#BookReview: The Redemption of Morgan Bright by Chris Panatier

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

What would guilt make you do? 

Hadleigh Keene died on the road leading away from Hollyhock Asylum. The reasons are unknown. Her sister Morgan blames herself. A year later with the case still unsolved, Morgan creates a false identity, that of a troubled housewife named Charlotte Turner, and goes inside. 

Morgan quickly discovers that Hollyhock is… not right. She is shaken by the hospital’s peculiar routines and is soon beset by strange episodes. All the while, the persona of Charlotte takes on a life of its own, becoming stronger with each passing day. As her identity begins unraveling, Morgan finds herself tracing Hadleigh’s footsteps and peering into the places they lead.

#BookReview: Phoenix Flame (Havenfall, #2) by Sara Holland

Synopsis: Bestselling author Sara Holland continues her blockbuster contemporary fantasy series about the Inn at Havenfall with this unforgettable sequel.

Maddie thought her problems were over. She saved the Inn at Havenfall—a sanctuary between magical worlds—from the evil Silver Prince. Her uncle the Innkeeper is recovering from a mysterious spell that left him not quite human. And there are still a few weeks of summer left to spend with her more-than-friend Brekken.
But there’s more work to be done to protect the Inn—Maddie must put an end to the black-market trading of magical objects and open the Inn’s doors to the once feared land of shapeshifters.

As she tries to accomplish both seemingly impossible tasks, Maddie uncovers secrets that could change everything. What if saving everyone means destroying the only home she’s known?

This next breathtaking fantasy from the bestselling author of Everless is perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Holly Black.

#BookReview: Rhapsodic (The Bargainer #1) by Laura Thalassa

Synopsis: From bestselling indie author Laura Thalassa comes the newly revised and edited first book in her smash-hit dark fantasy romance between a siren and the “bargainer” she owes countless favors to.

Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past.

For the last seven years Callie has been wearing a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she once received. Only death or repayment will fulfill her obligations.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. He’s a man who can get you anything you want … at a price. And everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects. But for Callie, he’s never asked for repayment. Not until now.

When Callie finds the Bargainer in her room, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, she knows things are about to change. At first it’s admitting a truth—a single bead’s worth—acknowledging the attraction between them. But the Bargainer is after more than just rekindling their connection. Something is happening in the Otherworld. Fae warriors are going missing one by one, and only the women are returned, each in a glass casket, a child clutched to her breast.

For the Bargainer to save his people, he’ll need the help of the siren he spurned long ago. If she can forgive him.

#BookReview: Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas

Synopsis: Secrets, deception, and passion consume two pen pals in the TikTok sensation from New York Times bestselling author Penelope Douglas, now with exclusive bonus material!

They were perfect together. Until they met.

In fifth grade, Misha’s teacher set him and his classmates up with pen pals from a different school. For the next seven years, Ryen was his everything. She kept Misha on track and accepted him as he is. They only had three No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. There was no reason to ruin the good thing they had going…until Misha runs across a photo of a girl online named Ryen. He knows he has to meet her. But he didn’t expect to hate what he finds. 

Ryen has gone three months without a letter from Misha. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha like she does, neither would be a stretch. She needs to know someone is listening to her. But really, Ryen knows this is her own fault. She should’ve gotten his phone number, or picture, or something.

As a mysterious vandal leaves messages in Ryen’s school, she’s possessed by the handsome new student who knows just how to hurt and heal her. But she can’t stop thinking of Misha. He could be gone forever. Or right under her nose, and she wouldn’t even know it…

#BookReview: You’re So Vine (Flora Valley #2) by Catherine Robertson

Synopsis: Whoever invented love at first sight should have left instructions for what to do when it only strikes one of you…

…is all Ava Durant can think as she watches the man of her dreams from across the room at her brother’s wedding. Handyman Cam Hollander takes the ‘strong, silent type’ label to new extremes and getting more than four words at a time out of him is Ava’s primary life goal. But when Ava’s health takes a hit it’s Cam who unexpectedly steps in to nurse her, and the dynamic between them is forever changed.

Ava may be impatience personified and Cam may be the steadiest man she’s ever met, but when they’re alone in Cam’s cosy quarters it’s soon not just the fire in the grate that’s burning between them.

#BookReview: Barely Even Friends by Mae Bennett

Synopsis: A grumpy, rich recluse meets his match in this steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling—with a Succession twist. 

Bellamy Price has just been offered the job of a lifetime: lead contractor on the restoration of the mysterious and sprawling Killington Estate. If she meets the owner’s ridiculous timeline, she’ll finally make a name for herself in this male-dominated industry. But when she rolls up her sleeves, slips on her suspenders, and shows up at the crumbling mansion, Bellamy finds the estate very much occupied. 

After a traumatic car accident that left his parents dead and himself injured, Oliver Killington, heir to the Killington empire, took up residence as the grumpy caretaker of his grandfather’s mansion. None too pleased by the presence of the hammer-wielding woman who’s moved into his house, Oliver tries to block her at every turn. 

But when Bellamy discovers Oliver’s facing his own ultimatum from his grandfather, the two form a cautious truce, which leads to flying sparks that are definitely not from faulty wiring. As Bellamy restores the gleam to the Killington Estate, she’ll have to decide if the walls she’s built around herself are worth knocking down to make space for someone else. 

This clever, steamy debut novel will have readers rooting for this Beauty and her Beast until the very last page.

#BookReview: Drop, Cover, and Hold On (The Improbable Meet-Cute #4) by Jasmine Guillory

Synopsis: It takes nothing less than a fateful natural disaster to throw two opposites together in a ground-shakingly charming short story by the New York Times bestselling author of Drunk on Love.

This Valentine’s Day, Daisy Murray has her heart set on binge-watching rom-coms. Instead, an earthquake traps her inside a bakery with its impossibly rude and insufferably handsome owner and head baker. They already have a history: she’s always smiled, he’s always scowled. Where better to finally get to know each other than amid the disaster? Then again, they have no choice. Besides, it could have its sweet, undeniable, and unpredictable perks.

Jasmine Guillory’s Drop, Cover, and Hold On is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.

#BookReview: The Devil's Waltz (Love in Hell, #1) by Jessi Elliott

Synopsis: It's been five years since her sister was killed by a demon and Camille Morgan swore off the family business of demon hunting. Now a college sophomore, Cami is determined to get her degree and move far away from Seattle—and all things paranormal.

But when Cami becomes the target of a demon attack she’s convinced is a ploy by her parents to drag her back into training, the wildly charming and attractive Xander Kane comes to her rescue. Except her savior isn't a hunter. Or even human.

Xander is a demon, the alluring prince of hell, whose magnetic presence leaves Cami both captivated and conflicted, especially when she finds out he plans on using her to destroy the demon hunters once and for all.

Caught between her growing affection for Xander and her loyalty to her family, Cami struggles to make a decision that could shatter her and endanger the lives of those she loves.

In this spicy paranormal romance, passion and danger collide, leading Cami on a journey where love and betrayal intertwine and lines between good and evil blur.

#BookReview: A Letter to the Luminous Deep (The Sunken Archive #1) by Sylvie Cathrall

Synopsis: Dive into the curious correspondence of Sylvie Cathrall’s delightful debut novel, A Letter to the Luminous Deep.

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery of their siblings’ disappearances with the letters, sketches and field notes left behind. As they uncover the wondrous love their siblings shared, Sophy and Vyerin learn the key to their disappearance – and what it could mean for life as they know it.

Perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light and TJ Klune, A Letter to the Luminous Deep is a whimsical epistolary fantasy set in a mystical underwater world with mystery and heart-warming romance.

This title will be released on April 23, 2024.

#BookReview: Forged by Magic (Falling for Fables #1) by Jenna Wolfhart

Synopsis: A heartwarming, feel-good fantasy romance…with a helping of spice and only a pinch of danger.

Trapped in a tower by the emperor who conquered her homeland, Daella yearns for an escape. But as one of the few half-orcs left in the world, she knows she’ll never be free, much less find her own happily ever after.

Destiny takes an unexpected turn when the emperor offers her a deal. To earn her freedom, she must journey to the mysterious Isles of Fable and track down wielders of outlawed dragon magic. Eager to seize her chance, Daella agrees.

When a brutal storm tosses her ship off course, she washes up on the wrong island—right at the feet of Rivelin, a gruff but handsome elven blacksmith, who seems more likely to stab her than help her. To her surprise, he offers her shelter until the next ship passes through in six weeks’ time.

Daella soon realizes he’s hiding something big. It could be the very magic she’s been tasked to hunt down—the key to her long-awaited freedom. But as they bicker over the flames of his forge, her heart kindles with something she’s never felt before. 

When his secrets finally come to light, Daella must decide what’s more her freedom from the wicked crown or the desires of her heart.

Forged by Magic is a complete, stand-alone fantasy romance novel set in the whimsical world of Falling for Fables.

#BookReview: Love Me Like You Do (The Five Senses #1-5) by Minx Noir

Synopsis: The Five Senses Series, combined for the first time! 

Discover why readers are calling this journey back to happily ever after "Smoking hot and so good!" 

Six weeks. Five senses. One chance. 

When an attorney at a rival firm alerts Paul that his wife has been searching for a divorce lawyer behind his back, his whole world shatters. But, truth be told, the signs were there; he’d just ignored them. With both of their daughters now in college out of state, Laken is restless and lonely. And Paul–who’d once been a doting husband–is truly married to his career.

But when faced with losing the love of his life, Paul concocts a plan. Combining the five senses with Laken’s love of romance novels, he sets out to make her fall for him all over again, reigniting a spark that sets their hearts–and bed sheets–afire.

Not intended for readers under eighteen years of age. Content warning: there will be kinks! Food play, voyeurism, exhibitionism, BDSM, primal... to name a few.

#BookReview: The Never King by Nikki St. Crowe @BistroBookBabes

Synopsis: The stories were all wrong — Hook was never the villain.

For two centuries, all of the Darling women have disappeared on their 18th birthday. Sometimes they’re gone for only a day, some a week or a month. But they always return broken.

Now, on the afternoon of my 18th birthday, my mother is running around the house making sure all the windows are barred and the doors locked.

But it’s pointless.

Because when night falls, he comes for me. And this time, the Never King and the Lost Boys aren’t willing to let me go.

The Never King is a dark retelling of Peter and Wendy. If you like your enemies to lovers romance with hot, ruthless, morally gray love interests, you’ll enjoy The Never King and the Lost Boys. You can expect hate kissing, fighting, bickering, and ‘touch her and I’ll unalive you’ vibes.

#BookReview: Night Shift by Annie Crown @BistroBookBabes

Synopsis: The bookworm and the basketball player are about to meet their match.

Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to be: with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university's library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn't hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories.

But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she's falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.

NIGHT SHIFT is a 75k-word sweet and spicy single-POV college romance perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Hannah Grace, and Elena Armas.

#BookReview: Night Shift by Annie Crown @BistroBookBabes

Synopsis: The bookworm and the basketball player are about to meet their match.

Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to be: with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university's library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn't hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories.

But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she's falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.

NIGHT SHIFT is a 75k-word sweet and spicy single-POV college romance perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Hannah Grace, and Elena Armas.

#BookReview: Night Shift by Annie Crown @BistroBookBabes

Synopsis: The bookworm and the basketball player are about to meet their match.

Kendall Holiday spends her Friday nights exactly where she wants to be: with her head buried in a spicy romance novel while she works the graveyard shift at her university's library. She knows she could join her friends for a weekend of drunken debauchery and college parties, but she likes her alone time, so she tells herself she isn't hiding when she gets lost in the pages of fictional love stories.

But that all changes when Vincent Knight, captain of the basketball team, turns up with an injured wrist, a sour mood, and a pressing need for poetry recommendations for a class he hates. Vincent is tall, smart-mouthed, and challenges Kendall like no one has before. Suddenly, she's falling headfirst into her very own romance novel—but it takes a lot more truth than tropes to get to a happy ever after in real life.

NIGHT SHIFT is a 75k-word sweet and spicy single-POV college romance perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Hannah Grace, and Elena Armas.

#BookReview: To Be Claimed by Willow Winters CharlseyD. @ververomance @BistroBookBabes

Synopsis: Their authoritative presence is felt before anything else. My heart skips a beat and my blood runs cold. They’re here.

The voluminous cloaks cover their bodies entirely and their faces are mostly concealed by their hoods. Standing with their broad shoulders squared and hands tucked behind their backs, they emanate sheer masculinity and dominance.

His baritone voice whispers, and his breath burns hot against the shell of my ear. His tone is gentle, but there’s no doubt in my mind that his words are a command.

Gather and present yourself. This is the offering ...


To Be Claimed is a dark paranormal romance collection with high heat and suspense to keep you on edge. This collection features Wounded Kiss, Gentle Scars & Primal Lust

#BookReview: To Be Claimed by Willow Winters SamanthaM @ververomance @BistroBookBabes

Synopsis: Their authoritative presence is felt before anything else. My heart skips a beat and my blood runs cold. They’re here.

The voluminous cloaks cover their bodies entirely and their faces are mostly concealed by their hoods. Standing with their broad shoulders squared and hands tucked behind their backs, they emanate sheer masculinity and dominance.

His baritone voice whispers, and his breath burns hot against the shell of my ear. His tone is gentle, but there’s no doubt in my mind that his words are a command.

Gather and present yourself. This is the offering ...


To Be Claimed is a dark paranormal romance collection with high heat and suspense to keep you on edge. This collection features Wounded Kiss, Gentle Scars & Primal Lust

#BookReview: To Be Claimed by Willow Winters AnastajaS @ververomance @BistroBookBabes

Synopsis: Their authoritative presence is felt before anything else. My heart skips a beat and my blood runs cold. They’re here.

The voluminous cloaks cover their bodies entirely and their faces are mostly concealed by their hoods. Standing with their broad shoulders squared and hands tucked behind their backs, they emanate sheer masculinity and dominance.

His baritone voice whispers, and his breath burns hot against the shell of my ear. His tone is gentle, but there’s no doubt in my mind that his words are a command.

Gather and present yourself. This is the offering ...


To Be Claimed is a dark paranormal romance collection with high heat and suspense to keep you on edge. This collection features Wounded Kiss, Gentle Scars & Primal Lust

#BookReview: To Be Claimed by Willow Winters LexiM @ververomance @BistroBookBabes

Synopsis: Their authoritative presence is felt before anything else. My heart skips a beat and my blood runs cold. They’re here.

The voluminous cloaks cover their bodies entirely and their faces are mostly concealed by their hoods. Standing with their broad shoulders squared and hands tucked behind their backs, they emanate sheer masculinity and dominance.

His baritone voice whispers, and his breath burns hot against the shell of my ear. His tone is gentle, but there’s no doubt in my mind that his words are a command.

Gather and present yourself. This is the offering ...


To Be Claimed is a dark paranormal romance collection with high heat and suspense to keep you on edge. This collection features Wounded Kiss, Gentle Scars & Primal Lust

#BookReview: Monsters Born and Made by Tanvi Berwah

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Koral and her older brother Emrik risk their lives each day to capture the monstrous maristags that live in the black seas around their island. They have to, or else their family will starve.

In an oceanic world swarming with vicious beasts, the Landers―the ruling elite, have indentured Koral's family to provide the maristags for the Glory Race, a deadly chariot tournament reserved for the upper class. The winning contender receives gold and glory. The others―if they're lucky―survive.

When the last maristag of the year escapes and Koral has no new maristag to sell, her family's financial situation takes a turn for the worse and they can't afford medicine for her chronically ill little sister. Koral's only choice is to do what no one in the world has ever dared: cheat her way into the Glory Race.

But every step of the way is unpredictable as Koral races against contenders―including her ex-boyfriend―who have trained for this their whole lives and who have no intention of letting a low-caste girl steal their glory. When a rebellion rises and rogues attack Koral to try and force her to drop out, she must choose―her life or her sister's―before the whole island burns.

She grew up battling the monsters that live in the black seas, but it couldn't prepare her to face the cunning cruelty of the ruling elite.

Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and These Violent Delights, this South Asian-inspired fantasy is a gripping debut about the power of the elite, the price of glory, and one girl's chance to change it all.