ARC Review - The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

 A huge thank you to the amazing Yema from Harper Reach for sending me this stunning proof copy!

Title: The Hurricane Wars

Author: Thea Guanzon

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: The Hurricane Wars (book #1)

Pages: 480

Synopsis:

The heart is a battlefield. 

All Talasyn has ever known is the Hurricane Wars. Growing up an orphan in a nation under siege by the ruthless Night Emperor, Talasyn has found her family among the soldiers who fight for freedom. But she is hiding a deadly secret: light magic courses through her veins, a blazing power believed to have been wiped out years ago that can cut through the Night Empire's shadows. 

Prince Alaric, the emperor's only son and heir, has been forged into a weapon by his father. Tasked with obliterating any threats to the Night Empire's rule with the strength of his armies and mighty Shadow magic, Alaric has never been bested. That is until he sees Talasyn burning brightly on the battlefield with the magic that killed his grandfather, turned his father into a monster, and ignited the Hurricane Wars. In a clash of light and dark, their powers merge and create a force the likes of which has never been seen. 

Talasyn and Alaric both know this war can only end with them. But a greater threat is coming, and the strange new magic they can create together could be the only way to overcome it. Thrust into an uneasy alliance, they will confront the secrets at the heart of the war and find, in each other, a searing passion--one that could save their world...or destroy it. 

Review & thoughts:

The Hurricane Wars is a Fantasy Romance and I can’t believe it’s this author’s debut book, it’s so well written and just simply amazing, I already can’t wait for book 2! 

Let me begin by saying this was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, I had huge expectations for this book and OMG it was even better than I expected. I’m not going to say much about the plot because damn, it’s all so complicated and full of spoilers, but just let me say I absolutely loved it, there was so much politics, action, battle scenes, court drama and romance, all fitting together perfectly and in a way I wasn’t bored for a single second and couldn’t put the book down. The world building was so well written and fascinating, it took me a while to understand it but once I did, I had so much fun discovering. 

Our main characters are Talasyn and Alaric, enemies on opposite sides of the war, and they are both really strong, interesting and complicated characters, I loved everything about them. Their slow burn enemies to lovers romance was written perfectly with so much banter, angst and longing, I loved them together and can’t wait to see more of them in the sequel. 

This book also has so many of my favorite tropes and I’m sure you’re going to love it if you enjoy:
⚔️ fantasy romance
⚔️ true enemies to lovers
⚔️ morally grey characters
⚔️ arranged marriage
⚔️ slow burn
⚔️ forced proximity
⚔️ banter
⚔️ fascinating magic system
⚔️ dragons 
⚔️ plot twists

The Hurricane Wars is an incredible fantasy romance book that I absolutely loved and I’m dying to read the sequel. Definitely recommend it to everyone!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - A Touch of Poison by Clare Sager

 Thank you so much Clare Sager for sending me this ARC!

Title: A Touch of Poison

Author: Clare Sager

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Shadows of the Tenebris Court (book #2)

Pages: N/A

Synopsis:

In Elfhame, bargains are currency, lies are weapons, and your heart is your greatest weakness. 

Reeling from Bastian’s revelations, Kat wakes from her dire illness wanting nothing more than to sever all ties with the man who betrayed her. But fate has a different plan—she’s trapped in Elfhame, the fae realm where nothing is as it seems. And worse, she’s trapped with him, reliant on his touch to stave off a poison that threatens her very life. 

Thrust into the centre of Dusk and Dawn Courts, they must balance the two in order to maintain a delicate peace. But in a world where alliances are forged and shattered in a heartbeat, danger looms. A mysterious group infiltrates the city and spies whisper of an ancient artefact powerful enough to destroy an entire court. 

As enemies close in from all sides and attacks on the city escalate, Kat and Bastian must unearth deadly secrets and their own complicated feelings to survive—or risk a war to destroy faekind itself.

Review & thoughts:

A Touch of Poison is an Adult Fantasy Romance and the second book in Shadows of the Tenebris Court series. I absolutely loved the first book, A Kiss of Iron, and had huge expectations for this sequel and now I must say it was even better than I expected, I loved it as much as book 1 if not more!

OMG the way I read this whole book in one night without stopping because I literally couldn’t take a break and had to know what happens next. A Touch of Poison starts a few days after everything that happened at the end of AKOI and I was hooked since the first page. We get more of everything I loved in the first book: more romance, more character development, more secrets and spying, more court intrigue and more mind-blowing plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the world building in AKOI and it’s also so fascinating here because this time we get to explore the Fae courts and I loved the idea of two cities overlapping each other with one monarch ruling during the day, and the other through the night. 

When it comes to Bastian and Kat… they were as perfect and incredible as in the first book but, after all the secrets and betrayals, to say their relationship was complicated in this book would be understatement. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say I loved the romance, these two are amazing together and we get all the groveling, angst, longing, sweet moments and spice I was hoping for, I love them so much and already can’t wait to see them again in the next book. We also got to see all my favorite characters from AKOI and so many familiar faces from Clare’s other books, I loved how they all came together and the found family trope was just *chef’s kiss*.

A Touch of Poison was a perfect sequel in this fantasy romance series, I loved everything about this book, the amazing characters, interesting plot, beautiful romance and after that cliffhanger I am dying to read book 3, it can’t come soon enough!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Hollowed by Jessica S. Taylor

 Thank you so much Jessica S. Taylor for sending me this ARC!

Title: Hollowed

Author: Jessica S. Taylor

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Standalone

Pages: 359

Synopsis:

Nothing is ever as it seems in Sleepy Hollow…

Sleepy Hollow is crumbling. To protect the supernatural town from the mundane world, each year a resident is sacrificed to The Dullahan, the Headless Horseman that protects the veil around the Hollow.

Nineteen-year-old Katrina van Tassel knows she’s a disappointment to her parents, for more reasons than one. But as the only daughter of the most prominent family in Sleepy Hollow, she never imagined that she would be chosen as the next sacrifice.

Or that in her attempt to escape, she would instead come face to face with the Horseman himself.

But the harbinger of death isn’t who they said he was, and Katrina begins to question everything she has ever been told. Evil forces far more dangerous than the mysterious Horseman are at work in the Hollow, and the Horseman is determined to protect Sleepy Hollow.

Katrina is tempted to take the Horseman’s offer of assistance in fleeing Sleepy Hollow, rather than staying to fight by his side to save the town. Until he reveals she’s the only one with the power to stop the evil being summoned…

Review & thoughts:

Hollowed is a standalone Fantasy Romance and a Sleepy Hollow reimagining that I really enjoyed and if, like me, you have loved this author’s other books, I’m sure you’re going to like this one too! 

This book was my introduction into this spooky season and what a great read it turned out to be. I’m not going to say much about the plot of Hollowed because I went into it blindly and I think it’s the best way to read it. The whole town, the magical creatures and the magic system were described in a really fascinating way and I loved discovering it all. The plot was interesting and after a quite slow beginning, it was fast paced with a lot happening and plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. 

I must admit it took me some time to like our main character, Katrina. She was a bit naive and childish in the beginning of the book and annoyed me sometimes, but she grew a lot and I really liked seeing her character develop, it was amazing to see who she became in the end. Alexander was amazing, I loved him since the moment he appeared and really enjoyed his and Katrina’s slow burn romance, they were so cute and amazing together. I maybe would have liked a bit more romance between these two, but there was enough amount to satisfy my inner romantic. 

Hollowed is a great fantasy romance book that I really enjoyed and definitely recommend to everyone who enjoys this genre and if you’re looking for a spooky read, you should definitely give Hollowed a chance!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Little Red Shadow by S. C. Grayson

 Thank you so much S. C. Grayson for sending me this ARC!

Title: Little Red Shadow

Author: S. C. Grayson

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: The Talented (book #2)

Pages: 287

Synopsis:

The Wolves are out for blood, but Scarlett doesn’t intend to let them catch their prey.

When Scarlett’s friend Georgette starts receiving death threats from the Wolves, a powerful street gang, she sets out uncover why they want a prominent socialite dead. As a Talented gangster herself, Scarlett goes undercover. Instead of a hardened murderer, she discovers the charming younger son of a Duke, Benedict Pearce, is the would-be assassin. Clearly not a killer at heart, Scarlett decides to trust the handsome rogue, and they join forces to put a stop to the Wolves mysterious machinations and save her friend.

As the pair begin their investigations, as well as a fictitious courtship to throw the Wolves off their trail, Scarlett must reckon with a past she prefers to keep hidden. Benedict, constantly jovial and flirtatious, slowly chips away at the shadows Scarlett has built around her heart. 

Still, as the search uncovers deeper levels of deception, their ruse becomes increasingly dangerous. When facing down the Wolves, Scarlett is forced to confront how far into the shadows she is willing to go to protect the ones who have her heart.

Review & thoughts:

Little Red Shadow is a Fantasy Romance, the second book in The Talented series (but can be read as a standalone) and a loose retelling of Little Red Riding Hood that I absolutely loved and already cant wait for the next book in this series! 

When her beloved friend is in danger, Scarlett decides to impersonate Georgette and stop the killer. But when it turns out the would-be assassin is Benedict, a handsome son of a Duke, and they have common enemies, Scarlett and Benedict decide to join forces to protect their loved ones. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize they were wrong about each other and with their fake courtship turning into real feelings, they will have to stop the threats against their lives and the entire city before it’s too late. 

I loved the first book in this series, Beauty and the Blade, when I first read it a few months ago and couldn’t wait for this sequel and I must admit it definitely didn’t disappoint, it’s amazing. I loved our main characters, Scarlett and Benedict. As a badass, former aristocrat turned gangster FMC and golden retriever hero, they were polar opposites but so perfect for each other, I loved their slow burn romance and how they began to trust and open up to each other, they were just so incredible together and I really hope we will get to see more of them in the future. I also loved that we got to see all my favorite characters from the first book, I missed them and they were as great and entertaining as I remembered. The plot was really interesting and fast paced, I finished the whole book in one sitting because I simply couldn’t put it down. We learn some new things about this fascinating world the author created and the Talented people and I already can’t wait to revisit this world in the next books in this series, I love everything about it.

Little Red Shadow is a perfect sequel to Beauty and the Blade and an amazing fantasy romance that I really recommend to everyone who enjoys this genre. And if you haven’t read the first book yet, trust me, you should definitely get it ASAP, these books are incredible!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Blood of My Heart by K. P. Burchfield

 Thank you so much K. P. Burchfield for sending me this ARC!

Title: Blood of My Heart

Author: K. P. Burchfield

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Book of the Death God (book #1)

Pages: 423

Synopsis:

She's done with death, but death is not done with her...

With a dark prophecy looming over her head, Mora, a skilled thief, would do anything to break free from her fate. Anything, that is, except kill again…or love again.

But when tragedy strikes and truths are revealed, Mora is dragged into a truce with Vale’s most dangerous enemies: a notorious assassin and his mysterious companions. To make matters worse, Kallan, a Gilded Guard as aggravating as he is handsome, refuses to leave her side every step of the way. And growing connections risk not only their lives, but their hearts too.

Together, the unlikely companions must survive a vital quest to find a relic that could alter the course of history. All while Mora does everything in her power to outrun the evil that lives inside her.

With more than just her soul on the line, Mora must decide: Will she overcome her fate and become the light her grim world is praying for? Or is she doomed to be the darkest monster of them all?

Review & thoughts:

Blood of My Heart is the first book in an Adult Fantasy Romance with amazing characters and interesting plot that I really enjoyed!

Fated to become a villain, Mara tries to fulfill her duties to her king without taking any more lives… which she often fails at. After another failed mission, she is assigned to kill a notorious assassin, a task that proves to be harder than she thought when she finds herself on a run with mysterious companions and Kallan, a handsome guard she was supposed to hate, but seems to grow more attached to with each passing day. Trying to redeem herself, Mora needs to fulfill her mission while trying not to get herself killed and also not to fall in love, which proves to be harder than it seems. 

While it took me a bit to get into this book because there was a lot of things I didn’t understand at the beginning and I was confused, I ended up really enjoying it. The world building was very well described and interesting, I loved discovering it and meeting all the different characters and creatures. The plot was well paced with a lot of happening so there weren’t any boring moments and I read the whole book in one day because I couldn’t put it down. Mora was an amazing main character, she was so strong and morally grey, I loved seeing her grow throughout the book and can’t wait to read more about her in the next book. When it comes to romance, I was a bit disappointed, probably because I had mixed feelings about the loved interest and there seemed to be a hint of love triangle, but everything made sense at the end of the book and now I’m desperate to read the next book ASAP because OMG that ending was so epic and unexpected, I loved it.

Blood of My Heart is a really great debut novel with a lot of my favorite tropes, amazing characters, interesting plot, shocking plot twists and mind-blowing cliffhanger that I really enjoyed and already can’t wait for book 2!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Of Magic and Men by Meg Alivien

 Thank you so much Meg Alivien for sending me this ARC!

Title: Of Magic and Men

Author: Meg Alivien

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Of Magic and Men (book #1)

Pages: 418

Synopsis:

Of Magic and Men is a witchy fantasy romance with slow burn spice, earth magic, a prisoner & guard romance, and a villain inspired by Maleficent!


It started with a curse. It will end with a promise.

The county of Ghoma is on the brink of war. For fifty years, it has been led by the tyrant witch-queen Madam Lema. Witches and demons have been at each other’s throats for over a century, ever since a curse was cast that transformed all men with magic into demons.

Meanwhile, humans like Freyah Kenpaw simply try to stay out of the way. That is, until she publicly offends a handsome but arrogant soldier of the queen and is snatched away under the cover of darkness to answer for her crime. But the mysterious and grumpy soldier is not who Freyah thought he was, and soon her animosity towards him turns into something else.

After arriving at Castle Larapuna, Freyah learns that her crime might not be the only reason she was brought there. Under the guise of serving her punishment, Freyah is forced to remain at the castle to help Madam Lema uncover secrets of the rebellion facing the country. Suddenly, after years of isolation in her small mountain town of Last Cove, Freyah is thrust into a dangerous world of magic, secrets, and deception.

Caught in the middle of a century-long battle between good and evil and the battle taking place in her own heart, Freyah must figure out the truth from the lies. But who can she trust?

After all, there are two sides to every story.

Review & thoughts:

Of Magic & Men is the first book in a NA Fantasy Romance series with witches, demons, magic and plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat, I really enjoyed this book!

When Freyah is taken against her will to the castle, she knows the life as she knew it is over. Being an unwilling pawn in the queen’s plans, Freyah has to figure out how to fight for her freedom while attempting not to fall for the handsome guard who took her from her home, but who proves to be so much more than she thought. 

Meg Alivien created a very fascinating world that I loved discovering, everything was well described and I was impressed as this is her debut novel. There were multiple POVs and while in most such books I enjoy some POVs more than the others, I liked all of them equally in OMAM, all those characters were really interesting and I was invested in all their stories. Freyah and Whit were amazing together, I loved their slow burn romance and hope to see more of it in the next book. Lyra and Oram… let’s just say I loved these two, they were so sweet and I was rooting for them to find a way to be happy together. When it comes to Madam Lema, she is a very complex character whose motives we can partially understand and that makes her a perfect villain, I can’t wait to read more about her. 

The reason this wasn’t a five star read for me is because I felt that there were moments in the book that dragged a bit, especially in the middle, and there were some cases of telling and not showing which prevented me from fully enjoying this book. 

Of Magic and Men is a really great debut novel and interesting fantasy romance book that I liked a lot and I will definitely continue reading this series because OMG that plot twist and the end and the cliffhanger made me speechless! Book 2 can’t come soon enough.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Best Frenemies by Max Monroe

 Thank you so much Max Monroe for sending me this ARC!

Title: Best Frenemies

Author: Max Monroe

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Series: Standalone

Pages: 400

Synopsis:

Going tit for tat with the man you hate is all fun and games until things get literal…and the jerk sees you naked.

My beach getaway was only supposed to include three relaxation, wine, and fun in the sun.

Mack Houston, on the other hand, should have never— ever— been involved.

In no uncertain terms, he’s the bane of my existence.
The thorn in my side.
The sexy Mr. Good-Time Guy who drives me up the wall and my work archnemesis for the past five years.

He’s the last person I want to get stuck anywhere with—it’s bad enough that I have to see him every day at work—and yet, because of a booking error (or curse of the universe, as I like to call it), I’m stuck in the same vacation rental with him for an entire week .

I’m going to end up in jail.
Or worse, I might just give in to the insane urge to find out if his lips are really as kissable as they look.

One way or the other, disaster feels imminent.

Review & thoughts:

Best Frenemies is the newest romantic comedy from Max Monroe and these authors once again proved that they are my favorite rom-com writers, I absolutely loved this book! 

Katy has hated Mack ever since they started working as teachers at the same school 5 years ago and with neither of them willing to come to an agreement, there doesn’t seem to be the end of their war anytime soon. When there’s a mistake and they are forced to stay at the same place during their vacations, these two will realize that despite their hatred there’s also a sizzling attraction between them and decide if they’re willing to give in to it… before they kill each other first. 

I haven’t read a Max Monroe book in a while and I missed their writing. Mack was an amazing MMC, he was so funny and his crush on Katy was so cute, I loved how he always took care of everyone and was a perfect partner to Katy, there was definitely a case of ‘he falls first’. Katy was Mack’s polar opposite and really stubborn, but it was amazing to see her changing because of Mack’s influence, she learned how to have more fun and that work isn’t the most important. These two had such a cute and beautiful romance, I was rooting for them so much and like always with these authors’s books, the spicy scenes were amazing, I just love this couple so much. And of course, I also loved all the cameos of characters from other Max Monroe’s books, I missed these characters and it was amazing to see them again!

Best Frenemies is an amazing romantic comedy book with interesting characters, beautiful romance and laugh out loud moments that will leave you wanting more. I already can’t wait for the next book from these authors!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - The Cursed by Harper L. Woods

 Thank you so much Harper L. Woods for sending me this ARC!

Title: The Cursed

Author: Harper L. Woods

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Coven of Bones (book #2)

Pages: 324

Synopsis:

Betrayal.

He was the deception waiting in the night; the truth I never saw coming. After a lifetime of manipulation, I finally learned the truth. I was his puppet—even if I never saw my strings.

Even knowing how deep his betrayal runs, I can’t shake the undeniable connection between Gray and I—the way a single glance from him sets my soul on fire. We are not the same. We’re enemies, poised to battle for the future of the very thing I’d wanted to destroy.

With the Covenant gone, the revenge I thought I wanted is no longer my priority. The witches that remain played no role in my aunt’s death, and the only person standing in the way of righting those wrongs is the very man determined to keep me in his bed.

But the remaining members of the Coven will never forgive me for the role I played in their demise and subjugation, and the worst part of all is that I can’t even blame them for it. I’d been naive, believing my own delusions of grandeur when destiny clearly had other plans for me. Plans that had been set in motion centuries before my birth.

But even that had been a lie, and now it is my duty to do everything in my power to undo it.

To protect my Coven from my husband’s hatred—no matter what the cost.

Review & thoughts:

The Cursed is the second book in a dark paranormal romance series and I loved it as much as I did the Coven (if not more), I’m obsessed with this series and Willow & Grey! 

The Cursed starts exactly where the Coven ended on that mind blowing cliffhanger and there was so much happening from the first page, I literally couldn’t put this book down and read it whole in one sitting. We get much more information about the witches, Vessels, demons and everything else and I absolutely love everything about this world and the characters the author created, it’s all so interesting and I can’t wait to explore more of it in the next books in this series. 

I loved Willow and Grey’s relationship in the first book and was so excited to see what would happen to them after all the crazy revelations that happened at the end of book 1 and I must say I definitely am not disappointed. It was so much fun to see them navigate through the enemies to lovers to enemies back to lovers dynamics and OMG I love these two so much, they went through a lot in these two books and came back stronger. I loved seeing them start to trust and support each other, their character development and romance were written perfectly and I really hope we will get to see much more of them in the next books because I already miss them! And of course, like always with this author’s books, there were some great written spicy scenes that had me blushing and some swoon worthy moments that had me loving Willow and Grey even more, they are definitely one of my favorite bookish couples. 

The Cursed is a really great sequel in this amazing paranormal romance series that I absolutely loved and recommend to everyone who enjoys this genre. And that epilogue makes me so excited for what is about to come next in this series, I already can’t wait!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Heart of Night and Fire by Nisha J. Tuli

 Thank you so much Second Sky Publishing for sending me this ARC!

Title: Heart of Night and Fire

Author: Nisha J. Tuli

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: The Nightmare Quartet (book #1)

Pages: 370

Synopsis:

For years, Zarya has been trapped in a gilded prison. Her magic is forbidden, a dangerous secret—though nobody will explain why. Now she is ready to break free and find the truth.

Escaping to the dazzling city of Dharati, Zarya discovers a new world of enchantment and intrigue. With the help of seductive, blood-drinking rakshasa and magic-weaving Aazheri sorcerers, she searches for answers.

But the city is under siege. Every night, dark creatures attack. And since Zarya’s arrival they are growing stronger. To protect her new home, Zarya joins the fight.

As she battles on the walls and hunts through libraries for clues about her gifts, Zarya’s dreams are haunted by a mysterious stranger. Powerful, arrogant and handsome, Rabin sees through her secrets and ignites a desire she cannot resist. But can he be trusted?

When darkness threatens to overwhelm Dharati, Zarya is faced with a deadly choice. Will revealing her magic save the city? Or destroy everything she loves?

Review & thoughts:

Heart of Night and Fire is the first book in Nisha J. Tuli’s newest Fantasy Romance series inspired by Indian mythology. It has so many of my favorite tropes and I enjoyed reading it a lot.

After spending all her life hidden for unknown reasons, all Zarya dreams about is escaping her warden and venturing beyond his lands. When she gets that opportunity, Zarya escapes and is escorted by two soldiers she met in the forest into a beautiful city, quickly manages to find friends and thinks her life will change for the better. But when each day brings her more informations and secrets she never knew and a handsome stranger starts appearing in her dreams, Zarya will have to continue keeping her magic hidden and decide if remaining hidden in the forest wasn’t the better decision after all. 

I must admit it took me a while to get fully into this book but the second half more than made up for the confusion I felt reading the beginning. I loved the world building, the author described the Indian culture in such vivid details I felt like I was watching it all instead of reading and the mythology elements were so interesting, I loved reading about them and hope we will get to explore them even more in the next book. 

Our main character, Zarya, was really well-written. She was sheltered and annoyed me a lot in the first few chapters with her naivety, but it was amazing to explore this fascinating world alongside her and she grew a lot throughout the book becoming a strong and interesting FMC that I’m sure I’m going to love reading about in the next books in this series. When it comes to romance, I wish there was a bit more of it. It was a really slow slow burn with only a few scenes between Zarya and her love interest, but I loved the tension between them and can’t wait to get more of them in the sequel, having read Nisha’s other books I just know we are getting an amazing enemies to lovers romance in the next book. I also loved the found family trope here, with Zarya spending most of her life without any friends and in hiding, it was great to see her welcomed into a group of friends who became her family, their scenes were so amazing to read. 

Heart of Night and Fire is a really great start to a Fantasy Romance series that I really enjoyed and already can’t wait for the next book. If you’ve read Nisha’s other books, I’m sure you’re going to enjoy this one too, and if you’re new to this author, this one is a great place to start, I definitely recommend it!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Rain of Shadows and Endings by Melissa K. Roehrich

 Thank you so much Melissa K. Roehrich for sending me this ARC!

Title: Rain of Shadows and Endings

Author: Melissa K. Roehrich

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Legacy Series (book #1)

Pages: 750

Synopsis:

Of all the worlds and life they created, the gods favored their children the most. But with that favor came the fear that their Legacy would one day become too powerful and overthrow them. Devram was created. A realm hidden amongst the stars. The gods gave their Legacy the best of all the worlds, and then they left, a sworn agreement to never return and to never interfere. Forced to a life of servitude, the Fae are required to provide for the Legacy in more ways than one. Every five years, the eligible Fae are gathered for the Selection and assigned to serve in one of the six Kingdoms. To be chosen as the personal Source for a Kingdom Heir is the greatest honor, and for the first time in a millennia, all six Kingdoms have heirs choosing a Source. But their selections could tip the power balance a little too far. Tessalyn Asura was as forgotten as the realm. But when she finds herself the personal Source to the Heir of Endings, she winds up serving in the darkest Kingdom of them all . The secrets within the Arius Kingdom are meant to be learned and kept, but this was never the life she wanted. Fighting not only the fate thrust upon her, but the temptation to lose herself to desire, Tessa will do anything to escape her new destiny. Until she starts to realize maybe their world wasn’t as forgotten as they thought, and maybe she’s the reason why.

Review & thoughts:

Rain of Shadows and Endings is the newest Dark Fantasy Romance by Melissa K. Roehrich and OMG that book was absolutely incredible, I loved it so much and it’s definitely one of my favorite books of this year! 

I won't say a lot about what is happening in this book because I think it is best to go in blindly, but let me say it was definitely not what I expected and it surprised me in such a good way! The world building was so well-written and fascinating, if you have read this author's other series, Lady of Darkness, you might be familiar with some of it and I loved seeing the little Easter eggs from that series (but you can definitely read ROSAE first).

When it comes to our main characters, I absolutely loved Tessa, she was so strong and even after everything she went though she wasn't giving up and was trying to fight for her freedom. Now, when it comes to Theon... He was one of the most complex and interesting MMCs I have ever read about and I spend most of the book actually hating him (and I honestly still don’t know whether I love him or hate him LOL, he is a whole new level of complicated). His and Tessa's relationship was so unique and fascinating, I can't wait to see more of it in the next book because OMG I'm still speechless when I think about everything that happened between them, I'm obsessed with these two and am dying to read book two. 

Rain of Shadows and Endings is an absolutely incredible book with complex characters, amazing would-building, slow burn complicated romance and so many plot twists and shocking revelations that kept me on the edge of my seat and had me finish this book in a few hours. I'm obsessed with this book and already can't wait for the next one after that ending!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Chained by Lacey Lehotzky

 Thank you so much Lacey Lehotzky for sending me this ARC!

Title: Chained

Author: Lacey Lehotzky

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: A Choice of Light and Dark (book #1)

Pages: 440

Synopsis:

Princess Izidora of the Night Realm was kidnapped at birth, chained in darkness, abused by her captors, and wholly unaware an entire world was looking for her. That is until the eve of her 18th birthday, when the Nighthounds, led by the striking High Lord Kazimir, rescue her from a cave in the highest peak in the land. Now, the Lost Princess must reclaim her power before they reach the vicious capital of the Night Realm, where the story everyone was told about her disappearance might have been just that - a story. Will Izidora overcome her trauma or succumb to the whims of the madman who sits on the Night Throne?

Review & thoughts:

Chained is the first book in a Dark Fantasy Romance series and a debut novel by Lacey Lehotzky that I really enjoyed!

After spending all 21 years of her life in captivity, Izidora is rescued by a group of men and told that she is a princess they have been searching for since her birth. Trying to come to terms with her new life and her growing feelings for Kazimir, the High Lord who rescued her, Izadora will have to overcome her past and become the princess she was always meant to be. 

I really liked our main characters. After everything she went through, Izidora was still fighting for her freedom and was really strong, she grew a lot throughout the book and I loved seeing her character develop, her trauma was well described and it was amazing to see her deal with it and became even more badass. Kazimir was a great love interest, he always supported and took care of Izidora and there was definitely the case of 'he fell first’!. They had a sweet but spicy romance and it was amazing to see them fall in love and fight for each other. Also, I must mention how well the found family trope was written, I liked all the characters we were introduced to and their dynamics, I had so much fun reading about them. 

Chained is a really great debut novel and dark fantasy romance that I’m sure everyone who enjoys this genre will love. I didn’t give Chained full 5 stars because while I really liked the beginning and the ending, I felt like the middle part kind of dragged at times. Also, there were moments when I felt like I couldn’t really connect with the characters. But I really enjoyed Chained and if you’re a fan of dark fantasy romance books with great character development, sweet but spicy romance and interesting characters with found family trope I’m sure you’re going to love it!

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

ARC Review - Curse of the Thorn King by Lisette Marshall

 Thank you so much Lisette Marshall for sending me this ARC!

Title: Curse of the Thorn King

Author: Lisette Marshall

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Series: Wayfarer Fae (book #1)

Pages: 270

Synopsis:

Killing a fae king is hard. Doing so politely is even harder.

Briannis Iavi – well-bred lady and accidental assassin – is so close to securing the life of her dreams. All she needs to do is complete one last make her way into fae territory, sneak into the enchanted halls of Rosethorn Keep, and kill the king of Faerie.

But her plan goes disastrously wrong, and Briannis finds herself a captive at her target’s mercy instead.

Cursed to a life of loneliness and slow decay, the monstrous fae king seems hell-bent on revenge – and if he can’t hurt the human rulers who sent her, he’ll amuse himself with her instead. Unable to escape his sentient castle or to disobey his commands, Briannis has no choice but to fall back on her sharpest weapon: her wits.

Tricking fae is a dangerous game, however. And miles away from the respectable life she thought she knew, even her knives and poisons may not be enough to protect her heart …

Review & thoughts:

Curse of the Thorn King is a NA Fantasy Romance and a loose Beauty and the Beast retelling that I absolutely loved! 

Briannis is an assassin and after being caught she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for killing a fae king. She thinks it will be a job like any other, but she quickly realizes she has been lied to and the king, Moridyr, is not who she thought him to be. Trapped inside the magical keep, Briannis needs to find a way to return home all the while trying not to lose her heart as the attraction between her and the fae king grows stronger with every passing day. 

I'm a big fan of this author’s other series and I jumped at the opportunity to ARC read her newest book and OMG I knew it would be good but it absolutely exceeded all my expectations. Curse of the Thorn King has everything I love in a fantasy romance: strong FMC (who is an assassin!), morally grey characters, enemies to lovers, beautiful romance with some spicy scenes & so much tension and interesting plot that had me finish this book in one sitting. I loved our main characters, Briannis is a really strong and smart FMC, it was great to see her go toe to toe with Moridyr and all their interactions were amazing. Moridyr is a truly tortured hero who went through a lot and I loved seeing him open up to Briannis after so many years alone. They were truly amazing together, despite their less than perfect first meeting and a few murder attempts they grew to adore and trust each other and I loved their enemies to lovers romance, I hope we will get to see more of them in the author’s future books because I already miss them!

Curse of the Thorn King is an amazing fantasy romance book and a fun and quite quick read that I definitely recommend to everyone who enjoys this genre. And if you haven’t read this author’s other books, you’re definitely missing out because they are just as amazing as this one! I already can’t wait for Lisette Marshall’s next release.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5