Blood & Honey

After a spate of novels that were lackluster at best and boring at their worst, I finally have a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. The second book in the Serpent & Dove series, Blood & Honey, by Shelby Mahurin not only made me feel all of the emotions, but it also left me with a readers’ high, the kind that leaves you giddy with joy at the end of a fantastic story. The only problem now is that I finished the novel before its publication date and have to wait for Ms. Mahurin to finish the final story in the series!

On Instagram, Ms. Mahurin mentioned how she loves characters, and it shows in Blood & Honey. With little action to move the overarching story significantly forward, she chooses instead to focus on the characters. We meet other show more magical beings as part of the attempt to gain allies and learn more about their current allies. More importantly, we see Lou and Reid grow as individuals as well as a couple. Every new encounter forces them to learn more about themselves and determine what they most value. The issues they work to overcome simply endear them even more to you. Theirs is a natural maturation, albeit one occurring within a condensed timeline.

Ms. Mahurin understands human emotion, and she pulls no punches in getting you to feel everything Lou and Reid do. From Reid’s conflict to Lou’s fear to their overwhelming love for each other, you feel all of it. Honestly, the intensity of those emotions took my breath away as I did not expect such a visceral response to the story. For me, though, to have such a strong emotional reaction is an indication of a well-written novel, and it is something I seek with every novel I read. In this regard, Blood & Honey does not disappoint.

I adore Lou in her own right and LOVE her interactions with Reid and other persons in authority. I appreciate her snark and practically squeal whenever she is able to put it to good use. Plus, there is nothing remotely pretentious about her. Not one to shy away from harsh realities, she sees the world as it is and not as she wishes it would be. This makes her the perfect counter for Reid’s idealistic worldview. Together, they make the right kind of sparks – the kind that requires you to fan your cheeks after certain scenes.

At the end of Blood & Honey, I honestly have no idea where Ms. Mahurin is taking us. Nor do I have any idea of what our heroes will face in the finale. I like that I cannot predict anything because it means I have no ideas that might lead to disappointment. As long as she gives us plenty of Lou and Reid and maybe one or two sexy scenes, I will be happy. I just have to get through the wait. show less

This was so worth the wait!!! This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster - tears, anger, hurt, and happiness were all experienced while reading this. Shelby Mahurin is a BRILLIANT storyteller, one who makes your stomach go to your throat all while crying through your laughter. I absolutely loved Serpent & Dove and was worried what this book would entail (as she said it’s much darker) but I loved it. This book starts right after S&D and shows our heroes on the run from Lou’s mother. But that’s just the start. We meet a lot of new characters who help Lou and Reid on their journey to seek revenge on Morgane. I highly recommend this book, not only it’s the sequel to S&D but it’s a great story about love, loss and hard times show more and coming out stronger than ever. show less

I’m not even sure how to express my thoughts and feelings for B&H… I am torn between 3 & 4 stars, Only because the first 50-60% of the book was quite lacklustre for me, but part 3 really made up for it (in my opinion). Could the book have been shorter? Absolutely. However I feel that it was beneficial to the story to develop the characters and in turn growing my sentiments towards them. However, once they finally made it to Cesarine, I was invested and desperate to see how it would conclude…. Although I had begun to predict the heartbreak that was coming, it was no less painful to see it unfold.
I thoroughly enjoyed Claud Deveraux joining the cast and his role within the final scenes.
I’m also thrilled to report I no longer feel show more that Beau is a pointless character and was glad to have him for the entirety of the book.
I will be jumping straight into Gods & Monsters as I need to know how the story concludes.
Overall, not too shabby for a sequel.
3.75⭐️’s show less

***3.5 Stars?***

I was torn between 3.5 and 4 stars for this one. We saw a lot of talking and planning this time around which left me bored at times, especially since it was also sprinkled with impulsive scenes of romance.

That being said, I did enjoy Lou again. Her snarkiness was still as hilarious as ever. The story elements outside of the "sitting at camp and talking" scenes was very good and entertaining which allowed me to fly through the book.

I will say that I appreciate the way this author writes YA. She doesn't have that borderline tone of talking down to the audience and the way she has her characters speak and behave actually seems to make perfect sense given their various situations.

I wanted to like this one so much more than I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one but reading the follow up was not enjoyable. It was a painful slog and I stopped caring what happened to any of the characters. Lou is losing her mind, Reid is an insufferable "gentleman," and out of her merry little group of friends you know exactly who is going to die in the end (it is painfully obvious). I read the first one in a day and this one took me a week. I just couldn't get into it. I'll eventually read the third one because I really did love the first one a ton - but I'm in no rush. In fact, I think I need a break from this series for a while.

I really, really wanted to like this.

I didn't exactly love Serpent & Dove, but I definitely liked it more than this. The characters were just so.....happy? behaving in character? much more likable?

I don't know what exactly went wrong, but the depression and trauma and similar issues that the characters had to work through just don't belong in a second book. This kind of stuff is either explored way into a series, or it is ever-present. In either case, it is not supposed to be so heavy. You're not supposed to start feeling like I did, when this was the sequel to a very enjoyable and light-hearted book compared to this.

I actually needed to take a break some 20 percent into this to read a rom-com to improve my mood. And I really didn't show more like that.

I would not have minded the angst as much if a) I had signed up for something heavy on the angst, and b) the first book would have also had a bit of this angst. Or maybe, the angst could have been distributed between the two.

Aside from that, it was okay. I think. I'm not sure, because it was full of angst.

I was a bit disappointed since we didn't actually see a lot of the magic of the Blood Witches, which is what I really wanted from this. I was also disappointed that since there was so much angst, when things were finally seeming to look up, there was an unrequired sex-scene because they were finally on good enough terms to sleep together. It just felt forced, and seemed that since the first book had a lot of them, and the plot of this one didn't allow that many, some were just inserted anywhere the mood was slightly good.

Also, about the deaths HOW DARE YOU KILL ANSEL!?!??! HOW DARE YOU.

On the whole I was just really disappointed, and I'm hoping the next doesn't disappoint as much. I'd recommend it to anyone who read the first book, but to take this recommendation with a grain of salt as this might disappoint you too. show less

As with all sequels, I say little because I don't want to give away spoilers. I want you to read these books!

I loved the humor of the first book, Serpent and Dove, laughing at the last word of the book. I like that some of that humor moves to this second book. This book is darker. As with many second books, there's a lot of running around because we have to set up for the finale. With this one, we also gain more people in our quest. Lou and Reid really don't know each other that well, yet they are married. They have to find a way to trust each other and maybe not have so many secrets. Secrets always create problems! Coco, Ansel, and Beau are with them as well. At the end of book one, they are leaving Morgane's control. They need to show more evade her as well as the chasseurs. Reid's mother can help here. Eventually, they realize that they can no longer hide when an event happens that causes Reid to use his magic without the ability to completely control it. They need help; they need allies. They'll separate to try and convince groups to join them.

Lou, Ansel, and Coco go to Coco's aunt asking for an alliance. Coco discovers that her witch family have fallen on hard times. People have gone missing. If Lou can help, they may join Lou against Morgane. Meanwhile, Reid and Beau go to the werewolves. This alliance may be trickier because Reid has a history with them and it's not good. The last hope is the king--can Beau and Reid convince the King to join them as well? If these groups will join them, can they all defeat Morgane? There is an added bonus--a new character who seems to know a lot and appears just when necessary.

I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. Lou's struggle to control her humanity against the magic and Reid's need to come to terms with being a witch himself pull me into the story. Often, we prefer the main characters and the side characters are fine. I usually enjoy novels where the side characters have a valuable presence--where you want that character to be your friend as well. I like Beau, Coco, Ansel, and our new guy, Devereaux. I listened to the book, so I am sorry if I misspelled any names. Unfortunately, the final book will be out in a year. I'll be re-listening next year and excited to see how it all ends--if it ends...... show less