A vampyre with a vendetta. A wytch with everything to lose. Teaming up was never the goal, but falling in love? Even less so.
Maia Rani Darsha has always known that Coven Layng would be hers to lead one day. Is she the best person for the job? No, but she’s the only one left.She thinks her position is secure until the High Coven intervenes with a new plan and a new leader for her ancestral coven. Their decree is leave or engage in a Trial of Ascension for the right to lead.
Enter Raven—a vengeful vampyre who doesn’t think twice about staking her own mother through the heart. She’s unhinged, unpredictable, and a walking red flag.
The dark shadow vamp has something Maia needs—a powerful wytch contact who can help her train for the Trial. Their deal is Raven’s contact for Maia’s blood. No strings, and definitely no emotions.
But Maia soon discovers that some deals are inked in more than blood… Some are tattooed straight onto the heart.
I don't even where to start this review except with pure adoration and perfection! I'm new to a sapphic romance, but after this story I definitely need more like it.
First of all - The plot.
Wytch-vampyre dynamics, vampyre cure, The High Coven and Trial –I loved every bit of it. The characters were realistic and lovable. And don't forget the black cat🐈⬛. The cozy covenstead made me feel as if I were right there.
Maia is a descendant of an ancient line of wytches who once sought refuge in Scotland. A master of brewing poisons, she is the last witch of her coven — but she may lose it all. Forced by circumstance, she enters a dangerous bargain with a vampyre.
Raven is a 200+-year-old vampyre who never wanted this fate. She never received love in her childhood and didn’t expect to find it later. That’s why the attention from her vampyre master felt like love to her — a reward for obedience — because she didn’t know there was another way.
Second - the smut part😈 What can I even say? It was written so deliciously I was genuinely unwell. Maia and Raven were open and charming with each other. I can understand Maia's insecurities. Girls just need someone who belive in them.
Despite the cozy atmosphere, Raven's thoughts about immortality were unexpected. I truly hadn't thought about it that way before.
I will recommend this book literally EVERYONE.
Thank you The Berry Agency and Lilly X for providing ARC for my honest review!
After the first book, I didn’t think I’d love any characters more than Isla and Jinn. OH how I was proved wrong!! Raven and Maia you absolute stars, also so much love for Kink the Wytch as well! Literally every scene is so immersive and I adore the language and descriptions she uses, I didn’t want to put it down! Being split into 3 parts as well I felt was really fitting and made is so easy to follow the different elements and themes within this book. Ive said it before and I’ll say it again, Lily X has an amazing way of writing and including big issues, in an easily digestible way that leaves you either reading more into it if you want to, or moving past without lingering if you don’t want to. The points still land hard either way!
Plot summary A vampire assassination is set to ruin a wedding.. but really it sparks so much more! Raven is thrown into Maia’s life in the most unhinged way and a deal is made. Maia’s blood for Raven’s contact/help. Raven starts to become obsessed… and Maia kind of likes it. Throw in the High Coven being absolute bytches and trying to kick her out of her ancestral home, an epic magick battle, blood drinking, stalking, and underwear stealing, and you have this absolute gem of a book!
Things I loved: - Raven’s turning scene - What happened to Jinn - What happens with Indira - All the descriptive language - Unhinged Raven - The stolen underwear - Kink the Wytch - Being split into 3 distinct parts - Much more magick! - THE FIGHT! - HEA
Overall, a fierce and fiesty, stalky and spicy story with the return of characters we already love, and new characters that are super easy to become obsessed with!
Another great sapphic romance from Lily X, low stakes, no angst and a great amount of spice.
This book follows Maia a slightly clumsy and underskilled wytch whose destiny has always been to be the leader of her coven. Until a catastrophe at her sisters wedding to *gasp* a vampire and the elders decide she doesn't have a firm enough grip on her coven and tell her they're bringing in a new Wytch to take charge. Maia refuses to have her position stolen by an outsider and so demands there be a trial (essentially a fight for the position) but needs some help training and thus a deal is made. Maia will donate her magical wytch blood to Raven (her sister in law's older and slightly deranged sister in return) and in exchange Raven elicits the help of a more powerful wytch to train Maia.
I had a great time reading this one! It's just the right amount of smutty and had really good variation in how they were written (which I always appreciate in sapphic books) it doesn't have to be no strap or only strap alll the time.
I do think there was room for a bit more of an emotional connection to be built between Maia and Raven, it sort of went from natural dislike due to their kinds not getting along to obsession quite quickly and so I think their was room for the emotional side to be unravelled a little more but still what was done was a great time!
All In all I really enjoyed this and definitely need to pick up more of Lily's books!
Thank you to The Berry Agency for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
From a seductive sexy wytch to a vampire who can't keep her shadow in her shorts, how can one possibly choose. Book 2 in the Bitten by magick series. Don't delay on this one but please read Will It Hurt first.
This book brought main characters back from Will It Hurt. Aisla and Jinn's story continues which is so exciting to see these two love birds share their lives together.
Making your wedding vows is meant to be the happiest day of your life.......right!?!?! Hmmm.....maybe?? When Indira shows up, all hell will break loose.
A stake through the heart, but whose heart exactly? Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out. Maia will step up to protect her sister at all costs even if she still has beef with Jinn and even if it has something to do with Jinns past.
With the threat of losing the coven, Maia needs to figure out how to keep it in the family. Then shows up a cocky vamp who makes Maia melt into her own skin. Said vampire Raven is so seductive and dominant that I want her to take me to the graveyard. I don't want to give anything away on Raven because she's a whole review by herself. 🔥🔥🔥
You DO NOT wanna miss this story. The shadows are back in full force. The blood drinking is so impeccably written that I questioned my own desires in the bedroom 😂🤣.
Anyway, before I give too much away, get you to reading this beauty and there's also a bonus part at the end of the book especially if you are reading it on the color kindle 😉
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It's not a super low angst story, but it's a lot lower than I was expecting. I loved everything about it from the way the story is built at the start, to the chemistry between Maia and Raven. Lily X manages to bring all of the characters together in a way that flows so well that I was speeding through this book. The world building is spot on and the spice spiced HARD. Shadow play? Yes, please. Blood and biting? Can never get enough The author definitely 1-upped herself with this one, and if you are a sapphic vampire lover, you do not want to miss out on this.
I was a little worried that I wouldn’t like this one because Maia wasn’t very likeable in the first book, but boy was I wrong. I loved this so much. I loved Raven and I loved Kink and I loved the ending and this book will be hard to top
Spoiler free section: Who doesn't love a spicy sapphic romance between a vampire who wants to be mortal and a witch.
I really enjoyed this book, it did have some pacing issues at times but the overall story was great and the spicy scenes were *chefs kiss*.
Some spoilers ahead:
It starts out fast with an assassination attempt at Maria's sisters wedding, and leads to her a training and fighting in a trial to make sure she keeps her families rights to lead her coven.
At the same time an obsessive 200 year old vampire has set her eyes on her and her blood.
The story shows the different sides of desire. Raven's obsession with Maia and to be human. As she gets over her obsession for the vamp that turned her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Thank you Berry Agency for allowing me the opportunity to review this book! I really loved this book. It pulled me in quickly with its sharp premise and morally grey characters, and it never let go. Maia is a reluctant but determined leader, and I appreciated how her doubts and sense of responsibility felt grounded and real rather than performative.
Raven is pure chaos in the best way—dangerous, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore. What really worked for me was how their partnership develops: it doesn’t rush the trust or the feelings, and the slow burn feels earned. The “deal” between them creates great tension, especially as it becomes clear that emotions were never going to stay out of it.
The blend of coven politics, trials, dark magic, and enemies-to-lovers romance is well balanced, with just enough edge to keep things interesting without overwhelming the story. Emotionally charged, darkly romantic, and thoughtfully paced, this was a compelling read that stayed with me well after I finished.
Duel 1st Person POV. 5🌟 4🌶️. 489 pages Lily X has done it again, this book was phenomenal and the perfect to the Bitten by Magick duology. Maia and Raven were such amazing characters that instantly had me falling in love with both of them. Both Will it Hurt and Choke on my Name have everything you could possibly want in a vampire/witch series, from obsession to love, spice and angst, not to mention the representation Lily puts into her books from POC rep, to masc/femme pairings and plus size rep. And if there is one thing you are always guaranteed from a Lily X book, it’s extremely well written spice!
Honestly do yourself a favour and read these books. In fact read all of Lily’s work, she’s definitely an insta buy author for me and I look forward to devouring more of her work.
Must Read if you Love: ✨Vampyre / Witch Romance ✨Obsessive Love ✨Stalking ✨Unhinged and Feral Vampyres ✨Shadow Mommy ✨Eccentric Elemental Wytches ✨Found Family ✨Spice ✨Graveyard 69ing ✨👅🩸 ✨Shadow Stuffing
I happily received an ARC and dove right in after reading Will it Hurt.
This is a sequel interconnected standalone. It features Maia, from book one, as the FMC.
It’s darker, spicier, and a little more chaotic in the plot points!
Let’s start at the beginning. I would have appreciated flashbacks a little later in the book. It would have had me feeling as though I could predict what was coming without thought. But at the same time, I wasn’t in the mood for overthinking so it worked! There were some points we could do without, it didn’t really have an impact on the story one way or another, but it was some closure (?) from book one.
I can’t decide if the romance was the sub plot or the main point. And it was definitely, er, dirtier than I expected! All good in blood and Vampires though, right?!
Honestly, the predictability is where my rating settled.
Not sure if it was because I didn’t read the first book of this duology or what but I really struggled to get hooked. I really thought I would enjoy this a lot more than I did but I felt like I spent more time trying to figure out the characters and the storyline. Again, I feel this is more on me for not reading the first book and getting a sense of the world, not a reflection on the book itself. Overall personally not for me but I can see this being a great book for those who enjoy more of a trials and world building focused kind of story! The romance was amazing, for a more fantasy forward story rather than romance, there was definitely a great amount of tension and romance to keep you intrigued, but something to keep in mind is when going into the book.
I was fortunate enough to receive this as an ARC after also being ARC reader for book 1 !
I thoroughly enjoyed being back in this world. The diversity of characters, unique magic system, blend of wytches and vamps, high stakes trials, enemies to lovers, complex toxic mothers and character growth had me in my feels!
Lily X knows how to write a toxic mother and that appeals to me as the eldest daughter of one. Thank you for making me feel heard.
I really enjoyed the moments with Jinn and Aisla, it felt like old friends coming home.
The epilogue was beyond sweet, I hope there is a book 3 coming for Brodie!
The spice was SPICY! 🌶 please read TWs for this one.
I was blessed with this ARC read much like Maia finding help in the most unsuspecting forms with her task. My first sapphic did not disappoint! The language shows descriptive parallels between wytch and vampyre, human and monster tendencies. Enemies to lovers occurs in the most unexpected way. This book tackles the issue of consent and how it affects the nature of who you are as a being. Of how you and who you choose to love changes your world. It shows the healing benefit of a pack of Jammie Doggers and a cup of tea. It details spice in a truly spectacular form, you’ll never look at your period or a neck massager the same ever again.
This was a really enjoyable read for me. It starts off a bit slow, but once Part Two hits, I was totally hooked. The characters are lovable, diverse, and so much fun to follow. The spice is definitely hot and I really like the shadow-mummy moments. I loved the found-family vibes and how devoted the characters are to each other. The dual POV was great too and made it even easier to connect with them.
I never thought I’d want a stalker but if they were like Raven I may just change my mind. Lily X has done it once again. There is just something about her writing that pull you in and keep you reading.
Maia and Raven’s story may not be conventional but you nether the less find yourself cheering them on. I won’t rewrite the blurb but I will tell you to buy this book especially if you’ve already read the first in the series. If you haven’t, get that one then come back. It’s more than worth it.
this was a fun and different take on vampires and witches. I enjoyed my read through of this.
I recieved this as an ARC reviewed, and am leaving this review voluntarily
I enjoyed the universe this was set in and the writing style. Lily X always puts out a good story and knows how to write a good universe especially when it comes to sapphic stories 🥰 I would definitely recommend this book and was sad this came to and end 😢
I must say I really love this book and the characters (even though Raven isn't exactly a person for a healthy relationship, but hey, obsessive can be really hot in the correct context) no 3abu which was really nice, two super cute Epilogues and a solution to the human x Vampire immortality problem that I haven't seen before
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Really loved the organization of the book. Loved that we were able to learn so much about Raven. I was so on the edge of my seat worrying a certain villain would cause trouble, but I finally took a breath when I found it was safe.
This was a strong, engaging read that I really enjoyed.
I was already interested in Maia in the earlier book, so getting her story here felt rewarding. Maia is a flawed and uncertain heroine, carrying the weight of legacy and leadership while being forced to prove herself through the Trial of Ascension. Her internal struggle with power, responsibility, and self-doubt added emotional depth to the story.
Raven was a compelling counterpart. She was volatile, ruthless, and driven by vengeance. Her presence brought intensity to every scene, and her dynamic with Maia was tense, dangerous, and slow to soften in a way that felt earned.
We got more shadow and blood play! Yay!!
The bargain between them set the foundation for a relationship that naturally blurred lines and raised the emotional stakes.
Overall, this is a dark, witchy fantasy romance with morally grey characters, strong tension, and high stakes. A solid continuation of the series and an easy recommendation for readers who enjoy blood magic and dangerous alliances.
I loved the series! I loved this book because we have all felt like Maia at some point in our lives. And Raven and Maia are each other’s calm during their internal storm. Needless to say I loved it but I’m sad it ended. That last page was 🤌
I liked this book. It was a bit more peaceful than the last one but still had its exciting moments. I blasted through it quite quickly and I do appreciate when the characters don’t take too long to get together. This was nice!!! <3
A dark, addictive fantasy romance that grabs fast and doesn’t let go. The tension between a determined wytch and a dangerously unhinged vampyre crackles with, high stakes, bargains, and power struggles, making this an easy read.
A big step up from Book 1. I could tell the author learnt where to improve from the first book in the series and took it in stride!
I loved the start where we got 2 different timelines that merged into one to give us the backstory we needed.
The storyline was engaging and interesting throughout which compelled me to keep my head in it. Will keep an eye on this author for future books going forward.
Short review which I feel bad about but I’m running around right before Christmas and didn’t want to leave no review, will post more in depth review soon.