Wanted to love it and there were parts of it I did, but it couldn’t compare to my 5 star Sarah J Maas or Jennifer Armentrout and for that I was bummed.

The concept is 10/10. I read a lot of fantasy romance and haven’t come across the Thai Bird Princess, aka Kinaree.

As I read this book, there were parts that were great, but there were also parts where it felt like scenes weren’t fully fleshed out. It felt like stuff hopped from one thing to the next without proper explanation, and while you could guess what happened (or didn’t), it definitely felt like the book was incomplete and these inconsistencies bothered me.

While there’s also some good principles in this book, they did feel a little amateurish. And maybe that’s just me. Perhaps others in the target audience need this messaging but I feel like it’s better suited for a younger audience, but with the romance it’s obviously geared towards adults so that’s conflicting.

There is a “to love again” trope, which I think was handled nicely.

I’d rate the smut like one red pepper. You get some spice at the end.

Peeraphan lives her life in Seattle, knowing she has supernatural senses and abilities but purposely keeps it hidden for fear of discovery and what that might mean for her. Despite those thoughts she is curious if there is anyone else out there like her. Peeraphan aka Punch unknowingly gets in contact with cursed dancing shoes which she uses for a dance recital.

Vampire Bennett is a member of a secret organization the Darke Consortium. An organization dedicated to locating objects of myth and magic. Bennet goes on the hunt to retrieve these shoes only to find that they have claimed a victim Punch.

Bennett launches Punch into a supernatural world of magic and folklore that she didn’t know existed. With the help of the Darke Consortium she learns more about herself, what kind of being she is and a way to save her from a deadly fate.

I appreciate that the author made Peeraphan into a character who was not completely helpless but strong and confident despite her lack of knowledge when entering into a new space.

From the perspective of Peeraphan this story has a theme of self discovery and rejection of trying to fit in a box for others. I would have liked to see more of Peeraphan’s life in Seattle (before her encounter with Bennet) in a prologue or in the early chapters of the book to make this point even more impactful.

I liked that Darke Consortium had a variety of beings with they’re own personalities that we get a glimpse of and I wish we got to know them more. I am hoping the author will dive more into their stories/povs in the future. At the end of the book we get descriptions of supernatural beings and items mentioned in the book. I would have liked to reference those notes while reading if I was aware of it before hand. If It was mentioned somewhere in the beginning of the book I must have missed it.

Overall I think it was a fun and unique read and I can’t wait to see what is in store for the future of this series.

Thanks to netgalley for giving this ARC, but this doesn’t influence my review. This was a different fantasy book and I liked it. It featured cursed shoes lol! I didn’t like the double POV, however.

*Thank you so much for this ARC! I really enjoyed this book. The review below does contain minor spoilers. I will be posting non-spoilery reviews onto Goodreads, Amazon, and my Instagram as well.*

-Characters-

“But no one else seemed to have noticed him, nor was he paying attention to anyone else but her. And that was exciting too.” (Absolutely loved this quote. Someone finally said what I was thinking!)

Bennett is an extremely seductive character. I think Piper did an amazing job with describing him! She gave so much detail and yet left the perfect amount of room for personal interpretation which I loved. I also love how he isn’t the ‘I’m a bad boy but secretly a good boy’ trope. He admits he is wicked and enjoys wicked things but still he cares so much for Punch and its beautiful.

Punch is a truly interesting character. She is so upfront about who she is and what she wants and doesn’t let embarrassment hold her back from anything. I love how kind and courageous she is. She’s also a very go with the flow type person. While I appreciate how independent she is and obviously confident in herself, I do think she takes it a bit too far sometimes. I don’t believe it makes a woman unfeminist to let a man take care of her every now and then and she could be a bit stubborn.

Thomas’s character is very funny to me as he is a werewolf and so he’s quick to anger and OF COURSE him and Bennett almost never get along. Marie’s POV was interesting because I absolutely love all the lore surrounding kitsune and so I am very excited to see where that storyline takes her.

I really enjoyed following Punch in meeting all of the members of the Drake Consortium! I found all of the characters interesting enough that I wish we could have explored who they were even more. All we got in this book was a surface level view of themselves and what kind of supernatural they were. Their voices all also sounded so similar that there’d be many times where I would forget whose I was in.

-World-

“Anxieties grew in the dark when one wouldn’t confront them in the light.”
We mainly stayed around the Consortium mansion for the majority of the book but I liked how much of this supernatural world we saw and with all that was teased, I’m excited to see more in future books! The world that Marie took them too was so dark and magical and very, very intriguing to me. I want to learn about the creatures that reside inside of it and why those hermits are there.

-Plot-

“Come to me’ Aw, now, that didn’t sound like a good idea at all.” (I found this one particularly hilarious.)

The main plot of the story is them all trying to figure out a way to get Punch out of those red shoes alive while also kind of dealing with the mystery of her being a kinnaree. Most of the story was them bouncing from person to person to try to find an answer and when they finally did, I found the answer very interesting. It being Punch needing to face her deepest truth was a result of the shoes being sent directly to her and that particular question never got answered. Who exactly sent the shoes to trap Punch and why?

The scene where Punch faces her deepest truths was written very beautifully. My only issue was that the truths weren’t any shock to me and I had expected something bigger than what they’d turned out to be. It mainly just didn't feel truly transformative to me.

-Romance-

“He was not the sympathetic, tortured soul made popular in human books and movies. Predatory and powerful, he took pride in the simple fact that he was one of the most dangerous creatures in existence, even among his own kind.”
Bennett and Punch’s relationship is (from the beginning) a very hot and yet sweet and gentle one. I found their interactions so intriguing and I never wanted them to stop. Also the banter was always perfect and the respect?! The respect they give to each other is PHENOMENAL!! It definitely feels very grumpy-sunshine vibes but she’s the only one he’s super cool with. I also adore how protective he is with her.

The one thing at 50% that I’m beginning to find bothersome is that Bennett and Punch have plenty of chemistry, both emotional and physical, but…there is zero conflict between them. Which seems like the ideal world but thats what I love most about reading any romance is them slowly overcoming the conflict (or deciding they can’t). This said, I’m wondering if maybe there will be a big twist that throws everything into chaos.

Okay after finishing this book I learned that Bennett and Punch never really have any big conflict. The one they do seem to have feels small at best.

-More of My Favorite Quotes-

“So what do I do, just wave my wrist in front of him?”

“Please settle yourself before I attempt to…tuck you in myself.”

“I broke out of it because Bennett’s presence irritated the hell out of me.”

“While we’re making adjustments, I need a corgi,” Ashke announced. “If I’m to properly see to the security of this island, I need a battle steed.”

-Overall-

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The writing was very beautiful and humorous. I seriously can’t wait for the next installment and I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a mature fantasy romance with spice! Thank you so much Sourcebooks Casa for this wonderful ARC.

In wanted to like this but found ti hard to get into and ultimately was left unsatisfied, which is a shame cause the premise sounded so good.

I really liked this book and hope to read more in the series. Peeraphan Rahttana, or Punch, is of Thai descent and works as a dancer. She knows there is something different about her and she is somehow sure that she needs to keep her unusual gifts hidden. She can extend her awareness to her surroundings and has some control over air and water. When her "friend" Sirin gives her a pair of shoes that were donated for her current production, she is at first hesitant to take them, until she actually sees them. They are a beautiful shade of red satin and she is immediately spellbound by their perfection. Even better, they are a perfect fit and easy to dance in. She knew there was something wrong but couldn't seem to focus on what it was.

Bennett Andrews is a vampire, an old vampire. He has come to the theater to collect the red shoes. He had had a small hope that he could intercept them before their victim put them on, but he was too late. The curse on the shoes would force the wearer to dance until she died, either from exhaustion or an accident caused by the dancing itself. All he had to do was wait. But when the dancers take a break the woman stops and sits down. Huh. Getting closer while staying hidden, he realizes that the woman is aware of him. He refuses to get too invested in her well-being since he is sure she hasn't long to live. But he can't stop himself from trying to let her know that she was in danger. The next thing he knows he is scooping her up and running out of the theater.

Punch finds herself thrown into a world of the supernatural as she and Bennett try to find a way to get the cursed shoes off her feet before it is too late. She becomes reacquainted with a long lost cousin who is a werewolf, meets a dragon who is everyone's boss and a fae who acts as the household butler, then then there is the witch who knows the way to another dimension where Punch may get answers. She and Bennett are growing closer, but he has events in his past that keep him from wanting a relationship with a human. But is she really just a human?

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and my review is voluntary.

It’s very easy to read, a little YA, but it was very enjoyable, it keep me hooked, i read it in one sitting. I really liked the heroine, she was a very compelling character, there were very funny moments that made me smile and a few emotional moments that gave more depth to the story, i recommend this book to anyone looking for and romance fantasy book!