All black & colored two header chapter pages. The Serpent: A thief, a liar, a villain. Shameless. Fate finally did me a solid by placing her in my sights. I stole an exquisite and priceless jewel right from underneath her powerful family’s noses. The minute I laid my cruel and jaded eyes on her, I knew she would be mine, and no one would be able to stop me from having her. I take what I want with no regrets, and my pretty broken doll has become an obsession, one that I can no longer live without, so I won't. Isabella Stratford doesn’t know it yet, but she’s about to become my whole world, as my prisoner, and one day soon, as the woman who helps me control the cartels. The Queen: I was perfect on the outside, the picture of wealth, elegance, and privilege, but fractured and damaged on the inside. I am nothing but a beautiful tool for my family to use to grow our power and our empire. That is until an unhinged villain steals me right out from under their powerful grasp. My survival is now dependent on a cruel and vicious man who would break me into smaller, jagged pieces in order to put me back together to rule his underworld kingdom at his side. His obsession with me knows no restraints; his brand of affection is dangerous and deadly. Can I even survive his world, or will this be the end of me? What about the one I left behind? Will I ever see him again? Will we both cut ourselves open on my sharp edges, or will we find a way of surviving against all the odds and this cruel world? The Queen’s Serpent is a dark enemy to lovers, obsession, kidnapping with a love triangle romance. The FMC will add to her list of men (2) as the duet progresses. Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Once more A.L. Maruga brings us a Trigger Warning fest to delight readers who enjoy treading every dark and unhinged line. A masterful presentation of deeply disturbed characters in a rich landscape that still has the reader pining for more. Diego is the book boyfriend you love, and loathe. He draws you in, even knowing he's bad for you. Everything he does to Issy in his pursuit of possessing her, has her wanting more, has the readers wanting more, even as we want to turn away. Its glorious! Issy is a tinderbox waiting to happen and the readers will be on board waiting for her to catch on fire. She's got so much going on, its so easy to root for her to DO more and she doesn't. Knowing this is the first part of a duet, there's hope we're going to see this woman become something truly impressive because if it's one thing A. L. Maruga does well, it's write amazing female main characters. Keep an eye on this girl. This book is a steamy, gripping build. Mind those trigger warnings as this is definitely not for the faint of heart but for those who like reading on the dark and wild side, buckle up! Tricia Coker Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Diego, well, he is off his dang rocker. And Issa is broken down by her own self. There were so many emotions in this one. The story was hard to read but beautifully done. I honestly did not expect the ending. I can't wait to see where this story will possibly go. Congrat, A.L. you knocked it out of the park! aleshaflatt19 Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This story picked up right away and captured my attention!! There was no shortage of twists and turns. Filled with action, lots of spice, so many emotions to sort out, and darkness a plenty. I had mixed feelings on Issy at first. However, as the book progresses we learn more about her and we see her growth. In the end, I loved her too. I loved Diego from the start. His crazy and obsessive ways made me love him more. He was something you never knew you needed, even when you probably shouldn't. Issy and Diego, don't have the most healthy relationship, but at the same time it works for them. Their chemistry and back and forth is like fire! Such a fantastic way to start the duet! After that ending, it left me wanting more!! jace1kylee Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "I will never let another man have her. I will never allow her to beg anyone else but me. Mine." Diego is one of AL's most unhinged MMC's and I'm here for every bit of it! If you're into possesive alphaholes, female main characters that go through Hades and back but come out even stronger, andd dark, dark, dark romances, read this! If you haven't read her Casbury Prep series that starts with Reign of the Queen, I highly recommend it, this is a spinoff from a few of the characters you get to meet in it and it having that backstory just makes this read even better! BookinBritt Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Spice: 5/5 Holy eff... that was utter filth and all kinds of depraved. It was dirty and I liked it!! This was the first book of a duo and it rendered me speechless. I devoured this book in just over 24 hours. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. First read by the author and definitely not disappointed. Will be adding all her other works to my TBR! I LOVED this, it had everything you could possibly want in a book with loads of extra stuff