Wow what a book kellen and Noelle were amazing loved the character! Such a good book! And can we talk about the twins!! Can’t wait to see what’s next!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Azala Press for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.




Ok, let me start of by saying I LOVED this book. It’s like Zodiac academy told from the teachers perspectives, but also mixed with Assistant to the villain vibes??? Idk but it worked so well and the legitimate mental health rep/resources was absolutely beautiful to see in this genre.


** SPOILERS AHEAD **

Keep in mind I gave this 4 stars EVEN WITH these issues in mind; the plot and the characters make up for all of these twofold. I would’ve given it five if it weren’t for the following things (sorry if these sounds harsh at all as that’s not my intention!)

• I think it would’ve made a lot more sense if eulaylia and jarion were 14-15 rather than 12 based on their maturity (I understand they went through A LOT to get to this point, but in no world is a 12 year old using words like “mantle” and “” correctly lol). It honestly wouldn’t change the story very much if they were a few years older so it would just make the most sense

• while I love Kellen, I wish he kept his hard exterior much longer as he was already kinda soft and devoted to Noella 100 pages in. And then after that, even though he’s supposed to be this big bad imposing guy, he cries more than Noella— don’t get me wrong, I am all for men with emotions and tears, these just didn’t seem natural to him/his character :/

• I also wish the lustful thoughts didn’t start so hot and heavy so soon into the book with how much they were supposed to hate each other. Idk it kinda minimized all the work the other parts of the book that made it a slow burn, especially since Kellen could read and participate (I think?) in Noella’s dreams. I wanted to bask in their loathing of each other a bit longer, see their attraction grow (for legitimate reasons rather than the almost insta-love spell Kellen was under— like his insane amount of concern for Ella when she was drunk came out of nowhere), and see Ella fight it more instead of forgetting about all her ethics and morals until the last second

• dinner with Kellen’s mother - in no way did Ella playing the part as “pet” ever make sense. It didn’t fit the vibes of the book and came out of left field and overall felt extremely forced for even the characters to admit how pointless it was. Trust me I’m usually a sucker for this type of scene but it didn’t make sense for any of the characters to agree with or even consider, especially with how quickly the act got “found
out”

• overall, i think the book just needed a bit more grace over some parts to help the voice and tone flow better

• i also wish a bit more suspicion was placed on the voice in Ella’s head but for some reason it was always dismissed as normal

• in terms of editing, it switches back and fletch between Ella and Kellen’s perspectives ( I honestly think I would’ve enjoyed this book more is it was just Ella’s) but sometimes in the middle of chapters without warning it’ll switch perspectives. This is just an arc so maybe this will be fixed, but it really threw me through a loop a few times

• the games at the end of book (roughly pages 420-470) were much too long for my taster I kinda skipped over them, sorry! Although Laya’s win was really touching



I cannot wait for the second book!!!!

This book is beautiful in so many ways. The author did a brilliant job crafting a captivating story, led by the one and only Noella Rose, a fantastic school counselor at Delmarth Academy. Noella shares her wisdom not only with the students but also with us, the readers. She’s such a likable character—strong, confident, and, despite her tough past, fully in control of her life. Her mission is clear: help children connect with their emotions, recognize them, and act on them. She takes no nonsense and does whatever it takes to do her job right, and that’s what makes her truly stand out.

On the other side, we have Kellen Kilic, who, thanks to Noella, begins to question his long-held beliefs about strength and vulnerability. Kellen is a complex character, fiercely protective of his younger siblings and willing to do anything for their wellbeing. He’s an excellent father figure, and his emotional evolution throughout the book is beautifully executed. Despite his initial disdain for Noella, Kellen finds himself drawn to her, and over time, their relationship evolves from enemies to lovers. Their chemistry is electric, yet grounded in a maturity that allows them to communicate openly and grow together—a refreshing dynamic in any romance. Honestly, Kellen Kilic is the new book boyfriend on the map. Who needs a dragon rider when you can be the dragon rider? (Evil laugh!)

The relationship between Noella and Kellen, starting from enemies to lovers, was really interesting to follow. I see them as being in a mature relationship, where they can communicate their feelings and act on them, which is so refreshing. Watching their dynamic grow was one of the highlights of the book for me.

All in all, the book is great—I loved it. It’s a perfect blend of magic, emotion, and character growth. A solid 5/5 stars!

Calling all Zodiac Academy fans! This new fantasy romance is for you!

Overview:

This book follows our FMC Noella who unknowingly signs a contract to work as a school councillor in a different dimension, in the land of Cavale.

Unbeknownst to her, the people of Cavale absolutely despise humans due to a war between their Gods and so she struggles to settle into her new role, especially when the faculty are involved in torturing her. There’s one member of staff who gives her an extra hard time, Kelley Kilic, the head of the Varmin department.

Review:

Wow. I feel like this book was a free therapy session for me. The mental health representation in this was incredible and a real eye opener. Noella’s character is incredible. She is one of the strongest FMC’s I’ve read and the way she interacts with every single character shows how amazing she is.

I love Kellen’s character development in this book. Him and the twins work through their trauma with the help of Noella and it truly is an amazing thing to experience the further you get through the book.

If you like enemies to lovers, dark themes (check trigger warnings), bully romance and amazing character development then this book is definitely for you.

The only criticism I have is that the plot twist at the end was very predictable however I still enjoyed it nonetheless and it has set us up nicely for book two.

Thank you NetGalley & Azala Press for my copy of the eARC!

Few minor spoilers

Overall rating 3.75





Good romantasy, I definitely got hooked into this.
Always love a fated mates trope. There was a well built chemistry and palpable tension between Kellen and Noella.
A few spelling mistakes during the arc read, a few cheesy lines that lasted just a little too long.
World building should have been much more, whilst some parts went on for too long.
And the twins didn't speak like 12 year olds. Even being too mature from their trauma, it felt like it was forgotten they were infact children.
I understood "the act" that was portrayed later in the story, but the actions carried out infront of the twins gave me serious pause. It was too much. There was just no need to involve 12 year olds in that type of scenario.

But overall I really enjoyed this book. And I definitely look forward to the next!

Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to arc reader this.

I received this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a rollercoaster of a book. I loved how it began, a human tricked into signing a year long contract as a school counsellor for supernaturals. Noella has spent the first four weeks being belittled, beaten and broken. Well, her body has, but her spirit never falters.
Noella is smart, sassy and kind. She has her own past trauma but isn't afraid to stand up for herself. She's a strong FMC but not pushy. Sometimes she goes a bit overboard and becomes sappy and lovey dovey but I think it's on keeping with her character because she is so empathetic. She's a counsellor so I guess she has to be. I loved her ideas and reading about her working with students and taking pride in their progress. Her determination to do her job despite the barriers she faces is admirable.
Kellen is one of the teachers who initially makes her life a living hell and while I hated him a bit, I could understand his position and reluctance. The author writes a cold and broody male extremely well and I loved it. I loved his journey.
Freya was the cutest side character and I honestly wanted more.
I knew I was going to enjoy this book when I picked it up every chance I got. The world building was well done, snippets of information dropped here and there while foreshadowing what was to come subtly.
I loved the enemies to lovers section of the book. I adored the banter, wit and snide remarks between Noella and Kellen throughout the book. The story was good too, I loved the dynamic between Kellen and his siblings, his utter devotion to them and how that part of the story evolved.
There were a few things that irritated me as I got further along in the story. Kellen's character changed from being a scary, brooding badass to a complete sap once he decided he didn't hate Noella anymore. It didn't ring true and he lost a bit of his swagger for me. The overuse of endearments pulled me out of the story. 'my love', 'sweetheart', 'baby' were words that saturated the pages and it made me cringe. I felt that the 3rd act break up was a bit weak and as sappy went, Kellen got worse. He was too poetic and didn't mesh well with the Kellen from the beginning of the book. The prophecy wasn't too difficult to work out either, although what came of it wasn't high on my prediction lists, even though looking back, it should've been.
There were a few spicy scenes and the chemistry between Kellen and Noelle are off the charts from the beginning. Their support and acceptance of each other is sweet and feel-good if you can ignore the lovey dovey, flowery language that is too over the top for me.
I did enjoy the story, there are a few storylines playing out and well spaced out so that I'd forgotten to remember small details that had flagged ideas and predictions, being so sucked into the current plot.
A solid and enjoyable book with an enticing ending.

Fantasy and romance all wrapped in one.

Bleeding Rose is based around Ella (or Noella) Rose who unbeknownst to her signed a contract to be the student counsellor at Delmarth Acadamy - a school on a different plane to earth to help the "Primordial' students... again not known to her the Primordials despise humans. Her road is rocky to begin with, the Primordials are not kind to her.. Kellen Kilic is one of those Primordials. He is a teacher at Delmarth Academy and as fate would have it be her love interest in the end.

I haven't read a fantasy book in a while, and while it was hard to wrap my head around the names etc in this book in the beginning, it was definitely a book I couldn't put down. It centered around love, family, and also had some mental health aspects to it as well.
This was a slow burn romance, and quite a long book but it was just full of so much!

I loved the character development, especially from the Kilic family characters (all of them!).

I cannot wait to read the next book by this author.

There were so many things that I loved about this book:

- It's like Zodiac Academy meets Percy Jackson but from the professor's pov
- the mental health representation and communication is incredible
- Kellen is swoony
- Ella is so fricking cute
- I love the little world
- I love the premise
- THE TWINS!?! I love them so much
- I want more of all of it

Things I didn't love:
- Kellen swung from enemy to lover too quickly for me
- the dialogue was a little clunky at times
- info dumping

However, those are just personal preferences and overall, this book is SO good. & so fun.

This book was such a refreshing and wonderful read, I absolutely loved it!

I have never read a fantasy book before that focused so much on mental health, and it was honestly such a refreshing change from the usual fantasy books. Ella, as a main female character, is absolutely amazing. She shows time and again that physical strength is not the only kind of strength that matters. She is such a strong person, and her resilience, combined with her compassion, makes her such a unique and interesting character.

I loved reading about Kellens' relationship with his siblings. This is another thing this book does that is different from the norm....usually we see the strong feared male main character only be vulnerable for the female lead. So, to see the soft vulnerable side of Kellen come out for his siblings was so beautiful. The bond that the three of them share is amazing 👏

I honestly can't say enough good things about this book. It kept me hooked the entire time, was beautifully written, and had some extremely important lessons intertwined seamlessly with the plot ! If you love the following things, then please do yourself a favor and read this book:

✨️ Mental health representation
✨️Shifters,Magic, Magical kingdom
✨️Dragons
✨️Touch her and ☠️
✨️Enemies to Lovers
✨️Found Family
✨️Fated Mates

I do feel like I have to advise to check for trigger warnings because this book does include:

-Child abuse
-Self Harm
-Depression/Suicide
-Physical Abuse

Remember that your mental health matters.


Thank you to NetGalley, Kyla Shinder, and publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fantasy with an unusual twist, actual several throughout the book. Ella is trying hard to not only prove herself in a different dimension, but trying to stay alive too. While I enjoyed the book, the dialog was at times lengthy and left me wanting to skim the pages for the real action. I did keep reading and the ending when everything is revealed was a surprise. Overall a good book for those who love romance and fantasy.

Dark academia, magic, and dragons… what more could you need in a fantasy book?
BUT if you do need more to entice you into reading this PHENOMENAL novel, it also has action, banter, heart to heart moments, ENDLESS tension, and spice so delicious your mouth will water.


🖤Noella Rose might be a human, but because she’s been THROUGH IT, it’s all made her incredibly strong. If you’re expecting a dainty FMC who needs a man to save her, she’s not the one for you. Her job as a school counselor is so beautifully handled. Kyla used her personal and professional knowledge to create Ella and if they handle situations the same, I’d say the youth of today would be LUCKY to have Kyla as their counselor.

🖤I HAVE FOUND A NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND AND HIS NAME IS KELLEN KILIC🫠
He had me wrapped around his finger the moment he said some smartass remark to Ella. And all I could hear was Nick from New Girl saying, “Stop being so mean to me or I swear to god I’m gonna fall in love with you.” This man is a lovable asshole and I’d fight Ella for him. His love for his younger siblings showed how capable he is of love and how fierce he is with it.
If he wanted to put a leash around my neck and walk me like a dog, I’d let him. If he asked me to walk over a path of legos barefoot just to get near him, bitch I’d be SPRINTING across them. I’m so feral for this fine ass dragon shifter and would let him do unspeakable things to me🤷🏼‍♀️



🖤Kyla did an incredible job creating this world and these characters. Everything is so well thought out and the characters are all fully developed, even the small, side characters.


🖤I already can’t wait for the next book. 1000/10 recommend

So this is a little bit of a mixed one for me. I’ll start with the things I loved about this book because I did really enjoy it. I absolutely loved the FMC Ella, she has so much personality and she’s really funny. I love how she doesn’t just take what everyone throws at her and she sticks up for herself. I love how she treats Kellen the MMC in the first half of the book. I did really like Kellen too, it’s a classic enemies to lovers which is my favourite trope and he does make a really good enemy. I loved the plot too, it’s something I’ve not come across before so it was very refreshing to read something new. Without giving too much away I loved the relationship between Kellen and Freya (Ella’s dog) it added a really nice touch to the story and it also made me giggle quite a bit. The reasons for me giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is during the last half of the book I found at times certain things to become repetitive, for example, there was a lot of crying from all the characters, it seems as though every time the FMC and the MMC exchanged kind words to each other they both ended up crying which I found unrealistic given the way the world works where they are is all about not showing weakness and being strong on the outside etc, I feel as though it would of been a lot more powerful if there was one big declaration of love and the tears happened then. I loved the twins so much they’re really great characters although I do feel as though it would of made more sense to make them older as they just seemed a little too mature for 12 year olds, it felt like I was reading adult characters. When the enemies became lovers I also feel like the 2 main characters lost their personalities especially Kellen, we only really see him declaring his love in the second half of the book rather than his sarcastic dry humor that is in the first half. The monologues between the characters were really well written and really poetic but at times I felt they were just a little too long to flow properly. That being said I did enjoy this book a lot and would recommend and I will be picking up the next book if there is one.

This was a well-written, exciting, slow-building romantic and action-packed read, and I'll continue to follow this author and recommend her novels.

A perfect combination of fantasy and academia!!!

When I first saw the tropes for this book I was immediately sold. An enemies to lovers with a sexy, broody professor in a fantasy setting? Yes, please 🙌🏻

I try to avoid referring to the plot in my reviews as I want them to be as spoiler free as possible. All I’m gonna say is get ready for a story about a human school counsellor who gets magically transported to a different dimension and has to find her place in an academy where magical beings hate humans (especially a certain sexy professor who wants to make her life hell 🙄).

I simply loved the FMC! She was so empathetic with a great personality who truly wanted to support the students even if the cards were stacked against her. Recently, I’ve mostly read about extremely badass FMCs (which I also love ♥️) but it was a nice change to have a main character who was a bit softer and vulnerable but still strong and fierce.

And the MMC is my favourite kind 🥵🥵🥵 broody, cold and an asshole and I swear I’ll never get tired of it 😂

Their relationships is a slow burn and I ate up every second of it!!! The tension was dripping of the pages and I love how naturally their relationship progressed.

The book is quite long, around 500 pages, so there were some slower moments but honestly I kinda love that in books. Sometimes it truly helps us get to know the characters better and truly connect with their world 🫶🏻

I definitely recommend it to all fantasy romance lovers 🌹

The tropes include:

🥀 academy setting
🥀 enemies to lovers
🥀 slow burn
🥀 shifters
🥀 found family
🥀 mental health rep

This book is the PERFECT read for any enemies to lovers fan. I mean a true true enemies to lovers story here. So much so that for me, I hated so many of the characters to ever move on. But I think that’s what makes the book so fantastic and what stands out among other reads. Shinder isn’t afraid to ruffle a little feathers and cause tension and hate early on which really sets the book up well for that redemption arc in the friendships and romance storyline.
I appreciated the huge emphasis on mental health and caring for others- something I am very passionate about myself.
The only reason this isn’t higher stars for me is because it was my personal cup of tea, particularly the first 30% where there is a lot of bullying, hate, and ostracizing. It was hard to read, but again absolutely bold move and made the rest of the story play out in such a beautiful way.
It did move a bit slower than some of my other recent reads which I actually appreciated because so often authors rely on quick plot to get through the book. This story really hooked you into the micro level day to day conversations and care of a human trapped at a school in another realm and how this plays out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Azala Press for the ARC copy of Bleeding Rose.

I absolutely loved this book. I struggled to put it down and I am so excited to read more.

I absolutely adore Noella, Kellen and the twins.

The slow burn, enemies to lovers, found family, touch her and die and the amazing characters in this novel made it such a memorable read for me.

I will definitely be picking up a physical copy of this book when it is released.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy!

This was my favorite read of the year.

Ella was such a wonderful counselor and has an even greater personality. Lose your morals, Ella! It's time for a super steamy teacher x teacher romance. I felt like it was a little slow in some places, but it was such a fast read.

Touch her and die
SHIFTERS
found family

I also absolutely loved the twins. They were so darn cute and accepting of Ella.

Hopefully there's a second book, the cliffhanger at the end killed me! I hope we get to read more from Ella and Kellen.

"Bleeding Rose" by Kyla Shinder is a hauntingly beautiful novel that weaves together elements of dark romance and intense drama. The story follows a protagonist navigating a world of emotional and physical challenges, where love and pain intertwine in unexpected ways. Shinder’s writing is evocative and lyrical, drawing readers into a compelling narrative filled with rich, multidimensional characters. The novel's exploration of love, loss, and redemption makes it a powerful and memorable read for those who appreciate deep, emotional storytelling.

So I finished this book last night after I couldn’t put it down, I loved how the writer described the world and the difference between the dimensions of the worlds! Now the enemies to lovers I loved this role in this story but you defs need to read this story you won’t be disappointed!

Wow I loved this book. Loved the setting, magic and main characters. Noelle and Kellen stole my heart. And, the ending yes! Can not wait for more.