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Married to Magic #3
A Duel with the Vampire Lord
On the night of the blood moon, the Vampire Lord must die.
Floriane's position as the forge maiden of Hunter's Hamlet is one of reverence, for it is her skill that arms and protects the vampire hunters. She knows her place and is a faithful servant to the Master Hunter and her community... until the night of the blood moon. Until her brother is dying at the hands of the Vampire Lord Ruvan.
Wanting to defend her home at all costs, Floriane fights the vampire lord, ready to give her life if it means taking his. But Ruvan doesn't want to take her life... he wants her.
Kidnapped and brought to the vampire castle, Floriane is now blood sworn to the vampire lord. She is bound in mind and body to her worst enemy. But Ruvan isn't the fiend she thought he was. She learns the truth of the vampires: They are not mindless monsters, but a proud people, twisted and tortured by an ancient curse.
Ruvan believes that Floriane might be the key to ending his people's suffering. All Floriane wants is to defend her home. Loyalties are tested and the lines between truth and lie, hate and passion, are blurred.
When her dagger is at his chest, will she be able to take the heart of the man who has claimed hers?
A darkly-reimagined Snow White meets inspiration from Beauty and the Beast in an epic fantasy world of hunters, vampires, and curses that run deeper than blood. This stand alone is complete with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon worthy, enemies to lovers story.
While it is set in the Married to Magic universe, readers can start with this book.
Floriane's position as the forge maiden of Hunter's Hamlet is one of reverence, for it is her skill that arms and protects the vampire hunters. She knows her place and is a faithful servant to the Master Hunter and her community... until the night of the blood moon. Until her brother is dying at the hands of the Vampire Lord Ruvan.
Wanting to defend her home at all costs, Floriane fights the vampire lord, ready to give her life if it means taking his. But Ruvan doesn't want to take her life... he wants her.
Kidnapped and brought to the vampire castle, Floriane is now blood sworn to the vampire lord. She is bound in mind and body to her worst enemy. But Ruvan isn't the fiend she thought he was. She learns the truth of the vampires: They are not mindless monsters, but a proud people, twisted and tortured by an ancient curse.
Ruvan believes that Floriane might be the key to ending his people's suffering. All Floriane wants is to defend her home. Loyalties are tested and the lines between truth and lie, hate and passion, are blurred.
When her dagger is at his chest, will she be able to take the heart of the man who has claimed hers?
A darkly-reimagined Snow White meets inspiration from Beauty and the Beast in an epic fantasy world of hunters, vampires, and curses that run deeper than blood. This stand alone is complete with a "happily ever after" ending. It's perfect for fantasy romance fans looking for just the right amount of steam and their next slow-burn and swoon worthy, enemies to lovers story.
While it is set in the Married to Magic universe, readers can start with this book.
536 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 18, 2022
2912 people are currently reading
41770 people want to read
About the author
Elise Kova
51 books16.5k followersJoin Elise's mailing list to never miss a giveaway, release, sale, and more: https://elisekova.com/subscribe/
ELISE KOVA is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys telling stories of fantasy worlds filled with magic and deep emotions. She lives in Florida and, when not writing, can be found playing video games, drawing, chatting with readers on social media, or daydreaming about her next story.
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ELISE KOVA is a USA Today bestselling author. She enjoys telling stories of fantasy worlds filled with magic and deep emotions. She lives in Florida and, when not writing, can be found playing video games, drawing, chatting with readers on social media, or daydreaming about her next story.
Say Hello!
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,622 reviews
September 7, 2025
Book 2 restored my hope for this series and the graphic audio for this so far is really good! Hoping it stays that way!
June 23, 2023
"What am I going to do with you?"
"Love me forever?"
"Careful, or I just might."
Wow. Mind blown. That ending 🤌 This book 🤌 Ruvan 😭❤️
✔️ Snow White reimagined
✔️ Beauty and the beast vibes
✔️ Enemies to lovers
✔️ Slowww burn
✔️ Found family
✔️ "Touch her and there will be consequences"
The world building is far better thought out than the first two books in the series. It's more detailed and well explained. The pacing of the book is consistent, not going too slow and not going too fast. I loved that the tone of the book was so much darker than the previous two books.
The characters are likable. The FMC, Floraine is a forge maiden, and that made her kinda badass in my eyes. She is a smart, useful and compassionate girl. Tho there was a point where I got slightly annoyed with her cause she came across as unreasonably stubborn but it's something am willing to look past at the end of the day. The MMC, Ruvan aka the vampire lord, NGL to you he's so dreamy. He knows exactly what to say, when to say and how to say. He knows how to romance. I loved how even tho he hated the FMC, he was always so willing and open to her. The vampir lord is a romantic 🤤 The supporting characters are quite memorable too and make the story more enjoyable.
The romance is a slow burn. There was a point when I felt it dragged a bit too much. They did have their moments, sexy and dark moments in between but I got impatient around 78% mark cause they still didn't resolve their issues. Then came the ending around 85% and IT WAS SO WORTH IT 🤌🤌 The spice was good. But I was expecting more. I wanted more 😭 C'mon the whole tone of the book is dark and there's a sexy vampir, why won't I expect lots of smut 🥲
The ending was chef's kiss 🤌 I was so invested, couldn't stop reading. Ruvan 😭❤️🤌
Overall, the third standalone in the series is being slept on and it deserves to be read more. The only reason am not rating it 5 stars is because it could have been 70-100 pages short and didn't need as many details. Otherwise it's really worth one's time.
"Love me forever?"
"Careful, or I just might."
Wow. Mind blown. That ending 🤌 This book 🤌 Ruvan 😭❤️
✔️ Snow White reimagined
✔️ Beauty and the beast vibes
✔️ Enemies to lovers
✔️ Slowww burn
✔️ Found family
✔️ "Touch her and there will be consequences"
The world building is far better thought out than the first two books in the series. It's more detailed and well explained. The pacing of the book is consistent, not going too slow and not going too fast. I loved that the tone of the book was so much darker than the previous two books.
The characters are likable. The FMC, Floraine is a forge maiden, and that made her kinda badass in my eyes. She is a smart, useful and compassionate girl. Tho there was a point where I got slightly annoyed with her cause she came across as unreasonably stubborn but it's something am willing to look past at the end of the day. The MMC, Ruvan aka the vampire lord, NGL to you he's so dreamy. He knows exactly what to say, when to say and how to say. He knows how to romance. I loved how even tho he hated the FMC, he was always so willing and open to her. The vampir lord is a romantic 🤤 The supporting characters are quite memorable too and make the story more enjoyable.
The romance is a slow burn. There was a point when I felt it dragged a bit too much. They did have their moments, sexy and dark moments in between but I got impatient around 78% mark cause they still didn't resolve their issues. Then came the ending around 85% and IT WAS SO WORTH IT 🤌🤌 The spice was good. But I was expecting more. I wanted more 😭 C'mon the whole tone of the book is dark and there's a sexy vampir, why won't I expect lots of smut 🥲
The ending was chef's kiss 🤌 I was so invested, couldn't stop reading. Ruvan 😭❤️🤌
Overall, the third standalone in the series is being slept on and it deserves to be read more. The only reason am not rating it 5 stars is because it could have been 70-100 pages short and didn't need as many details. Otherwise it's really worth one's time.
August 6, 2024
✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ World-building
✅ Characters
✅ Plot
✅ Vampires and a darker atmosphere (at times)
✅🆗 Pace
✅🆗 Romance (enemies-to-lovers)
✅🆗 Kind of “found family” vibe
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: blood (mostly used for magic and rituals) and death
3.5 stars
Floriane is the forge maiden of Hunter’s Hamlet, as was her mother before her, and her grandmother before that. Floriane’s family is the only one able to forge the special alloy that allows hunters to kill vampires when they invade every full moon. Flor has always accepted her situation, the responsibilities, and also the restrictions that come with it, such as the fact that she cannot engage with any man and will marry whoever is deemed suitable for her instead of whoever she chooses, but when her brother’s life is on the line, Flor acts without thinking and ends up at the mercy of the vampire lord. Forced to stay and cooperate with the vampires, Flor learns that things are not always black and white and that the vampires are as miserable as the humans are, because they are cursed and are slowly dying and withering away, and all they want is to find a way to break the curse before there is no vampire left.
This book has a very strong start with an intriguing main character, a medievalesque vibe, and scary monstrous vampires, but sadly the length of it made the plot lose some quality and impact. Also, don’t expect anything new in this book. While it was interesting, and the plot was better than in the previous book, the basics remain the same: a human girl taken to Midscape by a handsome magical male that she ends up falling in love with, and he ends up falling in love with her too, even though it goes against their norms and what is “usually done” in their society.
Since this is the third book in the series, we are getting used to Midscape, however, this book had new pieces of information and a different and gloomier setting. The plot was a little more complex than the one in the previous book, which was nice, but once again, I fail to get fully involved into the romance. The fact that the book felt a little long didn’t help either. It’s not one part that was super long, it’s just a few pages here and there, but overall, the book could have been 50 pages shorter and I think it would have helped with the pace and the flow of the story. There is a lot of time spent just trying to understand the curse or reexplaining things to get others to understand, and I would have preferred more action or relationship development instead.
The atmosphere of this book is darker than the one in the two previous books. Hunter's Hamlet is a place where people survive, but do not really thrive because of the monthly attacks by the vampires. There is a feeling of despair from the start, but I liked how Flor became more and more hopeful that a solution to end the curse and allow her people to have a "real" life was possible.
I loved the concept of the main character being a strong forge maiden. Floriane is essential to her village’s survival and her skills are unique, yet she is a prisoner of her station as the forge maiden and will be forced to marry whoever is deemed suitable for her and to pass on her trade to her future daughter. Floriane loves being a blacksmith, but we can really feel that she longs for the freedom of being able to make her own decisions when it comes to her love life and her future. It was nice to see Flor gain confidence and decide to think about herself too and not just what is expected of her.
I love Elise Kova’s take on vampires in this book. I love how she created a history explaining why they are seen as monsters, and how they used to use blood for their magic, and not simply because they were bloodthirsty monsters. Ruvan is a nice love interest, and at first, I really loved his mysterious side, and his protective side too. Even though he was not a fan of having a human in his group, he was fiercely protective of Floriane and I loved seeing that. Sadly, he kind of remained stuck at the same place for most of the book. He did change a bit for sure, or he would not have allowed himself to care for a human, but I would have liked him to be more developed and more layered maybe. I feel that there are hints of him being complex and layered, but we don’t see it in the book, he ends up being a pretty straightforward character instead of this mysterious dark vampire lord I was expecting.
As in the previous books of this series, this is an enemies-to-lovers romance, but this time we could feel the conflicted feelings of the main character even more. It wasn’t just about Floriane falling for a vampire, she realized that she was falling for him and was so confused because of those feelings and the fact that she should not like Ruvan, and being ashamed of her feelings and impulses even. It made for a very believable enemies-to-lovers, but at the same time, I was not that invested in Floriane and Ruvan’s relationship. There was obvious tension between them, but while I hoped they would both get a happy ending, I would not have been heartbroken if they didn’t end up together. I have mixed feelings about their relationship honestly… some parts were cute if you can ignore the cringey dialogues or cliché moments.
Overall, it is not a bad book. It is an entertaining fantasy/romance read with an interesting and original take on vampires, but as was the case with A Deal with the Elf King and A Dance with the Fae Prince, the romance was weak and the pace could have been better. Still, for some reason, I keep on reading this series even though I'm not really in love with any of the books. I blame the gorgeous covers... Every time the cover is revealed, I can't help but pre-order the book because they are all just so gorgeous! 😅
1. A Deal with the Elf King ⭐⭐⭐
2. A Dance With the Fae Prince ⭐⭐⭐.5
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✅ World-building
✅ Characters
✅ Plot
✅ Vampires and a darker atmosphere (at times)
✅🆗 Pace
✅🆗 Romance (enemies-to-lovers)
✅🆗 Kind of “found family” vibe
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: blood (mostly used for magic and rituals) and death
3.5 stars
There are three fundamental truths of the mysterious and bloodthirty vampire:
The first is that they subsist on human blood for sustenance and for their dark magics.
(…)
The second is that the vampire have only one true weakness – silver. All other tools are merely meant to slow them. Or give their victims clean deaths.
(…)
The final truth is that the vampires share one mind. The beasts that torment us month to month are little more than living golems that heed their lord’s will. If the vampire lord is felled, the rest of his spawn will follow.
Floriane is the forge maiden of Hunter’s Hamlet, as was her mother before her, and her grandmother before that. Floriane’s family is the only one able to forge the special alloy that allows hunters to kill vampires when they invade every full moon. Flor has always accepted her situation, the responsibilities, and also the restrictions that come with it, such as the fact that she cannot engage with any man and will marry whoever is deemed suitable for her instead of whoever she chooses, but when her brother’s life is on the line, Flor acts without thinking and ends up at the mercy of the vampire lord. Forced to stay and cooperate with the vampires, Flor learns that things are not always black and white and that the vampires are as miserable as the humans are, because they are cursed and are slowly dying and withering away, and all they want is to find a way to break the curse before there is no vampire left.
This book has a very strong start with an intriguing main character, a medievalesque vibe, and scary monstrous vampires, but sadly the length of it made the plot lose some quality and impact. Also, don’t expect anything new in this book. While it was interesting, and the plot was better than in the previous book, the basics remain the same: a human girl taken to Midscape by a handsome magical male that she ends up falling in love with, and he ends up falling in love with her too, even though it goes against their norms and what is “usually done” in their society.
Everyone in Hunter’s Hamlet has one foot in the grave and one hand on a silver weapon. We don’t go down without a fight. We are the only thing standing between our world and the vampires that would consume it.
Since this is the third book in the series, we are getting used to Midscape, however, this book had new pieces of information and a different and gloomier setting. The plot was a little more complex than the one in the previous book, which was nice, but once again, I fail to get fully involved into the romance. The fact that the book felt a little long didn’t help either. It’s not one part that was super long, it’s just a few pages here and there, but overall, the book could have been 50 pages shorter and I think it would have helped with the pace and the flow of the story. There is a lot of time spent just trying to understand the curse or reexplaining things to get others to understand, and I would have preferred more action or relationship development instead.
“Death keeps a summer home in this forsaken place.”
The atmosphere of this book is darker than the one in the two previous books. Hunter's Hamlet is a place where people survive, but do not really thrive because of the monthly attacks by the vampires. There is a feeling of despair from the start, but I liked how Flor became more and more hopeful that a solution to end the curse and allow her people to have a "real" life was possible.
I might be the forge maiden, but I am no delicate flower. I am as cold as silver. As strong as iron. I will bend for destiny, but not for any man.
I loved the concept of the main character being a strong forge maiden. Floriane is essential to her village’s survival and her skills are unique, yet she is a prisoner of her station as the forge maiden and will be forced to marry whoever is deemed suitable for her and to pass on her trade to her future daughter. Floriane loves being a blacksmith, but we can really feel that she longs for the freedom of being able to make her own decisions when it comes to her love life and her future. It was nice to see Flor gain confidence and decide to think about herself too and not just what is expected of her.
I love Elise Kova’s take on vampires in this book. I love how she created a history explaining why they are seen as monsters, and how they used to use blood for their magic, and not simply because they were bloodthirsty monsters. Ruvan is a nice love interest, and at first, I really loved his mysterious side, and his protective side too. Even though he was not a fan of having a human in his group, he was fiercely protective of Floriane and I loved seeing that. Sadly, he kind of remained stuck at the same place for most of the book. He did change a bit for sure, or he would not have allowed himself to care for a human, but I would have liked him to be more developed and more layered maybe. I feel that there are hints of him being complex and layered, but we don’t see it in the book, he ends up being a pretty straightforward character instead of this mysterious dark vampire lord I was expecting.
As in the previous books of this series, this is an enemies-to-lovers romance, but this time we could feel the conflicted feelings of the main character even more. It wasn’t just about Floriane falling for a vampire, she realized that she was falling for him and was so confused because of those feelings and the fact that she should not like Ruvan, and being ashamed of her feelings and impulses even. It made for a very believable enemies-to-lovers, but at the same time, I was not that invested in Floriane and Ruvan’s relationship. There was obvious tension between them, but while I hoped they would both get a happy ending, I would not have been heartbroken if they didn’t end up together. I have mixed feelings about their relationship honestly… some parts were cute if you can ignore the cringey dialogues or cliché moments.
Overall, it is not a bad book. It is an entertaining fantasy/romance read with an interesting and original take on vampires, but as was the case with A Deal with the Elf King and A Dance with the Fae Prince, the romance was weak and the pace could have been better. Still, for some reason, I keep on reading this series even though I'm not really in love with any of the books. I blame the gorgeous covers... Every time the cover is revealed, I can't help but pre-order the book because they are all just so gorgeous! 😅
1. A Deal with the Elf King ⭐⭐⭐
2. A Dance With the Fae Prince ⭐⭐⭐.5
Follow me on Instagram 🙂
August 14, 2023
I might be the forge maiden, but I am no delicate flower. I am as cold as silver. As strong as iron. I will bend for destiny, but not for any man.
Spice Meter: 🌶️
I admit that I am getting a little tired of reading the same premise over and over again, but I am too invested in the story to stop and will probably read the entire series for the hell of it.
It is all the same as it always has been. Relatively interesting plot, cheesy dialogue, pretty likable characters, and mediocre vibes all around. Also, it is literally the same story with different people and locations. Even so, I have a ton of fun reading it every single time.
This one has hints of Snow White and Beauty and the Beast and is actually well-intricated into the story. Besides, if there's anything that I find impeccable, it's the lore. From the first book to this one, the magic, the creatures, and the general world-building are truly fascinating.
I also liked Floriane and Ruvan, the love birds. They both have interesting character development and background stories, much more than the other couples in the series. There is a lot of passion and tension between them and just a smidgen more spice. What's more, I don't think there's any character that I didn't like unless I was supposed to. Ruvan's friends are all adorable badasses.
Ruvan's Bonus Scene:
"My future is already yours; I've nothing to hide from you."
Spice Meter: 🌶️
I may not be a huge Elise Kova fan, but I really love and appreciate the bonus scenes she adds to every book in this series. I don't know if she does it with her other books as well (I haven't read them), but it's really cool, nonetheless. They are always entertaining and cute. I may even like them more than the actual books sometimes.
This one started with some mild spice which I always appreciate. Also, reading about them having casual conversations in the nude is pretty delightful too. While there are some cutsie, romantic scenes, this bonus scene (same as the others) served more as an exposition for the books to come which is genuinely intriguing.
Spice Meter: 🌶️
I admit that I am getting a little tired of reading the same premise over and over again, but I am too invested in the story to stop and will probably read the entire series for the hell of it.
It is all the same as it always has been. Relatively interesting plot, cheesy dialogue, pretty likable characters, and mediocre vibes all around. Also, it is literally the same story with different people and locations. Even so, I have a ton of fun reading it every single time.
This one has hints of Snow White and Beauty and the Beast and is actually well-intricated into the story. Besides, if there's anything that I find impeccable, it's the lore. From the first book to this one, the magic, the creatures, and the general world-building are truly fascinating.
I also liked Floriane and Ruvan, the love birds. They both have interesting character development and background stories, much more than the other couples in the series. There is a lot of passion and tension between them and just a smidgen more spice. What's more, I don't think there's any character that I didn't like unless I was supposed to. Ruvan's friends are all adorable badasses.
Ruvan's Bonus Scene:
"My future is already yours; I've nothing to hide from you."
Spice Meter: 🌶️
I may not be a huge Elise Kova fan, but I really love and appreciate the bonus scenes she adds to every book in this series. I don't know if she does it with her other books as well (I haven't read them), but it's really cool, nonetheless. They are always entertaining and cute. I may even like them more than the actual books sometimes.
This one started with some mild spice which I always appreciate. Also, reading about them having casual conversations in the nude is pretty delightful too. While there are some cutsie, romantic scenes, this bonus scene (same as the others) served more as an exposition for the books to come which is genuinely intriguing.
August 25, 2022
This is definitely my favorite in the series so far 😊 And as always, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!
✅ I THOUGHT THE setup and backstory in this was very well done. The concept of a “forge-maiden” is super unique so I really appreciated Elise going out on a whim like that 😅 Similarly, the way vampires worked in this felt unique and I liked their background and magic too!
❌ THE BOOK WAS a little bit long. It’s well over 500 pages and I think if it had been more around 450 or so it would have felt a lot more exciting. There was a lot of down time where they were just trying to figure stuff out or doing monotonous activities like forging a sword… I’m more of a plot person so definitely prefer action to this!
🆗 THE ROMANCE still wasn’t doing all that much for me. While I felt the tension and slow-burn more in this story than the others, and it’s a bit steamier (but still not very steamy), it still just fell a little flat. I wasn’t begging for it by the end, idk
✅ THE PLOT AND story in this one felt more complex than the others in the series, which I thought was a good improvement! Things didn’t feel quite as linear and simple and I just liked the conflict better.
Overall, I would still recommend this book if you like fantasy and romance and don’t want something too complicated or too steamy. It’s nothing ground breaking but it’s an easy read when you’re in the mood for it.
✅ I THOUGHT THE setup and backstory in this was very well done. The concept of a “forge-maiden” is super unique so I really appreciated Elise going out on a whim like that 😅 Similarly, the way vampires worked in this felt unique and I liked their background and magic too!
❌ THE BOOK WAS a little bit long. It’s well over 500 pages and I think if it had been more around 450 or so it would have felt a lot more exciting. There was a lot of down time where they were just trying to figure stuff out or doing monotonous activities like forging a sword… I’m more of a plot person so definitely prefer action to this!
🆗 THE ROMANCE still wasn’t doing all that much for me. While I felt the tension and slow-burn more in this story than the others, and it’s a bit steamier (but still not very steamy), it still just fell a little flat. I wasn’t begging for it by the end, idk
✅ THE PLOT AND story in this one felt more complex than the others in the series, which I thought was a good improvement! Things didn’t feel quite as linear and simple and I just liked the conflict better.
Overall, I would still recommend this book if you like fantasy and romance and don’t want something too complicated or too steamy. It’s nothing ground breaking but it’s an easy read when you’re in the mood for it.
June 14, 2024
¿Se puede haber disfrutado y haberse aburrido con un libro todo a la vez?
Por un lado, pensaba mucho en los personajes en mi tiempo libre, como que una parte de mí quería saber a dónde iba su historia. Disfrutaba del momento de sentarme a leer. Sin embargo cuando leía lo hacía sin prestar mucha atención. Creo que esta novela presenta una idea interesante y varios conceptos mágicos copados, pero que la autora no los supo explicar bien. Me quedé con muchísimas dudas del mundo mágico, al punto de sentir que no tenía mucho sentido. Pero también entiendo que el foco de estas historias es más el romance así que se lo dejo pasar.
Lectura pasajera, probablemente en dos meses me olvide de haberlo leido.
Por un lado, pensaba mucho en los personajes en mi tiempo libre, como que una parte de mí quería saber a dónde iba su historia. Disfrutaba del momento de sentarme a leer. Sin embargo cuando leía lo hacía sin prestar mucha atención. Creo que esta novela presenta una idea interesante y varios conceptos mágicos copados, pero que la autora no los supo explicar bien. Me quedé con muchísimas dudas del mundo mágico, al punto de sentir que no tenía mucho sentido. Pero también entiendo que el foco de estas historias es más el romance así que se lo dejo pasar.
Lectura pasajera, probablemente en dos meses me olvide de haberlo leido.
January 10, 2024
AVISO PARA TODAS LAS QUE HABEÍS LEIDO ESTA HISTORIA Y NO ME HABEÍS ADVERTIDO DEL ENGANCHE QUE SUPONE!😮
🌸Mal, muy mal, me tenéis completamente abandonada! Es más, pa´la próxima, velita negra....🤭
🌸Y es que vaya enganche que he tenido con este libro🔥! Pero no uno de esos de: "Es que no puedo dejar de leer" o de los de "Ya tengo un nuevo crush🥰"; qué va, este ha sido de campeonato! De esos que babeas de placer cuando los protas están juntos y de los de: "al minino ruido que haga alguien ahora, será expulsado inmediatamente de esta casa".
(Lo confieso, he expulsado de mi habitación al perro; no se le ocurrió otra cosa que bostezar🤭)
🌸Es más, bendito sea el día en que la autora escribió cada una de sus páginas! Y es que estoy por releerlo y yo nos soy de releer🔥!
🌸Vamos, te lo advierto, si te va el tema vampiros, el enemies to lovers, la tensión sexual no resuelta, el slow burn y babear de placer, corre como una loca a por este libro porque me lo vas a agradecer. Mucho. Un montón🔥❤️!
LA NOVELA QUE SIEMPRE HAS QUERIDO LEER💯!
🌸Mal, muy mal, me tenéis completamente abandonada! Es más, pa´la próxima, velita negra....🤭
🌸Y es que vaya enganche que he tenido con este libro🔥! Pero no uno de esos de: "Es que no puedo dejar de leer" o de los de "Ya tengo un nuevo crush🥰"; qué va, este ha sido de campeonato! De esos que babeas de placer cuando los protas están juntos y de los de: "al minino ruido que haga alguien ahora, será expulsado inmediatamente de esta casa".
(Lo confieso, he expulsado de mi habitación al perro; no se le ocurrió otra cosa que bostezar🤭)
🌸Es más, bendito sea el día en que la autora escribió cada una de sus páginas! Y es que estoy por releerlo y yo nos soy de releer🔥!
🌸Vamos, te lo advierto, si te va el tema vampiros, el enemies to lovers, la tensión sexual no resuelta, el slow burn y babear de placer, corre como una loca a por este libro porque me lo vas a agradecer. Mucho. Un montón🔥❤️!
LA NOVELA QUE SIEMPRE HAS QUERIDO LEER💯!
December 27, 2022
’I might be the forge maiden, but I am no delicate flower. I am as cold as silver. As strong as iron, I will bend for destiny but not for any man.’
This started out with ⭐️5 potential - it was giving me that feeling of a absolutely fab book that was going to blow me away. The medieval setting with the smithy and the mountainous vampire city with the decrepit castle - like yes, sign me up! It was giving me the same feel and aesthetic as Van Helsing (2004) with Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale. I was truly excited about this book …
But, it didn’t continue to give me ⭐️5 vibes. I’ll state it now: this book didn’t need to be 500+ pages. If it was perhaps 300+ pages, with all the slow and boring scenes cut and replaced with more intense, action-packed sequences then this could’ve been, without a doubt, a full ⭐️5. A lot of this book was taken up with rather boring scenes of the characters ‘searching’ for the answers, having disagreements about Floriane being human and her trying to convince herself she doesn’t fancy Ruvan. It got really repetitive.
Elise Kova’s has created really unique vampires in this book - and that was one of the things I liked about it. The rich detail of the vampires’ history, their creation into ‘monsters’, their magic system and the curse was immaculate. It was so different and fresh to read as vampires have been wrote about so many times. The curse gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes and I liked that a lot. I’m a sucker for a B&B retelling.
The actual ‘truth’ behind the curse was just so interesting! I was glued to the story because I wanted to find out what happened to cause the curse. Floriane’s dreams into the past were intriguing - and it was even better when she acted upon what she had seen. They were some of the best scenes in the whole book - unfortunately they only seemed to happen till 70%. Whenever she researched the ancient texts or looked for answers, it was always just told to us instead of us being there with her. It was really anti-climatic when ‘answers’ just like appeared out of nowhere . I wanted to be there with her as she uncovered truths that had been hidden for thousands of years.
I really didn’t vibe with the romance between Floriane and Ruvan - I did at first, but I just wasn’t feeling it whatsoever throughout. I didn’t really care for it and I wished Kova had developed Ruvan a little more so I would’ve cared more.
Overall, this was an okay read. I wanted it to be great, but it was just a little disappointing after anticipating it’s release since last year.
This started out with ⭐️5 potential - it was giving me that feeling of a absolutely fab book that was going to blow me away. The medieval setting with the smithy and the mountainous vampire city with the decrepit castle - like yes, sign me up! It was giving me the same feel and aesthetic as Van Helsing (2004) with Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale. I was truly excited about this book …
But, it didn’t continue to give me ⭐️5 vibes. I’ll state it now: this book didn’t need to be 500+ pages. If it was perhaps 300+ pages, with all the slow and boring scenes cut and replaced with more intense, action-packed sequences then this could’ve been, without a doubt, a full ⭐️5. A lot of this book was taken up with rather boring scenes of the characters ‘searching’ for the answers, having disagreements about Floriane being human and her trying to convince herself she doesn’t fancy Ruvan. It got really repetitive.
Elise Kova’s has created really unique vampires in this book - and that was one of the things I liked about it. The rich detail of the vampires’ history, their creation into ‘monsters’, their magic system and the curse was immaculate. It was so different and fresh to read as vampires have been wrote about so many times. The curse gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes and I liked that a lot. I’m a sucker for a B&B retelling.
The actual ‘truth’ behind the curse was just so interesting! I was glued to the story because I wanted to find out what happened to cause the curse. Floriane’s dreams into the past were intriguing - and it was even better when she acted upon what she had seen. They were some of the best scenes in the whole book - unfortunately they only seemed to happen till 70%. Whenever she researched the ancient texts or looked for answers, it was always just told to us instead of us being there with her. It was really anti-climatic when ‘answers’ just like appeared out of nowhere . I wanted to be there with her as she uncovered truths that had been hidden for thousands of years.
I really didn’t vibe with the romance between Floriane and Ruvan - I did at first, but I just wasn’t feeling it whatsoever throughout. I didn’t really care for it and I wished Kova had developed Ruvan a little more so I would’ve cared more.
Overall, this was an okay read. I wanted it to be great, but it was just a little disappointing after anticipating it’s release since last year.
August 17, 2022
"You might be torture and temptation incarnate. But you are strength and power. You are damnation and salvation trapped in curves that should be forbidden."
Deep inside the walled fortress that is Hunter's Hamlet, Floriane lives as the forge maiden with her whole life planned ahead for her: she must work in the forge and arm the hunters against the deadly vampires until she's married off to a stranger.
But on the night of the Blood Moon, when she goes on a reckless mission to save her brother and protect her home, Floriane finds herself face to face with the vampire lord... and instead of killing her, he whisks her away to his kingdom. There, they become bloodsworm and Florane promises him to find the cure to end the curse that's been plaguing his people for millenia. She must play this game of oaths and seduction carefully, or she might lose not only her life... but her heart.
"I might be the forge maiden, but I am no delicate flower. I am as cold as silver. As strong as iron. I will bend for destiny, but not for any man."
What a wild ride this have been! I loved absolutely EVERYTHING about this book:
● The vibe: this book has a MUCH darker aura than the its other Married to Magic counterparts, and I adored it. It's really well executed and performed. It reminded me a lot to Beauty and the Beast—the maiden forced to live with a beast, who is a fallen, cursed lord, and eventually falling in love with him. That was my favorite Disney movie growing up, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed this!
● VAMPIRES!! I thought I would never see my favorite author writing about vampires, but fortune has blessed me so here I am! Elise tackles the vampire lore and gives it a twist to transform it into a unique, captivating story.
● The world-building: this novel shows us another part of Midscape, a darker, forgotten one, full of sleeping menaces, monsters waiting in the dark, and abandoned castles.
● The characters: as always with all of Elise's protagonists, I adored the ones from this book. Floriane is her own woman, without much of the foolishness that (sadly) is always present in YA leads. She is skillfull and strong-willed, and she goes through her coming-of-age journey graceful and wonderfully. Ruvan was also great. His moodiness and power and determination to save his people was enchanting—not to speak of his looks. I enjoyed the chemistry between them! It wasn't too slow-burn. It was more like a fire building up until the flames are so bright you can't see anything else—and you won't want to. The rest of the characters were the perfect accompanying cast, making the plot more complex and entertaining.
● The research beyond it: last but not least, I think it's hugely important to highlight all the research Elise did to write this masterpiece. She went to a blacksmith and forged her own dagger (how badass is that???? i love her) to help her write Floriane, and as a reader I can say it was really worth it. The craft is described not only beautifully, but also in a way you can really understand and visualize how it works. It's a fascinating art and one VERY vital to all these medieval-inspired fantasy books, so it was wonderful to finally see it get some spotlight.
"I said you were perfect," he says firmly. "The sorrow of other men will be my blessing and delight."
To sum up, Elise Kova does it again. This is a book that every fan of romance fantasy books will adore, because it has the very best of the genre—deadly plots, enemies-to-lovers, a badass female lead and a handsome, powerful lord, ancient rivalries, secrets, amazing world-building and intriguing lore, and a steamy romance— PLUS VAMPIRES!!! It really can't get any better than this.
"Everyone has power, if they claim it."
Thank you so much to Elise Kova and BOMM Tours for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Deep inside the walled fortress that is Hunter's Hamlet, Floriane lives as the forge maiden with her whole life planned ahead for her: she must work in the forge and arm the hunters against the deadly vampires until she's married off to a stranger.
But on the night of the Blood Moon, when she goes on a reckless mission to save her brother and protect her home, Floriane finds herself face to face with the vampire lord... and instead of killing her, he whisks her away to his kingdom. There, they become bloodsworm and Florane promises him to find the cure to end the curse that's been plaguing his people for millenia. She must play this game of oaths and seduction carefully, or she might lose not only her life... but her heart.
"I might be the forge maiden, but I am no delicate flower. I am as cold as silver. As strong as iron. I will bend for destiny, but not for any man."
What a wild ride this have been! I loved absolutely EVERYTHING about this book:
● The vibe: this book has a MUCH darker aura than the its other Married to Magic counterparts, and I adored it. It's really well executed and performed. It reminded me a lot to Beauty and the Beast—the maiden forced to live with a beast, who is a fallen, cursed lord, and eventually falling in love with him. That was my favorite Disney movie growing up, so you can imagine how much I enjoyed this!
● VAMPIRES!! I thought I would never see my favorite author writing about vampires, but fortune has blessed me so here I am! Elise tackles the vampire lore and gives it a twist to transform it into a unique, captivating story.
● The world-building: this novel shows us another part of Midscape, a darker, forgotten one, full of sleeping menaces, monsters waiting in the dark, and abandoned castles.
● The characters: as always with all of Elise's protagonists, I adored the ones from this book. Floriane is her own woman, without much of the foolishness that (sadly) is always present in YA leads. She is skillfull and strong-willed, and she goes through her coming-of-age journey graceful and wonderfully. Ruvan was also great. His moodiness and power and determination to save his people was enchanting—not to speak of his looks. I enjoyed the chemistry between them! It wasn't too slow-burn. It was more like a fire building up until the flames are so bright you can't see anything else—and you won't want to. The rest of the characters were the perfect accompanying cast, making the plot more complex and entertaining.
● The research beyond it: last but not least, I think it's hugely important to highlight all the research Elise did to write this masterpiece. She went to a blacksmith and forged her own dagger (how badass is that???? i love her) to help her write Floriane, and as a reader I can say it was really worth it. The craft is described not only beautifully, but also in a way you can really understand and visualize how it works. It's a fascinating art and one VERY vital to all these medieval-inspired fantasy books, so it was wonderful to finally see it get some spotlight.
"I said you were perfect," he says firmly. "The sorrow of other men will be my blessing and delight."
To sum up, Elise Kova does it again. This is a book that every fan of romance fantasy books will adore, because it has the very best of the genre—deadly plots, enemies-to-lovers, a badass female lead and a handsome, powerful lord, ancient rivalries, secrets, amazing world-building and intriguing lore, and a steamy romance— PLUS VAMPIRES!!! It really can't get any better than this.
"Everyone has power, if they claim it."
Thank you so much to Elise Kova and BOMM Tours for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2023
4'5⭐YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM
Sep. Mi favorito de Elise Kova hasta la fecha🙌🏽
Tiene la misma esencia que los libros anteriores de Unidos por la magia: una historia romántica sana (y eso que hacerlo con los enemies to lovers puede ser complicado) en un mundo de fantasía sencillo (aunque es cierto que el lore de sangre me ha parecido un poco más complejo que lo que vimos en los dos libros anteriores) y además una trama que aúna maldiciones, vampiros, cazadores y una atmosfera ligeramente más oscura que los anteriores.
No es un secreto que últimamente no me siento tan cómoda con la fantasía como antes, pero Elise Kova ha vuelto a conseguir tenerme enganchada a un libro de este tipo, ya no solo porque la trama romántica es muy prevalente, sino porque sus personajes te atrapan (aunque me habría encantado tener algún capítulo narrado desde la perspectiva de Ruvan) y en esta ocasión también lo hace el misterio.
La trama me ha gustado mucho, pese a que es cierto que quizá da alguna vuelta más de las que son necesarias y que hay misterios que se veían venir y se podían haber resuelto/revelado un poco antes. Aun así, considero que sigue siendo menos predecible que los anteriores.
Y la manera en la que lo narra Elise, cómo Floriane se va adaptando al mundo de los vampiros y relacionándose con ellos, el misterio de quién lanzó la maldición y cómo romperla... Todo crea un maravilloso conjunto que me ha hecho disfrutar mucho de la lectura.
Sep. Mi favorito de Elise Kova hasta la fecha🙌🏽
Tiene la misma esencia que los libros anteriores de Unidos por la magia: una historia romántica sana (y eso que hacerlo con los enemies to lovers puede ser complicado) en un mundo de fantasía sencillo (aunque es cierto que el lore de sangre me ha parecido un poco más complejo que lo que vimos en los dos libros anteriores) y además una trama que aúna maldiciones, vampiros, cazadores y una atmosfera ligeramente más oscura que los anteriores.
No es un secreto que últimamente no me siento tan cómoda con la fantasía como antes, pero Elise Kova ha vuelto a conseguir tenerme enganchada a un libro de este tipo, ya no solo porque la trama romántica es muy prevalente, sino porque sus personajes te atrapan (aunque me habría encantado tener algún capítulo narrado desde la perspectiva de Ruvan) y en esta ocasión también lo hace el misterio.
La trama me ha gustado mucho, pese a que es cierto que quizá da alguna vuelta más de las que son necesarias y que hay misterios que se veían venir y se podían haber resuelto/revelado un poco antes. Aun así, considero que sigue siendo menos predecible que los anteriores.
Y la manera en la que lo narra Elise, cómo Floriane se va adaptando al mundo de los vampiros y relacionándose con ellos, el misterio de quién lanzó la maldición y cómo romperla... Todo crea un maravilloso conjunto que me ha hecho disfrutar mucho de la lectura.
November 10, 2023
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This book in the Married to Magic is about vampires. Agh…finally not a teen romance vampire story.
So far, I am really enjoying the work of Elise Kova. Even though her writing style feels slightly long-winded, she has a way of bringing normal or overdone things to life.
This story starts with a village right outside of the Fade in Hunter’s Hamlet. Where they are attacked by dangerous vampires every full and blood moon. So, the men in the town train to be warriors to defend the town from the vampires that drain blood and steal their faces.
Floriane is our main character who, along with her mother, is a forge maiden. A rare and vital part of the town. They forge the weapons of silver to defend themselves against the vampires.
Floriane is not allowed to be touched or touch any man in Hunter’s Hamlet. Also, her husband would be chosen for her by the Master Hunter. Who is the leader of Hunters Hamlet. Secretly though, her twin brother trains her to fight like a hunter.
On the night of the blood moon, Floriane, to protect her brother, faces off with the Vampire Lord. Instead of killing her, he kidnaps her to his kingdom to see if she can help break the curse on the vampires.
As she agrees to help, she gets to know the vampires and the curse that is on them. That both races are not what they seem to each other. Through this adventure, will humans and vampires coexist?
I love how Elise Kova spun the story of vampires in a way that you never heard before. It is unique and the story was riveting. I love the main character Floriane, even though she was dealt a hand in life. She made the best of it and didn’t allow herself to be defenseless.
So, this started out amazingly and drew me in with the plot, the pacing of the storyline and the characters. But that being said, in the middle of the book, the pacing just stops. It drags out. It is not necessarily boring information, but the details are so drawn out that you kind of wish they would get to the next part of the story.
Like many other reviewers on this book, the length of this book was a bit too much. If the book was shortened a bit of the dialogue and some scenes that felt like it didn’t add any value to the book, would have been nice.
I would still recommend the Married with Magic series to anyone who is looking for something a bit different. I can’t wait for her next book in the series to see what happens next.
BLOG ⟫ INSTAGRAM ⟫ PODCAST ⟫
This book in the Married to Magic is about vampires. Agh…finally not a teen romance vampire story.
So far, I am really enjoying the work of Elise Kova. Even though her writing style feels slightly long-winded, she has a way of bringing normal or overdone things to life.
This story starts with a village right outside of the Fade in Hunter’s Hamlet. Where they are attacked by dangerous vampires every full and blood moon. So, the men in the town train to be warriors to defend the town from the vampires that drain blood and steal their faces.
Floriane is our main character who, along with her mother, is a forge maiden. A rare and vital part of the town. They forge the weapons of silver to defend themselves against the vampires.
Floriane is not allowed to be touched or touch any man in Hunter’s Hamlet. Also, her husband would be chosen for her by the Master Hunter. Who is the leader of Hunters Hamlet. Secretly though, her twin brother trains her to fight like a hunter.
On the night of the blood moon, Floriane, to protect her brother, faces off with the Vampire Lord. Instead of killing her, he kidnaps her to his kingdom to see if she can help break the curse on the vampires.
As she agrees to help, she gets to know the vampires and the curse that is on them. That both races are not what they seem to each other. Through this adventure, will humans and vampires coexist?
I love how Elise Kova spun the story of vampires in a way that you never heard before. It is unique and the story was riveting. I love the main character Floriane, even though she was dealt a hand in life. She made the best of it and didn’t allow herself to be defenseless.
So, this started out amazingly and drew me in with the plot, the pacing of the storyline and the characters. But that being said, in the middle of the book, the pacing just stops. It drags out. It is not necessarily boring information, but the details are so drawn out that you kind of wish they would get to the next part of the story.
Like many other reviewers on this book, the length of this book was a bit too much. If the book was shortened a bit of the dialogue and some scenes that felt like it didn’t add any value to the book, would have been nice.
I would still recommend the Married with Magic series to anyone who is looking for something a bit different. I can’t wait for her next book in the series to see what happens next.
March 31, 2024
Goodreads, can we get an update that includes half stars pretty pleaseee.. anyways here's my review
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
So this starts out a little predictable.. You mean the actual bad guys are the Hunters, not the vampires? Who woulda guessed it? Even with the predictably, I still devoured this. Turns out things weren't exactly how they seemed. The plot twist was pretty good.
Ruvan was a Saint of a man/vampir, really damn sweet and sincere with an undertone of sadness. 💔 Floraine had a lot of character growth. From a future that seemed dim to finding her one true love. Not to mention battling tooth and nail to save him. ❤️🩹 This was extra slow burn & I forgot how much I love that. This was enjoyable. Not to mention, I've been dying for a good vampire read. ☺️
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
So this starts out a little predictable.. You mean the actual bad guys are the Hunters, not the vampires? Who woulda guessed it? Even with the predictably, I still devoured this. Turns out things weren't exactly how they seemed. The plot twist was pretty good.
Ruvan was a Saint of a man/vampir, really damn sweet and sincere with an undertone of sadness. 💔 Floraine had a lot of character growth. From a future that seemed dim to finding her one true love. Not to mention battling tooth and nail to save him. ❤️🩹 This was extra slow burn & I forgot how much I love that. This was enjoyable. Not to mention, I've been dying for a good vampire read. ☺️
August 3, 2022
I loved this book from start to finish as I adore all the characters and the world, each married to magic book just gets better and better!
Thank you Elise for the proof copy!
Thank you Elise for the proof copy!
August 20, 2022
This was the worrrst~🎵 The two main characters had zero chemistry, and their dialogue was beyond cringy. The one star is because women run the forge, and that's badass. There was nothing thing else redeeming in this book. 💀
March 26, 2024
The world building in this REALLY impressed me. It was very detailed and had me invested. Figuring it out with Floriane kept me turning the pages. The plot was also very strong. I do think the romance could have been done better but I didn't really care cause I was invested in everything else. And I did love the found family vibes as well.
The pacing is really what stopped this from being five stars for me. I wish it had either been a shorter standalone or a duology!
I'm sad I'll never be back with these characters again. I do feel like I could have read much more of them.
The pacing is really what stopped this from being five stars for me. I wish it had either been a shorter standalone or a duology!
I'm sad I'll never be back with these characters again. I do feel like I could have read much more of them.
December 10, 2022
+2.5
“Blood of ancient kings, pure as moonlight, we seek to fortify, we seek to stregthen”.
Este libro me lo he leído en inglés: el nivel de idioma oscila entre un B1-B2 (intermedio). No cuenta con mucho vocabulario específico del mundo y la sintaxis es simple.
Este es el tercer libro de la saga “Married to magic” por la autora Elise Kova. Se trata de una saga cuya cada entrega es auto conclusiva y nos presenta en cada una de ellas una criatura fantástica. El primer libro nos contaba la historia sobre elfos, la segunda con los fae (hadas) y esta tercera entrega nos sumerge en el mundo de los vampir (vampiros).
“This world is dark and the night is unyielding; the least we can do is fill it with sweet, forbidden dreams”.
En cuanto a esta entrega, debo admitir que la portada no me entusiasmaba para nada, incluso me daba la risa verla porque cambia bastante en comparación con las dos primeras. Además, el interés amoroso me parecía un vampiro octogenario, no sé, me lo esperaba de otra manera. Lo siento, igual se debe a que he leído demasiados libros de vampiros tipo crepúsculo y me lo esperaba más “jóven” físicamente. Sin embargo, una vez empecé a leerlo, la historia me atrapó en las primeras páginas.
“+You could never do anything that would make me uncomfortable.
-Is that a challenge ?
+By all means. Make me uncomfortable. I welcome you”.
Si hay algo que me encanta de esta autora es que crea historias bastante entretenidas y que acaban enganchando y me parecen bastante originales. Además, que siento que en cada libro va puliendo poco a poco su manera de escribir y eso es algo a tener en cuenta sí o también.
“You are….magnificient. You taste like fire and woodsmoke, like the rare, red orchid that blooms from old blood”.
Sin embargo, esto no quiere decir que el libro sea todo de rosa. No, la autora sigue pecando como diría yo de profundidad tanto en la historia como escenario y personajes. Estos últimos son bastantes carismáticos pero planos. Además, hay que señalar que la autora crea un insta-love en pocas páginas que a mi muchas veces no se me hace ni creíble. Aunque verlos tan enamorados y tan felices a los personajes me deja con una sonrisa y un calorcito en el pecho. Por eso sigo leyéndolos porque las sensaciones que me dan estos libros me dejan bastante contenta.
“There’s no hole here. Just the strong heartbeat of a good man”.
Si me preguntan: ¿recomendarías esta saga? Absolutamente. Creo que está bastante bien, a pesar de ser libros ligeros. Creo que puedes pasarte un buen rato leyéndolo como me lo he pasado yo. Además, le tengo muchísimas ganas al cuarto libro y quiero leer sus otras obras. Siento que es una buena autora.
“We’ve never been monsters”.
“Blood of ancient kings, pure as moonlight, we seek to fortify, we seek to stregthen”.
Este libro me lo he leído en inglés: el nivel de idioma oscila entre un B1-B2 (intermedio). No cuenta con mucho vocabulario específico del mundo y la sintaxis es simple.
Este es el tercer libro de la saga “Married to magic” por la autora Elise Kova. Se trata de una saga cuya cada entrega es auto conclusiva y nos presenta en cada una de ellas una criatura fantástica. El primer libro nos contaba la historia sobre elfos, la segunda con los fae (hadas) y esta tercera entrega nos sumerge en el mundo de los vampir (vampiros).
“This world is dark and the night is unyielding; the least we can do is fill it with sweet, forbidden dreams”.
En cuanto a esta entrega, debo admitir que la portada no me entusiasmaba para nada, incluso me daba la risa verla porque cambia bastante en comparación con las dos primeras. Además, el interés amoroso me parecía un vampiro octogenario, no sé, me lo esperaba de otra manera. Lo siento, igual se debe a que he leído demasiados libros de vampiros tipo crepúsculo y me lo esperaba más “jóven” físicamente. Sin embargo, una vez empecé a leerlo, la historia me atrapó en las primeras páginas.
“+You could never do anything that would make me uncomfortable.
-Is that a challenge ?
+By all means. Make me uncomfortable. I welcome you”.
Si hay algo que me encanta de esta autora es que crea historias bastante entretenidas y que acaban enganchando y me parecen bastante originales. Además, que siento que en cada libro va puliendo poco a poco su manera de escribir y eso es algo a tener en cuenta sí o también.
“You are….magnificient. You taste like fire and woodsmoke, like the rare, red orchid that blooms from old blood”.
Sin embargo, esto no quiere decir que el libro sea todo de rosa. No, la autora sigue pecando como diría yo de profundidad tanto en la historia como escenario y personajes. Estos últimos son bastantes carismáticos pero planos. Además, hay que señalar que la autora crea un insta-love en pocas páginas que a mi muchas veces no se me hace ni creíble. Aunque verlos tan enamorados y tan felices a los personajes me deja con una sonrisa y un calorcito en el pecho. Por eso sigo leyéndolos porque las sensaciones que me dan estos libros me dejan bastante contenta.
“There’s no hole here. Just the strong heartbeat of a good man”.
Si me preguntan: ¿recomendarías esta saga? Absolutamente. Creo que está bastante bien, a pesar de ser libros ligeros. Creo que puedes pasarte un buen rato leyéndolo como me lo he pasado yo. Además, le tengo muchísimas ganas al cuarto libro y quiero leer sus otras obras. Siento que es una buena autora.
“We’ve never been monsters”.
December 5, 2023
A Duel with the Vampire Lord is a stendalone fantasy-romance book in the Married to Magic series.
Set in the world of the Midscape, this time it is focused on a part of the magical world occupied by vampires - or rather the Vampir. A world ravaged by an ancient curse, a kingdom withered away and dying. Haunted by ghastly monsters filled with bloodlust and few survivors trying so save their kingdom.
Once again, we follow a human main character - Floriane. A forge maiden who has lived her whole live constricted in one place - the Hunter's Hamlet - always having to follow orders and destined to marry whoever is decided for her. Hunter's Hamlet, situated near the Fade that separates the magical world from the human one, is the last place that wards off the vampires from coming into the human world. That is the one calling of the Hunters - keeping the humans safe and hunting the vampires who come once every full moon. It is a constricted world full of order and safety. And Floriane has long since made peace with her future which is out of her hands. But once the Blood Moon comes, when the vail between the worlds is the thinnest, everything changes for Floriane, and maybe for the world.
One thing about this book I enjoyed the most was the world of the Vampir. The book is mosty set in a dilapidated ancient castle haunted by all sorts of cursed creatures. This book definitely had a very interesting fun take on the vampire lore!
As well as the amazing, creative setting and world building (the best in the series yet), the plot of this book was one of the book's biggest strengths as well. I really enjoyed that it had sort of a story within a story as well and big focus on the past as well as the present. The plot was overall very engaging and quite unexpected.
One thing I'd say was a slight downside for me, and maybe also why I overall love the first book the most (but also beacuse I loved the main couple the most in book 1), is the length of this novel. While book 1 has over three hundred pages (which I thought was a prefect length for the story), this one has over five hundred and sometimes it showed. While the plot as well as the setting were engaging (and, in my opinion both much better than in book two), there were points where the story dragged beacuse of the length of the book and I felt like parts of it repeated needlessly. Overall, though, still very engaging plotline.
The characters were also really great. Floriane is a hardheaded heroine trying to make her own choices and Ruvan is a kind, respectful Vampir lord trying to save his people.
As this is a romance fantasy, the story obviously focuses a lot on the romance. I definitely enjoyed this couple quite a bit, more then the couple in the second book, but less than the romance in book one. The romance in here was nice and respectful, the characters took time to grow and adjust their worldviews with each other, though I did think they were missing some chemistry.
For me the biggest strength of this book was the setting as well as the storyline. There was also a lot of amazing memorable side characters as well.
Overall, an amazing romance fantasy set in the world of the Vampir and introducing an interesting spin on the vampire lore as well as very engaging storyline with a dash of enemies-to-lovers romance with some slight parallels to Beauty and the Beast as well as the Sleeping Beauty.
Set in the world of the Midscape, this time it is focused on a part of the magical world occupied by vampires - or rather the Vampir. A world ravaged by an ancient curse, a kingdom withered away and dying. Haunted by ghastly monsters filled with bloodlust and few survivors trying so save their kingdom.
Once again, we follow a human main character - Floriane. A forge maiden who has lived her whole live constricted in one place - the Hunter's Hamlet - always having to follow orders and destined to marry whoever is decided for her. Hunter's Hamlet, situated near the Fade that separates the magical world from the human one, is the last place that wards off the vampires from coming into the human world. That is the one calling of the Hunters - keeping the humans safe and hunting the vampires who come once every full moon. It is a constricted world full of order and safety. And Floriane has long since made peace with her future which is out of her hands. But once the Blood Moon comes, when the vail between the worlds is the thinnest, everything changes for Floriane, and maybe for the world.
One thing about this book I enjoyed the most was the world of the Vampir. The book is mosty set in a dilapidated ancient castle haunted by all sorts of cursed creatures. This book definitely had a very interesting fun take on the vampire lore!
As well as the amazing, creative setting and world building (the best in the series yet), the plot of this book was one of the book's biggest strengths as well. I really enjoyed that it had sort of a story within a story as well and big focus on the past as well as the present. The plot was overall very engaging and quite unexpected.
One thing I'd say was a slight downside for me, and maybe also why I overall love the first book the most (but also beacuse I loved the main couple the most in book 1), is the length of this novel. While book 1 has over three hundred pages (which I thought was a prefect length for the story), this one has over five hundred and sometimes it showed. While the plot as well as the setting were engaging (and, in my opinion both much better than in book two), there were points where the story dragged beacuse of the length of the book and I felt like parts of it repeated needlessly. Overall, though, still very engaging plotline.
The characters were also really great. Floriane is a hardheaded heroine trying to make her own choices and Ruvan is a kind, respectful Vampir lord trying to save his people.
As this is a romance fantasy, the story obviously focuses a lot on the romance. I definitely enjoyed this couple quite a bit, more then the couple in the second book, but less than the romance in book one. The romance in here was nice and respectful, the characters took time to grow and adjust their worldviews with each other, though I did think they were missing some chemistry.
For me the biggest strength of this book was the setting as well as the storyline. There was also a lot of amazing memorable side characters as well.
Overall, an amazing romance fantasy set in the world of the Vampir and introducing an interesting spin on the vampire lore as well as very engaging storyline with a dash of enemies-to-lovers romance with some slight parallels to Beauty and the Beast as well as the Sleeping Beauty.
January 12, 2025
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Love me forever?” My mouth moves on its own.
“Careful, or I just might.”
The best book in the series so far!! As with the ones that came before it, I both listened and read at the same time which is the *proper* way to experience the Married to Magic series, if you ask me. And not just because the graphic audios skip parts here and there and I gotta read EVERYTHING, but because the cast was wonderful, and I love the sound affects.
We got a world expansion, and with it an interesting new plot. Though, the retelling parts went right over my head, I must admit. I can see why people got Beauty and the Beast vibes from this, but if anything it's a Van Helsing retelling to me.
I loved the concept of the forge-maiden, and the descriptions of her forging different types of weapons, the feeling of the forge's heat as she works, the care with which she handles her tools and her innate understanding of metals.
Somehow that meshed very well with a Vampir (yes, the Serbian spelling was present in the book, huzzah!!) Lord, who knew?
They were perhaps the couple with the most slow-burn relationship thus far, I don't have any complaints. I'd even say that less of this book is focused on the romance compared to the first two. I loved their interactions when they did occur, and the sweet lines we got from Ruvan because of it.
I loved the plot as well, there were parts of it I couldn't figure out until the very end.
I agree with some of the reviews saying that it could've been shorter, but I also think that it's better it wasn't, because then it probably would've been a three star read for me instead of a four star one. There wouldn't have been as much time for character & plot development, so I'm happy with the book as is.
Hopefully the next two will be just as good. I don't know if more books are coming, but I'd like to see the audiobook for book five come out this year so I can be fully caught up with the series, if not I don't mind reading it myself, but yeah.
“Love me forever?” My mouth moves on its own.
“Careful, or I just might.”
The best book in the series so far!! As with the ones that came before it, I both listened and read at the same time which is the *proper* way to experience the Married to Magic series, if you ask me. And not just because the graphic audios skip parts here and there and I gotta read EVERYTHING, but because the cast was wonderful, and I love the sound affects.
We got a world expansion, and with it an interesting new plot. Though, the retelling parts went right over my head, I must admit. I can see why people got Beauty and the Beast vibes from this, but if anything it's a Van Helsing retelling to me.
I loved the concept of the forge-maiden, and the descriptions of her forging different types of weapons, the feeling of the forge's heat as she works, the care with which she handles her tools and her innate understanding of metals.
Somehow that meshed very well with a Vampir (yes, the Serbian spelling was present in the book, huzzah!!) Lord, who knew?
They were perhaps the couple with the most slow-burn relationship thus far, I don't have any complaints. I'd even say that less of this book is focused on the romance compared to the first two. I loved their interactions when they did occur, and the sweet lines we got from Ruvan because of it.
I loved the plot as well, there were parts of it I couldn't figure out until the very end.
I agree with some of the reviews saying that it could've been shorter, but I also think that it's better it wasn't, because then it probably would've been a three star read for me instead of a four star one. There wouldn't have been as much time for character & plot development, so I'm happy with the book as is.
Hopefully the next two will be just as good. I don't know if more books are coming, but I'd like to see the audiobook for book five come out this year so I can be fully caught up with the series, if not I don't mind reading it myself, but yeah.
July 2, 2022
Where has this vampire book been?? / should I say vampir?? I absolutely love Elise's writing but this honestly is my favorite of hers. I finished it in one sitting. This is one of those books I would actually reread / I hope it becomes an audiobook so I can listen to it all over again. I really enjoyed the other Married to Magic books but I think this is my new favorite. I'm really going to need more books in this series and for all of the characters to meet up in one epic Midscape mashup at the end.
Flor is a wonderful MC. She is strong and stubborn and I found her extremely relatable. She believed in her convictions but was open to learning and changing her opinions as she learned more about the vampires. She was a product of her environment and those strict beliefs but didn't let that hold her back. I really appreciated the growth and how we as the reader could really relate to her conflicted feelings as the story progressed. Ruvan phewww where do I start?? Sorry to Eldas and Davien but I'd swear a bloodoath to Ruvan without hesitation. I loved his mysterious but ultimately kind personality. I really appreciated the continued theme of consent throughout the story. I think this really made the story more enjoyable and added depth. This story I think was by far the spiciest of the Married to Magic books but I really liked it. It felt natural and never overdone.
The pacing was done well and I really enjoyed the overall plot. Breaking the curse and the mystery surrounding it was fascinating. I love Midscape and learning all about the vampir lore was probably my favorite part. The timeline was realistic and I appreciated how things took time it wasn't all solved in 2 days but it never felt like the story dragged. I always appreciate the found family and HEA tropes within the Married to Magic books. I definitely can say this gave me some Beauty and the Beast vibes and I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers and forced proximity romance.
Overall my only complaint is its over and I have a giant book hangover. I need another book that shows me more of the future. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a vampire book. Also its a must read if you are a fan of Elise Kova's books and if you haven't read them then I suggest reading this series. They are all HEA standalones but I love how the Married to Magic Books all tie together.
Thank you to Elise and Silver Wing Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Flor is a wonderful MC. She is strong and stubborn and I found her extremely relatable. She believed in her convictions but was open to learning and changing her opinions as she learned more about the vampires. She was a product of her environment and those strict beliefs but didn't let that hold her back. I really appreciated the growth and how we as the reader could really relate to her conflicted feelings as the story progressed. Ruvan phewww where do I start?? Sorry to Eldas and Davien but I'd swear a bloodoath to Ruvan without hesitation. I loved his mysterious but ultimately kind personality. I really appreciated the continued theme of consent throughout the story. I think this really made the story more enjoyable and added depth. This story I think was by far the spiciest of the Married to Magic books but I really liked it. It felt natural and never overdone.
The pacing was done well and I really enjoyed the overall plot. Breaking the curse and the mystery surrounding it was fascinating. I love Midscape and learning all about the vampir lore was probably my favorite part. The timeline was realistic and I appreciated how things took time it wasn't all solved in 2 days but it never felt like the story dragged. I always appreciate the found family and HEA tropes within the Married to Magic books. I definitely can say this gave me some Beauty and the Beast vibes and I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers and forced proximity romance.
Overall my only complaint is its over and I have a giant book hangover. I need another book that shows me more of the future. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a vampire book. Also its a must read if you are a fan of Elise Kova's books and if you haven't read them then I suggest reading this series. They are all HEA standalones but I love how the Married to Magic Books all tie together.
Thank you to Elise and Silver Wing Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2022
This book needed to be 300-350 pages long and not 536. I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it had been shorter. I felt like a lot of the conversations became super repetitive. But, I do love a good fantasy romance and I like that the author has a well rounded world and plot to go with the romance. I'm going to have to read more of her books soon!
October 14, 2023
4.5
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH <3
Chillando, me ha encantado; tanto por la trama, tan bien montada, con tanto misterio, secretos y acción, como por lo preciosos que han sido los personajes, desde Floriane, hasta Ruvan, parando por la excelente cofradía de él. Ha sido estupendástico.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH <3
Chillando, me ha encantado; tanto por la trama, tan bien montada, con tanto misterio, secretos y acción, como por lo preciosos que han sido los personajes, desde Floriane, hasta Ruvan, parando por la excelente cofradía de él. Ha sido estupendástico.
October 20, 2022
This is the best one of the series so far! So sweet I didn’t want it to end…
February 23, 2023
F: How old are you?
R: …Twenty Four…
F: How long have you been 24?
R: …A while…. (over 3,000 years)…
✨ The twilight vibes are immaculate ✨
R: …Twenty Four…
F: How long have you been 24?
R: …A while…. (over 3,000 years)…
✨ The twilight vibes are immaculate ✨
July 5, 2023
En sus páginas, se da forma a un universo imaginativo perfecto para desconectar, dejarse enamorar y disfrutar de una lectura sin igual, con una maldición con eje central y un enemies to lovers realmente cautivador. Es una novela que se construye alrededor de un contexto literario único, capaz de aglutinar todos aquellos elementos de escritura más tradiciones y evocadores, con personajes clásicos, pero también reconstruidos bajo un prisma llamado a ser diferente.
A nivel argumental y en comparación con los otros dos libros integradores de la saga, es un libro mucho más elaborado, lo que les hace ser capaz de convertirse en una historia más completa. Al romance acostumbrado, le acompaña una argumentación descrita con calma y sutileza, un espacio que garantiza cierto nivel de misterio, como si en verdad uno realizara un puzzle con su composición argumental y cuyo paisaje da lugar a una acción constante que mantiene en vilo a su lector y que hace de una maldición, su mejor escenario.
En sus páginas y capítulos, se presenta a una corte de personajes, no altamente numerable, pero si nutrido. Ruvan y Floriane destacan por su transformación pausada, pero constante, gracias a una evolución totalmente natural, acorde con lo narrado y con ese objetivo primordial de establecer una fuerte conexión con el lector. Su historia de amor, no alude tampoco a la sensualidad acostumbrada, sino que su crecimiento es puramente emocional y se ve acompañado de los gratos recursos de elegancia y una sencillez levemente compleja que colorea más si cabe todo aquello trazado en sus páginas.
Elise Kova es una autora que cada vez más, se afianza como una de las mejores escritoras de fantasía en lo que a mi opinión concierne. Su imaginación desbordante le lleva a revestir sus historias de una originalidad que le define ya perfectamente. De nuevo, es una novela que se lee especialmente bien.
Reseña completa: https://aeternamdea.blogspot.com/2023...
A nivel argumental y en comparación con los otros dos libros integradores de la saga, es un libro mucho más elaborado, lo que les hace ser capaz de convertirse en una historia más completa. Al romance acostumbrado, le acompaña una argumentación descrita con calma y sutileza, un espacio que garantiza cierto nivel de misterio, como si en verdad uno realizara un puzzle con su composición argumental y cuyo paisaje da lugar a una acción constante que mantiene en vilo a su lector y que hace de una maldición, su mejor escenario.
En sus páginas y capítulos, se presenta a una corte de personajes, no altamente numerable, pero si nutrido. Ruvan y Floriane destacan por su transformación pausada, pero constante, gracias a una evolución totalmente natural, acorde con lo narrado y con ese objetivo primordial de establecer una fuerte conexión con el lector. Su historia de amor, no alude tampoco a la sensualidad acostumbrada, sino que su crecimiento es puramente emocional y se ve acompañado de los gratos recursos de elegancia y una sencillez levemente compleja que colorea más si cabe todo aquello trazado en sus páginas.
Elise Kova es una autora que cada vez más, se afianza como una de las mejores escritoras de fantasía en lo que a mi opinión concierne. Su imaginación desbordante le lleva a revestir sus historias de una originalidad que le define ya perfectamente. De nuevo, es una novela que se lee especialmente bien.
Reseña completa: https://aeternamdea.blogspot.com/2023...
November 4, 2022
Will be I'm my next vlog
November 7, 2022
Man, that was a considerable investment for such little payoff. I recommend a hard pass.
April 9, 2024
it was not mid but it was not good either. Certainly better than the previous two as I found myself enjoying bits of it which was completely absent in the previous two so maybe it is improving?!?
September 19, 2022
I need to start of and say that this is a real enemies to lovers, it's a slow burn and definitely not an insta love. Well worth a read!
However, I'm sick so I don't really have the energy to write a review, but it was good. Was it the best? No. Was it still entertaining? Absolutely.
3,5/5 ⭐️ It was a bit clunky at times, and pretty long, but still very much interesting and entertaining.
1,5/5 🌶️ I felt like we were supposed to get more
However, I'm sick so I don't really have the energy to write a review, but it was good. Was it the best? No. Was it still entertaining? Absolutely.
3,5/5 ⭐️ It was a bit clunky at times, and pretty long, but still very much interesting and entertaining.
1,5/5 🌶️ I felt like we were supposed to get more
October 27, 2023
Reseña completa: http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202...
Floriane es la doncella de la fragua: gracias a ella, los cazadores y su comunidad consiguen las armas necesarias para defenderse de los vampiros, hasta que, para salvar a su hermano, Floriane se enfrenta al lord vampiro, Ruvan, que la secuestra y se la lleva al castillo vampírico: ella adquiere un compromiso de sangre con el lord, lo que la liga en cuerpo y mente a su peor enemigo. Sin embargo, resulta no ser quien ella creía, no es un monstruo sin conciencia, sino la última esperanza de un pueblo orgulloso, incomprendido y torturado por una maldición. Ruvan cree que ella podría ser la clave para terminar con el sufrimiento de su gente, y ella solo quiere defender su hogar, pero a veces es muy difícil trazar la línea que separa el deber de lo que se quiere realmente.
Bua. BUA. Mira que lo estuve reservando para el mes de octubre por el tema de los vampiros, y porque prefería leer novelas de este estilo en estas fechas, pero ahora me arrepiento de no haberle hincado el diente (jaja) antes, porque lo cierto es que ha sido una lectura espectacular: personajes geniales, sobre todo la estupenda Floriane, guerrera, cabezota, inteligente, pero también otros como Ruvan o su séquito, y el propio hermano de Floriane, Drew. Es que han sido estupendos.
Floriane es la doncella de la fragua: gracias a ella, los cazadores y su comunidad consiguen las armas necesarias para defenderse de los vampiros, hasta que, para salvar a su hermano, Floriane se enfrenta al lord vampiro, Ruvan, que la secuestra y se la lleva al castillo vampírico: ella adquiere un compromiso de sangre con el lord, lo que la liga en cuerpo y mente a su peor enemigo. Sin embargo, resulta no ser quien ella creía, no es un monstruo sin conciencia, sino la última esperanza de un pueblo orgulloso, incomprendido y torturado por una maldición. Ruvan cree que ella podría ser la clave para terminar con el sufrimiento de su gente, y ella solo quiere defender su hogar, pero a veces es muy difícil trazar la línea que separa el deber de lo que se quiere realmente.
Bua. BUA. Mira que lo estuve reservando para el mes de octubre por el tema de los vampiros, y porque prefería leer novelas de este estilo en estas fechas, pero ahora me arrepiento de no haberle hincado el diente (jaja) antes, porque lo cierto es que ha sido una lectura espectacular: personajes geniales, sobre todo la estupenda Floriane, guerrera, cabezota, inteligente, pero también otros como Ruvan o su séquito, y el propio hermano de Floriane, Drew. Es que han sido estupendos.
August 14, 2023
4 estrellas
Vampyrs, no vampiros. No empecemos cagándola como Floriane.
Tercera parte del universo de Midscape, y segunda vez que digo, SÍ ELISE, ASÍ SÍ.
Después de la gran decepción que fue el segundo libro, éste ha retomado la esencia de “Un trato con el Rey de los elfos”.
Floriane es la doncella de la forja de la aldea de los cazadores, un grupito organizado que parecen todos discípulos de Van Helsing, y cuya misión es hacer armas para que ellos vayan a matar vampyrs, que no vampiros. Les va regulín, pero ahí siguen.
Por azares del destino acaba encontrándose frente a frente con Ruvan, el Lord vampyr y primo-hermano de Alucard de Castelvania, y es arrastrada al otro lado del Vano en una misión en la que descubrirá quiénes son los verdaderos monstruos de la historia.
La ambientación, en mayúsculas y subrayado, es Cainhurst en Bloodborne: un castillo gótico abandonado, lleno de peligros, decadencia y una maldición. Si no os hacéis una imagen mental, buscadlo y luego me lo agradecéis.
Y los personajes, chefs kiss. El desarrollo de Ruvan y Floriane es un 10. Ver cómo poco a poco van dejando atrás miedos, prejuicios y las mentiras que ambos bandos han contado y en las que ellos crecido para conocerse de verdad, es maravilloso.
Si tuviese que sacarle un fallo, es que a veces sobran páginas y hay “poco desarrollo del mundo” entre comillas porque cada libro presenta una parte de Midscape. Hay que verlo todo en el cómputo global, pero estoy deseando ver que tal será ese dueto con el duque de las sirenas.
Vampyrs, no vampiros. No empecemos cagándola como Floriane.
Tercera parte del universo de Midscape, y segunda vez que digo, SÍ ELISE, ASÍ SÍ.
Después de la gran decepción que fue el segundo libro, éste ha retomado la esencia de “Un trato con el Rey de los elfos”.
Floriane es la doncella de la forja de la aldea de los cazadores, un grupito organizado que parecen todos discípulos de Van Helsing, y cuya misión es hacer armas para que ellos vayan a matar vampyrs, que no vampiros. Les va regulín, pero ahí siguen.
Por azares del destino acaba encontrándose frente a frente con Ruvan, el Lord vampyr y primo-hermano de Alucard de Castelvania, y es arrastrada al otro lado del Vano en una misión en la que descubrirá quiénes son los verdaderos monstruos de la historia.
La ambientación, en mayúsculas y subrayado, es Cainhurst en Bloodborne: un castillo gótico abandonado, lleno de peligros, decadencia y una maldición. Si no os hacéis una imagen mental, buscadlo y luego me lo agradecéis.
Y los personajes, chefs kiss. El desarrollo de Ruvan y Floriane es un 10. Ver cómo poco a poco van dejando atrás miedos, prejuicios y las mentiras que ambos bandos han contado y en las que ellos crecido para conocerse de verdad, es maravilloso.
Si tuviese que sacarle un fallo, es que a veces sobran páginas y hay “poco desarrollo del mundo” entre comillas porque cada libro presenta una parte de Midscape. Hay que verlo todo en el cómputo global, pero estoy deseando ver que tal será ese dueto con el duque de las sirenas.
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