Song of the Hundred-Year Summer: A Fairytale Romance Novella

My rose. With all your wonderful thorns.

Available at Amazon.com

Song of the Hundred-Year Summer
Shaylin Ghandi
A Fairytale Romance Novella
ebook, 52 pages
Published March 10, 2024
ASIN B0CW1BHL7Q
Free Read


Naia is an outcast. She keeps to herself, avoiding the villagers’ stares. The way they point. Even though she wants nothing more than to belong.

But when her village is cursed with endless summer, Naia must confront the formidable beast who holds the key to restoring the seasons.

As if that weren't difficult enough, it turns out the beast isn’t what she expected. His soulful dark eyes seem more man than monster. And the way he looks at her, with a clarity she's only dreamed of...

Soon, Naia is torn between her duty to the village that's never loved her…and the monster she set out to destroy.

A 90-minute fantasy romance read inspired by Beauty and the Beast.

This was a charming short story with the heart of your classic fairy tale but spun for the new generation about a girl who wants desperately to find her prince.

And I'm left with so many questions.

What happens in a year? Do they switch places? If so, are they immortal now? Does the Beast have a name? Where'd the last guy go? Why did—

Perhaps I've gone too deep with this.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback | audiobook

2026/06

To Ride a Faery Steed

I'm a shapeshifter, I'm a spy, and I'm an idiot...

To Ride a Faery Steed
Mallory Dunlin
Monsters of Faery novella
ebook, ~70 pages
Author's website
Free Read from FaRo Society


To Ride a Faery Steed is a fun little romp in the Monsters of Faery universe. Set in the Court of Bones, we get to meet Avalon Hartley, a fresh bondservant from the mortal world being sold at a semi-legal auction–and her soulmate, Ruven Kezorwyn, a shapeshifting spy known as the Harrower of Dreams.

Ruven is only too glad to claim his soulmate, but Avalon is traumatized from her near death, and Ruven wants to ensure that she can live a good life in Faery…even if that means denying them both what they want and using himself as a reward for facing her fears.

Content Warnings: blood, panic attack, paralysis (mention), phobia (of horses), PTSD, sexually explicit scenes

I needed something short, and fun, as I waited for a late January new release to hit the kindle. I received this book from FaRo Society's FaRoDays newsletter event and am not sure how to obtain it otherwise. No Amazon listing. Still listed as Coming Soon on the author's website with no thumbnail.

Avalon has suffered a life altering event: thrown from her horse, fracturing her spine, and left paralized. Fortunately, magic sees to her recovery but, unfortunately, she's left with a debt that only being sold into slavery can settle.

It seems I am far too accustomed to the silent and broody MMC, because when the carriage door closed and Ruven's mouth started moving a mile a minute—

Nope. Not prepared for that.

They've never met. Not even a single time. But from the moment Avalon's eyes meet those of the man standing in the audience of the auction, she knows his name is Ruven Kexorwyn, and she knows his hands are always warm.

He liberates her from the auctioneer's block with a ridiculous bid only to drag her along in a mad dash from those that would seek to kill him.

Shifting forms the whole way as if his entire body were battling to keep up with his mind and mouth.

Once deemed safe from the pursuit, which may or may not have even existed, Ruven delivers his new scent-tied mate to his rather impressive manor. It is here that Avalon spends the next four months being educated in her new role as lady of the estate and daughter-in-law to the princess of the realm. All the while being met with the challenge of conquering her trauma.

This is my first taste of Mallory Dunlin's work and color me delighted.

It was so much fun. Ruven with his yearning, bloated ego, and desperate need to be accepted in his true form, while equally willing to manipulate his body into any form necessary to win his soulmate's affection.

“I lost the war the moment you looked into my eyes, and I would look again, knowing the price,” Ruven murmured, lips brushing my skin. “Kill me or love me, paradise. It doesn’t matter to me. Just don’t ever leave me.”

It would be a travesty to never read another book by this author.

5 out of 5 stars.

2026/05

Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns #1)

You know nothing of what it's like to be enslaved.

Available at Amazon.com

Empire of Flame and Thorns
Marion Blackwood
Flame and Thorns, book one
ebook, 366 pages
Published October 21, 2024
ASIN B0DD5V1NXJ
ISBN 9789198904260


A fae rebel.
A ruthless dragon commander.
And a deadly trial that will turn their lives upside down.

Trapped in the Seelie Court by a forest of thorns, Selena Hale lives at the mercy of the dragon shifters. Her only chance to gain her freedom is by entering the Atonement Trials: a deadly competition that pits fae magic users against each other. Only three people can win, and Selena intends to be one of them.

There is only one problem. Draven Ryat, the ruthless commander of the dragon shifter army, is determined to make her lose.

He symbolizes everything that she hates, and if he finds out that she is also a member of the secret fae rebellion, he will not only mess with her chances to win, he will kill her. But the more time she spends with him, the more she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.

And nothing is more dangerous in a lethal trial than a distracted heart.

Especially one that beats for the enemy…

First test: Get inside the palace.

Second test: Show your power.

This had to be some kind of initiation on Imar's part. Some form of dragon shifter hazing. Because the entire exercise seemed targeted at torturing the guy.

But when it's Selena's turn, Draven volunteers himself in Imar's stead. Though confident at first, Selena finds she cannot find the "typical" emotions she'd expected. No smugness. No boredom. Nothing. So... she goes for shock and whips her shirt off. And the strike lands. Draven staggers back and she siezes on the panic that follows until he's bumbling and cursing like a fool in front of the entire assembly.

Shocked and scandalized.

Even more so when she makes him laugh.

At the ball, he asks her to dance. Claims it's to put a target on her back. That may be so in terms of her competitors, but I was far more entertained at the idea of what message it sent to his fellow dragons. (Spoiler alert: It's never mentioned so perhaps they don't care.)

Trial one: Stay in the circle.

Basically they battled it out until only a chosen number remained. Culling the herd as it is.

Trial two: Get out of the maze.

Carry a glass egg through a maze without having it shatter. I rolled my eyes at this but it was the first blatant display of sabotage on Draven's part so I let it go with only a lingering suspicion that the prize for the Atonement Trials may not be what Selena expects.

Trial three: Collect a coin.

Not a fan of this one. However, it allowed Selena's magic to shine as she basically willed the "volunteer" to surrender her coin without harm.

Trial four: Retrieve a ring.

The climax of the event. The MCs are still very much enemies, still very much hot for one another, and so... the inevitable comes to fruition. The spice. The win. An unexpected fall through the forest floor into a land long forgotten but it's a simple hike out and the book closes on the revelation of the true purpose of the Atonement Trials.

Surprise, surprise, their slavery levels up.

And I'm still left wondering how she ended up in his bed.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

Next in the series:

2026/04

To Kill A Prince (What Lies Between Stars #1)

And always, always, I listen for her whistle in the dark.

Available at Amazon.com

To Kill a Prince
Katherine Macdonald
What Lies Between Stars, book one
ebook, 497 pages
Published October 24, 2025
ASIN B0F1QNC2QT


A prince without sight.
A spy without loyalty.
A love without a future.

Wren has spent her life walking the fine line between two worlds—half-fae, half-human, and wholly untrustworthy in the eyes of both. But it is her unique ability to lie that makes her valuable. When her grandmother, a ruthless fae enchantress, places her in the service of Prince Cassiel—the recently blinded second son of the realm—Wren knows she’s meant to earn his trust... and, eventually, take his life.

It should be easy. Cassiel hates the fae who stole his sight, and he’s just as sharp-tongued and impossible as the rumours say. Wren just has to keep her distance. But as she helps him navigate his new reality, she realises that beneath the bitterness is a man who is fiercely intelligent, deeply wounded, and entirely too compelling. And worse—he’s beginning to trust her.

As tensions between humans and fae ignite into war, Wren is forced to choose between the family who raised her and the man she was never meant to love. But Cassiel isn’t as blind as he seems, and if he discovers the truth about her, she may not live long enough to make that choice at all…

A prime example of ‘never judge a book by its cover’ because while it may be pretty, the cover is rather plain and just does not do this story justice. No offense to the artist (which may be the author herself-I'm so sorry), but it just deserves so much more, imo.

It took only the first page. I was a goner from there.

Positively giddy.

Another Wren. Unapologetically herself.

Cassiel. The broken hero. And a tactician at that.

Put it down, and the withdrawals instantly kicked in. I was hooked.

Then I made the mistake of looking at the author's instagram... as I had intentionally ignored the character descriptions... as I am wont to do... and yes, she's a rebel. Blonde MMCs are not end game. Why must the masses keep reminding these rogue writers of this settled science?

But it's not the characters' general appearances that made me stop mid-scroll. It was Cassiel. Cassiel *looking* at Wren. Seemingly *seeing* Wren. Error or spoiler, I couldn't be sure.

Wren, though half fey (from her father's line), is sent to infiltrate the human kingdom as a contender to become a guard to Cassiel, the second eldest prince who has been left permanently blinded from an attack.

A spy, most certainly.

An assassin, quite possibly.

But Wren's only instruction from her grandmother is to simply befriend the prince.

And friends they do become. It's sweet. It's fun. The banter, both acerbic and clever, is heart-sweepingly adorable. She presses. He pushes back. She teases. He blushes. She steals his peaches. He's... not entirely opposed to it.

Oh, why did this book languish on my TBR for so long?

If you're in the mood for a break from the smoldering villain and need a nice guy that's unfortunately been reduced to a reclusive lifestyle after losing his sight from an enemy attack, Cassiel is your man. He doesn't hate the fey, as the blurb states. I wouldn't use such a strong word to define Cass's feelings towards them. Although I'd be hardpressed to fault him for it should that be the case. His father was murdered at the hands of their matriarch, in retaliation for his act of taking the life of her son.

Cassiel's father slays Wren's father.

Wren's grandmother claims her vengeance in kind.

And Wren, bless her, she tried. She tried so hard to save them all from war.

Almost rolled out of my seat when Cassiel hugged Dain. That distraught and tortured soul that he is. Cassiel is a softie, wrapped up in green flags with a golden bow. The story is told through a dual first person pov and his part is ev-ver-ee-thing.

Spent much of the book wondering who the villain was. Was it the humans? The fey? Both? Neither?

My jaw shall lie shattered on the floor if this book does not end up being my favorite read for all of 2026. I give it all the stars. The bar has been set. Book two is an instant preorder.

5 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback

Next in the series:

2026/03

Heart of Silk and Shadows (Fae Isles 0.5)

You'll die that way.

Available at Amazon.com

Heart of Silk and Shadows
Lisette Marshall
Fae Isles, book 0.5
ebook, 217 pages
First published May 2, 2022
ASIN B09WCTKX29


Stealing from a fae lord is a desperate plan…

As a human servant at the Crimson Court, Allie knows better than to anger the fae. Cunning and politics are her tools of survival. But when an unwanted suitor threatens her younger sister, Allie can think of only one way to protect her family…

Steal from the fae.

Agenor, Lord Protector of the Fae Isles and right hand of the Mother herself, doesn’t expect anything to still surprise him after twelve centuries of life. Finding a taunting note from an anonymous thief in his wardrobe is enough to rouse his curiosity, though. Enough to do the unthinkable – write back.

Then he finds out he’s been exchanging letters with a humble human. Worse, a human challenging him to his face.

A simple bargain is supposed to teach her a lesson. But the harder he tries to put her in her place, the harder she defies him… Soon their game sparks an unexpected romance – but will even love be enough when their loyalties collide?

Heart of Silk and Shadows is a prequel novel to the upcoming Fae Isles series. It can be read as a standalone, but the characters’ journey continues in the main series.

Note: this adult fae romance contains a generous dose of smouldering glances, passionate longing, and midnight meetings of the illicit type. It is recommended for a mature audience.

A thief leaves behind a note, scolding Agenor for the horrid condition of his wardrobe...and I couldn't be happier to be a fantasy romance reader.

Our FMC is a bit of a loon.

Gurl, what.are.you.doing?

Only to be quickly followed by-Oh shi-! What did you do?!

Agenor is all about that 'act first, wonder later' life. His response to Allie's efforts is that of intrigue which then turns playful. And then, at the first whim of shock and shame and subsequent anger...his retaliation is swift and brutal.

And what a spectacular introduction to Creon!

This author and her outside the box gift for naming MMCs.

This is basically a story of a woman who sees something and says something and a man who gets woken up to a whole new view of the world.

And this is where Smoke and Scar and Kissed by the Gods fell short for me. It's a mutual awakening with Allie and Agenor. They both listen. They both learn. And they both grow into better versions of themselves as a result of this open communication. It's not a one-sided eclipse that villainizes one over the other. Although... Agenor does beat himself up pretty well over the revelation of how willfully blind he has been to matters that were certainly his responsibility to oversee.

The world has given Allie a bias but it's not one that has locked her out of common sense. She's certainly a force all her own. When the unexpected happens, she enters full panic mode. The woman knows no chill.

As warned in the blurb, there's no resolution. Which was fine by me. Because what, they flee? Then what becomes of the humans left behind? Oh her sister? Of the nymphs? How could they make the world a better place for anyone with her plan? How plausible was his?

For all the "Did you ask?" and "But, did you ask?" that Allie was harping on, it was quite the irony that Agenor's Plan A was to ask and Allie's response was a scramble to do anything but that.

Also, Agenor's begging of Allie to let him change the world for her.. only to be brought to the point where to do that would be to burn down his world... Poetic.

5 out of 5 stars. Credit to Creon for the quote of the post. He's a man of few words, but my, what words they are.

Other favored quotes:

This was to be the start of it, then. This was where he became a traitor.

Surprise me. Scandalise me. But for the love of the gods, please don’t ever surrender to me.’

‘You’re here. You’re talking to me. If you tried to chop off my hand and set your nails into my eyes in a minute, I would still be having a pretty fine day on average.’

That last one has Cardan painted all over it. Those letters begging her forgiveness especially.

Available in ebook | paperback | audiobook

Next in the series:

2026/02

Smoke & Scar (Shattered Crown #1)

Oh, the voice was mad now.

Available at Amazon.com

Smoke and Scar
Gretchen Powell Fox
Shattered Crown, book one
ebook
Hardcover, 468 pages
Published March 10, 2025
ISBN 9780988468931
ASIN B0FDJF3SCF


A Splintered Kingdom

An ancient grudge has kept humans and the magical races of Arcanis at odds for centuries. The Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that occurs every 25 years, offers a chance for peace.

A Haunted Warrior

Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self. Drowning in grief after losing the man she loved to the previous Crucible, now she must rise to stop his sister from falling to the same fate.

A Vengeful Knight

Hardened by loss and fueled by hate, Cedric Thorne’s lifelong goal to conquer the Crucible on humanity’s behalf is finally within reach. The only problem? Getting through the trials alive means working with Elyria—the very fae he blames for his parents’ deaths.

An Unwinnable Challenge

With alliances fragile as spun glass and betrayal lurking at every turn, Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, and magic… as well as their increasingly complex feelings for each other.

This is the Arcane Crucible.

This one had a rough start for me. (And a rough middle and end as well) Taryn, I support you, lass, but you got to do better. Elyria, you can't glory in something then be offended by the label of it.
So our morally grey FMC is on a path of learning, by my standards, and I could easily see the two females becoming friends by the end. (I was wrong on all counts.)

Also, Elyria appears to be at the point where she's beyond done with everyone's bs. (And before the end, I would be as well.)

The Revenant. The solution to all their problems. The one that could finally put an end to the war between humans and faeries. Become the champion of Nyrundella and be all that and more.

Elyria just wants to drown herself in cider.

She is offended by the humans' lack of creativity in their slurs. As if her own bigotry is so refined.

Wtf am I reading, I asked more than once. Considered a DNF half a dozen times before making it even a third of the way through.

But things can only improve, right? Couldn't possibly get any worse. Right?

I could only choose to believe the cast would enlighten and save each other. But being flooded with a world of hate and disgust was not how I envisioned starting off 2026.

After about half way, the slurs and outright disrespect wane a bit but the story never truly improves.

Cedric is a rather pathetic character. Never really accomplishes anything other than suffering and inevitably sacrificing himself. Always apologizing. So accepting of the others' contempt for the humans. The way he sat there, testifying to the pain and suffering of his people, only for them, Ellyria included, to dismiss him with a "everybody suffers" response.

No one listens. Elyria certainly doesn't. She has had her mind made up from the beginning and the story only serves to justify her resolve and her predjudice.

And I am not a fan of those kind of stories.

I read books because they make me happy. They inspire. They open eyes by crafting new lenses. They pierce the heart and help shape the soul.

This book did not make me feel happy. Nor did it do any of those other things.

This book—this story—felt like a punishment.

But I'd be damned if my first read of 2026 would be a DNF.

So I pressed on. Ten percent here. Five percent there.

Until it was ultimately over. The long prophesied betrayal had occurred, and it was glorious, and the villain's secret identity was revealed to the reader, setting up a nice surprise in sequels to come.

I'll give credit where it's due: Zephyr was the best part of this book. By far.

2 out of 5 stars. When the fmc doesn't even want to be a part of the story, what hope does the reader have?

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

2026/01

2026 TBR

1. Smoke and Scar (Shattered Crown #1) by Gretchen Powell Fox
2. Study of Poisons (Valek's Adventures #1) by Maria V. Snyder
3. The Ever King (Ever Seas #1) by LJ Andrews
4. The Half King by Melissa Landers
5. The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song
6. House of Fire and Magic (Myths & Outlaws #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
7. Us Dark Few (Us Dark Few #1) by Alexis Patton
8. Umbra (Sentient Stars #1) by Amber Toro
9. Reckless (Powerless Trilogy #2) by Lauren Roberts
10. Feathers So Vicious (Court of Ravens #1) by Liv Zander
11. Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse Saga #1) by Penn Cole
12. Empire of Flames and Thorns by Marion Blackwood
13. Bloody Black by Rhiannon Hargadon
14. Shadows of Winter (Curse and the Crown #1) by Lindsay Buroker
15. Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling
16. Heart of Silk and Shadow (Fae Isles #0.5) by Lisette Marshall
17. Court of Blood and Bindings (Fae Isles #1) by Lisette Marshall
18. Heartfall by Lisette Marshall
19. To Ride a Faery Steed by Mallory Dunlin
20. Song of the Hundred-Year Summer by Shaylin Gandhi
21. Wish (Onyx Mist #1) by Sara Flanagan
22. The Nymph's Dark Pleasure (Mate Hunt #0.5) by Sakura Black
23. Once Upon a Demon's Heart (Cruel Fates # 1) by K.M. Moronova
24. Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
25. Court of Tricksters (Fae Tricksters #1) by S.L. Prater
26. Captured by the Fae Beast (Monsters of Faery #1) by Mallory Dunlin
27. To Kill a Prince (What Lies Between Stars #1) by Katherine Macdonald
28. Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan
29. Bride of the Black Dragon by Evangeline Anderson
30. Promised to the Pyre by Vendy Emberfield


Upcoming Releases

31. The Wolf and the Crown of Blood (The Broken Accords #1) by Elizabeth May
32. Mother of Death and Dawn (The War of Lost Hearts #3) by Carissa Broadbent (re-release)
33. The Wicked and the Damned (Dark Inheritance Trilogy #2) by Rebecca Robinson
34. Rites of the Starling (Shield of Sparrows #2) by Devney Perry
35. Light Wielder (Fire and Metal #2) by Rachel Scheider
36. Fury Bound (The Wolves of Ruin #2) by Sable Sorensen
37. The Thorn-Marked Witch (Runewitch Saga #2) by Lisette Marshall
38. Blood of the Bound (Heirs of Lirien #2) by Annabelle McCormack
39. Starside by Alex Aster
40. The Incendiary (The Selvaren #2) by LJ Claren
41. Raven Kennedy's Pied Piper inspired duology

2026 Anticipated Releases

[ TBA ]
The Incendiary (The Selvaren Book 2)
Raven Kennedy Pied Piper inspired duology