#BookReview: East of Envy (The Great and Terrible Land, #2) by Nikki St. Crowe

Synopsis: DELUXE EDITION—featuring gorgeous stenciled edges, a map, endpapers, and a case stamp.

Booktok sensation and USA Today bestselling author Nikki St. Crowe continues the dark and spicy reimagining of the Oz saga!

Betrayed by the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale is now forced to team up with the heartless mercenary, the Tin Woodman. Tin has a grudge of his own against the Wizard – not only is he the man who stole Tin’s heart, but now he’s taken Tin’s little brother, Gabriel, for his own ends.

But defeating the Wizard won’t be easy – he has all of Oz under his spell and more power than anyone. Or does he?

Because Dorothy is more than she seems, and Tin can't help but be drawn to her. And the longer Dorothy’s in Oz, the more she uncovers about her murky past, and her own potential magic.

And when all is said and done, Dorothy might have to reckon with an earth-shattering maybe Kansas isn’t home after all.

#BookReview: Tusk Love by @theagwrites

Synopsis: A merchant’s daughter who yearns for adventure gets more than she bargained for when she falls for a broodingly handsome stranger in this saucy romantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hurricane Wars.

As the daughter of an ambitious merchant, Guinevere’s path has been predetermined: marry into a noble house of the Dwendalian Empire, raise her family’s station, and live quietly as a lordling’s obedient wife. But Guinevere longs for a life unbounded by expectations, for freedom and passion and adventure.

Those distant dreams become a sudden reality when her caravan is beset by bandits, leaving her guards slain and Guinevere stranded alone on the dangerous Amber Road. Her only chance of survival is to travel alongside Oskar, the aloof half-orc who saved her during the attack.

Unlike Guinevere, Oskar’s path is not so set in stone. With his mother dead and his apprenticeship abandoned, all that’s left is a long, lonely walk to a land he’s never seen to find family he’s never met. The last thing he needs is a spoiled waif like Guinevere slowing him down—even if the spark between them sizzles with promise.

Despite his cold exterior, Oskar is brave and thoughtful and unlike anyone Guinevere has ever met. And while Guinevere may be sheltered, she brings out a softness in him that he has never dared to feel before. As the flames of their passion grow, they realize that soon they’ll need to choose between their expected destinations or their blossoming romance.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Thea Guanzon at the behest of Critical Role’s Jester Lavorre, Tusk Love brings the most romantic story on Exandrian bookshelves to life.

#BookReview: The Curse that Binds (Bewitched, #0) by @laurathalassa

Synopsis: The stunning prequel to the USA Today bestselling Bewitched series. Two thousand years before there was Selene, there was Roxilana. Her love fated, her life doomed, and her story forgotten—until now.

When young Roxilana first hears a voice in her head, she thinks she has gone mad. The truth, however, is stranger still. Because Memnon, the boy who speaks to her, claims he is real. Not only that, he insists they both are god-touched soul mates with the ability to wield magic.

As wild as his claims are, they gradually come to pass. First, Roxilana’s power Awakens. Then his. But nothing is nearly as startling as the day Memnon, now the sorcerer king of the Sarmatians, arrives at Roxilana’s doorstep, proclaiming the witch his wife and shepherding her off to his homeland.

Her fate is everything ardent Roxi could have hoped for. But there are things Memnon hasn’t told her—about his magic, about life as a Sarmatian and what, as queen, she will be asked to endure. Roxilana’s trials are only beginning. And as she’ll soon discover, there is nothing so dangerous as love mixed with power. For while the combination can build empires and shape legacies, it also has the potential to destroy everything in its path. And, if they’re not careful, Roxilana and Memnon could be destroyed along with it.

#BookReview: Kingdom of Stolen Crowns (Sacred Arbor Realm, #1) by @author_stephaniestorm

Synopsis: Condemned by my peers, I’m cast into a nightmarish realm. Yet fate persists in her torment, throwing a beguiling thief in my path. The sorceress-turned-criminal is a dangerous temptation, but nothing will keep me from my vengeance.

Convicted vampire lord, Victor Custodis, is stripped of all he’s achieved and banished to a barbaric land. Alone in a kingdom where everything wants to devour him, his only hope of reclaiming what was stolen lies in finding a portal home. But revenge must wait when he’s taken prisoner by the enticing leader of a desperate gang of bandits.

Determined to settle a life-threatening debt, sorceress Runa Starborn is eager to collect her payoff—before her infuriating captive drives her to murder. But when the arrogant aristocrat betrays her to save himself, they both land in the false king’s prison. Sentenced to compete in the Fallen Trials, the manipulative noble and the wily renegade form a reluctant pact to survive.

As secrets surrounding Victor’s past unravel, Runa’s defenses crumble, and an undeniable passion ignites between them. Bound by an irresistible attraction, they must face the reality that Victor may be the kingdom’s only salvation, forcing them to choose where their hearts truly belong.

Can Runa and Victor free an enslaved kingdom while resisting fate’s grip on their souls, or will the ghosts of their mistakes destroy their future?

Kingdom of Stolen Crowns is the captivating first book in the Sacred Arbor Realm Series, where each installment introduces a new couple navigating a connected world of passion, chaos, and enchanting happily-ever-afters.

Dive into Stephanie Storm’s steamy paranormal fantasy realm—grab your copy today!

#BookReview: Once Upon a Blue Moon (@welcometomoonridge Book 1) by Avery Arujo

Synopsis: Hazel Thornton is a small-town witch with a knack for brewing potions, botching spells, and annoying her grumpy werewolf neighbor, Blake Carter. But when a magical mishap leaves them trapped in each other’s bodies, working together becomes the only way out, whether they like it or not.

To make matters worse, Moonridge is on edge. Wolves are acting strange. Magic is going haywire. And beneath Hazel’s apothecary, something old and dangerous is waking up. As Hazel and Blake stumble through spellwork, supernatural politics, and a suspiciously perfect wellness guru with a shady agenda, one thing becomes this body swap isn’t their biggest problem.

As Hazel and Blake race to reverse the spell, they uncover secrets that could tear the town apart. But the deeper they dive into the mystery, the more they realize their biggest problem might not be magic... it might be how much they’re falling for each other.

Magic, mystery, and enemies-to-something-much-sweeter collide in this paranormal romance full of heart, humor, and hexes

These books are best enjoyed in Book 1: Once Upon a Blue MoonBook 2: Date Night With DeathBook 3: Right Place Wrong Time

#BookReview: An Arcane Inheritance by @wordsiren

Synopsis: A modern-day dark academia fantasy with a twist, perfect for fans of Babel and A Deadly Education.

Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones―and forbidden magic―of its most prized BIPOC students…hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.

Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.

Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can't convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic…this time, she may lose herself for good.

#BookReview: Lost in the Summer of '69 by @elizaknightfiction

Synopsis: Daisy Jones and the Six meets Where’d You Go Bernadette in an epic story from USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight, in which a soon-to-be empty-nester’s mother goes missing, leading her on a road trip with her daughter to track grandma down at a series of music festivals that popped up across the country in the summer of '69.

Summer, 1969. Eleanor Bell, a widow, has always given everything she had to her family, forgoing her own dreams of becoming a singer. When she receives a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s on the eve of her sixty-ninth birthday, she decides to go on an epic musical bucket-list trip to fulfill her dreams: A summer tour of festivals. 

Except she forgets, maybe on purpose, to tell anyone where she’s going. Leanne Miller discovers her mother missing, and she enlists the help of her somewhat distant college-aged daughter, Nora, to help her find Eleanor. The last thing Nora wants to do before starting as one of Yale's first female undergrads is to hit the road. But then Nora hears something strange on the radio—her grandmother’s voice. Nora and Leanne embark on a road trip in her husband’s Lincoln Continental from Atlanta, to California, Denver, Seattle, back to New York, and then New Orleans, always one step behind Eleanor, who has been dubbed the Dame of Rock n’ Roll by none other than Johnny Carson. It's an epic celebration of savoring the encore no matter what the next act may bring.

#BookReview: The Fake Divination Offense (Magic and Romance #2) by @sara_raasch

Synopsis: Sports romance gets a Dungeons & Dragons makeover with the next book in the Magic and Romance series that follows half-giant Orok, forced into a PR relationship with a feisty, fan-favorite cheerleader. 

Orok star defensive tank on the Philadelphia Hellhounds rawball team. Half-giant. Patron Urzoth, god of strength . . . only Orok’s tired of being tied to a god known for aggression. So (don’t tell his mother) he’s planning on renouncing Urzoth.

Until the cult of Galaxrien, Urzoth’s sworn enemy, ends up causing a lot of damage through their ill-advised attempts to summon him, and the followers of both deities find themselves blamed for the long-standing feud and its ramifications. 

Alexo cheerleading intern with the Hellhounds. Smells like apples, which Orok only knows because he picked Alexo up. Accidentally—Orok publicly saves Alexo from a bar fight, and fans go feral for the muscly pro athlete being protective of the pint size dude-in-distress. 

That’s enough to have the Hellhounds and Urzoth’s church both coming to them with a Orok and Alexo will start a PR relationship to put a positive spin on Urzoth. Orok is all set to refuse—and finally separate from Urzoth—when the team offers Alexo a starting spot on the cheerleading squad to play up the star athlete and cheerleader optics. It’s such an obvious dream come true for Alexo that Orok finds himself agreeing to the arrangement like the sap he is.

He can keep living a lie for a bit longer. But Orok starts to wonder if they can drop the fake part of this fake-relationship…

#BookReview: Firebird (The Fire That Binds, #1) by @juliettecrossauthor

Synopsis: DELUXE EDITION—featuring beautiful original illustrated stenciled edges with a foil case stamp, and designed endpapers!

An instant New York Times bestseller!

House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.

A conqueror captivated…
A witch prophesied to save them all…
An unforgiving world where dragons rule Rome.

Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role as conqueror well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.

The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he and his dragon know one thing: their bond has nothing to do with the laws of mighty Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.

Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and she is determined to fight until her dying breath. Still, she can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality…and now holds her life in his hands. Nor can she deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his. Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

Firebird is a fantasy with some dark themes, including elements of master/slave relationship, attempted sexual assault (not between MCs), and dubious consent (not between MCs). Readers who may be sensitive to these elements, please take note.

#BookReview: The Witch Roads (The Witch Roads, #1) by @kateelliottsff

Synopsis: Status is hereditary, class is bestowed, trust must be earned.

When an arrogant prince (and his equally arrogant entourage) gets stuck in Orledder Halt as part of brutal political intrigue, competent and sunny deputy courier Elen―once a child slave meant to shield noblemen from the poisonous Pall―is assigned to guide him through the hills to reach his destination.

When she warns him not to enter the haunted Spires, the prince doesn’t heed her advice, and the man who emerges from the towers isn’t the same man who entered.

The journey that follows is fraught with danger. Can a group taught to ignore and despise the lower classes survive with a mere deputy courier as their guide?

The Witch Roads is the latest epic novel by fan favorite, Kate Elliott.

#BookReview: What the Gods Left Behind by Zephyr Trillian

Synopsis: For those born with godblood, life begins with a collar and ends with obedience.

When Wisterly escapes her lord’s service, she can't stay visible for long. Her silver collar marks her as an Acolyte. If the guards see her, they'll drag her back—and she’d rather not discover what punishment awaits.

Desperate and hunted, she runs into Mordred, a Guild thief with his own troubles. He offers to help after one last job: stealing the Box of Pathways, a divine Artifact only the godblooded can handle without going mad. With few other choices, Wisterly accepts.

But some treasures are better left alone. When she touches the Box, something wakes inside and takes control. Even worse, the heist goes sideways, leaving them hunted by the Grand Council and the Guild alike.

Now Wisterly and Mordred are fugitives with a capricious power. To stay free, they must outwit their pursuers and discover if the Box will save them—or destroy them both.

#BookReview: A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash (Kingdom of Gods #1) by @jfjohnsbooks

Synopsis: A New Adult Fantasy Romance Perfect for Fans of Fourth Wing, The Bridge Kingdom, and Serpent & Dove!

The eight kingdoms have not spoken for 100 hundred years after destroying the land of the witches, turning the kingdom into a wasteland.
Until now.
Mal blackburn will end the feud between the kingdoms by marrying the fire prince, known across the lands for being cruel.
But Mal is not looking to conquer the cruel prince’s heart.
She wants to stab it.
For if Mal kills the fire prince, she will end the curse no one believes to be true. However, killing him might not be so simple...
The witches want revenge.
And everyone seems to keep secrets in the land of fire and dragons.
Including Mal Blackburn, the girl with witch eyes. The fourthborn child of the kingdom of darkness. The one that is hiding a secret that could doom them all.
Or save them.

Perfect for readers who love enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, court intrigue, and dark magic.

#BookReview: The Oracle of Dusk by @happyhermitltd

Synopsis: An oracle should know better than to fall for a doomed king.

Aurora is a historian—not a prophesied hero. But the day she finds her first artefact, destiny pits her against the primordial monster that has repeatedly destroyed her world. Cornered by the beast, she escapes death when the artefact sends her to the ancient past and gifts her one chance to kill the monster before it’s unstoppable. Except it also lands her in the arms of King Theron, a handsome schemer infamous for his tragic fate.

Theron is a bad man but an excellent king. When a battlefield mishap sends him to an enemy queendom in chains, the last thing he expects to find is a beauty with the knowledge to save his kingdom and crush his foes. Tempted by Aurora’s uncanny foresight, Theron vows to possess her at any cost.

Aurora’s only hope to defeat the monster in the ancient past is Theron’s army. With her world’s future at stake, she knows better than to succumb to his seduction, yet finds herself hopelessly drawn to him. But as she awakens magic that torments her with visions of predestined tragedies, Aurora begins to fear her heart is as doomed as the man—and world—she’s trying to save.

Inspired by The Legend of Zelda, The Oracle of Dusk is the first epic fantasy romance novel in the Cycle of Calamity series. If you love height differences (understatement), time travel, and fated romance, escape into The Oracle of Dusk!

#BookReview: Virgo Rising (Zodiac Defenders #1) by Jermaine Bell Jr. @thenatural71

Synopsis:  Zodiac signs are not horoscopes, they are living, breathing entities in Drokeo Bay with power. Serenity desires nothing more but order without chaos. Typical Virgo. However…

When a dream shows her the genocidal evil that is Argasis the 13th, she must kill him before he executes his one sign repopulation utopia comes to fruition. Failure is a road that leads to death and the loss of her loved ones, all because her and 11 others are vessels for the zodiac signs.

Can she really slay Argasis and not lose herself in the zodiac war? Or was her fate already written at birth by the stars above?

#BookReview: Come As You Are by @missdahlelama

Synopsis: Hot on the heels of a broken heart, Everett “Evie” Riley arrives at Camden Academy ready for a new beginning - one far away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, the sister who stole him, and the best friend who let it happen. But her fresh start is stopped in its tracks when she's accidentally placed in an all-boys dorm, with no choice but to stay.

When rumors and gossip about Evie's housing predicament spread like wildfire, she decides the only way to survive is to lean into her questionable new reputation... but she's definitely going to require help. Her grumpy emo dorm mate Salem Grayson isn't exactly her first choice, but he does need her help to repair his relationship with his parents every bit as much as she needs his to learn how to be cool. And so they make a pact - he'll teach her how to be bad, if she teaches him how to be good.

It's a flawless plan, except while Salem thrives academically, even romantically, and - annoyingly enough - even physically, Evie's quest feels like one dead end after another, and the girl she's becoming certainly doesn't feel remotely cool. But when Evie realizes what she wants more than anything, she'll have to contend with her thrice-broken heart and figure out how to become someone capable of chasing happiness.

Dahlia Adler’s Come As You Are is about refusing to accept less than you deserve, and realizing that the best relationships are with people who know exactly who you are.

#BookReview: Salvación by @sandraproudman

Synopsis: In this Latinx young adult fantasy inspired by Zorro, Lola de La Peña becomes the masked heroine Salvación in order to save her family and town from a man who would destroy it for the magic it contains...if she doesn't fall in love with a boy in his company first.

Lola de La Peña yearns to be free from the societal expectations of a young Mexican lady of her station. She spends her days pretending to be delicate and proper while watching her mamá cure the sick and injured with sal negra (black salt), a recently discovered magic that heals even the most mortal sicknesses and wounds. But secretly, she is Salvación, the free-spirited lady vigilante protecting her town of Coloma from those who threaten its peace and safety.

But one night, a woman rides into Coloma, barely alive, to tell the horrifying tale of how her town was obliterated by sal roja (red salt), a potent, deadly magic capable of obliterating anything it comes into contact with, and Señor Hernández, the man who wields it. When Hernández arrives the next day with a party of fifty strong men and promises to return Alta California to México, Lola knows it’s only a matter of time before he brings the region under his rule. All Hernández needs is the next full moon and the stolen ancient amulet he carries to mine enough sal roja to conquer the land. 

Determined to protect everything she loves, Lola—as Salvación—races against time to stop his plans. What she didn’t count on was the distracting and infuriating Alejandro, who travels with Hernández but doesn't seem to share his ambitions. With the stakes higher than ever and Hernández getting closer to his goals, Lola will do anything to foil his plans—even teaming up with Alejandro, whom she doesn’t fully trust but can’t help falling in love with.

#BookTour: Thieves of Times Forgotten by @emiramsa @rrbooktours

We're thrilled to be touring award-winning romantasy, Thieves of Time Forgotten by Emilia Ramos. 

Thieves of Time Forgotten (The Shadow Heir Trilogy)

Release Date: September 2024

Genre: YA Romantasy Tropes: Dark magic, romantasy, time travel, slow burn, beautiful fantasy palaces… 

A kingdom whose deadliest secrets live only in its memories. After two years, Naomi Elistaire escapes the dungeons of the very castle where she was once a princess. Exiled in the foreign kingdom of Tashiki, Naomi has one final chance to reclaim the throne and save the empire from her tyrannous mother. She assembles her crew: two quick-handed thieves and an escaped assassin, along with a mischievous snow monkey. The plan? Cross Tashiki, reach the king-in-waiting before his coronation, and bargain her way to an army—all while hiding the Dark magic that courses through her royal blood. And then there’s Ez. The man she once loved… and the traitor whose choice lost her the last war. Rumor has it he’s set to sail for Tashiki too, drawn by a rogue mission and a prophecy lost to time centuries ago. Lies. Love. Revolution. 

#BookReview: The Regency Switch by @helengaskell.writer

Synopsis: The Holiday meets Lost in Austen, with a sprinkling of Bridgerton steam… A gloriously witty, escapist and heartwarming romantic comedy about love, finding your people and living life to the full

***

Etta Moore expects nothing more from a Tuesday than another dull day in the office. But when her morning commute ends in Regency England, she is forced to accept the she and her ancestor Miss Henrietta Bainbridge – or ‘Mad Hetty’, as she’s known amongst the ton– have switched bodies.

Suddenly Etta and Hetty must get to grips with the new worlds they find themselves in. For Etta, it’s goodbye to dating apps and the daily commute and hello to the list of things ‘Ladies Do Not’ do. Luckily the dashing Lord Stanhope is on hand to aid her through even the most shocking of faux pas.

Meanwhile Hetty, who has always felt unseen and unknown, finds her truest self blossoming with the help of 21st century medicine and the most welcome attentions of her rather beautiful Adult Learning teacher, Stella.

Two hundred years away from everything they’ve ever known, might Etta and Hetty have actually found a place where they each truly belong?

#BookReview: A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie

Synopsis: In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton.

In the heart of revolutionary Boston, Abigail Adams raises her children amid riots, blockades, and the outbreak of war. While her husband, John Adams, rises from country lawyer to nation-builder, often away for years at a time, Abigail builds her own independence—managing their farm, making lucrative investments, amassing savings, battling plague and loss, and defending their home. Unafraid to speak her mind, she famously offers fearless political counsel, urging John to “remember the ladies” in the new government. Through it all, she becomes his most trusted confidante and indispensable ally.

When peace is secured, Abigail steps onto the world stage—exchanging ideas with Thomas Jefferson in the French countryside, navigating court life as the wife of the Minister to Great Britain, and presiding over the parlor politics of the early American republic in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Even after her husband’s presidential administration, she continues battling political foes and working behind the scenes to advance her family, secure independence for the women in her life, and ensure a better life for the next generation of Americans.

From war-torn streets to the chandeliered halls of power, A Founding Mother is the unforgettable story of a woman ahead of her time—one whose voice, vision, and valor still resonate powerfully today.

#BookReview: The Curse Breaker (Isle of Ever #2) by @jencalonita

Synopsis: The game is far from over. In fact, it's only just begun.

Having finally reached the Isle of Ever, Everly "Benny" Benedict thinks she's won the game of clues her ancestor Evelyn Terry set out for her in her will. Only she can't prove it yet—not until her new friends are safe from the curse that has kept them trapped for centuries!

And now there's a new game. It turns out that Evelyn has more secrets in her diary and another task for to find the lost piece of pirate treasure needed to break the curse once and for all. It won't be easy. One of her best friends has betrayed her; the kids from the island are just discovering twenty-first- century life, and a mysterious stranger mentioned in Evelyn's diary has somehow turned up in present-day Greenport.

Benny has to figure it all out in just a few days. If time runs out, someone else can claim the inheritance, and the Isle of Ever will disappear again for another two hundred years!