Review: The King of Battle & Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

KING OF BATTLE AND BLOOD
Series: Adrian X Isolde #1
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Author: Scarlett St Clair
Release Date: November 30, 2021

Their Union Is His Revenge.

 

Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day her death day.

To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him. ⠀

But her assassination attempt is thwarted and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries kill him again, he will raise her as the undead.

Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. ⠀

Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrain.

Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king——fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort. ⠀

The answer will shatter her world.

AMAZON

“Will you take a wife for every house you conquer?” I countered. Adrian seemed amused, his brows lifted, his lips pursed.
“I think you will be challenging enough. Why would I wish for more?”
“Why me?”
He stared at me, and I got the impression he did not know how to answer my question. “You assume I want a wife,” he said. “But I came for a queen.”

If you follow my reviews, you already know how much I love a good fantasy romance/PNR. I’ve had this author on my TBR for what feels like forever. So when I read the blurb to King of Battle and Blood, I knew this would become my first Scarlett St. Clair book. Now generally, I don’t like to read a book knowing the series is not yet finished and it’s not a standalone. But I just couldn’t resist this one and I’m so happy I didn’t.

You’re supposed to say no, at least to my face. Unless you wish to conduct our marriage openly. In which case, shall I start scouting for potential lovers?”
Adrian’s mouth hardened. “Are you demanding fidelity?”
“I will follow as you lead,” I said.

Marriage of convenience.
Enemies to lovers.
Fierce warrior heroine.
High fantasy.
Rich World building.
All of the chemistry.

This book had it all and I was so here for it.

Isolde is a heroine that you love immediately. She’s a beautiful princess, but she’s not sheltered by any means. This is a woman who’s fierce. She’s battle hardened. And she’s also a woman that owns her sexuality and isn’t a shy virgin ingenue. And I absolutely loved that about her.

The Blood King is a monster among men. His name is whispered in fear. His reputation as a ruthless, bloodthirsty monster spans villages. And Isolde isn’t excluded from the list. So when the vampire who is demanding surrender from her kingdom, is willing to trade protection of her people in exchange for her as his bride, she accepts. She would do anything for her people. Even walk willingly into the arms of a monster who she’s been taught to hate and fear all of her life.

I can be anything. Your jailor, your savior, your lover.” His mouth was closer to my ear as he added, “Your monster.”

Adrian was just…gah. I fell so hard for this man. This supposedly ruthless vampire who isn’t at all what he appears to be. I loved discovering every new layer about this man through Isolde’s eyes. The story is told in first POV only from Isolde’s perspective. The pacing was perfection and I simply devoured this story.

The sexual chemistry between Isolde and Adrian was on a whole other level. These two were insidiary. This hate lust that Isolde has for Adrian in combination with his reverence for her was simply delicious. There’s action, rich world building, incredible secondary characters, and sizzling romance. This book was nothing what I expected and everything I had wanted. It ends on a satisfying enough note but still leaving me desperate for the next one. I’m not sure why I haven’t read this author before, but I plan on rectifying this mistake immediately with her backlist. If you love a steamy PNR/Fantasy romance, you don’t want to sleep on this one. Trust me.