#BookReview: She Drinks the Light by Yasmin Angoe

Synopsis: For fans of Sinners and Immortal Dark, a teen girl must uncover her family’s deadly secrets in order to save her best friend and her island in this heart-pounding YA debut.

Addae has spent her whole life on the Golden Isle, a private island off the coast of South Carolina that has been in her family for centuries. Island residents don’t really fraternize with mainlanders, and for good reason. Golden Isle was founded by the Kinfolk, descendants—including Addae and her Nana Ama, the island matriarch—of escaped enslaved Black people.

But the Isle and the Kinfolk have secrets that must be protected from the outside world. Secrets of spirituality, mythology that are deeply rooted in their West African culture, beliefs, and traditions. The Kin are bound to protect the Golden Isle and, in turn, it protects them.

When Addae’s best friend Naria goes missing and one of the Kin turns up drained of blood, Addae's way of life is threatened. It looks like the work of the Adze, West African supernatural beings that drink human blood in order to survive—also known as vampires.

Believing Naira is alive, Addae travels to the mainland. But as Addae gets closer to finding Naria, she uncovers deep secrets about Nana Ama’s past, and about her own… secrets that could change how she feels about the Golden Isle and her lineage.

Torn between two worlds, Addae will have to decide how far she is willing to go—and who she is willing to cross—to save her best friend, and even herself.

#BookReview: House of Bane and Blood (Vows of Vengeance, #1) by Alexis L. Menard

Synopsis: After the death of my father, I vowed that if I ever met a member of the Attano family, I’d kill them. Instead, I married one.

Magic, smoke, and steam swirl in the air. High in their mansions, the ruling cartels play games of blood and secrets, while monsters lurk in the alleyways below.

Once I was the most powerful heiress in this city. Then the Attanos killed my father and left my family’s business empire in ruins. I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back…

So when the man who destroyed my world offers to pay our debts—in exchange for my hand in marriage—I have no choice but to accept.

Nicolai Attano is everything I was raised to hate. Arrogant, heartless and devastatingly handsome, he leads a group of criminals with lethal magical abilities.

I know I can’t trust him, but Nicolai claims his offer is strictly business—if I help him find the serial killer who stalks the streets on his side of the city, he will release me from our contract. As we plunge into an underworld of magic and forbidden desires, I can’t deny the attraction drawing me to my new husband... or the thrilling power I feel whenever he’s around.

Can I hunt down a killer and escape with my life, before the most dangerous man in the city steals my heart?

#BookReview: The Tower (Billionaire Brothers Grimm, #1) by J. Kenner

Synopsis: She’s forbidden. He’s untouchable. Together, they might destroy each other. 

Sasha Reed is a prisoner in a gilded cage. Controlled by her ruthless father, she’s his most valuable possession—hidden from the world, silenced by fear, and desperate to escape. But when her frantic attempt at freedom ends in failure, Sasha turns to the one man her father despises Liam Grimm.

Liam is merciless, brilliant, and the outcast of his powerful family. With ice in his veins and revenge in his heart, he doesn’t rescue damsels, and he doesn’t make deals. But Sasha is different—a pawn he can use in his war against her father. To him, she’s a weapon wrapped in silk and fire. To her, he’s the devil offering freedom at a price she might not survive.

The terms are her trust, her submission, her body, her soul. As Sasha falls deeper into Liam’s dark world, the line between captor and savior vanishes, leaving only raw, unrelenting desire. He promises to destroy her chains, but in doing so, he might shatter her entirely.

The Tower is an edgy, sensual, and steamy enemies to lovers billionaire romance with explicit content intended for mature readers only!

#BookReview: West of Wicked (The Great and Terrible Land #1) by Nikki St. Crowe

Synopsis: Dorothy Gale doesn’t know where she came from. She has only the vaguest memory of her life before landing in the dull, gray world of the vast Kansas prairie.

Then a cyclone rips through the night and carries her, her dog, and the farmhouse somewhere a lot farther than Dorothy imagined. She’s in a strange land that’s apparently cursed, shrouded in shadow. And to get home, Dorothy needs to seek out a wizard, following a treacherous path and watch out for a never-ending list of forest beasts, witches, a cursed mercenary, and perhaps most dangerous of all, the wizard himself.

Nikki St. Crowe vividly reimagines the world of the Wizard of Oz, where the villain gets the girl...and the girl gets the power.

#BookReview: Blood Bound (Cursed Covenant, #1) by Ellis Hunter

Synopsis: A debut high-stakes fantasy romance trilogy set against a once-in-a-generation duel to the death between rival witches and dragon riders as they battle to control the source of all magic in their kingdoms. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, and Quicksilver.

You duel or you die.

Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the last Nachstern witch and heir to the Queendom of Arturea, cursed by a centuries-old covenant to duel the heir to the Kingdom of Vatra for the source of all magic: the Heart. And now Astrid’s time is up. She is heading into enemy territory to face Prince Zryan, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, with only her familiar, her potions, and her wits to aid her. She is going to die, and any chance her queendom has of curing the Blight that’s ravaging the lands and killing her people will die with her.

Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her travelling troupe arrive in Vatra’s capital, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. She despises the royals and all they stand for, especially as the King’s guard murdered her mother. But when her best friend disappears, suspected to have been taken in the conscription, her search takes her closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined.

As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. They must battle a growing rebellion, their inner demons, and ultimately, those they love most, to determine if together they will save—or doom—their world.

#BookReview: A Crown of Thorns and Magic by E. Evans

Synopsis: Born a bastard to a king and a formidable amazon captain, raised in the shadow of her father's throne, sixteen-year-old Astar had to claim the crown through trial by combat.

She has ruled for only three months when treachery leads her into a devastating trap. Captured by former allies and the Sorceress Seluma, she finds herself chained in the Shadow Keep, a dungeon teeming with undead nightmares and eldritch abominations.

There, she discovers she's not the only captive. Hathan, a broken mage apprentice with haunted eyes, has been Seluma's prisoner and experimental subject for years. Once the apprentice of a great mage persecuted by Astar's father, he has every reason to hate her. Still, they have no choice but to form an unlikely alliance. With his forbidden magic and her unwavering courage, they must escape the labyrinth of horrors and race across enemy territory to reclaim a throne under siege—all before Seluma and her allies crush Astar's homeland forever.

But returning to reclaim her throne would be just the beginning. With dark magic threatening everything she holds dear, Astar must embrace the very power she was taught to fear. In a world where magic corrupts and trust is a luxury, can a bastard queen and a broken sorcerer save a kingdom?

#BookReview: A Goddess Unraveled by Morgan Rider

Synopsis: A steamy romantasy about a lovestruck demigoddess, unaware of her royal status, who makes a shocking discovery and attempts to flee to the underworld with Hades to escape Zeus's wrath.

Fans of spicy retellings of the Hades and Persephone myth will love this version, which puts its own unique twist on the tale.

Lexi Maxwell has grown up surrounded by wealth and privilege, but also by rules. The rare moments of freedom that Lexi enjoys come when she’s out riding, but even then there are strictures on where she can go—and with whom. 

When she arrives home for a weekend-long celebration in honor of her college graduation, Lexi is surprised by the number of eligible bachelors who vie for her attention. She doesn’t have a lot of experience with the opposite sex, but these loudmouth, arrogant boys fail to impress her. 

Enter the mysterious Luke Carrington. She is instantly drawn to him, but despite his charm and intelligence, her parents and godfather warn her to stay away from him. Lexi, however, cannot be deterred. 

When Lexi learns that her life has been one long lie, and the people claiming to be her family aren't who they say they are, she turns to Luke for solace. It doesn’t take long for him to earn her trust—and her heart—and suddenly Lexi is willing to follow him anywhere to keep him close. Even into the underworld . . .

#BookReview: Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar

Synopsis:
From critically acclaimed author Shveta Thakrar comes a beautifully imagined contemporary fantasy about two teens, one a believer of magic who yearns to belong, the other a skeptic searching for an escape, who find themselves embroiled in a twisty world of court intrigue when they venture into a forest ruled by yakshas, mysterious woodland spirits drawn from Hindu and Buddhist folklore.

Plant-loving Ridhi Kapadia and popular Nilesh Batra were friends once.

Now, seventeen and alone, Ridhi blends natural perfumes, wears flower crowns, and wanders her local woods, listening for the leafy whispers of her beloved trees. Pleading for the yakshas to admit her into their enchanted forest kingdom, where she knows she truly belongs.

After learning his parents’ perfect marriage is a sham and getting suspended from school, a heartsick Nilesh lands at Ridhi’s doorstep—the last thing either of them wants. So when a pretty yakshini offers him the distraction of magic, the same magic he mocked Ridhi for believing in, he jumps at it.

Furious, Ridhi strikes a bargain with a noblewoman named Sulochana. In return for helping restore her reputation, Sulochana will turn Ridhi into the yakshini she yearns to be—and teach her to divine the trees’ murmurs.

But when Nilesh ends up trapped in the yakshas’ realm, Ridhi realizes the leaves might be telling a disturbing story about the forest her heart is rooted in—one that, even if the two of them band together, threatens to shred the future like so many thorns.

#BookReview: Blood Bound: A Novel (Cursed Covenant, #1) by Ellis Hunter

Synopsis:

A debut high-stakes fantasy romance trilogy set against a once-in-a-generation duel to the death between rival witches and dragon riders as they battle to control the source of all magic in their kingdoms. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, and Quicksilver.

You duel or you die.

Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the last Nachstern witch and heir to the Queendom of Arturea, cursed by a centuries-old covenant to duel the heir to the Kingdom of Vatra for the source of all magic: the Heart. And now Astrid’s time is up. She is heading into enemy territory to face Prince Zryan, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, with only her familiar, her potions, and her wits to aid her. She is going to die, and any chance her queendom has of curing the Blight that’s ravaging the lands and killing her people will die with her.

Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her travelling troupe arrive in Vatra’s capital, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. She despises the royals and all they stand for, especially as the King’s guard murdered her mother. But when her best friend disappears, suspected to have been taken in the conscription, her search takes her closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined.

As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. They must battle a growing rebellion, their inner demons, and ultimately, those they love most, to determine if together they will save—or doom—their world.

#BookReview: Godkiller (Fallen Gods #1) by Hannah Kaner

Synopsis:
Kissen’s family were killed by zealots of a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing gods, and enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skedi, a god of white lies, has somehow bound himself to a young noble, and they are both on the run from unknown assassins.

Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, they must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favour.

Pursued by demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning – something is rotting at the heart of their world, and only they can be the ones to stop it.

#BookReview: The Body by Bethany C. Morrow

Synopsis:
The Body is a pulse-pounding supernatural horror story from bestselling author Bethany C. Morrow, where one woman must survive a series of bizarre and escalating attacks on her marriage.

Mavis broke from her parents’ congregation years ago, but she still hasn’t recovered. Their impossible expectations and soul-shredding critiques have dug deep into her mind, and she’s taunted by the knowledge that even when she’s done nothing wrong, she’ll never be right.

Now Mavis is afraid she’s about to lose the only thing she has: her husband, Jerrod. The man she’s always known was too good to be true. No one thinks she deserves him—not even after surviving the serial cheater they wanted her to stick by—and soon they’ll all find out they were right.

Mavis is already unraveling when a brush with death shows her what real fear looks like. Soon, she’s under constant attack from all directions. As the assaults turn increasingly vicious and bizarre, Mavis realizes that Hell isn’t reserved for the afterlife.

And sinner or not, no one is coming to save her.

#BookReview: In the Name of Honor (Vows & Valor, #1) by Courtney Collins & Clarke Collins

Synopsis:

A half-elven princess grieves the loss of one father, and fears for the other.
A loyal guardsman torn between his word and her safety.
And a creature so corrupted, he’ll hurt them all to make the world kneel.

Dimitar delivers the worst message of all: vile Corrupted creatures have returned and murdered the king’s best friend. Eager to earn knighthood, he’s surprised when given an order he doesn’t expect: guard the princess… from herself.

Kaleela grieves her father’s friend, who she loved like a second father. She’s left behind while her father seeks justice, shadowed by Dimitar to keep her from following. When Corruptors then capture her father, Kaleela resolves to rescue him, more afraid of losing him than the dangers ahead.

Dimitar must break his vow to keep her safe in the kingdom and together head to the enemy’s lair to free the king. They’re ambushed and come to a disturbing realization: Corruptors now hunt Kaleela for leverage against the uncooperative king. Kaleela and Dimitar must evade capture and rescue her father before he suffers a fate worse than death: total corruption.

By saving one Dimitar will fail the other, and no one is shielded from the Corrupted retribution against both human and elven lands.

This stunning debut weaves competing revenge arcs, intergenerational healing, and sacrifice in a delicious page-turner driven by unforgettable characters and heart-wrenching heroism.

#BookReview: The Empress (Towerfall #1) by Kristin Cast

Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author of the House of Night series Kristin Cast comes a spicy and spellbinding light romantasy filled with tarot, adventure, and a hero who is broody, sexy, and just the right amount of trouble.

What happens when a no-nonsense modern woman stumbles into a world of magick, mystery, and one ridiculously hot, broody hero? She breaks all the rules, obviously.

Hannah has always played by the book―until a tarot reading goes sideways and drops her into a world where magick is real, danger lurks in the shadows, and men look like they've stepped out of a fantasy novel. Case in point: Kane, the kingdom's gruff yet infuriatingly gorgeous protector, who claims Hannah's arrival isn't an accident. Apparently, she's the key to saving his realm from ruin.

Hannah's priorities?

Get her tarot card back.

Find a way home.

Absolutely not fall for the battle-scarred warrior who makes her want to forget all her plans.

But as the palace's secrets unravel, and enemies close in, the line between duty and desire blurs. Because if Hannah wants to return to her world, she'll have to embrace the magick inside her and trust the one man who makes her question everything.

#BookReview: Blood of the Sands (The Ballan Desert #1) by S.C. Grayson

Keera is used to protecting herself from the dangers of the Ballan desert. Guarding her heart may be the most difficult challenge of all. 

Keera is an exile struggling to survive, forced to rob passing travelers or face starvation. When she steals from the wrong man—a vicious masked warrior named the Viper—his hand around her throat awakens an ancient magic within her, and she uses it to escape his clutches. Now, Keera must master her power to protect the city of Kelvadan—the only place an exile like her can find a home—from the Viper and his growing army.

The Viper serves the magic of the desert, but the sins of the past threaten to destroy it. To protect his home, he will do everything it takes, even marching on the great city of Kelvadan. However, the real key to healing the desert’s magic might lie in the infuriating but intriguing exile who slipped through his fingers and now fights for his sworn enemies.

Keera and the Viper are on opposite sides of a war to save the Ballan desert, but the strange bond they share could be the key to https://amzn.to/45bWHfIsaving their home—or destroying their world as they know it.

Blood of the Sands is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent and L.J. Andrews..

#BookReview: The Last Raven (The Ravens #1) by Helen Glynn Jones

I’ll be forced to take the crown, simply because of who my parents are. Never mind that my skin, my eyes, the way I move, everything will give me away for what I am.

Human.

In a world ruled by vampires.

As sole heir to the House of Raven, there is nothing Emelia can’t have. The only problem is, she doesn’t want it.

But when a new guard enters her closed-off existence, she sees a way out. As rebellion and dark forces swirl around her, Emelia has a choice to make – leave everyone she loves behind, or stay and accept her destiny…

#BookReview: The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

The Cruel Prince meets The Selection in this captivating duology opener brimming with heart-pounding romance, vicious competition, and beautiful, cruel fae, from the New York Timesbestselling author of The Witch Haven, Sasha Peyton Smith.

Every citizen of England is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen.

High society girls are expected to bargain for qualities that will win them suitors: a rare talent for piano in exchange for one’s happiest childhood memory. A perfect smile for one’s ability to taste.

But Ivy Benton’s debut season arrives with a shocking twist: a competition to secure the heart of the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. A prize that could save Ivy’s family from ruin… and free her sister from the bargain that destroyed her.

Yet every glittering fae deal has a rotting heart—and at the center of this contest is a dark plot that could destroy everything Ivy knows.

Sweepingly romantic and deceptively enchanting, this alternate history romantasy will enthrall readers of Holly Black, Stephanie Garber, and Adalyn Grace.

#BookReview: A Goddess Unraveled (Olympus Rising, #1) by Morgan Rider

A steamy romantasy about a lovestruck demigoddess, unaware of her royal status, who makes a shocking discovery and attempts to flee to the underworld with Hades to escape Zeus's wrath.

Fans of spicy retellings of the Hades and Persephone myth will love this version, which puts its own unique twist on the tale.

Lexi Maxwell has grown up surrounded by wealth and privilege, but also by rules. The rare moments of freedom that Lexi enjoys come when she’s out riding, but even then there are strictures on where she can go—and with whom. 

When she arrives home for a weekend-long celebration in honor of her college graduation, Lexi is surprised by the number of eligible bachelors who vie for her attention. She doesn’t have a lot of experience with the opposite sex, but these loudmouth, arrogant boys fail to impress her. 

Enter the mysterious Luke Carrington. She is instantly drawn to him, but despite his charm and intelligence, her parents and godfather warn her to stay away from him. Lexi, however, cannot be deterred. 

When Lexi learns that her life has been one long lie, and the people claiming to be her family aren't who they say they are, she turns to Luke for solace. It doesn’t take long for him to earn her trust—and her heart—and suddenly Lexi is willing to follow him anywhere to keep him close. Even into the underworld . . .

#BookReview: In an Orchard Grown from Ash (Argyrosi, #2) by Rory Power

Siblings torn apart by betrayal grapple with their broken bonds—and fight to regain their power—in this stunning conclusion to a mythic epic fantasy duology from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls .

The Argyros siblings have lost everything. With their father dead and their family home captured, they’re no longer the rulers of their fractured kingdom—and no longer bound to each other.

In the frozen north, Rhea struggles to wield her newly inherited command over death and to find her place in an increasingly distrustful rebel group. Chrysanthi travels to a distant, war-torn land in search of her elusive brother Nitsos, certain that he is there on a dangerous mission to restore the family to its former glory, this time with himself at its head. And Lexos, now stripped of all his power and a political prisoner of the Domina family, is left to rot in a hauntingly desolate palace with nothing but thoughts of revenge.

Alone and farther apart than they’ve ever been, the siblings must reckon with the pain of their past and find a new path forward—or risk their own destruction.

In an Orchard Grown from Ash is the dramatic finale of a darkly beautiful, atmospheric saga that explores the cost of power and the weight of legacy.

#BookReview: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (Dark Lord Davi #1) by Django Wexler

Groundhog Day meets Guardians of the Galaxy in Django Wexler’s laugh-out-loud fantasy tale about a young woman who, tired of defending humanity from the Dark Lord, decides to become the Dark Lord herself.

Davi has done this all before. She’s tried to be the hero and take down the all-powerful Dark Lord. A hundred times she’s rallied humanity and made the final charge. But the time loop always gets her in the end. Sometimes she’s killed quickly. Sometimes it takes a while. But she’s been defeated every time.

This time? She’s done being the hero and done being stuck in this endless time loop. If the Dark Lord always wins, then maybe that’s who she needs to be. It’s Davi’s turn to play on the winning side.

Burningblade & Silvereye
Ashes of the Sun  
Blood of the Chosen  
Emperor of Ruin

#BookReview: Make Me a Monster by Kalynn Bayron

New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron puts a modern twist on Frankenstein in her haunting new novel about the lengths we'd go for the people we love.

Meka has always lived her life surrounded by death. As a newly certified mortician's assistant at her parents' funeral home, her days are not for the faint of heart. Luckily her boyfriend Noah isn't squeamish, and their closeness has Meka finally feeling ready to say the three little words that have been on her mind.

But then tragedy strikes, and Meka's world is torn apart. Nothing makes sense, especially when strange things start happening. Strangers following her. Mysterious items left at her door. Ravens circling her home. And the dead don't seem to be staying dead.

When a shocking family secret is revealed, Meka must unravel the truth to save herself and her family--and what she finds defies everything she's always believed about life and death.