Indie-published in February 2023, the first book in the series introduces Luna, the fourth daughter of a human lord, and Sebastian, the Prince of Darkness.
When Luna is sold into marriage to the vampire prince known as the Prince of Darkness, she thinks she knows what fate awaits her. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Sebastian lives by Queen Marguerite’s rules, so when she orders him to marry the human girl from the neighboring kingdom to stave off the encroaching darkness from their land, he obeys. He never expects to feel anything for Luna, but he falls hard and fast for the studious girl, though his attempts to win her heart can feel cold or sweet, as if Gallea couldn’t find the right balance for him.
What no one expects, not even Queen Marguerite, is what the priest does during Luna’s and Sebastian’s bidding ceremony. He not only binds Luna and Sebastian, but tethers them together; unable to be more than approximately thirty feet apart, they must learn to live with each other or die in excruciating pain. Great plot twist.
However, what is lacking in Gallea’s writing is the emotional connection readers form with the characters. Gallea set up expectations with a name like the Prince of Darkness, and he turns out to be a momma’s boy, overprotective, and apologetic? Where’s the darkness in that? Also, Luna’s self-proclaimed scholarly status is highly questionable because of the dumb actions Gallea gives her. Again, where’s the clean logic she claims?
Perhaps it’s Gallea’s writing style; yes, her book is geared for upper YA/NA, but that doesn’t excuse the many overused sentences and words throughout the manuscript. Or the lack of explanation for Sebastian’s persona, Luna’s whiplash from a mature scholar to a teenage girl unable to communicate clearly. And the plot lines, jeeze, so many of them, with too many plot holes to count. Why did Gallea think a make-out scene when Sebastian is impaled would melt the readers’ hearts? It’s pure luducy.
In a cave full of vampires and one bleeding human, how do they not notice Luna crawling halfway across the floor? The worldbuilding just doesn’t hold.
It’s those discrepancies and many other unanswered questions that make this a 2.5 read.
ROXANNA CROSS 
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