Review: When the Moon Hatched - Book #1 Moonfall Series - Sarah A. Parker - November 2024 I'll be honest upfront: romantasy isn't usually my genre. But this one had been sitting on my shelf staring at me for long enough that I finally caved, and I'm glad I did. From the first few chapters, When the Moon Hatched pulled me in with how effortlessly it reads. There's nothing clunky or overwrought about the prose here , it just flows, chapter after chapter, in a way that makes it dangerously easy to tell yourself "just one more" long after you meant to put it down. If you've read Throne of Glass, you'll probably feel the same familiar hum I did. The setup centers on two women who turn out to be long-lost royalty, both reshaped into assassins after an accident that left them with amnesia, both quietly fighting to protect the very people who don't know who they really are. It's a premise that leans into tropes I've seen before, but Sarah A. ...

Review: The Rose Bargain - Book #1 Rose Bargain Duology - Sasha Peyton Smith - February 2025 I'll be honest—when I picked up The Rose Bargain, I was skeptical. As someone who typically steers clear of romantasy and fantasy in general, I expected to struggle through another overwrought magical romance. Instead, Sasha Peyton Smith delivered something unexpectedly engaging that reminded me why I fell in love with dystopian fiction during the mid-2000s boom of series like Divergent and The Chemical Garden. The premise immediately hooked me: an Immortal Queen who once saved King Edward's kingdom, only to usurp his throne and rule with an iron fist for decades. Every year, she offers eighteen-year-olds "Rose Bargains"—the chance to gain something precious in exchange for a devastating sacrifice, whether physical or emotional. It's a brilliantly dark concept that feels fresh despite drawing from familiar fairy tale elements. Our protagonist Ivy wants nothing to do with...

When Blair Beckett travels to Earth on a humanitarian mission, he’s drawn into a catastrophe and unable to stop the devastation; his world tilts as he comes across Emily Evers, fighting for her life. Emily falls hard for Blair’s charm, but when she comes upon a force that has her faith wavering, all her years of training and belief in herself come to a screeching halt leaving her questioning her path forward. As the danger to their clan escalates, Blair sets out alone to deal with the threat. Pre-order this steamy, forced proximity, paranormal romance from Bree Westland today! Title: Fated To Be His Author: Bree Westland Release Date: 02/25/2025 Genres: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Romance, Fantasy Adventure Page Count: approx 350 pages Tropes: Cinnamon roll hero, forced proximity, touch her and die, protective hero, he falls first, found family, grief and healing, mental health rep, telepathic characters. Blurb Blair Beckett’s motto was simple. Family first. Protect the cla...

Review: Of Thunder and Amethyst - The Weather Court Gem Series - KC Silver - November 2024 After the last two days not reading anything and then this morning trying a range of books and nothing grabbing me, I moved on to an ARC from Luna Literary Management PR and I finally found a book that I loved this morning. Of Thunder and Amethyst gave me vibes of an adult version of The School for Good and Evil with themes of other dystopian books I had read that included games and trials like The Hunger Games. In Of Thunder and Amethyst, every year there is an event called The Undertaking in which 8 people from the 8 villages are chosen to compete for the Heart and survive the Undertaking to save their village and bring it prosperity for the upcoming year till the next games. For Karmine, she is a legacy as her mother and father both participated in the Undertaking when they were 22 years old and her mother won it and holds the record for finding the "heart" the fastest. With a mum ...

On the outside, Karter appears to have the perfect life, but no one knows about the debilitating episodes that invade his mind and body. The only place he’s ever felt at ease is at his grandfather’s house, where he meets the mysterious Ella. As Karter and Ella get to know one another, they find themselves connected on a deeper level that neither understands. Readers who enjoy forbidden romances will devour Rose Moon by Heidi Adams, a steamy paranormal romantasy. Read Now! What secrets do we keep to protect the one we love? What lies do we tell, and what are we willing to sacrifice? Karter Quint has the perfect life: star athlete, gifted pianist, straight A-student, handsome and charismatic, he seems fated for success. What nobody knows is that he has battled debilitating episodes during which a strange force invades his mind and body. The only place where Karter truly feels at ease is at his grandfather’s house on the water in Cliff Island, Maine. There, he meets a mysterious gir...

On the outside, Karter appears to have the perfect life, but no one knows about the debilitating episodes that invade his mind and body. The only place he’s ever felt at ease is at his grandfather’s house, where he meets the mysterious Ella. As Karter and Ella get to know one another, they find themselves connected on a deeper level that neither understands. Readers who enjoy forbidden romances will devour Rose Moon by Heidi Adams, a steamy paranormal romantasy. Blurb What secrets do we keep to protect the one we love? What lies do we tell, and what are we willing to sacrifice? Karter Quint has the perfect life: star athlete, gifted pianist, straight A-student, handsome and charismatic, he seems fated for success. What nobody knows is that he has battled debilitating episodes during which a strange force invades his mind and body. The only place where Karter truly feels at ease is at his grandfather’s house on the water in Cliff Island, Maine. There, he meets a mysterious girl named E...

Review: The Assassins Blade - Book #0.5 Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J Maas - March 2014 Having started my journey of the *Throne of Glass* and the first three books in the series, reading *The Assassin’s Blade* felt like an essential journey into Celaena Sardothien’s past. This prequel collection, made up of five novellas, offers an enthralling backstory that explains how Celaena evolved into the fierce and cunning assassin we meet in the rest of the series. However, reading it fourth in the series—like I did—left me feeling that it would have been better to start here. The insight into Celaena’s life *before* her time at Endovier is invaluable and makes her character arc that much more powerful. The five novellas take readers through significant moments in Celaena’s life as a member of the Assassin’s Guild, leading up to her betrayal and eventual enslavement. Through each story, we get a glimpse of a woman struggling with her identity, power, and feelings for Sam Cortland—her fello...

Review: Legendary - Book #2 Caraval Series - Stephanie Garber - May 2018 I was in two minds with this book as I found Caraval such a dark and intense ride and a bit of a mindf*ck read and it was refreshing to read after finishing her Once Upon a Broken Heart series which was very light and fluffy and fairytale-like.  So when I heard that this one was more intense than Caraval, I was excited but then I read it and I felt let down as this one was lighter than the first and felt more fairytale-like and gave me Once Upon a Broken Heart feels. In Legendary, the second Caraval games are about to start and the girls Tella and Scarlett have been invited to Elantine for the new games. Tella is determined to win as she has been given a deal from "a friend" - win and get Legend's real name and her mum will be set free. During the games, Tella ends up accidentally engaged to Jacks who we all know from the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. Now for me, this is where the book went downhi...

Review: Caraval - Book #1 Caraval Series - Stephanie Garber - September 2016 I had recently finished the Once Upon a Broken Heart series and the first book mentioned a little bit about Jack's relationship with someone named Donatella.  At the time of reading the first two books, I didn't realize that there was a prequel series with the first book being Caraval. This month on Bookstagram, a group of friends were doing a buddy read and since I had a copy on my bookshelf, I thought I would make it a priority to read this month. I also needed to get the Once Upon a Broken Heart world out of my head. I went in blind to Caraval and have to admit it was a darker book than the Once Upon a Broken Heart series and then reading this book, the female character Scarlett frustrated the hell out of me. She was so whiny and was very much playing the victim-blaming game and she was so self-righteous and wanted to control everything. I just wanted to shake her and scream for her to wake up. I gu...