Books Purchased November

God of Malice Book review

 God of Malice — Rina Kent (Legacy of Gods #1)

A Techie Scrapper review: dark romance, elite drama, and a world bigger than my TBR pile

YouTube Full Video Review - God of Malice

CAWPILE Rating: 3.6

Spice: I’m calling it a 3/5 on my Sierra Simone, New Camelot Trilogy (American Queen/Prince/King) yardstick. Heat is present early and often, but it’s not the most incendiary trilogy-level inferno. If you’re here for angsty chemistry + dark edges, box checked.
Premise: Mafia meets British Posh, enemies-to-lovers
Pacing: 553 pages that were a steady-paced read.  The final act felt rushed, as if some connective scenes had been moved to companion books. It’s readable; it just leaves you suspecting the “missing pieces” live elsewhere in the universe.
Heads-up: Check the trigger warnings (seriously). Knowing the parents’ books helps a lot.

Reading Dates: Started 03 October 2025 / Completed 15 October 2025

Libby Listening Time: 15 hours: 25 Minutes

Synopsis: “God of Malice” is the first book in the Legacy of Gods series by Rina Kent. It toes the line between romance, suspense, and dark obsession. The premise revolves around Killian Carson, a brilliant, dangerous, emotionally detached medical student with mafia and sociopath tendencies.  There is Glyndon (Glyn) King, a quiet, talented artist, constantly measured against her famous family.  An artist whose life is unraveling. This is due to how she feels about her place in her family and a close male friend unaliving himself.  They shouldn’t mix; of course, they do. Expect obsession, secrecy, and territorial tension. The power imbalance is pronounced. If fragile-heroine/alpha-hero pairings aren’t your jam, tread carefully. If you enjoy morally gray energy and messy attractions, you’ll be fed.

You get a feel of this when the story opens with them crossing paths on that cliff, it becomes a twisted dance of desire, power, and the suppression of darker impulses, leading to an awakening.

The World (It’s…huge).  Rina Kent’s universe is expansive—think more than 34 interconnected titles spanning series like Royal Elite, Kingdom Duet, Lies & Truth, Throne/Thorn, and company.  The Legacy of Gods focuses on the kids of prominent couples from earlier books.

God of Malice is marketed as a standalone within the arc, but let’s keep it real: going in cold is like opening the last book of Harry Potter and trying to bluff your way through the family tree. You can track the plot, but the emotional echoes (especially between parents) are richer if you’ve sampled the earlier pairings.  My point is that if you’re new to Kent, at least start with the books about the parents.  If you choose not to go this way, then for sure start with God of Malice, since it introduces all of the children.

Characterization:

Glendon grows from closed-off to more self-voiced. I wouldn’t label her a classic “strong heroine,” but she does claim space by the end. Killian (“Kill”)…well, Rina Kent warns us early: there’s no soft redemption arc. Whether you buy any late-book softening will depend on how much of the larger world you’ve read.  Kent clearly posts trigger warnings. Read them first. Some beats will not be for every reader, and that’s okay.

Should You Read It?  Yes, if you enjoy:

·        Dark romance with mafia threads

·        Enemies-to-lovers tension

·        Interconnected families and legacy drama

·        High-heat scenes with ethical grayness

Maybe skip/prepare if:

·        Power-imbalanced dynamics frustrate you

·        You prefer self-contained standalones with minimal outside lore

·        Triggering content is a concern (check warnings first)

Reading Order Tip (for Newcomers). If you want maximum payoff:

·        Start with God of Malice (since you’re here).

·        Then sample the parents’ stories (e.g., the King line, the Knights, etc.).

·        Return to the rest of Legacy of Gods with that context in your pocket.

You’ll recognize names, grudges, and alliances when they reappear, and the late-book cameos will click harder.

What’s Next on My Nightstand

I will be circling back to Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (Book 1). I don’t DNF books I’ve bought—old-school rule, modern budget. Pray for my time management.

Final Word

God of Malice is dark, dramatic, and unashamedly extra—a gateway into a sprawling world where legacy carries teeth. Go in eyes-open about the warnings, expect elite-vs-mafia friction, and decide how much backlist lore you want to bring to the party. If that sounds like your brand of chaos, you’ll have a good time.

October B&N Book Haul

October Book 1 Currently Reading: God of Malice

Campervans, Cooking, and Corpses: A humorous van life cozy murder mystery

 Author: Tyler Rhodes

Series: Max’s Campervan Case Files -  Book 1 of 15

Book released: 2023

Started: 26 September 2025

Completed: 28 September 2025

Format: Libby, borrowed – do not own

Listening time: 6 hours

Total pages: 197 pages

Star rating: 3.25 

Book synopsis/review:

This read is very light-hearted about a chef who quit his job and went on the road with his dog, Anxious, making one-pot meals, no stress, and getting back to a simple life.  The life of a chef cost him his marriage and, at times, his sanity. 

Max (MMC) Effort (note the pun) was a chef at a Michelin 3-star restaurant, and he has a plan, and he thinks it's a cunning one. Sick of preparing high-class food and despairing of anything served on a slate rather than a plate, he embarked on a tour of the backroads of Britain. 

When he realized that he was not winning back his ex-wife, Min, he sold his house and bought a VW campervan.  He heads out on the road with his dog, Anxious (a Jack Russell terrier – having had one for a dog, the name completely fits this breed of dog. It’s the dog that played Eddie on the Frasier TV show).

His goal is to create only one-pot meals and tour the back roads of the British countryside.  He and his dog, Anxious, arrive at the first campsite only to run headlong into a murderer who rolled up in a tent placed in the middle of the road.

The local Constable is named BethAnn. She is enthusiastic, very young, and wants to solve the case. Bring in her grandfather, Dai, a grumpy farmer and campsite owner, with some nasty characters who wish to buy the farm to turn it into a holiday park, plus other family members, possibly up to no good, and there's a complex set of stories going on. There is an awful lot of 'living in a camper', which is fun and true, and there is too much about Max's hippy parents, ex-wife, and how he really wants to get back with her. The story also includes two detailed one-pot cast-iron recipes.

It was a fun palate cleanser to get back into reading.  This is a light and easy read. I really enjoyed it; the characters are good, and the story continued at a good pace, with some nice twists and turns.  I can see reading the next book in the series (“Slaughter At The Seaside”) if I get in another rut.  There are 15 books in this series (Max’s Campervan Case Files).

The Alchemist Book Review

 

September Book Haul