said this already but like y'all have to understand just how cute. Natalya often wrapped Evie up in a cutie-patootie blanket burrito and it's my favourite thing.

Aftercare includes the body AND the feelings, and even outside of the bedroom this is still true. Natalya and Evie took care of each others bodies and feelings and it was..so good.
Natalya was so gentle and respectful of Evie and her boundaries and her no-nos and Evie was the exact same way with Natalia (once again inside and outside of the bedroom). There was always respect, and it was made so clear that if anyone wanted to back out or take a breather from anything at all, there would be no shame or judgement. Feelings were always okay and never anything to be ashamed of and that's a common theme throughout this book which I LOVE.

To the author, specifically: at the end of the book, in your acknowledgements....what you said about survivors not being alone. I know you know exactly how it feels..but....still..thank you. For seeing us.

You spend so long in the dark, it begins to feel like the dark is all that's out there. You spend so long being invisible, with nothing but the pain for company, that it becomes hard to remember how to be a person, and how to feel good things. But then somebody does see you and it's...the way it feels to be acknowledged by soneone...there are no words for the way it makes that person feel. With this book, you saw so many of us.

Thank you Rawnie. I'll always be a fan.

[Celina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, I really thought this one was going to be something. I even added it on my to-read because I was excited, but oh well. Some scenes were cool though. All the rapey men everywhere like as if they got no better things to do messed up the whole shit.

[M.C. Hutson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated that Rawnie wasn’t afraid to go there and cover dark themes

[록시˚⋆✩ roxie˚⋆✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book and my initial thoughts are just... okay. I gotta think for a minute. *checks my notes*

Overall I enjoyed the story, it had a plot and the writing wasn't that bad. Spice levels are lovely, I mean cmon who doesn't love a wlw demon love story. Loved it for the lesbian d/s concept, it was very enjoyable. It's a bit darker though, and personally I felt the slave aspect was a bit jarring. Of course Evie has some trauma, but I powered through some parts to get further into the story. Though it seemed like majority of the book she let her trauma define her.

Throughout the book, Evie, was very boring in my opinion. She wasn't really interesting aside from her angelic blood. She really only wanted to pole dance? Like no higher dreams after she enters a world of fucking supernaturals? There has to be cooler shit for her to do in the universe. I think Evie had major development in the last maybe 25% of the book. I know that this book is apart of a series, and we'll probably find more out about her history throughout, but I found myself wanting Evie to exhibit more behaviors or actions that weren't perceived as weak and helpless.

I mean, there was a whole chapter where she sobbed the entire time, I even left a note complaining about it. Even if the situation called for the tone, it was just so long and drawn out. I don't think I really liked Evie as a character, I felt like she was a cookie cutter character. In my opinion, she had no true personality development beyond her fear. But like I said, it's a series. I'd have to follow along to see it. Though, Natalya was interesting along with Aleksander. I do wish Natalya had a stronger past than just being used for the same shit you know, demon of lust aside. Give me why they were so close, a good full blown flash back.

I do have to share that upon introducing Flea, I honestly thought it was a slur for vampires until I realized it was the name of a character. I just couldn't help but giggle. I think it was an odd choice, but to each their own. There was something that I was a bit confused when it came to humans in this universe or the court even. Sam had no clue what monsters really are, and thought an attack was animals? Like is there a sense of glamor or something? I just found that a bit confusing, or a small plot hole. Perhaps not even a hole, just lacking of explanation.

It's hard to rate this book. I want to give a five out of five stars, though what's eating me is the fact that Evie was such a bland character from her storyline to her name. I'm picky though, despite still enjoying the book. I would still have to give four stars because dominant lesbians are my own weakness, especially when there's black ichor in their blood. 4/5 stars, a pleasant read, and one that I would recommend.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
This was soooooo good. I wasn't sure before I started about the fiend thing as I've never read anything similar but oooooh wow this was really really good. I liked the tropes, I LOVED the writing and the side characters. It's obvious that this is a series so we get to see more of the side characters. But oh wow really, if you're thinking about reading this just go ahead and read it, it did not disappoint.

I usually know by the 1st 3rd of the books I read how the plot is going to plan out (it's a curse I was born with) and this book actually surprised me around the 80% mark. Which is very rare and I loved it. Just really really great.

[Emé Stölting · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I said before, I slept on this one for awhile because she writes mostly MF romance and I've been horribly burned before by authors that either fetishise lesbians or make them the villains trying to ruin the romance of a bi character. I get this is how bi women often view lesbians, but it's frustrating to be constantly portrayed as one of these two tropes. Worse is when the book is chock full of 🍆 and because "sapphic" is the general label everything falls under, it's a minefield trying to find books that reflect my experience and legitimately triggering to be suckerpunched with a trope.

Rawnie Sabor has, amazingly, written one of the best sapphic dark romance books that avoids these tropes, avoids the typical "3rd act breakup", and delivers two incredibly well-developed FMCs, managed a stellar plot, and as an indie author, also managed to do it better than any of the trad published nonsense I've read in awhile. I won't be reading her MF books, obviously, but I eagerly await her sapphic novels in the future. 10/10, no notes

[Ashleigh Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. The author takes the reader on an incredible journey of emotions while weaving a magnificently crafted story of devastation, primal fear and, eventually, true love and life beyond survival. I had to stop at various parts just to break some of the intensity (I always thought I'd be a glutton or a sloth demon, but apparently wrath is absolutely an option too). At parts I wanted to stay in the calm, where the MCs were safe, knowing that with every turn of the page, something awful was coming for them. At other parts I wanted to burn the world down for them to ensure their HEA. Regardless of my need for breaks, all the way through it was difficult to stay away for too long, it is such a compelling read. What I love most about the MCs is their strength, bravery and commitment to saving themselves and each other coupled with their ability to retain genuine compassion and kindness where it was needed. Simply a superb book and a truly brilliant author.

[Emily G · Rating 5 out of 5]

(*fans self)

(*Clears throat)

This is such a well-written story that drew me in and kept me drawn despite the genre not being my usual cup of tea. I liked not only the main but the secondary characters as well. This book is second in a series and I have not read the first one, but did not miss anything in the plot because of it. You get some background about the characters and the first book's storyline without it detracting from this one. So this book can be read as a standalone but it definitely makes you want to read the other characters' stories. The world is so well crafted that you can picture yourself there. And the steam level is simply off the charts, without taking away from the depth of the characters and the emotion, as well as the seriousness of some of the themes explored in the book.

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just reread this and tandem read with the new audio, narrated by Allie Shae. And, oh my!
I loved this the first time I read it but the audio is definitely a whole new experience. I highly recommend. This book is so good, well written. Such an amazing story with great characters.
It has dark elements so please check trigger warnings before reading.

It’s written in third person with 2x POV’s. Lust Fiend, Touch Her & 💀, Dom/Sub dynamic. 9x Spicy Scenes (with lots of great kinks).

[Venuss · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.50💋

I love both Evie and Natalya together, very cute and soft pair. It was also admirable seeing how far Rawnie’s writing has progressed as I read this series backwards!

I think all the sexual violence and some scenes feeling repetitive is what made me rate this lower than the other stories. Yet I still had fun with the read

[tane'a · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Alia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this one is very dark, like VERY. That being said, I appreciate a lot books that are so focused on healing and self discovery.

[Jennie Hedges · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll gasp. You may even need to read through the gaps in your fingers as you cover your eyes. You’ll also absolutely LOVE this book (if you’re anything like me at least). The story was unique. The writing was great. The characters were beautiful. Easily 5 stars given to this book.
Heads up: Check trigger warnings and trust them.