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The Bloodmoon Bride #1
Thorns & Flames
When Selene Fairchild is chosen as one of twelve Bloodmoon Brides offered to the cursed king, she expects death- not destiny.
But beyond the obsidian gates of his cursed keep lies a world of whispers and wonder, where every shadow has teeth and every secret burns.
Drawn to the mysterious King Keiren, whose power and grief are bound by flame, Selene soon finds herself caught between duty and desire, between the girl she was and the fire she's becoming. As the trials of the brides unfold, she uncovers a prophecy older than the realm itself one that ties her fate to the very curse she fears.
With darkness rising and love demanding its own kind of courage, Selene must decide what she's willing to sacrifice for freedom... and who she's willing to become to save them all.
A sweeping romantasy about the courage and quiet strength of the human heart the kind that burns brighter than any fire, even in the darkest night.
But beyond the obsidian gates of his cursed keep lies a world of whispers and wonder, where every shadow has teeth and every secret burns.
Drawn to the mysterious King Keiren, whose power and grief are bound by flame, Selene soon finds herself caught between duty and desire, between the girl she was and the fire she's becoming. As the trials of the brides unfold, she uncovers a prophecy older than the realm itself one that ties her fate to the very curse she fears.
With darkness rising and love demanding its own kind of courage, Selene must decide what she's willing to sacrifice for freedom... and who she's willing to become to save them all.
A sweeping romantasy about the courage and quiet strength of the human heart the kind that burns brighter than any fire, even in the darkest night.
472 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2026
57 people are currently reading
738 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 5, 2026
Started slow but really picked up over the course of the book. The ending was so frustrating only because I know I have to wait for the next one. For a first time author this book was fantastic and I never would have guessed this was her first book. I will be recommending this book to others.
April 29, 2026
This book pulled me in instantly.
Thorns and Flames by Kendal Huntsman was so wonderful. It pulled me in right away, and I kept wondering what would happen next—counting down the moments until I could pick it back up during a busy weekend with a sleepless baby and a sick child.
Now that we’ve made it through that, I was finally able to finish—and it was so worth it.
I love Selene—her spunk, her determination. I love the sisterhood she finds along the way and everything she overcomes on her journey.
Kendal masterfully wrote this beautiful book. I truly cannot recommend it enough.
If you love found family, yearning, and dragons… you will love this book.
Thank you, Kendal, for sending me this work of art. I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Thorns and Flames by Kendal Huntsman was so wonderful. It pulled me in right away, and I kept wondering what would happen next—counting down the moments until I could pick it back up during a busy weekend with a sleepless baby and a sick child.
Now that we’ve made it through that, I was finally able to finish—and it was so worth it.
I love Selene—her spunk, her determination. I love the sisterhood she finds along the way and everything she overcomes on her journey.
Kendal masterfully wrote this beautiful book. I truly cannot recommend it enough.
If you love found family, yearning, and dragons… you will love this book.
Thank you, Kendal, for sending me this work of art. I cannot wait to see what happens next!
March 23, 2026
I fell into this book and did not want to get out! It felt fast-paced and the FMC had serious MC energy, I LOVED it. Selene's nickname throughout is so spot-on. I fell in love with Kieran too from the start - he is complex and dark and mysterious and so tempting. I was thankful for every scene with him and actually disappointed when there was a stretch of pages without him LOL. As for the main plot, it was consistent and clear from start to finish. It left me wanting more. I cannot wait for the next book to see how it develops further and to learn more about the magic in this world, some of the unique creatures we get to meet in book 1, and the romance OMG.
April 27, 2026
This story surprised me in a very good way!
Sometimes you think it’s going to go a certain way and then boom it’s not lol
I feel like I had a lot of those moments while reading this book!
Which for me the trope of trials is hard to impress me but since it was so fast paced it helped for me!
That being said, some of the story seemed to bounce around really fast but you either love that because you get to the hook faster or you want more but never fear! There is more to this story in the next book!
Sometimes you think it’s going to go a certain way and then boom it’s not lol
I feel like I had a lot of those moments while reading this book!
Which for me the trope of trials is hard to impress me but since it was so fast paced it helped for me!
That being said, some of the story seemed to bounce around really fast but you either love that because you get to the hook faster or you want more but never fear! There is more to this story in the next book!
May 5, 2026
Wow! This started off a little slow but I DEVOURED this book. I cannot wait for the 2nd one!!
March 14, 2026
I listened to this as an audiobook. I liked it and thought it was generally well written! I felt a heavy influence of ACOTAR, but often the expectations were subverted and the tropes were handled well I thought.
I liked the friendship between the women, I thought the backstory of our main character being a horse trainer was well thought out and refreshing. I thought the horses were described beautifully and were characters in their own right.
I thought the beginning was the strongest part, the heroine taking care of her sister and establishing of the world was very engaging. I also like the exploration of the theme of deciding for other people, deciding for her sister for example what kind of life she wants. But at the end I suppose the conclusion was still that the main character knew better?... and the sister was never supposed to use her agency and was just supposed to follow our heroine's orders?...
I look forward to the next book and I hope some of the plot holes will be solved, and the strong spirit of the book we'll just get more interesting!
I liked the friendship between the women, I thought the backstory of our main character being a horse trainer was well thought out and refreshing. I thought the horses were described beautifully and were characters in their own right.
I thought the beginning was the strongest part, the heroine taking care of her sister and establishing of the world was very engaging. I also like the exploration of the theme of deciding for other people, deciding for her sister for example what kind of life she wants. But at the end I suppose the conclusion was still that the main character knew better?... and the sister was never supposed to use her agency and was just supposed to follow our heroine's orders?...
I look forward to the next book and I hope some of the plot holes will be solved, and the strong spirit of the book we'll just get more interesting!
February 21, 2026
Really enjoyed this novel. Its themes of surrender, love, forgiveness and friendship are beautifully written.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews