Author: R.L Caulder
Series: Blood Oath
First Published: 01 October 2025
“Never dim your shine for someone who thinks they’re going to be burned by your greatness. The right person for you will put on sunglasses and bask in your glow.”
I will start by saying that I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to R.L for sending a copy my way!
While this is technically the fifth book in the Blood Oath series, this can be read as a standalone.
With the blood of the Van Helsing slayers in my veins and the legacy of Dracula himself in my bones, my future as the Queen of Vampires is set in stone.
Yet I want nothing to do with it.
One fateful night I’m pushed to the brink and escape to the human realm, and am quickly confronted with the violent reality of why I was forbidden to come here. Two devastatingly handsome brothers disarm me with wit, charm, and a shared dream of the arts. I think I’ve found kindred spirits, but what I find instead is the doorway into their family nightmare. Chained and left on the brink of death’s doorstep, I reconnect with the dark side of myself I swore to leave behind, in order to survive.
Somehow monsters like me can find devotion and love in the most unexpected places, and it turns out I’m not the only one held by chains in this compound. Three humans I once swore to kill vow to break me out and protect me. They’re meant only to be a means of escape, but somewhere along my path of vengeance, they become the very people my soul craves.
Together we must face the demons
When I saw that Blood Lies was a second-generation story, I was excited. This story is packed full of plot. I loved getting to see more from this world after the big battle was won.
Briar is a legacy. She has the blood of the Van Helsing slayers in her veins, and her father is Dracula, King of the Vampires. So her future as Queen of Vampires is pretty much set in stone. But she wants nothing to do with it. Despite all the expectations and training, all she wants is to escape her parents’ overbearing protection and attend art school. Briar does manage to sneak off to the human world and is determined to follow her dreams and go to school. Things turn sour when she crosses paths with two handsome brothers, Elias & Callum. What she thought was a moment where she found kindred spirits, Briar ends up kidnapped, locked away and experimented on. Turned out Elias, Callum & their cousin, Dante are hunters. Briar vows to kill them all, but they might be her only chance of escape. Cue the drama!
I adore Briar from the very start. All she wants is a chance to find her own place in the world. She loves her parents even if their expectations and rules are suffocating. She is thrown into a horrible situation. I love how she turned her pain to power.
Our guys, Elias, Callum and Dante, are also trapped by family expectations. All have been groomed to be soldiers who hunt monsters. At first, their prejudice about vampires causes them to treat Briar horribly. But I loved seeing them question the lies they’ve been brainwashed with. When they fall, they fall hard and grovel for Briar’s forgiveness.
The romance is a secondary plot point, as we focus on Briar trying to make her place in the world and escape the trap she found herself in. The chemistry between Briar, Elias, Callum and Dante is electric. I just wish we got to see more of it, as there’s a six-year time jump from the final chapter and the epilogue. What can I say? I’m selfish, but I’d’ve loved a second book.
If you are in the mood for a why choose vampy romance with Buffy vibes, I recommend Blood Lies. This would also be a fantastic entry point to the series.
