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Blood and Ruin #1
Blood and Ruin
Six years ago, my world was ripped from under me, and I was taken to Cardinal Three. A place where pain has been my endless companion.
Witches, demons, shifters and humans all live under one rule.
King's.
What he says goes.
So, trying to get the hell out of here hasn’t been easy.
No one leaves without his permission.
In fact, no one leaves at all...That is, alive.
But I have a plan.
One chance to get out of this nightmare once and for all.
One month is all I need.
One month to stay off King's radar and get the last few items needed for the spell I’ve been working on.
Shouldn’t be that hard...right?
But turns out King has his own plan. One that involves trading me off to the five alphas of Manhattan.
With King's ultimatum, I have no choice but to go through with it. But I’m still getting out of here, no matter what.
Or so I thought.
Turns out the five alphas are my mates…
And also, the boys I left behind six years ago.
**Blood and Ruin is a Reverse Harem romance, meaning the main FMC will not have to choose between love interests. It also contains violence, adult themes, bad-language and content which some readers may find upsetting.**
Witches, demons, shifters and humans all live under one rule.
King's.
What he says goes.
So, trying to get the hell out of here hasn’t been easy.
No one leaves without his permission.
In fact, no one leaves at all...That is, alive.
But I have a plan.
One chance to get out of this nightmare once and for all.
One month is all I need.
One month to stay off King's radar and get the last few items needed for the spell I’ve been working on.
Shouldn’t be that hard...right?
But turns out King has his own plan. One that involves trading me off to the five alphas of Manhattan.
With King's ultimatum, I have no choice but to go through with it. But I’m still getting out of here, no matter what.
Or so I thought.
Turns out the five alphas are my mates…
And also, the boys I left behind six years ago.
**Blood and Ruin is a Reverse Harem romance, meaning the main FMC will not have to choose between love interests. It also contains violence, adult themes, bad-language and content which some readers may find upsetting.**
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2021
2423 people are currently reading
10036 people want to read
About the author
Rumer Hale
7 books429 followersRumer Hale is a paranormal and fantasy romance author that loves writing about worlds filled with magic and strong heroines and their love interests. Love will always be at the heart of her stories but adventure is a big part too. So each story will give you a different experience.
She lives in Ireland with her daughter and family. She’s both a morning and nighttime person so her favourite time to write is either early mornings or late at night when everyone is asleep.
When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she’s getting lost in a good book or binging a series or movies.
You can connect with her on TikTok and Instagram @rumerhaleauthor.
She lives in Ireland with her daughter and family. She’s both a morning and nighttime person so her favourite time to write is either early mornings or late at night when everyone is asleep.
When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she’s getting lost in a good book or binging a series or movies.
You can connect with her on TikTok and Instagram @rumerhaleauthor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 761 reviews
December 6, 2021
Sutch a pretty cover, sutch a trashy book.
Look, the base plot idea was decent. The writing....sloppy at best, infantile at worst. No world building, no character introduction and individuality, relationships are not built, but presented on skin deep level. I don't know, if any of book writing corner stones was done well. It would have been decent as the first draft that author should have worked on for a long time, building on the story, developing characters, slowly revealing the plot, leading it up to climax and some reveals, etc.,etc. The book is not polished. It is rough and hard to stomach.
I don't know why new authors think their villains have to be villainous to the extreme. As in this book- King is given every possible horrible quality and none of the reasoning behind it. He is just this huge evil presence, that is there purely to offset heroine and her harem and drive the plot a little. Okay, okay, I know every book tends to have a villain but here he is so raw, so horrible and reader is not given any feeling for why or what even drives him. King is there purely to create a villain. And you can feel this purpose every time he is mentioned. Like, author again and again hammers it down that he is the antagonist of the story. No class, no deeper plot.
Heroine. Kaira, was it? So selfless, so self deprecated, so self sacrificing. On the loop. That is her whole personality.
Her harem. The only difference between them is their abilities. No personalities whatsoever. There to save the heroine. And just in case reader missed it the first 50 times it was mentioned, author just keeps repeating it. Oh, almost forgot. They are also there to act idiotic like every time in dangerous situation. Any chance they can get attacked? Lets go all kissy and aroused. Life or death situation? Lets make long winded love proclamations. In danger to be discovered and killed? Lets shout and start an argument, just in case villain was in danger to not find them. How stupid are they? Are they deliberately choosing the worst possible time to do anything? They were brainless. I gagged repeatedly in scenes with them.
World building. There is a hotel and cities. Want more description? Well, you are out of luck. You should use your own imagination. One city is busy. Hotel is like a hotel. There, all World building done. I am not sure if author forgot to include any descriptions or just couldn't be bothered... Same goes for the magical and power structures. Nothing. Not a drop of information. Probably reader is also supposed to use their own imagination to create it.
I don't know. How can anyone find this book good? This is not about my personal taste, it is about things that makes the difference between a good book and trash. Between a book ,where author put a lot of work and imagination in and book, where author writes just to fill pages.
I also was under impression this is a standalone. It is not. It ends on a cringy cliffhanger, so I can assume another "gem" is in the works. Will I read the next book? Oh, hell, no. This was painful enough to get through, I am not torturing myself more.
I don't recommend it as an enjoyable reading material. But. It is a great example on what not to publish. If you have written something like this, put in more work. Note down where and how you can expand on everything, think up some turning points for the story, then cut and edit and polish and work,work,work. That's the best I can say about this "story".
Look, the base plot idea was decent. The writing....sloppy at best, infantile at worst. No world building, no character introduction and individuality, relationships are not built, but presented on skin deep level. I don't know, if any of book writing corner stones was done well. It would have been decent as the first draft that author should have worked on for a long time, building on the story, developing characters, slowly revealing the plot, leading it up to climax and some reveals, etc.,etc. The book is not polished. It is rough and hard to stomach.
I don't know why new authors think their villains have to be villainous to the extreme. As in this book- King is given every possible horrible quality and none of the reasoning behind it. He is just this huge evil presence, that is there purely to offset heroine and her harem and drive the plot a little. Okay, okay, I know every book tends to have a villain but here he is so raw, so horrible and reader is not given any feeling for why or what even drives him. King is there purely to create a villain. And you can feel this purpose every time he is mentioned. Like, author again and again hammers it down that he is the antagonist of the story. No class, no deeper plot.
Heroine. Kaira, was it? So selfless, so self deprecated, so self sacrificing. On the loop. That is her whole personality.
Her harem. The only difference between them is their abilities. No personalities whatsoever. There to save the heroine. And just in case reader missed it the first 50 times it was mentioned, author just keeps repeating it. Oh, almost forgot. They are also there to act idiotic like every time in dangerous situation. Any chance they can get attacked? Lets go all kissy and aroused. Life or death situation? Lets make long winded love proclamations. In danger to be discovered and killed? Lets shout and start an argument, just in case villain was in danger to not find them. How stupid are they? Are they deliberately choosing the worst possible time to do anything? They were brainless. I gagged repeatedly in scenes with them.
World building. There is a hotel and cities. Want more description? Well, you are out of luck. You should use your own imagination. One city is busy. Hotel is like a hotel. There, all World building done. I am not sure if author forgot to include any descriptions or just couldn't be bothered... Same goes for the magical and power structures. Nothing. Not a drop of information. Probably reader is also supposed to use their own imagination to create it.
I don't know. How can anyone find this book good? This is not about my personal taste, it is about things that makes the difference between a good book and trash. Between a book ,where author put a lot of work and imagination in and book, where author writes just to fill pages.
I also was under impression this is a standalone. It is not. It ends on a cringy cliffhanger, so I can assume another "gem" is in the works. Will I read the next book? Oh, hell, no. This was painful enough to get through, I am not torturing myself more.
I don't recommend it as an enjoyable reading material. But. It is a great example on what not to publish. If you have written something like this, put in more work. Note down where and how you can expand on everything, think up some turning points for the story, then cut and edit and polish and work,work,work. That's the best I can say about this "story".
September 25, 2024
✅ Gorgeous cover, that’s the only good thing about this book
🆗❌ Characters
🆗❌ Plot (first 20% because I didn’t make it further)
❌ Writing
❌ Lack of development and depth overall
❗️❗️Trigger warning: physical and psychological abuse, torture, and MC being given away as a (sexual) bargaining chip
DNF, 1.5 star
I made it as far as 20% before I gave up.
This book reads like a bad fanfiction. The writing is bland, sloppy, and bad overall. The dialogues have no flow and are just choppy and feel forced, and the rest of the writing is not better. The main character feels immature and I can't continue with this.
Kiarra is forced to live with her abusive stepfather, but we have no background on him and have no clue as to why he likes to beat her senseless now and then. It’s not sexual, and it’s not because she misbehaves or angers him, it’s just presented as if he enjoys beating the shit out of her because he has nothing better to do. Kiarra also says how King (her stepfather) makes deals with everyone, but always ends up double-crossing them and taking over their territories, yet people continue to make deals with him, and I can't understand why. Either they don’t care about the fact that King will stab them in the back, either they are too dumb to realize what’s going to happen, or they think they are different from all the others who made deals with him before.
I like good and intriguing villains, not villains that are just horrible to the extreme for no other reason than they are the bad guys in the story. There is no reasoning behind King's behavior and no explanation of his motivation besides gaining more power. Still, wanting power doesn't explain why he enjoys beating Kiarra and almost killing her every few days.
After that rough start with the stepfather who is abusive for no reason and has no defining trait besides being abusive, we have a brief flashback showing how Kiarra’s mom died, only to be thrown back into the present. I guess the goal was to show some of Kiarra’s backstory and throw in the fact that she was friends with “the guys” a few years ago (without giving us any details about their friendship or who they are), and have us feel bad for her, but her character was so badly developed that I didn’t care at all about her.
Then, Kiarra learns that her stepfather is planning on giving her away to the 5 new alphas to sweeten the deal he made with them, and she has no choice but to accept. But there is a plot twist (that I saw coming as soon as “the guys” were mentioned in her flashback): the 5 new alphas are her childhood best friends that she lost contact with. What are the odds that the 5 of them (who are from different paranormal species) all end up defying the old alphas and taking their place? What are the odds that they are dumb enough to enter a deal with King but lucky enough for him to throw in his stepdaughter as an incentive? And of course, what are the odds that they are all fated mates and that they fall madly in lust (and love too I guess) with each other as soon as they see each other?
So, while I can forgive a less-developed plot every once in a while, and I am the first one to enjoy a trashy/guilty pleasure series when I am in the mood for it, the horrible writing and the lack of development overall made this one too bad for me to continue.
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🆗❌ Characters
🆗❌ Plot (first 20% because I didn’t make it further)
❌ Writing
❌ Lack of development and depth overall
❗️❗️Trigger warning: physical and psychological abuse, torture, and MC being given away as a (sexual) bargaining chip
DNF, 1.5 star
I made it as far as 20% before I gave up.
This book reads like a bad fanfiction. The writing is bland, sloppy, and bad overall. The dialogues have no flow and are just choppy and feel forced, and the rest of the writing is not better. The main character feels immature and I can't continue with this.
Kiarra is forced to live with her abusive stepfather, but we have no background on him and have no clue as to why he likes to beat her senseless now and then. It’s not sexual, and it’s not because she misbehaves or angers him, it’s just presented as if he enjoys beating the shit out of her because he has nothing better to do. Kiarra also says how King (her stepfather) makes deals with everyone, but always ends up double-crossing them and taking over their territories, yet people continue to make deals with him, and I can't understand why. Either they don’t care about the fact that King will stab them in the back, either they are too dumb to realize what’s going to happen, or they think they are different from all the others who made deals with him before.
I like good and intriguing villains, not villains that are just horrible to the extreme for no other reason than they are the bad guys in the story. There is no reasoning behind King's behavior and no explanation of his motivation besides gaining more power. Still, wanting power doesn't explain why he enjoys beating Kiarra and almost killing her every few days.
After that rough start with the stepfather who is abusive for no reason and has no defining trait besides being abusive, we have a brief flashback showing how Kiarra’s mom died, only to be thrown back into the present. I guess the goal was to show some of Kiarra’s backstory and throw in the fact that she was friends with “the guys” a few years ago (without giving us any details about their friendship or who they are), and have us feel bad for her, but her character was so badly developed that I didn’t care at all about her.
Then, Kiarra learns that her stepfather is planning on giving her away to the 5 new alphas to sweeten the deal he made with them, and she has no choice but to accept. But there is a plot twist (that I saw coming as soon as “the guys” were mentioned in her flashback): the 5 new alphas are her childhood best friends that she lost contact with. What are the odds that the 5 of them (who are from different paranormal species) all end up defying the old alphas and taking their place? What are the odds that they are dumb enough to enter a deal with King but lucky enough for him to throw in his stepdaughter as an incentive? And of course, what are the odds that they are all fated mates and that they fall madly in lust (and love too I guess) with each other as soon as they see each other?
So, while I can forgive a less-developed plot every once in a while, and I am the first one to enjoy a trashy/guilty pleasure series when I am in the mood for it, the horrible writing and the lack of development overall made this one too bad for me to continue.
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February 10, 2024
3.25-3.5 Stars
I can never say no to a reverse harem!
Deep in the heart of Cardinal Three, Kiarra is trapped. Held captive by her stepfather, King. Kiarra possesses the unique ability to heal - one that King uses against her in the most unimaginable ways. Though she's not physically restrained, Kiarra can never leave Cardinal Three. Her sister's safety is at stake, and King's word is law. The question now is whether her old friends, who mysteriously reappear in her life, can help her escape King's grasp? With danger lurking in every corner and time quickly running out, the stakes have never been higher. Will Kiarra finally be free, or will King's hold on her become too strong to break?
I think the story has a lot of potential, especially with the interesting premise. However, I feel that it lacks depth, character development, and world-building. In my opinion, it would have been better if the novel had started with Kiarra's childhood and her friends, so we could see the bond and friendship they share before jumping to the present time. This would have made the information more engaging and less like an 'info dump'. Despite the flaws, the story was still entertaining, and I was able to finish it within a day. I would highly recommend checking out the audiobook version if you plan to read the novel.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Rumer Hale, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
I can never say no to a reverse harem!
Deep in the heart of Cardinal Three, Kiarra is trapped. Held captive by her stepfather, King. Kiarra possesses the unique ability to heal - one that King uses against her in the most unimaginable ways. Though she's not physically restrained, Kiarra can never leave Cardinal Three. Her sister's safety is at stake, and King's word is law. The question now is whether her old friends, who mysteriously reappear in her life, can help her escape King's grasp? With danger lurking in every corner and time quickly running out, the stakes have never been higher. Will Kiarra finally be free, or will King's hold on her become too strong to break?
I think the story has a lot of potential, especially with the interesting premise. However, I feel that it lacks depth, character development, and world-building. In my opinion, it would have been better if the novel had started with Kiarra's childhood and her friends, so we could see the bond and friendship they share before jumping to the present time. This would have made the information more engaging and less like an 'info dump'. Despite the flaws, the story was still entertaining, and I was able to finish it within a day. I would highly recommend checking out the audiobook version if you plan to read the novel.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Rumer Hale, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
November 17, 2023
4 Stars
Great Start to the series!!
Can I just start off by admiring the front cover? It looks absolutely beautiful.
I really enjoyed this book, Kiarra is a FMC that I admired, especially after everything she has been through. Kai was hands down my favourite out of all the guys.
I'm looking forward to the rest of this series, especially after that last chapter. I honestly did not see that last betrayal happening.
Great Start to the series!!
Can I just start off by admiring the front cover? It looks absolutely beautiful.
I really enjoyed this book, Kiarra is a FMC that I admired, especially after everything she has been through. Kai was hands down my favourite out of all the guys.
I'm looking forward to the rest of this series, especially after that last chapter. I honestly did not see that last betrayal happening.
January 9, 2025
Blood and Ruin is a reverse haram following our FMC and her 5 male bonds.
The book is narrated by Rumer Hale. I have read my share of RH series, but I have never listened to one narrated into an audio book.
I enjoyed the listening experience, I think the narrator did a good job of contrasting between the male and female characters which can be a difficult task as a one person narrator.
The plot itself was interesting. Our FMC is enslaved by her abusive step father, she has plans to escape which are thwarted when she is handed off to 5 males who unknowingly turn out to be her bonds.
This is book 1 of a series, I don’t think I have interest to continue with the rest of this series. For a fantasy / RH book, you get what you expect and it follows the basic guidelines in this genre, however I don’t think it went successfully above and beyond the expected and felt somewhat average.
Thank you to Rumer Hale, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ALC.
The book is narrated by Rumer Hale. I have read my share of RH series, but I have never listened to one narrated into an audio book.
I enjoyed the listening experience, I think the narrator did a good job of contrasting between the male and female characters which can be a difficult task as a one person narrator.
The plot itself was interesting. Our FMC is enslaved by her abusive step father, she has plans to escape which are thwarted when she is handed off to 5 males who unknowingly turn out to be her bonds.
This is book 1 of a series, I don’t think I have interest to continue with the rest of this series. For a fantasy / RH book, you get what you expect and it follows the basic guidelines in this genre, however I don’t think it went successfully above and beyond the expected and felt somewhat average.
Thank you to Rumer Hale, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ALC.
December 27, 2023
I think I just wanted this to be something that it's not, and that's on me. Respectfully, this was a hot mess.
November 15, 2021
Did I add this for the cover? Yes.
Did I come back for this cover? Also yes.
LISTEN tell me this isn't a cover for a fantasy series with a morally grey H that our FMC falls for? That name? That cover? He would have dark magic and she would have light magic but by the end we would realize that she is the black snake and he is her light and they would join forces to save the world...just tell me that isn't this cover???? I will be here waiting...
So Rumer is a new author to me and colour me surprised to find our this was a PNR RH 🤓...I didn't read the blurb. Sue me. I was completely mesmerised by stunning cover art and let that rule my path forward.
The book was ok. First book for the author? Heck yeah girl get it. For a veteran reader, there were some problems.
We are spoon fed the world quickly and easily. This quick delivery seems to be a theme for the book. Fast moving plot that has a lot of convenient plot pushes and a few that didn't work for me. Due to the faster moving plot I never got super invested to the harem. I also don't think the fast plot allowed for a lot of character development from the harem. So there was a real lack of connection for me to them. I don't mind fated mates typically but I need some more to get invested. When I read RH I want to know each man. I want them to each have a defined personality and that personality can't just be "I'm your mate".
The FMC...hummm what to say about her. I typically don't mind a weaker FMC but they better become a baddie. I spent most of the book wanting her to become a baddie and bitch slap some of these men. I hope Kierra get an massive arc where she get hers.
I will likely check out the next book but I am going to need to feel some more for the harem. I think if it was slowed down and some more time taken getting those connections fleshed out I would have enjoyed more.
Overall I am not 100% sure this story is gonna stand out in the sea of mass produced RH books but for a first book I think the author should be hella proud because I have read other authors with 20 or 30 books out that aren't starting at this level.
Did I come back for this cover? Also yes.
LISTEN tell me this isn't a cover for a fantasy series with a morally grey H that our FMC falls for? That name? That cover? He would have dark magic and she would have light magic but by the end we would realize that she is the black snake and he is her light and they would join forces to save the world...just tell me that isn't this cover???? I will be here waiting...
So Rumer is a new author to me and colour me surprised to find our this was a PNR RH 🤓...I didn't read the blurb. Sue me. I was completely mesmerised by stunning cover art and let that rule my path forward.
The book was ok. First book for the author? Heck yeah girl get it. For a veteran reader, there were some problems.
We are spoon fed the world quickly and easily. This quick delivery seems to be a theme for the book. Fast moving plot that has a lot of convenient plot pushes and a few that didn't work for me. Due to the faster moving plot I never got super invested to the harem. I also don't think the fast plot allowed for a lot of character development from the harem. So there was a real lack of connection for me to them. I don't mind fated mates typically but I need some more to get invested. When I read RH I want to know each man. I want them to each have a defined personality and that personality can't just be "I'm your mate".
The FMC...hummm what to say about her. I typically don't mind a weaker FMC but they better become a baddie. I spent most of the book wanting her to become a baddie and bitch slap some of these men. I hope Kierra get an massive arc where she get hers.
I will likely check out the next book but I am going to need to feel some more for the harem. I think if it was slowed down and some more time taken getting those connections fleshed out I would have enjoyed more.
Overall I am not 100% sure this story is gonna stand out in the sea of mass produced RH books but for a first book I think the author should be hella proud because I have read other authors with 20 or 30 books out that aren't starting at this level.
December 27, 2023
i actually really enjoyed this one!!
i thought it was just going to be a crappy cliché rh book with a pretty cover, but it was actually really enjoyable and interesting. i'm not going to lie, it wasn't all that original, but the writing was addictive and the storyline fast-paced, and i liked the boys. plus, i repeat, that cover is gorgeous??
i also appreciated how the fmc wasn't the typical traumatised tortured heroine - she was strong and determined, and while she made some iffy decisions, everything she did was in an attempt to protect her loved ones. this book even had a plot-twist which honest to god shocked me to my core. and the boys - while of course there was the typical dickhead mmc, he actually wasn't toooo awful (not high praise, but he grew on me), and i quite liked the other boys, plus they were reasonably easy to tell apart.
recommended for my pnr/fantasy rh lovers!
i thought it was just going to be a crappy cliché rh book with a pretty cover, but it was actually really enjoyable and interesting. i'm not going to lie, it wasn't all that original, but the writing was addictive and the storyline fast-paced, and i liked the boys. plus, i repeat, that cover is gorgeous??
i also appreciated how the fmc wasn't the typical traumatised tortured heroine - she was strong and determined, and while she made some iffy decisions, everything she did was in an attempt to protect her loved ones. this book even had a plot-twist which honest to god shocked me to my core. and the boys - while of course there was the typical dickhead mmc, he actually wasn't toooo awful (not high praise, but he grew on me), and i quite liked the other boys, plus they were reasonably easy to tell apart.
recommended for my pnr/fantasy rh lovers!
February 28, 2024
I am still waiting for the plot to make a presence. After I finished this, I was left furrowing my brow and scratching my head. The world building was minimal to nonexistent, 60% of the book was the FMC being tortured or trying to perfect the miscommunication trope. You're telling me that your 5 best friends make a reappearance and are hot, steamy, brooding men that would BURN THE WORLD for you and you refuse to let them help an ounce? No.
This book has potential with promising elements (and for that I am being generous with my rating) but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. By the end, I was left with more questions than answers.
Thank you Netgalley & Dreamscape Media for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review
This book has potential with promising elements (and for that I am being generous with my rating) but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. By the end, I was left with more questions than answers.
Thank you Netgalley & Dreamscape Media for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review
November 17, 2021
DNF
Too extreme. Extreme abuse & torture. Extreme over dramatic reactions & stubborn nonsensical characters. She has an incredible ability used against her by evil people. Runs into beloved old friends but refused to admit her abuse, mainly because they are bitter about a girl child 'leaving' them without a trace. Not that adults responsible & in control are to blame- the preteen girl. Though they once knew her as a wonderful person, they easily jump to conclusions & brand her a materialistic B. No, omg, how are you, what happened to you, what is going on with you now? These guys are worthless petulant smirking toddlers in meat suits that supposedly run Manhattan. How? They aren't smart, observant, tactical or practical. They couldn't run a load of laundry, must less a part of a city...& this girl stubborn refusal to tell her truth but let's herself get turned into hamburger for others is incredibly annoyingly hard to take.
Too extreme. Extreme abuse & torture. Extreme over dramatic reactions & stubborn nonsensical characters. She has an incredible ability used against her by evil people. Runs into beloved old friends but refused to admit her abuse, mainly because they are bitter about a girl child 'leaving' them without a trace. Not that adults responsible & in control are to blame- the preteen girl. Though they once knew her as a wonderful person, they easily jump to conclusions & brand her a materialistic B. No, omg, how are you, what happened to you, what is going on with you now? These guys are worthless petulant smirking toddlers in meat suits that supposedly run Manhattan. How? They aren't smart, observant, tactical or practical. They couldn't run a load of laundry, must less a part of a city...& this girl stubborn refusal to tell her truth but let's herself get turned into hamburger for others is incredibly annoyingly hard to take.
November 26, 2021
Nonsensical at its finest
This book had such great potential. The female mc has the ability to heal herself despite being on the verge of death. Cool, we get it. We don’t need 20 million graphic details about the millions of times she’s tortured. She meets her fated mates. All hot (obviously), all possessive alpha males (obviously), and all powerful creatures (obviously). Turns out they’re her childhood friends (shocker). She won’t tel them about all the things done to her or to people in the city they’re in and continues to want to stay this mysterious person to them putting up the facade that it’s to save them (how?). She’s being a terrible martyr.
This book also mentioned spice however the most they do is make out. Let’s not forget that this group makes out in the most inconvenient of times. One scene, literally seconds away from being caught and escaping a bad guy they’re making out with no care in the world. This happens ALL. THE. TIME.
Great idea, terrible execution. Wanted to DNF but pushed through it.
This book had such great potential. The female mc has the ability to heal herself despite being on the verge of death. Cool, we get it. We don’t need 20 million graphic details about the millions of times she’s tortured. She meets her fated mates. All hot (obviously), all possessive alpha males (obviously), and all powerful creatures (obviously). Turns out they’re her childhood friends (shocker). She won’t tel them about all the things done to her or to people in the city they’re in and continues to want to stay this mysterious person to them putting up the facade that it’s to save them (how?). She’s being a terrible martyr.
This book also mentioned spice however the most they do is make out. Let’s not forget that this group makes out in the most inconvenient of times. One scene, literally seconds away from being caught and escaping a bad guy they’re making out with no care in the world. This happens ALL. THE. TIME.
Great idea, terrible execution. Wanted to DNF but pushed through it.
November 6, 2023
I don't even know where to start with this dreadfully addicting book!
This is the first time a book has ever given me heartburn, and if you're thinking "That's not how heartburn works Rachel" Well you're wrong! I googled it and anxiety and stress can, in fact, cause heartburn 🤯 That's how stressful reading this has been for me, heartburn-inducing romance.
Little to no world-building went into the making of this story. The entirety of it takes place in and around a hotel. There was some explanation about how the big bad of the story, who is named just 'King' because why not🤷♀️, has taken control of most of New York City and rules it from his own 'Hotel California' in Manhattan. King has turned the city into a prison using magic trackers that keep all of its supernatural residents from leaving. There are also quick mentions of two other cities where supes live but King doesn't control those areas, yet? And that's it, not much else is explained about how the world works or what it looks like outside of King's domain.
I feel like the author went to too many escape rooms while writing this, and had the thought "Wouldn't it be fun if my characters were stuck in a real-life escape room, but instead of it being a room it can be a hotel in downtown Manhattan". Well, Runner Hale, it was as much fun as a heart attack. The FMC is tagged like the rest of the residents but she has the added bonus of not being able to leave Hotel Manhattan. The main goal in this story was to gather all the ingredients to make a potion that would allow the FMC to escape the hotel and then the city, like the worst dungeon-crawler game ever!
King plays the FMC's stepfather in the story and he is as evil as they come and regularly schedules torture sessions with his stepdaughter where he flays her alive in unimaginable ways. That's where my heartburn started to kick in. I can't take that much torture my poor bleeding heart is too weak for this kind of dark story 😭.
Now I want to talk to you about MISUNDERSTANDINGS. Is it just me or is that the cornerstone of every dark romance? Every Bully and Ahole Alpha is born through some kind of major miscommunication. So much drama could be avoided if the main characters would just speak truthfully to each other.
Through the tried and true method of misunderstandings the FMC ends up with 5 Donkey Alphas pissed off at her. Thankfully thier not complete Ahole's and do come around fairly quickly realising that the FMC is keeping a lot from them. But thier understanding doesn't bring them answers fast enough because the FMC utilizes the next cornerstone of dark romance...
PROTECT! Usually it's the Alpha men who pull this stunt but FMCs can be Donkey's also and this one has a martyr complex. She will let herself be killed a million times over so long as her loved ones never have to suffer. She thinks she's protecting her Alpha's by not telling them the truth about what she's gone through causing her to have to suffer more than necessary because she can't die and they can. With that line of thinking it makes perfect sense to turn yourself into a human shield that blocks all the death blows🙄.
But that's what Dark Romance Troupe is all about, causing Misunderstandings and Protecting each other. No?
Then we have the Harem cast, I can't tell you anything about them. I can barely remember any of thier names or supe-powers, and I have zero clue what they look like. Truly no idea beyond big muscular Alpha Types. We had no time to get to know them with all the next-level theatrics going on.
I may say I hate drama but I'm also the person who will eat popcorn and watch the neighbors duke it out.
The world-building was horrible, and I barely got to know any of the characters, but I will most likely keep reading this series for the same reason I read WITSEC, I'm addicted to the drama.
This is the first time a book has ever given me heartburn, and if you're thinking "That's not how heartburn works Rachel" Well you're wrong! I googled it and anxiety and stress can, in fact, cause heartburn 🤯 That's how stressful reading this has been for me, heartburn-inducing romance.
Little to no world-building went into the making of this story. The entirety of it takes place in and around a hotel. There was some explanation about how the big bad of the story, who is named just 'King' because why not🤷♀️, has taken control of most of New York City and rules it from his own 'Hotel California' in Manhattan. King has turned the city into a prison using magic trackers that keep all of its supernatural residents from leaving. There are also quick mentions of two other cities where supes live but King doesn't control those areas, yet? And that's it, not much else is explained about how the world works or what it looks like outside of King's domain.
I feel like the author went to too many escape rooms while writing this, and had the thought "Wouldn't it be fun if my characters were stuck in a real-life escape room, but instead of it being a room it can be a hotel in downtown Manhattan". Well, Runner Hale, it was as much fun as a heart attack. The FMC is tagged like the rest of the residents but she has the added bonus of not being able to leave Hotel Manhattan. The main goal in this story was to gather all the ingredients to make a potion that would allow the FMC to escape the hotel and then the city, like the worst dungeon-crawler game ever!
King plays the FMC's stepfather in the story and he is as evil as they come and regularly schedules torture sessions with his stepdaughter where he flays her alive in unimaginable ways. That's where my heartburn started to kick in. I can't take that much torture my poor bleeding heart is too weak for this kind of dark story 😭.
Now I want to talk to you about MISUNDERSTANDINGS. Is it just me or is that the cornerstone of every dark romance? Every Bully and Ahole Alpha is born through some kind of major miscommunication. So much drama could be avoided if the main characters would just speak truthfully to each other.
Through the tried and true method of misunderstandings the FMC ends up with 5 Donkey Alphas pissed off at her. Thankfully thier not complete Ahole's and do come around fairly quickly realising that the FMC is keeping a lot from them. But thier understanding doesn't bring them answers fast enough because the FMC utilizes the next cornerstone of dark romance...
PROTECT! Usually it's the Alpha men who pull this stunt but FMCs can be Donkey's also and this one has a martyr complex. She will let herself be killed a million times over so long as her loved ones never have to suffer. She thinks she's protecting her Alpha's by not telling them the truth about what she's gone through causing her to have to suffer more than necessary because she can't die and they can. With that line of thinking it makes perfect sense to turn yourself into a human shield that blocks all the death blows🙄.
But that's what Dark Romance Troupe is all about, causing Misunderstandings and Protecting each other. No?
Then we have the Harem cast, I can't tell you anything about them. I can barely remember any of thier names or supe-powers, and I have zero clue what they look like. Truly no idea beyond big muscular Alpha Types. We had no time to get to know them with all the next-level theatrics going on.
I may say I hate drama but I'm also the person who will eat popcorn and watch the neighbors duke it out.
The world-building was horrible, and I barely got to know any of the characters, but I will most likely keep reading this series for the same reason I read WITSEC, I'm addicted to the drama.
June 10, 2024
★3/5! fuck right off. the author decided that she wanted to rip my heart out. the plot twist? no. evil. Kiarra ugh she’s so strong and i need her happy the next book or im rioting! the men are entertaining kinda? im mainly here for my hellhound Kai but I can’t wait to find out more about the others.
February 8, 2022
DNF at 69%. Just wasn’t for me personally. I liked the concept, the reverse harem aspect and the idea of all the creatures, but it fell flat for me unfortunately. It didn’t keep me hooked like it had in the beginning.
The world building was minuscule. There wasn’t much connection between all the characters that I felt as a reader and I wish this was more detailed on the world and systems and longer in that aspect. Also, it would have been great to see some back story of why the villain is the way they are.
But in general, the ideas are fascinating, the characters have potential to be really intriguing, and I’m curious to see what happens next. (I did read the ending (the last chapter) to see what happened).
The world building was minuscule. There wasn’t much connection between all the characters that I felt as a reader and I wish this was more detailed on the world and systems and longer in that aspect. Also, it would have been great to see some back story of why the villain is the way they are.
But in general, the ideas are fascinating, the characters have potential to be really intriguing, and I’m curious to see what happens next. (I did read the ending (the last chapter) to see what happened).
November 11, 2021
I can't say wow enough!
This book. THIS BOOK!! I it amazing. The world building, the characters, EVERYTHING! Its an fantastic start of a new series and I need the next book right now!!!
This book. THIS BOOK!! I it amazing. The world building, the characters, EVERYTHING! Its an fantastic start of a new series and I need the next book right now!!!
May 16, 2024
1 chapter. That's all it took for my reading plans for the week to be ruined.
- RTC.
⇢ What to expect:
∘ NA/Adult Urban-Fantasy Romance
∘ Reverse Harem ― size: medium (5)
∘ Alphaholes, powerful MMCs
∘ Strong & compassionate FMC with a tortured past
∘ Intriguing worldbuilding
⇢ Tropes:
∘ Slowburn
∘ Childhood bestfriends
∘ Fated Mates
∘ Second chance
∘ A drop of miscommunication
⇢ Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, torture, murder, physical and mental abuse, death of a parent, sexual assault, blood, violence & gore, child abuse
- RTC.
⇢ What to expect:
∘ NA/Adult Urban-Fantasy Romance
∘ Reverse Harem ― size: medium (5)
∘ Alphaholes, powerful MMCs
∘ Strong & compassionate FMC with a tortured past
∘ Intriguing worldbuilding
⇢ Tropes:
∘ Slowburn
∘ Childhood bestfriends
∘ Fated Mates
∘ Second chance
∘ A drop of miscommunication
⇢ Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, torture, murder, physical and mental abuse, death of a parent, sexual assault, blood, violence & gore, child abuse
July 23, 2024
1 girl 5 guys and no action? What a waste of time
August 14, 2023
Sloppy
The writing was sloppy all around. There was no real world building, other than a quick mention of the division of the city. Nothing else was laid out. There was no real character development, just a couple of info dumps. There was no real relationship building either, just a description of how they were as children and then the whole mates thing. There were also issues with misused homophones and apostrophes. All in all, this felt like the outline of a first draft, not a completed book.
The writing was sloppy all around. There was no real world building, other than a quick mention of the division of the city. Nothing else was laid out. There was no real character development, just a couple of info dumps. There was no real relationship building either, just a description of how they were as children and then the whole mates thing. There were also issues with misused homophones and apostrophes. All in all, this felt like the outline of a first draft, not a completed book.
May 15, 2024
FMC 19Yrs broken, tortured in mind and body
MMCs, 5 alpha sups. Childhood friends lost to the FMC 6 years ago. I got a feel for the characters of them all.
The initial build wasn't there, but the build got better as the tale went
It's a RH and mistaken betrayal to lovers, with hot makeout steam but no smut just yet.
I needed this book. Mood is dangerous, lost despair, broken, hope
3.7 stars
MMCs, 5 alpha sups. Childhood friends lost to the FMC 6 years ago. I got a feel for the characters of them all.
The initial build wasn't there, but the build got better as the tale went
It's a RH and mistaken betrayal to lovers, with hot makeout steam but no smut just yet.
I needed this book. Mood is dangerous, lost despair, broken, hope
3.7 stars
February 2, 2024
I’m very intrigued in seeing how Kiara’s power develops and what is she??? The brutality she endures under the torture of her stepfather - I have no words for the strength she has to survive that every day. Yea she has no choice, but it really puts to task the proof that love is the strongest motivation. I was shook when we discover who’s really betraying her.
I wish we would have had a bit more background of her childhood with the guys. The beginning she keeps referencing not wanting to leave them, which confused me as to who they were and why they were important. Obviously once she reunites with them figure it out, but if the story had focused a bit more with childhood flashbacks especially during her moments of torture, I would have enjoyed the plot more. I do think the guys are swoony and if their vows at the end of this were any indication of the romance still coming, I’m all in.
I wish we would have had a bit more background of her childhood with the guys. The beginning she keeps referencing not wanting to leave them, which confused me as to who they were and why they were important. Obviously once she reunites with them figure it out, but if the story had focused a bit more with childhood flashbacks especially during her moments of torture, I would have enjoyed the plot more. I do think the guys are swoony and if their vows at the end of this were any indication of the romance still coming, I’m all in.
August 4, 2024
I received the audioarc through Netgalley. Which is great, because I would have hated to spend money on this book.
This reads as a bad wattpad fic or the pay by chapter apps.
It was infuriating how the MMC's were all angry and felt betrayed that the FMC "left" them. Like bruh she was a child, bffr.
And the FMC not wanting to tell them the truth. Like girl again bffr.
The antagonists are of course just plain evil for no reason.
Honestly this book just sucked.
But I did like the narrator so that's nice
This reads as a bad wattpad fic or the pay by chapter apps.
It was infuriating how the MMC's were all angry and felt betrayed that the FMC "left" them. Like bruh she was a child, bffr.
And the FMC not wanting to tell them the truth. Like girl again bffr.
The antagonists are of course just plain evil for no reason.
Honestly this book just sucked.
But I did like the narrator so that's nice
May 10, 2024
Once I started, I did not put this book down.
I was immediately invested!
I wasn’t even mad there wasn’t spice because the tension and those kisses were EVERYTHING!
Axel is the alpha hole of my dreams 🥵
I was immediately invested!
I wasn’t even mad there wasn’t spice because the tension and those kisses were EVERYTHING!
Axel is the alpha hole of my dreams 🥵
October 27, 2022
just one of those shitty books u read in an hour for the funsies but i wanna know what happens next so… 1.5 stars
already downloaded the next one #shitsandgigs
menace rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
already downloaded the next one #shitsandgigs
menace rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 21, 2022
I wasn't a fan of this, but I really just wanted something to read while I wait for a few other books to come out, and this served that purpose well enough. Great cover though.
This book definitely needed editing and seemed to use British as spelling instead of US spelling even though it was set in New York, where the MC had apparently lived her whole life.
The MC and her harem spent barely any honest time together, so their entire connection seemed to rely on bonding that took place "offscreen" long before the start of the book. The same was basically true for the only other person the MC cared for, so I didn't really feel those relationships. This made a lot of the characters and emotions feel flat tor me.
There was a twist that I sort of saw coming from the beginning. I didn't guess the exact details, but I knew there would be some sort of twist along those lines involving that character, so I wasn't surprised by it at all.
There was a cliffhanger, but the cliffy wasn't as bad as it could have been. Idk if I'll read book 2. It will probably depend on how sparse my TBR list is when it comes out.
This book definitely needed editing and seemed to use British as spelling instead of US spelling even though it was set in New York, where the MC had apparently lived her whole life.
The MC and her harem spent barely any honest time together, so their entire connection seemed to rely on bonding that took place "offscreen" long before the start of the book. The same was basically true for the only other person the MC cared for, so I didn't really feel those relationships. This made a lot of the characters and emotions feel flat tor me.
There was a twist that I sort of saw coming from the beginning. I didn't guess the exact details, but I knew there would be some sort of twist along those lines involving that character, so I wasn't surprised by it at all.
There was a cliffhanger, but the cliffy wasn't as bad as it could have been. Idk if I'll read book 2. It will probably depend on how sparse my TBR list is when it comes out.
February 20, 2024
Thank you to Dreamscape media and NetGalley for the audiobook review.
I was really attracted to this book by the cover and the description. It had me very intrigued. I always enjoy a good RH and paranormal romance. That being said I had a hard time with this story. I was confused because I didn't feel like there was much world building or character development. The relationship didn't make much sense to me even though the were childhood friends in the past you're just thrown into it.
I did enjoy the narration. It followed nicely and did well with distinguishing between characters.
I was really attracted to this book by the cover and the description. It had me very intrigued. I always enjoy a good RH and paranormal romance. That being said I had a hard time with this story. I was confused because I didn't feel like there was much world building or character development. The relationship didn't make much sense to me even though the were childhood friends in the past you're just thrown into it.
I did enjoy the narration. It followed nicely and did well with distinguishing between characters.
February 26, 2024
Five whole ass stars. I loved this. The Bonds That Tie is one of my favorite series, and dear heavens, this is sooo much like it. I CRIED. Listen to me. I. DO. NOT. CRY. I might tear up, but the bonding scene in this made me blubber like a baby. My husband came home in the middle and was like -slowly backs away- 😂😅 So, yeah, reverse harem/mates is my thing and this touched all the right places.
Read
April 11, 2024Dnf. Not enough world building or build up in the relationships. Great premise, but writing wasn’t there.
August 10, 2024
Dnf @ 67%
None of the characters had a personality. The love interests were the same person, just with different names. I couldn't distinguish them from each other
None of the characters had a personality. The love interests were the same person, just with different names. I couldn't distinguish them from each other
May 5, 2025
Why can't I find an RH that doesn't read like it's trying too hard to be badass??
So, this wasn't good. It wasn't awful but it wasn't good.
So, this wasn't good. It wasn't awful but it wasn't good.
March 9, 2024
i hate hate myself for reading this book. NO MORE reading books bc they have pretty covers.
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