Meet Ophelia Hart. Lover of classic literature and unicorns. An orphan with nobody in her corner—no family, no friends. But it’s her loneliness that fuels her life’s ambition to become a social worker and help the forgotten children just like her. For a foster kid with only slightly above-average grades, it feels like a pipe dream.

Except it seems that someone is looking out for Ophelia after all. When an unexpected opportunity to attend Montridge University arises, she thinks her life is finally taking a turn for the better.

Too bad she comes to the attention of the three ruthless, arrogant commanders of the Ruby Dragon Society. Three of the most feared and powerful vampires on campus.

But Ophelia doesn’t believe in vampires. Or in witches, or magic, or ancient prophecies.

Until she has no choice. Little does she know, she’s about to have her whole world turned upside down. Because there is something about Ophelia Hart. Something that captures not only the attention of the Ruby Dragon commanders, but also their powerful, enigmatic sire—Professor Alexandros Drakos.

With no idea of the power running through her veins, Ophelia must learn to trust the very men whom all others fear. And she needs to do it fast, for there are darker forces at work than those at Montridge University. Forces that were long ago Forged in Blood.

I haven’t been reading much since September. It wasn’t a conscious decision; I was just busy with other things. I often feel like I have to be in the right mood to read a book, and I just haven’t been feeling it. I have been reading fan fiction instead, but mostly I have just been enjoying life and my new job.

However, I kept seeing this book on TikTok and remembered I had actually added it to my library some months ago and decided to give it a go. I will preface by stating this is a reverse harem; it is a why-choose romance, so the MFC has multiple love interests.

Someone asked me recently why I enjoy reading these types of books, and there is no one answer for me. I enjoy the concepts, the structure of the plot, and the characters. I enjoy well-written smut. I think the reason people like this style of book is multifaceted and probably wildly different from person to person.

Anyway, the beginning of this book left me feeling a little confused. I was introduced to characters that I thought were going to be central to the plot, but I haven’t heard of them since the beginning, so I am not sure whether they will return in the series or were just set there to show the prologue.

The MFC in this book is Ophelia. I personally love that name, so I was already half in reading this. Ophelia is a character who is used to being pushed aside, bullied and forgotten. She has a clear head on her shoulders, and she has clear determination for her future. She knows what she wants to achieve in life and is settled on that goal, no matter what jumps in her way. And A LOT jumps in her way.

She first meets the three ‘men’ one late evening, walking across campus. Axl, Malacai, and Xaivier. She meets them and realises that there is more to the world than she was led to believe. To them, she is a meal to be won but one they are forbidden from taking part in. Their Professor forbids the men from damaging Ophelia and tasks them instead with studying and following her, keeping her safe. They are bemused by this task, seeing it as a punishment or chore, but are diligent in their observations.

Axl is the poster boy of popularity. He is physically attractive and charming, and many of the whispers around the campus are about his hotness. He is also an arsehole. Well, he is an arsehole to Ophelia. He sees the act of surveillance as a complete chore that he wishes he didn’t have to do. He thinks that the best way to fulfil his task is to break Ophelia down and make her wish she never met any of them. Clearly, he fails to miss the fact that Ophelia has a stronger resilience than most. Further into the story, Ophelia becomes his only way out, and I would have expected him to fight harder against that which binds him. However, I think the way his character does act shows how far he was pushing his real feelings down and how much he actually, secretly cared for her.

Malachai deserved to be put on high for his softness and sensitivity within this book. He wants to befriend Ophelia; he wants to be near her, to bask in her presence, to get to know her and learn from her. He almost becomes a friend to her, but under pressure from the others and a command from the Professor, he ends up breaking her heart. It is interesting to see because a command from the Professor is law; it literally cannot be broken, but he is clearly unhappy with the decree, and I think if he could fight it, he would have. He is the first to realise that Ophelia is special and the first to see her worth outside of being a nuisance to watch over. Malachai is strong and sensitive, tall, attractive and imposing.

Xavier is probably the most unhinged of the three. His character is more of the ‘wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley’ vibe. He has a very close bond with Axl, and that is both referenced and witnessed throughout the book. He takes a more hands-on approach with Ophelia. His words cut deep, but sometimes I don’t think he realises that what he says can affect others negatively. Xavier sees Ophelia as a means to an end. I don’t think he realises her true importance till nearer the end. He has his own attraction towards her, but he isn’t as obvious in it as Axl or Malachai are.

Professor Alexandros is a conundrum that I haven’t figured out yet. Over 2,000 years old, he has clearly seen some shit in his life, and it has made him a hardened figure that doesn’t like to connect to the outside world. He has his three men, and that is enough for him. However, he is intrigued by Ophelia. He doesn’t understand her presence in the college because she fits none of the criteria needed to gain entry. He begins researching her and discovers something that he tells himself is impossible. He spends the book talking to different individuals to see if his theory is correct or not, and commands the three men into law abiding by his word and keep Ophelia as safe as possible by any means.

The change between what I refer to as ‘young Ophelia’ versus ‘clued-in Ophelia’ is vast. Through the first half of the book, Ophelia is steadfast. She is headstrong, determined and unwilling to bow to the bullying and harassment by those on campus. It was clear from the start that there would be a bond formed between her and Axl, Malachai, and Xavier. I just wasn’t sure when it would happen or how it would happen. In the latter part of the book, I think the men underestimated her by not coming right out and saying why she is different. I think, having followed her character through this book, she could have handled it had they just blurted it out. I understand the need for mystery and suspense; it has been made abundantly clear that what she is is highly dangerous and puts her on the radar of a lot of powerfully unpleasant individuals. However, she cannot arm herself if she doesn’t know what she is protecting herself from.

Okay, I was not expecting Professor Alexandros to bring the game. I generally thought I would be dealing with his brooding personality for several books to come. He has been very good at brooding. But a character who has a 2,000-year-old past has got to have some skeletons in the closet, and I am a sucker for hunting them out. I want to know more about this character, about his past, about what history he was a part of and what trauma he has survived. He is mostly a closed book, and I haven’t learned that much about him, which makes me all the more curious.

Actually, when I think about it, I haven’t learned much individually about Axl, Malachai, or Xavier, and they must have a history for the amount of time they have been living. I hope I will get to delve into their past through the continuation of this series.

It was a compact ending, but one that I hadn’t expected in the way that it manifested. These characters definitely do carry a lot of weight in this mostly unknown plot. I appreciated the plot, but I am somehow more interested in seeing where the plot develops rather than seeing how the smut continues.