A Game of Vows and Vendettas: A Girl Games Standalone

Girl Games #4

by Ruby Roe, Allie Rose (Narrator), Zara Hampton-Brown (Narrator)

One wedding. One reluctant bodyguard. One dangerously inconvenient attraction…

Penelope Lee didn't want a new bodyguard, especially not a brooding, battle-hardened vampire who would rather be anywhere else. But when her assigned protector is murdered just before her sister's wedding, she's left with no choice.

Enter Dahlia St Clair, commander of the vampire-hunter army and the last person who should be stuck on glorified babysitting duty. She's there to drink, dance, and maybe cause a little trouble—not to shadow a bratty princess through a wedding filled with secrets and unseen threats.

But when danger strikes and Penelope becomes a target, Dahlia is the only one standing between her and death.

One stolen moment turns into another. One brush of hands, one heated glance, and suddenly, duty feels a lot more like desire.

They both know the once the wedding is over, so is this. But when the final toast is made and the vows are spoken, they'll have to decide—was it just a moment in time, or the start of something worth fighting for?

A Game of Vows and Vendettas is a chunky crossover novella for the Girl Games and Kingdom of Immortal Lovers series, set at Morrigan and Stirling's wedding. It is a vampire bodyguard x bratty princess romance with chaos, spice, and features the faces of all your favourites from across both Ruby's main series.

Contains mature content. A complete list of content warnings can be found on the author's website.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Audiobook, Queer, Romance, Lesbian, Lesbian Fiction

Audible Audio

Published December 4, 2025

About the author

Ruby Roe writes lesbian fantasy romance. She loves a bit of magic with her smut and will read anything as long as the characters get down and dirty. When she isn’t writing, she’s beasting herself at the gym or wandering the world on her next adventure. She lives in England with her wife, son, and two devious Ragdoll cats.

Reviews

[Guerunche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE these books! Love. And while this is considered a stand-alone, you really need to read (or listen to) the whole series in order to know the characters and appreciate what led to this point.

The Girls Game series is fun, exciting, occasionally frightening, laugh out loud funny and scorchingly, explicitly hot.

Making them even more fabulous are the multiple narrators led by the incredible Allie Rose, Islay Jacobs (who sounds like Natalie Dormer from Game of Thrones) and Zara Hampton-Brown. They are wonderful actors who slay each character they portray. (My personal favorite is Rose’s Octavia character, but I love them all!)

I am anxious to experience the next work from this amazing storyteller!

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby Roe has a way of bringing you right into the world and story immediately! It’s one of the things I love most about her books and writing. This novella is meant to be read after the Girl Games series and the Immortal Lovers series as it’s a crossover between the two. Honestly, you could happily read this as a standalone and not feel like you’ve missed too much. (But I would highly recommend reading the other two series before hand because they’re simply brilliant! So why wouldn’t you?).
Penelope is a bratty pretty pink princess and Dahlia is a masc dominant vampire. What more can I say? And what better pairing could you ask for really?
The whole thing was just amazing! I LOVED getting to see this from Penelope and Dahlia’s POV, they were the perfect pairing. What I also loved was that we got to see all the characters from both series come together and celebrate! The little nods to Stirling and Morrigan during the wedding, Ahhh, loved it (Romance and Ruin is my favourite after all) the happy couple 😭👰🏻‍♀️
I was giddy, screaming and kicking my feet by the end of this!!

I got to read this as I received the ebook from backing the kickstarter. If you missed out on that, not to worry! You can preorder this book now on Ruby Roe’s website, A Game of Vows and Vendettas will be released December 4th 2025!

Written in first person with 2x main POV’s. Masc/Femme, Forced proximity, Princess/Vampire, Bodyguard. 5 glorious spicy scenes 😉

[Nash Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize how bad I needed something like this. If you want a spicy sapphic vampire romance that's a standalone then consider picking this one up. The plot was pretty solid. It definitely was not the craziest or most intricate plot but it was engaging. I enjoyed all of the characters even the ones that were barely mentioned. I listed to an ALC and it is an interesting (not in a bad way) narration. I was definitely hooked and binged the book in one sitting. Im also very interested in seeing about the rest of the books in this series. This was basically a lesbian vampire wet dream. Sometimes you just need to read a fun smutty book and this will scratch that itch.

[Menestrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read this on a cold day, almost winter, it's like outside and inside the house there's a heat wave.

Temperatures skyrocketing.

[Nini · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️
I got an alc, but my rating/review are my own!

when I found out this was a crossover I was going to read all the books first butttt I would be late to the release date soooo I just read one of the series and now I cannot wait to read the other one🤧🤧

this series been amazing!!!! there is so much smutt🤭🤭 which I loveeee and sapphic??? pleaseeeee, yessss!!! and I loveeeee banter, of course this series has so muchhhh🤭🤭🤭

quotes:
••
“𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘…”
“𝕴’𝖒 𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖔𝖓𝖉 𝖔𝖋 𝖆 𝖜𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖇𝖊𝖌𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖒𝖊. 𝕭𝖚𝖙 𝕴’𝖉 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖕𝖚𝖙 𝖆 𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖔𝖓 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖐𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖘. 𝕾𝖊𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖊𝖑𝖘𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖞 𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖑𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖚𝖙𝖍 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘 𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝖉𝖔,”
“𝕭𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖘, 𝕴’𝖉 𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖇𝖊 𝖋𝖚𝖈𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖆 𝖍𝖔𝖙 𝖜𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖉𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖓 𝕾𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖚𝖎 𝕮𝖚𝖕𝖆 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖓 𝖜𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖒𝖞 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖚𝖕.”
“𝕴’𝖒 𝖆𝖘𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖞𝖔𝖚. 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊𝖉, 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝖎𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖇𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖘𝖐𝖎𝖓 𝖆𝖓𝖉⁠—”
••
“𝓘’𝓶 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓪 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓻 𝓲𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓹𝓾𝓼𝓼𝔂 𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓷.”
“𝓝𝓸𝓽 𝓪 𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓫𝓲𝓪𝓷? 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝔂𝓮𝓽, 𝓷𝓸 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓲𝓻 𝓵𝓮𝓰𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓵𝔂 𝓾𝓷𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼… 𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓱… 𝓘’𝓭 𝓹𝓾𝓽 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓮𝔂 𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓬𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾’𝓿𝓮 𝓼𝓵𝓮𝓹𝓽 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓫𝓮𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮.”
••
“𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖉𝖔𝖓’𝖙 𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖙𝖔 𝖌𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖇𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖆𝖘𝖒 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖑𝖎𝖋𝖊.”
“𝕺𝖍, 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖉𝖔 𝕴 𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖉?”
“𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖒𝖞 𝖙𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖚𝖊.”
•• 🤭

tropes:
☆🍁sapphic fantasy
☆🍁novella
☆🍁smutty
☆🍁vampire bodyguard x princess
☆🍁forced proximity
☆🍁mask / femme
☆🍁bratty fmc

[Sinead Corcoran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another Ruby Roe masterpiece!! I’m so glad your twisted mind got carried away and wrote this into an entire book.

The crossover between series is immaculate, and the way you’ve flipped the narrative of the two main characters in this, I love it! I always liked Dahlia but I never expected to care for Penelope (we are literally the same person). A royal wedding?? We love!! And the vows!!! I’ve never been a marriage person however this may have swayed my mind.

The unshared words between them had my heart aching!! Knowing Dahlia is pretty much immortal too, hearing her thoughts hurt my heart.

The smut as always was smutting, the secondhand embarrassment (handshake) was absolutely felt. This was pretty much a 1 day read for me and I’m a slow reader, it was honestly incredible.

Roll on September 12th 2026 for the next release🫠

^ I wrote this as I was reading. But my gods the ending(s) - I crave for a love hidden in these books. The nauseating sense of home-sick for a world I can never live in has returned. Please never stop writing so I can always escape to them again!!

And thank you!!! Thank you for writing it, thank you for sharing it with us, thank you for being almost a month early - thank you for everything!!

[Katie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect love child of all of Ruby Roe’s books so far! I love absolutely EVERYTHING about it!! All the Easter eggs, more of my favourite characters, and a new, wonderful, hot, Dommy and Bratty romance between Dahlia and Penelope, characters that used to be pains in our asses and now I want MORE OF!!
I am always blown away by her books and am rushing to write this before diving into the bonus smutilogue.. because of course it’s going to be absolute fire and completely necessary for my sanity.

Plot summary
If you’ve read the previous books, you know who these characters are. If you haven’t, GO READ THEM ALL RIGHT NOW!
Morrigan and Stirling’s wedding is approaching! Amongst all the preparation, Morrigan’s sister Penelope has gotten herself into a spot of bother, so obviously illegally heads into vampire territory to visit an old.. friend for potential help. Meets Dahlia along the way and after a very heated but brief moment, goes back on her way. How was Dahlia to know she just kissed the princess.. and how was Penelope to know Dahlia will be at the royal wedding and be forced to be her new bodyguard..?

Things I loved:
- Literally everything
- More from my favourite characters
- Dom & Brat spice
- The stake
- The handshake.. 🤣
- Obviously the wedding
- Loving characters who were previously.. prickly.

Overall, it’s an absolute fangasm of a crossover! I would have read double, even triple the pages for this. More. Give. Me. More. Please? 🤣

[Jaime Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

“[S]he is the kind of memory I will hold for as long as the moon shines and the night runs through my veins.”

“[She] stares at her as if she is the light, and the dark, the sun, the moon and all the water in all the oceans.”

“A promise to love. And be loved. To love you until I’m nothing but ashes and sand. Until our souls find each other again where blue meets blue.”

[Britni MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

So very good. Dahlia and Penelope are HAWT. I loved and adored GG and House of Immortal Lovers and this crossover was perfect.

I always find it so interesting when a side character doesn’t come across as my type of character, then they get their own story and I vibe so hard. It does not happen all the time but it definitely did happen with Dahlia. Brat tamer extraordinaire meeting her match? She who gives no fucks when playing is so so fun, Princess Penelope Lee. Dahlias fierce protection and possessiveness over Penelope was start to finish swoon worthy. Penelope’s start to finish rebellion is the true winner here.

Morrigan and Stirling’s story is my favorite or the series and I was full on sobbinggg at 3am during the ceremony scene.

If only there were 300 more pages of punishments, *dreamy sigh*

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooooooooohhhhh! This was incredible!! The Girl Games series is my favorite book series of all times! When I heard that this was coming out I was so stoked. I got to read it early because I signed up for the authors kickstarter campaign (something else I'm super excited for). The book was amazing. I loved the cross over. Getting to see all of my favorite characters from both series come together again was so much fun. Getting the little insights to all of their lives was so rewarding. I didn't love Penelope in passed books, but getting to see things from her side in the book was so enlightening. It's great to see a full fledged personality and learn what's really going on in her head. I did like Dahlia before and love her even more now. The growth you see in her character and seeing some vulnerability was exactly what was needed. This book is definitey worth the read and if you haven't read the previous books you should do that too!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I truly say about this book? It was EFFING. PERFECT. Everything was amazing, the plot was incredible, and even Dahlia and Penelope were amazing.

Getting to see characters from both Girl Games and Kingdom of Immortal Lovers? The literal cherry on top! Seeing the magicians and the vampires being civil and working together was amazing.

Let's not forget the entire reason this book exists... The royal wedding! Morrigan and Stirling got their special day! It was so effing perfect. The vows, the outfits, Morrigan's gift to Stirling, and let's not forget the wedding night 🥵.

While I am sad that we may or may not see our girls again, I'm excited to see if any of them do pop up in future books.

[Sterling Sapphic Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Babes. Babes. I am feral. Absolutely unwell. Ruby Roe has once again reached into my chest cavity, plucked out my heart, covered it in Penelope Pink glitter and vampire blood, and handed it back to me while winking. A Game of Vows and Vendettas is the sapphic vampire bodyguard romance I didn’t know I needed—but now I’ll never recover from it.

First of all, let’s just get this out of the way: Penelope and Dahlia? ICONIC. We’re talking bratty princess with a sharp tongue and a vulnerable streak a mile wide, paired with a battle-hardened, brooding vampire hunter turned reluctant protector who just wants to sip her drink in peace. These two have banter that bites, tension so thick you could stake a vamp with it, and chemistry that builds with every stolen look and charged touch. I was hanging on to every word like it was sacred scripture.

And don't even get me started on the spice. Ruby. Roe. Delivers. Every. Single. Time. The slow burn? Exquisite. The payoff? Devastatingly delicious. It’s steamy, it’s emotional, it’s sapphic yearning wrapped in silk and leather and bad decisions. You know it's not going to be just a one-time thing—but watching them try to pretend it is? TORTURE. The best kind.

But babes, it’s not just about the heat (although, let’s be real, it is very hot). This novella has heart. It’s about duty and desire, grief and letting go, showing up even when it hurts. Penelope might come off spoiled at first glance, but you see so much depth and growth in her, and Dahlia? My emotionally repressed vampire warrior. Her walls crack, and I wanted to scream every time she let a little vulnerability slip through. THESE WOMEN. They get each other in a way no one else does.

And listen—if you’re a Ruby Roe reader, this is the ultimate gift. We’re back in the Girl Games universe and the Kingdom of Immortal Lovers series, and it’s giving crossover chaos in the best way. Getting to see all our fave queer icons (hi Scarlett, hi Stirling and Morrigan, hi absolute mayhem) in one place, at a wedding, no less? It felt like crashing a sapphic vampire Met Gala, and I never wanted to leave.

The narration? STUNNING. Allie Rose, Zara Hampton-Brown, and Islay Jacobs absolutely breathe life into these characters. They bring every growl, smirk, and vulnerable whisper to life. It’s immersive, it’s electric, it’s so good I may never physically read again.

In conclusion, I say this with my whole chest and ten toes in the ground: if Ruby Roe writes it, I will inhale it. A Game of Vows and Vendettas is spicy, sharp, deeply romantic, and laugh-out-loud chaotic. It’s a quick read/listen that feels like a full-course sapphic feast. I’m a Scarlett stan forever, but Penelope and Dahlia? They’ve absolutely claimed a corner of my heart.

So read it. Listen to it. Obsess over it with your book besties. And if Ruby decides to give these two a full-length follow-up? BABES, I will preorder it before she even announces the title.

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥 Audiobook Review 🔥
A Game of Vows and Vendettas by Ruby Roe @rubyroeauthor
Written by @sachablackauthor
Narrated by Allie Rose, Islay Jacobs, and Zara Hampton Brown
Produced by @podiumentertainment

This audiobook is pure chaotic fantasy delight. Ruby Roe delivers a vampire bodyguard x bratty princess romance that is packed with tension, spice, danger, and the kind of banter that gives you butterflies and wicked grins at the same time.

The narration is stellar.
Allie Rose brings Penelope’s sass and vulnerability to life beautifully.
Islay Jacobs adds intensity and bite to Dahlia’s fierce commanding presence.
Zara Hampton Brown ties the world together with that rich atmospheric energy she is known for.
Together they create an immersive listen that feels lush, dramatic, and addictively fun.

Penelope never wanted a bodyguard. Dahlia definitely did not want babysitting duty. Yet the moment danger hits and they are forced together, the chemistry becomes explosive. Stolen glances. Protective tension. A wedding full of secrets. And desire that burns hotter every time they swear it is temporary.

If you love fantasy romance with chaos, sharp tongues, powerful women, deadly danger, and slow building heat that turns into a blaze, you need this audiobook in your life. It is delicious, dramatic, and full of iconic crossover moments from both series.

🎧 A must listen for fans of sapphic fantasy romance and Ruby Roe’s wickedly fun worlds.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a short, steamy and spicy sapphic listen. You’ll love this.

Bratty princess + masc dom
Witch + vampire
Bodyguard
Insta connection
Family and species politics

It is a standalone book but it’s within a larger series and a lot of the characters from that series feature heavily. I haven’t read the larger series and still enjoyed this but I have no doubt this would’ve hit much harder if I had.

The audio was great. I enjoyed the performances. I felt I really connected with the characters.

I was gifted an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Elisabeth Parmley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatever she writes I read!

I have loved both of these series. Even though I bought a signed copy I still wanted to have a copy I could read on the go. I actually finished the physical book in one sitting 🫣. As with everything she writes I wished there was more, yet it was just enough to develop those deeper connections with the characters. Especially since we have had plenty of back story leading up to this book. Loved the Sterling and Morgan appearance since they are my favorite couple! Looking forward to what she writes next.

[cloud_9_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby… thank you for bringing this world and these characters to life. This series has been such an incredible ride and will absolutely remain a forever fave. Thank you for giving us another story for those of us who just can’t get enough — it was everything! The banter, the spice, the passion, the storytelling… it all delivered exactly what I’ve come to love and expect from your work.

[H TaCharra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book wondering how Ruby Roe was going to make this Roe-Mantic love 2 characters that I have disliked from the previous books. Boy did she pull through. The banter? Top teir. The heat? Fantastic. It made me wish this was a full length novel, but she did a great job either way. And she mentioned two cities that I am super interested in so... I am buckled in for more books!!

[Sky Cera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it. But I strongly believe that they needed their own book, not a short one. It felt rushed. I loved Morrigan and Stirling ending. Their ending was beautiful. I need more of Dahlia and Penelope in the future…

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this so much, i wish i could spend all my time reading about Dhalia and Penelope. their banter and their bickering is so fun and the spice is next level. i knew i could count on Ruby to deliver an amazing crossover, but this even exceeded my already high expectations🥹

[Kate Edsall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists , turns and spice oh my ! I wasn’t expecting Roman to come back but I think it made a great connection for the two book series. This was a quick read for me , I think I spent a total of 3-4 reading this.

[Emily Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this extra novella focusing on Penelope and Dahlia. It made me like these characters a lot more.

[B Leathley · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book absolutely blew my mind. taking two characters who I'd learned to hate through the respective series their in and taking a complete 180 in such a short novella is the work of a genius.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I managed to read this as part of the authors kickstarter. Did it disappoint? Of course not. Ruby Roe would never. Loved the cross over! Like seeing all my babies together.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Amazing! Read it in 1 day because I just could not put it down! It was everything I didn't know I needed!!

[Holly Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well this is a gush fest (in all senses of the word 😉) in the most wonderful way. An absolute must if you have read the Girl Games series!

[Brittany Baker]

DNF @ 25% - just having a hard time getting into it and for the audio, the narrator for Dahlia…I can’t. Her voice is too whiny and grating my skin for the second I heard it.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite of the season so far

[audrey hamel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ughhh as delicious as I thought it would be!!

[Mariah Clemens · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun party where all your favorite characters come together.

[maiza]

stirlingmorrigan wedding 😭 my moms 💙💜