King of Battle and Blood

Adrian X Isolde Series, Book 1

By: Scarlett St. Clair

Narrated by: Lilly Drake, Curt Bonnem

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

From fan-favorite Scarlett St. Clair, the bestselling author of the Hades & Persephone series, comes a new fantasy filled with danger, darkness, and insatiable romance.

Their union is his revenge.

Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day to be 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 to 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 Adrian. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king—fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort.

The answer will shatter her world.

Contains mature themes.

©2021 Scarlett St. Clair (P)2022 Tantor

Excellent

Awesome book. Excellent performance by Drake. I couldn’t get into the performance in the additional chapter. It didn’t fit Adrien. Im no expert.

OMG!!! Loved it!!

Dark, addictive and the narrator was perfect!! It is a must read or listen! Highly recommended

Really amazing start to a new romantasy

5⭐️ 3🌶

This book was amazing! I loved everything about it from the stabby FMC to the book boyfriend of my dreams, King Adrian. I knew I put this book off for a reason. I knew it was going to be amazing and the wait for the sequel would kill me. I was so right, is it December yet?

Isolde is a fierce princess in a kingdom that is set to be attacked by The Blood King, King Adrian, a 200 year old vampire that has been steadily conquering the kingdoms of the Nine Houses. Isolde’s father wants to protect his people by surrendering to Adrian.

Adrian will accept his surrender in exchange for Isolde as his Queen. Isolde, who loves her people and her father and knows they won’t survive a war, agreed to the marriage.

But as she gets to know Adrian better and the further she gets away from her home, she learns that everything may not be as she was taught. That Adrian is not the murderous conqueror commanding all the monsters of the world. Isolde finds herself torn between her growing attraction for Adrian and remaining loyal to her father, her people, and the history she has been taught growing up.

There were some pretty amazing twists in this book that kept me riveted to the book and caused me to stay up way too late. But I had to know what happened next.

I adored Isolde. She was such a badass who could protect herself from physical attacks as well as petty political intrigue. Adrian tells his court, “your queen is a warrior first, a noble second.” She is a strong champion for her people and is willing to sacrifice her own future to keep them safe. But she is a survivor and will do what she needs to fight another day.

I know Adrian was supposed to be the big bad vampire king but it was impossible for me not to love him from the start. He was so patient, caring, playful and protective. He embodies touch her and die, takes it to a whole new level and I was here for it!

I can’t wait for the next book! I need to see how their relationship progresses now that so much has been revealed and I am dying to know who might have betrayed them.

A good Vampire Ememies to Lover story.

It gets straight to the story right away and to the point quick. This is what makes me like Scarlett St Clair, she gets to the point without having to drag out the story. Good characters without the lag of dragging out a story like a lot if other authors do.

I love this book

I loved this book so much I preordered the next one as soon as I finished.

Lots of fun

I loved this! Perfect spicy fantasy, great love story, good bad guys. Narration was better than most of the fantasy genre on audible.

I thought she'd mature

I liked the basic storyline and I could see how she'd be torn between hate and love for Adrian. She was awful to him, but there were reasons. However the bottom line is that she believes anyone who doesn't support her every demand deserves to die and is ready to behead them on the spot. She is entitled, brash, demanding, and thinks she knows more than anyone else - never mind that she just arrived to a whole new culture. What I liked best about the book was Isolde learning that what she was taught was the history of her land was simply not true. A great example of how two groups can have such strong and diametrically opposed convictions based on different interpretations of the same events. (Sound familiar?!) But I really thought that Isolde would mature as a leader. She didn't. Isolde just gets more ruthless as the book goes on. I'm not sorry I read book one, but I doubt I'll continue the series.

Good

The story overall was good but the heroin diminished from strong to whiny.

This is more a story of the heroine’s personal journey through her own emotions & maturing (or lack thereof) as I found the major plot to be rushed or almost back-burned (I.e. the wars, etc).

It felt as if the author reflected her own internal biases towards any fair skinned or light haired women as the enemy of some sort - which is telling in and of itself.

It would’ve gotten an A+ with me if it just focused more on the heroin actually being a strong “Queen” rather than playing victim the whole time.

Fantasy Romance Read

"You told me before I would beg you to take from me. Why would I ever want that?"
“Because as much as I draw life from it, all you will feel is sweet re-lease," he said, and then he tilted his head. "You like release, don't you,
Sparrow?"

A King of Battle and Blood is an alluring amalgamation of insatiable passion and intoxicating romance that you could read over and over....As Ihave

Couldn't stand MC

A lot of reviews described the main character as strong, badass etc

Is one strong when they lash out in violent words or actions when they are angry? For me, thats easy to do. For me, when I am angry or hurt, it takes strength not to do that. Our heroine had moves and a moment of selflessness but it was overshadowed by her immature and contrary attitude. It was just so exhausting I didn't finish.

It would make more sense to take all the smut out of this and market as a YA. At least then the immaturity would be understandable.