"Good Girl" Reads

🔮✨ Dark academia. Tarot magic. One broody prince I would absolutely forgive. ✨

A Vow in Vengeance delivered deadly magic, sharp banter, and a slow-burn romance that had me feral. Rune is fierce, Draven is dramatic (affectionate), and the tension? Delicious.

If you love magical academies, reluctant alliances, and enemies-to-lovers with bite… this one’s calling your name. 🖤🔥

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My Review

🔮 A Vow in Vengeance — Dark Magic, Deadly Tarot & One Very Dangerous Prince

What an impressive debut. Truly. A Vow in Vengeance strikes that delicious balance between plot and pure entertainment, and I was absolutely here for it from page one.

This story plunges you headfirst into a world of magical tarot cards, winged beasts, deadly academies, and steamy secret alliances—and honestly? Say less.

🖤 Vengeance Is the Mood

Rune Ryker is fueled by one thing and one thing only: revenge. After her family is ruthlessly taken by the Immortals, she’s determined to reunite with them at any cost—even if that means forcing her way into Immortal lands and learning the ancient, dangerous magic of the druids.

Rune’s magic turns out to be terrifyingly powerful—and inconveniently rare—with only one other known wielder: Prince Draven Vos (yes, that Draven). He agrees to train her… but nothing in this world comes free. As Rune’s power grows, so do the secrets surrounding the kingdom—and the truth might just save it… or burn it all down.

Cue dramatic music. Thunder optional.

“𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝘵𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑑𝘰𝑚, 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝘰𝜈𝑒, 𝑚𝑦 𝜈𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝘵ℎ, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝘰 𝑙𝘰𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑠 𝐼 𝑑𝘰 𝑛𝘰𝘵 𝑓𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝘵ℎ𝑒𝑚, 𝘵ℎ𝑒𝑦 ℎ𝘰𝑙𝑑 𝑛𝘰 𝑝𝘰𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝘰𝜈𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒.”

Chills. Actual chills.

😈 Rune & Draven: Enemies, Lovers, Menaces

Rune is sharp, sarcastic, snarky, and absolutely a force to be reckoned with—but underneath all that fire are insecurities and grief just waiting to be cracked open. She doesn’t try to be likable, and that’s exactly why I loved her.

Draven? Arrogant, yes—but thank the book gods, not in an eye-roll, insufferable way. His chemistry with Rune was electric. Their banter is witty, mocking, and thick with sexual tension, and honestly? It was the highlight of the book for me.

Will their dynamic feel familiar if you’re a seasoned romance reader? Possibly.
Did I still eat it up without shame? Absolutely. Sue me.

“𝑇ℎ𝑎𝘵 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑏𝑒 𝑦𝘰𝑢𝑟𝑠. 𝑈𝑛𝘵𝑖𝑙 𝘵ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝘵𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝘰𝑢𝘵. 𝛨𝑎𝘵𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑑𝘰𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑦, 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝘵 𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝘰𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝘰𝑛𝑒. 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝘰𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝘵 𝑖𝘵.”

“𝑊ℎ𝑦, 𝐷𝑟𝑎𝜈𝑒𝑛 𝑉𝘰𝑠… 𝑌𝘰𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝘰 𝜈𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑎𝘵𝑖𝑐.”

“𝑌𝘰𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝘰𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑅𝑢𝑛𝑒 𝑅𝑦𝑘𝑒𝑟.”

And yes, I highlighted them all. No regrets.

🔥 Dark Academia & Tarot Magic

The setting—the Forge—is dripping in dark academia vibes: ruthless rules, immortal druids, ancient rituals, and magic that comes with consequences. The tarot-based magic system is such an intriguing concept, and while I loved it, I did find myself wishing JR leaned into it even harder.

There were moments where the story slipped into the classic “telling instead of showing” trap, and I would have loved:

• More depth in the magic system
• Stronger world-building details
• Additional development for side characters

And most importantly:

✨ GIVE ME A SCENE OF DRAVEN SPARRING WITH AND TEACHING RUNE. PLEASE. ✨
I am begging. On my knees. Hands clasped.

🖤 The Verdict

A Vow in Vengeance is the kind of debut that grabs you by the collar and dares you to look away—and I didn’t. I couldn’t. Jaclyn Rodriguez delivers a story packed with magic, betrayal, vengeance, and slow-burn tension that kept me hooked until the very end.

Rune is fierce, flawed, and deeply human. Draven is broody perfection. The romance crackles. The stakes feel real. And while there were a few moments I wanted more, the emotional core of the story kept me locked in.

That ending?
Yeah. I shouted a little.

✨ Final Thoughts

If you love dark academia, tarot magic, reluctant alliances, and heroines who punch first and apologize never, A Vow in Vengeance absolutely deserves a spot on your romantasy TBR.

And yes… I’ll be back for book two.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars from this “Good Girl”

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