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Kings of Darkhaven #1
Dark Obsession: A Sovereigns of Alchemy Fantasy Romance
The ruling alchemists of the Midwest, the Kings of Darkhaven, have nothing to fear from anyone or anything. Until their mothers give them an ultimatum of marrying or abdicating their thrones.
The moment King Ronan’s mother decrees he must marry or abandon his throne, he knows exactly who will be his bride. The woman he’s been obsessed with since they met as children. The utterly brilliant and beautiful Reina . . . who despises his very existence. Minor issue, though. The bigger problem will be that she’s an elemental, and no alchemist will quietly accept a non-alchemist as their queen. But he’s not a King of Darkhaven for show. Power, intimidation, and, of course, proving to everyone that Reina is the superior choice is all that’s needed.
Elementals are little better than servants to their alchemist overlords, and all King Ronan has done to Reina since they day they met is torment her. So why is he suddenly insisting she marry him? She may have pledged to both herself and to the Elemental Council of Darkhaven to do everything in her power to better the lives of elementals, but marrying one of the Kings of Darkhaven is asking a bit much to accomplish that goal. Especially if that king is Ronan.
Unfortunately, ‘no’ isn’t a word King Ronan is very familiar with—at least, not if he’s not the one saying it—and he’s determined to have all of Reina, heart, soul, and body. And the more time she spends with him, the more difficult it is to remember why she hates all alchemists. Too bad powerful factions among both the alchemists and elementals would rather see the pair dead than ruling together.
Dark Obsession is a no spice romantasy featuring enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, and a morally gray hero. While the books all take place in the Darkhaven territory, each book can be read as a standalone.
The moment King Ronan’s mother decrees he must marry or abandon his throne, he knows exactly who will be his bride. The woman he’s been obsessed with since they met as children. The utterly brilliant and beautiful Reina . . . who despises his very existence. Minor issue, though. The bigger problem will be that she’s an elemental, and no alchemist will quietly accept a non-alchemist as their queen. But he’s not a King of Darkhaven for show. Power, intimidation, and, of course, proving to everyone that Reina is the superior choice is all that’s needed.
Elementals are little better than servants to their alchemist overlords, and all King Ronan has done to Reina since they day they met is torment her. So why is he suddenly insisting she marry him? She may have pledged to both herself and to the Elemental Council of Darkhaven to do everything in her power to better the lives of elementals, but marrying one of the Kings of Darkhaven is asking a bit much to accomplish that goal. Especially if that king is Ronan.
Unfortunately, ‘no’ isn’t a word King Ronan is very familiar with—at least, not if he’s not the one saying it—and he’s determined to have all of Reina, heart, soul, and body. And the more time she spends with him, the more difficult it is to remember why she hates all alchemists. Too bad powerful factions among both the alchemists and elementals would rather see the pair dead than ruling together.
Dark Obsession is a no spice romantasy featuring enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, and a morally gray hero. While the books all take place in the Darkhaven territory, each book can be read as a standalone.
- GenresFantasyParanormalMagic
424 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 11, 2026
Very enjoyable!
The story started out a little stiffly, but that's because it introduces Reina's world first. The juxtaposition of earnest Reina & the solemn elementals with Ronan's wild quirkiness was pretty entertaining.
I didn't find Kai's mouthiness after he had been spared to be at all believable. Dax's either, for that matter. There might be a few other minor quibbles as well, but the outspokenness of Kai & Dax were the only parts that actually bumped me out of the story. Ok, well, my eyebrows were raised by the fates of Dax & Felix, too.
Still, it was such an amusing tale that it was easily backgrounded, & I'm eagerly looking forward to Genesis's story now ...
*Romance Level: passionate kisses, but nothing graphic
The story started out a little stiffly, but that's because it introduces Reina's world first. The juxtaposition of earnest Reina & the solemn elementals with Ronan's wild quirkiness was pretty entertaining.
I didn't find Kai's mouthiness after he had been spared to be at all believable. Dax's either, for that matter. There might be a few other minor quibbles as well, but the outspokenness of Kai & Dax were the only parts that actually bumped me out of the story. Ok, well, my eyebrows were raised by the fates of Dax & Felix, too.
Still, it was such an amusing tale that it was easily backgrounded, & I'm eagerly looking forward to Genesis's story now ...
*Romance Level: passionate kisses, but nothing graphic
August 25, 2026
Reader’s Notes:
*Series or Connected Books?* 1st of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone
*Point Of View:* Ronan & Reina
*Any Cursing Or Possibly Offensive Language?* there are about 2 mentions of characters cursing, but no words used on page
*Romance?* Yes! Just kisses & make-outs
*Things To Know:*
–it is mentioned that multiple elementals were harmed and/or killed when an alchemist accidentally caused an explosion
-it is mentioned multiple times that Ronan bullied Reina in their school days (his actions are explained from his perspective fairly early on in the story & understandably take Reina a bit of time to choose to see him differently)
-there is some fantasy violence, injuries, and death
-there is about one suggestive comment
Review:
I’ve honestly been putting off reading this book because of the title and parts of the summary (the obsession & harassment). But now that I’ve read all of Marie Bellmere’s available urban fantasy books, I wanted to give this series a try since I really enjoyed those books.
I ended up really loving this book too! I loved that the relationship between Ronan and Reina made sense with the issues they’d had in the past (in the sense of timing and how it went from hate to love on Reina’s end). I liked seeing flashbacks from both of their perspectives to get a fuller picture of what went down and how each of them took it all. I loved the ways Ronan made space for Reina to come to love him for real and didn’t want to move forward in their engagement until she was ready to. And I loved the ways Reina showed up the alchemist people around her with her knowledge and wit.
I can’t wait to find out more about the other kings of Darkhaven and who they’ll end up getting married to!
Summary:
Ronan never thought he’d have a choice in who his spouse would be. But when the mothers of he and his fellow kings of Darkhaven demand they each get married and happen to leave off restrictions on who they could choose, Ronan knows just who he’ll want as his bride. Reina is beautiful, bright, and beyond the smartest person in his kingdom. It doesn’t matter that she’s an elemental when her work far surpasses that of any alchemist. But what might matter is trying to convince her to marry him. Especially when Ronan may have given her the impression that he hated her and thought her below his station all throughout their years of schooling…
Reina wants to make things better for elementals throughout Darkhaven, but thought that would happen when she joined the Elemental Council of Darkhaven like her father. Instead, her best option to do so seems to be giving herself over to her worst enemy, King Ronan, in marriage. And when circumstances grow dire, that’s just what she chooses to do. But Reina never expected her husband to be to be different than the boy who harassed her throughout their school years. Nor that he’d truly listen to her ideas on how to fix his kingdom for the better. And Reina isn’t sure what that means for their upcoming marriage when she thought she’d agreed to a loveless marriage meant to quiet the recent unrest in the elemental community…
*Series or Connected Books?* 1st of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone
*Point Of View:* Ronan & Reina
*Any Cursing Or Possibly Offensive Language?* there are about 2 mentions of characters cursing, but no words used on page
*Romance?* Yes! Just kisses & make-outs
*Things To Know:*
–it is mentioned that multiple elementals were harmed and/or killed when an alchemist accidentally caused an explosion
-it is mentioned multiple times that Ronan bullied Reina in their school days (his actions are explained from his perspective fairly early on in the story & understandably take Reina a bit of time to choose to see him differently)
-there is some fantasy violence, injuries, and death
-there is about one suggestive comment
Review:
I’ve honestly been putting off reading this book because of the title and parts of the summary (the obsession & harassment). But now that I’ve read all of Marie Bellmere’s available urban fantasy books, I wanted to give this series a try since I really enjoyed those books.
I ended up really loving this book too! I loved that the relationship between Ronan and Reina made sense with the issues they’d had in the past (in the sense of timing and how it went from hate to love on Reina’s end). I liked seeing flashbacks from both of their perspectives to get a fuller picture of what went down and how each of them took it all. I loved the ways Ronan made space for Reina to come to love him for real and didn’t want to move forward in their engagement until she was ready to. And I loved the ways Reina showed up the alchemist people around her with her knowledge and wit.
I can’t wait to find out more about the other kings of Darkhaven and who they’ll end up getting married to!
Summary:
Ronan never thought he’d have a choice in who his spouse would be. But when the mothers of he and his fellow kings of Darkhaven demand they each get married and happen to leave off restrictions on who they could choose, Ronan knows just who he’ll want as his bride. Reina is beautiful, bright, and beyond the smartest person in his kingdom. It doesn’t matter that she’s an elemental when her work far surpasses that of any alchemist. But what might matter is trying to convince her to marry him. Especially when Ronan may have given her the impression that he hated her and thought her below his station all throughout their years of schooling…
Reina wants to make things better for elementals throughout Darkhaven, but thought that would happen when she joined the Elemental Council of Darkhaven like her father. Instead, her best option to do so seems to be giving herself over to her worst enemy, King Ronan, in marriage. And when circumstances grow dire, that’s just what she chooses to do. But Reina never expected her husband to be to be different than the boy who harassed her throughout their school years. Nor that he’d truly listen to her ideas on how to fix his kingdom for the better. And Reina isn’t sure what that means for their upcoming marriage when she thought she’d agreed to a loveless marriage meant to quiet the recent unrest in the elemental community…
October 3, 2025
Ten Outta Ten!
I absolutely adored this book! I deeply enjoyed the inner thoughts of Reina and Ronan!
Reina was just SO SMART! I loved that she held her own and that she easily rivaled all those around her. She was compassionate, but also sassy. She was so articulate, and I loved her underhanded jabs.
It was so precious that Ronan absolutely ADORED her. He was OBSESSED (although he would fervently disagree with the word). Ronan had me laughing at loud. He was a delightful character. I enjoyed watching his opinions shift. Sometimes, I thought it was ridiculous that he was an actual king. But he was politically savvy and knew how to phrase things too. I loved how he slowly chipped away at the walls he had forced Reina to build. He was truly upset about the way he had treated her before. And the groveling was just SO GOOD.
Also- their first “kiss!” The fact that this author could make a kiss of the cheek just…so…perfect? Each of their interactions had me GIGGLING. 🤭
I also LOVED Genesis! I am so excited for his book! I’m just upset that I have to wait until January to read it! I’m so looking forward to this man being distracted by a woman 😂.
I absolutely adored this book! I deeply enjoyed the inner thoughts of Reina and Ronan!
Reina was just SO SMART! I loved that she held her own and that she easily rivaled all those around her. She was compassionate, but also sassy. She was so articulate, and I loved her underhanded jabs.
It was so precious that Ronan absolutely ADORED her. He was OBSESSED (although he would fervently disagree with the word). Ronan had me laughing at loud. He was a delightful character. I enjoyed watching his opinions shift. Sometimes, I thought it was ridiculous that he was an actual king. But he was politically savvy and knew how to phrase things too. I loved how he slowly chipped away at the walls he had forced Reina to build. He was truly upset about the way he had treated her before. And the groveling was just SO GOOD.
Also- their first “kiss!” The fact that this author could make a kiss of the cheek just…so…perfect? Each of their interactions had me GIGGLING. 🤭
I also LOVED Genesis! I am so excited for his book! I’m just upset that I have to wait until January to read it! I’m so looking forward to this man being distracted by a woman 😂.
July 30, 2025
I liked this book, but I would have preferred to see something of the interaction between Ronan and Reina at the Academy. There are a couple of instances in flashback, but not enough to explain her anger at him, and her quick forgiveness. Too many inner monologues explaining the characters´s feelings and assumptions. Luckily, the writer does not resort to misunderstandings. Both characters are quick to communicate their worries, and the quarrels resolve rapidly. I liked Ronan´s devotion to Reina and her recognition of his qualities despite having believed him a ruthless bully for most of her Academy years. As for world building, the three races of magical beings and their powers are very well described, little by little, by showing, not by telling. The moments expended in making and experimenting with their magic are interesting to read, and all of them are justified by the plot. And the plot builds to a satisfying ending. I will certainly like to read the next book in the series, which I suppose (and hope) will be about Genesis!
May 10, 2026
This book was WAY too spicy for me, even though it's technically closed-door. I was bummed since the other series by this author is sweet, clean, and for Young Adults, whereas this one was DEFINITELY New Adult. Plus, the description isn't wrong - Ronan is definitely morally grey, and this bully-romance kind of glosses over how he made Reina's life miserable during school. I liked the worldbuilding and the growth King Ronan shows, but it's not worth the steamier scenes with making out, heated physical contact, and some innuendo.
July 7, 2025
I really loved this book! I‘ve always been a sucker for marriage of conveniences but it is still hard to do them well and this book did. I appreciated how manipulative the MML was in the beginning because it gave him room to grow and gave her a valid reason to not initially like him.
I‘m not someone who really rates off of whether the grammar was good or bad like some, but I do rate off of how much the book made me crave for more like it/for it to be longer. This book definitely did!
I‘m not someone who really rates off of whether the grammar was good or bad like some, but I do rate off of how much the book made me crave for more like it/for it to be longer. This book definitely did!
July 9, 2025
Dark Chocolate equivalent
I went into this book with a bit of trepidation because I'm not a fan of romances where a victim later falls for their school bully, but this book did an excellent job of building the pair up and establishing the world. I'm interested to see where the other kinds will go with their inevitable romances.
I went into this book with a bit of trepidation because I'm not a fan of romances where a victim later falls for their school bully, but this book did an excellent job of building the pair up and establishing the world. I'm interested to see where the other kinds will go with their inevitable romances.
April 12, 2026
Very entertaining clean read
When the Dowager Queens attempt to force their sons to marry, Ronan grabs the chance to wed Raina. I appreciated how Ronan left behind his bullying and became the king he should be the more Raina influenced him. I loved the world building and look forward to the next book.
When the Dowager Queens attempt to force their sons to marry, Ronan grabs the chance to wed Raina. I appreciated how Ronan left behind his bullying and became the king he should be the more Raina influenced him. I loved the world building and look forward to the next book.
January 25, 2026
very much enjoyed
This was not a dark romance. He falls first. Like a bully romance but we skip past all the bullying. Funny. Would very much recommend. It was clean without feeling like it was missing something.
This was not a dark romance. He falls first. Like a bully romance but we skip past all the bullying. Funny. Would very much recommend. It was clean without feeling like it was missing something.
February 7, 2026
LOVED THIS BOOK! The characters are genuinely so intelligent and they way they were written is just chefs kiss. No pulling out my hairs over annoying tropes in this book. Closed door. Definitely add this to your TBR
October 17, 2025
Loved, Loved, Loved!
Finally! A couple ŵho actually talk to each other instead of assuming the worst. Also it's very nice to read about equally vulnerable people.
Finally! A couple ŵho actually talk to each other instead of assuming the worst. Also it's very nice to read about equally vulnerable people.
February 25, 2026
I love when he is obsessed, I just want to live on this world and learn more about those people. So good, and so cute.
March 10, 2026
Surprisingly good
I have never read anything by this author before and was pleasantly surprised. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
I have never read anything by this author before and was pleasantly surprised. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
June 13, 2026
I was a bit bored at the beginning but it picked up near the end.
August 14, 2026
I love this book. As a former dark romance reader, this satisfied that itch without any spice or crude language!!!! Have read several times!
December 16, 2025
Def morally gray - school bully turned husband - some manipulation involved but he is devoted to her now which is cute
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews