Serpent and Dove - Shelby Mahurin

Review Date:  September 4th, 2019
Rating:  5 out of 5 Stars

"Bound as one to love, honor, or burn..."

Are you guys prepared for what I have to share with you today, because it's absolutely incredible!

There aren't enough good things to say about this book.  The cover art is amazing and eye-catching, the fantastical plot is phenomenal, and the main characters are spot on...but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let me start off by saying Serpent and Dove is the quintessential love to hate trope.  

The story starts off in seventeenth-century France and follows Louise Le Blanc, or Lou for short.  Lou is a mischievous, fun loving, chaos chasing witch who for all purposes intended has denounced her power and abilities in a world that shuns witches and burns them at the stake.  In this world their are three main groups.  You have witches, you have the Church, and you have humans.  Witches tend to prey on the humans because they have been wronged and are seeking revenge.  The Church is a group that polices the streets of France and deals with the chaos and havoc these witches create.  They see witches as a evil mark in the world that should be eradicated when found.

Enter Reid Diggory.  Reid is a chasseur, a group of people who are described as hunters of the Church, holy men who protect the kingdom from witches like Lou.  Reid has always been a man sworn to duty and allegiance and has a reputation for being very good at the job he has.

Until he bumps into the one woman that makes him question everything, but...in a rare turn of events...who he ends up being bound to in the holy act of matrimony.  (No spoilers here, this is revealed directly in the description of the book).

What isn't revealed is the complete chaos that ensues when Lou and Reid are forced to set aside their issues and work together as more or less a team.  Though the hate between the two is palpable, can something more grow when a larger evil foe reveals themselves?  And what will happen to our favorite characters of the book, when some hard learned secrets are revealed?

This book is described as a steamy YA series that is perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas.  While I fully believe that, I believe this book is a genre all of its own.  Rarely this year have I gotten to know and love characters so much as I have with Reid and Lou.  The setting of the story, the plot...the plot twists!...and even the writing style, had me reading this from cover to cover almost in one sitting and this is a hefty book of about 514 pages.  

Shelby Mahurin has a way with words that has been rare to find in more recent novels.  I cannot wait to find out what happens with Reid and Lou (especially after that ending!), and I feel as though this will be a series that I will hate to wait until the next novel is out.  If you are interested in picking up a copy of Serpent and Dove, you don't have to wait any longer!  The first act of this incredible series came out on September 3rd, 2019.

Happy Reading!