#BookReview: Rings of Fate (Curses and Crowns, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz

Synopsis: She’s a barmaid who doesn’t believe in fairy tales. He’s a prince cursed to live one.

Aren Bellamore has no interest in being anyone’s princess. She’s too busy running the Raven’s Beak tavern, fending off unwanted marriage proposals, and dreaming of escape. But when a brush with death and a dangerously handsome stranger upend her life, Aren finds herself bound to a bargain that could change everything.

Prince Dietan has carried the cursed Rings of Fate ancient weapons of devastating power since childhood. The magic is killing him, and the enemies are closing in. To make the journey to reverse his curse, he needs a bride to hide his secrets. Aren wants freedom. Pretending to be his fiancée should give them both what they want.

But as their perilous journey pits them against political schemes, monstrous Kilandrar, and a growing attraction neither can deny, the line between make-believe and destiny begins to blur. And the fate of two kingdoms may depend on whether a cynical barmaid and a cursed prince are willing to risk their hearts.

#BookReview: We Who Will Die (Empire of Blood, #1) by Stacia Stark

Synopsis: Instant New York Times Bestseller! Featuring duet narration from Meg Sylvan and Troy Duran

From the bestselling author of the Kingdom of Lies series comes a slow-burn romantasy set in a Roman-inspired world ruled by merciless vampires. Filled with breathtaking combat, vengeful gods, and magical creatures, We Who Will Die is the epic first installment in an enthralling new series perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent, Jasmine Mas, and Rebecca Yarros. 

Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.

Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.

She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.

With her brothers’ lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart… and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.

To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…

#BookReview: The Divine (The Gifted, #3) by Katie Galvin @onemorechapterhc

Synopsis: Daggers drawn. It’s time for war.I wouldn’t be done until I held the heart of a god in my hand.

Chiara is a captive of Vitus, the god of life. He plans to kill her and in doing so shatter the barrier between the godly and mortal realms. If he succeeds then everything Chiara knows and loves will be destroyed. More than that, she will lose Callum.

The daughter of death, Chiara has only known darkness. She is a monster. A weapon. A killing machine. And – if she can escape Vitus – the mortal realm’s only hope.

But even hope might not be enough when it comes to war with the gods. For Chiara and Callum to win, Vitus must die and only a god can truly kill a god. It seems nothing can save them, except perhaps death itself…

#BookReview: The Broken (The Gifted, #2) by Katie Galvin @onemorechapterhc

Synopsis: Daggers ready. The battle is beginning.Every night I kill and I kill and I kill. And do you know what I do while I’m soaking my hand in blood? I enjoy it. 

Cursed with a gift from the God of Death, and robbed of every person she has ever loved, Chiara lives only for destruction. Her heart is closed.

So when she is summoned by her bitter enemy the new king, Callum, to embark on a life-threatening journey into the godly realm, her answer, of course, is no. No matter that the future of the mortal world is at stake.

But Callum is no ordinary enemy. Their hatred stems from passion. She can never forgive what he has done, and yet Chiara’s dark soul still craves his.

But Gods don’t wait for human hearts to heal. War is coming. To save mankind, Chiara and Callum must join forces. When fighting the gods, Chiara is about to learn that it’s a fine line between life and death, vengeance and mercy…enemies and lovers.

#BookReview: Persephone's Curse by Katrina Leno

Synopsis: The Hazel Wood meets Laini Taylor in this gorgeous speculative tale of sisterhood, ghosts and old family curses.

Are the four Farthing sisters really descended from Persephone? This is what their aunt has always told that the women in their family can trace their lineage right back to the Goddess of the Dead. And maybe she's right, because the Farthing girls do have a ghost in the attic of their Manhattan brownstone —a kind and gentle ghost named Henry, who only they can see.

When one of the sisters falls in love with the ghost, and another banishes him to the Underworld, the sisters are faced with even bigger questions about who they are. If they really are related to Persephone, and they really are a bit magic, then perhaps it’s up to them to save Henry, to save the world, and to save each other.

#BookReview: A Kiss of Hammer and Flame (Fated for Hael, #1) by @amydelaforce @canelo_co

Synopsis: An immortal bound in darkness. A shattered empire at war. And a blacksmith whose heart could tip the scales of fate.

When young blacksmith Cahra is commissioned to forge a sword, she uses her imagination to design a symbol. But this symbol invokes an age-old prophecy and awakens Hael – an immortal with the power to shape or shatter worlds – sealed away in a chamber deep in Hael’stromia, the lost capital at the heart of a civil war between three kingdoms.

Now hunted for the sword, Cahra must flee with the very stranger who commissioned it. But what does she truly know about the handsome and charming noble, Terryl?

On the run through the darkly magical Wilds, she is drawn ever closer to Hael, who visits and beguiles her in dreams. With tyrant kings vying to capture Hael and wield him as a weapon, she alone stands between Hael and their deadly ambitions. Will Cahra risk everything to free him in time to save the empire?

A sizzling, action-packed romantasy, perfect for fans of The North Wind, Throne of Glass and The Book of Azrael.

#BookBlitz: The Gershwin Cutter by @pauldamienauthor @RABTBookTours #Giveaway

 

Thriller, Drama, Suspense, Action, Redemption, Healing

Date Published: July 9, 2026

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS.

RESCUED FROM A BRUTAL CULT, SHE BELIEVED SHE HAD ESCAPED THE SHADOWS. BUT TEXAS HARBORS EVEN DARKER SECRETS.

Blake is a steely, enigmatic force, fiercely loyal to her one-eyed horse, Ira. As she navigates the patriarchal arena of cutting horse competitions, her steadfast devotion teeters on the brink of danger, unearthing a dark past she had long sought to bury.

Across the scorched Lone Star badlands, retired detective Sonny Harrell hunts the killers who murdered his father. His trail of blood and lies uncovers a ruthless syndicate that would flay you to the bone to guard its empire of corruption.

When Sonny's path collides with Blake's, she is swept into a vortex of violence. Outnumbered and outmatched, they must claw through the chaos-or vanish into oblivion.