By: Stephanie Wyatt
I received an arc for my honest review.
Blood & Brujas by Mikayla D Hornedo tells the story of a young woman, Dayanara, who is heir to a kingdom of witches, the Brujas. The Brujas are currently engaged in a centuries’ long war with neighboring vampires, Sanjurians. In order to save both cultures from annihilation, Dayanara’s mother, the current leader of the Brujas, arranged a marriage alliance between Dayanara and the vampire king, Kaiser. She must adapt to the Sanjurians’ culture and figure out a way to join the kingdoms together peacefully.
This book is a fantasy why-choose romance. There is a ton of graphic sexual scenes, so if that’s not your cup of tea, I would pass on this series. I would give this a 5/5 as a spice rating.
However, if you want spice, there’s actually a character for every type of person. There’s wonderful BIPOC and LBGTQIA+ representation. The characters are all intriguing and all of the court politics are fun to read about. I’m so glad it’s a series because the first book left on a cliffhanger. Dayanara Ampolota is an interesting character to follow, and Kaiser is a curious character. The book is split into multiple POVs, and they are all distinct. There’s also a lot of humor, so it’s a fun time. I have never read a why-choose before, and I’m glad that I decided to read this book.
Overall, this book is a 5/5 for me. The cast is diverse and has amazing representation. Dayanara Ampolota is an amazing and a strong character. The world building is simple but intricate. The pacing is good and keeps readers on their toes. Mikayla D Hornedo is currently working on the sequel now, so hopefully the next book will be released sometime soon.
Blood & Brujas by Mikayla D Hornedo is available on Amazon. It’s available on Amazon with a Kindle Unlimited subscription here.
Functionally Fictional 
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