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[katara]

Bite the Woman That Feeds: A Dark Fantasy Romance by Penelope Barsetti

Series:
??

Genre:
Dark, Romance, Romantasy, Spicy Romance, Steamy Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Possessive Alpha, Cliffhanger, Enemies to Lovers, High Fantasy, Smut, Book Series, Dual Points of View, Touch Her and Die

Publication Date:
August 1, 2023

Pages Numbers:
359

Read Date:
August 9th, 2023

Date Finished:
August 9th, 2023

Rating:
4/5

Blurb:

Kingsnake only wanted my blood—but now he wants all of me.

A sickness has claimed the kingdoms of men. Everyone is either sick or dying, weak to a curse that has no cure—except for me. I’m immune to this mysterious illness, and I do my best to heal the sick and ease the pain of the dying. I was supposed to marry the Prince of Raventower, but after his father and elder brother succumbed to the sickness, he’s now king—and can only marry someone of his station. He broke all his promises to me—and broke my heart.

Kingsnake, King of Vampires and Lord of Darkness, marches upon our gates and demands a handful of our healthiest citizens. The vampires have always stuck to their lands and never invaded ours, but their lack of food has made them desperate. King Elias not only succumbs to his demands—but he offers me on the condition that Kingsnake never return. The man I loved betrayed me—and will feed me to a monster.

I become a prisoner to the vampire king and witness his cruelty and malice first-hand. I knew I would hate him, but I didn’t know how much I would hate him. The feeling is mutual, because I can feel the emotions of those around me, and his emotions burn with rage anytime he’s in my presence. But the second he tastes my blood everything changes…

His anger is replaced by an intensity I’ve never felt in my life. It’s so powerful it smothers me until I can’t breathe. His stare is like wildfire, so searing hot it makes my skin melt. I know he wants me—and he wants me more than anyone else ever has. Even the man I loved never wanted me like this…

I would never sleep with a vampire…but Kingsnake is no ordinary vampire.

Review:

Larisa had a promising life. She had a fiance in the Prince of Raventower and a happy life ahead of her. That is until the king dies and her beloved Elias ascends to the throne. Even worse, she is not the woman he takes as his queen. With a pandemic rushing through the village and people dying, Larisa learns that she is immune to the sickness and she's left to become a nurse.

But when vampires march into her village and demand the healthiest citizens to return with him, Larisa finds herself being sold to the Kingsnake by Elias and his wife. Betrayed and heartbroken by this, Larisa flees hoping to avoid becoming the blood donor to a vampire.

That is until she finds herself being captured by the Vampire King and Lord of Darkness, Kingsnake. Larisa learns that there is something special about her blood and Kingsnake wants to find out why. As the two start feeling the gravitational pull toward each other, Larisa knows she should not feel anything for the vampire but she also knows she cannot stop it either.

Before I even begin this review, I want to say that I am deathly afraid of snakes but I can seriously make an exception for Fang. I loved that snake a lot. He was the glue between Kingsnake and Larisa. When she saved him, you could see the change in him..the need he felt to protect her, not because of Kingsnake but because she made him feel more like a companion than something to be feared. Of course, that had not been the case in the beginning. Still, I love that snake.

As for Larisa herself, I was annoyed by her. I could not connect with her whatsoever no matter how much I tried. I wanted several times to reach into the book and bitch slap her. She nearly made me dnf this book.

But Kingsnake kept me going. Alpha male. Possessive. Touch her and die. Morally grey character. I know he struggled with his feelings for Larisa. He had a duty to his people. He had a duty to try to find a cure for the disease. I sort of felt sorry because he knew the clock was running out with each second. He knew he could not keep her.

Also, I enjoyed the world-building. There seems to be a lot more than what is in the first book (this is the first book, right?) I am quite sure we will see it fleshed out a lot more in the coming books.

Final Thought:

This book and its series (?) have potential to be an interesting series and I am looking forward to seeing how this story plays out in the future.

Similar Books:

Nectar of the Wicked by Ella Fields
Fate of a Royal by Meagan Brandy
Glow of the Everflame by Penn Cole