4.5 Stars 

As per usual with this series is chock-full of action, humor, violence, foul language, kick-a*s heroines and just generally a solid good time. The only thing that was a bit overwhelming to me was the sheer amount of names/people to keep track of in this fantastical world Aiken has created. I freaking LOVED the new bunch of characters. They were brimming with chaos and full on entertaining. They were so fleshed out instantly and I fell so hard for them that by the end I'm like PLEASE GIVE US A SPINOFF cause I need Annwyl's whole backstory. And then I made the most incredible discovery....this series already exists! No need to hope and wait, there's like 9 Dragon Kin books plus novellas already waiting for me to consume. Which totally makes sense as to the big introduction and them being so seemingly well established. Having read those first probably would have helped the whole being overwhelmed with all the new people to remember.

Anyhow, back to The Heretic Royal, Ainsley was super fun. I kinda dig her middle(ish) child vibe. Poking at her sisters and able to evaporate from their minds at times and just get up to her own shenanigans. But of course still integral to her family. Ainsley ruffling Gemma's feathers with each passing breath was a fun highlight for me. Gruffyn was a good counterpart for her. His general grumpiness and and aloofness with most people was oddly charming, and the whole champion grudge-holder thing still makes me chuckle. Ainsley probably rants enough for the both of them so him being a more verbally reserved dude works out kinda well. I like that he just quietly was amused by her and had her back from the jump. They established a nice friendship beforehand and it made the leap into something romantic even more enjoyable to me. 

Another noteworthy thing about this series, I love that it's really heavy on the fantasy with the smaller side of romance. That's pretty much the icing on the cake for me, gotta love a good solid base. The family dynamics never fail to entertain. I can't wait to see where things go next! 


I received an ARC of this book from Kensington Books via NetGalley and this is my honest review.

This was a solid read for me. A smidge campy (re: the absolute cheesefest of names, titles, places, etc.), a dash of slasher, a pinch of mystery, and a little woo-woo, all encompassed in this creepy Gotham-esq little farm town. It's snappy little pace paired with lots of intrigue and a colorful cast of characters will keep you flying through those pages. Ultimately what it ended up being about was even more interesting to me than the premise led you to believe, which is cool since that was already interesting enough to entice me to begin with. Who doesn't love some icing on the cake?! I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future! 

I received an ARC of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley and this is my honest review.

3.5 stars 

It feels weird to say this but I thought this was a wickedly satisfying read. I wouldn't say it was light or highly plausible in the criming-and-getting-away-with-it aspect, but it wasn't really demanding of much brain power which made it feel light in a way when paired with Kitty's flighty 'It Girl' commentary. I can see why Dexter vibes are referenced here, very punish the guilty that escape consequences via brutal vigilante justice, but definitely missing the stark realism of the gross amount of effort that went into the whole not getting caught thing. I'm confident it will strike a cord with women that is all too familiar. It did for me, twofold because I'm a woman with a daughter. Kitty kinda embodies a fair amount of us women that are sick of feeling like prey for male entitlement. There's just something so devilishly satisfying about how she uses their wickedness against them. She gains her advantage from their misdeeds and it's hard not to champion that. Then, like Dexter, you get to feel a bit strange about applauding a murderer, even if the target is scum. This book is very of it's time with social media, influencers and the #metoo movement all coming into play. The inclusion of it, along with Kitty's wry sense of humor give a welcome balance to some of the previously mentioned heavier material. All in all a snappy little villainous read for fans of dark humor and vigilante-esq behavior. 

I received an ARC of this book from HQ Digital via NetGalley and this is my honest review.