I started this series on the recommendation of a friend who is a romance author, and I devoured this sexy novella in a single evening. I had certain preconceptions about the two main characters based on the back-cover text, which were smashed immediately.
The heroine Myst, especially, was not what I expected at all. The intricate world-building enhances the complexity of her character, and I look forward to learning about the magical elements of this paranormal romance world. Also, she’s hilarious, which will always make me favor a character.
Nikolai trends toward the typical Alpha hero, but where I thought the book was going to be kind of rapey, he proved that consent is still way sexier. Major consent issues in this story regarding personal freedom are still present, but it trends toward the kink side rather than straight-up problematic. Readers should be conscious of potential triggers.
While the “Bride” concept is an interesting twist on the vampire mythos, I do find it incredibly heteronormative. It will be interesting to see how this plays out through further partnerships in the series.
Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.