Title: The Poison Daughter
Author: Sheila Masterson
Publication date: October 3, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- M/F
- Standalone
- Romantasy
- 1st person duel POV
- One Horse
- Arranged Marriage
- Vigilante FMC
- Touch Her And Die
- Poison Kisses
- Marriage Of Inconvenience
- “Who did this to you?”
- ”Good girl”
First Thoughts
First thoughts? Who am I kidding? I have no first thoughts. I can’t think. I’ve been emotionally destroyed. I’m staring at the ceiling completely empty.
AVOID spoilers for this book like the plague. I will be very careful with my review.
The Story
The plot of The Poison Daughter is intriguing enough, but the author’s incredible writing makes it so much better. Expect to go through all of the emotions. Fury at Harlow’s terrible parents. Shock at the plot twists. Pretty much every emotion toward Henry at various points in the book. Things don’t come together completely until the very end, but when they do, it feels so natural. The pacing is perfect. We learn as we go at just the right pace.
The Romance
Harlow and Henry have instant, undeniable chemistry. I love that in a romantasy. Even with all of the secrets and lies, I never gave up on the endgame. Harlow is, for reasons I won’t get into, closed off emotionally. So, it takes her longer to admit how Henry is making her feel. She is even lying to herself, but somehow Sheila Masterson finds a way to ensure the readers can feel the yearning underneath it all.
“I kiss him, satisfied that I’ve found the person I never want to stop fighting with.”
Henry is a bit more open, but still tries to fight off the feelings, also for reasons I won’t get into. But his desire for her often prevents his true feelings from being hidden. This is a romance that shouldn’t work, but so, so does.
“Good. Be mad at me.”
His encouragement takes the air out of me, and I falter.
“You want me to be mad?”
“Yes, I want your anger. Be as mad at me as you need to, just not from a forest away. Stay with me. Make me suffer for it. I’d rather be tortured by your presence than agonized by your absence.”
Spice?
Oh, yes. It is the perfect addition to the story, enhancing the romance instead of inhibiting it. And If you’re into public sex? You might like this one…
“They like to watch a claiming—to know how much of you I own. They like to watch you struggle when you know deep down you want to belong to me. They like to see a proud woman humbled by need.”
Final Thoughts
I’ve had to be very vague in this review in order to avoid spoilers, but please know there is so much in The Poison Daughter that will have you reeling. I highly recommend you give it a try if you love romantasy as I do. This one is fantastic. I really can’t recommend it enough. Thank you so much Sheila for allowing me to read and give my honest opinions about this book. I’m a fan.
Find it on Goodreads here.
