This was a spur of the moment pick from netgalley and I’m glad it was a “read now” because it was worth it!

The book is told from multiple point-of-views and they come from Joss Brevyn and Aric Kayden. Their job titles and the way they go about doing it may be different, but the end result is the same. Reading about Joss was very interesting. Her life has been hard from family difficulties to the job she must do. There is no way out from being an executioner. This is her job and if she doesn’t want to do it then her only option is to marry one and the tradition of passing down the job remains the same. I don’t know how she does it. She is a very strong woman when others in her family couldn’t be. She also balances out the death with being a healer and maybe her family picked that up to help feel better about what their main focus is.

The way Joss and Aric meet is by pure chance, although for him it was lucky that he did since he needed a healer haha. I liked their small interactions together and felt the little spark between them. Their romance is very, very mild and is really only talked about and not a whole lot actually happens. I do like a slow-burn so it didn’t bother me. I am sure we will get more from them in the sequel (which I have already preordered!). Although I think we will get a lot of banter because things haven’t gone according to plan.

A lot of the characters, besides the main two, are very minor. The only one who isn’t is Henrik who happens to be Joss’s assistant. Not a lot is known about him and we get more bits and pieces as the book progresses. I do very much like him and if something happens to him I will be very sad. He is so loyal to her family.

The plot is well paced and there are quite a few plot twists keep you reading on. It’s also on the shorter side so I finished it in one day! I usually tend to have problems with shorter ones but I feel like I got a lot of information and I wasn’t wanting for more. It’s not as dark as I thought it would be, but it does have to deal with executions and sometimes they don’t go as planned.

Overall, this was a great fantasy! I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

I am very thankful to have been given an eARC copy from NetGalley and my review will be 100% honest

I DNF’d at 57%. I was really waiting for the plot to well be a plot, but the first 60% of the book is literally the span of maybe 5 days. Nothing happens, just dialogue between the characters and the hint of a plot. I should not have to read over 50% of a book to have a plot.

Also, the insta-love that Aric has for Joss is so weird and annoying (but I’ve been unlucky with reading 3 books back to back with insta-love so it’s bothering me a lot). He talks about loving court life and hating the country, and literally 2 days later after speaking to Joss only twice, thinks that he would loooove to live in the country all of the sudden. When she doesn’t tell him about her job, he gets upset, saying “Would you have ever told me who you really were?” like dude who do you think you are to feel so entitled to this woman's life? To ask if she's dating the morning after you meet her, then try to get her life story from her assistant, THEN get butthurt that she didn’t tell you the truth? Also the way he states he was relieved that her father was dead? Maybe I just read that wrong, but how can you be flirting with her and just non-stop thinking of her, but be relieved that her father is dead.

The only redeeming quality this book had was the historical accuracy of an executioner's life.

I received a free digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

It gives my dystopian feelings. I really missed reading dystopian books so this book fit right in. The story got me hooked from the first page but the story didn’t change much.

A lot of the chapters felt the same for me. I would have loved a bit more romance or some more conversations between the 2 main characters. Overall I liked the story and it had some action packed scenes.

🩸BOOK REVIEW🩸

All The Dark Souls

Joss is an executioner, Aric is a hired assassin. Finding Aric beaten within an inch of his life on the side of the road, Joss brings him to her home and nurses him back to health. A friendship and budding romance begins to develop, but then things go ary that put them professionally in each other's crosshairs.

I am so thankful this is part one of a trilogy because it left me wanting more of the story. I am fully invested in what happens to Joss and Aric.

I felt the character development was great but could have used more conversation between them. A lot was unspoken as the characters seem to be [very] caught up in their internal monologues. What is shared about Joss's tragic backstory was insightful character building. Aric's past is shrouded in mystery.

I liked how the dual POV alternated between Aric and Joss revealing what they are thinking about one another.

If you're a fan of dark fantasy, suspense, and a pinch of romance check this out. I'm anxiously looking forward to the rest of this trilogy.

This book was so good. Complex, intense characters heat up the pages with drama and the intrigue. A. M. Dunnewin continues to impress, and romance fans will eagerly await the next book.

Hard to put down.

The world building was well putting. The intro of the world of being a executioners it’s a interesting factor in this story and learning about the rule and then the consequences of breaking though rules was put into a good way, especially the way in when we find out about what joss sister and what happened with her brother. It made what could happen with joss more real and more scary to us the reader, making the story more interesting to read.
Also the little information about Aric story and what his backstory making it interesting as well, leaving the reader for excited for the next (which I’m looking forward to)

100% he fall first but she fall harder trope and I’m living for it, can’t wait for joss and aric relationship to grow and to see how the future will become, will the both live or will there be heartbreak, I really can’t wait to see them bloom

At some point the story seemed to be a little slow, it could be cause of all the dialogue but I knew that was needed but even than the information we got from those moments made those slow moments not but a waste of time
Even the side characters where interesting and relevant to the story and I can’t wait to see what will happen

Over all I really liked this book, it was easy to read, i really can’t wait for the see where these characters end up in the next books

This was a great book. I found it very original, though a bit of a cliffhanger. The characters were well balanced, and the dialogue was amusing. I recommend it for anyone that likes a historical type story, which is a little out of the box.

Rating: 3/5

I finished this in one sitting, the plot kept me so captivated. This plot for me was a definite win. The world building wasn’t too much or too little, I felt like I knew what was going on and was able to paint a good picture.

I am SO emotionally invested in Joss and Erik, I am absolutely dying to know how their next rendezvous will happen. I do however wish Joss’ backstory with her family was more of an emotional moment between these two. Even if it came later on in the story, I just felt it lacked the emotion it deserved from Joss.

Overall very excited about the next book, and devoured this in one sitting!