Author: E.P. Bali

Series: Her Vicious Beasts

First Published: 29 March 2024

“You were the sun for me down there in my cave. I heard you. I listened. You are mine.”

I will try and keep my review as spoiler free as possible but just be wary if you haven’t read the first book, Her Feral Beasts.

I escaped my Council-ordered execution by the skin of my beak, only to be faced with an even worse situation. My father, the King of Serpent Court, will try to get to me by any nefarious means possible, including hurting my friends.

Meanwhile, the mere presence of the five mates I’ve rejected torments me at every turn. Savage, the unhinged wolf who now seems besotted with me. Scythe, the mob-boss Great White shark whose icy eyes see right through my skin and Xander, the arrogant, sneering dragon.

Then, there’s the powerful, moody Deputy Headmaster of Animus Academy who has his amber eyes fixed right on me. While he says one thing, his body language tells me something completely different. And then one day, I start to receive cryptic texts from a mysterious stranger who’s past-times include watching me sleep and stalking me.

What’s a girl to do except hand their attitude problems right back to them?

Oh my god, that ending? These cliffhanger endings are not good for my heart. We should never underestimate the cunning and manipulative nature of the Cobra King. I need to pick up the next one right away. I needed to make sure everyone was okay.

I am truly obsessed with the series. I am flying through these books. In Her Rabid Beasts, we pick up right where Her Feral Beasts left off – Aurelia is waiting for the results of her trial and her mates stab her in the back. It was amazing to see what her beast was. She had to reveal her secret to escape her father. She is struggling that she had to reveal her beast and has gone into survival mode. Her father continues to fight to get Aurelia dragged back to the Serpent court. We get the vibe that Aurelia is the most powerful animalia in existence. However, I don’t think we have seen the extent of her abilities. She is still terrified to use her powers for fear of being hunted down. I can’t wait to see when she gets the confidence and feels safe enough to explore her powers. Aurelia goes rabid, hidden in her beast form, while she heals the event in the first book and tries to fend off her father’s psychic attacks.

The way her friends’ band around her in the aftermath was beautiful. It was so sweet to see the girl doing everything they could to bring her back to her human self and help her research her beasts. I love the dynamic of these girls, who are a mix of criminals and those who are rabid. Raquel seems to be the group’s voice of reason even if they don’t listen to them as much as they should. I love Sabrina! She is a fiery cheetah who teaches them to pick locks and dress to impress. Minnie is going through her own mating issues. My heart ached when Minnie and Aurelia had their first fight, thankfully, it didn’t last too long. I adore that Aurelia has finally found people who she can trust.

Lyle has a complicated relationship with his lion self. He needs to always be in control. When we learn about his past and what happened to his family, his need for control makes so much sense. Honestly, they all have horrific childhoods, so fingers crossed this relationship will help them all heal. He kept his distance from Aurelia because he was worried that the mating bond would make him lose control. He pushes his fears aside to help Aurelia through her rabid period. Lyle still seems unsure about her until the end when Aurelia helps to defeat his demons.

I adore Savage. I knew he would be the first to crack. He’s 100% committed to Aurelia and openly acknowledges her as his Regina. I am still obsessed with his chaotic mix of golden retriever and unhinged psychopath. I adore all the sweet moments we get with Savage, including the fact he can’t sleep without her so sneaks into her room each night.

In terms of the other guys, Scythe seems to be opening to the idea of them as a pack – but something is holding him back. I can’t decide if he is waiting for something to happen or if he knows something we don’t know. Xander is his usual grumpy self. He is reluctant to interact with Aurelia and only seems to be there because of his loyalty to Scythe. And our mystery fifth mate has entered the chat. Ghoul has started texting Aurelia to let her know he’s watching. He is a shadow daddy. Ghoul is giving dark romance stalker vibes and I am here for it. We have no idea what animalia he is – I am sure I will not correctly guess it – but I am excited to learn more about him.

While the romantic feelings are slowly developing – some more slowly than others – we get some steamy scenes. And that group scene left me needing to cool down. We also had a caretaking scene, which is like crack to me. I adored how attentive Savage and Lyle were. They made sure she was well-fed. Lyle even helped wash her hair, which was so intimate and romantic.

Thankfully, the next book, Her Psycho Beasts, is out because that ending had me in tears. I have no idea where Aurelia’s story will go next, but I am here for this wild ride. If you enjoy the dramatic, high-stakes plot of The Mate Games universe and the bully, enemies-to-lovers romance from The Bonds that Tie series, then Her Vicious Beasts is a must-add to your TBR!