House of Bane and Blood by Alexis L. Menard

Author : Alexis L. Menard

Book : House of Bane and Blood

/Fantasy , Romance/

/Order and Chaos Book 1/

Publication date : June 17, 2025

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Blurb:

After the death of my father, I vowed that if I ever met a member of the Attano family, I’d kill them. Instead, I married one.

Magic, smoke, and steam swirl in the air. High in their mansions, the ruling cartels play games of blood and secrets, while monsters lurk in the alleyways below.

Once I was the most powerful heiress in this city. Then the Attanos killed my father and left my family’s business empire in ruins. I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back…

So when the man who destroyed my world offers to pay our debts—in exchange for my hand in marriage—I have no choice but to accept.

Nicolai Attano is everything I was raised to hate. Arrogant, heartless and devastatingly handsome, he leads a group of criminals with lethal magical abilities.

I know I can’t trust him, but Nicolai claims his offer is strictly business—if I help him find the serial killer who stalks the streets on his side of the city, he will release me from our contract. As we plunge into an underworld of magic and forbidden desires, I can’t deny the attraction drawing me to my new husband... or the thrilling power I feel whenever he’s around.

Can I hunt down a killer and escape with my life, before the most dangerous man in the city steals my heart?

My thoughts:

A captivating combination of magic, scheming, mafia vibes, and warring families for influence and power. Milla is an heiress to one of the most powerful families, but now…in order to save them from their debts, she is forced to make a marriage alliance with the same family that killed her dad and hurt their position. Nicolai Attano has his own mission—to find the one abducting people and at the same time work his way towards his so-desired revenge.

Working together turns out to be a challenge with all the secrets and the past that sits like a rift between them, but along the way they have no choice but to trust and help each other or fall victim to their enemies.

The thing that I loved the most is the wonderful way the relationships were made—be they family ones or romantic ones, they changed and evolved naturally one step at a time and in such a good way that led to the characters healing process that you can feel with them.

The way Milla realized that there is another way than the toxicity she got from her closest people and gained extended family through love and loyalty.

How Nico and Milla not just healed their souls but helped close a long-lasting feud that took too many lives and caused too much pain.

One thing that I would've loved as a fantasy addict is a bit more about the magic because it was interesting how it was connected with the world and affected who held more power. But as I mentioned, the prominent things in the story are family, loyalty, and the strong relationship, so the magic is the tool that steers the story.

Definitely intrigued to continue their story.