“Blood and Ruin,” by Rumer Hale

Wow this book was absolutely amazing. One of the best books I’ve read this year so far. It’s a perfect reverse harem fated mate’s books that is more storyline than romance. The abuse and trauma the FMC goes through was insane and how she stayed kindhearted despite having to hide it. I cannot wait for book 2, I’m fully invested. I listened to the audiobook version, and it was paced well, and the voice was good. 5 out of 5 stars. And the cover is beautiful.

-Mating Bond/ Fated Mates
-Shifter/Alpha
-Witches/ Magic
-Reverse Harem
-Torture/ Abuse
-Strong FMC

Thank you for the Arc.

4.5 ✨

I really enjoyed this! The cover reeled me in and i went in pretty blind. As someone who doesn’t read a lot of fantasy books i didn’t mind the lack of world building because that’s normally where fantasy looses me. I loved the concept of shifters and this big secrecy of the King. Maybe 1-2 chapters of back story / building would have been beneficial just to make you understand more why our FMC was where she was.

BUT i still really enjoyed this! It was fast paced, kept you on the edge of your seat and kept you hooked from start to finish. I really loved the boys and Kiara. It was not the best writing you’ll find, but i still enjoyed it and will absolutely be coming back for the rest of the series!


The audio was very well done and made me hooked more than i think just reading it would have been.

Thank you Netgalley, Rumer Hale and Dreamscape media for this audio arc of Blood and Ruin.
Narrated by Scarlett Everdeen; Chase T. Walker.

I was intrigued with this book ( seeing that it will develop into a series ) and looked by the tags that it had a mixture of horror, fantasy, romance ( bit of spiciness too )

Otherall the narrative was okay, not my normal book that id go for but I still enjoyed the premise of the book. Thought it was well written by Rumer Hale with a good mix of genre. I do feel however that there was something missing but couldn't put my finger on it The characters were well developed and I also enjoyed the world building within the fantasy aspect.

Scarlett Everdeen; Chase T. Walker did a great job narrating and could listen to other books they have narrated. I did however listen to the book on 1.5 speed.

Will look forward to book two from Rumer

Blood and Ruin was an okay read. Thought because it was a why choose that there would be spice, but the first book was pretty tame.

It reminded me too much of The Bonds That Tie series even, the characters were very similar.

But I still enjoyed the story. I didn't get bored. It just didn't stand out enough for me to give it more than 3.25 stars.

Blood and Ruin by Rumer Hale follows a young girl that is being held by King at a hotel in New York. After Kiara's mother is killed by King. She is trapped by a spell that that will not let her leave. The hotel is full of paranormal creatures. Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, Shapeshifters and more all inhabit the place and some even work for King. Kiara is working with Jasmine, a witch that will make a potion so she and Alana can escape. Kiara soon meets her long lost friends and soon finds out that they are bonded as mates . This was just ok. I hope that the other 2 in the series will be a bit more steamy.

Kiarra might be the most stubborn female lead character that I’ve read about in a long time. The plot of this book has so much potential and felt a little rushed. I think focusing on either the world building or romance aspect more would have helped for a more cohesive story. Overall, this book was entertaining and fun. I do love a strong female lead who doesn’t need anyone to save her.

Wow! That is a cliffhanger!

In a world of sorcerers, shape shifters, demons and witches, Kiara fights to survive. Abused and tormented by her powerful stepfather, King, Kiara plans her escape.

Until the day her childhood friends appear, and they realize that they are meant to be together.

A reverse harem sexy tale of magic and violence, it fun and fast-moving story is almost enough to gloss over the glaring plot holes. I would listen to the sequel to see where this story goes.

I was initially attracted to this book because of the cover alone. It typically takes me about a week to listen to an audiobook since I only listen when I'm in the car. I ended up pulling out my headphones to finish this book quicker. It's extremely low spice, a 1 out of 5 peppers. The story was good but I wish the background was more developed. King is evil incarnate but for no apparent reason. Maybe it's revealed in the second book. Kiarra is a very frustrating character. She's incredibly self deprecating with a refusal to accept any kind of help or give even a hint of what was happening to her to her childhood best friends. I'll probably read the second book, just to find out what happens to Kiarra but it's going to be very low on my TBR.

This book brought me back to The Zodiac Academy for some reason. It was giving all the same vibes. Multiple love interests, supernatural characters, average writing but still wildly entertaining. There were a few things that didn't make sense to me but it didn't hinder the storyline too much. I was having trouble keeping up with all of the characters as well. It felt like the book wasn't long enough for me to get to know them well enough. There was sexual tension all throughout this book but somehow at the worst times. I enjoyed it but I wish it didn't end on a cliffhanger!

Wowza! What an incredible & intense story! You’re sucked right in, with the magic system, and the corrupt structure of power. Each little breadcrumb left to pull you in deeper! There is suspense, twists & turns, betrayal, & heartache.
We have a corrupt and evil “King”, a group of alphas, a girl who has an incredibly unique ability, and a plot full of twists and turns!
I can’t wait to see what happens next…..
There will be hell to pay!!
Scarlett Everdeen did a fantastic job bringing all of Kiera’s emotions out, and giving a voice to each character.
Chase T. Walker did a great job narrating the ending and leaving us needing more.

I got sucked into this book pretty quickly and was hoping for the traffic to take a bit longer so I’d have an excuse to keep listening on my way into work. I liked all the different personalities of the mates and the FMC was suitably snarky and determined to have us cheering for her.

It’s not technically spicy, but it is horny. There’s not any action in this book (though I’m hoping things kick off in the next book) but there’s a FMC with 5 shifter fated mates, so there’s lots of “you’re mine/ours”, steamy kisses and promises of future adventures.

Some of the bits were a bit repetitive for those who know and read “fated mates” books a lot, like there’s no point repeating how you and your mates will be going your separate ways once you escape… we know mates and we know that’s not gonna happen. But it didn’t make it any less enjoyable.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

CN for assault, torture, kidnapping, murder

Genre: Romance/Paranormal
Format: Audio
POV: Single (FMC) except for final chapter
Spice: 0.5 /5
Age suggestion: 18+

Blood and Ruin may have finally been the book to make me say that maybe these types of books are not for me, and that’s ok. I want to love all books and for some reason, I want to love fantasy but I keep striking out and Blood and Ruin was another failed attempt to bring me into the genre.

This is the first book in the Blood and Ruin series and that surprised me. This did not read like the first book in a complicated universe. This felt like I jumped into the middle of a series and I was lost because I didn’t start at the beginning. I failed to get attached to any characters or the world because of this.

The story had its ups and downs but mostly I found myself having a hard time taking it all in. This can go back to the fact that I had to keep checking that I was not wrong and this was in fact the first book in the series.

What I found most successful in this book was the twist that happened right before the end and the lack of resolution. For a book that I was generally not interested in it did a great job sucking me in at the end and left me wanting to know what comes next.

I had the chance to read this on audio through Dreamscape Media and I am so grateful. Blood and Ruin is the first book of a series about shapeshifters, witches, wizards, vampires and demons. Kiara was taken into this world by her stepfather who rules over all. Her stepfather has big plans for her, but will Kiara and her five fated mates make it out alive?

The action in this seemed a teeny bit repetitive at times, but I was still hooked to the story and cannot wait to see what happens in book two. The twist and cliffhanger at the end definitely have me scrambling for more and I cannot wait until the next two books come out on audio.

Thank you to Dreamscape and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

The cover is beautiful. The narrator did a wonderful job. I just felt disconnected from the story and character from the start. It read a little like we were missing some information or like we should've been provided more fluff to some of the characters and backstory.
They didn't connect themselves. They were supposed to be friends from childhood and I just didn't pick up on that to be honest. While this does end on a cliffhanger I'm not quite sure if I'll pick up the next one.

This was actually decently good as an audiobook! I really enjoy RHR with a twist of fantasy and this checked all the boxes. A traumatized FMC who unsurprisingly has an enemies to lovers type connection with SEVERAL super steamy and magically gifted men. Only complaint I had was that it was extremely rushed and the plot was not very developed. There is so much room here to dive deep into each man and the female main character. Instead, there is rarely an explanation and the relationships just randomly bump up to 1000% so it’s a bit like whiplash, but was fine for listening to. I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed this as much as a physical book.

This ends with a cliffhanger and I’m mildly intrigued for the next book if it’s improved upon! 🌶️ 1/5

A U D I O B O O K Review
♡Release Feb. 20♡
♡Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape for the ALC. this is my honest opinion.
shockly, I went into this book BLIND, and I highly enjoyed it. Imagine being FATED mates to NOT 1 guy , but to 5 !!!!! Lucky character !
This story does end on a cliffhanger ...

Sigh, I had some very high hopes for this.
First off, that cover is stunning. I love everything about it, especially the soft pink & snakes. That was my biggest reason for requesting it.

The audiobook production & narration are fabulous. The narrator gave Kiara life, making her character more likeable.

My issue lies more with the storyline. I found it to be very underdeveloped. The stakes were so odd?

There’s a lot to love here, but most of it falls flat.

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher, to NetGalley for the ALC!

The cover is absolutely STUNNING. And the narrators did a great job but I had to DNF. Nothing against the two narrators, I would definitely listen to them narrating a book again. But the story? Unfortunately, it did not hit the mark for me. The writing wasn't the best and the characters weren't that likable. The premise was there but it was also so similar to every other RH book.

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

I enjoyed this audio greatly. The narrator did an amazing job!
The book was a great read for me and I think listening to it moved it up on the scale for me! I liked the characters except for King, he was just overly villainous for me. However, others I know would greatly enjoy this book and I will recommend it to others!

Blood and Ruin is a dark and steamy romance. Kiarra has been kidnapped and held hostage by King for the last six years. She's been marked so that she can never leave and King can torture and experiment on her all he wants because she has the ability to heal herself. Kiarra has a plan, though, and soon she'll be able to escape with her sister after she breaks the spells holding them there. Unfortunately for her, she runs into her five childhood best friends, who are now some of the most powerful Alphas in Manhattan, and she's their mate, and her plan gets all the more complicated. The narrator did a great job with what they had to work with, which just wasn't the best writing. This will definitely be a hit for people who enjoy really dark fantasy romance, though.