Blood Mercy

Blood Grace, Book 1

By: Vela Roth

Narrated by: Kale Williams, Caren Naess

Length: 22 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

One human. One immortal. Will their alliance save the kingdom, or will their forbidden love be a death sentence?

When Cassia seeks out a Hesperine, he could end her mortal life in a heartbeat. But she has no fear of his magic or his fangs. She knows the real monster is the human king, her father. If he finds out she’s bargaining with his enemy, he’ll send her to the executioner.

As a Hesperine diplomat, Lio must negotiate with mortals who hate him. Cassia is different, but politics aren't why she captivates the gentle immortal. He wants more than her blood, and if he can’t resist the temptation, he’ll provoke the war he's trying to prevent.

Slow-burn, steamy romance meets classic fantasy worldbuilding in the Blood Grace series.

©2022 Vela Roth (P)2023 Podium Audio

Beautiful audio adaptation

It was great to hear one of my favorite series adapted to audiobook! Faithful and well recorded.

Kale as Leo, yes please!

I loved this book. It is definitely a slow starter with all the world building but my oh my did the slow burn deliver.

Favorite Audiobook this year

Both narrators did an amazing job at telling the story. I was hooked! Can’t wait for the next book to be on audio!

A slow start and a fantastic finish

It took seemingly forever for this book to get interesting. However, I heard from so many that this is how it starts but it gets so good. And it did! Around the middle mark I was full on SOBBING, with like snot and everything and I usually tear up at best. Man. Also the last part was so thrilling. I'm glad I kept going.

Overly Long

I appreciate the complex world building. The writer must have a heck of a white board to keep her plot points straight. It's all interesting, but a narcissistic king and his minions controlling the story for hours is old hat. This story could be told in half the word count. The female narrator has a lovely voice, but points off because I had to speed her to 1.5. This book is interminable. I don't think I will continue. ANOTHER 20 HOURS? you must be joking. Then another book after that? No thanks. Maybe if the awful cover art is changed to reflect what the characters actually look like and I'll reconsider. As it stands I see there is a HEA. I will be happy with that. Good luck you two.

Best book I’ve listened to yet.

I’m fairly new to audiobooks to be completely honest, and it’s been very hard to find one I can actually finish. The amount of detail the author puts into the world building of this series is fantastic. The slow burn romance is great. The narrators chosen portray Cassia and Lio so well. I can’t wait to keep reading/listening through the series!

A Remarkable Performance of the Perfect Fantasy Romance

Again, I find myself absolutely taken aback by the work of Vela Roth. Maybe I thought to myself the book couldn’t be better than it is in traditional book form, but I was proven SO wrong.

The narrators selected for this book were absolutely stunning. Kale and Caren both completely embodied Lio and Cassia. They also had unbelievably impressive range. They each utilized different accents and tones to poignantly differentiate between each of the many characters. It was a total joy to listen to.

This is to say nothing of the book itself. I have loved this story for over a year now and cannot stop thinking about it. It has altered my life for the better, and every time I read it I learn something new. The book is written with such detail that I feel like Cassia and Lio are real flesh and blood ready to step off the page. (and tbh I wish they would).

If you’re a fan of fantasy romance, vampires, strong FMC, or epic fantasies this book will blow you out of the water.

Woman finding her strength

Loved the voice actors for this book they really brought the story to life and gave it sensuality. The story is a great start to the series, a princess who finds her courage with the encouragement of her foreign delegate who becomes her lover. They end up being mutually supportive of each others causes.

Fantasy Series

This is the epic starter for the Blood Grace series. If you're a fan of fantasy and vampire romance, you're gonna eat this up. So, get this: we're right inside Cassia and Lio's heads, feeling all their vibes. It starts a bit slow but hang in there, it gets so good. Kale Williams and Caren Naess shine as narrators, breathing life into the enthralling fantasy romance. If you're down for some otherworldly fantasy romance with a side of intense world-building, this series should be on your radar. Seriously, grab it and dive in!

Ready for book two!

The first half of the book was slow and somewhat difficult to get in to. I wasn’t surprised as reviews of the book said as much. I listened to the first half of the book at 1.3 to get through it quicker.
I hung in there and as the story developed I became drawn in and captivated. I was disappointed when the book ended and I can’t wait until book two becomes available on audible!
I gave the “story” only 4 stars for how slow the first half of the book was.