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.

10/10 , the book & audio paired together is perfection! I really enjoyed the narrators. They kept me interest through the entire book.

First, let me say this was my first experience with a true reverse harem, I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this.

This story is soulshattering in its beauty, the love story between Kiarra and "the boys" imagine having love and not knowing what it was until it had been taken away, or thinking that the person you were meant to be with had left you when really she'd been taken or even finding out the person you had been so mad at for so long had been tortured into silence.

This book just left me wanting more over and over and over again and I'm here for it. It's also pretty low on the spice scale, so if you're not sure how you feel about the idea of multiple people in a relationship this might be a good place to start.

Since I had the privilege of listening to this book I have to say both narrators are fantastic, Scarlett Everdeen did a phenomenal job giving voices to all of our characters until that last scene, and then Chase T. Walker stole the breath out of me.

I will be looking for audiobooks with dual or even multiple narrators from this point, it gives so much more depth to the story.

Now I will say there are a few things that just didn't work for me but maybe that's because I'm new to this genre, I will say I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in this series.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing a copy of this audio-book, I have voluntarily listened to it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The magic system in this book seems like something that will be interesting to follow along in the next books of the series. I did like all the characters, I just felt like given the amount of love interest versus the length of the book, I just didn't get to connect with them. I think this book is best read as a series, so I will be looking for the next installment to see how the connections, plot, and Magic World develop. It was an enjoyable book, I actually just wish it was longer.

This book gives The Bonds That Tie vibes, if you read that series you'll enjoy this one. While there is no "spice" in book one, I can tell the next books will get spicy. And just because there are no spicy scenes doesn't mean there aren't a couple of hot and heavy scenes. #BloodandRuin #NetGalley

I listened to the audiobook version. I was definitely a dark and traumatic story but with a very slow burn. It had great world building and description of the magic system. I’ll admit I was expecting the cliffhanger, but that was fine. There was great build of to finding answers of the FMC treatment. Overall great first story, I look forward to the second.

Blood and Ruin by Rumer Hale is a fantasy romance focused on the FML. It is a really well-done audiobook with narration.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book because I hadn't read anything by Rumer Hale, but I enjoyed the story overall! The story was so captivating that by the end, I felt really immersed in the world-building and the characters and rooting for them to succeed. I listened to the audiobook version, and I really enjoyed it. Although I am interested in continuing with the series, I want to wait until the next audiobook is released because the VA did an AMAZING job.

If I had to focus on anything that might bother others, I would say that the world-building and the magic lore could have been more in-depth and explained in more detail.

I wasn't really into this. I didn't connect really with the characters and I just didn't care much for the plot.

I loved it. I read the first one without the audio the first time and the narrator for this was just so good. Her voice was so soothing and the way I could tell by the tone of her voice things were hurting. Sooo good worth it. Looking forward to book 2.

The narrator did a fantastic job. The different magic creatures and shifters were interesting and cliffhanger at the end was predictable, but I could see how it would entice a reader to continue. The writing felt like I was reading a teenage girl's diary. Overall, I need to stop reading books that have pretty covers, but Wattpad writing.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Blood and Ruin by Rumer Hale is about a woman who is stuck with her horrible step father who experiments on her. This started when her mother was killed and her step father took her 6 years ago. This story begins with her reuniting with her childhood best friends in the most unexpected way.
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book but I am so glad I received the arc for this book. It was so good. By the end I was getting emotional with the characters and wanted everything for them. It was great as an audiobook and I want to continue with the series but I want to wait until the next audiobook comes out.
I will say the world building, the magic system specifically, could have been explained more but that isn't really the reason to pick up this book so I pushed it to the back of my mind. I hope more is explained later in the series.
If you like scifi fantasy romance I would definitely recommend this book. I can't wait to continue in the series!

🖤🤍🖤
📖Book Review📖
4🌟
📖Book 6/100

💫Genre:
Romantacy with a twist of Horror
✍️Author:
Rumer Hale
🗣️Narrator:
Scarlett Everdeen & Chase T. Walker

📝Synopsis 📝
Kiarra has been under King’s control for six years against her will and undergoing the worst of torturous treatment. She finally catches a break when her childhood besties come back into her life. They had their plan with her but after realizing that she didn’t ghost them they have a change of heart.

My thoughts 💭
This was an incredible paranormal romance that I didn’t expect to enjoy. The narration was spot on perfect. I also enjoyed the plot which was so good and kept me engaged, but I do feel it was a tad bit repetitious. I honestly hadn’t read any vampire books since Twilight and this was a good start to a series. I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2 since this one ended on a suspenseful cliffhanger.

🖤Thank you so much @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨Publishing Date:
February 27, 2024

#bookstagrammer #bookreviewer #bookreviews #romancebookstagram
#bookreview #booktok #bookrecommendation #fictionbooks #romancebooks #romantacy #arcreader #bookstagram #bookworms #bibliophile #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreviewer #bloodandruin

It was ok-I felt the description of the book was a little misleading from the actual book. Not sure if I would continue with the series cause I didn't love the direction it was headed in

I grabbed this for the beautiful cover and wasn't disappointed in the least! I kind of love not reading the synopsis cause every story is a complete surprise! Reverse harem, a feisty and independent FMC, 5 (yes, 5) supernatural alphas that are bonded to her. Soooo glad I picked this up!