#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 Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

Synopsis:
Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows.

On the brink of adulthood in the early 2000s, destiny intervened, catapulting the sisters into the spotlight as the pop sensation the Griffin Sisters, hitting all the touchstones of early aughts fame—SNL, MTV, Rolling Stone magazine—along the way.

But after a whirlwind year in the public eye, the band abruptly broke up.

Two decades later, Zoe’s a housewife; Cassie’s off the grid. The sisters aren’t speaking, and the real reason for the Griffin Sisters’ breakup is still a mystery. Zoe’s teenage daughter, Cherry, who’s determined to be a star in spite of Zoe’s warnings, is on a quest to learn the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago.

As secrets emerge, all three women must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other—and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again?

#BookReview: What Lurks Between the Fates (Of Flesh & Bone, #3) by @harperlwoodsauthor

Synopsis:
From indie darling Harper L. Woods comes WHAT LURKS BEYOND THE FATES, the third book of the Of Flesh and Bone series, where the heated fae romance of A Court of Thorns and Rosesmeets the dark obsession of Phantom of the Opera.

Once, I’d chosen my mate instead of freedom.

For weeks, we retraced our steps back to Mistfell and the lingering shadow of the Veil at the boundary between realms. Traveling through the kingdom, I denied the evidence in front of me, unable to fathom that I wasn’t the lost princess of Faerie. Instead, it is Fallon who must fear the consequences of her heritage. Which leaves me with a single, unanswered question.

Then, I awoke, caged high above the throne of the Queen of Air & Darkness.

Mab is the Queen who keeps all of Alfheimr held squirming within her clawed grasp. She uses the children of Faerie to sustain the magic granted to her by the cursed gem atop her crown, which has carved her from the girl she once was into a dark vessel, obsessed with power. She thrives on cruelty, and wields our love as an instrument for pain.

Now, I’ll play the games of the Fae.

I’m a curiosity, my presence an enigma that was never foreseen. I may not be Mab’s daughter, yet she still keeps me close, as she forges me into a weapon against humans and Fae alike. Mab may not own me yet, but she controls the life of the man I love. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to see him freed.

Even if I have to become the villain to do it.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

#BookReview: Enchantra (Wicked Games #2) by @kaylsmoon

Synopsis:
Ready or Not meets Throne of the Fallen in a spicy, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance, where an Italian getaway turns deadly after a young woman is trapped in her host family's cursed game.

Ready or not, the game has begun. 

Genevieve Grimm has felt adrift ever since her sister became the head of the family. So when a mysterious friend of their mother's invites her to Italy, she accepts. She arrives at his grand palace, expecting passion and magic, decadence and luxury... perhaps even a midnight ball. 

She doesn't expect the owner's ruthlessly handsome son to slam the door in her face. Rowin Silver is tall, dark, and exceptionally rude, and invitation or not, he demands Genevieve leave and never come back. But Genevieve follows nobody's orders, especially those of arrogant rich boys. She slips inside—and immediately discovers her mistake.

Rowin and his family are caught in an insidious game of hide and seek, where only one can win. The rest will be trapped in Hell... until the competition begins again. 

Genevieve must either join the hunt or forfeit any hope of escaping. But to her dismay, her best chance of survival lies with Rowin. Since lovers may play as a pair, Rowin and Genevieve agree to form an alliance under the guise of a fake courtship. However, as they race through the game's elaborate labyrinth, trapped among gleaming gold and shining marble, their loathing gives way to irresistible attraction. Only Rowin is keeping secrets, especially when it comes to his ruthless family, and Genevieve can't help but wonder if she's trapped in two treacherous games: Enchantra and the one Rowin is playing with her heart.

#BookReview: The Never List (Never List, #1) by @jadepresleyauthor

Synopsis:
The four princes of Lumathyst need a mate, and everyone wants a chance...except for her.

Threatened by invaders, the kingdom of Lumathyst is on the verge of chaos, and no one can stop it. Unless the four immortal god-princes find their fated mate―and safeguard the throne―Lumathyst will fall.

Five women have tried. Five have failed. And tonight in the royal city, the princes need to find their Chosen and hope she can survive the transformation that will make her immortal.

Only Rylee Gray wasn’t supposed to be here. She snuck in for her own dark reasons―and now they claim they've found their perfect match. Her. Of course, they have no idea she’s concealing a secret big enough to damn them all.

The four princes have no choice. They’ll use every delectably wicked skill they have to make Rylee fall for all of them…or watch their kingdom collapse.

#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.

Beyond Smut: The Art and Evolution of Erotic Fantasy Selene Wilderwind

Synopsis:
Erotic Fantasy is rarely examined as literature. More often, it is dismissed, marginalized, or misclassified—treated as indulgence rather than as a meaningful narrative form.

Beyond Smut is a work of literary criticism and cultural analysis that examines Erotic Fantasy as an artistic, historical, and symbolic genre. Rather than approaching sexuality as provocation or entertainment, this book analyzes how desire functions within myth, worldbuilding, symbolism, and narrative power—alongside themes such as transformation, authority, ritual, and identity.

Tracing the genre’s roots from ancient mythologies and sacred traditions through periods of censorship and moral regulation, Demosthenes Ignis maps how Erotic Fantasy has been shaped, constrained, and misunderstood across time. The book explores how intimacy operates as a structural narrative force—one capable of driving character development, cultural meaning, and imaginative systems as profoundly as war, prophecy, or political conflict.

This is not erotic fiction. It contains no explicit scenes and is not written for arousal. It is a critical examination of how sexuality has been encoded, suppressed, and reclaimed within speculative and fantastical storytelling traditions.

Written for readers, writers, and theorists interested in literature, semiotics, and cultural power, Beyond Smut argues that Erotic Fantasy deserves recognition not as a niche indulgence, but as a legitimate and historically grounded mode of artistic expression.

#BookReview: Savage Proposal (Savage Mafia Kings, #1) by @bellaash_author

Synopsis:
Isabella:
Sold by my own father to Lorenzo Vitali—a man carved from violence and draped in cruelty.
I became a prisoner in a gilded cage, bound by chains heavier than steel.
He demands an heir. His touch burns, unravels, consumes. I should hate him. I should fear him.
But it’s not the demand that terrifies me.
It’s him.

There’s a darkness in Lorenzo—seductive, merciless, and impossible to escape.
Every glance pulls me deeper into the abyss. Every stolen breath blurs the line between loathing and longing.
And my heart, the traitor, begins to beat for the very man who holds it hostage.

But men like Lorenzo don’t just break women like me.
They devour.
They erase.
And I refuse to be swallowed by his darkness.

Lorenzo:
The night they took Sienna from me; I swore vengeance and buried what remained of my heart.
Nothing could ever break me again.
Until Isabella Rossi fell into my hands—scarred, defiant, and hauntingly like Sienna.

She was meant to be a pawn. A vessel for the heir that will secure my legacy.
But her fire doesn’t bend—it provokes.
Her defiance fuels an obsession I never wanted.

She thinks she can resist me.
But in my world, resistance isn’t survival.
It’s the spark that feeds the fire.

Trigger Warning: This book is a dark romance intended for mature audiences only. It contains explicit sexual content, graphic violence, forced pregnancy, assault, captivity, kidnapping, criminal activity, and a cliff-hanger ending. Read at your own risk.

This book was previously published as part of the Vitali Duet, and has now been expanded into the Savage Mafia Kings series.

#BookReview: This Monster of Mine (This Monster of Mine #1) by @shalini.writes

Synopsis:
She knows the taste of death. He'll stoke her hunger for it.

Eighteen-year-old Sarai doesn't know why someone tried to kill her four years ago, but she does know that her case was closed without justice. Hellbent on vengeance, she returns to the scene of the crime as a Petitor, a prosecutor who can magically detect lies, and is assigned to work with Tetrarch Kadra. Ice-cold and perennially sadistic, Kadra is the most vicious of the four judges who rule the land - and the prime suspect in a string of deaths identical to Sarai's attempted murder.

Certain of his guilt, Sarai begins a double life: solving cases with Kadra by day and plotting his ruin by night. But Kadra is charming and there's something alluring about the wrath he wields against the city's corruption. So when the evidence she finds embroils her in a deadly political battle, Sarai must also fight against her attraction to Kadra - because despite his growing hold on her heart, his voice matches the only memory she has of her assailant...

A dazzling Ancient Rome-inspired romantasy debut, This Monster of Mine is a bloodbath of manipulation, deception, and forbidden love.

#BookReview: Faithbreaker (Fallen Gods #3) by @hanfrankan

Synopsis:
THE EPIC FINALE TO THE INSTANT NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING FALLEN GODS TRILOGYIn the epic finale to the #1 internationally bestselling Fallen Gods trilogy that started with Godkiller, the fate of Middren hangs in the balance as mighty gods and mortal heroes clash in a final battle for supremacy.

War has come. The fire god Hseth is leading an unstoppable army south, consuming everything in her path. Middren’s only hope of survival is to unify allies and old foes against a common enemy.

Elo navigates an uneasy alliance with Arren; his friend, his enemy, and his king. Now they each must decide how much they're willing to sacrifice to turn the tides of war.

Meanwhile, Inara joins her mother on their ship, the Silverswift, to seek aid. Still grappling with her powers, Inara must reconcile who she is and where she belongs, while Skediceth has to question if their bond will be enough to keep them safe.

Kissen has no allegiance to the old ways of Middren. But, as she tries to find her family, she is forced to question what, and whose, future she is fighting for.

In Faithbreaker, Hannah Kaner delivers a powerful conclusion to the Fallen Gods trilogy, masterfully weaving together love and sacrifice, loyalty and betrayal, and the true meaning of faith.

#BookReview: Kingdom of the Two Moons (Fallen Angels #1) by Alexandra Thomashoff

Synopsis:
"In the world of shadows, safety is a fleeting illusion. A gift can become a dangerous burden."

A dark, immortal angel.

A savage world on the brink of war.

A sinister prophecy. And a girl who holds the power to change it all forever.

In a world where destiny is a cruel captor, Melody has never known freedom. Her life has been a prison, shackled by a ruthless magic harvester hungry for her rare gifts. She has been a pawn in a game she cannot win—until one fateful night, when she manages to escape.

But her fleeting hope is crushed when the mesmerizingly beautiful fae warrior Riven captures her and drags her into the shadowy Court of the Two Moons, ruled by the Dark Lord Caryan, a fallen angel cloaked in icy cruelty.

Enslaved and with her destiny now in Caryan’s unforgiving hands, Melody begins to unravel the harrowing truths behind her captivity. Little does she know, she is ensnared in a treacherous web of lies and longing, caught between her deep, rippling attraction toward Riven and the otherworldly allure of Caryan, whose very essence is everything she fears—and desires.

When her own slumbering powers awaken, they bind Melody helplessly to Caryan’s unholy magic, and to a sinister prophecy that cleaves her soul into pieces.

As mighty armies clash and shadows threaten to consume this world, she must make a decision that could cost her everything.

Who can kill an immortal angel?

Only a silver elf. 

And Melody just happens to be the last.

#BookReview: A Song in the Storm (The Leviathan's Call #1) by @rileysknight

Synopsis:
The fae king’s soiree attracts the most unlikely guests: a thief masquerading as a bard, an exiled prince, and the lost heir to an ancient kingdom.

Forced into an unlikely alliance, the bard champions an impossible heist while an army across the world crumbles beneath strange new magic.

Yet both events are connected. When the world forgot its gods, so too did it forget their power. And a centuries old plan has just begun to unfold.

Fionn alone can remember. Watched by the prince’s wary eyes, she must earn his trust lest she face the darkness the way her journey began: desperate, and alone.

For darkness is a tricky thing: An age old lie, a falsehood long made fact, an assassin with no face. And it has moved unseen to all the world.

#BookReview: Bad Blood by Sarah Hornsley

Synopsis:
A double murder. A toxic past. A family secret. There's no law against keeping secrets...My name is Justine Stone.I left home twelve years ago, never to return.Now my ex-boyfriend, Jake, has been accused of a double murder in the town where we grew up. It's my job as a barrister to make the case against him.But to face the courts, I need to know the truth. The real truth about what happened when we were young - not just the story I'll spin the jury.To reach the heart of it, I must face up to the part my own family played.Even if it means risking my life.

#BookReview: Dawn of the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana @sarahmughal769

Synopsis:
For fans of The Poppy War, She Who Became the Sun and The Will of the Many, a breathtaking fantasy novel about the daughter of an overthrown emperor from an exciting new voice

Khamilla Zahr-zad’s life has been built on a foundation of violence and vengeance. Every home she’s known has been destroyed by war. As the daughter of an emperor’s clan, she spent her childhood training to maintain his throne. But when her clansmen are assassinated by another rival empire, plans change. With her heavenly magic of nur, Khamilla is a weapon even enemies would wield—especially those in the magical, scholarly city of Za’skar. Hiding her identity, Khamilla joins the enemy’s army school full of jinn, magic and martial arts, risking it all to topple her adversaries, avenge her clan and reclaim their throne.

To survive, she studies under cutthroat mystic monks and battles in a series of contests to outmaneuver her fellow soldiers. She must win at all costs, even if it means embracing the darkness lurking inside her. But the more she excels, the more she is faced with history that contradicts her father’s teachings. With a war brewing among the kingdoms and a new twisted magic overtaking the land, Khamilla is torn between two impossible vengeance or salvation.

#BookReview: Dragonhart (Dragonhart #1) by Abbie Eaton

Synopsis:
The brand new Sunday Times bestseller fantasy romance debut for fans of Sarah A. Parker and Rebecca Yarros. The dragons are gone, and the kingdoms are falling. Not even the gods can save them now…

Arla Reinhart, personal assassin to the King of Hadalyn, doesn’t believe in the gods and their dragons who once served the people – not after they abandoned her when she needed them most. But when shipments start going missing and the kingdoms begin to crumble, they may be the only ones who can help.

Forced into working with the arrogant – yet unmistakably handsome –ambassador of the kingdom that killed her parents, Arla must place her hatred for Hark Stappen to one side as they journey across kingdoms, dining with royalty and fighting in taverns, and make an alarming discovery that shatters her heart and forces her to question everything – and everyone – she knows…

#BookReview: Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

Synopsis:
"I'm in your blood, and you are in mine…"

The Netherlands, 1887. Lucy's twin sister Sarah is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and is increasingly obsessed with a centuries-old corpse recently discovered on her husband's grand estate. The doctor has diagnosed her with temporary insanity caused by a fever of the brain. To protect her twin from a terrible fate in a lunatic asylum, Lucy must unravel the mystery surrounding her sister's condition, but it's clear her twin is hiding something. Then again, Lucy is harboring secrets of her own, too.

Then, the worst happens. Sarah's behavior takes a turn for the strange. She becomes angry… and hungry. 

Lucy soon comes to suspect that something is trying to possess her beloved sister. Or is it madness? As Sarah changes before her very eyes, Lucy must reckon with the dark, monstrous truth, or risk losing her forever.

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

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.

#BookReview: Exquisite Ruin (The Labyrinth #1) by AdriAnne May

Synopsis:
In this darkly romantic reimagining of the Minotaur myth, a sorceress and a demon are entwined in sensual battle to escape a deadly maze and reclaim their freedom.

In this deadly maze, the most dangerous thing may be the passion between them.

Sadaré wakes in a labyrinth, remembering nothing except that she is a powerful sorceress. Her only companion is a hostile immortal named Daesra—beautiful, dangerous, and demonic—who bound his divine soul for power and revenge.

Despite their animosity, the two have no choice but to work together to reach the center and defeat the monster who prevents their escape. But the longer they wander, the more deadly and alive the maze becomes—and the more Sadaré finds herself drawn to Daesra in ways she can't explain.

As sorceress and demon develop a tenuous truce, the labyrinth gives Sadaré glimpses of their shared history of passion and pain that make her question everything she knows. Unlocking the secrets of her past may be the only way to survive and heal their entwined fates—but as she learns more about the betrayals that brought them to the labyrinth, Sadaré begins to fear that the monster at the center could be Daesra ... or even herself.