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

5.17.2026

The Lost Thread (Heirs of the Shattered Veil #2)


Hate me for the rest of our lives.
But not for something I didn't choose.



The Lost Thread
Celeanne Dorrington
Heirs of the Shattered Veil, book two
ebook, 604 pages
Published May 1, 2026
ARC



The day the Veil shattered, the world broke—and every soul was marked. Every fae now bears a soulmark. Luminar or Shadowmarked. Revered or enslaved.
But our fae heroine was born with both.
And he was forged to destroy her.
Some say their bond is prophecy.
Others call it a curse.
Either way—if it completes, it could end the war…
or end the realm.

Dark fae trilogy, Real enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, fated mates, morally gray, the chosen one, found family, and level 3 spice but with deep themes and epic fantasy world.

A sequel to a story spun around two people who have each long ago decided their own purpose and their own worth. Two people who would surely stop existing if they ceased to be stubborn.

A bond that forces proximity, fills and drains, mirrors and transforms. One which gifts sight of the past and gives flow to all of their emotions in a precarious circuit.

One step forward and two steps back with an FMC that either thinks too much or not at all and an MMC shackled by trauma and cowardice. Heavily worded with occasional silliness sprinkled at intentional intervals and back-to-back plot twists.

A book that would have me crashing out at about ninety-eight percent when everything gained gets nuked into oblivion.

This is fuckery.

This is mind altering madness.

Severing a mate bond?

The MMC marries someone else?!

This is simply, by unspoken rule and unwritten law, not done.

0 stars. 5 stars. Idfk at this point.

Available in ebook

Previously in the series:


2026/24

5.12.2026

Forest of Dreams and Whispers (The Fae of the Forest #1)


I could make you scream.



Forest of Dreams and Whispers
Katherine Maxdonald
The Fae of the Forest, book one
ebook, 417 pages
Published July 13, 2022
ASIN B09RPHJ6JK
ISBN 9798831387155
Review Copy via Booksprout



A mortal raised in the land of Faerie, Juliana Ardencourt doesn’t remember the curse being cast.

But the rest of Faerie does.

On Prince Hawthorn’s eighteenth birthday, at the first drop of his blood spilled, the kingdom will be plunged into a century-long slumber…

And the Unseelie King will reign.

As his personal guard, Juliana is sworn to serve the vain, arrogant prince only until the fateful day, but when the curse is unleashed, Juliana alone is the one that can save him.

Connected to Hawthorn through their dreams, Juliana soon finds her feelings shifting for the boy she once swore to hate…

And soon swears to sacrifice anything to save him.

A faery prince cursed as he lay in a cradle, and a little girl who witnessed it all.

The story is divided into two parts: before the curse coming to fruition and the happenings thereafter. But throughout there is a back and forth hop between a timeline of the present and that of the past. A childhood of teasing and taunts to the three years Juliana serves as Hawthorn's personal guard. We witness the evolution of their acquaintanceship, from the stirrings of attraction to the blossoms of affection.

Heart aching at a prince's yearning for her tolerance, her acceptance, mayhaps her friendship but never managing to quite bring himself to dare hope for her love.

Heart bleeding as Hawthorn comes the closest he's ever been to death, with his greatest fear-fear of dying alone-looming so heavily and Julianna won't, can't, manage to force herself to his side.

RIP to the fallen, because that tore at the wreckage of my heart, too.

Perfect for fans of fairy tales, obviously, but also those that are chasing those thrills when they experienced Folk of the Air for the first time, albeit with a prince who's much less wicked and a mortal who chose not to become so much worse.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback

Next in the series:


2026/23

5.08.2026

Fury Bound (Wolves of Ruin #2)


What are you if not my equal?



Fury Bound
Sable Sorensen
Wolves of Ruin, book two
ebook, 608 pages
Hardcover, 608 pages
Published May 5, 2026
ASIN B0F8YKWLBF
ISBN 9780316601436



Revenge demands sacrifice. Don’t miss this action-packed, jaw-dropping, dark and romantic sequel to Dire Bound.

CROWNED BY DESTINY.
CONSUMED BY VENGEANCE.

Against all odds, Meryn Cooper has inherited the crown—and a deadly war. As the Kingdom of Nocturna splinters under the weight of generations of lies, it is up to Meryn, her bonded direwolf Anassa, and their allies to bring the country back from the brink.

But the commoners, the Bonded, and the nobles are distrustful of their new queen and Meryn is caught in a deadly game of politics. Meanwhile, Meryn’s beloved younger sister, Saela, is more at risk than ever.

Confusingly, the one person Meryn can trust is Stark Therion—the dark, dangerous Alpha she thought hated her as much as she loathed him. Yet, his loyalty is unshakeable. His presence is intoxicating. And with his guidance, Meryn can seize an unthinkable level of power.

With enemies closing in and shadows stirring in her dreams, Meryn stands to lose her kingdom—and her heart.

Blood will spill. Bonds will break. Fate will be tested.

Fury Bound drops down right where DireBound left off, and damn if we don't hit the ground running.

Meryn's sister has been turned into a Siphon with a raging bloodlust, Killian is manipulating the Dire wolves' mental bond to project propaganda that Meryn is an evil usurper, and those loyal to the false king are eager to destroy the threat.

All perfectly reasonable.

But once that blazing start fades to embers, Meryn collapses and Stark is there to keep her together, glares and growls in tow, as he storms his own office and eventually her bedroom to ensure she's safe.

We finally get Stark Therion's POV. He's yearning. He's lusting. And now he's flirting.

And triggering some serious submissive kinks in his new queen.

I am 100% in Stark's corner with his bone deep disgust at Meryn's lack of cleaning habits. It being one of the few strongholds he clings to in order to curb his lusts was enough to make me chuckle.

Clean your damn room, Meryn.

Then go take a nap because I miss Killian.

I could not and would not be convinced that Stark's mother, the Sovereign Alpha, was a problem. Meryn took over her chambers, admiring every corner and surface of wood work and detail so the woman obviously has exquisite talent in interior design. Then she offers up the delicious plot for Stark to marry the queen. Which Cratos agreed with btw. She's a well honed leader and one that Meryn would do well to study under.

And Stark was moments away from eliminating her? Hell no. You are not going to off your own mother, Valstark.

Oh yes, that was a grand detail.

Cratos, Stark's bonded wolf and Anassa's bonded mate, is top tier. Sgaeyl energy.

From adversaries in DireBound to reluctant allies here, if it wasn't for his vows, her lineage, and their wolves' mate bond, these two would have nothing to do with one another. She's a brat. He's an asshole. And sure, he might say he believes in the world she's trying to achieve but believe me when I tell you that thus far, Meryn has been an abysmal failure in that undertaking.

She's ending lives left and right. Fine by me though. Just means more tattoos.

Stark thrives in bloodshed. And he finds himself encouraging it in Meryn, much to his shame. He's corrupting her.

I'm not sure what the problem is.

And now the man Meryn was convinced was trying to kill her at every turn has become the epitome of safety. Her one constant source of peace.

These two are so delightfully complicated.

The bickering is endlessly entertaining.
"Stark, you’re not killing people, right? Like, the people we’re trying very desperately to convince that my claim to the throne is legitimate?”

“I told you not to worry,” I say, throwing my few unpacked things into my bag.

“Stark!”

“Meryn.” I pause, annoyed. She might not want any blood on her hands, but intimidating the nobles to attend by any means necessary is why I’m here. You can’t agree to use a weapon and then get mad when it cuts. She’s being fucking obtuse.

“Do you want the nobles to attend or not? I didn’t kill anyone important. Just an insignificant cousin. The Eisenfall nobles will be at the coronation, and we’re leaving for Nachtfall now.”

“So what’s the plan, then?” She’s growing agitated. “A whirlwind murder tour? Dead nobles in every fiefdom, but at least we’ll scare them all into showing face?”

For someone with a vicious streak, she’s really naive sometimes. “Yeah, possibly. Is that a problem?”
Auren would never.

You let that man have his own Ravinger Rot Tour.

Not a fan of Meryn's holier than thou judgements on other people's culture when she knows damn well there are facets of her own that can turn stomachs. Calling a man an ignorant piece of shit just for asking how she likes her meat cooked? What the fuck was that?

He's a Siphon. They drink blood in order to survive and you're offended that he might expect that a people who bind themselves to direwolves might prefer raw meat? That's not being rude, Meryn. That's called deductive logic! Gods forbid a man ask a question in order to serve a foreign guest properly.

A man makes a “surprised” and “impressed” comment (“That’s right, actually”) when Saela translates a symbol on a map and Meryn calls him a ‘condescending jerk’.

Meryn! An eleven year old child identified a mark you yourself, a grown ass woman and reigning queen, did not know. How is he being surprised and impressed not a perfectly reasonable response?! Pull your fucking head out of your misandrous ass.

Even the humble horses couldn't escape her raging prejudice.

She's livid with Killian. Furious that he coerced her and asserts it was not a consensual relationship because of that manipulation. Okayyy, but her entire existence is manipulated by magic and mate bonds. She is prey to the powers beyond her. But she's not mad at that. Rages against the monarchy and a blood given right to rule, until it's her blood and her right to rule. Then she'll strike down any and all in her way.

Some might call that hypocritical.

Girl, you're hurt and you're mad he played you like a harp.

But as much as Meryn irked me at times, I do appreciate all of the characters of this series and loved every one of them in the first book.

Won't stop calling Meryn out on her bs though.

So, yes, there were things that I adored, things that rubbed me the wrong way, and other things that absolutely pissed me off but I still had trouble setting this down and leaving it down. I was invested and entertained the whole way through. The storyline advanced so much that we basically have an all new plot line and that's a hell of a lot more than Rites of the Starling even attempted to give.

Going forward, I'm choosing to remember Stark as the antagonist. The Alpha that growls and glares and cuts. He's a far better fighter than a lover.

And that concludes my ever so slightly unhinged review.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover |paperback | audiobook


Previously in the series:
2026/22

5.06.2026

Watching Wednesday: My Dearest Nemesis




My Dearest Nemesis
Genres: Romantic Comedy, Drama
Cast: Mun Ka Young, Choi Hyun Wook
Rated: PG-13
Year Released: 2025
Synopsis from Viki.com
Watch on Viki


As a high school senior, Su Jeong (Mun Ka Young) began playing an online game where she met another player nicknamed "Black Dragon." They unexpectedly got close, developing crushes and planning a meeting in real life... that concluded in humiliation and disaster when "Black Dragon" turned out to be an awkward middle schooler instead of the young man he portrayed himself to be!

Sixteen years later, Su Jeong is a skilled planner at Yongsung Department Store, but her job is about to get a shakeup with the arrival of Ban Ju Yeon (Choi Hyun Wook), the ambitious new head of strategic planning and heir to the company. There's just one problem: Ban Ju Yeon is actually "Black Dragon," and Su Jeong still holds a grudge.

Will their past come back to haunt them, or can they find a way to resolve their misunderstandings – and even find love as adults?

5.05.2026

Court of Tricksters (Fae Tricksters #1)


Just gazing at her was risk and reward.



Court of Tricksters
S. L. Prater
Fae Tricksters, book one
Audiobook, ~8 hours
ebook, 254 pages
Published January 20, 2023
ASIN B0BN96R1M5



The fae Duke of Night doesn't believe in love—but he'll claim his mate nonetheless.

Mating is a matter of politics for Night, not the heart. To prevent a forced union that will plunge the Lunar Court into war, he must find and bond his true mate.

When he lays eyes on Rain, he knows the shy forest witch is the bond mate he's been searching for. Unprepared for the intensity of his attraction, Night makes an offer that would keep his priorities straight and his court safe: a marriage of convenience. Any eligible woman—mortal and immortal alike—would leap at the chance to become the powerful duke's bride. But Rain isn't interested.

She's lived outside of society too long to ever fit into Night's world of shapeshifting tricksters and back-stabbing politicians. And Rain demands more than the trappings of marriage. She wants a match with heart.

Night doesn't have the luxury of time to change his mate's mind. War looms closer and the Lunar Court is caught in the middle. Out of options, the fae duke sees only one choice.

Kidnap his bride.

Contains mature themes.

They met in the woods.

Rain lived in the trees and forgot to ask the oak to conceal her.

But their eyes met and Night knew instantly.

Mate.

His mate was a witch with a demon familiar.

He says nothing of their bond but continues to meet with her. Brings her books and tells her stories. She mostly listens. She loves his voice.

She brings him gifts of soaps and oils

She does not tell him her name.

He does not speak of his titles and duties.

Until...

Until.

It's always the best of surprises when a book surpasses your expectations.

This was fun and adorable and sweet and charming. The cast is incredible. Bernard! A familiar that takes the shape of many things but most often a cat. Night's brother, Erikson. The brothel ladies: Margot, Penny, and Susan.

Night.

Love a mate bond that triggers a possessive MMC. The don't touch her, don't look at her, don't breathe in her direction type of possessiveness. And there might be a bit of gentle kidnapping... and using his magic to lull her to sleep so that he might strip her of the small arsenal of blades she's equipped to herself.

But he takes her for duty.

And she longs for love.

So she rejects him. And he departs from her.

But when their paths cross again, he kidnaps her for a second time.

Only for the author to end this book by completing a chapter, closing her laptop, and walking away.

Gah! That cliffhanger ending!

3 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

2026/21

5.03.2026

Mountains Made of Glass (Fairy Tale Retelling #1)


So long as I know her, I will know myself.



Mountains Made of Glass
Scarlett St. Clair
Fairy Tale Retelling, book one
audiobook, ~6 hours
ebook, 219 pages
Published March 7, 2023
ISBN 9781728290836
ASIN B0BT68PFXG



An unbreakable curse. An impossible wager.
One chance at freedom—if love can break the spell.


A cursed fate haunts the village of Elk, and when Gesela is chosen to face the monstrous toad at the bottom of the well, she expects a fight for her life. Instead, she uncovers an Elven prince beneath the curse, and killing him draws the wrath of his immortal brothers. Banished to a mysterious glass mountain, Gesela meets the Beast—exquisite, dangerous, and nothing like she imagined. He offers her a deal: if she can guess his true name in seven days, she'll win her freedom. The catch? She must speak it with genuine love, or risk being lost to the curse forever.

Mountains Made of Glass is a dark, seductive fairy tale retelling perfect for adult romantasy fans who crave enemies-to-lovers tension and high-stakes desire. Drawing on classic fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin, Scarlett St. Clair delivers a fast-paced, atmospheric romance filled with poetic writing and emotional vulnerability.

Casamir is cursed. He must have a woman fall in love with him and guess his true name, or he will forget his name and cease to exist.

When Gesela is thrown down a well and instructed to kill the toad inside so that the water will return, she does not hesitate.

Much.

But that toad was a prince under his own curse and his five brothers capture Gesela and send her to their seventh brother, Casamir, so that she might break his curse as penance.

This book is far more erotic and less of a love story than the second in the series. Although the latter of that statement may be subjective and left to interpretation.

Casamir though... This guy who needs a woman to love him faces the struggle of a lifetime to convince a woman to even tolerate him. A complete buffoon. Crude. Ignorant.

I get it. I get it. He's never known love so how would he know where to even begin. That's his excuse. But she's just as disturbing as he is and she has no such explanation.

Great for a laugh though. The things that leapt from this man's lips.

But hey, we found Henry's brother so there's that. Another one that left me flabbergasted Honorable, indeed. ::snort::

The ending though. He lied? I beg your finest pardon. He lied?

3 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback | audiobook| hardcover

Next in the series:


2026/20

5.01.2026

Once Upon a Demon's Heart (Cruel Fates #1)


Do. Not. Fuck. The. Godling.



Once Upon a Demon's Heart
K.M. Moronova
Cruel Fates, book one
Audiobook, ~8 hours
ebook, 251 pages
Published July 31, 2025
ASIN B0FB9QBY7K



This is no fairytale—It’s yearning and guilt of two burdened hearts that will leave readers breathless.

Alira, a devoted demigod knight, has found herself trapped in the throes of a brutal curse. A time loop in which the demon kingdom’s Blood Knight kills her every time. She is haunted by the attack she led on the innocent village of Thornhall, and her guilt consumes her from the inside out. After the twentieth time loop, she has finally had enough. Something has to change, lest she die at the Blood Knight’s hand for the rest of time. A choice she hopes she won’t regret—one to end the war between demigods and demons. Alira is shocked when she realizes that she’s marrying the very knight who has slain her so many times.

A daughter of Venus and a duke of demons. Their love is both cursed and destined—a marriage to save the fragility of their kingdoms.

Kalel is as cruel as they come. A devourer who survives on the gilded blood of demigods. He wants to hate her as much as he did when Thornhall fell, but he finds himself warring with his heart over his emotions for her. Together, they unravel the truths of Faultore, that perhaps not everything is as it seems. The gods may be pulling more strings than they should.

It’s not a question of what love can conquer; it is a matter of what they are prepared to demolish in the path of it.

I began the audiobook of this tale while out suffering manual labor in the garden, quite unfamiliar with the work of Theodore Zephyr.

Unfamiliar, yes, and also ill prepared for that perfectly pitched demon growl of a voice.

Breathless. Speechless. Both narrators were excellent.

Alira is a demigod knight that is caught in a time loop where she is fated to die at the sword of the demon Blood Knight. Eventually, she makes the decision to abandon her people. There's no future for her anyway.

And so, she returns to a grove where, years ago, she met a demon child. She did not know him long. He seemed to die that very day.

There she again meets a demon. Kalel. An apothecary.

And she comes away with a new plan. To assauge her guilt. To end the unceasing wars. To hopefully break the loop. She offers herself as a sacrifice in a treaty that would see her wed to a demon. As a daughter of Venus, she would be coveted by her enemy. To kill her. To torture her. To breed her.

The offer is accepted and her would-be husband comes to collect.

And what he finds is a knight in ebony armor. The same knight responsible for his mother's death, and the deaths of so many more of his kind.

He hates her.

But what they come to discover is that he was the boy. And she was that half-god girl.

The only one he would spare in his quest for vengeance.

The same one he would see cursed to repetitiously kill.

4.5 out of 5 stars. I need another hundred pages!

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

Next in the series:


2026/19

4.29.2026

Apples Dipped in Gold (Fairy Tale Retelling #2)


You do not get to determine your worth to me.



Apples Dipped in Gold
Scarlet St. Clair
Fairy Tale Retelling, book two
audiobook, ~6 hours
ebook, 240 pages
Published October 29, 2024
ASIN B0CT4RB99N
ISBN 9781464216886



He was her curse―and her only salvation.

Samara has spent years enduring cruelty at the hands of her brothers, surviving on nothing but hope and the fierce belief that she deserves more. When a royal engagement promises her freedom, her fate changes in a single night when she is intercepted by Lore, the enigmatic Prince of Nightshade.

Feared for his poisonous touch and shrouded in secrets, Lore is haunted by seven years of longing for Samara, the one mortal who makes him vulnerable.

Thrust together by fate and old wounds, their slow-burning desire threatens to unravel everything in a kingdom where magic is a weapon and trust can mean ruin.

Apples Dipped in Gold is a dark fairytale retelling and enemies-to-lovers romance, weaving a gothic Cinderella story with intoxicating tension, forbidden passion, and immersive world-building. Scarlett St. Clair delivers a tale of heartbreak, healing, and love against all odds. Step into the shadows and discover a romance that will haunt you long after the last page.

My, oh my, what did I stumble upon here.

A fairy tale retelling of... Cinderella meets Snow White with a blend of other tales from Brothers Grimm? I couldn't exactly say, but it's so good I didn't care to further analyze it, and the author does explain the sources of her inspiration at the end of the book.

Samara is an orphan left to the abuse of her three brothers who keep her "protected" so long as she toils away with the cooking and the cleaning. Until the day comes when she's had enough and climbs to the cliffs with a mind to throw herself off.

Enter a handsome prince. One whom is on a quest to find his brother who has entered the forests in search of a golden apple in order to win his lover's hand in marriage. So handsome prince (Henry) becomes quite taken by Samara and her verbally combative beautiful self and offers to take her away and show her a life of kindness and care with hope that one day she would agree to become his wife. He pays her brothers a dowry (after trying to bargain her for a ring, rose, and a lark) and off they go.

Only for thieves to attack their carriage and plant an arrow straight into the handsome prince's eye socket.

And yet, oh yes, she's saved once more. On this occasion by a fox and a fae. A fae prince to be exact. A fae prince named Lore.

It's a story of whimsy and twirls as we go this way, then that way. A talking fox. Singing flowers. A besotted prince. A goblin king. Dryads. Pixies. Ballroom dances. A magic mirror. A terrible witch. And brothers galore.

This fantastical tale of love-this right here-is what makes me kick my feet. In the middle of the book, in the middle of my happy place, where I can't wait to turn the next page but equally can't bear to have it end. ::sigh::

“Would I have been such a terrible choice?”

Oof, my heart. But the way he pines for her.

I had tried to think of anything else. I’d gone to the very edge of the world and sat with the sun, moon, and stars and still thought of nothing but her. She was unmatched—brighter than the sun, more beautiful than the moon, sweeter than the stars. I loved her more than anything in this terrible world, and I hated it.

The banter hit a sweet spot. Banter with each other. With Fox. With Cardic. Brotherly love expressed with harsh tongues and physical blows just does it for me. Although the nun thing was quite odd.

5 out of 5 stars. Immediately ordered a hardcopy for the shelves.

Available in ebook | paperback | audiobook

Art by Lauren Boyle.


Also in the series:


2026/18

4.27.2026

A Court of Blood and Bindings (Fae Isles #1)


Give me the danger. Give me the shame.



A Court of Blood and Bindings
Lisette Marshall
Fae Isles, book one
audiobook, ~14 hours
ebook, 436 pages
Published June 22, 2022
ASIN B09YKCCGKW



They call him the Silent Death, because he kills without sound and leaves none capable of speaking in his wake…

When the empire’s deadliest fae murderer catches her wielding forbidden magic, twenty-year-old Emelin believes her hour has come. Instead, her inhumanly beautiful captor spares her life, but carries her off on his velvet wings – into the one place from which no human ever returns.

The heart of the Fae Isles. The treacherous Crimson Court, where the Mother of faekind has ruled unchallenged over fae and humans for decades.

The Silent Death is supposed to be the Mother’s loyal servant, her invincible warrior, her ruthless, soulless killer. But in the shadows he is playing a game of his own, and he needs Emelin’s magic to win it.

If she agrees to work with him, she could free all of humanity. But can she trust a fae male with so much blood on his hands? Worse, when his smouldering dark eyes and dangerous secrets reveal glimpses of the heart behind his murderer’s mask… can she trust herself?

Court of Blood and Bindings is the first book of the Fae Isles series, an enemies to lovers fantasy romance featuring a strong-willed heroine and a broody, morally grey hero. This adult fae romance is perfect for readers of Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout and Raven Kennedy.

Note: Court of Blood and Bindings contains a generous dose of smouldering glances, angry yearning, and midnight meetings of the illicit type, as well as other mature themes.

The spice in this book... Chef's kiss.

Creon, deemed the Silent Death by allies and enemies alike, was bred and beaten to be his Mother's most feared enforcer. It is a reputation he has earned and prides himself in—

Until he found another way to exist.

But his powers were bound to secure his loyalty. And his voice was stripped from him as a result.

For over a century Creon has continued to fulfill the Mother's demands of him with kill after kill and slaughter after slaughter, ever seeking a solution that could put an end to her long reign.

Then he finds her, an unbound half-fae hidden amongst the humans.

And so the story of Creon and Emelin begins.

Loved it! Love Creon, as I knew I would when first he was introduced in the prequel. Expected to revisit a certain scene from that book. Alas, it never came. I forget the timeline.

Emelin was wonderful. A bit gullible but it never did come around to bite her. With Creon being mute, she carried the story. Even his written words are given her own processing and interpretation and damn it all if I have to read all four books for him to recover his voice. If he ever does at all.

The magic system relies on colors that can be pulled from unnatural objects. Red for destruction. Blue for healing. So on and so forth.

5 out of 5 stars. Cliffhanger ending.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

Previously in the series:


2026/17

4.23.2026

Rites of the Starling (Shield of Sparrows #2)


A thousand times a day.



Rites of the Starling
Devney Perry
Shield of Sparrows, book two
Hardcover, 500 pages
Published April 7, 2026
ISBN 9781682816752



Calandra’s five kingdoms are on the verge of destruction. The crux migration is coming. And in the wake of a devastating attack, I’ve been separated from the man who owns my heart.

I’m lost. Terrified. Homesick. Hunted by monsters, driven to exhaustion, and kidnapped by a powerful priest, the only thing keeping me going is the little girl counting on me to keep her safe. It’s my turn to become the Guardian.

Our lives change one fateful night. A night of death. A night of monsters. A night of truths. That night, I learn the real meaning of fear—and the depth of my own strength.

Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I embrace my crown? What if the secrets I uncover save our realm?

What if my sacrifice means salvation for the man I love?

For too long, I’ve feared the monsters we make.

It’s time to discover the monster within.

The long-awaited sequel to my first five-star read of 2025.

And yet...

If 'This could have been an email' was a book.



Caspia. A Starling. A new character with visions of her sister's murder by a silver-eyed male.

Murdered by the Guardian.

By Ransom. Who is currently searching for his wife.

Odessa, the Sparrow.

I could see it barely thirty pages in... I was going to need a chart.

At thirty percent in, I was bored. I was so, so bored.

Then, finally, at forty-five percent... the return of Ransom!

Thank the stars, the Eight, the Divine, the Shades even. Because I despised Andreas. He is so dull. So nice and so dull. One of those characters that will do anything you ask and believe anything you say. I think he'll wind up being my most loathed character of 2026.

::Spoilers imminent::

I was so rage-inducing bored with that side story. And even when things started to click about how they fit into the plot, what with Caspia having visions and likely being in the past and therefore would potentially be Odessa's mother... leaving Andreas to potentially be her father...

I had been curious why we never learned the Golden King's name while reading the first book.

Then he had disdain for the golden castle which was a feeling Odessa attributed to her father.

And he lit up when he saw Odessa's red hair only to immediately shut down...

Yeah, thankful when the signs clicked into place because I needed *something* to make them tolerable.

I loved Ransom in book one and may he never be left out of the story for so long ever again. Here, though, he was repeptive and added like an afterthought.

In the end, I would attest that this is a highly skippable sequel. Very little progress is made. While the first book revealed the origins of Lyssa, this.. urgh... this revealed the origins of the monsters that may not even be monsters if not for magic. Corrupted magic? Basically, power dependent religious fanatics are to blame. And there's a long forgotten land that holds Odessa's ancestors.

Again, all of it could have been an email. A few chapters stretched and stretched and stretched again to fill a five hundred page sequel.

Oof.

3 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover | audiobook

Previously in the series:


2026/16

4.06.2026

Veil of Web and Ruin


Gods be kind to me.



Veil of Web and Ruin
Aria Ashbrook
The Hirathean Path, prequel
ebook, 99 pages
Published January 1, 2025
Free Read



Before Rose enters the tournament that will change her fate, she’s fighting a different kind of battle – one she can’t afford to lose.

Cast into the slums after Prince Kyor’s lie shattered her family, Rose is barely surviving. With her parents gone and her younger sister facing a future as bleak as the frostbitten alleyways around them, Rose will do anything to protect what little she has left.

So when a ruthless underworld queen offers Kay a respectable job in exchange for a single favour, Rose takes the deal. The task? Steal a deadly plant from the Goddess’s own temple garden – a theft punishable by death.

The heist forces her into the heart of Wrohelm’s sacred rings, where priestesses tread softly, wolves sniff out lies, and the Goddess of Life watches from every shadow.

And when the night twists into bloodshed, Rose discovers that even the smallest choice can stain her hands forever.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 – 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒆’𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅𝒔, 𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆.

This novella is available only to those subscribers on Aria’s email newsletter!

This prequel was done right! It has everything one might expect to get a fine taste of the series. The protagonist. The villains. The despair. The bloodshed. The grit. The spice. The world as a whole is introduced in these mere ninety-nine pages, and it absolutely will have you greedy for more.

What it doesn't have is the MMC.

What it has too much of? Ruben.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook

Also in the series:


2026/15

4.04.2026

The Bridge Kingdom


The truth is…
the truth is that I am the villain.



The Bridge Kingdom
Danielle L. Jensen
The Bridge Kingdom, book one
ebook, 354 pages
Published August 1, 2024
Paperback, 448 pages
ISBN 9780593975183



The iconic Bridge Kingdom series begins: a sweeping, sizzling fantasy romance filled with political intrigue and passionate love, from the New York Times bestselling author of A Fate Inked in Blood.

A warrior princess trained in isolation, Lara is driven by two certainties. The first is that King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy. And the second is that she'll be the one to bring him to his knees.

The only route through a storm-ravaged world, the Bridge Kingdom enriches itself and deprives its rivals, including Lara's homeland. So when she's sent as a bride under the guise of peace, Lara is prepared to do whatever it takes to fracture its impenetrable defenses. And the defenses of its king.

Yet as she infiltrates her new home and gains a deeper understanding of the war to possess the bridge, Lara begins to question whether she's the hero or the villain. And as her feelings for Aren transform from frosty hostility to fierce passion, Lara must choose which kingdom she'll save... and which kingdom she'll destroy.

Daughters of the king of Maridrina.

A dozen half sisters. Including Lara.

One chosen to wed the prince of Ithicana and become its queen.

They’ve spent the entirety of their twenty years of life kept in solitude in a desert palace, training in strategy and combat. Molded to be their father’s spy and blade.

The day has come and the girls have gathered together one final time to what would become of the rest of them once their chosen Twitter becomes queen. What other alliances would they marry for. What advisers would their father gift them to as wives.

But Lara is different from her sisters. She is cunning and calculating.

She knows her father has no ambitions for any of them other than the crown. And she knows he favors Marylyn.

So here I am, reading the words, forming the pictures, and anticipating dear pink-hating Lara is going to run. She’s going to flee and find herself an adventure.

No.

Not quite.

Lara just poisoned them all. My jaw fell… just has one of their heads dropped into her bowl of soup.

And yes, I did applaud.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

Also in the series:


2026/14

3.24.2026

The First Scar (Heirs of the Shattered Veil #1)


I don't fear the end of the world...
I fear the end of you.



The First Scar
Celeanne Dorrington
Heirs of the Shattered Veil, book one
ebook, 411 pages
Published April 28, 2026
ISBN 9798995161622
ARC



The day the Veil shattered, the world broke—and every soul was marked. Every fae now bears a soulmark. Luminar or Shadowmarked. Revered or enslaved.

But our fae heroine was born with both.

And he was forged to destroy her.

Some say their bond is prophecy.

Others call it a curse.

Either way—if it completes, it could end the war…

or end the realm.

Real enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, fated mates, morally gray, shadow daddy, the chosen one, found family, unhinged banter, stabby fmc, Creature companion, kid Touch starved, and level 3 spice but with deep themes and epic fantasy world.

Note: The First Scar contains no spice. It lays the foundation, emphasizing the slow in Slow Burn. Then snuffs out the candle.
I matched my steps to hers, falling into her rhythm like a shadow stitching itself to her heels. Every splash she made, I made. Every pause, I paused. She was listening for me—that animal awareness prickling across the dark between us—but all she heard was herself.

The echo of a girl who believed she was alone.
A world shaped by tyranny and a dual-marked fae at the core of an everchanging prophecy. Magic abundant and rage throughout.

Although most of that rage was admittedly my own.

Because what do you mean Kaelen goes unchecked for Ch17?

How is Maxx still breathing without the aid of machinery after the stunt he pulled in Ch23?

And Brannik? That man was everywhere I wanted someone else to be. Just seeing his name on the page was sending me into a spiral.

Give me more Dreadscale.

Give me more Crownforged.

Yes, more of Eryndor, an MMC that will hunt, taunt, and confidantly adore his target. Their trajectories intersect and in a matter of heartbeats, Amaria had slipped beneath his armour, between and beyond the layers of buried truths, and saw not the man, but the boy that they had broken. Chapter six was where the spark of anticipation was lit for me and I lived through each page awaiting his glorious return.

Give me less of Kaelen.

And far, far less of Brannik.

This book was running havoc on my feelings up until the very end but the justification to be had after struggling with seemingly undue aggression for so long made it so very worth it.

4 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook directly from the author.

Also in the series:


2026/13

3.20.2026

The Dragon Tower Gambit (A Dragonflame Heir Story)


What if we make it better?



The Dragon Tower Gambit
Laura Greenwood
Dragonflame Heir prequel
ebook, 115 pages
Published January 27, 2026
ASIN B0GJF56SYB
Free Read from Amazon.com



Rescuing someone from a dragon-guarded tower is a lot easier when the dragon is on your side...

Raised to help rescue those in need, Ingrid is thrilled to lead her first mission alongside her charming, handsome, and oh-so-irresistible friend Fen. But she knows she's going to have to ignore her growing feelings for him if the two of them are going to succeed.

As they get deeper into their mission, the tension between Ingrid and Fen grows, and they can't deny their attraction to one another longer, or that they want more than just one night.

Now all they have to do is work out what's between them, all while saving the damsel in distress.

The Dragon Tower Gambit is a dragon romantasy with a strong heroine, a determined group of damsels who are causing distress, and a steamy friends to lovers m/f romance (with two bi leads). It is part of the Dragonflame Heir series.

FaRoSociety brought this little treasure to my attention via their newsletter. Maybe I'm just lost in the weeds but it seems a good friends to lovers story is a hard to find trope in the fantasy genre.

I need more of them.

Ingrid is a Damsel with a weakness for misjuding her opponents and letting her emotions too often overwhelm her.

And now she has to add her growing attraction to her friend, Fen, to that list of obstacles to overcome.

Fen is a dragon shifter and son of a master-at-arms. He's also cousin to Lijun, the son of one of the king's concubines and the MMC of the main books of the series. Lijun is not introduced beyond that; however, readers do meet Vasia, his FMC.

I was downright tickled by the innocence of these two. To pause at every word that he might hear another meaning. To question every glance in case he could see the thoughts behind her eyes, or sense the attraction she distracts herself in order to ignore.

Ingrid sets the pace and eventually Fen conjures up the confidence to act on the subtle green lights she can't keep herself from flashing.

As far as the rescue mission was concerned...

Not a fan.

Basically, there's a young woman that's been betrothed to a man three times her age and whom she's never met. She calls upon the Damsels to save her and they, in turn, infiltrate the castle and convince her abusive father to employ a dragon to guard his rebellious spawn until the wedding plans are set in stone. Meanwhile, Fen *is* the dragon and Ingrid goes undercover as a maid to get the message to their client that help is on the way. It's not so much a noble cause as it is a contractual employment paid for by the spoils of the attack when Fen burns down the tower and their fellows spies raid the estate for any valuables they deem worthy of their taking.

4 stars to the love story.
3 out of 5 stars overall.

Available in ebook

Next in the series:


2026/12

3.19.2026

Lies that Blemish (The Ember War #3)


Yes, wife, you are.



Lies that Blemish
Leia Stone
The Ember War, book three
ebook, 338 pages
Published March 2, 2025
ISBN 9781951578510



To save her people, Aisling must question everything—even herself.

Blinded by betrayal, Aisling's heart burns for revenge against Kohen, the man she once trusted. But war looms on two fronts—Luska and Imbria—and her people are caught in the crossfire. As battle lines are drawn and alliances tested, Aisling faces an impossible to side with the lesser evil or risk everything for her people’s survival.

Amid the chaos, truths begin to unravel. With every step closer to victory, Aisling is haunted by one: Could Kohen have been right all along?

Kohen Badshah is a character you either love or hate. The end will justify his means but at least he seems to take the path of the least amount of damage. It is what it is, but let's face facts: Kohen is the only one that can see the chess board in this entire ridiculous crusade.

And Aisling has inherited a position she has long been groomed for. That of a villain.

Despite its many missed opportunities and gag worthy side steps, this has been a story I've been anxious to see through to the end. Where was it going? Where has it been? What were the many lies that shaped its foundation and how would these dazed and simple minded characters set it right?

It's been two months since Kohen's betrayal was brought to light and war was declared on Imbria.

The privilege of the reigning family continues its abuse as Valor, Aisling's sister and heir, is allowed to venture into the Wilds alone at a mere fourteen years of age to bond a magical creature.

Kohen intervenes by sending his brothers to protect and guide her and eventually all three come away bonded to a trio of dragons. Dragons that are daughters to Maxim's twin sister's bonded creature. Although that detail isn't an issue for very long. Oof.

Meanwhile, Kohen's visions are no longer focused on a singular timeline but instead have branched to include multiple outcomes and in more and more he sees himself losing Aisling. To Alec. To Maxim. To death.

He's wearing down. And Aisling's mantra of threats against his life was wearing me out.

Meanwhile, Aisling has practically ordered a draft by way of an emergency lottery to include all citizens aged eighteen to twenty-five. They tear down the wall near Luskia to lure more Talanagi to their lands. And in what spare time comes in the evening, she finally, finally, has begun looking into the veracity of Kohen's claims that her father had been an active threat to her life.

Thankfully the former emperor was a looney toon that kept evidence of his terroristic plots in a safe for over a decade.

Aisling's reaction? Immediate and intense. The woman gave me whiplash.

Then Kohen... Stars above, I was in bizarro land. The man invented a gun.

And Maxim's army wields a nuclear bomb.

I can't with this.

What. Is. Happening?!

3 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

Previously in the series:


2026/11

3.17.2026

Lies that Bind (The Ember War #2)


My love, it will always just be you and me, not us and them.



Lies that Bind
Leia Stone
The Ember War, book two
ebook, 340 pages
Published December 28, 2024
ISBN 9781951578473



When empires fall, love is the ultimate sacrifice.

When Aisling ascends the throne as empress, the weight of the crown is heavier than she ever imagined. Her father’s brutal murder leaves her with two burning purposes: find the killer and make them pay.

But her quest for vengeance leads to an act of retaliation that shifts the tides of war—and awakens a formidable new enemy.

Through the chaos, Kohen is her anchor. His unwavering love and loyalty are the only constants in her life. Yet when a shocking revelation emerges, Aisling is forced to question everything she believed to be true—even the bond she thought unbreakable.

In a world where trust is a fragile weapon, can Aisling hold her empire together, or will her pursuit of justice cost her everything?

At the close of book one, the emperor had been assassinated. And why Aisling wasn't side eyeing Meera I have no clue. I suppose her bias and prejudice against the Luskins is just that strong.

Aisling is now empress, tasked with avenging her father and leading her people forward. Bear in mind, the Amerseans are very much the problem at the heart of this story. Imbria has been conquered and is now controlled with miniscule rations from their overseer and Luska—

Luska fights for a fair share of the ember that fuels the land's energy sources. It's a noble fight and I haven't managed the slightest urge to condemn them for it.

As I said in my book one post, if Kohen is here playing the long game, I'm here for it.

This sequel is the typical bridge. It's the stepping stone that furthers the story to its inevitable conclusion. Aisling is adjusting to her new role, giving orders, training, and taking cover. It was in this installment that it cemented for me that I was experiencing the story through a side character's POV. Kohen is the main character. He's the one making moves. He has the plot. Aisling is purely reactive.

And now we know why Kohen was so deeply disturbed by Alec.

I appreciate Aisling. She's a young woman virtuous enough to save herself for marriage while also being a combatant that's not above war crimes. And although war and death bears heavy weight, this is a strong Young Adult themed tale that can't help but sink into shallow and downright juvenile scenarios. A new threat rises to power, demanding bloodshed or submission by way of marriage, and the answer her loyal governess and most trusted adviser proposes as a response: Steal his underwear.

Gods smite me now.

Stop it.

The assassin is revealed. Nothing unanticipated there.

Amersea presently faces war on two fronts. Luska is now led by Maxim, an unknown with two bonded creatures and a twin sister aware of Aisling's hidden power.

And with Imbria. Kohen, Anika, and the others have retreated home, declared sovereignty, and proclaimed Kohen their rightful king.

Kohen orders Aisling's death. And as she dies, expected to be reborn in three days' time, his message is resounding. Everything he has done is to protect her. Seek the truth. He'll be waiting.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

Previously in the series:


2026/10

3.15.2026

Lies that Bleed (The Ember War #1)


My stars, Aisling, you’re my best friend
and you don’t even know it yet.



Lies that Bleed
Leia Stone
The Ember War, book one
ebook, 412 pages
Published June 23, 2024
ASIN B0CYCW6KH8
ISBN 9781951578367



For tonight, we either lived or died in The Wilds. Nothing else mattered.

As the daughter of the emperor, Aisling Everhart was born into privilege. She has trained her entire life to go into The Wilds and have a chance at bonding with a creature that can give her unknown power. Half of the candidates will die the first night, and only a few will make it out. Those who survive the bonding are quickly conscripted into the Imperial Fleet to join the war.

What Aisling never could have prepared for, was Kohen Badshah, former prince of Imbria, her father’s sworn enemy. When Kohen proposes an unlikely alliance, she accepts. They enter The Wilds together, and Aisling realizes that she was woefully unprepared, especially when nothing goes to plan.

After barely surviving, she’s thrust into the Imperial Fleet to learn how to control her new gifts, but as her power grows, so do the dangers—including multiple attempts on her life. When you don’t know who is friend or enemy, it’s hard to trust, but Kohen Badshah appears to be protecting her.

It’s that or he’s playing one excellent long game. Which one, only time will tell.

As future empress, Aisling has long prepared for the day she would enter the Wilds and risk her life to bond with a magical creature that would bestow upon her, and all other worthy candidates, a magical power that could be used not just in the war against Luska but also grant the lesser privileged a higher standing within society.

As her father's heir, her chance is a given. For others, the opportunity is left to a lottery. And to the rigging by the powers that be. Aisling is well aware of her father's schemes. First, to have her betrothed enter the Wilds with her, ensuring their mutual success would also provide a stronger rule. And secondly, to have the son of the late infamous traitor be put to death without any political backlash.

What Aisling is unprepared for, however, is meeting Kohen Badshah, her best friend's name being pulled in the lottery, and her betrothed's infidelity. The latter of which blamed entirely on a man's need to "scratch an itch". And for the love of all things worthy must we be so cliché?!

Kohen enters the Wilds alongside a number of his fellow Imbrians with a reputation steeped in violence.

And it's a rep that Aisling is practically questioning from the onset. His every act, his every word, has her second guessing the long held prejudice spawned from stories circulated by his enemies and pounded into her by her father.

Three days. Survive three days in the Wilds, claim a beast worthy of an empress (but not a challenge to the reigning emperor) and keep her bestie safe. That's it. That's the goal.

Kohen's motivations are similar. Survive. Survive not only his rival candidates and the beasts of the Wilds but also the many assassins the emperor has sent after him. Protect his kin, those he claims as his family. And bond with a creature that can give him the power he so desperately needs.

While Aisling intends to steer clear of the legendary Talanagi beasts, Kohen is focused on bonding nothing less.

By a third of the book, Aisling has sparked a tentative friendship with Anika (Kohen's steadfast friend and passionate supporter), ensured her best friend has survived and bonded to wolf, commits treason by killing off two of her father's men when they nearly take out Kohen, witnesses that same Kohen fight and bond to a dragon, and she herself bonds to a firebird. Which results in her burning up in a ball of fire, dying, and rising from the dead inside of a bodybag after Kohen carries her corpse from the forest.

Oh, Kohen. That boy had my heart throughout.

From his bonded dragon, Onyx, Kohen inherits a power of fire but also the much feared power of foresight. He can see a future of battles and death but with them, visions of he and Aisling together as lovers. He struggles to reconcile his feelings of possessiveness and the urge to protect her with the very unfortunate present wherein they are strangers to one another and, by extension of her father, practically enemies.

As he contends with the weight of this power, Kohen desperately seeks the connection that has not yet come to fruition. His future lover and best friend wants only to keep him at a distance.

Aisling, meanwhile, has her own powers to conceal. While becoming a living fireball may be a praiseworthy skill, her ability to control one's mind would see her terminated by her very own people for being too strong a threat.

Add on that Aisling's firebird raised Kohen's dragon as if he was her own hatchling and these two main characters have more red strings tying their fates than your average YA leads.

And it all ends on a cliffhanger.
“I want you to remember something, okay?” he breathed.
All I could do was nod.
Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to my ear. “Remember that no matter how things may seem, everything I do is to protect you.”


4 out of 5 stars. Immediately diving into book two and a small part of me is very much hoping that Kohen is indeed playing the long game. Metal Slinger has ruined me for life.

Available in ebook | hardcover | paperback | audiobook

Next in the series:


2026/09

2.24.2026

Heartfall: A Fae Isles Standalone Novella


And with every day that passed,
going home seemed a little less relevant.
With every night that passed,
the stories he spun Raghnar tasted closer to lies.



Heartfall
Lisette Marshall
A Fae Isles Short Story
ebook, ~50 pages
Published 2025



A divine accident gave Rapunzel the power to create gemstones. Locked up in a tower for her own protection, she spends her days scaring off money-hungry visitors... until a particularly arrogant warrior catches her eye in an entirely different way. But will he stop trying to kidnap her long enough to fall in love?

This steamy Rapunzel retelling features stabby enemies to lovers romance, gemstone magic, meddling gods, and a guaranteed HEA. While it is distantly related to the Fae Isles series, it can very well be read as a standalone.

3 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook

2026/08

2.21.2026

To Marry A Fae


How am I to honorably lead my people, when I would sacrifice every last one of them if it meant you were to live?



To Marry a Fae
Miranda Bridges
ebook, 300 pages
standalone
Published May 5, 2023
ASIN B0C2WPXWWR



He's the fae prince... and the prize for the Bride Games.
Too bad I'm not interested.


Does that stop him from coming into my life and forcing me to compete? No.
Does that stop me from keeping up with my personal agenda? Also no.

The competition is fierce and the contestants are even worse.
As we enter each round of elimination, I wait for my dismissal.
Returning home is my end goal.
Not swooning over some fae.

Even if he's charming.
And he makes me feel alive.
Which I won't be for much longer if I stay in the Games.
The closer I get to the prince, the more my life is in danger.
Or is it my heart that's truly in jeopardy?

This is Steamy Fantasy Romance Standalone with a medium burn.

Tropes: forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers, rags to riches, secret identity, fated mates, fish out of water, competition/rivalry, dominant hero, kept secrets, magic (duh), "Touch her and die" vibes, and "Who did this to you?" energy. Phew, all done. (I think.)

Other than the... dangerously close insinuation that the MMC may have been grooming our leading lady by planting a guard that may or may not have manipulated her into becoming best friends... and then having said MMC glamour himself to further mess with her mind all in order to judge her trustworthy... it's a good read. Not for everyone, though.

3 out of 5 stars.

Available in ebook | paperback | audiobook

2026/07

2.19.2026

Coming Soon: The Sweetest Fiend by Raven Kennedy





The Sweestest Fiend
Raven Kennedy
Played by the Piper, book one
hardcover, 480 pages
Releasing September 22, 2026
ISBN 9780063453272



From the New York Times bestselling author of the Plated Prisoner series comes the first book in an alluring and addictive romantasy duology set in a world of fae and dark magic, loosely inspired by the legend of the Pied Piper.

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.

Note: 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.



Available in ebook | hardcover | audiobook

1.25.2026

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


My rose. With all your wonderful thorns.



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

1.24.2026

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

5 out of 5 stars.

2026/05