I’m very intrigued in seeing how Kiara’s power develops and what is she??? The brutality she endures under the torture of her stepfather - I have no words for the strength she has to survive that every day. Yea she has no choice, but it really puts to task the proof that love is the strongest motivation. I was shook when we discover who’s really betraying her.

I wish we would have had a bit more background of her childhood with the guys. The beginning she keeps referencing not wanting to leave them, which confused me as to who they were and why they were important. Obviously once she reunites with them figure it out, but if the story had focused a bit more with childhood flashbacks especially during her moments of torture, I would have enjoyed the plot more. I do think the guys are swoony and if their vows at the end of this were any indication of the romance still coming, I’m all in.

My experience with RH's has always been super x-rated. So much so I didn't know that a RH could really exists with little to no spice! And I really appreciated the lack of spice in this case... but I still needed more something.

Blood and Ruin starts out in an active story. Kiarra has been kidnapped and held hostage in a supernatural mob-like setting. She can't die and is physically abused at EVERY turn in the book. She is unaware of any powers she has other than healing herself. The physical abuse got old to listen to over and over again. It felt like way too much focus was put on how she was being hurt and essentially killed repeatedly. I'm just not really into that torture bit.

I felt like more time should have been spent on Kiarra and the five's backstory. How did they meet, bond, get so close as to be family. The storyline of Kiarra's mom and her relationship with King? The storyline of the friend she is trying to save, and who she even really is to Kiarra and her mom. World building? I don't know for a book with no spice, I would have hoped the story would have been more fleshed out, or the 5 characters more fleshed out.

You get 0 answers in book 1. And I understand this is a trilogy, but I don't really want to read the next 2. I think if you broke down the book into a pie chart it would be something like ... torture 70%, kissing/groping 10%, world building 10%, character development 10%.... and it just wasn't enough for me.

The narration was really good. The only character I'm interested in learning more about is Kai... being a direct descendent of Cerberus sounds pretty interesting... might want to know what that gets him... actually might read on just for him.

*Thank you to Dreamscape Media, NetGalley, and Rumer Hale for the audiobook. I am always glad to leave my honest opinion!*

I really enjoyed this quick and easy to listen to to story. I did find it a bit confusing in the beginning because it felt more like I started in the middle of a book. I was still able to enjoy the story line and the narrator was great.

Listened at 1.25x speed
Rating: 3.5 (rounded to 4)

I love a good reverse harem. Combine that with a group that was close as kids before she went missing, and I’m SET. The absolute tension in this book is incredible. Less than an hour in, they’re meeting again as adults and the fact that they’re mates becomes clear.

I was never bored in my listen of this book, and I’m super glad the rest of the books are on KU because I will be binging them immediately.

But, I can say that I wasn’t bored and also say that the writing could have been more polished. That’s part of what I’m hoping to find more of in book two.

This was a great first book. It sets up the world well, the stakes, and the bonds tying them all together. There’s a lot of action with a FMC that is by no means weak, but she WILL sacrifice herself for the people she cares for.

I did not see the twist coming, and iykyk.

I’m eager to read more about them outside of the hotel that has been Kiarra’s prison.

The choice in narration was made very well. Scarlett Everdeen did so well in bringing this book to life. The emotions were portrayed so well, and it made the book that more engaging.

Thanks to dreamscapemedia for the audio-arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun read.

I will post on Goodreads (linked in my profile) at the same time I submit this review. I will upload videos on TikTok (@bookwad__) in the week before the release, and it will be the same with Instagram (also @bookwad__)

This book was originally released in print in November of 2021. I was able to listen to an audio version from @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The cover of this book is gorgeous! Sci-fi/fantasy/fated mates are some of my favorite tropes, and I was excited to dive into this one but was left wanting more. The reader is dropped right into the story with no explanation, no world building, and character development was lackluster. The story has a lot of promise but needed some more editing. I would’ve like some more variety in the descriptive language…the FMC referred to her “ability” hundreds of times-it could’ve been described in other ways. The narrator was smooth and easy to listen to, however, she could’ve brought the intensity of her reading sometimes. Her reading was always anxious and could’ve released some tension in slow parts. We only get to hear Chase T. Walker for 3 minutes at the very end of the story. He was very pleasant and I liked her speed and tone, I wish we could have heard more from him in the audiobook.

This book ended too soon!
Kiarra's fatal flaw is her willingness to give up everything for the people she loves, even if that love blinds her to who they are. But that flaw also makes her an easy character to love.
Kiarra is a woman trapped in a tower used as a living pin cushion for a cruel stepfather. After 6 years trapped in hell, she needs to escape and she's got a plan to do it, but as they say, the best-laid plans never go your way.
I enjoyed listening to this book, the narrator is expectational with such distinct masculine and feminine voices you'd almost think there were two narrators. Editing-wise the pauses at the beginning/end of chapters are a little long and can pull you out of the book questioning if the book stopped for some reason.
I would have liked to learn a little more about this world, I know the men are alphas, but what are they the alphas of? How powerful are they in this world?
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick RH/Why Choose book that will entertain and you and probably have you picking up the next one immediately.

Did someone say fated mates and shape shifters? Count me in!

Blood and Ruin drops you into an active scene of captivity, with a lot of physical abuse upon our main female character. Being held and abused by her stepfather, she finds out that she is to be mated to 5 kings. 😳 yes, 5!!

A little spicy but nothing too hardcore.

Turns out she’s also trying to help a friend escape captivity but will she be able to make it? Broken friendship bonds and traitors along the way.

I binged this book, and the narration was excellent.

Also, this cover is GORGEOUS. 🤩

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio arc in return for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: 27 Feb 2024

🩸Blood & Ruin🩸
Pros:
✨Urban Fantasy
✨Why Choose
✨5 MMC Possessive Alphaholes
-Axil 🐉 Dragon Shifter
-Kai 😈🐾 Hell Hound
-Luca 🐺 Shadow Wolf
-Ryan 🐺 Shadow Wolf
✨Half 🌶️ (Kissing and Groping)
✨Second Chance
✨Childhood Friends-> Kinda Enemies->Lovers
✨Fated Mates
✨Strong/Resilient FMC
✨Narration of audiobook done well
Cons:
Needs more world building
Plot holes (good bones just feels rushed and pieces are missing)
All and all I did binge/enjoy this book, and I’m excited to see where this series goes, especially after that cliffhanger.

Let me stary by saying that I thought the narrators did a good job with the story's characters. With that being said, this is my first story from this author, so I had no idea what to expect. I just knew that this seemed like my type of story. This was a very dark and brutal read so if readers are looking for a light read this is not it. The physical abuse in this story was so bad, that at times it had me saying D-A-M-N out loud. It was THAT brutal. This story has characters you will love and hate but I enjoyed the main character Kiarra and her mates Kai, Jax, Axel, Rion and Luka. However, I can't say the same for Kiarra's stepdad King. His day will come when all of the damage he inflicted to others will be returned to him and I'm here for it. This story ends with a cliffhanger and I'm excited to listen to or read the next book to find out how things will continue to play out.

This is an audiobook so I don't know how to spell the main character's name. Is it Chiara or Kiara? Idk so I'm gonna call her Chiara. Either was the narrator, Scarlett Everdeen, was phenomenal. She imbues her words with so much emotion and really brings all the drama and high stakes to life.

On to the plot. Chiara is a young girl who has spent the last 6 years of her life as a Prisoner to King, the villainous king of Manhattan. She is tortured, alone, and desperate to escape, but just as she thinks she may have found a way out, she is reunited with her 5 alpha mates and her life becomes a lot more complicated.

This book includes:
- shifters of the wolf, snake, dragon, hellhound variety
- reverse harem fated mates
- torture and kidnapping but not to gory or anything
- distrust, betrayal, redemption, liberation
- alphas of all forms
- elemental magic and otherwise

"Blood and Ruin" is engaging and appeals to many guilty pleasures. Fated mate to 5 alpha shifters, c'mon who doesn't enjoy that. I had a good time reading the book, however I did find several issues with the surface level character development and lack of motivations behind any of the characters behavior, even the protagonist. I think the book could have been more successful if there were 3 mates max and if we were given more backstory on Alanna and King.

If you loved "Broken Bonds" and are looking for a similar story, I highly recommend this book to you.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Rumer Hale, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

I love a fated mates story so this piqued my interest. You get dropped right into the action at the beginning with no context which allows you to piece things together as the story progresses. This has a reverse harem trope. The villain trades our FMC to five alphas which ruins her plans of escaping the realm and its cruel rule. There are some issues with the writing (probably more noticed by veteran readers). I would suggest another round of edits, but we know debut authors usually become better as they continue writing which works. The best thing about this book is the cover.

If you’re a fan of Broken Bonds I feel like you’ll love this book. This book is about fated mates, and while she’s trying to free her friend from the vicious king, she tortured and sent to the edge of death just for them to have her heal back to health with her healing powers, but the giver her a potion to make her healing process take longer so that they can draw out her torment. The book drops you into the middle of the action with no introduction or world building, and no information about it being a shifter story until 30 percent into the story.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

🔹reverse harem
🔹fated mates
🔹shifters