Tag: book review

Stalkers Anonymous by. Dana Leeann | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Stalker Anonymous

Author: Dana Leeann

Pages: 398

Format: paperback

Publication Date: 9/1/26

Categories: Dark Romance

Cole Matthews definitely isn’t a stalker. Probably.

Sure, he used company resources and crossed some lines to “have a conversation” with his sister’s abusive ex. But that was a one-time thing. Now, Cole has to attend a group therapy program with a long, clinical name…but the participants? They call it Stalkers Anonymous.

Hailey Brigham is definitely dating the perfect man. Probably.

She’d love to focus more attention on Cole, the smoking hot, ex-military sweetheart whose idea of a casual second date is tandem skydiving. But a drug-seeking patient at the ER where she’s a second-year resident knows too much about Hailey’s personal life, and his fixation on her is getting harder to ignore.

When threats against Hailey escalate, Cole’s protective instincts go into overdrive. To keep her safe, he would do anything—even if it means becoming the monster he’s kept so carefully locked up inside.

Stalkers Anonymous is a dark romance with a morally gray hero, a fierce heroine, and a found family of misfits you won’t see coming (unless they want you to).

Content Warning: violence, death, stalking, mental health

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for sending me a copy of Stalker Anonymous by. Dana Leeann!

+ I wasn’t sure how this story would play out because clearly, stalking is a bad thing, but the twist in this story is Cole, a recovering stalker (he stalked the guy who hurt his sister), meets and falls for Hailey who has a stalker. So Cole’s tendencies to stalk and protect Hailey is coming out in full force. But he’s stalking her stalker! I could sympathize with Cole – clearly he knows what he did to his sister’s ex-boyfriend was over the line, and he was getting help, but I also love that he was stalking the bad guy.

+ The romance was easy and fun until the stalker ramped up his obsession with Hailey. I love how Cole and Hailey meet, they are both good people, and they fall for one another. But I also love when Cole’s past is revealed and it presents a conflict in the relationship that there is space between them so each of them can work on themselves. There are spicy moments between but nothing too crazy.

+ Cole is attending a therapy group session but I love how they sort of become a found family/friendship for him later on in the book. I thought that twist was kind of fun.

Final Thoughts:

I found this book to be a quick, easy read with a fun dark romance twist. Who really is the bad guy when the stalker is helping catch another stalker? I loved the romance between Cole and Hailey, I thought it was easy and fun until the conflict – but I like how they work things out too. Overall, I enjoyed this one and can’t wait to see what this author writes next.

Read if you like:

  • stalker romance
  • dark romance with a twist
  • found family

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 9/6/26

Aloha friends!

+ Last weekend, me, my friend, and my two kids flew to California to go to the first Daisy Chain Fields Festival in Irvine. It’s a festival created by Olivia Rodrigo where proceeds go to fund 10 charities. It raised $10 million initially but when she came out to perform she brought out Melinda Gates who added another $10 million which is fantastic.

We flew in on a Friday, the festival was Saturday and we flew out early Sunday. It was a rough trip – because the night we flew in we ate at In N Out. My friend and I ate the same thing, burger with no onions. My son had his plain, no veggies or sauce. I had diarrhea at 2am! Ugh…my friend had it at 4am…so we were scared we were going to be dying at the festival in a heatwave. But thank goodness for electrolytes – we survived, but never again In N Out! But the hotel we stayed at was nice, I was happy about that plus they had complimentary breakfast.

There was a heatwave in Irvine of course. 🥵 I think by the time we got to the festival around noon it was 92 degrees – they said it was humid…but I’m from Hawaii and I went to the Philippines. It didn’t feel humid, but it did feel like we were baking in an oven. So my strategy that day was use our fans, hydrate, have some electrolytes and stay in the shade. We stayed under the shade so long though that I know my daughter was bored (Olivia didn’t come out until 8:40pm). I did stand in line for lunch, food lines were long…and HOT, no shade. So yes I saw one girl faint/fall – right when she got her pizza and drink too, poor thing! I wore a hat, I brought snacks, so I think that’s how we survived the day. I also saw a girl barfing, probably from heat exhaustion.

My daughter did start to get a heat rash when she laid down on the grass to rest before Doechii came out. My friend and son did get up closer to the stage for her set but my daughter and I stayed in the back where the shade was…I did bring a cooling towel so I got some ice cold water, wet the towel and pressed it against her arms and her rash went away. But that’s how HOT it was out there…I don’t even know how attendees were going from one stage to the other and standing in that sun for that long.

There was so much to do but because of the heat…we didn’t do them all. I would love to go back again one day and do all the activities! And I’d probably get VIP tickets just to get closer to the stage.

My friend and son went to see Mitski, I could hear her from the shade so I was okay with that. Doechii was hype though and I asked my daughter if we could catch her and she agreed. We stood in the back where there was a screen. I’m bummed I didn’t get long videos of Chappell Roan who was phenomenal. I was busy trying to get ahold of my friend or my son so we could watch Chappell together – there was barely any cell service at least by the Dandelion stage (the main stage) all day! Talk about being off grid 😂. But yeah it sucked not being able to get in touch. My daughter and I did get to sing and dance to Chappell though! Then the finale, where Olivia came out – I’m short, at 5 feet, so I could barely see the screen from where we were. My son could see, he’s 5’7″ – so he was taking a lot of the videos but my poor daughter could not see anything. ☹️. We still sang our hearts out but…now I really want to take her to Olivia’s tour.

Overall, it was quite a weekend! I hope we get to go again next year, maybe just me and my friend if there aren’t any acts my kids want to see.

+ The rest of the week it was all about recovering from the trip, kids went back to school, but also kids caught a cold midway through the week. My son is worse off than my daughter, he has a fever. This weekend, we are keeping an eye on a Category 5 hurricane passing under us and turning towards us today BUT not making landfall (we hope). So kids are just going to rest and get better!

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

  • Our Strange Duet by. Erin A. Craig
  • The Tarot Trials by. Katee Robert
  • The Heart Trials by. J. Elle
  • White Raven by. Stacey Marie Brown
  • Stalkers Anonymous by. Dana Leeann

Currently Reading:

  • The Age of Blood and Magic by. Hannah Mathewson
  • A Crown of Blood and Magick by. Amy De La Force
  • The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by. Marshall J. Moore
  • The Museum of Modern Love by. Mariko Turk

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

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

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Monthly Wrap Up | August 2026

Oh August was quite a reading month for me – I had so many arcs to get through. 😩. I feel like August went by slowly because my kids went back to school and we got into a routine. So I cranked out reading as much arcs as I could but I’m still behind on September arcs. 😅

I read 29 books in August!

  1. Killing Rules by. Bree Despain (arc)
  2. The Best I Never Had by. Amy Buchanan (arc)
  3. Dangerous Haven by. Luna Pierce (alc)
  4. Nest of Tongues by. Randy Ribay (arc)
  5. Conform by. Ariel Sullivan
  6. Kissed by the Gods by. Katy Rogan
  7. The Lion and the Deathless Dark by. Carissa Broadbent
  8. Immortal Rose by. Alexandra Bracken (arc & alc)
  9. Bonfire & Bliss Bookstore by. Brittanee Nicole (arc)
  10. Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me by. Isabel Crowley (arc)
  11. Sorrow & Strangers by. Jeanette Rose & Alexis Rune (arc)
  12. Full Throttle by. J.K. MacLaren (arc)
  13. When the Universe Sings by. Gillian Eliza West
  14. The House That Eats the Dead by. Max Doty (arc)
  15. Wretched Academy by. Tina Mars (alc)
  16. The Queen’s Bodyguard by. Lauren Blackwood (arc)
  17. Storm Caller by. Nisha J. Tuli
  18. The Wolf Queen’s Curse by. Kaylee Archer (arc)
  19. Daughter of the Tempest by. Braidee Otto (arc)
  20. The Wretched Divine by. Adalyn Grace (arc)
  21. Blood So Deadly Divine by. J.M. Grosvalet
  22. Fate So Cruelly Bound by. J.J. Grosvalet
  23. Once Swindled by. Lauren Sebastian (arc)
  24. Hawk & Sparrow by. Ayana Gray (arc)
  25. Hallowed Bones by. Lucy Smoke (arc)
  26. Pretty Vicious by. Lexi Davis
  27. Trust Fall by. Lynn Painter
  28. In the Veins of the Drowning by. Kalie Cassidy
  29. Heart of Thieves by. Jessica S. Olson

Reviews I Posted On My Blog:

5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫:

3 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️⭐️:

2.5 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️💫

2 Star Reads – ⭐️⭐️

How was your month?

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WWW Wednesday | 9/2/26

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

It was a crazy weekend with my flying out Friday night to go to a music festival on Saturday and flying back home on Sunday. 😩. The Daisy Chain Fields Festival was HOT, but thank goodness I’ve been traveling to hot places all year – I think I did well because I knew to sacrifice some activities, stay in the shade until the main acts I wanted to see came out. My son and my bestie got to see Mitski, and Doechii – Doechii sounded so good from where my daughter and I were waiting that I asked if we could go watch it and at least sun was kind of going down. We enjoyed her set. Then we ended up trying to find son and my friend before Chappell Roan’s set – I briefly saw my son to give him some water but my daughter and I ended up in the back so she could see the back screen. We still had fun singing and dancing. Then we moved up and reunited with our group for Olivia Rodrigo. I felt bad my daughter couldn’t see the stage or screen and I couldn’t carry her 😅. We still sang out hearts out but now I really want to take her to Olivia’s tour just so she can “see” her perform.

That was my tiring weekend, so I didn’t read anything but I have arcs to finish!

What are you currently reading?

A Forsaken Prophecy by. Stacey McEwan – 2% – I might wait to get this on audiobook later because I’m busy with arcs.

Our Strange Duet by. Erin A. Craig – arc –

The Heart Trials by. J. Elle – arc – 28%

The Tarot Trials by. Katee Robert – alc – 29%

The Age of Blood and Magic by. Hannah Mathewson – arc – 1%

Stalkers Anonymous by. Dana Leeann

What have you just finished reading?

Heart of Thieves by. Jessica S. Olson – alc – 3.5 stars

Hawk & Sparrow by. Ayana Gray – arc – 3.5 stars

In the Veins of the Drowning by. Kalie Cassidy – 4 stars/2 🌶️

Storm Caller by. Nisha J. Tuli – arc – 3.5 stars/1 🌶️

Trust Fall by. Lynn Painter – arc – 4 stars

What are you going to read next?

White Raven by. Stacey Marie Brown

Cursebreaker by. R.M. Gray

Firstborn by. M.J. Hastings

The Knave and the Moon by. Rachel Gillig

The Crown of Blood and Magick by. Amy De La Force

What are YOU reading right now?

In the Veins of the Drowning by. Kalie Cassidy | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: In the Veins of the Drowning (The Siren Mage, #1)

Author: Kalie Cassidy

Pages: 377

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 7/15/25

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series

The monster is always slain…
 
Imogen Nel is in hiding. Hiding from a cruel kingdom that believes Sirens are monstrous, blood-hungry creatures. Hiding from a king and his captain who viciously hunt her kind. Hiding from her own alluring abilities. By keeping herself from the sea, Imogen’s bloodlust is dulled, and her black wings remain hidden beneath her skin.
 
When a neighboring king comes to visit, Imogen can no longer hide. He knows precisely what she is, and he believes she can save both their kingdoms from an even greater monster. But Imogen’s power threatens to violently reveal itself, and the two form a blood bond that protects them both. They flee the kingdom together, traversing waters teeming with the undead. As the lines between duty to their people and desire for each other begin to blur, Imogen worries her own ancestral powers may not be enough to kill what hunts her—the only way to defeat a monster may be to become one herself.

Content Warning: self harm, violence, death, gore

I finally read this book and I don’t know why it took me so long to get to it. It starts off like most romantasy books, an FMC who is trapped and needs help fleeing the king that oppresses her. There are the usual tropes in this book that are found in romantasy but what stood out to me was how the Imogen and Theodore bicker! It was so much fun. I like how they are honest and tell each other off, to their faces. It’s kind of refreshing! So I loved the enemies to lovers romance in this one, or is it dislike to like? Whatever it is, I loved it even though Theo is reserved and dutiful at first, he very much so reminded me of Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice so it was fun to see Imogen getting under his skin. It was my favorite part of the whole story.

But there is also a lot going on in this story – Imogen is a Siren and bound to multiple people and she needs to break free of them, but doing so has it’s own consequences. I was very invested to see what path Imogen would choose and what choices she would make. There is political intrigue, travel, some action, romance, and secrets. I loved learning about the Sirens and the world building was good.

Final Thoughts:

I’m so glad I finally finished this one and I’m not sure why it took me so long to finally read it. It has a lot of things I enjoy in a romantasy like political intrigue, and romance of course, but what I really loved was Imogen and Theo. Seeing them interact and eventually fall for one another was very, funny and entertaining. I also want to see how this story plays out so I’m eager to read book two.

Read if you like:

  • romantasy
  • forced proximity

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Hawk and Sparrow by. Ayana Gray | ARC and ALC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 0

Title: Hawk & Sparrow

Author: Ayana Gray

Pages: 352

Format: audiobook and ebook

Listening Hours: 10 hours 20 min (approx.)

Narrator (s): Renika Williams-Blutcher

Publisher: Balzer + Bray, Macmillan Young Listeners

Publication Date: 9/1/26

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Mystery, Historical Fantasy

Sparks fly in this Gilded Age novel of mystery, magic, and romance by the author of the New York Times–bestselling Beasts of Prey.

Nineteen-year-old Vesper Evans has always resented Basalton’s high society, and the sorcery that provides them with a luxurious life unimaginable to most. Orphaned as a child and rescued by the editor of TheBasalton Globe, Vesper is now an ambitious reporter determined to keep her newspaper afloat.

While covering a lavish society gala, Vesper happens upon a shocking the murdered body of an inventor whose new machine promised to bring the benefits of sorcery to everyone. Several of the powerful magical elite may want the man dead, but the prime suspect is wealthy industrialist Maximilian Kite.

Max soon makes Vesper a tempting Find the culprit and restore his reputation in exchange for a substantial fee. Despite her distaste for Max’s world, Vesper agrees—the money would save the Globe, and the story would be the scoop of a lifetime. There’s only one In order for her to infiltrate society, the two must pose as a courting couple.

Their investigation takes them from the highest echelons of privilege to the seediest backstreets of Basalton. As they unearth the city’s secrets and scandals, Vesper finds herself in grave danger—while falling for one of the most infuriating, arrogant, handsome men she has ever met . . .

Content Warning: death, violence

+ The narrator did a good job keeping me engaged in this story.

+ Set in the Gilded Age, Vesper is an investigative reporter for The Basalton Globe and she is caught in a murder mystery. A wealthy sorcerer, Maxmilian needs his name cleared so he hires Vesper to figure out who killed the inventor that Max was working with. If Vesper helps, she gets enough money to save the newspaper that is her whole life.

+ I thought Vesper was a very determined reporter and Max, her wealthy partner in crime made them an interesting pair. She opened his eyes to the world of people struggling and she got a taste of the way the upper crust in society was living. Which is why I think their sweet, slow romance was really cute. This is young adult and stays that way, there is no steam or spice in this one which was nice.

+~ If you like murder mysteries, you will love this one. Mystery always move a little too slow for my taste but I do love this author’s work and the narrator kept me engaged! So though it was slow, I admired how invested Vesper was into her investigation – it’s what makes her a good and dedicated reporter. I also like the magic element in the story.

Final Thoughts:

The narrator did a great job keeping me engaged in this story. Vesper is a smart and determined FMC, and Max was a charming partner, and there is a sweet little young adult romance between them. If you like a murder mystery and want to try one set in the Gilded Age and has magic, you might like this one.

Read if you like:

  • Gilded Age – historical fantasy
  • young adult fantasy
  • murder mystery

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

I, Medusa by. Ayana Gray | Book Review – 4.5 ⭐️/1 🌶️

Beasts of Prey by. Ayana Gray | Book Review – 4 ⭐️

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

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Pretty Vicious (The Order, #1)

Author: Lexi Davis

Pages: 303

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 1/13/26

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

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

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

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

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

Body. Mind. Soul.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Read if you like:

  • dark romance
  • secret society

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Weekly Wrap Up | 8/23/26

Aloha friends!

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

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

Blog Posts:

Books I Finished

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

Currently Reading:

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

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

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

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

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

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

Author: J.M. Grosvalet

Pages: 750

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 6/23/26

Categories: High Fantasy, Romance, Series

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Content Warning: violence, death

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Read if you like:

  • high fantasy/low romance
  • dense world building
  • found family

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

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

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

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

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

Author: J.M. Grosvalet

Pages: 596

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Publication Date: 11/18/24

Categories: High Fantasy, Romance, Series

A Hallowed…

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

A Hunter…

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

A Realm…

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

Content Warning: violence, death, blood sacrifice

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Read if you like:

  • high fantasy/low romance
  • enemies to lovers
  • found family

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble