#BookReview: Swordcrossed by Freya Marske

Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at the ceremony could destroy all hope of restoring his family’s wealth, something that Matti has been trying—and failing—to do for the past ten years.

What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere.

Luca, for his part, is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. All he wants to do is make some easy money and try to forget the crime he committed in his hometown. He didn’t plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti.

However, neither Matti’s business troubles nor Luca himself are quite what they seem. As the days count down to Matti’s wedding, the two of them become entangled in the intrigue and sabotage that have brought Matti’s house to the brink of ruin. And when Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?

#BookReview: The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

“What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?”

In the year 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier is called upon to seduce the young emperor—but quickly discovers they are both ruled by blood, sex and intrigue.

In 1740, a lonely innkeeper agrees to help a mysterious visitor procure a rare medicine, only to unleash an otherworldly terror instead.

And in present-day Los Angeles, a college student meets a beautiful stranger and cannot shake the feeling they’ve met before.

Across these seemingly unrelated timelines woven together only by the twists and turns of fate, two men are reborn, lifetime after lifetime. Within the treacherous walls of an ancient palace and the boundless forests of the Asian wilderness to the heart-pounding cement floors of underground rave scenes, our lovers are inexplicably drawn to each other, constantly tested by the worlds around them.

As their many lives intertwine, they begin to realize the power of their undying love—a power that transcends time itself…but one that might consume them both.

An unpredictable roller coaster of a debut novel, The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a genre-bending romantasy that challenges everything we think we know about true love.

Week 17: Books, Life, and a Little Bit of Chaos with @ReaderLatte

Welcome to Books, Life, and a Little Bit of Chaos with @ReaderLatte! Each week I will be pulling back the curtain on my current review stats—aka the towering list of books I still need to tackle across different platforms (yes, it’s a lot 😅).  I’m also giving a little update on life behind the scenes, where things have been just as chaotic as my TBR. Whether you’re here for the bookish chaos or the real-life updates, thanks for being part of the journey!

#BookBlitz for Safe Bet by @amandalwrites @GiveMeBooksPR

Title: Safe Bet

Trilogy: Final Offer #1

Author: A.L. Woods

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Late 90s/New Adult/Instalust

He Falls First/One Night Stand/Reformed Playboy

Release Date: February 4, 2025

BLURB

Belmira Tavares is a good girl. She doesn’t get into trouble or sleep around. She follows all of her mother’s rules, even the cruel ones. But everybody makes mistakes. Even careful, obedient Belmira.

Her mistake is named Felix Ferreira. He’s handsome and charming and enough of a playboy that her mother will never approve. It was only supposed to be one night, one little rebellion before she resigned herself to living a life dictated by her mother.

But Felix wants more. He might want forever.

If Belmira is ever going to build a life free from her mother’s control, she’ll have to stop choosing the safe bet and choose herself instead.

SAFE BET is the first installment in an angsty, slow burn trilogy about two people who are perfect for each other—if only they can get the timing right.

CONTENT WARNING:

● On-page abuse of an adult child from a parent including; physical, psychological, emotional, financial, and coercive control

● Parental abandonment

● On-page abuse from a romantic partner (NOT the MMC) including; physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual

● Anxiety; mental health, and relating vernacular of the time period

● Suicidal ideation

●Disordered eating; loss of appetite and skipped meals induced by anxiety and stress (FMC)

● Cancer diagnosis of a close family member

#BookReview: This Dark Paradise by Erin Luken

In this YA fantasy debut perfect for fans of Hotel Magnifique and These Violent Delights, a girl visits the enchanted island of her dreams only to discover that its magic is horribly cursed.

An enchanted island. A dangerous heist. A deadly secret.

In the tenements where Lucia lives, everyone dreams of making it to the enchanted island of Estaralla, where mystical fountains reveal your deepest desires, fantastical feasts appear from nowhere, and dark caverns allow you to whisper with the dead. But Lucia Arduini isn't there to experience miracles. She's there to steal the most valuable object in the world: the source of the island's magic.

Posing as a magical tour guide for wealthy tourists visiting the island, Lucia has five days to steal the source or a dangerous gang will go after her brother. But Estaralla is not what it seems. Torn between a boy who once broke her heart and a girl with a dark secret, Lucia soon discovers that something sinister is happening behind the enchantments…and she might not survive the island's magic long enough to steal it.

This dark YA fantasy with a bisexual love triangle is perfect for fans of Caraval and Belladonna.