Prince of the Sun by. Emma Noyes | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Prince of the Sun

Author: Emma Noyes

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 8/4/26

Publisher: Emma Noyes

Categories: Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Romance, Academia

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

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

Legally Blonde meets A Deal with the Elf King in the debut spicy standalone adult romantasy from the acclaimed author of How to Hide in Plain Sight, the Sunken City series, and the Soul of Shadow trilogy.

One hundred years ago, the elves appeared on Earth.

Beautiful, brilliant, and filled with unearthly grace, they swarmed the libraries and universities: Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Beijing. They made for the humans’ fountains of knowledge with eerie precision, as if they’d spent millennia studying Earth before their arrival.

Once there, the Elf King made an announcement: we’re looking for something, and once we find it, we will leave you in peace.

Quinn Kallister doesn’t believe him. Seven years ago, she watched her father be murdered and her brother kidnapped by a pair of elves. Since then, she fought to gain admission to Harvard for one reason: to find the answers no one will give her. To do that, she must spy on Daerios Ariar, the most powerful and terrifying of the Sun Princes. Quinn is set on gaining the prince’s trust and learning the elves’ secrets—until an unwanted attraction begins to form between them that neither can deny.

Content Warning: eating disorder, death, kidnapping

World Building: This is a standalone so for a world that has to be explained in 300+ pages, I thought this was detailed enough. One hundred years ago elves descended on Earth and they went to prestigious libraries in search of something. Quinn witnessed her father be killed by an elf and her brother was kidnapped so she turned in into a mission to find out why this happened – she also hated elves because of it. While at Harvard, she’s studying linguistics and decides it’s where she can spy on the elves and gather intel. What she didn’t expect was befriending and falling for a Sun Elf prince, Daerios. The story is set mostly at Harvard and but it does take us briefly into the elf world, Elaërion. I loved that Quinn was a brilliant linguist and could speak all dialects of elvish.

Characters: Quinn is a smart 19 year old, focused on trying to find out why elves came to Earth and how it ties into her father’s death. She’s brave, funny, and smart but she is also a recovering anorexic and throughout the story when things got difficult, it was a challenge for her to not resort to her old coping mechanisms. Daerios is one of the princes of the Sun Elves and though he comes off as the party boy who embarrasses his family, he turns out to be a softy and someone dealing with his own grief and trauma too. I also loved the side characters, Cara – Quinn’s roommate and Daerios’ best friend Berendir, they were so funny!

Romance: I love the romance even though Quinn is 19 and Daerios is over 100 years old, he’s stuck in a 19 year old body, but the two of them were so cute together. The banter was funny and they had sparks that Quinn was trying to deny at first, but the two of them were inevitable.

Story: I couldn’t put this one down and loved how though there were some dark topics like death, trauma, and anorexia – this still felt like a fun read because of the humor, especially when Cara and Berendir were in the picture and the romance. I loved seeing Quinn and Daerios fall for one another despite the odds against them. I also really enjoyed Quinn’s investigation into the what the elves were looking for. It’s a standalone so the climactic scene at the end did feel a bit rushed but I didn’t mind it much and I thought it was kind of fitting for this type of story.

Final Thoughts:

I had fun reading this one! I loved the romance between Quinn and Daerios with the banter, spice, and falling in love. I loved their best-friends who brought the humor. I also enjoyed all the world-building, the academia, and learning about the elves. I know this is a standalone but I would love more stories set in this world!

Read if you like:

standalone
elves
urban fantasy
romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Heart of Mischief by. Emma Noyes | ALC and ARC Review | Audiobook and Ebook – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Soul of Shadow by. Emma Noyes | ARC Review – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Vow of Eternal Night by. Lily Crozier | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️.5

Title: Vow of Eternal Night

Author: Lily Crozier

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 8/4/26

Publisher: Entangled: Amara

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Vampires, Gothic

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

Thank you to Entangled: Amara for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Clara Wagner has always known that monsters are real, and the worst of them is Prince Raleigh of Rostenburg. But when he decides it’s time to marry, Clara inadvertently finds herself at the center of his attention.

Forced to accept Raleigh’s proposal, Clara would do anything to escape her fate. So when the prince provides an ultimatum―lift his vampiric curse before the end of the year, or become his bride for eternity―Clara knows what she must do.

Heal the prince. Stay alive. Try not to fall in love.

Content Warning: death, grief, violence

Set in world (I think in Austria) where vampires and other monsters are real, Clara is forced to be engaged to Prince Raleigh of Rostenburg. But they have a bargain, if Clara can figure out how to cure Raleigh from his vampirism, he will let her go.

This is a slow burn, low spice vampire romance with lots of gothic vibes. I actually loved Clara and Raleigh’s interactions – they are both grumpy characters which made things entertaining. She is not afraid of him and adjusts to her situation of captivity pretty well I think. Raleigh is not a very aggressive and alpha male type of vampire but yet at times can still be scary because he is what he is. He left her alone a lot, which was one of my issues. I would have loved to see them getting to know each other better and have more of a build up to the romance. It has one spice scene and though I loved their bickering at times, I wanted more. The story gave Beauty and Beast vibes, which I enjoyed and is told like a fairytale.

There is found family, secrets, betrayals and I was really interested to see how this would all play out and if Clara could break Raleigh’s curse. There is also action and some vampire fights which I thought were fun. I’m a sucker for relics like silver crosses being a weapon against vampires!

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a fun retelling of Beauty & the Beast, but with a vampire twist. It has a great gothic and fairytale atmosphere and the main characters were entertaining in the interactions. I just wanted a little more from the romance and maybe it was a bit predictable but I still had fun reading it, especially because of the action scenes. This is a pretty solid debut!

Read if you like:

standalone
vampires
Beauty and the Beast retelling

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Song For Another Home by. Bora Lee Reed | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Song For Another Home

Author: Bora Lee Reed

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 7/21/26

Publisher: 37 Ink

Categories: Historical Fiction, Korean War

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

Thank you to 37 Ink for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko meets Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing in this powerful story of family separation and reunion, as well as love and war from a Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow.

When news hits that the Americans have entered the war between North and South Korea, everyone believes the war is all but over. Surely it is only a matter of time before Oksoon’s dad and brother will return from the south where they have gone to look for opportunities. As they wait, they are surprised to see the Chinese have also now entered the war, bombing their capital city Pyeongyang. They must quickly decide if they too should flee south toward Seoul or wait for their family. With winter closing in and very few resources left, the trek won’t be easy—and their father is the head of the family, after all. But neither will it be easy living under a communist regime.

Meanwhile, far to the south near Jinju, Oksoon’s cousin Junho flees the war to find refuge at the Lord’s Beloved Home for Children. As the orphanage struggles to keep its doors open, Junho is put in charge of drafting letters to rich American benefactors, convincing them to send money to Korea. But when the enigmatic orphanage director brings her aristocratic niece to stay at the Home, Junho finds himself caught between his impulse for survival and his growing affections, which put him at risk of being expelled from the only safe place he knows.

Movingly rendered, Song for Another Home highlights the tension between personal dreams and duty to family, the power of resilience, and how choices made in a brief moment have consequences that reverberate for lifetimes.

Content Warning: death, sexual harassment, violence, starvation, suicidal ideation

World Building: Set in Korea during the Korean war between North and South. There are two POVs told in 3rd person. Oksoon and her family flee Pyongyang because of the war but also they are in search of her father and older brother. Junho is Oksoon’s cousin who ended up helping at at orphanage because who fled to avoid going into the military. Both characters have different stories to tell, each dealing with the effects of the war on the people, and their situations but their stories merge by the end.

Characters: I was drawn most to Oksoon because she’s a young woman desperately hoping to find her father and brother while helping her mom and other brother survive their trek from Pyongyang. They meet people along the way, others who are suffering but trying to make the best of things until again they are torn from their safe place. I felt for Oksoon and her family, but mostly for her from beginning to end. Her mom is a strong lady who is trying to keep her kids close and help them survive. Her brother also is trying to help where he can. Junho had an interesting situation at the orphanage which had it’s own dramas with the director trying to find funding for the place and her niece, who comes to help at the orphanage but hiding a secret. The Boatman was an interesting character, as well as Dolly who was a prostitute.

Story: I did find the story riveting but also the ending left me so empty because I was just super sad for Oksoon and the circumstances that led to the decision at the end. I was also mostly drawn to her story. Junho story at the orphanage was important too but for some reason I kept looking forward to Oksoon’s story. The story explores so many themes like family, duty and even women’s roles back then. Overall the story captures the realities of living in a war very well – the strength and determination to survive, families split apart, death, dying, prostitution, lack of food and resources…just everyone trying their best to survive such a harsh reality. It didn’t go into the explanation of the war, it’s more about what happens to the victims of war.

Final Thoughts:

This story captures the ugly side of war, where it comes down to the people caught in the crossfire. Oksoon and her family makes a harrowing journey south to find her father and brother. Junho is pretty much safe at an orphanage but it still isn’t easy when everyone is starving and desperate to keep the place open. I was mostly drawn to Oksoon’s story but overall, I thought this was a riveting read.

Read if you like:

historical fiction

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

An Arcane Education by. Lyla Andrews | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: An Arcane Education (Arcadia Academy, #1)

Author: Lyla Andrews

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 363

Publication Date: 7/20/26 (paperback)

Publisher: Lyla Andrews

Categories: Dark Academia, Romantasy, 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 Lyla Andrews for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An Arcane Education is a dark academia romance with fantasy elements, a slow burn professor/student relationship, atmospheric gothic vibes, and found family. Perfect for fans of Nocticadia, Gothikana, and Blood & Betrayals.

Magic. Wealth. Beauty. Reputation.

Here, all of them amount to the one thing everyone Power.

Welcome to Arcadia Academy. Trust no one.

The day I’m attacked is the day I discover magic is real – and I have the power to wield it.

Two days after the incident, I receive an invitation to the graduate program at Arcadia Academy, an elite, mysterious school of magic hidden on an island somewhere off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. With the courage to finally leave behind the mundane life of responsibility I never asked for, I enroll at the prestigious institution, determined to find my place and prove myself.

Unfortunately, my goal isn’t as simple as it seems. New to the world of magic, years behind my classmates, and struggling to control my powers, I’m barely surviving – until the strict, enigmatic, and devastatingly handsome Professor Alaric Vale offers to tutor me. But the longer we spend together, the harder it becomes to deny the forbidden spark burning between us.

Furthermore, not everything is as it seems at Arcadia Academy, with its crawling ivy, ancient stone buildings, and dense forests shrouded in fog. Everyone has secrets to hide, some darker than others. Darker still are the strange plant aberrations occurring in the depths of the forest – ones seemingly related to Professor Vale’s suspicious top-secret research.

When my personal investigations lead to me becoming the talk of campus as a primary suspect in another student’s death, I’m forced to prove my innocence, all while learning to control my magic, concealing the secrets I share with Professor Vale, and uncovering a shocking mystery related to my own past.

Content Warning: death

World Building: Vivian is invited to attend Arcadia Academy where she finds out magic is real and she has it. She has plant powers. The academy is on an island and students of different species and magic attend the school, and though Vivian is a Freshman because she just learned about magic, she is a graduate student as well. Vivian has always been a caretaker of her sibling so she’s never really had time to herself but at the academy she learns to make friends, and even go to a party or two – but then she finds out her dad (who died before she could meet him) went to that academy and learns that not all is as it seems on campus. But for the first 20% of this book it is just world building and learning about the classes and academy.

Characters: I like Vivian, she’s a graduate student but has to learn the basics of magic. She has a difficult time controlling her magic so she takes the initiative to seek help for that. Living away from home is also a challenge, especially because her roommate is a grumpy vampire named Max. Vivian is a good student, a good person, and smart. She does make a few friends eventually but I would love to know more about them. Alaric is the hot professor on campus and he’s hiding a few secrets but he and Vivian are drawn to one another.

Romance: There is a student/professor romance in this one that I thought for the most part was pretty good. I wish there was a little more chemistry between them but maybe because it’s Alaric’s personality – he’s focused on academics and doesn’t display much emotion. There is spice and things are more interesting because of their status as student and professor, but there were some things I questioned about Alaric.

Story: This is a slow moving story, especially the first 25% where it’s world-building. I felt like most of the story in the was about Vivian going to school, being in class, and making friends and not much was happening. Even after finishing it I thought the mystery about what Alaric is studying and keeping secret is way too vague. He just tells Vivian he can’t tell her for sake of her safety but I wanted to know something, just even a crumb of information to keep me interested. After Vivian starts settling into campus life she does take on the mystery of her father being a student once at the academy and she tries to do an investigation but again, it really doesn’t go anywhere. This story is easy to read and it is atmospheric – it definitely gives the dark academia vibes, something sinister is happening but we just have no clue as to what – which was the frustrating part for me. Also, the names Clarissa and Callista had me confused in one scene because she talked to these girls one after the other and I had to re-read that section. 😅

Final Thoughts:

If you like dark academia you will enjoy this one, but for me, I just needed a little more from it. It’s almost got a cozy vibe to it but all the dark academia elements are there also, which I enjoyed. I wanted more information about Vivian’s dad and Alaric’s research but since this is a series, it’s probably being drawn out. Even though I found some parts of this to be too slow for me, I did like how it was easy to read, and love the new friend group for Vivian. The romance was spicy and enticing because of the forbidden aspect of student and professor but even with their relationship I wanted a little more chemistry – but maybe it’s just Alaric’s personality. Overall, a solid start to a series.

Read if you like:

dark academia
mystery
student/professor romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

To Drown a Witch by. Lindsey Olsson | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: To Drown a Witch (#1)

Author: Lindsey Olsson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 7/14/26

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Categories: Upper YA, Mystery, Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Paranormal, Witches, 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 G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A criminal and a royal guard are drawn into the hunt for a dangerous witch—and an unexpected romance—in this YA enemies-to-lovers romantasy, perfect for fans of Heartless Hunter.

In Orlonea, the Witch is feared above all else. Reborn into each generation, she is the only person with magic running innately through her veins, able to wield magic with a single thought.

So when guards across the city begin to drop dead, gruesomely murdered by violent and vicious magic, everyone knows the Witch has returned—and no one will be safe until she’s killed.

Toran is the Prince’s Crown, the most highly skilled fighter in the King’s Guard. Tasked with the responsibility of leading the hunt for the Witch, Toran tries to focus on his assignment to forget the ghosts of his past. And after he learns of Nes, a thief with an uncanny ability to sniff out magic, he forcibly recruits her into joining his hunt.

As the two face deadly magic and otherworldly threats, their mutual dislike soon turns to something more electric, and they find themselves drawn to each other in ways they’d never imagined. But the Witch is always a step ahead of them, and with bodies piling up, secrets threaten to come to light—secrets that could destroy everything from the fragile trust between them to the very city of Orlonea itself.

Content Warning: violence, death, drowning, alcoholism

World Building: The Witch is feared and there is a constant search for her – even though some girls and women are accused of being the witch and die because of it. Toran is the King’s Crown (the Prince’s protector and guard), and the king gives him a mission to bring the Witch to him – alive. But Toran doesn’t want to fail again so he asks Nes to help him. There are different kingdoms but this is set in Orlonea, there are royals, there is poverty, and a place called the Ditch where Nes has been living. The Ditch has someone who runs the streets named Phineas, he’s a crime lord and Nes used to work for him. There is magic in this world, and a drink that can give people powers but it is addictive and illegal.

Characters: Nes is someone from the Ditch and worked for Phineas, she also has a little bit of a mysterious past and she’s morally grey. We know her father is in the prison and her main goal is to get him out. She can also sense magic. Toran has connections to the King so he asks Nes for help to catch the Witch in exchange he will free her father. There are some other interesting characters like Genna, Suri, Quint and of course Phineas. There is mention of the Prince, but he doesn’t really appear in the story.

Romance: Well the romance was not what I expected – I was going along with it, I liked it a lot, Nes, the girl from the Ditch who got her hands dirty and Toran, the King’s Crown, who failed a mission and has a broken heart – I was rooting for these two. I thought they were cute together…and then the plot twist. And I have never loved a MMC and then hated him so fast in my life (I think 😅). One minute I was like aww…the next I was like WHAT?! But I loved the ending and cannot wait to see what happens in book two. This is promoted as young adult, but it is upper young adult because there is a spicy scene but it is not graphic.

Story: I was very surprised that the mystery part of this story kept me in it – usually I find mysteries slow. But I liked learning about this world where they hunt and fear the Witch. I like learning about Toran who has a past but that ending really messed with me. I didn’t expect the cat and mouse game that came in the second half, it hooked me. I had some suspicions about who could be the Witch, and I like how the story misdirected me a few times. Now, throughout the book we get some information, sometimes barely information (for example about the Prince who is mentioned but never seen) – I kept wondering and wanting to know more about these things to piece the puzzle together. So in book two I hope they will explain so much more about the Witch, her background, Toran and his past, the Prince and even the place where Toran failed his mission, Aeos, because all of these things factor in somehow to tie it all together, but since it’s book one we don’t have the full picture.

Final Thoughts:

I went into this enjoying the mystery of the first half, which is surprising since mysteries for me can feel slow but I was really getting invested into Nes and Toran’s story. Then the second half of this book had twists and turns, that had me rushing to the cliffhanger ending. There is so much more to learn about this world, and a lot of be explained, so I will be eagerly waiting for book two!

Read if you like:

mystery
twist and turns
witches

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Unbound by. Penelope Bloom | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Unbound (Confluence Academy, #1)

Author: Penelope Bloom

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 592

Publication Date: 7/21/26 (first published: 5/27/26)

Publisher: Forever

Categories: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Academia, 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 Forever for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Nineteen-year-old Nessa Thorne expects death when she volunteers for Empire’s selection. Instead, she’s thrust into Confluence Academy, where students harness elemental magic and bond powerful beasts—from wolves to ancient dragons—forging themselves into the Empire’s most lethal weapons.

Students are branded by water, air, earth, or fire. But Nessa’s mark is different. A silver spiral—the mark of an unbound. It’s a power so dangerous her kind were hunted to extinction centuries ago—or so the Empire claims.

To survive, she must hide what she is in a castle that reeks of blood, where students kill each other for advantage and failing to tether an elemental means death.

Nessa’s greatest threat may be the only other volunteer—Raith Hollow, a powerful fire affinity whose scorching gaze follows her every move and whose secrets could topple kingdoms.

Alliances are forged in blood, enemies circle like vultures, and forbidden desires close in. Death once seemed like release from her tragic past. Now it’s not an option. She’ll embrace her terrible potential or watch everything she’s fought for burn.

At Confluence Academy, students leave as weapons… or they don’t leave at all.

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: Set at Confluence Academy, this story had all the usual elements found in fantasy academia stories lately. There is a young woman, Nessa, with more powers than others but she has to keep it secret. An enemies to lovers develops between her and a guy who has fire elemental powers and secrets. But a lot of the story revolves around their training at the school plus people trying to team up and take Nessa out. There are also trials to pass, which involved a lot of dangerous situations.

Characters: Nessa is the girl with a tragic past and powers she needs to keep secret because people would want to get rid of her or use her. Raith is the hot, tough guy at the school who she has an enemies to lovers relationship with. He ends up being protective of her but he also has a secret. The secondary characters, Nessa’s new friends, were a fun group. I also Bastian, an air elemental, is a mystery – I can’t tell if he is there as a friend to Nessa or if he will be an enemy later on. I kind of needed more from his character. I did enjoy the beasts that people were tethered too, like Nessa’s beast is a dragon and he is sassy which I thought was funny.

Romance: The romance is a slow burn and it does lead to some steamy scenes but I did appreciate Nessa and Raith getting to know each other before acting on their desires. I feel like their bond grew stronger and stronger as the story moved along.

Story: First off, this story is too long. There were so many parts that could have been cut out because it was repetitive. I think the story has too many elements that are found in other romantasy stories set in an academy and not enough to make it stand out from the rest. It was predictable and I found myself skimming. It’s not anything new I’ve read before but even if it wasn’t new, I just wanted something a little different so it kept me interested. I was in and out of this story, wishing something more was happening and I did enjoy when there was action, or even more steam in the relationship – something to get me excited about what was happening. More of the plot reveals itself in the second half but I wish it hooked me from the beginning.

Final Thoughts:

I wanted more from some of the characters, and wish the story was shorter. I just couldn’t stay fully invested and found myself skimming some pages that felt repetitive. I did like the slow burn romance and the creatures that students were tethered to but overall this was just an okay read for me.

Read if you like:

war academy
trials
enemies to lovers romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Summer of Lost Things by. Jenn Bennett | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: The Summer of Lost Things

Author: Jenn Bennett

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 5/26/26

Publisher: Avon a

Categories: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

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

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

Sexy new adult romance meets swashbuckling adventure when ex childhood friends Paige and Seb reconnect to finally track down the treasure that has been a legend in their small Michigan beach town for decades. Perfect for fans of The Goonies and Netflix’s Outer Banks who are craving more romance!

Star pupil Paige Malone just finished her first year at Harvard. Dropout Seb Jansen spent that time pumping gas for wealthy yacht owners at a Lake Michigan marina. They haven’t seen each other since high school. A shame, considering that they were once inseparable childhood friends who combed their coastal hometown’s sun-kissed beaches along with a couple of other middle-school pals—hunting the Golden Venus, a legendary local treasure that’s distantly connected to Paige’s family.

A treasure rumored to be worth millions of dollars. If it even exists.

These days, however, the former BFFs have traded adventure for reality. Paige is home for the summer and is spiraling after losing her college financial aid. While across town, Seb fell in with a bad crowd and now regrets his life choices, big time. Both feel colossally stuck. And alone.

But when Paige stumbles upon a hidden secret in her grandmother’s beach cottage, she must get their old treasure-hunting gang back together to finally unravel the mystery that has eluded her family for generations. Who the thrill of the hunt might help Paige and Seb find a path back to their lost friendship…or something more.

The Summer of Lost Things brings the summer heat with its combination of a high stakes treasure hunt and a swoony love story.

Tropes

Childhood friends to lovers Second-chance romance Treasure hunt Family secrets Partners in crime Summer love Small beach town setting Overachiever x bad boy Loveable rogues

Content Warning: grief, violence, mentions of drug trafficking, drug use (weed), vaping, strained parental relationships

+ I haven’t read a Jenn Bennett book in so long and it was so nice to get a chance to read her newest book coming out. I read a lot of her young adult books but this one is new adult, which I appreciated since now I’m an older fan of hers. In this book Paige is back in her hometown, a small beach town with lots of memories, some painful with the lost of her Nana. I love how right away we get to know Paige, her struggles, her grief, and her memories – she’s a very fleshed out character. Her memories and feelings about the town really sets the tone for the story.

+ Set in a small beach town in Michigan, Paige and her best friends, Jazmine, Seb and Benny were known as the WAGS. A group of kids on the hunt for treasure, and it helped that Paige’s ancestor was a man with renowned legend in town. There is talk about gold bars being hidden and so the WAGS go on a final mission to find these gold bars but they aren’t the only ones who want them. A family in town who is known her crime and drug trafficking, also wants to find this treasure so there are moments of tension when the treasure hunt gets dangerous. For the most part though, I thought it was so fun following the WAGS on their treasure hunt adventure, they are a close group, no matter what they’ve been through – I love their friendship! It’s very realistic and I love that they are flawed.

+ There is a childhood friends to romance between Paige and Seb. She’s the one who went to Harvard, overachiever and he’s the bay boy who got in lots of trouble, and now trying to get on the right track. Now back together again, Paige realizes her feelings about him have changed from friendship to lust and maybe something more. I loved Paige and Seb! I love how the interacted, you can feel the deep friendship and I even loved the way they fought because you could tell they were close. They are really partners in crime, and in life. There was one moment though that Paige was frustrating, because she clearly wants him, then put boundaries between them and got mad when he wouldn’t cross the boundary. Also there is a spicy scene and more of it but off the page.

+~ This isn’t a clean adventure treasure hunt story about a group of teens or young kids (though there are memories), these are young adults out of high school and they curse, and smoke weed, drink, they do crazy things and maybe even get into troubling relationships but I felt like all of that was realistic to the characters ages. I like that they are all trying to figure life out.

~ There is one supportive parent group in this story, which is Jazmine’s, thank goodness because Paige and Seb did not luck out with having good parents! Very strained and even messed up relationships. So thank goodness for the Neelys.

Final Thoughts:

This is going to be the perfect summer read if you are looking for action, treasure hunting, tension, childhood friends to lovers romance, trying to figure out life and friendship. I enjoyed this one!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

Always Jane by. Jenn Bennett | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chasing Lucky by. Jenn Bennett | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC Review: The Lady Rogue ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Book Review: Serious Moonlight ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Starry Eyes by. Jenn Bennett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alex, Approximately by. Jenn Bennett ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Malachite by. Ashley Andersen | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Malachite (#1)

Author: Ashley Andersen

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 5/7/26 | on KU 4/29/26 | on B&N 5/19/26

Publisher: Hachette New Zealand

Categories: New Adult, Dark Academia, Romantasy, 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 Hachette New Zealand for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Malachite is the start of a dark academia romantasy series that gives you enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn, elemental powers, forced proximity, found family and the perfect amount of spice…

Malachite. Opal. Agate.
Three stones, three powers, three magical units.
Choose your unit … and hope that it chooses you back.

Arianell Nocthare has been waiting her whole life to enter the prestigious Valmora Academy, where students prepare for war by honing their elemental magic in one of three units. But there are two problems facing Aria on the night of her initiation ceremony. Firstly, her family has been cast into disgrace after her brother was executed for allegedly killing four students in an attempt at dark magic. Secondly, so far Aria has been unable to summon any magic—and being magic-less in an academy where everyone wants to spill your blood is a dangerous game. How will she enter the unit of her choosing and survive without a scrap of power?

Facing blatant scorn from every angle, especially from her brother’s best friend (the tall dark and lethally handsome, Sebastian) Aria is determined to clear her brother’s name and seek justice for his death. Forging a tentative and fraught relationship with Seb, she begins to uncover some terrifying truths about the academy. And a revelation about Aria’s power throws her world into chaos…

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: Set in a fantasy world where stones give you power, I did enjoy this world a lot though it is mostly set in Valmora Academy. I thought the academy was an interesting place because of the three factions: Malachite (warriors), Agate (academics) and Opal (healers). Would have like to see them work together and learn about different powers but for now because it’s book one the story focuses on Arianell’s training and surviving the school where her brother died and was accused of killing other students. The ending explains much more about the academy and it’s origins.

Characters: For most of the book this read like a young adult novel, so I’m saying this is upper YA because there are spicy scenes. Arianell’s brother, Lukas, died at Valmora, leaving him a bad reputation as a murderer. But she only remembers him as the best brother she ever had and she wants to know what happened to him. Sebastian was Lukas’ best friend but he is far from friendly when Aria ends up at the academy. He is angry, hostile, mean and cruel to her but I like how Aria deals with bullies, and with him – she doesn’t give up and there is so much growth for her in this story. I love how she goes from hurt and weak to strong and brave. I also love seeing her make new friends with Tilly and Xavier.

Romance: This is a slow burn. Aria has had a crush on Sebastian for a long time so she is confused as to why he hates her now. And for most of the book I didn’t like how he treated her, so I am glad that she doesn’t fall for him right away. She questions her feelings of how she felt about the old Sebastian and seeing for what he is now, the one that has been hurting her – and she has to decide if the reason he is acting that way towards her is a forgivable offense. Because she wants him, but can she forgive him and I like that she tries to work that out instead of falling for him right away. There are some fun steamy scenes.

Story: I would have rated this higher if only the transitions between some paragraphs were fixed. I didn’t know if some sections were supposed to be separated into chapters – it made for a jarring reading experience at times because I had to read back to see if I missed something. So maybe because this is the arc – it will be fixed in the final copy? But other than that I was immersed in the story even though there were times I needed to be patient with Aria and her growth. Also, I felt like it took awhile to find out anything about Aria’s brother since no one wants to talk about him, Sebastian was keeping too many secrets. I loved the twist at the end and the ending feels like the world is going to sort of open up in book two – would love more world building.

Vibes: dark academia, girl who’s powers haven’t manifested, brother’s best friend but enemies to lovers

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I actually really enjoyed this one because I love gemstone powers, also the enemies to lovers romance progressed nicely though some communication and trust would have helped Aria and Sebastian out. I loved the friendship with Tilly and Xavier but the ending has a pretty entertaining twist I didn’t see coming and I want to see what happens next.

Read if you like:

enemies to lovers
dark academia
FMC who goes from powerless to strong

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Student Union: The Undergrads by. Julie Murphy | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Student Union (The Undergrads, #1)

Author: Julie Murphy

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 5/5/26

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Categories: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Series, Rom-Com

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

Thank you to Balzer + Bray for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From #1 New York Times–bestselling author Julie Murphy comes a sexy rom com about a college marriage of convenience that goes way beyond chemistry 101…The first in a trilogy of romance novels that follows a group of girls as they navigate love, friendship, and new adulthood, this is perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy and Hannah Grace.

CLOVER ROWAN WALSH knows The Plan.
1. Get a full ride to her dream school, Wexley University.
2. Conquer the school of business.
3. Say goodbye to the paycheck-to-paycheck life she and her mom have known for years.

There’s just one hiccup. With the first semester rapidly approaching, Clover learns her housing grant has fallen through. But a loophole presents Married couples can live in the dorms for the price of one student. Clover is willing to sacrifice the sanctity of marriage . . . even if it means proposing to the one person she swore she’d never speak to again.

Bennett Andrew Graves is the only heir to the Graves Coffee empire. After spending his first year at Wexley, squeaking by in classes and becoming personally acquainted with the female student body, he is looking forward to living off campus. Until the girl he grew up with (and whom he completely devastated years ago) walks back into his life with the most absurd Will you marry me?

Bennett can’t refuse Clover. He owes her this, but that doesn’t change the fact that these two can barely carry on a conversation without getting at each other’s throats. Forget about sharing a dorm—much less one bed.

But as Clover and Bennett hide the true nature of their marriage, they find that playing house isn’t all that bad—especially with certain marital benefits in the mix. In fact, Clover and Bennett are soon forgetting the most important part of their fake marriage of convenience . . . that it’s supposed to be fake.

Content Warning: strained parental relationship, bullying

+ I’ve read a few books from Julie Murphy and love her work so when I saw this new adult rom-com from her, I had to request it, and I’m so glad I did because I was not disappointed.

+~ Clover has come up with a plan to afford going to Wexley University and having on campus housing – getting married. And there is one other person she knows who goes to Wexley – her ex-childhood friend, Bennett Graves. Bennett is gorgeous, rich and once upon a time her best friend until they grew apart. This story is told in 2 POVs though, so we get Bennet’s POV too and that boy is crazy about Clover, which I adored because it’s his POV where we get the yearning. Their romance was so good, and the spice too even though I thought getting married at 19 and 20 is too young, I couldn’t help love watching the two of them experience college and a marriage of convenience. I like how they had a talk about it when their contract of marriage was nearing it’s deadline though. Also, side note about Clover, love that she is a plus-sized girly!

+ This is set in college and I think it captures dorm life pretty well with the strange and unique people you meet – where some will turn out to be some of your closest friends! Also there is a bunch of partying that happens in this story too which also is realistic – even Clover working at the library (I did that too! lol) is just spot on, at least for me. We don’t see Clover in classes much except for pottery class though.

+~ I loved the secondary characters in this book, they were fun and funny. Even jerks like Tate was important to the story because yes those guys exist on campus too. And though the romance is the main focus, there are moments where Bennett is trying to navigate his relationship with his mom – he wants more from her. I would have loved to see if his mom and Clover’s could come back to being friends again. The story explores power dynamics too and the role of money and how it can change in relationships.

+~ I mean sure, Clover could have gotten the money for housing a bunch of different ways. She didn’t have to manipulate Bennett into doing it, but after learning about what happened between them in the past, I think it was a good deal! And it ended up really working out between them.

Final Thoughts:

I ate this up and read it in one day. I loved this book even though the marriage of convenience is happening between a 19 and 20 year old, which personally I think is too young (but that’s just me) – but I love that they are ex-childhood friends who turn into lovers. Bennett’s yearning for her warmed my heart and the story is just fun and reminded me of my college days! I’m looking forward to reading Daisy’s story next!

Read if you like:

new adult, campus life
marriage of convenience

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

A Merry Little Meet Cute by. Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be, #1) by. Julie Murphy | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Pumpkin by. Julie Murphy | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cruel Angel by. Rebecca Kenney | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Cruel Angel (Gilded Monsters, #4)

Author: Rebecca Kenney

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 4/14/26

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Categories: Phantom of the Opera Retelling, Dark Romance, Romantasy, New Adult

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!

There was a time I felt lost and alone…until I met them, and together our souls took My gentle Raoul and our deadly Angel of Music.

Haunted by the violent death of her parents, Christine Daaé longs to find solace in music, but debilitating stage fright keeps her firmly in the shadows. All she can hope for is a few stolen moments singing to herself in the mournful silence of the backstage stairwell…until one night, the shadows sing back.

In exchange for complete devotion, her mysterious Phantom promises to teach her everything he knows—and with his praise boosting her confidence, Christine is finally able to take center stage…catching the eye of her sweet childhood friend turned something more, Raoul.

But her mysterious mentor is as obsessive as he is demanding, and he will not share Christine with anyone—not unless he can have them both in a bargain that is as dangerous as it is seductive. Light and shadows, gentleness and raging passion, the three of them should not fit so perfectly together. Yet as a supernatural force looms, ready to tear them apart forever, Christine must decide if love can truly exist in the space between beauty and madness…and whether she’s finally ready to fully embrace the music of the night.

An addictive and truly original spicy New Adult retelling of The Phantom of the Opera with a magical twist.

Content Warning: stalking, voyeurism, drugging people

**I know this is a series, but I’ve only read one book so far from this series – the first one. So some things and characters are mentioned in this book that I assume are from book 3, but since I didn’t read it, I’m not sure what it refers to.**

+~ I love the Phantom of Opera so I was very curious to see how this retelling would pan out. It’s a more modern day Phantom of the Opera, with paranormal and supernatural elements which I think were interesting but also felt at times like some of it was thrown in just to be thrown in? But I did like the moments that was obviously from Phantom of the Opera, like Christine and Raoul’s names being the same. Christine is a singer, but Raoul I feel like has more detail in this book than the original story. The Phantom is obsessive as ever with Christine but the new twist is his feelings for Raoul.

+~ The romance is very spicy, it’s a throuple situation, why choose. It is M/M/F, which was intriguing since that definitely doesn’t happen in the original but I can see how this would fit since the Phantom is so mysterious and in this story his lore is that he is a God, so it makes sense he would be open in his sexuality also. I do feel like this was mostly smut though without real build-up to the romance. So if you are wanting to read a smutty, fun time, why choose Phantom of the Opera, then you will enjoy this. If you want more of the relationship building, or even more plot? You might not enjoy this.

~ There are a lot of music pop cultural references if you are not into that.

~ The story felt all over the place, maybe because the Phantom is a god, Christine is a vampire and Raoul is a werewolf. The Phantom is obsessed with Christine, which is a given, but there were some things like in Raoul’s background that I felt like wasn’t explored. All of them could have used a bit more depth. It’s definitely more smut than plot.

Final Thoughts:

I did enjoy the Phantom of the Opera story elements that were found in this one and I even found the throuple relationship intriguing – it makes sense. But I would have loved more build-up into the romance, but it’s very insta-lust and then love. And speaking of lust, it is very spicy between these three. So I think if you like more smut than plot, you will enjoy this one. I like more plot in my smut, so this one just fell a little bit short.

Read if you like: