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Cruel Fate #2
Of Hate and Mercy
Not yet published
Expected 30 Sep 26350 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 30, 2026
About the author
Tanja Longoria
36 books217 followersTanja is a spicy romance author who loves to write about strong female characters, loving love interests, and the occasional vampires and werewolves.
Besides writing she is a mother and nursing student, with a hectic life and an ever-changing work schedule. Writing is her escape from reality in which she can let go of all the stress that comes with managing a family of three and balancing work and private life.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
About 95% of this book is told from Nikolai's POV, covering his meeting with Emory in Book 1 and everything that followed. Let me start by saying: I was not prepared for that... The final 5% of the book is where we get genuinely new material.
My expectation for this highly anticipated sequel was that it would pick up where the first book left off, even if it was being told from Nikolai's perspective. Instead, revisiting almost the entire first book through a different point of view felt quite exhausting at times.
Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the revelations. We learn new information, uncover secrets, gain valuable background insight and information, and a lot of things finally make sense. There are definitely important details that add depth to the story in this POV....However, dedicating almost the entire book to retelling events we had already experienced was a bit disappointing for me.
After finishing the first book which I rated 5 stars, all I wanted was to find out what happened next. Because of that, I couldn't help but feel that this story might have worked better as a short novella rather than a full-length novel.
That said, the story remains exciting and incredibly intriguing. I'm still fully invested in the characters, including Annabelle and Gideon ( these side characters are stealing my heart), and I'll absolutely be continuing with the series. I just wanted more forward progression in the plot and definitely more magic, which I still feel hasn't been explored nearly enough.
Overall, I'm still a huge fan of the series and im excited and hopeful for the next book.
My expectation for this highly anticipated sequel was that it would pick up where the first book left off, even if it was being told from Nikolai's perspective. Instead, revisiting almost the entire first book through a different point of view felt quite exhausting at times.
Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the revelations. We learn new information, uncover secrets, gain valuable background insight and information, and a lot of things finally make sense. There are definitely important details that add depth to the story in this POV....However, dedicating almost the entire book to retelling events we had already experienced was a bit disappointing for me.
After finishing the first book which I rated 5 stars, all I wanted was to find out what happened next. Because of that, I couldn't help but feel that this story might have worked better as a short novella rather than a full-length novel.
That said, the story remains exciting and incredibly intriguing. I'm still fully invested in the characters, including Annabelle and Gideon ( these side characters are stealing my heart), and I'll absolutely be continuing with the series. I just wanted more forward progression in the plot and definitely more magic, which I still feel hasn't been explored nearly enough.
Overall, I'm still a huge fan of the series and im excited and hopeful for the next book.
June 24, 2026
I don’t think a book has emotionally wrecked me quite like this in a long time.
Of Hate and Mercy takes readers back through the events of Of Love and Cruelty, but this time through Nikolai’s eyes and somehow every moment hurts even more.
Knowing the choices he makes is one thing. Understanding why he makes them is another entirely.
This book shattered me. Watching Nikolai carry the weight of impossible decisions, sacrifice pieces of himself for the people he loves, and endure heartbreak after heartbreak was absolutely devastating. I spent more time crying than I care to admit, and every new layer of the story made me ache for him even more.
What I loved most was how much depth this perspective added to the original story. Moments I thought I understood took on entirely new meaning, and revelations that hit hard the first time somehow hit even harder here.
Tanja Longoria has a gift for creating characters who are beautifully flawed, fiercely loyal, and impossible not to love. By the end of this book, my heart was in pieces.
If you loved Of Love and Cruelty, prepare yourself. This isn’t just a companion novel it’s an emotional gut punch that will completely change the way you see the story.
Devastating, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.
Of Hate and Mercy takes readers back through the events of Of Love and Cruelty, but this time through Nikolai’s eyes and somehow every moment hurts even more.
Knowing the choices he makes is one thing. Understanding why he makes them is another entirely.
This book shattered me. Watching Nikolai carry the weight of impossible decisions, sacrifice pieces of himself for the people he loves, and endure heartbreak after heartbreak was absolutely devastating. I spent more time crying than I care to admit, and every new layer of the story made me ache for him even more.
What I loved most was how much depth this perspective added to the original story. Moments I thought I understood took on entirely new meaning, and revelations that hit hard the first time somehow hit even harder here.
Tanja Longoria has a gift for creating characters who are beautifully flawed, fiercely loyal, and impossible not to love. By the end of this book, my heart was in pieces.
If you loved Of Love and Cruelty, prepare yourself. This isn’t just a companion novel it’s an emotional gut punch that will completely change the way you see the story.
Devastating, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.
Review of advance copy received from Author
If you ever finished a book and thought, "I wish I could experience this story again for the first time," then Nikolai's POV is exactly the kind of book that delivers that feeling. Yes, a lot of the story is repeated. But you get to feel and see Nikolai's side. Knowing parts of the story, didn't lessen the impact. If anything, understanding Nikolai's thoughts, motivations and secrets helped me have a better understanding of the story.
We finally get to understand the man behind the darkness. Where Emory's perspective left questions lingering beneath the surface, Nikolai pulls back the veil and exposes the darkness, pain, and longing that shaped him into the man we thought we knew. His rage, his thirst for revenge, and the years of suffering are made known, making his character both heartbreaking and impossible to stop reading. Nikolai completely stole my heart, again.
We finally get to understand the man behind the darkness. Where Emory's perspective left questions lingering beneath the surface, Nikolai pulls back the veil and exposes the darkness, pain, and longing that shaped him into the man we thought we knew. His rage, his thirst for revenge, and the years of suffering are made known, making his character both heartbreaking and impossible to stop reading. Nikolai completely stole my heart, again.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Truly tried my best to keep this review spoiler free
This book is Nikolai's POV from the book Of Love and Cruelty. And when I say his POV i mean it's the entire same events occurring but you're just seeing it from his perspective with new scenes from when Emory leaves to marry her husband onwards. And my oh my does the plot thicken! In the first book i felt the betrayal alongside Emory, like i was hating Nikolai. But you're in for treat when you read his POV of that scene and honestly I was so glad and thankful. Oh and the ☠️ scene, the realisation dawned on me about how the ending of book 1 was possible, it was truly amazing. I do feel as though the start of the book was a bit unnecessary in the context of already having read of love and cruelty because there's a lot of double ups on the scene. Aside from that I thoroughly enjoyed this read and cannot wait for the next book!
This book is Nikolai's POV from the book Of Love and Cruelty. And when I say his POV i mean it's the entire same events occurring but you're just seeing it from his perspective with new scenes from when Emory leaves to marry her husband onwards. And my oh my does the plot thicken! In the first book i felt the betrayal alongside Emory, like i was hating Nikolai. But you're in for treat when you read his POV of that scene and honestly I was so glad and thankful. Oh and the ☠️ scene, the realisation dawned on me about how the ending of book 1 was possible, it was truly amazing. I do feel as though the start of the book was a bit unnecessary in the context of already having read of love and cruelty because there's a lot of double ups on the scene. Aside from that I thoroughly enjoyed this read and cannot wait for the next book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This isn’t a book two in a normal sense, as it is book one but from Nikolai’s pov. At first I wasn’t sure this story was needed and found myself struggling to get into it. But it did not take long to be completely sucked back into this world. Yes I knew most of what was to happen. But I knew his pov was truly needed for multiple things that had happened. Seeing him fall for Emery through his eyes was everything. You feel his heartbreak so much in this story my heart was physically hurting too. I wanted to reach through the book and yell at Emery to see what he was really doing and meaning. There are so many ways for their story to go. I cannot wait to see how these two find their way back.
June 21, 2026
This is book 2 but from Nikolai’s perspective. It didn’t advance the story as much as I thought it was going to, a lot of it felt identical to book 1. I think it would’ve been a better book 1.5 with the duplicate chapters cut out. It was nice seeing into Nikolai’s mind and the depth of his feelings for Emory. That ending though makes your heart hurt for him.
Review of advance copy received from Author
UPDATE: love love love this whole story line! It’s dark yet cozy, uncomfortable yet comforting and ahhh Nikolai - so misunderstood, soooo dreamy 🥺
The book ends leading us into the 3rd book which has been announced but not quite finished!
I loved it so much I just bought the physical copy of book 1!
Again it’s an easy, enjoyable read even with the darkness.
As the other reviews have said, we get the same story but from Nikolai's POV (so far)
Sounds daunting but you learn more about Nikolai's background, certain plot points and the dark past of the realm and the politics It all feels like its building up to something. I am quite enjoying reading about Nikolai and Emory's adventures but from HIS POV. Things are starting to make sense.
I'm only about 75% through so will keep updating my review because i know something big is going to happen right at the end, i can feel it.
The book ends leading us into the 3rd book which has been announced but not quite finished!
I loved it so much I just bought the physical copy of book 1!
Again it’s an easy, enjoyable read even with the darkness.
As the other reviews have said, we get the same story but from Nikolai's POV (so far)
Sounds daunting but you learn more about Nikolai's background, certain plot points and the dark past of the realm and the politics It all feels like its building up to something. I am quite enjoying reading about Nikolai and Emory's adventures but from HIS POV. Things are starting to make sense.
I'm only about 75% through so will keep updating my review because i know something big is going to happen right at the end, i can feel it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews