Soul of the Vampire King

Blood Fire Saga #3

by Bella Klaus

How can you mend a stolen heart?

The worst happened, and all I have left of the man I love is his unbeating heart. How am I going to save Valentine when I’m also trapped?

Enemies surround us both, and I don’t know who to trust. I must unlock my power, restore Valentine, and destroy those who are keeping us apart.

If I fail, I will lose Valentine forever.

Soul of the Vampire King is book three of the Blood Fire Saga.

Genres: Paranormal, Vampires, Fantasy, Magic, Witches, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2021

About the author

Bella Klaus is an avid fan of paranormal and urban fantasy featuring sultry-as-sin supernatural heroes and heroines not afraid to stand up to them.

Join Bella's reader group for giveaways, advance copies of her books, and to connect with Bella and other readers:
http://www.bellaklaus.com/facebook

Her first series is the Blood Fire Saga, a set of fast-paced stories where the natural and supernatural worlds collide. If you enjoy steamy romance, twists and turns and supernatural mysteries, you’ll love Return of the Vampire King its sequels.

When Bella isn’t crafting stories about magic, she lives in Central London with her inamorata, enjoys True Blood, Supernatural, and The Vampire Diaries, and hopes to one day craft the perfect chocolate cocktail.

Reviews

[Lorrie (Clockworkbookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers -

Content/Trigger Warning: Incest, Abandonment, Addiction, Prostitution/Selling of Self (blood, body, control for a chemical high), Animal abuse/Cruelty (on page), Genocide (fire users), Stalking, Predatory Behavior, Rape/Attempted Rape (not on page), Cults, Torture/Physical Abuse

3.25 - Interesting premise and characters. All 3 books have ended on huge cliffhangers.

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soul of the Vampire King is book three in Bella Klaus's Blood Fire Saga. While this book picks up where book two left off, I found myself having mixed feelings about this book as it went along. Where things left off with book two Mera was finally meeting with the woman who birthed her for the first time after a disastrous attempt to save and free her Aunt whom she believed to be being held prisoner by the Supernatural Council. Valentine has been left behind at the mercy of the Mage and Demon Kings. Mera is a wanted woman for her blood, her flames, and her soul. Things are looking dark for her, but now she has to get the firestone out of her blood if she is ever to access her phoenix flames to truly save Valentine.
Soul of the Vampire King is a mixed bag of a story for me. This book has some really engaging moments, and then there are swaths of the story that just drag on with filler. We get introduced to some new characters with this book, and make some strange discoveries as well. Things get a bit twisted and dark with Jonathan's persistence in pursuing Mera despite her many showings of disinterest in him romantically.
While I enjoy the overall storyline, I hate to say it, but I'm honestly to the point of exasperation with Mera. Just when I think that she's finally growing she majorly disappoints me. I need her to develop a backbone and get some sense. She's too wishy washy for me. She has moments of where she acts with focus and strength, but more often than not she acts confused and unfocused. It gets annoying when she's so easily distracted by different things, especially when she knows just how much is at stake all around her and not just with her either.
Now, this book does have some seriously good moments that engaged me back into the story and kept me page turning. I wanted more of them though. While the previous books had what I would classify as "soft" cliffhangers, this book has a more interesting cliffhanger. It's still pretty soft, meaning I'm not on the edge of my seat, but it has me more interested in what happens next this time.
I'm rating this book 4 out of 5 stars. This storyline and series needs a bit more focus, and to start moving along sooner. Things were dragged for too long and I was tempted to skim sections. Things are starting to get in gear, but I can only hope the storyline kicks into gear with the installment and doesn't continue to be dragged out over several more books.

[Naurarwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book three kicks off where book three and honestly I feel bad for Mera, she just can't seem to get a break. The potential war between the fire users and pretty much everyone else is getting closer and closer, and Mera still can't use her powers fully so now she has to train to try and unlock them so she can basically save herself and Valentine.

There is a bit of a plot twist later in the book which I didn't see happening, well maybe some of it but not exactly how it went down. I find Jonathan really creepy in this book, more so than he has been previously but I'm interested to see if anything more becomes of his character after this book.

I do love how well these stories are written, the author does a brilliant job at creating not just the characters but also the supernatural parts of the world they live in. There's also a fair amount of history as to why people are in the situations they are in now which I love.

[Princess J. Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tired Now!

Ugh! I'm getting a bit bored with this storyline... It's always something with hero and the heroine being manipulated or being pull apart with many enemies out to kill them or using them some how.. I just want this series wrapped up already... I think I will give this series at break and read something new and maybe I will come back to continue this story when the final book has been written...

Overall rating:
3* ~ It's Okay

[Brittany Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the series and it picks up right where the second book left us. We now know what happened to Mera's mom and more peeks into her past. We also get some answers to who the flame are as a group- and their part in this "war". Mera is trying to get Valentine whole, but unfortunately, obstacles keep getting in her way. While we are getting answers to some questions, we are then thrown for a loop with one or two big surprises and more secrets that will keep you on the edge of your seat, especially after that ending!

While this was probably the slowest of the books, it was still was really good. The author does a fantastic job at creating this whole parallel realm to the mortal realm. She weaves magic into this book seamlessly and believably. I can’t wait to see what is coming next in the series because this has been a very interesting ride. I would recommend this book to lovers of magic and vampires, well all supernatural really. It is an original idea, with the supernatural world working really alongside the real world.

[Yasmin Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning another cliffhanger...

I think the series could have been shortened into three or even four books which focuses on

1. The storyline of Mera and Valentine, how she came to have her heart broken, and learning about her past, present and future.

2. The continuation of the Fire Mages, Father Judes cult, the downfall of Valentine and subsequently the development of Mera as the Phoenix and escaping the cult.

3. The manipulation of Mera and Valentine, The Demon King and the supernatural council

4. Concluding the series: unlock her power, build alliances, free Valentine, destroy surrounding enemies and a happily (not so) ever after.

With the continuation of cliff hangers, it’s prolonging the storyline which is resulting in skim reading because of losing interest. I think this series had so much potential if it was compressed into 4 books as opposed to the currently published 5 books. The reason I am so far into the series is I need to know how it ends.

Fingers crossed for the final instalment!

[PelicanFreak · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When I first saw you, I felt something for you in the depths of my soul.”


I’m so addicted to this series and this installment only served to make me more so. There is so much drama, action and conflict packed into this one that you might want to buckle up to read it.

Despite being completely immersed in this book, I couldn’t help but admire Klaus’s skills along the way. She has a way of heating things up at just the right pace and definitely has a knack for exciting cliffhangers.


5 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew it!!

Spoiler Alert 🚨

I knew Father Jude was super fishy!! That bastard! This makes me wonder how much Aurora knew about Jude. Did she know Father Jude was Kresnik the whole time? Is this why she sent Mera away, to keep her Phoenix flames safe?? Maybe she was looking out for her daughter since birth.

Jonathon, you’re a sick, sick man! I’m so glad you’re magic was taken from you. But I have a deep suspicion you’ll be back in the next book. Too creepy not to creep back in.

Can Valentine get any better?? I wish such perfect creatures existed for us mere mortals. Sigh...

[Rachel Joi Maples · Rating 5 out of 5]

how does this keep getting better!?! 😱🖤

[Donna (BookDragonGirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m still enjoying this, but it is getting a bit too drawn out. Still a great series so far.

[Jessica Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

We pick back up right where book two left off. Poor Mera is still trying to unlock her full power potential. Especially since this is the only way to save Valentine. Things keep getting in her way though as she races the clock before those wishing to kill all fire users catches up to her. Quite a few surprise twists along the way with a really big one towards the end that will have you wishing the next book was already here. Makes for a fantastic read. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.

[Kim Jeffries · Rating 2 out of 5]

this series just keeps getting worse

The books started off well, there’s a bunch of plot holes that aren’t answered in the next book and instead just keep piling. For instance, in book 2 Jonathan claims Mera was promised to him. Why? How? By who? No one knows and it’s never mentioned and then he gets banished and his memories wiped so we’ll never find out. Then we have Aurora being compared in this book to Aunt Aurora which isn’t even the aunts name. We have Valentine’s heart improving with each meditation/connection thing, but who knows why and it seems not to even matter to the plot as a whole because we’ll just burn it to ash and bam good as new anyways. I’d say it was like this book was written by a middle school student, but as a middle school teacher I’ve actual read stories more put together than this.

[Nidhi Bhatt · Rating 1 out of 5]

KINK REQUIRES CONSENT

**contains spoilers**

If you know me, you know I will read just about any dark paranormal romance. Add an enemies to lovers element and I’m yours from now until eternity. So when I stumbled across the ALLURE OF THE VAMPIRE KING, book one out of seven of the complete Blood Fire Saga, I didn’t hesitate to download it. For those of you interested, it’s part of Kindle Unlimited so the buy-in is minimal, though to be clear I don’t recommend you download it.

If you’re triggered by rape, sexual violence, or drug abuse, then please steer clear.
The basic premise of the story revolves around powerless mage Mera who was dumped by the Vampire King Valentine. Turns out that she actually has a ton of powers (which four books in she still can’t use), was bred from a phoenix, and can bring people back to life. She also was never dumped by Valentine, rather they formulated this plan to keep her safe because being a fire mage is illegal and someone tampered with her memories to make her think it was real.

Now at this point, you’re probably thinking okay sounds juicy enough for a good read, why the heck didn’t you finish it?! Because by the time book three came around, and ultimately book four I simply could not read any more scenes where rape was being paraded as acceptable.

To be clear, I love a bad boy turned good storyline as much as anyone, and with dark romance you have to leave the pearl clutching at the door and buckle up for the ride. I understand that. In fact, it’s part of the reason I love dark romance so much. This also, by default, means that dark romance is filled with triggers. It’s why any author worth their salt will list out the trigger warnings in the beginning.

But there is a very clear line, and when you pretend rape is anything other than rape, you’ve crossed it.

You’ve gone from dark romance to perpetuating misogyny and rape culture. You’ve caused harm.
Before I go fully into this, I’d also like to add that even if there wasn’t a serious consent problem in these books, they were still poorly written. I got through the first three and a half but by the time I was half way through the second one, I was essentially skimming. If the last three books were written the same way as the first four, the series could have been shortened to three books, four max. The MC’s inner monologues are long and often unnecessary. Homegirl is an overthinker, and as an overthinker myself I empathize. But the problem is that she takes up, what feels like, 50% of the story just thinking of a thousand different angles on one plot point, and then most of the time she’s wrong. So basically I read through that entire three page monologue, just for it all to be irrelevant. I suspect the author uses this as a strategy to familiarize the reader with the inner workings of the world, but it’s more distracting than anything else.

It also takes away from Mera’s strength and boldness, and makes her seem lost and confused. Plus the way she reacts to Valentine only exacerbates that and makes her indecisive as well. She has a whole plan (a plan I had to read her go into excruciating detail about), and then one look at his six pack, and she forgets everything. This book only had one type of diversity: gender, and because the characters were superficial, confused, and ineffective, so was the diversity representation.
If I could go back, I would have stopped at book one, said goodbye to these characters and lived happily ever after. But I didn’t, and now through my pain, I hope I can save you some.
So let’s get into it — where it all went wrong: thrall, rape, and the preternatural vampire.
Thrall in this story is a chemical compound that vampires secrete from their fangs. It acts as a drug which is forced into the bloodstream of the human they’re feeding off of to make them more “compliant”. Think of it like vampire heroin as it has similar effects.

Essentially in book one Mera has a curse put on her that makes her irresistible to vampires. Valentine attacks her in a frenzy, but manages to kill himself to save her. But because he has some of her phoenix blood in his system, he becomes a preternatural vampire. Preternatural vampires need to drink a lot of blood to survive, and are basically walking primal bodies without souls. They’re also controlled by whoever has their heart, which in this case is the book’s big bad. Throughout book three and what I got through in book four, preternatural Valentine is still into Mera, and thinks of her as “his”. He begins having sex with her without her consent and against her will, meaning he rapes her. Half way through the rapes she “gives in”. Eventually, it escalates to preternatural Valentine drugging her with thrall so she’ll be too drugged out to move and “escape”. This way he can properly “protect” her (y’all I’m eye rolling even as I write this). At this point she’s so drugged out that she can’t give consent anyways. By the end, she spends half her time trying to wake up from her thrall induced haze and the other half of the time trying to convince Valentine to not lock her up or inject her with more thrall. With what time she has left, she meditates and talks with Valentine’s soul and tries to avoid having her magic sucked dry by the big bad. That’s it, that’s all I got through.

The whole plot made Mera so ineffective, and it got to a point where even Valentine’s soul was telling her to get the hell away from his body. But, in her mind, Valentine had sacrificed himself for her so she needed to save him, and that, for some unfathomable reason, meant she needed to constantly be raped. Mera’s explanations and behaviors slowly started morphing into those of a victim of abuse. And that’s not surprising because she was a victim of abuse. To make matters worse, Valentine’s soul is used to make the reader continue to empathize with him, and to humanize him so we can forget all the pain and violence his preternatural side is putting Mera through.

Though the preternatural plot line is used to up the stakes, it did the opposite for me: it made me want to watch Mera walk away from Valentine before he caused her any more harm. I was no longer rooting for them as a couple, and truthfully I was no longer rooting for Mera. The only things I did want was, one, for her to stop with the monologues, and two, for her to get away from her abuser.
If we zoom out to a more macro lens, I have a big problem with this book parading itself as a dark romance. This is not a dark romance. This is not enemies to lovers. This is not romance at all. This is abuse. This is the story of someone who is physically stronger than our female protagonist, doing whatever they want to her body without her consent. This is the story of her making excuses for her abuser and taking on responsibility for actions that were not her own or her choosing.

And while dark romance can and does have rape, it requires the rape to be acknowledged as rape. It requires some sort of resolution to the harm that was perpetuated. Don’t pretend what Mera and Valentine have is anything other than toxic and abusive. Don’t pretend this is smut.

Sex without consent is rape. Period. Point blank. The end.

If one person is into it at the beginning, and then they say no, any point after that no is rape. If someone’s body reacts in a way that makes it seem like they’re aroused but they have not vocalized consent, you don’t have consent. Drugging someone against their will is abuse. A relationship where one person has to bargain to not be drugged is abusive and toxic. There’s no way to make it anything other than what it is: rape. So don’t package a book as a dark romance when really what you’ve written is the story of domestic violence. Don’t package it as kinky, when its sexual violence.
Kink requires consent, without it its rape. Plain and simple.

To flaunt it as anything other than is harmful and promotes misogyny and rape culture. It endangers women. It’s misogynist to suggest that Valentine has a right or claim to Mera’s body. It’s harmful to say Valentine should be forgiven because oh he’s just not himself, or he’s not normally like that. That’s the excuses we give abusers and perpetuators of sexual violence. There are real women in the world who have been the victims of sexual assault, and when we create storylines where abusers don’t repair their harm or recieve justice, we make it harder for those real life women to speak up about their abuse, we make it harder for them to accept that they were harmed and hurt, and we make it harder for them to receive the justice they deserve.

What’s more, when we try to play off rape as sexual kink we do a disservice to the liberation of sexual pleasure. You want to throw on a pair of handcuffs in bed? You want to explore BDSM? You like a little role play? Some dom sub action? Have at it. Whatever gets you off is your business and you should be able to explore that in whatever way that feels best for you, as long as everyone involved in consenting.

Rape on the other hand is sexual assault, not sexual deviance, and not sexual exploration. To equate the two, as this book does, dismisses rape as less than what it is and it suggests that kink is somehow wrong or harmful. It’s not, again, if there’s consent.

Truth be told, it didn’t have to be this way. There are so many other ways this story could have progressed without resorting to rape:

- Preternatural Valentine could have not forced Mera to have sex with him.

- Mera could have wanted to have sex with preternatural Valentine. Listen, it’s not for me, but if it gets your motor running , no judgment, have at it!

- Preternatural Valentine could have slept with some else who was consenting. I don’t condone cheating, but I stand by the opinion that it’s better than rape.

- Valentine didn’t have to die but could end up being locked up and Mera could have saved him that way.

- Acknowledge rape as rape.

As I haven’t finished the series, I’m aware that some of these may not have been possible depending on how it ends, but I can also say without a shadow of a doubt that wrongfully portraying rape as kink was not the only only option.

So I had to put the book down and add it to my very limited Did Not Finish pile.

All of that being said, I do believe that the author can do better. I won’t say I’ll never read any of her books again. What I will say is that I hope this message reaches her in whatever way the universe intends, and she takes it to heart. And if there’s any way I can help with that, I would be happy to.

Until then, remember folks: kink requires consent.






A bit about me:
I'm a South Asian diversity adviser, writer, and activist, whose work is rooted in the cross-section of storytelling and activism. In a nutshell, I help writers write about lived experiences outside of their own.

I guide my clients in shaping diverse characters and authentic stories so they can reach wider audiences, tell more impactful narratives, and be more confident when writing stories that veer from the communities they're familiar with. No one wants to be canceled and no one wants to lose the trust of their readers. Luckily you don't have to.

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[Harlequin Madness · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book, but I didn’t love it.

Valentine is still a preternatural (undead) vampire. Mera has his heart and needs to get control of her magic if she is to save him. There are lots of twists and turns - some expected, some a bit of a surprise.

For some reason, this book seemed to move at a slow pace for me. Too slow. When I really like a book, I can’t put it down. But this book, anything and everything managed to move my focus off the book, and it felt more like a chore to finish it. Part of it is that I’m not liking Mera so much. She is so focused on saving Valentine that she’s become a selfish jerk IMO. As if everything is only about her and Valentine. Don’t get me wrong, I get that she is In. Love. But it feels like she’s 16 rather than a 21 yr old. I do love Valentine’s character. He says all the right things to get my motor going.

The second reason I’m struggling is that it’s apparent that this series doesn’t need to be 7 books. So far the next book picks up immediately where the previous book left off. So much so, that if you read them back to back, it’s like one longer book. I feel that with some good editing, this 7 book series could probably be reduced to 3 books. I don’t think I can maintain my focus and interest, at this point, to keep me going for the next 4 books. Maybe if some of the books were more focused on other characters, like Valentine’s brothers, but keep the overarching storyline going, it would be more interesting. At this point, I do want to finish the series, I just can’t muster the desire. So I think I’ll fill in with a few books and then try #4 after. Kind of like a palate cleanser, if you will.

[thebookcritic_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

too many holes in the story

This book fell short for me. The story has a lot of holes in it. Honestly, a whole lot of nothing happened for real. Did Mera try to burn the fire stone around her heart? Like that would’ve been my first thought. I know she’s trying to save Valentine but she’s super whiny about it.

If only family or soul mates can enter dreams, who is Jonathan to her? Question was answered at the end but that should’ve been her first question when it was brought to her attention. Of course it wasn’t addressed until it was time to pull the story together. Aurora is horrible. When Valentine told Mera that a phoenix could extend life, she should’ve been on alert with how feeble the high priest is. If they burned off the curse, why was Lazarus still trying to bite her? Why would she let them do the ceremony using Jonathon’s power? She’s very short sited.

When did Mera change back from a pheonix? The whole thing started when she couldn’t change back. Why didn’t Valentine set aflame like like Father Jude when he grabbed her?

Author got Aurora and Arianna mixed up more than once.

[Lene Blackthorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in this series continues where we've left at the end of book two.
Mera, now with the Flame, learns a lot about her background and origins, meets new people she can finally befriend, tries to avoid the really annoying Jonathan, and protects herself as much as possible with her reaper cloak. Moreover, she is also trying to develop her ability and eventually shift to phoenix, while keeping in contact with the one part of Valentine that resembles her fiancé - his soul, attached to the heart in the jar.
This book is better than the previous two, and I admit I got myself hooked more than before. Although the first part of the book was somehow lacking in the Valentine department, it was more than compensated in the rest, and I loved the turn in the dynamics of their relationship. There were passages that really played hard with my emotions, and if I could throttle a book character, I have a few selected favorites among this cast to try it out. Looking forward to the next book.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

a lot of unnecessary food descriptions

The amount of food descriptions take away from the cadence. The mc will be in the middle of problem solving some major plot point and take a whole page to talk about the ratio of cocoa in certain British chocolates and the scent and taste and feel of said particular chocolate that they are eating while problem solving. And it happens every time she eats, 3 times a day you get to deep dive into her eating habits. I know more about her food preferences then anything else about her.

Also, her fellow main character and love interest seems only to exist to tell her how much he loves her. He’s 1100 years old with very little personality beyond loving her reminding her very fragile ego how great she is. At over 1000 years old you’d think he’d have emotional quirks or traits that make him unique or interesting besides for his physical features.

[MichelleLuc]

This should be called a book about witches, crystals, and shifters. This is not a vampire series.The only reason this got a three stars is that the world building is actually kind of cool. You think somethings is going to happen and then she fills you with 50 pages of stupid shit in her head. It’s so repetitive and if I hear about the same situation about when she was younger, I’m gonna throw my Kindle. She does not need to use all that filler and the over the top descriptions of certain things like how she likes her chocolate.

I will go onto the next book but this book rarely mentions vampires. I feel like they are just a part of her supernatural world and the story is more about the effects of crystals and fire magic. I will continue reading the series because now I need to know how this ends!!

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this series not knowing what to expect and here I am at book three still not knowing what really to expect. While this was probably the slowest of the books, it was still was great book. Mera is trying to get Valentine whole, but unfortunately, obstacles keep getting thrown in her way. She is in the company of her mother, and I’m not sure what I think. We learn many secrets in this book, and one of the big surprises wasn’t really that big of a surprise to me. However, the end blew me away, and know I don’t know what to think. I can’t wait to see what is coming next in series because this has been an interesting ride. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Mrs R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of the series and you definitely need to have read the previous books.
A lot happened in this book and also not a lot too. There is a lot of world building for the Flame sanctuary, introducing and getting to know some fire characters, but Mera isn't much closer to reuniting Valentines soul, heart and body.
Valentine is still in the same predicament, only now the Demon and Mage Kings are involved.
Mera as a character has grown stronger, she's not the helpless Neutral anymore. She's also figured out how to connect with Valentine.
The Flame sanctuary ultimate goal is still a little unclear, and Mera is still not convinced who she can trust.
Jonathan is still creeping around, but does show his true colours.

[XxLaVampiresaAlexisxX · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 3 of the Blood Fire saga. To understand it, you must read books 1 & 2 first. Mera is growing stronger everyday. With that strength, she is also gaining new enemies. Not only is she still trying to save Valentine, but she is learning more and more about her parentage/family and some dirty secrets that have been kept hidden.

There is soooo much happening! Some parts were dragging on a bit, however, it was still very intriguing and you just have to know what happens next! The connection that Mera and Valentine have is pure love. He has her mind, body, and soul, and not even death can separate them. That's just beautiful!

I received an ARC and voluntarily gave my honest opinion and review

[Tanya Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 in this great series

This is book 3 in the series, it's a bit slower than book 2 but there is still a lot thrown at you, well at Mera! Now she's got to deal with her mother on top of all her other problems but at least some of her burning questions can now be answered.

There are twists and turns galore here, for every question answered another needs to be asked. We have action, suspense, mystery everything we expect from the first two books.

Mera is really growing and starting to become kick ass, she has enemies everywhere but new allies are being formed. Will it be enough to save Valentine? I'm not telling you what happens!

Roll on book 4

[Raina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A paranormal romance that will leave you reeling with need for more. You must read the series in order to fully enjoy it and to follow all that is happening. And there is a lot happening. Just when you think you know what to expect you will run into a brick wall and find that everything isn’t what you thought. This one will lead to answers but some are filled with more riddles. Who to trust and who is the enemy? There is lots of action and deception. The romance between Mera and Valentine seems to hold strong but even that is in question. Will need book five right away and hope for our hero’s future.

[FluffPandas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhhhh more twists and action! Lazarus I really, really, really loathe you!!! Kudos author!

While this book is of a slightly slower pace than the other two, it's by no means slow, our poor FMC still has everything but the kitchen sink thrown her way and she deals with it incredibly well!

Character development is totally key in this series and I love it! I still love the soulless vampire, so broody and cool but also, this man needs his soul1

MORE plot twists, I did not realise you could pack more plot twists into this, but, my goodness the end did some crazy things to my brain.

Magic, magic and oooooh magic!

Book 4, pretty please author?

[Missy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes!! This series just keeps getting better and better!! I swear it is getting more intense. There is more happening than ever before, just when you think you have it figured out, nope!! So the question that comes to mind is Who do you trust? Do you really know who your enemy is?

Yep that is right, so much happens here. But the one burning my mind is Mera and Valentine, please please tell me that they get their happy ending.

Mera, you freaking rocked in this book. I mean you have this whole series, but dang girl!!

Overall if you are a fan of paranormal romance you will love this series, one that I recommend to read in order to understand all that is going on.

[Tara Syrnyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is torturing me in the best possible way! This is the 3rd in the series and while we do get quite a few answers, especially when it comes to Mera’s family, there are also a lot more complications, more twists and turns and hurdles for Mera and Valentine. This series keeps me on the edge of my seat, it is so unpredictable , I love it. This series is really well written , creative and full of well developed distinct characters and world building that is phenomenal. I've enjoyed watching Mera grow ! While I am really wanting to see Mera and Valentine catch a break, I am also enjoying their journey, with my fingers crossed. I am ready to dive into the next book!

[Jennifer Soppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me on edge waiting

Mera, a now undistinguished fire user, has been taken from Valentine, the now controlled undead Vampire king, back to the fire user’s headquarters to meet the mother she thought was dead. As the story progresses she makes new friends, checks on old ones, and finds that the list of enemies is growing larger as time passes. Bella Klaus has kept me on edge waiting for Mera and Valentine to get their happy ending and continues to do so in Soul of the Vampire King. I can only imagine the things that are in store for the characters in the next book.

I received a free copy of the book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Mera has a lot to contend with left over from book 2 and things are getting crazy.
Dealing with the fallout from book 2 you have to wonder will Mera ever catch a break?

I really enjoyed this book! I was hooked from page one and NEEDING to know what was going to happen next!
Mera has a lot to do in this book and not a lot of time to do it! I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for book 4!
I love the characters! Valentine is fun and his switch between personalities leaves you never knowing what you’re going to get from him. and the world that’s been built in this series is awesome and will have you hooked! It’s definitely been a thrill ride to read so far.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have two complaints.
First, the author is definitely paid by the word because this series is dragging and she talks more about the specific taste of any food than anything else.
Second, I have an issue with the way this was advertised. It may be an algorithm but this was advertised as a suggestion based on paranormal romance books. This book is basically a YA book but with the characters in their early 20s.

I rarely stop reading a series but I may with this one. 3x during this book I thought "well at least there are only 2 books left." There are FOUR more books left. If I do finish this, I will basically scan to see what happens (something I have never done before).

[Dori Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betrayed by all those she had believed she could trust, Mera is beset on all sides by factions desparate to control the legendary Phoenix. Finding herself trapped deep within Flame she is confronted by none other than the woman who abandoned her as an infant.

Struggling to unlock her powers, save her love and come to terms with the unbelievable circumstances of her birth, Mera finds herself facing an enemy of immense power alongside unexpected allies. Can she survive the burning and see her love rise again from the ashes?