Queen Takes Checkmate

Their Vampire Queen #5

by Joely Sue Burkhart, Tristan James (Narrator), Cassandra Myles (Narrator)

The god of light has met his match.
But whose life will the red serpent claim?

Killing the queen of New York City has added a million new responsibilities to Shara Isador’s list. The former queen’s Blood must be dealt with before they turn thrall. The queens Keisha Skye coerced into sibling relationships must either be formally sworn to House Isador or freed. Though Shara can’t in good conscience allow anyone into her house who took part in the rampant torture in which House Skye indulged.

While every single day, Shara feels the weight of the red serpent coiled around her throat. The goddess’s gift grows heavier with every passing moment. If she doesn’t act, the serpent will consume everything she loves. But if she goes after Ra as promised…

Someone she loves very much will die.

Any of her Blood will gladly pay that cost, but Shara loves them too much to even consider losing one of them.

Who will survive the epic showdown with Ra, the god of light, and will this be the end of Shara Isador’s story?

Genres: Vampires, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters, Why Choose

Audible Audio

First published September 9, 2018

About the author

I write books. Sometimes I even finish them!

Reviews

[TrulyDeeplyBookishly_708456 · Rating 5 out of 5]

 

What do you do, if you've just taken out the queen of New York City and her demon'ish offspring? Do you take time to relax? Replenish your strength? Or do you set out to kill an immortal God? Well, if you're Shara fucking Isador, you do the latter.

Sometimes you find a series that start out strong, but as the series continues some of the books feel like fillers while you're waiting for the final show down. This couldn't be further from the case with Joely's Their Vampire Queen series. Not only get each of the books get longer, they get stronger - both the characters and the plot.

Shara has finally had enough of the sun gods tyranny against her and every queen. So, she sets out to take him to end his reign of terror. But before she can give it her full attention, she needs to find someone who can hold Skye Tower Isador Tower for her i NYC, so she can return home to her nest in Eureka Spring. The list of potential candidates is short. And getting shorter by the minute, as she and her Blood comb through all of Skye's sibs. Because Shara fucking Isador doesn't want anyone who revels in torture and pain, to stay. With her Blood, Gina and her newest Sib, she takes on yet another Sib. One that has high probability of holding NYC for her. Especially when her long lost Blood, Lance, joins her. That's right, we meet Gwen the white enchantress already in Queen Takes Checkmate. And let me just add, as a side note, meeting Gwen made me even more excited for Queen Takes Camelot.

With Isador Tower being in safe hands, Shara can turn all her attention towards forming a plan of how to take down the Lord of the Sun, Ra. But while that's all good and well, Shara has no idea how to do it. And on top of that, the red serpent weighs heavily on her mind. She knows she has to use it, but she also knows the cost is great. No gift offered from a god or goddess comes free, and the price of using this one is, the death of one of her loved ones.

 



 

This in itself is almost enough that Shara doesn't want to use it. But this vampire queen knows she has to put duty ahead of herself.

Throughout this book I was on pins and needles! Waiting for the book, I've run through each of the Blood, to consider what it would be like to loose any of them. And I'll admit, I couldn't imagine any of them not being with us anymore. Not even her mothers former alpha, here newest Blood or any of her 2 new sibs. So, I was both excited and anxious to see how Joely would deal with this. And let me just tell you, she doesn't disappoint! Not even a little bit.

 



 

With each of the books I'm reading in this series, I'm pleasantly surprised by how much work Joely puts into the character development. I know I've in a previous review said, that all things seems to come relative easy for Shara. Yes, there's been a lot of pain involved. But it's still been like the path reveals itself as she walks it. This is no different in this book, but I've come to realise something I didn't think about with the others.

Shara's path was already set, by her mother and those around her. But not only that, Shara haven't strayed from the path the Great One has blessed, which is why it looks like everything just falls into her lap. Because when you have a goddess on your side, things just tend to run smoother.

One more thing I want to discuss, is the fact that this book isn't the last one. Yes, you heard that right. Originally, this was meant to be the grand finale. However, Shara and her Blood wasn't ready to be over and done with, so Joely will continue this epic series in 2019.

So, here’s to the former virgin Queen, may she find a way to deal with the Triune in the sixth book.

 



 

WARNING: This book contains detailed sex scenes with M/F, M/M, M/M/F, F/F scenes, along with a strong adult language use, so I wouldn’t recommend this series if you’re easily offended. If not, I personally think it suits the world created here, and I don’t find it cheesy or forced!

 



 

Do you like reverse harem? Have you read this series, or anything by Joely Sue Burkhart? How do you feel about vampires, myths and bloody romance? Comment and let's chat.

 

Before you go:
If you want to, you can buy the book my affiliation link:

Follow me:

♥ Twitter ♥ My Blog ♥ Pinterest ♥

 

[Katyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. Fuck Ra.

As an aside, does anyone else not really like Daire? He grates on me, honestly. I feel like he's more possessive than Rik (who is so diligent about being fair), and is constantly inserting himself into every moment other people get with Shara. Frankly, I'm hoping one of the other Blood beats his ass. Particularly because now he even takes orders as optional - who cares what he's assigned to do, he's going to just follow Shara into her room, no matter who is supposed to get to spend time with her. It would be great if everyone did that, right? Fuck guard duty, I'm sure it's fine, I want sexy time instead. Ugh, Daire is so freaking irritating.

Re-read April 2024
I'm almost shocked it took me this long to re-read this series, because I really enjoyed it. Now, let's be frank, this is pure vampire smut, outrageous and bloody, but it's also a lot of fun. Strong women, and - what seems to sadly be a rarity - strong relationships between women. Supportive friendships, empowering women, and a bit of FF (not usually my thing, but I enjoyed it in the context of this series, because there was such care and strength in these relationships).

My original review made me laugh, with the Daire rant. He bothered me less this time through, though he's seriously a "pick me" character. Not my favorite, but he's alright.

[Jessica Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.

Wow just wow!! Just when I think Joely cannot blow my mind anymore she proves me wrong with a story that is so truly incredible that I could not have even dreamed of it. House Isadore is truly amazing and I cannot wait to see what impressive feat they come up with next as the power is off the charts by this point. If you like vampires, power, and poly relationships then you so have to try these books!!! I loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t love this one as much. The whole plot around Ra and the collusion was just kind of… meh. Still fun but like, I would have taken a holiday interim novella of her just hanging out with the dudes.

[Danyelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

One of the best in the series so far.....ending was a little slow.

[Just Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many interesting and mysteries things I love in this series.

The mythology.
The world-building.
The Blood.
The “hierarchy”.
The Power, and that’s just to name a few.
Plus the sex is HAWT.

It took a while to get truly captivated by the story, but the final 150 pages did the trick.
I was thinking “3 stars” until the last pages, so it did help on my final rating.

It just such a creative and strangely complex story, and I simply love the fact that vampires can shapeshift.
That gods are the enemies. That light is not always good.
I found this story so refreshing in that aspect.

Read: 26/12/2019
1st rating: 4 stars
Genre/sub-genres: Reverse Harem/romance/paranormal/vampires/mythology/shapeshifters/action
Cover: Another stunning 5 stars cover.
POV: Dual - 1st person (Mainly Shara, but also her Blood)
Will I recommend: Yes

[Mary Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about this series is that the author gives readers an immediate resolution to the current problem while still giving us indication that there is more to come in the next books. I haven't been disappointed yet, and I only have one book to go. Shara is one of the fiercest characters I've ever found. She loves hard--those she takes, she loves, and she will not give them up. Vivian is an interesting addition to the team, and I can't wait to read more about their connection. I'll be so sad once I finish this series because it is definitely a favorite of mine.

[Alex (HEABookNerd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

QUEEN TAKES CHECKMATE brings us the final showdown between Shara and the vengeful sun god Ra who has been trying to kill her. While it was nice to have a conclusion to this story line I have to admit that the overall series has not fully lived up to my enjoyment of the first book. Part of this is because Shara has gone from zero awareness of the Aima (vampires) to being this super powerful and feared Queen and it all happened in like two weeks' time. Of course she's surrounded herself with those who are knowledgeable so that helps but it's like Shara can do no wrong and she's just naturally more powerful and smarter than everyone she goes up against. That being said I do like Shara's character and it's been interesting to see her growth even if it's been at super speed.

The relationship dynamics between Shara and individual Blood as well as between the Blood themselves also keeps things interesting. I was really excited to have a female Blood, Vivian, get added to the mix but I was a bit conflicted over the fact that Shara doesn't care if her male Blood have sex with each other (though it's usually part of a scene with Shara) but she doesn't want any women, even her new female Blood, to touch the men or for the men to touch other women even when in bed with Shara. It sets it up like all women are a threat to the Blood's devotion to Shara but she doesn't see the other men as a threat. I don't know if this is a common staple of Reverse Harem (I haven't read many) but this mindset just didn't sit right with me.

While this one has a decent ending feel there is another book in the series and I'll admit I'm debating whether or not to read it. While I haven't enjoyed the later books in the series as much as the beginning this has still been a fun, if totally bananas series to read and it's definitely super sexy if you're looking for lots of ménage romance.

Content Warning: References to breeding, fertility, menstruating; graphic blood play

[Sam (Hissing Potatoes) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shara's Mary-Sue-ish aspects are finally starting to affect my enjoyment of the story. They diminish the satisfaction of her achievements when she never truly struggles to reach them or face any consequences (like the cop-out at the end of this book from an agreement she made in a prior one). I enjoy the story more when it focuses on the fun character interactions rather than the plot, given that there's no interest there since she always succeeds at everything.

I'm confused and annoyed by the hypocrisy of Shara saying she's a "jealous" queen and doesn't want her men to so much as brush against her women (to the point that the author details characters' movements to make sure the reader knows there's NO TOUCHY), but Shara is fine with the men being all over each other. She's not jealous, she's just drawing a nonsensical line between genders.

I liked the reversal of the "light vs dark" trope with the darkness needing to overcome the light. I adore Shara's connections with and respect for animals like the birds in previous books and the rats in this one. Carys and Winnie are delightful and I hope they show up a lot in the next books.

[❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this point I think Shara has ten men. Taking a hiatus between one book and the next is not making it easy keeping her men’s names and identities straight let alone all her acquaintances etc. I did enjoy the story. With so many men it’s predominately sex but what actual story there was read fun, fast and exciting. A lingering threat has been Ra and Shara doesn’t let things lie, it’s time the two meet and the winner will live. I love that the storyline isn’t dragged out and Shara is really coming into her rightful role. Confident and fairly calm in almost all circumstances I can’t help but enjoy her character. I could have done without her quick, sudden and debilitating beheading of one of her mates because I did not see that coming. Thank goodness things worked out because 😱😱😱😱 Looking forward to where the series is going. Wouldn’t mind a little more emphasis on the actual storyline and development (I get it she has ten guys, but the sex is just waaaaay overtaking the story).

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5** Didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous four. I think the addition of so many new characters (Blood) is getting old. I mean how much blood and sex sharing can you really make fresh and exciting??

I still really like this new take on a vampire world and mythology. In this one, we get some friend rats, awake the Aztec sun god of Tenochtitlan, and if that’s not enough, they also take on Ra. Shara can now suck blood from her fingernails, or something like that.

Rik is still my favorite of her Blood.

“You will have to order me to leave your side. You will have to compel me to your will. Because nothing else will keep me from you. I love you too much to allow this without your power forcing me to do so.”

[Bárbara Morais]

toda vez q alguém falava shara fucking Isidore eu tinha uma crise de riso, é isto

[Crystal B · Rating 5 out of 5]

5*****! Dam i forgot how good this series is! On to the last book!

[Amber Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Best book by far!! Loved it!!! Shara is so alive and just an amazing character can’t wait to read more about shara and her blood!

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling addition to the series as Shara plots her way to Ra for a showdown! I can’t believe the series must continue farther to show how Shara handles the Triune.

Shara takes sibs galore after her showdown with house sky increasing her power yet again. Her next mission to take down Ra. With the help of a surprising new blood and killer of queens she learns even more about Ra’s hatred and depravity. With her secret weapon/sacrifice Shara resurrects yet another ally to battle Ra with.

I had to spoiler mark this because I completely disagreed with what happened after Shara uses the red snake. I get her wanting to keep all her blood but them agreeing to all die together was just not a good idea in my book. If it had been the actual end of Shara’s story then maybe I could see this but what if she has a daughter? What then if she gets killed then all her blood dies with her and the baby is left alone just as she was. Seems completely irresponsible considering she knows how hard it was for her. I feel like something else should have been planned or something in the future should fix this bargain. Despite loving the book and her devious cunning mind while she has plotted out Ra’s demise the bargain really put a bad taste in my mouth.
I guess her being given Isis resurrection powers is gonna need to come in handy jic because if not they are all dead.

I appreciate the authors note at the end where she covers all the loose ends and tells her readers more is in store for Shara!

[Adrianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh where do I even start!

This series has dominated my life, my dreams and basically my existence for the short period it took me to read all of the books.

It’s just too good to be true, the balance between erotic parts and the actual mythology of the story is PERFECT. I love fantasy, but it seems that these days it is easier to find an interesting YA fantasy than an adult one. Don’t get me wrong, I love a slow burning YA romance that ends in innuendos and first base, but a girl needs more once in awhile to properly function in the real world.
This series has got everything you can imagine: FM, MFM, MMFM, and even MFFM at some point I believe. Well, any possible combination of Fs and Ms that your perverted and kinky mind can conjure is HERE!

But putting all that aside, I fell in love with the characters. Shara, the Vampire Queen, calls her Blood, her lovers/partners/protectors/family/knights, one after one and each of them has got a complicated past and an interesting story to tell.
She draws on the strength of her ancestors, goddesses that ruled before her and the power of her Blood to overcome unimaginable obstacles and defeat her enemies. At the base of this series we experience the journey of a simple girl, that learns to love unconditionally after losing all the loved ones she ever had in her life. She finds a new family, and her only goal becomes to protect them at any cost.
This conclusion to the series was beautiful, exciting and unpredictable. I do hope we will get more stories about Shara and her family, since I don’t think I could ever grow tired of reading about them.

What she takes, she loves, and what she loves, she keeps for all time. Long live House Isador!

[Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

One the best RH series of 2018 and one that you never want to see end.

[Stacy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's over, or is it?

This has to have been my favorite book of the series Maybe. I like them all it's hard to choose a favorite one I am glad Miss Burkhart said that there would be a sixth book.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/29/2019)! 🎁

[Mummy's Naughty Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this is starting to turn really silly but for the life of me I need to know what happens next. Will she be strong enough to take on a God? Will she leave any Queen alive? How many more bloods will she need and will she ever be sated? She got a female blood this time but she comes with a twist. Now we also have mummy's and Gods. Just how powerful will she get?

[Jessica S · Rating 4 out of 5]

“…your love is the light that will keep the darkness safe…”

[Lyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot was super interesting in this one but it got a little annoying how often people said “Shara f*cking Isador” like… we get it. It doesn’t need to be said every single chapter.

[alix flora 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever jealous of Shara

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 4 out of 5]

How is it that I never reviewed this book? Probably because my evil day job was in the worst it had ever been at the end of 2019. Still, ms. Burkhart is a little light and happiness during my dark times.

This book is the big showdown fight between Shara and the god Ra who wants to tear her apart. Many of the questions in the previous books come to light here. I have to admit, I believe this series was supposed to be a trilogy and then it continued to grow. These stories are a little bit shorter than I prefer, but they are so easy to read and so erotic. When it comes to dark, kinky and blood play, Ms. Burkhart flat out does it for me.

This one is filled with sacrifice and the unknown. I adored it. I am pulled deeper into this world and wondered if there would be more to the series. For those just tuning into this reverse harem series, fear not, the series is completed. Recommended to kinky erotic readers who like strong female leads with strong alpha males supporting her.

[Duchessbookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only thing I thought was a little weird with this one, is that her newest male Blood served her mother, meaning he had sex with her mom and her aunt. And will only serve queens of Shara's bloodline. And he could have been her father if he was able to give Shara's mother a child and I just think it's weird that he is now one of her Blood like that.

RR Dec 2022

[Stephanie Kemler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m giving a 4 star review to my normal 5 stars on this series because this one felt a little bit all over the place until the very end. It was still an engaging and unputdownable read. I still read it faster than most other books I’ve read this year. And it still hits all those high points. I just wanted a bit more from her relationship with all her new Bloods. They all started to blur together at a certain point. All that being said: holy hell when it gets to the showdown with Amun-Ra at the end (which is a wild antagonist in a vampire series) I was reading it while I as doing dishes, while I was doing laundry, carrying it with me everywhere. This series is starting to remind me of the Witcher in all the best ways. Ratcheting up the tension, one monster after another, finding and defeating increasingly tougher bosses. How fun is that in a romance book?! I immediately hopped into the last book and will be sad when it’s all over.

[Puna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! This book was bloody amazing! I loved every single sentence. I’m a huge fan of this series and a huge fan of Joely. I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time and it didn’t disappoint. I don’t want to give to much away or spoil anything for anyone but....everything works out! I was very scared after the last book but I trusted Joely.

Shara’s Blood does get bigger so it was awesome but even though this was, I believe, the longest book, it was very fast paced. More so than usual, I missed the small, cute moments between Shara and her Blood. That’s why the ending made my day. Thank you so much Joely! I can’t wait to see what comes next! I can’t wait to see what happens with the Princess of Unicorns.

Long live House Isador!

Overall: 5/5

I received an ARC copy of this book to review.

[Gabriella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not gonna lie... I ate the first six books up in a week. I have many thoughts.

1. I went into this thinking I was getting a dark vampire reverse harem. What I voraciously devoured was one of the most delicious, cheesy, sexy, bloody, and snarky series I've ever read.

2. The VERY CONSISTENT reminders of CONSENT! I loved this.

3. The multitude of different types of races, sexualities, genders, magical abilities, hierarchies, religions, gods and goddesses, etc... *Chef's kiss* I just felt like there was a lot of representation.

4. Shara and her crazy Blood had me laughing all the damn time. I enjoyed everyone's personalities so much!

5. It was cheesy, there are some grammatical and spelling errors, it is very quickly paced, but it didn't bother me enough to take away from the overall story. It was an easy read and enjoyable.

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, and I feel like it improved from the last book. There's still a few points in the story where I feel like Shara could have struggled a little more in the trials she faces, as that would make the story more highstakes. However, the ending to this book was really well written in my opinion. You have the fight with the big bad that has been terrorizing Shara and her companions for several books and a final resolution that I was happy with. I definitely recommend continuing this series.

Also, I'm absolutely loving all of the monsters that have bonded with Shara and the sweet moments between them.

[Amber Hamblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect !!!!

OMGERD!!!

The snark in the book is unreal, we get more time with all the bloods and even gain one!

Ra is battled in this book & the way Shara defeated him was pretty dang smart. The sadness of what she had to do was almost overwhelming but it was needed. The deal that everyone is worried about finds its balance and that gives everyone a chance to breathe deep.

The hormones are raging this book and it was all done rather nicely, it just sucks bc it seems Shara has been on her period since the beginning.

***spoiler***

Since there is going to be another book, maybe there will be babies!!!! Who knows, only our amazing Queen!