Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I had high expectations for it because of the synopsis, since it talks about one of the four horsemen in a dystopian world, and although I enjoyed it, the story didn't impress me much.

Sara is tasked with killing Pertilence as he passes through her city in order to save humanity and Pestilence is tasked with ending humanity. Sara is taken as Pestilence's prisoner because he cannot die and decides to make her suffer.

Sara is presented as strong and determined, but as the book goes on, there is not much of that nature left. On the other hand, Pestilence is shown as a supernatural and quite mysterious being. And as they spend time together, both will be drawn to each other.

Overall, I enjoyed the book as it is fast-paced and has short chapters, so it reads fast. The only thing I found uncomfortable was that Sara kept repeating how supernatural and beautiful Pestilence was.

This review is my opinion and my opinion only. I did received this book pre-publishing, but this review are my thoughts and mine alone. This is my first book from Laura Thalassa, and it definitely won’t be the last. I loved this book! It’s very rare for me to cry while reading a book, but Laura Thalassa made be cry. The story was so well written and the world building was phenomenal!
This is the first book of the Four Horseman series. This one is about Pestilence and Sara. Pestilence is spreading sickness to people and kills any vegetation he chooses. Sara was chosen to kill Pestilence when he comes to her town. After Sara kills him, she is riddled with guilt.
But, can Pestilence really be killed? What will happen to Sara if he’s not really dead?
This story pulls you in from the very beginning. I just loved it! I highly recommend reading! I read this book in a day. I had to buy dinner for the family. (I think they were happy about it because we had pizza. 😉)

I'm not sure how I feel about this. The idea of the story was actually intriguing that's why I stayed until the very last page, but the stockholm syndrome vibe was too much for me. I also felt that the ending was way too rushed nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting tale to the four horsemen series loved the enemies to lovers it was a very long book and I felt some parts were a bit boring and didn't need to be mentioned but overall good book for paranormal and fantasy romance novel.

Your girl loves a romantasy, so I was excited to try out a more sci-fi romance as well. It did not disappoint! The world building was so good! It did take me a good 100 pages to get into it but once I did I couldn't put this book down. I really enjoyed how Laura Thalassa had the characters fall in lust before love, which based on the nature of Pestilence's character rang undoubtedly necessary. I did spend some time wondering how do-gooder Sara would fall for an anti-hero, and by the end I was a believer. I also liked how invested in the series story I was by the end. This snuck up on me because I was so invested in the love story I didn't think much about the post-apocalypse world around them but it was woven together so nicely that it all came together (or as much as we are supposed to know) at the end.

I really enjoyed this romance! It got a little repetitive at times and I didn't always love the narrative voice, but the chemistry and tension between the love interests, as well as the examination of death, apocalypse and what we give to others vs. ourselves really elevated this from a run-of-the-mill romance for me. I'm definitely interested in exploring other titles in the series!

It's five years after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse road across the earth inexplicably changing it forever, then disappearing. Now, Pestilence is back and spreading a deadly plague wherever he rides upon his immortal steed. Sara is tasked with killing Pestilence, only no matter how badly his body is destroyed he cannot die. In vengeance, he keeps her alive to pumish her ("Suffering is made for the living."). Only, things don't go as planned and slowly Sara is changing Pesilence. Becoming more human. But will he be able to change before he wipes out the human race? Will what is building between them save humanity or doom it?

I absolutely loved Pestilence. The slow building relationship was shaped just right. Pestilence's inner war between his emerging humanity and his duty causes so many obstacles. Sara changes are subtle and beautifully written. I actually cried when reading this book. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

In all honesty this book just wasn’t my jam. I knew it very early on too, I’m talking the first chapter. So I didn’t really enjoy it, and the whole experience was pretty much what I was expecting to get after reading the first handful of pages, no surprises at all.

I do think that for people looking for a truly dark fantasy romance this is actually quite good. For me though, it was just a little too dark. It gave Stockholm Syndrome in a pretty unsexy way. I also just couldn’t quite get behind the writing, a couple of the stylist choices felt a bit off.

Anyway. I don’t hate this, I don’t really even think it’s bad. This is defined a case of different strokes for different folks. It definitely wasn’t for me and I doubt I’ll keep on with the series, but I definitely know some people I’d recommend it to 🤷‍♀️

A Horseman of the Apocalypse and his would-be assassin fall in love in this tale from Laura Thalassa. When Sara Burns is taken prisoner after failing to kill Pestilence—it turns out he can’t die—she never expects to fall in love with him. As they spend time together, however, her presence begins to humanize him. Can Sara save the world from his plague after all?

This one is definitely unique. I liked how in awe Pestilence is as he begins to feel more human emotions and experiences, but be aware that many of his attitudes are very Old Testament in tone. He has been sent on a mission. His purpose is to take out humanity, so he has difficulty seeing the positive aspects of it. And we see the victims of his plague as well as the darker side of human nature in this story. Sara comes across as a mix of caring and snarky with a penchant for reciting poetry. At times, Pestilence in his baby foal attempts at being more human seems more likable than our story’s heroine. When he turns around and is very iron-fisted about his mission, their relatability/likability positions swap.

Overall, I was sucked in by the story and the writing style, and my interest is piqued enough to pick up the second book—especially since some things seem open-ended/unresolved at the end of this one.

I received a copy from Bloom Books via NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This was quite the read if I say so myself. I mean this in a more positive way. Although the smut wasn't THAT descriptive, the story itself ruled everything else. Our FMC, Sara, was such a badass with some compassion in her personality throughout the entire story. The MMC himself wasn't bad himself. I really enjoyed the immortality and morality in this story line.

What happens when the actual Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse come to Earth to wreck civilization...and then disappear?  

It has been five years since all technology was destroyed.  There have been no horseman sightings when Petilance appears, bringing deadly plague to earth. We are talking biblical plague with a 100% death rate.  As he travels the earth, each town he comes to is effectively exterminated.  

Sara Burns, a firefighter and self proclaimed atheist, draws the short straw and makes an attempt to unalive Pestilence.  She is successful, and even though this is a death sentence for her, she feels comfort knowing she has saved millions of lives.  This scene would be lovely except that Pestilence is immortal, and now he's pissed.  Instead of killing Sara immediately, he decides to keep her prisoner and make her suffer.  He forces her to walk behind his horse and follow him from town to town and watch her fellow humans die.

“Is it wrong to feel flattered when Pestilence is clearly having an existential crisis?”

The longer they are together, Pestilence slowly starts to see that maybe humans aren't all bad.  Sara's compassion for everyone she meets starts to have an effect on him.  The same goes for Sara, over time she starts to see cracks in the facade - maybe Pestilence isn't all bad?  Does any of that matter when Pestilence has to finish his task of spreading disease across the globe?

“The horseman has learned how to feel. Nothing good can come of this. Nothing at all.”

I wasn’t sure about this book at first. Pestilence is a difficult character to read about as he is wiping out all humans. Why is he doing this and why does he hate humans…or does he? There are some funny moments when it becomes clear that Pestilence doesn’t understand humans. Sara’s internal dialogue is very entertaining and I really liked her as a character!!

The story touches on some deep questions like will humanity go too far and are they worth saving? On their journey they come across some of the worst of humanity but also some of the best…Are we redeemable?

“Love is the greatest gift we can give or receive…love is the only thing that can get us out of this mess.”

Thank you to @netgalley and @laureathalassa for a copy of this book!  All opinions are my own.

Glad this romance is getting a new life. Laura Thalassa is a staple in the romance community and her books have garnered many a conversation over the years. I'm excited for the Four Horseman to reach a new audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the digital ARC of Pestilence.

It looks like the publisher is rereleasing the series with new covers and that's how I received access to this ARC, even though the Four Horsemen series has been out for a few years now.

As such, this series has been on my TBR list for a while, and when I came across it on NetGalley, it was just the excuse I needed to move Pestlience off the ever-growing list of books I want to read!

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the overall story and it didn't live up to my expectations. I think the premise of this book, and the whole series in general, is interesting. In the beginning, the four horsemen of the apocalypse come to Earth because humans are destroying the planet. After their initial arrival, upon which modern amenities are mostly destroyed (e.g., no internet, electricity is spotty at best), the horsemen disappear. A few years later, which is when this story takes place, Pestilence returns and begins spreading a deadly plague. The main character, Sara, tries to kill Pestlience in a bid to stop the spreading disease and save the world. I mean, what could go wrong?!

One of the main things that bothered me with this book is that I found the writing to be somewhat lacking. While I did enjoy the sarcasm, I just felt as though the author's prose was overly basic. To me, it almost read like many debut novels; you can tell the author doesn't have a lot of experience and is trying to get their footing. Unfortunately, this is not the author's first novel and it makes me a little hesitant to continue with the series.

I also did not like Sara. The Stockholm Syndrome aspect of the story is creepy (and not in a good way) and her general attitude throughout the book is maddening. I will say that Pestilence was an easier character to like and I enjoyed seeing his progression throughout the story.

Lastly, I found the plot to be overly repetitive - ride the horse (Trixie Skillz) through towns and cities spreading the plague and killing people; stop at a house to rest and if there are people in the house, they die; get ambushed by humans who, invariably, do something overly terrible (rinse and repeat). I wish there was either more variability in the plot or the book could have been at least 100 pages shorter.

Overall, I don't think this is a bad book and it does have some redeeming qualities. I don't like to dismiss books or series unless I totally hated them, so I do think that I will at least give the next book in the Four Horsemen series a try. From reviews, it also seems like people enjoy the other three books more than the first, so here's hoping! *fingers crossed*

"Pestilence" had an intriguing premise that initially captured my interest. The idea of an angelic-looking horseman bringing plague and death and a strong-willed protagonist facing off against him sounded promising. However, the execution left much to be desired, resulting in a disappointing reading experience.

One of the major pitfalls of this book was its slow pacing. While the concept held potential for intense action and suspense, the story often dragged along at a snail's pace. The repetitiveness only exacerbated this issue, making it difficult to maintain my engagement.

While the synopsis promised a captivating clash between a determined protagonist and an immortal antagonist, the actual portrayal of their interactions often were cringe-worthy - like a kiss immediately after vomiting. The attempt to humanize Pestilence while maintaining his otherworldly nature to bring death was a challenge that the book didn't always successfully navigate. Instead, it led to moments that were unconvincing.

"Pestilence" had a captivating premise but ultimately fell short of expectations. The slow pacing, repetitiveness, and lackluster character dynamics hindered the potential for a gripping story. While the central idea had promise, the execution left much to be desired, making it difficult to fully appreciate the novel's concept.

I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars----I really enjoyed this book. The writing was so-so in some parts. I had no clue the direction the book was headed in though. How could Pestilence possibly be redeemed after killing literally EVERYONE?! Sara was such a strong person. I loved her. The epilogue had me excited to read the second book!

3.25 stars.

I was excited to read this book. I love how strong Sara is throughout the book no matter what obstacle she faces. I did find this book a bit boring as Sara and Pestilence go across the North America spreading the plague. I liked their romance but I didn't feel super connected to the characters. I think because it was hard to gauge where Pestilence was feeling until the end with the choice he made. The epilogue did make me excited for book two (War) in the series.

This one was a DNF for me at about 20%. I think it had the potential to get better. I just struggled to get into it. I think the main character being so attracted to the horseman holding her prisoner without reason other than his looks was what bothered me. Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Books for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

"Love has a funny way of rearranging priorities."

I loved this book! It took a little bit to get into it but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. I was so entranced in the story and what was going to happen next. Sara was such a strong character and I loved watching as she developed with her situation. Then there is Pestilence, watching him go from basically robotic to having the feelings and emotions he has, how can you not fall in love with him. I can't wait to start the next one, because War is coming!

I thought the idea of it was pretty good! Interesting plot but it didn’t do much to stick with me. Fun but very similar writing style to other romance books.

This was a reread for me and I still really enjoy this book. Pestilence is the first book in the four horsemen series that follows our main character Sara and Pestilence. One thing I will say about this book or really this series in particular is the male love interests are brutal and these books really are to show how the four horsemen find their humanity by falling in love. With that being said the start of Sara and Pestilences relationship was brutal. I really enjoyed seeing Pestilence change over time and see why even with all our flaws are, humanity is still worth saving. For lovers of fantasy/darker romance, you will like this one.