A Vow Of Hate: An Arranged Marriage Romance

Feelings, so many feelings, but the good ones, the type of “OMG this book was so good” feelings. This was my first Lylah James book, and I can honestly say that I wasn’t disappointed, because she gave us such a good, well written book, with great characters. When I first saw the cover and read the blurb and the tropes, I made a few ideas in my mind and I kinda had a view of the story. But oh boy, how wrong was I. This book was nothing like I has imagined, IT WAS AMAZING! The entire book is an emotional rollercoster, so well written, the action was not rushed. Lylah gave us a great book, filled with angst, mystery, hidden secrets and in the end, love. I was such an emotional mess when I finished the book, part of me was so sad that I reached the end. I cried and laugh with the characters, and for more then half the book I was without breath and at the edge of my seat. And that plot twist that dropped halfway through the book had me screaming out loud at 2 am “No way”. I was not expecting that, and in that moment I loved the book ever harder then before. Julianna is not your normal heroine, and I think some of the readers might have a problem in connecting with her and understating why she acted the way she did. I admit, that in the beginning I didn’t empathize with her, but after the first chapters I understood her reasons. There were many moments, when all I wanted was to be able to crawl inside the book and hug her, wrap my arms around her and protect her at all costs. Because she is both strong and fragile, so courageous, brave and kind. She fights for those she loves and tries to protect them at all costs. She was grieving the loss of her sister in her own way, nobody does it the same, and in her mind and broken heart, she though that the best way to do this, was to become a martyr and sacrifice her happiness for someone else’s. Love makes us do so stupid things sometimes. Killian, oh dear Killian. How I wanted to smack some sense into him for most of the book, that my hand started to itch. He is cold, ruthless, heartless and also grieving. But unlike Julianna, he is not a martyr. He channels all his hurt into anger, and has an ultimate goal: revenge. He wants to hurt Julianna, to make her pay for the loss of his love, a love he so desperately wanted and searched for it, and will stop at nothing to achieve that. He does and also says some awful thing to Julianna, he hurts her, but in the end he regrets it. I, for one, wanted to hurt him and hate him, but in the end I couldn’t do it. Because I also understood him, his point of view. He’s been wronged. In the end, I empathized with him also and rooted for the best. The chemistry between these two is undeniable, their story full of angst, secrets, sacrifices, but also love. Both of them play with each others demons. They are the perfect duo, they complete each other. ★ I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are a few things I consider when reading and/or reviewing a book. I can honestly say the author hit the mark. Let me start with the characters, they were strong characters full of surprises. I loved the twists and turns, they kept me anticipating what was to come next. Unlike similar novels in the genre, I really didn't have the ability to determine the outcome within the first few chapters. This was a unique spin on a somewhat classic style story that can easily be overdone. The author does a wonderful job of conveying the raw emotion experienced by the characters. As promised, it was a stand-alone story. However, given the depth of information and indirect characterization, I can only hope the author would base a few future stories on some of these characters. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is due to a few (very sparingly) grammar errors and I felt the writing style wasn't as strong as it was in the beginning or ending when discussing past elements of the plot.

This book took me THROUGH IT. The intensity of the emotions, the twists and reveals, my jaw was on the floor for so much of this book. It’s a must read, there’s nothing else to say

It was good but also aggravatingly confusing at times. The main thing that threw me off throughout the entire book was the time period that this was happening in. It had this weird historical romance kind of vibe that I just couldn’t shake off at all. It is an arranged marriage, which I read in modern romance as well, however, with this one, it was actually very confusing why these people were forced to get married. His family was high up in society, but who was her family that was so important for the two to come together? There was never a clear introduction to that other than they needed to make a baby for the families to be tied by blood. Then, the girl has scars on her face and walks around with a veil on at all times. I get hiding and all that, but she was with the veil on when there were no people around. Then, after he saw her face finally, she ditched it because he had been the only one she was worried about seeing her face. But he had been gone for 6 months, and she still walked around with the veil on like some ghost looking for her Heathcliff around the castle on her island. There were also words thrown in like “rake” which again made me think of a historical romance. But they had cell phones, emails and social media accounts, so... Another thing was that the first half of the book moved soooooo slow. I thought we’d never get anywhere. There was so much back and forth, so much. What saved the whole story is the fact that there are two pretty big twists in it that I didn’t see coming and loved. However, the jump into the past, then back into the present, after the first twist didn’t feel natural. And I don’t know if I misread or what, but after they finally do the sexy times for the first time, he says he’d been a virgin? This man was in his mid 30’s, and his behavior after as far as that was not that of a beginner’s either. Very confusing. All in all, I liked parts of the story, but didn’t love it overall.

Let me just say...MIND BLOWN! I also wanted to thank BookShark for recommending The Mafia and His Angel. Where it started that led me to A Vow Of Hate. I was absolutely blown away. And I'll admit I strongly loathed Killian. He absolutely hated Julianna and let her know it at every turn. He sold Ragna. Julianna's horse, her best friend. Her savior. Killian was the epitome of hatred. I could have done without the name calling. That made the evil personal. Julianna was in her own circle of hell. She thought things that ended up not being true. But not before being introduced to Killian's wrath. Julianna wanted Killian killed her. She would be put out of her misery. He threatened her constantly. His hate was unbelievable. My heart broke for Julianna. She was dealt an extremely bad hand. And at every turn I found my heart breaking. I think I spent about a third of this book in tears. And not the good ones. Then the page turned. Something happened. And my opinion of Killian changed. Dramatically. I feel like this was two books in one. The first part was hate and evil. The second part is full of greatness and full of love. Killian and Julianna were healing. Truths were revealed. I was totally captivated and couldn't put this book down. It hooked me from the first page. I am in love with Lylah James and her writing. She is not afraid to pull you in. Chew you up. Spit you out. Then make you whole again. Phenomenal job.

I normally do not write reviews but considering that this book is the first book in a LONG time to surprise me, I thought I would leave something. I have read through so many books that are just flat and predictable on here. If you've read one you've read them all kind of thing but just with different characters. Well, NOT WITH THIS BOOK. It has multiple twists and even though I did predict a few things and there are things that I did not like about this book, I would still recommend it as a good book to read at the end of the day. It has the right level of spice for the characters, the right level of mystery, it has a good mounting and pace of the story. A good slow burn. In the end I was only left with one loose end and honestly it only bugs me because it was something that pushed the story along for multiple chapters and then just all the sudden I guess didn't matter anymore? Anyway, overall, this book is a good and refreshing switch up. It actually has a plot, (not just spicey scenes with useless filler words in between) and it will definitely be one I read again at some point.

The Blurred Line between Love and Hate During a recent Saturday afternoon, I was held captive reading this book by a new author for me. It was doubly pleasurable because it was a shared experience of a buddy read with the Hotties from Some Like It Hot Discussion Group. The story gripped my heart through my chest and I was wrung out after the read. It put me in a very contemplative state about a few things and I was amazed at the ideas that presented themselves to me. Let me first say it is not a perfect book…yet I gave it 5 stars. I have a few reasons for my high praise. The first is the largeness of the emotions. This writer creates high drama beyond angst…much like the authors of the romantic period of old. The Bronte sisters are good examples. Some reads sound like they have a contemporary pop soundtrack. This read had for me a soundtrack from composers of the romantic era with their lush, swelling crescendo and full-bodied harmonies expressing the depth of sorrow and the tension of the plot points...like the music written by Hector Berlioz, Fryderyck Chopin, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi to name some. Few authors write with this level of reader captivation. Anything that was less than perfect from here can be easily fixed by an editor. “Our story was made out of broken bones, built on a splintered spine; the pages stained with blood and words cursed with devastation. We were battle worn. And perhaps… if we had met in another lifetime, our story would have been different. Less grief and more tenderness. Perhaps in another lifetime… We would have been just Killian and Julianna–without a past to hold us back.” Another idea that kept bouncing around in my psyche was how the heroine of our story was so damaged with a visible limp, a scarred face and a seizure disorder, yet by the end of the novel she was celebrated for her beauty and sex appeal still with her scars, limp and seizures. Yes, our heroine had issues but her appearance was truly not one that was dwelled upon. I was fascinated with my reaction to the heroine. Thinking that she would get plastic surgery or transform somehow into a beauty. Deep in my core, I realize what a wretched perfectionist I am. The hate dynamic between Julianna and Killian was excruciating, painful…horrible even. The hate sex was phenomenal. (The Hotties as a whole wanted more…but that’s the Hotties😄.) The BDSM did not make sense and on some level it did. “There’s a fine line between love and hate. And I just realized that I love you as much as I f***ing hate you, Julianna.” There is a big finish to the arcing plotline of the story and it is exciting. As I said, I could not put the book down. So, if you find yourself with some time and you need to fully escape, this is an excellent choice in a dark romance!

I absolutely loved this book. It’s intense and keeps you wondering what will happen next. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good, easy read.

I loved the book...perfectly written hate-to-love romance in an arranged marriage but i couldn't ignore the fact that the plot looks like a mix of LJ Shen's Kiss thief, and Villain(especially the birth of their son, it was a lot like Astor's birth). But i should say this was way better than Villain. Even though i loved the book i wanted him to love Julianna as herself. I wanted Grace to be his dead lover and then he fell for Jules. This is just my opinion. Either way i loved the book and your writing. I hate overly cocky 'Alpha' male protagonist. Here Killian wanted to fall in love. And i loved it. Also he is a beautiful man.

One of my favourite books, the betrayal the story everything!

Ho iniziato a leggerlo per curiosità ma ben presto non sono riuscita a metterlo giù finché non è terminato... semplicemente stupendo...❤️ Lo raccomando sicuramente! 🥰

From the very first page, A Vow of Hate grips you with its raw emotional pull and refuses to let go. Lylah James crafts a world where every glance, every word left unsaid, hums with tension. Her prose is immersive and evocative, pulling the reader deep into a romance that burns as fiercely as the wounds of its past. The characters feel intensely real — flawed, layered, and irresistibly human. Their chemistry is undeniable, sparking in moments of tenderness and colliding in bursts of conflict that keep the story’s heartbeat pounding. The atmosphere is charged, blending vulnerability with an undercurrent of danger, creating a narrative rhythm that’s as addictive as it is haunting. What makes this book stand out is its ability to balance passion and pain, offering moments of light amid the shadows. It’s a journey that stirs the heart, lingers in the mind, and leaves you craving just one more chapter. If you’re drawn to stories where the line between love and hate blurs into something unforgettable, this limited edition is a treasure for your shelves.

I’ve been following Lylah for a long time and I fall more in love with her writing each time. AVOH is such a beautifully written book. It mesmerized me, made my heart race, left me wanting more, shattered my heart and then gave me tears of joy. I finished this book in less than 24 hours. This is how good this book is, couldn’t keep it down. This is a book for all of those people who love sweet romance books with a good amount of twists and turns here and there. Thank you for this amazing book Lylah.