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An Empress of Water & Wrath
Under the light of the approaching Hunters Moon, Emara Blacksteel finds herself cloaked in the darkness of the Underworld. As she dines amongst her enemies in the Nine Realms of Hell, she learns that fighting isn’t always the answer. To survive, Emara has no choice but to succumb to the dark ether that runs in her veins, and with the threat of the Dark God at her door, she must fight to hold onto her Light – she must cling to who she is and the memories of everything she has ever loved – before she loses herself forever.
Torin Blacksteel, the new commander of the Blacksteel Hunting Clan, finds himself in a state of despair after he awakes to find his wife gone. Without her, he is lost, and he knows making one wrong move to get her back could mean she is lost to the Underworld for good. Torin must battle with his heart and his head to remain in control, but violence always has a way of sneaking through the cracks.
Gideon Blacksteel must adapt quickly to his ever-changing role within the clan now that his brother is verging on a catastrophic breakdown, but one thing is for matters of his heart are just as complicated as ever. Being Sybil Lockhart’s guard has never been harder, especially now that someone else has made a play for her hand. And with a dangerous task ahead, his duty to fulfil and pressures of unspoken truths mounting, all hope for a future with the Empress of Earth is on the verge of collapse.
Breighly Baxgroll and Artem Stryker find themselves intertwined once more, but the rising darkness, grave injury and constant betrayal threaten to rip them apart forever. The body wants what it wants, but when Breighly’s mate finally reveals himself, the fate of her heart is surely sealed. The stars have chosen her path, and it will change everything.
The Blacksteel Clan have never been more vulnerable. The deeper the team dig into the secrets of their world, the more they uncover that their world is not as it seems. Their list of allies dwindles by the day, and saving Emara seems impossible.
But Emara is not a girl that needs to be saved…
Emara is a weapon all on her own.
Torin Blacksteel, the new commander of the Blacksteel Hunting Clan, finds himself in a state of despair after he awakes to find his wife gone. Without her, he is lost, and he knows making one wrong move to get her back could mean she is lost to the Underworld for good. Torin must battle with his heart and his head to remain in control, but violence always has a way of sneaking through the cracks.
Gideon Blacksteel must adapt quickly to his ever-changing role within the clan now that his brother is verging on a catastrophic breakdown, but one thing is for matters of his heart are just as complicated as ever. Being Sybil Lockhart’s guard has never been harder, especially now that someone else has made a play for her hand. And with a dangerous task ahead, his duty to fulfil and pressures of unspoken truths mounting, all hope for a future with the Empress of Earth is on the verge of collapse.
Breighly Baxgroll and Artem Stryker find themselves intertwined once more, but the rising darkness, grave injury and constant betrayal threaten to rip them apart forever. The body wants what it wants, but when Breighly’s mate finally reveals himself, the fate of her heart is surely sealed. The stars have chosen her path, and it will change everything.
The Blacksteel Clan have never been more vulnerable. The deeper the team dig into the secrets of their world, the more they uncover that their world is not as it seems. Their list of allies dwindles by the day, and saving Emara seems impossible.
But Emara is not a girl that needs to be saved…
Emara is a weapon all on her own.
582 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2025
5 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Noelle Rayne
4 books167 followersNoelle Rayne is the debut author of An Empress of Air and Chaos. This is book number one in her debut fantasy series. She has a BA Hons Degree in Theatre and lives in Ayrshire, Scotland. When she is not writing, she is binge watching supernatural TV shows, cuddling her fur baby or curling up with a good fantasy book under fairy-lights. Or possibly doing all three at once. She is obsessed with storms, glitter and all things witchy. If you like any of these things, I have a feeling you might like her books…
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 9, 2025
"She could rattle this world, if she just believed it."
An Empress of Water and Wrath is book 4 in the An Empress series by Noelle Rayne, and it is a rollercoaster ride of a story!! This book is packed with action, political intrigue, yearning, devastation, secrets brought to light, swoon worthy romance and spice, and harnessing one's inner darkness. Please remember this needs to be read in order, so start with An Empress of Air and Chaos if you're new to the series.
Our characters go THROUGH IT in this story! Emara confronts parts of herself that she's been denying, and learns how formidable she is when forced to stand alone against her enemies. Torin has to lead the Blacksteel clan while trying to find a way to get Emara back. Artem and Breighly's banter and tension is at it's absolute best! Kellan's find ways to be comfortable in his own skin. GIdeon is battling his duty as a guard vs. following his heart. I love these characters and their found family so much!!
Rayne perfectly balances the battles of light and darkness with moments of tenderness and care. Throw in Artem's one-liners and romance between the various couples, and you've got one incredible book! I adored every minute of this story from the butterflies and swooning to my stomach twisting in knots and being on the edge of my seat. I absolutely cannot wait to see how Rayne brings an end to this series!!
If you're looking for an incredible fantasy romance series with elemental magic, a cast of characters and relationships, hunters and demons, witches and shifters, found family, lies and betrayal, and fated mates, then this is the series for you!! The first two books are available in KU, and all are available in ebook and physical copies at the usual places. Don't miss it!
"His heart bled out for her. His soul sang for her. His body reacted to her, and she hasn't even touched his flesh."
"You see, Emara Blacksteel's good through and through. Her soul is pure and full of light. But she likes to do things on her own terms, and the fact that you have taken her freedom from her... well, she isn't going to be best pleased about that. Did I warn you that she can have a little bit of a temper?"
"Veles had been the starved wolf, with teeth and claws, hunting the goodness in her heart, her memories, until he devoured the lot."
"Kellan, I can see that you are suffocating in this life, and I have only been in the Tower a few days. Sometimes, you just need to breathe your own kind of air. Break out a little. Stop conforming."
"You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen...And I tried to tell myself it was just lust, because you were so uninterested in me it hurt. The night my eyes finally saw you, it was everything."
"People underestimate you, but I don't. You may be small, but I can feel your power, Sybil Lockhart. You can be very dangerous when you want to be."
"Tell me you want it all, baby...And I will give you anything that you want."
"You would never have given up the goodness in your heart, and I would fight for you even if you had, because I will protect your whole soul until my bones turn to dust and I am at one with the stars."
An Empress of Water and Wrath is book 4 in the An Empress series by Noelle Rayne, and it is a rollercoaster ride of a story!! This book is packed with action, political intrigue, yearning, devastation, secrets brought to light, swoon worthy romance and spice, and harnessing one's inner darkness. Please remember this needs to be read in order, so start with An Empress of Air and Chaos if you're new to the series.
Our characters go THROUGH IT in this story! Emara confronts parts of herself that she's been denying, and learns how formidable she is when forced to stand alone against her enemies. Torin has to lead the Blacksteel clan while trying to find a way to get Emara back. Artem and Breighly's banter and tension is at it's absolute best! Kellan's find ways to be comfortable in his own skin. GIdeon is battling his duty as a guard vs. following his heart. I love these characters and their found family so much!!
Rayne perfectly balances the battles of light and darkness with moments of tenderness and care. Throw in Artem's one-liners and romance between the various couples, and you've got one incredible book! I adored every minute of this story from the butterflies and swooning to my stomach twisting in knots and being on the edge of my seat. I absolutely cannot wait to see how Rayne brings an end to this series!!
If you're looking for an incredible fantasy romance series with elemental magic, a cast of characters and relationships, hunters and demons, witches and shifters, found family, lies and betrayal, and fated mates, then this is the series for you!! The first two books are available in KU, and all are available in ebook and physical copies at the usual places. Don't miss it!
"His heart bled out for her. His soul sang for her. His body reacted to her, and she hasn't even touched his flesh."
"You see, Emara Blacksteel's good through and through. Her soul is pure and full of light. But she likes to do things on her own terms, and the fact that you have taken her freedom from her... well, she isn't going to be best pleased about that. Did I warn you that she can have a little bit of a temper?"
"Veles had been the starved wolf, with teeth and claws, hunting the goodness in her heart, her memories, until he devoured the lot."
"Kellan, I can see that you are suffocating in this life, and I have only been in the Tower a few days. Sometimes, you just need to breathe your own kind of air. Break out a little. Stop conforming."
"You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen...And I tried to tell myself it was just lust, because you were so uninterested in me it hurt. The night my eyes finally saw you, it was everything."
"People underestimate you, but I don't. You may be small, but I can feel your power, Sybil Lockhart. You can be very dangerous when you want to be."
"Tell me you want it all, baby...And I will give you anything that you want."
"You would never have given up the goodness in your heart, and I would fight for you even if you had, because I will protect your whole soul until my bones turn to dust and I am at one with the stars."
October 7, 2025
This is the 4th book in the Empress Series and omg!! I was like, oh noooo! And oooh, could it be, and yes I knew it and no he didn't and aaaaahhhhhh!!! 🤣 And that's how this book went.
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I loved how the covens are coming together more, and how dual natures will need to be reconciled, how the hidden corruption is being exposed and just all the things.
.
Anyway, if you're looking for a witch-tastic series full of strong women and men who are also strong enough not to be threatened by them but to lift them up instead, you'll probably want to get in on this series.
.
I loved how the covens are coming together more, and how dual natures will need to be reconciled, how the hidden corruption is being exposed and just all the things.
.
Anyway, if you're looking for a witch-tastic series full of strong women and men who are also strong enough not to be threatened by them but to lift them up instead, you'll probably want to get in on this series.
August 12, 2025
At first I thought this book was exceptionally long and couldn’t possibly need to be, but by the end I was begging for it to be longer! So many revelations for the whole crew, Artem, Breighly, Roman, Arlo, the dark king, Aerrick, and more! I don’t think we truly know the Dark kings motives and I think he may not be as under Veles’s thumb as everyone thinks! The end was a mild cliffhanger but still has me dying for the final book, and I had no idea that was the last page!
July 18, 2025
I have followed this series from the first release and they just keep getting better! Plot twists, revelations, love confessions, battles, magic this series has it all. Can’t wait to see how the next book will wrap up this story
August 8, 2025
The first few books in the series are so good. And this one had its points…but it felt more like a filler book to me, like it is just killing time until the last book. (Gave a lot of Zodiac Academy vibes on how it felt like a lot of fluff).
September 17, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh this book! Emara, the Blacksteels and this whole cast of characters have my heart.
I took my time reading this book, partially because I can’t take a cliffhanger and Noelle has left me hanging before. But also, I prefer to consume fantasy by audiobook. Hopefully, one day Noelle can get audiobooks produced, because they would become a regular re-listen for me.
True to the other books in the series, the last 20% of this book was crazy and I could not put it down!
Emara is everything. One of my favourite FMCs of all time. I loved the development of Gideon and Sybil, they are my babies. The Artem and Breighly twist I did not see coming! Some new villains are revealed in this book too! I need book 5 please.
Oh this book! Emara, the Blacksteels and this whole cast of characters have my heart.
I took my time reading this book, partially because I can’t take a cliffhanger and Noelle has left me hanging before. But also, I prefer to consume fantasy by audiobook. Hopefully, one day Noelle can get audiobooks produced, because they would become a regular re-listen for me.
True to the other books in the series, the last 20% of this book was crazy and I could not put it down!
Emara is everything. One of my favourite FMCs of all time. I loved the development of Gideon and Sybil, they are my babies. The Artem and Breighly twist I did not see coming! Some new villains are revealed in this book too! I need book 5 please.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews