Worthless. Defective. Barren. I was dead inside, living an empty life. Until a hellhound found me.
My people say a woman’s worth is in her womb. They spit on me, throw rocks, burn everything I hold dear. “Cursed,” they call me.
Then he saves me. Theron. A monstrous Cerberus from the Blighted Lands. Death follows in his footsteps, but he looks at me and doesn’t see something broken.
“Mate,” he decides.
This massive beast could crush a man’s skull with his bare hands, but his claws touch me with infinite gentleness. His hellfire doesn’t burn me. Under his protection, I’m not defective.
I’m treasured. Worshipped. His.
There’s only one way for us to be together. The death-touched bride market. I must step on the auction block in the city of the dead and choose him.
There’s just one problem. Monsters who bow to death don’t take credits as currency. The price for my new life might be higher than I ever imagined.
Welcome to the bride market! Monsters bid, you choose. This is a spin-off series to Arranged Monster Mates. We’re back on Alia Terra with steamy stories told by your favorite paranormal romance Eva Brandt, Lia Frost, Cara Wylde, and Ava York.
In the second book about the Monsters Bride Market there is another spin with ancient Greek mythology coming to life. Theron and Callista are a very special couple their bond rare and envied among all monsters. Callista grew up hiding a secret that no one would forgive her for if they found out. When her worst fears come to pass her village turns on her and her life is fire er changed. Theron and his friends make their way to the village that tampered with a scared ritual. What they find is devastation and wrongness. As the search the village Theron feels some thug a tug in his soul and he finds Callista barely hanging on to life. He knows in that instant that she is his soul mate . But other who are jealous want to destroy what they have. Will the threads of fate weave them closer together or will they unravel a d pea e nothing behind. This w as a great entry in the series and I'm really looking forward to the next book.🔥💖🌟💖🔥🌟💖🔥🌟🔥💖🌟🌟💖🔥
DNF the moment I realised the author uses AI for artwork, makes me question whether the nonsensical way this is written is a red herring of the book being written by AI as well.
Callista’s pain is palpable from the very first page. Cast out, shamed, and branded “defective” by a cruel society that measures a woman’s worth by her ability to bear life, she’s been stripped of everything but her will to survive. She’s not living—she’s enduring. And yet, there’s something unbreakable inside her. Something that even fire and scorn can’t destroy.
Then comes Theron. A Cerberus. A creature of death and flame, born from the Blighted Lands—terrifying to everyone who sees him, except to Callista, who looks past the monstrous shell and sees the soul inside. When he calls her mate, it isn’t a claim born of possession, but of recognition. For the first time in her life, she is not “barren,” not “defective.” She is his miracle.
What I loved most about this story is how Eva Brandt weaves such beauty through darkness. Theron is a creature who carries death in his hands but touches Callista like she’s made of starlight. Their bond isn’t built on perfection—it’s built on healing. On finding strength in the very scars that once brought shame.
The imagery is breathtaking—otherworldly landscapes, the eerie glow of hellfire, and the haunting beauty of the death-touched bride market. But what truly lingers is the emotion. The fierce tenderness between two broken souls who find not salvation, but belonging, in each other.
Theron doesn’t just protect Callista—he reveres her. And Callista, in turn, gives this powerful, ancient being something he never expected: peace.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
'Her grief poured into me like poison, years of shame and self-loathing so suffocating my lungs seized under the strain. I absorbed it all, took her suffering into myself until the memory could no longer destroy her.' "Mine to protect," I gasped, and against all odds, Callista saw me. She stared at me with wonder and disbelief. "Who are you?" "The one who will always stand between you and your pain."
I loved this book. Great world building and wonderful characters. I loved both Callista and Theron. I was completely hooked to this story right from the start- the pain and sorrow; the anger, violence, and chaos; the way Theron found Callista. The way he saved her was so beautiful! I loved the dynamic between them and the way their relationship developed. The chemistry between them sizzled. This story was fast-paced with suspense, danger, and action. I also liked the supporting characters. This is the first story I've read by this author and I would read more. I'm loving this new series! 5 stars
Callista has been hiding a secret from the people in the village where she has lived for the past three years. But the satyr she nursed back to health decides to out her for reasons she doesn't understand. Theron and his team have traveled from the city of Asphodelia located in the Blighted Lands to harvest the death energy from Callista's village which they will use to power their city. Callista was sure her death was imminent, yet she awakens in the arms of a beast who call her beautiful. He wants to claim her, but in order to do so Callista must participate in the Bride Market auction.
Holy . . . wow! This book left me stunned. I loved these characters; they are all so fascinating and complex that I couldn't put this book down. A wonderfully written and steamy monster romance with unexpected twists in the plot that kept me engrossed in this book from the first page.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary ARC provided by Book Sprout.
A beast born of flame. A woman forged in pain. A love destined by the Moirae.
I really enjoyed this book. I’m a huge fan of anything wolf or werewolf, and this story delivered beautifully on that primal, emotional edge. The transformation into Cerberus was fraught with tension and a deep sense of loss — yet, through it all, love still manages to prevail.
On a mission to gather energy, Theron stumbles upon his soul-bonded mate — a rare and sacred gift woven by the Moirae, the threads of creation themselves. Calista, a woman broken by society’s cruel edicts, tries to survive within the traps and fears of the human world. When her secret is revealed, chaos, destruction, and carnage follow.
Will fate allow these star-crossed souls to find the future meant for them, or will outside forces twist destiny beyond repair?.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The beginning of this book was so interesting that I was hooked. Showing this parallel world from the previous series (Arranged Monster Mates) in which death and infertility are what is celebrated when finding a mate. We meet our main cast through bloodshed and pandemonium, learning about this new world as the FMC does.
Very quickly, though, does the story loses me.
We have the memory gathering for the bride market, which was not a bad idea and I thought was quite cool, however from this moment on the book goes back on itself. To enter the market you have to give up a memory and then we get told that, regardless of who bids the highest, the bride has the final say in her partner. THIS DOES NOT STAY RESPECTED VERY QUICKLY. A competitor for the bride, after losing the bride market bidding because the FMC really wanted the MMC regardless of his bid price, goes to the government with some surface story about how he had a claim to her first on a technicality. This causes everything to spiral out of control but goes back to my main point: the brides 'final choice' of partner is disrespected.
From here, it takes a messy dive down in enjoyment from me because everything just gets... odd. It's hard for me to explain but each chapter felt off, like the characters had gone off script, and way too much of the world is explained in this book (when we know that some of that will get retconned in further books in this new series since it's multiple authors) that tries to help make sense of why all this is happening. PLUS, the title itself is a HUGE spoiler for the book itself because the MMC is not described as a cerberus when first meeting so you already know something is gonna happen.
The smut was okay. Only way to describe it. Nothing to brag about, was rather simple. What was strange about it, though, is that the MMC wants to wait for the FMC (which he does) but they get called to essentially the palace and get told that they have to fuck now, in the middle of the foyer and in front of the 3 goddess like creatures commanding them, or else they might get seperated again. And they are somehow cool with this without any prior talk?
I'm probably not going to continue this series to a while, to be honest, just from how bored I ended up becomming with it all.
Eh, this sounded intriguing and I was hoping it'd fill the time between book series but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped.
For a rather fast paced story it did well with the lore and world building, I give it that. It was rather easy to follow despite the roles and characters and their purposes being a bit vague and confusing at times.
I think my biggest issue was the writing left alot to be desired for me. I felt absolutely nothing about either MCs or the secondary ones either. The author might have skill writing and spinning her story but her ability to capture emotions from the characters but to engage the reader was simply missing for me. It was just words on a page.
I'm sure others might enjoy this one more than me. Was most likely a me problem rather than the story itself.
Bought by the Cerberus by Eva Brandt is a beautifully dark monster romance with rich Greek mythology woven throughout. Callista, a death-touched witch, meets her match in Theron, a powerful and brooding Cerberus — and from that moment on, fate refuses to let go.
This story has everything I love: fated mates, found family, and a deep message about acceptance and belonging. The chemistry between Callista and Theron is electric.
If you’re a fan of myth-inspired romances with heart, heat, and a touch of darkness, this one’s a must-read. Eva Brandt delivers a tale that’s both fierce and tender — a perfect blend of monster and magic.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wow! This book was so intense, I couldn’t put in down. There was so much to unwrap and I was on the edge of my seat several times. Theron was a Hellhound who harvested death energy with his two buddies. One such harvesting trip takes them to a village that has just tried to kill a woman named Callista. She was being blamed for everything wrong in the village because they discovered she was barren. (Don’t ask, read the book) Anyway, Callista and Theron are soul bonded but they have a lot of trials to overcome before they can truly be together and complete their bonding. This book was different from the other Monsters’ Bride Market books I’ve read because there was so much I didn’t see coming. I loved it.
I absolutely loved this story! I honestly thought it would just be another short dark romantasy focused mostly on the romance, but wow—I was so wrong. It had so much depth, tension, and emotion that completely pulled me in. I kept telling myself I’d stop and get some sleep, but I just couldn’t put it down! Before I knew it, I was still wide awake, completely lost in the story (no regrets!).
I’ll admit, I skimmed through the part with Phonos at first—but even then, the story kept tugging at me to read more and find out what happens next. Every moment had me on edge, and I felt every bit of it. This book definitely stands out as one of the most memorable reads I’ve had in a long time. I can’t wait to dive into more of your stories!
This is another fab addition to the series and I was really intrigued by the idea of death energy. Theron is in town to collect the death energy when he feels a pull to Callista. His hands may deal out death, but with her, he's gentle and caring. I really loved the idea of him protecting her but that both are rather broken and need healing. He's certainly ready to be everything for her. Expect to be caught up in the emotions, tenderness, drama, danger, twists, fab world building and hot romance between these complex characters. I love that they got their HEA but it sure was quite the ride to get there. Good fun!
This highly twisted romance story had me from beginning to the end. This story is about Callista our barren woman who chose the bride market and Theron our hellhound who saves her. Her village condemned her as a cursed witch and tied her to a stake when a fight among them occurs. Callista gets free during the commotion but gets impaled to death by Syagros' horn. She is saved by Theron a Cerberus from the Blighted Lands her village borders. Theron recognizes her as his mate, but will Callista chose Theron? This has some touchy moments thrown with the drama and romance in this engaging story I'd received a copy and volunteer to read and review.
I think that this took a painful subject and changes it from a negative to a positive. I like the way that it shows that it is OK not to have a child and you shouldn’t be viewed as something unclean, especially if it is out of your control. Callista is brave to be able to move on from the worst day in her life. I like how she is able to see that this strange new world is a good thing. I like the chemistry between her and Theron and think they make a sweet couple. I like that it doesn’t just focus on the main couple, but it introduces such an interesting array of characters. There is so much to explore in this world and I would love to read more books!
Finally a fresh, original, exciting story drawn from the myth of the Underworld! Callista, who has had to eke out a living while hiding the truth of her nature from others, thinks she’s broken and unlovable. But, when Theron sees her he immediately knows she is his destiny and that she’s perfect as she is! Theron however, is not the only one who feels the beginning of a soul bond with her, and when Callista has to trade something to the ferryman so she can stay in Asphodelia, a whole host of unexpected consequences are set in motion! Loved it - and I’m anxiously waiting for Phonos’s book next!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Not what I was expecting from the description. Was a still confused about fate and how things worked by the end. It was sweet what Enyo did, you could tell her intentions were in the right place and she loved her children. Honestly I would have been way more bitter if I was Callista. Like you welcome me and say how special I am and everything is my choice, then when I make a choice you take it away. You manipulate me and lie to me. And then have the audacity to be present at my claiming. And Im just supposed to live in your society now. Still with nothing really explained about how shes special and why everyone wanted her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A very intense and complicated read. Your heart will break for Callista and how she was treated by the humans. Theron is a fascinating combination of fierce warrior and gentle lover. He would tear apart the world for Callista. There is some confusion after the challenge, it is cleared up later. The world building is fantastic and the characters are awesome. This was a fabulous read, I look forward to reading more from this series.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Callista is put on trial by her village after they realize she is barren. She had taken herbs to hide it from the others, a satyr exposes her. While tied up the people start attacking and killing each other. She is wounded by the satyr as the last to be wounded. Theron and others arrive in the village to harvest the death energy. He senses her as his mate, he takes her to their healer. Read to find out about their relationship and the other death eaters. HEA
This was a love hate story. I loved the couple and their instant reaction to each other. I hated the drama that tore them apart. Theron is the Cerberus in this story. He is out in the world collecting the death energy when he feels pulled towards a village and actually finds his bond mate. Calista is a death touched woman who has felt like a pariah around her own kind cause she cannot ever have children.
A great book in a great series. The beast and the beauty. *claps* A time when being ae to birth babies is all important. When you dont youre left in dire straight. Its like a spotlight on you. Whispers barely behind your back. Then he comes in your dark tormented world. A huge male. He's content with you being is most precious treasure. What a adventure! A Short bit of writing, lovable characters. The heat is warm. Enjoyable.
New Perspective. Greek mythology provides a wonderful basis basis for the story of Theron and Callista. For me, it allowed greater exploration of so many elements of the underworld and how the beings there interact and connect with the human world. Taking events or situations that at first seem very negative and looking at them in a new way was wonderful.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wow! What a wonderful story Eva has created for us all to enjoy. This Dark Monster Romance has a lot of twists that kept me turning the pages. Loved the strong characters. Callista has finally accepted death. Only for Theron, the beautiful death energy collector to save her. Lots of action, suspense and a wonderfully mated pair to live happily ever after. I highly recommend this fantastic Monster Romance from the Alia Terra Universe
Callista meets Theron when she is near death. He calls her mate and then her "life" begins. This story has two strong characters who face challenges if they want a future together. This is a great read and kept me up way into the night.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved the Arranged Monster Mates Series. This Monster Brides' Market is the cherry on top. Even 3 three-headed Cerberus needs love and to find their Soul mate. Alia Terra has soul mates for all! This starts out with action, brutality, and betrayal. HEA with some medium spicy and very sweet worship and adoration. I love that even the Death Touched Monsters require consent of the strong FMC.
A new series of Monster Brides, this time they are monster who are chosen by their prospective brides. Theron is her mate, and he finds Callista after a rather gruesome encounter where she would have burned at the stake. A great start to a new series and wonderful characters. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
When Callista is attacked by her fellow villagers fro being barren, she is rescued by Theron. He saves her - and wants her for his mate, but Phono is prepared to fight for her. Will they be able to get through the twists and turns to find their true love? Loved the twists and turn, and the characters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The characters aren’t just good or bad; they’re pretty complicated, with layers you can’t easily see. The main characters ended up together despite all the challenges, but it feels like it's not the end of their story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Callista and Theron meet when she’s on death’s door. Instantly, there’s a connection, but politics and death magic have a way of complicating things. This story is part of the Alia Terra world, but it brings us to Asphodelia, which feels like a world apart. I loved the world building and the fleet of new characters - this addition to this series promises to be one of the most interesting yet!
Spoilers ahead I didn't like this as much as there first book in the series. I found it very confusing to follow and by the end couldn't figure out why both men thought she was they're true mate. That was never explained. And the way the power followed wasn't super clear. Probably will skip this author for future books. Probably.