#BookReview: Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings

Synopsis: Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.

Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.

#BookReview: Zomromcom (Supernatural Entanglements #1) by Olivia Dade

Synopsis: An Instant USA Today Bestseller!

Teaming up with your neighbor during a zombie outbreak is a no-brainer, but if it turns out he’s a vampire . . . the stakes couldn’t be higher, in this infectious new paranormal romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Spoiler Alert.

When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead. As it turns out, he's actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all her neighbor's newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston "Max" Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though—and Max won’t let her save them alone.

As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they're not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you'd die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.

#BookReview: Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods

Synopsis: A group of hauntingly beautiful girls have been bound together by a cruel curse—and one of them will go to any lengths to save them from their violent dance. A breathtakingly gorgeous gothic fantasy about love and control that will never let you go. This spellbinding debut is perfect for fans of Stephanie Garber!

In the legendary ballet theatre of New Kora, the girls on stage enchant the audience each night with their grace and divine beauty. Before Emberlyn became the show’s star, it was her dream to become one of the ballerinas… until she learned the price of their living nightmare.

A curse has bound the girls to the show’s mastermind, Malcolm, so they must obey his every command. They are controlled by the magic’s invisible strings that has the power to wield their limbs like marionette dolls. Only the commands don’t stop when the curtain comes down, and the girls live a life of fear from Malcolm’s wickedness and the twisted truth that each dancer is destined to turn to dust when the curse finally consumes her. 

When the troupe is invited to perform in the glitzy city of Parlizia, Emberlyn knows this could be her best chance to save them all. She meets an elusive boy made of shadows with a magical connection to the girls. Together, they work to unravel the haunting truth about their creation and fight for their survival. But the cost of freedom might be too high, and as she dances closer to the edge of darkness she realizes she might break the curse… or break her own heart forever.

#BookReview: Crown of Briars (Crowns of the Fae, #2) by @rlperezbooks

Synopsis: He must wed her to break the curse.

She must kill him to save her kingdom.

Every generation, the Earthen Court gives a princess bride to the Wraith King to protect their realm from his deadly shadows. Princess Sybelle has prepared her entire life to be married to the monster who has been terrorizing her people.

And she has a plan to end her people's suffering for good.

With the help of her dragon familiar, who can sniff out powerful enchantments, she intends to uncover the source of the Wraith King's shadow magic. Once he is rendered powerless, she plans to kill him.

But despite his demonic appearance, the Wraith King is not who he appears to be. He is as alluring as he is deadly and, as Sybelle comes to know him, he awakens a fire in her soul she never knew she had.

When she realizes he is trapped by a powerful curse, she wants to do everything in her power to break it.

But to do so would endanger her own life and the lives of her people.

Torn between her duty to her kingdom and breaking the Wraith King's curse, Sybelle must decide where her loyalties to the home she was raised to protect, or to the dark king who has worked his way into her heart?

This book contains adult themes. Readers are encouraged to check the content warning inside before reading.


Crown of Briars is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist, full of dark fae magic, deadly court schemes, and steamy romance. The Crowns of the Fae books can be read in any order as stand-alone novels.

#BookReview: A Bond Beyond Blood (The Butcher's Daughter Trilogy #1) by @authorjjameson

Synopsis: Elias Bristol. Vincenzo Ricci. Gannon Hayes.

Three vampires with one goal in mind: me..

I’ve dedicated the year since my father’s death to learning how to slay vampires. Specifically, the monster who could have saved him but didn’t. With one of their own training me, I might stand half a chance.

But each training class with Vinny brings us closer together, and things go from complicated to what the actual f*ck when my ex shows up after ghosting me after my father’s funeral and, sure enough, Gannon is now a vampire—with a newfound thirst for my blood.

And sure, two vamps are a lot to handle, but when the vampire king returns and I fail to kill him even after months of training, my love triangle becomes a freaky foursome—and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying myself thoroughly.

PNR RH MFMM

***

Author's Note:
What you are about to read was previously released as two separate books: THE BUTCHER'S DAUGHTER: A Prequel and A BOND BEYOND BLOOD. Both books were recently taken off sale from all platforms, combined, revised, and edited to create this new full-length paranormal romance novel.

The series will now be called The Butcher's Daughter Trilogy:

Book One: A BOND BEYOND BLOOD - August 1, 2025
Book Two: WHEN BLOOD RUNS COLD - Date TBA
Book Three - Date and Title TBA

#BookReview: While the Dark Remains (The Winter Dark, #1) by @gamwyn

Synopsis: In an icebound palace of magic and menace, a young woman plots to outwit a cruel king in a bracing fantasy about love, found family, and immeasurable revenge.

Brynja spent her childhood as a captive performer in Tenebris, the imposing mountain palace of King Kallias. Every night she risked death for the king’s entertainment until his rebellious son, Prince Ballast, helped her escape. Now twenty, Brynja has never forgotten the brutal king. Or forgiven him. Under the cloak of a three-month-long Winter Dark, Brynja is returning to Tenebris for revenge.

Accompanied by a rival court, including the alluring Prince Vil, Brynja poses as diplomatic royalty to barter peace between nations. No one is better equipped to infiltrate the palace than Brynja―she remembers every hidden passage like a bad dream. But her quest to destroy Kallias is complicated by her feelings for Prince Ballast, whom she isn’t sure she can still trust. And Kallias’s own quest to mine a catastrophic weapon of war buried in the mountain’s heart will threaten them all, and force Brynja to face the darkest parts of herself.

The lives of everyone she loves depend on the choices she must make. So, too, does the fate of the world.

#BookReview: The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge by Juliette Caruso

Synopsis: She’s a professional cook desperately in need of a refuge. He’s a dragon-riding cowboy with a revoltingly messy kitchen.

Cassia has spent a lifetime fending for herself. After a run-in with outlaws leaves her penniless and wounded, she’s reluctant to impose further on the gruff rancher who rescued her and paid her medical bills. She knows his generosity won’t last, but with nowhere else to go, her only option is to move into his house.

Aevrin and his family aren’t strangers to tragedy. He learned long ago when something good comes into your life, you jump feet-first before it’s gone. But wanting Cassia isn’t simple. She’s running from someone dangerous… and if Aevrin pursues her, he could chase her right back into the fire.

The more time they spend together, getting caught in the rain, sharing each other’s chores, and wagering over kisses, the harder he finds it to keep his hands off the delicious chef who tumbled into his lap.

The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is a cozy, spicy (dragon-riding) cowboy roman(tasy), perfect for readers who long for both a simpler life… and a pet dragon.

#BookReview: Soul of Shadow (Soul of Shadow, #1) by Emma Noyes

Synopsis: A thrilling Norse mythology inspired contemporary romantasy sure to excite fans of The Vampire Diaries and Atlas Six.

Charlie Hudson just wants to get through junior year. Since the death of her twin sister two years earlier, she’s drifted through life, going through the motions at school and parties and even at home. The spark that once burned so brightly within her has all but flickered out. 

Until her classmate goes missing in the forest, leaving nothing behind but a pair of shoes and strange symbols carved into a tree.

Drawn to the disappearances by forces she can’t explain, she finds herself investigating the mysterious, alluring newcomer in town, Elias Everhart. With piercing eyes and sharp wit, he dances around her questions, only intriguing her further. Elias has a secret. More than one.

But what Charlie doesn’t know is that those secrets will lead her to a place she never imagined: a world hiding in plain sight, made of magic, gods, and monsters - and a first love fated to fall apart.

In Emma Noyes's Soul of Shadow, truths and temptations lurk in the darkness, and for Charlie, the only thing more dangerous than facing her past, is the boy with the power to change her future.

#BookReview: The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson

Synopsis: The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson is a powerful and poignant contemporary queer fantasy. Perfect for fans of Hadestown and Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune.

Love doesn’t die, people do . . .

At the edge of Chicago, nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, there is a waystation for the dead. Every night, the newly-departed travel through the city to the Station, guided by its lighthouse. There, they reckon with their lives, before stepping aboard a boat to go beyond.

Nera has spent decades watching her father – the ferryman of the dead – sail across the lake, each night just like the last.

But tonight, something is wrong.

The Station's lighthouse has started to flicker out. The terrifying, ghostly Haunts have multiplied in the city. And now a person – a living person has found her way onto the boat.

Her name is Charlie. She followed a song. And she is searching for someone she lost.

From the author of The First Bright Thing, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World is a moving and emotional story of magic, family and those who leave us alone - but who might not remain lost.

#BookReview: Wrath of the Dragons (Fear the Flames #2) by @itslivdarling

Synopsis: The second novel in Olivia Rose Darling's thrilling and steamy romantic fantasy series, following Fear the Flames.

In the explosive sequel to the bestselling romantasy Fear the Flames, two fated lovers must unite against warring kingdoms to defend their home and crowns from those who wish to destroy them.

Cayden Veles, renowned Demon Commander of Vareveth, overthrew the throne to save Elowen Atarah, the woman he searched for since childhood. Now he’s determined to fulfill his quest for revenge against her father, even if it means forcing the only person he’s ever wanted into a marriage of political convenience.

Elowen Atarah has everything she thought she’d ever want. Finally reunited with her dragons, she now has an army to enact vengeance, but as events transpire, she begins contemplating if she wants more. As her father’s only living heir, the Imirath throne is her right and destiny. But fighting and winning a war will require trusting Cayden Veles, her partner in crime and now king to her queen; the man she both longs for and doubts, especially after opening her heart only to become a pawn in his game.

Navigating the shifting allegiances amongst all the kingdoms of Ravaryn will require all their strategy and strength, with devastating and bloody attacks on one side and cutthroat diplomacy for alliances on the other. But Elowen and Cayden must find a way to stand strong within the power they’ve gained, or risk losing everything.

Delving deeper into a vast and ever-changing world, Wrath of the Dragons will take you on a journey filled with epic battles and a tender, angsty love for the ages.

#BookReview: Birth of a Dynasty (Dynasty , #1) by @chinazabado

Synopsis: Combining the political intrigue of She Who Became the Sun with the gorgeous world-building of Children of Blood and Bone, Birth of a Dynasty is the start of a thrilling epic fantasy trilogy centered around three families’ fight for power in Ahkebulin, a land where magic is feared, giants are real, and prophecy holds sway. 

We shall not forgive. We shall not forget. We will have our vengeance.

After witnessing the massacre of everyone he’s ever known and loved, M’Kuru Mukundi, the sole surviving member of the High Noble House Mukundi of Madada, vows revenge. M’kuru flees to a small village where he hides under the guise of farm boy Khalil Rausi… unaware that the real Khalil’s father is the bloodthirsty General of Zenzele army, and under the direction of the King’s scheming son, Prince Effiom, was responsible for the murder of M’kuru’s people. When an imposter claiming to be M’kuru shows up in the village, the real M’kuru—now Khalil—must bide his time amongst his enemies, pretending to be everything that he hates in order to get vengeance.

In another part of the country where giants roam free, young Zikora Nnamani, the only daughter of Lord Nnamani, knows nothing of political intrigue—she wants little more than to be a fierce Seh Llinga warrior. But a well-known prophecy places too much potential power on her small shoulders, and—as far as Prince Effiom and the King know—she is the only living threat to their dynasty ruling forever. However, when a messenger arrives to “invite” Zikora to stay at the palace, her family is not in a position to refuse. Before she is taken away, she begins The Rite of Blessing, a magical inheritance that she will need to learn how to use, but that may also bring the world one step closer to the completion of the prophecy that Prince Effiom so fears.

Between scheming ladies at court, backstabbing princes on the prowl, and paranoid kings, M’kuru and Zikora must do what they can, no matter how terrible, to save their people and claim vengeance for their families. But they are just two young people against an entire kingdom—and a prophecy destined to thwart their dreams—and the last thing they can do is trust anyone…even each other.

#BookReview: Arcana Academy (Arcana Academy, #1) by @elise.kova

Synopsis: Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job goes awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards-a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape-for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems.

But can she risk giving him power over the world-and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?

#BookReview: The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw

Synopsis: A deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and The Atlas Six who are hungry for something a little more diabolical.

The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted is the premier academy for the dangerously powerful: the Anti-Christs and Ragnaroks, the world-eaters and apocalypse-makers.

Hellebore promises redemption, acceptance, and a normal life after graduation. At least, that’s what Alessa Li is told when she’s kidnapped and forcibly enrolled. 

But there’s more to Hellebore than meets the eye. On graduation day, the faculty go on a ravenous rampage, feasting on Alessa’s class. Only Alessa and a group of her classmates escape the carnage. Trapped in the school’s library, they must offer a human sacrifice every night, or else the faculty will break down the door and kill everyone.

Can they band together and survive, or will the faculty eat its fill?

#BookReview: Between These Broken Hearts (These Hollow Vows, #4) by Lexi Ryan

Synopsis: Forbidden romance, mysterious prophecies, and the battle to save the fae realm come to a captivating conclusion in the #1 New York Times bestselling saga begun with Abriella in the These Hollow Vows duology and continued with Jas and Felicity in Beneath These Cursed Stars.

Princess Jasalyn has eleven days to live.


Jasalyn is facing the repercussions of a deadly bargain. Her life, and the future of the shadow court, are forfeit on her birthday unless she can stop the evil fae king Mordeus. She needs to face her greatest fears and find him before she runs out of time, but even after everything, Kendrick won’t let her face this alone.


Shape-shifter Felicity has vanished.


Felicity disappeared from King Misha’s dungeons, and her friends have been searching for her to no avail. But even if she’s found, Felicity will never be able to escape the oracle’s tragic prophecy for her and her family. In her lonely battle with fate, Misha is the last person she can ask to stand by her side, but the first one she’ll need.

#BookReview: The Enchanted Greenhouse (Spellshop #2) by @sarahbethdurst

 

Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.

#BookReview: A Resistance of Witches by @authormorganryan

Synopsis: A historical fantasy debut set against the backdrop of World War II, where a witch journeys to find a book of unspeakable power before it lands in Nazi hands

Stubborn, plainspoken, and from an unimpressive family, Lydia Polk never expected to be accepted into the Royal Academy of Witches. Now, with Hitler’s army rampaging across Europe, the witches of Britain have joined the war effort, and Lydia is key to the cause: she must use her magic to track down magical relics before Hitler and his sycophants can. Then a Nazi witch infiltrates the Academy with heart-breaking consequences, leaving the coven shaken, exposed, and divided. The elder British witches have no interest in further loss of coven life in service of a government that has forced them into hiding for generations. But with the discovery of the Grimorium Bellum, an ancient book that leaves a trail of death and destruction wherever it goes, Lydia knows her mission has never been more urgent. 

Alone and woefully outnumbered, Lydia makes her way to the heart of occupied France, where she finds allies in Rebecca Gagne, a fierce French resistance fighter with a secret, and Henry Boudreaux, a handsome Haitian American art historian with a little magic of his own. Together, they traverse the country, stalked by the natural and supernatural alike, in search of the grimoire. But, as Lydia soon discovers, finding the book is only half the battle the Grimorium Bellum itself has a dark agenda. Lydia must subdue it before the witches of the Third Reich can use it—but she’ll have to survive the book herself first.

#BookReview: Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods

Synopsis: Two fledgling tabletop gamers find themselves falling for each other—both in and out of their weekly D&D sessions—in this charming, fantasy-tinged romance.

For years, Sadie Brooks has declined her best friend’s standing invitation to join his Dungeons & Dragons campaign. But when she unexpectedly loses her marketing job and flees New York City to spend the summer with him in small-town Texas, she also runs out of excuses to say no.

In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful and self-assured human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck with spells to heal her companions. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out, and she hopes the distraction will give her time to clear her head and plan next steps.

She never expected Noah Walker—the handsome, outgoing bartender roped into joining them—to factor into that plan. Like Sadie, he’s new in town. But with a taste for adventure, Noah never stays in one place for long. He’s something of a traveling bard—just like his character Loren, the charismatic, lute-strumming elf. While Jaylie finds herself succumbing to the bard’s charms over the course of their party’s travels, Sadie also begins to fall under Noah’s spell.

As their relationship progresses in both worlds, Sadie can’t help but wonder if they might last beyond the game. But when a surprising new opportunity opens in New York, she must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place—and whether she and Noah have found something in Texas worth staying for. Torn between her career dreams in the city and the exciting uncertainty of a new adventure, she will have no choice but to roll the dice.

#BookReview: Throne of Dusk (The Lost Fae Queen, #1) by E.R. Jensen

Synopsis:  Orphan. Warrior. Prisoner. Princess. A half-Fae orphan joined a Fae warrior training camp at the mere age of eleven. Defying expectations and proving that a half-blood is capable of holding her own against all odds, Serafina earned the coveted Fae title of warrior.

When a shapeshifter’s best friend convinced him to become the lord commander of the Court of Dusk, little did he know that his life would no longer be his own to control.

Driven by fear that his shapeshifting secret will cost him his life, Tristan walks a fine line of faithful servant and traitor to the Court of Dusk.

Serafina, the newest prisoner at the Court of Dusk, becomes Tristan’s charge and he finds himself forced to make a Destroy the killer of his best friend? Or give in to his greatest desire?

#BookReview: Lore of the Tides (Lore of the Wilds #2) by Analeigh Sbrana

Synopsis: From the author of Lore of the Wilds comes the exciting and passionate conclusion, as Lore navigates Fae magic amid looming dangers that threaten to destroy her world.

Lore Alemeyu wakes up to discover she’s on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Held prisoner and with no way to escape, she’s faced with a dire set of circumstances…

A crew that’s distrustful of Lore’s magic capabilities…

Her betrayal by a Fae she thought she could trust…

A dangerous quest for the sun book, which, if placed in the wrong hands, will make the Alytherian Fae even more powerful.

Lore must navigate threats on the ship and beyond, into the ocean’s magical and mysterious depths, in order to find the sun book herself and help free the humans. All the while, Lore can’t help but feel the intense pull of one Fae male who has been helping her all along. But is she willing to risk her human heart for creatures that have burned her in the past, and jeopardize her people’s future?

#BookReview: Infernal Hearts by @authordannyhaliwell

Synopsis: “I want to offer you a deal…”

Jason Blackwell thought he had finally escaped his father’s world of magical medicine. All he wants is a normal life as a practicing veterinarian. No supernaturals. No unpredictable magic. Just a small town, regular animals, and walking away from his family secrets…and lies.

Until he’s woken in the night by Levi—an incubus attired in a fancy suit with a Southern drawl, too much charm, and an annoying tendency to always get his way. Jason is his only chance to find his missing brother.

And they have only two weeks to find him…or the demon dies. And finding Levi’s brother might just be the key to figuring out his own father’s disappearance.

Pulled back into the life he thought he had left behind forever, Jason now returns to the shadows and secrets of the supernatural world. Only this time, there’s no hiding from the truth about himself—and his family’s troubled legacy—or from the magnetic demon who pulls at his heart.

But when you make a bargain with an incubus, there is always a price to be paid. The only question is whether Jason and Levi will live long enough to regret it…

Infernal Hearts is a supernatural enemies-to-lovers romance about a magic practitioner and a misbehaving incubus who discover that every deal has a dark side.