War is on our doorstep. The odds have never been so bleak.

The Dark Goddess invades from the south, an unstoppable army of ghouls at her command. Darkwinter gathers in the north, their attack imminent. Rebel factions divide the realm, undermining Keradoc’s rule and leaving Midnight ripe for invasion.

And with every passing night, we sink deeper into the torments of our own souls, the secrets of the past as dangerous as the enemies of the present.

Love and loyalty have seen us through the worst of Midnight’s brutalities, but it’s no longer just me and my fierce, protective monsters. Our fates are now bound to the realm and its warlord—a cruel, enigmatic fae harboring dark secrets of his own.

Secrets that will either help us win this war…

Or destroy everything we’re risking our lives, our hearts, and our very souls to save.

30 chapters | 301 pg

So, I read this on and off for a couple of days, completely forgot about it and then read the final 6 chapters in one sitting. Life has been stressful recently, either working towards something important or overthinking about things that shouldn’t be that important. So, I’m late on my November reading but as I looked out my window and saw the ever-raining sky and the cold breeze, I thought reading was the right idea for the day.

So, Blood and Madness. This is the third book in the series and I vibed with it A LOT.

I recently discovered that I have read Piper’s books before – something I’d not realised – it was a book I tried reading about 3 years ago, hated it, and swore not to seek out again. So, my interest in this series, was a bit flawed at the realisation that I was reading – and enjoying – a book from an author I’d previously sacked off!

This is the third book in a series of four. I think, going into the book I was wondering where it would lead. I’d made some theories in the second book that I was confident would come true – they did – and so I wondered which way the story would lean considering those theories.

In an odd way, I think the plot became a little chaotic here, adding elements that were fun to read but didn’t necessarily add to the plot. I think there was an addition of two many new plot points that I worry won’t be resolved by the end of the series.

I find that the character of Haley has stagnated in terms of her witchy power. She seemed no closer to discovering her Darkwinter power than she did in the second book and with that element of her character being essential to the developing plot line, it made me wonder about where things were going but also frustrated at the timing of it.

With revere harem books, to capture my interest, there needs to be an equal balance between spice and plot and while there was plenty that went on in this book, it didn’t quite reach the balance that I desired. I think it was a little sloppy.

With Hudson, we see more dialogue in this book. We see more of the man behind the gargoyle, but we are no closer to learning about his past and why he escaped Midnight in the first place. He’s the character I warmed to the most in the beginning and the character has continued to please me as the series has continued. I think in this book, he needed the clarification he got from revealing all his feelings for Haley and it helped to bridge a path that neither had seen as missing.

Jax was fuelled with anger and rage in this book, mostly directed at Elian. With the information I had – from reading the first two books – I could understand an element of these feelings, but I felt like they lead to a deeper pit that was unexplored. He presents as a loveable demon character but as a reader I would like to understand better the pain that brought him to the present story.

The cliffhanger at the end of the book was unexpected because I wasn’t looking for it. I was completely wrapped up in the narrative adjacent that I didn’t even consider the plot moving in the direction it did. Perhaps it would be a more obvious cliffhanger to another reader.

I have the final book of the series in my kindle library already. I’ve had a bit of a lull since finishing this book but hopefully I can get myself back into things. I’m only 2 books away from my reading target of 2023!

I give this book: ⭐⭐⭐

Spice: 🌶️🌶️