Runebreaker by. Mila Finch | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Runebreaker (#1)

Author: Runebreaker

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 486

Publication Date: 1/1/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Series

Aelie can break runes with her bare hands—magic the fae built their entire world on. They hate her for it. Fear her for it. And when she’s caught, they sentence her to die.

Desperate to survive, she shatters the rune enslaving Kairos, a devastatingly handsome fae executioner with a blood-soaked past.

Big mistake.

Kairos slaughters the court and drags Aelie to his breathtaking realm—a kingdom of towering forests and shimmering mists.

Bound to the ruthless king she freed, Aelie must navigate deadly fae politics, master her forbidden power, and resist the fae who sees her as his greatest weapon… and darkest obsession.

Runebreaker is a steamy, fast-paced romantasy with forced proximity, he-falls-first tension, and captive/captor dynamics perfect for adult fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Sarah J. Maas. It features a feral, morally gray hero, a soft girl with a dangerous gift, mating bond tension, and immersive world building. This is book #1 of a trilogy.

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: The world of Runebreaker is one broken up by different Fae territories. They are the ruling species and Aelie is a mortal, who can break their runes. The different kingdoms are in a fragile peace agreement, but things gets worse when Aelie’s power is found out. There are even talk of dragons. There is political intrigue as they figure out what to do with Aelie and the consequences of her actions. I love the rune magic but would love to learn even more about it. I do feel like the world-building wasn’t super detailed, so I would say it’s more light fantasy, easy to consume.

Characters: Aelie is the FMC and she loves her sister, Rheya. They both have powers, Rheya’s being much more mysterious since she is barely in this book, but Aelie can break runes, which is dangerous for powerful Fae who use runes to control people. Kairos, is the executioner and instead of a shadow-daddy he’s a mist-daddy so that’s new but he has a more interesting past that we learn about as the story moves along. I enjoyed the people of Sanguir, where Kairos is from, his sister is a good person, and I feel like they have become a new family for Aelie as they learn to accept her. His best friend Uther, is fun also.

One thing I didn’t love about Aelie is how she is impulsive with her power – it is destructive and it kills people because she can’t control it or understand it fully. She makes bad decisions but I didn’t feel like it mattered, when it should since her mistakes kill a lot of people! It destroys towns, but I felt like her actions were glossed over. Even Kairos would do anything for her even if meant destroying alliances that protect his kingdom – so I hope in the next book Aelie learns to control it.

Romance: The romance in Runebreaker is a slow-burn, fated mates romance which I enjoyed a lot because there was time for their relationship to grow before they were labeled mates. Aelie, has some issues with a past lover that hurt her, so I like that Kairos doesn’t push her, though he wants her badly. Would have love to see some build-up of why he fell in love with her though? Because he does fall first. We see their relationship grow though. Kairos is full of yearning for her, but Aelie has to work out some things from her past relationship. There is some good spice because of Kairos but though he is generous in bed, his personality at times can be a bit blunt and gruff.

Story: Aelie is trying to find her sister, but she is bound to her past lover with a fae deal that could kill her. Kairos is trying to keep Aelie safe, and keep all the kingdoms from attacking his, so it’s a delicate balance of diplomacy (which he has no patience for) and wanting to carry out revenge. I thought the twist in the story was very interesting and makes me want to read book two to see how things will turn out. I can’t say there is much new to this when it comes to romantasy but I did enjoy the rune magic.

Vibes: There are some parts of this, especially the ending that reminded me of the ACOTAR series.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this had lots of potential and though it has the usual romantasy tropes, I did enjoy the rune magic and hope to learn more about it. I also enjoyed the romance even though fated mates is not my favorite trope, but there was something about Kairos’ yearning for Aelie that did it for me. Another thing I would like to learn more about is Rheya, Aelie’s sister since a lot of Aelie’s decision making was to help save her sister. But Rheya was barely in this story, so maybe in book two? I didn’t totally love Aelie because of her decision making skills, I just hope in book two she actually takes some time to learn her powers.

Read if you like:

fated mates
captor/captive
Fae
Mist-daddy

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

To Break Such a Bond by. Mallory Wilde | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: To Break Such a Bond

Author: Mallory White

Format: ebook

Pages: 167

Publication Date: 12/20/25

Categories: Novella, Vampires, Romance, Indie Author

“I don’t want to scare you,” he said, “but if you want, I can prove it.” She stuck her chin out, straightened her shoulders.

“I’m not afraid,” she said. “Prove it.”

1980s, London

Val has spent decades carefully controlling his desires – the desire for blood, and for human connection. The past has taught him that indulging in one will lead to losing control over the other, and he can’t let himself hurt anyone else. So he stays in the shadows, the world slipping by as he watches – until the day Margot strikes up a conversation with him. He becomes attached to her before he can stop himself, and in a moment of weakness he invokes magic that binds them together – the supposedly eternal, unbreakable kind of bond.

Finding a way to release Margot from the bond means reestablishing ties with vampire society that he’d long ago severed and risking the solitude he’s come to see as his salvation – not to mention trying to explain all of this to a human who thought she was just engaging in a little flirtatious banter. But Val won’t let his own foolishness ruin Margot’s life, even if that means he has to do the one thing he fears the most – letting someone else into his world.

Content Warning: mentions of death

Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy of this book! I was pleasantly surprised with this novella. Val is a vampire but kind of a reluctant one and then one night he meets Margot. He’s attracted to her and accidentally puts a thrall on her. Now he needs to break it so he goes with her on a little trip to find out how to do it. For a book under 200 pages I thought this packed a lot of emotion and romance. The story is well written and my only complaint is that it is too short! There is some steam, but the spice is closed door.

Final Thoughts:

If you are looking for a contemporary vampire romance that is a really quick read but still fun and full of romance – definitely try this one out.

Read if you like:

vampires
romance
novella

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 3/31/26

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is:

Buzzwords or Phrases That Make Me Want to Read (or Avoid) a Book

(These words or phrases can be in the title, synopsis, marketing materials, reviews, author blurbs, etc. and immediately pique your interest or immediately make you say “NOPE”. Examples include: fae, forbidden romance, morally grey characters, unreliable narrator, found family, magical worlds, love triangle, marriage of convenience, dark academia, stranded, dragons, dual points of view, starting over, etc.)

enemies to lovers
dark academia
morally grey characters
found family
arranged marriage
love triangle (I won’t avoid it but I go in cautiously)
time travel/loop (not my favorite but I will sometimes take a chance on it)
when a title has “A Crown of or A Court of”…or titles like that (I loved it 10 years ago but now it makes me wary 😂).
fated mates (again I go in cautiously if the synopsis sounds really good – but usually try to avoid)
dragons (it started a trend! I do enjoy dragons but if the blurb starts off saying it’s like Fourth Wing, I try to avoid it. And I LOVE Fourth Wing…but I just don’t want every book with dragons to be like Fourth Wing.)

What’s on your TTT?

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New Book Releases This Week | 3/31/26

Happy book birthday to these new releases this week!

Between Tides & Thunder by. Leena Kazak

She was raised to hate him. Now she shares his bed.
Princess Mayah of Tundrayn isn’t allowed to want. Not freedom. Not love. Not even her own future. Instead, she’s spent her life healing others’ pain and swallowing her own. But when her father strikes a fragile alliance with enemy-kingdom Arbinj to crush a rising rebellion, she is bartered into a marriage she didn’t choose for a crown she doesn’t want.

She expects a prince. She gets the Dark Commander.
Zevayr is ruthless, unyielding, and a stormwielder with a reputation soaked in blood. He is everything Mayah was taught to fear. Yet as they race across rebel-torn lands, the less certain she is of where the monster ends and where the man begins.

In Arbinj’s glittering courts, the Rebellion surges and dangerous secrets stir from Mayah’s past—secrets that could shatter her kingdom, and her heart, if she lets them.

The question is not if Mayah will betray, but who: her people, her love, or herself?

The Governess’s Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses by. Amy Rose Bennett

Mary Poppins meets My Fair Lady in a feel-good blend of cozy fantasy magic, historical romance, humor, and Victorian era charm, as a recent graduate of the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses finds herself at sea on a ship commanded by a captivating Irishman.

For readers of India Holton, Heather Fawcett, Allison Saft, Katherine Arden, Freya Marske, and Olivia Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales series.

Hermina Davenport can hardly believe the audacious exploit she is about to attempt. To protect an orphaned young viscount, the prim and proper governess feels she has no choice but to break the rules of the Parasol Academy Handbook! When the lad’s guardian, a ruthlessly ambitious explorer, ensorcelled by the evil Fae Queen, spirits him away on a dangerous North Pole expedition, Mina employs an invisibility spell to snatch him from the ship. But a magical misfire whisks Mina and her charge onto a different vessel, that of a ruggedly handsome Irishman—a strapping prizefighter from Dublin’s backstreets—and Mina finds she’s at sea in more ways than one . . .

Phineas O’Connell, Lord Kinsale, can no more explain the arrival of this English Rose than he can adapt to his newly-inherited title—though his disgruntled pet pug clearly has “thoughts” about the fair stowaway. But their enchanted encounter sparks an irresistible offer: Phinn enlists the polished Miss Davenport to transform this misfit marquess into a mannered gentleman ready for his seat in Parliament. No magic required, just enticingly intimate lessons in etiquette and elocution to smooth all his rough edges including a stammer. . .

But when enemies—both earthly and supernatural, past and present—threaten, a confrontation begins, where Mina’s nondescript umbrella is just one of her powerful weapons . . .

We’re a Bad Idea, Right? by. K.L. Walther

The business of love gets messy when two best friends decide to fake a romantic relationship in this uproarious and swoony novel by the bestselling author of The Summer of Broken Rules.

Audrey Barbour has had enough of following the rules. Eighteen years of being the perfect daughter—exceptional grades, enviable college acceptances, tame dating history—and still, her parents don’t trust her enough to let her study her passion, glassblowing, on a prestigious fellowship.

So when her best friend Henry proposes an outrageous fake-dating scheme to win back his ex-girlfriend, it feels like the first step to shaking up her perfect life. And the second? That comes when Audrey’s parents go out of town, sparking a high-risk, high-reward solution to pay for her fellowship—renting out her family’s Connecticut mansion online. With the help of her new fake-boyfriend, it shouldn’t be hard to pull off… right?

But when her best intentions start to unravel, Audrey will have to reckon with who she is, what she wants, and what it really means to play life by her rules—all with her heart on the line.

Starside by. Alex Aster

From Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark series, comes her first adult romantasy. Enter the world of Starside , where swords wield magic and power is not inherited…but claimed.

Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.

Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’ magic—she’s going to kill them.

First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords—ones that contain power—are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor—but a target.

Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago—and who may now be the key to her survival.

But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…

Release Date: 4/2/26

Heart of the Wolf Queen by. Sarah Gallego

Love could be her greatest weakness… or her deadliest weapon.

Sorrow Villente is no princess waiting to be saved.

When a devastating accident partially blinded her, Sorrow was locked away at the top of a tower in the wilderness, offered up as a sacrifice to the gods.

But Sorrow refuses to die quietly. Only she knows a dark magic burns inside her. With her fiercely protective wolf, Pablo, she spends every moment plotting her escape.

And yet when she finally breaks free, Sorrow is captured immediately… by the one man she never expected to see again.

Long ago, Sorrow and Matthias were inseparable. Tall and devastatingly handsome, with sparkling green eyes, the sight of him still sends her heart racing. Then she remembers the truth. When she needed him most, Matthias walked away. He didn’t just abandon her. He betrayed her.

And he hasn’t come to rescue her. Matthias is the ruler of a distant land, where monsters lurk in mist-shrouded forests. To save his kingdom, he needs an alliance with Sorrow’s family – one that can be sealed only by marriage.

Sorrow must marry the man who broke her heart… or die.

🌶️ Spice on the page
❤️ Second chance romance
💍 Marriage of convenience
🔮 Fated love
🗡️ Touch her and die
💔 Yearning
🦇 Gothic setting and atmosphere

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

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Mayhem and the Mortal by. Shanora Williams | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Mayhem and the Mortal (#1)

Author: Shanora Williams

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 418

Publication Date: 3/17/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Cozy, Series

One mission. One curse. No escape.

Zaira doesn’t want a hero. She needs a weapon.

To save her sister from a soul-devouring curse, she has to cross The Shallows—a nightmare landscape of ruined magic, shifting paths, and vicious creatures that eat people alive.

Her guide? Thane sorcerer, assassin, walking red flag. His name clears rooms. His magic kills quietly. And whatever he’s really after, it’s not salvation.

He promises to help. He might even mean it.

But Zaira knows better than to trust a liar with a blade and ice in his veins.

She just doesn’t have a choice.

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: Thelanor is a fascinating world filled with mortals, sorcerers, and beasts like minotaurs. I also enjoyed the magic that Thane is able to wield. The whole book follows the characters going on a quest and traveling throughout Thelanor to The Shallows, so we get to see a lot of this world.

Characters: Zaira is the FMC and she is sunshine. She is naive, sweet, kind, and the MMC, Thane, a grumpy sorcerer assassin, finds it to be her biggest fault. Thane is secretive but opens up eventually little by little. His motive for helping Zaira is all about revenge. These two bicker a lot, which I thought was fun because they are opposites. During their travels throughout Thelanor we meet other characters that join their crew, like Algar and Rynthea. I enjoyed meeting all these different characters, they brought so much to the story, like humor and a found family for Zaira.

Romance: This is a grumpy/sunshine slow-burn romance, between Zaira, who is a mortal that just wants to save her sister from the clutches of a powerful sorcerer and Thane, a bad-ass, morally gray, sorcerer, who is always mad or grumbling about something. There are some spicy scenes between them which I thought was fun, but Thane is lucky that Zaira is a very sweet person who easily forgives because he is the type to test everyone’s patience. I did wish Zaira would have made him grovel a bit longer at the end, but she’s nice, that’s just her personality.

Story: Zaira is trying to save her sister and Thane is out for revenge. But is Thane trustworthy or is he hiding something? I really enjoyed all the action that happened throughout the story because of all the travel adventures. It made the story move quickly. The ending leaves it open for a book two, so it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Vibes: This story felt like a cozy fantasy adventure because of Zaira’s sunshine personality and the different beasts/species they encounter on their journey. But it also feels like a light fantasy, not so heavy on the details and world-building.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a fun, cozy, yet spicy fantasy read. I really enjoyed all the action that happened in the book and the grumpy/sunshine slow burn romance was full of bickering, yet it held a sweetness because of Zaira. This one is a light fantasy so it’s easy to read. Definitely check this one out if you like fantasies that involve a lot of adventure and travel.

Read if you like:

adventure, travel
found family
grumpy/sunshine slow burn but spicy romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Souls in Ruin by. Jacqueline White | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Souls in Ruin (The Soulbound, #1)

Author: Jacqueline White

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 635

Publication Date: 3/2/26

Categories: Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance, Series

A marriage forged in blood. A kingdom bathed in silence. And a princess who refuses to break.

When Princess Mireille is wed to a foreign king with cold eyes and colder intentions, she expects distance, perhaps cruelty, not chains. Kept imprisoned within her own kingdom’s walls, she learns her father’s past sins are not easily buried.

But neither is she.

As her world twists into something unrecognisable, Mireille finds herself caught between two powerful immortal beings – one who wants her obedience and one who wants what little soul she has left.

But Mireille was not born to kneel.

*This is a dark fantasy romance for a mature, 18+ audience and contains themes and content that aren’t to everyone’s liking. Please check the author’s note at the beginning of the book for content warnings before reading.*

Content Warning: violence, death, abuse, torture, humiliation

+ This one is for the dark fantasy girlies – so check the trigger warnings before you go into it. There was something addictive about the writing of this book. Princess Mirielle tells us her story – of how she is an outcast at court, an illegitimate daughter of the King and we see how she is unloved. And then she is forced to marry The Blood King, a man with a monstrous reputation for killing and pillaging, but to save her kingdom, the price is marriage. Her marriage to him starts the unraveling of her mind, body and soul.

+~ Though this is a story about Mirielle’s fight for survival as her husband does everything to break her, there is a lot of lore we learn about the Gods once we learn who her husband really is. I enjoyed the story of the Gods and trying to see how it connects to Mirielle. But because the story happens mostly in the dungeons, the world-building wasn’t detailed. It starts off good before the dungeons, but once there, we see nothing else. I hope the world opens up in book two.

+~ Mirielle goes from a Princess, to a Queen that is tortured and lives in a dungeon. It’s not a pretty story. It was easy to see how Valen, The Blood King, deceives her – because even I was thinking it was going to be a story where she makes him fall in love with her, but I was wrong. She is already someone who is vulnerable, someone looking for love and attention, someone who thinks because she was already abused that she could take what comes next with Valen, but this man is evil. The more I read on, the more I hated him. There is no redeeming qualities in him even when she confuses desire with the abuse. He really messes her up mentally, physically and emotionally. So if she makes a few mistakes around Valen, I’m not holding it against her because she is just trying to survive. As for the other prisoner in the dungeons with her that Mirielle cannot see, he’s mysterious, powerful, she calls him Death and he also eventually wants to possess Mirielle, so though this woman has two Gods wanting her – the price of their obsession and desire for her is so painful and deadly.

+~ There is no romance in this story, because none of what I witnessed from both these Gods are romantic. Death seems like someone who is more gentle with her but he has questionable actions also, and could totally be deceiving her. There is spice, but again, it’s dark – Mirielle is in the dungeons so just keep that in mind. What she has with Valen is not love, and Mirielle doesn’t think she’s capable of love, so yeah…there is no love and romance in this story and I’m kind of glad? Because Mirielle is broken – I want her to fall in love when she’s had some healing hopefully!

~ It’s a long book at over 600 pages, so some parts of her torment in the dungeons become a little repetitive. She’s alone with her thoughts and feelings so a lot of the book is that. But it really made me hope she could find the strength to overcome the torture Valen was putting her through. I was also needing to see her escape or maybe get revenge on him. Though I think we will have to wait for book two to see some revenge.

~ I hope we see Mirielle build herself up on her own without a man (looking at you Valen or Death) trying to claim her. It looks like she will be getting a little bit more power after that ending so I can’t wait to see her grow. I was over these two Gods messing with her – I want her to have her own power to bring them to their knees.

Final Thoughts:

I was addicted to the writing of this even though there are some parts that became repetitive and most of the story happens in a dungeon. I was invested in Mirielle’s story of survival at the hands of her husband. She is already someone who is somewhat broken before the marriage but it gets worse, it gets darker but that’s why her journey to endure kept me invested plus I was just waiting for some revenge to kick in – but maybe in book two? I would love to see her with some female rage in the next book. Also, this is not a romance story, both Gods had their issues, Valen was the worse though – he is horrible, but Death has to still prove some things so I’ll be looking to book two to see what direction this story goes.

Read if you like:

dark fantasy – check the triggers
Gods
story of survival

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Shadow Trials by. Evelyn Hart | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Shadow Trials (Heartless Gods, #1)

Author: Evelyn Hart

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 437

Publication Date: 4/14/26

Publisher: Evelyn Hart

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series, Romantasy

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Evelyn Hart for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

She’s trained her whole life to kill monsters like him and the dragon he rides. Now, he may be the only one who can save her…

Humans are treated like cattle by the Godforged, the terrible creatures created by the gods to wage a never-ending war with each other. Fiona’s spent her life learning to wield magic stolen from the divine, to protect her people from the violence. Now she’s given the chance to become the thing she’s sworn to kill.

The God of Darkness’s champion is dead, and he’s holding a series of trials to decide who will be his next, open to anyone, including humans. If Fiona wins, she’d control his army… and how it treats innocent humans. And none of them know of the powers she wields…

These trials are filled with the strongest and most ruthless of the Godforged. But if they discover the secrets she hides, it will doom all her people.

In this world of magic and violence, there’s one person who truly understands secrets. Azric Cyrus, Death’s champion and first dragon rider, is the most brutal of all the Godforged. And the most beautiful. With wings of bone, shadows, and seduction as his deadliest weapons, even the gods listen when he speaks. Even more reason for Fiona to be wary when he takes an interest in her.

Destiny is not a fixed thing, and as its strings are pulled from behind the shadows, these two broken souls must learn to trust each other. Their lives are the least that hang in the balance.

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Crowns of Nyaxia, and The Games Gods Play, Shadow Trials is the first in a long, epic romantasy series that will follow multiple couples. It does not end an HEA, but the series will.

Content Warning: torture, death, violence, dark themes

+~ Shadow Trials is book one in a fantasy series that follows a human, Fiona, and her quest to complete deadly trials in order to become the Champion of Nixthos – who is the God of Darkness and Secrets. The world building is heavy, there are many gods, many champions of the gods, different species, different lands, prophecy, lore, dragons and it is a lot to process, which makes the beginning slow going because of all the information and names to know. But I settled into the story after 20% into the book and then I was addicted to the story. There are some dark themes in this book, especially with Fiona and Azric’s pasts. Also mentions of how some species are created is pretty gruesome.

+ There is a huge cast but our main characters are Fiona (the human with a Priest for a father) and Azric, the Prince of Bones. We get her POV for 90% of the book and then Azric for 10% at the end. I really like Fiona because she’s human and knows her limitations but she’s so brave because she wants purpose in her life even if it means her death. She questions everything, even her choices, but I like that she never takes anything at face value. Azric, is a complicated man, he is Fae, he is blessed by the Gods, but he is broken. Learning more about what happens to him is dark, but my heart broke for him because he had a good childhood, he had a good life until the god he is promised to comes calling. Then there are secondary characters that are very interesting, like Fiona’s father, Azric’s parents, the Fae like Darian, and so many more.

+~ There is romance but it is a very slow burn, barely there spice, though there is a some steam. I love that it is a slow burn because there are so many things happening in this story. It feels like the deadly trials were the most important thing in this story and it was appropriate that the romance take a back seat. I liked seeing Fiona and Azric get to know each other instead, especially with what happened to Azric in the past. I think a slow burn is good for them.

+~ It took me two days to read this book because I was so invested in Fiona’s story. I actually love the length of this book, it wasn’t too long and not too short. But because the world-building is dense, I felt like I missed a prequel or something. Sure enough I checked on Goodreads and I missed a whole series before this book – which now makes total sense why I felt the way I did. I think I got through this book pretty good though without even reading the previous series, but when I have time, I will pick it up because I’m sure it will explain so many things.

+~ The pacing was a little up and down, definitely slow in the beginning, but it was steady throughout, which I appreciated – personally I like a little more romance in my romantasy so I might have been searching it out and got impatient when I realized how slow of a burn this story is. But I love the build up to the ending, and I’m looking forward to book two!

Final Thoughts:

There is a series before this one I think you should read called Shadowed Debts, and I didn’t know it existed until I finished Shadow Trials. But I think if you read Shadowed Debts you will not feel like you are thrown into the world, like how I felt while reading this book. It’s not a bad thing, but it made me feel like I was missing a big chunk of history, despite that I still found this story addictive. Fiona’s character is new to this world also, so through her, I learn some of what took place before Shadow Trials. I love the world-building, but it is heavy. I love the slow burn romance and am invested in Fiona and Azric’s story, I’m totally rooting for them. I’m going to read the previous series while waiting on book two!

Read if you like:

heavy world-building
more fantasy than romance
deadly trials
dark themes

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Let’s Talk Bookish: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In | 3/27/26

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme originally created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits, where every Friday, bloggers write discussion posts based on a weekly prompt and Dini @ dinipandareads has cohosted since the beginning of 2025.

This week’s topic is:

March 27: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In (suggested by Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe)

Prompts: Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older? Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life? Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?

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Do you prefer reading about characters who are in a similar life stage as you (age, career, relationships, etc.)? Has your preference changed as you’ve gotten older?

When I was younger (teens), I loved reading books with adults in it – to imagine what my life could be. When I was in my twenties, I started reading young adult again maybe because college was such an impactful time of my life and I wanted to recapture all those feelings! Then in my 30’s, I wanted to read about older characters (older meaning 25 and up lol…but have you noticed a lot of books in fantasy have 20 year old heroines?). Now in my late-40’s…I read young adult, new adult, adult…whatever…but I now sometimes I’m craving more older FMCs 30+ but it’s hard to find in fantasy. It’s easier to find them in contemporary romance. So I don’t necessarily want them to be in the same stage of career or relationship as me.

Have you ever re-read a book and experienced it completely differently because you were in a different stage of life?

Last year I re-read a Sarah Dessen book (she writes young adult books), and I definitely was experiencing it differently. Maybe because I have kids and in a few years (at least my son) he will be a young adult! So…I see it through a mom’s perspective now. But when I read it in my 20’s, I related so hard to these young adult feelings. I kind of want to go back and re-read some books just to see how it makes me feel now so we’ll see if I do.

Do you think books come into our lives at the ‘right time’ and are there any books you think you’d feel differently about if you were younger or older?

I do think it does sometimes…one example since she just did her podcast is Sarah J. Maas books. Throne of Glass came out when dystopian was big but I did read it…and I thought it was okay. And I read the next book and next book, but when A Court of Thorns and Roses dropped I was in my mid 30’s – I was hooked right away I think because Feyre just felt older (even though she wasn’t). And I liked her complicated family dynamics, and eventually Nesta’s story will be the one that impacts me the most personally. I don’t know if I would have appreciated ACOTAR if I read it when I was younger.

March 2026 Topics:

March 6: Women Who’ve Shaped Your Reading Life

~~Prompts~~: March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is also International Women’s Day. In honour of this month celebrating women, let’s talk about the women who’ve shaped our reading lives. Was there (or is there) a woman in your life who sparked your love for reading? Who was the first woman author you remember loving? Do you tend to read more books by women authors and do you think that’s for a reason?

March 13: Immersive Reading (suggested by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black)

~~Prompts:~~ Immersive reading is when you simultaneously listen to an audiobook while reading the physical or digital book. Do you do any immersive reading? Do you prefer it or is it not for you? Do you think it’s a good way to get everything from a book? Is there a genre that is better to do this with? What are your recommendations for immersive reading?

March 20: Portrayals of Women in Books

Prompts: We’ve previously talked about underrepresented women and women in STEM in books, but let’s take a look at portrayals of women in books. Do you think portrayals of women have changed over time? Are ambitious women portrayed differently than ambitious men? Are “unlikable” female characters judged more harshly? Are girls and women written more complexly in books today? Share some of your favourite books featuring complex empowered women being unapologetically themselves!

March 27: Right Book, Right Time? Reading for the Season You’re In (suggested by Alli @ Alli the Book Giraffe)

Web of Vows and Vengeance by. Aria Ashbrook | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Web of Vows and Vengeance (The Hirathean Path, #1)

Author: Aria Ashbrook

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 542

Publication Date: 1/23/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Series

Stripped of power. Fuelled by vengeance.

She lost everything because of his lie. Now the only way to save her sister is to win a deadly competition that could cost her the only thing she has left: her life.

When Prince Kyor twisted the truth about his mother’s death, Rose paid the price. Her family was stripped of their magic, cast into the slums, and abandoned by the kingdom they once served. Now her parents are gone, and her younger sister’s future hangs in the balance.

Rose’s only hope is the Tournament of the Gifting, a brutal competition held once a century, where the victor earns a blessing from the Goddess of Life. The catch? Every other contender wields the very power she was robbed of.

And Prince Kyor is among them. Commander of the armies. Rider of a bonded dire wolf. Wielder of lightning. He doesn’t just want to win for vanity – he wants the gift for himself. But what could a man who has it all possibly want?

Thrown into a world of magic, monsters, and merciless trials, Rose must fight not only for survival but for the chance to reclaim her future. Along the way, she’ll find unlikely allies, ruthless rivals, and a dangerous connection with her greatest enemy – one that could ruin or remake her.

Web of Vows and Vengeance is a dark, slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy, set in a Nordic-inspired world, featuring deadly trials, found family, gods and goddesses, political intrigue, and an underdog heroine who refuses to stay broken.

This is a story of heartbreak, vengeance, and the kind of power that can never be taken.

Content Warning: violence, death

+~ This is romantasy with many of the common tropes: enemies to lovers, found family, slow burn romance. The story focuses on deadly trials called the Rettenheld, where the winner gets to ask a gift from the Goddess Etta. Rose desperately wants to win so she can restore her family name, magic, and wealth (for her sister’s sake). I didn’t feel like the “Nordic” part of the story came through except for it being cold where they lived. Some of them have dire wolves. I thought it was interesting how this story was about a deadly trial (there are a few), and then right after the trials, a ball. So it does become repetitive in that sense. Now there is a tiny mention, fleeting really, about rebels, but nothing detailed and left kind of open, I think.

+ I did like the found family trope happening in this story since Rose is basically alone. She makes some really good connections and friends during the trials. There are some tragic moments in this story though, which I wish didn’t happen. There is also the issue of trusting people in the trial and waiting to see who would betray who in the end.

+ Rose has been training all her life ever since her family was shunned by high society for a lie told by a young prince who claimed Rose’s mom (a healer), let his mom die during childbirth. The consequences of that lie led to the death of Rose’s baby brother (life for a life), plus her mother and dad fell apart – which led to their deaths. So Rose is angry and she wants everything the way it was before for her younger sister’s sake. But when she hears the Prince has entered the trials, she also wants to kill him to get her reserve. Rose is full of heart but as an FMC, she doesn’t have very good fighting skills, no matter how much training she gets – she just comes off kind of mediocre. Also she has no magic so she’s at a disadvantage. She’s very brave, standing up to bullies, and she makes friends easily which helps her throughout the trials. Also, the attention of the prince also helps her.

+ The romance is a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance between Rose and Prince Kyor. There at first seems to be other options, but once Rose and Kyor get over their hate and anger over with one another and addresses what happened in the past – it accelerates their desire to want to explore their attraction. I thought their flirtation was fun. And I did like the journey of their growing feelings, until the ending twist. Looks like it’s not going to be easy for them if they want to be together.

~ The story is a little long at over 500 pages, and for the most part I think the pace was steady. There were parts that did feel like it was dragging. Some things felt thrown in like I would have loved more insight into the rebels since there was a hint of it in the beginning but nothing more until near the end, but again, nothing that makes it relevant though there is a feeling that the King isn’t a loved ruler. Even the dire wolves are mentioned kind of once or twice and never again.

Final Thoughts:

This one is an easy read with the usual romantasy tropes so sometimes it feels like it brings nothing new to the genre, but sometimes, that can mean it’s a comforting read too if you aren’t looking for major twists and turns. I did find it a little too long though. I loved the secondary characters that made up the found family Rose finds herself with and I thought the trials were dangerous (though sometimes over with kind of quick). The romance is a slow burn and I did like the progress of it, but it does leave me questions about what will happen to them in book two. If I read book two I would like to see more world-building.

Read if you like:

enemies to lovers
found family
deadly trials
underdog FMC

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 3/25/26

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

It is almost the end of March folks…how?! Anyway I’m all over the place with my reading. Going from contemporary to fantasy and vice versa because I’ve been reading too many romantasy.