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Veil of Desires
A king’s deadly secret. A daughter’s dangerous rebellion. A love that could destroy them both.
In 1706, London is a city of shadows and secrets, where the reverend’s daughter, Victoria Clark, dreams of freedom from the oppressive weight of duty. While her family schemes to marry her off for political gain, Victoria is drawn to Elias Turner, the mysterious, reclusive new king who has reopened the castle gates after forty years. Their fateful encounter in the castle’s hidden library sparks a connection that will change both their lives forever.
Unknown to Victoria, Elias hides a darker truth—he is a vampire, seeking a queen to rule beside him. As their bond deepens, Victoria becomes increasingly aware of the injustices her father’s rule has false accusations, nightly hunts, and a city gripped by fear. When a violent attack reveals Elias’s supernatural nature, Victoria is forced to confront her deepest convictions and the dangerous allure of the man who saved her life.
With rebellion brewing and Elias and Victoria caught in a whirlwind of betrayal and forbidden passion, their love defies societal norms, even as her father declares war on Elias. As chaos engulfs the city, Victoria must choose between loyalty to her family and her love for the vampire.
Dark, romantic, and intoxicating, Veil of Desires is a gothic fantasy where faith and temptation collide, and surrendering to passion may be the most dangerous choice of all.
In 1706, London is a city of shadows and secrets, where the reverend’s daughter, Victoria Clark, dreams of freedom from the oppressive weight of duty. While her family schemes to marry her off for political gain, Victoria is drawn to Elias Turner, the mysterious, reclusive new king who has reopened the castle gates after forty years. Their fateful encounter in the castle’s hidden library sparks a connection that will change both their lives forever.
Unknown to Victoria, Elias hides a darker truth—he is a vampire, seeking a queen to rule beside him. As their bond deepens, Victoria becomes increasingly aware of the injustices her father’s rule has false accusations, nightly hunts, and a city gripped by fear. When a violent attack reveals Elias’s supernatural nature, Victoria is forced to confront her deepest convictions and the dangerous allure of the man who saved her life.
With rebellion brewing and Elias and Victoria caught in a whirlwind of betrayal and forbidden passion, their love defies societal norms, even as her father declares war on Elias. As chaos engulfs the city, Victoria must choose between loyalty to her family and her love for the vampire.
Dark, romantic, and intoxicating, Veil of Desires is a gothic fantasy where faith and temptation collide, and surrendering to passion may be the most dangerous choice of all.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 26, 2026
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Savannah Schmidt
8 books39 followersSavannah Schmidt is a romance author spending her days in North Georgia with her daughter and husband. With a degree in Media and Communications, she actually began her creative journey in elementary school, writing chapter books about animals and comics about her grandmother’s cat, and she believes that there’s always “a story that hasn’t been told yet.” When she isn't writing fiercely independent heroines finding their unique voice, she likes to play video games and take her young daughter on Starbucks dates, shopping at Ingles, and sharing a pink drink.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was lucky to get this copy as an advance reader copy from the author. it wasnt something I normallynwould read, but I thought "why not?" and im glad i read it! the author did an amazing job keeping the setting of the book in the 1700s with her writing. I appreciated not trying to make it modern, but still on that time era like alot of authors do these days. it felt very bridgerton meets interview with a vampire to me, which I loved. Victoria and Elias were meant to be together. even when people tried to tear them apart they knew they were for eachother. Elias is the type of MMC that you want your significant other to be. Caring but would also tear the world apart for you.
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January 10, 2026Veil of Desires is a dark, emotionally driven story with a strong cast of characters at its core. Victoria is a compelling and relatable protagonist, and I especially appreciated how flawed and human the characters feel. Particularly her mother and John, who are written with real depth and moral complexity. The story features effective emotional turns and shifting relationships that add genuine weight, with the stakes building steadily as the plot unfolds.
While I enjoyed the world and the character dynamics, the reading experience can feel a bit uneven at times. There are moments where transitions between events are abrupt, and the language and tone occasionally feel inconsistent with the historical setting. A tighter edit would help smooth the pacing and make the story feel more cohesive.
That said, the emotional core is strong, and the characters are what really carry the story. Readers who enjoy dark fantasy with morally complex relationships and rising tension will find a lot to like here.
Note: I received an advance review copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.
While I enjoyed the world and the character dynamics, the reading experience can feel a bit uneven at times. There are moments where transitions between events are abrupt, and the language and tone occasionally feel inconsistent with the historical setting. A tighter edit would help smooth the pacing and make the story feel more cohesive.
That said, the emotional core is strong, and the characters are what really carry the story. Readers who enjoy dark fantasy with morally complex relationships and rising tension will find a lot to like here.
Note: I received an advance review copy of this book and am leaving a review voluntarily.
January 27, 2026
3 stars out of 5.
1 peppers out of 5 spice.
**I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
Genre: Gothic Fantasy
Multi-POV
First Person
Tropes:
Forbidden Love
Vampires
Veil of Desires is a book I was excited to read and that I really want to love. I do love it, but there are some issues I have that had me bring down the rating, and almost all of these issues arise in the last 28% of the story. First 73% of the book - 5/5, last 28% - 2/5.
Summary 5/5:
Veil of Desires is a gothic fantasy that primarily follows Victoria and Elias, though sometimes it did shift to a third POV. While to me, the book was marketed as an enemies-to-lovers story, at best that is due to the setting of humans and the Church versus the Supernatural. It is a fast paced story, with the characters constantly having forces trying to pull them apart, so something is always happening.
Writing Style 4/5:
I have a love-hate relationship with the writing style. The story is set in the 1700s, so the writing style and prose is rather archaic. It's beautifully done and very fitting for the story. However, it's constant to the point it's over done and was becoming exhausting. It was giving Captain Barbas "I am disinclined to acquiesce your request" vibes on everything. I get the story is in first person, but sometimes the archaic prose outside of speech was becoming just a bit too much and I started taking breaks so as not to begin zoning out. Everything was being poetically described - the candlelight, the paper, the stained glass; but at the same time, some things that could of been described weren't - the time of day, the smells, character actions and behaviors. Sometimes it felt like too much, and sometimes it felt like there wasn't enough information given.
Characters: 3/5:
I really enjoyed our two main characters, Victoria and Elias. I loved that they weren't perfect; they had opinions, morals, wants, fears, mistakes. Not everything was handed to them on a silver platter, and I love that in a book. I was not a fan of most of the side characters, sometimes they just didn't make sense in the story and were doing 180s from what they were doing or saying earlier in the story. It felt like these 180s were there just to provide another plot twist for Victoria and Elias but otherwise didn't make sense or feel like they served a purpose in the story.
World Building 2/5:
The story is set in 1700 London, with a little bit of other places as well, but the world building revolves around London. The Church versus the Supernatural, a fun, exciting setting to have that has lots of opportunity. Outside of London, the world building starts to fall flat, with no conflicts and peace and harmony. The conflict orbits London and only London. We also don't really see much of anything when we're outside of London.
Story 3.5/5:
This is where I split the most in opinion. The first 73% I really enjoyed, and had the story ended at that mark, I would of been happy. The last 28% of the story felt unnecessary, almost like the author finished the story and then thought it was too short and instead of fleshing out what she already had, she instead just added a bunch of new stuff to make it longer. This is when the characters began doing their 180s and I began disengaging from the story.
Positives:
- I really loved the first 73% of this book, and had it ended there, I would probably be rating this a 5/5 save for a few inconsistencies.
-A lot of love was put into developing Elias and Victoria, and it's nice to read a story where the main characters aren't Mary Sues and having everything handed to them. They had to fight to be together.
-I enjoyed the writing style, it was beautiful and poetic, albeit a bit exhausting after a while.
Negatives:
-There were a lot of inconsistencies and plot holes throughout the whole story. The majority weren't anything major that caused too much confusion, but it would make me pause and go "wait, what?". There was one event that feels like it's missing a whole chapter. One page the character is fine and safe, and the next we're being told the character is kidnapped... but somehow the person they reunited with is safe at the rendezvous point.
-To build on the previous point, it feels like the book suffers from the lack of butterfly edits, building all of these small inconsistencies and minor plot holes or random new information late into the story. There isn't a lot of foreshadowing going on, and instead new stuff is just constantly being added.
-I personally could have done without the last 28% of the story. The first 73% could of been expanded or slowed down culminating in the conclusion at the 73% mark. The last 28% felt like it just came out of left field.
-This rating might be influenced by the last 28%.
-The side characters don't make a lot of sense in the last 28%....
-Some events don't feel like they were necessary to the story as a whole except to just add a new conflict for Victoria and Elias just because.
Recommend?
I recommend the first 73%. I would of liked that story to be longer. If you like this theming of book, gothic fantasy, vampires, forbidden romance, you will probably enjoy this book.
1 peppers out of 5 spice.
**I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
Genre: Gothic Fantasy
Multi-POV
First Person
Tropes:
Forbidden Love
Vampires
Veil of Desires is a book I was excited to read and that I really want to love. I do love it, but there are some issues I have that had me bring down the rating, and almost all of these issues arise in the last 28% of the story. First 73% of the book - 5/5, last 28% - 2/5.
Summary 5/5:
Veil of Desires is a gothic fantasy that primarily follows Victoria and Elias, though sometimes it did shift to a third POV. While to me, the book was marketed as an enemies-to-lovers story, at best that is due to the setting of humans and the Church versus the Supernatural. It is a fast paced story, with the characters constantly having forces trying to pull them apart, so something is always happening.
Writing Style 4/5:
I have a love-hate relationship with the writing style. The story is set in the 1700s, so the writing style and prose is rather archaic. It's beautifully done and very fitting for the story. However, it's constant to the point it's over done and was becoming exhausting. It was giving Captain Barbas "I am disinclined to acquiesce your request" vibes on everything. I get the story is in first person, but sometimes the archaic prose outside of speech was becoming just a bit too much and I started taking breaks so as not to begin zoning out. Everything was being poetically described - the candlelight, the paper, the stained glass; but at the same time, some things that could of been described weren't - the time of day, the smells, character actions and behaviors. Sometimes it felt like too much, and sometimes it felt like there wasn't enough information given.
Characters: 3/5:
I really enjoyed our two main characters, Victoria and Elias. I loved that they weren't perfect; they had opinions, morals, wants, fears, mistakes. Not everything was handed to them on a silver platter, and I love that in a book. I was not a fan of most of the side characters, sometimes they just didn't make sense in the story and were doing 180s from what they were doing or saying earlier in the story. It felt like these 180s were there just to provide another plot twist for Victoria and Elias but otherwise didn't make sense or feel like they served a purpose in the story.
World Building 2/5:
The story is set in 1700 London, with a little bit of other places as well, but the world building revolves around London. The Church versus the Supernatural, a fun, exciting setting to have that has lots of opportunity. Outside of London, the world building starts to fall flat, with no conflicts and peace and harmony. The conflict orbits London and only London. We also don't really see much of anything when we're outside of London.
Story 3.5/5:
This is where I split the most in opinion. The first 73% I really enjoyed, and had the story ended at that mark, I would of been happy. The last 28% of the story felt unnecessary, almost like the author finished the story and then thought it was too short and instead of fleshing out what she already had, she instead just added a bunch of new stuff to make it longer. This is when the characters began doing their 180s and I began disengaging from the story.
Positives:
- I really loved the first 73% of this book, and had it ended there, I would probably be rating this a 5/5 save for a few inconsistencies.
-A lot of love was put into developing Elias and Victoria, and it's nice to read a story where the main characters aren't Mary Sues and having everything handed to them. They had to fight to be together.
-I enjoyed the writing style, it was beautiful and poetic, albeit a bit exhausting after a while.
Negatives:
-There were a lot of inconsistencies and plot holes throughout the whole story. The majority weren't anything major that caused too much confusion, but it would make me pause and go "wait, what?". There was one event that feels like it's missing a whole chapter. One page the character is fine and safe, and the next we're being told the character is kidnapped... but somehow the person they reunited with is safe at the rendezvous point.
-To build on the previous point, it feels like the book suffers from the lack of butterfly edits, building all of these small inconsistencies and minor plot holes or random new information late into the story. There isn't a lot of foreshadowing going on, and instead new stuff is just constantly being added.
-I personally could have done without the last 28% of the story. The first 73% could of been expanded or slowed down culminating in the conclusion at the 73% mark. The last 28% felt like it just came out of left field.
-This rating might be influenced by the last 28%.
-The side characters don't make a lot of sense in the last 28%....
-Some events don't feel like they were necessary to the story as a whole except to just add a new conflict for Victoria and Elias just because.
Recommend?
I recommend the first 73%. I would of liked that story to be longer. If you like this theming of book, gothic fantasy, vampires, forbidden romance, you will probably enjoy this book.
January 26, 2026
Vampire diaries meets Bridgerton?
- Setting: 1700’s London.
- FMC: Young, impressionable, sheltered girl who wants to be free from the constraints of her life and society. We see her go through an infatuation with one man, whom she has had ‘encounters’ with in the past who is now married to settling on a man who seems a secure and decent enough option to realizing she has deeper feelings for the king who she eventually ends up with.
- MMC: Slightly older in human years - very much older if you count his actual years alive - a vampire, sorta dark and broody, very protective, has a past which haunts him, overall not a lot of character growth other than he allows himself to fall in love again.
- Almost from the very beginning there are issues with the 1700’s timeline. When novels mention a specific time or time period it makes me feel like it’s actually important to the story. When you have things like cardboard, films, printed photographs, and stiletto heels it yanks you immediately out of the 1700’s world that was worked so hard to be built up and kind of ruins things for a minute.
- There were a couple of times where the story was unfolding and the scene was set and things were happening and then all of a sudden something would happen that didn’t fit how the scene was set up. Chapter 6: he puts his knuckles under her chin even though the chapter begins with a point being about him sitting at the farthest spot from her at the table, meaning he couldn’t have reached her without getting up and walking to her, which it never says he did. Chapter 9: Victoria is in the carriage with John and Jane and she gets flustered and it says she exits the carriage, but then later she’s said to exit the carriage again. The two scenes in the rose garden: in the first trip into the rose garden they discuss how beautiful the roses are and how they “blush under the moons gaze”. But during the second visit to the garden he makes a point to apologize for the lack of roses. For this one specifically I feel like all of the additional details about the garden itself and the state of its roses should have been given during the first scene instead of the second to make the conversation feel less out of place and/or like there was an oversight in what was previously said.
- There’s a couple of spots that a repetitive if not repeated verbatim from previous scenes.
- There’s plenty of examples where things just didn’t make sense at all.
- Everyone is in love with Victoria????
I did overall enjoy the book, I think with some more stringent proofing and editing it could easily be a 5 star read! The basic concept and characters are great! I love the idea of this and it could easily be something that turns into a great series! Just needs some better fine tuning.
***I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
- Setting: 1700’s London.
- FMC: Young, impressionable, sheltered girl who wants to be free from the constraints of her life and society. We see her go through an infatuation with one man, whom she has had ‘encounters’ with in the past who is now married to settling on a man who seems a secure and decent enough option to realizing she has deeper feelings for the king who she eventually ends up with.
- MMC: Slightly older in human years - very much older if you count his actual years alive - a vampire, sorta dark and broody, very protective, has a past which haunts him, overall not a lot of character growth other than he allows himself to fall in love again.
- Almost from the very beginning there are issues with the 1700’s timeline. When novels mention a specific time or time period it makes me feel like it’s actually important to the story. When you have things like cardboard, films, printed photographs, and stiletto heels it yanks you immediately out of the 1700’s world that was worked so hard to be built up and kind of ruins things for a minute.
- There were a couple of times where the story was unfolding and the scene was set and things were happening and then all of a sudden something would happen that didn’t fit how the scene was set up. Chapter 6: he puts his knuckles under her chin even though the chapter begins with a point being about him sitting at the farthest spot from her at the table, meaning he couldn’t have reached her without getting up and walking to her, which it never says he did. Chapter 9: Victoria is in the carriage with John and Jane and she gets flustered and it says she exits the carriage, but then later she’s said to exit the carriage again. The two scenes in the rose garden: in the first trip into the rose garden they discuss how beautiful the roses are and how they “blush under the moons gaze”. But during the second visit to the garden he makes a point to apologize for the lack of roses. For this one specifically I feel like all of the additional details about the garden itself and the state of its roses should have been given during the first scene instead of the second to make the conversation feel less out of place and/or like there was an oversight in what was previously said.
- There’s a couple of spots that a repetitive if not repeated verbatim from previous scenes.
- There’s plenty of examples where things just didn’t make sense at all.
- Everyone is in love with Victoria????
I did overall enjoy the book, I think with some more stringent proofing and editing it could easily be a 5 star read! The basic concept and characters are great! I love the idea of this and it could easily be something that turns into a great series! Just needs some better fine tuning.
***I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2026
Veil of Desires by Savannah Schmidt has a strong and compelling premise, and I genuinely wanted to love this story. The overarching idea and emotional tension are there, and I can absolutely see why this book works for some readers.
Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing before finishing. The biggest issue for me was the writing style and pacing. While I appreciate the author’s attempt to stay true to the language and tone of the time period, the prose often felt overbearing and difficult to get through. On top of that, there were noticeable gaps between chapters where important emotional or plot developments seemed to happen off-page, which made it hard to stay fully connected to the story.
The occasional use of modern words or phrasing also pulled me out of the historical atmosphere, making the tone feel inconsistent at times.
That said, this is not a reflection of a poor storyline. I actually think the concept is excellent, and I would have loved to see it through if the execution had been smoother for me. This just ended up being a case where the writing style became a barrier rather than an immersive experience.
Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing before finishing. The biggest issue for me was the writing style and pacing. While I appreciate the author’s attempt to stay true to the language and tone of the time period, the prose often felt overbearing and difficult to get through. On top of that, there were noticeable gaps between chapters where important emotional or plot developments seemed to happen off-page, which made it hard to stay fully connected to the story.
The occasional use of modern words or phrasing also pulled me out of the historical atmosphere, making the tone feel inconsistent at times.
That said, this is not a reflection of a poor storyline. I actually think the concept is excellent, and I would have loved to see it through if the execution had been smoother for me. This just ended up being a case where the writing style became a barrier rather than an immersive experience.
Review of advance copy received from Author
**I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily **
If Bridgerton was gothic with vampires...
I enjoyed this one! It hooked me early on in the story. I liked the FMC, although she has some flaws, I mean who doesn't? She questions how things are and if they're right, but doesn't actually take any actions to rectify things. She also is very flippant, one minute something upsets her and the next she no longer cares about it. The MMC is lovely, a good balance of romantic and gentle, but becomes aggressive when needed. I did find some parts darkly humorous, not sure if that is intentional or just me. I really liked their relationship development as they started out as friends.
I liked the writing style and the old London vibes. I would've liked to see a bit more struggle and character development for the FMC, she gives in too easily for my taste.
If you're looking for a romantic 17th century gothic vampire story, look no further!
If Bridgerton was gothic with vampires...
I enjoyed this one! It hooked me early on in the story. I liked the FMC, although she has some flaws, I mean who doesn't? She questions how things are and if they're right, but doesn't actually take any actions to rectify things. She also is very flippant, one minute something upsets her and the next she no longer cares about it. The MMC is lovely, a good balance of romantic and gentle, but becomes aggressive when needed. I did find some parts darkly humorous, not sure if that is intentional or just me. I really liked their relationship development as they started out as friends.
I liked the writing style and the old London vibes. I would've liked to see a bit more struggle and character development for the FMC, she gives in too easily for my taste.
If you're looking for a romantic 17th century gothic vampire story, look no further!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book was a 3/5 for me. It was the first time I’ve read a book from this time period and the language was hard for me to get through. Probably not the type of book for me. I overall enjoyed the book/the concept, but felt like there were missing pieces throughout the story. Certain scenes would jump ahead where I felt like I was missing a chapter or two, and came in confused as to how they got to that scene from another. It also felt like the love story jumped around too much between partners and how everyone felt towards each other. Just seemed very fickle to me in parts. Overall not a bad read, just think it could use some time to be released and make sure the storyline flows a bit better. Thank you to the author for an arc copy of this book for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Honestly the first half of this book was so good, I was in love with Elisa and Victoria. I was so zoned in that I couldn't stop reading. Then a little more than halfway through the book everything changed. It's not bad, but I feel like it's not the same from the beginning. So in the beginning I thought it was something different, and then the ending it turns into more action-wise? It is still a great book to read cuz the storyline is great, the characters are fabulous, and everything about the book is great. I do wish that the second half the book kind of flowed a little bit better, it felt kind of rushed but I still liked it a lot. If you're looking for like a 1700 book where the author literally almost follows it to a T this is a book for you.
January 26, 2026
If you are looking for a book that has Interview with a Vampire meets Bridgerton vibes, this book is for you.
I found this book to be a great pallet cleanser from what is becoming the standard for the romantasy genre. You’ll get dark fantasy, romance, age gap, slow burn and more.
I really appreciated how the author keeps our main characters relatable. The FMC is strong, hardheaded, craving knowledge of the unknown, but she is also flawed at the same time. The MMC checks the morally gray boxes. He is both our dream gentleman, mixed with Mr. burn the world down for his woman kind of man.
The author does a great job at keeping the reader emotionally attached to our main character’s stories. The plot of this story was fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
I found this book to be a great pallet cleanser from what is becoming the standard for the romantasy genre. You’ll get dark fantasy, romance, age gap, slow burn and more.
I really appreciated how the author keeps our main characters relatable. The FMC is strong, hardheaded, craving knowledge of the unknown, but she is also flawed at the same time. The MMC checks the morally gray boxes. He is both our dream gentleman, mixed with Mr. burn the world down for his woman kind of man.
The author does a great job at keeping the reader emotionally attached to our main character’s stories. The plot of this story was fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I had the immense privilege of getting to read some of the very first versions of this story. It was and is such a delicious breath of fresh air. The start of this story was so immaculate that I felt whisked away in a rare way that so few stories do to me these days. The backstories are so deep these characters almost feel real. I do wish we could have lived Elias backstory like another reader said but it's also fine as is. The pain they experience hits you to the core. Very well done and I can't wait to see where this goes next. If you are thinking about attempting this one do it!
I thank the author for this gift to read early.
I thank the author for this gift to read early.
January 25, 2026
**MINOR SPOILER**
Overall the plot was great! The buildup to the reveal that King Elias is a vampire was detailed and magical. However after that, things started happening very quickly and almost rushed. One minute we’re one location, the next we’re suddenly somewhere else entirely. At one point I had no idea Elias had even been captured and had go back to see if I had misread something. Overall the relationship between Elias and Victoria was sweet and I enjoyed seeing how it grew. I wish the book had been more detailed and less rushed, but overall it was nice!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Overall the plot was great! The buildup to the reveal that King Elias is a vampire was detailed and magical. However after that, things started happening very quickly and almost rushed. One minute we’re one location, the next we’re suddenly somewhere else entirely. At one point I had no idea Elias had even been captured and had go back to see if I had misread something. Overall the relationship between Elias and Victoria was sweet and I enjoyed seeing how it grew. I wish the book had been more detailed and less rushed, but overall it was nice!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really enjoyed this book. I
liked Elias and Victoria as characters. They felt flushed out and real to me. Elias is a mmc I enjoyed learning about and following his arc and Victoria felt very real and relatable.
The overall story arch was captivating. Im more of a romance lover and less into slow burn so someone who enjoys slow burn fantasy would be really into this one. I would definitely recommend you check this one out!
liked Elias and Victoria as characters. They felt flushed out and real to me. Elias is a mmc I enjoyed learning about and following his arc and Victoria felt very real and relatable.
The overall story arch was captivating. Im more of a romance lover and less into slow burn so someone who enjoys slow burn fantasy would be really into this one. I would definitely recommend you check this one out!
January 12, 2026
Omg I am in LOVE with this book! The scenery, the atmosphere, the time period, the characters, I’m in love with it all! It really felt like I was there in the 1700s, falling in love with Elias right alongside Victoria. This was a book I definitely didn’t want to put down. I’m a slow reader, and I finished it in 3 days. This was my first book by Savannah and I’m excited to dive into more of her works! I just wish Veil of Desires was a series so I could love it more!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I signed up to read an advance copy. I love a good vampire book or vampire anything. I loved the time period this was based on and it seems like the language was spot on. The issues I had was that it was multiple POV which isn’t a problem, the problem was I didn’t know which POV at the beginning of each chapter. There was no indicator until you kept reading. The other issue I had was that it felt like there wasn’t much description at times.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Initially, I rated this 3.5⭐, but after the events involving Victoria, my overall impression changed, bringing it down to about 1.75⭐. There were multiple jumps in the storyline that made it difficult to stay fully engaged. More detail and smoother progression between events would have greatly improved the reading experience for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy
While this book was well written, I found the storyline left unfinished in many aspects. The timeline bounced around, and there was little to no explanations on certain aspects of character development, which led me to be confused at times. OTHERWISE, I really did love this book! The language, oh the language! This is how my beloved and I speak to each other! Looking forward to another. I did receive an advanced copy, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book, WOW. I could not stop reading. As soon as I started I knew that I was going to be in for something special. It grabbed me within the first few pages and I was hooked. This book moves along at a pace that is perfect for the flow of the story making for an easy and enjoyable read. It has characters that no matter what happens you will love them. This is a book that will not disappoint and has to be read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I loved this gothic romance. I was immediately swept away into another world; the vibes and mood were so well written. I felt like I was in a dream (in the best way). For those wanting to avoid spice, there is one scene towards the middle of the book, otherwise this is an atmospheric tale, with a blossoming love at its centre. Slow-burn done right.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was skeptical of reading this book as this story line is not something I usually gravitate towards. It was a slow start for me but after 20% through the book it had me hooked! I loved the story line and twists throughout!
** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**
** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**
January 29, 2026
What a unique story!! I love the 1700s time frame and feel to the story, and how the author is able to incorporate vampires and other monsters so seamlessly. And the heartbreak is REAL with this story so just be ready for that, but it does end well. Even though it feels like this is a standalone book, I think I would like to see what life has in store for Elias and Victoria next
January 15, 2026
4 stars!!
I got this as an arc and it was so good! Bridgerton x vampires!! The yearning the language, the writing!! Omg! I normally don’t like vampire romances but I wanted to give it a try and it did not disappoint. I was hooked from page one!
🧛 ⚔️✨🩸✝️
I got this as an arc and it was so good! Bridgerton x vampires!! The yearning the language, the writing!! Omg! I normally don’t like vampire romances but I wanted to give it a try and it did not disappoint. I was hooked from page one!
🧛 ⚔️✨🩸✝️
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was lucky enough to be an arc reader for this book, at the beginning the story starts to catch your attention but the more I read it the more I got confused. It was an easy read but the story line was confusing and the two main characters just did not seem like a good fit together in my opinion
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really enjoyed this book. I was lucky to be chosen to read pre-release and it did not disappoint. The characters were well developed and I found myself wanting to read "just one more page". I will definitely be following Savannah's work.
Review of advance copy received from Indie Reviewers
Love the intermingling of historical figures with the paranormal. Although in may head I keep picturing the setting in a different time frame than what is defined. great relationship building between the FMC and MMC lots of twists at the end that weren't expected. ARC Review
Review of advance copy received from Author
Very well written. It kept my my interest the whole time. I just fell in love with the characters.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I enjoyed this book, the plot was intriguing and the setting was perfect. However, the story seemed to jump from one event to the next, with little to no explanation, and then in other instances there was an excessive amount of explanation to obvious things.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
** arc reader**
pretty decent book for a first dabble in this genre.
while the time setting is somewhat inconsistent ( gun and box match in a 1700 castle life setting ) it paints a pretty picture in a well thought out environment.
the romance was advertised as enemies to lovers which was somewhat misleading since characters are mortal enemies but their behavior goes from stranger to lust in a heartbeat. other than this the romance is absolutely wonderful and is the main focus of the story.
the rest of the story however is cliched and feels rushed. ( as if we sprinkle some elements from the vampire diary into a Bridgeton religious story)
overall it was entertaining and interesting.
pretty decent book for a first dabble in this genre.
while the time setting is somewhat inconsistent ( gun and box match in a 1700 castle life setting ) it paints a pretty picture in a well thought out environment.
the romance was advertised as enemies to lovers which was somewhat misleading since characters are mortal enemies but their behavior goes from stranger to lust in a heartbeat. other than this the romance is absolutely wonderful and is the main focus of the story.
the rest of the story however is cliched and feels rushed. ( as if we sprinkle some elements from the vampire diary into a Bridgeton religious story)
overall it was entertaining and interesting.
Review of advance copy
I really enjoyed this book. The love story is probably my favorite part. the FMC was very refreshing. It's nice when the female character knows their mind and in return has a male love interest who falls for her because of her strength. Especially when the world around her is a very misogynistic society. I loved the MMC, he was the ideal man. Did he show some alpha male possessive tendencies when things got sketchy, yes, however he always owned up to any fault on his end. He also never tried to squash the FMC personality. He was genuinely a really good man.
I did feel there was some disjointed narrative where I felt that the plot jumped ahead without giving me all the details between the jump (to be fair. I have found that my kindle has been known to "time jump" so it's highly plausible this was a user error problem). The main reason for one less star is I felt that there could have been more back story for Elias, we get to hear him tell his story and I felt it would have been more powerful if the reader was thrown into the past, feeling it with him.
Even with the little issues here and there, I thought the book was good. I really enjoyed how the author portrayed their love story, it felt genuine and sweet.
I did feel there was some disjointed narrative where I felt that the plot jumped ahead without giving me all the details between the jump (to be fair. I have found that my kindle has been known to "time jump" so it's highly plausible this was a user error problem). The main reason for one less star is I felt that there could have been more back story for Elias, we get to hear him tell his story and I felt it would have been more powerful if the reader was thrown into the past, feeling it with him.
Even with the little issues here and there, I thought the book was good. I really enjoyed how the author portrayed their love story, it felt genuine and sweet.
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