Thank you NetGalley for letting me snag this arc! 5 years after the four horsemen are spotted Pestilence resurfaces to bring about the messianic plague. Sara gets the short end of the stick to stay behind and carry out a plan to kill him. Unfortunately the plan is derailed and she becomes his prisoner. Watching them both go back in forth in what is right and wrong was a roller coaster! I thoroughly enjoyed this and can not wait to read war!

I absolutely devoured Pestilence, and do plan on continuing the series, but the storyline is a bit repetitive, and I didn't love Pestilence as much as I thought I would.

Still overall really good though!

The book was a bit repetitive, but I still enjoyed it, I liked the concept of it happening in a today society with a bit of fantasy.

4.25 stars
This was such an interesting read - the whole concept of one of the four horsemen, coming to end humankind only for him to fall in love? Yeah I was really interested to see how this romance would play out between Pestilence and Sara. I loved Sara’s character and how despite her growing feelings towards Pestilence, she was still firm in her convictions around saving humanity and that there were still redeemable qualities that would merit mercy. And I also enjoyed seeing the growth of Pestilence’s character as he learned more about humanity spending all his time with Sara. Their romance was great. The only thing was the storyline - some parts felt slow or maybe weren’t really needed for the whole book to make sense. It made for me pushing through certain sections instead of really being enticed by the plot. But overall, definitely enjoyed, and I’m ready to see what happens in War. Definitely beware of triggers, there were some very descriptive and graphic scenes that were included in this book!

3.5 stars
Hmmm... I am hooked enough to read the next book in the series but this book was alright. There wasn't much in depth world building and the main character Sara is questionable LOL. I did not really find her as a funny humorous character 😭 but her relationship with Pestilence was interesting! Hehehe the part that I did enjoy was how Pestilence tells his feelings to Sara like the way he said it made me smile to big HAHAHA

Disclaimer: I DNF at 15%.

I'm currently on a romance kick and was intrigued by the idea of the four horseman of the apocalypses being the romantic interests. Haters to Lovers and misunderstood baddie are tropes that I enjoy and I figured this would be perfect. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of the authors writing style. Some of the unnecessary information that was added was jarring and created a disjointed scene that pulled me out of the story that I had barely gotten into. The comment about "who refrigerates bread?" was odd considering that's not an uncommon practice as bread keeps well in cooler environments and adding that to the sentence doesn't add anything to the scene. The statement about how electricity doesn't work but running water does is okay but then she follows up the thought with "the why beats the hell out of me, I'm not complaining" which frankly seems like lazy writing when there was no need for an in-depth explanation in the first place.

What killed the story before it even got started was the lack of understanding of the capabilities of a human and how far training to be a firefighter would help in a situation. You cannot get shot in the lower back and the shoulder with arrows and continue to run behind a horse after they're pulled out. Your lungs and abdomen are at risk of getting punctured, bones can be chipped, since he pulled the arrow out there's also the risk of infection and bleeding out but the main character just keeps jogging behind a horse because she has the endurance <i> because she's a fire fighter?</i> The same woman who questioned whether or not she could jump out of a second story window? Getting dragged behind a horse is also not something you're probably going to get up and jog from either.

I get that Pestilence is a romance book but it's too separated from reason for me to be able to buy into the world and the inner monologue of the main character wasn't something that I enjoyed. Her quips tend to take away from the scenario instead of adding anything to it.

i think overall this book was pretty good. i like how we got to see a lot of development with pestilence and the way his views changed about humanity. i also really liked how the reason for that was through his interactions with sara. this book was very easy to read and also had some very humorous scenes!

however, i didn’t like how inconsistent sara was. i also didn’t like how fast she became attracted to him. and unfortunately this book definitely was a stockholm syndrome relationship which i’m not a big fan of at all.

i think this book was good but definitely had parts that could’ve been better and once again i just personally don’t like stockholm syndrome relationships but it was still very entertaining and funny.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I devoured it. I enjoyed the writing style and the way that Laura Thalassa told this story. However, I also found this love story to be pretty horrifying.

This is a dark and sad story. I cried a few times while reading (at some of the people Pestilence was killing). I just could not get on board with forgiving Pestilence for killing millions. I saw some other people say that he had this big redemption at the end, but I was disappointed by it. So he decides not to kill millions more people, but doesn't make up for what he has already done.

I was so frustrated with Pestilence.... he is killing humans in horrible ways but he thinks that they are despicable for trying to hurt him in return? Maybe I'm a bad person because I'd be trying to fight back too, maybe not to the extend that some go but what did he want them to do, just give up?

There also were basically no other characters except for the FMC and MMC. And little to no plot, it was mainly the same thing over and over (riding a horse, stopping for the night, and seeing people die).

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for providing an eARC of this book.

Thank you to Bloom and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This started off the series and I really grew to love it while reading through the other books. It wasn’t my favorite on an initial read but it definitely was better to look back on!

Can a god be corrupted by a human? That’s the question we wrestle with through Laura Thalassa’s novel. The four horsemen of the apocalypse visit present-day Earth wiping away most of our technology. Planes fall from the sky, cars stop running, computers stop computing, and any remotely high-tech machine or device simply stops working.
After reducing the planet to the 17th Century, the horsemen disappear. Many die but a large number adapt and resume their lives. This is until one of the horsemen returns. Pestilence the Conqueror, crowned and arrayed in golden armor, rides across the land. Where he goes, a plague so deadly that none survive spreads.
Word of his progress causes people to flee, seeking some place so hidden and remote that the plague won’t find them. A very small number decide to resist.
Chosen by lot, Sara Burns, a twenty-eight-year-old firefighter, must stop the plague by killing the horseman. Her ambush is successful for a moment. Pestilence’s bloody body lies on the road along with that of his steed. Within hours he has regenerated himself and captured Sara. His plan is to make her an example of the level of suffering he can inflict.
From this point, Thalassa treats us to a steady battle between the hip, flip young woman, and the self-important Pestilence. He is committed to completing a task assigned to him by God, while she points out the cruelty and unfairness of the job, wiping out humanity.
Thalassa masterfully maintains the ordinary quibbles and compromises between two people traveling together without letting the reader forget survival of humanity is at stake.
Both characters are full-fledged and interesting. I wasn’t sure what ending I was hoping for.

This was absolutely delicious and I am so grateful to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me the ability to read and review this wonderful book. Probably the best/most unputdownable fantasy-romance book I have read this year! I loved the characters, (especially Pestilence - be still my beating heart), and the pages literally turned themselves. I was so absorbed in the story I could not be bothered with eating or anything else. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

I'm not sure what I was expecting going into this book but I enjoyed it immensely.

Did I want more from the plot? Yes.

Did I eat up every page of this book? Yes.

I enjoyed the relationship between the FMC and MMC, and I can see myself going back to re-read this book in the future.

I do wish the plot gave us a little bit more, because this could have easily been a 5 star but it's still a fun read. I just wouldn't expect too much regarding the four horsemen or their history. However, I am intrigued to meet Daddy Death

I received an advanced copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was caught off guard with how much I loved this book! I had not read anything by Thalassa prior to this novel, but I’d had her on my radar, so when I got approved for this arc I was very excited to give it a go. Suffice it to say I will be reading the entire series, wow.

What I loved most about this book is the way it deals with themes of religion and suffering. Pestilence travels the earth spreading his plague, not caring about all the people who die because of him. Until, as the book progresses, we get to witness humanity’s effect on him and the way he grows as a character. Similarly, we get to witness how traveling with him changes Sara and how her perspective on life is challenged by him. I’ve always been interested in the four horsemen and the idea of humanity being so far gone that god himself sends them to wipe us out, I feel like it echoes a lot of today’s issues with man-made climate change, war, etc. It will also be exciting to see how Thalassa deals with hope and the struggle of redemption as the series progresses and more horsemen start roaming the earth.

The relationship between Pestilence and Sara is positively swoon-worthy. Pestilence is very much a character who experiences adoration and lust completely against his will, which I love. The emotional turmoil of Sara’s growing feelings was also appreciated, it made the romance feel believable and kept Stockholm syndrome at bay (in my opinion). Watching Pestilence try to navigate how relationships work was also very entertaining. Generally watching him try to understand how being human works was fun.

This story had everything! Excellent pacing, enemies-to-lovers, character growth, interesting themes, and emotional turmoil both for the characters and for me. I highly recommend this to any romance lover, especially if you love paranormal romances.

I’ve never had so much fun reading a post-apocalyptic fantasy. I always thought these were dreary depressing scenarios of doom and gloom. I’ve told my friends and family that I expect to be among original 99% who perish in an apocalypse, so there would be no “post” for me. Or, if I did somehow get “lucky” and survive, then I would be amongst the first to get eaten because I have no stamina, grit , or survival instincts whatsoever.

Imagine my delight, therefore, in a heroine who requires none of the above due to the fact that she has become the unwilling sidekick to Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and he categorically refuses to allow her to die.

“𝘚𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

Sara Burns has massively ticked off the Horseman and now she is paying the price. Fortunately, she excels at being insufferably pestering and compulsively compassionate. It’s so much fun watching her annoy, confound, and finally sway Pestilence from his programmed destruction of humankind. Along the way they bicker about the stupidest things, like whether the privy should be located right next to the bathing vessel in bathroom or who should have the last bite of apple pie.

But then the mood shifts to a more somber tone. What could possibly be more somber than riding with the entity that has been tasked with annihilating humans from the face of this green earth? Well, Pestilence catching feelings ironically.

“𝘞𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦.”

Love changes things. Love should bring out the best in each of us, not the worst. Love is the greatest gift we can give or receive. Pestilence is humour, thoughtfulness, romance and eroticism all wrapped into a disturbing, tortured, morally challenging package. I’m surprised I waited so long to indulge in it and am definitely intrigued to read about the other Horsemen.

(ARC obtained via NetGalley.)

I'm not sure if would be happy to meet one of the four Horsemen and, after years of COVID, Pestilence.
That said it's a fast paced, gripping and highly entertaining paranormal romance.
Well plotted, humorous and compelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I read it in one sitting, this book drew me in from the beginning. 5 years of the horseman and Pestilence is riding around spreading plague when he gets shot at by Sara, but nobody told her that the four horseman cannot be killed. In order to make her suffer and pay for her acts against him he takes her prisoner and along the way they discover new things about themselves all while falling in love. Sara has a pretty great personality, her sense of humor made me laugh many times throughout the book. I also really enjoyed her compassion and what I loved the most were the interactions between the two. Pestilence felt ancient and wise but also young and innocent at the same. There were a lot of controversial themes also addressed in the book, especially with religion and god, but I felt it was handled very well. Will be reading the second book, War!

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for giving me a chance to read Pestilence by Laura Thalassa in exchange for my honest review.

The first of the our horsemen of the Apocalypse is here, and with him the beginning of a promising enemies to lovers series with the fate of humanity in the balance.
First things first , Trigger warnings and Tropes included .
TW : attempted murder, torture, graphic violence,death of minor/major character
Tropes : I was sent to kill you but i fell for you instead, banter, morally grey/morally ambiguous characters, enemies to lovers

What to say about this book ? First things first, I loved the apocalyptic/dystopian vibes above everything else, the way morality and humanity was handled in the future where humankind has suffered from the horsemen in the past and is now feeling the beginning of the end come again with Pestilence's arrival.
Sara and Pestilence have a very delilcate chemistry, sometimes inclining towards enemie, others to more than her just being his prisoner or victim to set an example to the world to show what happens when you mess with the horsemen.
Pestilence slowly changes and understands more and more about the human experience through Sara, and her seeing the kindness behind the cruel mask of the horseman makes for a compelling (almost slow burn) story full of tension
and morals being put to the question and in the end love being the force of human nature that even Pestilence the Conqueror cannot defeat.

Spicy romance with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Sign me up! I adored the different kind of hero that Pestilence was, really original and not seen much in books nowadays. Enemies to lovers is always a good trope to be and the story was intriguing seeing it from different points of view, from the side characters, made me change my perspective too. Laura Thalassa did something with this series and I can't be more excited to move on to the next "brother"!

I went into Pestilence without really knowing anything about it. First thoughts - wow Pestilence is a total asshole and Sara is a complete badass (lol!). Also - how are these two going to eventually become a couple I will root for?

Pestilence is set out to destroy the world, but he has mercy on Sara and keeps her as his prisoner. But the more time these two spend together the more complicated their relationship becomes. How can they ever have a relationship if Pestilence isn't even a human form, but one of the four horsemen set to destroy the world. The same world that Sara needs to try to save.

Laura Thalassa is an amazing author - this is my third book by her. I binge read Rhapsodic and Bewitched and enjoyed them both! I know that her fantasy romances can be a bit dark, but her humor is usually spot on! This was definitely the case in Pestilence.

I highly suggest you go into this book without reading too much about it. I can't wait to start the next book in the series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

This book was much more of a slow burn than I expected, but it did not ultimately disappoint.

Pestilence has been spreading his plague across North America and runs into Sara Burns, a firefighter who was chosen to kill him (of her group). She tries, and when it ultimately fails, he takes her captive to go with him on his journey. At first they are at odds, but they end up falling in love.

Sara has to see the plague in action, trying to help people as she can, and the media calls her a whore, etc. Pestilence learns more about humanity. Along the way they meet good and bad people.

I enjoyed this book and it had an ending I enjoyed, but I'm not sure if I'll be reading the rest of the series.