Curse of the Frost King (The Fae Spark Trilogy #1)

I wanted to burn his eyes out
with the logs from his own fire.

Available at Amazon.com

Curse of the Frost King
Jen L. Grey | Author's Website
The Fae Spark Trilogy, book one
ebook, 253 pages
Independently published January 8, 2026
ASIN B0DS3WD7J8
ISBN 9798889533009


He’s the dusk-crowned villain... and the fate I can’t outrun.

I’m Hannah, a girl who thought she was mortal and should’ve known better than to listen to whispers beneath rowan roots.

One prick from a cursed dagger. One touch against a bewitched mirror. And I fall into Dusk, a realm at war that doesn’t see a woman.

It sees a bargaining chip.

Because Kairos doesn’t look at me like a mortal mistake. He looks at me like a key.

All I want is to go home.

But the moment I crash into the Dusk King’s frozen castle, everything goes wrong. King Kairos—the bastard who took his crown in blood—goes still when his gaze catches on my hair and my eyes. Like he’s seen a ghost.

Something in him locks into place.

And a pull in my chest answers.

Then his expression turns to ice. He calls me trespasser and locks me in his dungeon, cutting off my only chance to find a way back to Earth.

He doesn’t have to touch me to make my skin prickle.
He doesn’t have to threaten me to steal my breath.
He haunts me like a nightmare… like he already knows what I am, and what I’m worth.

And if I want out, I’ll have to survive him first.

Now I must decide: run from the monster wearing Dusk’s crown… …or stay long enough to learn the truth—and pay the price with my freedom.

Either way, I won’t be the girl who bows.
No matter the cost.

One-click this dark royal fae romantasy packed with fated mates, villain-gets-the-girl energy, forced proximity, found family, political intrigue, touch-her-and-die devotion, “who did this to you?” rage, burn-the-world-down love, and a brutal war between two courts.

Hot damn. Humor! I so needed this right now.

The box her Aunt Maureen buried beneath the rowan tree has haunted Hannah for years. After the woman's passing, Hannah's determined to open it. Aaand subsequently falls into a world of Fae.

The guards seize her and, after a fruitless fight for freedom, have doomed her to death.

Enter Kairos, King of the Dusk Court. He and his hunting party arrive just as the blade aims for her head. And though he halts her execution, recognizing her as the fated mate she is to him, Kai cannot afford any distractions now, in a time of war, and orders her to the dungeons.

The effort that this author put into these moments where Kai is battling against his biological response to Hannah's nearness and his psychological weighing of the situation is so very appreciated.

And then follows the longest prison escape sequence of my life. I kid you not. She's put into the cell at about 9%, is officially out of it at 20%, then on the run until...

I was screaming by the end of the chase. And not in her favor.

It was like I was having mood swings. Love this. Hate him. Less of that. More of this.

Then Hannah's doing Pilates atop a wyvern's cranium, and if that's not a sign that all hell is breaking loose, then I don't know what it is.

She's something, though. Drop that girl anywhere, and she will figure out a plan and put it into motion.

Kai is basically playing keep-up from the moment she falls into his life.

She's also a menace. Switching his boxers for her panties? Complete psycho behavior.

Or Fae.

Totally on brand for Holly Black's faery creatures.

Having the guy I hated from the moment he opened his stupid mouth take the villain route? Loved it! Hahahaha

4 out of 5 stars. Maybe forgo alot of the name calling in the next book?

Available in ebook | paperback
Next in the series:

2026/44

When The Universe Sings (Universe #1)

But I could fall or I could fly,
and at least that much would be my choice.

Available at Amazon.com

When The Universe Sings
Gillian Eliza West
Universe, book one
ebook, 318 pages
Independently published August 6, 2026
ASIN B0GX2SL16C
ISBN 9798990138995


There is only one rule in the galaxy: trust no one.

Juniper knows it all too well. After her home planet was destroyed and eleven years on Ebyd III, a Galactic Federation mechanical prison, the only thing she might fear now is death. Taking a chance at freedom, she climbs into the ventilation shaft of a docked pleasure barge only to be discovered by the mistress of the ship. Given the choice between certain death on Ebyd III and the unknown, she joins as their new silks dancer.

When Captain Asher Ruciyah seeks someone to complete his crew for a mysterious mission, Juniper is hired as their climber to round out their numbers. As part of this new crew intent on stealing one of the universe's most powerful weapons, Juniper discovers she wants something more than freedom: revenge on the man who took everything from her.

But nothing and no one is as it seems, especially in a galaxy filled with lies, deceit, and false identities. Juniper will learn that revenge isn’t as simple as she thought it would be and sometimes it’s not one person, but an entire universe against you.

This one had a grasp on me from the start.

Juniper has been caught as a stowaway on a pleasure ship and, instead of being turned in to the authorities, is offered the position as an aerialist, performing for the many customers who partake in the flesh trade upon the Daskquah. (Inez, anyone?) But Juniper's services are a look-never-touch production, and she spends the next year perfecting her skill.

The day has finally come when Juniper has earned enough credits to balance out the cost of her keep and training. It's also the day Captain Ruciyah arrives, seeking a specific skill set to balance out his team.

But Asher and Juniper have crossed paths before.

On the day of her ascent, when June would partake in the customary climb into adulthood, her home was attacked. And it was Asher who helped lead the charge and gave the haunting command to "burn it to the ground".

Oh, she hates him.

But that's only the beginning.

Twists. Turns. Blindsides. Trust no one and question everything.

The dead are alive, and the villain is your saviour.

Burn it to the ground.

Leave no evidence behind.

Juniper is stuck, trying to make sense of what she's always believed and what she's come to know. It doesn't help that Asher is a man of secrets. And I found myself feeling so bad for her as she reeled from what her body wanted and what her brain was telling her. As she fought the simultaneous urges to both kiss Asher and kill him. For that... when the spice came, it didn't feel right. The timing was off. Her emotions were a mess.

If you want a fated mates and found family tale, this is it. But if you also want an FMC that will find herself, grow, and heal... it falls short. Perhaps, if it wasn't a standalone. Perhaps, if she'd been given more time. Alas, it is what it is and ends where it ends.

3.5 out of 5 stars. Of all the moments for a mating bond to snap into place... smh.

Available in ebook | paperback

2026/43

The Pawn and The Puppet (The Pawn and The Puppet #1)

If you’re going to be stupid,
then I want you to be stupid with a good right hook.

Available at Amazon.com

The Pawn and The Puppet
Brandi Elise Szeker
The Pawn and The Puppet, book one
ebook, 347 pages
Independently published April 1, 2022
ASIN B09RSSMRBZ
ISBN 9798985593419


The Emerald Lake Asylum is not a place most desire to go. Nineteen-year-old, Skylenna, however, made a promise that she must keep. Once hired, she only has one purpose—prove to the council that barbaric treatments, such as waterboarding, scalding baths, and beatings, are no longer the answer. But that all takes pause when she meets the source of terror in the asylum. A patient with a split personality—on one side, he’s the bloodthirsty genius, Dessin. On the other, a hidden persona that is buried deep in his subconscious.

When Dessin is caught in an attempted cell break, he faces execution if Skylenna can’t bring out his core personality and reveal his humanity. She has ninety days to save his life, and the only way to do that is to let him consume her into his world of moves, counter-moves, and master puppeteering.

With each passing day, their bond deepens, a forbidden attraction forming against her best judgments. Little by little, Skylenna uncovers the sinister secrets of his past that turned him into the monster everyone else fears. And Dessin proves to have one weakness despite the terrifying, indestructible persona he presents to the world: her.

Disclaimer: This book contains explicit content and dark elements and may be considered offensive to some readers. Check trigger warnings before reading. It is not intended for anyone under 18 years of age. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by underage readers. This is the revised edition.

This is a dark dystopian society that is intended to be problematic. Please note that this is a fictional world and in no way reflects on the author’s personal beliefs. We will see the society grow and correct its moral compass over the series.

Triggers: gratuitous violence, depression, suicide, torture, domestic violence, eating disorders, hallucinations, misogyny, poisoning, sexual assault, rape, pedophilia, romanticized mental illness, gore, death of a loved one, child abuse, decapitation, female oppression, hostage situation, body shaming, panic attacks, emotional trauma, child sexual assault, child sex trafficking

Does anyone care to weigh in on why books will depict both misogyny and misandry, and yet only misogyny is listed within the content warnings? Or why, when a man touches a woman, and she says, "No," then it's assault, but when a woman touches a man, and he says, "No," then it's seduction?

But putting that aside...

Patient 13 is a gentleman, and the sanest person in this whole book.

And, unfortunately, it takes a quarter of said book to finally meet him. Before that, it was a serious contender for a DNF. I was bored. And my eyes, they were a-rolling. Patient what's-his-name hasn't spoken in twenty years despite numerous torture sessions, and all FMC needs to say is "I think you loved your family and it was an accident," and behold! he speaks.

Don't do that.

Why would you write that?

Cupid is cringe. He's the source of the more serious trigger warnings. Although... Kane's trauma is certainly equally devastating.

But Dessin, as he calls himself, is the intriguing and plot carrying MMC. Bonds can't hold him. Torture doesn't faze him. But if someone hurts Skylenna, then there is no mercy to be found from him.

I had my suspicions of where the story was leading. How he knew things. His backstory. And how his past linked to hers. And it kept me reading, albeit at a snail's pace. I was wrong. So very wrong. My mind was on a whole other plane of fantasy than where this story dwelled.

But what this story lacked, and desperately needed, and I believed it would contain... was spice.

Their linked backstory was, in the end, anticlimactic.

But I did appreciate their final exchange.

3 out of 5 stars. So many unanswered questions!

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

2026/42

Bound by Maynight (Sacred Wilds #1)

Available at Amazon.com

Bound by Maynight
Iris Grimwood
Sacred Wilds, book one
ebook, 66 pages
Independently published July 12, 2026
ASIN B0H8MBHSJP


In the ancient meadows of Eldrynn Hills, where Maynight fires burn and wild magic stirs, Nymera, a free-spirited Fae huntress, collides with Aelric, a battle-hardened border warrior.

Drawn together beneath blooming hawthorns and starlit skies, their unexpected bond awakens something ancient and powerful. As the sacred night unfolds with dancing flames, nectar-sweet promises, and the forest’s watchful gaze, they discover they may be far more than mere revelers.

An ethereal Fae romance full of magic, longing, and the wild beauty of surrender. Book One of the Sacred Wilds series.

Fated mates • Instant attraction • Huntress × Warrior • Magical bonding • Nature magic • Sacrifice • Inspired by Beltane

Holy descriptors, Batman! And an unexpected end as well.

3 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook

2026/41