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The Poison Daughter
To err is human. To avenge is Divine.
Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition.
Her first husband is in the ground. Her new betrothed is next.
But the merry widow has a secret. When she’s not acting as an assassin at her parents' whims, she moonlights as a vigilante for abused women in their walled-off city.
Meet a man. Lure him in. Kill him with a kiss. Until one night Harlow kisses a mark and he doesn’t die.
Worse, her invincible partner in passion is her new betrothed, Henry Havenwood, and now he knows about her double life. Instead of selling her out and bringing the rival families to blows, he does something much more sinister—whisks her away to wed in his wild mountain fort.
Harlow doesn’t trust Henry, but the only way to protect her family and the city of Lunameade is to figure out what his family is planning.
Cursed with a husband she can’t kill and trapped in a fort miles of vampire-infested woods from home, Harlow’s survival requires her to do the impossible: Make the man who knows she’s a killer fall in love with her anyway.
The Poison Daughter is a standalone dark fantasy romance that combines the vigilante justice for abusive men of Promising Young Woman with a romantasy arranged marriage and a dash of vampires.
Every person Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies immediately, and that’s the way she likes it. The poison-lipped youngest daughter of Lunameade’s magical founding family has used her power to annihilate their opposition.
Her first husband is in the ground. Her new betrothed is next.
But the merry widow has a secret. When she’s not acting as an assassin at her parents' whims, she moonlights as a vigilante for abused women in their walled-off city.
Meet a man. Lure him in. Kill him with a kiss. Until one night Harlow kisses a mark and he doesn’t die.
Worse, her invincible partner in passion is her new betrothed, Henry Havenwood, and now he knows about her double life. Instead of selling her out and bringing the rival families to blows, he does something much more sinister—whisks her away to wed in his wild mountain fort.
Harlow doesn’t trust Henry, but the only way to protect her family and the city of Lunameade is to figure out what his family is planning.
Cursed with a husband she can’t kill and trapped in a fort miles of vampire-infested woods from home, Harlow’s survival requires her to do the impossible: Make the man who knows she’s a killer fall in love with her anyway.
The Poison Daughter is a standalone dark fantasy romance that combines the vigilante justice for abusive men of Promising Young Woman with a romantasy arranged marriage and a dash of vampires.
666 pages, Paperback
Published October 2, 2025
2488 people are currently reading
15359 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Masterson
9 books377 followersWhen Sheila's not busy stabbing beloved side characters and dreaming up new ways to make her readers cry, you can find her practicing yoga, drinking fancy cocktails with friends, or curled up reading books or tarot. She lives outside Philadelphia with a small army of underwatered houseplants that survive out of spite.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,022 reviews
December 23, 2025
Gah I loved this so much. It felt like a duology but made into a standalone. The banter and tension had me SCREAMING… and a badass FMC.
Check triggers bc this is dark and spicy.
Check triggers bc this is dark and spicy.
January 7, 2026
Listen… I do not hand out six-star ratings. Like, ever. But this book? Yeah. It earned it. I loved it. No notes. Dark fantasy/romantasy done the way it’s supposed to be done.
I’ve been so burnt out on romantasy lately that when a friend told me I needed to read this, I fully rolled my eyes and said, “... sure.” Joke’s on me because I was immediately obsessed.
We’re introduced to a city surrounded by blood-sucking monsters called The Drained, ruled by a powerful magical family who maintain a vice-like grip on power under the guise of “protection.” Each sibling possesses a different magic, each one carefully exploited by their parents to keep control. That is, until word arrives that a long-lost city survived a Drained purge ten years earlier… and they’re coming with a son and a marriage proposal.
Enter our FMC and MMC, Harlow and Henry, both bound by duty to see this union through, which is exactly what makes this story so damn entertaining! These two are a match made in revenge heaven, each coming fully equipped with their own secrets. One of those secrets? Harlow’s magic. When Harlow kisses you… You die. This ability also allows her to rid the city of men who abuse their wives, earning her the title “The Poison Vixen.”
There’s just one problem... Henry, her new fiancé, is immune.
What follows is a delicious battle of wits, with both characters trying to outsmart the other. Harlow is incredibly relatable, and her love and need to protect her sister, Aidia, from her abusive husband is the driving force behind everything she does. Mirroring Henry’s own motivations following the death of his own sister. They’re fighting for the same thing, just from opposite sides of the fence.
I absolutely loved Harlow. She’s relatable, fiercely strong, and relentlessly driven. I cannot stand weak FMCs, and our girl is anything but. AND HENRY... well, he isn't too bad himself and has a bit of a kink for primal play, which immediately had me sat.
AND the mic drop moments??? Dear lord, there are a few. It's hard to get things over on me, but several times I was left stunned. Truly.
This was the perfect book to usher in 2026. My only complaint? I wanted more. I could easily read a million pages of Harlow and Henry.
If you do not add this gem to your TBR you are missing out. I am going to have the biggest book hangover now.
I’ve been so burnt out on romantasy lately that when a friend told me I needed to read this, I fully rolled my eyes and said, “... sure.” Joke’s on me because I was immediately obsessed.
We’re introduced to a city surrounded by blood-sucking monsters called The Drained, ruled by a powerful magical family who maintain a vice-like grip on power under the guise of “protection.” Each sibling possesses a different magic, each one carefully exploited by their parents to keep control. That is, until word arrives that a long-lost city survived a Drained purge ten years earlier… and they’re coming with a son and a marriage proposal.
Enter our FMC and MMC, Harlow and Henry, both bound by duty to see this union through, which is exactly what makes this story so damn entertaining! These two are a match made in revenge heaven, each coming fully equipped with their own secrets. One of those secrets? Harlow’s magic. When Harlow kisses you… You die. This ability also allows her to rid the city of men who abuse their wives, earning her the title “The Poison Vixen.”
There’s just one problem... Henry, her new fiancé, is immune.
What follows is a delicious battle of wits, with both characters trying to outsmart the other. Harlow is incredibly relatable, and her love and need to protect her sister, Aidia, from her abusive husband is the driving force behind everything she does. Mirroring Henry’s own motivations following the death of his own sister. They’re fighting for the same thing, just from opposite sides of the fence.
I absolutely loved Harlow. She’s relatable, fiercely strong, and relentlessly driven. I cannot stand weak FMCs, and our girl is anything but. AND HENRY... well, he isn't too bad himself and has a bit of a kink for primal play, which immediately had me sat.
AND the mic drop moments??? Dear lord, there are a few. It's hard to get things over on me, but several times I was left stunned. Truly.
This was the perfect book to usher in 2026. My only complaint? I wanted more. I could easily read a million pages of Harlow and Henry.
If you do not add this gem to your TBR you are missing out. I am going to have the biggest book hangover now.
October 7, 2025
if you like your romantasy on the darker side, with a hefty dose of Traumatic Backstory, a murderous (-ly hot) vigilante FMC, an MMC with lots of secrets, and kinky sex rituals????? THEN MAKE THIS YOUR NEXT READ.
jesus h christ this was capital G GOOD. relentlessly flipping pages good. texting your friends to preorder this good. charge your v*brator good. yell out loud at every single plot twist good. i devoured this in the midst of one of the worst slumps i’ve ever been in!!!! that’s how much i loved it!!!!!
literally fantastic, gritty and dark and emotional and heavy in all the right ways, spicy as f*ck, and packed to the gills with toxicity and jealousy and betrayal and plot twist after plot twist.
this reminded me so much atmospherically of the first from blood and ash book, but better (imho), and with a stronger emotional throughline since it’s a standalone. sheila tackled some heavier themes in this one — tread with caution if domestic violence (not between the MCs!), grief, and family abuse are triggers for you.
otherwise, if you liked the badass vigilante FMC, secret identity MMC, the scary craven, an older father figure bodyguard, and the toe-curling spice from FBAA, you’ll love this one too, no doubt.
dark and hot and beautiful and messy and i loved every second of it and am genuinely mad that this is a standalone because this is such a cool world with such fascinating lore and magic and side characters I WANT MORE DAMMIT. but i’ll settle for rereads and that bonus epilogue in the meantime.
thank you to sheila for the opportunity to read an early copy, and for the A+++ chronic migraine representation.
jesus h christ this was capital G GOOD. relentlessly flipping pages good. texting your friends to preorder this good. charge your v*brator good. yell out loud at every single plot twist good. i devoured this in the midst of one of the worst slumps i’ve ever been in!!!! that’s how much i loved it!!!!!
literally fantastic, gritty and dark and emotional and heavy in all the right ways, spicy as f*ck, and packed to the gills with toxicity and jealousy and betrayal and plot twist after plot twist.
this reminded me so much atmospherically of the first from blood and ash book, but better (imho), and with a stronger emotional throughline since it’s a standalone. sheila tackled some heavier themes in this one — tread with caution if domestic violence (not between the MCs!), grief, and family abuse are triggers for you.
otherwise, if you liked the badass vigilante FMC, secret identity MMC, the scary craven, an older father figure bodyguard, and the toe-curling spice from FBAA, you’ll love this one too, no doubt.
dark and hot and beautiful and messy and i loved every second of it and am genuinely mad that this is a standalone because this is such a cool world with such fascinating lore and magic and side characters I WANT MORE DAMMIT. but i’ll settle for rereads and that bonus epilogue in the meantime.
thank you to sheila for the opportunity to read an early copy, and for the A+++ chronic migraine representation.
December 29, 2025
Wow!!! Just wow! This was my first book by Sheila and now I’m obsessed with her writing and want to read her entire backlist!!! Once I finished this book I wanted to reread and catch things I missed on the first read through, especially with so many u expected plot twists!
This standalone Romantasy has so many of the tropes I love with arranged marriage, FMC assassin, political intrigue, vampires, and *ahem* rituals. Harlow is our FMC and she is a female in her 30s which is so refreshing! She is a princess by day and an assassin by night who poses as an anonymous assassin with a poisonous kiss who unalives abusive men. We get a murderous meet cute when she is hired to 💋 an allegedly abusive man who ends up being someone she has INSANE chemistry with and her kiss won’t work on him. The next day, it is revealed that he is our MMC, Henry, the son of a long lost family believed to be dead and her newly betrothed.
Henry quickly discovers his wife’s nefarious intentions but still goes through with the wedding in hopes of eventually taking down her family. Harlow must travel with Henry back to his isolated home city where she quickly learns about customs in the city to include a hunt where men chase women and have a primal play situation. Harlow must also undergo a sex ritual with Henry as part of the ceremony.
We get to watch the cat and mouse game between these two including their undeniable chemistry that is the fine passionate line between hate and desire. I really loved this book and I want a reread so badly!
Read this book if you like:
💋 assassin FMC
💋 characters in their 30s
💋 arranged marriage
💋 a “my wife” moment
💋 “who did this to you”
💋 touch her and ☠️
💋 chronic illness rep
💋 unique magic system
💋 vampires
💋 political intrigue
💋 Primal play
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Thank you so much to Sheila for the eARC!
This standalone Romantasy has so many of the tropes I love with arranged marriage, FMC assassin, political intrigue, vampires, and *ahem* rituals. Harlow is our FMC and she is a female in her 30s which is so refreshing! She is a princess by day and an assassin by night who poses as an anonymous assassin with a poisonous kiss who unalives abusive men. We get a murderous meet cute when she is hired to 💋 an allegedly abusive man who ends up being someone she has INSANE chemistry with and her kiss won’t work on him. The next day, it is revealed that he is our MMC, Henry, the son of a long lost family believed to be dead and her newly betrothed.
Henry quickly discovers his wife’s nefarious intentions but still goes through with the wedding in hopes of eventually taking down her family. Harlow must travel with Henry back to his isolated home city where she quickly learns about customs in the city to include a hunt where men chase women and have a primal play situation. Harlow must also undergo a sex ritual with Henry as part of the ceremony.
We get to watch the cat and mouse game between these two including their undeniable chemistry that is the fine passionate line between hate and desire. I really loved this book and I want a reread so badly!
Read this book if you like:
💋 assassin FMC
💋 characters in their 30s
💋 arranged marriage
💋 a “my wife” moment
💋 “who did this to you”
💋 touch her and ☠️
💋 chronic illness rep
💋 unique magic system
💋 vampires
💋 political intrigue
💋 Primal play
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Thank you so much to Sheila for the eARC!
December 27, 2025
I'm a bit torn between 4 and 5 stars, but I'm leaning 5 stars because this is a standalone. I think it's reaaaally hard (almost impossible) to find a well-done standalone in the romantasy genre, and this is one of the better ones I've ever read. Overall, I ate this up, and this was surprisingly good.
This has an arranged marriage trope, vampires, a "black widow" type FMC who has poison powers, and a lot of smut (primal kink, BDSM, praise kink, etc.). There's also some good jealousy, one-horse trope, "my wife," and "touch her and die" moments. Check triggers because there are some intense ones here.
On the very positive side, the story is captivating. While there are times where the world-building was a bit confusing, the actual plot and magic had me completely invested. I picked up this book and really never put it down again, which is saying something because it's 600+ pages on kindle. I was up until 1:00am finishing it. I generally liked both main characters. Also, I pride myself on being able to predict the endings for books like this, but I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen at the end of this book. The person who ended up being Rochelli was one of my main suspects, but I also had 3-4 suspects, so it could've been other people too. I don't think I've ever read another FMC with these particular powers, and I was completely fascinated by how her powers worked.
That said, this book could really benefit from an editor. There is a lot of repetitive text which makes it seem like the author forgot she already wrote something and would write the literal EXACT sentence of internal monologue again from the other main character's POV. I also thought the FMC, in particular, had a lot of internal monologue that could have been cut down. Finally, I thought that the FMC and the MMC seemed to have these grand plans for the entire book (while being manipulated by both sets of their parents), but towards the end of the book, where were those initial grand plans? I don't even know what the original plans were supposed to be. In particular, it seemed like Henry and his family had nothing really planned at all in their quest for revenge despite constantly referencing the big plans they had for Harlow and her family. It seems like Harlow and Kellan kind of sorted everything for them.
Spoilers ahead! I also didn't love how the claiming bite sex scene happened right after
The ending of this book had some really great plot twists. I knew something was off with Aidia because she never really seemed to be on page with other people and came out at the weirdest times, but I did not predict what had happened and thought her story had more to do with her glamour magic. The story of Harlow and Aidia was truly a messed up tale. Rochelli was a pretty good twist too (although, it was one of my predictions because I was thinking earlier in the book about how she never suspected him but him being Rochelli would be very similar to her secretly being the poison vixen). I liked the plot twists and generally liked the ending. I wish Stefan had some closure and we got to see a bit more of Harlow and Henry's life back at the fort, but oh well. I feel like there's opportunity to write more about Bryce's story.
I will note, I noticed a fair amount of similarities to From Blood and Ash. It was definitely not enough to really complain about and was not the majority of the book, and tbh the first few books in the FBAA series are some of my favorites, but the similar minor plot points were noticeable. The "Drained" were basically Craven (mutated humanoid monsters/vampires with a deadly bite but non-deadly claws) who moved mist with them wherever they went. The MMC, Henry, secretly being a less-bad vampire was very similar to Casteel. Even the way both FMCs find out about the vampires and try to run away, but then get chased and f*cked in the woods, is the same. Also, the MMC having a wolf best friend who forms a strong bond with the FMC was like Kieran (and the wolf in this book was named like Kiren or something like that, which raised my eyebrows). Gaven was also very similar to Viktor from FBAA, although Poppy was much more torn up about Viktor's death.
Anyways, overall, I would recommend this. I enjoyed it! It's definitely not perfect, but in a genre that's filled with series that are unnecessarily long and dragged out, I thought this gave us the perfect amount of story and magic. There was a ton of intrigue, and it stood well on it's own two legs.
This has an arranged marriage trope, vampires, a "black widow" type FMC who has poison powers, and a lot of smut (primal kink, BDSM, praise kink, etc.). There's also some good jealousy, one-horse trope, "my wife," and "touch her and die" moments. Check triggers because there are some intense ones here.
On the very positive side, the story is captivating. While there are times where the world-building was a bit confusing, the actual plot and magic had me completely invested. I picked up this book and really never put it down again, which is saying something because it's 600+ pages on kindle. I was up until 1:00am finishing it. I generally liked both main characters. Also, I pride myself on being able to predict the endings for books like this, but I genuinely had no idea what was going to happen at the end of this book. The person who ended up being Rochelli was one of my main suspects, but I also had 3-4 suspects, so it could've been other people too. I don't think I've ever read another FMC with these particular powers, and I was completely fascinated by how her powers worked.
That said, this book could really benefit from an editor. There is a lot of repetitive text which makes it seem like the author forgot she already wrote something and would write the literal EXACT sentence of internal monologue again from the other main character's POV. I also thought the FMC, in particular, had a lot of internal monologue that could have been cut down. Finally, I thought that the FMC and the MMC seemed to have these grand plans for the entire book (while being manipulated by both sets of their parents), but towards the end of the book, where were those initial grand plans? I don't even know what the original plans were supposed to be. In particular, it seemed like Henry and his family had nothing really planned at all in their quest for revenge despite constantly referencing the big plans they had for Harlow and her family. It seems like Harlow and Kellan kind of sorted everything for them.
Spoilers ahead! I also didn't love how the claiming bite sex scene happened right after
The ending of this book had some really great plot twists. I knew something was off with Aidia because she never really seemed to be on page with other people and came out at the weirdest times, but I did not predict what had happened and thought her story had more to do with her glamour magic. The story of Harlow and Aidia was truly a messed up tale. Rochelli was a pretty good twist too (although, it was one of my predictions because I was thinking earlier in the book about how she never suspected him but him being Rochelli would be very similar to her secretly being the poison vixen). I liked the plot twists and generally liked the ending. I wish Stefan had some closure and we got to see a bit more of Harlow and Henry's life back at the fort, but oh well. I feel like there's opportunity to write more about Bryce's story.
I will note, I noticed a fair amount of similarities to From Blood and Ash. It was definitely not enough to really complain about and was not the majority of the book, and tbh the first few books in the FBAA series are some of my favorites, but the similar minor plot points were noticeable. The "Drained" were basically Craven (mutated humanoid monsters/vampires with a deadly bite but non-deadly claws) who moved mist with them wherever they went. The MMC, Henry, secretly being a less-bad vampire was very similar to Casteel. Even the way both FMCs find out about the vampires and try to run away, but then get chased and f*cked in the woods, is the same. Also, the MMC having a wolf best friend who forms a strong bond with the FMC was like Kieran (and the wolf in this book was named like Kiren or something like that, which raised my eyebrows). Gaven was also very similar to Viktor from FBAA, although Poppy was much more torn up about Viktor's death.
Anyways, overall, I would recommend this. I enjoyed it! It's definitely not perfect, but in a genre that's filled with series that are unnecessarily long and dragged out, I thought this gave us the perfect amount of story and magic. There was a ton of intrigue, and it stood well on it's own two legs.
December 27, 2025
If the main two characters had a motto, I think it would be “risk your life behind enemy lines because mom and dad said to, accomplish nothing”
I loved the first few chapters and then suddenly I realized I went from awesome femme fatale lore to just the same four people having the same conversations over and over and over again. It just feels like nothing HAPPENS after the wedding. Like the main characters go off and are completely removed from all of the actual plot lines. If they stayed in the main city I think it would have been more interesting, but instead we just get like 600 pages of pure dialogue, usually very repetitive dialogue too. He can’t be poisoned by her, and that’s literally her whole thing. The Poison Daughter literally stops poisoning people after like the first chapter. I feel ripped off.
Both of these people are supposed to be spying on countries they have a mortal grudge against and neither of them actually succeed at anything. Any information they ever get is handed to them, frequently out of no where and not by their own spying skills. There is no sneaking, no sabotaging, just two people lying to each other badly while fully aware they are being lied to. And it goes on freaking forever. This book needed to be like 200 pages shorter if not more.
The main characters are very flirty, but at no point did I feel like they actually had much chemistry. They both “hate” each other but for reasons I don’t really think make much sense. Like sure her dad killed his family but it’s not like she even knows about that or condones it. He sees her poison people and he’s so horrified about that for some reason. And then he turns around and does the same thing and stabs people and for some reason she’s disgusted? Like guys come on, you’re doing the same exact thing, get over it. All of their dialogue, which is probably 70% of the book btw, is just probing for information and then flirting to deflect. Rinse repeat. Rinse repeat. Like even in the end, I feel like she doesn’t give a crap about him, she just keeps him around because he’s the only one she can actually have a physical relationship with.
Anyway, the book was too long, the characters were too far removed from the actual story, and everyone talks entirely too much. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely skipped large sections because I couldn’t take all of the talking.
I loved the first few chapters and then suddenly I realized I went from awesome femme fatale lore to just the same four people having the same conversations over and over and over again. It just feels like nothing HAPPENS after the wedding. Like the main characters go off and are completely removed from all of the actual plot lines. If they stayed in the main city I think it would have been more interesting, but instead we just get like 600 pages of pure dialogue, usually very repetitive dialogue too. He can’t be poisoned by her, and that’s literally her whole thing. The Poison Daughter literally stops poisoning people after like the first chapter. I feel ripped off.
Both of these people are supposed to be spying on countries they have a mortal grudge against and neither of them actually succeed at anything. Any information they ever get is handed to them, frequently out of no where and not by their own spying skills. There is no sneaking, no sabotaging, just two people lying to each other badly while fully aware they are being lied to. And it goes on freaking forever. This book needed to be like 200 pages shorter if not more.
The main characters are very flirty, but at no point did I feel like they actually had much chemistry. They both “hate” each other but for reasons I don’t really think make much sense. Like sure her dad killed his family but it’s not like she even knows about that or condones it. He sees her poison people and he’s so horrified about that for some reason. And then he turns around and does the same thing and stabs people and for some reason she’s disgusted? Like guys come on, you’re doing the same exact thing, get over it. All of their dialogue, which is probably 70% of the book btw, is just probing for information and then flirting to deflect. Rinse repeat. Rinse repeat. Like even in the end, I feel like she doesn’t give a crap about him, she just keeps him around because he’s the only one she can actually have a physical relationship with.
Anyway, the book was too long, the characters were too far removed from the actual story, and everyone talks entirely too much. I didn’t hate it, but I definitely skipped large sections because I couldn’t take all of the talking.
January 12, 2026
It's only January, but I already know this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year.
If you're a romantasy fan, read The Poison Daughter immediately! You won't regret it.
If you're a romantasy fan, read The Poison Daughter immediately! You won't regret it.
April 9, 2025
I will never be able to get married because this book ruined me. I am a ruined woman. AND I READ AN EARLY DRAFT. y'all are not ready for this. I cried so much.
October 7, 2025
So, this is very tricky for me to rate as I didn’t realize this was a DARK romance. Without the smut? 4.5 rounded up to 5 / 5! However, this smut… I didn’t expect how damn dark this dark romance would be 😅 After the second big smut scene (IYKYK), I seriously thought about DNFing. If you are someone who doesn’t read dark romance too much, please ignore the handful of people saying it’s not that smutty (someone literally said 3/5 spice level!?!?!??) - it is *incredibly* smutty and very explicit and it’s, in my opinion, extremely degrading and hard to read. It’s also massively focused on kinks like voyeurism and it’s extremely violent. (I’m upset about Shane. Haha).
Other than the smut? Amazing representation and depictions of chronic pain (migraines), trauma, broken family life and domestic abuse, etc. Just overall quite well written. Clearly well thought out and planned and I loved all the twists and the ending!
Other than the smut? Amazing representation and depictions of chronic pain (migraines), trauma, broken family life and domestic abuse, etc. Just overall quite well written. Clearly well thought out and planned and I loved all the twists and the ending!
November 10, 2025
This started off really strong for me and I loved the premise, but it unfortunately lost me in the second half. A lot of the spice was darker and just not my cup of tea. In general there was a lot of lying, manipulation, and betrayal that was glossed over and forgiven easily, so the romance fell flat for me.
Overall, there was a lot of internal monologue and a lot of build up for a hasty resolution.
The premise was there, and I loved her prose (so many great quotes!) but this one unfortunately just didn’t hit for me like I had hoped!
Overall, there was a lot of internal monologue and a lot of build up for a hasty resolution.
The premise was there, and I loved her prose (so many great quotes!) but this one unfortunately just didn’t hit for me like I had hoped!
October 24, 2025
I devoured The Poison Daughter like it was the air I breath. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book this long as quickly. I couldn’t put it down!
The Poison Daughter is down right addictive and made me forget I was reading. All of a sudden I’d read 100 pages and it felt like 5 minutes.
The writing is so flawless and easy to get drawn into. It’s immaculately paced, with the perfect balance of character building, plot, banter, and tension.
Harlow is a new favorite FMC. I love her vigilante tendencies to save women being abused by men, her abrasiveness and quick comebacks. She is strong and defiant and I was here for every minute of it. She takes matters into her own hands and we love a bad b*tch FMC.
Neither of them want this arranged marriage, and they make it known to each other. But I loved how even though they have opposing goals, they still wanted the best for one another.
The banter and back and forth between Harlow and Henery is everythingggg. The slow burn tension between them is ❤️🔥 and seeing the start to trust each other was so cute.
Henry is a top tier book boyfriend!!! He’s got ulterior motives, but he doesn’t hurt Harlow in the process. He’s also fine as hell and so confident it’s sexy. The sex rituals were hot as hell too.
I loved the end and how it all came together! I want more of them!
Thank you Sheila for the ARC! This is truly an amazing book and is one of my top reads of the year.
Tropes:
Arranged marriage
Political intrigue
Loathing to love
One horse
Hurt/comfort
One bath
The Poison Daughter is down right addictive and made me forget I was reading. All of a sudden I’d read 100 pages and it felt like 5 minutes.
The writing is so flawless and easy to get drawn into. It’s immaculately paced, with the perfect balance of character building, plot, banter, and tension.
Harlow is a new favorite FMC. I love her vigilante tendencies to save women being abused by men, her abrasiveness and quick comebacks. She is strong and defiant and I was here for every minute of it. She takes matters into her own hands and we love a bad b*tch FMC.
Neither of them want this arranged marriage, and they make it known to each other. But I loved how even though they have opposing goals, they still wanted the best for one another.
The banter and back and forth between Harlow and Henery is everythingggg. The slow burn tension between them is ❤️🔥 and seeing the start to trust each other was so cute.
Henry is a top tier book boyfriend!!! He’s got ulterior motives, but he doesn’t hurt Harlow in the process. He’s also fine as hell and so confident it’s sexy. The sex rituals were hot as hell too.
I loved the end and how it all came together! I want more of them!
Thank you Sheila for the ARC! This is truly an amazing book and is one of my top reads of the year.
Tropes:
Arranged marriage
Political intrigue
Loathing to love
One horse
Hurt/comfort
One bath
December 4, 2025
dark romance with a baddie fmc with a poison kiss 💋 dark fantasy arranged marriage
what I liked:
-super creative and interesting magic set up:
different divines impart different blessings and Harlow can see them based on auras
-twist on vampires
-chronic migraine rep
-large dysfunctional/abusive family dynamics (her feelings and thoughts about it really nailed it and felt appropriate to fantasy world and setting)
-close with sister
-MMC lost his ability to see color in attack ten years prior, his friends have gotten the ability back when they fall in love
What I didn’t like:
-long! I think some pro editing would’ve helped it feel more concise. I started skimming at 70%
-for a book with feminist undertones, the MMC had frat bro vibes a lot of the times. I had a hard time finding his personality consistent or likable. She was given strict behavioral mandates to not embarrass him or make him look weak. For example, they have a hunt right before their arranged marriage wedding. At this point they have already been intimate (but not had sex). Part of the wedding involves them having sex. He plans to have sex with a previous partner of his and it goes into detail about how attracted he is to her, her smell etc. She walks up to him taking her up against a tree about to have intercourse. He explains to his friends how he needs to “get it out of his system” or some such. The next page or so she’s confessing she’s never had an orgasm. Her previous partner was a woman. It doesn’t track for me.
-it was enemies to lovers but until the very end they kind of each do what they wanted without much regard for the other unless it wouldn’t work for their “plan”
-the exhibitionism in the book didn’t feel hot or integrated, it was in front of their enemies, people in their community they eat meals with she is just getting to know etc. For me personally felt a bit exploitative the way it was written.
If you like a long slow burning dark romantasy you may enjoy this. Check triggers.
what I liked:
-super creative and interesting magic set up:
different divines impart different blessings and Harlow can see them based on auras
-twist on vampires
-chronic migraine rep
-large dysfunctional/abusive family dynamics (her feelings and thoughts about it really nailed it and felt appropriate to fantasy world and setting)
-close with sister
-MMC lost his ability to see color in attack ten years prior, his friends have gotten the ability back when they fall in love
What I didn’t like:
-long! I think some pro editing would’ve helped it feel more concise. I started skimming at 70%
-for a book with feminist undertones, the MMC had frat bro vibes a lot of the times. I had a hard time finding his personality consistent or likable. She was given strict behavioral mandates to not embarrass him or make him look weak. For example, they have a hunt right before their arranged marriage wedding. At this point they have already been intimate (but not had sex). Part of the wedding involves them having sex. He plans to have sex with a previous partner of his and it goes into detail about how attracted he is to her, her smell etc. She walks up to him taking her up against a tree about to have intercourse. He explains to his friends how he needs to “get it out of his system” or some such. The next page or so she’s confessing she’s never had an orgasm. Her previous partner was a woman. It doesn’t track for me.
-it was enemies to lovers but until the very end they kind of each do what they wanted without much regard for the other unless it wouldn’t work for their “plan”
-the exhibitionism in the book didn’t feel hot or integrated, it was in front of their enemies, people in their community they eat meals with she is just getting to know etc. For me personally felt a bit exploitative the way it was written.
If you like a long slow burning dark romantasy you may enjoy this. Check triggers.
January 5, 2026
Woah first 5 star read of the year. I LOVED THIS BOOK. Holyyy fuck balls i loved this book. Magic system was insane, easy to follow but unique in its own way. FMC is a straight badass, AND SHES IN HER THIRTIES. I couldn’t believe it, i was like FUCKING FINALLLYYY im reading about a woman who gets headaches, not an 18 year old who somehow knows how to fight with no training. The MMC was DELICIOUS. So damn delicious. He was so much more than a “who did this to you” MMC (even though he absolutely said that at one point) our guy Henry had WIT for days, the banter was literally some of the best I’ve read in awhile. You guys, if i could read this book again for the first time i absolutely would. AND ITS A STANDALONE.
December 30, 2025
เปิดเริ่องมาแบบค่ดดดเริ่ดดดด แบบห้าดาวปะเนี่ย ฟีลนั้นเลย
แต่อ่านๆ ไปละรู้สึกว่ามันยำใหญ่ใส่สารพัดเกิน พล็อตทวิสต์อาฟเต้อพล็อตทวิสต์ ซึ่งอันที่ว้าวก้มีหลายอัน แต่อันที่คาดหวังตอนท้ายมันดัน underwhelming เนี่ยดิ55555 แถมเหลือประเด็นที่ปิดไม่ครบอีกต่างหาก ทั้งๆ ที่ยาว 650 หน้า
แต่ก้ต้องให้ตรงที่มันยาวก้จริงแต่เราอ่านแบบไม่มีช่วงเบื่อเลยแฮะ
ลื่นๆ ตลอดทั้งเรื่อง พระนาง enemies to lovers จิง และลูกบ้าเยอะดีทั้งคู่ โรแม้นซ์อีโมชันน่อลลี่สโลวเบินจ๊าดดดด แต่สไปซ์อิสสไปซิ่งเวรี่กู้ดเวรี่เวลเลยล่ะ และ kinky ใช้ได้อ่าน cw ด้วยละกันจ้า
spice level: 3.5/5
แต่อ่านๆ ไปละรู้สึกว่ามันยำใหญ่ใส่สารพัดเกิน พล็อตทวิสต์อาฟเต้อพล็อตทวิสต์ ซึ่งอันที่ว้าวก้มีหลายอัน แต่อันที่คาดหวังตอนท้ายมันดัน underwhelming เนี่ยดิ55555 แถมเหลือประเด็นที่ปิดไม่ครบอีกต่างหาก ทั้งๆ ที่ยาว 650 หน้า
แต่ก้ต้องให้ตรงที่มันยาวก้จริงแต่เราอ่านแบบไม่มีช่วงเบื่อเลยแฮะ
ลื่นๆ ตลอดทั้งเรื่อง พระนาง enemies to lovers จิง และลูกบ้าเยอะดีทั้งคู่ โรแม้นซ์อีโมชันน่อลลี่สโลวเบินจ๊าดดดด แต่สไปซ์อิสสไปซิ่งเวรี่กู้ดเวรี่เวลเลยล่ะ และ kinky ใช้ได้อ่าน cw ด้วยละกันจ้า
spice level: 3.5/5
October 2, 2025
✨𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
📖: The Poison Daughter
“𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦?”
Harlow projects the public persona of the dutiful daughter of the most powerful family of Lunameade while moonlighting as a vigilante against abusers. Taught to never show weakness and to always uphold a united front, Harlow finds herself at the mercy of her family’s machinations. She’s betrothed again…to a mark she tried to unsuccessfully unalive. Henry is a man with plenty of secrets and she’ll stop at nothing to uncover them. And under no circumstances can she fall in love.
Tropes:
🖤Dark Romantasy Standalone
💋M*rder Meet Cute
🧪She's poison to everyone but him
☠️Vigilante FMC
🚫Touch her & 💀
🙌MCs in their 30s
💍Arranged marriage
🛏️Seggs Rituals 🌶️
🩸Vampires
Once in a while a book sinks its claws into you so deep. Sheila never fails to stir all my emotions and this book is a crowning achievement for a dark Romantasy that celebrates rage and vengeance while weaving a compelling tale of survival, trauma, and coming out on the other side.
This is a story that makes you feel viscerally and ache deeply. The slow burn works its way under your skin and the snark and verbal sparring is some of the best I’ve read.
Both MCs shoulder the burden of loss and sacrifice and I wanted nothing more than to see these two broken souls find acceptance and revenge. Within the dark themes, Harlow is luminous— a portrait of simmering feminine rage. Henry’s internal conflict and possessive nature lend to a raging inferno of passion. He’s a little devious and dangerous and I am obsessed with his feral side. Harlow and Henry are ingrained into my soul and their story of healing shines.
The Poison Daughter is a masterpiece that devastates before it pieces your heart back together—a must-read for Romantasy lovers of feminine rage, emotional devastation, and arranged marriage with a twist!
So grateful to the author for the ARC opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review
📖: The Poison Daughter
“𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦?”
Harlow projects the public persona of the dutiful daughter of the most powerful family of Lunameade while moonlighting as a vigilante against abusers. Taught to never show weakness and to always uphold a united front, Harlow finds herself at the mercy of her family’s machinations. She’s betrothed again…to a mark she tried to unsuccessfully unalive. Henry is a man with plenty of secrets and she’ll stop at nothing to uncover them. And under no circumstances can she fall in love.
Tropes:
🖤Dark Romantasy Standalone
💋M*rder Meet Cute
🧪She's poison to everyone but him
☠️Vigilante FMC
🚫Touch her & 💀
🙌MCs in their 30s
💍Arranged marriage
🛏️Seggs Rituals 🌶️
🩸Vampires
Once in a while a book sinks its claws into you so deep. Sheila never fails to stir all my emotions and this book is a crowning achievement for a dark Romantasy that celebrates rage and vengeance while weaving a compelling tale of survival, trauma, and coming out on the other side.
This is a story that makes you feel viscerally and ache deeply. The slow burn works its way under your skin and the snark and verbal sparring is some of the best I’ve read.
Both MCs shoulder the burden of loss and sacrifice and I wanted nothing more than to see these two broken souls find acceptance and revenge. Within the dark themes, Harlow is luminous— a portrait of simmering feminine rage. Henry’s internal conflict and possessive nature lend to a raging inferno of passion. He’s a little devious and dangerous and I am obsessed with his feral side. Harlow and Henry are ingrained into my soul and their story of healing shines.
The Poison Daughter is a masterpiece that devastates before it pieces your heart back together—a must-read for Romantasy lovers of feminine rage, emotional devastation, and arranged marriage with a twist!
So grateful to the author for the ARC opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review
November 17, 2025
Good premise, could have cut like 200 pages from this standalone novel because of how repetitive it started to get. I didn’t need everything explained over and over again.
The plot had some good twists, but it was not as impactful because the lessons learned in the story were starting to sound very self help book-ish, or like I had to be hand held through themes the author was portraying. The editing also started to fall apart near the end - events cutting to another time in the next chapter with little explanation, etc. it was fine :)
The plot had some good twists, but it was not as impactful because the lessons learned in the story were starting to sound very self help book-ish, or like I had to be hand held through themes the author was portraying. The editing also started to fall apart near the end - events cutting to another time in the next chapter with little explanation, etc. it was fine :)
September 29, 2025
Immediately forwarding Sheila my therapy bill after finishing this book!!!
It's no secret that Sheila Masterson is one of my favorite authors ever. I recommend all of her books every chance I get and the same now goes for The Poison Daughter. As soon as I finished the book I was sad because IT'S OVERRRRRR, and I don't want it to be over but I'm already planning a reread so I will be back.
Harlow, our FMC, is SO unhinged and that's why I love her. She is a force to be reckoned with and honestly idk why anyone underestimates her haha. Harlow is very whitty, sharp, and SO funny--she made me laugh so much. She's been through a lot, and I mean A LOT and of course I'm not going to spoil the plot but I would love to just give her the biggest hug. Harlow deserves the world and more and by the end of the book I think she got it. Sheila just writes so beautifully and she handles the really hard topics in this book so well and with so much care.
Henry, our MMC, trust the process for real!!!!! He has some moments in the book that make you scratch your head but then things happen and it all makes sense. I love him just as much as our girl Harlow, and let me tell you.. he is so DOWN BAD for her. The banter between them is CHEFS KISS and you they will definitely make you feel all the things. I was constantly giggling and kicking my feet anytime one would irritate the other because you just knew that they would come back swinging.
There were so many twists and turns and events that just shocked me into silence because I wasn't expecting them at all! I was GAGGED which made the book and my experience reading so much fun. I love the way Sheila writes her world building because it never feels like too much, yaknow? This book did hurt me, but like in the best way, and I know I'm gonna think about these characters for a long time. Harlow and Henry are up there with some of my favorite characters Sheila has written and I'm honestly so excited to see what she writes next. I do think this is her SPICIEST book yet because wdym A SEX RITUAL!!!! The magnetic pull between Harlow and Henry was off the charts.
- BANTER BANTER BANTER
- SHE HAS POISON AS A WEAPON
- FEMININE RAGE
- ARRANGED MARRIAGE
- VAMPIRES
"Just because you can bear your pain better doesn't mean you should have to."
I'd make sure to check the TWs before picking up this book, but I'm biased, and I think every one should read it. Thank you so much for the eARC Sheila, I love being on your team and rooting for you. I'm so proud of you and my favorite thing is just yelling at you in DMs and you replying with the "Hehe cat". Another book of yours I get to scream about to my friends and I'm so excited!!!
The Poison Daughter releases October 3rd, 2025!!!
It's no secret that Sheila Masterson is one of my favorite authors ever. I recommend all of her books every chance I get and the same now goes for The Poison Daughter. As soon as I finished the book I was sad because IT'S OVERRRRRR, and I don't want it to be over but I'm already planning a reread so I will be back.
Harlow, our FMC, is SO unhinged and that's why I love her. She is a force to be reckoned with and honestly idk why anyone underestimates her haha. Harlow is very whitty, sharp, and SO funny--she made me laugh so much. She's been through a lot, and I mean A LOT and of course I'm not going to spoil the plot but I would love to just give her the biggest hug. Harlow deserves the world and more and by the end of the book I think she got it. Sheila just writes so beautifully and she handles the really hard topics in this book so well and with so much care.
Henry, our MMC, trust the process for real!!!!! He has some moments in the book that make you scratch your head but then things happen and it all makes sense. I love him just as much as our girl Harlow, and let me tell you.. he is so DOWN BAD for her. The banter between them is CHEFS KISS and you they will definitely make you feel all the things. I was constantly giggling and kicking my feet anytime one would irritate the other because you just knew that they would come back swinging.
There were so many twists and turns and events that just shocked me into silence because I wasn't expecting them at all! I was GAGGED which made the book and my experience reading so much fun. I love the way Sheila writes her world building because it never feels like too much, yaknow? This book did hurt me, but like in the best way, and I know I'm gonna think about these characters for a long time. Harlow and Henry are up there with some of my favorite characters Sheila has written and I'm honestly so excited to see what she writes next. I do think this is her SPICIEST book yet because wdym A SEX RITUAL!!!! The magnetic pull between Harlow and Henry was off the charts.
- BANTER BANTER BANTER
- SHE HAS POISON AS A WEAPON
- FEMININE RAGE
- ARRANGED MARRIAGE
- VAMPIRES
"Just because you can bear your pain better doesn't mean you should have to."
I'd make sure to check the TWs before picking up this book, but I'm biased, and I think every one should read it. Thank you so much for the eARC Sheila, I love being on your team and rooting for you. I'm so proud of you and my favorite thing is just yelling at you in DMs and you replying with the "Hehe cat". Another book of yours I get to scream about to my friends and I'm so excited!!!
The Poison Daughter releases October 3rd, 2025!!!
September 14, 2025
✨The Poison Daughter✨
Well, I need a month to recover. Haven’t slept because all I can do is think about this book and these characters. And I’m not surprised. Anything Sheila writes is a book I never want to put down. It’s like it physically hurts to leave her worlds and characters. I STILL daydream regularly about her Lost God series and I know I will about this one too. I FREAKING LOVED THIS.
We follow both Harlow and Henry in this standalone Romantasy where vampire-like creatures terrorize the outside walls, but the scariest monsters reside within. Harlow is a woman out for vengeance and the peace she thinks it’ll bring as she secretly murders women’s abusers with her poisonous kiss. When she is caught off guard by an arranged marriage to a city her family abandoned to die, Harlow’s keys to freeing her and her sister from their horrific lives get a lot trickier.
Henry wants nothing more than to bring the Carrenwell’s down after they left his city to die by the Drained and he lost his sister and he is willing to do whatever it takes to do it- including breaking his new wife, Harlow. But Harlow is not the demure female he expected. No, Henry may have just met his monstrous match.
Full of unique spiritual hierarchy, magics, and two UNHINGED MCs, this book is more than a good time. It is a heartbreaking and delicately navigated traverse through desperately hard topics such as abuse and grief. The rage, pain, and development with these characters is palpable and they’re ones that will stay in my heart long term. I ALWAYS love Sheila’s writing and this one is up there with her fave series of mine. And y’all, IT IS SPICY in a deliciously feral kind of way.
The tension in this story had me more worked up than the characters, I think. I couldn’t bear setting this book down and not seeing where these MCs went. I had theories that were very right and others that were very wrong. It was painful. It was beautiful. It was romantic. The plot twist and reveals SHOCKED and it all still made me so empathetic and happy.
Tropes you may find in TPD are forced proximity, unique magics, dual first person POV, arranged marriage, lots of banter and edging, grief and chronic pain rep, political intrigue, he’s immune to her magic, vigilante FMC with a poisonous kiss, medium high (or like 4 🌶️) spice, comfort, everyone is a suspect and morally grey, plot twists, hidden identities, “who did this to you”, feral MMC with as many secrets as scars, PERFECT ending.
Sheila, I have loved every minute being on your ST since The Memory Curse. You’re one of my all time faves. THANK YOU.
Well, I need a month to recover. Haven’t slept because all I can do is think about this book and these characters. And I’m not surprised. Anything Sheila writes is a book I never want to put down. It’s like it physically hurts to leave her worlds and characters. I STILL daydream regularly about her Lost God series and I know I will about this one too. I FREAKING LOVED THIS.
We follow both Harlow and Henry in this standalone Romantasy where vampire-like creatures terrorize the outside walls, but the scariest monsters reside within. Harlow is a woman out for vengeance and the peace she thinks it’ll bring as she secretly murders women’s abusers with her poisonous kiss. When she is caught off guard by an arranged marriage to a city her family abandoned to die, Harlow’s keys to freeing her and her sister from their horrific lives get a lot trickier.
Henry wants nothing more than to bring the Carrenwell’s down after they left his city to die by the Drained and he lost his sister and he is willing to do whatever it takes to do it- including breaking his new wife, Harlow. But Harlow is not the demure female he expected. No, Henry may have just met his monstrous match.
Full of unique spiritual hierarchy, magics, and two UNHINGED MCs, this book is more than a good time. It is a heartbreaking and delicately navigated traverse through desperately hard topics such as abuse and grief. The rage, pain, and development with these characters is palpable and they’re ones that will stay in my heart long term. I ALWAYS love Sheila’s writing and this one is up there with her fave series of mine. And y’all, IT IS SPICY in a deliciously feral kind of way.
The tension in this story had me more worked up than the characters, I think. I couldn’t bear setting this book down and not seeing where these MCs went. I had theories that were very right and others that were very wrong. It was painful. It was beautiful. It was romantic. The plot twist and reveals SHOCKED and it all still made me so empathetic and happy.
Tropes you may find in TPD are forced proximity, unique magics, dual first person POV, arranged marriage, lots of banter and edging, grief and chronic pain rep, political intrigue, he’s immune to her magic, vigilante FMC with a poisonous kiss, medium high (or like 4 🌶️) spice, comfort, everyone is a suspect and morally grey, plot twists, hidden identities, “who did this to you”, feral MMC with as many secrets as scars, PERFECT ending.
Sheila, I have loved every minute being on your ST since The Memory Curse. You’re one of my all time faves. THANK YOU.
January 1, 2026
3⭐️ gosh where do I even begin….. this is sort of spoilery so take that what you will
“The divines work in mysterious ways” came up at least 5 times. Once would already be too many.
This felt like the author wrote down a list of tropes they wanted to include, and then dedicated 2-3 chapters as a mini story for each trope. Sometimes I actually love that but this was so overly tropey I was annoyed. When we finally get the truth about Henry I was like oh geez here we go….🙄
This book was structured as what I like to call “According to right now” meaning things were explained only as they happened. There was no structure to the plot. We jumped from thing to thing so rapidly. There was very little continuity. Like Henry was supposed to have greyscale vision, but he knew some rando had red hair. Or he was ultra possessive but then randomly was like “I’m going to share you” and then that never came back up again. Or her begging to go home and check on her sister and then being like “why did you summon me” to her parents. Errr what?
It started to get a little red pilly with the “women must respect their husband” from Henry and I didn’t love that.
I struggled to tell the difference between Henry and Harlows POV because the author wrote them in the same way. They used the same words and the same phrases. Even the parents on both sides did the same things as the other. Not to mention, Harlows personality was not consistent throughout the book and she really started to suck towards the end. I loved her whole “I’m going to protect women from abusers” bit but she didn’t actually care about protecting them.
Don’t even get me started about the twist about the sister. Seriously PMO. It was first person POV so Henry KNEW and was mad about it and it never came up in his POV??? Not even a hint.
I would have DNFed but I wanted to know who Rochelli was. Which was the only thing I didn’t mind about the story. It made sense who he was.
“The divines work in mysterious ways” came up at least 5 times. Once would already be too many.
This felt like the author wrote down a list of tropes they wanted to include, and then dedicated 2-3 chapters as a mini story for each trope. Sometimes I actually love that but this was so overly tropey I was annoyed. When we finally get the truth about Henry I was like oh geez here we go….🙄
This book was structured as what I like to call “According to right now” meaning things were explained only as they happened. There was no structure to the plot. We jumped from thing to thing so rapidly. There was very little continuity. Like Henry was supposed to have greyscale vision, but he knew some rando had red hair. Or he was ultra possessive but then randomly was like “I’m going to share you” and then that never came back up again. Or her begging to go home and check on her sister and then being like “why did you summon me” to her parents. Errr what?
It started to get a little red pilly with the “women must respect their husband” from Henry and I didn’t love that.
I struggled to tell the difference between Henry and Harlows POV because the author wrote them in the same way. They used the same words and the same phrases. Even the parents on both sides did the same things as the other. Not to mention, Harlows personality was not consistent throughout the book and she really started to suck towards the end. I loved her whole “I’m going to protect women from abusers” bit but she didn’t actually care about protecting them.
Don’t even get me started about the twist about the sister. Seriously PMO. It was first person POV so Henry KNEW and was mad about it and it never came up in his POV??? Not even a hint.
I would have DNFed but I wanted to know who Rochelli was. Which was the only thing I didn’t mind about the story. It made sense who he was.
September 26, 2025
The Poison Daughter was my first time reading a book by Sheila but it will certainly not be my last!
If you are a fan of Dark Fantasy Romance with Marriage of Inconvenience, Vigilante FMC, M*rder Meet Cute, She’s Poison To Everyone But Him, Touch Her and 💀, MCs In Their 30s, Vampires and so much more this one is for you!
Harlow is a woman on a mission with a poison kiss and just so happens to moonlight as a serial unaliver, unaliving abusers. When she gets her next assignment she is shocked when he doesn’t die from her kiss and little does she know her future husband was the target.
Henry loathes Harlow’s family and will do whatever it takes to bring them down, including accepting the arrange marriage with the women who tried to unalive him. Harlow knows there must be something else going on for him to agree to marry her and to protect her family and the city goes along with the scheme.
It doesn’t take long for their mutual loathing to turn into attraction, they both like how they irritate each other but that doesn’t mean they have to fall in love right? They start to see they can work together towards their common goal to stop the Drained.
I loved the almost feral nature of Henry, he becomes possessive of the women he is supposed to hate and can’t help loving when she puts up a fight with him and not backing down. When they finally clash in a smexy way it is pure fire.
Family is a huge motivator for Harlow’s actions and I loved seeing the interactions with her and Henry’s friends, Gaven and her siblings.
As a reader I was drawn in and sympathized with Harlow and her chronic pain but that never held her back. She is a force to be reckoned with after everything she has had to endure and will stop at nothing to protect those she loves.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
If you are a fan of Dark Fantasy Romance with Marriage of Inconvenience, Vigilante FMC, M*rder Meet Cute, She’s Poison To Everyone But Him, Touch Her and 💀, MCs In Their 30s, Vampires and so much more this one is for you!
Harlow is a woman on a mission with a poison kiss and just so happens to moonlight as a serial unaliver, unaliving abusers. When she gets her next assignment she is shocked when he doesn’t die from her kiss and little does she know her future husband was the target.
Henry loathes Harlow’s family and will do whatever it takes to bring them down, including accepting the arrange marriage with the women who tried to unalive him. Harlow knows there must be something else going on for him to agree to marry her and to protect her family and the city goes along with the scheme.
It doesn’t take long for their mutual loathing to turn into attraction, they both like how they irritate each other but that doesn’t mean they have to fall in love right? They start to see they can work together towards their common goal to stop the Drained.
I loved the almost feral nature of Henry, he becomes possessive of the women he is supposed to hate and can’t help loving when she puts up a fight with him and not backing down. When they finally clash in a smexy way it is pure fire.
Family is a huge motivator for Harlow’s actions and I loved seeing the interactions with her and Henry’s friends, Gaven and her siblings.
As a reader I was drawn in and sympathized with Harlow and her chronic pain but that never held her back. She is a force to be reckoned with after everything she has had to endure and will stop at nothing to protect those she loves.
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
October 19, 2025
This book could have been half as long just by cutting out the repetitive internal monologues. This book is all character development and very little plot.
And “denouncement” and a single murder is a pathetic plot for 10 years of planning.
And “denouncement” and a single murder is a pathetic plot for 10 years of planning.
November 11, 2025
Not a bad book, but also not great. The concept was intriguing.
January 7, 2026
Seriously. 6 stars ⭐️ I’m both elated and sad because I started my year off with this book and it was gold 🤌🏻
I hope it doesn’t make everything else feel like a flop.
I can’t say enough about this book. Do not sleep on it. Bump it up your TBR.
We need more stand alones like this. Also I love that the FMC is 30. This book on multiple occasions had me stand up abruptly and scream. I’m so sad it is over. Go read it now. Check your triggers. This is a dark fantasy.
✅ true enemies to lovers
✅vampires
✅forced proximity
✅plot twist!!!
✅the spice is SPICING!
✅ “MY WIFE”
✅feminine rage
✅slowwwww burn
✅banter 🤌🏻
I hope it doesn’t make everything else feel like a flop.
I can’t say enough about this book. Do not sleep on it. Bump it up your TBR.
We need more stand alones like this. Also I love that the FMC is 30. This book on multiple occasions had me stand up abruptly and scream. I’m so sad it is over. Go read it now. Check your triggers. This is a dark fantasy.
✅ true enemies to lovers
✅vampires
✅forced proximity
✅plot twist!!!
✅the spice is SPICING!
✅ “MY WIFE”
✅feminine rage
✅slowwwww burn
✅banter 🤌🏻
Read
December 25, 2025At past thee talked to death
now my heart fly at sky
talk many joy tals reach the star
my heart talk many fealing
talk wishs to be heart talker
many coler naw paint my photo
violit eyes
rose faces
gray cold past and many open coven
wkat a mouth can make thee drink poison honey
no i paint life by joy smile mouth
i win unclosed coven wedding party
shadow of color for real clear naw
at mountin of blood and sin live hone time
now my heart fly at sky
talk many joy tals reach the star
my heart talk many fealing
talk wishs to be heart talker
many coler naw paint my photo
violit eyes
rose faces
gray cold past and many open coven
wkat a mouth can make thee drink poison honey
no i paint life by joy smile mouth
i win unclosed coven wedding party
shadow of color for real clear naw
at mountin of blood and sin live hone time
December 20, 2025
One of the best standalone books I’ve ever read. Such a well written and captivating book. Harlow was such an amazing FMC, and the man that Henry isss 🤌🏻🫶🏻 full of twists I didn’t see coming
December 29, 2025
There were several points of betrayal where the strong minded FMC instantly forgives. Her personality differs throughout the book.
I was so shocked that minutes after she found a huge secret she let her claim her and have sex... like what? that is the opposite of her and the way she doesn't care about Gaven's death....
I was so shocked that minutes after she found a huge secret she let her claim her and have sex... like what? that is the opposite of her and the way she doesn't care about Gaven's death....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2025
I haven’t been able to shut up about this book. This is now my favorite fantasy standalone. There are so many nuances in this story that I can’t begin to cover it all, but I will highlight what captivated me most. First of all, this is true enemies to lovers, which I deeply appreciate. Second, the trauma/PTSD/Grief portrayal is so accurate and realistic that it made me spiral a bit, but it was so worth it. Additionally, the chronic pain representation was perfect. Anyone who deals with chronic pain or chronic illness will feel SO SEEN. And don’t even get me started on the feminine rage…it was so satisfying 👏👏👏Reading this book was exciting, tense, devastating, and cathartic.
Tropes and topics:
-arranged marriage
-enemies to lovers
-political intrigue
-vampires
-multiple revenge schemes
-vigilante justice
-grief
-PTSD
-Sexual harassment/assault threats (not explicit/on page??)
-chronic pain rep
-domestic abuse
Favorite quotes:
“It would be easier to give in, but I don’t need a hero. I have saved myself far too many times to need a man to do it for me.”
“it’s not enough to be guarded from men, just like it’s not enough to avenge myself against their violence. I have ingested it, sucked it from their marrow. I’ve become the monster. Because it’s not an appeal to their empathy that will make men fall in line. It’s the fear that they aren’t the most dangerous thing walking these streets.”
“Manipulation is not my favorite tactic because it’s a man’s tool, but there’s no denying its effectiveness.”
““When a community is built on removing access to information—from disempowering its people—there is no one to save them when a bigger threat rises. The first civilizations to fall are the ones where no one speaks truth to power, where every voice must be part of a chorus or be silenced. In our histories from the time before our nomadic clans, we know well that those who do not embrace the diversity of their communities are doomed to die out.”
“I never imagined someone would crawl inside my chest, touch my rawest wound, and fall in love with the monster it made of me.”
Tropes and topics:
-arranged marriage
-enemies to lovers
-political intrigue
-vampires
-multiple revenge schemes
-vigilante justice
-grief
-PTSD
-Sexual harassment/assault threats (not explicit/on page??)
-chronic pain rep
-domestic abuse
Favorite quotes:
“It would be easier to give in, but I don’t need a hero. I have saved myself far too many times to need a man to do it for me.”
“it’s not enough to be guarded from men, just like it’s not enough to avenge myself against their violence. I have ingested it, sucked it from their marrow. I’ve become the monster. Because it’s not an appeal to their empathy that will make men fall in line. It’s the fear that they aren’t the most dangerous thing walking these streets.”
“Manipulation is not my favorite tactic because it’s a man’s tool, but there’s no denying its effectiveness.”
““When a community is built on removing access to information—from disempowering its people—there is no one to save them when a bigger threat rises. The first civilizations to fall are the ones where no one speaks truth to power, where every voice must be part of a chorus or be silenced. In our histories from the time before our nomadic clans, we know well that those who do not embrace the diversity of their communities are doomed to die out.”
“I never imagined someone would crawl inside my chest, touch my rawest wound, and fall in love with the monster it made of me.”
November 1, 2025
I was liking it until I wasn't anymore. That was my feeling in the middle of the book. I liked the first part a lot, the middle part was getting on my nerves, and the last part was actually good. I liked the powerful families play. The way everyone was using Harlow was very interesting and she could literally trust nobody, certainly not her family, nor her husband. I would have enjoyed hearing more about the power of Harlow, her use and her studies about it. I absolutely love the way her migraine pains were described and these parts I could read again because they are so well done. Henry was making me annoyed half of the time. How dare he kill Gaven? His parents were also annoying for hiding so many things from Henry, isn't he suppoed to be a grown adult? There were also so many lies between Henry and Harlow it was sometimes even hard to follow. Harlow was able to tell when he was lying, but it wasn't clear how she did it and it wasn't consistent. Their love isn't really a representation of love I like, especially because of all the lies, manipulation and hurt they projected. I didn't like the culture in Mountain Haven, I don't care. I wasn't expecting her sister to be dead and that was a plot twist well done. I have to mention the alcohol problem, so many alcohol is casually present in this book, and it's making me frustrated. When you notice how much authors write about alcohol, you notice it everywhere. It normalises alcohol and makes it look fun, but we forget about the damages it causes just because it's socially acceptable and even encouraged in our society. Just so you realise: wine is mentioned 94 times, whiskey 19 times, alcohol 7 times. General beverages with alcohol are mentioned more than a 100 times in a book of less than 700 pages... (I wouldn't read the whole book again.) (Chapters 41, 47, 48, 49 were annoying and not going in a direction I liked)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2026
ARC Review 📖
I cannot say enough how much I loved this book. It had me feeling a rollercoaster of emotions and several times I had to stop and just sit with some of the scenes and quotes. Just like Harlow likes it, this story was equal parts pleasure and pain and an all around beautiful exploration of grief, power, and healing. Oh, and there’s vampires!
Harlow will be your new fave FMC! She is a delightfully unhinged powerhouse! The relationships with her family are well thought out and contain layers that peel back as you go. I am a sucker for an arranged marriage and all the forced proximity it provides- but just saying- no one would have to force me to be near Henry 😂 these characters are 🔥🥵
The aspect that resonated most with me was the chronic pain/migraine representation. It had some of the most on point and visceral depictions of the despair felt in those moments of suffering, coupled with the resounding resilience of soldiering on. I can’t emphasis enough how much that meant to read. Even going back to pull quotes for this review had me choked up. Thank you, Sheila.
What to expect:
🥀 30yo Vigilante FMC
💋 Feminine Rage
🥀 Tortured Yearning
💋 Arranged Marriage
🥀 Spicy Rituals
💋 Political Intrigue
🥀 Chronic Pain Rep
💋 F the Patriarchy
🥀 Sister Bonds
This is a top read of the year for me and I can’t wait for everyone to check it out! Thank you for having me as an ARC reader, Sheila!!
I cannot say enough how much I loved this book. It had me feeling a rollercoaster of emotions and several times I had to stop and just sit with some of the scenes and quotes. Just like Harlow likes it, this story was equal parts pleasure and pain and an all around beautiful exploration of grief, power, and healing. Oh, and there’s vampires!
Harlow will be your new fave FMC! She is a delightfully unhinged powerhouse! The relationships with her family are well thought out and contain layers that peel back as you go. I am a sucker for an arranged marriage and all the forced proximity it provides- but just saying- no one would have to force me to be near Henry 😂 these characters are 🔥🥵
The aspect that resonated most with me was the chronic pain/migraine representation. It had some of the most on point and visceral depictions of the despair felt in those moments of suffering, coupled with the resounding resilience of soldiering on. I can’t emphasis enough how much that meant to read. Even going back to pull quotes for this review had me choked up. Thank you, Sheila.
What to expect:
🥀 30yo Vigilante FMC
💋 Feminine Rage
🥀 Tortured Yearning
💋 Arranged Marriage
🥀 Spicy Rituals
💋 Political Intrigue
🥀 Chronic Pain Rep
💋 F the Patriarchy
🥀 Sister Bonds
This is a top read of the year for me and I can’t wait for everyone to check it out! Thank you for having me as an ARC reader, Sheila!!
October 16, 2025
DNF at 30%. This book had so much potential. The author is decent at writing. But this book sadly fell into the trap that so many other romantasy books have fallen into lately:
-NOT EVERY BOOK NEEDS TO BE 600++ PAGES. If this book was a tight <400 pages, that would’ve helped keep my interest. I was flipping through pages and pages, desperately trying to get to the plot.
-It’s not enemies-to-lovers if they’re *immediately* doing h0rny sh!t. Give me romantic TENSION and YEARNING.
-Similar to the above point: not all FMCs need to be SO overtly sexy, wearing lingerie to courtly functions, and with a body count in the dozens. It’s just not interesting. I’m tired of it.
Maybe I need a break from romantasy. You could apply the above critiques to a lot of the recent books of this genre.
-NOT EVERY BOOK NEEDS TO BE 600++ PAGES. If this book was a tight <400 pages, that would’ve helped keep my interest. I was flipping through pages and pages, desperately trying to get to the plot.
-It’s not enemies-to-lovers if they’re *immediately* doing h0rny sh!t. Give me romantic TENSION and YEARNING.
-Similar to the above point: not all FMCs need to be SO overtly sexy, wearing lingerie to courtly functions, and with a body count in the dozens. It’s just not interesting. I’m tired of it.
Maybe I need a break from romantasy. You could apply the above critiques to a lot of the recent books of this genre.
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