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Savage Sentinels #1
Red Ruin
Instead of sticking around to watch my suddenly EX fiancé adore the Guide he replaced me with, I do the totally sane, normal thing and run away to war.
The Sentinels battling monster hordes desperately need my power. I just want to find a place to belong as something other than a tool.
When I report for duty, ready to fight on my own terms, I find my new squad in shambles.
Its strongest warriors are so poisoned by their own magic, they're not just insane—they're barely hanging on to their humanity.
If I can't tame the rampaging vampire and the one-horned devil, I won't have to wait for my enemies to ruin me.
Vhex and Remy will grin with their fangs as they ruin what's left of my soul.
♥ Medium
♥ High (spicy MFM scenes, no sword-crossing)
♥ NOT an omegaverse
♥ frequent cursing, monster combat, magic system entrenched with sexual healing & possessive-but-useless MLs who hate each other (forever). Check the author’s site for the full list of tags, tropes, and warnings
The Sentinels battling monster hordes desperately need my power. I just want to find a place to belong as something other than a tool.
When I report for duty, ready to fight on my own terms, I find my new squad in shambles.
Its strongest warriors are so poisoned by their own magic, they're not just insane—they're barely hanging on to their humanity.
If I can't tame the rampaging vampire and the one-horned devil, I won't have to wait for my enemies to ruin me.
Vhex and Remy will grin with their fangs as they ruin what's left of my soul.
♥ Medium
♥ High (spicy MFM scenes, no sword-crossing)
♥ NOT an omegaverse
♥ frequent cursing, monster combat, magic system entrenched with sexual healing & possessive-but-useless MLs who hate each other (forever). Check the author’s site for the full list of tags, tropes, and warnings
487 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 22, 2025
87 people are currently reading
561 people want to read
About the author
Lola Rock
10 books1,219 followersLola Rock loves sweets, stories, and passport stamps (in that order). Her books can’t decide if they want to be hilarious or heart-wrenching, but they promise to keep you up all night.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
August 7, 2025
Red ruin ⭐️
This was so bad it pained me. I was so excited to read this cause this author wrote one of my fav books but nothing was good about this besides the different time of universe. I was intrigued by a guideverse and still am but this was just BAD. SO BAD. Like the only thing I liked besides the idea of a different type of universe/powers was Vhex when he said wife and instantly was like yuh. Besides that I can’t even describe every reason why this was bad cause it truly just was and I AM SO LET DOWN. I KNOW SHE CAN WRITE A GOOD COMPELLING THOUGHT OUT STORY. SO WHAT IS THIS. I almost DNFed 3 times but forced myself to continue
This was so bad it pained me. I was so excited to read this cause this author wrote one of my fav books but nothing was good about this besides the different time of universe. I was intrigued by a guideverse and still am but this was just BAD. SO BAD. Like the only thing I liked besides the idea of a different type of universe/powers was Vhex when he said wife and instantly was like yuh. Besides that I can’t even describe every reason why this was bad cause it truly just was and I AM SO LET DOWN. I KNOW SHE CAN WRITE A GOOD COMPELLING THOUGHT OUT STORY. SO WHAT IS THIS. I almost DNFed 3 times but forced myself to continue
July 8, 2025
I have SO MANY FEELINGS. I think guideverse might be a new obsession.
Firstly I didn't expect to not only cry but ugly cry. 84% in you will be getting the bills from my therapist I swear. You grow so attached to the characters so freaking fast you can't stand the thought of anything happening.
There was plentiful spice but all of it was done with a reason. It was so intimate that you just want to 🥹🥹. It was definitely spicing but done purposefully that it made their relationship building so much better.
Iris is a certified badass honestly. And the guys?? Over the top possessive and jealous and just everything she needs. They care so much for her they're willing to quite literally burn the world down if it meant keeping her safe. Not only is it touch her and die it's freaking LOOK at her and die.
That cliffy was criminal.
thank you to the author for the gifted arc
Firstly I didn't expect to not only cry but ugly cry. 84% in you will be getting the bills from my therapist I swear. You grow so attached to the characters so freaking fast you can't stand the thought of anything happening.
There was plentiful spice but all of it was done with a reason. It was so intimate that you just want to 🥹🥹. It was definitely spicing but done purposefully that it made their relationship building so much better.
Iris is a certified badass honestly. And the guys?? Over the top possessive and jealous and just everything she needs. They care so much for her they're willing to quite literally burn the world down if it meant keeping her safe. Not only is it touch her and die it's freaking LOOK at her and die.
That cliffy was criminal.
thank you to the author for the gifted arc
August 14, 2025
MY FAVORITE AUTHOR HAS A NEW RELEASE, THE ARC IS ON MY KINDLE. I AM LIVING.
Update:
Red Ruin is unlike anything l've read so far. It's a little dark, humorous, violent, magical, and spiiiiicy.
It's all to be expected with 3 fangs, 1 horn, and a whole lotta phantom tongues and then some.
I really enjoyed the world and magic system here. If you're a fan of games and asian dramas, this might just be up your alley. Just a heads up though, the three of these characters go to pound time, constantly. I think it was erring on the side of too much because I was so invested in the external conflict, that the banging detracted from my excitement.
Regardless, I still find Lola's writing to be enjoyable! I admire her for writing whatever her heart desires, even if this one missed the mark for me.
Read it for:
Fighting and flirting
MFM
Vampire and Devil
Possessive MMCS
Only she can heal them
Update:
Red Ruin is unlike anything l've read so far. It's a little dark, humorous, violent, magical, and spiiiiicy.
It's all to be expected with 3 fangs, 1 horn, and a whole lotta phantom tongues and then some.
I really enjoyed the world and magic system here. If you're a fan of games and asian dramas, this might just be up your alley. Just a heads up though, the three of these characters go to pound time, constantly. I think it was erring on the side of too much because I was so invested in the external conflict, that the banging detracted from my excitement.
Regardless, I still find Lola's writing to be enjoyable! I admire her for writing whatever her heart desires, even if this one missed the mark for me.
Read it for:
Fighting and flirting
MFM
Vampire and Devil
Possessive MMCS
Only she can heal them
July 16, 2025
4.5 *
I had never heard about the Guideverse before reading “Red Ruin”, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this book. But I do know I like berserkers, and see them match with someone who manages to calm their wayward energy, so I was definitely excited to find out more. And I absolutely liked what I found.
Just a little heads up for those still looking to start: this is not a summer romance or a beach read. This is action, spice, more action, spicy action, actionfilled spice and … you get the picture. I don’t think there was one moment of peace and quiet between chapter one and the epilogue; it just kept on coming non-stop. Honestly, Iris deserves an award and a vacation for putting up with two berserkers set on destroying everything and everyone but her, nobility who deserve to be included in the beforementioned destruction, and a monster with apocalyptic powers on its way to … ultimate destruction. The fact that she just kept on going shows the type of badass she is.
Even though the storyline of this book is complete, the epilogue gives us some ideas about the second book. Let’s just hope Iris gets a bit of breathing room before a new crisis hits.
I had never heard about the Guideverse before reading “Red Ruin”, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this book. But I do know I like berserkers, and see them match with someone who manages to calm their wayward energy, so I was definitely excited to find out more. And I absolutely liked what I found.
Just a little heads up for those still looking to start: this is not a summer romance or a beach read. This is action, spice, more action, spicy action, actionfilled spice and … you get the picture. I don’t think there was one moment of peace and quiet between chapter one and the epilogue; it just kept on coming non-stop. Honestly, Iris deserves an award and a vacation for putting up with two berserkers set on destroying everything and everyone but her, nobility who deserve to be included in the beforementioned destruction, and a monster with apocalyptic powers on its way to … ultimate destruction. The fact that she just kept on going shows the type of badass she is.
Even though the storyline of this book is complete, the epilogue gives us some ideas about the second book. Let’s just hope Iris gets a bit of breathing room before a new crisis hits.
July 16, 2025
If you’re looking for more Pack Darling, this is not that. I’m still not entirely sure what I read, but I know I loved it. It’s spicy, there’s yearning, there’s growth. Iris accepts love that’s given to her (literally).
What’s the Guideverse? I have no idea! There’s a handy glossary at the end, didn’t even look at it. I just went on vibes and what Iris knew. I’d be excited to explore more in this world (like why an A class can imprint an S class).
What’s the Guideverse? I have no idea! There’s a handy glossary at the end, didn’t even look at it. I just went on vibes and what Iris knew. I’d be excited to explore more in this world (like why an A class can imprint an S class).
July 30, 2025
4 ⭐️/3.5 🌶️—I love this author’s Pack Darling series so I was excited to read this. It’s not an omegaverse but a guideverse, which she remarks is more common in anime and other genres. This is an MFM (not a true RH). The worldbuilding is a bit strange, but not in a bad way. It reminds me of the first time I read an omegaverse before they became more mainstream. I’m just not used to the tropes of the genre yet. I thought the characterization was good (not amazing but still good), but some of the worldbuilding and plot felt a bit rushed and I think could have benefited from more detail and nuance. I don’t know if the author would continue with other books in the series, but I would read them. If you liked this book, it reminded me a bit of KM Hade’s Cruelly Made series (which is really under read and has never been completed).
September 2, 2025
I adored this book, it had just enough crazy in the MMCs for it to be extremely entertaining! Lola outdid herself once again!
August 13, 2025
Poor Iris was just looking for a fresh start and instead she fell straight into endless chaos and in the middle of two people he’ll vent on murdering each other. I loved this book so much it was bonkers and chaotic and fun. The world was a little strange but it still kept me entertained.
August 13, 2025
I'm sorry, but this was just so hard to read. I felt a migraine forming while reading it. 😭
I love Lola Rock's books, but this was very disappointing. 💔
I love Lola Rock's books, but this was very disappointing. 💔
July 22, 2025
*Menage (MFM)
*Paranormal
*Multi-PoV
*Guideverse
*Enemy MMCs
*Healing FMC
*Monsters
*Medium Burn
*Book 1 / ?
Fangs, fights and ‘fudging’ 😉
This was something different to my normal reads and I really enjoyed it! The notion of guideverse is totally new to me and I appreciated the explanation the author gives and I found I really enjoyed that aspect of the book 😁 having high level sentinels (monsters) who are only able to be healed by their guide specifically through touch and seggsual activity….yes please 🔥 what made it even more enticing was the toxic possessiveness these two had over our FMC 😍 Vhex is a fanged fire devil automatically claiming Iris as his wife, and Remy is a vampire without full control of his mind trying to monopolise all of her time….she’s determined not to let them get to close but it’s inevitable 😳
These two sentinels are our to kill each other and Iris is stuck in the middle, thankfully she’s battle hardened and is managing to just about wrangle these two in line - although the murderous banter between them is certainly amusing! There appears to be bigger threats at play then her ex and it forces them to work in ways they haven’t before, but will that be enough to save the front and people Iris has become so protective of?! The twist at the end will be interesting to see develop 😅
*Paranormal
*Multi-PoV
*Guideverse
*Enemy MMCs
*Healing FMC
*Monsters
*Medium Burn
*Book 1 / ?
Fangs, fights and ‘fudging’ 😉
This was something different to my normal reads and I really enjoyed it! The notion of guideverse is totally new to me and I appreciated the explanation the author gives and I found I really enjoyed that aspect of the book 😁 having high level sentinels (monsters) who are only able to be healed by their guide specifically through touch and seggsual activity….yes please 🔥 what made it even more enticing was the toxic possessiveness these two had over our FMC 😍 Vhex is a fanged fire devil automatically claiming Iris as his wife, and Remy is a vampire without full control of his mind trying to monopolise all of her time….she’s determined not to let them get to close but it’s inevitable 😳
These two sentinels are our to kill each other and Iris is stuck in the middle, thankfully she’s battle hardened and is managing to just about wrangle these two in line - although the murderous banter between them is certainly amusing! There appears to be bigger threats at play then her ex and it forces them to work in ways they haven’t before, but will that be enough to save the front and people Iris has become so protective of?! The twist at the end will be interesting to see develop 😅
July 10, 2025
4.5⭐️
𝙪𝙜𝙝, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙. i had never heard of Guideverse before reading 𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒖𝒊𝒏 so i wasn’t sure what to expect. but Lola Rock did such a good job of explaining this universe while weaving into the story so it didn’t feel like an info dump.
and i am obsessed with all of them, Iris, Remy, and Vhex. but i absolutely love how obsessed Remy and Vhex are with Iris. they’re 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘 but in the way we love 😈 and they only get along with each other for her.
this book is 𝙝𝙤𝙩 🥵 all the spice since part of the healing between Guides & Sentinels is through sex. but it’s so normal in this universe so get ready for scene after scene of it.
this is a book i already anticipate re-reading bc i feel like there is so much more i can learn a second and third time. this is a HEA but i hope we get more from this series/universe bc i’m hooked in.
thank you Lola Rock for an e-ARC of 𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒖𝒊𝒏 ❤️🔥🗡️🩸👹
𝙪𝙜𝙝, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙. i had never heard of Guideverse before reading 𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒖𝒊𝒏 so i wasn’t sure what to expect. but Lola Rock did such a good job of explaining this universe while weaving into the story so it didn’t feel like an info dump.
and i am obsessed with all of them, Iris, Remy, and Vhex. but i absolutely love how obsessed Remy and Vhex are with Iris. they’re 𝙥𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘 but in the way we love 😈 and they only get along with each other for her.
this book is 𝙝𝙤𝙩 🥵 all the spice since part of the healing between Guides & Sentinels is through sex. but it’s so normal in this universe so get ready for scene after scene of it.
this is a book i already anticipate re-reading bc i feel like there is so much more i can learn a second and third time. this is a HEA but i hope we get more from this series/universe bc i’m hooked in.
thank you Lola Rock for an e-ARC of 𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒖𝒊𝒏 ❤️🔥🗡️🩸👹
July 22, 2025
3.75⭐️
I got an arc, but my rating/review are my own!
the writing style was not the best butt I had such a fun time reading thiss 🤭🫣🫣🫣
quotes:
••
“𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙’𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊, 𝕾𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖑?”
“𝕴’𝖒 𝖁𝖍𝖊𝖝. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖒𝖊 𝖍𝖚𝖘𝖇𝖆𝖓𝖉.”
••
“𝓜𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷’𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓽 𝓼𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓢𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓵 𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂- 𝓯𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓽. 𝓘𝓽’𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾.”
“𝓘𝓽’𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓶𝓮. 𝓐𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓷𝓮.”
“𝓑𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓵 𝓭𝓸𝓮𝓼𝓷’𝓽 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓼 𝓶𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻.”
“𝓦𝓱𝓸 𝓪𝓼𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓼?”
••
“𝕶𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖑 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖒𝖊,”
“𝕾𝖍𝖔𝖜 𝖒𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖉,”
••
“𝓣𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽?” 𝓥𝓱𝓮𝔁 𝓹𝓪𝓵𝓶𝓼 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴.
“𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓷 𝓹𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓼. 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓬𝓻𝓸𝓬𝓸𝓭𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓳𝓪𝔀𝓼 𝓲𝓼 𝓰𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓭𝔂.”
“𝓘𝓽’𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓭𝔂 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾.”
“𝓦𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓴?”
••
tropes:
☆🍁guideverse
☆🍁why choose
☆🍁mfm
☆🍁toxic possessiveness
☆🍁taming demons
☆🍁fighting + flirting
☆🍁only she can hell them👀🤭🥵
I got an arc, but my rating/review are my own!
the writing style was not the best butt I had such a fun time reading thiss 🤭🫣🫣🫣
quotes:
••
“𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙’𝖘 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊, 𝕾𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖑?”
“𝕴’𝖒 𝖁𝖍𝖊𝖝. 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖒𝖊 𝖍𝖚𝖘𝖇𝖆𝖓𝖉.”
••
“𝓜𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓭𝓲𝓭𝓷’𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓲𝓽 𝓼𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓢𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓵 𝓪𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂- 𝓯𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓽. 𝓘𝓽’𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾.”
“𝓘𝓽’𝓵𝓵 𝓫𝓮 𝓶𝓮. 𝓐𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓷𝓮.”
“𝓑𝓮𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓵 𝓭𝓸𝓮𝓼𝓷’𝓽 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓼 𝓶𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻.”
“𝓦𝓱𝓸 𝓪𝓼𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝓹𝓪𝓼𝓼?”
••
“𝕶𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖑 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖒𝖊,”
“𝕾𝖍𝖔𝖜 𝖒𝖊 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖉,”
••
“𝓣𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽?” 𝓥𝓱𝓮𝔁 𝓹𝓪𝓵𝓶𝓼 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓬𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓬𝓴.
“𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓾𝓽 𝓸𝓷 𝓹𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓼. 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓬𝓻𝓸𝓬𝓸𝓭𝓲𝓵𝓮 𝓳𝓪𝔀𝓼 𝓲𝓼 𝓰𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓭𝔂.”
“𝓘𝓽’𝓼 𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓭𝔂 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾.”
“𝓦𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓪 𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓴?”
••
tropes:
☆🍁guideverse
☆🍁why choose
☆🍁mfm
☆🍁toxic possessiveness
☆🍁taming demons
☆🍁fighting + flirting
☆🍁only she can hell them👀🤭🥵
Want to read
December 11, 2024Teasers have been just ~*chefs kiss*~ so far. I'm absolutely foaming at the mouth for this.
July 22, 2025
❤️WELCOME TO THE GUIDEVERSE❤️
Thank you sm to the author for letting read and ARC of 𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒖𝒊𝒏, the first book in a new series! I’ve been a huge fan of Lola ever since I read Pack Darlings a few years ago, and while this book is wildly different it hits just the same!
In Lola’s own words:
“Too unserious for dark romance. Too chaotic to be cozy. This book is adrenaline-drenched MFM monster smut. It’s unhinged post-apocalyptic fantasy, and the MMCs are so feral, their minds are literally destroyed when they aren’t touching the heroine.” —doesn’t that sound bonkers amazing??
This book follows Iris, a jilted Guide who runs away to war and finds herself locked in a battle with a centuries old monster and 2 Sentinels in dire need of her Guide healing.
Meet the characters:
Iris - a Guide fleeing from her ex-fiancé
Vhex - a one-horned devil lost to his poisoned magic
Remy - a rampaging vampire duke unable to do his duties without losing his mind
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: paranormal romance
Format: 📱
#guideverse #mfmromance #whychoose #redruin #lolarock #paranormalromance #savagesentinels #newreleasetuesday #bookrec
Thank you sm to the author for letting read and ARC of 𝑹𝒆𝒅 𝑹𝒖𝒊𝒏, the first book in a new series! I’ve been a huge fan of Lola ever since I read Pack Darlings a few years ago, and while this book is wildly different it hits just the same!
In Lola’s own words:
“Too unserious for dark romance. Too chaotic to be cozy. This book is adrenaline-drenched MFM monster smut. It’s unhinged post-apocalyptic fantasy, and the MMCs are so feral, their minds are literally destroyed when they aren’t touching the heroine.” —doesn’t that sound bonkers amazing??
This book follows Iris, a jilted Guide who runs away to war and finds herself locked in a battle with a centuries old monster and 2 Sentinels in dire need of her Guide healing.
Meet the characters:
Iris - a Guide fleeing from her ex-fiancé
Vhex - a one-horned devil lost to his poisoned magic
Remy - a rampaging vampire duke unable to do his duties without losing his mind
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: paranormal romance
Format: 📱
#guideverse #mfmromance #whychoose #redruin #lolarock #paranormalromance #savagesentinels #newreleasetuesday #bookrec
July 22, 2025
I'd never heard of Guideverse before Red Ruin , and now I have a new trope to fixate on.
If you haven't either, don't worry; the book made an excellent job of explaining it, but in a nutshell, it's a cousin of the Omegaverse trope. Instead of dealing with alphas, betas, and omegas, Guideverse features sentinels and guides of different strength, aka rank, who have a symbiotic relationship where the sentinels rely on the guides to not go crazy, much like the omegas need the alphas during their heats, except sex is not intrinsically necessary.
Red Ruin was set in a sort of dystopic, post-apocalyptic world, where monsters from a different dimension (I think) had invaded, and humanity had created half-humans, half-monsters to face the threat they posed. Except, because humans weren't meant to wield monster power, the more they used it, the more they fell into a rampage state, where the humanness took a hike and only the monstrous instincts remained. And for years, people were lost to their rampages, until Guides came about, a special type of human uniquely predisposed to heal the soul silks and magic channels of sentinels, soothe the crazy, and bring back the rational person.
And Iris, our main girly, was one of these such guides, and super powerful to boot! The story kicked off with her peacing out, from her isolated, thankless life under her douchbag ex-fiancé and asshole mother, to the dangerous Farguard, hoping to find where she belonged. Little did she know she'd escaped one Duke, only to land right in the laps of two new ones: Vhex and Remy.
Our FMC was a straight-up queen—tough, confident, and not here to be anyone’s pawn. She had this fire to carve her own path and help as many people as possible with her incredibly powerful gift. Basically, she just wanted to make a difference and be a force for good in this very dark world. And for people to, once in a while, appreciate her efforts (which really was the bare minimum to ask for).
Vhex, the demon, and Remy, the vampire, were a lot. Hot, unhinged, and barely holding it together because they'd gone too long without a guide to chill them out, and the power overuse was melting their brains. Their utter inability to stay coherent and be serious for more than 5 minutes at a time was hilarious, particularly in contrast to the very apocalyptic world-setting.
Their demented obsession with Iris was adorable. I'm not a fan of insta-love, but in this instance, where it was more of an unhealthy, life-or-death fixation, I was all for it. They were both so messed up, they couldn't spend any considerable amount of time away from Iris before their brains lost all capacity for rational thought, and they reverted to one-word speech and gleefully-violent caveman behavior. Not to mention their natural disposition as enemies meant they were constantly bickering, fighting over Iris, and pummeling each other when their higher thinking abilities left the building.
Lola Rock’s writing was hilarious and magnificent, crafting this wrecked world of blood and grit, with little sparks of humor. The dialogue popped, and the action scenes were raw and breath-stealing. But pacing was a bit wonky. The smutty scenes were hot as Vhex's hellfire, but I wish there would have been more of a balance between them and the rest of the plot. This book was like a sandwich of story, sex, story, and as much as I love my spicy romantasy, back-to-back-to-back very long, very detailed sex scenes was too much for me.
Then again, this book was meant, primarily, to be a Guideverse story, so it tracks that the focus was aimed more towards the dynamics and relationships between the characters rather than the stuff that was going on around them. Still, I liked the backdrop of a massively powerful and crazy dangerous final boss suddenly popping up and the race against the clock to defeat him.
And that cliffhanger? What a tease! Could certainly have been a lot more brutal, as it was in Pack Darling: Part One (I'm still not over that one), but 'A', this book was a LOT less angsty, and 'B', based on the epilogue and the mountain of information included in the glossary, I already have an idea of where this is going, and I'm way more excited than I am frustrated.
I can't wait to delve deeper into the Ducal houses. I wanna see some political intrigue and grabs for power from the shadows. I wanna learn more about Remy and Vhex's families and upbringings. I'd like to see more about the Nagas to the South and the dragon-descended Imperial family. Not to mention that the possibility of another contender showing up to steal Iris' attention away from Vhex and Remy's asses already has me cackling.
I'm so hyped to get more Savage Sentinels books! Red Ruin was a dark, fun, sexy, heart-pounding blast. If you’re into omegaverse, why choose, or just love a badass heroine and some feral boys, this one’ll be your jam.
**I received an e-ARC of this book through Peachy Keen in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
July 23, 2025
3.5 STARS
Having loved Lola's Omegaverse series, I was super excited for something new and different. I've never read Guideverse so I had no idea what to expect when I started this one. And frankly, I'm still not sure how to describe it. It was a fun and sexy romp but it also took me a minute to wrap my head around all the things.
Iris is a "guide" who is essentially like a healer. She gets assigned Sentinels, who are essentially warriors who lose their humanity when they fight and only a guide can heal them. Iris is unique in being an 80% match to all Sentinels, which also makes it difficult to find her imprint match. And after she gets rejected by her fiancé, she's given up hope on imprinting altogether. She asks for a reassignment to escape her constant reminders of her ex, and lands in a middle of a war zone with her new squad. There she meets two completely feral Sentinels; the devilish Vhex, and the vampire Remy. Both are out of their mind feral and unhinged in every sense of the word. Obviously I loved them. Though I have to say that Vhex was extra special to me with his sweet and mushy ways of calling himself husband. Remy is out of his mind even more, to the point of memory loss and when he's on a rampage would even forget Iris's name.
Now I have to say if you like the insta lust vibes, you'd love this book. I don't tend to favor that, so the instant connection and jump into spice wasn't my favorite. I didn't hate it, but I felt like the spice took over the world building and story. Like the first 60% of the book felt entirely focused on the spice. Whereas I wanted to better understand the world and magic system and get to know the characters more. I felt like I started to lose that a bit. It's interesting since a lot of the healing is sexual, so it also felt cold and mechanical in parts. I'm not sure how to describe it really. It was very hot, yes. But because the characters haven't developed their bond yet and the instant connection/chemistry, it felt more like duty than anything else.
The story itself took a bit for me to finish and felt a touch too long. But the second I hit the 70% mark, it really took off and I began to enjoy it a whole lot more.
While it took me a bit to get into, I was fully invested at the end and will definitely be continuing this story. If you like monster smut, guideverse, feral and unhinged MMCs, MFM action, and all the spice, then you definitely want to check this one out.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
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What's your name, Sentinel?"
"I'm Vhex." He shoots me a sharp, sweet smile- all razor blades in cotton candy. "You call me husband."
Having loved Lola's Omegaverse series, I was super excited for something new and different. I've never read Guideverse so I had no idea what to expect when I started this one. And frankly, I'm still not sure how to describe it. It was a fun and sexy romp but it also took me a minute to wrap my head around all the things.
Iris is a "guide" who is essentially like a healer. She gets assigned Sentinels, who are essentially warriors who lose their humanity when they fight and only a guide can heal them. Iris is unique in being an 80% match to all Sentinels, which also makes it difficult to find her imprint match. And after she gets rejected by her fiancé, she's given up hope on imprinting altogether. She asks for a reassignment to escape her constant reminders of her ex, and lands in a middle of a war zone with her new squad. There she meets two completely feral Sentinels; the devilish Vhex, and the vampire Remy. Both are out of their mind feral and unhinged in every sense of the word. Obviously I loved them. Though I have to say that Vhex was extra special to me with his sweet and mushy ways of calling himself husband. Remy is out of his mind even more, to the point of memory loss and when he's on a rampage would even forget Iris's name.
Now I have to say if you like the insta lust vibes, you'd love this book. I don't tend to favor that, so the instant connection and jump into spice wasn't my favorite. I didn't hate it, but I felt like the spice took over the world building and story. Like the first 60% of the book felt entirely focused on the spice. Whereas I wanted to better understand the world and magic system and get to know the characters more. I felt like I started to lose that a bit. It's interesting since a lot of the healing is sexual, so it also felt cold and mechanical in parts. I'm not sure how to describe it really. It was very hot, yes. But because the characters haven't developed their bond yet and the instant connection/chemistry, it felt more like duty than anything else.
The story itself took a bit for me to finish and felt a touch too long. But the second I hit the 70% mark, it really took off and I began to enjoy it a whole lot more.
While it took me a bit to get into, I was fully invested at the end and will definitely be continuing this story. If you like monster smut, guideverse, feral and unhinged MMCs, MFM action, and all the spice, then you definitely want to check this one out.
ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review
Find me on:
July 17, 2025
This is a 3.5 star for me where it wasn't what I expected it to be, with both the good at the bad. I will say at times I was impressed though other times a bit confused.
It is hard to put the book into a genre but if I had to try, it would be dystopian paranormal romance with heavy smut. I think because it was harder to place it, the book felt polarizing, with the first 60% feeling like monster romance + a surprising amount of world building, and the last 40% feeling like high fantasy with action. I have no qualms with either genre and enjoy both, I simply wish the two plots/ elements were more interwoven throughout, and not choppy, reading like two separate books. I was pleasantly surprised with the fantasy action we got with the thought out supernatural powers and battle formations, and fight scenes. I also enjoyed the world building and lore in this world, and particularly the idea of imprinting and meridians or magic veins.
Something else I enjoyed was the heroine being the giver as a guide, the parentified partner who always cares for others, the spare tire but is never the first choice or taken care of. Which makes her pairing with Vhex our resident hotheaded simp devil so perfect for her, I adore this little dude with his murderous intentions and "my wife" statements. He def is the one of the best parts of this book.
However, it was a bit jarring to me to have the main characters messing around constantly in the first 60% of the story when the world is ending, literally, and they chose sex instead. Usually, monster romances don't have super high stakes happening in the background, so it was a bit off putting, like I was worried about the action plot and unable to enjoy the smut properly. Speaking of the smut, (if you are a friend in real life stop reading this review now, you will be scarred, you are warned) it was a bit repetitive particularly since there is no MM (missed opportunity in my opinion), and for some reason we don't get any action in the back IYKYK, the two dudes are saying "no homo" but prefers to ummmmmm squeeze in together and rub against each other, if you catch my drift. Again, cue the confusion.
I understand it is high heat monster romance but it really kinda of lacked real romance, and it was very fast burn and it rubbed me off the wrong way when even at the epilogue or the end of the book, Remy still forgets Iris' name and calls her Guide until she heals him while Vhex screams wife (oh I love him, he is adorable). Which leads to me being severely disappointed we didn't have a imprinting scene, I was holding my breath waiting for it but it never came. The whole her ex sucks and she can't be imprinted thing doesn't go full circle when again Remy forgets her name and there is no imprinting at all. Kinda undermines the character development without explaining it well, unless the author plans for there to be a sequel to this, and add another dude to the harem then imprinting, or else it is sad and unfulfilling to end their story like this.
Overall, I loved the creativity and themes of the book, I just wish I'd known it was more high stakes/ fantasy heavy than I thought it would be. And I wished the ending was a bit different and certain things more developed!
It is hard to put the book into a genre but if I had to try, it would be dystopian paranormal romance with heavy smut. I think because it was harder to place it, the book felt polarizing, with the first 60% feeling like monster romance + a surprising amount of world building, and the last 40% feeling like high fantasy with action. I have no qualms with either genre and enjoy both, I simply wish the two plots/ elements were more interwoven throughout, and not choppy, reading like two separate books. I was pleasantly surprised with the fantasy action we got with the thought out supernatural powers and battle formations, and fight scenes. I also enjoyed the world building and lore in this world, and particularly the idea of imprinting and meridians or magic veins.
Something else I enjoyed was the heroine being the giver as a guide, the parentified partner who always cares for others, the spare tire but is never the first choice or taken care of. Which makes her pairing with Vhex our resident hotheaded simp devil so perfect for her, I adore this little dude with his murderous intentions and "my wife" statements. He def is the one of the best parts of this book.
However, it was a bit jarring to me to have the main characters messing around constantly in the first 60% of the story when the world is ending, literally, and they chose sex instead. Usually, monster romances don't have super high stakes happening in the background, so it was a bit off putting, like I was worried about the action plot and unable to enjoy the smut properly. Speaking of the smut, (if you are a friend in real life stop reading this review now, you will be scarred, you are warned) it was a bit repetitive particularly since there is no MM (missed opportunity in my opinion), and for some reason we don't get any action in the back IYKYK, the two dudes are saying "no homo" but prefers to ummmmmm squeeze in together and rub against each other, if you catch my drift. Again, cue the confusion.
I understand it is high heat monster romance but it really kinda of lacked real romance, and it was very fast burn and it rubbed me off the wrong way when even at the epilogue or the end of the book, Remy still forgets Iris' name and calls her Guide until she heals him while Vhex screams wife (oh I love him, he is adorable). Which leads to me being severely disappointed we didn't have a imprinting scene, I was holding my breath waiting for it but it never came. The whole her ex sucks and she can't be imprinted thing doesn't go full circle when again Remy forgets her name and there is no imprinting at all. Kinda undermines the character development without explaining it well, unless the author plans for there to be a sequel to this, and add another dude to the harem then imprinting, or else it is sad and unfulfilling to end their story like this.
Overall, I loved the creativity and themes of the book, I just wish I'd known it was more high stakes/ fantasy heavy than I thought it would be. And I wished the ending was a bit different and certain things more developed!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2025
3.5/5 ⭐️
This story was unlike other books have I read. The connection between sentinel and guide was unique and entertaining. That being said, there were still aspects of the book that did not live up to my expectations.
To begin, the characters were fun, had their own unique personalities, and were important to the overall story. When it comes to Iris, she is strong but often overlooked. When I serious of events leads her to her new post, things begin to turn around very quickly for her. I enjoyed her attitude towards helping others, but it also made me sad that she felt had to be impressive to be worthy or love and care. For the MMCs, we have Vhex and Remy, both extremely damaged, highly possessive, and stubborn as bulls. When Iris comes into their lives, they see death may not be the answer to their problems. I enjoy how both have their own attachment, respect, and gratitude towards Iris. They would literally obliterate the world for her. I do wish however, that we got more details about their pasts; the information we collected was fairly vague.
Now for the romance of these characters. It was definitely a higher heat level romance in terms of how often they fucked. However, to me, the romance aspect wasn’t all there. I understand their compatibility was high, but I didn’t feel a strong connection between the MCs beyond the physical. It was hard to gauge how they truly felt about one another if soul silks weren’t involved. There were minimal real/deep conversations between MCs, they were all hot and heavy from the start.
Outside the characters, the plot established a major issue that needed to be rectified. However, I must say that I felt the plot got lost amongst the soul sill healing/sex. Anytime I thought progress was being made, either in the plot or with the men, it jumped back to Iris having to fuck them back to reality. Then, when we get to the end of the book and the issue is resolved, the way it was handled felt rather rushed. The build up of how strong the issue was made me believe the final battle would have been longer and more daunting than it was.
All that being said, I do think it was a fun read. I enjoyed the characters banter, the FMC being the hero, the unique magic system, and what seems like a set up for more adventures in a new book.
Thank you Lola Rock and Peach Keen AS for this eARC! This is my full, honest, spoiler-free review.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Pepper percentage:
17.6% of the pages contain spicy content
24.6% of the chapters contain spicy content
This story was unlike other books have I read. The connection between sentinel and guide was unique and entertaining. That being said, there were still aspects of the book that did not live up to my expectations.
To begin, the characters were fun, had their own unique personalities, and were important to the overall story. When it comes to Iris, she is strong but often overlooked. When I serious of events leads her to her new post, things begin to turn around very quickly for her. I enjoyed her attitude towards helping others, but it also made me sad that she felt had to be impressive to be worthy or love and care. For the MMCs, we have Vhex and Remy, both extremely damaged, highly possessive, and stubborn as bulls. When Iris comes into their lives, they see death may not be the answer to their problems. I enjoy how both have their own attachment, respect, and gratitude towards Iris. They would literally obliterate the world for her. I do wish however, that we got more details about their pasts; the information we collected was fairly vague.
Now for the romance of these characters. It was definitely a higher heat level romance in terms of how often they fucked. However, to me, the romance aspect wasn’t all there. I understand their compatibility was high, but I didn’t feel a strong connection between the MCs beyond the physical. It was hard to gauge how they truly felt about one another if soul silks weren’t involved. There were minimal real/deep conversations between MCs, they were all hot and heavy from the start.
Outside the characters, the plot established a major issue that needed to be rectified. However, I must say that I felt the plot got lost amongst the soul sill healing/sex. Anytime I thought progress was being made, either in the plot or with the men, it jumped back to Iris having to fuck them back to reality. Then, when we get to the end of the book and the issue is resolved, the way it was handled felt rather rushed. The build up of how strong the issue was made me believe the final battle would have been longer and more daunting than it was.
All that being said, I do think it was a fun read. I enjoyed the characters banter, the FMC being the hero, the unique magic system, and what seems like a set up for more adventures in a new book.
Thank you Lola Rock and Peach Keen AS for this eARC! This is my full, honest, spoiler-free review.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Pepper percentage:
17.6% of the pages contain spicy content
24.6% of the chapters contain spicy content
July 28, 2025
⤑ 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀
𝟜.𝟝★
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
I haven’t read any Guideverse before, so I had no idea what to expect going into Red Ruin! But I found after finishing that I am really into it. All the different aspects that blended together into this Guideverse story were unique and kept me hooked. There was plenty of information from the author about the genre before getting started, which was really helpful to follow along. The main aspects were the character dynamics - there are Sentinals and Guides. Sentinels have monster inherited abilities they use to keep other monsters at bay, but they destablise their souls when they use them. Guides are basically soul healers that bond, and if well matched imprint, with a Sentinal so they don't go on a rampage and die from using too much power. The guiding requires the meshing of their soul-silks and often the most effective way to do this is with touch or sexual activities. There was also a class system for how powerful characters were, and it read much like a dungeon crawler kind of scenario.
I absolutely loved the characters in this. Iris, the FMC, was often overlooked despite her powerful classification and was cast aside from her Sentinel fiance when he found his perfect match Guide. She decides to transfer to another legion where she hopes no one will bother to search for her, and hopes it will be the place where she can prove her worth to herself. She was a total baddie and had a domineering side to her that was *chefs kiss* perfection.
And then there is Vhex and Remy. Vhex is a devil/demon and Remy is a vampire. They are both powerful dukes who had been pushed away to this outpost so they can eventually die. I loved every aspect of their personalities in this. They had this mortal enemy attitude towards each other, toxic possessiveness with Iris, and tons of moments where their souls were so badly damaged that they were more monster than man making them barely coherent which all gave way to hilarious writing and dialogue.
This book was absolutely full of action and spice. There was rarely a downtime moment for our characters until we got closer to the ending. The action and spice were more often than not combined too, and it was flaming hot. I did find that I was wishing for a bit more balance in the pacing of this story though, like the world building and monster killing was definitely there, but it was paced a bit awkwardly between all the smut.
I am so happy I got to read this, and I am really hyped for the next book in the series to come after the cliffy ending.
✦✧✦✧
⁺
𝟜.𝟝★
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
I haven’t read any Guideverse before, so I had no idea what to expect going into Red Ruin! But I found after finishing that I am really into it. All the different aspects that blended together into this Guideverse story were unique and kept me hooked. There was plenty of information from the author about the genre before getting started, which was really helpful to follow along. The main aspects were the character dynamics - there are Sentinals and Guides. Sentinels have monster inherited abilities they use to keep other monsters at bay, but they destablise their souls when they use them. Guides are basically soul healers that bond, and if well matched imprint, with a Sentinal so they don't go on a rampage and die from using too much power. The guiding requires the meshing of their soul-silks and often the most effective way to do this is with touch or sexual activities. There was also a class system for how powerful characters were, and it read much like a dungeon crawler kind of scenario.
I absolutely loved the characters in this. Iris, the FMC, was often overlooked despite her powerful classification and was cast aside from her Sentinel fiance when he found his perfect match Guide. She decides to transfer to another legion where she hopes no one will bother to search for her, and hopes it will be the place where she can prove her worth to herself. She was a total baddie and had a domineering side to her that was *chefs kiss* perfection.
And then there is Vhex and Remy. Vhex is a devil/demon and Remy is a vampire. They are both powerful dukes who had been pushed away to this outpost so they can eventually die. I loved every aspect of their personalities in this. They had this mortal enemy attitude towards each other, toxic possessiveness with Iris, and tons of moments where their souls were so badly damaged that they were more monster than man making them barely coherent which all gave way to hilarious writing and dialogue.
This book was absolutely full of action and spice. There was rarely a downtime moment for our characters until we got closer to the ending. The action and spice were more often than not combined too, and it was flaming hot. I did find that I was wishing for a bit more balance in the pacing of this story though, like the world building and monster killing was definitely there, but it was paced a bit awkwardly between all the smut.
I am so happy I got to read this, and I am really hyped for the next book in the series to come after the cliffy ending.
✦✧✦✧
⁺
July 5, 2025
Another hit from Lola Rock!
It took her a whole of one book to become a must-read, favorite author of mine for one simple reason: her heroines are actual, strong, independent, badasses! Even in her debut series, her mfc was willful, bold, and interesting, which is difficult to pull off within the constraints of an omegaverse.
And she's done it again with a post-apocalyptic, modern fantasy. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Red Ruin, and I absolutely devoured it in a day. It's a guideverse, which I was unfamiliar with until now, so, to me at least, it's an interesting and new magic system. Lola describes it so well, even tricky visuals bloom in my mind perfectly, and I was immediately lost inside this gritty, compelling, but not even slightly melancholy world.
Several tropes are subverted here, which I love, and the climax is full, satisfying, and makes complete sense. The lead into a potential (hopeful!) book two is perfect as well. None of this half-finished, cliffhanger you want to strangle the author with, nonsense. It's the perfect blend of wrapped up yet open that makes me love a book and want the next without feeling like someone suddenly took a sledgehammer to me on the last page, or just yeeted a bish out of the world without so much as a goodbye forehead kiss.
So, read this book. Just read it. If you're like me and have been longing for an emotionally and physically (and hell, magically) strong fmc who takes absolutely no shiz from anyone, especially the dudes in her life, and does it all while still being real, and raw, and honest, and fabulous, then you're in for a hell of a great time! A lot of romance novels give us the permission to be the precious little things we wish we were allowed to be in real life. Not nearly enough give us powerful, beautiful, compelling women to aspire to become. This one does that.
Oh, and for those of you put off by talks of insta-love, don't be so sure about that. The attraction is instant... it's part of the magic system and who Iris is. The steam is pretty damn quick for the same reasons. But the love is not even a little instant. This is a book that acknowledges lust and love, possession and belonging, need and desire are all very different things. And it's a delicious ride!
It took her a whole of one book to become a must-read, favorite author of mine for one simple reason: her heroines are actual, strong, independent, badasses! Even in her debut series, her mfc was willful, bold, and interesting, which is difficult to pull off within the constraints of an omegaverse.
And she's done it again with a post-apocalyptic, modern fantasy. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Red Ruin, and I absolutely devoured it in a day. It's a guideverse, which I was unfamiliar with until now, so, to me at least, it's an interesting and new magic system. Lola describes it so well, even tricky visuals bloom in my mind perfectly, and I was immediately lost inside this gritty, compelling, but not even slightly melancholy world.
Several tropes are subverted here, which I love, and the climax is full, satisfying, and makes complete sense. The lead into a potential (hopeful!) book two is perfect as well. None of this half-finished, cliffhanger you want to strangle the author with, nonsense. It's the perfect blend of wrapped up yet open that makes me love a book and want the next without feeling like someone suddenly took a sledgehammer to me on the last page, or just yeeted a bish out of the world without so much as a goodbye forehead kiss.
So, read this book. Just read it. If you're like me and have been longing for an emotionally and physically (and hell, magically) strong fmc who takes absolutely no shiz from anyone, especially the dudes in her life, and does it all while still being real, and raw, and honest, and fabulous, then you're in for a hell of a great time! A lot of romance novels give us the permission to be the precious little things we wish we were allowed to be in real life. Not nearly enough give us powerful, beautiful, compelling women to aspire to become. This one does that.
Oh, and for those of you put off by talks of insta-love, don't be so sure about that. The attraction is instant... it's part of the magic system and who Iris is. The steam is pretty damn quick for the same reasons. But the love is not even a little instant. This is a book that acknowledges lust and love, possession and belonging, need and desire are all very different things. And it's a delicious ride!
July 20, 2025
2.5 stars. Unfortunately this was not a winner for me :/ It was an interesting premise, but it was hit or miss when it came to world-building throughout the book, and it basically became chapter after chapter of smut with the thinnest of plots. It was 'monster sentinel uses powers - sentinel becomes unstable - Iris "guides" (usually sexually) - sentinel A gets jealous of sentinel B and fights - sentinels becomes unstable" and over and over again for most of the book.
The world is kind of a dystopian paranormal world where in order to fight threats somehow men took on monster capabilities and powers, but because of this it eroded their soul or something? So guides are needed to heal them with soul threads? Honestly I found it more than a bit confusing and not super well-fleshed out. They're fighting monsters but also part monster? And these guides are mortal but somehow can control whatever soul threads are? There's also a hierarchy of these sentinel families with some being dukes (and there's an emperor or something we never see?).
Really, in order to understand the world you need to read through the whole glossary at the back of the book - and to me if that's necessary to understand (rather than being a tool for a quick reminder) it means the book has weaknesses. I should be able to understand the world through the book itself. So many things would get mentioned as the book went on (like "death knight" or class rankings where for some reason "S" is better than "A" and I was just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).
And I love spice, but when it's chapter after chapter after chapter it honestly gets boring. I mean this is a story where part of soothing these sentinels is just giving them a BJ... so there was a lot of smut since the MMCs needed soothing after basically every use of their powers.
We honestly don't get to know much of the MMC's outside of them hitting on Iris and being possessive about her. Both of them are more than a little insane but we rarely spend time with them outside of spicy situations. Not a whole lot of real conversations going out outside of "My guide" so to speak. It's been a few days since I read it and I honestly couldn't tell you much about them besides one is part demon and one is part vampire and that's about it.
So did I finish it, yeah. But I feel like sooo much more could have been done here to flesh things out. I honestly don't know how it was over 500 pages because almost nothing happens until the last 15% of the book. I think there will be a second one and I'll be curious to see if the plot improves.
The world is kind of a dystopian paranormal world where in order to fight threats somehow men took on monster capabilities and powers, but because of this it eroded their soul or something? So guides are needed to heal them with soul threads? Honestly I found it more than a bit confusing and not super well-fleshed out. They're fighting monsters but also part monster? And these guides are mortal but somehow can control whatever soul threads are? There's also a hierarchy of these sentinel families with some being dukes (and there's an emperor or something we never see?).
Really, in order to understand the world you need to read through the whole glossary at the back of the book - and to me if that's necessary to understand (rather than being a tool for a quick reminder) it means the book has weaknesses. I should be able to understand the world through the book itself. So many things would get mentioned as the book went on (like "death knight" or class rankings where for some reason "S" is better than "A" and I was just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).
And I love spice, but when it's chapter after chapter after chapter it honestly gets boring. I mean this is a story where part of soothing these sentinels is just giving them a BJ... so there was a lot of smut since the MMCs needed soothing after basically every use of their powers.
We honestly don't get to know much of the MMC's outside of them hitting on Iris and being possessive about her. Both of them are more than a little insane but we rarely spend time with them outside of spicy situations. Not a whole lot of real conversations going out outside of "My guide" so to speak. It's been a few days since I read it and I honestly couldn't tell you much about them besides one is part demon and one is part vampire and that's about it.
So did I finish it, yeah. But I feel like sooo much more could have been done here to flesh things out. I honestly don't know how it was over 500 pages because almost nothing happens until the last 15% of the book. I think there will be a second one and I'll be curious to see if the plot improves.
August 19, 2025
3.5?
I enjoyed parts of this and had some small issues with others. Hmm.
Firstly, I did really like the characters. This was clearly a more fun book to write, less serious and more smutty, than her previous ones, and you can tell. Some of the drama is a bit exaggerated, and there are fun moments where Iris gets to finally take a stand and show that she’s more than she’s been given credit for.
The romance is very instant, and yet I can’t help but love the way she writes mmc’s who are instantly obsessed with the fmc. They’re both a bit demented, broken and instantly possessive. The two mmc’s also hate each other in this one, and that doesn’t change. Regardless, it was a lot of fun.
My only real complaint is the use of smut. I was looking forward to there being more smut than her previous books, but the timing just felt off. With the guideverse world, healing and bonds are largely also sexual. Which means that, in the middle of a battle scene, sometimes a sex scene also happens. It just felt like the wrong time for me, and I actually wanted more focus on the plot a couple of times. I also really struggled to find the pace believable—she shows up and within hours is being thrown in charge and discovering an ancient evil in the mountains. I wanted some down time, some sense that they’d at least had time to heal.
There was also no use of subtlety in this book. The themes are really just shoved in your face. I like Iris’s character a lot and enjoyed seeing her grow into herself and get over her past trauma. But also, her issues are constantly being mentioned in the back of her mind. There’s no guess work needed for how her previous relationships affected her self worth.
Overall, I had some issues with this one, but I had a good time reading it. I’m hoping that the next book focuses on a new fmc, but I’ll probably be reading it either way.
I enjoyed parts of this and had some small issues with others. Hmm.
Firstly, I did really like the characters. This was clearly a more fun book to write, less serious and more smutty, than her previous ones, and you can tell. Some of the drama is a bit exaggerated, and there are fun moments where Iris gets to finally take a stand and show that she’s more than she’s been given credit for.
The romance is very instant, and yet I can’t help but love the way she writes mmc’s who are instantly obsessed with the fmc. They’re both a bit demented, broken and instantly possessive. The two mmc’s also hate each other in this one, and that doesn’t change. Regardless, it was a lot of fun.
My only real complaint is the use of smut. I was looking forward to there being more smut than her previous books, but the timing just felt off. With the guideverse world, healing and bonds are largely also sexual. Which means that, in the middle of a battle scene, sometimes a sex scene also happens. It just felt like the wrong time for me, and I actually wanted more focus on the plot a couple of times. I also really struggled to find the pace believable—she shows up and within hours is being thrown in charge and discovering an ancient evil in the mountains. I wanted some down time, some sense that they’d at least had time to heal.
There was also no use of subtlety in this book. The themes are really just shoved in your face. I like Iris’s character a lot and enjoyed seeing her grow into herself and get over her past trauma. But also, her issues are constantly being mentioned in the back of her mind. There’s no guess work needed for how her previous relationships affected her self worth.
Overall, I had some issues with this one, but I had a good time reading it. I’m hoping that the next book focuses on a new fmc, but I’ll probably be reading it either way.
July 11, 2025
I got the teaser email with the first four chapters, devoured it and thought to myself, okay, not what I expected from Lola Rock, but yeah I'm down for unhinged men, the promise of angst and an interesting take on a fantasy setting.
And then a few days later, I re-read those four chapters... and then again.... and again. It would not leave my head! I was so invested that I couldn't wait for it to release via Amazon, so I got it direct and it Does Not Disappoint!!
If you're familiar with the Pack Darling world, you're going to recognise the unhinged possessiveness of our two Sentinels well, but turned right up to 11. At the same time poor Iris, cast aside, out of her depth (but also strangely not?) and forever barred from the pinnacle of imprinting – always a Guide's maid, never a bride – hits the ground running and does not stop.
Is it spicy? Yes siree! Is it angsty? You bet. Do we get some deliciously satisfying moments of characters getting their just desserts?? ;)
This is book 1 in the Savage Sentinel series, however everything I'd seen had referenced it as being a standalone. Worry not, it IS a complete story in its own right, but ohhh boy those last few pages. I want the follow up and I want it NOW (as soon as Ms. Rock blesses us with it, no pressure!!!)
More than that, I am intrigued to see further exploration of the world itself, Remy, Iris and Vhex's families, and definitely how Iris and her Guides and Sentinels move forward.
All in all, a delightfully unexpected read that I am definitely going to be keeping an on for future instalments! Loved it!
And then a few days later, I re-read those four chapters... and then again.... and again. It would not leave my head! I was so invested that I couldn't wait for it to release via Amazon, so I got it direct and it Does Not Disappoint!!
If you're familiar with the Pack Darling world, you're going to recognise the unhinged possessiveness of our two Sentinels well, but turned right up to 11. At the same time poor Iris, cast aside, out of her depth (but also strangely not?) and forever barred from the pinnacle of imprinting – always a Guide's maid, never a bride – hits the ground running and does not stop.
Is it spicy? Yes siree! Is it angsty? You bet. Do we get some deliciously satisfying moments of characters getting their just desserts?? ;)
This is book 1 in the Savage Sentinel series, however everything I'd seen had referenced it as being a standalone. Worry not, it IS a complete story in its own right, but ohhh boy those last few pages. I want the follow up and I want it NOW (as soon as Ms. Rock blesses us with it, no pressure!!!)
More than that, I am intrigued to see further exploration of the world itself, Remy, Iris and Vhex's families, and definitely how Iris and her Guides and Sentinels move forward.
All in all, a delightfully unexpected read that I am definitely going to be keeping an on for future instalments! Loved it!
September 14, 2025
This is not just 4⭐, probably more like 4 1/4 or 41/2 ⭐, I keep changing my mind as I think about this book. It's the first time I have read this type of fantasy before, but that seems surprisingly normal because my first Omegaverse was Pack Darling books one and two. I was really focused on understanding the magic system in Red Ruin, the creation of monsters to use as sentinels to protect from other monsters and understanding the connection between sentinels and guides. I am not sure I fully understanding the different levels of guides and why bonding only happens when compatibility is over 80%. It's a lot of fact and figures , but it is also the reason why Iris ends up in Faervaine willing to fight and help any sentinel with an SS rating.She becomes the guide to two of the four Dukes still remaining in this world, but she cannot bond them because she can only bond up to 75% not the needed 80% required for imprinting. Both of these Dukes are on the verge of burning out or rampaging. When a boss monster makes itself known, she tries to get help only to find out that everyone in this outpost was been sent there to die and they will never receive imperial help or support. So she has to make due with what she has.
I liked the story, there is a lot of information to learn so that this story makes sense, so sometimes reading was slow or I had to go back and reread sections until I could make sense of what was happening and why, reading became easier and the story flowed. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, the best way for a guide to heal their sentinel is through skin to skin contact, meaning s€x is the best and most pleasurable way of healing leading to some good spicy time.
I liked the story, there is a lot of information to learn so that this story makes sense, so sometimes reading was slow or I had to go back and reread sections until I could make sense of what was happening and why, reading became easier and the story flowed. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, the best way for a guide to heal their sentinel is through skin to skin contact, meaning s€x is the best and most pleasurable way of healing leading to some good spicy time.
October 16, 2025
🩸𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨🩸
Title: Red Ruin
Author: Lola Rock
Genre: Guideverse
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Pub Date: July 22, 2025
100/125📚
Red Ruin is a super spicy, high-heat paranormal reverse harem/guideverse. It delivers on the chaos, the vampires, the demons, and the MFM action.
The Guideverse concept is genuinely fun. I have never read anything like this before but I love Lola's writing so I gave it a shot! I liked the unique take on the FMC's power, and her initial determination to run away and prove herself was a great setup. The MMCs Vhex and Remy, definitely bring the heat, and their toxic, possessive vibe is exactly what you sign up for in this kind of romance. If you just want maximum spice with fangs, this book is absolutely going to hit the spot.
However, the story felt incredibly rushed. It felt like the plot—the whole "war and sentinels are going berserk"—was just scaffolding to get to the next spicy scene, which sometimes made the world-building feel thin. The emotional connection between the FMC and the MMCs didn't really have time to develop outside of the physical healing; they went from strangers to intensely devoted maybe a little too quickly for me to fully invest. I wished the author had slowed down the pacing a bit and let the characters breathe before diving into the next intense moment.
Overall, it's a solid read if you're looking for high-octane spice and don't mind a minimal plot, but it didn't quite stick the landing for me to reach four or five stars.
Thank you Lola for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Title: Red Ruin
Author: Lola Rock
Genre: Guideverse
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Pub Date: July 22, 2025
100/125📚
Red Ruin is a super spicy, high-heat paranormal reverse harem/guideverse. It delivers on the chaos, the vampires, the demons, and the MFM action.
The Guideverse concept is genuinely fun. I have never read anything like this before but I love Lola's writing so I gave it a shot! I liked the unique take on the FMC's power, and her initial determination to run away and prove herself was a great setup. The MMCs Vhex and Remy, definitely bring the heat, and their toxic, possessive vibe is exactly what you sign up for in this kind of romance. If you just want maximum spice with fangs, this book is absolutely going to hit the spot.
However, the story felt incredibly rushed. It felt like the plot—the whole "war and sentinels are going berserk"—was just scaffolding to get to the next spicy scene, which sometimes made the world-building feel thin. The emotional connection between the FMC and the MMCs didn't really have time to develop outside of the physical healing; they went from strangers to intensely devoted maybe a little too quickly for me to fully invest. I wished the author had slowed down the pacing a bit and let the characters breathe before diving into the next intense moment.
Overall, it's a solid read if you're looking for high-octane spice and don't mind a minimal plot, but it didn't quite stick the landing for me to reach four or five stars.
Thank you Lola for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 19, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Having never read anything Guideverse before I had no idea what to expect with this book. However, Lola’s world building and exploration of the (for lack of a better term) power/magic system made this book easy enough to understand.
This is a super fast paced, super spicy, monster/paranormal, fantasy, MFM romance. It is smut, action, smut, action and very often both at the same time. I love the pace and the super short chapters and I feel the level of spice makes sense for the characters and the world they are in.
I adored the characters. Iris - knows she is capable, an incredible guide and leader. She has abandonment issues (who doesn’t) which holder her back but she never really doubts what she is capable of, but doesn’t want to put her faith in others. I love her wrangling the sentinels, she was like a dog trainer with two of her own Dobermans following her but still having to go around checking in on the Pomeranians.
Vhex - he is just a psycho, fireball puppy dog! It’s not his fault his clothes always burn off!! I love him. & Remy - Hello broody mega old vampire who hates everyone. I love it when two psychopaths join forces for a common goal but still take any opportunity to spar physically and verbally.
Lola that was crazy. I loved every second of it, please write a million of these.
Thank you so much for sending me an ARC of this book.
Having never read anything Guideverse before I had no idea what to expect with this book. However, Lola’s world building and exploration of the (for lack of a better term) power/magic system made this book easy enough to understand.
This is a super fast paced, super spicy, monster/paranormal, fantasy, MFM romance. It is smut, action, smut, action and very often both at the same time. I love the pace and the super short chapters and I feel the level of spice makes sense for the characters and the world they are in.
I adored the characters. Iris - knows she is capable, an incredible guide and leader. She has abandonment issues (who doesn’t) which holder her back but she never really doubts what she is capable of, but doesn’t want to put her faith in others. I love her wrangling the sentinels, she was like a dog trainer with two of her own Dobermans following her but still having to go around checking in on the Pomeranians.
Vhex - he is just a psycho, fireball puppy dog! It’s not his fault his clothes always burn off!! I love him. & Remy - Hello broody mega old vampire who hates everyone. I love it when two psychopaths join forces for a common goal but still take any opportunity to spar physically and verbally.
Lola that was crazy. I loved every second of it, please write a million of these.
Thank you so much for sending me an ARC of this book.
August 13, 2025
I’m currently at the 50% mark and struggling to keep going. I like the characters and the universe—this is actually my first Guideverse book, so I was really intrigued. It has a lot of potential, and I’ve enjoyed some of the author’s past works, but this one feels so different (in terms of pace, writing style).
So far, it’s only been two days in the story since the FMC met the two MMCs, yet the narrative keeps repeating the same cycle: calming them down after they lose control of their minds/powers, seducing them/having intimate moments to calm them down, then dealing with them flipping into anger—over and over again. The two Hs also try to sabotage the other H's realationship with the h and it is done so childishly. While I understand that the author may be trying to immerse us in the protagonist’s chaotic and exhausting experience, it has become monotonous and not very satisfying to read at this point.
I’m not sure if the plot picks up later, but right now it has turned me away from the book. I’ll probably read something else before deciding whether to come back to it. It’s disappointing to say this, because the Guideverse itself is fascinating (from what I've managed to read so far), and I really wanted to enjoy this one.
If anyone has read further and can confirm that it improves or has any recommendationsfor another fm guideverse book, I’d love to hear it.
So far, it’s only been two days in the story since the FMC met the two MMCs, yet the narrative keeps repeating the same cycle: calming them down after they lose control of their minds/powers, seducing them/having intimate moments to calm them down, then dealing with them flipping into anger—over and over again. The two Hs also try to sabotage the other H's realationship with the h and it is done so childishly. While I understand that the author may be trying to immerse us in the protagonist’s chaotic and exhausting experience, it has become monotonous and not very satisfying to read at this point.
I’m not sure if the plot picks up later, but right now it has turned me away from the book. I’ll probably read something else before deciding whether to come back to it. It’s disappointing to say this, because the Guideverse itself is fascinating (from what I've managed to read so far), and I really wanted to enjoy this one.
If anyone has read further and can confirm that it improves or has any recommendationsfor another fm guideverse book, I’d love to hear it.
November 20, 2025
5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Red Ruin was both hilarious and heartwarming, spicy and sweet. This was my first book by Lola Rock and I enjoyed it thoroughly! The world and magic system were incredibly unique ~ this was also my first time reading about the Guideverse, which is a type of magic system/world based upon sentinels (humans with monster powers) and their guides. The guide’s job is to ensure the sentinels don’t rampage and completely lose their humanity when they use too much of their powers. They do this through physical touch and by connecting their soul-silks, which are essentially like the wisps of their spirit and consciousness. I LOVED the undercurrents of spirituality and sexual healing that formed the basis of the relationships between sentinels and guides. There is a huge glossary at the back of the book so you don’t feel lost in the Guideverse terminologies. Also the main characters had the cutest dynamics - this is an mfm story and the FMC Iris (guide) ends up with two sentinels - the vampire Duke Remy, and the demon Duke Vhex. It was so funny how the two MMCs hated each other and were constantly trying to get her love and attention, but the HEA at the end was really satisfying after everything they endured together! I loved the story but it’s the characters that made it such an amazing read.
July 5, 2025
This is my very first introduction to Guideverse and what a wild ride and fantastic intro!
Lola Rock never fails to take me on the best ride, and this book was fantastic from start to finish. Iris is on a mission to take control of her own life and ends up in a far-flung outpost on the front line of a war. What she doesn't know is that no one is really in charge and everyone is kind of mad, and the two most powerful men are ready to tear each other apart over who gets to have her.
I loved how completely unhinged Vhex and Remy are. They are barely holding onto sanity, one a devil and one a vampire, and from the instant they meet Iris they know she's their guide, the one who can heal them. It's just that they'd rather burn the world down than share. And Iris is determined to help them both, leading to intense fights and intense attraction.
The spice in this book was so good and so hot! As much as the two MMCs may hate each other, they are obsessed with Iris and they put all their focus into pleasing her. They have some unique anatomy and powers and they are put to very good use. The book was so spicy but also had a big plotline to balance it out.
I loved every minute of this intense, wild, amazing ride, and I can't wait to read more in this world!
Lola Rock never fails to take me on the best ride, and this book was fantastic from start to finish. Iris is on a mission to take control of her own life and ends up in a far-flung outpost on the front line of a war. What she doesn't know is that no one is really in charge and everyone is kind of mad, and the two most powerful men are ready to tear each other apart over who gets to have her.
I loved how completely unhinged Vhex and Remy are. They are barely holding onto sanity, one a devil and one a vampire, and from the instant they meet Iris they know she's their guide, the one who can heal them. It's just that they'd rather burn the world down than share. And Iris is determined to help them both, leading to intense fights and intense attraction.
The spice in this book was so good and so hot! As much as the two MMCs may hate each other, they are obsessed with Iris and they put all their focus into pleasing her. They have some unique anatomy and powers and they are put to very good use. The book was so spicy but also had a big plotline to balance it out.
I loved every minute of this intense, wild, amazing ride, and I can't wait to read more in this world!
July 22, 2025
I had never read anything by Lola before but I am feral after reading Red Ruin! Do I exactly know all the ends and outs of what I read? No. But did I fall head over heels with Iris, Vhex and Remy? Absolutely!
If you are a fan of Monster Romance that happens to be a Why Choose - MFM, Guideverse (Guide/Sentinels), Possessive MMCs, Only She Can Heal Them, Touch Them and 💀, Monster Taming and so much more, this one is for you!
This story is a guideverse and having no clue what I was getting myself into other than sold on the why choose, I dove head first and I was gripped to the pages with Iris’s relationship with the Sentinels as a Guide.
Their relationship is really built on more of the emotional connection she makes with them and coaxing back to being more human and avoiding rampaging and going berserk.
Iris is running away from her old life as a Guide and is always the bridesmaid and never the bride because she cannot reach the 80% match to imprint, forever stuck at 75%. Iris craves the connection and showing how much she is worth as a S class. When she meets Vhex and Remy she has her work cut out for her and though they instantly claim her she does not hold out hope it is real.
Vhex and Remy are at each other’s throats, always fighting over her and wanting to unalive each other. The constant stealing of her had me giggling. Though when they are lost to their power she is still able to pull them back and I loved watching her defenses come down around them even when facing a large enemy.
Oh is this one spicy but the connection she forges with them put it on such a different level then just the spice, the way they take care of her had me melting.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
If you are a fan of Monster Romance that happens to be a Why Choose - MFM, Guideverse (Guide/Sentinels), Possessive MMCs, Only She Can Heal Them, Touch Them and 💀, Monster Taming and so much more, this one is for you!
This story is a guideverse and having no clue what I was getting myself into other than sold on the why choose, I dove head first and I was gripped to the pages with Iris’s relationship with the Sentinels as a Guide.
Their relationship is really built on more of the emotional connection she makes with them and coaxing back to being more human and avoiding rampaging and going berserk.
Iris is running away from her old life as a Guide and is always the bridesmaid and never the bride because she cannot reach the 80% match to imprint, forever stuck at 75%. Iris craves the connection and showing how much she is worth as a S class. When she meets Vhex and Remy she has her work cut out for her and though they instantly claim her she does not hold out hope it is real.
Vhex and Remy are at each other’s throats, always fighting over her and wanting to unalive each other. The constant stealing of her had me giggling. Though when they are lost to their power she is still able to pull them back and I loved watching her defenses come down around them even when facing a large enemy.
Oh is this one spicy but the connection she forges with them put it on such a different level then just the spice, the way they take care of her had me melting.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
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