Book: Hallowed Bones by Lucy Smoke
Reviewed by Karina's Magical Reads
Rating: 5/5
Lucy does it again with her ability to write a top-tier why-choose romance! This story begins with a girl named Haven who has little to no family and gets to attend Ipswich College. Her goal is to build a normal life and gain some independence; however, she also hopes to find out what happened to her family. What Haven doesn't expect is to become intrigued and involved with the Sons of Salem, who are a group of men with powers of their own. Haven is warned to stay away from them, but life has other plans. Each member of the Sons of Salem is hot and different in their own ways. She didn't plan on being drawn to each man differently.
The story explores her past, her connection to each of these men, and their potential lineages. Haven doesn't want to believe that magic exists, let alone all 4 of these sexy men who seem to be drawn to her for reasons she cannot fathom. I really enjoyed this book. Its setting is dark academia, haunting, magical, and full of tension and magic. The banter and the slow build of the slow burn are palpable. I was strongly drawn to Ezra and Reyes, but Lyall and Cameron are equally intriguing. The story grips you till the end, and the ending is a brutal cliffhanger. I am anxiously waiting for the next book!! While this is a Why-Choose, this first book builds the tension and spice, and you get a few spicy scenes, but the interaction and the push/pull between them are equally good.
Thank you, St. Martin Press & Lucy Smoke, for my Physical ARC copy of this book; it was amazing.