Definitely more romance forward, the fantasy plot gets a little lost in it sometimes. The plot is very predictable and not terribly original but that makes it a lighthearted and fun read at times. The whole first half is incredibly slow moving aside from the heavy romance scenes. Overall, the predictability of the plot and likability of the characters made it feel like an old comfort read.

I honestly think this one is spicier than the others I’ve read by this author. I loved the love story. It was enemies to lovers but in the best way. I loved the protagonist. I enjoy how she learns and grows as the novel progresses to become a more developed, understanding person - which is how I think we should all live. There was a bit of predictability in the plot and there were a few grammatical issues that led me to a four star rating as opposed to a five star rating. 

A King of Battle & Blood tells the story of a tumultuous affair with a cacophony of emotions. And also vampires. It features high smut content from the start, throwing human Isolde into a diplomatic marriage with vampire overlord Adrian come to conquer her father's kingdom. It relies on common vampire paranormal tropes (violence, possessiveness, jealousy & angst), so if you like that feel or if you enjoy fantasy romance that keeps things approachable with only light world-building, you'll get what you're after here.

For me, this one was a miss. In terms of romance, I thrive on stories with a growing emotional connection and a slow build of tension. Without that, the (to me, not as a generalizable fact) abrupt and early arrival of smut on the scene left me sort of disconnected and uninterested in the proceedings. The generic plot elements also kept me at a distance. We have a woman who's been so sheltered that she hates all vampires and doesn't understand their history or humanity. She's forced to marry a vampiric hottie who she's attracted to on a nearly alarming level but who she also views as the root of all evil and would like to murder. The reader knows through it all that Isolde's weak understanding of the world will be overturned,  and the entire story is building up to an obvious revelation that took too long to arrive given its predictability. 

Meanwhile, the author works very hard to convince us that vampire god-among-men Adrian is the epitome of respect and attentiveness. He's certainly the king of instalove, which is explained away through a fantasy plot device. There's also a lot of energy put into convincing us that this is a balanced, consenting relationship. Adrian listens to being told no, Isolde is enthusiastic, and her past lover provides the foil as the needy, controlling human man on offer. However, Adrian's ability to read minds made me a bit uncomfortable. While he assures us it's outside his control, I wasn't happy with the choice to include it. Also, the jealous, obsessed, antagonistic way the two leaned into each other stressed me out.

On either the romance or fantasy front, I was not overly involved in this story. However, I can see why it would be engaging to readers with different interests and priorities, so I've tried to be specific here to help others decide for themselves. I need to stop trying vampire series, basically (but we all know I can't stay away).