King of Battle and Blood

Starred review from October 25, 2021
St. Clair (When Stars Come Out) breathes new life into an old trope as a princess and a vampire king wed to end a yearslong war in this outstanding series opener. Eager to avoid more bloodshed, King Henri de Lara forms a truce with the Blood King, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev. Adrian agrees to peace, but he wants to take Isolde, Henri’s daughter, as his wife and future queen of Revekka, the Empire of the Vampire. Isolde reluctantly accepts, hoping to save her people. It helps that a quick encounter between Isolde and Adrian before the wedding sparked a palpable sexual tension between the born enemies. In the face of this intense chemistry, Isolde questions both her sanity and her loyalty to her homeland. Despite animosity from the townspeople who oppose their union, the sexual tension between the unlikely newlyweds only mounts, and readers are treated to a deliciously slow-building romance as Adrian and Isolde discover an evil power and work together to defeat a common enemy. St. Clair has a masterful hand with the couple’s slow burn, balancing banter, contention, and highly charged moments. Readers will be chomping at the bit for the next installment.

Starred review from December 1, 2021

Marrying the monstrous vampire king Adrian Vasiliev is the only way Isolde de Lara can save the lives of her people. It's the classic solution to the threat posed by Adrian's powerful vampire kingdom and gives her the chance to discover the king's weaknesses. Adrian's death at Isolde's hand is all she wants at first, but the more she learns about the vampires and their history, the more she is drawn to their mysterious king, and Isolde soon realizes she doesn't know the whole truth. Surrounded by a treacherous court of vampires with decades of complicated personal and political alliances, Isolde must find and forge her new role as queen of Revekka. But when threats from humans and vampires threaten her safety within the walls of her castle home, Isolde will have to trust the man she's determined to defeat. VERDICT St. Clair's ("Hades X Persephone"; "Hades Saga") epic new series is a vampire lover's dream, with complex, sensual characters, visceral action scenes, and a riveting plot for fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope.--Jenna Harmison, Champaign Cty. Lib., OH

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2021
St. Clair's King of Battle and Blood kicks off a new first-person romantic fantasy series that, true to its title, does not skimp on the violence or bloodshed. After conquering much of the Nine Houses of Cordova, the bloodthirsty vampire king Adrian Vasiliev is poised to invade the kingdom of Lara. Only the human princess Isolde is capable of rescuing her country from total annihilation, and to do so, she must wed Adrian. Their resulting marriage leads to a long trek back to the seat of Adrian's power in the country of Revekka, and once there, Isolde begrudgingly finds much to admire in her husband, in addition to an inexplicable, and unrelenting, passion for him. As Isolde works to establish herself within his ruthless vampire court, political intrigue and magical plots take center stage. The anticipation of broader world building, specifically into the particulars of St. Clair's vampire mythology and magical systems, is sure to pique reader interest, as will the speculated resolution of several plot twists and lingering romantic tensions between the two leads.

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