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Her Villain Era #1
Into the Darkness
He kills for a living. She kills to survive.
When Aza is sent to kill a rival assassin, her mission was simple.
But before she can finish the job, the Stars arrive—an extremist faction determined to wipe out every shadow-wielder in the district.
With her life on the line and the city descending into chaos, Aza is forced into an alliance. To stop the Stars and save her sister and best friend, she has to trust the person she was sent to kill.
Fighting side-by-side sparks something she never expected—an attraction that cuts as sharply as her blades.
But revenge is a powerful thing.
And when the time comes, she’ll have to decide what matters settling the score… or saving the district.
She was hired to kill him.
Now she might die saving him instead.
Perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers, morally gray assassins, forced alliances, and dangerous attraction.
When Aza is sent to kill a rival assassin, her mission was simple.
But before she can finish the job, the Stars arrive—an extremist faction determined to wipe out every shadow-wielder in the district.
With her life on the line and the city descending into chaos, Aza is forced into an alliance. To stop the Stars and save her sister and best friend, she has to trust the person she was sent to kill.
Fighting side-by-side sparks something she never expected—an attraction that cuts as sharply as her blades.
But revenge is a powerful thing.
And when the time comes, she’ll have to decide what matters settling the score… or saving the district.
She was hired to kill him.
Now she might die saving him instead.
Perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers, morally gray assassins, forced alliances, and dangerous attraction.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
July 6, 2026
I absolutely loved this book! The banter between Theo and Aza had me kicking my feet the entire time. Theo’s charming, flirtatious personality paired perfectly with Aza’s guarded, no-nonsense attitude, making every interaction so very entertaining.
While the romance was incredibly captivating, it never overshadowed the plot. The story moves at a fast pace, with plenty of action. The fight scenes were especially well written. They were both exciting and easy to follow.
If you’re a fan of morally gray characters, flirty banter, and high-stakes action, you need to add this one to your TBR immediately!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes ✨:
Enemies-to-lovers
Morally gray assassins
Forced alliance
Evil overlord
Feminine rage
Forbidden magic
Found family
🖤: “No. No. No matter what anyone says, I can’t be falling for anyone, let alone the man that tried to kill me. No.”
Thank you to the author and Books & Bloom PR for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
While the romance was incredibly captivating, it never overshadowed the plot. The story moves at a fast pace, with plenty of action. The fight scenes were especially well written. They were both exciting and easy to follow.
If you’re a fan of morally gray characters, flirty banter, and high-stakes action, you need to add this one to your TBR immediately!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes ✨:
Enemies-to-lovers
Morally gray assassins
Forced alliance
Evil overlord
Feminine rage
Forbidden magic
Found family
🖤: “No. No. No matter what anyone says, I can’t be falling for anyone, let alone the man that tried to kill me. No.”
Thank you to the author and Books & Bloom PR for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 18, 2026
This book is the definition of a villain origin story.
Into the Darkness is the first book in a new Dark Fantasy series, In Her Villain Era, about an assassin who must work with a rival she was meant to eliminate to save the people she loves most.
The story follows Aza, a shadow-wielding assassin who is tasked to kill First Breath, another infamous assassin. But before she can complete the assignment, the Stars, a radical group determined to wipe out every shadow wielder, unleashes chaos upon the city. Now, Aza is forced to work with the one she was meant to end in order to save her sister and her best friend.
There is hardly a dull moment in this book, starting from the opening scene of the book up until the very shocking end. I enjoyed Ava’s character a lot. She’s a morally gray assassin through and through, willing to do whatever it takes to save the few people she cares about, these people being her sister Louise and her friend Clara. I also loved Theo. The man manages to be a deadly assassin one moment and a hero the next. The banter he and Ava share was super fun, although I would have liked for their enemies phase to last a little longer. Instead, Theo seemed to bury the hatchet too quickly, but I did like that Ava was more reluctant to trust him initially.
Here are some tropes!
Enemies-to-lovers
Morally gray assassins
Forced alliances
Dangerous attraction
Rating 3.5⭐️
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.
Into the Darkness is the first book in a new Dark Fantasy series, In Her Villain Era, about an assassin who must work with a rival she was meant to eliminate to save the people she loves most.
The story follows Aza, a shadow-wielding assassin who is tasked to kill First Breath, another infamous assassin. But before she can complete the assignment, the Stars, a radical group determined to wipe out every shadow wielder, unleashes chaos upon the city. Now, Aza is forced to work with the one she was meant to end in order to save her sister and her best friend.
There is hardly a dull moment in this book, starting from the opening scene of the book up until the very shocking end. I enjoyed Ava’s character a lot. She’s a morally gray assassin through and through, willing to do whatever it takes to save the few people she cares about, these people being her sister Louise and her friend Clara. I also loved Theo. The man manages to be a deadly assassin one moment and a hero the next. The banter he and Ava share was super fun, although I would have liked for their enemies phase to last a little longer. Instead, Theo seemed to bury the hatchet too quickly, but I did like that Ava was more reluctant to trust him initially.
Here are some tropes!
Enemies-to-lovers
Morally gray assassins
Forced alliances
Dangerous attraction
Rating 3.5⭐️
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.
July 3, 2026
Into the darkness by
Thankyou for this opportunity bet
"Two assassins, hired to kill each other, only to team up against an extremist faction to save the district."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
🔮 Enemies-to-lovers
✨ Forced alliances
🔮 Morally gray characters
✨ Feminine Rage
🔮 Forced proximity
✨ Healing each other
Aza is such a strong character she was sent to kill someone later she would have to choose to either kill him or save district. Fully action packed with lots of twists and slow burn which literally made it more fun. Fighting side-by-side sparks something she never expected—an attraction that cuts as sharply as her blades.
But revenge is a powerful thing.
And when the time comes, she’ll have to decide what matters settling the score… or saving the district.
She was hired to kill him.
Now she might die saving him instead.
I’d highly recommend this book.
Thankyou for this opportunity bet
"Two assassins, hired to kill each other, only to team up against an extremist faction to save the district."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes:
🔮 Enemies-to-lovers
✨ Forced alliances
🔮 Morally gray characters
✨ Feminine Rage
🔮 Forced proximity
✨ Healing each other
Aza is such a strong character she was sent to kill someone later she would have to choose to either kill him or save district. Fully action packed with lots of twists and slow burn which literally made it more fun. Fighting side-by-side sparks something she never expected—an attraction that cuts as sharply as her blades.
But revenge is a powerful thing.
And when the time comes, she’ll have to decide what matters settling the score… or saving the district.
She was hired to kill him.
Now she might die saving him instead.
I’d highly recommend this book.
June 20, 2026
Hello, people!
First of all, let me mention that this book is the first book in the Her Villain Era series.
The protagonist of the story is Aza, who is one of the most interesting heroines and can go to extremes in order to save her own loved ones. As for Theo, what can I say. He is everything you ask for in a man.
The plot is full of suspense, twists, tension and adventure. The world building is wonderful and very well structured.
Finally, the author's writing is captivating, enjoyable, exciting, fast-paced and enchanting.
Thank you very much to the author and Once Upon A Book Tour for the eARC!
This is my honest review!
First of all, let me mention that this book is the first book in the Her Villain Era series.
The protagonist of the story is Aza, who is one of the most interesting heroines and can go to extremes in order to save her own loved ones. As for Theo, what can I say. He is everything you ask for in a man.
The plot is full of suspense, twists, tension and adventure. The world building is wonderful and very well structured.
Finally, the author's writing is captivating, enjoyable, exciting, fast-paced and enchanting.
Thank you very much to the author and Once Upon A Book Tour for the eARC!
This is my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Into The Darkness by Brenna Bustamante
● ARC READ ●
Aza and Louise have grown up with a mother who spends more time working at the local brothel than being present in their lives.
While everyone believes Aza has followed in her mother's footsteps, she's actually living a dangerous double life as a highly trained assassin. Targeting the men who mistreat the women of the brothel.
When Aza is tasked with eliminating another infamous assassin known as First Breath, everything begins to change.
Set in a world where people are born with either Light or Dark wielding powers. Light wielders are respected and hold positions of power. While Dark wielders are looked down upon.
As tensions rise, Aza finds herself caught in a rebellion against The Stars, uncovering secrets that will challenge everything she thought she knew.
This story is filled with action, growth, romance, and revelations.
I really enjoyed this read! The beginning had me completely hooked and while I found the middle slowed down a little and my interest started to waver, the ending more than made up for it.
Bring on book 2!!!
Spice Level 🌶🌶
● ARC READ ●
Aza and Louise have grown up with a mother who spends more time working at the local brothel than being present in their lives.
While everyone believes Aza has followed in her mother's footsteps, she's actually living a dangerous double life as a highly trained assassin. Targeting the men who mistreat the women of the brothel.
When Aza is tasked with eliminating another infamous assassin known as First Breath, everything begins to change.
Set in a world where people are born with either Light or Dark wielding powers. Light wielders are respected and hold positions of power. While Dark wielders are looked down upon.
As tensions rise, Aza finds herself caught in a rebellion against The Stars, uncovering secrets that will challenge everything she thought she knew.
This story is filled with action, growth, romance, and revelations.
I really enjoyed this read! The beginning had me completely hooked and while I found the middle slowed down a little and my interest started to waver, the ending more than made up for it.
Bring on book 2!!!
Spice Level 🌶🌶
June 27, 2026
Thank you to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This one honestly made me a little sad because it had all the ingredients of a book I should have loved.
Enemy assassins?
Grumpy Morally grey FMC?
Sunshine assassin MMC
Forced alliance
The concept is genuinely so much fun, and Theo was an unexpected favourite. I loved seeing the usual romance roles flipped, with Aza carrying all the walls and distrust while Theo was the softer, more optimistic one. Their dynamic kept me reading, and the ending definitely leaves you wanting to know what happens next.
Where it lost me was the execution.
The world never felt fully realised. I couldn’t picture where we were or how this society actually worked, and the magic system stayed frustratingly surface level. Being told characters wield light or shadow magic wasn’t enough—I wanted to understand its rules, limitations and possibilities.
The writing also became repetitive, with the same thoughts and themes revisited so often that they started to lose their impact. Instead of building tension, it slowed the pacing and made it harder for me to connect emotionally with the characters.
I also found myself wanting far more from the supporting cast. Theo’s team seemed interesting, but we barely spent enough time with them to become invested.
This is one of those books where the premise is stronger than the execution. I can absolutely see the potential in both the story and the author, and with stronger world building, deeper character development and tighter editing, I think future books could be significantly stronger.
Things I loved
🖤 Enemy assassins
🗡️ Morally grey FMC
☀️ Golden retriever MMC
🔥 Great cliffhanger ending
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
This one honestly made me a little sad because it had all the ingredients of a book I should have loved.
Enemy assassins?
Grumpy Morally grey FMC?
Sunshine assassin MMC
Forced alliance
The concept is genuinely so much fun, and Theo was an unexpected favourite. I loved seeing the usual romance roles flipped, with Aza carrying all the walls and distrust while Theo was the softer, more optimistic one. Their dynamic kept me reading, and the ending definitely leaves you wanting to know what happens next.
Where it lost me was the execution.
The world never felt fully realised. I couldn’t picture where we were or how this society actually worked, and the magic system stayed frustratingly surface level. Being told characters wield light or shadow magic wasn’t enough—I wanted to understand its rules, limitations and possibilities.
The writing also became repetitive, with the same thoughts and themes revisited so often that they started to lose their impact. Instead of building tension, it slowed the pacing and made it harder for me to connect emotionally with the characters.
I also found myself wanting far more from the supporting cast. Theo’s team seemed interesting, but we barely spent enough time with them to become invested.
This is one of those books where the premise is stronger than the execution. I can absolutely see the potential in both the story and the author, and with stronger world building, deeper character development and tighter editing, I think future books could be significantly stronger.
Things I loved
🖤 Enemy assassins
🗡️ Morally grey FMC
☀️ Golden retriever MMC
🔥 Great cliffhanger ending
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
June 30, 2026
✨ Into the Darkness – Brenna Bustamante ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
🗡️🖤⚔️🔥😮💨
If you love:
• enemies-to-lovers
• assassin romance
• forced alliance
• fantasy action
• morally gray characters
• high-stakes adventure
This was a fast-paced fantasy romance that kept me turning the pages from start to finish 🖤
Aza is a strong and determined heroine who will do whatever it takes to protect the people she loves. I really enjoyed following her journey as she’s forced into an impossible situation and must work alongside the very person she was sent to kill.
The enemies-to-allies dynamic was one of my favorite parts of the story. The tension between Aza and her target created plenty of suspense, and I enjoyed watching their relationship slowly evolve as they were forced to rely on each other to survive ⚔️🔥
The action scenes were exciting, and the constant danger kept the story moving at a steady pace. There was always something happening, which made it an easy book to get through.
I also liked the world-building surrounding the shadow-wielders and the threat posed by the Stars. The conflict added depth to the story and kept the stakes feeling high throughout.
While I enjoyed the romance and chemistry between the characters, I would have liked a little more development in certain areas of the world-building and character relationships. Some moments felt a bit rushed, and I found myself wanting more details and emotional depth before a few of the bigger reveals.
Overall, this was an entertaining fantasy romance filled with action, danger, and a compelling enemies-to-lovers storyline. If you enjoy assassins, forced alliances, and high-stakes adventures, this is definitely one to add to your TBR 🗡️🖤✨
📚 Thank you to the author and Between the Spines Tours for the ARC copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 💕
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
🗡️🖤⚔️🔥😮💨
If you love:
• enemies-to-lovers
• assassin romance
• forced alliance
• fantasy action
• morally gray characters
• high-stakes adventure
This was a fast-paced fantasy romance that kept me turning the pages from start to finish 🖤
Aza is a strong and determined heroine who will do whatever it takes to protect the people she loves. I really enjoyed following her journey as she’s forced into an impossible situation and must work alongside the very person she was sent to kill.
The enemies-to-allies dynamic was one of my favorite parts of the story. The tension between Aza and her target created plenty of suspense, and I enjoyed watching their relationship slowly evolve as they were forced to rely on each other to survive ⚔️🔥
The action scenes were exciting, and the constant danger kept the story moving at a steady pace. There was always something happening, which made it an easy book to get through.
I also liked the world-building surrounding the shadow-wielders and the threat posed by the Stars. The conflict added depth to the story and kept the stakes feeling high throughout.
While I enjoyed the romance and chemistry between the characters, I would have liked a little more development in certain areas of the world-building and character relationships. Some moments felt a bit rushed, and I found myself wanting more details and emotional depth before a few of the bigger reveals.
Overall, this was an entertaining fantasy romance filled with action, danger, and a compelling enemies-to-lovers storyline. If you enjoy assassins, forced alliances, and high-stakes adventures, this is definitely one to add to your TBR 🗡️🖤✨
📚 Thank you to the author and Between the Spines Tours for the ARC copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 💕
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2026
Thank you to the author for gifting me an eARC. Opinions are my own.
If you love female rage, enemies being forced to work together and morally gray characters, this book is for you!
Into the Darkness follows Aza, a shadow-wielding assassin tasked to eliminate the infamous assassin First Breath. But before she can complete the assignment, the arrival of a radical group determined to eliminate shadow wielders forces Aza to work with First Breath in order to save her sister and her best friend.
The author does a great job setting the tone for the dark world of this book from the opening scene. Ava is a morally gray character with a bleak view of the world, yet the relationship with her sister Louise and her friend Clara bring some much needed light to her life, which added a sense of urgency to her need to save them. But most of all I enjoyed the banter with Theo and the shocking finale!
I would, however, have preferred if it had taken Theo more time to trust Ava and for the tension between them to have dragged out a little longer.
Add this dark fantasy to your tbr if you love:
💕 Enemies to lovers
💕 Morally gray assassins
💕 Forced alliances
💕 Dangerous attraction
Rating: 3.5 stars
If you love female rage, enemies being forced to work together and morally gray characters, this book is for you!
Into the Darkness follows Aza, a shadow-wielding assassin tasked to eliminate the infamous assassin First Breath. But before she can complete the assignment, the arrival of a radical group determined to eliminate shadow wielders forces Aza to work with First Breath in order to save her sister and her best friend.
The author does a great job setting the tone for the dark world of this book from the opening scene. Ava is a morally gray character with a bleak view of the world, yet the relationship with her sister Louise and her friend Clara bring some much needed light to her life, which added a sense of urgency to her need to save them. But most of all I enjoyed the banter with Theo and the shocking finale!
I would, however, have preferred if it had taken Theo more time to trust Ava and for the tension between them to have dragged out a little longer.
Add this dark fantasy to your tbr if you love:
💕 Enemies to lovers
💕 Morally gray assassins
💕 Forced alliances
💕 Dangerous attraction
Rating: 3.5 stars
June 30, 2026
3.5/5 Stars
Into the Darkness is the story of a villain in the making.
Aza kills to survive and will do whatever she must to protect the people she loves. When she's sent to hunt down a rival assassin named Theo, circumstances force them into an uneasy alliance, and from there, their relationship begins to grow.
For me, this felt much more like a dystopian survival story than a fantasy.
Shadow wielders exist, but I was left wanting to understand more about them. Are they magical beings? Is "shadow wielder" simply the name of a faction? What is the magic system and its lore? The fantasy elements feel underdeveloped and I wasn't sure why they were there.
Without that side of the story, there's still a gripping dystopian world. Aza has grown up on the darker, harsher side of the city and is simply trying to keep her family alive while facing the threat of the extremist Stars. That survival aspect was compelling and kept me invested throughout the story.
The action sequences were well written and exciting, but they often felt grounded in physical combat rather than magic. I found myself thinking that if the fantasy elements were removed entirely, this would still stand as a strong dystopian survival story. Even the major revelation towards the end, which had the potential to expand on the magical side of the world, wasn't given much time to breathe before the focus shifted elsewhere. I was hoping to spend more time discovering what that revelation meant and how the magic worked.
Overall, I think this story shines as a dystopian tale of survival. While the fantasy elements had plenty of potential, they felt overshadowed by everything else and didn't play as large a role in the overall story as I had expected.
I received this book as an ARC, however, this review reflects my honest thoughts and feelings, shared voluntarily.
Into the Darkness is the story of a villain in the making.
Aza kills to survive and will do whatever she must to protect the people she loves. When she's sent to hunt down a rival assassin named Theo, circumstances force them into an uneasy alliance, and from there, their relationship begins to grow.
For me, this felt much more like a dystopian survival story than a fantasy.
Shadow wielders exist, but I was left wanting to understand more about them. Are they magical beings? Is "shadow wielder" simply the name of a faction? What is the magic system and its lore? The fantasy elements feel underdeveloped and I wasn't sure why they were there.
Without that side of the story, there's still a gripping dystopian world. Aza has grown up on the darker, harsher side of the city and is simply trying to keep her family alive while facing the threat of the extremist Stars. That survival aspect was compelling and kept me invested throughout the story.
The action sequences were well written and exciting, but they often felt grounded in physical combat rather than magic. I found myself thinking that if the fantasy elements were removed entirely, this would still stand as a strong dystopian survival story. Even the major revelation towards the end, which had the potential to expand on the magical side of the world, wasn't given much time to breathe before the focus shifted elsewhere. I was hoping to spend more time discovering what that revelation meant and how the magic worked.
Overall, I think this story shines as a dystopian tale of survival. While the fantasy elements had plenty of potential, they felt overshadowed by everything else and didn't play as large a role in the overall story as I had expected.
I received this book as an ARC, however, this review reflects my honest thoughts and feelings, shared voluntarily.
July 8, 2026
He kills for a living. She kills to survive.
Talk about a hook to get you interested in a book! Not only is our MMC a bad@ss, but so is our FMC!! What a refreshing difference :-)
Who doesn't love a morally gray FMC (who also happens to be an assassin) who will do anything possible to save her family? Throw in an MMC who also happens to have the same occupation and some forbidden magic, and what could go wrong?
Buckle up and enjoy this fast paced ride that you are not going to want to put down. You love the banter and tension that comes with enemies to lovers? Look no further, because you will be grinning like a loon and melting from the tension bleeding off the pages between Aza and Theo.
The ending = absolutely diabolical (and rude...ahem). Can't wait for book of the Her Villain Era series!
If you love dystopian, dark romance, alllll the feminine rage, enemies to lovers, some stabby stabby moments, with forced proximity and forbidden magic, this should definitely be your next read!!!!
Talk about a hook to get you interested in a book! Not only is our MMC a bad@ss, but so is our FMC!! What a refreshing difference :-)
Who doesn't love a morally gray FMC (who also happens to be an assassin) who will do anything possible to save her family? Throw in an MMC who also happens to have the same occupation and some forbidden magic, and what could go wrong?
Buckle up and enjoy this fast paced ride that you are not going to want to put down. You love the banter and tension that comes with enemies to lovers? Look no further, because you will be grinning like a loon and melting from the tension bleeding off the pages between Aza and Theo.
The ending = absolutely diabolical (and rude...ahem). Can't wait for book of the Her Villain Era series!
If you love dystopian, dark romance, alllll the feminine rage, enemies to lovers, some stabby stabby moments, with forced proximity and forbidden magic, this should definitely be your next read!!!!
June 16, 2026
What an ending, I am screaming and crying over her now waiting for the next book that better be coming asap!
You follow a FMC assassin who’s trained her life to kill to survive and protect her sister rather than following her mother’s path into a brothel. When she’s given an assignment to kill another deadly assassin, she spends time preparing, only when the time comes to kill him, turns out someone hired him to kill her, and they end up in a deadly battle until everyone’s worst fears come true and the Stars ransack the town mid fight. She must abandon her mission to kill him and work together to find out what happened to her sister and best friend; all while hiding her shadow powers that the stars claim are evil and are there to snuff out.
I really enjoyed the badass assassin FMC and how sassy she is to those around her. I also of course loved the tension between her and the MMC and the shock that the man she had such a good time with a few nights before was the other famed assassin in their city. Because of that first night, the tension between them was immense the whole time and the more she pushed him away the more her did to protect her and pull her back in. I enjoyed all the spy style missions they did and how they worked together to find new hideouts and escape and eventually reuniting with both of their friends. I was on an emotional rollercoaster especially with that ending and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. My rating 4.2/5!
Thanks to the author for the gifted copy, all opinions given are my own!
You follow a FMC assassin who’s trained her life to kill to survive and protect her sister rather than following her mother’s path into a brothel. When she’s given an assignment to kill another deadly assassin, she spends time preparing, only when the time comes to kill him, turns out someone hired him to kill her, and they end up in a deadly battle until everyone’s worst fears come true and the Stars ransack the town mid fight. She must abandon her mission to kill him and work together to find out what happened to her sister and best friend; all while hiding her shadow powers that the stars claim are evil and are there to snuff out.
I really enjoyed the badass assassin FMC and how sassy she is to those around her. I also of course loved the tension between her and the MMC and the shock that the man she had such a good time with a few nights before was the other famed assassin in their city. Because of that first night, the tension between them was immense the whole time and the more she pushed him away the more her did to protect her and pull her back in. I enjoyed all the spy style missions they did and how they worked together to find new hideouts and escape and eventually reuniting with both of their friends. I was on an emotional rollercoaster especially with that ending and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. My rating 4.2/5!
Thanks to the author for the gifted copy, all opinions given are my own!
July 19, 2026
High stakes action packed enemies to lovers romantasy! Loved it so much!
June 13, 2026
Thank you so much to Brenna for the ARC of her book 🎉
I am shooketh after that ending. Like what? How am I supposed to go on for who knows how long not knowing the aftermath of that cliffhanger.
Brenna is a new author to me, and this book had me hooked from the beginning.
Aza’s mother works in a brothel, and she thinks that her daughter is in the same profession. She’s really an assassin who takes out the men who come to the brothel, and mistreat the women there.
In this world there are light and dark wielders, but the dark wielders are despised and looked down upon, only in Aza’s section of the kingdom do they live in harmony. Until rumors spread that the Stars(the enemy) are coming for them.
Aza’s next target is the allusive First Breath (Theo).
She tracks him down ready to take him out, but she realizes she’s met him before. So should she follow her heart, or take out the people who may be coming for those she loves?
Read to find out more.
If you love feminine rage, political intrigue, assassins, and enemies to lovers pick up this book.
I loved Theo and Aza’s budding relationship. Theo is a cinnamon roll, he’s charming, funny, and usually in a great mood. The banter between these two was superb! I loved their back and forth, and the yearning. Can’t wait to see what else the author has in store.
I am shooketh after that ending. Like what? How am I supposed to go on for who knows how long not knowing the aftermath of that cliffhanger.
Brenna is a new author to me, and this book had me hooked from the beginning.
Aza’s mother works in a brothel, and she thinks that her daughter is in the same profession. She’s really an assassin who takes out the men who come to the brothel, and mistreat the women there.
In this world there are light and dark wielders, but the dark wielders are despised and looked down upon, only in Aza’s section of the kingdom do they live in harmony. Until rumors spread that the Stars(the enemy) are coming for them.
Aza’s next target is the allusive First Breath (Theo).
She tracks him down ready to take him out, but she realizes she’s met him before. So should she follow her heart, or take out the people who may be coming for those she loves?
Read to find out more.
If you love feminine rage, political intrigue, assassins, and enemies to lovers pick up this book.
I loved Theo and Aza’s budding relationship. Theo is a cinnamon roll, he’s charming, funny, and usually in a great mood. The banter between these two was superb! I loved their back and forth, and the yearning. Can’t wait to see what else the author has in store.
August 2, 2026
3.5 stars
Into the Darkness completely exceeded my expectations. From the very first chapter, I was pulled into its gritty world of assassins, shadow magic, and impossible choices. It's filled with perfect fantasy romance elements... high stakes, sharp banter, and characters who constantly keep you on your toes.
Aza was such a fantastic heroine. She's fierce, determined, and fiercely loyal to the people she loves, even when the odds are stacked against her. Watching her reluctantly team up with the very assassin she was sent to kill made for some of my favorite moments. Their chemistry is full of tension, reluctant trust, and that irresistible "I absolutely should not be falling for you" energy that had me turning pages late into the night.
The action never lets up, but what really surprised me was the emotional heart of the story. Between the found family, the sacrifices, and the difficult choices Aza has to make, I found myself completely invested in every outcome.
Huge thanks to the author for gifting me a copy! All opinions are my own.
Tropes:
🗡️ Enemies to lovers
🖤 Morally gray assassins
🤝 Forced alliance
❤️ Found family
Into the Darkness completely exceeded my expectations. From the very first chapter, I was pulled into its gritty world of assassins, shadow magic, and impossible choices. It's filled with perfect fantasy romance elements... high stakes, sharp banter, and characters who constantly keep you on your toes.
Aza was such a fantastic heroine. She's fierce, determined, and fiercely loyal to the people she loves, even when the odds are stacked against her. Watching her reluctantly team up with the very assassin she was sent to kill made for some of my favorite moments. Their chemistry is full of tension, reluctant trust, and that irresistible "I absolutely should not be falling for you" energy that had me turning pages late into the night.
The action never lets up, but what really surprised me was the emotional heart of the story. Between the found family, the sacrifices, and the difficult choices Aza has to make, I found myself completely invested in every outcome.
Huge thanks to the author for gifting me a copy! All opinions are my own.
Tropes:
🗡️ Enemies to lovers
🖤 Morally gray assassins
🤝 Forced alliance
❤️ Found family
August 1, 2026
Here is my review for Into The Darkness by Brenna Bustamante
This is one of the best dark fantasy stories I have ever read but there are a lot of triggers in there and a warning at the beginning. Aza is a shadow-wielder and she is an assassin to earn a living for her and her sister, Louise. It’s her mother’s house but they were the product of her trade and never felt loved. Aza is safe in the district they live in until the Stars descend and then she is unsafe. She was training to kill for a new assignment that would be her toughest yet. Usually she had a lot of information to go on and details of their lives. On this one, there was only hearsay after the kill, so nothing was certain apart from the emerald earring. But once the Stars came, she only wanted to make sure Louise and Clara were safe. It was each assassin for themselves and she didn't worry about the assignment.
I just loved this story as I got into it straight away right from the start. It was brilliantly written and the story flowed really well. I liked the author’s writing style and I found I read it really easily. I got lost in the story and the characters but in a good way. The story was written descriptively and everything was described in great detail. Brenna has a terrific mind for fantasy as she thinks outside the box. The writing was so vivid, I could visualise the story as I was reading it in my mind. I'm looking forward to the next installment already.
Blurb :
She was trained to end lives without hesitation.
He learned to survive by becoming something lethal.
Neither of them expected to hesitate when it mattered most.
Aza has built her life on precision, discipline, and distance. As a shadow-wielder and trained assassin, she survives by following orders and never questioning the outcome.
Her latest assignment should have been routine: eliminate a rival operative and disappear without a trace.
Instead, it becomes the moment everything fractures.
Before Aza can complete the kill, the Stars descend on the district, an extremist faction intent on eradicating every shadow-wielder they can find. What was meant to be a controlled execution spirals into chaos, forcing enemies into proximity and turning the city into a battlefield.
For the first time, Aza is not in control.
Cut off from certainty and hunted alongside the very man she was meant to eliminate, she is pushed into an uneasy alliance shaped by necessity rather than trust. Survival demands cooperation. Survival demands compromise.
But neither comes easily.
As violence spreads and the Stars tighten their grip, Aza’s priorities begin to shift. Protecting her sister and closest ally becomes inseparable from the fragile partnership she never intended to form. The lines between enemy and ally blur, and with them, the clarity she has always relied on.
What emerges in its place is something far more dangerous than hesitation.
Because proximity breeds understanding.
And understanding has consequences.
In a world where loyalty is fleeting and power is contested in blood, Aza is forced to confront the cost of everything she believes in: revenge, survival, and the identity she has carefully constructed.
When the moment arrives to choose between finishing her mission or preserving what remains of the district, the decision will demand more than skill.
Perfect for readers who enjoy:
Dark fantasy grounded in morally complex characters
Assassin-driven narratives with layered character dynamics
Enemies-to-lovers arcs built on tension and restraint
Unrest, faction conflict, and urban fantasy settings
High-stakes survival stories with emotional depth
Slow-burn attraction shaped by danger and proximity
In a city unraveling under violence and ideology, survival is no longer about completing the mission. It is about deciding who and what is worth saving.
This book is meant for 18+. Please check the trigger warnings in the beginning of the book.
This is one of the best dark fantasy stories I have ever read but there are a lot of triggers in there and a warning at the beginning. Aza is a shadow-wielder and she is an assassin to earn a living for her and her sister, Louise. It’s her mother’s house but they were the product of her trade and never felt loved. Aza is safe in the district they live in until the Stars descend and then she is unsafe. She was training to kill for a new assignment that would be her toughest yet. Usually she had a lot of information to go on and details of their lives. On this one, there was only hearsay after the kill, so nothing was certain apart from the emerald earring. But once the Stars came, she only wanted to make sure Louise and Clara were safe. It was each assassin for themselves and she didn't worry about the assignment.
I just loved this story as I got into it straight away right from the start. It was brilliantly written and the story flowed really well. I liked the author’s writing style and I found I read it really easily. I got lost in the story and the characters but in a good way. The story was written descriptively and everything was described in great detail. Brenna has a terrific mind for fantasy as she thinks outside the box. The writing was so vivid, I could visualise the story as I was reading it in my mind. I'm looking forward to the next installment already.
Blurb :
She was trained to end lives without hesitation.
He learned to survive by becoming something lethal.
Neither of them expected to hesitate when it mattered most.
Aza has built her life on precision, discipline, and distance. As a shadow-wielder and trained assassin, she survives by following orders and never questioning the outcome.
Her latest assignment should have been routine: eliminate a rival operative and disappear without a trace.
Instead, it becomes the moment everything fractures.
Before Aza can complete the kill, the Stars descend on the district, an extremist faction intent on eradicating every shadow-wielder they can find. What was meant to be a controlled execution spirals into chaos, forcing enemies into proximity and turning the city into a battlefield.
For the first time, Aza is not in control.
Cut off from certainty and hunted alongside the very man she was meant to eliminate, she is pushed into an uneasy alliance shaped by necessity rather than trust. Survival demands cooperation. Survival demands compromise.
But neither comes easily.
As violence spreads and the Stars tighten their grip, Aza’s priorities begin to shift. Protecting her sister and closest ally becomes inseparable from the fragile partnership she never intended to form. The lines between enemy and ally blur, and with them, the clarity she has always relied on.
What emerges in its place is something far more dangerous than hesitation.
Because proximity breeds understanding.
And understanding has consequences.
In a world where loyalty is fleeting and power is contested in blood, Aza is forced to confront the cost of everything she believes in: revenge, survival, and the identity she has carefully constructed.
When the moment arrives to choose between finishing her mission or preserving what remains of the district, the decision will demand more than skill.
Perfect for readers who enjoy:
Dark fantasy grounded in morally complex characters
Assassin-driven narratives with layered character dynamics
Enemies-to-lovers arcs built on tension and restraint
Unrest, faction conflict, and urban fantasy settings
High-stakes survival stories with emotional depth
Slow-burn attraction shaped by danger and proximity
In a city unraveling under violence and ideology, survival is no longer about completing the mission. It is about deciding who and what is worth saving.
This book is meant for 18+. Please check the trigger warnings in the beginning of the book.
July 1, 2026
🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️ and 🌶️🌶️ : keep in mind the star review is based off of MY interests!
Newer genre for me and I enjoyed it! In the Romantasy/fantasy worlds I usually just read the hyped books. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to read Into The Darkness (first book in the series Her Villian Era).
This books started off strong and fast paced. A lot goes on right away, so be ready for a quick gut punch. The story slows down a bit in the middle and at the end.. let’s just say I’m wishing I could read book two now!
Aza is a skilled assassin who is born from the “love” of a prostitute. She believes love doesn’t exist, except for the love for her sister and best friend (only friend) Clara.
Aza meets Theo and 💥💥💥 instant physical connection . Little does she know he’s her next job 🚫.
Aza and Theo live in a world where the “powerful” are the Stars and they are trying to eliminate the Shadow wielders. Aza finds herself in an unexpected situation where she has to choose to save her sister with Theo’s help or go at it alone!
I loved seeing this story come full circle with Aza. She is such an interesting character, built out of the need for her sister to not be like her and the failure of her mother. I appreciated that she was strong and would give anything for her family. She also has some vulnerable sides which made her more human and relatable.
Theo was entertaining to me and I had a hard time pinning down his personality. The way he flips his switch with emotions seemed a little fast. His sexual banter made his character for me.
This book is very morally gray, so if you like that.. you are in the right place! More than one character fits this theme and it starts right out of the gate!
I am glad this is a series because I need to know more and felt that there’s some major plots to be filled! Where is book two?! Also can this be a movie? I’d love to see that! Anddd is there a side romance I’m picking up??
Tropes:
🔮 Enemies-to-lovers
✨ Forced alliances
🔮 Morally gray characters
✨ Feminine Rage
🔮 Forced proximity
✨ Healing each other
⚠️: please read these before reading! There are a lot!!!
I am voluntarily leaving this review and all thoughts are my own!
Thank you so much for the early advanced copy @betweenthespines_ and @brenna_bustamante. I am so greatful for the opportunity!
Newer genre for me and I enjoyed it! In the Romantasy/fantasy worlds I usually just read the hyped books. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to read Into The Darkness (first book in the series Her Villian Era).
This books started off strong and fast paced. A lot goes on right away, so be ready for a quick gut punch. The story slows down a bit in the middle and at the end.. let’s just say I’m wishing I could read book two now!
Aza is a skilled assassin who is born from the “love” of a prostitute. She believes love doesn’t exist, except for the love for her sister and best friend (only friend) Clara.
Aza meets Theo and 💥💥💥 instant physical connection . Little does she know he’s her next job 🚫.
Aza and Theo live in a world where the “powerful” are the Stars and they are trying to eliminate the Shadow wielders. Aza finds herself in an unexpected situation where she has to choose to save her sister with Theo’s help or go at it alone!
I loved seeing this story come full circle with Aza. She is such an interesting character, built out of the need for her sister to not be like her and the failure of her mother. I appreciated that she was strong and would give anything for her family. She also has some vulnerable sides which made her more human and relatable.
Theo was entertaining to me and I had a hard time pinning down his personality. The way he flips his switch with emotions seemed a little fast. His sexual banter made his character for me.
This book is very morally gray, so if you like that.. you are in the right place! More than one character fits this theme and it starts right out of the gate!
I am glad this is a series because I need to know more and felt that there’s some major plots to be filled! Where is book two?! Also can this be a movie? I’d love to see that! Anddd is there a side romance I’m picking up??
Tropes:
🔮 Enemies-to-lovers
✨ Forced alliances
🔮 Morally gray characters
✨ Feminine Rage
🔮 Forced proximity
✨ Healing each other
⚠️: please read these before reading! There are a lot!!!
I am voluntarily leaving this review and all thoughts are my own!
Thank you so much for the early advanced copy @betweenthespines_ and @brenna_bustamante. I am so greatful for the opportunity!
Review of advance copy
✨ ARC Review ✨
📖 Book Details Title: Into the Darkness
Author: Brenna Bustamante
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Publication Date: expected 30.06.2026
Format: eARC
⭐ Rating: 4/5
💭 My Thoughts
This was a really enjoyable read. I might need to sit and stare at a wall after that ending though!
I am thoroughly looking forward to the next books in this series.
The way Brenna has written the FMC, Aza, allows you to truly feel her rage, her fierce protectiveness of those she loves, and the pain of the heartbreak she's endured throughout her life. It's easy to empathise with her and understand why she is the way she is.
Into the Darkness is fast-paced without feeling rushed. It offers solid world-building, engaging character dynamics, and a compelling plot.
Theo and Aza's banter is fantastic it's hard not to love Theo!
I would have loved to see more of the magic system explored, spend additional time with Theo's friends, and get more chapters from Theo's point of view.
My heart aches for Aza and the path she chooses to walk by the end of the story.
Favourite Quotes 💬 (Skip this section if you don't want spoilers!)
"You see yourself as not worthy of love because your mother never did and the men in your life never have, but I know you are and I'll spend the rest of my life proving to you that you are and making you believe in the kind of love I never thought I'd find."
"You are and have always been my first love, and I'd really like it if you could be my last."
"I'd say if you weren't trying to kill me, Tiny Death, this would almost be sexy."
🧠 Neurodivergent Burnout Readability Check
As a neurodivergent reader, I found this book:
☑ Fast-paced enough to maintain attention
☑ Easy to stay engaged with
☑ Manageable mental load
☑ Suitable during periods of burnout
Burnout-Friendly Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌿 Burnout Recovery Scale
🌿 Not suitable during burnout
🌿🌿 Some effort required
🌿🌿🌿 Manageable
🌿🌿🌿🌿 Very burnout-friendly
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿 Perfect comfort read
My Rating: 🌿🌿🌿🌿
Would I have been able to read this during peak burnout? ✅ Yes
📢 Would I Recommend It?
Absolutely. This is the kind of book that's easy to devour in a day while curled up with your favourite drink, comfortable clothes, and a fluffy blanket.
📖 Book Details Title: Into the Darkness
Author: Brenna Bustamante
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Publication Date: expected 30.06.2026
Format: eARC
⭐ Rating: 4/5
💭 My Thoughts
This was a really enjoyable read. I might need to sit and stare at a wall after that ending though!
I am thoroughly looking forward to the next books in this series.
The way Brenna has written the FMC, Aza, allows you to truly feel her rage, her fierce protectiveness of those she loves, and the pain of the heartbreak she's endured throughout her life. It's easy to empathise with her and understand why she is the way she is.
Into the Darkness is fast-paced without feeling rushed. It offers solid world-building, engaging character dynamics, and a compelling plot.
Theo and Aza's banter is fantastic it's hard not to love Theo!
I would have loved to see more of the magic system explored, spend additional time with Theo's friends, and get more chapters from Theo's point of view.
My heart aches for Aza and the path she chooses to walk by the end of the story.
Favourite Quotes 💬 (Skip this section if you don't want spoilers!)
"You see yourself as not worthy of love because your mother never did and the men in your life never have, but I know you are and I'll spend the rest of my life proving to you that you are and making you believe in the kind of love I never thought I'd find."
"You are and have always been my first love, and I'd really like it if you could be my last."
"I'd say if you weren't trying to kill me, Tiny Death, this would almost be sexy."
🧠 Neurodivergent Burnout Readability Check
As a neurodivergent reader, I found this book:
☑ Fast-paced enough to maintain attention
☑ Easy to stay engaged with
☑ Manageable mental load
☑ Suitable during periods of burnout
Burnout-Friendly Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌿 Burnout Recovery Scale
🌿 Not suitable during burnout
🌿🌿 Some effort required
🌿🌿🌿 Manageable
🌿🌿🌿🌿 Very burnout-friendly
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿 Perfect comfort read
My Rating: 🌿🌿🌿🌿
Would I have been able to read this during peak burnout? ✅ Yes
📢 Would I Recommend It?
Absolutely. This is the kind of book that's easy to devour in a day while curled up with your favourite drink, comfortable clothes, and a fluffy blanket.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2026
He kills for a living. She kills to survive.
Looking for your next read? This one is for readers who live for books with forced alliances, feminine rage, and morally gray characters.
Into the Darkness, book 1 in the Her Villain Era series by Brenna Bustamante, is a dark fantasy perfect for readers who love books where the FMC is the villain.
Tropes you can expect:
⚔️ enemies-to-lovers🖤 morally gray assassins
⚔️ forced alliances🖤 dangerous attractions⚔️ good vs evil
🖤 Antagonist turned ally⚔️ All hope lost🖤 The antihero
⚔️ Evil overlord🖤 Point of no return⚔️ The price to pay
🖤 Feminine rage⚔️ Forbidden magic🖤 Found family
My Review:
Aza, expected to follow her mother's footsteps to work in the brothel, is the unsuspecting assassin. Highly trained, she cuts through her targets with ease. But what happens when the assassin becomes the target… and her target is the assassin sent to kill her? Chaos breaks out, and now these two are forced to work together to save themselves and the ones they love.
The action in this book kept me completely locked in! The story is fast-paced; it kept me hooked but never felt rushed. Written in Aza’s POV, the banter, the sarcasm, and her overall personality are absolute gold. Then there's Theo, ever her match! He’s a hopeless flirt, she has major trust issues, and weren’t they supposed to take each other out? An assassin that's a total golden retriever? YES, PLEASE!- I honestly really enjoyed Theo's character; the chemistry between them was perfect. There are a few spicy moments for those who like their fantasy served with a dash of spice. This slow-burn romance is everything. The tension was absolutely incredible, and the payoff is 100% worth it. And if you love an ending that leaves you pining for the next book, don’t worry; this book absolutely delivers!
Thank you so much to Brenna Bustamante and Once Upon a Book Tour for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion; I can’t wait to continue the Her Villain Era series!!
Looking for your next read? This one is for readers who live for books with forced alliances, feminine rage, and morally gray characters.
Into the Darkness, book 1 in the Her Villain Era series by Brenna Bustamante, is a dark fantasy perfect for readers who love books where the FMC is the villain.
Tropes you can expect:
⚔️ enemies-to-lovers🖤 morally gray assassins
⚔️ forced alliances🖤 dangerous attractions⚔️ good vs evil
🖤 Antagonist turned ally⚔️ All hope lost🖤 The antihero
⚔️ Evil overlord🖤 Point of no return⚔️ The price to pay
🖤 Feminine rage⚔️ Forbidden magic🖤 Found family
My Review:
Aza, expected to follow her mother's footsteps to work in the brothel, is the unsuspecting assassin. Highly trained, she cuts through her targets with ease. But what happens when the assassin becomes the target… and her target is the assassin sent to kill her? Chaos breaks out, and now these two are forced to work together to save themselves and the ones they love.
The action in this book kept me completely locked in! The story is fast-paced; it kept me hooked but never felt rushed. Written in Aza’s POV, the banter, the sarcasm, and her overall personality are absolute gold. Then there's Theo, ever her match! He’s a hopeless flirt, she has major trust issues, and weren’t they supposed to take each other out? An assassin that's a total golden retriever? YES, PLEASE!- I honestly really enjoyed Theo's character; the chemistry between them was perfect. There are a few spicy moments for those who like their fantasy served with a dash of spice. This slow-burn romance is everything. The tension was absolutely incredible, and the payoff is 100% worth it. And if you love an ending that leaves you pining for the next book, don’t worry; this book absolutely delivers!
Thank you so much to Brenna Bustamante and Once Upon a Book Tour for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion; I can’t wait to continue the Her Villain Era series!!
June 30, 2026
Into the Darkness gave me whiplash. I don't even know if that's the right expression, but that's exactly how it felt.
The story was intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages, but Aza and Theo's romance was what truly kept me invested. Aza has spent her entire life believing she isn't worthy of love, shaped by an absent mother and a childhood that forced her to survive instead of simply live. More than anything, she wants to protect her younger sister, Louise, and keep her from being swallowed by the same life they grew up in. That fierce protectiveness made it easy to understand many of Aza's choices.
Aza and Theo!!! I loved their relationship. They begin as rival assassins sent to kill one another before being forced to work together. Aza slowly lowers her walls while Theo patiently stands by her side. He never tries to change who she is. He sees her flaws and chooses to stay, giving her the space to trust, heal, and believe she deserves something better. Their relationship grows through pain, trust, and taking care of each other, and the romance was easily the strongest part of the story for me.
The fantasy side, and even some of the action, left me wanting more. I needed more backstory and a much deeper explanation of the world and the light and shadow magic. I also struggled to picture where or even when the story was set, so I never felt fully immersed in the world. I also wish we'd gotten to know the side characters better, apart from Clara.
When I read the trigger warnings, I honestly thought this book would emotionally destroy me. Some moments definitely hurt, especially everything Aza endured, but overall it wasn't quite as devastating as I expected.
By the end, I genuinely wasn't sure whether this was meant to end here or if another book is planned. I may have to ask the author. 😂
Something was missing, but the romance absolutely delivered. Theo stole the show for me, and I'm curious to see where the story goes next...
The story was intriguing enough to keep me turning the pages, but Aza and Theo's romance was what truly kept me invested. Aza has spent her entire life believing she isn't worthy of love, shaped by an absent mother and a childhood that forced her to survive instead of simply live. More than anything, she wants to protect her younger sister, Louise, and keep her from being swallowed by the same life they grew up in. That fierce protectiveness made it easy to understand many of Aza's choices.
Aza and Theo!!! I loved their relationship. They begin as rival assassins sent to kill one another before being forced to work together. Aza slowly lowers her walls while Theo patiently stands by her side. He never tries to change who she is. He sees her flaws and chooses to stay, giving her the space to trust, heal, and believe she deserves something better. Their relationship grows through pain, trust, and taking care of each other, and the romance was easily the strongest part of the story for me.
The fantasy side, and even some of the action, left me wanting more. I needed more backstory and a much deeper explanation of the world and the light and shadow magic. I also struggled to picture where or even when the story was set, so I never felt fully immersed in the world. I also wish we'd gotten to know the side characters better, apart from Clara.
When I read the trigger warnings, I honestly thought this book would emotionally destroy me. Some moments definitely hurt, especially everything Aza endured, but overall it wasn't quite as devastating as I expected.
By the end, I genuinely wasn't sure whether this was meant to end here or if another book is planned. I may have to ask the author. 😂
Something was missing, but the romance absolutely delivered. Theo stole the show for me, and I'm curious to see where the story goes next...
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐️⭐️.5
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from the author in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
This book had so much potential and I really wanted to love it but it wasn’t meant to be and now I have notes.
What I liked: the bones of the story is good, I loved the idea of enemy assassins teaming up to fight evil. The morally grey FMC has all the feminine rage, while the MMC is actually a golden retriever - very un-assassin-like of him but fun. I wanted to give Aza a hug, imagine growing up unwanted and unloved. The spice was spicy and that cliffhanger ending went off with a bang!
What I didn’t like: I feel the writing was a let down and it lacked the ability to describe the world, I could not picture it and had no clue whether it was an old world (the weapons are swords and daggers) or a new world (where suddenly we have a dance club serving tequila). We also don’t get much detail on the side characters, I wanted to learn more of these people who are part Theo’s trusted gang.
I was confused about the magic system, all were told is that you’re either born with light or dark magic. I wanted to understand what the magic could do and how the characters went learning to use it. Exploring this more would have helped the story. And lastly, a good descriptive narrative helps the reader to visualise the scene and its characters however this was inconsistent, you either got all the descriptions or none. During some scenes we are reminded several times of small things, this got worse during the spicy scenes. But then in others there is little to no description and I was left wondering if I’d missed something.
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from the author in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
This book had so much potential and I really wanted to love it but it wasn’t meant to be and now I have notes.
What I liked: the bones of the story is good, I loved the idea of enemy assassins teaming up to fight evil. The morally grey FMC has all the feminine rage, while the MMC is actually a golden retriever - very un-assassin-like of him but fun. I wanted to give Aza a hug, imagine growing up unwanted and unloved. The spice was spicy and that cliffhanger ending went off with a bang!
What I didn’t like: I feel the writing was a let down and it lacked the ability to describe the world, I could not picture it and had no clue whether it was an old world (the weapons are swords and daggers) or a new world (where suddenly we have a dance club serving tequila). We also don’t get much detail on the side characters, I wanted to learn more of these people who are part Theo’s trusted gang.
I was confused about the magic system, all were told is that you’re either born with light or dark magic. I wanted to understand what the magic could do and how the characters went learning to use it. Exploring this more would have helped the story. And lastly, a good descriptive narrative helps the reader to visualise the scene and its characters however this was inconsistent, you either got all the descriptions or none. During some scenes we are reminded several times of small things, this got worse during the spicy scenes. But then in others there is little to no description and I was left wondering if I’d missed something.
Review of advance copy received from Author
“Nobody gets to dance with you unless you choose them and I begged the gods I’d be worthy of that choice”.
Aza has never had an easy life being a shadow-wielder nor a life filled with love. Where she grew up was hard, and what her mother did as a job never made it any easier. However, with the love of her best friend and sister, it made everything worth it. To able to give her sister a better life than herself and be nothing like her mother, she became an assassin and she was good at it. Because of her success, she was assigned to kill a rival assassin and make him disappear.
However, before she can complete the kill, everything that Aza has known, crumbles to the ground. The Stars, a faction who wants to eliminate all shadow-wielders, descend upon the district. This is when the enemies are forced to work together to save the ones they love and stay away from the Stars. The lines between enemy and ally blur, and with them, the clarity she has always relied on.
This book is just so beautifully dark and raw. It’s not this sweet happily ever after, castles, and enchanted forest but life. I loved seeing the relationships develop and Aza guard she put up slowly come down. Theo just might be one of my favorite MMC’s I have read in a while. Aza’s and Theo’s banter is top notch! This is book 1 in the series and you are left with an enormous cliffhanger.
I absolutely loved this book and it’s perfect for readers who:
🗡️don’t mind spice
🗡️ High-stakes survival stories with emotional depth
🗡️ Dark fantasy grounded in morally complex characters
🗡️ Unrest, faction conflict, and urban fantasy settings
Aza has never had an easy life being a shadow-wielder nor a life filled with love. Where she grew up was hard, and what her mother did as a job never made it any easier. However, with the love of her best friend and sister, it made everything worth it. To able to give her sister a better life than herself and be nothing like her mother, she became an assassin and she was good at it. Because of her success, she was assigned to kill a rival assassin and make him disappear.
However, before she can complete the kill, everything that Aza has known, crumbles to the ground. The Stars, a faction who wants to eliminate all shadow-wielders, descend upon the district. This is when the enemies are forced to work together to save the ones they love and stay away from the Stars. The lines between enemy and ally blur, and with them, the clarity she has always relied on.
This book is just so beautifully dark and raw. It’s not this sweet happily ever after, castles, and enchanted forest but life. I loved seeing the relationships develop and Aza guard she put up slowly come down. Theo just might be one of my favorite MMC’s I have read in a while. Aza’s and Theo’s banter is top notch! This is book 1 in the series and you are left with an enormous cliffhanger.
I absolutely loved this book and it’s perfect for readers who:
🗡️don’t mind spice
🗡️ High-stakes survival stories with emotional depth
🗡️ Dark fantasy grounded in morally complex characters
🗡️ Unrest, faction conflict, and urban fantasy settings
July 29, 2026
In this Dark Romantasy we get to know Aza: a deadly assassin, daughter of a whore. Having absolutely no faith left in humanity she only lives for her sister and her best friend.
All hell breaks loose when Aza is on assignment to kill another deadly assassin. An extremist faction launches an attack on the city. Now having a common enemy the assassins decide to try and survive, and fight back, together.
Being used to precision, discipline, order and fighting alone Aza has a hard time adjusting and - especially - trusting.
The unease and fear Aza is feeling drive this book. She has a strong background story and it did not take long before I understood her and felt her pain. Her identity is based on very little positive things and when the world is upside down she falls into an identity crisis. But it is hard to believe something better is possible when all you've known is hate and disappointment.
The romance and spice in this book are done really well. The spice is nicely distributed throughout the whole book but the romance is a realistic, slow burn.
All main characters are morally grey and the difference between good and evil is blurry and questioned a lot. The philosophical questions in this book are strong. When are bad things evil? What is worth living for? Who and what are worth saving when war breaks out?
I liked how this book got me thinking about the important things in life. I also really liked the character development and the FMC staying true to her believes. I would recommend this book. However, if you have any triggers please do check the trigger warnings.
All hell breaks loose when Aza is on assignment to kill another deadly assassin. An extremist faction launches an attack on the city. Now having a common enemy the assassins decide to try and survive, and fight back, together.
Being used to precision, discipline, order and fighting alone Aza has a hard time adjusting and - especially - trusting.
The unease and fear Aza is feeling drive this book. She has a strong background story and it did not take long before I understood her and felt her pain. Her identity is based on very little positive things and when the world is upside down she falls into an identity crisis. But it is hard to believe something better is possible when all you've known is hate and disappointment.
The romance and spice in this book are done really well. The spice is nicely distributed throughout the whole book but the romance is a realistic, slow burn.
All main characters are morally grey and the difference between good and evil is blurry and questioned a lot. The philosophical questions in this book are strong. When are bad things evil? What is worth living for? Who and what are worth saving when war breaks out?
I liked how this book got me thinking about the important things in life. I also really liked the character development and the FMC staying true to her believes. I would recommend this book. However, if you have any triggers please do check the trigger warnings.
August 5, 2026
Into the Darkness by Brenna Bustamante
She was hired to kill him… now she might die saving him instead.
Thank you so much Brenna Bustamante and @booksandbloompr for the gifted copy of INTO THE DARKNESS! Available now!
If you’re a fan of enemies-to-lovers, morally gray characters, forbidden magic, and high-stakes action, Into the Darkness deserves a spot on your TBR!
This one is packed with tension, action, betrayal, and a romance that burns just as fiercely as the fight for survival.
🖤Book Review: Into the Darkness🖤
What I loved most was the found family thread running through this story. When Aza’s sister gets taken by the Stars, the rescue isn’t a solo mission, it’s a group effort. The way the team rallies around each other hits hard. Special shoutout to one of the side characters, who uses a wheelchair and is an active, essential part of the rescue crew. Representation like this in a fast-paced action/romantasy is not something I see often, and it was done really well.
The enemies-to-lovers tension between Aza and her target delivered exactly what I wanted: forced proximity, reluctant trust, and an attraction neither of them saw coming.
A few smaller plot details left me with questions, but since this is only the 1st book of the series, I’m hoping those threads get picked up later.
⚠️ Heads up: there’s more gore than I expected at certain points, so please check the trigger warnings before diving in.
Overall: a strong start to a series I’m already excited to keep reading.
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Title: Into the Darkness
Author: Brenna Bustamante
Release date: June 30th, 2026
Genre: Romantasy
Review of advance copy received from Author
✨ This book started with a mission and ended with me having an existential crisis.
Aza is sent on what should be a straightforward assignment: kill a rival assassin. But when a dangerous faction known as the Stars launches an attack on her district, she's forced into an uneasy alliance with the very person she was meant to eliminate. With her city falling into chaos and the people she loves at risk, Aza must decide whether revenge is worth more than everything she's fighting to protect.
This was not at all what I expected when I picked it up, and I mean that in the best possible way.
The pacing is fantastic. From the beginning, the story pulls you in and keeps you hooked, constantly feeding your curiosity and making it impossible to stop reading. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was happening, it sent me spiralling in a completely different direction.
The slow burn was chef's kiss. The tension builds naturally alongside the action, but its not how you would expect and I found myself completely invested in both the plot and the characters. There was never a dull moment, but it never felt rushed either.
Then we got to the ending.
I genuinely don't know what Brenna expected me to do after that final chapter. Move on with my life? Absolutely not. That ending has left me emotionally compromised and now I somehow have to wait for book two. 😫
🖤 Morally grey assassins
🤝 Forced alliance
🔥 Slow burn romance
🗡️ High-stakes fantasy
✨ Plot twists
😵 Emotional damage
🌶 Spicy scenes
Aza is sent on what should be a straightforward assignment: kill a rival assassin. But when a dangerous faction known as the Stars launches an attack on her district, she's forced into an uneasy alliance with the very person she was meant to eliminate. With her city falling into chaos and the people she loves at risk, Aza must decide whether revenge is worth more than everything she's fighting to protect.
This was not at all what I expected when I picked it up, and I mean that in the best possible way.
The pacing is fantastic. From the beginning, the story pulls you in and keeps you hooked, constantly feeding your curiosity and making it impossible to stop reading. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was happening, it sent me spiralling in a completely different direction.
The slow burn was chef's kiss. The tension builds naturally alongside the action, but its not how you would expect and I found myself completely invested in both the plot and the characters. There was never a dull moment, but it never felt rushed either.
Then we got to the ending.
I genuinely don't know what Brenna expected me to do after that final chapter. Move on with my life? Absolutely not. That ending has left me emotionally compromised and now I somehow have to wait for book two. 😫
🖤 Morally grey assassins
🤝 Forced alliance
🔥 Slow burn romance
🗡️ High-stakes fantasy
✨ Plot twists
😵 Emotional damage
🌶 Spicy scenes
Review of advance copy received from Author
Things I really like about this book:
Theo!! I loved his cocky personality, but also that he was vulnerable and soft. He really believes in and desires love, and I really loved that about him. He made me laugh multiple times.
Clara- she was a strong side character, and I love how even though she had physical limitations, she was strong in her own way, and also a really great friend to Aza.
Aza- she was so strong and bad ass, I love how she can hold her own, and was confident in her abilities.
Things that didn’t work for me:
The world building- I couldn’t quite tell where we were. There was electricity, strobe lights, radios to communicate, but no cars? Was this supposed to be more dystopian? I’m not sure, but I kept getting lost and taken out of the story.
The magic system- we were told people had shadow and light powers, but it wasn’t really explained more than that. I would have loved a more in depth description of the way the powers worked.
Aza’s lack of character growth- she started off so strong and bad ass, but I just feel like she never really grew. She’s in her late 20’s, and I know she has a lot of trust issues, but I just feel like there was no character growth and ended the book the same as she was in the beginning, if not worse.
I am so thankful to have received an arc for this book, I had a lot of hopes and excitement to read this. It had such a promising premise, I just think the execution went wrong.
Thank you again! I know so many others will love this story, I just think it wasn’t quite a great fit for me.
Theo!! I loved his cocky personality, but also that he was vulnerable and soft. He really believes in and desires love, and I really loved that about him. He made me laugh multiple times.
Clara- she was a strong side character, and I love how even though she had physical limitations, she was strong in her own way, and also a really great friend to Aza.
Aza- she was so strong and bad ass, I love how she can hold her own, and was confident in her abilities.
Things that didn’t work for me:
The world building- I couldn’t quite tell where we were. There was electricity, strobe lights, radios to communicate, but no cars? Was this supposed to be more dystopian? I’m not sure, but I kept getting lost and taken out of the story.
The magic system- we were told people had shadow and light powers, but it wasn’t really explained more than that. I would have loved a more in depth description of the way the powers worked.
Aza’s lack of character growth- she started off so strong and bad ass, but I just feel like she never really grew. She’s in her late 20’s, and I know she has a lot of trust issues, but I just feel like there was no character growth and ended the book the same as she was in the beginning, if not worse.
I am so thankful to have received an arc for this book, I had a lot of hopes and excitement to read this. It had such a promising premise, I just think the execution went wrong.
Thank you again! I know so many others will love this story, I just think it wasn’t quite a great fit for me.
July 1, 2026
I am really in my feminine rage era and this was right up my alley!
Aza has every right to feel the rage she is feeling; life has not been kind to her. Instead of following her mother’s line of work at a brothel, she accepted the offer to train as an assassin. She is now one of the most talented and feared assassins in Marilag. The only things that she cares about are her sister, Louisa and friend, Clara. While on a job to take out another notorious assassin, they end up having to work together when an extremist group, the Stars, launch a full scale attack. He also happens to be the same guy that she hooked up with in a club and couldn’t stop thinking about… Now, they must continue to work together to survive and find their friends and her sister.
Aza is a fierce FMC whose world view is tainted by her upbringing and past. I feel so bad for her! But Theo is a perfect MMC; a tough, secretive assassin but also a green flag, gold retriever to his friends and Aza. He is so down bad and his flirty banter had me kicking my feet!
This story is just getting started with how this book ended. In book 2, I’m looking forward to learning more about the Stars, the magic, and the world in general!
Quotes:
“I’m doing this because I want you no matter the situation. I want you through the good, the bad, the painful. The worst. I’ll do it all. And I want to be the man beside you no matter what.”
“You are and have always been my first love, and I’d really like it if you could be my last.”
Aza has every right to feel the rage she is feeling; life has not been kind to her. Instead of following her mother’s line of work at a brothel, she accepted the offer to train as an assassin. She is now one of the most talented and feared assassins in Marilag. The only things that she cares about are her sister, Louisa and friend, Clara. While on a job to take out another notorious assassin, they end up having to work together when an extremist group, the Stars, launch a full scale attack. He also happens to be the same guy that she hooked up with in a club and couldn’t stop thinking about… Now, they must continue to work together to survive and find their friends and her sister.
Aza is a fierce FMC whose world view is tainted by her upbringing and past. I feel so bad for her! But Theo is a perfect MMC; a tough, secretive assassin but also a green flag, gold retriever to his friends and Aza. He is so down bad and his flirty banter had me kicking my feet!
This story is just getting started with how this book ended. In book 2, I’m looking forward to learning more about the Stars, the magic, and the world in general!
Quotes:
“I’m doing this because I want you no matter the situation. I want you through the good, the bad, the painful. The worst. I’ll do it all. And I want to be the man beside you no matter what.”
“You are and have always been my first love, and I’d really like it if you could be my last.”
July 1, 2026
✨️The Vibe: Enemies-to-lovers + Assassin romance + High-stakes adventure.
If you love:
⚔️ Enemies-to-lovers
🎯 Assassin romance
🤝 Forced alliances
✨ High-stakes fantasy action
⚖️ Morally gray characters
Looking for a fast-paced fantasy romance that will keep you turning pages well into the night? This is it. 🖤
The story follows Aza, a fiercely determined FMC who is forced into an impossible situation: working alongside the very target she was sent to kill. The enemies-to-allies dynamic was easily one of my favorite parts of the book. The built-in tension and suspense between them kept me completely hooked, and watching their relationship slowly evolve as they re
✨️What I loved:
♦️The Dynamic: Aza is a fierce heroine forced into a dangerous alliance with the person she's supposed to kill. The tension and slow-burn evolution of their trust was incredible.
♦️The Pacing: There is constant danger and exciting action, making it a super quick and entertaining read.
♦️The Lore: The world-building surrounding the shadow-wielders and the threat of the Stars added a cool layer of depth.
✨️What to note:
A few plot points and emotional beats felt slightly rushed before the major reveals. I would have loved just a bit more depth to the world-building and character connections to make those moments hit even harder!
✨️Final Verdict: An absolute blast of a read full of forced alliances and morally grey characters.
Thank you to the author @brenna_bustamante and @betweenthespines__ Tours for the ARC copy.
June 5, 2026
2.5⭐️
I received an ARC for this in exchange for an honest review.
I’m so grateful to have gotten a copy of this book but it was a little up and down for me.
I liked the premise of the book and I feel like it had a lot more potential but I feel like the magic system was really skimped out on, whereas I think it should have had a lot more focus. I liked that we had a grumpy FMC x sunshine MMC, I thought this was a nice little twist to just your basic trope. The banter between our 2 main characters was kind of hit or miss. At some points I ate it up but other moments I thought were cringeworthy.
I did like the end, I think there’s a lot of potential for another book but I think the writing needs a lot of work in order to properly reel me in because this is where my rating really began to drop.
I did not like the writing style and story telling. I try not to be picky with these things but it really does affect my reading experience so I feel as though it helps to justify my ratings. I personally felt like I was reading a wattpad book, it just lacked depth and world building. I didn’t feel like a great connection was elicited between myself and the characters. The author also had an annoying tendency to flip from present tense to past tense in the same scene. This through me off majorly and was something that stood out to me repeatedly.
Lots of potential, but the execution is a little lackluster.
I received an ARC for this in exchange for an honest review.
I’m so grateful to have gotten a copy of this book but it was a little up and down for me.
I liked the premise of the book and I feel like it had a lot more potential but I feel like the magic system was really skimped out on, whereas I think it should have had a lot more focus. I liked that we had a grumpy FMC x sunshine MMC, I thought this was a nice little twist to just your basic trope. The banter between our 2 main characters was kind of hit or miss. At some points I ate it up but other moments I thought were cringeworthy.
I did like the end, I think there’s a lot of potential for another book but I think the writing needs a lot of work in order to properly reel me in because this is where my rating really began to drop.
I did not like the writing style and story telling. I try not to be picky with these things but it really does affect my reading experience so I feel as though it helps to justify my ratings. I personally felt like I was reading a wattpad book, it just lacked depth and world building. I didn’t feel like a great connection was elicited between myself and the characters. The author also had an annoying tendency to flip from present tense to past tense in the same scene. This through me off majorly and was something that stood out to me repeatedly.
Lots of potential, but the execution is a little lackluster.
July 1, 2026
Aza is definitely in her villain era and I am so glad I am here for it.
Into the Darkness is book 1 in Her Villain Era series. This is a dark fantasy, enemies to lovers, morally gray, forbidden magic, feminine rage, forced alliance, assassins, revenge story.
Aza is a shadow-wielder assassin. Her new task is to find and take out another assassin known as the first breath. But the Stars faction is capturing all magic users and she learns that her sister and best friend have been taken. She is now forced to make an alliance with the first breath assassin in an effort to rescue her friend and sister.
Aza and Theo share such a special connection. He wants her and makes that very clear every step of the way. However, she's scared to want him back. With her mother being in her life but not being the best mother figure, Aza is unsure of how to feel loved and reciprocate it back. She cares though and she shows that time and time again. I love their banter. It helps break up the tenseness of the situation they are in. I also love that the magic system isn't super complex. I usually have a hard time with stories that have magic systems in it, but this one was easy to understand and not difficult at all. I enjoyed the way this story flowed. It kept me hooked the entire time. I can't wait for book 2. This story did end on a bit of a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see where the story takes us in the next book This is a definite must read!
Into the Darkness is book 1 in Her Villain Era series. This is a dark fantasy, enemies to lovers, morally gray, forbidden magic, feminine rage, forced alliance, assassins, revenge story.
Aza is a shadow-wielder assassin. Her new task is to find and take out another assassin known as the first breath. But the Stars faction is capturing all magic users and she learns that her sister and best friend have been taken. She is now forced to make an alliance with the first breath assassin in an effort to rescue her friend and sister.
Aza and Theo share such a special connection. He wants her and makes that very clear every step of the way. However, she's scared to want him back. With her mother being in her life but not being the best mother figure, Aza is unsure of how to feel loved and reciprocate it back. She cares though and she shows that time and time again. I love their banter. It helps break up the tenseness of the situation they are in. I also love that the magic system isn't super complex. I usually have a hard time with stories that have magic systems in it, but this one was easy to understand and not difficult at all. I enjoyed the way this story flowed. It kept me hooked the entire time. I can't wait for book 2. This story did end on a bit of a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see where the story takes us in the next book This is a definite must read!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Firstly thank you to the author for providing an earc for the book!
Honestly, the idea for this book was fantastic; a shadow wielder FMC who is an assassin because that is her only means of survival and a light wielder MMC who is also an assassin, both sent out on tasks to kill each other but end up becoming friends and then more. Our FMC, Aza is the grumpy one who distrusts everyone while Theo is the sunshine who barely takes anything seriously, and it was very fun to see the reversal of tropes and to finally see an MMC who isn't broody and a complete hidden red flag.
The problem was the execution of the story and the repetitive writing style. Throughout the story, it was mentioned so many times that Aza doesn't believe in love and that she doesn't trust men to the point it got annoying. The constant mention of all of this only for her to completely trust Theo to save her sister the next moment was so off-putting. Similarly, while the idea of the powers was quite interesting, there was no explanation to anything; how do those powers work, what are the limitations, their source nothing was ever mentioned. The characters weren't developed well either which made it extremely hard to care for them.
Overall, I do think this story is good despite everything and after the ending, I am looking forward to the next book!
Honestly, the idea for this book was fantastic; a shadow wielder FMC who is an assassin because that is her only means of survival and a light wielder MMC who is also an assassin, both sent out on tasks to kill each other but end up becoming friends and then more. Our FMC, Aza is the grumpy one who distrusts everyone while Theo is the sunshine who barely takes anything seriously, and it was very fun to see the reversal of tropes and to finally see an MMC who isn't broody and a complete hidden red flag.
The problem was the execution of the story and the repetitive writing style. Throughout the story, it was mentioned so many times that Aza doesn't believe in love and that she doesn't trust men to the point it got annoying. The constant mention of all of this only for her to completely trust Theo to save her sister the next moment was so off-putting. Similarly, while the idea of the powers was quite interesting, there was no explanation to anything; how do those powers work, what are the limitations, their source nothing was ever mentioned. The characters weren't developed well either which made it extremely hard to care for them.
Overall, I do think this story is good despite everything and after the ending, I am looking forward to the next book!
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