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House of Devils #2
City of Souls and Sinners
In the sequel to City of Gods and Monsters, Loren Calla and Darien Cassel have settled back into their old routines, grateful that the whirlwind of dangers they’d faced on Kalendae and the weeks leading up to it are now behind them—or so they think.
But Loren soon finds herself caught in a new storm of trouble when the Terran Imperator blackmails her into working for him. There’s only one he expects her to use her magic, and she doesn’t seem to have any of it left. To keep Darien and the other Devils safe, she agrees to everything the imperator asks of her. But the secrets she is forced to keep from Darien, and her involvement with the imperator’s son, threaten to drive her away from Darien in ways she might never recover from…
As Randal Slade’s successor, Darien wants nothing to do with the throne his father once sat in, but the city of Angelthene has other plans. The Magical Protections Unit asks for his help in taking down the illegal arms trade his father once dabbled in, and to do that Darien must claim his place at the top of the tiers of Darkslayers—a crown the other circles are willing to kill to possess. As he spirals deeper into the secrets his father kept, he makes enemies of friends and friends of enemies—and finds himself buried so deep in Angelthene’s underbelly that he is uncertain he’ll ever get out of it. And if that wasn’t enough, Darien fears he is going crazy when he starts to see creatures that only he can see…
Return to Angelthene in City of Souls and Sinners, a gripping, action-packed tale that tackles themes of love and loss, light and darkness, and the battle between good and evil—and what happens when you can’t tell which is which.
Please This book contains darker content that might not be suitable for some readers, including violence, mature language, detailed sex scenes, drug abuse/drug addiction, bullying, domestic violence and child abuse (shown in flashbacks), sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and discussion of suicide.
But Loren soon finds herself caught in a new storm of trouble when the Terran Imperator blackmails her into working for him. There’s only one he expects her to use her magic, and she doesn’t seem to have any of it left. To keep Darien and the other Devils safe, she agrees to everything the imperator asks of her. But the secrets she is forced to keep from Darien, and her involvement with the imperator’s son, threaten to drive her away from Darien in ways she might never recover from…
As Randal Slade’s successor, Darien wants nothing to do with the throne his father once sat in, but the city of Angelthene has other plans. The Magical Protections Unit asks for his help in taking down the illegal arms trade his father once dabbled in, and to do that Darien must claim his place at the top of the tiers of Darkslayers—a crown the other circles are willing to kill to possess. As he spirals deeper into the secrets his father kept, he makes enemies of friends and friends of enemies—and finds himself buried so deep in Angelthene’s underbelly that he is uncertain he’ll ever get out of it. And if that wasn’t enough, Darien fears he is going crazy when he starts to see creatures that only he can see…
Return to Angelthene in City of Souls and Sinners, a gripping, action-packed tale that tackles themes of love and loss, light and darkness, and the battle between good and evil—and what happens when you can’t tell which is which.
Please This book contains darker content that might not be suitable for some readers, including violence, mature language, detailed sex scenes, drug abuse/drug addiction, bullying, domestic violence and child abuse (shown in flashbacks), sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and discussion of suicide.
880 pages, Hardcover
First published February 21, 2023
8638 people are currently reading
51068 people want to read
About the author
Kayla Edwards
7 books2,791 followersKayla Edwards is the author of the new adult House of Devils series, including City of Gods and Monsters, City of Souls and Sinners, City of Lies and Legends, and City of Smoke and Brimstone. She also wrote the upper young adult romantasy novel Dreams of Ice and Iron. Her House of Devils series has been sold in six languages to date. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys traveling, spending time in nature, and binge-watching her favorite television shows with her husband. You can connect with her Facebook readers’ group Dare’s Devils or follow her on Instagram, BookTok, and Pinterest @KaylaEdwardsAuthor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,750 reviews
July 1, 2025
Reread….. 6 stars of pain and suffering. Why am I the way that I am? Why can’t I just read without getting so emotionally attached to the point of pain??????? I love them all so much it hurts my heart. Nothing is okay.
——————————————————————
6 ⭐️s. I have no words. I. Am. Broken. So many tears, so many emotions, and I would do it all over again! The found family, the most heart wrenching love story, unique characters who would sell their soul for the people they love, grief and anxiety representation, and the most unique and intricate magic system in an UNHINGED world, had me GLUED to this book
The EMOTIONS I felt throughout this entire book… talk about a rollercoaster! The overall story was so captivating and suspenseful and literally had me on the edge of my seat unable to function for the last 200 pages.
Two words, DARIEN CASSEL. I love this man. Still my number 1 book boyfriend in case anyone was wondering. I fear no fictional man will ever compare. And I adore how he was written, I could read about him ALL day. His development throughout this book was phenomenal. The way he handled his grief and anxiety and anger was so heart breaking but so raw and real. Seeing him grow throughout the book all because of his love for Loren and his family was one of my favorite parts. And his LOVE FOR LOREN! Don’t even get me started. Heck THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER?! This man would crawl for her over a bed of glass every god damn day of the week. And oh my goodness the SPICE?!! The slow burn in book 1 was absolutely worth it HOT DAMN.
Loren and Darien will forever and always hold a special place in my heart. They are a couple that will make you believe in true love. The “I will find you in every lifetime” type of love. One simply does not exist without the other. Without a doubt one of my favorite fictional couples. What they do through in this book quite honestly almost destroyed me. I think they took a part of my heart that I’ll never get back. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
And LOREN?! Wow wow I was hoping to see her come into her own in this book and the Kayla edwards absolutely delivered! She embodied so much emotional and physical growth and strength and im so fucking proud of her!! I will defend this girl with everything I have.
I love love loved the new POV we got from Max and the introduction of new characters. I cannot wait to see where this series takes us even though I’m SCARED.
MISS KAYLA EDWARDS, you DID THAT, wow wow so I am so beyond blown away by this book and this series. I have no idea how I’m going to survive these next few years waiting for the next books to come out, I NEED TO KNOW THAT MY CHARACTERS ARE OKAY!!
THAT ENDING?!! The cliffhanger has me BROKEN IN HALF. I’m gonna go stare at a wall now and maybe cry in the shower for an hour or two.
——————————————————————
6 ⭐️s. I have no words. I. Am. Broken. So many tears, so many emotions, and I would do it all over again! The found family, the most heart wrenching love story, unique characters who would sell their soul for the people they love, grief and anxiety representation, and the most unique and intricate magic system in an UNHINGED world, had me GLUED to this book
The EMOTIONS I felt throughout this entire book… talk about a rollercoaster! The overall story was so captivating and suspenseful and literally had me on the edge of my seat unable to function for the last 200 pages.
Two words, DARIEN CASSEL. I love this man. Still my number 1 book boyfriend in case anyone was wondering. I fear no fictional man will ever compare. And I adore how he was written, I could read about him ALL day. His development throughout this book was phenomenal. The way he handled his grief and anxiety and anger was so heart breaking but so raw and real. Seeing him grow throughout the book all because of his love for Loren and his family was one of my favorite parts. And his LOVE FOR LOREN! Don’t even get me started. Heck THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER?! This man would crawl for her over a bed of glass every god damn day of the week. And oh my goodness the SPICE?!! The slow burn in book 1 was absolutely worth it HOT DAMN.
Loren and Darien will forever and always hold a special place in my heart. They are a couple that will make you believe in true love. The “I will find you in every lifetime” type of love. One simply does not exist without the other. Without a doubt one of my favorite fictional couples. What they do through in this book quite honestly almost destroyed me. I think they took a part of my heart that I’ll never get back. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
And LOREN?! Wow wow I was hoping to see her come into her own in this book and the Kayla edwards absolutely delivered! She embodied so much emotional and physical growth and strength and im so fucking proud of her!! I will defend this girl with everything I have.
I love love loved the new POV we got from Max and the introduction of new characters. I cannot wait to see where this series takes us even though I’m SCARED.
MISS KAYLA EDWARDS, you DID THAT, wow wow so I am so beyond blown away by this book and this series. I have no idea how I’m going to survive these next few years waiting for the next books to come out, I NEED TO KNOW THAT MY CHARACTERS ARE OKAY!!
THAT ENDING?!! The cliffhanger has me BROKEN IN HALF. I’m gonna go stare at a wall now and maybe cry in the shower for an hour or two.
March 5, 2024
if i can only say one thing about this series, its that this sequel has helped the story become its own. i was worried after ‘city of gods and monsters’ that i was just basically rereading ‘house of earth and blood,’ but i no longer have that worry. this series has evolved into its own unique story, which is really nice to see!
that being said, this book took me soooo unbelievably long to finish. the repetitiveness of the writing, the drawn-out nature of the plot, and the back and forth personalities of the characters had me really struggling to get through this. i can 100% acknowledge that i may be at the point where im starting to feel romantasy fatigue, so keep that in mind, as the first book is very similar in terms of storytelling and i enjoyed that one!
which is why i think if you had fun with the first book, then you will be entertained by this sequel!
↠ 3 stars
that being said, this book took me soooo unbelievably long to finish. the repetitiveness of the writing, the drawn-out nature of the plot, and the back and forth personalities of the characters had me really struggling to get through this. i can 100% acknowledge that i may be at the point where im starting to feel romantasy fatigue, so keep that in mind, as the first book is very similar in terms of storytelling and i enjoyed that one!
which is why i think if you had fun with the first book, then you will be entertained by this sequel!
↠ 3 stars
June 23, 2025
5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
He’d looked at her like she was extraordinary and beautiful, and made of all the things she knew she wasn’t.
I think I'm going to need 10 working days to recover from this book.
City of Souls and Sinners is the anticipated second installment in the House of Devils series and you can expect more action, more chilling twists, it gets darker and grittier, and you certainly can expect a steamy romance that is written beautifully.
It was a long book but I've savored every page and was wholly immersed into the world of Angelthene. Seems like the author vowed not to give her readers a moment's rest because you won't have any.
I'm so proud of Loren's growth in this book and I know she might not be a conventional heroine to some as she is vulnerable and not a warrior-type of character, but something about her just makes her seem like a kindred spirit. She's written as a character who is wholly good but also has her own flaws, which I appreciate.
Darien Cassel... and here I thought I have fallen hard for him already but damn... fictional men like him are the reason why people think I have such high standards when it comes to my love life.
The romance in this book is on a whole another level and what Darien and Loren have is something so, so precious!
The lore and world-building is fleshed out more and I'm really liking where this is heading even if it's descendin into a darker path.
I'm also so delighted to see the secondary characters get their moments of spotlight (as they should). There's also another couple I'm rooting for HARD.
This book shredded my emotions and glued them back to shred them all over again. I highly advise you to store some ice cream and chocolate for this because you'll need it.
I want to take these characters away from the author and keep them under my protection because WHAT THE HELL?
But I also would like to thank the author for gifting me an eARC of this emotionally-draining book.
He’d looked at her like she was extraordinary and beautiful, and made of all the things she knew she wasn’t.
I think I'm going to need 10 working days to recover from this book.
City of Souls and Sinners is the anticipated second installment in the House of Devils series and you can expect more action, more chilling twists, it gets darker and grittier, and you certainly can expect a steamy romance that is written beautifully.
It was a long book but I've savored every page and was wholly immersed into the world of Angelthene. Seems like the author vowed not to give her readers a moment's rest because you won't have any.
I'm so proud of Loren's growth in this book and I know she might not be a conventional heroine to some as she is vulnerable and not a warrior-type of character, but something about her just makes her seem like a kindred spirit. She's written as a character who is wholly good but also has her own flaws, which I appreciate.
Darien Cassel... and here I thought I have fallen hard for him already but damn... fictional men like him are the reason why people think I have such high standards when it comes to my love life.
The romance in this book is on a whole another level and what Darien and Loren have is something so, so precious!
The lore and world-building is fleshed out more and I'm really liking where this is heading even if it's descendin into a darker path.
I'm also so delighted to see the secondary characters get their moments of spotlight (as they should). There's also another couple I'm rooting for HARD.
This book shredded my emotions and glued them back to shred them all over again. I highly advise you to store some ice cream and chocolate for this because you'll need it.
I want to take these characters away from the author and keep them under my protection because WHAT THE HELL?
But I also would like to thank the author for gifting me an eARC of this emotionally-draining book.
December 8, 2024
5 stars
“Do you want me on my knees? Do you want me to beg, is that it? Because I will, I’ll crawl for you.”
Book one was so good, but this one?? THIS BOOK??? Perfect.
Don’t get me wrong there were times when i was getting frustrated but that was SUPPOSED to happen. This plot just keeps getting better and better and I keep getting more and more attached to these characters.
You know that sound of Morticia and Gomez Addams when Gomez says “I would kill for her… I would die for her.” THAT’S DARIEN CASSEL. This man is SO down bad for Loren it’s actually painful in the best way. I’m obsessed with them, and my heart hurts for them. I’m so scared.
The side characters are side charactering. I’m just as obsessed with them as I am everyone else. Especially Bandit and Mort. They are so cute!!!!!
Jumping into book 3 and I’m honestly terrified because I have been warned.
“Do you want me on my knees? Do you want me to beg, is that it? Because I will, I’ll crawl for you.”
Book one was so good, but this one?? THIS BOOK??? Perfect.
Don’t get me wrong there were times when i was getting frustrated but that was SUPPOSED to happen. This plot just keeps getting better and better and I keep getting more and more attached to these characters.
You know that sound of Morticia and Gomez Addams when Gomez says “I would kill for her… I would die for her.” THAT’S DARIEN CASSEL. This man is SO down bad for Loren it’s actually painful in the best way. I’m obsessed with them, and my heart hurts for them. I’m so scared.
The side characters are side charactering. I’m just as obsessed with them as I am everyone else. Especially Bandit and Mort. They are so cute!!!!!
Jumping into book 3 and I’m honestly terrified because I have been warned.
February 22, 2023
I adored book 1 in the House of Devils series, and book 2 fully cemented this as one of my favorite fantasy romance books.
Loren Calla is a human being hunted in a city full of demons, witches, vampires, warlocks, and darkslayers. In book 1, we got a delicious slow burn between her and Darien Cassel who I LOVE WITH MY WHOLE
HEART. Not only does book 2 pick up with their story, but Kayla also gives us multiple povs that completely blow the world wide open. I was living for Max and Darien’s povs.
This book was full of tension, danger, and made me swoon but also incredibly ANXIOUS. I literally couldn’t not put my kindle down after hitting 70%. So much was happening and there was so much danger and I was panicking the whole time. AND THE ENDING?! I’m in physical pain.
Kayla thank you so much for a chance to read this early! I love this series, this world, and these characters so much.
I did find that the beginning was a little slow but once I got to the end I understood why. There are so many players in this book and so much stuff going on it needed to be set up slowly and for the sake of the ending. But I did find it a little hard to get into initially which is why this book didn’t reach 5 stars for me. By the middle and end I truly loved it. It just took me a minute to get there.
Read it you like
✨ dark fantasy romance
✨ forbidden love
✨ good girl x bad boy
✨ strong found family
✨ unique world building and magic systems
Loren Calla is a human being hunted in a city full of demons, witches, vampires, warlocks, and darkslayers. In book 1, we got a delicious slow burn between her and Darien Cassel who I LOVE WITH MY WHOLE
HEART. Not only does book 2 pick up with their story, but Kayla also gives us multiple povs that completely blow the world wide open. I was living for Max and Darien’s povs.
This book was full of tension, danger, and made me swoon but also incredibly ANXIOUS. I literally couldn’t not put my kindle down after hitting 70%. So much was happening and there was so much danger and I was panicking the whole time. AND THE ENDING?! I’m in physical pain.
Kayla thank you so much for a chance to read this early! I love this series, this world, and these characters so much.
I did find that the beginning was a little slow but once I got to the end I understood why. There are so many players in this book and so much stuff going on it needed to be set up slowly and for the sake of the ending. But I did find it a little hard to get into initially which is why this book didn’t reach 5 stars for me. By the middle and end I truly loved it. It just took me a minute to get there.
Read it you like
✨ dark fantasy romance
✨ forbidden love
✨ good girl x bad boy
✨ strong found family
✨ unique world building and magic systems
November 5, 2025
DNF @ 60%
Let me preface this by saying: if you’re publishing a book that’s over 900 pages and there’s not even a hint of character growth, it might be time to reevaluate some choices. Personally, I don’t want to commit to something this long without seeing some kind of development.
Goodreads shows this series as seven books in total, and yet... why was the romance rushed so badly?
By Book 2, the MMC is already talking about marriage and kids with the FMC — but there’s zero emotional connection between them. Honestly, half the time I forgot they were even together. There’s no depth, just physical attraction. And over half of this book, they’re doing their own thing, hiding things from each other, and lying constantly.
Kayla had a real opportunity to build this relationship — to let us see that connection grow — but instead it feels like she just skipped the groundwork entirely. As a reader, I want to watch the characters evolve and go through that emotional journey with them.
And beyond the romance? There’s no personal growth either. Darien keeps spiraling into the same self-destructive habits, and Loren only ever acts if it benefits him. Why couldn’t she explore her magic for herself?
We’ve all read tortured heroes before — and I usually love them — but I cannot stand Darien. He’s aware of his toxicity and just… doesn’t care? He keeps waxing poetic about Loren being his “light,” but never actually changes. There’s not even the slightest hint of growth.
Honestly, this story might’ve worked better as pure fantasy without any romance at all.
And the writing… whew. Some of it is just plain bad. Like this gem:
"He was able to snap his magic back into position, shielding him from yet another blow that would’ve been fatal if he’d acted half a second later.
“Where’s Jacky?!” Darien shouted. Jack’s voice bounced from the library doors behind him. “Here.” He chucked something at Darien, who had to let down his magic long enough to allow the blur of an object to pass through. He caught it, realizing Jack had tossed him a flamethrower.
“Hold it there!” Darien shouted. He tossed the flamethrower to Jack and said, “Keep burning it.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved the single grenade he had on him—a last-resort weapon very seldom used, even on Hounds."
My face reading this: 😑😑
I honestly feel like I wasted so much of my time on this.
Let me preface this by saying: if you’re publishing a book that’s over 900 pages and there’s not even a hint of character growth, it might be time to reevaluate some choices. Personally, I don’t want to commit to something this long without seeing some kind of development.
Goodreads shows this series as seven books in total, and yet... why was the romance rushed so badly?
By Book 2, the MMC is already talking about marriage and kids with the FMC — but there’s zero emotional connection between them. Honestly, half the time I forgot they were even together. There’s no depth, just physical attraction. And over half of this book, they’re doing their own thing, hiding things from each other, and lying constantly.
Kayla had a real opportunity to build this relationship — to let us see that connection grow — but instead it feels like she just skipped the groundwork entirely. As a reader, I want to watch the characters evolve and go through that emotional journey with them.
And beyond the romance? There’s no personal growth either. Darien keeps spiraling into the same self-destructive habits, and Loren only ever acts if it benefits him. Why couldn’t she explore her magic for herself?
We’ve all read tortured heroes before — and I usually love them — but I cannot stand Darien. He’s aware of his toxicity and just… doesn’t care? He keeps waxing poetic about Loren being his “light,” but never actually changes. There’s not even the slightest hint of growth.
Honestly, this story might’ve worked better as pure fantasy without any romance at all.
And the writing… whew. Some of it is just plain bad. Like this gem:
"He was able to snap his magic back into position, shielding him from yet another blow that would’ve been fatal if he’d acted half a second later.
“Where’s Jacky?!” Darien shouted. Jack’s voice bounced from the library doors behind him. “Here.” He chucked something at Darien, who had to let down his magic long enough to allow the blur of an object to pass through. He caught it, realizing Jack had tossed him a flamethrower.
“Hold it there!” Darien shouted. He tossed the flamethrower to Jack and said, “Keep burning it.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved the single grenade he had on him—a last-resort weapon very seldom used, even on Hounds."
My face reading this: 😑😑
I honestly feel like I wasted so much of my time on this.
February 19, 2023
I LOVE DARIEN AND LOREN SO MUCHHHH. reading this book felt like watching an amazing tv show, cutting between povs to show every angle and weave a grand story. SO much goes on but it flowed so seamlessly. it made me fall in love with urban fantasy all over again
"She was his sun, his silver lining, and when she wasn't around, everything in his life grew darker."
the cast of characters was much bigger this time and i love that we got max's pov. we pick up right where COGAM left off. after the arcanum well explosion, there are new enemies on the rise. everyone wants power. randall's position is up for grabs, some are vying for the Well, alliances and old friendships are formed, etc.
COGAM gave me supernatural tv show vibes and COSAS was the same PLUS stranger things vibes. especially season 4! the upside down, demons, visions, etc.
i love darien and malakai's friendship when they bicker and push at each other during stakeouts and how they depend on each other. ALSO JUST WHEN I THOUGHT WE WERE SAFE AND THEY WERE FINALLY TOGETHER, WE GET HIT WITH ANGST. KAYLA HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME
"I wanted to be your best friend. I wanted to be the first thing you thought of when you woke up and the last thing that crossed your mind before you fell asleep."
adding this series to my list of "he loves her more" book trope✍🏻✍🏻✍🏻
(on the flip side though, there is nothing better than when the fmc and the mmc start sharing bits of when they started falling in love with each other. AND HE'S WANTED HER THE DAY THEY MET😫😫 ty kayla for giving me that bit of info. it healed me momentarily before you destroyed me😭)
thank you so much for the arc in exchange for an honest review ♡
"She was his sun, his silver lining, and when she wasn't around, everything in his life grew darker."
the cast of characters was much bigger this time and i love that we got max's pov. we pick up right where COGAM left off. after the arcanum well explosion, there are new enemies on the rise. everyone wants power. randall's position is up for grabs, some are vying for the Well, alliances and old friendships are formed, etc.
COGAM gave me supernatural tv show vibes and COSAS was the same PLUS stranger things vibes. especially season 4! the upside down, demons, visions, etc.
i love darien and malakai's friendship when they bicker and push at each other during stakeouts and how they depend on each other. ALSO JUST WHEN I THOUGHT WE WERE SAFE AND THEY WERE FINALLY TOGETHER, WE GET HIT WITH ANGST. KAYLA HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME
"I wanted to be your best friend. I wanted to be the first thing you thought of when you woke up and the last thing that crossed your mind before you fell asleep."
adding this series to my list of "he loves her more" book trope✍🏻✍🏻✍🏻
(on the flip side though, there is nothing better than when the fmc and the mmc start sharing bits of when they started falling in love with each other. AND HE'S WANTED HER THE DAY THEY MET😫😫 ty kayla for giving me that bit of info. it healed me momentarily before you destroyed me😭)
thank you so much for the arc in exchange for an honest review ♡
November 20, 2024
➼ 4.5★
”Night and dawn, blending as one. The Devil and the white lily.”
WHAT. THE. HELL.
the last 15% of the book was INSANE. my heart is forever broken.
i have so many thoughts in my brain right now, i don’t even know how to express them without sounding crazy.
first of all, this book is amazing. the only problem, in my opinion, is that the writing–although beautiful–was kinda repetitive in some points, especially in portraying loren and darien’s feeling for each other. it was also very slow paced in many points, and maybe it’s me–i’m the problem–, but it was hard to get through some chapters. it’s a very long book, and a lot of things happen, and miss kayla throws at you so many info at the same time that you don’t have time to process all of them; so, i think it should’ve been more balanced? i don’t know if i make sense, sometimes i don’t even make sense to myself. but this is my only issue with this book, because the characters are 10/10, as well as the world building, which i appreciated more in this book than the first one. the romance is good asf, the spice is spicy!!!!!!! and it’s impossible not to appreciate the fantasy element, which is more present than in the first one, in my opinion. the action???? W.O.W. i LITERALLY can’t wait to read more about the new characters (especially roman, who’s this guy?😏)
both loren and darien had an incredible character development—the way the author wrote their feelings and insecurities; the way she portrayed darien’s grief and anxiety and fear, and loren’s strength and independency. WOW.
they’re love is so pure and strong and real. darien, oh THIS MAN would end the world for his woman!!!
can’t wait to read the third book of the series!
onto the next💋
”I think that must be the hardest part about dying: leaving the people you care about.”
Loren had been there before—too many times. She knew how it felt to have her mind gripped by a panic attack, how hard it was to assemble your thoughts and emotions when your soul was being ripped to shreds and you felt… mentally unhinged. Unstable. Broken in more ways than you could possibly fix.
It was funny how a wrong turn in life sometimes led to the right destination.
“You belong with me.” His words were a declaration. A shout out into the universe, a claim that could not be challenged. “No one else. This—” He lifted her left hand to his chest, flattening it right above his heart, his strong pulse thumping under her palm. When he spoke, his eyes burned with passion and intent. “This is yours. From now until the day I die, and every day after, I am yours. Got it?”
“Think you’ll be able to walk tomorrow?”
“I highly doubt it.”
“Good. That means I did my job right.”
Was it possible to die of a broken heart?
“Do you want me on my knees? Do you want me to beg, is that it? Because I will. I’ll crawl for you.”
Until she’d met Darien, she had never believed in fate, but the way he made her feel, the way their paths had been so inexplicably entwined, had turned her into a believer.
“I don’t just want you right now, I want you forever.”
“My destination has always been you.”
“You are the exception to every one of my rules.”
“I’ll love you through anything and across any distance.”
Darien’s eyes went to Loren again, and for a moment that didn’t last long enough, he studied her features, as if trying to memorize everything about her in this short time they had left. “I love you, Loren.” It was a statement. The kind that made the universe go quiet as the words reverberated out into the distance. The kind that made her blood heat up with passion, only to ice over just as quickly, fear turning it to frost. “I’ll love you forever.”
“Love isn’t a good enough word to describe how I feel for you.”
February 26, 2023
Book 2 in the house of devils series did not hold back. I had the absolute pleasure of being able to read this book early, the biggest thank you to Kayla for trusting me with her baby. This will be a spoiler free review and I will post a longer one on Goodreads due to word count.
Bigger Plot, More Romance, More POVs, More Spice, More Devils… just MORE.
The Romance: I really loved the evolution of Loren and Darien’s relationship following the first novel. It was certainly more spicy, but the smut to plot ratio was great , in my opinion, and it was like a reward after waiting SO long for them to get together. There was added tension, frustration and some GREAT angst and this was soothed and matched well with the addition of some other relationships on the side. (there are some new characters that i ship SO hard and i loved following their little breadcrumbs).
The Characters: Being back with Loren and Darien was my favorite, but i SO enjoyed the new characters that were introduced and the old ones that we go to learn more about. Especially the Seven Devils. Getting more insight into their relationships with each other and their pasts just added to the ‘Found Family’ aspect of the book.
The Plot: this one had a couple of plot twists I didn’t see coming at all and multiple on going side plots that ended up coming together very nicely for me. There wasn’t many areas with large info dumping, I thought it was done very well! I understood where the book wanted to go and the authors intentions and I’m VERY excited to see where the next one goes. (Not gonna lie that ending had me wanting to throw myself out the window but it’s fine. I’m fine.) in terms of pacing, I think this one was even better compared to the first!
I am SO happy with this one, it surpassed my expectations and I cannot WAIT for more🥰
Bigger Plot, More Romance, More POVs, More Spice, More Devils… just MORE.
The Romance: I really loved the evolution of Loren and Darien’s relationship following the first novel. It was certainly more spicy, but the smut to plot ratio was great , in my opinion, and it was like a reward after waiting SO long for them to get together. There was added tension, frustration and some GREAT angst and this was soothed and matched well with the addition of some other relationships on the side. (there are some new characters that i ship SO hard and i loved following their little breadcrumbs).
The Characters: Being back with Loren and Darien was my favorite, but i SO enjoyed the new characters that were introduced and the old ones that we go to learn more about. Especially the Seven Devils. Getting more insight into their relationships with each other and their pasts just added to the ‘Found Family’ aspect of the book.
The Plot: this one had a couple of plot twists I didn’t see coming at all and multiple on going side plots that ended up coming together very nicely for me. There wasn’t many areas with large info dumping, I thought it was done very well! I understood where the book wanted to go and the authors intentions and I’m VERY excited to see where the next one goes. (Not gonna lie that ending had me wanting to throw myself out the window but it’s fine. I’m fine.) in terms of pacing, I think this one was even better compared to the first!
I am SO happy with this one, it surpassed my expectations and I cannot WAIT for more🥰
April 23, 2024
This series is an epic love story set in a gritty modern fantasy world… with the ultimate morally grey mmc who would burn the world for the people he loves, a FMC who grows in strength & a found family that would do anything for each other.
Throw in a unique magic system, a different take on magical creatures & an unforgiving & harsh world & you have The House of Devils series.
This book is BIG, and because of that there is a lot of plot that is built up & takes time. There were moments that I questioned if certain things were needed - but then ultimately the author brought it back around & I could see why it was there & it all made sense.
There is ONE moment that I still question - but I’m giving the author the benefit of the doubt that it will make sense in B3 because if it doesn’t it felt a bit ‘too easy’
Other than that the whole story was gripping, enthralling & pulled on every one of my heart strings. I love how the world expanded in this book & how we learnt a lot more about the side characters.
The ending had so much happening but was really well paced. Nothing felt rushed so the emotional impact really hit you.
Some things I really appreciated:
The anxiety rep 🙌🏽
the diabetes rep 🙌🏽
the grief rep 🙌🏽
all fantastic
Oh & the spice…. ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 - after the wait of b1 this one certainly delivered 🙌🏽 (some personally ick words for me that I looked over but overall it was 💯💯💯)
Lastly, Darien is one of the most well rounded characters I have ever read. He is the absolute star of the show. How his grief manifests as anxiety & anger & how he deals with that - while also LOVING his ‘found family’ & Loren so hard that he gives all of himself… is so heartbreaking.
BUT, Ultimately that ending…. I’m broken…. In the best & worst ways… I am so happy B2 lived up to my expectations after loving B1, this series will go down as one of my all time favourites — 4.5 ⭐️
Throw in a unique magic system, a different take on magical creatures & an unforgiving & harsh world & you have The House of Devils series.
This book is BIG, and because of that there is a lot of plot that is built up & takes time. There were moments that I questioned if certain things were needed - but then ultimately the author brought it back around & I could see why it was there & it all made sense.
There is ONE moment that I still question - but I’m giving the author the benefit of the doubt that it will make sense in B3 because if it doesn’t it felt a bit ‘too easy’
Other than that the whole story was gripping, enthralling & pulled on every one of my heart strings. I love how the world expanded in this book & how we learnt a lot more about the side characters.
The ending had so much happening but was really well paced. Nothing felt rushed so the emotional impact really hit you.
Some things I really appreciated:
The anxiety rep 🙌🏽
the diabetes rep 🙌🏽
the grief rep 🙌🏽
all fantastic
Oh & the spice…. ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 - after the wait of b1 this one certainly delivered 🙌🏽 (some personally ick words for me that I looked over but overall it was 💯💯💯)
Lastly, Darien is one of the most well rounded characters I have ever read. He is the absolute star of the show. How his grief manifests as anxiety & anger & how he deals with that - while also LOVING his ‘found family’ & Loren so hard that he gives all of himself… is so heartbreaking.
BUT, Ultimately that ending…. I’m broken…. In the best & worst ways… I am so happy B2 lived up to my expectations after loving B1, this series will go down as one of my all time favourites — 4.5 ⭐️
July 22, 2025
☆ 5 stars
“Power is a sickness. Whether or not it corrupts you is not always in your control.”
📖 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 752 pages
👤 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Kayla Edwards
🏢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: published independently
📅 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 21 February 2023
What you can expect:
— New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance
— Third-Person X Multi POV
— Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Demons and More
— Grumpy X Sunshine
— Morally Grey Characters
— Mental Health Rep
— Bodyguard Trope
— Close Proximity
— Shadow Daddies
— 'Touch Her and Die' Vibes
— Slow-Burn Romance
— Bad Boy X Good Girl
— Found Family
𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: violence, mature language, sexually explicit content, drug abuse, animal death, sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and suicide.
City of Souls and Sinners is the second instalment in the New-Adult Urban Fantasy House of Devils series by author Kayla Edwards. We are once again reunited with the familiar POVs of our two main characters from book one, Loren and Darien, however City of Souls and Sinners introduces additional POVs that are fun and enlightening to see. I really enjoyed getting a more intimate and personal insight into Max and his blossoming relationship with Dallas. It's both beautiful and painful to read about two loving people that are entirely right for one another as they battle their own inner demons which could untimely pull them apart. It was refreshing to gain a deeper insight into Dallas's insecurities and flaws. Max's fears. Their devotion and support for one another, and their family unit, is apparent. Dallas's support of Loren, and Max's brotherly bond with Darien are two key relationships that are further explored in book two. As much as I love delving deeper into the romantic relationships within a story I couldn’t truly appreciate them without the importance and recognition of platonic relationships. The shared bonds between Loren, Dallas, Darien and Max are often at the forefront of the story as we witness that love and loyalty shine through the pages as the storyline faces darker themes and elements. I truly hope that we continue to see them flourish and be further explored in the books to come.
To be human in the world of Angelthene which filled with supernatural creatures alike is to be at the bottom of the pecking order. Viewed as powerless and beneath the existence of everybody else, human beings in Angelthene are forced rely on the kindness and generosity of others to survive. Our wonderfully fearsome and kind FMC Loren Calla sets out to make her mark and live a life of safety and happiness with her fearsome Devil Darien Cassel by her side. Loren's humanity brings a sense of vulnerability that is refreshing to read in a storyline centred around magic and strength. Time and time again Loren is put down and cast aside due to her humanity, and yet never fails to rise above and fight for her place in this supernatural world. Loren displays moments of weakness throughout her character arc, but she is far from weak. Loren is fearsome, but not fearless. At the very heart of her existence Loren is fighting for the safety of her found family. For the safe and happy future that she longs for. In City of Souls and Sinners Loren continues to be challenged after being faced with the revelations of her origins from book one. Loren finds herself continuing to battle with the rising power that she possesses as it seeks to claim her very existence. Loren has quickly made her way into my heart and soul, and is without a doubt one of my favourites FMCs to exist. It’s not always easy to fully comprehend and explain the signification that a fictional character can have on you as a reader. With a storyline as rich in Fantasy elements and magic like the House of Devils series is, you don’t really expect to relate to a character within the world being set. Loren’s resilience and stubbornness had me cheering and applauding for her character arc as she refused to back down from a fight filled with unlikely odds.
”You make me happier than I've ever been, Loren. I can see myself having that life with you, can see us building our one day together. I can see myself there, clearer than ever, and I want it. I want all of it.”
Darien Cassel. Darien Cassel. This man brings me to a melted puddle at his feet within his first moment on the page. Known as one of the most fearsome hellseher's in all of Angelthene— a feared Darkslayer and the leader of the notorious Seven Devils. Throughout his life Darien has crafted this careful dark shell made of stone around his heart. Love was a weakness he could not afford… that was until Loren stumbled into his life and had him second-guessing all he thought he knew about the world. His love. His light in the darkness. Despite seeing Loren and Darien come leaps in bounds in their relationship City of Souls and Sinners is not without its angst and challenges for the beloved pair. Unforeseen circumstances set to pull them apart throughout book two, and seeing Darien fight to close that divide had my heart breaking at his mental torment. We continue to see Darien struggle with his mental health and his Surges which are routinely triggered as a result. Desperately wanting to be a better man for Loren, whilst feeling trapped in his own mind, Darien battles with thoughts on his self-worth and overall worthiness of a partner like Loren. Yet throughout it all we witness Loren be nothing but accepting and supportive of Darien and his day-to-day struggles. Loren is desperate to gain better control over her magic to help him, and is willing to pay whatever the cost of such control. It's breaks her heart to see Darien suffering and I really felt the emotional turmoil through the pages. Loren and Darien’s love story is one of the very core themes of the story, and I cannot help but hope root for their happily ever after.
I was really happy to getting more page time from the secondary characters. Morty, Dominic, Malakai, the Butcher and Blue are some honourable mentions. I really hope we get to see much more of these characters in the future! Morty and Loren's adventures were so fun to read. Dominic and Blue? I will say nothing other than I need more. The scenes involving the Butcher were everything. It was so refreshing to see this criminally "bad guy" quite obviously care for Darien. To see him step up as a father-figure time and time again to help. And don't get me started on Malakai. When he and Darien were not trying to punch one another's teeth down their throats, they give off that "I hate that I love you" brotherly bond. The duo get up to so much havoc and mischief, and it's a relationship I really hope to see develop in future books.
City of Souls and Sinners had me laughing, crying, gasping and cheering. It was a whirlwind of a story filled with lore, magic, love and family. If you need any more convincing to start this series, this is your sign.
The ‘House of Devils’ series:
1: City of Gods and Monsters - 5 stars
2: City of Souls and Sinners - 5 stars
3: City of Lies and Legends - 5 stars
4. City of Smoke and Brimstone - 5 stars
“Power is a sickness. Whether or not it corrupts you is not always in your control.”
📖 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 752 pages
👤 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Kayla Edwards
🏢 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: published independently
📅 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 21 February 2023
What you can expect:
— New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance
— Third-Person X Multi POV
— Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Demons and More
— Grumpy X Sunshine
— Morally Grey Characters
— Mental Health Rep
— Bodyguard Trope
— Close Proximity
— Shadow Daddies
— 'Touch Her and Die' Vibes
— Slow-Burn Romance
— Bad Boy X Good Girl
— Found Family
𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: violence, mature language, sexually explicit content, drug abuse, animal death, sexual harassment, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and suicide.
City of Souls and Sinners is the second instalment in the New-Adult Urban Fantasy House of Devils series by author Kayla Edwards. We are once again reunited with the familiar POVs of our two main characters from book one, Loren and Darien, however City of Souls and Sinners introduces additional POVs that are fun and enlightening to see. I really enjoyed getting a more intimate and personal insight into Max and his blossoming relationship with Dallas. It's both beautiful and painful to read about two loving people that are entirely right for one another as they battle their own inner demons which could untimely pull them apart. It was refreshing to gain a deeper insight into Dallas's insecurities and flaws. Max's fears. Their devotion and support for one another, and their family unit, is apparent. Dallas's support of Loren, and Max's brotherly bond with Darien are two key relationships that are further explored in book two. As much as I love delving deeper into the romantic relationships within a story I couldn’t truly appreciate them without the importance and recognition of platonic relationships. The shared bonds between Loren, Dallas, Darien and Max are often at the forefront of the story as we witness that love and loyalty shine through the pages as the storyline faces darker themes and elements. I truly hope that we continue to see them flourish and be further explored in the books to come.
To be human in the world of Angelthene which filled with supernatural creatures alike is to be at the bottom of the pecking order. Viewed as powerless and beneath the existence of everybody else, human beings in Angelthene are forced rely on the kindness and generosity of others to survive. Our wonderfully fearsome and kind FMC Loren Calla sets out to make her mark and live a life of safety and happiness with her fearsome Devil Darien Cassel by her side. Loren's humanity brings a sense of vulnerability that is refreshing to read in a storyline centred around magic and strength. Time and time again Loren is put down and cast aside due to her humanity, and yet never fails to rise above and fight for her place in this supernatural world. Loren displays moments of weakness throughout her character arc, but she is far from weak. Loren is fearsome, but not fearless. At the very heart of her existence Loren is fighting for the safety of her found family. For the safe and happy future that she longs for. In City of Souls and Sinners Loren continues to be challenged after being faced with the revelations of her origins from book one. Loren finds herself continuing to battle with the rising power that she possesses as it seeks to claim her very existence. Loren has quickly made her way into my heart and soul, and is without a doubt one of my favourites FMCs to exist. It’s not always easy to fully comprehend and explain the signification that a fictional character can have on you as a reader. With a storyline as rich in Fantasy elements and magic like the House of Devils series is, you don’t really expect to relate to a character within the world being set. Loren’s resilience and stubbornness had me cheering and applauding for her character arc as she refused to back down from a fight filled with unlikely odds.
”You make me happier than I've ever been, Loren. I can see myself having that life with you, can see us building our one day together. I can see myself there, clearer than ever, and I want it. I want all of it.”
Darien Cassel. Darien Cassel. This man brings me to a melted puddle at his feet within his first moment on the page. Known as one of the most fearsome hellseher's in all of Angelthene— a feared Darkslayer and the leader of the notorious Seven Devils. Throughout his life Darien has crafted this careful dark shell made of stone around his heart. Love was a weakness he could not afford… that was until Loren stumbled into his life and had him second-guessing all he thought he knew about the world. His love. His light in the darkness. Despite seeing Loren and Darien come leaps in bounds in their relationship City of Souls and Sinners is not without its angst and challenges for the beloved pair. Unforeseen circumstances set to pull them apart throughout book two, and seeing Darien fight to close that divide had my heart breaking at his mental torment. We continue to see Darien struggle with his mental health and his Surges which are routinely triggered as a result. Desperately wanting to be a better man for Loren, whilst feeling trapped in his own mind, Darien battles with thoughts on his self-worth and overall worthiness of a partner like Loren. Yet throughout it all we witness Loren be nothing but accepting and supportive of Darien and his day-to-day struggles. Loren is desperate to gain better control over her magic to help him, and is willing to pay whatever the cost of such control. It's breaks her heart to see Darien suffering and I really felt the emotional turmoil through the pages. Loren and Darien’s love story is one of the very core themes of the story, and I cannot help but hope root for their happily ever after.
I was really happy to getting more page time from the secondary characters. Morty, Dominic, Malakai, the Butcher and Blue are some honourable mentions. I really hope we get to see much more of these characters in the future! Morty and Loren's adventures were so fun to read. Dominic and Blue? I will say nothing other than I need more. The scenes involving the Butcher were everything. It was so refreshing to see this criminally "bad guy" quite obviously care for Darien. To see him step up as a father-figure time and time again to help. And don't get me started on Malakai. When he and Darien were not trying to punch one another's teeth down their throats, they give off that "I hate that I love you" brotherly bond. The duo get up to so much havoc and mischief, and it's a relationship I really hope to see develop in future books.
City of Souls and Sinners had me laughing, crying, gasping and cheering. It was a whirlwind of a story filled with lore, magic, love and family. If you need any more convincing to start this series, this is your sign.
The ‘House of Devils’ series:
1: City of Gods and Monsters - 5 stars
2: City of Souls and Sinners - 5 stars
3: City of Lies and Legends - 5 stars
4. City of Smoke and Brimstone - 5 stars
April 22, 2023
"Do you want me on my knees? Do you want me to beg, is that it? Because I will. I´ll crawl for you."
This is a three POV book, told by the POV´s of Loren, Darien and Max.
I loved how Max´s POV was added for this book. I really liked his character in the first book and I enjoyed to learn more about him and get his POV in this one. I liked to see his relationship with all the Devils, the close friendship they have with each other. I especially enjoyed his relationship with Dallas and I hope that they will grow even closer in the third book. I really loved Loren´s and Darien´s relationship in this book. The Up´s and Down´s that they are facing somehow makes it feel more realistic than if it would be a constant happy state. I liked how Loren got more confident and brave in this book, but with that she also got a little too brave sometimes and it almost felt a little bit naive at times. I like how Darien is so smitten with her, he´d do anything for her and protect her from everything.
I really liked Malakai in this book and I think he is turning into my new favorite side character. I definitely hope to see more of him in this next book as well as his sister Jewels. I was missing a bit of Ivy and Jack interactions but I hope to see more in the next book. I liked how the focus was more on Dallas in here, and we got to know more about her and explore her backstory a bit more.
Plotwise this is mostly an action filled book with loads of fight scenes and battles. I have to say with the amount of pages and with how thick the book is the pacing sometimes felt a little bit off and it felt a bit slow to me. Most of the times the pacing was good and I liked the action and newly added demons and monsters. Some scenes in here are a bit horror-like and I have to say one of the monsters kind of reminded me of Slanderman with how it was described. I really enjoy the magic system and the urban fantasy setting, I would say this series is kind of similar to Crescent City by SJM regarding the vibes and the feel of the books. There is more smut in here than there was in the last one, so spicy scenes can be expected as well.
Overall it was a great book that I truly enjoyed and that just sometimes felt a tad slow to me.
trigger warnings: domestic abuse, attempted rape (not caused by the love interest), drugs, murder/attempted murder, kidnapping, blackmailing
This is a three POV book, told by the POV´s of Loren, Darien and Max.
I loved how Max´s POV was added for this book. I really liked his character in the first book and I enjoyed to learn more about him and get his POV in this one. I liked to see his relationship with all the Devils, the close friendship they have with each other. I especially enjoyed his relationship with Dallas and I hope that they will grow even closer in the third book. I really loved Loren´s and Darien´s relationship in this book. The Up´s and Down´s that they are facing somehow makes it feel more realistic than if it would be a constant happy state. I liked how Loren got more confident and brave in this book, but with that she also got a little too brave sometimes and it almost felt a little bit naive at times. I like how Darien is so smitten with her, he´d do anything for her and protect her from everything.
I really liked Malakai in this book and I think he is turning into my new favorite side character. I definitely hope to see more of him in this next book as well as his sister Jewels. I was missing a bit of Ivy and Jack interactions but I hope to see more in the next book. I liked how the focus was more on Dallas in here, and we got to know more about her and explore her backstory a bit more.
Plotwise this is mostly an action filled book with loads of fight scenes and battles. I have to say with the amount of pages and with how thick the book is the pacing sometimes felt a little bit off and it felt a bit slow to me. Most of the times the pacing was good and I liked the action and newly added demons and monsters. Some scenes in here are a bit horror-like and I have to say one of the monsters kind of reminded me of Slanderman with how it was described. I really enjoy the magic system and the urban fantasy setting, I would say this series is kind of similar to Crescent City by SJM regarding the vibes and the feel of the books. There is more smut in here than there was in the last one, so spicy scenes can be expected as well.
Overall it was a great book that I truly enjoyed and that just sometimes felt a tad slow to me.
trigger warnings: domestic abuse, attempted rape (not caused by the love interest), drugs, murder/attempted murder, kidnapping, blackmailing
September 19, 2025
Someone hold my hand because wtf is going on 😭😭 Darien and Lola cannot catch a break. The last 15% was literally them fighting for their lives, and then the author drops Roman in like 🧍♂️… excuse me??? I am sat. I am so ready for him. Everyone says Roman is even better and I fear they might be right because this man had me biased within two pages 🤭.
The craziest part? Around 20% I was actually bored and needed a break, but once I pushed through a little bit boom I discovered gold.
So much was happening I could barely keep up, and I just hope in the next book my babies actually catch a break. Like, can they please enjoy each other instead of constantly dodging death?? The words the pale man was saying lowkey scared me but listen, no matter what happens, I need Darien and Lola TOGETHER. I love them too much. Darien is honestly one of the best MMCs out there this man would sacrifice everything for her and that’s exactly how it should be 🫶.
Now I just need them happy, healthy, and together again. Is that too much to ask??
The craziest part? Around 20% I was actually bored and needed a break, but once I pushed through a little bit boom I discovered gold.
So much was happening I could barely keep up, and I just hope in the next book my babies actually catch a break. Like, can they please enjoy each other instead of constantly dodging death?? The words the pale man was saying lowkey scared me but listen, no matter what happens, I need Darien and Lola TOGETHER. I love them too much. Darien is honestly one of the best MMCs out there this man would sacrifice everything for her and that’s exactly how it should be 🫶.
Now I just need them happy, healthy, and together again. Is that too much to ask??
March 23, 2023
This review may contain light spoilers.
"Love works its own magic" ✨
If you love dark romance with a good girl x bad boy trope, urban fantasy with a unique world-building and lore, forbidden epic love and found family, THIS BOOK IS NEXT ON YOUR TBR LIST !
I went on a rollercoaster of emotions and it was one hell of a ride 🎢
This second book in the House of Devils series is darker, steamier, even more emotional and agonizing, even more enthralling and gripping, and it comes with a new set of secrets to unfold. The lore and world-building are enriched and expanded with more depth and contribute to the seamlessly woven plot. I love how complex and well-thought the fabric of the world is, it allows a full dive into the setting of the story.
Brief summary🌇🌃
In the aftermath of what happened at Kalendae, the underworld is in turmoil as a new Head Detective arrives in town with big plans for the city, forcing Darien to take matter into his own hands.
Darien and Loren both face their fair share of threats and keep secrets from one another, causing them to slowly drift away and experience heartbreak like they had never known before. But even through the darkest moments, they’re still holding on to each other, never letting go of the happy ending they long for.
New alliances are made, old friendships are renewed, old and new enemies are on the rise. This is a race for power over the city.
She was his sun, his silver lining, and when she wasn't around, everything in his life grew darker.
Darien🖤 hopes one day he’ll find peace and happiness. He sees a promising future for himself with Loren but, as new threats cross his path, we get to see him spiral down in past traumas and experience the drowning fear of losing her.
I really loved to discover this brand new side of him. His hope for a better tomorrow. It brings more layers to his character, more vulnerability.
Loren💛 has come a long way. As unconventional as she is compared to other female main characters in fantasy, I feel like she kept the integrity of who she has always been: a sunbeam in a world of nightmares. She is braver, a bit bolder, resilient, loving, caring and protective, but most of all, her vulnerability is her greatest strength. She is betwixt and between, still trying to find her place in this unforgiving world, even though Darien is the only home she needs.
What I loved❤️
- The romance was heartbreakingly and perfectly well written. This was spicy and steamy ! I feel like they complement each other perfectly. She is his brightest side and he is her boldest side. They bring the best out of each other in an uncanny and beautiful way.
- More POVs !!!! Hello Maximus Boo Reacher 🫶🏻
- The secondary characters are more under the spotlight than in the previous book and we get to know them more.
- The cast is enriched with more amazing and unique characters.
- The way the main characters deal with physical and mental health issues : diabetes, anxiety, loss and grief.
- The plot twists !!!
- The lore, world-building and new creatures.
I thought this was a duet. So I basically flat-lined at the end of the book thinking the author left us not knowing what happened to our MCs. But fortunately, a third book is on the way and I can't wait to read it !!!
"Love works its own magic" ✨
If you love dark romance with a good girl x bad boy trope, urban fantasy with a unique world-building and lore, forbidden epic love and found family, THIS BOOK IS NEXT ON YOUR TBR LIST !
I went on a rollercoaster of emotions and it was one hell of a ride 🎢
This second book in the House of Devils series is darker, steamier, even more emotional and agonizing, even more enthralling and gripping, and it comes with a new set of secrets to unfold. The lore and world-building are enriched and expanded with more depth and contribute to the seamlessly woven plot. I love how complex and well-thought the fabric of the world is, it allows a full dive into the setting of the story.
Brief summary🌇🌃
In the aftermath of what happened at Kalendae, the underworld is in turmoil as a new Head Detective arrives in town with big plans for the city, forcing Darien to take matter into his own hands.
Darien and Loren both face their fair share of threats and keep secrets from one another, causing them to slowly drift away and experience heartbreak like they had never known before. But even through the darkest moments, they’re still holding on to each other, never letting go of the happy ending they long for.
New alliances are made, old friendships are renewed, old and new enemies are on the rise. This is a race for power over the city.
She was his sun, his silver lining, and when she wasn't around, everything in his life grew darker.
Darien🖤 hopes one day he’ll find peace and happiness. He sees a promising future for himself with Loren but, as new threats cross his path, we get to see him spiral down in past traumas and experience the drowning fear of losing her.
I really loved to discover this brand new side of him. His hope for a better tomorrow. It brings more layers to his character, more vulnerability.
Loren💛 has come a long way. As unconventional as she is compared to other female main characters in fantasy, I feel like she kept the integrity of who she has always been: a sunbeam in a world of nightmares. She is braver, a bit bolder, resilient, loving, caring and protective, but most of all, her vulnerability is her greatest strength. She is betwixt and between, still trying to find her place in this unforgiving world, even though Darien is the only home she needs.
What I loved❤️
- The romance was heartbreakingly and perfectly well written. This was spicy and steamy ! I feel like they complement each other perfectly. She is his brightest side and he is her boldest side. They bring the best out of each other in an uncanny and beautiful way.
- More POVs !!!! Hello Maximus Boo Reacher 🫶🏻
- The secondary characters are more under the spotlight than in the previous book and we get to know them more.
- The cast is enriched with more amazing and unique characters.
- The way the main characters deal with physical and mental health issues : diabetes, anxiety, loss and grief.
- The plot twists !!!
- The lore, world-building and new creatures.
I thought this was a duet. So I basically flat-lined at the end of the book thinking the author left us not knowing what happened to our MCs. But fortunately, a third book is on the way and I can't wait to read it !!!
June 21, 2025
god this was saur hot
December 7, 2023
I AM STILL FERAL FOR DARIEN CASSEL
April 9, 2025
I would say I finished the book but I think it finished me instead. Stunning, spectacular, infinity stars.
Okay here is my actual review now that I’ve had some time to collect my thoughts and calm down.
This book was SO good! I clearly was going through it the entire time. Didn’t think it was possible that the world building and the action could get better but it did. There is so much depth in this world and with the magic system too and the way everything starts to connect…INSANE. I was at the edge of my seat wanting to know more, this was well over 700 pages and I still wanted MORE that’s how invested I am with this series and its characters. The found family aspect in this is truly SUCH a highlight for me and gets me every time, like when can I join the crew??? I loved the mental health representation that was mentioned throughout this and we got to see how it took it’s toll on that character, it just ends up tugging on your heartstrings and you can’t help wanting to help them.
….Now, that ending?!?!!! I’m shattered, literally had to stare at a wall for twenty minutes after finishing this just so I could decompress and yup, I’m still here thinking about it. Immediately going into book three now that I’ve pulled myself back together again (somewhat). Overall amazing book, loved every second of it, a new top tier series of mine!
Okay here is my actual review now that I’ve had some time to collect my thoughts and calm down.
This book was SO good! I clearly was going through it the entire time. Didn’t think it was possible that the world building and the action could get better but it did. There is so much depth in this world and with the magic system too and the way everything starts to connect…INSANE. I was at the edge of my seat wanting to know more, this was well over 700 pages and I still wanted MORE that’s how invested I am with this series and its characters. The found family aspect in this is truly SUCH a highlight for me and gets me every time, like when can I join the crew??? I loved the mental health representation that was mentioned throughout this and we got to see how it took it’s toll on that character, it just ends up tugging on your heartstrings and you can’t help wanting to help them.
….Now, that ending?!?!!! I’m shattered, literally had to stare at a wall for twenty minutes after finishing this just so I could decompress and yup, I’m still here thinking about it. Immediately going into book three now that I’ve pulled myself back together again (somewhat). Overall amazing book, loved every second of it, a new top tier series of mine!
April 2, 2025
Wow I had such a better time with this than book one. The romance hit better, we got a LOT of Darien backstory that will rip your heart out, and the plot was very entertaining. My main issue with book one was the pacing and Loren being soo helpless and just willing to let everyone around her do things for her. In this, she had much more agency, grew a backbone, and became a character I like. I loved the creepy demons and spirit aether plot line. I do wish the characters had been together more, though I know why they weren't, so we had a touch more romance, but overall, I had the best time.
June 22, 2025
I'm going to need a hot minute to recover from this because WHAT THE HELL??? This was a whole roller-coaster of emotions that I fear I'm never coming down from.
Most of the book was painful, I was suffering right along with Darien and Loren. Kayla Edwards did a good job of making those 2 weeks they were apart feel like ages. It HURT me when they were unable to communicate, because that's what they do best, as we've seen before.
The bulk of the action happened at the end, and I swear I was holding my breath during each scene, hoping everyone would make it out alive. It was incredibly intense.
We got some answers in this book, about Loren's magic and what's been going on, but there's still so many mysteries left to uncover.
We also got Max's PoV, I'm just as invested in his and Dallas's relationship as I am in Darien and Loren's. I like Sabrine and Logan too, and Blue and Dominic as well, I wish they got more page time.
I feel like ever since Sabrine was saved in the first book, she fell off the radar a lil bit, and it seems like she's taken to werewolf-ing like a duck to water, so having her PoV would be interesting.
Something I forgot to say in my review of the first book is that I really admire the author's ability to tie everything together. This whole world is very well thought out, and you can tell she didn't just come up with a plot point on the spot, I'm not seeing any holes.
Anyway, I'm glad book three is already out and book four is on the way, because I don't think I could wait a year to find out what happens next.
Most of the book was painful, I was suffering right along with Darien and Loren. Kayla Edwards did a good job of making those 2 weeks they were apart feel like ages. It HURT me when they were unable to communicate, because that's what they do best, as we've seen before.
The bulk of the action happened at the end, and I swear I was holding my breath during each scene, hoping everyone would make it out alive. It was incredibly intense.
We got some answers in this book, about Loren's magic and what's been going on, but there's still so many mysteries left to uncover.
We also got Max's PoV, I'm just as invested in his and Dallas's relationship as I am in Darien and Loren's. I like Sabrine and Logan too, and Blue and Dominic as well, I wish they got more page time.
I feel like ever since Sabrine was saved in the first book, she fell off the radar a lil bit, and it seems like she's taken to werewolf-ing like a duck to water, so having her PoV would be interesting.
Something I forgot to say in my review of the first book is that I really admire the author's ability to tie everything together. This whole world is very well thought out, and you can tell she didn't just come up with a plot point on the spot, I'm not seeing any holes.
Anyway, I'm glad book three is already out and book four is on the way, because I don't think I could wait a year to find out what happens next.
March 20, 2023
*4.5 DEVILISH STARS*
“I’m not afraid of anything that bleeds, Loren. And your Darkslayer bleeds just like the rest of us.”
Dear Kayla Edwards, I need to have a talk with you, because I am not okay with that ending.
Darien bleeds alright, both inside and out, and I am not okay with that! 😭
This was a journey. An over-900-pages-long journey. And probably the thickest book I'll read this year.
Definitely read this if you're into huge urban fantasy books with mindblowing worldbuilding, a heart-pounding romance, and a huge cast of likeable characters like Crescent City.
I missed Angelthene and its characters so much, and I'm not looking forward to having to wait another year (or more? But hopefully less!) for book three.
This book really blew the world wide open, as it involved way more POV's and characters than the previous one. I loved getting to know everyone a lot better, BUT the main reasons why I loved the first book so much was because of Loren and Darien, and I kind of missed them here.
They were apart a lot of the time and not nearly enough together, and the secrets between them had me so frustrated (even though I do see why that was necessary).
Even though this was by no means a short book, it didn't feel overly long or drawn out, and I enjoyed every moment. I especially breezed through the last 30% as I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!
The epilogue and introduction of a new character has me suspecting that we'll be venturing beyond Angelthene in the future, and I'm very much looking forward to that!
“I’m not afraid of anything that bleeds, Loren. And your Darkslayer bleeds just like the rest of us.”
Dear Kayla Edwards, I need to have a talk with you, because I am not okay with that ending.
Darien bleeds alright, both inside and out, and I am not okay with that! 😭
This was a journey. An over-900-pages-long journey. And probably the thickest book I'll read this year.
Definitely read this if you're into huge urban fantasy books with mindblowing worldbuilding, a heart-pounding romance, and a huge cast of likeable characters like Crescent City.
I missed Angelthene and its characters so much, and I'm not looking forward to having to wait another year (or more? But hopefully less!) for book three.
This book really blew the world wide open, as it involved way more POV's and characters than the previous one. I loved getting to know everyone a lot better, BUT the main reasons why I loved the first book so much was because of Loren and Darien, and I kind of missed them here.
They were apart a lot of the time and not nearly enough together, and the secrets between them had me so frustrated (even though I do see why that was necessary).
Even though this was by no means a short book, it didn't feel overly long or drawn out, and I enjoyed every moment. I especially breezed through the last 30% as I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!
The epilogue and introduction of a new character has me suspecting that we'll be venturing beyond Angelthene in the future, and I'm very much looking forward to that!
April 1, 2025
Been together for one month talking about some “I’d die for you” still ate it up though
March 13, 2023
Phenomenal second book in this series.
I couldn’t put it down.
Honestly, it was as good, if not better than the first.
Ok so let’s dive in:
Loren and Darien’s relationship is heating up. They are really serious, and discovering every day that they just want to be around each other more and more. They’ve made it official and they are seldom without each other. Loren is still at the Academy and Darien is picking up the pieces since his fathers death. Darien is still plagued by Surges, and Loren’s magic has all but disappeared- so she can’t help him anymore.
He is approached by his fathers old business partner Gaven, who tells him that he needs to take over the position his father used to occupy - and run the logistics of his black market merchandise. Darien doesn’t want to be involved in this, so he declines.
Gaven leaves him alone for the moment, but not before threatening him and the lives of everyone he loves, including Loren, if he doesn’t change his mind.
Detective Finn Solace also gets in touch with Darien shortly after, asking him to assist him and a new head detective Nolan in taking down Gaven and his syndicate. Finn tells Darien that the MPU is on the warpath with Darkslayers and wants to remove them all from Angelthene but if he can help them with this, Darien and his family could be saved.
In the meantime, Loren is approached by Klay - a new student who also happens to be the Imperators son. They coerce her into assisting them to find the real Well which is still out there. The catch? They have put some spell on her which prevents her from speaking about it to anyone…even Darien. Oh and they will kill everyone in her family if she even tries.
Lies and betrayal threaten to tear the two lovers apart around every corner. Can they overcome the many obstacles stacked against them?
————————————*********————————————-
We get to learn a lot more about Loren and Darien’s relationship. It’s wonderfully written. The dialogue was so good, you could feel the emotion between these two and the build up of their relationship.
It was a 3,5/5🌶️ on the spice scale. Nothing that really pushed any limits but again, beautifully written.
Darien is just head over heels for her, and vice versa. You can feel their love for each other and their pain and hurt.
We get to learn more about Dallas and Max and their relationship too. On a lesser scale than the MC’s but it was nice to get their perspectives as well.
We get a little more insight into Dallas’ relationship with her parents (Rourk and Taega Bright).
Some new characters are introduced, Blue, Klay etc…and they’re great for the story.
There are obviously the same old ones we loved from the first - all the Devils (Tanner, Max, Ivy, Lacey, Jack, Darien and Travis), The Angels, The Wargs, Vampires etc….
Singer and Loren’s bond is really cool, we see more of that in the story.
Mortifer the Hob also features a bit more and I loved his character in the story.
All in all, I loved every second of this book, and I cannot wait for the next one. The story is so compelling and well paced and it was a pleasure to read.
I couldn’t put it down.
Honestly, it was as good, if not better than the first.
Ok so let’s dive in:
Loren and Darien’s relationship is heating up. They are really serious, and discovering every day that they just want to be around each other more and more. They’ve made it official and they are seldom without each other. Loren is still at the Academy and Darien is picking up the pieces since his fathers death. Darien is still plagued by Surges, and Loren’s magic has all but disappeared- so she can’t help him anymore.
He is approached by his fathers old business partner Gaven, who tells him that he needs to take over the position his father used to occupy - and run the logistics of his black market merchandise. Darien doesn’t want to be involved in this, so he declines.
Gaven leaves him alone for the moment, but not before threatening him and the lives of everyone he loves, including Loren, if he doesn’t change his mind.
Detective Finn Solace also gets in touch with Darien shortly after, asking him to assist him and a new head detective Nolan in taking down Gaven and his syndicate. Finn tells Darien that the MPU is on the warpath with Darkslayers and wants to remove them all from Angelthene but if he can help them with this, Darien and his family could be saved.
In the meantime, Loren is approached by Klay - a new student who also happens to be the Imperators son. They coerce her into assisting them to find the real Well which is still out there. The catch? They have put some spell on her which prevents her from speaking about it to anyone…even Darien. Oh and they will kill everyone in her family if she even tries.
Lies and betrayal threaten to tear the two lovers apart around every corner. Can they overcome the many obstacles stacked against them?
————————————*********————————————-
We get to learn a lot more about Loren and Darien’s relationship. It’s wonderfully written. The dialogue was so good, you could feel the emotion between these two and the build up of their relationship.
It was a 3,5/5🌶️ on the spice scale. Nothing that really pushed any limits but again, beautifully written.
Darien is just head over heels for her, and vice versa. You can feel their love for each other and their pain and hurt.
We get to learn more about Dallas and Max and their relationship too. On a lesser scale than the MC’s but it was nice to get their perspectives as well.
We get a little more insight into Dallas’ relationship with her parents (Rourk and Taega Bright).
Some new characters are introduced, Blue, Klay etc…and they’re great for the story.
There are obviously the same old ones we loved from the first - all the Devils (Tanner, Max, Ivy, Lacey, Jack, Darien and Travis), The Angels, The Wargs, Vampires etc….
Singer and Loren’s bond is really cool, we see more of that in the story.
Mortifer the Hob also features a bit more and I loved his character in the story.
All in all, I loved every second of this book, and I cannot wait for the next one. The story is so compelling and well paced and it was a pleasure to read.
August 6, 2025
Pre-review
This book really dragged for me though at other times I was really invested in it. Loren is so one-dimensional and she is so meek that it actually annoys me and Darien uses violence to get through his trauma. I do like Dallas and Max together though. RTC.
The plot
Darien and Loren are trying to move on with their lives after the end of City of gods and monsters when Darien is approached to lead the darkslayers after the death of his abusive father Randal. Darien does not want to do this but with the amount of enemies he has he appears to have no choice. Meanwhile people are still after Loren for having the power of the arcanum well. She is forced to help them in order to protect Darien and his family and friends.
This forces her to withdraw from Darien which leads Darien to think that she no longer wants to be with him.
Meanwhile Max and Lace find a young woman who had a tracking device on her arm and they bring her to the house of devils.
The devils work with the angels to find out about her past.
My thoughts
I had such mixed feelings on this book while I was reading it. I was bored at times but at other times I was really invested. One of the main problems I have with this series are that the books are really dragged out. Another one is that I am connected to the characters. Loren is so one-dimensional and she is so meek to the point that it annoys me and Darien uses violence to get through his trauma. I'm also don't really like their romance. It is lusty to the point that I can't see an emotional connection between them half of the time.
I want more from a romance than the main characters being attracted to each other constantly and this is a problem I have had with a lot of books I have read this year.
This book really dragged for me though at other times I was really invested in it. Loren is so one-dimensional and she is so meek that it actually annoys me and Darien uses violence to get through his trauma. I do like Dallas and Max together though. RTC.
The plot
Darien and Loren are trying to move on with their lives after the end of City of gods and monsters when Darien is approached to lead the darkslayers after the death of his abusive father Randal. Darien does not want to do this but with the amount of enemies he has he appears to have no choice. Meanwhile people are still after Loren for having the power of the arcanum well. She is forced to help them in order to protect Darien and his family and friends.
This forces her to withdraw from Darien which leads Darien to think that she no longer wants to be with him.
Meanwhile Max and Lace find a young woman who had a tracking device on her arm and they bring her to the house of devils.
The devils work with the angels to find out about her past.
My thoughts
I had such mixed feelings on this book while I was reading it. I was bored at times but at other times I was really invested. One of the main problems I have with this series are that the books are really dragged out. Another one is that I am connected to the characters. Loren is so one-dimensional and she is so meek to the point that it annoys me and Darien uses violence to get through his trauma. I'm also don't really like their romance. It is lusty to the point that I can't see an emotional connection between them half of the time.
I want more from a romance than the main characters being attracted to each other constantly and this is a problem I have had with a lot of books I have read this year.
December 30, 2024
truly am SCREAMING??? after that ending
September 11, 2024
"it is official Darien is number 1 book boyfriend."😍Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Series: House of devils #2
Series Type: Series
Genre: Fantasy
Sub Genre: Dark themes, Fantasy Romance/Romantasy, High Fantasy, Urban elements
Tropes:
- Check trigger warnings
- Found family
- Flirty banter
- Grumpy X sunshine
- Morally grey MMC
- “Mine”
- Forced separation
- Good girl
- I’ll burn the world for you
- Touch her you die
- he has DIMPLES
Other:
- Fantasy Species: Demons, Humans, Other fantastic creatures, Vampyre, Warlocks, Werewolfs, Witches
- Format: Kindle Unlimited
- Plot/Character Driven: Both
- Pacing: Medium
- POV: Multiple POVS
- Narration type: 3rd person, limited
- Magic Type: Alchemical magic, Blood Magic, Healing Magic, Magitech, Mind Powers, Random, Shadow Magic
- Spicy chapters: 2,6,13,16,32,62,63,63
- Comparison titles: CC x Acotar x vampire diaries
👨👧 Characters
Loren: One of my all-time favorite female leads! 🌟 She manages to keep her sweet, kind personality while also becoming fiercely independent and standing up for herself. 💪 I adore how she respects and loves Darian, always wanting to be there for him no matter what. ❤️
Darian motherfreaking CASSEL: This man has my entire heart! 💖 He goes through absolute hell in this book, fighting countless battles just to love a woman. His respect and unwavering love for her are off the charts. 📈 He’s the epitome of “I will burn the freaking world for you and protect you until the end of time. 🔥 Even if you tell me to stop, I’ll still love you.” 💘
🌎 World Building & Magic for Fantasy
I love how the world expanded beyond the main city, giving us more depth and insight into the magic system. 🪄 It was introduced so smoothly, without feeling like an info dump. 📚
♥️ What I Loved
At first, I was unsure how the story would unfold because the first book felt like it could’ve been a standalone. 📖 But boy, did this book deliver on romance, character development, and plot! 💥 Was it a tad too long? Probably. Did I devour it within a week? Absolutely! 😋 My heart ached and physically hurt throughout Loren and Darian’s journey. 💔 The last 200 pages were so intense I felt like I couldn’t breathe or function until I finished it. 😮 Normally, I lose interest when characters get together, but this book kept me hooked with its engaging and tension-filled love story. 🎢
💔 What I Didn’t Like
We could use a bit more side character development, and at times, there was too much “other woman” drama. 😒 A little less of that would make my heart feel a lot better 😂. Also, this book could’ve been shorter. 📏
📝 Overall Thoughts
Another amazing installment in this series! 📚 It opens the door to so many more possibilities and plot-driven stories while keeping the romance beautifully intertwined. 💞 I’m diving into book 3 as soon as possible! 📖
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Series: House of devils #2
Series Type: Series
Genre: Fantasy
Sub Genre: Dark themes, Fantasy Romance/Romantasy, High Fantasy, Urban elements
Tropes:
- Check trigger warnings
- Found family
- Flirty banter
- Grumpy X sunshine
- Morally grey MMC
- “Mine”
- Forced separation
- Good girl
- I’ll burn the world for you
- Touch her you die
- he has DIMPLES
Other:
- Fantasy Species: Demons, Humans, Other fantastic creatures, Vampyre, Warlocks, Werewolfs, Witches
- Format: Kindle Unlimited
- Plot/Character Driven: Both
- Pacing: Medium
- POV: Multiple POVS
- Narration type: 3rd person, limited
- Magic Type: Alchemical magic, Blood Magic, Healing Magic, Magitech, Mind Powers, Random, Shadow Magic
- Spicy chapters: 2,6,13,16,32,62,63,63
- Comparison titles: CC x Acotar x vampire diaries
👨👧 Characters
Loren: One of my all-time favorite female leads! 🌟 She manages to keep her sweet, kind personality while also becoming fiercely independent and standing up for herself. 💪 I adore how she respects and loves Darian, always wanting to be there for him no matter what. ❤️
Darian motherfreaking CASSEL: This man has my entire heart! 💖 He goes through absolute hell in this book, fighting countless battles just to love a woman. His respect and unwavering love for her are off the charts. 📈 He’s the epitome of “I will burn the freaking world for you and protect you until the end of time. 🔥 Even if you tell me to stop, I’ll still love you.” 💘
🌎 World Building & Magic for Fantasy
I love how the world expanded beyond the main city, giving us more depth and insight into the magic system. 🪄 It was introduced so smoothly, without feeling like an info dump. 📚
♥️ What I Loved
At first, I was unsure how the story would unfold because the first book felt like it could’ve been a standalone. 📖 But boy, did this book deliver on romance, character development, and plot! 💥 Was it a tad too long? Probably. Did I devour it within a week? Absolutely! 😋 My heart ached and physically hurt throughout Loren and Darian’s journey. 💔 The last 200 pages were so intense I felt like I couldn’t breathe or function until I finished it. 😮 Normally, I lose interest when characters get together, but this book kept me hooked with its engaging and tension-filled love story. 🎢
💔 What I Didn’t Like
We could use a bit more side character development, and at times, there was too much “other woman” drama. 😒 A little less of that would make my heart feel a lot better 😂. Also, this book could’ve been shorter. 📏
📝 Overall Thoughts
Another amazing installment in this series! 📚 It opens the door to so many more possibilities and plot-driven stories while keeping the romance beautifully intertwined. 💞 I’m diving into book 3 as soon as possible! 📖
March 11, 2023
That was fucking phenomenal.
Is it too early to consider this my best read of 2023? I sure hope not because I don’t think anything is even coming close to this masterpiece. Except maybe book 3.
Also, I need book 3 today.
Is it too early to consider this my best read of 2023? I sure hope not because I don’t think anything is even coming close to this masterpiece. Except maybe book 3.
Also, I need book 3 today.
July 10, 2025
3.75⭐️ I flew through book one in 24 hours and I was so excited to start book two. This was a good book, but it felt like it dragged out a little too long. There were moments throughout the beginning and middle where the pacing slowed so much that it made it hard to stay engaged. I also didn’t love the way the separation of Loren and Darien was done. The character development was good and we get to meet so many new people. The last part of this book picked up a lot though and that ending was unexpected. I also feel I need to have a special shout out for the spice in this book. The way it was written just deserves a round of applause!
February 21, 2023
"She was his sun, his silver lining, and when she wasn't around, everything in his life grew darker."
”Being in love with her felt a little like losing his mind.”
Happy release day to this glorious work of art. Hope you are celebrating in style because you well and truly deserve it.
I never realised just how much my heart and soul desperately needed to be back with them all. Loren and Darien will ALWAYS feel like home to me, and this book right here has become my new lifeline. First of all, thank you so much Kayla for letting me read an ARC of City of Souls and Sinners. This truly was an honour. I am honestly blown away by this book so much. I knew it was already going to be good, but you and your words have completely exceeded everything and somewhere along the way they have become my safety blanket. How am I meant to wait until book 3 now?
The stakes were higher, the spice was immaculate and the growth from each of them was incredible. I have dived in headfirst as soon as this landed on my kindle, and I haven’t been able to move on since. I do have to take a minute and give a big up to the mental health rep we got in this. It was all too real and raw. I cried, I laughed, I got angry and I fell in love all over again. We are definitely faced with a lot heavier themes in COSAS and this is expected as the events pick up almost where we left off. I would highly recommend checking these out before reading but please do not let this stop you from giving in to these books.
I always find the best type of books are the one you feel everything all at once and Kayla is an absolute wizard when it comes to this.
The lore and the world building was even more intriguing and fleshed out the second time around. Being back at Angelthene felt so magical and right. Not only did we get Loren and Darien’s POV but we also got Max and let me tell you, I never knew I needed his thoughts just as much.. and seeing his back and forth with Dallas was honestly the relief I found myself craving.
Now I couldn’t be prouder of my girl Loren over here. Her development in this instalment was awe inspiring. There were many moments where I felt I was able to connect with her on a different level, she is not your typical warrior BUT let me tell you her confidence is something that I need to find within myself. She has this quiet strength within herself and throughout the book you see her development so clearly. She has been a true inspiration for me and what a privilege to experience her journey.
Darien Cassel. The way this man right here has been polarising all my thoughts ever since I finished COGAM last year and now even more so because this version of him, made my heart skip all over the place. He is everything I want and more. Strong, has that smugness about him, yet he is respected. But above all his vulnerability and his soft side not only for Loren but his own inner circle, melted me away like butter on toast. There is a lot I can rave about this book but finally getting to see them be in a relationship is truly something everyone needed to experience. I was swooning left, right and centre. Yes, they are tested and trialled in this book, but their love and connection are so strong, so special that getting to read them face it all, together, my soul was happy. And they wonder why a reader’s standards are high!
I’ll try to wrap it up now because I fan girled enough. This book left me speechless and breathless (IYKYK), I’ve read COGAM probably more times than I should have but I can easily see myself returning to this just as much, if not more. I’ve already started my reread so practically halfway there.
This book is truly one everyone needs to pick up. There is emotional damage, but also it healed parts of my soul that I didn’t even realise that needed that extra love. I have nothing but faith in her writing and I just know we are experiencing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what she has in store for them all.
Kayla, you continue to inspire me and you are a true mastermind. Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity. I am so grateful for this and one that I will be basking in for quite some time.
You can find me in Angelthene until further notice..
“You’re my home, Lola. You’re my home.”
”Being in love with her felt a little like losing his mind.”
Happy release day to this glorious work of art. Hope you are celebrating in style because you well and truly deserve it.
I never realised just how much my heart and soul desperately needed to be back with them all. Loren and Darien will ALWAYS feel like home to me, and this book right here has become my new lifeline. First of all, thank you so much Kayla for letting me read an ARC of City of Souls and Sinners. This truly was an honour. I am honestly blown away by this book so much. I knew it was already going to be good, but you and your words have completely exceeded everything and somewhere along the way they have become my safety blanket. How am I meant to wait until book 3 now?
The stakes were higher, the spice was immaculate and the growth from each of them was incredible. I have dived in headfirst as soon as this landed on my kindle, and I haven’t been able to move on since. I do have to take a minute and give a big up to the mental health rep we got in this. It was all too real and raw. I cried, I laughed, I got angry and I fell in love all over again. We are definitely faced with a lot heavier themes in COSAS and this is expected as the events pick up almost where we left off. I would highly recommend checking these out before reading but please do not let this stop you from giving in to these books.
I always find the best type of books are the one you feel everything all at once and Kayla is an absolute wizard when it comes to this.
The lore and the world building was even more intriguing and fleshed out the second time around. Being back at Angelthene felt so magical and right. Not only did we get Loren and Darien’s POV but we also got Max and let me tell you, I never knew I needed his thoughts just as much.. and seeing his back and forth with Dallas was honestly the relief I found myself craving.
Now I couldn’t be prouder of my girl Loren over here. Her development in this instalment was awe inspiring. There were many moments where I felt I was able to connect with her on a different level, she is not your typical warrior BUT let me tell you her confidence is something that I need to find within myself. She has this quiet strength within herself and throughout the book you see her development so clearly. She has been a true inspiration for me and what a privilege to experience her journey.
Darien Cassel. The way this man right here has been polarising all my thoughts ever since I finished COGAM last year and now even more so because this version of him, made my heart skip all over the place. He is everything I want and more. Strong, has that smugness about him, yet he is respected. But above all his vulnerability and his soft side not only for Loren but his own inner circle, melted me away like butter on toast. There is a lot I can rave about this book but finally getting to see them be in a relationship is truly something everyone needed to experience. I was swooning left, right and centre. Yes, they are tested and trialled in this book, but their love and connection are so strong, so special that getting to read them face it all, together, my soul was happy. And they wonder why a reader’s standards are high!
I’ll try to wrap it up now because I fan girled enough. This book left me speechless and breathless (IYKYK), I’ve read COGAM probably more times than I should have but I can easily see myself returning to this just as much, if not more. I’ve already started my reread so practically halfway there.
This book is truly one everyone needs to pick up. There is emotional damage, but also it healed parts of my soul that I didn’t even realise that needed that extra love. I have nothing but faith in her writing and I just know we are experiencing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what she has in store for them all.
Kayla, you continue to inspire me and you are a true mastermind. Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity. I am so grateful for this and one that I will be basking in for quite some time.
You can find me in Angelthene until further notice..
“You’re my home, Lola. You’re my home.”
November 9, 2024
This book was ridiculous. Was it good? No. Well-written? No. Did I have a good time reading it? Yes, but only when I could look past all the gaping plot holes and inconsistencies.
I was questioning every decision the author made. There were so many sporadic events that didn’t amount to or lead to anything.
• So much build-up to the dance, but they were there for half a chapter and nothing came of it?
• I thought there was going to be more to the medicinal tea that Loren’s dad mentioned?
• They talked about how addictive Venom was, but Loren and Darien both took a lot of it and never felt addicted? There was a missed opportunity for a storyline there.
There were more crazy conveniences that made me feel like the author was making up the plot as she went along.
• Dom just happens to know an extremely rare, unknown, and ancient language and just happens to be at their house to translate when a stranger shows up speaking it?
• How convenient that there’s a “weak spot” wherever Loren needs one.
• The guy they pulled for questioning didn’t die until after he gave up all the information because the drug he used had a delay on it?
The inconsistencies were never-ending.
• The Butcher, a drug dealer, wants to help Darien put scumbags behind bars?
• Is this supposed to take place in a futuristic world? Or is this modern day? There was a mix of both. Also, why don’t the cars have Bluetooth?!
• Sometimes they would say “gods” (like “gods-awful) and other times they would say god (like “oh my god”).
• Darien set off a grenade in the library of the biggest & best university in the city, setting everything on fire. But everything was repaired and back to normal a few chapters later? Wouldn’t all the books have burned?
• The leader of a vampire clan, who was hundreds of years old, is suddenly murdered and everyone’s just like, “huh that’s weird”.
• Why was a carnival for families and children being held at the black market?
• The suit was able to withstand the explosion of the Well and save Loren from a building literally collapsing on top of her; but now they get torn up by demon claws?
• The Life Clock was on Loren’s neck but she could somehow see how much time was left?
This was not a literary work of art. There was too much description of pointless, mundane actions like walking down a store aisle, driving to the next location, pressing buttons in the elevator, etc. The dialogue was corny and reminded me of a low-budget Lifetime movie. That being said, this book was also fast-paced and entertaining. I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t constantly thinking of all the stuff that didn’t make sense or add up. I will not be continuing with the series.
I was questioning every decision the author made. There were so many sporadic events that didn’t amount to or lead to anything.
• So much build-up to the dance, but they were there for half a chapter and nothing came of it?
• I thought there was going to be more to the medicinal tea that Loren’s dad mentioned?
• They talked about how addictive Venom was, but Loren and Darien both took a lot of it and never felt addicted? There was a missed opportunity for a storyline there.
There were more crazy conveniences that made me feel like the author was making up the plot as she went along.
• Dom just happens to know an extremely rare, unknown, and ancient language and just happens to be at their house to translate when a stranger shows up speaking it?
• How convenient that there’s a “weak spot” wherever Loren needs one.
• The guy they pulled for questioning didn’t die until after he gave up all the information because the drug he used had a delay on it?
The inconsistencies were never-ending.
• The Butcher, a drug dealer, wants to help Darien put scumbags behind bars?
• Is this supposed to take place in a futuristic world? Or is this modern day? There was a mix of both. Also, why don’t the cars have Bluetooth?!
• Sometimes they would say “gods” (like “gods-awful) and other times they would say god (like “oh my god”).
• Darien set off a grenade in the library of the biggest & best university in the city, setting everything on fire. But everything was repaired and back to normal a few chapters later? Wouldn’t all the books have burned?
• The leader of a vampire clan, who was hundreds of years old, is suddenly murdered and everyone’s just like, “huh that’s weird”.
• Why was a carnival for families and children being held at the black market?
• The suit was able to withstand the explosion of the Well and save Loren from a building literally collapsing on top of her; but now they get torn up by demon claws?
• The Life Clock was on Loren’s neck but she could somehow see how much time was left?
This was not a literary work of art. There was too much description of pointless, mundane actions like walking down a store aisle, driving to the next location, pressing buttons in the elevator, etc. The dialogue was corny and reminded me of a low-budget Lifetime movie. That being said, this book was also fast-paced and entertaining. I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t constantly thinking of all the stuff that didn’t make sense or add up. I will not be continuing with the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2025
★ 3.75 stars ★
this book was soooo long lol it isn't going to keep me from continuing, but dear lord! I can't believe the cliffhanger Kayla left this book on and am so glad that I can start the next one immediately!! so much happened, and I really feel like a lot of it could have been condensed a little, but I love the attention to detail and how everything started coming together towards the end. I hope there's some good coming though, because everyone got shit on in this book! 😭
this book was soooo long lol it isn't going to keep me from continuing, but dear lord! I can't believe the cliffhanger Kayla left this book on and am so glad that I can start the next one immediately!! so much happened, and I really feel like a lot of it could have been condensed a little, but I love the attention to detail and how everything started coming together towards the end. I hope there's some good coming though, because everyone got shit on in this book! 😭
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