Verdict: The sequel that turns Blood Royale into a throuple, rated higher than book one and divided down the middle on whether the third woman was written in or forced in — with editing errors nobody should have shipped.
Best for: Readers who finished Eternal Captive, who want polyamorous vampire romance, and who can live with typos, wrong names and another cliffhanger.
Heat level: ★★★★★ (5/5 — romance.io rates it explicit and plentiful; readers score it around 4)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.7/5 — a 4.07 Goodreads average carrying a genuine split on the polyamory and a real copy-editing problem)
Tropes: Polyamory, why-choose, vampire romance, on the run, triple first-person POV, found family, dark romance, cliffhanger, series continuation, court pursuit.
Divine Deception is book two of Elle Mae’s Blood Royale series, a self-published dark sapphic vampire romance published in March 2025, in which Vesper, Aurelia and a third woman called Cedar flee the Castle family and land somewhere worse — and in which the central couple from Eternal Captive becomes a three.
It holds a 4.07 average across 891 Goodreads ratings and 60 written reviews, against 4.4 across roughly 523 Amazon ratings. Notably that is higher than book one’s 3.90, which is the opposite of what you would expect given how many readers arrived at this book angry about the change. The reviews explain both facts. Both halves of that split are worth understanding before you start.
What Is Divine Deception About?
This is a road book and a structural experiment at once. The escape from book one puts three women on the run together, and Mae writes it in triple first-person — each of the three gets her own POV chapters, which is the technical commitment that separates a genuine throuple from a couple with a guest. Whether that commitment pays off is the thing readers disagree about.
At 296 pages it moves fast, and it is chased. The Castle family is behind them, the witches who patch them up are not a refuge, and the plot keeps handing the three of them somewhere new to be in danger. It also ends where book one ended: on a cliffhanger.
What Makes This Sapphic Vampire Romance Work
- Triple first-person POV: All three women narrate. That is a real structural choice and it is what makes the throuple readable as three relationships rather than one plus an addition.
- Poly representation that lands for poly readers: A polyamorous reviewer calls the representation indescribable and says Cedar rounds the dynamic out rather than intruding on it.
- Aurelia: She has become the fan favourite — the reviews are full of people claiming her, and her anger after the escape is written with real teeth.
- Character evolution: Readers who enjoyed it say the characters continue to evolve in interesting ways, which is the thing sequels most often fail at.
- Pace: 296 pages of pursuit. Nobody accuses this one of dawdling.
Book Synopsis
They got out. That is where this book starts — not with a rescue to plan but with the aftermath of one, three women in a shack somewhere with witches doing what they can and a family behind them that does not accept losses. Escape is the beginning of the problem rather than the end of it.
Aurelia wakes up angry. Not gratefully, not tenderly — angry enough to swing at the people who saved her, which is a more honest way to write someone coming out of what she came out of than most books manage. Vesper has her own reckoning to do with what she is and what her family expects. And Cedar is there, which is the fact the whole book turns on: a third woman inside a relationship that was a pair when the last book ended.
The Castle family does not stop. What the three of them run into next is worse than what they left, and the pursuit gives the book its shape — a chase with three narrators, each of whom sees the other two differently. The question driving it is not whether they will be caught. It is whether three people who ended up together under pressure are actually a relationship, or just three survivors of the same event.
My Review
The structural decision here is braver than the book gets credit for. Moving an established couple into a throuple mid-series is a commercially risky thing to do — you will lose readers, and Mae did — and doing it in triple first-person POV rather than keeping the original two narrators is the version that takes it seriously. Each of the three women gets to be a person with her own account of what is happening. That is the correct way to write polyamory and it is not the cheap way.
The evidence that it works for the audience it is aimed at is unusually clean. A polyamorous reviewer describes the representation as indescribable and says Vesper and Aurelia easily fit Cedar into their dynamic and that she rounds them out. When a reader from the represented group says the representation is good, that carries more weight than any amount of general enthusiasm.
The evidence that it does not work for everyone is equally clean, and it is specific rather than squeamish. Another reviewer says the throuple element came completely out of left field and that the book seemed to focus primarily on how Vesper wanted Cedar while Aurelia had no choice but to comply. That is a criticism about consent and agency inside the relationship, not about polyamory as such, and it deserves to be stated in those terms. Two readers, same pages, opposite conclusions about whether Aurelia chose this.
What is not a split is the editing. One reviewer names it precisely: obvious errors, wrong names, wrong POV chapter headings. In a book whose entire structural conceit is that three different women narrate, a wrong POV heading is not a typo — it breaks the mechanism the book is built on. There is also a recurring complaint that the explicit scenes stop sounding like the characters, described as hot for the sake of being hot without keeping the tone and voice of the actual people involved. And the structure draws fire: cliffhanger again, and a sense that the plot is being stretched deliberately toward more sequels, with one reader noting the first two books could have been one.
My honest note: A genuinely committed piece of polyamorous romance shipped without a proofread. If you want the poly and you already know these characters, it delivers something rare. If you came from book one wanting Vesper and Aurelia alone, this is the book that ends that.
| Element | In Divine Deception |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Vesper, Aurelia & Cedar — the book one couple becomes a three, narrated by all of them |
| Core tropes | Polyamory, why-choose, vampire romance, on the run, triple first-person POV, found family |
| Setting | On the run from the Castle family, through witches and worse, after the escape that ended book one |
| Heat level | 5/5 — explicit and plentiful per romance.io; readers score it nearer 4 |
| Series | Blood Royale book 2 — ends on another cliffhanger; the series is ongoing |
| Content notes | Explicit sexual content, polyamory, violence and pursuit, injury and recovery, coercive family dynamics |
How Spicy Is Divine Deception?
romance.io files it as explicit and plentiful, its top band, while readers who score spice separately tend to put it at four out of five — slightly below book one on their own scales. Either way the content is frequent and on the page, now across three people rather than two.
The thing worth flagging is a craft objection rather than a content one. More than one reader reports that the explicit scenes stop sounding like the characters — written to be hot rather than to be these particular women, losing the tone and voice established elsewhere in the book. That is a specific and unusual complaint and it recurs. For the same heat band with the voice held steady, Green-Eyed Monster is the stronger book, and Blood Marks runs vampire polyamory as a standalone if the three-way dynamic is what drew you.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you are polyamorous or read why-choose by preference, you finished Eternal Captive and want the arc continued, you like a pursuit plot, and Aurelia is the reason you are here.
You may want to skip it if: you wanted Vesper and Aurelia as a couple, obvious copy-editing errors ruin a book for you, another cliffhanger is a dealbreaker, or you need the sex scenes to sound like the characters having them.
In short: committed polyamorous romance with a proofreading problem and a stretched plot.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (August 2026)
The most interesting number attached to this book is a comparison. Eternal Captive holds 3.90 on Goodreads; this holds 4.07. The sequel that made the controversial change is rated higher than the book that set it up, which tells you something specific about how the damage distributed: readers who objected to the throuple went back and downgraded book one rather than rating book two, while the readers who stayed liked what they got. There is no trade coverage and no Reddit presence, and no audiobook on Libro.fm; discovery is Kindle Unlimited plus an author fanbase that arrived from Contract Bound.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The polyamory, when it lands, lands hard. A polyamorous reviewer describes the representation as indescribable and specifies why — Vesper and Aurelia fit Cedar into their dynamic and she rounds them out rather than displacing anyone. Second, Aurelia, who has become the character people claim in their reviews and whose waking-up-furious scene after the escape gets singled out. Third, the triple first-person structure, which readers note as a genuine commitment rather than a gimmick. Fourth, momentum: at 296 pages with a pursuit driving it, nobody calls this one slow.
What readers argue about and complain about: The throuple, and the disagreement is about agency rather than about polyamory. The clearest negative account says the element came completely out of left field and that the book focuses primarily on Vesper wanting Cedar while Aurelia had no choice but to comply. Set that directly against the polyamorous reader who found the same dynamic well built, and you have the genuine split of the book. Second, and not a split at all: editing. Obvious errors, wrong names, wrong POV chapter headings — in a book with three narrators, a mislabelled POV chapter is a structural failure rather than a typo. Third, the explicit scenes losing the characters’ voices. Fourth, structure: another cliffhanger, a plot several readers feel is being stretched toward further sequels, and one reader’s blunt assessment that the first two books could have been one.
The series question everyone should ask first: Blood Royale is ongoing and this is book two of an unfinished series that has now ended twice on cliffhangers. Do not start here — read Eternal Captive first, and go in knowing that the couple becomes a three in this volume, because that is the single fact most likely to determine whether you should read the series at all. If polyamory is a draw, this is one of the more committed pieces of why-choose sapphic paranormal on Kindle Unlimited. If you want a two-person romance, stop after book one and treat its cliffhanger as an ending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Divine Deception turn the couple into a throuple?
Yes. Vesper and Aurelia become three with the addition of Cedar, and all three narrate in first person. It is the defining change of the book and the thing readers disagree about most.
Is the polyamory in Divine Deception well written?
Readers split on it. A polyamorous reviewer calls the representation indescribable and says Cedar rounds the dynamic out. Another says it came out of left field and focuses on Vesper wanting Cedar while Aurelia had no choice but to comply. The disagreement is about agency, not about polyamory.
Does Divine Deception end on a cliffhanger?
Yes, again. Book one ended on one and so does this, and the series is ongoing. Several readers feel the plot is being stretched deliberately toward further sequels.
Do I need to read Eternal Captive first?
Yes. This continues directly from the escape that ends book one, and the emotional weight assumes you know these characters. Both are on Kindle Unlimited.
How spicy is Divine Deception?
romance.io rates it explicit and plentiful, its top band, while readers scoring spice separately put it nearer four out of five. A recurring craft complaint is that the scenes stop sounding like the characters.
Is Divine Deception well edited?
No, and this is the one thing nobody defends. Reviewers report obvious errors including wrong character names and wrong POV chapter headings — which in a book with three narrators breaks the structure it is built on.
If You Loved Divine Deception, Read These Next
Three land closest. Blood Marks by Ruby Scott is the direct recommendation if the polyamory is what worked — vampire romance with a poly configuration, as a complete standalone with no cliffhanger. Not So Yours Truly by Clio Evans runs a W/W/W throuple at novella length with consent foregrounded, which is the corrective if agency was your concern here. And Contract Bound is the author’s strongest book and a two-person romance. For more in the same band, browse our sapphic romantasy on Kindle Unlimited guide or the full run of book reviews.
The Bottom Line
Divine Deception does something most series would not risk: it turns its couple into a throuple and commits, giving all three women first-person narration rather than treating the third as a guest. Poly readers say it works, Aurelia has become the series’ best character, and the pursuit plot keeps 296 pages moving. Against that: readers who felt Aurelia was carried along rather than choosing have a legitimate case, the explicit scenes lose the characters’ voices, and the book shipped with wrong names and mislabelled POV headings that break its own structure. Worth borrowing if the polyamory is the draw and book one left you invested. Check Divine Deception on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Divine Deception ranks as a committed indie polyamorous vampire romance — structurally braver than its series peers, undermined by copy-editing and a stretched plot, and best approached as book two of an ongoing why-choose story rather than as a couple’s continuation.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ 4.07 average across 891 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ Higher than book one’s 3.90 despite the change
- ✓ 4.4 on Amazon across roughly 523 ratings
- ✓ Wrong names and POV headings shipped in the text
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Triple first-person commits to three relationships
- ✓ Poly readers report strong representation
- ✓ Aurelia’s anger written with real teeth
- ✓ Agency of one lead disputed by reviewers
Characters ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Aurelia has become the series’ standout
- ✓ Characters continue to evolve, per readers
- ✓ Each of the three narrates in her own voice
- ✓ Cedar’s arrival feels abrupt to some readers
Writing ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Pursuit plot keeps the pace up
- ✓ Structural ambition of three narrators
- ✓ Obvious editing errors named by reviewers
- ✓ Explicit scenes lose the characters’ voices
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ Waking-up-furious scene singled out by readers
- ✓ Escape aftermath handled without sentiment
- ✓ Poly readers report a strong personal response
- ✓ Stretched plot dilutes the stakes
Heat Level ★★★★★ 5/5
- ✓ romance.io top band, explicit and plentiful
- ✓ Frequent and on the page across three people
- ✓ Readers score it nearer 4 on their own scales
- ✓ Voice slips during the explicit scenes
Ending ★★★☆☆ 2.9/5
- ✓ Second consecutive cliffhanger
- ✓ Series ongoing with no resolution yet
- ✓ Readers say books one and two could be one
- ✓ No complete arc in a single borrow
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ 296 pages makes a return cheap
- ✓ Kindle Unlimited makes re-borrowing free
- ✓ Poly readers report rereading for the dynamic
- ✓ No audio edition and no resolved ending
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