My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️

Title: Tenderly, I Am Devoured

Author: Lyndall Clipstone

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 304

Publication Date: 7/1/25

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Categories: Gothic, Romance, Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT+

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

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Perfect for fans of Saltburn, For the Wolf, and House of Hollow, Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a moody, monstrously Gothic romantasy in which a young woman must bind herself to a dangerous chthonic demon with the help of the son of a rival family to save her family’s legacy―and herself―from ruin.

Expelled from her prestigious boarding school following a violent incident, eighteen-year-old Lacrimosa Arriscane returns home in disgrace to discover her family on the point of financial ruin. Desperate to save them, she accepts a marriage of convenience… to Therion, the chthonic god worshipped by Lark’s isolated coastal hometown.

But when her betrothal goes horribly wrong, Lark begins to vanish from the mortal realm. Her only hope is to seek help from Alastair Felimath: the brilliant, arrogant boy who was her first heartbreak, and his alluring older sister, Camille. As the trio delve into the folklore of gods, Lark falls under the spell of the Felimath siblings.

Ensnared by a fervent romance, they perform a bacchanalia with hopes the hedonistic ritual will repair the connection between Lark and her bridegroom. Instead, they draw the ire of something much darker, which seeks to destroy Therion―and Lark as well.

Content Warning: mentions of physical abuse, violence

+ I am always intrigued by the books this author writes. My favorite part of this book is the setting and the atmosphere. It has gothic vibes, a house by the sea, rituals and worshipping Gods. And there is this theme of 3’s which I found interesting also. This story is written like a fever dream.

+ The romance is messy but filled with yearning and very mild heat, nothing graphic. Lark is friends with her neighbors, two siblings, Alistair and Camille. They are friends for a time until they grow apart. But they eventually reunite, Alistair and Lark having more issues to work through but she gets into a relationship with both of them. I thought it would get complicated but it is definitely the type of relationship where everyone in the party was okay with it so I respected that.

+ I really liked the storyline about the God Therion and Lark having to marry him to help her family’s salt mines become profitable again. It remind me of the story of Hades and Persephone but with a different twist that included Alistair.

~ I felt like Lark fell for people too fast, like for Damson at boarding school. She was needy but also needed by everyone it seems: Alistair, Camille, and Therion. I felt her connection to Alistair, but Camille? Not really except for the physical connection they had with each other.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this one was okay- it’s a quick read and written like a fever dream. I love the coastal, gothic atmosphere and how they worship their God, Therion. I loved all the LGBT romance representation in the story and that it was very accepted in this world but I didn’t love the polyamory between Lark and the siblings only because I felt she had more of a connection and history to Alistair, but I guess at least it didn’t ruin the friendship. And because it’s written like a fever dream at some points I was wondering what was going on. Though some things didn’t work for me, I think young adult gothic romance readers will enjoy this dark, gothic romance story.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Unholy Terrors by. Lyndall Clipstone | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*****

Lakesedge by. Lyndall Clipstone | ARC Review (World at Lake’s Edge, #1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Forestfall by. Lyndall Clipstone | Book Review (World at Lake’s Edge, #2) ⭐️⭐️💫

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: A Fate Forged in Fire

Author: Hazel McBride

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 5/27/25

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Dragons

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!

To become the first queen in centuries, a powerfully blessed blacksmith must use her wits and fire magic to overthrow the corrupt powers ruling her kingdom—while also fighting her growing desire for one of her dragon-riding adversaries—in the first book of a sizzling Celtic-inspired fantasy romance duology.

Once a territory built on matriarchal rule and values, Tìr Teine has since grown frail from a long line of fruitless kings. The most recent of which have ruled under the influence of the True Religion, an oppressive group who have steadily poisoned the region with their anti-magic teachings.

Born to rule and blessed by fire, Aemyra has begrudgingly lived in hiding rather than risk her life in court, waiting in anticipation for the current king’s death so she can bond to his dragon, claim her throne, and protect her people. But when the king dies and Aemyra is ready to take what is rightfully hers, her ambitious plan is foiled and she is thrust into a game of vicious politics and plots.

Her biggest adversary is Prince Fiorean, a dragon-rider and one of the most powerful fire wielders in the territory. Cold, arrogant, and blindly supportive of his corrupt family, he is everything Aemyra despises. But as chaos engulfs the court, they find themselves reluctantly entwined, forced to forge an uneasy alliance—one that quickly ignites into something more dangerous than either of them expected.

Behind enemy lines and slowly falling for her so-called adversary, Aemyra uncovers just how far the rot of corruption has spread, and what she may have to sacrifice to claim her throne.

Content Warning: misogyny, violence, war, death, attempted forced hysterectomy, family trauma

+ This gives Game of Thrones and House of Dragon vibes but no incest (thank goodness)! I think it mostly resembles House of Dragon with the political intrigue and world-building which has a territory that used to worship Goddesses and practice magic and is now overrun with men practicing the True Religion, they are called the Chosen or Covenantors. Also there is a mad king – sound familiar? Anyway, I actually enjoyed the GoT/HoD vibes a lot – this world is merciless and cutthroat.

+ Aemyra is not only the rightful Queen in hiding but she is going to fight for her throne. Thing is she’s also naive, impulsive and arrogant. She has a lot to learn about being Queen. I think people reading this might either love or hate her. Growing up being groomed as the future Queen left her making impulsive decisions, thinking everything would fall her way easily. She finds out quickly that the path to winning the throne is not easy at she thought it would be. I like her strength and the things that she had to go through with the Chosen, made me root for her a lot. She is basically fighting for women’s rights.

+ I love the dragons and Aemyra’s bond with her twin brother, Adarian who is the more level-headed and softer side of the two of them. Her dad is a morally grey character who I don’t fully trust but it will be interesting to see what happens her relationship with him in the next book.

+ The romance is a slow build and I went back and forth hating and loving Fiorean to hating him by the end! But that’s what makes me want to read book two – because these two took enemies to lovers to the next level. Their sword fighting and fire fighting battles are intense, and the ending was even more so. There is some spice with knife play but since it’s a slow burn it doesn’t happen until later in the book.

+ There was good action throughout the book, culminating with a fierce battle at the end.

~ One issue I had was reading the Gaelic words. Yes, there is a vocabulary list to help readers, thank goodness but I did get frustrated at times.

~ This is an enemies to lovers to enemies romance for now. Prince Fiorean doesn’t show much emotion but when he does confess to how he feels about Aemyra – it’s so good. But still, I felt like leading up to their spicy scene, there wasn’t much build-up, just a lot of hate between them, would have liked more hints of attraction. So if you expect them to be wooing one another, that doesn’t happen, this is a vicious court they are living in and I’d say the lust wins out first. We’ll see what happens when the emotions come in.

Final Thoughts:

I didn’t know what to expect with this book but I can say that by the end of it I was addicted and will be looking forward to book two. What I love most about it is how it gives House of Dragon vibes with the dragons, political intrigue and ruthlessness of the world. I think I’ve been craving a book just like this for awhile. I was thoroughly entertained by this book and the betrayal at the end left me needing book two asap.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble