House of Bane and Blood (Vows of Vengeance Duet, Bk. 1)
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Overview
A contract marriage. A city on the edge of war. And a serial kidnapper who might just bring them both down first.
The city is split straight down the middle, and Camilla Marchese is losing her grip on her side of it. Her family's syndicate is hemorrhaging money, and with creditors circling, her options have narrowed to almost nothing. Then Nicolai Attano comes calling — gorgeous, ruthless, and the last man she'd ever choose to owe a favor to.
Nicolai leads the rival family on the other side of the city's divide. His offer is simple: he'll clear the Marchese debt in full. The price is Milla's hand in marriage.
She doesn't have the luxury of saying no.
For Nico, the union is less about ambition and more about survival — for both their families. Tensions between the two sides of the city have been shredding apart at the seams, and a mysterious figure known only as The Collector isn't helping. This serial kidnapper has been preying on the streets, stoking fear and mistrust at the worst possible moment.
Nico needs Milla's help to find The Collector. If she delivers, she walks away from their arrangement with more freedom than she's ever had. It sounds like a clean deal — until it very much isn't.
What begins as a marriage of convenience pulls them both into something far darker: a lethal intersection of remnant magic and arcane science in a post-industrial age Isle where power runs on bloodlines, money, and buried secrets. The closer they get to answers, the closer they get to each other — and the higher the cost of getting it wrong.
In a world where trust is the most dangerous thing you can offer someone, Milla and Nico will have to decide if the truth is worth the risk — before The Collector makes that choice for them.
Series Information
Series Name: Vows of Vengeance Duet
Series Reading Order
This series is best read in publication order. The series is complete.
Book 1 - House of Bane and Blood
Book 2 - City of Mirth and Malice
Topics and Key Themes
Narrative Tropes
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn
Marriage of Convenience
Morally Grey Characters
Key Themes
Debt as a cage — financial ruin strips Milla's choices down to one dangerous man's offer.
Uneasy alliances in a fractured city — rival bloodlines must unite before an unseen predator tears everything apart.
Magic meets machinery — remnant power and arcane science collide in a post-industrial world ruled by buried secrets.
Trust as the ultimate risk — in a syndicate world, opening up to the enemy may cost more than the debt ever did.
The Collector's shadow — a serial kidnapper stalks the margins, weaponizing fear to keep two families from ever finding peace.
Who is this book for?
Primary Genre: Dark Romantasy
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5: Spicy
Open-door romance with balance. You’ll find some on-page intimacy with moderate detail, woven into the story. A sweet spot for readers who enjoy both emotional depth and a bit of steam.
Fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Raven Kennedy will enjoy the contract marriage enemies-to-lovers tension, morally grey power players, and dark magical underworld atmosphere woven throughout this fast-paced romantasy.
About the Author
Alexis L. Menard is a registered nurse based out of Louisiana where she lives with her family. She enjoys long walks through the Renaissance Fair, reading spicy romance into the dark hours of the night, and wine nights with friends.
Similar Authors
Jennifer L. Armentrout, Raven Kennedy, Callie Hart
Reader FAQs
It leans toward romance. The post-industrial fantasy setting and magic system provide atmosphere and plot stakes, but the central focus is the enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Milla and Nico and the tension that builds as their forced arrangement deepens.
Like Armentrout, House of Bane and Blood centres morally grey love interests, sharp romantic tension, and a fast pace. The key difference is the syndicate-and-underworld setting, which gives the power dynamics a more criminal, political edge than Armentrout's typical supernatural frameworks.
The book is written for adult readers. It contains violence, dark themes rooted in organised crime and a serial kidnapper plotline, and a spice level of 3 out of 5. It is not recommended for readers under 18.
The world-building is accessible. The setting is a post-industrial city with familiar crime-fiction logic — rival families, debt, and power — with magic layered in rather than foregrounded. Romance readers new to fantasy should find it straightforward to follow.
House of Bane and Blood includes depictions of organised crime, serial kidnapping, financial coercion, and violence. The tone is described as dark romantasy, so readers sensitive to crime-based threat or morally grey character behaviour should be aware before starting.