The Mercy of Dawn (Fires of Carinae #1)

Focus. Make the damn woman smile.

Available at Amazon.com

The Mercy of Dawn
Ashley Bresee
Fires of Carinae, book
ebook, 590 pages
Independently Published January 6, 2025
ASIN B0DHLRMSNV
ISBN 9781738216314


A woman desperate for freedom, an arrogant fae prince, and a bond neither of them asked for.

As a woman caged since birth, all Cyril Rhodea wants is her own damned contracts, freedom from her family’s guild, and to never fall prey to the same consuming love that killed her parents.

But when a blood-soaked cry for help draws her guild into the heart of a secluded fae court, two of her dreams come at a terrible cost.

Mikael is a reckless, arrogant spare heir who embodies everything Cyril swears to despise. The playboy prince provokes her at every turn, fueling an undeniable attraction neither of them understands. He also refuses to leave her side when tragedy decimates her guild—despite having every good reason to.

If Cyril can survive the deaths ravaging the fae court, she may finally see her freedom come to fruition… but the longer she spends steeped in the reclusive kingdom’s shadows, the more she realizes it was never just chance that brought her there.

It was fate bringing her home.

Perfect for fans of One Dark Window and A Court of Silver Flames, The Mercy of Dawn is the first book in the completed and heartbreaking Fires of Carinae romantasy series. Emotionally charged with heavy themes of trauma, grief, and self worth, make sure to grab the tissues before you start Cyril’s journey.

*The Mercy of Dawn is a dark, fantasy romance featuring themes that may be unsettling or triggering to some readers. In addition, not all relationships depicted in the story are healthy, and they should not be misconstrued as such. The themes explored include:

• graphic depictions of violence (on page)
• the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol (on page)
• xenophobia and racism in a fantasy setting (on page)
• explicit sexual content (on page)
• moments of dubious consent (on page)
• post-traumatic stress disorder (on page)
• trauma-related dissociation (on page)
• suicide ideation (on page)
• incidents of domestic violence (on page)

Raised by her paternal uncle, Dion, and his guild of rogues, Cyril is a snarky, foul-mouthed twenty-something-year-old, orphaned fae with a prejudice against her mother's people, the moon fae. She has also yet to experience her ascension and is therefore devastated by her lack of powers, whether it be the fire of her father's line, or the water of her mother's.

When Dion accepts a contract back in Reykr, the homeland of Cyr's mother, the quintet journey to the land of the bloodsucking, virgin-sacrificing lunatics, as Cyr has been led to believe by all but Dion, and she finally confronts the missing parts of herself. Her uncle's past is full of secrets and he has guarded them all. He's also becoming increasingly violent towards his blossoming niece and their relationship is floundering.

It's a slow start, but the banter carries it well.

No home training. No etiquette. If she doesn't like you, you're going to know it. Her filter is malfunctioning at best. Mikael? He makes her skin crawl. There's certainly no saving him from her abrasive tongue lashing when he attempts to make conversation at dinner.

Chick is wild. And I loved her for it.

Even as she made my eyes bug out of my head. Defective filter and no chill with this one. And though she may growl, it's Mikael whose jaw snaps back.

And it would have been perfect. If Mikael hadn't been such a whore. And if Cyril hadn't spent so much time in recovery. Physical pain. Mental pain. Emotional pain. Mikael's saving grace was him being his mother's son. She was the best character by far. At least she had her isht together.

Heavy on the PTSD and mental health. Be in the best of headspace before taking this one on. It's depressing at times.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback

Next in the series:

2026/32

Lifebound (Royal Sins #1)

I could do ungodly things
if this guy kept calling my name in that voice.

Available at Amazon.com

Lifebound
D.N. Hoxa
Royal Sins, book one
ebook, 506 pages
Independently Published May 6, 2025
ASIN B0F31XJLNG
ISBN 9798319420206


Nobody ever believed me.

Not when I was five and told them about the boy with pointy ears who saved my life in the forest. Not during thirteen miserable years of bullying and being labeled the town weirdo.

Until a guy with golden eyes and a royal guard escort shows up at my door to drop a bombshell.

That little boy? Yeah, he’s real.

And he’s a fae Prince.

And he magically linked my life to his when he saved me.

I know what you’re thinking. Lucky girl, right?

Wrong.

Because now the Prince is sick and apparently, I’m the only one who can save him. How can I possibly say no?

That’s how I find myself in the fae realm, where pretty much everything either wants to kill me, eat me, or...use me for something worse. If not for the gorgeous fae who saved my life, I'd have died an hour in.

Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Grumpy has annoyingly beautiful eyes, a voice that sounds like sex, and a tattoo that screams trouble. He says his name is Rune, and he’ll take me to the Prince safely—if I do what he says.

With severely limited choices, I accept.

But the more time we spend together, the more near-death experiences we go through, the more Rune gets under my skin. He makes most people look the other way, but he's sweet when no one's watching. He makes my heart do really weird things.

And just when I think my life couldn’t possibly get any crazier—it does.

Turns out, this whole saving-the-Prince business can get a girl into a whole lot of trouble, and I’m not entirely sure I can handle it this time.

I didn't know if I was going to make it through this book. For one, the way the author structures her sentences can be a bit jarring. Two: If I make it to thirty percent and I still haven't been introduced to the MMC, we have a problem.

Lo and behold, he steps into the story at twenty-five percent.

Three: The FMC is eighteen. And she gives strong teen vibes. A prime example for people who refer to twenty-year-olds as babies. She's immature, hot-tempered, reckless, and very much thinks more highly of herself than justly deserved.

You're too small to speak to a superior being this way.

Did he deserve the hit? Yeah. Did she deserve the repercussions of her actions? Absolutely. Was it a lie? Not at all.

At this point, I received early access to a sequel that was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, so I dropped Lifebound mid-chapter and moved to that.

When I returned, it became glaringly obvious as we basically began to walk through Halloweenteen that I was struggling to bond with this FMC and it was not going to end well.

DNF at 31%.

Available in ebook | paperback | audiobook

2026/xx

To Crown a Traitor (What Lies Between Stars #2)

I’m not sure I forgive her,
but I think I want her to forgive herself.

Available at Amazon.com

To Crown a Traitor
Katherine Macdonald
What Lies Between Stars, book two
ebook, 632 pages
Independently Published July 6, 2026
ASIN B0FRXS34P7
ARC


A traitor on the run. A prince bound by duty. A love caught between ruin and redemption.

Branded a traitor for a murder she did not commit—and haunted by the ones she did—Wren is a fugitive in both worlds. Hunted by her own people, pursued by the humans, and chased most of all by the man she cannot forget, she is left with nowhere to turn.

Prince Cassiel never wanted the crown, yet with his mother lingering between life and death, the weight of the kingdom rests on his shoulders. To rule, he must set aside grief, bury betrayal, and condemn the girl who lied to him. But every choice tears the realm closer to war—and every thought drifts back to Wren.

When Wren offers him the chance to regain his sight, Cass must decide whether to follow her into enemy lands, or lose everything to the darkness closing in. Old wounds burn, old desires flare, and the fragile hope between them might be the only thing strong enough to defy fate.

But with kingdoms ready to fall and blood demanding vengeance, can a traitor and a prince truly carve out a world where they can be together?

Come back.

Stay away.

Explain yourself.

No. Don't.

This is the heart-wrenching conclusion to the tale of Wren, the half-fae girl who was fated to meet Cassiel, the second-born son.

The foundation of their relationship has been shaken, cracked, and practically torched with dragon fire, and it's not enough that they have to emotionally find a way back to each other but from there, they’ll have to fight to craft a world in which they can stay together.

It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it delivered.

Our boy, Cass, is missing his girl, and I have never been so hyper aware of the heart in my chest. With every turn of the page, there’s longing edged with pain. Hope touched by devastation. And guilt fueling a quest to make amends.

This book hurt me.

It tortured my emotions until the very end. Two years?! You had to devastate my guy for two whole years??

5 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback

Previously in the series:

2026/31

Light Wielder (Fire & Metal #2)

I was always going to come for you.

Available at Amazon.com

Light Wielder
Rachel Schneider
Fire and Metal, book two
Hardcover, 448 pages
Published June 9, 2026
ASIN B0FLYQFYDR
ISBN 9781250419101


It’s been four years since Jovie betrayed Acker, fracturing their relationship. Her decision to take King Edmond’s magic, sparing his life at Acker’s request, has sparked a brutal war. The Kenta and Strou forces ally against the Roison and Alaha, with Maile perched dangerously on the edge of their battles.

Jovie is determined to keep the innocent Maile people from a conflict she helped start―even if it means suppressing the Matching Bond and sacrificing any hope of repairing her relationship with Acker. Yet, visions of him continue to haunt her dreams.

Acker is resigned to aid in his father’s war while in an arranged marriage with a wife who detests him. Though still pained by Jovie’s deception, he can’t stop his thoughts from turning to her. And Acker has found a way to slip into Jovie’s dreams despite her attempts to stifle the Matching Bond. There he watches her, torn between his loyalties and desire.

When he discovers the chilling reason behind the return of his father's magic, as well as Edmond’s dangerous new alliance, Acker must finally decide which war he wants to fight: the one for his king or the one for his heart.

It's been four years. With two years of war. Acker is now occasionally called Ace. Jovie is Jo. Except to Messer, who calls her B.

Acker is married to Irina, having no other recourse but to fulfill his betrothal contract and secure an army against the forces that Jovie has stirred. He's miserable. And Kenta is losing the war.

Jovie has returned to Maile, taking her place as both royalty and soldier. She is surrounded by new allies, though Messer is still in tow. And Beau, Acker's half-sister. Fredrich is basically her guard. He shields her in battle with his powers and treats her like the equal she strives to be. Drake is the commander of her naval fleet. He's not around much, but he's willing to grace her bed should she ask it. Messer... is Messer. Heartbroken, though he may be, since his betrothed, Aurora, has been wed to Kai. He soothes his pain in whatever mischief he can manage, as he is wont to do.

Ah, Kai. He's back in Alaha, still aspiring to usurp his father's role as leader of the banished people and return them to shore.

I trust none of them.

Not true. I trust Messer. Only Messer. Acker is going to do what Acker needs to do. I support him 110%. Fuck 'em all. He lashes out in some of the worst of ways. Can't say they don't deserve it though.

Jovie struggles, though not as much as I think she should, but we do roll through the motions of what she did. What she chose. What it cost her. What it cost everyone.

But such is war. And as Fredrich mused, far better to go to war for a lover's revenge than a mad king's quest for power.

So Acker is alone, except for Wells. But he's about to desert him, too. The Match Bond continues to wreak havoc as he still manages to project himself to Jo's side. While she sleeps. While she fights. And despite his anger and resentment, Acker finds himself soothing her. Protecting her. Fighting in her war against his wife's army that is fighting for him. It's such a clusterfuck of emotions and loyalties.

Then his father makes a confession that changes the tide for Acker. Kenta and Alaha are uniting against Maile. Acker's father and Kai's father have made an agreement wrapped up with promises of stolen powers. And so, the time comes for Acker to seek out his Match and throw himself to the mercy of her mother's court in hopes of securing an alliance of his own that will end the war and the reign of the previous generation.

With his wife in tow.

And what he finds is not the girl he saved from Alaha, but a reigning queen. Oh, Jovie, you've come so far.

And if you thought she wasn't capable of hurting our man Acker more... if she wasn't capable of taking you unawares of the depths that she could sink... Chapter 25 comes.

My first screaming, crying, throwing up experience.

She's so incredulously cruel. And makes the worst possible decisions.

And then Chapter 28 happens and I'm screaming for a whole slew of other reasons. Fredrich, you sum of a bitch! Suddenly Acker has his own chaos muppet roaming around and I am beside myself with shock and joy and How Dare You going head to head with You Go Boy in my head!

Trolls. Venomous rabbits. Acker's golden nose ring.

Fredrich out here doing all the things.

Schneider, you're freaking terrifying.

5 out of 5 stars. Bring on Messer's story!

Available in ebook | hardcover | audiobook

Previously in the series:

2026/30