Verity Guild: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romantasy

Bee

Murder Mystery Romantasy

"5/5 stars When I first heard about this book I was interested, I've never read a book described as a murder mystery romantasy before. I absolutely love Mai's writing, so I knew it was going to be an amazing and unique experience. The tension was thick between Kera and Torren from the very beginning due to their history; and that slow burn🔥 when it finally hit, it was absolutely explosive. There were so many secrets to pick apart and piece back together to try and determine who the killer was. By the end of the book, I'm still not sure if the full story is out (iykyk). I absolutely can't wait for book 2 after that cliffhanger left me anxiously awaiting more. Some things to expect: - enemies to lovers - slow burn - political intrigue & tension - forbidden magic - secrets & lies - forced proximity - reluctant allies - hidden identity - murder mystery - characters you can't trust ["

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May 9, 2026 Verified Purchase

Christen Snyder

It's not for me, but it might be for YOU!

"Verity Guild by Mai Corland was ultimately a 3.5⭐️ read for me, rounded up to 4... and honestly, a lot of that comes down to personal preference more than the book itself. I’ve learned that murder mysteries need to hit in a *very* specific way for me to really love them, and unfortunately this one mostly left me feeling frustrated rather than intrigued. Despite the multiple murders throughout the story, I personally felt like we weren’t making much progress in the investigation. The same suspects and suspicions kept circling back around after each death, which made the mystery start to feel repetitive rather than escalating in tension. What *did* really interest me was Kerasea’s background. The idea of the last descendant of a fallen magical royal family hiding in plain sight as a high priestess is SUCH a compelling concept, and honestly I found myself wanting much more of that storyline and more world building overall. I kept waiting for the story to dig deeper into the history, politics, and magic surrounding her identity, because that was easily the aspect I found most intriguing. I also never fully connected with the characters emotionally. While I know many readers loved the tension between Kerasea and Torren, I personally didn’t quite feel the chemistry. Their interactions read more as mutual annoyance and confusion to me than romantic tension, though that’s obviously going to come down to interpretation and reading taste. Overall, I can absolutely see why this works for other readers (especially people who really enjoy slower unraveling mysteries), but for me, I think I wanted stronger character investment, more world exploration, and a mystery that felt like it was building toward something bigger with each reveal. ["

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May 17, 2026

bobbiejo wilson

Little resolution- writing was enjoyable

"Possible Spoilers: I enjoyed reading this book... until the end. Nothing, seriously, nothing was resolved and you are left with a cliff hanger. He never learned what happened when they were young. Not sure who was colluding with the master mind, plus her fate was still not determined, nor how many of the deaths were her fault. Then they throw in the final death and arrest at the end?! The transition from enemies to lovers was rough. One scene he is mooning over her and the next he is adamant she is the terrible person he thinks she is and his hate is still at the extreme... I was a little sad when there were not any more pages to read. No news on when the next will be released. ["

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May 17, 2026 Verified Purchase

Pixie

Love it!

"Verity Guild by Mai Corland absolutely consumed me. The twists? Brutal. The tension? Constant. Every time I thought I understood what was happening, this book said “that’s cute” and pulled the rug out from under me again. 😭 The worldbuilding feels rich without slowing the story down, and the characters are the kind that get stuck in your head long after you finish. Alliances shift, secrets unravel, and the emotional damage? Very real. I was stressed, obsessed, emotionally attached, and suspicious of everyone at the same time. Exactly the kind of fantasy chaos I love. And THAT ending?! I need book two immediately because there is no way Mai Corland expects me to just sit here patiently after that. ["

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May 9, 2026 Verified Purchase

laineylovesbooks

Fantasy Murder Mystery

"Thanks so much to Entangled Insiders and NetGalley for the e-arc! I don't know why every Mai Corland book has pleasantly surprised me. I should know by now that I enjoy her books. Corland's books are marketed using romantasy buzz words and tropey language to draw an audience. And those things tend to turn me away from books because I have tended to not enjoy books like that. I seriously question why any of her books have been promoted as romantasies because although yes they contain romances, they really don't read that way to me. Verity Guild is a murder mystery set in a fantasy world. We follow the Conclave meeting of the senators of this country and in attendance are our two POV characters who make up the Verity Guild. Kerasea is the new High Priestess, inheriting the role recently from her late father. I loved reading about her. She has her insecurities but is smart and caring. Our other lead is is Torren who is the Praetorian. He comes from a lesser background and essentially in this story is the detective to solve the murders. I did not enjoy him as much as Karasea but his chapters were mostly about solving the murder mysteries which I did enjoy. These murders are mostly happen in this castle that is snow in and no one can arrive or leave. It's a great set up and I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected. I think my biggest critique is the book did end rather abruptly and there were a few set ups they did not have any pay off. My assumption is that these are being saved for a sequel but I wish it was condensed and wrapped up a little better for book 1. I'm pretty sure I have used the word enjoy way too much in this review but alas here we are. ["

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May 5, 2026