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Deception, Death, And The Divine: A From Loathing To Lovers Collection Novella
From the archives of the keepers of time, wisdom and destiny. There are moments in time where even we cannot predict how dark things will become. All we can say is we regret the things that were asked of us, the depth of the darkness we had to find in order to reclaim peace amidst this world. It was too high a price to pay. And for that, we will do whatever is necessary to ensure that peace remains. As a testament and reminder of the price that was paid, we’ve collected and arranged a first hand account of our sins, both by the Fates and the Deities, may they rest in peace. Let this story live as a reminder of the blood that was shed and the sacrifices made.
May we never have to relive that darkness.
The story of Death and The Divine.
- GenresFantasy
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 10, 2025
3 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Lindsey N. Rhoden
4 books62 followersHi there! I'm Lindsey N. Rhoden. I’m a mama to four crazy kiddos, a full time homeschooler, and a part time writer with an affinity for all things herbal. I’ve spent the last several years as a birth/postpartum photographer and doula, specializing in herbal and Ayurvedic care. In the past year, I decided to take a step back from that line of work to focus on my family and make room for other passions.
I love exploring darker elements through my writing and focusing on the more taboo topics of mental health and what that kind of pure, raw emotion can look like. I try to bring my writing to life through elements of nature and descriptive language. My main goal in my work is to write real, raw emotion that the reader can relate to and can feel through the pages, whether that be love, excitement, panic, or pain.
I’ve been a writer for as long as I could hold a pen, but I’ve always struggled to give my writing the time it deserved to truly develop. I dove into the world of literature during college and earned my degree in English literature with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Central Florida. Authors such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Edgar Allen Poe inspired me to continue pursing my own writing. Motherhood had other plans, though, and I took a long reprieve after I graduated in 2018. In 2023, I decided to dive back into the world of writing and found out that apparently I had a lot to say.
I love exploring darker elements through my writing and focusing on the more taboo topics of mental health and what that kind of pure, raw emotion can look like. I try to bring my writing to life through elements of nature and descriptive language. My main goal in my work is to write real, raw emotion that the reader can relate to and can feel through the pages, whether that be love, excitement, panic, or pain.
I’ve been a writer for as long as I could hold a pen, but I’ve always struggled to give my writing the time it deserved to truly develop. I dove into the world of literature during college and earned my degree in English literature with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Central Florida. Authors such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Edgar Allen Poe inspired me to continue pursing my own writing. Motherhood had other plans, though, and I took a long reprieve after I graduated in 2018. In 2023, I decided to dive back into the world of writing and found out that apparently I had a lot to say.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 8, 2025
Deception, Death and the Divine by Lindsey N. Rhoden is a new adult dark fantasy romance novella. It is part of the Loathing to Lovers novella collection. I received a free copy as an ARC reader in exchange for an honest review.
***This novella is intended for audiences ages eighteen and older.***
SYNOPSIS: Cailleach, The Divine, is the goddess of creation and life. She clashes with the deity of Death, angry with how easily he corrupts and disregards the lives she holds dear, dragging them down into the Depths, also called the Underworld.
When the realms she's created reek with corruption, she wants to know how she can fix it without truly understanding how evil things have gotten. She soon realizes that corruption isn't only within the realms of the fae and mortals, but within her home realm—the Realm of the Gods.
When truth comes to light, she realizes Death isn't the monster she and the others have painted him to be. She has been deceived. She turns her suspicions towards the other deities with which she resides, and it unleashes a desire for vengeance she has never before experienced.
REVIEW: An enchanting read! I was immediately drawn in by the author's writing. I loved the voice, imagery, and was captivated by The Divine's power of creation. I love the contrast between The Divine's innocence and Death's brutality. I also love how protective he is of her and that he will destroy anyone who tries to harm her. Their personalities and powers clash so much but it makes for a delicious and addictive loathing-to-lovers concoction. Such a well-written story that held my interest the entire time.
I read these types of books for the stories and not the spice. While I love the characters and the realms the Gods have built, this story does have some kinky foreplay and sexual trauma. Be aware of that before you decide to pick up this novella!
Be aware that there are some paragraphs and pages you may want to skip. To the best of my ability, I have provided pages that you may want to skip should you pick up this novella.
Pages containing references to sexual trauma to skip: 34-39. 43, 45, 51, 86, 102, 131.
Pages containing graphic violence to skip: 41-42, 76, 99, 109, 120, 202-203, 210, 212.
Pages containing sexual content to skip: 82, 122, 124-127, 136-137, 140-146, 149,150-151, 156-160, 164-167, 179-181, 186-191, 193-194.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Strong language, attempted rape, violence and mutilation, brutal death of an animal companion, and explicit love scenes that include consensual bondage and strangulation play.
***This novella is intended for audiences ages eighteen and older.***
SYNOPSIS: Cailleach, The Divine, is the goddess of creation and life. She clashes with the deity of Death, angry with how easily he corrupts and disregards the lives she holds dear, dragging them down into the Depths, also called the Underworld.
When the realms she's created reek with corruption, she wants to know how she can fix it without truly understanding how evil things have gotten. She soon realizes that corruption isn't only within the realms of the fae and mortals, but within her home realm—the Realm of the Gods.
When truth comes to light, she realizes Death isn't the monster she and the others have painted him to be. She has been deceived. She turns her suspicions towards the other deities with which she resides, and it unleashes a desire for vengeance she has never before experienced.
REVIEW: An enchanting read! I was immediately drawn in by the author's writing. I loved the voice, imagery, and was captivated by The Divine's power of creation. I love the contrast between The Divine's innocence and Death's brutality. I also love how protective he is of her and that he will destroy anyone who tries to harm her. Their personalities and powers clash so much but it makes for a delicious and addictive loathing-to-lovers concoction. Such a well-written story that held my interest the entire time.
I read these types of books for the stories and not the spice. While I love the characters and the realms the Gods have built, this story does have some kinky foreplay and sexual trauma. Be aware of that before you decide to pick up this novella!
Be aware that there are some paragraphs and pages you may want to skip. To the best of my ability, I have provided pages that you may want to skip should you pick up this novella.
Pages containing references to sexual trauma to skip: 34-39. 43, 45, 51, 86, 102, 131.
Pages containing graphic violence to skip: 41-42, 76, 99, 109, 120, 202-203, 210, 212.
Pages containing sexual content to skip: 82, 122, 124-127, 136-137, 140-146, 149,150-151, 156-160, 164-167, 179-181, 186-191, 193-194.
CONTENT WARNINGS: Strong language, attempted rape, violence and mutilation, brutal death of an animal companion, and explicit love scenes that include consensual bondage and strangulation play.
March 12, 2025
{3.5/5}
CW: some violence, some gore, attempted SA, animal death, spice, some others
Thank you to the author for the ARC! “Deception, Death, and the Divine” is available now!
A little hard to get into, but the ending had me sold on continuing the story.
Cailleach, The Divine, lives amongst the other higher deities, spending her time creating life in her garden. The only disruption to her peace is Death, the antithesis to The Divine’s powers. The only non-resident of the godly realm, Death only appears when summoned to a meeting. Something about Death calls to The Divine, and all may not be as it appears.
In the interest of full disclosure, this book was going to come in at a solid 3. For the majority of the story, I had a hard time getting into the swing of things. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and there was no clear ‘plot’ to move things forward. Those last 50ish pages, though? That gave me a lot more to work with, and by the end of things I was invested and ready to see what happened next. If this were to be the prequel to a longer series I’d definitely be interested in giving it a shot.
The actual history of the realms is a little fuzzy (for *reasons*, though it still made everything a little confusing), but the actual descriptions and scene setting were well done. As I said before, I couldn’t really connect with the characters, and I think the reason is twofold. One, they mainly go by Death and The Divine for a significant portion of the story. These aren’t their names, just their titles, so it was hard to really make them feel anything besides ‘other.’ To be fair, they’re literally deities, so they are actually ‘other,’ it just made for a pretty large disconnect for me. Two, we don’t really get a lot of character building. By which I mean, we know very little about them. Again, it’s for *reasons*, but what little we do get (specifically about The Divine) is not a major selling point for me. She’s meek, she’s controllable, she asks no questions. *Reasons* aside, she bordered on unlikable at times. Death’s a little better, but we get even less character building for him, just some vague hints at what he has going on until much later.
Like I said, I was ready to give this one a 3.0– okay writing, but nothing that I’d necessarily want to reread. The ending helped greatly, making for a much more interesting story, but I still had to wait almost 200 pages to get there. I’m a little torn about the rest of the book, but those last chapters put in some major work. I’m not a huge fan of self discovery and personal growth journeys and the like being the main storyline, though, so it’s possible that this was just one that’s going to be a better fit for readers who favor that sort of thing.
CW: some violence, some gore, attempted SA, animal death, spice, some others
Thank you to the author for the ARC! “Deception, Death, and the Divine” is available now!
A little hard to get into, but the ending had me sold on continuing the story.
Cailleach, The Divine, lives amongst the other higher deities, spending her time creating life in her garden. The only disruption to her peace is Death, the antithesis to The Divine’s powers. The only non-resident of the godly realm, Death only appears when summoned to a meeting. Something about Death calls to The Divine, and all may not be as it appears.
In the interest of full disclosure, this book was going to come in at a solid 3. For the majority of the story, I had a hard time getting into the swing of things. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and there was no clear ‘plot’ to move things forward. Those last 50ish pages, though? That gave me a lot more to work with, and by the end of things I was invested and ready to see what happened next. If this were to be the prequel to a longer series I’d definitely be interested in giving it a shot.
The actual history of the realms is a little fuzzy (for *reasons*, though it still made everything a little confusing), but the actual descriptions and scene setting were well done. As I said before, I couldn’t really connect with the characters, and I think the reason is twofold. One, they mainly go by Death and The Divine for a significant portion of the story. These aren’t their names, just their titles, so it was hard to really make them feel anything besides ‘other.’ To be fair, they’re literally deities, so they are actually ‘other,’ it just made for a pretty large disconnect for me. Two, we don’t really get a lot of character building. By which I mean, we know very little about them. Again, it’s for *reasons*, but what little we do get (specifically about The Divine) is not a major selling point for me. She’s meek, she’s controllable, she asks no questions. *Reasons* aside, she bordered on unlikable at times. Death’s a little better, but we get even less character building for him, just some vague hints at what he has going on until much later.
Like I said, I was ready to give this one a 3.0– okay writing, but nothing that I’d necessarily want to reread. The ending helped greatly, making for a much more interesting story, but I still had to wait almost 200 pages to get there. I’m a little torn about the rest of the book, but those last chapters put in some major work. I’m not a huge fan of self discovery and personal growth journeys and the like being the main storyline, though, so it’s possible that this was just one that’s going to be a better fit for readers who favor that sort of thing.
March 26, 2025
This novella is phenomenal. I started reading and was just hooked and didn't want to put it down. That ending....NOOOOOOO. I need more now.
This book is about deities The Divine and Death. The Divine is in the realm with three other deities and she feels so lonely with them and not as strong. She makes life with flowers and plants but feels that's all. She hasn't been to the mortal realms in a long time being told that bad things are happening. Whenever Death comes from the Depths for meetings, she does her best to avoid him for thinking he is evil.
Death is drawn to The Divine and does his best to get under her skin. When he finds The Divine in danger on the mortal realm, he brings her to the Depths with him. Spending time together seems to make The Divine to see Death diffently.
So much happens with the scribes and the deities and mysteries to be solved. Sorry if confusing just so many feelings right now. Such an amazing novella and need more!
This book is about deities The Divine and Death. The Divine is in the realm with three other deities and she feels so lonely with them and not as strong. She makes life with flowers and plants but feels that's all. She hasn't been to the mortal realms in a long time being told that bad things are happening. Whenever Death comes from the Depths for meetings, she does her best to avoid him for thinking he is evil.
Death is drawn to The Divine and does his best to get under her skin. When he finds The Divine in danger on the mortal realm, he brings her to the Depths with him. Spending time together seems to make The Divine to see Death diffently.
So much happens with the scribes and the deities and mysteries to be solved. Sorry if confusing just so many feelings right now. Such an amazing novella and need more!
March 10, 2025
𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆 is a spellbinding mix of beauty, intrigue, darkness, and allure—full of emotional depth and magical deception.
Being back in the worlds Lindsey has created? Absolutely chef's kiss 🔥 Dark fantasy and dark romance at their finest. This novella took me on one wild ride, and I swear my jaw is still on the floor from the plot twists!
This novella brings a cast of characters that keeps you guessing—who can you trust? It's the perfect blend of enemies to lovers, second chances, and seriously spicy scenes that will leave you gutted by the end.
Lindsey has this incredible way of slowly pulling you into her intricate, vivid world, only to hook you with the raw, intense emotions of the characters. And then—boom—she hits you with a twist so shocking, you’ll just need a few minutes to process everything. Total awe and disbelief.
Being back in the worlds Lindsey has created? Absolutely chef's kiss 🔥 Dark fantasy and dark romance at their finest. This novella took me on one wild ride, and I swear my jaw is still on the floor from the plot twists!
This novella brings a cast of characters that keeps you guessing—who can you trust? It's the perfect blend of enemies to lovers, second chances, and seriously spicy scenes that will leave you gutted by the end.
Lindsey has this incredible way of slowly pulling you into her intricate, vivid world, only to hook you with the raw, intense emotions of the characters. And then—boom—she hits you with a twist so shocking, you’ll just need a few minutes to process everything. Total awe and disbelief.
February 23, 2025
“Darkness looked so beautiful on you, I can’t help but wonder what your light could do to me.”
Omg omg omg it’s all coming together!!!! Another fantastic story from Lindsey 🥹 This is a beautifully written novella about Death and The Divine, and I absolutely ate it up. I could read about these characters all day, especially our bbgirl Cailli because she’s such a badass, but also Death because the things that come out of his mouth… 🫦🫠 LOL. For real though, I really appreciated that this novella was set before ATTTR and that we got to learn about the gods & some very important context regarding A Tether Through the Rift. I’m loving this world and can’t wait for what’s next!
Thank you Lindsey for the opportunity to review this eARC 🫶🏻
Omg omg omg it’s all coming together!!!! Another fantastic story from Lindsey 🥹 This is a beautifully written novella about Death and The Divine, and I absolutely ate it up. I could read about these characters all day, especially our bbgirl Cailli because she’s such a badass, but also Death because the things that come out of his mouth… 🫦🫠 LOL. For real though, I really appreciated that this novella was set before ATTTR and that we got to learn about the gods & some very important context regarding A Tether Through the Rift. I’m loving this world and can’t wait for what’s next!
Thank you Lindsey for the opportunity to review this eARC 🫶🏻
March 10, 2025
4⭐️ 2🌶️
The is the first book I have read by Lindsey Rhoden and I absolutely loved it! It is a novella and it follows deities mostly the one of Divine (Cailleach) and one of Death, it also occasionally follows one of the sisters who are like maids but they are also Scribes.
Everytime i thought I had figured out where the book was going it took a turn where I wasn’t expecting, in a good way! There was so much packed into this short novella but it was the perfect amount of everything! From the plot to the pacing of the story line everything melted together and created this amazing book! I wasn’t ready for it to end and I can’t wait to read more from Lindsey Rhoden in the future! This will be added to my list of highly recommended books and recommended in my book club!!
The is the first book I have read by Lindsey Rhoden and I absolutely loved it! It is a novella and it follows deities mostly the one of Divine (Cailleach) and one of Death, it also occasionally follows one of the sisters who are like maids but they are also Scribes.
Everytime i thought I had figured out where the book was going it took a turn where I wasn’t expecting, in a good way! There was so much packed into this short novella but it was the perfect amount of everything! From the plot to the pacing of the story line everything melted together and created this amazing book! I wasn’t ready for it to end and I can’t wait to read more from Lindsey Rhoden in the future! This will be added to my list of highly recommended books and recommended in my book club!!
March 8, 2025
I’ve just finished reading this and my lord.. I think I might actually sell a piece of my soul (no puns intended here) for even 5 extra pages of this.
This novella has so many layers to it, so many traits and turns and at no point did I see where this was going but it was one hell of an adventure! And honestly.. that ending.. I’m at little mad that this is a standalone because I need more. Like feel it in my soul need more!!
Honestly I could write a review that’s pages and pages long but I don’t think anyone would read it hahaah. But to sum up, if you love spicy dark romantasy you absolutely need to read this and you will 100% regret not doing so.
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
This novella has so many layers to it, so many traits and turns and at no point did I see where this was going but it was one hell of an adventure! And honestly.. that ending.. I’m at little mad that this is a standalone because I need more. Like feel it in my soul need more!!
Honestly I could write a review that’s pages and pages long but I don’t think anyone would read it hahaah. But to sum up, if you love spicy dark romantasy you absolutely need to read this and you will 100% regret not doing so.
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
March 11, 2025
Another banger in the From Loathing to Lovers Novella Collection!!
This is the first book in the collection where I have not previously read the other books by the author that take place in the same world as their respective novella. So this was a completely new world for me with completely new characters but I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed this author's writing and her ability to get me invested in these characters in such a short amount of time. I loved the romance between Death & the Divine but also the 'deception' plot that was being alluded to with the Gods. I'm invested and definitely will be reading the author's other works. Highly recommend!
This is the first book in the collection where I have not previously read the other books by the author that take place in the same world as their respective novella. So this was a completely new world for me with completely new characters but I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed this author's writing and her ability to get me invested in these characters in such a short amount of time. I loved the romance between Death & the Divine but also the 'deception' plot that was being alluded to with the Gods. I'm invested and definitely will be reading the author's other works. Highly recommend!
March 2, 2025
Firstly thank you Lindsey for trusting me with an ARC copy of this book.
Secondly, this is the third book by Lindsey that I have read and this is her best book yet.
How the author managed to pack so much into a relatively short novella in will never know.
The characters are fully fleshed out, the pacing was spot on and the heartbreak was real. Also the spice never felt gratuitous and was worked into the story appropriately.
I cannot recommend this book enough, but please read the triggers first. As it’s pretty traumatic in places.
Secondly, this is the third book by Lindsey that I have read and this is her best book yet.
How the author managed to pack so much into a relatively short novella in will never know.
The characters are fully fleshed out, the pacing was spot on and the heartbreak was real. Also the spice never felt gratuitous and was worked into the story appropriately.
I cannot recommend this book enough, but please read the triggers first. As it’s pretty traumatic in places.
March 31, 2025
Loathing to lovers indeed
This story was fascinating. The world built and shown to us is one of my favourite parts
Cailli and Deaths story and their switch from loathing to lovers was perfection. The connection, the spice, it was great.
Now the ending, I need to know if there'll be more because I'm obsessed with this story and need more haha
This story was fascinating. The world built and shown to us is one of my favourite parts
Cailli and Deaths story and their switch from loathing to lovers was perfection. The connection, the spice, it was great.
Now the ending, I need to know if there'll be more because I'm obsessed with this story and need more haha
February 24, 2025
I couldn't put this book down. I was not emotional prepared for this book. This was my first time reading Lindsey N. Rhoden's books. I thought it was put together well and they story didn't feel rushed. And I wish there was more so I could keep reading it.
March 4, 2025
This was my introduction to Lindsey N Rhoden’s writing and now I’m DESPERATE to read the story that this prequel belongs to! Such an amazing twist on Hades and Persephone, and I need to believe that in some far off twist, Alistair finds his Cailli again
March 7, 2025
Wow! I could not put this book down!! I am now adding the rest of the books that goes to this story to my tbr!! Even with the story being a novella it didn’t feel rushed!
March 12, 2025
I had no idea where this novella was headed at all, and let me tell you, the ending absolutely did me in! Reading the first book in The Rift series, A Tether Through The Rift, adds so much value to this already rich novella — it’s like everything falls into place so beautifully, but still leaving so much left to discover. I’m thrilled for Lindsey’s next work. She is such a rich storyteller, and I can feel the emotion in every page. The imagery she creates is always so vivid in my mind, and I’ll be holding this one close as it becomes a favorite on my shelf. 5 stars, without a doubt.
March 11, 2025
”I was the light to his darkness, and he was the destruction to my creation. We could not have one without the other.”
Deception, Death and The Divine is a beautiful addition to the From Loathing to Lovers Novella Collection. I devoured this enemies to lovers story through gasps, awe and so many tears. The Divine’s light paired with Death’s shadowy darkness makes for the perfect combination of love and passion. I was immediately pulled into this world and I swear I could feel the character’s powers through the pages of my kindle. Lindsey’s ability to write fantasy that the reader can feel is truly a gift and has become a drug that I’m hooked on.
1000/10!
Deception, Death and The Divine is a beautiful addition to the From Loathing to Lovers Novella Collection. I devoured this enemies to lovers story through gasps, awe and so many tears. The Divine’s light paired with Death’s shadowy darkness makes for the perfect combination of love and passion. I was immediately pulled into this world and I swear I could feel the character’s powers through the pages of my kindle. Lindsey’s ability to write fantasy that the reader can feel is truly a gift and has become a drug that I’m hooked on.
1000/10!
March 1, 2025
Thank you Lindsey for generously allowing me to read as an ARC. As always, this does not affect my honest review.
Firstly, read the triggers. I must start reading the triggers. That's on me. Next- I need more. I know it was meant to be short, but I need more!
Now, I say- go forth & order! So you might enjoy and cry with me
Firstly, read the triggers. I must start reading the triggers. That's on me. Next- I need more. I know it was meant to be short, but I need more!
Now, I say- go forth & order! So you might enjoy and cry with me
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews