#BookReview: Claimed By Her Monsters by @authorlexidavis

Synopsis: On Halloween night, the storm comes for me…and so do three dangerous men who swear I’m theirs.

At nineteen I’ve taken my knocks, parents gone, extended foster care, and one bad night at my group home that lands me with a court-appointed, distant “relative.” He’s a beautiful stranger in a black suit; I’m a disaster in borrowed shoes. Neither of us wants this. Still, he brings me to a mansion that breathes. The halls listen. The portraits watch. Outside, the thunder speaks my name.

He tells me to stay in my room.
I don’t.

Downstairs I meet his friends.

Mick, the big one who growls.
Caspian, the quiet one who can’t stop staring.
Alister, the grump who brought me here.


A storm rages outside. The house whispers. The lights die. They tell me I’m the key to whatever’s waking inside these walls…and inside me. I have to complete a ritual before midnight or the thing under my skin will tear me and this town apart. They say it’s simple.

Fight and die.
Yield to it, and to all of them, and live.

But in this house, nothing is what it seems, least of all me, and when the clock strikes twelve, I’ll have to decide whether to resist the monsters at my door or admit they already own my heart.

A wicked, why-choose Halloween romance with crackling chemistry, haunted-house vibes, and a fierce heroine who doesn’t have to pick. High heat. No cheating. HEA. 

Perfect if you love fated mates, found family, grumpy–sunshine, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, protective, possessive heroes, age-gap tension, witty banter, and a chosen-one heroine.

#BookReview: Jingle Spells (Oak Haven Witches, #2) by Emily Grimoire

Synopsis: Pre-order this cozy Christmas witch romance now, perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and Rewitched

Sparks are flying under the mistletoe this Christmas…

Delilah hates Christmas. She’s a strong independent witch who has finally left her hometown of Oak Haven and is off forging her own path. But an emergency drags her back just in time for the holidays.

Jasper is a human who also hates Christmas. He’s attempting to avoid festivities when he stumbles into the magical world of Oak Haven – a place which definitely isn't supposed to exist – and sees things which should be impossible.

When chaos erupts in the town, Delilah and Jasper must join forces to restore order. They should be the perfect team. Their only problem? Their growing attraction to each other might be distracting them from their work…

The perfect cozy Christmas romance with a sprinkle of magic, where Gilmore Girls meets Charmed.

#BookReview: Witch of the Wolves (Witch of the Wolves, #1) by @kayleearcherauthor

Synopsis: When a powerful witch discovers she's the daughter of an Alpha werewolf and is taken by his Pack, she's determined to break free all the while denying her attraction to her abductor. Witch of the Wolves is perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and From Blood and Ash.

Cordelia Levine comes from a long line of powerful witches. She's been flying under the radar in the human world, focused on strengthening her magic. She loves working at her aunt's apothecary in London, secretly serving supernaturals.

Until the truth about her family is revealed.

She always assumed her enhanced sense of smell came from her French perfumer father. But when Bishop Daniels abducts Cordelia at the request of her father, the Alpha, Cordelia learns she's a lycan--sharing both witch and werewolf traits. She's brought to Trevelyan, the pack estate, under the guise of protection from foreign threats who want to use her to continue their bloodline.

She quickly learns that to keep her from being sold off to another pack, her father intends to give Cordelia as a mate to Bishop. His second in command and the future Alpha.

Cordelia refuses to accept this as her fate. She can't rely on her magic alone to escape and when she learns Bishop plans to challenge her father's power, she reluctantly begins to trust him. The cracks within the Pack become evident and something is bound to break. And Cordelia and her growing desire for the man who shouldn't set her on fire are right at the center of it all.

Witch of the Wolves is the first book in this Victorian romantasy series, featuring an intense and sexy romance and a world on the brink of change.

#BookReview: The Sleepless (Sleepless Duology, #1) by Jen Williams

Synopsis: Godkiller meets Powerless in this epic gods-and-monsters romantic fantasy from British Fantasy Award-winning author Jen Williams.

Welcome to a world where gods and monsters roam the earth . . .

Elver is the guardian of the wild and dangerous monster forest. Saved from the brink of death by a god, her skin will poison anyone she touches.

Artair is on a mission—one that takes him face-to-face with Elver at her most ruthless. But her defenses are useless when she discovers he's the only human impervious to her deadly gift. For Artair isn't human: he's one of the Sleepless, cursed to share his body with an evil spirit.

Lucian inhabits their body while Artair sleeps, and he is hell-bent on manipulating Elver for his dark purposes. But Elver is harbouring secrets too, and she has her own reasons for feigning an alliance with these two souls.

Caught in the crossfire of gods, monsters, and a dangerous magic they can barely understand, it is only a matter of time before the paths the three of them choose to take will set alight the very foundations of their world.

With a love triangle like you’ve never seen it, incredible world-building, brilliant writing, and a dangerous quest, The Sleepless will have you spellbound.

#BookReview: The Weaver Bride (The Weaver Bride, #1) by @_lydiagregovic_

Synopsis: A sweeping fantasy about a witch who must navigate a ruthless marriage competition—and try not to fall in love along the way. Part twisting mystery, part thrilling romance, The Weaver Bride is an unputdownable romantasy steeped in a lush magical world.

Lovett Tamerlane is a silkwitch. Like all girls of her kind, she holds a rare magic—a magic that can be harnessed only through marriage to a Weaver. But finding a Weaver husband requires status, refinement, and money, all of which Lovett sadly lacks. Her one secret ability, to open any door, is her saving grace. Hidden in plain sight, Lovett spends her days using her gift to steal from wealthy families and her nights avoiding the fate imposed on all unwed silkwitches: a life confined to the cloisters.

But opening doors can be dangerous, and when Lovett steals from the wrong person, she finds herself face to face with Eliot Lear, the notorious son of a prominent Weaver. It turns out Eliot’s been watching Lovett. He knows she’s a silkwitch, and he offers her a life-altering opportunity: entrance to the Vainglory, a competition with the ultimate prize—marriage to Noé Alaire, heir to generations of Weaver wealth. The catch? Last year, the Vainglory ended in tragedy. The winner died. And the winner was Eliot’s sister.

The arrangement is simple: If Lovett solves the mystery of Ophelia Lear’s death and unmasks her killer, Eliot will ensure she has her pick of Weaver suitors, regardless of who wins the competition. Yet unraveling Ophelia’s murder proves far more complicated than either of them anticipated. And Lovett should know better than to take a Weaver at his word.

After all . . . what is love without betrayal?

#BookReview: One More Heartbeat (Carson Brothers #5) by @stinalindenblatt

Synopsis: Finding a toddler on my doorstep? Not exactly how I planned for the day to go. 

Zara Thompson has loved sexy, ex-Marine Garrett Carson since college—but he was in love with her best friend. For the past twelve years, Zara has kept her secret and her heart guarded.

Then a woman shows up on Garrett’s doorstep with a toddler and a shocking claim: the little girl is his daughter, and her mother—Zara’s former best friend—is dead, killed in a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now, Garrett is juggling fatherhood, a looming book deadline, a frightened toddler who won’t go near him, and a live-in nanny who refuses to warm up to Zara—especially after she witnesses an unexpected and steamy kiss between Zara and Garrett. 

A steamy kiss that sends their close friendship into a tailspin…

But as Zara focuses on expanding her small-town café and helping Garrett be a father, a mix of circumstances beyond her control and buried secrets conspire against her…threatening Zara’s chance at a happily ever after with the man her heart refuses to give up on.

#BookReview: What Fury Brings (Wrath and Fury, #1) by @tricialevenseller

Synopsis: #1 New York Times-bestselling author Tricia Levenseller makes her adult debut in What Fury Brings, a sexy, empowering romantasy featuring a warrior general who must kidnap and train a husband in order to take her rightful place as queen.

There's a shortage of men in the kingdom of Amarra. After a failed rebellion against the matriarchy, most noblemen in the country are dead. Now the women of Amarra must obtain their husbands (should they want one) by kidnapping them from other kingdoms.

Olerra, a warrior princess vying for the throne, is determined to prove her worth by kidnapping a husband. And not just any husband. To outmaneuver her treacherous cousin, she needs the best. Fortunately, the second-born prince of their greatest enemy is widely known for both his looks and his sweet, docile temperament. He's the perfect choice to secure her claim to the throne.

Sanos, heir to the Kingdom of Brutus, has nothing but contempt for the idea of a society run by women. Trained from birth to fight, lead, and follow in his father's overbearing footsteps, his path has always been set. Until he takes his younger brother's place in a drunken prank and finds himself kidnapped, carted off to the Amarran Palace, and informed that he is to become the husband of Queen Potential Olerra. Sanos needs to escape before anyone learns his real identity, but the more he gets to know his captor, the less sure he is of what he truly wants.

#BookReview: Dragon Fires Everywhere (Witchlore, #4) by Hazel Beck

Synopsis: When a witch plays with fire, she might just ignite a love that can't be extinguished…

 
Newly-minted Historian of the soon-to-be-ascended Riverwood Coven Georgie Pendell has always played her part—so why does she feel like an outsider in her own life? Duped and dumped by her boyfriend, Georgie finds herself dismissing love as a fairytale. But when the words she reads aloud from an enchanted storybook free a dragon shifter, everything changes.
 
Georgie finds herself drawn to the dragon in ways she didn’t think were even possible for her, and her dragon, with his fiery golden gaze, all but claims Georgie as his own. But beneath his scorching intensity lies a secret, one that stretches back into the ancient past.
 
With the Joywood Coven still finding ways to upend the new order of the witching world, Georgie and her coven will need to prove themselves up to the task of being in charge, and right the wrongs their predecessors committed—if they can uncover the truth. Because something is missing. Something that will stop the Joywood once and for all. Something that only a Historian and an ancient dragon can find.
 

#BookReview: Hekate - The Witch (Goddesses of the Underworld, #1) by Nikita Gill

Synopsis: A propulsive, electrifying and enraging retelling of the life of Greek goddess Hekate, child of war turned all-powerful goddess of witchcraft and necromancy, by internationally bestselling poet Nikita Gill.

Born into a world on fire, Godling Hekate has never known safety. After her parents are on the losing side of the war between the ruling Titans and new Olympian Gods, Hekate is taken by her mother Asteria to the Underworld, where Styx and Hades agree to raise her. Meanwhile, Asteria is pursued across the world by Zeus and Poseidon and, to escape their clutches, transforms herself into an island in a stormy sea.

Orphaned and alone, Hekate grows up amongst the horrors and beauties of the Underworld, desperate to find her divine purpose and a sense of belonging in the land of the dead. 

When Hekate finally uncovers her powers and ascends to Goddess status, she realises that even the most powerful Olympians are terrified of her. But when immortal war breaks out again, threatening to destroy everything from Mount Olympus to the Underworld itself, the Goddess of witchcraft and necromancy is the only one who can bring the deadly conflict to an end. . .

#BookReview: No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams

Synopsis: With an expert hand, Rachel Louise Adams’s debut No Rest for the Wicked reads like an edge of your seat, heart-pounding scary movie.

In one Halloween obsessed Midwestern town, everyone’s on red alert after a local politician goes missing. Little do they know it’s only the beginning. 

It’s been close to twenty years since forensic pathologist Dolores Hawthorne left her hometown of Little Horton, Wisconsin. The town is famous for its Halloween celebrations, but also its history of violent deaths linked to the holiday. To Dolores, it’s the place she fled, family, bad memories, and all. Until the FBI calls to tell her that her father--the former mayor turned US Senator--is missing under mysterious circumstances.

Some people count to ten to wake up from a nightmare. Dolores always counts the bones of her head sphenoid, frontal, lacrimal. But no matter how many times she counts them, it doesn’t change the fact that her father is missing, that his final words of warning to her were to trust no one, and that now, the rest of her family is giving Dolores a chilling welcome. With Halloween fast approaching, Dolores must face the past she left behind before it’s too late.

#BookReview: The Summer War by @naominovik

Synopsis: In this poignant, heartfelt novella from the New York Times bestselling author of Spinning Silver and the Scholomance Trilogy, a young witch who has inadvertently cursed her brother to live a life without love must find a way to undo her spell.

Celia discovered her talent for magic on the day her beloved oldest brother Argent left home. Furious at him for abandoning her in a war-torn land, she lashed out, not realizing her childish, angry words would suddenly become imbued with the power of prophecy, dooming him to a life without love.

While Argent wanders the world, forced to seek only fame and glory instead of the love and belonging he truly desires, Celia attempts to undo the curse she placed on him. Yet even as she grows from a girl to a woman, she cannot find the solution—until she learns the truth about the centuries-old war between her own people and the summerlings, the immortal beings who hold a relentless grudge against their mortal neighbors.

Now, with the aid of her unwanted middle brother, Celia may be able to both undo her eldest brother's curse and heal the lands so long torn apart by the Summer War.

#BookReview: Unraveled by @abbeyfoxauthor

Synopsis: Everyone knows to never look a fae in the eyes, yet no one warned me he would hide behind the mask of a beast.

Death awaits those who get caught in the Wild Hunt, and only a magical veil protects the people of Penumbra from the monsters coming for them. So when a beast threatens to destroy the veil, Mia Clementine must break her vows of sorcery and use her magic to fight him, or risk losing everyone she loves.

But the beast isn’t what he seems, and now the fae king owns her soul. Dragged into his mythical land, she must unravel the curse that turned him into a monster in order to regain her freedom—or die trying.

The longer she stays in his world, the more irresistible her feelings for him become. Hate turns into passion, and newly discovered truths test her loyalties, forcing her to choose to save her people or the fae world she’s grown to love.

If you like Howl's Moving Castle and ACOTAR, then you will love this gothic Beauty and the Beast retelling in a fantasy setting.

#BookReview: Darkness Births the Stars by @authorsarahleewohn

Synopsis: Their forbidden love tore the world apart.

Now two broken gods might be the only ones able to heal it.

Haunted by his past and the evil forces he commanded, Noctis, once the God of Darkness, cannot forget Rada, the former Goddess of Light—and the queen who ruled at his brother’s side. Condemned to mortality, thought dead to the whole world, Noctis craves one last meeting …

Stripped of her magic and exiled for treason, Rada has built an idyllic new life on a farm at the edges of the realm. But her peace is shattered one stormy night when Noctis—the enemy who caused her downfall, the lover she betrayed in turn—appears at her door, wounded and desperate.

When a sinister attack reveals the powers of Chaos are stirring once more, Noctis’s dark past begins to unravel. As desire and duty entwine, Rada faces an impossible choice. Can she become the ally of the man who broke her heart to save everything she holds dear?

Inspired by Nordic mythology, this first book in a series follows star-crossed lovers, their fall from grace and their quest for redemption. Sizzling, tension-filled romance, high-stakes magical battles, and morally-grey characters make this the perfect read for fans of Gild, The Cruel Prince and When the Moon Hatched.

Are you prepared to touch the Darkness?

#BookReview: A Land So Wide by Erin A. Craig

Synopsis: Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped. Founded by an ambitious lumber merchant, the village is blessed with rich natural resources that have made its people prosperous—but at a cost. The same woods that have lined the townsfolks’ pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves, bears, and the Bright-Eyeds—monsters beyond description who have rained utter destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistaken’s founders made a deal with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will keep the Bright-Eyeds out—and the town’s citizens in. Anyone who spends a night within Mistaken’s borders belongs to it forever.

Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Determined to rescue Ellis, she figures out a way to defy Mistaken’s curse and begins a trek through the cold and pitiless wilderness. But there, Greer is hunted, not only by the ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistaken’s founding and her own origins.

Playfully drawing from Scottish folklore, Erin A. Craig’s adult debut is both a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus security: a stunning celebration of one woman's relentless bravery on a quest to reclaim her lost love—and seize her own future.

#AudiobookReview: Wild Reverence (Letters of Enchantment #0) by Rebecca Ross

Synopsis: Dear Matilda, I wrote.

I let the words flow for her.
And when the ink dried,
I gave my very heart
to the fire.

Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic she uses to carry words and letters through the realms. But the gods will kill for power, and Matilda holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest allies.

And there is a mortal who dreams of her, though they have never met in the waking world. Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life—begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. His request went unanswered, and Vincent became a hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda . . . until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

Matilda and Vincent were fated to find each other beyond dreams. But to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, Matilda will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: finally allowing herself to be loved.

#BookReview: Honeyeater by Kathleen Jennings

Synopsis: A richly imagined dark fantasy that pulses with the beautiful destruction of a town reclaimed by the natural world.

Sub-tropical Bellworth is founded on floodplains and root-bound secrets. And Charlie, remarkable only for vanished friends and a successful sister, plans to leave for good, just as soon as he deals with his dead aunt’s house. Then Grace arrives, desperate, with roses pressing up through her skin, and drags Charlie into the ghost-choked mysteries of Bellworth, uncovering the impossible consequences of loss and desire — and a choice Charlie made when he was a boy. But peeling back the rumors and lies that cocoon the suburb disturbs more than complacent neighbors and lost souls. And Charlie and Grace are forced to a decision that threatens not only their lives, but all they believed those lives could be.

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

#BookReview: Save You (Maxton Hall #2) by Mona Kasten & Rachel Ward (translator)

Synopsis: The second book in the international bestselling Maxton Hall series—now an Amazon Prime streaming series—in English for the first time.

After all the hurt between them, will they be able to find their way back to each other?

Ruby Bell thought that she and James Beaufort had something special. She’s never had such strong feelings for someone. And after his betrayal, she’s also never felt this much hurt. Ruby just wants her old life back before she knew anyone at Maxton Hall, before she knew James. She used to be able to rely on her studies to keep her focused, but school is no longer a refuge—not when she sees James everywhere. But she has to stay on track, especially with university looming over them and the uncertainty of what the future holds.

Despite everything, Ruby wants to support James as he struggles with his father’s expectations of him taking over the family business. But she makes one thing very clear: she is not willing to forgive him or give him a second chance. As love and hate compete for Ruby's heart, James will try everything he can to win her back.

#BookReview: It Happened on a Sunday by Tracy Wolff

Synopsis: Stars collide in this unexpected love story. When her world falls apart, pop stra Sloane Walker has too much on her plate to even consider dating — that is until Mateo Sylvester seeks her out.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff comes a fierce, emotional romance about two people surviving the spotlight and choosing love when everything says they shouldn't.

They call her the Black Widow. A pop star. A tabloid tragedy. A girl who set the world on fire—and got burned in return.

But Sloane Walker doesn’t care what they say. Not anymore. The headlines, the hashtags, the rumors that never die? Let them come. She’s survived worse—like the betrayal that nearly destroyed her and the fans who blamed her for surviving. These days, she’s armor and eyeliner, singing songs that hurt and pretending they don’t.

She’s halfway through a sold-out tour and dangerously close to unraveling when a meet-and-greet throws her into the path of Mateo Sylvester—a media darling with a magnetic smile, a thriving career of his own, and a grandmother who happens to be Sloane’s biggest fan. He knows exactly how brutal the spotlight can be. He’s lived it. He’s got the press eating from his hand. She’s got a flask full of sweet tea, a voice full of ghosts, and no patience for golden boys with good intentions.

She tells herself it’s just a photo op. Just another handshake. Just another public face with private secrets and no idea what it means to bleed for your art.

But Mateo sees more than the stage persona. He sees the cracks in her smile. The songs she’s too scared to write. The girl underneath the glitter, still fighting to stay.

They weren’t supposed to fall. Not in the spotlight. Not when the world is watching. And definitely not when the people closest to them would do anything to keep them apart.

#AudiobookReview: Sea of Charms (Spellshop #3) by @sarahbethdurst

Synopsis: Marin is a supply runner with her own boat that she sails from island to island, delivering whatever anyone will pay her to deliver: letters, flour, even the occasional enchanted lemur. It’s a lonely life, but it’s hers, and she wouldn’t trade the freedom of the sea for anything. Her only companion is a sea serpent, Perri, whom she saved from a fisherfolk’s net.

One day, she sails to Alyssium and discovers the city is on fire. There’s been a revolution, and the empire has fallen. Marin, with Perri, begins transporting refugees, finding them new homes where they can start over. One such refugee is Dax, a composer who refuses to leave behind his instruments, no matter how much she tries to emphasize the gravity of the situation. Intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, and his charming smile, Marin discovers perhaps she isn’t saving him ― maybe it’s the other way around.

From the acclaimed author of The Spellshop, Sea of Charms is a delightful cosy fantasy for fans of Travis Baldree and TJ Klune.

#AudiobookReview: The Girl with a Thousand Faces by @sunyidean

Synopsis: From the USA Today bestselling author of The Book Eaters comes The Girl with a Thousand Faces, a Gothic tale set in a historical Hong Kong that meshes ancient myths and local legends into a haunting story of ghosts, grief, and women who will not forgive.

When Mercy Chan washed up on the shores of Hong Kong with no family, no money, and no memories, she was thrust into the horrors of World War II. She only survived by hiding in Kowloon Walled City, an infamous, ghost-infested slum full of lost and traumatized civilians. Since the end of the war, she has rebuilt her life and found work with the local triad as a ghost-talker, dealing with the angry and bitter spirits who haunt this place. These days, the filthy gutters and cramped alleyways of Kowloon feel like home.

But the past she can’t remember won’t let her go. An unusually powerful ghost has infested Kowloon’s waterways, drowning innocents and threatening the district. Unnervingly, it claims to know Mercy―and her forgotten childhood. As Mercy is drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with this malignant spirit, she begins to realize that the monster she fights within these walls may well be one of her own making.

33 years before, mere days ahead of the Japanese invasion, Sung Siu Yin and her mother flee Hong Kong, intending to hide out on her mother's ancestral island home. It’s beautiful, tranquil, and remote. . . but also inhabited by ghosts ever since the entire village drowned in a storm many years ago. Still, it’s better than living under occupation.

But as the war drags on and isolation sets in, Siu Yin is increasingly drawn into the island's grim past―a past that may still have a hold on the present. There is a darkness lurking beneath that idyllic ocean, and it has been waiting many years for someone to return.

"The Girl With a Thousand Faces confirms Sunyi Dean as one of the most interesting voices in genre fiction.”―Gareth Brown, USA Today bestselling author of The Book of Doors