Serpent & Dove

Are you ever in the middle of a book and it hits you that you never want it to end? You are caught in this weird middle land of wanting to read faster and faster but at the same time contemplating putting the book down so you may live in that world a little bit longer? I have read a few books throughout my life that made me feel this way – namely when I first discovered Harry Potter around the age of eight. My mother had bought me Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for a 14-hour road trip. By hour seven we were pulling off the interstate to swing into a Walmart to pick up Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and a portable light so I could continue my journey. Another that comes to mind is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I discovered Throne of Glass soon after it released and read the series each as they came out, anxiously awaiting the next book’s arrival. When Kingdom of Ash was released last fall, it truly felt as if I was saying goodbye to old friends. I needed to know how it ended but wanted to savor this world that had meant so much just a little longer. Well, I can now add Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin to that list. While I love a lot of books that have come out in the last several years, Serpent & Dove is on another level. It has truly been awhile since I have been so enraptured in a book. For a debut book especially, it is out of this world. The Plot Serpent & Dove starts out by introducing us to one of our main characters, Louise Le Blanc or ‘Lou’ – a young witch who fled her coven to stay alive. She is on the run, seeking shelter in an unfriendly city that is attempting to eradicate magic and burning all witches. She’s left to beg, borrow, and steal (mainly the latter) to get by without her magic. As for her character, she is a feisty woman whose personality reminds me of a cross between Celaena/Aelin from Throne of Glass or Lila Bard from V.E. Schwab’s Darker Shade of Magic. She knows how to get herself in and out of danger and always has something witty to say. One thing I have learned about my preferences when it comes to female protagonists, I gravitate towards smart-mouthed, strong women who take pleasure in bucking tradition and Lou gives me all that I look for in spades. Even in the most desperate of situations she moves forward with an incredible amount of swagger and bravado that makes you love her even more. On one of her misadventures she crashes into Reid Diggory, our second main character. Reid is part of the Chasseurs, huntsmen of the Church and leaders of those who want to eradicate witches and, of course, is the exact opposite of Lou. He prides himself on his commitment to the principle ‘Thou shall not suffer a witch to live’, and he is also a fairly uptight, duty-bound man. Most importantly he is loyal to the people he loves and the causes he believes in (even if they are maybe misplaced). Through a few misadventures, this unlikely pair ends up being forced to wed. A witch hunter and a witch – a match made in heaven or hell? This is classic enemy to lovers’ stuff – which is one of my all-time favorite tropes. As expected, even though the pair are polar opposites, feelings grow and both must make the decision about where their devotions lie and what they are willing to sacrifice in the name of love. The Review This book left me with such a hangover. I was not ready to leave its warm embrace. From the banter, writing style and the way Shelby made such a dark book, lighthearted. An overarching theme of the book is challenging prejudices and pre-conceived notions on what is right and wrong. Through Lou and Reid’s romance and the rotating cast of secondary characters, you see that maybe all witches are not bad, and maybe all Chasseurs are not either. In my opinion, it is quite reflective of current culture. Media today wants to tell us that XYZ group of people are all bad, but when you get down to human to human interaction, that is absolutely never the case. It is a lot easier to ‘hate’ a whole group of people until you humanize them and understand each and every one of the individuals in a group has their own hopes, dreams and personality. It is refreshing to see this growing problem addressed in a fantastical way in mainstream books. Honestly though, what I loved most about this book was the characters and their romance. As I have mentioned Throne of Glass several times in this blog post, I will admit that I hold an unpopular opinion in that I loved Celaena and Chaol together. While many fans of that series would consider it sacrilegious, I found their banter and how they tested each other’s boundaries quite entertaining. Lou and Reid have many shades of what Celaena and Chaol could have been. For example, Lou is constantly stepping across the lines that Reid draws in the sand – like his aversion to cussing and bawdiness. A reoccurring reference in the book is Lou singing the bar song ‘Big Tiddy Liddy’. While we only get a few lines of this what I am sure is a hilarious tune, Lou uses it to make Reid quite uncomfortable in several scenarios. Their romance is also full of sexual tension mostly from the start. If you are anything like me, sometimes the tension and the lead up is the best part. There is no shortage of steamy, tension-filled moments in this book. While the romance was an undeniably huge part of this book – there is an outside/overarching plot. The witches are attempting to reclaim the city, in which Lou plays a critical, albeit unwilling, role. On the other side the Chasseurs are conducting magical experiments and burning every witch they come in contact with in an attempt to eradicate witches once and for all. While this strife does come to a bit of a head at the end – we are still left on a bit of a cliff hanger and I am hotly anticipating the second in the duology, Blood & Honey. I cannot say enough about this book. I could go on and on – but if you love a fast-paced, easy read full of magic, wittiness, and a hot romance please move this to the top of your TBR pile!

In this book we follow Lou who is a witch in hiding, and Reid who’s a witch hunter desperate to make his mentor proud. Lou is living from day to day, hiding and stealing to get away from a past she doesn’t want to remember or speak of. Together with her friend Coco, a blood witch, she’s seeking to steal a piece of jewelry called Angelica’s Ring. It’s a magical piece who’ll help Lou hide from those who seek to find and kill her. But when the mission takes un unfortunate turn, Lou and Reid is forced to marry to avoid a scandal. Now Lou is trapped in a tower crowded by witch hunters who’ll burn her without question if they knew what she is. At the same time, there’s probably no safer place to hide from those she’s hiding from. So, I tried my best to share what the book was about here, but I found it surprisingly difficult. I’m not sure why, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what the book is about. I thought this would be a riveting story of a war between witches and the church, of battle and enemies falling in love and hard choices. But, to be honest, it wasn’t that. It’s a love story more than anything. Most of the book revolves around the relationship between Reid and Lou and how they learn to love each other. Of course, there are more there, too, but that’s not as relevant. At the beginning we’re set up for this big plot of Lou’s secrets and a powerful enemy searching for her. At the end, we get the battle we were promised, but in between there’s nothing, just love story. It wasn’t what I expected, but it wasn’t bad, far from it. I liked the love story, it felt real up until the last 10%. It was a fairly easy read, and I enjoyed the book. The plot is, well, not there, really, but still it is, in a way. The way it was written was both confusing and overcomplicated, and then at times simple and easy to read. It’s like two books in one, I feel like. The opening made me regret picking up the book. I couldn’t wrap my head around what I was reading. It was complicated and unfocused and just strange (and not in a good way). But I stuck with it, and a couple of chapters in, around the time when the two main characters were forced into marriage, the story changed. This is where it became easy to read and the language was completely different. The characters were interesting and well developed, and I enjoyed them all. I do find that the two POVs were a little too similar, though. It was Lou and Reid, and if it hadn’t been for the name being mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, I wouldn’t have known who’s POV it was a lot of the times. Their dialogue was different, but their inner thoughts didn’t match. Specifically, Reid’s inner thoughts sounded like Lou’s. The worldbuilding was also done well. I could argue that this whole French inspired thing was a bit unnecessary, but I kind of got used to them tossing in French words out of the blue here and there. I mean, they were drinking chocolat chaud instead of just hot chocolate. It was a bit random. Overall, it was a good book, I enjoyed it. I can’t really say more than that. Read it if you like love stories.

Quick Stats: Overall: 5/5 Stars Characters: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Awesomeness Factor: 5/5 Review in a Nutshell: From the characters to the setting, everything was well crafted and absolutely addictive. “A witch and a witch hunter bound in holy matrimony. There was only one way such a story could end–a stake and a match.” // Content Warning: Violence, Death, Assault, Mature Content, Suicide Mention, Self Harm (for magic), Rape Mention, Murder, Illness // “They might’ve all been hypocrites, but I was the biggest of all.” Release Date: 9/3/2019 Publisher: HarperTeen Page Count: 528 Premise: Serpent and Dove follows Louise la Blanc, a witch who fled her coven, and Reid Diggory, a witch hunter. After a chaotic second meeting, Lou and Reid must marry to save his reputation, and Lou would rather face the pyre than the enemies chasing her. However, when feelings grow, what was first a simple arrangement becomes infinitely more complicated. “There are some things that can't be changed with words. Some things have to be seen. They have to be felt." - Writing & Setting- Historical novels, or fantasy books heavily influenced by history, intimidate me. While I do love them, a lot of times the story feels bogged down by world-building. So naturally, I was a little scared when starting this book. I had no reason to be. The writing in this book is so easy to immerse yourself into. The dialogue is funny and witty, the inner thoughts of the two protagonists are painfully relatable, and the world felt fleshed out without heavy exposition dumps! Speaking of the world- I love this magic system. It’s well written, with plenty of specifics so you’re never left confused, yet vague in certain areas so you can be surprised. This is one of the few fantasy magic systems that I feel I truly understand, and what makes me really happy is that no one seems overpowered, and there are things in place so no one can become overpowered. “It doesn’t end in death. It ends in hope. Hope. A hope they would never see, would never feel, would never touch. As elusive as smoke. As flickering flames.” - Plot - Serpent and Dove is written in a way where you don’t realize how fast the pages are going by until three hours have passed and you’re halfway through the book. Speaking from experience. I had to physically put the book far away from me so I wouldn’t finish it in one day. Why didn’t I want to finish it in one day? It was too fun and I knew the second I was done, I wouldn’t be able to read anything else because I would just want more of this book. (I was right, by the way). The plot is fast-paced, with plenty of action, magic, and drama. The romance plotline definitely plays a huge part in this book, but there is still a lot happening outside of it. There are great themes discussed, plenty of action, and no unnecessary drama. “Witches and people alike. One and the same. All innocent. All guilty. All dead. But not me.” - Characters - I would read 100 pages of these characters just sitting in a room together. There are four main characters, with two POV characters, and they all interact really well. Each one of them has a well-defined personality and felt grounded and realistic. They also had amazing interactions and bounced off each other well. Even the side characters were multi-faceted and compelling, no matter how few pages they were on. There’s not a single character in this book who I wouldn’t want to know more about. But back to our main protagonists, Lou and Reid. I love them so much. Seriously. Their opposing personalities lead to some great banter, but even on their own, they are strong and fascinating main characters. Lou is a strong female protagonist, but she sets herself apart from the other strong female protagonists in YA fantasy by not being perfect and having weaknesses and flaws that ground her. Speaking of flaws- Reid. Reid has the best character development I’ve seen in a while. He’s a fascinating character from start to finish, and I can’t wait to see where this series takes his journey! “The future is inevitable. We might as well be proactive” - Conclusion - Pros- awesome characters, absolutely amazing romance, great magic system, and setting Cons- I don’t know how I can move on after this book. It ruined me for all other books Overall- 5/5 stars. Serpent and Dove is a must-read 2019 release. This book reminded me exactly why I love fantasy. I started to reread it the second I put it down.

This was a book that has been on my radar for a while, and while I definitely wanted to read it, it wasn’t exactly my most anticipated of the year. After reading this, I think it definitely should’ve been! I’m so happy that I was able to read this book and I thoroughly enjoyed this. Two years before the events of this book, Lou leaves her coven (the reason for which is a spoiler and I’m certainly not giving it away) and in order to hide herself, stops using all magic and fights to survive by becoming a thief. For two years she managed to stay away and (mostly) out of trouble, until a burglary to get an object very important to her goes wrong and she ends up in a…compromising position with a chasseur. In this world, chasseurs are witch hunters and it just so happens that Lou is a witch. The Archbishop then gives Lou an ultimatum: go to jail for the rest of her life, or marry the chasseur whose reputation she has ruined. Of course, Lou chooses marriage because that means an extra level of protection from her coven, but also puts her in extreme danger if her new husband finds out what she really is. At first I thought it would be a simple plot line as this is more of a fantasy romance, but I was wrong and there were quite a few twists and turns and revelations along the way! One thing to note is that there is a fairly explicit sex scene in the latter half of the book so if that’s something that makes you uncomfortable here’s your warning! Oh, and there is quite a bit of profanity as well, if that isn’t your thing. I loved how sarcastic and crass Lou was! She frequently disguises herself as a man in order to move more freely in this world because women are meant to be meek and obedient – which Lou is definitely NOT. She isn’t afraid to be herself even if it means others give her strange looks. Then there is Reid, her chasseur husband. He is frequently described as having a stick up his ass and it’s honestly a great description of his personality…at least when we first meet him. It was so nice to watch him slowly open up to Lou and tell her more about himself and really let his true personality shine through. I also truly enjoyed the side characters in this book, especially Coco and Ansel! They were so supportive of Lou and Reid and were there for them when they needed it most. And how can I forget Beau singing Big Tiddy Liddy while stripping his clothes off? That was fantastic and so funny! Oh, did I mention that this is a French inspired world? Because it was so amazing! I know a little french (thanks to 6 years of French classes in school) so I was able to pick up on some of the words used throughout the book. My (limited) knowledge of French and French culture made me really enjoy the atmosphere and world building done in this book, and I feel like it’s very accessible to those unfamiliar with it. This story revolves around the fight between the Church and the witches, and I really liked that neither side was shown as completely good or completely bad, and the magic that the witches used was interesting. I do wish that it was explained a little more and the limitations of their magic shown, but for a debut and the first in a new series I think it was a solid start and I can’t wait to see the blood witches come into play more in the second book! (That isn’t a spoiler, we find out about blood witches within the first few chapters of the book.) If you couldn’t tell, I absolutely loved this book! It had a ton of things that I really love: enemies to lovers, slow burn, great female friendships, morally gray characters, and actual chemistry between the love interests! It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that could also be considered romance, and it reminded me how much I love being able to truly ship characters together and watch romance bloom. Plus, it’s the perfect read for fall! I would 100% recommend this to anyone looking for a fantastic fantasy with dangerous witches and steamy romance! I honestly couldn’t read fast enough and this book cured me of my reading slump! The characters are so fantastic you will be rooting for them the entire time and by the end, you’ll want to get your hands on every single piece of fanart that you can find.

I liked the premise of the story and the plot, but the execution was wrong in my opinion. I didnt feel connected to the characters and I felt like the relationship between Lou and Reid was driven by plot rather than that deep chemistry/burn that comes from a well developed romance. I also felt likethe timing of their relationship unfolding felt awkward and a tiny bit unatural, maybe even rushed to accommodate plot like I mentioned before. Overall it was a decent, easy read. I dont necessarily think I will buy the second book, but I don't regret reading the first one.

I shall write this review in the form of a list of the things I liked (and things I didn't like, which is literally only two things, and only my own personal opinion, really, because I LIKED THIS BOOK A LOT). Things I liked (no spoilers): Lou and Reid's dynamics! Despite the seriousness and craziness of the situation they both found themselves in, their dynamics was just so fun from the start. I couldn’t wait for those two complete opposites to finally fall in love. And when they did it was just... 🧡 How Lou is just unapologetically herself. Granted, I was sympathizing with Reid when she was cursing because much like Reid I'm also a prude 😂 but Lou just had such a vibrant personality and she never tried to make herself different for anyone's sake. I loved that about her. And I loved her. Reid. I love Reid too. Aside from a very annoying thing he did, but we'll get to that in the things I didn't like. Aside from that though, I loved Reid! I related to his prudish personality a lot, and I think the author definitely managed to sell me on the whole "serious and stoic" love interest. Who needs a bad boy when you can have a Reid who will honor and protect you forever? STICKY BUNS 🧡 I am not usually the type to be taunted with foods in books (even though I LOVE food and especially sweets), BUT OMG was I taunted here! I want a sticky bun, the author found my weakness! At one point during all those revelations at the end, my heart was beating out of my chest and I literally had to put the book aside to compose myself. Lou and Reid together are just so precious and I want SO MUCH MORE of them in the next book. Things I liked (with spoilers): The gang! I just loved our gang at the end, their dynamics was such fun. I'll be so sad if they part ways in the next book because I just love all of them together - Lou, Reid, Ansel, Coco, Madam Labelle, Beau (yep, Beau was a surprise because I didn't think I'll like him but now I really like him!) Madam Labelle being Reid's mother - so cool! I liked that he started caring for her in the end, and I hope to see him come to care for her more. I know they have a long way to go, but I hope they do because it would be so precious. I was so scared at the end there when it looked like she died, and PHEW that she didn't! Reid killing the Archbishop. Okay, so I didn't want the Archbishop to die at the end. Granted, I wanted to punch him in the face repeatedly in the beginning, but after we found out he was Lou's father it was just... O_O . But wow wow wow wow, Reid killing him to save Lou's life SO DARK and also HECK YES at the same time? I don't even know, but I'm just glad Reid is willing to do anything to save Lou. Love it. Which brings us to, Reid is a witch! He wasn't just born to a witch, he can do actual magic!We still don't know how it works - can he really do it all the time? Was it just a one time thing because Lou almost died and so he almost died too? Is it something that awakened in him in those moments of darkness? I personally hope it's something he'll still be able to do in the next book and not just a one time thing! Reid cursing like 3 times at the end of the book 😂 Never thought I would be so delighted by a character cursing, but boy this was good. Lou reading that book about those two lovers from warring countries! Loved it! And how it was like a nod to us readers to our own fangirling situation with Reid and Lou. Things I didn't like (with spoilers): There are only really two things that I had personal issues with. The whole "past love interest" trope. And yeah, I'm talking about Celie and Reid. I mean, it's not that I don't understand what Reid found in her. It makes sense that he would fall in love with someone like Celie, especially since they've known each other since they were children. But it just made the whole "falling in love with Lou" a bit less realistic when he was technically still in love with Celie in the beginning of the book. It is a bit jarring that he could just move from his so called love to Celie and right to Lou. Don't get me wrong, I'M SO HAPPY he fell for Lou, the love of his life, so I'm assuming when he said he loved Celie, he did love her, but he probably wasn't in love with her for some time now. But in general, yeah, I always had trouble with the past love interest trope, when one of the protagonists is still half in love with said past love. Reid rejecting Lou when he found out she was a witch. Haha... yep, that moment. I nearly threw the book aside when Lou was just about to tell him she's a witch in their room and they were interrupted in a classic interruption scene just when someone is about to reveal something really important 😂 I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I just knew then and there Reid was going to find out Lou is a witch in the wrong way. And yep, he did. And yep, he BROKE HER HEART. AND I WAS SO MAD. SO MAD I TELL YOU. I understand. I understand Reid was practically brainwashed since he was born. You can't just erase brainwashing of years and year, DOESN'T MEAN I STILL CAN'T BE MAD THOUGH. I am glad, however, that he apologized at the end. That he even cried and blamed himself. At the very least he's repenting about it. So I'm glad. In conclusion (with spoilers): What will happen now! Our gang is so not our of the woods yet. If anything, they're in even deeper woods. Madam Labelle and Beau are said to go talk to the king, persuade him not to act rashly. As for Lou, Reid, Aansel and Coco, they must seek sanctuary with Coco's aunt, now that they're all fugitives. Everyone would want Lou dead, especially her mother - who is still alive and probably the biggest threat - and everyone saw Reid kill the Archbishop, so he's wanted too. And Ansel, of course, who aided them both. Not to mention Coco, who also aided and is known as a witch. How will Reid deal with the PTSD he probably just got from killing the Archbishop, finding out the love of his life his a witch, he's the son of a witch and probably has magic too, and his wife is still threatened by practically everyone? Now I really want to read Blood & Honey. Fun times ahead, people ;)

Trigger Warnings: intense violence, a lot of self harm, vague descriptions of scenes revolving around sex, physical abuse, physical assault, blood, gore, sexism, extortion, oppression, discrimination. Before I picked up Serpent & Dove, I was scrolling endlessly through all the saved books on my Scribd account when I accidentally hit back to home and saw it was the recommended book of the day. The cover was what instantly drew me to it, following by the synopsis. And when I say this book delivered, it freaking delivered on a gold platter!! After finding out that this debut novel was not only an enemies to lovers story but also had hate to love, I instantly knew this would be a five star read. Guess what, I was right! I was drawn into the world and I stayed right there, alongside Lou and Reid – who both of them are such babes! I am not generally a fan of multiple of point of views, but Serpent & Dove really was wonderful! Lou was this morally grey, ambitious, and outspoken character that you just couldn’t help falling in love with. She was sassy, sarcastic, knew what she wanted and took action. Everything I strive to be to be completely honest! Reid on the other hand was innocent yet not, strong willed, and oh so swoon worthy. The chemistry between these two characters was nothing but sass, sarcasm, and sparks – EVERYWHERE! Both Lou and Reid are perfectly imperfect and they suit each other so well! Even the minor characters were amazingly written and had their own chemistry with the main characters. The descriptions were extremely well done and the world building was powerful! I loved every twist and turn, and even became obsessed with binging the entire audiobook in one go. Shelby Mahurin is such a talented and addicting writer!! The way she was able to describe everything in 18th Century France was so well done. Getting the religious conflicts and terms correct was a definite win on Shelby’s part. This really helped fuel the passionate and forbidden love affair. Another thing that I enjoyed was the magic system! It was nice seeing different types of witches and what their capabilities/ things that they have to risk to perform magic. The magic system within Serpent & Dove was perfect for it’s setting – dark and rough. You never knew what each witch would have to do in order to cast a spell. With this also being set back in the 18th Century, it really showcased how witches were treated unfairly and the laws that were in place to crush them. This really hit the history part like a nail in a board. Overall, I absolutely adored this book and it’s characters! It made it onto my top ten favorite books of 2019 and is one that I recommend to everybody whenever I get a chance. This book is one that readers who love fantasy books, but not with all of the overload of fantasy information, will love. Serpent & Dove balanced the fantasy aspect along with not overloading too much information perfectly. It also delivered a wonderful world that you just want to immerse yourself into. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy, enemies to lovers, hate to love, witches, and historical settings.

4.5!!!!! *** I gave it 4.5 only because I found it to be very adult for a Young Adult novel. As a former bookseller, I know many parents aren’t going to let their teenagers read it and will have problems with some of the adult content in this young adult novel. However I personally loved it. That was my only concern! Now on to my review... I definitely dived right into this book starting with the first chapter. I found the writing throughout the entire book to be captivating and descriptive enough to either pull me in or keep me guessing, and that sucked me right into this story. This is another novel where I was flying through pages and chapters at lightning speed! Though it is a debut novel, I have to say that in my opinion it was expertly written, well paced, and the story’s universe and circumstances were believable enough. I also was able to feel emotions for the characters very quickly on, both Reid and Lou, our two main characters and narrators. NO-SPOILER SUMMARY The story takes place in France and as expected featured a little bit of the French language as well, which was a nice touch! I was able to learn some French while reading it! Lou is a witch who is in hiding, on the run and living recklessly with her best friend Coco, a blood witch. The two of them often dress as men to conduct business and go undetected in bars, brothers, and all sorts of other places men frequent. She is also not practicing her magic, because it leaves a smell behind that others can detect. “Others” meaning the Chaussers, the holy soldiers that protect and control much of this world. They are headed by the Archbishop, a man who is not as holy as would be expected of a man of his position. From this end, Reid is our narrator. He is as straight-edge as can be, following the Chausser doctrine and the Archbishop’s orders without question. He and Lou cross paths, and after a very serious mishap, they are forced to get married. Lou keeps her status as a witch a secret, and throughout the story we watch as other witches hunt after her, in the name of her mother, who tried to kill her at 16 and is still hunting her to finish what she started. Guys, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. There were so many twists and turns, so much ACTION, so much humor, and so many unfortunate circumstances. It also painted a vivid, brutal, and violent image of the universe and the prejudice against witches, who are burnt at the stake and murdered without hesitation if they are discovered. Lou keeps her secret out of fear her husband will kill her. Will he? You’ll have to read it and find out!

The way Shelby wrote it makes it so easy to dive into the universe and not want to get out until you are finished with it. It's like, in the beginning, you're really confused about what's happening, but you get this one thought: I love how fierce Lou is. And then, when the story keeps going, you suddenly find yourself even MORE in love with her but also in love with Reid, Ansel, Coco... All the plot twists made it SO chocking. I don't even know what I was expecting, but certanly wasn't this. It surprised me SO much in a good way. Shelby's writing just made me end this book with the feeling that I can't wait to the next one, I can't stop thinking about everything that could happen next. Speaking of characters, I think the four I mentioned before deserve a little praise: - Lou is, since the start of the story, one of the most strong female characters I've ever seen. Even thought you don't know yet how, and why, you can feel this fierceness coming out of her. You can feel in it her words. The way she does what she has to do but never, EVER, accepts it as okay, just shows how good of a heart she has. Some scenes made me want to hug her so tight. - Reid is amazing as well. The first thing I thought about him was: cute. The way he blushed so much made me soooo in love. But it did take a few chapters for me to love him as much as I already loved Lou. And in the end, it's impossible not to want to rip your heart out and give it to him. He's so loyal, so strong, I love him. - Ansel had my heart from the very first scene. He's also so cute, sososososo cute, it made me swoon for him. I think he's probably the character I want to protect the most, just because he's so SO cute. He's also strong, focused, loyal, open-minded and open-hearted. I think he deserves a lot of love and praise, especially because of how quick he is to protect those who are loved by him. - Coco is such a loyal friend, I can't even begin to talk about it. It made me want to have a friend just like her. She's also so powerful, and we had no idea about the extent of her power until the very end of the book. I think the next one will definitely show a lot more of her, and I'm dying for it. Overall, this was an amazing book. Blood & Honey, I'm waiting for you.

What can I say about this book? I stumbled upon it casually, attracted by the cover. Many YA/NA fantasy/paranormal books have nice covers, but sometimes that is the only pretty thing they have. This one did have a great cover and a great plot. It restored my hope in this genre, finally. Because I couldn't get into anything like this in the last few months. Now I can't say much without spoiling, but I'll try. We have our main female character, Louise Le Blanc, called by everyone Lou. When we first meet her (we have her 1st person POV), she is dressed as a male and is looking for a ring. This wouldn't seem quite astonishing, but since this book is set in a unidentified period that seems Victorian but at the same time isn't, this was a nice touch. Because in this book women are treated like properties or trash, especially when they are thieves like Lou and her friend Coco. Lou is a great female character. Not only she isn't afraid of doing what she wants in a time where she is regarded as inferior by men, but she also risks everything to save her friends and tries hard to survive. She's a witch and she is wanted, so she must hide, because in the town of Cesarine magic is forbidden and witches are the enemies. Throughout the book Lou suffers a lot. She can't take a break, but she always tries her best to fight and be brave, or she will not be free. I really liked her and thought her reasons and choices were in line with her character. She wasn't a detestable female character like many YA/NA heroines. Like I said, she is strong and capable of saving herself from trouble. Our main male character is Reid Diggory, a Chasseur, that is a sort of guard who works for the Church. He is not your typical YA/NA hero: he is good. He is cute, he is innocent. Sometimes he can be a pain, but he isn't a bad boy. On the other hand, he is the one who follows the rules of the Church and never does anything wrong. He happens to say the wrong things at times, because his relationship with Lou initially stems from hatred, but he quickly realizes when he's wrong and you can see his evolution as a character at the end of the book. I loved Lou and Reid. They are opposites because she's a bit feisty and uncontrollable, while he's serious and controlled. They are forced to marry because of the circumstances, so it's inevitable that they both hated it at first. Reid loved somebody else, while Lou never wanted to chain herself to a main with matrimony. But this union could benefit them both, because Reid has the protection Lou needs and Lou is the woman who could make Reid get out of his comfort zone and see that it's not gold all that glitters, especially in the Church. I loved their banter, they were funny. Plus, with Lou's secret identity, it was all more tense, because she wants to keep her secret but at the same time, she wants to be honest with her husband. I also liked the secondary characters, they were funny too. And well characterized. Despite having unveiled some plot twists beforehand (maybe I've read just too many books to be surprised anymore), the book didn't fail to surprise me and engage me until the end. Believe me, this is rare in my case, because I am not picky but I tend to criticize many books because of the plots and characters. This one had great characters and interesting plot, that I guess many fantasy lovers can like. I can't wait to see what happens in book #2. This one wrapped some storylines but of course there is a lot more to discover and some people to defeat before every plot line can be over. Thankfully, this is a duology, so I'll just need to read another book. Hopefully, it will end well. And hopefully we won't have to wait long.

How amazing to finally have this books in my hands after several months of waiting to be available in my country. I was so comitted to get this book on the hardcover and English version. And It was all beautiful and without damage at all. Just saying the wait was worth it. I really love the story and all the trope beside it (enemies to lovers, YASSS) looking forward to the second book obviously... Hope is good as the first one.

This was the best book I've read in quite a while. I loved the character construction and often while reading, I couldn't stop myself from smiling or laughing. The characters were absolutely relatable and refreshing at the same time. I wasn't able to put it down, once I had started it. However, I didn't like the end as much as the rest of the book. Therefore I'm not quite sure whether I would read the sequel.

So to jump right into it this enemies to lovers, I loved the book! The world building was great, and took place in France in the 1700's I believe. The development of the character Reid was really good. Their is action, romance, sex, violence and friendship what more can you ask for. The use of magic reminded me of the fact that everything comes with a price and nothing is for free. To have balance in the world evil and good must exist, but neither side is portrayed as truly evil or good. You are getting a sneak peak into their minds and their point of view. No one is truly evil it's just your perception of the world and who can tell if your perception of the world is the right one. I also liked the fact that no one in the book is perfect. Everyone has multiple flaws and the writer is not afraid to let them know. Some may say that the development of Reid wasn't enough, but imagine you were brought up a certain kind of way and always believed some things just were and then you're supposed to believe that things aren't. It would be difficult to get rid of your beliefs even if you so desperately want to. Because some of your reactions are natural and imbedded deep in your soul. I do agree that in the end things indeed went a bit to easy. I mean come on girl you could have been a bit mad or sad or disappointed, but you weren't. But overall definitely a must read and excited to read the sequel!