It took me a little while to fully get interested in this book. I was slowly plodding my way through chapters 1-25, but I finally was hooked by then. It's a very different story from others I've read. Yes, it's romance, but it also contains action, there are slight references here and there to religion, but they aren't heavy. You also get a lot of references to middle eastern states/towns/cities. I had to pull out a map at times to fully grasp where they were. I didn't read the first book, so I feel as though I had a slight disadvantage, and I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out if it was set in present day, or past. I believe it's present day, but essentially post-apocalyptic type situation where there is no electricity/motors/etc. The spicy sections took a while to finally hit because there was a very large enemies to lover's trope, but in the very literal sense of the word, but reading Miriam's spunk, and bravery to fight back and talk back was everything! Lastly, the story really got me at the end. Made me shed a tear which I truly was not expecting, but hopefully if you decide to read this book you will also be pleasantly surprised with the emotions it does evoke.

This is the most simp horsemen out of all of them😂

even though I surely felt very much pissed at every horsemen, I ATE this series

The second horseman tasked with humanity.

Miriam, a weapons maker in a region already ravaged by the wars ongoing, only trying to survive in streets overflowing with suffering and death. Once trapped by the horseman himself, instead of causing harm to her, he decided to take her as his wife instead.

She is ultimately forced to make the decision of accepting her fate and staying with this entity who’s hellbent on ravaging the earth until humanity is gone, or destroy him in order to save the human race as she knows it.

I fell head over heels with this horsemen and his legitimately surprising ways he dots and cares for Miriam. I also did not expect a ‘he falls first’, prior boyboy trope and I was ALL for it with this one given that the spicy scenes felt so raw and absolutely perfect for War. Even with the hard, rough outskirts he was a total cinnamon roll. We see them struggle internally hardcore as they try to come to terms and navigate a wild dilemma that could only happen like a needle in a haystack.

Laura absolutely doubled down on all things romance in this one compared to the first novel. I greatly appreciate her ability to create fantastic lighter moments throughout the book that break up the darker doom and gloom.

The dystopian atmosphere and continuous world building in a different area of the world was refreshing. This was an absolute joy to read and would read this series over and over again in a heartbeat.

War tells us the story of the second of the Four Horsemen who comes to Earth. Through the destruction and gore, War (our main male character) sees Miriam and claims her as his wife. She reluctantly travels with his war band as they decimate city after city. Miriam attempts to convince War to stop killing and destroying humankind with promises of love and affection.

I really enjoyed the fantasy of this book. The magic was fascinating and I also liked her post-apocalyptic worldbuilding. The writing was very enjoyable and the read was very interesting. Something that shocked me was how much I really adored both main characters. But the romance fell a little flat for me. I think there were opportunities for me to really like them but something just didn’t click. Miriam is still very conflicted about being with War until nearly the end when things only change because of her surprise pregnancy. War does have incredible growth throughout the story but I didn’t love the minimal progression that our FMC has. I don’t feel like the pregnancy really worked to tie everything up as seamlessly as it could have.

Overall, I didn’t dislike this book. It could be something others would enjoy if you like angst and more fantasy than romance in your romantasy books. I have plans to read the next in the series so that for what you will. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book for review.

I for sure loved this second book just a tad bit more than the first book if only because it was longer than the first book and there was more of a storyline.

War & Miriam were an enemy to lovers romantasy novel set in a post apocalyptic world that brings into question the reality that humans brought upon this end of the world with their actions and it was now time to face the consequences of a wrathful God.

Such a fun series I went out and bought the physical books! Pestilence still has my heart but I loved War and can’t wait to continue the series!

"War" by Laura Thalassa is a riveting and intense dystopian romance that weaves together the realms of fantasy and apocalypse. In a world devastated by the arrival of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Miriam Elmahdy finds herself thrust into a nightmarish existence as she becomes the captive of War, one of the fearsome horsemen. Amidst the chaos and destruction, a complex and tumultuous relationship develops between Miriam and War, with layers of love, vulnerability, and power struggles. Thalassa expertly navigates the delicate balance between the horrors of war and the tender dynamics of romance, creating a story that grips the reader's emotions and takes them on a roller-coaster journey through despair, hope, and sacrifice. "War" is a gripping and atmospheric tale that challenges the boundaries of love in the face of devastation.

Thank you NetGallery for this ARC! 3.75 ⭐️ took me a while to finish but it was a good fantasy read! It did get slow for me towards the end, but enjoyed reading about the second horseman of the apocalypse!

Well, here we are with the second installment of the Four Horsemen series in War's story. I really enjoyed how unique the love story between War and Miriam because it's cute and you can see character development throughout the book (at least in my opinion). They went from having going against each other (like enemies) to slow having attraction and some kind of loyalty towards each other. This was a change of reading for me because I usually steer clear from heavy violence, but it was more so intriguing then bothering to read. I would definitely give their story a good chance and see where it takes you.

"Revenge and justice are one and the same."

I am really enjoying this series! I am definitely a fan of War, there is just something so alluring to him. I love seeing these powerful beings sent to the world to destroy humanity and up finding theirs. This book definitely had an interesting way of getting the characters together. I loved the passion and adoration that bloomed between War and Miriam. I can't wait to read the next one

I’ve pretty much inhaled this entire series and will definitely be checking out other books by Laura Thalassa. She’s got herself a new fan.

This is the 2nd Installment in the Four Horsemen Series. War was very different from Pestilence in his knowledge of humanity. He just always saw the worst of it but he truly surround himself with it. So when he finds his "wife" and knows what Miriam is immediately it was interesting to see him actual learn what she mean to him.
Miriam was a bad ass female who took on a very messy world. She knew how to handle herself and she knew her morals and she wasn't willing to bend, even if it was to a Biblical horseman.
The setting of the war camp was very interesting and I found it the story really well told. I enjoyed how War came to terms with his love of Miriam and his child.

This whole world is so fun but my one quibble was it almost read as a standalone. I think you could have read Pestilence or War first and nothing would really be spoiled. You only heard a few sentences about his brothers and I would have like more interactions. During the epilogue I was wondering if they were going to meet his brother but I did like the ending of finding her Mother and Sister.
Overall this is 5 star and I think the series is just getting better. Can't wait to read the next one.

I fell into this book like you fall asleep. Slowly, and then all at once. Ok so I totally repurposed this line from a famous, not-at-all similar book. But it somehow explains my feelings just right.

How do you follow up a firecracker of a book like Pestilence? You don’t try to recreate it, you write an entirely different story, but with the same heart and soul of the first book. The author continues her exploration of the themes of good and evil, and the blurred lines between them, and what it means to be human even. She does an incredible job of balancing on the razor’s edge between dark romance and the unexpectedly sweet love story. While this one isn’t as laugh-out-loud-at-inappropriate-moments funny as Pestilence, the story is still imbued with a rich vein of humor. It helps that Miriam’s brand of dark humor totally speaks to me.

If War is a dystopian Khal Drogo, Miriam is very much his perfect Khaleesi, strong and stubborn 👑 . Up until halfway into the book, I was sure Pestilence would remain my hands down favorite, but at some point War and Miriam wormed their way into my heart and came very close to that top spot. Even knowing we have a long wait ahead of us, I am breathless with anticipation for Famine, and even more specifically, for Death.

War is the 2nd book in the Four Horsemen Series and its War's story. I'll admit I didn't like it as much as Pestilence but it was still an enjoyable tale.

Although the themes were the same (exerting God's judgement on earth), the 2 stories were totally different.
I liked that this story takes place in another continent from Pestilence. As this story was about War, there was alot of fighting and violence in it, as he takes his army to erridicate humanity.

As soon as War saw Miriam he immediately knew she was his wife- given to him by God. However she refused to believe as such and these two had a bit of an enemies-to-lovers relationship from her side, throughout the story as she fights him at every turn, getting creative in her attempts to save as many humans as possible. I will admit although I liked her, she did irritate me at times throughout the story.
War was as expected for a Horseman and the battle of wills between him and Mirriam was well-written. The story gave us action, emotion, danger, angst and sacrifice and I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it.


Quote
The horseman reaches out and draws a finger over my collarbone, his gaze never leaving mine. “I saw you, and for the first time, I wanted.” His words pucker my flesh. “And so, I took.”

What To Expect:
Post Apocalyptic world
Zombies/Living dead
Fiesty resourceful heroine
Battle ready hero
Unexpected twists
Questions to have you thinking about mankind's redemption
Slow burn

Miriam has survived a lot in her short life. She has survived the first arrival of the horsemen and she survived a near drowning incident trying to escape from her ravaged country. However, luck can only go so far and when she comes face to face with War, she knows her time is up. But then he calls her 'wife'.

War is made by man. He is a perfect vision of a man, an angel, with a thirst for blood. With him comes all the atrocities of war in a post apocalyptic world. Saving Miriam is his destiny. She is his fate, his mate. But Miriam is a peaceful strong woman who does not condone War wiping out the human race.

And so starts the story of a fated couple who must grow together and change together. Will War see the good in humans? What will it take to change his mind? I found this the hardest of the horsemen to read. I think it was just because I really don't like war and how humans use it to degrade other humans. Still this was a great read. Maybe not my favourite of the horsemen but still great.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Bloom Books and Laura Thalassa for this early release copy. On to Famine!

I binged this book in two days! I loved the characters in this book. Miriam and War had such great banter between the two, and it was a constant push and pull between the two. I loved how we got to see War portrayed in this in. We saw him be kind and gentle with Miriam after meeting her, and how he strived to make Miriam happy. The internal debates that happen with the females in this series is very realistic. Miriam knows War has done terrible things, and yet she continues to love him. And its through this love that we see War change slowly. The plot of this was completely different, but yet it still and a feel of a repetitive pattern. Laura however did a great job of breaking up that pattern by giving us these monumental moments and events that cause change for the characters. Now this book did have a trope used in it that I’m not a huge fan of, but it was executed well which in turn did not deter my enjoyment. I will say though the epilogue of this book has me wanting to toss my to be read pile out the door and to just binge the rest of the series. I cannot wait to pick up Famine and continue on with this series.

This book is not as strong as the first book, I must admit. While the romance were well written stylistically, the plot of it rubbed me the wrong way. I can enjoy a bit of dark romance, but with War keeping the main character agains her will, and labeling her his wife, it felt extremely forced, and unhealthy. This as a base of the relationship makes it feel as the love that does bloom from it is more of a Stockholm syndrome type of thing.

It was, however, really interesting to have a few chapters from War’s point of view. That really helped the story along at the end.

Should I say “Holy Hades!” or “Oh my god!” because we’re talking about War here and while he’s a heavenly sent creation, he is after all, war.

This book starts a bit slower than Pestilence, but once it hits its stride it’s a horror filled, drama rich, emotional read. I was expecting this to be a copycat of book one, but it is far from that. With an engaging, if often times troubling, plot and characters that are uniquely developed, I was drawn into this story to the point I didn’t want to stop when real life interfered.

Miriam, the heroine, was fierce and capable in a world where survival is the strategy for each day. When War and his army descend upon her town she engages with the enemy in what will surely be a futile attempt to defeat them. But when her failed attempt to kill the warlord brings his attention to her personally, the last thing she expects is him to claim her as wife.

What follows is not only the horrors of war, but some that were never even on my radar. War’s actions did nothing to help me fall in love with him, but his evolution from a creature designed for killing into a man who would do anything to save his wife left me no choice but to do so. Just trying to find words to describe this hero is impossible. He’s so much more than words on a page. This author created this hero to such a degree that he would never fit into a neatly defined checkbox.

While this is War’s story, this is actually Miriam’s tale. She is the type of kick butt heroine many of us love, but she’s very real in the way she reacts to what’s happening around her. Even as she plans her strategies, they are often not completely formed and while I’d never even consider some of the things she does, I totally related to her “not thinking things through”. Despite that glitch in her character, which I found charming, she is not a too stupid to live heroine. Just the opposite. She is real, she is relatable, she is exactly what I would want to be if, god forbid, I should ever find myself in the heart of the apocalypse as she does.

Together, this couple kept me glued to the pages of my Kindle. The romantic angle of this story isn’t in your face. It’s a subtle change in the characters' reactions, thoughts, emotions and beliefs. While we don’t get War’s point of view, it’s apparent his war-hardened heart softens towards Miriam and we are never in doubt as to where his emotions lay, even if those emotions are murky at times.

This is a story rife with brutality, scenes that will make you cringe, decisions that will have you shaking your head, and surprises that will make you gasp out loud. And at the heart of it all is War and Miriam, a battle between two people who are polar opposites, and the demand for surrender.

This is book 2 in the series, but other than a tiny spoiler that really gives nothing away at the end, I believe this can be read as a standalone. However, I highly recommend you read Pestilence because it’s just so good and then once you recover, dig into this one and hold on for a wicked ride.

After being pleasantly surprised by Pestilence, I knew I wanted to read the rest of Laura Thalassa’s Four Horsemen series. Not only are these well-written in terms of character and romance, but there’s a heaviness to them that I wasn’t expecting. As much as these books are about love, they are also about humanity’s capacity for both good and evil—and whether the former outweighs the latter. Is there any hope for our redemption?

Where Pestilence wasn’t discerning about who he killed (aside from Sara, of course), War allows select humans to join his ranks to fight in his army. Moving across the country, he attacks each city in turn, burning their aviaries and ensuring no one escapes to warn the next townspeople of their inevitable fate. He even has a surefire way of preventing any survivors from slipping through his grasp, but that’s all I’ll say here.

One of my favorite tropes is fake/arranged/forced marriages, and though this aspect of the book didn’t hit quite as hard as it has in other novels, I still loved that War was smitten with Miriam from the get-go. Try as she might to resist him, she can’t deny her attraction or their chemistry. In fact, the most surprising aspect of this book was that War was nothing like I expected. Though he is the embodiment of violence and has no issue brutally murdering anyone who crosses him, he is a kind and gentle man when he’s with Miriam. He believes God sent her to him, and yet he never crosses a boundary she doesn’t willingly drag him over. Even when she’s begging, he has enough restraint to stop himself from doing anything until she fully surrenders to him—mind, body, and soul.

Though the story plays out similarly to Pestilence—a human woman crosses paths with a horseman and shows him humanity can be redeemed—War is a very difference person from his brother. He mentions several times that he, as the embodiment of war, was borne from human hearts, and therefore he knows the true nature of our species. Unlike Pestilence, War is experienced in all manner of human culture—but that doesn’t mean he understands the breadth of our emotions or what the true definition of love really is. That’s what Miriam is there to teach him.

Laura Thalassa’s ability to endear us to someone like War still astounds me. Like his brother, War believes that his nature cannot change until he experiences it firsthand. Miriam, like the reader, understands the atrocities that War has committed against humanity, and yet she sees a different side to him than anyone else. She knows he is as redeemable in her eyes as humans are in his, and that is what she fights for throughout this book.

Thank you Sourcebooks/Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a great follow up to the first book. Pestilence was great but War is even better for me! I love the strong and fierce FMCs of this series and that they’re someone who you love to see win at the end. If you love dark fantasy romance books then this series is for you!