⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5


Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.

This one was an enjoyable story. I can see how there will be multiple books since this first one was just a big introduction to the characters.
It can be true that this book results a little slow and with nothing major happening, but I´m not upset about it. When dealing with stories with so many characters it´s important to craft all the relationships to make them make sense. We are talking of a mated group of six people (one girl, five boys - yes it´s a reverse harem-) plus secondary characters and bad guys, add to all of this a complex world-building where our FMC lives confined inside the walls of the Hotel she is imprisoned in and it´s easy to have a book that is kind of slower, bucause the story needs to be set.
Furthermore the FMC is living yes in a complex world building but also in a small reality, being confined in a ´small´ building. To me this kind of setting is super interesting but can be a little tedious to see the main character do the same things repeatedly.
In this first volume the reader gets introduced to the mated group's powers and different personalities and I am sure the story will pick up majorly after the events at the end of this first book.
There was one thing that annoyed me and it was all the secrecy. After the 60% I was a little tired of the lack of communication between the six main characters. Just speak to each other!!!!

Dreamscape production was flawless like always and I loved the actors voices.
Mainly the female actress was on point with the timing and tones. I liked her very much. The male voice was just for one chapter at the end and I liked it, but cannot say more since there is not much material to review.

Blood and Ruin is book one in a paranormal romance series by Rumer Hale. Thank you to NetGalley, Rumer Hale, and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an audio ARC in exchange for my fair and unbiased review!

What I loved:
- the FMC, generally
- how fierce and loyal the MMCs are
- the lush atmosphere
- the complex supernatural community
- the first POV
- the multi POV (iykyk)
- the TENSION
- the fast pace
- the narrators

What I don’t love:
- the villains of this story seem very stereotypical to be honest. not a bad thing but I wish they were more nuanced!

Overall I really enjoyed Blood and Ruin and rate it four out of five stars. You’ll love this if you enjoyed The Bonds that Tie!

I was unsure in the beginning and I still feel a little like there could have been a significant amount of world building added. That aside though I still enjoyed the twists and turns and I can’t wait for the next one!

Good read overall, and the narrator did a pretty good job with the audiobook. I love a RH book - but I think the characters could have done with a bit more development

Unfortunately this just was not a book for me. The cover is stunning but for me that is where the fun ended. It was sort of sloppy writing style.

Thank you for this ARC.

Kaira Is strong and in yielding. She is trying desperately to escape from her step father’s hold on her. All of the testing of Kaira ability is cruel and is taking a toll on her. She finds out that her child hood friends are her mates and they try to help her escape from Kings grasp. But there was a glitch in her plan to escape. One of her mates nice was captured by Kings right hand and tagged just like she was so she could not simply escape. Kairas friend was suppose to escape with Kaira when the time was right. But Kaira let her mates niece take her place knowing her fate. Then Kaira world got turned upside down when her friend turned out to be Kings lover. Her mates fought for her and tried to kill everyone that has ever hurt her. But before Morgan’s could tell Kaira what her full potential ability was King killed her.

This book keep me wanting more and was disappointed on how it ended. There was so many question and zero answers. I really hope there is another book in the making to continue the story.

What works:
- The premise of a FMC who can heal from anything. So much potential!

- The final chapter

The rest?

Here’s the thing about dark romance. I get it, it’s supposed to touch on the dark side of humanity and not shy away from often extremely difficult things. But it also has to have a solid plot that makes sense with multi dimensional characters.

Kaira is given to five alpha shifters by her step father for an alliance… but isn’t actually ever handed over to them? She has to stay trapped with her step dad? No one ever explains what this alliance is.

This is not an exaggeration: at least 80%
of this book is detailed explanations of the FMC getting the shit kicked out of her by evil men on repeat–while she somehow manages to not be traumatized. And she won’t tell the people who want to help her anything because she’s stubborn? And values miscommunication?

Her helpers: “What’s going on?” Her: “It’s complicated.”

Her helpers: “What is this tag that will help us save everyone?” Her: “IDK.”

Her helpers: “Help us help you.” Her: “I won’t tell you it will only hurt you.”

The other 20% of the book is her mates acting like Tamlin under the mountain. We have a chance to get away? Great! Let’s make out.

I’m sorry but this book just really wasn’t for me.

The first half of Blood and Ruin, while charming, experimental, and filled with a lot of interesting world building, felt a tad hard to get into and feel connected with. Rumer Hale's characters are as equally unique as they are frustrating, but that is what makes them charming: as a reader, my preference is with frustrating, annoying, or even outright obnoxious characters.

But I think the early disconnect comes with Hale's characters and their interpersonal relationships not being easily explained in the beginning. As a reader (and viewer) who is able to easily immerse themself in worlds without prior explanation of said worlds, I really struggled through the first half of this book to be connected with Kiarra herself, and then her relationship to all these Alpha men.

But it was somewhere around the middle of the book, specifically at the 52% mark that I can remember, that I got so turned on to this novel and could not put it down. I became so invested in Kiarra and her friendships, her relationships, and her life. I became so invested in her fight against two of the antagonists, and then when a third, tertiary antagonist was revealed, I could feel Kiarra's betrayal and mourning so clearly.

I appreciated that at no point did this novel turn into an atmosphere fueled by jealousy. I loved the companionship Kiarra found in everybody, even when she felt jealousy creeping up on her. Kiarra is a truly unique character, and dedicated to her friends and family.

The copy I read was the audiobook, narrated by Scarlett Everdeen, and Scarlett's voice acting goes above and beyond to maintain a sensual, sweet, and shifty tone throughout the novel. Her particular tonal direction is so beautiful, and I became so fond of the way she delivered her lines, be they about Kiarra's personal betrayals or the sensual nature of the relationship Kiarra had with these men important to her.

The cover art is utterly gorgeous as well; it feels feminine without feeling overbearing. It stands on its own, like Kiarra does. And it has a sensuality to it, a touch of glamour, and feels regal.

All in all, Rumer Hale's Blood and Ruin became such an enjoyable read for me, and I look forward to reading more about Kiarra.

This review was for an ARC of the audiobook narration provided by Rumer Hale, Scarlett Everdeen, and Dreamscape Media. Thank you!

I am not normally a RH reader, but the caption made me curious.

I really enjoyed this book... however, now I need more after that cliffhanger!

I do give this four stars because I needed some back story to build this world a little bit more... there were some characters that seemed key, however, I had no clue why they were.

Other than that- I enjoyed this story and will be reading the next book!

TW: violence, abuse / mention of child abuse, kidnapping, murder, suicidal thoughts, sexual harassment.

Blood and Ruin is a reverse haram following our FMC and her 5 male bonds.

The book is narrated by Rumer Hale. I have read my share of RH series, but I have never listened to one narrated into an audio book.

I enjoyed the listening experience, I think the narrator did a good job of contrasting between the male and female characters which can be a difficult task as a one person narrator.

The plot itself was interesting. Our FMC is enslaved by her abusive step father, she has plans to escape which are thwarted when she is handed off to 5 males who unknowingly turn out to be her bonds.

This is book 1 of a series and I would be interested to continue on with the series.

Thank you to Rumer Hale, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ALC.

I really just feel like something vital is missing to the story. I was having to check to make sure I started on the first book (yes I did) because I was so lost. I felt like the author threw us smack dab into the middle of a world we’d never been in before and just said good luck. Like starting a new job and being thrown to the wolves on the first day. The world building just wasn’t there. Information as far as why things are the way they are or the who’s who would’ve been so valuable to truly understand the concept. Every time I head Sup I just thought of The Boys, IYKYK. This story has soooo much potential. I think it just needed a little more to fully be able to enjoy it.

3.5
This gave more tell and not show for the romance side of things. Maybe bc it is mates and instalust. I will read book two, hoping the style might shift into more depth there.

This writing style gave me more tell and not show. There was an over use of the word lust in the same paragraphs for me. That being said something tells me that improves through your the series. So I will def read book two.

I thought this was a very interesting read. Tons of action and interesting plot line. I couldn't put it down at all. I had to know what happened next. Can't wait for the next book.

Thank you to Dreamscape media and NetGalley for the audiobook review.

I was really attracted to this book by the cover and the description. It had me very intrigued. I always enjoy a good RH and paranormal romance. That being said I had a hard time with this story. I was confused because I didn't feel like there was much world building or character development. The relationship didn't make much sense to me even though the were childhood friends in the past you're just thrown into it.

I did enjoy the narration. It followed nicely and did well with distinguishing between characters.

This audio is for a book that came out in 2021. Scarlett Everdeen and Chase Walker do a good job portraying the story and the characters. Having dual narrators definitely helps this storyline.
The cover, title and description of this book drew me in and I immediately wanted to read it. Unsure why I didn't pick it up years ago. The book was good. Not great, not bad, but good. I'll pick up the next in the series to see what happens.
Pros- not having to choose. For me, I look for more taboo. However, I understand that it's not for everyone. Kiarra's men are deeply protective and attentive to her desires.
The idea of the storyline and plot was good.

Cons-Kiarra is a weak MFC. I don't typically mind, but I wanted her to turn badass towards the end, and she didn't. She seems to always need saving and protection.
There was some holes in the plot that made me tune out at times.

Overall, I'll pick up the next book and recommend for the spicy fantasy lovers.

Thank you to Netgalley, Rumer Hale, and Dreamscape Media for the chance to listen to this in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook!
I love a good why choose book! The concept of this series seems super interesting and I am excited to read the rest of the series to see what King has up his sleeve and how Kiara and the guys will react! I did not see the twist of betrayal at all! I will definitely be continuing this series, if only to get to know the characters and their history a little more. I didn’t feel as connected as I had hoped I would to them, and hope that some more of their past relationships are shown!

This cover drew me in immediately....
A reverse harem (5 guys) with shifters, witches .again and more it had so much potential. But with that it fell very flat for me. A RH where all the do is kiss?! And at the worst possible times! About to be captured? Let's get lost in a make out session. The FMC has so much potential, she can heal herself and can not die. Love it, but why is the same thing told over and over and over again. I would of rather that time been spent explaining more about the guys. I feel like I hardly knew them and they weren't very distinguishable. I did love the twist at the end that I absolutely did not see coming. This one ends on a cliffhanger and I'm not sure yet if I will continue on. The audio was good but it does have the male narrator only at the very end of the book.

Thank you for this alc, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let's start with the good things first:
• Beautiful Cover, one that I selected to complete my #roseday #februaryprompts
• Fascinating World of witches, magic and shapeshifters - one that most fantasy lovers would enjoy reading.

And besides that, it all went downhill for me. The multi-partner mating in so much depth was way beyond my capacity and would better suit smut readers (which I am not). Within the first 20% of the story, there is extreme sexual exposure even for an adult and I do feel the book should come with disclaimers on its excessive heat/spice levels, torture etc. Sadly, because of these overpowering aspects, I wasn't able to focus a lot on the story as I had to skip those sections. Unfortunately, after being overwhelmed by the book, I had to DNF it. This is just not something I enjoy reading.

This was the first novel from Rimer Hale that I have read and listened to and it definitely won’t be the last.

The story of Kiara, a sup whom lost her mother several years ago has been being held captive by her evil stepfather, King. King rules this particular area and the many shifters, witches and other supernatural beings.

King has a plan for Kiara. What is this plan? We don’t know but he is going to great lengths to see this out. This book left off on a cliff hanger and I can’t wait to listen to the next installment in this series.

The narrator did a great job with this story!

Blood & Ruin Review

Gorgeous cover that doesn’t quite make sense for this book. I’m not one to usually critique book covers but I felt like I was mislead with it. First off, the cover is utterly gorgeous but there’s no real theme behind it that matches the book whatsoever. The blurb of the book sounded interesting so when I saw it was available for an arc audiobook on netgalley I snagged it immediately.

Unfortunately this story wasn’t a hit for me. I felt like nothing really happened in the book at all and the miscommunication that was rampant in it between the main character and her childhood friends was so exhausting for me. I absolutely hated their banter especially Axel’s. The only likable male character for me was Luca. Unfortunately the harem of her boys weren’t very distinguishable for me and they all blended together. I can only remember Axel, cause he was super annoying, and Luca because he was the only one I actually liked and was sympathetic towards Kiara. Don’t ask me to name the others cause I can’t remember their personalities since they weren’t very distinguishable (besides the author letting us know they all had different powers) let alone their names.

I felt a lot of the information we are given, character powers, etc was constantly being repeated as well. Between Kiara being constantly tortured by others/King, her stepfather, and the boys not being able to control themselves and constantly making out with her not much in the plot actually happens.

If you’re someone who’s looking for a steamy romance this probably won’t even satisfy that. Kiara’s kind of insufferable and the make out scenes seemed in poor taste to situations they were in, especially that last make out scene near the end of the book…

I don’t know, I think I just went into this book expecting something else and I’m probably just disappointed by that. This is the first book in a series and I don’t see myself continuing it.