⭐️ Goodreads rating: ~4.0/5 (based on ~17,600+ ratings)
Our readers rate this: 2.5 peppers. Here’s why:
This is romantasy in a slow-burn, political intrigue package. The romance is present and simmering, but it’s woven more into palace scheming, dark magic, and strategy than straight-up spice. Intimacy is minimal in book one, leaning into tension, enemies-to-allies vibes, and emotional connection over explicit heat. The love story is satisfying, but it takes its time—and the focus leans heavily on plot and world-building.
✨ Expect:
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A slow-burn enemies-to-lovers arc
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Heavy political intrigue and court scheming
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Arranged marriage that turns complicated
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Magic, covens, and dark power
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Very minimal explicit spice in book one
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Characters who grow into romance rather than jump into it
🔥 Best for readers who want romance with brains and stakes, not smut-first storytelling. This is ideal for those who enjoy love stories that build through tension, politics, and peril rather than heat right off the bat.
Think “politics + magic + slow burn” more than “bedroom scenes” — perfect mid-level pepper territory 🌶️🖤
📖 Book Description
All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade. After losing her mother to a mysterious magic that now awakens within her, she fears death is imminent—especially at the hands of her merciless brother, who views her as a threat to his throne. In a final political maneuver, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, hoping her death will ignite a war that will secure his power.
Desperate to live, Vaasa enters the marriage intent on escaping—but Reid makes her an offer: help him win an upcoming election in exchange for teaching her how to control the dark magic within her. As Reid and Vaasa navigate political machinations, deadly alliances, and the threat of war, their pretended partnership begins to feel dangerously real. Now Vaasa must choose between survival, control, and the unexpected bond forming with the man she once tried to kill.
Haunted by dark magic, entangled in political webs, and pulled toward a reluctant partnership that becomes something deeper, The Serpent and the Wolf blends intrigue, growth, and slow-burning romance into the first chapter of an epic romantasy.
