Once Swindled by. Laura Sebastian | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Once Swindled (Lack and Luster, #1)

Author: Laura Sebastian

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 350

Publication Date: 8/25/26

Publisher: 47North

Categories: Romance, Historical Fantasy, Historical Romance, Series

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

Thank you to 47North for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Ryskamp family fortune is in trouble. And Arden’s gift for invisibility can’t stave off his creditors…or the shame of catastrophic courtships. His only recourse is to marry a highborn Luster girl of his great-aunt’s choosing. But when Arden goes to meet her, another woman catches his the copper-haired beauty who ran away with his heart. And engagement ring.

Newly betrothed to yet another wealthy bachelor, Mavis has gone by many names—Arabella then, Delphinia now. Unlike the Lusters, however, Mavis lacks magical abilities, relying instead on her charms and her cons to get by. But no amount of money can repay her debts. And no amount of distance could prepare her for a reunion with her first mark.

Thrown together by fate, Arden and Mavis put aside their past to pull one last con that could save them both. The only price may be falling in love again. This time, for real.

Content Warning: death

There was a moment when I was reading this (I couldn’t put it down and read it in one day), where I was thought – wow this reminds me of the historical romances I would devour back in the day.

Mavis is a con-woman, it’s the way she’s learned to survive in Low City. But her luck might be running out with her latest con and it doesn’t help that her first love and first con is in the same town as she is and about to blow her cover. Arden fell in love with Mavis five years ago when he thought she was Arabella. Now he knows the truth but needs her help to secure a bride of his own so he can fix the family finances. But as the story goes on it’s hard to pinpoint who is conning who, or is everyone carrying out their own con?

I loved this story. The second chance romance between Mavis and Arden felt so steeped in mistrust, but he cannot help but love her, even when she’s lying. Mavis’ situation was so understandable though, her environment forced her to survive but I love how Arden is where she finally draws the line. I was rooting for them so hard.

Also, the setting is everything I love about historical romances. Set in the Gilded Age when old money and the way of aristocracy was being threatened by new money. But this one has a fantasy twist and the wealthy families not only have money but magic. There are balls, parties, dresses, rules and I enjoyed it all. I loved the main and secondary characters and happy to see it’s going to be a series.

Final Thoughts:

I devoured this book. Historical romance is my first love so this made me feel things I haven’t felt in awhile. I love how it gave historical romance but with magic. I was invested in the second chance romance and the characters (main and secondary). I can’t wait to see what will be in book two and I hope it’s Oriana’s story!

Read if you like:

historical fantasy
magic
second chance romance
cons

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Stardust in Their Veins by. Laura Sebastian| ARC Review – 3.5 stars

Castles in Their Bones by. Laura Sebastian | Book Review – 3.5 stars

Pretty Vicious: The Order by. Lexi Davis | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Pretty Vicious (The Order, #1)

Author: Lexi Davis

Pages: 303

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 1/13/26

Categories: Secret Societies, Dark Romance, New Adult, Series

Laurel just wanted to survive college, keep her father fed, and fly under the radar.

Delivering pizzas was supposed to be the safe kind of side hustle, until the night she witnesses a murder at Ashford House, the most elite and secretive fraternity on campus.

Now she’s a prisoner of The Order, a blood-bound society that controls everything from politics to police. They rule with ritual, obedience, and violence, and they’ve decided Laurel doesn’t get to leave.

At the center of it all is Carrson Ashford, heir to the powerful Ashford legacy.
Cold. Commanding. Infuriatingly magnetic.
Under the rules of The Order, he “bonds” her, marking Laurel as his.

Body. Mind. Soul.

But Laurel isn’t here to be claimed. Not without a fight.
To save her father and her future, Laurel must navigate a twisted realm of initiation rites, brutal secrets, and a bond that may destroy them both.

In this world, there’s one rule: obey or die.

But love doesn’t follow rules. And neither does Laurel.

★ Dark academia meets Southern Gothic in this emotionally intense, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, morally gray, twisted college romance filled with secrets, violence, and impossible love. Perfect for fans of Penelope Douglas, LJ Shen, Shantel Tessier, and Sierra Simone.

Content Warning: violence, death, assault, mention of rape, alcoholism, physical and emotional abuse, prostitution, *check triggers in book*, suicide, suicidal ideation

I’ve been slowly going back to contemporary dark romances after being picky about which ones to read for a few years now. But the sound of a Southern Gothic dark romance sounded so intriguing so I got this one on Kindle Unlimited and was pleasantly surprised.

Laurel is in the wrong place at the wrong time and that leads to Carrson Ashford, son of a powerful man, to take her and make her his Bonded to save her life. Laurel is thrust into this dark, strange, creepy world of The Order – a secret society of men and women who basically produces the people that will someday run the world in every aspect – financial, world leaders, and more. And Carrson is poised to inherit it all but nothing comes easy in The Order. Success comes at the hands of killing and lots of blood, so Carrson is now a good person – but Laurel sees something redeemable in him.

The Handmaid’s Tale is mentioned in this book a few times because the role of women in The Order is basically to procreate, and the rules for them are diabolical. But Laurel is questioning their culture and rules since she is forced to bond to Carrson. But this is a very dark world, a very dark upbringing for anyone who belongs and grew up in The Order.

I was wary about Carrson because he’s an alpha-male, a killer, and sometimes an a-hole but surprisingly Laurel softens him up. Which is why I actually enjoyed their romance. He becomes protective and possessive of her but not in a way to dominate her. There is more to Carrson than what he presents and we actually get a good insight to his heinous upbringing. Even the spicy scene to me was particularly tame for a dark romance but I loved it because it showed he had restraint and had come to care a lot for her. So I’m rooting for them to make it!

Final Thoughts:

I am surprised I enjoyed this one! The characters have depth, and the spice was meaningful instead of degrading or too dark. It’s a very dark story so please check the warnings beforehand! I am totally rooting for Laurel and Carrson’s love story and I hope we see them make changes to The Order as the story progresses in the series.

Read if you like:

dark romance
secret society

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

ARCS I Have To Read For September | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 8/25/26

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: August 25: Bookish Places I’ve Visited (Share all the cool places you’ve been that are bookish or tied to books! This includes neat libraries, book stores, places featured in books, places inspired by books, author homes/places they’ve stayed, etc. You can also share your bucket list of the bookish places you’d like to visit someday.) (submitted by Susan @Bloggin’ ’bout Books)

ARCS I Have To Read For September

I’m doing a different topic this week because my bookish place is my house or Barnes & Noble 😅 which is a drive, SO…let me just show what arcs I have to finish for September. I’m hoping by the time this post goes live that I’ve read a few of these.

The Henchperson’s guide to Unionizing by. Marshall J. Moore – release date: 9/22/26
Storm Caller by. Nisha J. Tuli – release date: 9/1/26
Trust Fall by. Lynn Painter – release date: 9/29/26

The House of Gardenias by. Isabel Cañas – release date: 9/29/26
The Age of Blood and Magic by. Hannah Mathewson – release date: 9/15/26
The Wolf Queen’s Curse by. Kaylee Archer – release date: 9/1/26

Hawk & Sparrow by. Ayana Gray – release date: 9/1/26
Our Strange Duet by. Erin A. Craig – release date: 9/1/26
A Crown of Blood and Magick by. Amy De La Force – release date: 9/15/26

The Wretched Divine by. Adalyn Grace – release date: 9/22/26

What’s on your TTT?

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | TikTok | Etsy

New Book Releases This Week | 8/25/26

Happy book birthday to these new releases this week!

Once Swindled by. Laura Sebastian

Thrown together by fate, Arden and Mavis put aside their past to pull one last con that could save them both. The only price may be falling in love again. This time, for real.

The Dark in Her Veins by. M.K. Lobb

From critically acclaimed, bestselling author MK Lobb comes a noir romantic fantasy set in a world in which sin is a fatal disease, and the rich hire the poor to carry out their basest instincts—until the forbidden romance between a sinner and a mysterious figure threatens to destroy everything.

In Valestadt, everything has a price. Sinning leaves its mark in the form of the Bloodrot, a slow-creeping disease that leads to madness, then death. Most sins are negligible, but murder—committed enough—can be fatal. For the rich, violence is something to be outsourced. For the poor, it’s a paycheck that comes with a cost.

Talin Keller is a sinner. Employed by the holiest man in the city, the Prophet, she gets her hands dirty so his can stay clean. And with her Bloodrot rapidly advancing, Talin knows her next job could be her last. But when a new assignment puts Talin on a collision course with a shadowy figure known as “the Warden,” she begins to see a future for herself that doesn’t involve a body bag. If she can get close enough to the Warden, she can trade his life for her own freedom. That is, if she can keep her balance on the knife’s edge.

The closer Talin gets to the Warden, though, the more she finds herself falling for his sharp edges and twisted sense of justice. As savior and sinner bleed together, Talin finds the real threat isn’t either man – but a conspiracy tied to the past she hoped was dead.

Love Me Like a Rock Song by. Shelly Jay Shore

Delilah is a lyricist looking for a muse. Emmett is a golem ready to be unmade.

From the bestselling author of Rules for Ghosting comes a soul-stirring, romantic novel about a jilted singer-songwriter, her unexpected hitchhiker, and the road trip of a lifetime.

When Delilah Cohen’s much more famous fiancée leaves her at the altar right before Delilah is supposed to start recording her first solo album, she finds herself with a notebook full of love songs that no longer make sense. Picking up a hitchhiker two hours into the road trip that was supposed to be her honeymoon seems as good a way as any to get her groove back. The last thing she expects is to start falling for her mysterious new passenger, but what’s more inspiring than a rebound with a built-in expiration date?

But there’s more to Emmett than meets the eye. Emmett is a golem, a human-ish being of Jewish mythology who was created from clay to serve a now-deceased master. No longer needed, their final task is to make their way back to the California cave where they were made in order to undo the magic that brought them to life in the first place. But the longer Emmett spends with Delilah—who has plenty of secrets and insecurities of her own—as they cross the country to visit historical queer locales from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, the more their ending feels like something to fight, rather than something set in stone.

As the California coast brings Delilah’s writing deadline—and Emmett’s fate—closer with every passing mile, Delilah has to decide just what song it is she wants to write…and whether writing the album of a lifetime is worth losing a love she never expected to find.

Part road trip romcom, part epistolary exploration of America’s vibrant queer culture, and all a love letter to the phrase “it’s about the journey, not the destination,” Love Me Like a Rock Song is a glorious love story about discovering who we are and what we want, and what it means to be human.

Monster, Monarch, Maiden by. Rae Carson

Bria Angarsold isn’t supposed to be a hero. She’s just a mountain girl. A mountain girl with a near useless Gift, living an idyllic life with her sister and her parents, running the family’s thriving inn. But then the raiders come, and Bria’s family is destroyed.

One of the last survivors of the raid, Bria isn’t sure she’ll live to see where the captors are taking her. Until the caravan crosses paths with a mysterious traveler and Bria’s luck changes again.

With no family or home to return to, Bria swears her life to this moody, secretive young man. Titus has been chosen to complete a perilous quest—one that will make Bria question everything she’s ever believed, from the magic that weaves through their world to the very gods themselves. As the journey unfolds, Bria realizes she has something—someone—new to believe in. She’d follow Titus to the Edge of the World, sworn oath or not, even if neither of them stands a chance at returning from it.

But Bria Angarsold is a survivor. She isn’t useless, and neither is her Gift. And this is her story.

Runebreaker by. Mila Finch (hardcover deluxe)

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 grey hero, a soft girl with a dangerous gift, mating bond tension, and immersive world building. This is book #1 of a trilogy.

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | TikTok (TikTok)

The Dark in Her Veins by. M.K. Lobb | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: The Dark In Her Veins (#1)

Author: M.K. Lobb

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 8/25/26

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Categories: Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance, Series

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

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

Content Warning: violence, death, BDSM, cult, religious horror

World Building: This world is very fascinating and takes inspiration from religion. In Valestadt, sinning leaves you with bloodrot, a condition that leaves you with dark veins that will eventually kill you. And Talin is a sinner – a hired killer for the Prophet who is the holiest man in the city. How convenient that a holy man would let someone else get their hands dirty for him. Talin wants out, and to live the rest of her short life free – but she meets the Prophet’s brother, the Warden, a crime lord and a diabolist which is someone who feeds off of confessionals. Talin is caught in a trap of her making, but her goal is to come out of it hopefully alive. Check the trigger warnings for this one.

Characters: Talin is a sinner, she is a hired killer with no hope of a future but she wants out of her job. Her past is a mystery though, but I could kind of figure out the secret she was hiding. She is messy, traumatized, loves pain, is bisexual and surprisingly to her and the Warden, a submissive. The Prophet, Gabriel, is a holy man but as we find out – holy doesn’t equal to good. The Warden, Slade, is who Talin is drawn to because both are sinners in their own way and morally black. Both love pain, and are both equally not okay. Ceri and Emeric are secondary characters that brought a little humanity to these morally black characters, and I enjoyed them.

Romance: Talin and Slade are both bisexual, both love pain so yes there is BDSM. But surprisingly, I didn’t find this super spicy, just at times maybe uncomfortable since there is violence in their sex play but it is both consensual. Now I kind of want to say even though I characterize this as dark “romance” there is no romance here. Both characters do not want love and cannot give the happy love kind of romance. No…as Slade said, his idea of love is obsessing over someone. So yes, this is a dark romance, by the end of this they are both obsessed with one another.

Story: I could not put this story down because I thought the world was fascinating: the prophet, the warden, the cult and sinners. I found the morally black characters equally interesting and wanted to see how Talin would get herself out of the trap she was in. Now there were times I thought she was so incensed with rage that she wasn’t thinking right – and it felt like Gabriel and Slade were a step ahead of her most of the time. But I was definitely hooked to see how she would get out of the trap, and if she would survive it. The ending is a cliffhanger which left me disappointed because I wanted more! So I guess I have to wait patiently for book two!

Final Thoughts:

I was hooked on this one mostly because I wanted to see if Talin could find her way out of this trap between two brothers. All she wants is to live before the bloodrot takes her but…does she deserve to live? These characters are morally black, the story is dark, it’s violent, it’s twisty, there is no trust, there is no love blooming between the Talin and Slade, but maybe obsession is and I didn’t mind that at all. The world is fascinating but would like to learn more about the diabolists and how confessions fuel them, also more about the cult. I wanted more at the end but I had to settle for a cliffhanger. I’ll be looking forward to book two.

Read if you like:

BDSM, knife play
dark romance
political intrigue

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 8/23/26

Aloha friends!

+ On Friday my kids and I, and one of my besties are flying to California for the Daisy Chain Festival! We are so excited to see Olivia Rodrigo and honestly this was the only way I could get tickets since I lost the Ticketmaster war for her Unraveled Tour (which I still want to see but won’t). It’s also my son’s 14th birthday on Thursday, so what a birthday weekend for him going to an all women’s music festival, supporting us girlies. He’s excited to see Mitski, Doechii, and Chappel Roan and Olivia Rodrigo. My daughter is excited to see Katseye, Chappel and Olivia. I’m excited to see all the acts but honestly with the heat they are predicting that day and me having the kids with me, I think we aren’t going to fully see all of them – we shall see how we do with the heat.

It’s also my first music festival. Like I’ve been to many events outdoors where they had music, etc…but not a full on music festival, and honestly it’s not my type of concert to go to. I’m bougie and old and I need seats 😅. But this is the only way I could see Olivia this year and it’s for charity! So we are sooo excited.

Blog Posts:

The Best I Never Had by. Amy Buchanan | ARC Review – 3.5 ⭐️/2 🌶️
Immortal Rose by. Alexandra Bracken | ARC and ALC Review – 4 ⭐️/1.5 🌶️
New Book Releases This Week | 8/18/26
Book Series I Want to Catch Up On | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 8/18/26
When the Universe Sings by. Gillian Eliza West | Book Review – 4⭐️/3 🌶️
WWW Wednesday | 8/19/26
Full Throttle by. J.K. MacLaren | ARC Review – 4⭐️/2 🌶️
The House That Eats the Dead by. Max Doty | ARC Review – 4⭐️
TBR List for the Rest of 2026
The Queen’s Bodyguard by. Lauren Blackwood | ARC Review – 3⭐️/1.5 🌶️
Spotlight | Love Me Like a Rock Song by. Shelly Jay Shore
Blood So Deadly Divine by. J.M. Grosvalet | Book Review – 4⭐️/1 🌶️
The Calamities by. Chuck Wendig | ARC Review – 2.5⭐️
Fate So Cruelly Bound by. J.M. Grosvalet | Book Review – 4⭐️/1 🌶️

Books I Finished

Storm Caller by. Nisha J. Tuli
Hallowed Bones by. Lucy Smoke
The Wretched Divine by. Adalyn Grace
Fate so Cruelly Bound by. J.M. Grosvalet
Blood so Deadly Divine by. J.M. Grosvalet
Daughter of the Tempest by. Braidee Otto
Hawk & Sparrow by. Ayana Gray
The Wolf Queen’s Curse by. Kaylee Archer
The Calamities by. Chuck Wendig – DNF
Once Swindled by. Laura Sebastian

Currently Reading:

Our Strange Duet by. Erin A. Craig
The Age of Blood and Magic by. Hannah Mathewson
The Tarot Trials by. Katee Robert
A Crown of Blood and Magick by. Amy De La Force
Heir of Twisted Lies by. L.J Andrew
The Heart Trials by. J. Elle

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Instagram | Tiktok

The Calamities by. Chuck Wendig | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Calamities

Author: Chuck Wendig

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 592

Publication Date: 8/18/26

Publisher: Del Rey

Categories: Horror, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

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

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

The heir to one of the world’s most influential families reckons with the demonic secret to their power, in this contemporary dark fantasy that melds occult magic with shocking family drama from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.

Mourning Mayne knows he’ll one day bear the duty of managing his family’s vast empire of wealth and power. But the feckless Mourning has always struggled to accept this legacy, which is one of cruelty, domination, and exploitation… and something even darker.

Because the Maynes are no ordinary family: Hidden in our world are the fiends—half-human, half-demon, and possessed of dark magic born from buying human souls—and the Maynes are one of the oldest and most influential fiendish families.

But when Mourning’s estranged father, the formidable and terrifying Hadrian Mayne, demands that he return to the fold, Mourning has to make a decision whether to accept his legacy and embrace his role in the family, or to forge his own destiny, and with it, change the course of the world.

Because along the way home, he will meet Key, a black-market seller of human souls, and Quinn, an artist who may hold the dark truth behind the fate of the fiends. Alone, they have all struggled with the darkness of their fiendish nature… but together, they might find a path out of the shadows.

Content Warning: gore, violence, body horror

I was gifted this book by the publisher but I am not someone who reads a lot of horror – I have my limits and this one hit my limit due to one very gross scene. So I DNF’ed this one at 37% in but from what I read, I thought the writing was engaging and I was very intrigued with the main characters. Also the way these powerful families hoarded their power was very interesting. Unfortunately, it was way too dark for me.

Final Thoughts:

I’m not the biggest horror fan, I only dabble here and here. I have never read this author’s books before but I wanted to try this out because it was gifted to me. Unfortunately, this one was too much horror for me, way too dark. But I think if you already love this author’s books, you will enjoy this one.

Read if you like:

horror
powerful families

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Fate So Cruelly Bound by. J.M. Grosvalet | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Fate so Cruelly Bound (The Deadly Divine, #2)

Author: J.M. Grosvalet

Pages: 750

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 6/23/26

Categories: High Fantasy, Romance, Series

The veil has been crossed—
and the cost has only begun.

Hunted by the realm she fled and mistrusted by the one she’s entered, Elara walks the immortal isles of Tir na nÓg with a single truth thrumming in her chest—she no longer belongs to either world. The Sidhe call her dangerous. The remnants of her human heart call her lost. Somewhere between them, her blood hums with a power that was never meant to exist—her heart pulled toward two men divided by war.

When an attack within the Sidhe courts exposes a conspiracy older than the war between their realms, Elara and Reynnar are thrust into a perilous journey across Tir na nÓg.

Gaps in the ledgers. Altered maps. Names the courts refuse to speak.
But the land remembers what they bury— and Elara means to unearth it.

Across the veil, Latheria burns. The Lord Sovereign tightens his grip as rebellion rises in the north. Ivan Dantan—once the Hunter, now a fugitive—feels himself turning into something monstrous. Marked by a power he does not trust, he walks the fault lines of the war he helped ignite, haunted by the girl he cannot forget.

As gods stir and the past and the future begin to braid, Elara must face what she was always meant to become—
the key, the weapon, and the warning.

Because some truths do not rest.
Some threads refuse to break.
And some destinies aren’t chosen.
They are cruelly bound.

Content Warning: violence, death

+~ I had to read this right away after being addicted to book one and again, I could not put this down even though it is 750 pages long. Is it too long? Yes, but I stuck with it anyway because I enjoyed it The world building is dense and some things get confusing especially when the math comes into the equation concerning the Void (traveling between space), I just go with it. But I love the world building because now we are in the realm of the Sidhe (Faerie) and Elara has to learn all these different types of Sidhe, their powers, and their land. So the world opens up so much more, plus we get to learn about the Vredians also in the North, the only ones who Lord Osin hasn’t conquered. There is also the mystery of how Osin is taking Sidhe from their realm and taking their powers and imprisoning them. I was invested in that but I think some of it could have been cut out because it does slow the story down when they are hanging out at a house doing research.

+ I love all the characters. This story is told in third person and it’s a huge cast but I love that despite the big cast, each character has unique personalities and stories and I get so invested in them! I think it’s what I love most about this series so far – I care about the characters. The found family in this book is wonderful.

+ Ellara grows a lot in this one, finally she learns some combat skills because I was worried about her in book one. Also, she learns more about herself and past so she has to grapple with all aspects of her being human, Sidhe and/or other. She has this sense of never belonging but so badly wanting to and I just want her to have a good group of people to love her.

+~ Is the romance a love triangle? I don’t even know because it is so low spice (barely steaming), and such a slow burn…I can’t even call it a burn. More like slow yearn! 😅. The yearning and longing in this book is off the charts! I cannot even choose between Reynnar and Ivan and I have never had a dilemma like that. I don’t want her to choose between them! I love them both. And I understand both guys are different, but they love Elara so fiercely. Will it be Why Choose? Or will it be a devastating love triangle? I just wish there was a tiny bit more spice…just a tiny bit. If you like slow build up romance with low spice, you will like this one.

~ I don’t know what was going on with my ebook copy from kindle unlimited but there were a few typos. Like words without a space between them which kind of made some of my reading experience jarring since I had to figure out what the author was trying to say! But I realize it was typos when it happened on more than one page.

+ I was so happy that after book one, I had book two ready to download but after that ending, now what do I do? How long do I have to wait to see Ellara take down Osin because I want that so badly for her and her friends!

Final Thoughts:

I’m hooked on this series! It’s long and has dense world-building but I am so invested in the characters, I cannot seem to put the story down. I love learning about this whole world the author has created and I love the secret and betrayals too. I’m actually surprised I’m so addicted to this story when it’s sometimes a slow read and a low spice high fantasy – I do want a little more spice in it but I can’t even decide who I want Elara to get spicy with. I love both MMC’s, which makes me sad if she chooses one. The ending ends on a cliffhanger so I’ll be trying to wait patiently for book three!

Read if you like:

high fantasy/low romance
dense world building
found family

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Blood So Deadly Divine by. J.M. Grosvalet | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Blood So Deadly Divine (The Deadly Divine, #1)

Author: J.M. Grosvalet

Pages: 596

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 11/18/24

Categories: High Fantasy, Romance, Series

A Hallowed…

Born with a soul that unites realms, Elara, the Hallowed, has lived a life that has never been her own. Trapped within a web of divine rituals and spiritual duties, she’s more a vessel than a person. With a power that has the dual edge to purify or defile, the weight of the realm’s hopes rests on her shoulders. But when her sheltered existence among the Druid sect is shattered by a friend’s brutal murder, she’s compelled to peel back the layers of deceit that have long ensnared her.

A Hunter…

Ivan Dantan, known in hushed tones as “The Hunter”, is the cold embodiment of lethal precision and power. With a mask that strikes terror and a legacy stained in blood, he is duty-bound to the High Council. But when Elara, a beacon of light and defiance, enters his life, the lines between duty and desire blur. He challenges her, stirs her spirit, and draws her to the precipice of the forbidden.

A Realm…

Latheria, poised on the knife’s edge of dark power and ancient pacts, stands threatened by forces that wish to shatter its delicate balance. As the shadows of treachery loom large, the distinctions between ally and enemy, right and forbidden, begin to fade. Elara and Ivan find themselves at the heart of a realm teetering on the edge of upheaval, where the ties that bind them could be the very threads that unravel the fabric of their world.

Content Warning: violence, death, blood sacrifice

+ I’ve had this one in my KU library for awhile now and I’ve been meaning to get to it and finally did. Ellara is Hallowed, supposedly chosen by divine to give up her blood periodically for the kingdom to thrive. She is a prison to this life of Druids and sacrifice and she is tired of it but don’t know a way out until she learns the truth about the Fae that are being hunted and taken, and how it ties to her.

+~ Everything revolves around Ellara and her blood. There are secrets, so many betrayals and political intrigue in this one which I enjoyed a lot. I’d say it’s more fantasy than romance. It has dense world building so the story moves slow in the first half. There is even Faerie language (there are footnotes with translation in the glossary). We learn about the Druids, some things about the Fae and also the space between realms called the Void. A lot of the information later on in the book about the Void gets very dense though and kind of went over my head. But I stuck with it and enjoy the action moments especially in the end.

+ Ellara’s character was obedient in the beginning but it was clear she was tired of being a pawn for everyone, especially Osin, who has her trapped as the blood sacrifice. Because she was sheltered by the Druids, there was a lot of growth in her but I do hope to see more. She was naive about a lot of things which was to be expected, but once her eyes are open to Osin’s crimes and know that not everyone can be trusted she grows much more.

+ There is barely a romance in this one, it’s a very slow burn with not really any spice, just some steam and a lot of the times there was not one guy who I thought Ellara was fully connected to, but you have to read to the end to see it play out. I don’t know how I feel about the Hunter, the man Ellara spent most of her time with. He is an enemy but she has missing memories about her past so when some things are revealed, it opened my eyes about him but I was still wary. There are other men that come into her life though that will probably be featured more in book two – it will be interesting to see how the romance plays out.

Final Thoughts:

Despite the heavy world building and slow first half I was hooked on Ellara and her journey as a naive, sheltered, blood sacrifice and her regaining memories and getting stronger. She’s a very resilient character and I loved seeing her grow. The political intrigue kept me invested in the story. There is more fantasy than romance but I still enjoyed and downloaded book two right away! Can’t wait to see what happens next!

Read if you like:

high fantasy/low romance
enemies to lovers
found family

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Spotlight | Love Me Like a Rock Song by. Shelly Jay Shore

Book Details:

Title: Love Me Like A Rock Song
Author: Shelly Jay Shore
Genre: Romance, Jewish, Queer
Pages: 368
Published: 8/25/26
Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Book Links: Goodreads