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Garden of Rage and Ruin: The Vampires of New Orleans Book 5
Violet Du Four thought she knew where life was heading. Born and raised in New Orleans, she’s days away from trading the French Quarter for New York City, designing gowns for the rich and powerful.
When Harrison Chamberlin snags her attention at a local cafe, Violet’s carefully mapped future shatters. Her dreams. Her safety. Her very humanity—gone in an instant.
Thrown into a world where monsters walk in daylight, and alliances are as deadly as fangs, Violet must decide who to trust as she fights to reclaim the life she lost, and survive the one she never asked for.
When Harrison Chamberlin snags her attention at a local cafe, Violet’s carefully mapped future shatters. Her dreams. Her safety. Her very humanity—gone in an instant.
Thrown into a world where monsters walk in daylight, and alliances are as deadly as fangs, Violet must decide who to trust as she fights to reclaim the life she lost, and survive the one she never asked for.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 19, 2026
7 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Madalyn Rae
30 books59 followersMadalyn Rae is the pen name for someone who can’t show the people in her life that she writes about werewolves, vampires, penises (I still don’t know the correct plural for that word) and heaven forbid—sex.
In her everyday life, she is a teacher of tiny humans and an avid music lover. She is the mother of two adult children and one adult husband. (That wasn’t a typo)
She lives in the best climate in America and enjoys the Gulf Coast whenever she’s not too lazy to fight with the tourists for a seat on the sand.
Madalyn’s stories stem from her overactive imagination and dreams. She writes what her characters tell her to write, and she hopes you enjoy reading them as much as she enjoys writing them!
In her everyday life, she is a teacher of tiny humans and an avid music lover. She is the mother of two adult children and one adult husband. (That wasn’t a typo)
She lives in the best climate in America and enjoys the Gulf Coast whenever she’s not too lazy to fight with the tourists for a seat on the sand.
Madalyn’s stories stem from her overactive imagination and dreams. She writes what her characters tell her to write, and she hopes you enjoy reading them as much as she enjoys writing them!
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 9, 2026
I was so excited to learn Violet was getting her own back story! This book did not disappoint. And it flowed smoothly back into the main series. Violet is a powerhouse and now you get to see what got her to that point. Your heart leaps, breaks, and heals. I can't wait to see what happens next!
February 2, 2026
So, a little confession, I haven't read the previous books. In fact, I haven't read anything by Madalyn Rae, but the description mentioned two key words, "vampires" and "New Orleans," and I was in. I jumped in feet first, thinking I was getting a modern vampire romance, but I got a historical fantasy instead. I was a little leery. I've read historical fantasy, but I'm not that comfortable with the genre. Still, I gave it a try, and the next thing I knew, I was immersed in this rich world that takes place in the deep South and is filled with vampires (obviously), witches, warlocks, and werewolves. It was like the supernatural version of the lives of the rich and fabulous, with a couple of ancients thrown in to up the danger. I loved it.
MFC Violet is new to the supernatural world and learning it's okay to express all her emotions, including anger. Remember, this is the 1920s, and ladies aren't used to expressing negative emotions. She's smart and inquisitive, picking up things fast by asking tons of questions. The story is filled with a ton of interesting characters, one of them being a vampire named Cyrus. He was incredibly easy to like, especially if I ignored how he and Violet met. Cyrus wasn't like the other vampires; he was charming without trying, and he seemed to generally care about others.
The story went by in a flash. However, as I got closer to the end, the characters started going in circles. It seemed like the whole point was just to frustrate me because it seemed pointless. Then things got brutal. Apparently, Madalyn Rae is the type of author who feeds off of her readers' tears. The ending may have been bittersweet, but I still really enjoyed the story. On the bright side, there is more of Violet's story to come. If you enjoy vampire romance with good world-building, then I highly suggest reading this one.
MFC Violet is new to the supernatural world and learning it's okay to express all her emotions, including anger. Remember, this is the 1920s, and ladies aren't used to expressing negative emotions. She's smart and inquisitive, picking up things fast by asking tons of questions. The story is filled with a ton of interesting characters, one of them being a vampire named Cyrus. He was incredibly easy to like, especially if I ignored how he and Violet met. Cyrus wasn't like the other vampires; he was charming without trying, and he seemed to generally care about others.
The story went by in a flash. However, as I got closer to the end, the characters started going in circles. It seemed like the whole point was just to frustrate me because it seemed pointless. Then things got brutal. Apparently, Madalyn Rae is the type of author who feeds off of her readers' tears. The ending may have been bittersweet, but I still really enjoyed the story. On the bright side, there is more of Violet's story to come. If you enjoy vampire romance with good world-building, then I highly suggest reading this one.
February 1, 2026
Who's crying? I'm not crying!!
Without a doubt, this was the most emotionally draining of the series. All the more so as it was unexpected. Violet was always one of my favourite characters throughout, so I was very happy to find out her origin story. I knew it involved the heinous Harrison & a few of the hints that had been dropped along the way. It's altogether more sweeping & cinematic in feel than the rest of the series. I could see huge potential for this to be made into a screenplay of epic proportions. Aside from the turning of Violet, which was as brutal as only Harrison could make it, it becomes a tale of deep rooted friendships & respect, even love. Luckily Violet gets to experience all of that, letting her see her new "life" has beauty in it, as well as the horror of potential harm to others.
I haven't checked yet when additions to the series are likely to be made but I hope it's not too long. Madelyn Rae's impeccable writing elevates these books above the usual run of the genre. Don't get me wrong, I love most vampire/paranormal fiction but sometimes a series sets itself apart by it's sheer quality. For me that is what this represents & I'm hoping that it continues in the vein of the Afterlife saga & it's offshoots. Ms Rae you should be out there shouting, loud & proud, about what you've achieved!
Without a doubt, this was the most emotionally draining of the series. All the more so as it was unexpected. Violet was always one of my favourite characters throughout, so I was very happy to find out her origin story. I knew it involved the heinous Harrison & a few of the hints that had been dropped along the way. It's altogether more sweeping & cinematic in feel than the rest of the series. I could see huge potential for this to be made into a screenplay of epic proportions. Aside from the turning of Violet, which was as brutal as only Harrison could make it, it becomes a tale of deep rooted friendships & respect, even love. Luckily Violet gets to experience all of that, letting her see her new "life" has beauty in it, as well as the horror of potential harm to others.
I haven't checked yet when additions to the series are likely to be made but I hope it's not too long. Madelyn Rae's impeccable writing elevates these books above the usual run of the genre. Don't get me wrong, I love most vampire/paranormal fiction but sometimes a series sets itself apart by it's sheer quality. For me that is what this represents & I'm hoping that it continues in the vein of the Afterlife saga & it's offshoots. Ms Rae you should be out there shouting, loud & proud, about what you've achieved!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I love a prequel and Madalyn absolutely delivered with Violets Story! The setting, the timeframe, the characters backstories, all of it was absolutely phenomenal! This is book 5 in The Vampires of New Orleans series and to say I have been obsessed since book 1 is an understatement!
Reading Violets story was amazing, I liked her as a side character in the previous books but I love her in this book! Its so wondeful to read about her life and the lead up to books 1-4!
This series as a whole is on my reread list for sure and im so glad book 5 adds so much more into the mix!! 5-stars absolutely!
Reading Violets story was amazing, I liked her as a side character in the previous books but I love her in this book! Its so wondeful to read about her life and the lead up to books 1-4!
This series as a whole is on my reread list for sure and im so glad book 5 adds so much more into the mix!! 5-stars absolutely!
January 19, 2026
Wow! This book was another great read! From beginning to end it captured my interest! I loved all the characters! Amazingly written by a very talented author!
February 8, 2026
This book made me happy and sad. I couldn’t put it down and need more!
January 22, 2026
Awesome story that needed to be told.
This book tells the story of Violet, Amelia's friend. It is a great story which gives a lot of details on how Violet has become the woman that she is when she meets Amelia's.
I could not put the book down after starting to read the first pages. Awesome story!
This book tells the story of Violet, Amelia's friend. It is a great story which gives a lot of details on how Violet has become the woman that she is when she meets Amelia's.
I could not put the book down after starting to read the first pages. Awesome story!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
It is a standalone in the series. I'm not sure now much of the characters of the story has carried though as this is the first in the series I have read and that didn't hinder getting into the story. There were parts where the POV stems be change in the middle of a chapter but it isn't noted and causes some confusion for me.
January 19, 2026
This books explains Violet's vampire origin story. Apparently Celeste wasn't the first "immortal child" that Violet had ever met and Violet had her own big bads she had to battle. These have less spice than I'm used to but the plot definitely keeps you hooked and wanting more. They absolutely should be read in order.
January 31, 2026
Garden of Rage and Ruin is Violet's vampire origin story. We discover how her life was disrailed when she met Harrison and how it all got turned upside down and what she lost. Betrayal, secrets, lies, it’s an intriguing read that had me hooked from start to finish.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews