age gap romance – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: The Ice Beyond (The Empress of Thorns, #1)

Author: Olivia Wildensteiin

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 512

Publication Date: 9/22/26

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Categories: Romantasy, Age Gap, Werewolves, Vampires, Valkyries, Nordic-Inspired

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!

HE DEFIED HIS PACK TO LOVE ME.

I had two childhood dreams: to shift into a wolf, and to win Nordin Stormsson’s forbidden heart.

My first dream shattered the day my mother confessed I wasn’t a shifter, but a valkyrie—stranded in a land far from my people. My second was crushed when Nordin rejected me…only to claim another as his mate.

Heartbroken, I crossed beyond the wards in search of my birth clan. My freedom came at a cost. Dragons, vampyrs, and enemy wolves stalked me through the dark. They weren’t the only ones who came after me, though.

Nordin came too. He seized me before they could, stealing my body and then my heart.

For a time, I dared to dream once more, to imagine a future with Nordin in the land of ice and wolves.

Until I uncovered my beloved’s most closely guarded secret.

A truth about my past.

One that ruined us all.

The Ice Beyond is the first book in a fiercely romantic, Norse-inspired fantasy filled with forbidden love, warring supernaturals, and a spirited heroine who must decide whether to cling to the life she was given or step into the legacy she never asked for.

Content Warning: violence

World Building: This is a Nordic-inspired romantasy, which mention the Nordic Gods like Loki and Fenrir. Zas is ready to shift into a werewolf when she comes of age but when it doesn’t happen, she finds out it’s because she is not a werewolf but something else. This world is not only filled with werewolves though but also vampires and valkyries.

Characters: Zas’s character has lots of potential, but would like more depth – she’s been raised by werewolves but is something else. But she’s young and acts that way because she’s been so sheltered and I wanted to see her grow more. Nordin is her “cousin”, and the one who found her when she was a child but now as she turns into a young woman, there is an attraction between them that he is trying not to act on because people in the pack think they are cousins (which they are not), and he is the Alpha’s son. I did like other characters like Zas’ adoptive mom, Eira and Nordin’s sister, Saga. There are a few characters we don’t know much about, like the vampires and I do want to know more about them.

Romance: So I wasn’t totally in love with the romance. It’s an age gap romance but Nordin is the one who found her when she was a child. He and Zas were raised as cousins, though they are not blood-related, but she is in love with him and wants to tell him badly. But when she is 20, she negotiates with the Alpha to change her age to 21 so she and Nordin can get physical. I didn’t care for that. I just couldn’t get over how he helped raise her and now wanted to sleep with her. And things do get spicy between them. While reading I was hoping another love interest would appear. Plus I just want to see her grow a little and do things for herself, because she seems so young and acts that way. Nordin has protected her since he met her…so some growth is needed.

Story: This story was easy to read even at 500 pages. I felt like the world building was on the lighter side, maybe because it was concentrated on the wolf pack, and I did enjoy that it didn’t take a lot of brain power to read through it. I liked learning about the pack, the politics, and the betrayal. But I wanted to also learn more about the vampires and valkyries which I am sure we will get more of in book two because of the way it ended. The romance wasn’t my favorite, but I kind of want to see what happens in book two before I totally judge the romance. One thing that threw me off, was a few times there was modern speech, like the word “unalived” was used.

Final Thoughts:

I think overall this is a solid start to a new series. There are some things I liked, and some things I didn’t. I will read book two when it comes out just to see what the vampires are all about and maybe we get more about the valkyries too.

Read if you like:

age gap romance
romantasy – werewolves, vampires, valkyries
easy read

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

House of Beating Wings by. Olivia Wildenstein | Book Review – 3 stars

House of Pounding Hearts by. Olivia Wildenstein | Book Review – 3.5 stars

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Game of Rogues (The Palace of Rogues, #9)

Author: Julie Anne Long

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 6/2/26

Publisher: Avon

Categories: Regency Romance, Historical Romance, Series

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

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

One disastrous night. One devastating man. One diabolical proposition.

Gabriel Marchand ruthlessly fought his way up from the gutters of St. Giles to preside over London’s most exclusive gaming hell. Few dare cross him. But when a young earl gambles away his inheritance, Marchand makes an enemy: a woman with wit like a dagger and the softest eyes he’s ever seen.

Spend a night in his bed, and he’ll call off the debt. This is the offer he makes Guinevere Woodville, the earl’s sister, when she blames him for her brother’s disaster. She’d rather die, of course. But when their seething enmity gives way to sizzling attraction at The Grand Palace on the Thames, his offer haunts them. Soon it seems a matter of not if, but when.

It’s not long before Ginny is facing two stark truths: the so-called worst man in London is the best man she’s ever known….and keeping him would mean losing everything and everyone else she loves. But Marchand has one final card to play…and losing everything is a risk he’s willing to take if it means a chance to love her forever.

Content Warning: violence, grief

I’m not sure what made me request this book because I haven’t read a historical romance or regency romance in years – a decade maybe? But it was my first love that got me into reading decades ago, so I was intrigued with this premise and I know this author is a staple in historical romance. While reading this book, I forgot how well historical romances are written, especially for a slow burn romance, and it felt so nice to read this genre again!

Ginny is a lady who’s youngest brother that just came into money and titles, has gambled it all away in a gaming establishment. And she means to fix her brother’s mistake by asking for the money back from Gabriel, who is the owner of this gaming hell. Ginny loves her family and she had to raise her siblings after her parents passed away, so she is faced with many burdens and pressures. Gabriel came from the streets and climbed his way up to a successful businessman so he knows something about survival.

I love their banter, and watching them go from dislike, to desire, to something so much more was lovely. This is a slow burn and throughout the story Ginny is trying every way she can to save her family. For some reason, Gabriel, can’t help himself and starts to try to help her out, even though some of the debt is owed to him also. I loved getting to know both of the characters, and their stay at the boardinghouse with different guests was so funny and quaint. The spice came at the right time and it’s not too much, but enough to show that they are crazy about one another. Also, there is an age gap between them – she’s in her early 20’s and I believe he is in his late 30’s.

Now this is part of a series, and this is book number nine – I have not read any other books in the series at all and didn’t know it was part of a series until later. And although there clearly were characters in this book that probably already had their own story told, I didn’t feel lost without reading those books.

Final Thoughts:

I found this historical romance refreshing after not reading a book in this genre for so long! I was immersed in the world and invested in the characters. The writing is beautiful. There is humor, and also serious moments about grief, and a slow burn romance that I was rooting for. I really enjoyed this one even though I didn’t read any other books in the series.

Read if you like: