An online book journal featuring genres of romance: Fantasy • Paranormal • Contemporary • Historical • & Asian Dramas

10.31.2026

The Vixen (Puppets & Property Book 2)


You give me whiplash.
I can’t tell if you're horny, pissed, or insane.



The Vixen
Nicole Cypher
Puppets and Property, book two
ebook, 304 pages
Independently published July 31, 2026
ASIN B0H9FFRWV8



A dark descent into obsession where the line between captor and captive no longer exists.

He was supposed to break me.

Instead, he learned just how dangerous I can be.

Sawyer Hansley built his life on manipulation, and now that he knows I’m capable of playing his game, he’s determined to win. I’m determined to make him regret trying.

The lengths we go to deceive each other border on obsession—and obsession is a dangerous thing for two people whose sanity depends on control. The more we spar, the more respect we earn, until punishments blur with pleasure, and hateful words lose their bite.

As secrets unravel and the Shadow Sanctum tightens around both our throats, another line begins to blur. We both remember how this game started.

Neither can remember how it’s supposed to end.

A note from Nicole: The Vixen is book two in the dark romance series Puppets & Property. It picks up weeks after the ending of book one, The Puppet Master.

“Sawyer, no.”
“Luna, yes.”

I expected Luna to challenge Sawyer in this sequel. I *wanted* Luna to strive to break him.

And although that never happened, these two gave one hell of a ride. Sawyer is incapable of yielding and Luna doesn't seem to mind. Much.

Thorne is ever present to keep him in line as, starved and beaten in the mines, Sawyer waits for his revenge.

It doesn't take long for Luna to collect him. She names her price. He refuses. Push and pull until they ultimately reach a bargain built on lies and manipulation.

Is Luna worse than Sawyer? I'm not sure.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Luna's power is threatened. Decisions are made. Even when she's being pummeled into the floor, she's convinced she has the upper hand. Gotta love a strategic, confident woman.

Sawyer has found his limit. And processed his regrets. Every move is calculated, though, and I have no idea if these two will save eachother or damn one another in the end.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook

Previously in the series:


2026/##

10.26.2026

Bride of Stone


There is no shortage of wanting here.



Bride of Stone
Lisette Marshall
The House Averre standalone
Paperback, 135 pages
Independently published October 13 2027
ASIN B0HFGS1NLV
ISBN 9798160946573



She's a princess married off against her will. He's the guard delivering her to the altar.

The powerless sister to a volatile crown prince, Estegonde Averre has spent her whole life surviving at court. But when her brother's schemes leave her betrothed to a vicious nobleman, she must leave her cutthroat family home and travel to the estate of her husband-to-be – accompanied by his most dutiful guard.

Gon knows she shouldn't trust a man loyal to her horrendous betrothed. But Errik Eirikson isn't the brute she expected: he's quiet, ruggedly handsome, and uncannily determined to tend to her every wish even when she tries to guard her heart. Worse, he saves her life the very first night of their journey, when a mysterious assassin comes for her head.

As the royal family turns against itself and rivals move to eliminate Gon before her wedding can take place, Errik soon becomes the last man she can trust. And the more she learns about the secrets behind his unreadable grey eyes, the harder it becomes to ignore the dangerous attraction between them.

But Gon is promised to another. Errik is sworn to obey his lord. Falling in love would be treason … and to the House Averre, treason means death.

Bride of Stone is a standalone princess x bodyguard romantasy taking place in the world of the Runewitch Saga, thirty years before the events of The Death-Made Prince. While it's as slow a burn as possible for a shorter story, it does contain spicy content intended for 18+ readers.

Refreshing.

Evidence that, yes, you can have a book about fighting the patriarchy without the pages bleeding of misandry.

5 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback

Previously published by this author:


2026/51

10.17.2026

The Sweetest Fiend (Played by the Piper #1)


I make the fucking lines.



The Sweetest Fiend
Raven Kennedy
Played by the Piper, book one
Hardcover, Goldsboro edition, 479 pages
Published September 22, 2026
ASIN B0H66FR2FW
ISBN 9780063453296



It’s time to pay the Piper.

Our world cracked open like an egg. Power burst out, and with it, nine monstrous Banes ready to destroy everything. The powerful Core fae finally slayed them all, but each Bane left a Plague to punish us.

But that’s not the only thing they left behind.

I’m half Bane, half fae, and wholly hated. Survival means enduring every vicious glare and cursed outbreak. Until one day, a Plague descends upon my city that means certain death.

Then he comes. The Pied Piper.

He rids my city of the Plague, but it comes at a cost. One hundred and thirty people are taken as payment. Including me.

I don’t know what he’s going to do to us, but I know I have to get home. My family’s lives depend on it. But the Piper won’t let me go, and something wicked stirs between us. The sweet scent in my veins beckons him, while the seductive lure of his magic sinks under my skin.

I have to escape before it’s too late. Because if I don’t, it’s not just my heart at risk…

But the entire world.

Pied Piper reimagined. This dark fantasy is full of romance and secrets, with mature themes and explicit scenes only suitable for adults. This is book one of a duology. • Forced Proximity • Captive Romance • "Who hurt you?" • Only one bed... and horse...and tent! • So. much. banter!

I tried to wait until my hardcopy arrived before beginning this read. Alas, Goldsboro made the unfortunate business decision to ship out orders a whole two weeks after release and I couldn't stand it anymore.

For the first half of this book, I could not put it down.

For the next quarter or so, I was bored.

The ending? Fantastic. Excited for book two.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook | Goldsboro edition


2026/50

10.09.2026

Blood of the Bound (Heirs of Lirien #2) To Be Updated...


I don't fear the darkness inside you...
I fear the dark world I would face without you beside me.



Blood of the Bound
Annabelle McCormack
Heirs of Lirien, book two
ebook, 505 pages
Published November 17, 2026
ASIN B0CZ48WS6J
ISBN 9781960883391
ARC



The crown of Lirien rests where it never should have—and its true heir has just returned from the grave.

Rykr Westhaven has survived exile, betrayal, and the death of his name. But returning to Lirien as king means facing a court that no longer recognizes him . . . and a wife they refuse to accept. To reclaim his throne, he must confront who he once was—and what he became to survive.

Seren Ragnall awakens in enemy lands, bound by love to the man her people are sworn to destroy. The rebellion that once welcomed her now brands her a traitor, and her new powers may cost her everything. As war brews, one truth

She is the blade they will use to break him. He is the crown they will use to crush her. And their love may cost them everything they still have left to lose.

Blood of the Bound is the second book in the Heirs of Lirien series, romantic fantasies set in a mythical land. Content includes violence, battle scenes and wounds, strong language, and open door, steamy romantic content.

5 out of 5 stars.

This content of this post is redacted for containing spoilers and will be updated upon the book's release.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

Previously in the series:


2026/49