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Redamancy #2
All Together Stranger
Elizabeth Dumas is under quarantine. As the newest Strigoi in Fane’s family, she must prove her loyalty and discretion before she can leave the freight tunnels they call home to hunt on the streets of Chicago. Publicly, she answers to Irina—the name Fane gave her. But how long can Elizabeth deceive the Moroi before he discovers her true allegiance lies with her Maker, Stela?
Stela is in debt. When she killed a human associate to protect Elizabeth, she terminated a lucrative business endeavor. Now her fledgling Elizabeth is yet another Strigoi Fane must feed, clothe, and protect. And he will have his recompense.
Together in blood, body and mind, Stela and Elizabeth must keep the truth of their bond and the depth of their love hidden from Fane and the rest of the family.
After all, one Strigoi cannot belong to another.
All Together Stranger is the riveting sequel to the ground-breaking Terrible Praise. Book Two of The Redamancy Series.
Stela is in debt. When she killed a human associate to protect Elizabeth, she terminated a lucrative business endeavor. Now her fledgling Elizabeth is yet another Strigoi Fane must feed, clothe, and protect. And he will have his recompense.
Together in blood, body and mind, Stela and Elizabeth must keep the truth of their bond and the depth of their love hidden from Fane and the rest of the family.
After all, one Strigoi cannot belong to another.
All Together Stranger is the riveting sequel to the ground-breaking Terrible Praise. Book Two of The Redamancy Series.
308 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2020
3 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Lara Hayes
2 books42 followersLara Hayes is a fiction and entertainment writer. Her work has been featured on the blog at Bella Books, and 4 Your Excitement. She is also an Operations Analyst and spreadsheet enthusiast. She was born in Detroit Michigan and raised in Louisville Kentucky. She currently resides in North Carolina.
Terrible Praise is her first novel, and book one of the Redamancy Series.
Terrible Praise is her first novel, and book one of the Redamancy Series.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 11, 2020
4.50 Stars. Bring on the Vampires! If you read my reviews you will know that I’m a huge paranormal fan, especially for Vamps. I could not be more excited when I saw that Bella was publishing a vampire series. After reading the first book, I was happy to see that these were dark and gritty vamps and not the sparkly kind. Lara Hayes is a professional writer so while the first book Terrible Praise was her debut novel, her writing was top quality. I even thought the writing was better than my actual enjoyment of that book. What was great about this second book is that my enjoyment was much higher and I really liked this.
This book picks up right where Terrible Praise ended. I would highly suggest reading Terrible Praise first. This is a connected series and you would miss out on how the two mains fell in love. And it wasn’t just love, it was this powerful connection and maybe even obsession. It was like they were under each other’s skin it was so close and intense. And that connection drives how the two characters act in this book so not getting to witness it would probably affect your enjoyment of this book.
Like in the first book, the writing was again on point. Hayes takes you to a world where you could actually believe that vamps are roaming the Earth. These are graceful killing machines that you don’t want to meet around a dark corner. Like in this first book, this is a pretty dark story. Not only do vampires hunt without mercy, but they are forced to do their maker’s bidding. And with Stela now more in love with Elizabeth, than she is her maker, you know the uneasy truce could not last long. It’s funny that while this is a slower paced read, half the time I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. If I didn’t love how good my quarantine nails were looking right now, I would have chewed them off in anticipation. This is a long book but I had to finish it in one night since I could not put it down.
With all the good points there is a reason why I could not give this a full 5 stars. The main reason was that the beginning is a little too slow. It takes a while for the book to get moving. Once it does move you can’t put the book down but the beginning is slow. I don’t know if certain things I learned will come into play later in the next book, but for now it felt like too much filler. There is also one last thing I was not happy about. I did not take off anything in my rating for this, but I was annoyed. This book ends on a cliffy. I am much more understanding of cliffhangers when it comes to spec-fic books, but in this case the book was too long for a cliffhanger. This book is double some of the lesfic books I have read this year. I just think if you have all that length then you have plenty of time to not need a cliffy.
If you are looking for a well written vampire story that is dark and gritty, give this series a try. This was a really good read and I want more. I just hope we don’t have to wait another two years in between books. I don’t think I can make it that long waiting for book three. If you are interested in this series I highly recommend reading Terrible Praise first.
An ARC was given to me for a honest review.
This book picks up right where Terrible Praise ended. I would highly suggest reading Terrible Praise first. This is a connected series and you would miss out on how the two mains fell in love. And it wasn’t just love, it was this powerful connection and maybe even obsession. It was like they were under each other’s skin it was so close and intense. And that connection drives how the two characters act in this book so not getting to witness it would probably affect your enjoyment of this book.
Like in the first book, the writing was again on point. Hayes takes you to a world where you could actually believe that vamps are roaming the Earth. These are graceful killing machines that you don’t want to meet around a dark corner. Like in this first book, this is a pretty dark story. Not only do vampires hunt without mercy, but they are forced to do their maker’s bidding. And with Stela now more in love with Elizabeth, than she is her maker, you know the uneasy truce could not last long. It’s funny that while this is a slower paced read, half the time I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. If I didn’t love how good my quarantine nails were looking right now, I would have chewed them off in anticipation. This is a long book but I had to finish it in one night since I could not put it down.
With all the good points there is a reason why I could not give this a full 5 stars. The main reason was that the beginning is a little too slow. It takes a while for the book to get moving. Once it does move you can’t put the book down but the beginning is slow. I don’t know if certain things I learned will come into play later in the next book, but for now it felt like too much filler. There is also one last thing I was not happy about. I did not take off anything in my rating for this, but I was annoyed. This book ends on a cliffy. I am much more understanding of cliffhangers when it comes to spec-fic books, but in this case the book was too long for a cliffhanger. This book is double some of the lesfic books I have read this year. I just think if you have all that length then you have plenty of time to not need a cliffy.
If you are looking for a well written vampire story that is dark and gritty, give this series a try. This was a really good read and I want more. I just hope we don’t have to wait another two years in between books. I don’t think I can make it that long waiting for book three. If you are interested in this series I highly recommend reading Terrible Praise first.
An ARC was given to me for a honest review.
April 20, 2021
All Together Stranger picks up right after Terrible Praise, focusing on Elizabeth’s integration into the Strigoi after being turned and the consequences of her and Stela’s relationship and bond. There’s a different feel to this book – the story and characters are more grounded, the stakes are higher and it leads to a natural transition of mood and atmosphere.
Elizabeth’s slow but sure transition illustrates how effortlessly the vulnerable human shifts into a pragmatic and blood-thirsty Strigoi. Elizabeth’s pragmatism demonstrated in the first novel stands her well as she accepts her new life and the implications of being a Strigoi. At the same time, her “21st Century” independence pushes her to question and create a mounting tension with the others, including Stela.
The deep and enduring connection is still there – dangerously so as the newly turned Elizabeth has retained her bond with Stela instead of forging a new one with Fane. But as Elizabeth and Stela’s relationship grows, it is fraught with disagreements and frustration as they Elizabeth pushes against what is accepted and Stella tries to balance her obligations to Fane with keeping Elizabeth unwitting actions from attracting Fane’s suspicion. The concept of redamancy continues in this book, with every action taken, regardless of consequence, being an expression of love.
I really can’t express how much I enjoyed these books – but I will warn that the second book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger.
Elizabeth’s slow but sure transition illustrates how effortlessly the vulnerable human shifts into a pragmatic and blood-thirsty Strigoi. Elizabeth’s pragmatism demonstrated in the first novel stands her well as she accepts her new life and the implications of being a Strigoi. At the same time, her “21st Century” independence pushes her to question and create a mounting tension with the others, including Stela.
The deep and enduring connection is still there – dangerously so as the newly turned Elizabeth has retained her bond with Stela instead of forging a new one with Fane. But as Elizabeth and Stela’s relationship grows, it is fraught with disagreements and frustration as they Elizabeth pushes against what is accepted and Stella tries to balance her obligations to Fane with keeping Elizabeth unwitting actions from attracting Fane’s suspicion. The concept of redamancy continues in this book, with every action taken, regardless of consequence, being an expression of love.
I really can’t express how much I enjoyed these books – but I will warn that the second book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger.
July 14, 2020
4.5 stars. Fantastic second book in the Redamancy series. These books are so well written, they are dark and gripping!
This book continues immediately where the first one ended and these books should be read in order to fully appreciate them. After the first book I knew what to expect from this book in terms of the atmosphere that is created in the book and I liked this one even a bit better than the first one. This second book starts on a more positive note than the first book with Elizabeth and Stela happy together, but this happy moment does not take long.
Elizabeth has to learn the ways of vampire/Stigroi living, surviving on blood, living in a coven and serving Fane, their master. However, even though all the Stigroi in the coven are named by Fane, and thus are connected and loyal to Fane, Elizabeth never truly made the connection to Fane. During her birth as a Stigroi she kept her connection to Stela, her maker. This will not be accepted by Fane if he finds out, so Elizabeth and Stela are forced to live the most important part of their lives in secrecy. They both know this is a situation that is ready to blow, but they don’t know how to fix it. Fane is again excellent, he is smart, sensing something is off, and extremely creepy.
I love how Hayes takes chances on the romantic connection between Stela and Elizabeth. Yes, they love each other, that is clear, but a large portion of the time they are also at odds with each other, and their relationship often feels uncomfortable. Their personalities and feelings towards the family and Fane are very different and they both struggle with their own personal problems. Often, they seem to be unable to communicate their personal problems and they are even lying to each other, be it to protect the other or simply because they don’t always understand each other. So clearly their life together isn’t all rainbows and glitters, but still they have this great connection.
Elizabeth is interested in learning more about the history of the Moroi and Stigroi and this takes up quite some time in the beginning of the book. Even though the info piqued my interest and seems to form a foundation for following books it slowed the pace. Luckily it picks up later in the book, when a lot of things start happening and every time when you think things cannot get worse…. they can! I am left with some questions concerning Stela’s heritage though and her place in the hierarchy, but maybe this will be clarified later in the series. Ow, and the book ends on a cliffhanger…… I just hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next book.
So, another dark and exciting novel in this series, I look forward to the next!
This book continues immediately where the first one ended and these books should be read in order to fully appreciate them. After the first book I knew what to expect from this book in terms of the atmosphere that is created in the book and I liked this one even a bit better than the first one. This second book starts on a more positive note than the first book with Elizabeth and Stela happy together, but this happy moment does not take long.
Elizabeth has to learn the ways of vampire/Stigroi living, surviving on blood, living in a coven and serving Fane, their master. However, even though all the Stigroi in the coven are named by Fane, and thus are connected and loyal to Fane, Elizabeth never truly made the connection to Fane. During her birth as a Stigroi she kept her connection to Stela, her maker. This will not be accepted by Fane if he finds out, so Elizabeth and Stela are forced to live the most important part of their lives in secrecy. They both know this is a situation that is ready to blow, but they don’t know how to fix it. Fane is again excellent, he is smart, sensing something is off, and extremely creepy.
I love how Hayes takes chances on the romantic connection between Stela and Elizabeth. Yes, they love each other, that is clear, but a large portion of the time they are also at odds with each other, and their relationship often feels uncomfortable. Their personalities and feelings towards the family and Fane are very different and they both struggle with their own personal problems. Often, they seem to be unable to communicate their personal problems and they are even lying to each other, be it to protect the other or simply because they don’t always understand each other. So clearly their life together isn’t all rainbows and glitters, but still they have this great connection.
Elizabeth is interested in learning more about the history of the Moroi and Stigroi and this takes up quite some time in the beginning of the book. Even though the info piqued my interest and seems to form a foundation for following books it slowed the pace. Luckily it picks up later in the book, when a lot of things start happening and every time when you think things cannot get worse…. they can! I am left with some questions concerning Stela’s heritage though and her place in the hierarchy, but maybe this will be clarified later in the series. Ow, and the book ends on a cliffhanger…… I just hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next book.
So, another dark and exciting novel in this series, I look forward to the next!
June 24, 2020
Wow!! I don't review books or anything of the sort on Goodreads but I need to express my adoration of this novel. I'm not particularly eloquent with my words, so I'll just do bullet points as I've just finished reading this book and I'm a tad bit scrambled:
The Power Dynamics. I love love love how Hayes was able to shift the power in the relationship from Stela in the first novel to a much more balanced scale between Elizabeth and Stela. You can see how at the end of the second book, both of them give in to each other, and the respect they show one another is very believable of a genuine relationship. Even though much of the book, they have disagreements, all of that stems from rational fears and flaws they have. They both understand that they need to grow to trust each other more and be more open which is why their relationship feels so authentic to the reader.
Fane and the Family. Though the antagonist of this novel, Fane was one of the best characters here. Hayes was able to show the depth of his character through the eyes of our two protagonists AND the rest of their strigoi family. The whole time, you're rooting for Elizabeth and Stela, but you also understand why Fane is so almighty and great. Everyone in the family (even Stela has a deep respect for him until the near end) loves and worships him reasonably. He's a character with patience and is much more rational than many other antagonists in novels. His suspicion of the two women and slowly creeping end when everything is unravelled with Fane was perfect.
The Lore. Strigoi, Moroi, Oh boy. This novel is dense with the lore of these supernatural beings. Hayes shows an extremely fleshed backstory into each of the family members, and she even shows the stories of characters we've yet to see! It makes me excited to know there's so much more of this world that will come with the third piece of this series.
The B-Word After Fane, I really thought we were home free and would see Elizabeth and Stela on a beach in Maui sipping on some O-Negative martinis. Hayes just has a wonderful way of slipping in these plot points that shouldn't make any sense and then making it fit likes it's the last piece of the puzzle.
Anyways, I'm not sure if anything I've written is legible, but I just had to tell the world how much I love this novel. The writing, the characters, the storyline, it's all fantastic! I'm excited to see what comes next for Stela and Elizabeth. Fingers crossed, we'll see the next novel in the near future, but that's just my impatience taking the reins.
The Power Dynamics. I love love love how Hayes was able to shift the power in the relationship from Stela in the first novel to a much more balanced scale between Elizabeth and Stela. You can see how at the end of the second book, both of them give in to each other, and the respect they show one another is very believable of a genuine relationship. Even though much of the book, they have disagreements, all of that stems from rational fears and flaws they have. They both understand that they need to grow to trust each other more and be more open which is why their relationship feels so authentic to the reader.
Fane and the Family. Though the antagonist of this novel, Fane was one of the best characters here. Hayes was able to show the depth of his character through the eyes of our two protagonists AND the rest of their strigoi family. The whole time, you're rooting for Elizabeth and Stela, but you also understand why Fane is so almighty and great. Everyone in the family (even Stela has a deep respect for him until the near end) loves and worships him reasonably. He's a character with patience and is much more rational than many other antagonists in novels. His suspicion of the two women and slowly creeping end when everything is unravelled with Fane was perfect.
The Lore. Strigoi, Moroi, Oh boy. This novel is dense with the lore of these supernatural beings. Hayes shows an extremely fleshed backstory into each of the family members, and she even shows the stories of characters we've yet to see! It makes me excited to know there's so much more of this world that will come with the third piece of this series.
The B-Word After Fane, I really thought we were home free and would see Elizabeth and Stela on a beach in Maui sipping on some O-Negative martinis. Hayes just has a wonderful way of slipping in these plot points that shouldn't make any sense and then making it fit likes it's the last piece of the puzzle.
Anyways, I'm not sure if anything I've written is legible, but I just had to tell the world how much I love this novel. The writing, the characters, the storyline, it's all fantastic! I'm excited to see what comes next for Stela and Elizabeth. Fingers crossed, we'll see the next novel in the near future, but that's just my impatience taking the reins.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2020
Amazing story. Definitely a page turner.
I need book 3 ASAP
I need book 3 ASAP
July 17, 2025
Don't know if that's a 5/5. I'm the asshole that doesn't like to say "100%" and "perfect" because there could be something even better. But right now I don't care. I just know this book was really good. Its's a well written sapphic vampire novel with interesting worldbuilding, a good plot, that takes it's time, with difficult characters, and an unusual relationship dynamic. Maybe I'm stupid and miss something, or maybe the book is just great. Either way, it's better than the first part and I really liked the first.
Buuuuuut the book was published in 2020 and I so hope the author will grant us with a third part. Plsss
Buuuuuut the book was published in 2020 and I so hope the author will grant us with a third part. Plsss
August 20, 2020
I really enjoyed this book
I randomly started looking up vampire books mainly focused around women. I stumbled upon a review of the first book in this series and immediately fell in love. I personally think this is a great book although in the first I did think the relationship took a little long to progress with how many pages the book had. The second book (this one I’m reviewing) is different from many vampire books that all seem very cliche and sort of follow the same storyline. I’m very excited to see what happens with Stela and Elizabeth! I highly recomend trying a sample as I did before you buy to see if it’s something you’re interested in! This is probably the best series regarding vampire women that I have so far read. Hope this helps with your decision and happy reading!
I randomly started looking up vampire books mainly focused around women. I stumbled upon a review of the first book in this series and immediately fell in love. I personally think this is a great book although in the first I did think the relationship took a little long to progress with how many pages the book had. The second book (this one I’m reviewing) is different from many vampire books that all seem very cliche and sort of follow the same storyline. I’m very excited to see what happens with Stela and Elizabeth! I highly recomend trying a sample as I did before you buy to see if it’s something you’re interested in! This is probably the best series regarding vampire women that I have so far read. Hope this helps with your decision and happy reading!
August 16, 2020
I read the first book of this series and had to jump into this one immediately. It picks up right after the events of Terrible Praise, so it's best to read that book first. Otherwise, you miss the two protagonists falling in love. Closer to obsession than passion, book 1 hit all my love beats and then some. You will miss a lot of the motivation for their actions in this novel if you don't commit to reading the first one.
The intensity and suspense is much higher in this novel because the stakes just got wildly complicated. Stela loves Elizabeth more than she loves Fane, but she can't reveal her connection. Doing so would risk both her and Elizabeth's existence. It makes for a much tenser novel. Also, you get to really see what vampires are made of. They are gorgeous, seductive and utterly lethal, and the circumstances of a hidden love affair just made everything that much more engaging, especially when the couple in question are often at odds with each other. There is a dark realism to this that makes Stela and Elizabeth a compelling pair.
I can't say enough about Fane, either. He is an excellent, well-written antagonist who is intelligent, patient, even heroic but also grows even more creepy as he senses that something is off between Stela and Elizabeth. When it all falls apart, it is brilliant and gutting.
The pace of this novel is slower but the writing and tension keep you turning the pages (I honestly didn't mind that the pace was slower than that of the first book, because I was fully engaged in the world building).
Warning, it does end with a cliffhanger but I would have been desperate for book three anyway if it had not. And I'm sincerely desperate, because book 3 is nowhere in sight and I'm dying to know how this series ends.
I received an ARC from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Originally posted to www.serataino.com/bookshelf:-all-toge...
The intensity and suspense is much higher in this novel because the stakes just got wildly complicated. Stela loves Elizabeth more than she loves Fane, but she can't reveal her connection. Doing so would risk both her and Elizabeth's existence. It makes for a much tenser novel. Also, you get to really see what vampires are made of. They are gorgeous, seductive and utterly lethal, and the circumstances of a hidden love affair just made everything that much more engaging, especially when the couple in question are often at odds with each other. There is a dark realism to this that makes Stela and Elizabeth a compelling pair.
I can't say enough about Fane, either. He is an excellent, well-written antagonist who is intelligent, patient, even heroic but also grows even more creepy as he senses that something is off between Stela and Elizabeth. When it all falls apart, it is brilliant and gutting.
The pace of this novel is slower but the writing and tension keep you turning the pages (I honestly didn't mind that the pace was slower than that of the first book, because I was fully engaged in the world building).
Warning, it does end with a cliffhanger but I would have been desperate for book three anyway if it had not. And I'm sincerely desperate, because book 3 is nowhere in sight and I'm dying to know how this series ends.
I received an ARC from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Originally posted to www.serataino.com/bookshelf:-all-toge...
June 3, 2022
A beautifully done sequel! I loved the transition from the first book to the second one. There was a shift in the mood and atmosphere that matched perfectly with the direction the story went. While Terrible Praise felt more melancholy, All Together Stranger had me on the edge wondering what was going to happen next, all the way to the very last line of the book. I really enjoyed how every twist was very thought out and made complete sense. And of course, Stela and Elizabeth. I’m completely in love with their dynamic and the complexity of their relationship and how it develops through the story. I was almost out of my seat when I got to the last line and all I know is that I want more of them and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
May 5, 2021
This book is an 'experience'.
I didn't like it for the same feverish dreamlike quality of the writing that the previous one, but I still couldn't put it down.
It's also very dark, violent, bloody (huh), with a lot of emotional damaging going 'round and 'round, poor doggies?, weirdly fascinating, ends on a something that make you want to start on the next issue while still truly ending the story.
I didn't like it for the same feverish dreamlike quality of the writing that the previous one, but I still couldn't put it down.
It's also very dark, violent, bloody (huh), with a lot of emotional damaging going 'round and 'round, poor doggies?, weirdly fascinating, ends on a something that make you want to start on the next issue while still truly ending the story.
October 19, 2024
4.5 stars
This series is such a guilty pleasure for me. I probably shouldn't enjoy reading about slightly unhealthy, codependent romances as much as I do, but I do and especially this one. Stela and Elizabeth are tremendously captivating characters on their own, but together they're addictive, at least for me. Their passion, arguments, need, misunderstandings, protectiveness, possessiveness were all layered together with so much complexity; I'm a little obsessed. But there is a reason why this book was not a five star despite the gorgeous romance and compelling plot and worldbuilding and that is the direction the plot took in the last third of the book. It wasn't awful, but it did make me enjoy that last third a bit less than the first two thirds of the book.
Overall, a riveting sequel that has made me quite impatient for the next book in this series.
This series is such a guilty pleasure for me. I probably shouldn't enjoy reading about slightly unhealthy, codependent romances as much as I do, but I do and especially this one. Stela and Elizabeth are tremendously captivating characters on their own, but together they're addictive, at least for me. Their passion, arguments, need, misunderstandings, protectiveness, possessiveness were all layered together with so much complexity; I'm a little obsessed. But there is a reason why this book was not a five star despite the gorgeous romance and compelling plot and worldbuilding and that is the direction the plot took in the last third of the book. It wasn't awful, but it did make me enjoy that last third a bit less than the first two thirds of the book.
Overall, a riveting sequel that has made me quite impatient for the next book in this series.
June 28, 2020
Engrossing follow up to her first novel. This is dark and gritty stuff. Hayes takes on some vampire tropes and smashes them! Which I love! Worth the read!
December 8, 2022
This is literally lesbian Twilight's "Breaking Dawn"
March 25, 2023
This sequel had me on the edge! Can't wait to read a #3 !
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews