King of Battle & Blood – Scarlett St. Clair

Their Union Is His Revenge.

Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him. ⠀

But her assassination attempt is thwarted and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. ⠀

Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrain. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king——fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort. ⠀

The answer will shatter her world.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Have we ever discussed my favorite tropes? No? Let’s go over them really quickly. They are: arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, and although it isn’t technically considered a trope, I love it when a woman can fight. Now, let’s talk about King of Battle & Blood. The main character is Isolde, a warrior princess, who arranges a marriage with the Blood King, Adrian, to save her kingdom. They’re enemies…I’m pretty sure at this point that Scarlett St. Clair wrote this book for me specifically. Honestly.

OH, did I mention the vampires? YEAH THERE ARE VAMPIRES. AND they don’t sparkle. Again, this book was freaking written for me.

I loved the world created, and the writing was so easy to read for a fantasy novel. It was the perfect combination of world building and steady pacing. I learned about the kingdoms and politics without feeling at all bogged down. Between the map and the explanations given in the book, I feel as though I have a pretty steady grasp over the world and can’t wait to learn more in the next book.

How’s the spice, you ask? FREAKING FIRE. The spice scenes are hot, frequent, and start early. The chemistry between Adrian and Isolde is absolute fire and leaps off the page.

The only reason that I gave this a 4.5 instead of a 5 was because I did guess the major plot twist at the 40% mark. Although this was a bit predictable, it was entertaining as hell and that was what I was looking for. I can’t wait to continue this series.