RATING: ★★★★
REVIEW: Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ruthless Devotion is a deliciously melodramatic, angsty, romantic, and passionate reimagining of Wuthering Heights set against modern-day South Carolina. It's both a slow burn and love-at-first-sight obsession, a paradox that somehow works—thanks to Kenney’s bold storytelling.
Mere chapters into the book and you’ll encounter the first (of many) erotic scenes between the main characters. The plot justification for the frequency of sex is, frankly, ridiculous—so much so that it borders on parody. And yet, Kenney takes that absurd premise and transforms it into a genuine, visceral carnal obsession. Until Kenney develops this into the carnal obsession the book promises and delivers. The quality of these scenes fluctuates, ranging from Wattpad-level lines to truly sensual, emotionally charged moments. But to her credit, Kenney knows how to pace them—indulging just enough without dragging the plot or dulling the emotional core. More than the physical intimacy, it’s the emotional depth between Cathy and Heathcliff that elevates these encounters.
The first half of the novel is centered on their intense, often toxic connection. Passion, pain, and entrapment transcend time as Kenney reimagines these iconic characters in the present. While the attempt to modernize the setting mostly works, references to current technology occasionally feel superficial, even distracting—risking what might have otherwise felt like a timeless love story. Similarly, many of the problems from the book arise from half-baked ideas and half attempts at satire. The dialogue can be painfully on-the-nose, particularly in the first half of the book, almost to the point of being satirical. Kenney flirts with meta humor but doesn’t quite work with a story (and characters) that takes itself so seriously. A greater commitment to the dramatic nature of the work could’ve gone a long way.
The second half shifts gears dramatically, plunging into Irish gods, possession, and religious cults. The pacing accelerates, the stakes rise, and the plot becomes undeniably entertaining—if slightly chaotic. At times, it feels like two different novels stitched together: one a brooding romantic obsession, the other a high-stakes supernatural thriller. The transition isn’t seamless, but both parts are individually compelling.
Despite its unevenness, Ruthless Devotion is incredibly hard to put down. The characters are fierce, clever, and unapologetically messy. The gods are terrifying and magnetic. There’s a guilty pleasure in watching Cathy and Heathcliff tear each, and those who have wronged them, apart, and put themselves back together—over and over again. It’s dark, cathartic, and deeply satisfying in ways that aren’t always easy to explain.
Ultimately, Ruthless Devotion is a bold, steamy, supernatural romantasy that dares to go all-in—most of the time. It doesn't always land, but when it does, it's thrilling. It just needs to believe in its own power as much as its characters do. Rating and review by Hollyn