I received the audioarc through Netgalley. Which is great, because I would have hated to spend money on this book.

This reads as a bad wattpad fic or the pay by chapter apps.

It was infuriating how the MMC's were all angry and felt betrayed that the FMC "left" them. Like bruh she was a child, bffr.
And the FMC not wanting to tell them the truth. Like girl again bffr.

The antagonists are of course just plain evil for no reason.

Honestly this book just sucked.
But I did like the narrator so that's nice

DNF at 40%. The spicy scenes were repetitive and the plot was just lacking for me. The narration was fine, but it didn't do anything to save the story for me.

The cover and description for Blood and Ruin had me going! I was excited to read a book where witches, demons, shifters, and human all lived together. However, going off the description the spicy level wasn't there for me. As much as I enjoy a slow burn romance, slow burn with five mates makes you wish a little bit more happened lol

I appreciated the world building aspect of it, but i wish there was more of an origin story as to why things were happening. Though I must admit I sensed the plot twist before it happened and I felt like something fishy was going down.

This title was dark, emotional, tense, adventurous, and is very fast paced. The climax gets you good and the reader is left yearning for more. Can't wait to read the second book and find out what happens!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I'm curious where the story will end up. The blurb/idea of the story is what brought me in and the way she lives and what she does to save the one person she loves the most and everything her step father does to her. Now there does need to be some more world building and I need more in the character development. But there is more coming in the upcoming books so I hope we get a little more and this was a fast pace read and will be eager to pick up book 2. Which I have a arc copy of it I just need to get to it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio-arc in exchange for my thoughts.

Ok... this one was honestly just not for me. I really didn't care for any of the characters, and I saw the plot twist coming from a mile away. I found out that I'm not really a fan of one FMC having 5 love interests. It made it so there was a lack of deeper connection between them in my opinion. I will say that I really thought the Narrator did a wonderful job though! The story was just not for me at all.
Thank you to @netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Blood and Ruin is a reverse haram following our FMC, Kiarra, and her 5 male bonds.
This cover drew me in instantly! It is stunning. This had fated mates, protective MMCs, and a quick-witted FMC!

Six years ago, Kiarra’s world was shattered when she was taken to Cardinal Three, a place of relentless pain. Here, witches, demons, shifters, and humans live under the absolute rule of the King, who permits no one to leave alive. She is desperate for freedom.
The King has his own scheme, trading Kiarra to the five alphas of Manhattan. Forced to comply, she discovers the alphas are her mates.

“Want you, now and always and then, beyond that. I never want to be without you again. Not in this or the next life or any thereafter.”

What you’ll find in Blood and Ruin:
🌸 Fated Mates
🌸 Why Choose
🌸 Descendant of Cerberus
🌸 Found Family

Highly recommend if you loved The Bonds that Tie!

Oh, I really enjoyed reading this book! The synopsis had me really intrigued, so I'm glad that I got the sequel when it was up on NetGalley before reading this one, because I'm going to be able to pick it up right away-and I'll need to, because I need to know what's going to happen next!

This world of paranormals, and mates and such, was so interesting to read. That she has this ability to heal, to deal with incredible amounts of pain and not show any lasting physical signs (except for what King-who I thought was Cain because of me listening to an audiobook-doing experiments to slow down or block her ability) loved it!

She was in a pretty horrible position, what with King as her captor, basically, and holding her mom's friend as hostage for her good behaviour. That these guys, who were her best friends, come back into her life, not knowing what she's been through, what things are like for her, judging what things appear to be...yeah, that was pretty rough. And getting in the way of her escape plan.

I'm really excited to see where the series goes from here. The way things ended, with her not knowing that they came back from death, with where she is, yeah, I need to know more! After that ending that was so intense and fantastic, I need more!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to continue on!

I was so excited to get my advanced listening copy of this debut novel by Rumer Hale, and after listening to the first chapter I really thought this was going to be another great fantasy story. However, the book fell flat for me. The story had no back story as to why the main villain was hateful and what his problem was. The world building just needed more and the need for reverse harem aspect. Like is it normal in this particular book world where you need to mate and bond with 4 guys? I need to be able to understand the why for the element. I felt anxious and nervous about the arrangement. 🤣

The narration by Scarlett Everdeen and Chase T. Walker was great. I felt like they didn't rush the wording, but it flowed smoothly. You could hear the emotions through the audio.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the copy.

I was excited to listen to this based on the synopsis, but this fell flat for me. The narrator did a wonderful job, I just didn't like the story. I found that there was no world building, or really any character introduction. Which made it hard to be invested in the characters. It was hard to differentiate who the FMCs different mates were, as there wasn't much individuality with them. I found they all blended together. There was a lack of explanation throughout the book, which left me confused as to what was going on half the time. However, there was a good plot twist at the end that I did not see coming, but it wasn't enough to make me want to read/listen to the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC!

I wanted so much to like this book, the title, the cover, the premise all looked good. I was sorely disappointed. I honestly couldn't even finish it fully. I listened to about half way and just couldn't, the writing was not for me. It all seemed very juvenile for a book that boasts a reverse harem.

Initially, I was drawn to this book by its stunning cover. I love the contrast of colors and imagery used in all the covers of this trilogy. Being a fan of paranormal and fantasy-based books, I found this one interesting. However, I am not sure if this book is entirely on the mark, and honestly, this might be a book that should be judged based on the whole series. Time will tell.

The story revolves around the FMC Kiarra, who has a unique ability to heal and a sadistic step-father who likes to torture her in unimaginable ways. He strikes a deal with the five alphas of Manhattan, selling Kiarra for a night of lovin' in exchange for an unknown favor. Later, they discover that they were childhood friends and are now mates. They have to decide whether to bond or not, and Kiarra cannot leave the tower she is in, or something terrible will happen to her. The story continues with more torture, twists and turns, and intense staring sessions. The twists in the story were quite obvious, and I guessed the surprise in chapter one.

Even though I'm not sure why I gave it 3.5 stars, I enjoyed the story at the time. It was different, and I liked how the FMC didn't back down, even though she was tortured and went through unimaginable pain both mentally and physically. She still had a heart, which was quite admirable. However, there were too many guys to keep straight, and I found it challenging to keep track of who's who. If you're looking for a romantasy with some spice, this particular book in the series has none, and I'm not sure about the others. I'll let you know.

Overall, this book is entertaining, with lots of violence, mates, reverse harem, witches, demons, shifters, and plenty of action to keep you entertained. However, the story itself is minimal.

I have been in such a fantasy mood lately and I am loving it. This is another great fantasy series and I can't wait to see where it goes. All fantasy lovers should go out and read this book.

This one was eh for me. I was excited because I’m new to fantasy and thought I’d love it but I couldn’t finish it. Maybe next time

In this story, narrated by Chase T. Walker and Scarlett Everdeen, I was drawn into Kiarra's dark and enthralling world where witches, demons, shifters, and humans coexist under a tyrannical rule. The story of her struggle for freedom, entwined with her past mates' discovery, was captivating and emotionally charged. The dual narration by Walker and Everdeen added depth to the narrative, their voices bringing the characters and their intense emotions vividly to life. The blend of action, romance, and the supernatural and the narrators' compelling performances made this audiobook an immersive experience. It's a tale of resilience, love, and the fight for freedom that keeps you hooked till the end.

3.8 ⭐️
Let me first say that for a new author, I thought this book was pretty solid. It’s a “why choose” PNR, in a crowded field for this genre, and I thought it was a great first attempt, putting it on part with some of the more well established authors in this ring.
The FMC, Kierra, is blessed with healing magic- but her father, the king, exploits her power, and holds her captive. She’s handed over to five male guards, who turn out to be her bonded. What ensues are some pretty standard RH tropes- so if that’s your thing, then you will likely eat this up.
I thought the book had a lot of promise, and I appreciated the forward momentum of the story- fast paced is an understatement, and there was certainly no lack of action. The reason my rating is not higher is because overall, the world building was somewhat glossed over, and the characters were not as developed as I would have liked. These things kept me from really connecting with this book on a deeper level.
That being said, I think this author, and the series, have amazing potential. The premise is there, the writing is engaging, and I truly enjoyed the audio. I thought the narration was well done, and it was a fun, easy listen.
I’m definitely going to check out the next book, and other books written by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Rumer Hale & Dreamscape audio for the review copy.

Blood and Ruin is the 1st book in the Blood and Ruin trilogy and my 1st book by this author.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and I thought the narrators Scarlett Everdeen and Chase T. Walker did a good job. Their voices were clear and understandable and they gave each character their own voice and emotion.

Unfortunately I didn't care for this story. I didn't really connect with the characters and thought the story felt young adultish. The plot could have been fleshed out more and I wished we would have gotten more backstory.

The story does have some dark elements so check the trigger warning. Sadly this one missed the mark for me but if you're a Why choose romance lovers give this a try.

Thank you Netgalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

I was initially very drawn to this cover and title (what can I say, I’m a sucker for a cool cover, despite the saying). In this book, our FMC is trapped and repeatedly tortured by her stepfather, a type of Kingpin mafia boss rather aptly (if unsubtly) named King. She has a plan to escape and to take her dear friend with her, but that plan is set awry when King uses her as the bargaining chip to form a deal with 5 alphas who turn out to be her childhood friends, and her fated mates.

Did I enjoy the story? Yes. Did I find it engrossing? Yes. Will I read future books? Probably. However, there were several things that fell short for me in this book that were pretty crucial. There was very little world building, which is a necessity for any fantasy or paranormal book. Almost nothing about the setting, magic system, or how the magic system interacts with any non-magical beings was explained. I hope that in future books, there is more time taken to flesh out the world this series is set in. Also, it felt as if none of the main characters (our FMC or any of her mates) got much growth or personality. Again, this is book is the first in a series, so there is plenty of time for each of these characters to have complete character arcs and for the reader to learn about them, but it felt like there should have been more character building in this first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook!

Okay,
First off, the cover is gorgeous.

So we have Kiarra who it trapped under her evil step father's rule. She has the magic ability to heal herself, so he continually tortures her to the brink of death as a fun little game for himself. She's planning to run away when her five long lost best friends come back into her life and turn out to all be her fated mates.

This was an okay story overall - I didn't hate it, but I didn't necessarily like it. I felt like there wasn't much character development and we were just thrown into the sexual dynamics of their relationships without any real chemistry between the love interests.

I personally am not a fan of the miscommunication trope - specifically when all the conflict could have been avoided or handled better if the FMC would just open her mouth ONE TIME and communicate. She also had such a hero/savior complex that it was to the detriment of herself and everyone around her.

But If you're looking for fated mates, in a kind of simple fantasy world (in that they're shifters and have magic but it's still based on a modern, real world), and a quick simple read, then this might be for you.

Wow! I will admit I was a little skeptical if I would enjoy this book, but it pulled me into the story very quick. I loved the characters, especially our five MMCs and all their different personalities. I can say that there were some twists and turns that caught me by surprise and have me ready to jump into book two.
Additional, I also had the audiobook, which brought me further into the story giving life to the characters I had already grown to love.