The Daughters of Lust and Swarm

by J.K. Jeffrey

In Scotland, gods don’t ask for devotion. They demand blood.

Harper has nothing to offer except the one thing everyone her blood. When her power awakens, it puts a target on her back, and when her brother is cursed and dying, she is forced to rely on Royalty, the one woman powerful enough to save him.

But Royalty isn’t a saviour. She is a witch marked for sacrifice, and Harper is the key to her survival.

As enemies close in and their fates become entangled, Harper is forced to trust the woman who plans to use her. And if she is wrong, it will not just cost her life—it will cost everything.

A dark, sapphic Scottish fantasy of blood magic, betrayal, and dangerous desire.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Queer, Romance

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2024

About the author

There simply isn't enough lesbian paranormal/fantasy romance fiction in the world. So, I write my own.

I'm a woman in my late 20's embracing my love of writing and story telling. I've only recently began to share my writing and published my first novel in April 2022.

Reviews

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed getting back into a book from this author. It is another example of her combining the grisly with the sweet. She did not skimp on the action and violence like many other romance or romance adjacent books do. I really liked the characters in the book. Harper and Royalty had great chemistry from the beginning. Raquel and Hardin are interesting as well. There are great scenes of action and steamy scenes of romance throughout the book. I was a little disappointed in how anticlimactic the confrontation with the witch hunter turned out to be, but the twist with Royalty’s coven might make up for it.

The romance between Harper and Royalty is interesting because neither of them really wants to like the other. They aren’t enemies, but they don’t trust each other. Despite that they find themselves drawn almost supernaturally to each other. Royalty softens around Harper…and Harper has learned to be more discerning because of Royalty. Even when it seems like they have all the reasons to hate each other, they’re still drawn together and can’t keep their hands to themselves. I look forward to reading more about their relationship in future books.

There is no third act breakup, because they’re never really together. The book does not end with a HEA or even a HFN, so it is a bit hard to fit it into the romance category for me, but I can see their affection and eventual love for one another stretching across several books. The ending did wrap most of the loose ends from the plot, but it introduces new threads to follow into the next book. So, no HEA or HFN, but also no cliffhanger, and a clear sequel being planned.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time receiving an advanced copy and I had a really good experience.
The world-building was simple but cool. The story is not really that unique, I've read several books on the same themes/tropes but I just couldn't put it down. The writing was great.

My only criticism is that it was a bit too short.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[The Freckled Cyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

No HFN or HEA but also no cliffhanger

I read this book because I am a fan of the SoulMatch books which are a previous work. The writing and the world building are fantastic. This author has a real talent which is evident in the work.

However there were some aspects of this book which I felt fell flat. 1. Is this a romance? While it does end on a solid set up for a second book, I didn't feel like any of the characters were happy or even content at the end.
2. The sex scenes. I read everything from no sex to closed door/fade to black all the way to the down dirty smutty. This book felt like it didn't know which it wanted to be? It was maybe like one scene and a half of a sex scene compared to the build up that we get from Harper & Royalty and their frienemy relationship.
3. Speaking of build up, there is a lot of build up to to the villain
but I'm not sure the conclusion of that aspect delivered satisfactorily

So I still plan to look out for books from this author but I'm not sure this storyline caught my attention enough or made me care enough to jump into the next book without reading reviews on it which is what I did here, jumping in as soon as I was notified the author had written a new story. I think maybe all the action and information about the world we got in this book came at the expense of
character development which could have I think been fixed if the book was longer or maybe the pacing was a bit slower. I found the dialogue funny and engaging in some parts, I love that this author writes lesbian paranormal fantasy and is a dang good writer. Even if I didn't fall in instalove with this story, I would still recommend it and read it over most of the other authors in this genre on KU. Give it a shot, its definitely worth the time reading to develop your own opinion.

[Aredelya · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who absolutely loved the Soul Match series and its excellent portrayal of the love between two girls, I was eagerly waiting for a chance to read J.K. Jeffrey's next book. And here I am reviewing one of my favourite author's new release. This is my first ARC review, so I'm a bit nervous.

The story follows Harper and Royalty, girls who possess magic powers and find themselves tangled up in a perilous adventure filled with hexes, cunning witches and dark, powerful gods. It explores the theme of "love vs power and duty." Are the girls ready to risk their lives and futures for each other? This book won't let you get bored. Just like the Soul Match series books, pacing is one of the strongest qualities of The Daughters of Lust and Swarm.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't say much about the main plot. Let me just say that it has several unexpected twists and turns that are pretty well done. But let's get to why we're all here, hehe. Sapphic romance! J.K. Jeffrey certainly knows how to write it in a meaningful, passionate, engaging way. It is important to mention that The Daughters of Lust and Swarm isn't as spicy as the story of Percy and Selene, and the MCs are quite a bit different, though just as complex and multi-layered. They complement each other in a way that might not be noticeable at first but later on feels natural. There aren't that many erotic scenes here, but it makes sense considering the situation Harper and Royalty find themselves in. And we also get kisses, cute kisses!

I love all the magic-related lore here. It's written well, and I enjoyed the parts where the characters used their powers. I'm sure you'll enjoy this aspect of the book too. It's kind of the best thing about it, apart from the sapphic content.

I suppose I should mention some aspects that I didn't particularly enjoy for the sake of fairness, but there isn't much to say. There's nothing really that could warrant removing a star from the rating. A violent scene made me flinch, but it made sense in the context of the story. The book has graphic violence, but it does not glorify it. I would've loved to see more sweet, romantic interactions between Harper and Royalty, but we'll get there. The story isn't over yet. This is only the beginning.

Overall, The Daughters of Lust and Swarm is a captivating read that I’d highly recommend to fans of dark fantasy and lesbian romance.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the author takes you for a. I enjoyed the mythology and the characters. I would definitely say I like how the author takes their time with how the characters develop and their emotions in general. The spice was spicing. I was left with a cliff hanger, and a few questions on some of the other characters. The book ended too soon. I would have read another 300 pages lol. Overall, this is quite the book, and the author has a unique way of writing that really pulls you into the story, the pages really come to life. I absolutely enjoyed the main characters, the wit, the banter, the chemistry. A few twists, that’ll leave you begging for more.

[Maskedblogger51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good even if it could have used a few more pages.

Ok, so this is a rarity for me. Finishing a "romance" book and thinking it should have been longer. (Usually, there is so much padding in romance)
J.k. is an excellent writer. However, it feels like there was just so much to get through with world building and characters i wanted more out of. This (along with a bit of a rushed climax/ ending ) kept it from 5 stars. There should be more quality lesbian and queer romance in the fantasy/ paranormal space, and on that note, what few sexy scenes this book has are quality spicy. 👌 very hot, and i like the writing style and main characters chemistry.
In general, however, the book felt like it needed like 200 more pages, so it could slow down a bit and let us enjoy character interactions, romance building , and even the magical fight scenes. I could bet that maybe the authers intent was to convay the time crunch that they all were operating on however it just ended up feeling a bit "jumpy" and "fast cut" like a Bourn action film editting style in book form. Whoever the editor was i feel like they were harping a bit too much on "cut out un needed scenery and words" end so we missed out on that connection to characters and relationships we could have developed if given more pages.

[Some ending Spoilers]

Now the ending isn't exactly a cliff hanger but definitely feels like the "and now we got all this to servive and so much more about to dump on us " plot development set up for multiple books to come. While also getting a months long time skip to leave us wondering what exactly happened after/ during the final fight. Idk kind of left an odd taste in my mouth like "Why rush and skip the ending scenes in this conflict just to tease more conflicts in potential books?" I would rather have satisfactory read what happened in a fleshed out final demegodess vs coven conflict but instead spent it all "seme knocked out" with diffrent heroines depending on the view point. This made it all "vague" ish in the actual fight and ending rescue scenes imho.

Still 4 to 4.5 stars, but let's hope we get more sexy scenes with the leading ladies in the next book and that it's allowed to slow down too.

[Nyki Mancera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so torn…

I am not quite sure how I feel about this book. I didn’t dive into it and stay with it like I did the “The Soul Match” series. It took me several days to read this story. It didn’t automatically grab my attention. It took some time. I thought the concept of these witches were different. But how it manifested over time left me feel detached.

Harper was a bit too weak, naive, and not even searching to understand what was happening around her. She looked to everyone else to have the answers or seek the answers to questions unanswered. Even after she had learned some things about herself, she still didn’t really seek to understand what it all meant, not even to keep herself, her family and friends alive. She continued to fail in my eyes. She was young and more immature than her younger brother.

It is no wonder that Royalty was able to continue to manipulate her and lie to her up until the very end. She left Royalty as Royalty had actually saved her, just like she left her brother and her best-friend. Harper is the one not to be trusted. She is weak and weak-willed. I don’t know how Royalty ever seen any value in her, except being what she was a “little dove.”

Even at the end. When it all came crumbling down…she still wasn’t thirsty enough or had seen enough, or had enough bad things happen that it would drive her to seek knowledge and understanding of just who she is, what she is, where she comes from, and the power she may wield. She knew even less than she did at the beginning before meeting Mr. Fuzzy, Royalty, and Benny. Sigh. She remained daft from the beginning through the end.

Great writing. The only good things about this story are Royalty, Raquel, Mr. Fuzzy and Hardin.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Angry and covered in blood suited Harper. She was quite beautiful when frightening."


Thank you Jk Jeffrey for letting me read The Daughters of Lust and Swarm in advance. I had a really good timing reading that book.

This book features two witches who are also both kids of some powerful gods. While one witch, Harper, only recently discovered her powers and tries to cope with it, the other witch, Royalty, is already in her own coven, trying to save her own life because she (understandably) does not want to be sacrificed by her coven. But why die at all when you might as well just let the new, naive witch die?

While the first third of the book was a bit hard to get into for me personally, I found myself rushing through the rest of the part. Royalty and Harper face a lot of witchy challenges (witch hunters, curses, you name it) throughout the book and that's helping their personal relationship enormously. While Royalty only helped Harper to lure her into her own trap, Harper was the total sunshine girl who couldn't hurt a wasp if she wanted. The differences between both girls made for so many funny moments, I found myself chuckling every now and then.
The side characters were likable too, all except for one: Harper's best friend Raquel.
Now, I totally understand that she only tried to protect Harper but that girl gave me a complete headache throughout the book.


Overall I actually had a good time with this book and I'm excited to see if and how the story of those two opposite-attract-witches will continue.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had very high hopes for this book because Princess’s Pet is like my favorite dark romance. The dynamic is wonderful, I LOVE Royalty, and the world is quite interesting. I won’t say that it disappointed me, because it was great, and different and I finished it in like a day. However, Princess’s Pet is simply better, and because I can compare between the two I kinda have to. This had so much potential because the world is really cool and the plot and characters are fun, but I had a few issues.
1. The lust between the main characters happened too quickly. It could’ve been lust at first sight, but I didn’t really feel like we got signs of it. So it just developed extremely suddenly in like one scene where it was not present before. Since Princess’s Pet had great build up, this came up short.
2. It was SO rushed. It was very short, and there was too much plot for how short it was. Literally the big scene the book was building up to ended in like 3 seconds I actually missed it and had to reread. Also the entire book was basically “we could never escape it” and then they escaped it without batting an eyelash. Umm okay?

Anyways, I still recommend reading this book, I just wish it was less rushed. I think that if it was 100 pages longer it would’ve fixed it right up.

[Shaunette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Antihero

It’s hard for me to find a book where I’m rooting for the villain. Where I constantly need to remind myself, “Hey, you do know that’s the bad guy right?” Well, I loved the conflicted feelings that Daughters of Lust and Swarm created.

{Spoilers ahead}

Written in multiple POVs, Jeffery builds a story of a deeply wronged heir that sees no other way to survive their predicament than to manipulate a naive witch into self sacrificing themself to bring their father into their realm. Filled with constant twists and turns, this book never failed to keep me entertained. The chemistry between the Harper and Royalty is almost tangible.

{Even more spoilers//DO NOT read ahead if you haven’t read the book!}

The only draw back which I suppose might not be for some at all is that 250 pages is a tad bit short and the last fight scene where the Lust sisters converge on Harper and Royalty was a bit underwhelming because after Harper takes Royalty’s blood I really thought she was going to kick some ass or that they would kick some ass together.

Regardless, by the way this book ended, I assume there will be more to this story and I cannot wait to read more!

[Andriele Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Soul Match series and it became one of my favourite series so when I discovered this book I jumped in, but even though I like the book it was a little disappointing, the first half was fine and then by the second half it felt a bit rushed and that it simply exists as a set up for the next book, the ending felt so anticlimactic and abrupt.
I think my lack of connection to the characters didn't help either, Harper was not my cup of tea, she is useless in this, damsel in distress through and through, Raquel is also pretty annoying even though I understand she is just being protective.

[Trillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark sapphic romance with witches, action, and suspense, what's not to like?
I liked both main characters and their dynamic, and the side characters were also a nice addition to the story. The storyline felt kind of rushed, and I would have loved to see more world buildup before the action started, and more interaction between the main characters to establish where their attraction and chemistry comes from.
Overall, I really enjoyed and would pick up the next book.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mariah Clemens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. I absolutely adored the princess's pet series. I LOVE how J.K. Jeffrey writes. In all honesty I think I just have a vampire obsession so those appeal to me more. However, this is a good book and if you're into witches, you should def read it.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark

Opposites attract in this tale of darkness in the realm of gods and witches. Truths are revealed from betrayal. Fighting evil to save the one you love.

[Bindiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story started slow in the first few chapters. But it started getting better in the mid and then the excitement on the story started.