The Blood Of Sin: Assentia Series Book 1

by L.D. McRae

Feared by All

Sovos the Butcher lives solely for revenge. After cycles of laying the groundwork, his plans are finally falling into place. Reviled by his home world as a traitor, lauded by the Toridians as a hero, and feared by all who know his name, stories of Sovos’s brutality have swept across the galaxy. One way or another, his death will come once the final puzzle piece is placed. Yet, something so unexpected has occurred. How could the fates be so cruel? A gift so precious lies just out of reach. If he can only find a way to live.

A Galaxy in Turmoil

As the Toridian Empire prepares to enslave yet another planet, a resistance movement called the Under Planet Alliance gains strength. Someone is smuggling information out of Toria Prime. Space pilots Drak Simolja and Fera Bakatra have been recalled from their current mission to rendezvous on Planet Vega. Biological weapon samples smuggled out of Toria Prime must be hand delivered to the scientists on Planet Bendo. Little did they know at the start of this mission how their destiny would be forever changed. Drak and Fera must complete their mission and control their desires as the mate bond throws them into sexual bliss at every turn.

A Little Problem at the Land Dock

Happily mated Vegian’s, Megila Dorlian and Chaz Delanta land in unfamiliar territory when they are sent to personally modify a prototype cloaking system on a land docked recon vessel. They’ve been followed. Someone wants the cloaking system for themselves. Events take an unexpected turn, sending Meg and Chaz on an adventure they never imagined. Hope for the future of the Assentia Galaxy grows as their cloaking system becomes the centerpiece for an attack that could be a turning point in the battle against Toridian domination.

Genres: Science Fiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 1, 2025

About the author

L.D. McRae lives in the Great Lakes Region of the United States with her husband, seven or eight dogs depending on the day, three cats, and twenty-plus chickens. When not working on the next novel, she can usually be found playing with her grandkids, working on craft projects, studying genealogy, or reading a steamy romance novel. Writing a novel had always been something she wanted to do, and when her daughter M.R. McRae published her first book, Blood From Diamond, L.D. found her inspiration and stepped outside her comfort zone. L.D. has a Bachelor Degree in Accounting and spent many years working in the field before transitioning to other endeavors, including coaching junior varsity volleyball at her alumni high school. L.D. currently has all seven books completed in the Assentia Series, and two books completed in the Assentia Captives Series.


Current books in L.D.’s Assentia Series: (In reading order)
The Blood of Sin
The Perils of Sin
The Redemption of Sin
The Triumph of Sin
The Fate of Sin
The Savior of Sin
The Destiny of Sin

Current books in L.D.’s Assentia Series: (In reading order)
Veiled Visions
Desire Unleashed
Warrior Hearts
Echoes of Shadow and Smoke

Reviews

[Gail McGuire]

Imaginative and Steamy
This book is outside of my usual genre preference, but wow. A great deal of thought went into creating the sci-fi worlds and diverse beings that populate this series. The first couple of chapters are heavy in world-building. But after that, strap in for a wild ride! The concept of a predatory planet colonizing other planets through cruel and deadly genetic mutation was a unique and frightening concept. The story infuses a novel vocabulary that advances the other-worlds theme and the glossary is helpful. Sovos the Butcher is the quintessential tragic hero. His past is appalling but his suffering for the greater good is heart wrenching. And woven into this adventure is steamy space creature interludes. An enjoyable read!

[Carole McDonnell]

Fast-paced, possibly too-much so.

Passion, revenge, a resistance, space wars, inter-species romance, forced mutations as a means of domination and imperialism. I found the book fun, and interesting. The first chapter was hard because of all the infodumping but after that it was smooth space sailing. The pressures of mating season, and women's biology choosing mates, added to the stress of being in intergalactic war seemed like old news to me. Maybe I've just seen too many stories about passionate hormonal couples with intergalactic mating issues in time of war and duty. The major emotions in the book are anger, fear, and sexual desire.

Playing around with Earth analogs was fun. My favorite part, as a New Yorker, the boga infestation. The author had some ingenious concepts but sometimes I kept thinking that the science wasn't as advanced as it probably should be. For instance, with Sovos' prosthetics. And I found much about the underground/Resistance/Infiltration somewhat unbelievable. A well-known Butcher/Monster for instance, is easily forgiven by folks for destroying their home worlds once he explains his side of things? And his potential operatives believe him so easily? And he trusts possible covert operators so easily? I felt as if the author had the idea of the resistance created in her mind but had not really worked out the logistics of getting there so she did the easiest but most unbelievable setup and used the lack of time as an excuse. I think I wanted to see something more believable but that would have meant the author spending more time on aspects of the novel she wasn't interested in depicting. And that's okay. It's the author's book, not mine.

But, the pace is fast. This is a fun exciting read if you don't overthink it. The book is very well-written although a lot seems taken for granted or unexplored. Please take my review with a heavy grain of salt. I generally don't read space opera so my opinion might be uninformed. A fun read though.

[Katherine Black]

Wow, this book’s ambitious—but in the right way. It’s like every series of Star Trek rolled into one, and I bet there’s more to come. It’s fantastic. The action is packed tight and throws readers into a galaxy filled with political tension and strong characters. The worldbuilding is expansive and imaginative. The setting is dangerous.

The book swings between high-stakes power struggles and personal motivations. And, the pacing is fast, with multiple storylines creating a vivid read.

Sovos is ruthless, while the rest have their own backstories. We have emotion and unpredictability, action, romance, loyalty, and survival that keep the narrative moving. Emotional connections between the characters bring humanity to the war and rebellion, which keeps a psychological thriller reader like me engaged. An imaginative read that will appeal to fans of epic space opera. This lady can write.

[Jane Wood]

The Blood of Sin: Assentia Series Book 1 (The Assentia Series) by L.D McRae.

I enjoyed this well-thought-out science fiction story. It reminded me a little of the Star Wars films with its alien creatures, advanced technology and its inter-planetary conflicts.

There was plenty of action in this well-written first book: The Blood of Sin: Assentia Series Book 1. Its engaging main character, Sovos the Butcher, was well known for his savage nature. He was a brute of a creature with a reputation to uphold. Unsurprisingly, everyone was wary of him and knew what terrible deeds he could commit.

There was a lot to take in as the story takes the reader through the tortuous events of warfare, revealing its characters and their various relationships along the way.
A little disturbing in parts, but overall, a good read for lovers of science fiction books laced with graphic depictions of war, also some sexual content.

[Ashley Mindykowski]

Wow!! That was not what I was expecting at all but in such a good way. The world building in this book is wild. It's literally a completely different place with different species on different planets that have different ways of life.

The political aspects were very believable. All of the characters were very easily relatable and likable. the spice was very good but also very interesting since they are not human.

And you also have a main character who is highly struggling with his disability and that is also very believable and easy to feel something for him. I really enjoyed the storyline and the multiple different perspectives.

All in all this was a really good book and I look forward to the next book in the series!

[Ryan Hale]

LD McCrae's, The Blood of Sins, is a wild ride from the moment the story settles in after its dense opening. Once the gears start turning, the book delivers exactly what space-opera fans love: high emotions, political tension, fierce battles, and a romance that pushes its characters to the edge. McRae builds a galaxy full of sharp contrasts—strange creatures, volatile alliances, and cultures that echo just enough of Earth to make the worldbuilding feel clever and familiar. Some elements stretch believability, but the pace is quick, the drama hits hard, and the characters keep you turning pages. Even as someone who rarely reads this subgenre, I had a great time. It’s energetic, imaginative, and entertaining from start to finish.

[M Robinson]

dnf 47%

i can't read this anymore, when i read a book, I want to concentrate on one relationship whether its rh or mf, I don't mind other people mentioned but this book has son and whoever his fmc will be, we still don't know at 47% plus two other couples. its beyond frustrating.

I dont want to read multiple sex scenes of meg n Chaz or fera n drak!!

I'm reading this book because I want to read sins book, sadly we're not getting his room were getting a composite..

it doesnt make for good reading tbh.

terrible format interesting orrmise but spoilt by writing style. what on earth made the author think this was a good idea?

[Janice Spina]

The Book of Six is a space opera with plenty of action, adventure, sex situations with intergalactic species, and wars among the different planets. There are intriguing characters such as Gali and Sonos who are discovering one another and finding that what you see does not always depict what you truly are. Sonos is known as a butcher and had killed his share of others until he meets someone with whom he feels a kinship and may want as a mate. This is book 1 in this series that, I’m sure, will have plenty more adventures between the species and wars raging as the fights for dominance and power continues.

This genre is not my usual choice of a read but I enjoyed it minus all the explicit sex and language.

[Tracey Gerrard]

Space action at its best!
I’m not usually a lover of science fiction, but the striking cover and blurb grabbed my attention. I will admit that The Blood of Sin is the first alien space opera that I’ve read; that said, I found this story to be very enjoyable once I’d got my head around all the space language. The author’s imagination is amazing.
The story had plenty of space action, romance, and some interesting characters. I love the name Sin, and it suited the character immensely. Overall, this story held my attention from beginning to end, and I’m sure fans of sci-fi would love it. Even if you’re not, give it a go.

[Ajay Howarth]

A Complicated Alien Hero and Plenty of Drama

I honestly enjoyed this more than I expected to.

There’s a lot going on with the different planets, species and politics, so the beginning took me a little while to get into. Once it picked up though, I was invested.

Sin was definitely the standout for me. He’s complicated, dangerous, emotional and not just another flat alien hero. The romance had decent tension too, and there was enough action and drama to keep things moving.

The writing has a few rough patches and some of the made-up terms were a bit much at times, but the story itself kept me interested. The ending also made me want to see what happens next.

[Margie Welsh]

The Blood of Sin

The story is space opera fantasy at its best, with engaging characters, action from start to finish, humor, romance, some really inventive and yet believable alien sex scenes, a great plot, and a hero you're going to fall in love with. I was very impressed with the depth of "Sin", the MMC / hero of the story. I've already purchased and downloaded the second book.

[Beth Hildenbrand]

Action Packed!

L. D. McRae was written a fast paced, action packed thriller ride.
While creating new worlds and new beings you will be swept away on an adventure in the stars.
Savos the Butcher is about to takeover another planet. There are factions out to stop him from within and without.
Now he finds himself tangled up with Galaxy. Is she his mate?
I found myself quite caught up in this book. Im looking forward to the next!

[Adrienne Paradis]

I had some trouble getting past the first/second chapter world building and set up, but I know I can be impatient, wanting to get to the story. Once the story began to unfold I was caught up in it. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but they were very unique in their own ways. I found the book creative and engrossing, the romance very spicy and imaginative. It does have a cliff-hanger ending, so be prepared to read the second book.

[V.E. Huntley]

I stepped a little outside my reading comfort zone with this one. It’s my first space opera, but I’m a fan of Star Wars and the premise intrigued me. The story follows three interconnected stories set in a galaxy on the brink of war. While it wasn't quite the right fit for me, I appreciate the creativity and world-building that went into it. If you like reading space operas, this one seems worth checking out.

[Liz]

fast paced sexy space story

I’m going to start by saying this is not my usual genre at all. I don’t normally enjoy the space opera genre, but I absolutely loved this.
It’s fast paced, action packed and the character dynamics are fantastic. The world building is phenomenal, and there is a handy little glossary in the front of the book to help with the unusual words.
There was a lot going on in this book, but in my opinion, the author’s ambition has paid off in spades.

[Jo-Anne Barker]

It was hard to connect with the characters, and I didn't enjoy the book. I have been writing books for a long time, and I can spot any flaws made by amateur authors. A good developmental editor would point them out and help improve this book. Also, the small font on the cover is hard to read.

[Gabrielle robinson]

Captivating first installment in what is sure to be a phenomenal series! Can’t wait to get my hands on the next books!

[Denay W]

The book started out a bit intimidating for me. It was kind of info dumpy, but once we got past that I enjoyed it more. The other thing that intimidated me was how fast pace it was. There were no breaks but at the same time, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the relationships and the rebellion. It was a fun read for sure

[Markus Hunter]

A slow burn of anticipation (partial spoiler)

I found this novel to be well thought out and written with the plot designed meticulously and multi faceted following several different characters whose ventures all intertwine. I might’ve been disappointed at the abrupt ending at the climax after all the build up but you get to find out the next phase with the sequel I suppose. But kudos on a well grafted story

[L.D. McRae]

Great New Author...it's good to see fresh and innovative stories. Loved the characters and can't wait for the next one!