Masquerade of Mirrors by. Samantha Hartwood | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Masquerade of Mirrors (Halls of Glass)

Author: Samantha Hartwood

Format: eBook

Pages: 592

Publication Date: 2/17/26

Publisher: indepdent

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Dark Academia, LGBT+

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

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

The only thing more dangerous than falling for a lie
is falling for the liar.

Don’t look at the desert. Don’t think about the desert. Never step onto the sand. Taera has followed these rules her entire life—until he arrives.

Impossibly gorgeous, with a face masked in magic, Nikolai kidnaps Taera and drags her deep into the dunes. He says she’s powerful and needs to be trained…if she ever wants to see her family again.

Thrust into a deadly school of illusions and lies, Taera can’t trust anyone. Especially not her breathtaking, ruthless captor. Top student and notorious liar, his secrets run deeper than the sand. He’s her worst nightmare—and everything she craves.

The cutthroat Halls of Glass have a mind of their own. Trapped within their looping corridors, Taera is surrounded by hostile students and forced to rely on Nikolai.

Taera knows she shouldn’t fall for his illusions. But magic requires a partnership, and he’s the only mage who can handle her wild, untamed power.

And the only way he’ll help her is if she pretends to be his.

Masquerade of Mirrors is a fast-paced, slow-burn fantasy romance. Taera and Nikolai’s story is for readers who love crackling chemistry, daring escape plans, and as many lies as truths. This book is highly addictive and contains adult content.

Content Warning: violence

+ I found the world building very interesting! Set in a desert with mages and magicians, Taera is terrified of what the desert storm brings – a sickness with no cure. But also, she’s traumatized by an event where a mage came and did something to her mother, so she’s terrified of mages/magicians. These magic wielders often where an illusion so you never know their true face, and Taera was taught to fear them until one magician takes her to the Hall of Glass, a training school where magic wielders (Conduits) and Sources go to train their powers and learn about magic. Most of the story takes place in the school, but there are moments we get elements of the desert.

+~ I found Taera an interesting FMC who is naive because she hasn’t left her village. She has a lot to learn about people, and magic. I liked seeing her grow, but there were times her character frustrated me. As far as Nikolai, he’s handsome, desired, powerful, a liar and a thief. I did enjoy some of the other secondary characters like Omi, and Annie. There was just a lot of times Taera didn’t know what was going on and she’s being bullied, and Nikolai just lets it happen because he’s not a good guy. So there were times, I didn’t like that Taera clung to him even when he was being horrible. But we do learn more about his past, which is a bit tragic. He has done a lot in his young life to be drowning in regret and guilt, and he has to choose to lose himself completely in pursuit of power to change what he can’t.

+ The romance is very much a focus and it’s enemies to lovers, who are forced to one room, and one bed. It’s hard not to be charmed by Nikolai – everyone wants him, and Taera falls hard for him. Even when he’s not treating her good! But it’s her love that helps him and changes him so by the end I was rooting for their romance. There are some fun spicy scenes between them.

~ The story does turn into a dark academia school drama, which at points made me wonder if this was young adult – but it’s not. Taera is 24, but she’s never been in a setting where there are students who are cutthroat and all about drama. They bully her and sometimes Nikolai doesn’t care about it. Also, it was frustrating how Nikolai explained nothing to Taera about the school. He kidnaps her, and tells her to do this or that, but never explains anything. He hands her a book to study! Thank goodness for Omi who helped her.

~ I don’t think the story about the desert sickness ever gets addressed and I felt like the situation with Omi was easily pushed aside. I needed them to be face to face to discuss what happened so I hope if there are more books in this world, Omi’s story could be told?

Final Thoughts:

I really thought the world building was unique. I loved learning about the magic system involving conduits and sources. Would love to learn more about the mysteries of the desert, the Labyrinth and the school. It does turn into an academic drama that at times felt like a young adult book. The romance definitely had me invested, and I’m glad there is growth in Taera and Nikolai. Overall, I enjoyed this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Author Website

Crown of War and Shadow by. J.R. Ward | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Crown of War and Shadow (Kingdoms of the Compass, #1)

Author: J.R. Ward

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 2/17/26

Publisher: Bramble

Categories: Romantasy, Fantasy, 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 Bramble for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An outcast burdened with a curse and a mercenary who’s out for himself collide in this star-crossed, slow-burn, high-stakes romantic fantasy from #1 New York Times bestseller J. R. Ward.

In the dead of night, passions rise and empires fall.

Welcome to Kingdoms of the Compass.

The Fulcrum is failing, and demons are slipping into the mortal world, stalking the night.

No one is safe.

Especially not Sorrel. An orphan and an outcast, she’s spent her whole life within the walls of her small village, ostracized for her mystical abilities. She wants to survive…and maybe find somewhere she can call her true home. But Fate has other plans.

Sorrel has been chosen. Cursed.

She must cross the Badlands to return the Queen’s crown and convince the fearsome female to save their world from destruction.

Well aware she’s no brave hero, Sorrel makes a dangerous deal with Merc, a brooding, commanding mercenary known only by his unscrupulous profession.

The deal? A night in his bed that she will never forget, in exchange for her safe passage.

But Merc has secrets of his own, and even though passion runs hot between them, enemies are around every corner, and danger and betrayal threaten at every turn.

Content Warning: violence, death, maternity death, animal death

I haven’t read a J.R. Ward book since the first few books of her Brotherhood Dagger series! So it’s been a decade maybe? So I was excited to be approved to read this book.

Sorrel hasn’t had an easy life, she’s an orphan and hiding behind a hooded shroud covering her face. She has some powers of healing, but also to look into the eyes of someone and determine how they will die. She also bring something back to life. When a mercenary comes into the tavern her fate and future is tied to him in good ways and bad.

I was actually surprised this didn’t have as much romance as I was expecting. I loved the bickering between Sorrel and Merc and right away there is a physical attraction – and though his request of payment for his protection is sex with her – it’s not something he pushes onto her and actually backs off. There is maybe 2 spicy scenes. Also, for all their bickering, and forced proximity whether it’s on one horse or one bed, the romance didn’t feel like the main focus at all.

The main focus was Sorrel’s journey from a young woman always hiding, to coming to terms of all that is revealed at the end of the story. She grows a lot. But there are times where she doesn’t know how to swim, and then swims like a fish. Or can’t ride a horse, and then ends up being exceptional on a horse. I wasn’t sure what was going but I went with! I actually loved all the moments when she connected to people, like her friend Mare, or a stranger like Lena. It was heartfelt because you knew Sorrel had a good heart. But she did test my patience at times because she didn’t Merc to even tell him about her powers, yet he’s almost dying on this quest with her.

And speaking about journey? This story has Merc and Sorrel traveling from town to kingdoms and back again. It’s a travel adventure story filled with a lot of action fighting off scary creatures. There are even dragons!

There is a twist at the end I wasn’t expecting but makes what comes next in book two very interesting.

Now because this was an arc copy, there were a lot of typos or missing words. Also there is a lot going on in the story, and I felt like it was a never ending things of what could happen to Sorrel next. At times it was too much that it felt comical.

Final Thoughts:

I read this one in two days because with everything going on in the story, it was hard to put down! But some things also felt off in this story because too many things were happening. I liked seeing Sorrel’s character grow so much. It was kind of nice not having the romance as a main focus, because that left more time for action and adventure. But I also wanted a tiny bit more romance. The ending had an unexpected twist and I’m wondering what will happen in book two.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Black Dagger Brotherhood Books 1-8

Fated Skates by. Victoria Schade | ALC Review | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Fated Skates

Author: Victoria Schade

Narrator(s): Katie Schorr

Format: audiobook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352 Listening Time: Approximately 9 hours 26 min

Publication Date: 1/13/26

Publisher: Avon a

Categories: Sports Romance, Olympics 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 HarperCollins for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

She’s chasing gold. He’s chasing forgiveness. The Winter Olympics heat up as two comeback stories collide.

Quinn Albright was America’s figure skating darling until a humiliating Olympic performance splashed her across every headline. Now she’s back, stronger than ever, ready to claim the gold medal on her own terms—no PR fluff, no perfect princess act, just the real, unapologetic Quinn.

But the one distraction she didn’t train for? Bennett Martino. Once the golden boy of speed skating, Bennett’s reputation took a hit he’s still paying for. The chance to host a sporty news magazine show is the perfect redemption arc, and nothing would boost his ratings more than an inside look at Quinn’s comeback. There’s just one issue—she’s the last person who wants him around.

As this year’s Olympic Games commence, past mistakes, shared secrets, and unrelenting chemistry collide. With cameras rolling and the ice melting under their skates, Quinn and Bennett must figure out if they can rewrite their stories—or crash and burn.

Content Warning: narcissistic mother, eating disorder, depression

+ I thought this was a very timeline romance book since the 2026 Winter Olympics is about to start in Italy! I used to love watching figure ice skating when I was younger, not so much now as an adult, but I wanted to try this one. The narrator did a great job with this one in being Quinn’s voice.

+ Quinn is chasing gold after losing in the last Olympics. She is putting pressure on herself but there is lots more pressure from her mother who is a narcissist. To help her image, her mom signs her up to do a sports documentary – but the person in charge of interviewing her is her one-night stand, Ben. I liked Quinn’s story because she deals with her humiliation from losing, her awful mother, struggling through an eating disorder and fighting to climb back up and win gold.

+ I love Quinn’s support group, her friend, and her coach.

+~ I enjoyed how the romance progressed. They were a one-night stand 4 years ago, after she lost, he was there to listen to her. Now working together, they put up boundaries, but spending a lot of time, makes them remember how much they enjoyed each other’s company years ago. I like how they build a friendship and open up to one another. We learn how Ben had depression and how winning didn’t necessarily equate to happiness. They are there for one another as Quinn chases gold. I do feel like their love story was more cozy rather than filled with sparks. They found comfort in each other’s company and yes there is spice, but it’s mild.

Final Thoughts:

I thought it was cool to get a peak into Quinn’s life as an ice skater trying to compete for gold. There is so much pressure, down to the outfit she wears on the ice. The romance was cozy, and I like their support for one another. If you like ice skating romances and the Olympics, you will enjoy this one.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Here Lie All the Boys Who Broke My Heart by. Emma Simmerman | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Here Lie All the Boys Who Broke My Heart

Author: Emma Simmerman

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 2/3/26

Publisher: Avon a

Categories: New Adult, Mystery, Thriller, 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!

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder meets Tell Me Lies in this binge-worthy debut murder mystery about a college student whose senior year takes a deadly turn when her exes start turning up dead…

Every time a guy breaks my heart, I write him a eulogy in my journal. It’s kind of my thing—closure through creative mourning. They don’t actually die… or, at least, they didn’t.

Now? These guys aren’t just dead to me, they’re dead to everyone. And I’m the prime suspect.

With my senior year at Pembroke College—and my entire future—on the line, I’ve got no choice but to play detective. Unfortunately, that means teaming up with my long-standing frenemy, Asher, who is insufferable and somehow always there when I need him the least. We bicker, we banter, we occasionally almost hook up, but with the body count rising and my name all over the suspect board, there’s no time to get distracted.

Between college parties, messy exes, suspicious deaths, and a murder investigation I never asked to be a part of—one thing’s for this is not how I thought my last year would go.

Here’s to hoping I can find out who the real killer is… before someone ends up writing my eulogy.,

Content Warning: alcohol use, drug use, violence, death, murder, cheating

I went into this book thinking this was young adult – I bumped it up to New Adult because there is spice in this one, which I didn’t mind at all. I actually want more New Adult mystery thrillers like this one!

Sloane is in her senior year of college but this girl is messy. She’s had a few scandals, and has a reputation but all she’s looking for is love – except the guys she picks aren’t the best. And it doesn’t stop her from writing a eulogy for each on in her journal, whenever things fizzle out. But now her journal is missing and the guys she writes about are ending up dead. But who is the killer?

This one kept me on my toes and I didn’t figure out who the killer was, which fun! There are a few suspects that could credibly be the killer, but it was twisty enough to make me not see the betrayals coming.

The messy romance kept me invested. Sloane wants Wes, her friend who she hooked up with and who is back with his girlfriend. Asher, Wes’ cousin, is a total a-hole, but he makes a deal with Sloane to keep her secret of hooking up with Wes, if she fake dates him to make Wes jealous and she can convince him to give up being owner their family resort (which Asher wants). Sloane and Asher are frenemies to lovers but can it last? And what about Wes? Does she still want him? Wes is the nice guy, but when Sloane is with Asher – fireworks, they are always fighting, but I loved it, and the banter was funny!

Sloane is NOT good at picking her men, plus she’s always drinking, always partying, and at times I was tired of her antics. But I found all this college partying so accurate, and them hooking up with whoever is just realistic, so I cut Sloane some slack.

I don’t know how I feel about the ending – there is closure, but also, it felt rushed and I wanted something more concrete!

Final Thoughts:

This one is a fun, twisty mystery thriller that kept me on my toes. The messy romance was keeping me invested along with the murder mystery. There is spice, a little cheating too, but it’s too be expected with Sloane and her friends I think. Would have loved the ending to have more closure but I guess I can imagine what happens next in my own way. Overall, I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more books from this author!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Songbird of the Sorrows by. Braidee Otto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Songbird of the Sorrows (Myths of Empyrieos, #1)

Author: Braidee Otto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 2/3/26 (first published on 6/18/24)

Publisher: The Dial Press

Categories: Fantasy, 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 The Dial Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An outcast princess turned spy embarks on a mission to infiltrate a rival kingdom, but the secrets she uncovers force her to decide whether to follow orders or defy them.

Ask no questions. Obey your orders. Respect your masters. But most of all, love no one.

Spy. Thief. Princess. Songbird.

Princess Aella was ousted from the Palace of Sorrows as a child, shattering her world and forcing her to abandon the truth of her royal lineage. Instead, she was raised in The Aviary, which disguises itself as a school for orphaned children but is actually a secret order designed to train its students as spies for an intelligence network embedded throughout the Empyrieos.

Now twenty-three years old and having completed her final tests, Aella is summoned to join Alpha Flight, the Aviary’s elite team of assassins that’s led by none other than her former flame, Raven. Everything about him calls to her—he’s brave, loyal, and lethal. But is Raven worth breaking the rules and risking everything she’s worked so hard to achieve?

Before she can decide, the Alpha Flight team is sent on a dangerous mission that tests Aella’s resolve in every way. Her role is crucial and she must assume her former title of Princess of the Sorrows, the identity she once had to forsake, to compete in the bridal trials held by the Prince of Eretria. As old sparks reignite and the harsh realities of the realm reveal themselves, the mission begins to unravel, and Aella must decide if she is brave enough to disobey her superiors in order to do what she believes is right.

Songbird of the Sorrows is the first book in Myths of the Empyrieos, an epic romantic fantasy series that follows a feisty heroine through trials, a perilous heist, court intrigue, kingdom politics, and a journey of self-discovery, true love, and redemption.

Content Warning: torture, sexual assault, drugged, death, violence

I thought this book started off really good. I liked the world building. It’s explained pretty well how there was a God War and how the many different islands came to be and their kingdoms. Aella is an outcast princess turned into a spy. She went through very harsh training at the Aviary, who’s leader is called the Eagle. I liked all the bird names they used for each spy! When Aella is given her first assignment, it’s ironically to be the princess she already is. Aella, does have a somewhat secretive history and it is revealed little by little.

There are some interesting cast members in this story. Raven, her former lover, is back – she hadn’t heard from him in a year, but now while back together – the attraction is back. The interesting thing about this love story is I didn’t feel the love, I felt the second-chance romance of it all, without the romance. They are two trained spy assassins on a mission and Raven makes it clear the mission is what matters the most, no matter how many times they put aside the rules and hook up. So I wasn’t really into Raven.

I did love Aella’s friend Nyssa and her new friend Myna and even Titaia. They made a good trio who went undercover in another kingdom to partake in a deadly bridal trial, as a distraction, so the rest of the crew could find this infamous weapon people are looking for. I also loved the captain of The Nightingale – he was a fun character.

I felt like the middle of the story slowed down when Aella and her crew go to Eretia. The competition happens kind of quick, and I didn’t feel the high stakes of the trials until afterwards. After the trials is when things pick up again, and the story finishes off strong. There is betrayal, and a new, interesting character at the end that helps set up book two.

There are a few words that are hard to remember or say in this story so I had to look it up.

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed the world-building and the assassin spy crew that Aella and her friends are a part of. I liked the beginning and end, but found the middle (the deadly trials) kind of slow and it felt low-stakes. I didn’t love Aella with Raven but I’m intrigued by Xan, the new character we meet at the end of the book. So I’m looking forward to reading book two.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Stolen Midnights by. Katherine Quinn | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Stolen Midnights (#1)

Author: Katherine Quinn

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 2/3/26

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Young 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 Delacorte Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This magical new YA romantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of To Kill a Shadow will steal your heart. Set in Andalay, a world where the ruling Fates bestow gifts among the favored, a thief must join forces with the palace darling after he unwittingly steals a necklace with the power to change everything.

When Damien, a cold and hardened thief, is hired to steal a gift from the powerful Fates meant for Andalay’s sweetheart, Wren Hayes, he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets.

The gift? A locket containing his own phototroph.

Once the locket is opened, hidden truths unravel, ones that shed light on the ruthless ways of the upper-class society. Yearning for the three Fates and the magical gifts they bestow, the lords of Andalay will go to any length to keep their power—including murder.

Brought together by destiny, and fighting a temptation that neither understand, Wren and Damien navigate a seedy world where the truth can destroy not only their lives, but the city itself.

Content Warning: violence, death

Wren doesn’t have good standing in society or among her family, and when her birthday magic gift isn’t given to her, it makes her reputation even worse. Damien, is a thief, and he is the one who stole Wren’s magic gift, a locket – with his picture inside it. But the question is why? When another thief steals it from him he reluctantly joins forces with Wren to find this gift.

Wren and Damien are from different classes, she’s a pampered young lady from a rich family and Damien is from the streets. They clash in personalities, but I found their bickering pretty fun. There is an attraction growing between them but Damien runs from her each time he feels more for her, and she gets upset with him a lot about it. There is a tiny bit of spice, there are barely details in the act of it.

But with this quest to find the missing gift, Wren stumbles onto something more sinister that involves the Fates (the ones that gift the magic), and the high lords in society – including her own father. There are a few twists and turns at the end that was a surprise and it ends in a cliffhanger.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a fun, young adult fantasy with a surprise ending I didn’t expect. I love Wren and Damien’s back and forth banter – they are both pretty stubborn. But I love the rich girl/poor boy trope so I was invested in their romance. I also thought the mystery about the high lords and the operation they were hiding really added to the mystery. Overall, a pretty good start to the series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

To Shatter the Night by. Katherine Quinn | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

To Kill a Shadow by. Katherine Quinn | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Second Chance Romance by. Olivia Dade | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Second Chance Romance (Harlot’s Bay, #2)

Author: Olivia Dade

Format: ebook (borrowed – Libby)

Pages: 395

Publication Date: 11/25/25

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Second Chance Romance

In the second installment of USA Today bestselling author Olivia Dade’s Harlot’s Bay series, a mistaken obituary leads to the reunion of two former high school crushes. Sparks fly in this hilarious grumpy/grumpy romance, packed with Dade’s signature body positivity and a delicious amount of spice.

Karl and Molly were never together. There was a time, right after high school, where it seemed like they might finally cross the line from friends to lovers…but instead, a foolish misunderstanding meant they never spoke again. Molly went to LA and got married. Karl stayed in Harlot’s Bay and bought a bakery.

The only connection the pair has shared over the years is painfully one-sided: Now divorced, Molly narrates monster romance audiobooks, and Karl is an ever-diligent listener, clinging to his only piece of the one that got away.

Still, Molly hasn’t totally left Harlot’s Bay behind. When she hears that Karl’s obituary has run in the local paper, unexpected grief prompts her to hop on the next flight to Maryland…where she finds Karl very much alive, the victim of nothing but an accidental obituary.

As the pair reunite, they finally hash out their missed connection. True, Molly isn’t quite ready to trust again, but Karl is determined to prove himself worthy of her faith and devotion. And as her remaining time in Harlot’s Bay ticks down, Molly, the habitual cynic, just might find that Karl, the cranky town curmudgeon, is impossible to leave behind a second time.

Content Warning:

I didn’t read book one in this series, but I wanted to try out an Olivia Dade book and this caught my eye so I borrowed it.

+ Harlot’s Bay is a small town, one that Molly wants to eventually escape. We get to see how Molly and Karl evolve as friends in high school to how they fell apart and reconnect again. I love the setting of Harlot’s Bay – the community seems wholesome yet quirky, and Karl is a staple there with his bakery. Molly does escape to California, and she comes back to Hartlot’s Bay due to a misunderstanding which I thought was funny.

+ Both Karl and Molly are strong characters, they know who they are, which is refreshing. Karl is grumpy, swears a lot, but he’s a good guy who just wants Molly. He goes out of his way to try and make her feel comfortable, build trust in him, and gives her time even though he stubbornly wants her to move back to Harlot’s Bay. Molly is someone who doesn’t trust easily because of her father. She’s been married and divorced and still has to deal with her ex. But I love how she’s an audiobook narrator! And the fact that Karl listened to the smutty books and was a fan was so funny and cute. These two are quite a couple and they just work!

+ The romance was cute – Karl asks Molly to stay until the school reunion and give him a chance. Karl isn’t the type to know how to express his feelings, he’s grumpy, but he and Molly completed one another because she can be grumpy too. They try to build trust between one another by going on dates and doing trust exercises. I love how he gave her space and time. But one thing is undeniable, there are lots of sparks between them, so things do get spicy.

+ There is a little bit of romance. Lucan is the Vicar’s adopted son, and he’s been tasked to keep his eye on Isola. Isola doesn’t like him because an incident in the past, but during the Tribunal, they spend more time with one another and decide to team up. Being around one another makes their attraction grow. I was definitely rooting for Lucan and Isola but we’ll have to see what happens in book two.

~ They both had communication issues, so I didn’t finish this as quick as I thought I would because they were taking so long to communicate how they feel.

Final Thoughts:

I mostly enjoyed this one but I did take longer to finish this – I really thought I could finish it in three days, but I think the trust exercises and lack of communication took me out of the story a little bit. But I did love the Harlot’s Bay community, there are so many fun character and funny moments. I also like the plus-size representation and though Karl and Molly had communication issues, he really was in love with her and would do anything to make her stay. I loved that about him! I’ll definitely try out more books from this author.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

King of Ravens by. Clare Sager | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: King of Ravens (Upon a Broken Throne, #1)

Author: Clare Sager

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 480

Publication Date: 1/27/26

Publisher: Forever

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series, Hades/Persephone Retelling

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!

He’ll do anything to keep her. She’d do anything to escape.

Rhiannon is dying—of what, she doesn’t know. Kept protected by her family in their remote seaside cottage, she spends her days searching for a cure. Her world is torn apart, however, when a fae King of the Dead invades her home.

Cold and cruel, Drystan offers her a choice: descend to the underworld as his bride or watch her family die. Trapped in a twisted bargain, Rhiannon is thrust into a world of withered gods, scheming courtiers, and ancient magic, but she refuses to be a pawn in a game she never agreed to play. She attempts over and over to run away, until Drystan offers her a new bargain: escape his deadly labyrinth, and he will set her free. Fail, and become his bride.

But in a court where every promise has teeth, Annon must make an impossible choice: return to the home she’s always loved or claim her place in a world where she might finally belong.

Content Warning: violence

I always enjoy a Hades/Persephone retelling and I definitely saw elements of it in King of Ravens. This is book one in a series that I assume will be exploring the Underworld. Annon/Rhiannon, is a chronically ill woman in her early thirties who is given to Drystan, an Unseelie Fae and King of Death, as his bride. He doesn’t know that she is ill, but that doesn’t matter because Rhiannon is determined to find her way back home.

Rhiannon is human, which doesn’t go well with the Unseelie, but she holds her own at Drystan’s court. She even makes a friend with her maid, Min. I feel like the beginning of this story where Rhiannon is acclimating to Drystan’s world moved slowly. But I appreciated the chronic-illness representation. I wanted more court politics.

Drystan offers Rhiannon her an option: find a way out of his labyrinth and she gets to go home to the surface. If she loses, she belongs with Drystan in the Underworld forever. She has two weeks to do this and there is danger in the labyrinth but also she befriends a creature called The Collector. Speaking of Labyrinth – there were times in the book that it reminded me of the movie!

The romance is a slow burn with tension growing between them. And when it really takes off, the spice is spicy. I did like it when Drystan and Rhiannon spent more time together as they build an emotional connection.

There are a few twists at the end, one I suspected, the other I felt came out of nowhere but it did feel a bit rushed. We barely get to know anything outside of Drystan’s land, so the ending was kind of a surprise.

Final Thoughts:

I wasn’t feeling this story in the first half of the book because I felt like it moved too slow and wasn’t giving me enough information. Rhiannon gets taken to the Underworld and isn’t really given instruction from Drystan on what to do or what he expects of her, so thank goodness for Min. We don’t get to know Drystan much either. But I think everything picks up in the middle, with the labyrinth, and the romance and spice. I do feel like I just wanted more from the story though, hopefully book two will have more depth.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Graceless Heart by. Isabel Ibañez | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Graceless Heart

Author: Isabel Ibañez

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 488

Publication Date: 1/13/26

Publisher: Saturday Books

Categories: Historical Fantasy, 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 Saturday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

LOVE IS THE MOST DANGEROUS MAGIC.

As a sculptress, Ravenna Maffei has always shaped beauty from stone but she has a terrible secret. Desperate to save her brother, she enters a competition hosted by Florence’s most feared immortal family, revealing a dark power in a city where magic is forbidden.

Now a captive in the cutthroat city of Florence, Ravenna is forced into a dangerous task where failure meets certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the immortal family’s mesmerizing but merciless heir. But as he draws her closer, Ravenna realizes the true threat lies beyond Florence’s walls.

The Pope’s war against magic is closing in, and Ravenna is no longer just a prisoner but a prize to be claimed. As trusting the wrong person becomes lethal, Ravenna must survive the treacherous line between a pope’s obsession and the seductive immortal who might be the end of her ― or surrender her power to a city on the brink of war.

Content Warning: misogyny, violence, death, religious trauma

Set in 15th century Italy, during the Renaissance, this story took me on a journey to the past but with magic involved. I loved the setting of Florence, during a time when the Medici ruled the city, while the Pope was ruling the country from Rome. I was immersed in the food, clothing, culture, architecture and really felt transported back in time. This is told in 3rd person but with multiple POVs.

Ravenna is a sculptress, but she has a secret magic. It’s her skill as a sculptress and her connection to Nightflame magic that she wins a contest, and is taken from her family, to retrieve Nightflame stones from 5 slabs of rock to help the immortal Luni family. One family member, Saturnino, their assassin, is keeping an eye on her, and she feelings things for her enemy that she shouldn’t she can’t help it.

With the Medici family and others involved against the Pope, there is a lot of political intrigue and Ravenna is caught between both and tries to play both sides. As for Ravenna, I loved her strong character, but she is human and embodies a lot of the qualities to Saturnino’s irritation. She’s compassionate, she where’s her heart on her sleeve, and makes some crazy decisions. There were times I wanted her to be sharper, more cold, but that’s not Ravenna. I will say sometimes she acted younger than I expected but I know this is adult fiction, so I was surprised at how she acted at times.

There is magic, story of witches, a wizard and even a vampire. Ravenna is raised in the Catholic church so she is torn apart with guilt about her magic. She knows the fight for power on either sides leaves many victims, but now she is caught in the middle as well. I liked how the story questioned what people would do to survive, and if what they did was forgivable to an extent. Each character

Ravenna is the fire to Saturnino’s ice. Saturnino has lived for a long time now, and Ravenna finally melts his cold heart. I thought their romance was filled with a lot of tension, but it’s clear Ravenna has no defenses against him. She’s too honest and he tries to take advantage of that until he realizes he doesn’t want to hurt her anymore. There’s some spice, but just enough. I was definitely rooting for their love.

I felt like the story was very strong in the beginning, I couldn’t put it down, but sometime near the middle, it started to slow down – I think because Ravenna kept getting twisted into another problem with no fix in sight and then the fix came in a rush at the end.

Final Thoughts:

Beautifully written, this story transported me back in time and I loved everything about the setting and time period. I loved the tension between Ravenna and Saturnino. The politics were intriguing, and even though Ravenna had a soft heart that got her into trouble a lot, it showed her human side – something that was missing in Saturnino but what he was clearly drawn to. Ravenna was a caught in such a web of secrets and betrayal it helped the story move quickly. I do think the ending felt a little rushed but overall I thought this was magical story and really enjoyed it!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

What the River Knows by. Isabel Ibañez | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What The Library Hides by. Isabel Ibañez | Audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (I’m surprised I forgot to post a review for this one!)

The Book of Blood & Roses by. Annie Summerlee | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Book of Blood & Roses (The Castillo Chronicles, #1)

Author: Annie Summerlee

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 1/13/26

Publisher: Del Rey

Categories: Dark Academia, Vampires, LGBT+, Romance, Fantasy, 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 Del Rey for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In book one of a seductive sapphic paranormal fantasy, a vampire hunter goes undercover at a mysterious university and falls in love with her roommate, an alluring vampire.

“Then her red eyes are on mine, gentle, deadly. She takes her time kissing my neck. I pull her closer and say: Bite me.”

In the mists of the Scottish Highlands is a university where vampire students study alongside humans.

Rebecca Charity is a vampire hunter undercover at the university, searching for the mysterious Book of Blood and Roses, a lost compendium of ways to kill vampires. If she finds it, she’ll be one step closer to avenging her parents, who were slain by those creatures of the night.

But when Rebecca arrives, she finds something unexpected: a coffin. Her new roommate is Aliz Astra, scion of one of the most powerful vampire families… and the most beautiful woman Rebecca has ever met.

The maddeningly gorgeous Aliz is everything that Rebecca has always hated, but also everything she ever wanted, and now Rebecca doesn’t know if she wants to kiss or kill her.

When Aliz rescues her from a vampire attack one moonlit night, she accidentally makes Rebecca her familiar. Now, they must work together to break the curse, but as they get closer to solving the mystery, Rebecca and Aliz get closer, too.

But can a vampire hunter ever fall in love with a vampire?

Content Warning: violence

A vampire hunter goes undercover at a university home to vampires. Her task? To find the book of Blood & Roses because it has all the answers on how to hurt vampires, or so she’s been told. Rebecca has to make friends, but she is on edge being surrounded by her enemies.

This story has a sapphic romance which is very enemies to lovers, especially on Rebecca/Cassie’s part because she is undercover and really hates vampires. So her falling for Aliz, who is a vampure and has a reputation around campus, and is her roommate that sleeps in a coffin, is really against Rebecca’s values! It’s a major conflict for her but the attraction between them is undeniable and soon they can’t get enough of one another and things get spicy too.

There are some twists and it was fun to see everything connect in the end.

Rebecca as a character was very strong in her hate of vampires and I needed her to chill out for a moment especially if she was going undercover. I thought her hate for them was going to make her blow her cover right away. It was nice to see her finally relent a little, the forced proximity to Aliz helped a lot with that though.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining story about vampires with a sapphic enemies to lovers love story. If you like academic settings and a romance between and hunter and vampire, you might enjoy this one.