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Stained Red
When Verbena thought about how she wanted her love story to bloom, she thought of pure and deep love. An forced marriage is far from what she had hoped for.
As a Elder Bloodline daughter of the Court of Shadow's Keep, she must enter into a forced marriage with an old flame in a move her Father says is a means to forge an alliance. But who does she really need protecting from?
The War of Annexation enacted by the Mainlanders recently ended, and her island continent she calls home is healing. The war almost tore the three magical courts apart, but is it really over? She's the first in 300 years to be blessed with astral travel, a blessing and a curse. It makes her a target for those who seek to use her as a weapon in a new war. a secret war.
Her betrothed, High Lord Warrick of the Court of Voltundra, is war embodied. He is a violent temper with bloody knuckles and not the man she once knew. She finds herself in a battle of heart and mind, seeking answers to the past and making her own decisions about moving forward. Not everything she's heard in the bard songs and war stories are as they seem. She's torn. What does it mean if she chose to love a monster?
She finds the keys to her own sanctuary, all her desires, buried deep in her own red, beating heart. All she has to do is make the choice. But doing so means she's stained in the red agony of love and ensnares her own destiny in the Red String of Fate.
As a Elder Bloodline daughter of the Court of Shadow's Keep, she must enter into a forced marriage with an old flame in a move her Father says is a means to forge an alliance. But who does she really need protecting from?
The War of Annexation enacted by the Mainlanders recently ended, and her island continent she calls home is healing. The war almost tore the three magical courts apart, but is it really over? She's the first in 300 years to be blessed with astral travel, a blessing and a curse. It makes her a target for those who seek to use her as a weapon in a new war. a secret war.
Her betrothed, High Lord Warrick of the Court of Voltundra, is war embodied. He is a violent temper with bloody knuckles and not the man she once knew. She finds herself in a battle of heart and mind, seeking answers to the past and making her own decisions about moving forward. Not everything she's heard in the bard songs and war stories are as they seem. She's torn. What does it mean if she chose to love a monster?
She finds the keys to her own sanctuary, all her desires, buried deep in her own red, beating heart. All she has to do is make the choice. But doing so means she's stained in the red agony of love and ensnares her own destiny in the Red String of Fate.
170 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 31, 2024
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 5, 2024
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
World-Building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶 (1 open door scene)
Perfect for a novella.
Alright, let's talk about Stained Red by Ashlyn Cook because this book has everything: heartbreak, ex-boyfriend drama, arranged marriages, and the most down-to-earth, hilarious lady’s maid you'll ever meet. Honestly, if I had a Hannah in my life, I’d never need therapy.
Book Breakdown: We’re following our girl Verbana (great name, by the way) who’s living every romantic’s worst nightmare. She thought she had the whole “love match” thing locked down, but surprise! Her “great love” ghosted her. Yep, just vanished. Now, her dad’s like, "Oh hey, here’s this arranged marriage you didn’t ask for—enjoy!" So, we’re diving into the weeks leading up to the wedding and—brace yourselves—the wedding night. Cue the drama.
Verbana is relatable on so many levels. She’s not here for this whole “duty over desire” thing and, honestly, who can blame her? But let’s not forget the ex. Ugh. This guy. If you like hating characters (and trust me, you will), he’s your new least favorite. The type that makes you want to throw your book across the room. I’m genuinely mad at a fictional person.
Characters: Now, onto the real MVP: Hannah. Honestly, I would read an entire spin-off about her. She’s hilarious, snarky, and brings much-needed comic relief when the tension’s high. If I had a friend like her in real life, I’d be set for life. She’s that perfect balance of sarcastic and supportive. Verbana, on the other hand, is dealing with the weight of her world while somehow not completely falling apart. Girl’s got strength.
Her parents, the ones pushing the marriage, aren't exactly winning any “Parent of the Year” awards, but you can kind of understand where they are coming from. The dad thinks he's helping, protecting her, but we’re all just shaking our heads like, “Dude, read the room.”
The Wedding & Wedding Night: The build-up to the wedding is… tense. And let me tell you, the reception? Yikes. It’s filled with vulnerability and some “well, I didn’t see that coming” moments. Ashlyn Cook writes it so well that you feel everything right along with Verbana.
And let’s just say, if you think you’ve got this book all figured out by the halfway point, you don’t. There’s a twist or two that’ll have you questioning if you really know what's coming next. I thought I did. Surprise, I did not in fact know.
Final Thoughts: Stained Red isn’t your typical love story. It’s messy, emotional, and real in all the best (and worst) ways. Verbana’s journey through heartbreak, acceptance, and the rollercoaster that is an arranged marriage is enough to keep you flipping pages long into the night (lies, I finished this in like 3 hours). You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you might even throw the book at the wall (thanks, ex-boyfriend), but you’ll definitely feel something.
Pros:
Hannah is relatable AF
Verbana is a great FMC
Emotional rollercoaster you didn’t know you signed up for
Cons:
The MMC needed to spend the entirety of book 2 groveling and explaining himself. The fact that she saw....
Overall: If you love romance with a healthy dose of drama, snark, and emotional gut-punches, Stained Red is for you. But fair warning: you might develop an irrational hatred for a fictional man.
This is book 1 in a series. Book 2 - Drenched will be out in early 2025 according to the author.
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
World-Building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶 (1 open door scene)
Perfect for a novella.
Alright, let's talk about Stained Red by Ashlyn Cook because this book has everything: heartbreak, ex-boyfriend drama, arranged marriages, and the most down-to-earth, hilarious lady’s maid you'll ever meet. Honestly, if I had a Hannah in my life, I’d never need therapy.
Book Breakdown: We’re following our girl Verbana (great name, by the way) who’s living every romantic’s worst nightmare. She thought she had the whole “love match” thing locked down, but surprise! Her “great love” ghosted her. Yep, just vanished. Now, her dad’s like, "Oh hey, here’s this arranged marriage you didn’t ask for—enjoy!" So, we’re diving into the weeks leading up to the wedding and—brace yourselves—the wedding night. Cue the drama.
Verbana is relatable on so many levels. She’s not here for this whole “duty over desire” thing and, honestly, who can blame her? But let’s not forget the ex. Ugh. This guy. If you like hating characters (and trust me, you will), he’s your new least favorite. The type that makes you want to throw your book across the room. I’m genuinely mad at a fictional person.
Characters: Now, onto the real MVP: Hannah. Honestly, I would read an entire spin-off about her. She’s hilarious, snarky, and brings much-needed comic relief when the tension’s high. If I had a friend like her in real life, I’d be set for life. She’s that perfect balance of sarcastic and supportive. Verbana, on the other hand, is dealing with the weight of her world while somehow not completely falling apart. Girl’s got strength.
Her parents, the ones pushing the marriage, aren't exactly winning any “Parent of the Year” awards, but you can kind of understand where they are coming from. The dad thinks he's helping, protecting her, but we’re all just shaking our heads like, “Dude, read the room.”
The Wedding & Wedding Night: The build-up to the wedding is… tense. And let me tell you, the reception? Yikes. It’s filled with vulnerability and some “well, I didn’t see that coming” moments. Ashlyn Cook writes it so well that you feel everything right along with Verbana.
And let’s just say, if you think you’ve got this book all figured out by the halfway point, you don’t. There’s a twist or two that’ll have you questioning if you really know what's coming next. I thought I did. Surprise, I did not in fact know.
Final Thoughts: Stained Red isn’t your typical love story. It’s messy, emotional, and real in all the best (and worst) ways. Verbana’s journey through heartbreak, acceptance, and the rollercoaster that is an arranged marriage is enough to keep you flipping pages long into the night (lies, I finished this in like 3 hours). You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you might even throw the book at the wall (thanks, ex-boyfriend), but you’ll definitely feel something.
Pros:
Hannah is relatable AF
Verbana is a great FMC
Emotional rollercoaster you didn’t know you signed up for
Cons:
The MMC needed to spend the entirety of book 2 groveling and explaining himself. The fact that she saw....
Overall: If you love romance with a healthy dose of drama, snark, and emotional gut-punches, Stained Red is for you. But fair warning: you might develop an irrational hatred for a fictional man.
This is book 1 in a series. Book 2 - Drenched will be out in early 2025 according to the author.
January 18, 2025
Phenomenal book! The plot👏is on 👏 f**king amazing!!!
Character and character development was intriguing and had me captivated for every single moment. ✨
The architecture and the attention to detail absolutely exquisite!!💜
Can't wait to see what Ashlyn writes next!!!!🌹🖤🕯️🥀💌
Character and character development was intriguing and had me captivated for every single moment. ✨
The architecture and the attention to detail absolutely exquisite!!💜
Can't wait to see what Ashlyn writes next!!!!🌹🖤🕯️🥀💌
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews