I did like this book, however i was disappointed from the lack of relatability to the main character Miriams actions. I dont want to spoil anything but the main reason i did not give this 4 stars rather than 3 was because of the climax of the book. I feel like it was an avoidable ending if Miriam just used her noggin and the knowledge she literally witness previously in the book. However that being said. I understand why it makes sense to happen the way it did because throughout the entire book War, without spoiling, couldn't be fully swayed. Something big had to happen and BOOM was that big. Overall a good read, just didn't get into the characters like I did with Pestilence.

“𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡—𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫, 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.”

War is book 2 in the Four Horsemen series and takes place a few years after the first book. I really enjoyed Pestilence, but I loved War! The tension and chemistry between War and Miriam was fantastic from start to finish. 4.5⭐️

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥:
💋Enemies to lovers
💋Forced proximity/captive
💋Violence and action packed
💋HEA

“𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭—𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞.”

“𝐈𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬.”

“𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲.”

“𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.”

“𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧.”

“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭.”

I absolutely loved this continuation into the world of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

This time we meet Miriam in Jerusalem when her personal world falls apart. She meets an already established War on his rampage to end humanity. This is very Khal Drogo vibes with a harsh leader treating his woman like a queen. They overcome a lot of obstacles, obviously, as he is trying to destroy the world and she is trying to show him why it isn't worth destroying.

This is my favorite book in this series, I love the dynamics between the main characters and the new cover art is so gorgeous.

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

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced reader's copy of War by Laura Thalassa from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Laura Thalassa and I very much enjoyed Pestilence’s story in the first novel of this series so the opportunity to read War was exciting.

War is a fast-moving tale that follows the second horseman of the apocalypse, his unwilling bride, zombies, heartache, betrayal, and redemption.

Reading the summary, it seems inconceivable that anyone could fall in love with the embodiment of war or be happy with such a creature….then you start reading and quickly realize that Laura Thalassa makes it work. She does t shy away from the ugliness of human but she does try to put it in context for a well-crafted story. War was engaging from the first chapter, moved quickly, featured plenty of action, had lots of layers, and many steamy scenes. All too soon, you’ll be at the end of the book and craving the next novel.

I would wholeheartedly recommend War to anyone and am looking forward to reading book three!

Somehow, this series just keeps getting better and better. Yet again, I finished this in almost a single sitting. Laura has an absolutely addictive way with words. She makes you feel like you're living these tragedies right there with the characters. I absolutely loved the character dynamics between War and Miriam. They are probably my favorite characters in the series so far.

“You were right. Love is far more than longing. It’s far more than anything I imagined.”

Another beautiful story of love conquering hate. This one broke me in ways I didn't imagine possible and brought out all of the emotions. I found myself holding my breath at times and other times shedding real tears while reading. The transformation in not just this vicious Horseman of the apocalypse but also in Miriam was so beautiful, and it's definitely going to stick with me for a long time.

“All creatures can experience pestilence, famine, and death—but war, true war, that is a singularly human experience.”

If you have seen my review of Pestilence, then you know I compared him to Thor. But with War it gets even better. War gives such Jason Momoa vibes, especially from his Game of Thrones character (or most of his characters actually). If this is ever a movie, I will allow no one else to be casted as him or I will riot.

“You are painfully human. Your bones want to break, your skin wants to bleed, your heart wants to stop. And for the first time ever, I am desperate for none of those things to happen. I have never known true fear until now.”

War was definitely better than Pestilence (sorry, not sorry). I am also happy to say that the overall writing really improved in this one. I liked Miriam so much as a character, she was amazing. I also felt the plot was so much better. All around, we got a major upgrade from Pestilence. As a disclaimer, War is a lot more graphic than Pestilence so I recommend checking trigger warnings before reading.

“God didn't send me a wife," he says under his breath. "He sent me my reckoning.”

So far, the books keep getting better so I am excited to jump right into Famine.

I am having so much fun reading the Four Horseman series! I have seen it on social media everywhere over the years. So exciting that it is being picked up by a publisher and I am loving the new covers! (I have preorders physical copies already :) ). These are great spicy quick reads. I love to use them as palette cleansers throughout deeper reads!

War had such tender sides, which were the stark opposite to duties. I loved how easy it was for him to accept Miriam for what she was, his wife who was stubborn and there to make his life interesting. Miriam was a strong FMC, and I enjoyed her against War's strong nature. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Gawwwww I absolutely love this author and this world they created! Can't wait for more by this author. Thanks Netball for the ARC!

4⭐️ 3🌶️

- M/F
- 4 Horsemen of the apocalypse
- Forced proximity
- Enemies to lovers
- One horse
- He falls first

After all the conflicting emotions Pestilence made me feel, it took me a minute to work up the courage to read this book but I’m so glad I did. I loved the change in location to the Middle East. I really liked how the Four Horsemen weren’t all in the same place at the same time. That the next appeared when the previous horseman had failed

I really loved how Miriam was a fighter and made weapons. No weak FMC here. I really enjoyed watching Miriam’s interactions with the war band and how she learned that War was not the mindless killer and conqueror she thought him to be. That he provided community and a purpose for his people.

War was everything I hoped he would be. A brutal leader with hidden depths and compassion. He was always so sure and steadfast when it came to Miriam and allowed her distance when needed. I loved how he tried to find ways to give her what he thought she wanted while still fulfilling his tasks. Even if she still wasn’t happy.

While the characters and location was different this book still dealt with the same struggle where the FMC has a hard time with her attraction to the horsemen responsible for so much death.

I was better prepared to handle the conflicting emotions this book made me feel and was eager to read Famine.

I will forever be obsessed with this series!! Laura did it again with War. The vibe in the book was so different from Pestilence, but in a good way. Don’t get me wrong, Pestilence is still one of my favorites, but War 🤤

Definitely recommend if you enjoy apocalyptic type books with absolutely mouthwatering spice.

As soon as I read the description and saw the words four horsemen I knew this book was for me! OH MY FANTASY BOOK HEAVEN! I absolutely loved this and could not put it down. Book hangover - check.

First, thank you so much for this free copy of War!
Then... I haven't read Pestilence yet but as I saw we could read those books individually, I jumped on the occasion to discover War and well... I loved it! Of course first I hated War as much as Miriam but... just like her... I started liking him more and more. The story is well written and I never got bored of it as it's quite fast-paced! I loved imagining all those places (before War went through them) and I especially loved the way the main characters were described and how they evolved both mentally and emotionally through the book.
I'll definitely read the 3 other books and I can't wait to discover what happens to those 3 other Horsemen!

Another amazing revisit to my favorite series!

This installment focuses on the second horseman, War. We follow Miriam as she is captured by War after her home is sacked. She is brought into his camp full of captured humans from his conquests. He is under the impression that she is his wife, given to him by God. Thus starts their tumultuous relationship.

The formula for these books are largely the same but it never feels repetitive. Each relationship is distinct and all the FMCs are badass in their own right. The horsemen are also very different personalities.

This book has one of my least favorite tropes in it, which I will not reveal for spoiler reasons, but this story manages to make it not as tedious and exhausting as it usually is.

If you want slow burn, enemies to lovers, set in an apocalyptic modern world with just the right amount of spice, this book series is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

War
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

War itself found his perfect pair. I love Deimos. I love Miriam's bows and arrow. I like everything, the fighting, the pain and the way War found true happiness, loyalty and humanity because of her. Love can stop war. Like how War surrender everything for Miriam.

I'm in awe. I immersed myself reading the story, to the point that it haunted me on my sleep.The scenes are epic, I start imagining things wildly. Dreaming that I am Miriam loving War.

A phenomenal read!

This is book two in the four horseman series. I don’t want to give to much away. This book has completely different vibes from the first book. While the first felt very post apocalyptic and what I always picture as being post apocalyptic in North America.
This felt more like a war movie as it should but I’m having a hard time comparing the two.

I loved this book. It gave me major Kal Drogo vibes and Ill be honest I am not over that storyline still. I loved War and Miriam. Her personality and dedication was amazing.

The ending of this one I did not see coming and had me absolutely sobbing. It was a really good continuation from the first and I can’t wait for the next book.

Sabendo agora como Laura poderia desenvolver a história dos Cavaleiros do Apocalipse, comecei War de mente aberta para o que viesse.

War acompanha Miriam, uma jovem que vive em Jerusalém e que, tal como muitos, já perdeu tudo para a Chegada.

Quando War chega a Jerusalém e a cidade é atacada pelo seu exército, Miriam tenta enfrentá-lo. Mas quando War vê a cicatriz no pescoço de Miriam, diz que esta é sua esposa e poupa-a.

Ao contrário de Pestilence, aqui temos muitos personagens secundários, o que pareceu estranho, mas deu profundidade à história.

O conflito interno deixa Miriam entre o ódio pelo que War representa e aquilo que começa a sentir por ele. Ao mesmo tempo que esta continua sem perceber porque ele insiste em dizer que ela é a sua esposa.

War tem mais cenas hot que Pestilence 🌶️.

Chorei quando tentaram matar War (de uma forma tão cruel como tentaram com Pestilence) Don't judge me. 🥺

Ao contrário de Pestilence, ele defendeu e protegeu Miriam desde o momento em que a conheceu. 🥺

Gostei do desenvolvimento de War. De como ele acreditava em algo e percebeu que iria perder o que mais queria na vida se não se rendesse. E quando ele começou a tentar redimir-se poupando uma criança aqui, um casal idoso ali.... "For your soft heart." 🥺❤️

A forma como a Laura começa cada livro com seres que não têm qualquer compaixão pelos humanos e os transforma, tem sido um trabalho admirável.

⚠️ Não acho que seja leitura para qualquer pessoa. Estes livros são um processo. Um processo que vale a pena acompanhar. ❤️

• redenção
• transformação
• sacrifício
• amor

New Edition Review:

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

These new editions are GORGEOUS though, for War in particular, I'll take the babe on the cover thank you.

-

Original Review:

I'm a fan of all four of Thalassa's Horseman but I gotta say, War, in particular, can get it. Also, does everyone else picture Khal Drago when reading this book? Or is that just those of us with taste? :D

DNF 3%


I am not okay with freaking Jerusalem being invaded with everything in the real world that has happened there and is still happening.

Enjoyed this second installment of the four hourseman! Not your typical romance book. War is brutal and set in his task. Miriam want him to stop but needs to make choices.
Lots of steam.
Enjoyed the pregnancy trope. It worked well in this setting.