[A quick note: This is one of those “bookstagram made me do it” books. I’d never heard of it before seeing it EVERYWHERE on instagram. I had to see what all the hype was about. After I purchased my copy, it sat on a shelf for months. But I finally got to it! The candles shown here are from Bookworm Candle Co based out of the UK. And the adorable Reid and Lou Polaroid is from my Nov FaeCrate. Aren’t they cute?!]
“𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩.” —Shelby Mahurin
Two years ago, Lou fled her coven to hide out in the city of Cesarine. Witches are hunted, but as long as she keeps her head down and refrains from magic, no one will learn her secret. Easier said than done when her path crosses with Reid Diggory’s, the most notorious Chasseur. Forced into matrimony, Lou must fight her growing feelings for Reid. But they cannot hide from what they are, especially when Lou’s enemies threaten a fate worse than death.
Dripping with forbidden romance, this angsty story kept me flipping pages. I enjoyed the witchy vibes, the abundance of tropes like enemies-to-lovers, forced marriage, and human sacrifice, and the French setting. The characters both face internal struggles and satisfying character arcs. And where can I get me some sticky buns?!?
“𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙡, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩. 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙗𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘. 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚. 𝙄𝙛 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧.”
Serpent & Dove is told from two POVs. We get to see things from both Reid and Lou. There are some minor characters like Coco and Ansel who are also quite enjoyable. I liked that both main characters suffered from misconceptions that they were forced to make peace with. This made for very satisfying character arc redemption. Plus, their romance together was a slow burn bickering fest that made my heart grin with wickedness.
The story itself was fluid and structured well. The ending was satisfying but left just enough tension to catapult readers straight into the second book. I would have liked a bit more depth with certain things like the magic system and politics. It lacked the complexity that I like to see in fantasy romance. I’m hoping we will get more of these layers in subsequent books. 𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝟰/𝟱⭐️