Lycoris in Moonlight

by Kova Killian

The daughter of a god of death.

The child that shouldn't exist.

Nin’s mother had warned her to never go to the Flame Festival, for the gods have laws against her life. Now Nin is a grumpy, world-wary almost thirty-year-old midwife. Her mother has passed away and her best friend begs her to go to the festival.

She attends, only to have her fated flame match with the last god she ever wanted to lay eyes on, Amun-Ra. Her mother's patron god, the one person her mother begged to come heal her in her time of need. Nin despises his pompous priss face and his cocky attitude until she learns the limits of his power and the demons that plague him.

Nin must now survive the year. The one problem? Someone knows both of her parents. He can unravel her secret in a moment and send the justices after her, resulting in execution. Will Nin submit to the pull of the flames and make it to the Eternal Ceremonies? or will the secret of her parents be brought to light?

Genres: Fantasy

ebook

First published May 1, 2021

About the author

Kova lives in the heart of Southern California where she weaves tales that defy the boundaries of reality. When she's not attending to her three wildlings, her bonus daughter, her feline familiar (secretly plotting world domination), and her husband (also harboring grand schemes), she's out and about.

You'll often find her roaming Renaissance faires where magic and mayhem collide. Or perhaps, she's embarked on an epic quest into the unknown, camping in magical places where the very earth seems to whisper ancient secrets. And when the moon graces the night sky, she's been known to meet a metal band or two.

Reviews

[Marie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, this book was an emotional rollercoaster! Let's talk about Nin first—yeah, she's a total dick in the beginning, but honestly, I get it. She's been through a lot, and her walls are up for a reason. Ra is a fascinating character, too. He's following advice from another god who seems to have a massive harem, which adds an intriguing layer to his actions.

Can we talk about Anubis? Please! His dynamic with Ra is everything. Anubis calling Ra "sunshine" had me laughing out loud. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and I can't help but hope for a Ra and Anubis scene—or even better, a thruple with Nin! I think Nin would be into it; she definitely showed some interest in Anubis.

One of the best parts of this book is how the gods have real emotions. They're not just stoic, unfeeling statues like in other mythology retellings. It's so refreshing to see them with genuine feelings and depth. The world-building is incredible too. The citadel where all the gods live is genius—having Egyptian, Greek, Polynesian, and Norse settings all in one place is so cool. I loved exploring the different areas, and I'm sure there are even more to discover.

Sigbjorn is a complete asshole, and Hera...well, she's just like her mythological counterpart—jealous and manipulative, but not exactly evil. Just influenced and complex.

Nin being from a wiped-out civilization adds so much depth to her character. The nods to a Nordic-like culture and their unique god were just chef's kiss. And that ending...oh, Miss Author Ma'am, you warned us, but I still ended up blubbering like a baby. It was heartbreaking and beautiful all at once.

This book is a must-read for anyone who loves mythology, romance, and complex characters with real emotions.

[S.J. Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 star read. I enjoyed the story.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this down and binge read the entire thing. The main character has a darkness about her that makes her feel more real. And don't get me started on the steamy scenes. They were vivid but not overly vulgar, no weird descriptions of body parts. You knew exactly what was happening.

The Flame Festival is an interesting concept, and I loved Nin's reactions when her torch lit up. I just adored her overall, and her development in the story is beautiful.

I sincerely hope there's another book from Ra's POV. There was so much mystery behind him, his past, and his relationship with the other gods and his first flame. And since the POV is from Nin, we got a bit of backstory, but not everything. I would love to see him change like Nin did in this story.

Overall, I loved it. Such a beautiful book with rich characters.

[Kelsey Carter]

I’m giving this book a seven out of 10. I really enjoyed it. Which is surprising considering romance isn’t my usual genre. The character development and world building here was really good. I started out not liking me in, but by the end of the book and really liked where she went. I like how she slowly learned to let other people in. I’m glad she was happy by the end of the book. I also like the idea of the festival of flames, and all of the political stuff going on with the gods. Well done. I also liked how the person she was with respected her and allowed her to do her own thing. That is very refreshing in today’s times.

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was shocked how independent the main character is if I'm being honest. She hates anything her love interest gives her and refuses his advances for most of the book.

The plot of the bad guys was confusing, then again a lot of the romance I read doesn't have "bad guys" like this. I guess that is what makes it dark romance?

I liked the sexy scenes when the main character finally allows the guy to do anything.

But the fight scenes between the main character and the bad guy were a bit too much and the love interest wasn't allowed to save her at all except once.

I blubbered like a baby twice, though. The entirety of an end chapter killed me.

I took a star away just because I didn't get the bad guy plot and didn't really like the confession of love from a side character.

[Lindsay Merch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved a lot of this book. Not the harsh fights between Nin and a certain Norse match(not because they weren't good, I just didn't expect them), but Nin was absolutely real. The way she acts in the beginning shows her sadness and I love how she changes throughout. It's a slow build but once Ra gets Nin to open up a little, the story is so sweet. A piece of my heart died for them at the end, I just wanted to see them happy (it happens and it's so beautiful.)

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay story, terrible writing skills

The story of Nin and Ra was riddled with awful basic grammar mistakes. This book was clearly not edited at all. It could be halfway decent with a proper editor.
The storyline was okay. It head jumped way too much and there were so many characters I couldn't keep them straight.

I can't say I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Natasha Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I pushed through because I didn’t want a DNF, It should have been a DNF. It never got better.

Great bones to a story but would not recommend.