Hunger in His Blood

Brides of the Kylorr #3

by Zoey Draven

An unrequited love. A broken heart. A stolen secret.

I’ve loved Kaldur of House Kaalium since the first moment I laid eyes on him. He’s a sinfully charming, lore-smoking playboy with a smile that makes me see stars. As the High Lord of Vyaan, his vast power and wealth extends throughout the entirety of our nation—and he’s as untouchable as he is devastatingly handsome.

Me? I’m a lowly human keeper on his grand estate. An orphan with no family. A dreamer, who lives in the adventure of my own fictional stories. I couldn’t be more beneath his notice or unlike the plethora of pretty, clever socialites who warm his bed.

For two years, he has no idea I even exist…until one afternoon, a tiny cut on my palm changes everything. He discovers that I’m his kyrana, his blood mate. The one female that will sate his vampiric hunger and calm the berserker rages of his race. I thought every dream I’d had was finally coming true—my winged prince finally come.

Until Kaldur breaks my heart so callously, reinforcing every pain and insecurity I’d ever had.

And when he realizes his mistake and sets his mind to winning me back? He’ll have the fight of his life if he thinks I’ll ever give him my heart again.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Aliens, Science Fiction, Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance

454 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2025

About the author

Zoey Draven has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. Her love affair with the romance genre started with her grandmother's old Harlequin paperbacks and has continued ever since. As a Top 100 Amazon bestselling author, now she gets to write the happily-ever-afters—with a cosmic, otherworldly twist, of course!

When she's not writing, she's probably drinking one too many cups of coffee, hiking in the redwoods, or spending time with her family.

Sign-up for Zoey Draven's newsletter for new release announcements and bonus content: http://bit.ly/2lkn8M4

Reviews

[tyrosine · Rating 2 out of 5]

LIST OF KALDUR’S CRIMES:
- Public indecency
- Continuing sexual activities after being caught (idc if it’s his manor. You should leave explicit activities behind closed doors and out of your employee’s periphery. Like. That’s their place of work and you doing the Devil’s Tango in public could be triggering?? At the very least it’s sexual harassment IDC IF I’M BEING TOO WOKE)
- Omitting critical information about Erina being his kyrana (I feel like this omission is just so manipulative because she experiences hormonal changes when Kaldur drinks from her since they’re blood mates)
- Taking advantage of Erina’s naivety (lame boo, hiss)
- Bad-mouthing Erina behind her back
- Doing a background check on Erina but somehow missing the fact she doesn’t have a lover (so wtf are your vast PI resources good for) and then proceeding to be weirdly jealous despite expressly wanting a clinical blood giver relationship
- Belittling Erina, who is his employee, in front of all his stupid noble friends
- Having anger issues to the point Erina feels like she has to return to his home so he doesn’t blow up her friend’s house (RED FLAG RIGHT THERE)
- Offering the most bare minimum groveling
- Being annoying

I’ve already been nagged at by stans of the series so let me clarify, I am a Zoey Draven fan, she’s a gem of an author and I love seeing her continued success. I got back into consistently writing reviews towards the end of last year so while I have not documented my thoughts for Book 1 and Book 2, rest assure, I reread them frequently (Azur and Gemma’s chemistry is so good, and Kythel and Millie have my heart fr).

Now that we got that out of the way, fuck Kaldur.

Like I said, I love Zoey Draven, but the way she writes groveling always leaves me dissatisfied. I felt this strongly with her Horde Kings series. In Claimed by the Horde King, the MMC publicly shits on my absolute fave Nellie. She leaves the horde, finds out she’s pregnant, he goes after her and coaxes her back because she doesn’t have the resources to last on her own. As a result, she has to rely on a man who deeply hurt her until he charms his way back into her good graces.

Thanks, I hate it. I’m all for a good grovel, get that man on his knees! But I worried Draven would use the same formula in Hunger in His Blood and well,,,,,,,I feel the HEA here was unearned. Did y’all see Kaldur’s list of crimes??? He sucked so bad! He did Erina SOOO dirty.

When I learned there was a pregnancy trope, my hope was that Erina would come into her own during the separation. I wanted to see Zoey Draven push the boundaries and we saw that manifest in many ways when Erina ran away to Laras. Her friend betrayed her. Her brother wouldn’t support her. She had nothing and no one as she worked minimum wage to pay for a shitty one-bedroom apartment. Up until this point, she’d been characterized as a dreamer, a romantic. Her tendency to have her head in the clouds was why she fell so hard for Kaldur in the first place.

This was supposed to be a turning point. I wanted so badly for Erina to get her dose for reality and then get her ass to work. It would’ve been gratifying for there to be a time skip in the story. While Kaldur went crazy, realizing he lost in the best thing in his life, Erina could’ve built herself up. I wanted a flash forward to Erina having her own place, with her kid, finally raking in success from her dream career as a children’s book writer/illustrator.

I wanted her to get some steel in her bones so when Kaldur finally found her, she wouldn’t fold for a man who’d burned her as badly as he had. They would meet on equal footing and he would realize the problems between them could not be fixed by throwing money/resources at Erina. Can y’all imagine??? The moment he sees the kid and gets shook (“is she mine?”) and Erina refusing to let him into their lives until he proves himself. THERE WAS POTENTIAL THERE GUYS WALK WITH ME.

I would never bash a soft-hearted character. But I find Erina’s exceeding kindness to be unrealistic: she’s an orphan who grew up as a keeper for noble households. You can’t tell me that lifestyle doesn’t instill some level of street smarts. It wouldn’t make sense for her to be so nice and easily taken advantage of. We saw seeds of her strength when she confronted Kaldur after the ball scene, so I wish Draven had taken the plunge and given us an Erina who matures into her own.

Kaldur got off too easy. There’s literally a line in the book where he says:

Selfishly, I was glad Erina was forgiving. Because what chance did I have to win her back if she wasn’t?

THIS BITCHHH.

Let’s run through how the hyped up groveling actually unfolded. Erina was forced to return to Kaldur’s home because he was gonna blow up her friend’s house if she didn’t (again, RED FLAG). Kaldur was like, oooh I’m gonna win you back just you wait darlin. And Erina was like, no, no I can’t trust you. But when she keeps letting him push her boundaries until she’s feeding him blood and ending up in his bed and well…that resistance didn’t last long now did it. I guess Kaldur publicly acknowledged her. And made her an art studio. He gave her brother financial support (without fixing the shitty system that exploited him in the first place). Yippee. All is forgiven.

Wait I wanna yap about this for a second. Kaldur, essentially the king of the realm, learns about how his blood mate was mistreated. But he doesn’t make any policy changes to rectify the conditions for orphanages or lower-class citizens of his territory. He’s literally the worst Kyzaireeeeeeee tar and feather him at this point.

He gets a bride, an heir, and a happily ever after. I don’t even know if Erina even gets to publish her books by the end of the story.

I don’t hate this story, but I greatly dislike when the scales of a character dynamic end up unbalanced, with Erina in this case, essentially getting the short end of the stick.

Pre-Read: sad to report the alien vampire monster romance I was looking forward to has the pregnancy trope 😩

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is what I want in a rejected mates romance! While the story started out rocky, the angst and groveling were so well delivered. I loved how harsh and brusque Kaldur was in the beginning and then how obsessed and protective he became of Erina once he realized his mistakes. The alien did groveling like no other with heartfelt gifts, healthy communication, and complete devotion! Not to mention the surprise pregnancy added so much depth and intensity to the passion of their romance. The subsequent tension and build up to them coming together and accepting their connection was just so satisfying. The emotional turmoil, tension, and undeniable chemistry kept me hooked from start to finish!

Read if you like:
✨Unrequited Love✨
✨Knotting✨
✨Surprise Pregnancy✨
✨Found Family✨
✨Angst & Groveling✨
✨Fated Mates✨
✨Man Whore MMC✨

~Many thanks to Zoey Draven for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

[readabookonce · Rating 4 out of 5]

the fact the book is over is simply unacceptable to me

MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Erina Denoren (25) | Kaldur of House Kaalium (~31/32)

FEATURES
∘ alien-human romance
∘ vampire-esque mmc
∘ fated mates
∘ rejected mates
∘ unrequited love (hers)
∘ boss / employee
∘ contractual agreement
∘ surprise pregnancy

REVIEW
When Kaldur called Erina by the same pet name he had just called his lover, my stomach actually twisted. I felt so much hurt for Erina in that moment, and she didn’t even know. Thankfully, she got her unique meaningful endearment, but wow, was that quite a sucker punch (and a double tap when Erina found out).

Erina was softhearted, a trait twisted and thrown in her face by almost every character. She had a backbone and stood up for herself when disrespected, but it was heartbreaking to read about her disillusionment.

Kaldur was difficult to like. I’ve been interested in his book ever since his icy introduction in Desire in His Blood. He wasn’t irredeemable, but it was clear (even to him) that Erina was out of his league.

Kaldur’s reasons for rejecting the mate bond were flimsy and egotistical. Unlike my understanding for his brothers, I did not have a single ounce of sympathy for his plight. He made up his own obstacles, especially with how revered kyrana are. His reasons for rejecting Erina seemed to boil down to how his peers perceived him, and that made Kaldur seem cowardly.

I adored the beginning of their relationship before everything fell apart. The scenes in the garden and library were great moments where we saw the best of Kaldur and Erina. But that wasn’t enough. It felt like Kaldur loved Erina only because of the bond, that she could’ve been anyone else, and it wouldn’t have felt much different.

I know such is the way of fated mates, but in the previous books, it felt like it was ultimately the person they fell for first with help from the bond. And I truly believe it’s because Kaldur’s reasons for rejecting his mate bond were not as solid as his brothers’ reasons. I needed more time with them prior to their estrangement. I needed more tender and mundane moments to believe Kaldur’s motivation for going after her.

I will say, Kaldur’s groveling and self-hatred was plentiful and satisfying, especially as they learned more about each other. Erina bluntly calling out Kaldur—which she did often—helped a lot. Erina truly shined here, making up for Kaldur’s shortcomings as a hero. He recognized his selfishness and pride, admitting to them without trying to justify them. I was far too happy to watch him squirm, even as I rooted for him.

Do not get it twisted—my criticisms of Kaldur are NOT criticisms of the writing. This, much like the rest of the series, was wonderfully written and an absolute treat to read. I would’ve waited twenty years for this book, and it would’ve been worth it. I cannot wait to I reread this because trust in this—I will be revisiting this series for the rest of my life.

OW/OM DRAMA OW — Erina walks in on Kaldur with another woman (Lydrasa) at the beginning of the novel (before they get together). Lydrasa gets between them by lying to Kaldur about Erina’s intentions |||
perceived OM — Erina’s childhood friend (who she calls her brother) Luc is a cause of jealousy, especially when Kaldur is falsely informed that he and Erina are lovers
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP not in the third act, about halfway-through
ENDING HEA — near future epilogue

POV dual / first person
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 4.25 / 5

[cajareads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m afraid Zoey Draven could never write another amazing angst that followed up with a worthy grovel like how she did in Broken by the Horde King and dare I say, the mmc in this book fucked up even worse than the mmc in the Horde King series. I’m so tired of reading fmc acting like a martyr, so forgiving and so selfless, to the point it actually felt too artificial. She even apologized to him more than once for hurting his feelings with her words and apologized again when he told her about the restlessness he felt when she first came work for him and why he fucked around to get rid of that feeling HAHAHHAHAHAHA WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU APOLOGIZING FOR 😭😭😭😭😭😭

The way I expected grand grovel and what I got was… lukewarm to say the least. So, so disappointing. I feel like Kaldur was let off way too easily and Erina talked too much about not wanting to give in her head but did it anyway. If you read this book then you’d know the horrible actions and words he had said to her. You’ll understand why Kaldur deserved to suffer so much more. And because of the lukewarm grovel, my interest in this story dwindled rapidly before I got to 75% of the book. I just wanted it to finish already and that’s never a good sign.

Also, I was taken aback with the opening scene with the mmc and another woman and I honest to god don’t understand why any author would want us to read such scene like that that involved the main character with another woman…. And the cherry on top was that the fmc had the front seat of witnessing it too…. Thinking about that scene still gives me the ick 😪 The way we were reminded how much of a playboy he was just soured my mood especially when I read the spice scenes of him and Erina together because I couldn’t stop thinking that he had done that to other women too so there’s nothing special about their lovemaking and oh have I mentioned how he said Erina didn’t have that beauty aura in her and he wouldn’t look at her twice before while Erina on the other hand was pining over him for two years lmao. Come on now 💀

Zoey Draven has been one of my fave authors so far and I would hate to lose her as my go to comfort author 😪

Now please excuse me while I’m imagining entirely different scenarios that should have happened in this book in my head when I’m going to bed later on.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly difficult for the first 50%. I knew it would be. When I hear "rejected mate", I'm already braced for impact. Then add in that it's Zoey Draven at the keyboard, and I know I'm in danger of ending up in the fetal position. She just has a way of dragging out the angst to the precipice of being too much.

Yet, just when I'm ready to throw down my kindle and sob in anguish... the tides will start to shift.

And by shift.. I mean the hero is gonna get on his gods-damned knees and grovel across some broken glass. I can tell you, gentle reader, Kaldur does just that.

He was so unlikeable and prideful in the beginning of this story. I was missing some of the pull towards him I usually feel in Zoey's books. He fucking up left and right, in ways I didn't know he could come back from.

However, Erina was so sweet. She was hopeful and romantic, maybe a bit too naive for this world. She was already in love with Kaldur and that's a tough pill to swallow for me, as a reader. It's also very relatable. Watching her hopeful spirit crushed by petty bitches and a hard-hearted Kladur was ROUGH, ya'll. But it made her triumph that much sweeter.

Now, I'll round this out by saying, it may be too much angst for some readers. You may not want to forgive Kaldur or you may think Erina is too weak. I found her quiet strength beautiful, and he had a lot of growing up to do. She does not forgive him easily, and if there was not an accidental pregnancy, I don't know if she'd have went back to him. So he has a LOT of debt to pay off.

For me, he truly did, and I was very much on board with their HEA. Again, Rejected Fated Mates is a hard trope to do right, and for some people it will never work. Zoey Draven is one of the few authors who truly pulls it off for me.

5 stars
3 on the spice scale

CW: OW drama, financial insecurity, accidental pregnancy, blood sharing, biting

*Thank you to Zoey Draven and her team for an ARC of this title.*

[sashenka 🖤 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

The thing is, this book started the worst way it could have possibly started. I loathe when one of the first scene is the whore MMC fucking another woman and the FMC sees it. I don't care that they aren't involved yet, it's just something I personally hate in romance books and I don't see the point of authors writing this. I considered DNF'ing this book because of that (that's what I normally do) but I enjoy this series, so I pushed through.

I'm not sure whether I should have. It wasn't that bad, if we forget the beginning. But I hated that MMC. I just couldn't stand him and because of that, I started being annoyed with the FMC being too soft, too forgiving, too pure.

The grovel did not grovel enough. Yes, he felt bad, yes he regretted his choices and he punished himself a little by not drinking blood but that wasn't enough.

I just hope the next one will be better.

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

SMUTTY paranormal ft. playboyish High Lord & a sheltered housekeeper as unwitting blood mates 🧛🏻‍♂️🩸 It’s like Benedict Bridgerton’s story if he was a vampiric alien!

“Was it possible to want someone so much? I just wanted to consume her, to keep her close so nothing would ever hurt her again. Even me.”

Erin is an aspiring illustrator girlie and a dreamer! She’s also a housekeeper with a massive crush on the High Lord aka ’resident playboy’ Kaldur. He is oblivious to Erin’s goodness but his body has definitely felt the presence of his one true MATE! Not all love stories are easy especially when separated by vicious court rumours…

🩸 mmc with wings & fangs *Edward Cullen who*

🩸 spicy vampiric feedings ~ he uses her blood like a drug!

🩸 she runs away & he losses it

🩸 fmc with a gentle artistic soul

🩸 pregnancy trope

I had a LOVE-HATE relationship with this story! I adore the universe especially the bloodmates and lore smoking 🍃💨 However, it was really difficult to read about Kaldur deplorable behaviour toward the overtly naive Erin. When he was talking about their sex life to his mistress I was SICKKKK. Maybe I’m just too softhearted for the rejected mate trope!

Mamma did make him crawl!! I found the second part of the book stronger with the mmc’s redemption arc and the fmc shedding those rose-colored glasses 🌹 Erin did not immediately relent but I honestly think Kaldur should have lost at least a limb for that. WHAT?! I said what I said…

I also wished his family was featured more! I missed all the brotherly squabbles.

restless royal mmc
secret relationship
gentle & sheltered fmc
fmc on the run
rejected mate
lots of jealousy
OW scene
miscommunication
HEA

[Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been counting down the days until this one came out. I was ready for the angst! While it was still an enjoyable book, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Maybe that was my fault for expecting too much. I almost wish I went into this book blind because the whole time I was anticipating it happening which soured all the sweeter moments before. So if you are ready for an angsty book, I suggest stopping here and going into it blindly.

In the beginning, it felt too rushed. There weren’t many moments where the couple connected before it fell apart. This made the big moment less impactful. I was ready to feel hurt and betrayed but I didn’t quite get there. I think this story focused too much on hitting all the tropes that the development to get there fell flat a lot of the times. It was still a lot of fun, just not as great as I hoped.

Now after it all came crumbing down, it really picked up. The grovelling was executed better than a lot I’ve seen. I still think he should have done more though, the FMC was too forgiving. This is where their relationship starts to truly form. The FMC was in love with him since the first time she saw him but it was more of an innocent love as she described it. She didn’t know him then. So once he had to earn her back, it felt like a truer connection. He did a full 180 and completely worshipped her from that point on.

Warning to anyone it matters to: there’s accidental pregnancy and miscommunication in here. Also, we see the MMC having sex with OW in the beginning. It’s before he even knows FMC’s name but she has been working for him for 2 years at this point and is in love with him.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where do I even start with this? There’s so much to unpack.
Fair warning, even though I’ll try to stay as vague as possible this review will probably be quite spoilery. I do however think that it’s important for readers to know what this book really is, because it’s certainly not what’s been advertised.

EDIT for those who don't wanna read through this entire sermon of a review: In short there's no angst, no grovel and even the overarching plot line is ignored. What we do have is a narcissistic asshole of an MMC who never redeems himself (on the contrary actually) and an FMC who's a complete doormat (he loves that because that way he doesn't have to put in the slightest effort). That's it, that's the book. It's a lot like Broken By The Horde King, just even worse (I gave that one two stars at least).

For those who wanna know more about the details, I've written the following dissertation:
Let’s start at the beginning: The first time we meet the MMC, he’s fucking another woman over a table and the FMC walks in on them. He then does what any gentleman would do and continues fucking the other woman. Lovely. We’re off to a great start.

Throughout the entire book the MMC comes off as this gigantic jerk. There’re very few scenes that depict him as a likable character.
The FMC in contrast is so painfully naive that she essentially reads as a young teenager.
That dynamic is definitely one of the major problems of this book. The power imbalance is insane. Not only is she an orphan, has been poor all her life and has virtually no one to rely on. She is also completely inexperienced, sexually (of course) but also when it comes to basic life lessons.
The MMC naturally takes full advantage of that. Before their separation and after. I couldn’t stomach a single one of their sex scenes because it felt like he’d groomed a minor to the point that she was convinced that SHE seduced HIM. I’m sorry, you can’t just say she’s 25 and then write her like a 14 year old. I mean you can obviously, but it’s just gonna be icky af.

The main conflict and reason they “break up” is solely based on miscommunication and the MMC’s overwhelming selfishness.
I’m not damning miscommunication per se. You can certainly make it work, because we all know it happens every day irl. But in this case… You can practically see the gymnastics the author did in order to write certain sentences the characters say, so convoluted or ambiguous in order for them to be easily misinterpreted. I face-palmed so many times.
But what’s even worse is the MMC’s reason to reject the FMC. And that’s actually tragic, because that part of the book was so well done in the previous two installments of the series.
The MMCs in those books thought rejecting their mate was the honorable thing to do, especially Kythel. He was actively denying himself and felt unworthy of Millie.
Kaldur on the other hand thinks himself better than everyone else, he doesn’t want to give in to Erina because of what the other nobles might think. Of course there’s the entire back story with his uncle, but honestly that just felt extremely far-fetched and unconvincing.
To top it all off, he immediately believes another noble and a woman he never talked to before when they tell him lies about Erina. He even later admits that he intuitively knew it wasn’t true. So he basically decided to go with the lie, because he WANTED to reject her. Not for his family or honor, but because he didn’t want to be tied to a keeper.

For them to then have sex, with her being intoxicated and high on lore (which we know makes humans sex-crazed) and him taking advantage of that because “he can’t help himself” or whatever… He just wanted to take his anger out on her and she wasn’t in her right mind! This never gets fully resolved, till the end of the book Erina is convinced that she initiated the encounter. The fact that she was drugged (not heavily but still, she had no tolerance for lore and no experience with the effects) is never even mentioned anymore, let alone the fact that she was desperate for his affection because he’d started to distance himself from her. An older experienced man who is all sweet and charming at first, then withdraws his attention all of a sudden, leaving a young naive girl in despair and willing to do anything to get back into his good graces… Textbook abusive behaviour.

We’re gonna skip the scenes of them breaking up because it’s a complete disaster and was painful to read. Not because it was so emotional but because of the sheer stupidity of both characters.
Let’s just say, he treats her like actual trash and she leaves. Rightly so.

After a couple of weeks the MMC seemingly gets his head out of his ass and decides to win her back. But when he eventually finds her - pregnant and living in poverty - he doesn’t beg for her forgiveness, he simply demands for her to come back to him. And that’s basically it. I’m not joking. This book was advertised as angsty and with great grovel. There’s none of that, especially no grovel. NONE! I’m going to give you a few examples of what is supposed to be his groveling (I guess):

- "I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but I’m selfish enough to demand it of you."
- (about her best friend/brotherlike figure) “He doesn’t matter to me,” Kaldur grated. “Even if you do love him, I’d already made up my mind to steal your affections all for myself.”
- “You have no idea how high-handed I can be. But you’ll learn soon enough.”
- Only now she was more guarded, a wall built up around her, one just like mine. I only needed to break it down. And then she might be mine again.
- (when he sneaks into her bed while she’s sleeping(!!!))“Because this is how it’ll be between us, Erina. I know I don’t deserve you, not yet at least, but I can’t be without you anymore. You’re my kyrana. I will be in this bed when you fall asleep, and I will be here when you wake. I can’t stand to be parted any more than we already are.”

Every time he starts with something that resembles a sincere apology he ruins it by either making it sexual and/or making demands instead of amends.
If that works for you: cool, this book is for you! If not, I’d skip this.
He NEVER gives her an actual choice. He uses his wealth, power and cunningness against her. Makes her completely dependent on him. She’s poor, pregnant and virtually a child when it comes to life experience, where is she supposed to go? He bribes her into staying with him, never takes no for an answer and at one point even admits that he’s happy he essentially trapped her by getting her pregnant because otherwise he wouldn’t have had enough leverage to force her to stay with him. It’s SICKENING!

Eventually the author uses the cheapest trick in the book and lets the MMC get hurt in a fight with some wild animals. Of course the FMC rushes to his aid, he feeds off of her and they start fucking like rabbits. All's well that ends well. I guess.

Sorry for this long ass review, but goddamn, seeing all the praise for the great grovel in this book really makes me irrationally angry.

[Christina (stinarinareads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25✨ (rounded to 4 for GR)
2.5🌶️

This is an ARC read and review. As always, thank you to author + co for these opportunities!

A Kylorr man afraid of repeating the past, even if it means denying fate, and a human woman with a big imagination who brings him to his knees, while discovering herself along the way.

🌿human x alien romance
🌿unrequited first love/Infatuation (FMC)
🌿pining (FMC) to pining (MMC) to mutual pining
🌿rejected but fated mates
🌿unexpected pregnancy
🌿Angst angst angst
🌿big-time MMC grovel (and it’s needed)
🌿miscommunication/lack of communication, spurred on by third parties with malintent
🌿[former] player-type MMC x more innocent FMC

When Zoey Draven announced plans for the third book in the Brides of the Kylorr series, I was OVER THE MOON. Even though I still have to get to Book 2, Book 1, Desire in His Blood is in my top favorite books of all time, probably in the top 10. Maybe even in the top 5.

I’m pretty much always going to devour anything ZD writes, but when the tropes started to get revealed, I was a little scared. Rejected mate? Unrequited love?? Angst and pining??? Unexpected pregnancy???? I knew it was going to be a rollercoaster of emotions, because some of those tropes I usually don’t seek out or jive with. But there was one trope that drew my attention above all others…

A promised big-time grovel from the MMC.

And I gotta say, I think Hunger in His Blood really delivered.

That’s not to say that getting to the HEA for Kaldur and Erin was easy at all, or not filled with trials and tribulations and mistrust and heartache. The journey was long for them, but their love story was well-fought and filled with meaningful intent.

Rejected mate storylines, and this one in particular, makes the famous Oscar Wilde quote come to my mind.

"There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."

Erina had been in love with Kaldur since she saw him, a first-love type of unrequited infatuation, but a form of love nonetheless, even though Kaldur never once truly saw her.

Well, maybe Kaldur didn’t see her, but he certainly felt her. And smelled her. For two years, coincidentally the amount of time Erina has been there, his blood lust has been a constant itch under his skin to the point of pain, and the only thing that seems to provide even small, temporary relief is sex. Constant and meaningful sex.

Once of his past bed partners, Lydsara, pretty much takes on the villain role in the story. There was no love between the two, but Lydsara’s pride was on the line, which led her to take drastic action that ultimately precipitates the big story problem between the main couple. I’ll get it out of the way now, the book has a very short but explicit scene of Kaldur and Lydsara having sex towards the beginning, and Erina walks in on them. Not sure that scene needed to be there with all the subtext and other information we have on Kaldur’s ‘playboy’ ways, so it was a jarring for me.

I also thought that having Lydsara as the main ‘villain’ of the story could’ve been expanded more, and maybe used as a subplot for the romance, while also planting seeds of the main plot. I just didn’t believe that someone like Kaldur, who is portrayed as very intelligent and diplomatic, would believe Lydsara’s lies about Erina, and then not communicate with Erina in any way to verify the claims. I understand he clearly wasn't thinking straight because of the blood lust and denying his bond, but still... it was a HUGE moment of lack of communication that impacted the entire story.

Other than those two small things, this book was a success for me, and I found that I couldn’t put it down for hours at a time, and I had to force myself to slow down to really absorb what I was reading and appreciate the story.

Erina started out as a woman living more in her imagination than the real world, and who could blame her? She can go anywhere in her head, and in reality, she works as a housekeeper for the Kylorr leader of the province. Her love for Kaldur came off as a first-love type of infatuation, a crush you find joy in imagining yourself with, but Erina soon finds out that the real thing is very, very different.

A mishap with glass and blood leads Kaldur to discover that Erina is his kyrana, his blood mate, and he goes length beyond length to deny the fact determined by fate, to both himself and to Erina. A situation of unfortunate lack of communication drives Erina away, and she learns that the small piece of broken vase isn’t the only thing she took from Kaldur’s home. I will say that unexpected pregnancy usually isn’t something I seek out in romance, but it wasn’t overwhelming here at all, and actually served as a real point as to why the main characters would go back to each other.

However, even though Erina goes back, it is with a now-guarded heart and the intention to never allow herself to fall in love with Kaldur again. All the angst and heartache definitely caused a shift in Erina’s character, but through it all, her heart remained good and forgiving. And Kaldur has a lot to be forgiven for. But I’m glad that while Erina had a self-journey through to story to gain her confidence and spark back, she didn’t also have to abandon who she was before. She just became a stronger more aware version of herself.

The ANGST….. ugh, the angst was angsting in this one for sure. Kaldur went THROUGH IT after Erina left and his world crumbled around him. He realized what an idiot he’d been, but it was too little too late at that point. He deserved to grovel, and I’m glad Erina gave him that chance, even in horrible circumstances. But something very endearing about Erina was that, even after everything he did to her, she truly didn’t want to see Kaldur suffer or see him punish himself as he was. So, while still protecting her heart, she also protected Kaldur too.

But Kaldur stepped up, and after that one colossal fuck-up, he became a man determined, a man on mission with a purpose: bring his kyrana home, prove to her his love, and get her love back. He truly stopped at NOTHING to get Erina back, both physically and emotionally. He gave her space and choice, but never let her doubt his passion for her, and commitment to their life and family together.

While Book 1 of this series still remains a perfect 5 stars and my favorite, this third book was a beautiful and well-worth it addition. It makes me even more excited to backtrack and read Book 2, especially with all the mentions I missed the full context for.

BRING ON BOOK 4! (WHEN IT’S READY OF COURSE)

[readbydj 🧺 · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANGSTY GROVELING SEXY ALIEN VAMPIRE? YES!

oh my god. miss zoey draven, i am truly and forever gagged. THIS is what i want in my paranormal romances ladies and gentlemen. this hit all my sweet spots, from the unrequited love to the groveling, to the angst even the surprise pregnancy. i mean it all just worked tremendously.

i found myself in love with dynamic between kaldur and erina, that grumpy x sunshine trope will do it for me. EVERY. TIME. the way it went from erina chasing kaldur to kaldur chasing erina? literary GOLD right there. i truly don’t have enough words to explain the whiplash i got from reading this book. one minute i’m rooting for them the next i’m cursing out kaldur. it was a rollercoaster i never wanted to get off of.

this has to be my favorite in the series, and i knew that was gonna happen just based off the tropes. zoey draven thank you for delivering a true angsty groveling filled alien romance. i was getting restless out here 😭

and thank you to zoey draven and her team for providing me this arc. i don’t think i’ll ever be the same <3

[꣑ৎ sue (hatter-pendragon version) ꣑ৎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD GROVELING ROMANCE. YOU WON’T FIND IT.

i’m being absolutely serious. please, just trust me. anyone who says otherwise are literally lying to your face. either that, or they are people who have zero standards for their mmcs. because what kaldur did to erina? absolutely heinous. so many offenses that should have never be forgiven easily.

the pain that i felt whenever i had to read the book from erina’s povs was indescribable. she made it way too easy for him. i’m not even joking when i say that he didn’t have to do anything to get her back. after what he did to her, she treated him so kindly. she let him touch her, and she even apologized for hurting his feelings when she was the slightest bit of rude to him. i felt genuine second hand embarrassment at how easily she jumped into his bed.

there was absolutely no amount of self-worth to speak of in this woman—just how low she saw herself. it was the saddest thing to witness. even if it’s in character for erina to behave this way, i’m sick and tired of women having to sacrifice their dignity for men who don’t deserve it. zoey draven is without a doubt, a good writer, but if this is the material i’m given, i’m afraid i’m gonna have to drop her works altogether.

[↬ Ⓛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was supposed to be meeee, i was gonna be pregnant and give him a babyyyy… why you do this to me zoey 🙂‍↕️

anyway, i love how strong his sperm worked and just made it happen for her to get prego so fast bc all you need is one night. the hero is a manwhore, but hes completely devoted towards the heroine after he have discovered she’s his blood mate. this gave me all the angst i needed ugh. like yasss hurt me! cruel with his words, giving her the cold shoulder, and heroine being naive, but so optimistic i adore her. hot and cold where he gives her whiplash. the groveling i love & its the makeup pregnancy sex for me, break down her walls, and rebuild the trust. im such a whore for pregnancy & so glad it wasn’t at the end, but middle where we see pregnancy timeline like actual baby bump/growth and intimate relationship develops b/w them.

trope-ish ; being a maid, mistreated, unrequited love, accidentally pregnancy, other woman drama, blood mates, rejected mate, trying to find her, groveling, and ultimately finds happiness.

thanks so much for the arc, these are my honest takes and feels.

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I debated between 2 and 3 stars.

As usual, Zoey’s writing style is right up my alley. However, the characters were not what I expected from her. Especially the H. He was awful, selfish, and very self-centered. He used the h as a blood giver even knowing she was “his mate”. The poor h is an orphan but she’s infatuated by the “High Lord”. She walks in on him and OW having relations (they’re not together at this point).

Yes, she leaves for a few weeks after putting up with him but not enough grovel IMO. Add to the fact the OW kept whispering in the H’s ear? That was enough to put me off this book.

[Silvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

you had me at hot, winged, blood-sucking vampire alien, but you had me on my knees at 'groveling and angst because he f*cks up with his fated mate so severely he has no choice but to eternally atone.'

DELICIOUS. my KRYPTONITE. zoey draven literally never misses, and this is my favorite series of hers ever, so i knew this was going to be a banger from start to finish.

this series is excellent alien romance by any standard, but i'm begging the romantasy folks who've never dabbled in sci-fi alien romance to give these a whirl. because they're PACKED with interesting worldbuilding, sizzling chemistry and romantic tension, and a rich emotional throughline that'll keep you invested (mind, body, and soul). they're all touching and painfully romantic, enthralling, and spicy enough to sate you but not in an overwhelming 'this is entirely smut' kind of way.

i didn't love this one as much as i did the others, by the simple virtue of not finding the FMC relatable and the MMC definitely won't be for everyone, but trust the process because his journey is a delight to witness, especially if you're a sl*t for a good grovel. note that trope-wise, pregnancy is an integral component of the plot, so if that isn't for you, then skip this one! otherwise, bon appetit, because this is a veritable feast of rejected mate angst, unrequited love, and trust issues.

ten million hugs and kisses to zoey and naomi for the opportunity to read an early copy! i am fully sat for thaine's book so blink twice zoey if he's next...........

[Izzie d]

I have mixed feelings about this book.

First of all its probably best to read the series in order. The Hero in each book is a Lord of his area, the book series is several brothers and a sister. In this book a character summarizes the events of previous couples relationships and how they needed to grovel so possible spoilers.

The hero has the reputation of being a playboy, some of it is rumor and exaggeration some of it is true.
The heroine is an orphan who is one of the workers in his keep, called a keeper, there are several keepers, lower ranks depending on the wealth of the Lord.
She starts working for him 2 years previously to the start of the book and is instantly drawn to him, he doesn't 'see' her, which is not surprising as she is merely a lowly worker in his house. Nothing happens between them, no interaction, she admires him from a distance.

At the time she starts work he starts to feel strange, this is because of their mating bond, though he doesn't know or notice her. She wears a particular perfume which masks her scent, she has sentimental reasons for wearing this.
He relieves this feeling by living up to his playboy reputation, though he has rules about no-one in his employ due to his family's past experiences.
This playboy behavior leads to her walking in on him with another woman, an ambitious daughter from another house that would strengthen the stability of his area if they merged through marriage.
This is quite an explicit scene.

Shortly after events from the blurb happen and he realises she is his mate.
After this despite rumor and manipulation from various people he doesn't touch another woman.

The scene of the Hero with anyone other than the heroine I know many readers find ick... there are reasons but still.

He allows his past and others to influence him and he pushes the heroine too far.

She leaves. She takes some time to forgive him, he really does grovel.
Unexpected pregnancy, part of the reason she returns. She does question his motives, the baby, the bond.

HEA.

Ongoing enemy threat in series of unsettled area, war brewing.

[NMmomof4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The premise and the fact that we didn't have a ton of world building - we just jumped in to it instead, which I like.

The Not-So-Good: The consequences for the villains were pretty non existent, and I think it would've benefited to have some more on-page acceptance of the h in the H's world by others.

The Bad: The lack of emotional connection I felt.

Overall: I saw that this was a good rejected mate and unrequited love story, and that was it -- I was sold. Sadly, I didn't get emotional like I'd hoped with this theme. While I enjoyed it, I didn't feel the angst that I expected from this type of story. Yes, he does reject her in his way. Yes, she has to face hardships because of his mistakes. But! He does give some good grovel and it didn't take him all that long to realize his mistakes. I know some of my friends love them some good grovel, so this would be a good one for you! Overall, it was just okay for me.

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Erina and Kaldur's story. Erina is a keeper working in Kaldur's keep. She always watched him from afar and even had a character based off of him him the story she was writing. Kaldur never noticed Erina until her blood was shed and he realized that this human employee was actually his blood mate. He propositions her to be his blood giver but doesn't let on that she is his mate and she accepts. There is some drama that separates them, some big secrets revealed, some sexy times...and they get a HEA ending.

Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Erina and Kaldur's POV.

Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.

Instalove: No, but the h was pretty much in love with him already when this starts.

H (Hero) rating: 3.5 stars. Kaldur. He was hard to like at first, but then he groveled pretty good by the end.

h (heroine) rating: 3.5 stars. Erina. I liked her innate goodness, but I also wanted her to stick up for herself a little more.

Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed -- sadly.

Push/Pull: Yes they both push away and also pursue the relationship at times

Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.

Descriptive sex: Yes

OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes the H had a previous f-buddy that causes a good bit of drama and he is also jealous of the h's relationship with OM (that was like a brother growing up in the same orphanage)

Sex scene with OW or OM: Yes, but before anything with the h there is a scene with the H and OW that the h walks in

Cheating: No

Separation: Yes They are separated for a ~month, but there was no mention or suggestion of other partners during this time (H claims he didn't feed from anyone else during this time either).

Possible Triggers: Yes Rejected mate/unrequited love, poverty/orphan, unexpected pregnancy, and the h was a virgin

Closure: This ends with a cute epilogue and what I would call a HEA ending they're married, have their baby, and she has reunited with Luc (brother)

Safety: This one is probably either Safe with exception or Not Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences

- Does Not have cheating
- Does have a descriptive sex scene with the H and OW (before being with the h)
- Does have both the h and H pushing away
- Does have a separation between the h and H
- Does Not have abuse (unless you count emotional)
- Does have a HEA ending

[siu · Rating 2 out of 5]

this one missed the mark compared to books 1 & 2😭 i feel like the conflict that drove the plot of this book was frivolous. the fmc was too naive for my liking and i really dislike the opening of the book, where the fmc walks in on the mmc fucking his fwb💀

this book hit a lot of rejected soulmate plot points i liked, but their relationship was not developed/built well enough for those scenes to be emotionally impactful. mmc even admitted that they don't know each other well enough later on, so really it was just the ✨soulmate✨ connection stuff... it did nawt hit the same😔 which is so disappointing bc the author did SO good at crafting the relationships and tension for books 1 & 2. so i had high hopes !! especially because i LOVE this trope.

[Ellen - most.lyromance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunger in His Blood features Erina, human and Kaldur, Kylorr. Erina works as a maid in Kaldur’s keep, but all that changes when he scents her blood. Kaldur offers her a contract and Erina hesitantly accepts.

This was amazing. I simply love Zoey Draven books, I love her writing style and the worlds that she creates and this was no exception. Erina was so relatable, with her day dreaming and head in the clouds. She was a true hopeless romantic and I loved watching how that played out. Kaldur was also pretty fabulous. I liked how guarded he was and how into Erina he was, even if it was against his will.

I completely devoured this book. I started and finished it in one sitting, with a box of tissues. I read a certain chapter just absolutely bawling and I love when a story connects with me that much that I’m feeling the characters feelings so viscerally.

I am kind of sad it’s already done, but excited to reread. Overall, completely amazing.

Thank you to the author for the ARC!

[Hannah Cowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

With every book Zoey releases I’m further convinced that she is not capable of writing a bad book.

This was everything. Another favourite of mine.

I cried, laughed, swooned. Seriously, I felt Erinas pain like I was LIVING through it. Gah I’m obsessed.

[Barbarzynka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mam wrażenie, że Zoey Draven pisze książki specjalnie DLA MNIE😂

[Malene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hunger in his Blood has so many tropes that I like so I was excited to read Kaldur and Erina’s story. The premise of the story was good but sadly I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two of them which was a let down. The connection was there because of the blood and them being blood mates but the emotional connection wasn’t.
There was too much description and inner dialogue for my liking.
It was great to get more of Kaldur’s brothers and sister and Erina’s background.
Overall a good story but there were too many times where I lost interest.

[Intel Chicky Reads Romance (Kara Merideth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: fated mates, power imbalance
Angst: 😱😱😱😱😱
Smexy: 🔥🔥🔥

Absolutely loved this latest installment of the Brides of the Kylorr! If you're a fan of angst, a decent grovel, and grand gestures you're definitely going to get all your boxes checked, lol. Hunger in His Blood had a great storyline and fabulous storytelling that will keep you glued to your Kindle to the end. Erina was super sweet and my heart couldn't help but break when her's did. Kaldur was a piece of work at certain points, but he definitely made the effort to be worthy in the end. Hunger In His Blood easily made it in my faves of 2025 pile and I can't wait to see what Zoey is going to have for us next!

[Valentine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm angry, so this will be a messy review with spoilers and rambling.

First, I like Zoey Draven's writing style, so I'm not going to stop reading her book, but I will wait for REAL REVIEWS with actual spoilers before reading the next one.

Second, was the first chapter really necessary?????? NOT. SAFE.
Manwhore MMC, sweet FMC, not enough grovel for me. She deserves better.

Third, OW drama for the whole book. CRINGE.

The fucking broken vase???? Why?

Without the sex scene between the MMC and OW, and the constant reminder of his whoring around, it would have been a solid 3 stars.

[dee☁️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly I enjoyed this book🖐🏽🙂‍↕️.

I really like unrequited love trope and I think this one was done right ( the surprise pregnancy was the cherry on top😽). This won’t work for everyone, the H was a jerk in the beginning of the book BUT I get why he acted the way he did (I didn’t like it but I get it) there was also miscommunication but I didn’t hate it , it added more to the angst 🤭.

I loved the h SO much my heart broke for her🥹,I wanted to beat everyone who mistreated her (including the H) I’m just so happy she got her happy ending:).

The first half of the book was my favorite, it was so PAINFUL to read I loved every second of it , I seriously teared up like two times🤣, Zoeys writing is just phenomenal<3.

Now the second half I didn’t enjoy that much , I just think I lost interest .

Anyways I think it’s now safe to say that Zoey is one of my favorite romance authors🙂‍↕️I would read ANYTHING she writes :).

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one writes a groveling MMC better than Zoey. NO ONE.

Our playboy Kyzaire, Kaldur, had my stomach in knots with his pining.

Every book in this series is fantastic. It was a tall order to measure up against Craving in His Blood, book2, because it’s one of my favorite books of all time. And by the gods, I was not disappointed in the least.

There’s something in Zoey’s writing that just ticks all my boxes. Highly recommend this book, the other two in the series, and honestly her entire backlist.

When I say you’re missing out if you aren’t reading these and love fantasy romance, you’re MISSING OUT.


ARC review!

[Jac K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three brings us Kaldur’s story and like his last brother, he finds his blood mate in a human servant. Erina grew up in an orphanage and now works as a maid/keeper at the castle and has been in love with Kaldur for years. (love at first sight 2 years ago when she arrived)

This one has some readers concerned with the safety, so I’m going to put it at the start, but in case you don’t want spoilers, there isn’t any cheating. Kaldur has been experiencing an unsettling buzzy/itchy/uncomfortable feeling for two years that he can only quiet with sex and has partaken a lot. In the first chapter the h stumbles upon the H having sex with an OW. It’s quick, but somewhat detailed. At that point they have never spoken, he has no idea who she is to him, and she wears terrible perfume so he can’t smell her. There’re jelly OW that cause drama, but there isn’t OW drama if that makes sense. I agree, it adds nothing, and the author could've given us a broken pot without the scene, but it wasn't a huge deal. But it's there and does feel a bit ugh because we know he's been screwing around because the itchy feeling was his mate being close, so I can see where some readers didn't love it. Moving on...

I GOBBLED up the first half of the book. Between Kaldur being a bonehead, Erina’s frenemy Velle, and his ex-F-buddy Lydrasa something was constantly going on. My only complaint was that it was VERY similar to the conflict of the last book (bro finds his kyrana but is torn between love and duty for political reasons), so it was not only a repeat, but I felt like Kaldur should’ve already known how it ended. Things slowed down and got a smidge repetitive the second half, but it still checked several boxes.


✅Life mates
✅OW drama
✅ Unrequited/keeping on DL
✅ Overheard betrayal
✅ Grovel
✅ Surprise pregnancy


Bottom Line- This felt a lot like the last book just with more drama (which I loved), but I enjoyed Millie (h from book 2) more than Erina. I’m impatient, so I appreciated that Millie had been raised by an adopted Kylorr father and already knew their ways/customs. Erina was clueless, and I just wanted her to get with the program already. I also felt a bit letdown with the comeuppance. I’m fairly comfortable that the frenemy’s life will suck, but things were left a bit unsettled with Lysandra. “I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her” doesn’t make me confident that she’s squared away, I wanted her squished like a bug… or at least a social pariah.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hunger in His Blood continues one of my favorite series by one of my favorite authors, and oh boy does it deliver something oh so excellent. Oh so epic. Oh so spectacular! Arghhh I looooved it!

Kaldur and Erina gifted me so many old and new favorite tropes! Surprise pregnancy, yes! Sunshine heroine, yes! Grovel arc, yes! Angsty yearning, yes! And my new favorite: rejected mate, oh heck yeah! It all came together for an addictive narrative I simply could not stop eating up. It hurt at times, my heart ached! But it also soared to such gorgeous, dreamy-sigh worthy heights. The perfect medley of swoons, angst, grovel, and triumph.

Erina a dreamer who has fancied the High Lord Kaldur from afar. The keeper of his grand home, she's meant to be nothing more than servant. However, when a whiff of her blood has Kaldur recognizing this unimportant keeper as his blood mate, his kyrana, he chooses to withhold this information from her and instead have her enter a contract to be his blood giver, so he can satiate his need for her while keeping her at an emotional distance. For engaging in any sort of formal relationship with a keeper would be political suicide. Unaware of the truth, Erina readily accepts the offer. Her heart is so open to the possibilities this contract can produce true love, she is not prepared for the truth. She is not prepared for the seemingly irrevocable harm Kaldur brings to her heart. She flees the night and looks to settle elsewhere. Until a certain bump in the road changes everything.

I love my soft heroines-- and Erina most certainly is one. She dreams of adventures and creates stories from them, she paints every muse before her, and swoons of a certain high lord every night. She sees the good in people, she trusts readily, and she hopes with great delight. She is the type of heroine you instantly want to protect, to love, to rally behind. And I did. I adored her, for who she is, for the strength she found, and for the courage it took to return to the very place -- and person -- that hurt her.

Kaldur, Kaldur, Kaldur. Loved him, even when I hated him. You may think Erina the naive character, but it's actually Kaldur. He's a fool who thinks love won't find him, and a fool for believing the deceit of others over the truth lying in his heart. I became so mad at him at times, but I also swooned with the urgency he displayed in his need to correct his wrongs. This man knows a good grovel!

My absolute favorite title from Zoey Draven is Desire in His Blood. I have loved each and every work of hers I've had the pleasure of reading, but Desire always remained on its own level. Until now. Hunger in His Blood rests right beside it as a top-top favorite. God tier favorite! It's everything I hoped for when entering this world-- and genuinely, so much more! A perfect read-- and a preorder secured! Can't wait to set this beauty upon the shelves.

Thank you Zoey Draven's team for this advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.


___

first thoughts

Zoey Draven never misses!✊😭❤️

Full review to come!

[Duetro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is a me issue, but this book really solidified for me that I don't enjoy these second chance/grovel books with these two particular tropes that this book has combined:

1. Insane power imbalance. She's an orphan, he's a high lord. She's broke, he's wealthy beyond all her imagining. She's a virgin, he's a manwhore. She's his employee, he's her employer. She pines for him for two years and he keeps her at arms length, but the second he's the one interested in something happening, he won't accept any barriers between them. She sees him mid-sex with his mistress (and he continues while she's still in the room) but still loves him, he blows up her fucking life because of the rumor of her loving another man.

Of course, the one area that she's considered superior to him is morally/spiritually with how forgiving and gracious she is. Funny how that just benefits him. -_-

2. The unplanned pregnancy forcing her back to him. It makes the entire reconciliation weak to me if in the back of my mind I know the heroine wouldn't be here if not for the baby. Even the hero knows it:

I thanked all the gods and goddesses I knew that I'd gotten her pregnant that night. A blessing. Because if I hadn't, she wouldn't be here right now. Would she have even given me another chance?

If the heroine needs the threat of impoverished single motherhood to go back to the hero, maybe he's not much of a hero.

There are other smaller things like the lazy writing of how she found Luc (she literally just spots him out the window one day lmao) but overall the book helped me isolate those two tropes as kinda dealbreakers for me believing the redemption, and the whole reason I read these books is for the redemption.

[Lanae (findmeonsmutlane) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have absolutely loved this series so far, and I absolutely adore Zoey's writing, but unfortunately for me, this book just wasn't my jam. The problem was, a lot of the tropes just ended up not working for me.

First, I was initially worried cause it has a pregnancy trope and I don't like pregnancy tropes, but I was gonna try for Zoey! But surprisingly, that trope I had the least issues with! It didn't feel like it overtook the plot or the characters, it wasn't the MAIN plot and I liked that.

For me, my biggest issue was with the MMC. Every book the MMC has fought the blood bond and in some way wanted to reject his the FMC. The first book was out of revenge (ate that up) the second was out of duty and honor (it was tragic and heartbreaking but I loved it). This book, it's out of fear and embarrassment. And that just grated me. The MMC came across as petty and self conscious and cared more about perception and others opinions. And that felt too real life and human man than swoony vampire alien MMC. I get why, I get the backstory and history. But for me, I just didn't like it.

And then the groveling. I do not feel like the MMC groveled nearly enough for his behavior. He felt demanding and entitled. Our FMC is already naive and I really wanted her to stand her ground and for him to GROVEL. And unfortunately for me, I just didn't get enough of it.

The writing was beautiful though. I loved their moments of connection. I loved the FMC. She may be innocent and naive and too forgiving but I loved her sweet soul.

I loved getting snippets of Thaine and the sister! I cannot wait for both of their books 👀👀