Bloodmoon Ritual

Rituals #2

by Kate Rivenhall

In Bloodmoon Ritual, Ronan consolidates power, but other Congregations start testing the boundaries of his land. In a nearby Unsaved town, Temperance works as a coffee barista. Several years ago, as a teenager she was rescued from her Congregation by a social worker militia and given a new name and identity with a foster family. But there is someone who has never stopped looking for her, a zealous and inflexible holy warrior who will do anything to get her back.

Genres: Cult Classics, Dark Romance, Romance, Dark, Dystopia, Cults, Erotica

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2024

About the author

I write dark horror about women escaping abusive cults and other dystopian stories.

Reviews

[Jessie ツ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️- 5 (guilty stars)
🌶️- 4 (not-so-guilty stars)

Oh my! 😳

Taboo aside, this was actually so good 🍽️🥵🖤

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s taboo👀, but that was just one part of the story. The action, cult plot, etc., had me flying through this!

*NOTE* ⚠️Safety below has minor spoilers


—————————⭑ BLURB⭑—————————
Temperance (h) after being kidnapped & separated from the religious congregation she grew up in is now hiding out in the city in attempts to stay away from her twin brother Rhyder (H).

Rhyder is a devote member of their congregation
whose -ˏˋ wants his sister as a wifeˊˎ-. He’s been searching for her ever since she was taken.

“In all other ways he was a model Congregant, an obedient cultist, a dedicated holy warrior who wouldn’t hesitate to slit the throat of any man his Prophet wanted dead. But he loved his sister. Blindly, fervently, with a bonedeep unholy obsession rooted deep in his brain and soul.”

So, when he finds her & she tries to run away not wanting to be his wife bc of their relation he is utterly confused & doesn’t give up the chase…😚✌️

—————— ⭑ TROPES & SUCH ⭑ ——————
•twins (brother, sister)
•blood relation
•religious cult (fake)
•congregation life
•”why don’t u love me”
•hurt/comfort (ish)

——————⚠︎ SAFETY⚠︎ ——————
•TW/CW: Noncon, Dubcon, punishments/spanking, spitting, violence/medium gore, book burning, faux religious cult, degradation (not between MCs), DV (not between MCs)

•H virgin
•No cheating
•OPD: not on part of MCs; 2-3 small scenes of jealous OW (H never once looked twice at, did anything w, or even talks to unless defending h -> OW jealous of h bc of this)
•Hea


┆・┈┈ ┈┈・┆ NOTES ┆・┈┈ ┈┈・┆
•LMAO fav part was the spank sesh mid bear attack (‿∣‿) *slap*

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that Kate Rivenhall returned to this weird little world she created in Eclipse Ritual! I'm not entirely sure if I've basically lost my resistance to this taboo in her hands or if it's cult-specific, but she's fully got me on board with these obsessive men who will protect their sisters at all costs from the fanaticism they otherwise accept as righteous. Rhyder took me longer to love than Ronan, but he earned it. And the villains in this one!!! I loved hating them and cheered with vengeance in my heart multiple times.

Despite the unusually frequent spitting, lol, I tore through this and loved it.

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Okay I read this about two months ago and it wasn’t as good as The Eclipse Ritual but still pretty enjoyable and worth the read.

Ronan reigns supreme 👑

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hopefully it’s as good as the first book 🤞🏾

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so incredibly excited for this one to come out, but I don’t think it lived up to the perfection of Eclipse.

I did really enjoy the perspective of a different congregation and a look into the actual dystopian world (which we only got very small hints of in the last book, to the point where it didn’t really feel dystopian at all).

I also thought it was interesting that we got an MMC who was the opposite situation from book 1. In Bloodmoon, Rhyder is a zealot and has unwavering faith; in Eclipse, Ronan is a (secret) doubting blasphemer. Same kind of thing with the FMCs being opposite.

However, I thought Eclipse was more compelling in that regard. It was way more fascinating watching the main POV character have their eyes slowly opened up to the truths of the horrors of their cult rather than what we got with Bloodmoon.

Speaking of the title, what the heck even was that???? Why is that never explained further??? And it was such a minor part??? What 😭 For being the title, that needed to be way expanded on.

This book was far far more non-conny than book 1. Which is fine, just not my preference. I also didn’t see as much character or relationship development with Temperance and Rhyder.

I just think this one needed fleshed out a lot more. And maybe another run-through with an editor.

I did love that we got a peek at Ronan and Bee again, and I love how the relationship has continued to grow and how they’re changing their congregation with his leadership (all just gathered from those small peeks which is impressive!).

Overall I’m not mad that I bought this, but it didn’t live up to my hopes and dreams. I am still interested in this world, especially with the hinting of breeding season and heats (like wtf is this world and why is all this stuff just randomly thrown in with no explanation lmaooo) and would still definitely (and eagerly) read another installment.

[daemyra, the realm's delight]

DNF at 53%. Despite initially excited by the premise and the worldbuilding, I lost interest. The pair didn’t have the chemistry that kept me interested. Maybe I’ll come back to it.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I didn’t like this one as much as the first one. Rhyder didn’t do it for me like Ronan did from the first book. This one almost felt too non con. Like it wasn’t until almost the end that the FMC accepted being with him. Also Ronan from the first book didn’t really believe any of the shit he was spouting, he didn’t believe in the cult ways he just played like he did so that he could be in charge. And in this one Rhyder was like the most faithful one to his cult, he believed in it more than anything and I just didn’t like that. I guess I just wanted him to be more like Ronan in every way lol. The ending also seemed a bit rushed and the I love you too from Temperance felt like it came out of no where. Also would have loved to see the woman who hit Temperance get her comeuppance. We don’t even see what happens to her.

NO CHEATING
OM DRAMA (not so much drama but she has a bf at the beginning of the book)
OW DRAMA (he doesn’t get hit on but one of the wives wants him and tries to make Temperance’s life hell because of it)
NO THIRD ACT BREAK UP
VIRGIN MMC/NON VIRGIN FMC
ATTEMPTED SA OF FMC
VIOLENCE
MURDER
CULT
HFN (I needed an epilogue for this one)

[Flo₂₂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

ugh i loved the first book so much ! it was a 5 stars...
but i truly disliked this one from the start... i hated that she was experienced !!!!!
it was a complete turn off for me, and he was inexperienced, he always wanted and needed just her he never ever thought about someone else.😞 This made me sad and i despised her for not doing the same, ok, she always rejected him but still, it would've make my heart happy if she waited too..she felt the same about him but she didn't embrace and fight it. sigh sigh.
I kept reading it just for Rhyder 🫶🏻
Loved to see Ronan and Bee again ❤️
Through the end of it i ended up enjoying this couple, i wish we had an epilogue thought !!! :(

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC READER

I was extremely busy as of late so this review was late too unfortunately.

However , I have to say Kate is one of the best taboo writers I’ve read hands down! Love her books and I hope she continues to pull us in with her writing.
Now while this book was great, eclipse ritual will always have a n1 spot for me personally!

Didn’t expect the FMC to not be a virgin, so this was a pleasant surprise and I loved that the MMC didn’t slut shame her or punish her for having a past experience with someone! Only punished her ex lol🤭
That’s a win!
I love a possessive MMC.

Also I was initially hoping that they would be in the same cult sect as Ronan but they were in another> but I’m not complaining tbh! 🤷🏻‍♀️

At times , it was fairly confusing, which is what also caused me to take longer into reading it/getting into it. Whereas Eclipse ritual pulled me in straight from the start.
But again, it was a great read, and I really want to thank Kate for giving me the opportunity to be an ARC reader for the first time! I love her, I love her books and would 100% recommend this and her other books as a read!

“You do that again and you won’t be allowed anywhere higher than my cock for the rest of your life,” he growled. “I will never lose you again.”

Ummm! 🥺 all I can say is he’s a sweetheart to temp and he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her, will literally sacrifice himself before letting her get hurt in any manner!

“He didn’t just want my body. He wanted my love and devotion, too.”

All I can say is temp is a fighter! And rightfully so! I love that about her! She’s as persistent in her own ways as Rhyder is.
Doesn’t matter how much she fights Rhyder, he still wouldn’t retaliate to hurt her in anyway! And it’s soooo sweet! 🥺
Makes you grow to love Rhyder even more as a protagonist because he genuinely loves temp!

Spice level : 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️


Excerpt From
Bloodmoon Ritual ARC
Kate Rivenhall
This material may be protected by copyright.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC for this book (which thank god because I was dying waiting for its release!) and immediately devoured it.

Kate is truly the queen of obsessed, virile, will sacrifice my whole life and give up an entire belief system because it's harming you, shove a knife into someone's eyes, only want you virginal devoted MMC's and Rhyder did not disappoint!!

As someone who is familiar with cults, the writing of Temperance's character and falling back into submissiveness because that is what you're supposed to do for survival is soo accurate and spot on. It felt like a realistic portrayal instead of making her a weak or inconsistent character IMO. I loved the chase scenes in the beginning and found Temperance to be so strong for wanting/trying to escape despite Ryder's relentlessness in making her his vs immediately falling back into her old life

I love love loveeeeed Ronan and Bee's appearance and role in the book, they are 2 of my fave characters I've ever read and am so happy we got more of them!! I hope we get more in the series or more bonus chapters, I am not ready to accept this might be the end.

If you like taboo (twincest) x fucked up cult smut then I would highly recommend this book!

Some of my favorite quotes:
"You know how many times I have had to repent for picturing you during serves? Dreamed about putting my hands all over your beautiful soft body. How many times did I stroke my cock when I should have been preparing for the Blood and Body? Your body has tormented me for years, sister. Now it is mine to take and you will give me what I want.”

"My relic is your, Temperance. You are the one who sustains me, blesses me"

"Eyes on me, I'm your master now"

“Oh is that how to command your sweetness, sister? This sweet little spot?”

Even him saying "Let me brush your hair" I SWOOON. Temperance might have hated it but I did not!

[Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dangerously delicious❤🔥❤

Those of us who read earlier this year, the Eclipse Ritual and enjoyed it, when we had no business enjoying such taboo book, we were anxiously waiting to get my hands on Kate Rivenhall’s new book in the series, the Bloodmoon Ritual!
At least i was! Rhyder and Temperance are twins who grew up in a congregation. An extreme cult community with their own Prophet and Enforcers. The harsh behaviour towards women is outraging and feels wrong. Rhyder is obssessed with his twin sister since they were little. Where she is tiny and fragile he is big and strong. His need to shield her and protect her from any harm is bigger than his need to breathe. And to claim her as his…..
One day she was taken from their community and they lost touch…..until he finds her again 6 years later living in the city…among the sinners….
You see Temperance felt suffocated in their cult community and her brother’s obssession and possessiveness was too much for her to handle and she embraced her new (even though difficult) life on her own. She always slept with one eye open…she knew that Rhyder would never give up looking for her….and she was right…
I do not wish to spoil anything from the plot. There is spice (lot’s of it), angst, touch her and die vibe, love, devotion, acceptance and a beautiful come back form our favourite couple from the previous book, Ronan and Bee.
If you are not ready to read such a taboo book then this is not for you. If you enjoyed the Eclipse Ritual then you are here for this! HEA guaranteed!!!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Putting my rating on book 2, Eclipse Ritual is missing from goodreads but was
🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

[Jessica Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book, one of the hottest books I’ve ever read. I received an ARC and I’m so glad I did, this book was a highly anticipated read for me. The second book in the Eclipse Ritual world and it lived up to everything I loved in the first book. Kate Rivenhall’s writing just scratches an itch in my brain and she has quickly become my favorite Taboo author. Also if you know me in real life *no you don’t*

I love an obsessive MMC who knows what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it, even if that means throwing the FMC over his shoulder kicking and screaming sometimes. Temperance fought her feelings for her twin both mentally and physically but Rhyder knew from birth that Temperance was his. I love these characters and I also really enjoyed getting to see Ronan and Bee again as well. If you’re okay with Taboo content, I highly recommend this series. I hope this isn’t the end of this world and we get to visit again.

Quote:
“Temperance,” he groaned in my ear, and suddenly my skin felt too tight and itchy. “I want your pleasure. It’s not wrong, sister. I promise. How could it be wrong when it feels like this?”

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a letdown down. Honestly, this was so messy I began to think was this even Rivenhall's writing?

Story- starts off well enough with Temperance hiding from her old cult but more importantly her twin brother Rhyder. He somehow ends up in the same town and they cross paths with him chasing her down and taking her back. We get some insight into how the outside world is and that Ronan's congregation has become insanely powerful since the first book.

Characters- Rhyder is wholly obsessed with his sister and wants nothing more than for her to be his wife. Temperance knows them being together in that manner is wrong but she's a weak little thing (that she loves to bring up ALL THE TIME) yet she just can't fight her massive brother (again, she brings that up ALL THE TIME 🙄).

This book is called The Bloodmoon Ritual yet it's a blip in the book and essentially takes place over the span of a paragraph.
This book could also use an editor BADLY!! Continuity was horrible!! I'm talking about a guy being on his hands and knees after a fight yet he's getting kicked on his chest? A conversation happens between two characters but the next paragraph is the start of a sex scene? I was confused and pissed the entire time.

[Gayathri (Taylor's Version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this was so much better than book 1. This had the obsession done convincingly right, I could feel the feelings from MMC - they were leaping out of the pages.

The author certainly proved me wrong - or maybe the first book suffered from the usual first book syndrome?

3.75 🌟

[persephone (hades’ version) ³³ ᵈᵘ ᵈᵘ ᵈᵘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

ohhh my god this was a fever dream

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloodmoon Ritual is book 2 in the Rituals series and another naughty taboo read. Earlier this year I read The Eclipse Ritual, which I loved and was so excited when I was able to get my hands on this book. Rhyder has been searching for his twin sister for years after she was taken from the congregation. He looks in every Unsaved town they venture into looking for supplies and woman. He is an OTT zealous and one of the best holy warriors. Temperance has been working as a barista in an Unsaved town when she is finally found by Rhyder. I loved Rhyder's obsession with Temperance and how he killed anyone who dared touch his sister. I loved how the author expanded the world in this book, and I loved seeing Ronan and Bee again. I really hope the author writes more books in this series.

***ARC provided by Author***

[Krissi B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC and am happy to say that this book was just as beautifully sinful and taboo as the first book. I loved how we got some additional world building in this book and how Bee & Ronan made an appearance! It was also interesting to see how the congregations are alike in belief, but their practices vary a bit. Overall, I thought it was a great balance of plot & smut, which is something I really appreciate in all of her books! I can’t wait to see what else Kate gives us!

[BeckyisBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I loved it, but the last 80 pages seemed a little rushed. Like some editing work needs to be done because there were a few parts that seemed choppy, and I had to reread to figure out if I had just missed something. Also I don't mind the swearing by any means but a few times when Ronan and Temperance said things at the end and the same expletive was used multiple times in the same sentence it was giving unhinged AI chat bot, no offense to the author at all.

Also, a lil weird it took an omegaverse adjacent turn at the end, but whatever boo I'm here for it.

4 brothers of the apocalypse out of 5 dystopian Americas

[Juju]

DNF at 26%. In that short time, the h made numerous attempts to escape from the Hero. Too much 'cat and mouse', which put me off. 🤷‍♀️

I much preferred Eclipse Ritual.

Purchased this book via Smashwords. It's also available thru Eden Books.

[Turbo Himbo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Childfree, some talk of the “breeding season” existing, maybe twice, but not what it entails.

There is a bonus chapter at the end of this book with breeding kink content involving the couple from Eclipse Ritual. I did not read it because the author kindly titled the chapter with the kink so it could be skipped if needed ❤️

TLDR; Do not read this book 😔

I am very cautious to leave bad book reviews because I think to really give a book a fair chance and full review you should at least finish it and I do not have a problem DNFing a bad book. I completely read this book, aside from the breeding bonus chapter, because my experience with Eclipse Ritual made me believe Kate Rivenhall could pull off a good story in the end. She didn’t.

The poor editing in this book is the main reason I gave it a low rating, but the poorly fleshed out plot is what cemented the single ⭐️. I am not the kind of person to get hung up on a few errors, but this book did not read like something the author took the time to care for and correct and tidy up before sending it out in to the world. The previous book in the series was not perfect but I think Kate Rivenhall at least gave it a second look over before publishing it. Kate Rivenhall could not have possibly looked at a single passage of Bloodmoon Ritual again after initially typing it up and it is nearly unreadable because of this.

The premise/couple dynamic had potential. I almost have to wonder if Kate is ok, did something happen to her before publishing Bloodmoon Ritual, because when comparing the two books they’re almost unrecognizable as being from the same author.

✨Long, semi-detailed rant✨
I have seen how good this author’s work can be, and yes there are some typos in Eclipse Ritual, less than a dozen maybe? I could easily overlook them, though because authors are human and they make mistakes.

The inconsistencies, errors and typos in Bloodmoon Ritual, on the other hand, were sort of shocking. Is devastating too big of a feeling?

There were not only obvious typos, like a backslash before the period of a sentence, an out of place “q” next to a “w” in a word, ellipses not following the same formatting, but there were also scenes with inconsistent storytelling. Some examples I can remember:

A character has clothes on at the beginning of a sentence but feels something on bare skin at the end of the sentence with no transition to being undressed, and no transition to being redressed either.
A character is in bed, remembering something then suddenly they’re interacting with furniture from their memory with no explanation of how they got from the bedroom to…the kitchen? Unclear.
Sex positions are often a little hard to wrap your head around but these positions were not always unusual or difficult to believe considering the characters’ size difference, but they were explained so poorly, so weakly, with so little detail that they could not be followed.

I am, honestly, feeling sort of drained and can’t remember many more examples. This book was so messy and disorganized, coming so quickly on the heels of what I considered to be a pretty great read by the same author, that I may be right back in the reading slump I was in before I read Eclipse Ritual.

Sadly, if you can overlook the editing failures, the story wasn’t particularly good either.

The character growth was nonexistent until the final chapter, and still then it was rushed and felt more influenced by Rhyder and Temperance’s interactions with Ronan and Obedience than from within their own relationship.

The external conflict, while resolved similarly quickly in the previous book, felt shallow and safe in this book.

Reading Eclipse Ritual I didn’t know until the middle of the book that Ronan was fighting for Obedience’s safety and happiness and was also cunning enough to handle the dangers others in their religion posed. Every time Ronan and Obedience were in danger I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be: were they stronger, more intelligent/patient than the oppressive men of their cult? Would they make a mistake? Maybe because of their blind love (one of the most devastating mistakes to read about IMO)?

Bloodmoon Ritual had the opportunity to tell the same story from a different perspective. Rhyder believed in the religion of the cult and Temperance knew they were dangerous and wrong while that dynamic had been switched in the previous book. Rhyder, like Ronan, used the machinations of the cult against the other members to prove his and Temperance’s worthiness and keep her safe, but he did not do it with the intention of putting a stop to the wrongness in his religion. He was simply the strongest and most violent in a society that values strength and violence above most else. He was a true believer.

So I wasn’t worried that Rhyder would lose and I wasn’t worried that anything bad would happen to Temperance, despite her being more submissive and conflict-averse than Obedience.

I was worried that Rhyder would never do anything worthy of Temperance’s love and I don’t think he did.

The world building in this book was nice…in that it gave more weight to the previous book’s content 🤷

The supernatural-adjacent plot points were also difficult to swallow, when I think in a better edited/executed book they could be easier to accept. Herbs to induce bloodlust, herbs to make you horny, herbs to make your eyes glow red 🤦 It was corny.

Technically this book has a HEA, but no amount of suspension of disbelief will allow a reader to accept that.

I understand that writing and publishing taboo romance is difficult in a good year and nearly impossible today. I bought these books from a seller that does not discriminate against taboo romances because they could not be borrowed or bought on the zon. But this does not excuse poor quality writing or editing.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

-1 for an*l with no prep
-1 naming your book bloodmoon ritual but nothing happens and its only 1 chapter long

[Nenia Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this sequel to THE ECLIPSE RITUAL was going to take place in the same compound so color me surprised when BLOODMOON actually took place with a different sect of the cult, with a different leader. Temperance, our heroine, is the twin sister of one of this rival sect's enforcer's, Rhyder, and he's been obsessed with her since they were both children. But during a raid, she was rescued from the cult and rehomed with a foster family. Now she lives in the city, where she has a boyfriend and a job. So when the cult comes through looking for hos to bring back for fun and she sees her brother, all hell breaks loose... because boy, does he remember her.

I loved Ronan and Bee so much that I knew any following act would have a difficult time matching my expectations, but I did really enjoy this book. Temperance is a quieter, bookish heroine, but she still has these unexpected moments of bravery that made me appreciate her a lot as a character. Rhyder had to win me-- and the FMC-- over, after he BURNED HER LIBRARY (excuse me), but his devotion to her and willingness to put himself on the block for her every time, made it hard to stay *too* mad at him for long.

Also, we love a virgin hero. It was great to see a dark romance where the hero was a virgin and the heroine had actually had multiple partners, and besties, HE DOES NOT SLUT SHAME HER FOR IT.*

*he just gouges out her ex-boyfriend's eyes :')

I was a little confused about the world-building because this sequel made the series seem almost dystopian(?) whereas when I was reading THE ECLIPSE RITUAL I just figured it took place in our present day, but on an isolated compound, like the ones the FLDS had in Utah. The Bloodmoon Ritual itself also kind of confused me, because I wasn't sure what the point of it was, and considering that it was the title of this book, I felt like it could have been foreshadowed more and maybe played more of a significant element between the development of the couple and the furthering of their relationship.

But overall, this was such a treat to read. I think I might have scandalized the old lady who was reading over my shoulder on the cruise ship when I was just chilling with my incest smut in the cafe. WHOOPS.

Thanks to the author/publisher for providing me with a copy!

3.5 stars

[honeybee · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know, I love Eclipse Ritual. Like, I really love it cause the plot are good, the politics are good and the SMUTS are also good, Ronan just go slowly on her sister until she finally relent to him and along the way.. we see how their loves grow. Mind you I usually didnt like brother-sister-incest thing but this book are good. So, thats why i'm so excited when the writer said she gonna make a second book. I was expecting the continuation of the politics with some smuts here and there. Cause the world building in first book is THAT GOOD.

But second book obviously not only didnt reach my expectation, IT FALL FLAT. Like, its about twins incest romance and I hate how submissive the FMC was. She didnt even try to fight, LIKE Eclipse Ritual FMC. I like Eclipse Ritual FMC, she's strong and smart, and she actually fights while Ronan keep cleaning her mess, i think its cute. BUT NONE OF THIS HAVE ON THE SECOND BOOK! NONE.
I felt like the writer rushing the whole book, and the writing itself are bad. Sometimes i need to think and reread some scenes like 5 times and I still didnt understand what she try to say. As example, its a scene with Generosity and suddenly next paragraph Rhyder was there protecting her which like so random, you should say that Rhyder on the way to her or something. It felt like the whole book just dialogues with no context.

And let me say like 80% of the books smut scenes are rapes. she didnt want it, he force it into her and she just give up. he didnt even know the CLIT exists?? when so many manwhores are there with him? BE FOR REAL. And he burn all her books cause he want her to only love him? THAT MOTHERFUCKER CAN GO TO HELL I HATE HIM. I probably never gonna talk to him again, and FMC do that just to pull coward when he said he will jump to the bottom. LET HIM JUMP, THAT MF WONT DIE.

I hate this book seriously. This is such a dissapointment.

[INeedABookBreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dark extremely taboo read was a wild, fun, and depraved ride! I loved The Eclipse Ritual, so I was really looking forward to seeing more in this universe. Bloodmoon Ritual takes place in an extremely male-dominated post apocalyptic society. This book contains a relationship between MF twins as well as a fair amount of triggers. I recommend checking the trigger warnings before starting if you have known triggers.

At the start of the book, Temperance has escaped the Congregation (small cult-like community she was raised in) and is working in a coffee shop. During a raid, she is spotted by her twin brother, Rhyder. He immediately claims her and brings her back home. Rhyder has made himself quite powerful in the years that Temperance was away, so she doesn’t have the power or ability to resist him.

The way the feminism left my body while I read this book. Rhyder is so OTT and possessive. He’s psychotically obsessed with Temperance and I’m here for it. He was not letting anyone get in the way of him and Temperance being together including Temperance. He was a feral beast.

I was excited to see Bee and Ronan from The Eclipse Ritual show up in the story as well. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

[Nicole Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️Thoughts❤️

This story is deliciously taboo, with a wild twist of cult dynamics that makes it impossible to put down!

Ryder is intensely obsessed with his twin, Temperance, and no one else matters to him like she does. He’ll stop at nothing to make her his. Temperance, small but strong-willed, resists him at every turn—not just to protect herself, but to keep him from harm as she senses the jealousy and hatred from their fellow members. When a few secrets come to light, all hell breaks loose, and let’s just say the spicy scenes are on fire!

Plus, fans of book one will be thrilled to see a favorite couple make a reappearance. You can start here if you want, but I highly recommend reading the series in order.

Read it if you dare—you won’t regret it!

🖤Taboo (Twins🩸)
❤️Cult Life
🖤Dark Romance (Very)
❤️Non Con
🖤HEA

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐⭐
Steamy:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual
Warning⚠️: Check the TWs!
Type📣: Book 2 in series but can be read as a standalone
Recommend: Yes, but only for my dark taboo romance readers.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

I was lucky enough to be an ARC reader for this book. This is the second book of the series where we are introduced to Rhyder and Temperance. They are twins and Rhyder has been obsessed with his sister since they were kids.
Like the first book, we have a brother/sister relationship, but they are from a different cult. Tempereance was rescued from this cult as a teenager and has been trying to survive while doing her best to remain hidden from them, because she knows deep down that her brother will never stop looking for her.... And when he finds her, the crazy shit begins!

I really enjoyed this book, but I do have one critique. The “Bloodmoon Ritual“ played such a small part of the story and I really was hoping to get more of an understanding about it. What was its purpose? Why did the men need to be drugged while performing it? I feel like this should definitely have been expanded on.

Otherwise I highly recommend! Check Trigger Warnings and just note that this is not available on the big Zon for purchase. Eden books is where it can be found.

[Kim B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Just Wow!! I just love anything Kate Rivenhall writes so I wasn't surprised at how good this was, but still can't even put into words how fabulous it was! This is the story of another brother and sister pairing - twins - Ronan and Temperance. Ronan is obsessed with his twin sister and overly protective. The story begins with her living in the city of the unsaved after escaping the cult. But Ronan won't rest until he finds his other half. If you love brother sister taboo love and an obsessed and possessive alpha hero, you will love this!! There is so much to love about this book! I hope there are more in this series in the future!!! Please!

Ronan's obsession 🥵 🥵 🥵
“As if my 🐔 could ever get hard for any woman other than you!”

“My brother kissed me with years of suppressed desire, the whole broad width and huge height of his power focused on me. He hadn’t waited patiently. He had been impatient, ravenous for me.”

[Luc · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is definitively not my kind of book. I consider myself an open minded person and respect the choice of others.

There are at least three red lines crossed for me and one is the main subject. The fact that incest between twin brother and sister is the heart of the book, is beyond me. Secondly, as Temperance knows that she does not want that mating, Rhyder takes her by force and against her will after saying that he loves her, is beyond me. Thirdly, that people could obey without shame a self proclaimed prophet who quotes scriptures entirely made up by him caps the package. That is without the gang rape rituals.

I will not go into details as not to give up the plot but I rate this book 2 stars.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Temperance has spent the last 6 years living among the unsaved in the city when her twin brother, Rhyder, out on a scouting mission spots her and brings her back to his commune. Rhyder is a zealot and true believer in the cult and the Allfather. He is known as the holy warrior. Once he gets his sister back to the commune he begins to see the deception around him and the blinders start to fall off. I loved that we got to see Ronan and Bee from book one. All of my issues with the first book were addressed in this one. There was more world building and explanations and now that I know what kind of a story I am getting I really enjoyed it. I am excited for the next one.

[Leidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ this is book 2 in Rituals series. Must be read in order. Both books are as taboo as they can get.

Rhyder has always been obsessed with Temperance who was taken from their congregation 6 years ago. He is a devoted cult member and won’t allow anyone to take her away from him again when he finally finds her. She can’t escape him. I gotta say it took me almost until the end of the book to like Rhyder. There was no getting through to him.
I really enjoyed the scenes with Ronan, especially the bonus chapter. He is so hot🥵