I must admit, this book wasn’t really my cup of tea. Although I did like Serpent and Dove (especially the first book), this one fell short on multiple fronts for me.
- I couldn’t connect with any of the characters
- The story couldn’t keep my attention, there were a lot of moments where I was tempted to put the book down for an undetermined amount of time
- It often felt like this story could have been told just as well in a lower page count
- The main storyline disappeared into the background a lot in my opinion. At certain times, Célie just didn't seem to care about what happened to her anymore?

Some things I did like in this book:
+ We got to know more about the vampires, who they are, their way of living,...
+ There was some character growth in this book
+ The narrator of the audiobook has a pleasant voice and conveys the story rather well

Nevertheless, if you're looking for a vampire-human slow burn romance with lots of other supernatural creatures and a woman trying to forge her own path, you might want to give this one a try.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC.

I enjoyed listening to this book. I love a vampire story with a little sprinkle of spicy. I found the story interested me enough to keep listening. I haven’t read any of the other books so it took me sometime to get into the story but I really enjoyed it once I did

In this book we follow Célie Tremblay who has just become the first ever huntswoman. Unfortunately for her, there is a new killer in Belterra who is leaving a trail of bodies, each one drained of blood. Célie decides to track the killer in an attempt to prove herself however she soon catches the eye of the vampire king.
Although this book could definitely be read as a stand alone if you really didn't want to read the Serpent and Dove series by Shelby Mahurin, it will definitely spoil that first series so if you have any intention of reading that series, read it first!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was very captivated by it, but I have been a huge fan of the vampire genre for a long time. IF I had to put it down for work or sleep I was really excited to pick it back up again to see where the story was going to go. I was waiting for the enemies to lovers aspect to kick in as that's a favourite trope of mine!

The epilogue has left me with many questions and I will need to be reading the next book as soon as possible!
I listened to this book via audiobook from NetGalley and found the narrator (Saskia Maarleveld) to have a lovely voice. She did accents amazingly which really helped distinguish between characters and her tone in general really helped build the atmosphere of the story. I was also able to speed up the audio a little without it sounding strange.

I really struggled to get into this one, the plot feels slow, the main character was frustrating. The narrator has a great voice though.

A gripping novel. I couldn't stop listening.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook in return for a fair and honest review

I went into this book with high hopes—after all, how do you mess up a vampire story? The premise and plot had potential, but the execution was incredibly dense. I remember when *Serpent & Dove* was released, there were complaints about the language not fitting the time and place, and while I didn’t notice it much in the first book, it’s definitely an issue here.

The main character comes across as frustratingly naive, and it feels like the author dumbed her down just to move the plot along, which does a disservice to her character. The influence of Sarah J. Maas is glaringly obvious, and instead of creating an original romance dynamic, the author seems to have borrowed heavily from other works to attract readers. It’s disappointing when authors can’t come up with fresh ideas for their romances. Lastly, this book absolutely did not need to be 600 pages long.

I was hesitant to start this book, especially since I didn’t enjoy Mahurin’s previous series, and unfortunately, my fears were confirmed.

In this dark and thrilling vampire romance set in the Serpent & Dove series world, Célie Tremblay defies tradition to become the kingdom's first huntswoman, much to the concern of her fiancé, Jean Luc. Haunted by whispers of her past and facing a new evil leaving blood-drained bodies, Célie's investigation leads her to the ancient Les Éternels. There, she meets their captivating king, whose dangerous allure tests her resolve. Fans of Sarah J. Maas will relish this tale of bravery, temptation, and forbidden love.

Yeaaaaaaah ummm... It was a fun time but can we get actual smart characters instead of those dumbass women we seem to be getting left and right? Celie (which funnily enough I first thought was silly, rather fitting all things considered) was just SO stupid omg. People get killed and it takes her forever to figure out who it is when it was soooo obvious from the get go. And the whole fiance drama was stupid AF. I would recommend reading the Serpent and Dove trilogy before, which I haven't done, so the first 15% were a bit confusing to me. Also, as a French reader, those French names were so stupid. I don't even understand why Celie would get engaged to a man names Jean-Luc in the first place. It seems the author googled "old French names", except she didn't specify how old and ended up with "dads' names who were born in the 70s" instead. 1.5 stars

The Scarlet Veil is a thrilling new novel by Shelby Mahurin which introduces vampires into a world of witches. I was so excited to start this book and return to the world she built in Serpent and Dove. Reading more about the Chasseurs, original characters like Lou and Reid and learning about some of the creatures in this magical world was wonderful.
Whilst Mahurin returns to the familiar world she built up in previous books, she also makes the reader question how much they truly understood about this world by introducing them to a whole other mystery- the murderous Les Eternels. In this way, she manages to make this spin-off book seem distinct from her other trilogy.
I have to admit that Celie was not my favourite character in previous books, but I felt that she grew into a person I could root for over the course of The Scarlet Veil. She is not as obviously powerful as Lou or Coco, but I respected her determination to better herself. Although she grew up quite privileged, she broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first female Chasseur. Unsurprisingly, she faces sexism, harassment and is constantly undermined by other members of the order, but I loved that she refused to give up.
The romance and the mystery in this book were also fun to read. Whilst I don’t think the romance was quite as strong as in Serpent and Dove, I did like how the slow-burn developed. And, of course, Shelby Mahurin wrote an amazing enemies-to-lovers storyline. I think my only complaint is that the book was probably too long. Especially when it comes to the first book in a new series, I prefer a shorter novel which introduces us to the world, characters and key plot points. That being said, the set up for the cliffhanger at the end worked really well.
I would also like to say how much I loved the audio narrator for this book! I think her voice is really suited to fantasy books because of its husky quality. She made me like the main character more as well because her voice was so expressive.
If you’ve read Serpent and Dove or if you love a novel that plays with the idea of what a vampire is supposed to be, I would highly recommend reading this book.

I love a good vampire romance.
This book did not go as I expected. It wasn't the dark and dangerous that I thought it would be.
But either way, I still really enjoyed it.

The tension and lust between Celie and Michal was fantastic, especially with the slow burn. It added bite to the story.

But that ending was something!

3.75 stars rounded up.

Overall this was an enjoyable listen. The storyline itself was nothing mind blowing but it was good enough and the narrator performed the story fantastically

I went into this with mixed hope purely based on the authors other series but I ended up really enjoying this. The story sucks you in and I had to keep listening to get to that ending and what an ending it was! Looking forward for the sequel.

I also listened to the audio arc and the narrator was fantastic!

I’m completely obsessed with this book! It’s been on my wish list for a while and I’m so glad I’ve finally been able to read it. This dark and dangerous novel offered up murder and mystery, a brooding, morally grey vampire, unexpected friendships, ghosts, and all the best tropes. The way everyone treated Célie filled me with so much rage on her behalf, especially her awful fiancé, Jean Luc. Célie is severely underestimated, gaslighted and constantly disrespected by those around her and it’s absolutely thrilling to see her come into her own and defy expectations. She’s brave and reckless, and determined to protect those she loves. She uses her charm and her cleverness to uncover the truth, and with her curious mind, her kindness, and her bravery, it’s impossible not to root for her. The path she’s on is deadly, and she must trust her enemies, face her past, and defy all expectations to solve the mystery at the heart of this story. With that ending as well… I’m desperate to get my hands on the upcoming sequel!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. I did find the names a little harder to keep track of with the French accent used than I perhaps would have in a print book, especially as the book moves between first names and surnames or titles throughout and so keeping track of who is who that was was also a little tricky.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

✨𝐀𝐋𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰✨
🎧: The Scarlet Veil
💀: Now available on Audible!
🎙️: Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld

This book is set in the same world as the Serpent & Dove series and follows Célie Tremblay, the first and only huntswoman of the Chasseurs.

Célie remains haunted by trauma and loss from the events of the past. Her fiancé and dutiful captain Jean Luc desperately wants to protect her at all costs but at the risk of underestimating her.

Determined to prove her worth by independently investigating the string of mysterious murders throughout Belterra, Célie is thrust into a dangerous world of known and hidden monsters. Each step she takes with the enemy has her questioning her stifled life and the expectations placed on her. As the truth starts to unravel, so might her resolve.

Tropes/themes:
🫂 Forced proximity
🗣️ Banter
⚰️ One coffin
🧛🏻 Mortal enemies
🩶 Morally grey MMC
🤝 Reluctant allies
💫 Magic, supernaturals
🫑 Mild romantic tension

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧, 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙩."

Célie possesses an inquiring mind and fighting spirit. I enjoyed her character development as she slowly uncovers shocking truths and secrets surrounding the murders as well as realizing her own desires and wants.

The narrator brings this dark and deeply atmospheric world to life in this audiobook. The performance captures Célie’s pure intentions and determination and the MMC’s conflicted feelings as the story slowly unfolds.

The Scarlet Veil is a strong plot and character-driven tale richly layered with mystery, action, and a dangerous dance with the macabre. The shocking ending had me immediately adding book 2 to my TBR!

Huge thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK Audio, and NetGalley for the Audio Listening Copy opportunity! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Beware this as an audio is pretty addictive! I absolutely loved this dark and atmospheric vampire romance. The vampires are as they should be, terrifying and sexy! The book also brought in lots of vampire myth, with silver, sunlight and coffins all being featured throughout. I don’t know if one coffin trope is a thing - but I think it is now. The murder mystery element was great - I loved the plot and the ending is pretty dramatic (what you want from a vampire romance). The FMC is great, defying social expectations to become her own. The narrator does a great job, especially with the internal monologue of the FMC. The enemies to lovers is also perfection. Definitely up there with my fave vampire books. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an audio ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

This book is nothing like Serpent & Dove series, so please doing go into it expecting such. This story’s stands on its own merits and delivers what we have all come to expect from Shelby Mahurin.

A great story, good characters, some making bad choices, which brings to your attention and excitement levels to boiling!

I enjoyed this books tremendously, even with the slow start which I am glad I kept reading on, the rest of the story had me hooked.

I’m going to give this four thumbs up! One to add to your TBR.

I wanna say I love a good 'only one coffin' book, but I think this is the first 'only one coffin' book I ever read. So there's points for creativity.
And I have to preface that I have only glimpsed at the original trilogy of Serpent and Dove. Thus I was not pre-involved with the characters or the world. That said, I still enjoyed the book very much.
The FMC has a fantastic character development throughout the story, and I find her fully developed and highly interesting. The blonde, tall and brooding one though is a mixed bag. I found him cringe at the start, rather interesting in the middle, and weird at the end. And way less sexy than he should be. Gladly though the story does not depend on the romance (if you wanna call it that)
The vampire world is really cool and just the right amount of dark.
I think all in all I'm hooked enough to stay in this world a bit longer.
The audiobook is really great for this, making this long story fly by and giving the right vibes.

4/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the eARC!

#TheScarletVeil #SerpentAndDove #Netgalley #Bookstagram

🎧 Audiobook Review

The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin
Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
HarperCollins UK Audio, 28th September 2023

Set in the world of the author's bestselling Serpent & Dove series, The Scarlet Veil features some of the characters from that series. This was my first time reading this author, and although some prior knowledge of the characters' stories may have been advantageous, I was still able to grasp the plot firmly between my teeth!

Célie has just joined the Chasseurs as their first huntswoman. Fighting prejudice from many, but not the captain, Jean Luc, who is also her fiancé, Célie is determined to prove her worth. But something dark is stirring, and bodies are being found.

At over 18 hours of listening time, or 640 pages, this is a very long book. Célie changes from a naive girl into a badass woman, which is joyful. Maybe it is the change in the company she keeps, as she sets out to solve the murders.

At times, this book felt a little TOO long, and a few things were repeated. But the small details included because it was a long book were very appreciated; I just feel it could have been slightly shorter without losing any of the good stuff. Saskia Maarleveld did a sterling job in bringing each character to life as an individual.

The story was great, the characters interesting with hearts and minds I cared for (or loathed!), and the cliffhanger at the end made me desperate to know more!
If you're a fan of gothic, dark, paranormal, haunted, murder mystery, romance, tension-filled tales, then check out The Scarlet Veil.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and Shelby Mahurin for providing an audiobook via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

#TheScarletVeil #NetGalley #ShelbyMahurin #SaskiaMaarleveld #VampireBooks
#ParanormalFiction #AudiobookReview

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio of the ARC

A good addition to the Serpent & Dove universe. I really like the setting and the worldbuilding. I'm excited to learn more about the characters and see their relationship explored more in the coming books

3 Stars - I wasn't expecting big things from this as I didn't overly enjoy the first two books in this world. However, I did enjoy it more than I thought. The characters feel so half formed and I felt a huge disconnect from them. Celie was naive and irritating and Michal had promise but ended up getting worse as the book went on. On paper this book should deliver everything I want but it just fell short.