Weavingshaw by. Heba Al-Wasity | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: Weavingshaw (#1)

Author: Heba Al-Wasity

Format: ebook

Pages: 464

Format: ebook (Libby)

Publication Date: 2/24/26

Categories: Fantasy, Gothic, Romance, Paranormal, Series

In this debut gothic fantasy, the first book of an enthralling fantasy romance trilogy, a young woman who can see the dead strikes a deal with a magnetic and dangerous purveyor of dark secrets to save her brother’s life.

Three years ago, Leena Al-Sayer awoke with a terrible power.
She can see the dead.

Since then, she has hidden herself from the world, knowing that if she ever reveals her curse she will be locked away in an asylum.

When her beloved brother, Rami, falls fatally ill, Leena is faced with a terrible CHOICE: Let him die or buy the expensive medicine that will save his life by bartering the only valuable thing she has—her secret.

The Saint of Silence, a ruthless merchant who trades in confessions and is shrouded in unearthly rumors of cruelty and power, accepts her bargain, for a deadly price. Leena must find the ghost of Percival Avon, the last lord of Weavingshaw—or lose her freedom to the Saint forever.

As Leena’s search takes her and the Saint to Weavingshaw, she finds the estate and the surrounding moors to be living things—hungry for blood and sacrifice. Fighting against Weavingshaw’s might, Leena must also fight her growing pull toward the enigmatic Saint himself, whose connection to Percival Avon remains a mystery.

As the house begins to entomb them, time is running out on their desperate hunt for answers. For Leena has come to see that here in Weavingshaw, the dead are not hushed—and some secrets are better left buried with them.

Content Warning: violence, death, kidnapping, suicide

World Building: I was so immersed in this gothic atmosphere of Weavingshaw. There is political unrest, and powerful players like the aristos, plus demons and worshiping of saints. One man, St. Silas, the Saint of Silence is one of the most powerful men in this country and Leena needs to make a bargain with him so she can get medicine to save her brother. I really loved the intrigue and secrets that are all over this story, it lends to the dark, gothic atmosphere. And the paranormal elements are fantastic – Leena can see ghosts and her ability is what St. Silas needs. Loved it all!

Characters: Leena loves her brother and she’s a survivor, they both are. But I love how she doesn’t show her fear even though St. Silas is someone feared – he deals in secrets. He has the power to take anyone down. Leena is determined, brave, and gets under his skin. St. Silas has so many secrets and I love how as the story goes on, Leena tries to uncover them. Leena also has a few secrets of her own though. I also love Rami her brother, though he’s a hot-head, and Mrs. Van, St. Silas’ housekeeper who has a history of her own. I love some of the ghosts too.

Romance: This is the slowest burn or slow burns EVER. It kept me hook on the story, as I waited to see if St. Silas would just give in to his yearnings for her. There is just a steamy kiss…that’s it! I think if there was maybe something a little more my rating would have jumped to 5 haha. But I love how she didn’t feel anything for him but fear, until she learns more about him and his actions spoke louder than words. I am kind of relishing the slow burn but I hope in book two, there is a little more steam.

Story: I read this one in two days – I was hooked and could not put it down. I love the gothic romance, the ghosts and deals with demons (they thrive on delicious secrets), the atmospheric writing, the strong willed FMC and the powerful MMC trying to hold himself together. I cannot wait for book two – oh and it has a cliffhanger ending.

Vibes: it might just be me but it was giving me Jane Eyre vibes – the gothic vibes.

Final Thoughts:

I really couldn’t put this book down it had everything I want in a gothic romance, I just want a little more steam but the the yearning, the secrets, demons, ghosts, and atmosphere is just so good. I can’t wait for book two!

Read if you like:

gothic romance
paranomal
dark secrets

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Heart of the Wolf Queen by. Sarah Gallego | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Heart of the Wolf Queen (The Star-Crossed Gods, #1)

Author: Sarah Gallego

Format: ebook

Pages: 424

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publication Date: 4/2/26

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Series

Love could be her greatest weakness… or her deadliest weapon.

Sorrow Villente is no princess waiting to be saved.

When a devastating accident partially blinded her, Sorrow was locked away at the top of a tower in the wilderness, offered up as a sacrifice to the gods.

But Sorrow refuses to die quietly. Only she knows a dark magic burns inside her. With her fiercely protective wolf, Pablo, she spends every moment plotting her escape.

And yet when she finally breaks free, Sorrow is captured immediately… by the one man she never expected to see again.

Long ago, Sorrow and Matthias were inseparable. Tall and devastatingly handsome, with sparkling green eyes, the sight of him still sends her heart racing. Then she remembers the truth. When she needed him most, Matthias walked away. He didn’t just abandon her. He betrayed her.

And he hasn’t come to rescue her. Matthias is the ruler of a distant land, where monsters lurk in mist-shrouded forests. To save his kingdom, he needs an alliance with Sorrow’s family – one that can be sealed only by marriage.

Sorrow must marry the man who broke her heart… or die.

🌶️ Spice on the page
❤️ Second chance romance
💍 Marriage of convenience
🔮 Fated love
🗡️ Touch her and die
💔 Yearning
🦇 Gothic setting and atmosphere

The first book in the steamy epic romantasy series, The Star-Crossed Gods. Fans of Hannah Whitten, Leigh Bardugo and Sabel Sorensen will love Heart of the Wolf Queen and its feisty heroine.

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: Set in a fantasy world where people gain different powers like fire, healing or in Sorrow’s case – talking/controlling animals and necromancy, this is a typical romantasy world. There is political intrigue between Sorrow’s step-father and her husband, Matthias and Sorrow vows to help her husband against him.

Characters: Sorrow is losing her sight and she experiences nosebleeds and headaches but she’s hiding a secret. I love Sorrow’s pet wolf, Pablo. He’s her protector. King Matthias, Sorrow’s new husband used to be her best friend when they were children. Now she’s keeping him at a distance but Matthias is a good guy, gives her space, doesn’t flirt with her much and he just gives golden retriever energy but would have liked more depth to him. I liked the secondary characters.

Romance: Sorrow and Matthias used to be friends until one day she sees something that makes her think he’s into her step-sister, Enfys. After that Sorrow has been carrying a grudge against, add to the fact he didn’t come back to her after an accident she had. Basically all this could have been solved with some communication on both their parts. I would have loved for Sorrow and Matthias to have more scenes together in this book just to show their relationship growing and the attraction building. I feel like they are apart too much. They eventually work things out but the ending is interesting and makes me wonder what will happen to them in book two.

Story: I think this one started off strong, and then it loses me in the middle, because this felt like a young adult book, which lots of cursing from Rose. Even the romance felt YA until there is spice in the book, but I just wasn’t feeling the writing I think. It’s an easy romantasy to read though because the world building isn’t heavy.

Vibes: arranged marriage, second chance romance, MMC is a nice guy, and I love Pablo the wolf!

Final Thoughts:

This one was an okay read for me – I did love Pablo though! I might be reading book two just to see what happens to Matthias after that ending.

Read if you like:

easy to read romantasy, light world building
elemental powers
second chance romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Merry Life by. Sarah Branson | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Merry Life (Pirates of New Earth, #1)

Author: Sarah Branson

Narrator(s): Helen Laser

Format: audiobook (audible)

Pages: 328 Listening Time: approximately 8 hours 13 min

Publication Date: 4/9/22

Publisher: Sarah Branson

Categories: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian, Series

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 Sarah Branson for giving me a chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Kat Wallace is on a mission. After escaping tortuous enslavement, she sets her sights on ending the human trafficking that has flourished in 24th century Earth.

Adopted by the leader of the pirate nation of Bosch, Kat Wallace is determined to prove herself as a member of the Bosch Pirate Force and use her skills to avenge her enslavement and free other thralls.

But unexpected love and a test of loyalty threaten to rob her of what she wants a home.

Content Warning: mention of -grooming, sexual assault, rape, abuse; slavery, violence, death

I was asked to read and review this book and was gifted the audiobook on Audible. The narrator’s voice was great and really drew me into the story! I don’t usually read sci-fi/fantasy, and I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this one but I was interested in the FMC, Kat Wallace, right away. Just from the beginning chapters alone you know she’s a survivor and she’s going to have one amazing story – and I was right. The world building about this futuristic Earth is very fascinating.

Kat is a thrall, a slave, and she’s trying to escape when Teddy, the leader of the pirate nation of Bosch, saves her and takes her home. She basically becomes his adopted daughter and what a relationship they have from start to the emotional finish.

I was really invested in Kat’s life from being new in Bosch, getting to know Teddy’s family, becoming strong and knowledgable with the goal of taking down the man who owned her and assaulted her. With Teddy’s guidance, his family (her new family), new friends and even a new love life – Kat becomes an amazing woman. Though she doesn’t quite carry out her revenge, I think that’s why this is a series and hopefully I can get around to reading the other books to see what happens next.

Now there were some time jumps that felt kind of quick in the story. Like one day she’s a trainee and next she’s on a mission and it’s almost a year later and these time jumps were jarring. The romance in her life happens fast too – despite her having trauma in her past. Also…maybe this gets brought up more in the next books but Teddy’s operation of selling glitter (a drug), is concerning and Kat brings it up – it’s not okay and she wants to change that but later on seems to accept it as is – but I hope in the next books, she ends this glitter trade. Another thing I would have loved was more pirating in the story.

Final Thoughts:

If you like sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian stories, I think this would appeal to you. I loved the narrator and though it feels like the book just follows Kat’s very interesting life, it glosses over some things that I wish we had more time with like the romance, and the pirating. The world building is great and I didn’t expect the emotional ending. I’m hoping in the next books in the series, Kat gets her revenge though!

Read if you like:

sci-fi/dystopian
space pirates
strong FMC

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 4/15/26

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?

Wow…last week leading up to my trip to Vegas was stressful as HELL. 3 friends cancelled on the trip, so it was my first time traveling with just me and my two kids to Vegas of all places haha. But it worked out, even when we had only 4 hours of sleep before catching our flight back home. The concert was amazing and my kids were such good sports about everything. ❤️ I did start some books on my kindle on the plane rides but didn’t finish anything. I am pretty much recovered now and now have to get ready for BTS in a few weeks. 😅. So hopefully I can get some reading done before then!

What are you currently reading?

The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther – arc – 25%

Rites of the Starling by. Devney Perry – 3%

The Verdant Cage by. Jess Lourey

The Legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox by. Katrina Kwan – audiobook – 5%

Heart of the Wolf Queen by. Sarah Gallego – 32%

Change of Plans by. Sarah Dessen – 7%

What have you just finished reading?

I Could Give You the Moon by. Ann Liang – alc- ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Malachite by. Ashley Anderson – arc – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️🌶️

A Merry Life by. Sarah Branson – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Starside by. Alex Aster – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

What are you going to read next?

The Last Page by. Katie Holt

Soon By You by. Dahlia Adler

Double Happiness by. Heather Eng

What are YOU reading right now?

The Thorn Queen by. Sasha Peyton Smith | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: The Thorn Queen (The Rose Bargain, #2)

Author: Sasha Peyton Smith

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 4/14/26

Publisher: HarperCollins

Categories: Young Adult, Romantasy, Series

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

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

Wed to one brother.
In love with the other.

Bridgerton, The Selection, and The Cruel Prince collide in this Victorian-inspired romantasy; the sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller The Rose Bargain.

Having won the hand of the faerie King Bram, Ivy is now Queen of England.

But with his ascension to the throne, Bram unleashed the fae into the human world. After hundreds of years of being kept from their favorite playthings, the Others are looking to make up for lost time—and they do, with wicked revelry that sweeps through the country.

To survive, Ivy acts the sweet, devoted wife. Behind the smile, she plots to banish her husband, save her sister Lydia, and reunite with the love of her life, Emmett.

Yet Emmet and Lydia are trapped in the Otherworld, where fae games are deadlier than ever—and a queen must play most viciously of all. Or see herself dethroned.

Forbidden romance, deceptive bargains, and lethal court intrigue intertwine in this mesmerizing, fae romantasy sequel that will captivate fans of Once Upon a Broken Heart and Belladonna.

Content Warning: violence, death, cheating

+ I enjoyed the first book in this series, The Rose Bargain, and I was definitely intrigue by the plot twist at the end. So The Thorn Queen takes place right after book one and I admit, I had to find my footing in the series because I had forgotten some things that happened in book one. It took my until 20% into the book to really find my place in it but once I did, I was hooked on the story – mostly because the messiness of it all.

+~ Ivy is now Bram’s wife, though she wishes she was Emmett’s. But Emmett and her sister Lydia are now in the Otherworld, while she is running England with Bram. So the first few chapters of this book made me feel like nothing was happening except Bram always reveling and being a creep to Ivy. And Ivy is pining for Emmett and missing her sister badly. Things get interesting when she finds a way to the Otherworld. But things are messy there – Lydia is Queen, and Emmett is now her best friend which hurts Ivy. I was bothered by it also because it made it seem like Lydia and Emmett might have something going on. But I was wrong, it’s just very messy and dramatic between Ivy, Lydia, Emmett and Bram!

+~ Because the relationships are messy, there is a lot to fix. Lydia thinks she loves Bram, even when he is cruel and I was just hoping she could find her way out of it. But the main love story is between Ivy and Emmett, which is quite messy. I mean, Ivy is married to his brother! I thought it was a bit too messy but I did love how they worked things out and Emmett’s confession of love is swoon worthy. Poor Emmett, the things he went through and choices he had to make while they were apart – I don’t blame him. I also don’t blame Ivy for her jealousy but the main thing is they have a happy ending, and they do.

~ The girls from the Bridal competition in book one do make some appearances in this book but not as much.

~ I think Lydia needed more time to shine in this book especially because she’s the Queen of the Otherworld and we barely know about this place and the magic. Though the magic is used at the end of this book. I know that they like to party a lot, revel, as they say because it’s the land of Faerie, but I just wanted more. Some parts of the story feels like fever dream. Also, I like how the sister relationship between Ivy and Lydia is explored because it felt realistic but I wanted more of them being together to see more of a bond.

Final Thoughts:

I wasn’t feeling this one at first but once I realized this one is all about the relationship drama between Lydia, Bram, Ivy and Emmett, I kind of enjoyed it even though it is messy. I liked the political intrigue, but would have loved to learn more about the magic in the Otherworld. But I mostly loved how Emmett and Ivy worked through their relationship and get their happy ending.

Read if you like:

messy relationships and drama
Faerie
yearning

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Rose Bargain by. Sasha Peyton Smith | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Cruel Angel by. Rebecca Kenney | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Cruel Angel (Gilded Monsters, #4)

Author: Rebecca Kenney

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 4/14/26

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Content Warning: stalking, voyeurism, drugging people

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Read if you like:

smut
paranormal Phantom of the Opera
throuple M/M/F

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Beautiful Villain by. Rebecca Kenney | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

WWW Wednesday | 4/8/26

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?

I guess I forgot to do a post last week Wednesday but it’s been that kind of April so far – bad. 😅. I’m hoping to turn things around this weekend as my kids and I go to Bruno Mar’s concert in Vegas, but we are also going to have stormy weather in Hawaii when we fly out. I’m just hoping all goes well. 🙏🏽. Also it doesn’t help that world events are making me super anxious. Sigh….thank goodness for books that let me escape a tiny bit.

What are you currently reading?

The Summer of Second Chances by. K.L. Walther – arc – 10%

For Whom the Belle Tolls by. Jaysea Lynn – 5%

Rites of the Starling by. Devney Perry – 3%

I Could Give You the Moon by. Ann Liang – alc – 80%

The Verdant Cage by. Jess Lourey

Malachite by. Ashley Anderson – alc – 10%

What have you just finished reading?

The Bloody and the Damned by. Becca Coffindaffer – arc – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bloody Black by. Rhiannon Hargadon – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️

Your Soulmail is Attached by. Joan F. Smith – arc – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Blood & Roses by. Callie Hart – ⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

To Break Such a Bond by. Mallory White – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️🌶️

Runebreaker by. Mila Finch -⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/🌶️🌶️

Turncloak by. L.K. Steven – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️

What are you going to read next?

Change Plans by. Sarah Dessen

The Last Page by. Katie Holt

Soon By You by. Dahlia Adler

Double Happiness by. Heather Eng

What are YOU reading right now?

Starside by. Alex Aster| Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Starside (#1)

Author: Alex Aster

Format: ebook

Pages: 512

Format: ebook (Libby)

Publication Date: 3/31/26

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Series

Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals—the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.

Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn’t after the gods’ magic—she’s going to kill them.

First, she must survive the Culling, the king’s deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, Aris doesn’t have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords—ones that contain power—are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor—but a target.

Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren’t dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can’t trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king’s guard who betrayed her years ago—and who may now be the key to her survival.

But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family’s death. And when it’s revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what’s coming…

Content Warning: violence, death, mentions of torture

World Building: I read Lightlark by this author and never continued the series because I just couldn’t get into it. I don’t think the writing worked for me. I did read her contemporary romance and enjoyed it so I decided to try Starside because it’s an adult romantasy. The world building is very lush in this series – there are two sides Stormside (no magic and mortals) and Starside (immortals and magic, species, creatures, and monsters). Aris joins the Questral, first there are some deadly trials in Stormside, but if you pass that then you embark on a very deadly quest in Starside. I really loved how lush Starside is with different landscapes, horrors, and magical creatures. Also there is a big deal about swords in this story – there are different types of swords, and the sword can make or break your quest.

Characters: Aris is determined to complete the Questral and killed the Gods. But first she has to not die. And though she’s had some training, she knows she has a challenge when the other challengers are killers or from wealthy houses with lots of resources. I liked Aris’ determination not to give up, because there were many times she could have. And though she is willing to die for her revenge, she was still able to see beauty around her in Starside. There were times I thought she was so uninformed and naive but this story shows her growth, which I really enjoyed. Even with Harlan Raker, enemy and the king’s guard, always telling her she isn’t good enough. Now Harlan was interesting with his mask, hood and armor, grumpy attitude and killing skills that no one can match. There were some secondary characters along the journey but I was bummed the first two Aris meet in the beginning basically disappears throughout most of the book – I was hoping for some found family with them.

Romance: For 70% of the story I thought the romance read like a young adult novel. There was barely any steam, it’s a SLOW burn. Aris and Harlan hate one another – hate. But Aris wouldn’t have survived Starside without him, and he likes to remind her of that. He was not a nice guy, maybe to prove a point to her that being nice gets you killed but I can see why she hated him. So that’s why it was very surprising at what happens in the 90% mark of the book…yes, you have to wait until the end if you want some chili pepper spice. 😅. I was like whoa….that was unexpected! I was just hoping for a kiss but they are kind of unleashed at the end. But it’s an enemies to lovers to enemies kind of situation.

Story: The story is about a deadly quest and revenge but while in Starside, Aris learns a lot about the immortals and how they feel about the Gods. The pace is fast with fight after fight – it’s almost never ending with just a few breaks here and there. There is a lot of action and at times I wish there was more dialogue between Aris and Harlan but he’s a quiet one. A lot that goes on in this story. There are some plot twists at the end, one that I guessed, that make me very eager for book two. But I still feel like the writing felt like young adult, despite the profanity the characters used and the very vigorous spicy scene, but that just be a me problem not totally gelling with her writing style.

Vibes: it’s giving, Hunger Games but fantasy and lots of swords…and I’ve been kind of over deadly trials and quest not being dangerous enough in other stories but this one had so much danger and non-stop action, that I wanted to keep reading.

Final Thoughts:

This story is full of action, swords, monsters, creatures, immortals and a young woman who is determine to kill the Gods. I liked seeing Aris pick herself back up even when she was scared to go on, or finding beauty in the darkness. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers, even though it’s a very slow burn – romance. I liked this way better than Lightlark and I will definitely be continuing this series after that cliffhanger ending.

Read if you like:

deadly quest
lots of action
enemies to lovers to enemies

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Summer in the City by. Alex Aster | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Lightlark by. Alex Aster | Audiobook/Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mayhem and the Mortal by. Shanora Williams | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Mayhem and the Mortal (#1)

Author: Shanora Williams

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 418

Publication Date: 3/17/26

Categories: Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy, Cozy, Series

One mission. One curse. No escape.

Zaira doesn’t want a hero. She needs a weapon.

To save her sister from a soul-devouring curse, she has to cross The Shallows—a nightmare landscape of ruined magic, shifting paths, and vicious creatures that eat people alive.

Her guide? Thane sorcerer, assassin, walking red flag. His name clears rooms. His magic kills quietly. And whatever he’s really after, it’s not salvation.

He promises to help. He might even mean it.

But Zaira knows better than to trust a liar with a blade and ice in his veins.

She just doesn’t have a choice.

Content Warning: violence, death

World Building: Thelanor is a fascinating world filled with mortals, sorcerers, and beasts like minotaurs. I also enjoyed the magic that Thane is able to wield. The whole book follows the characters going on a quest and traveling throughout Thelanor to The Shallows, so we get to see a lot of this world.

Characters: Zaira is the FMC and she is sunshine. She is naive, sweet, kind, and the MMC, Thane, a grumpy sorcerer assassin, finds it to be her biggest fault. Thane is secretive but opens up eventually little by little. His motive for helping Zaira is all about revenge. These two bicker a lot, which I thought was fun because they are opposites. During their travels throughout Thelanor we meet other characters that join their crew, like Algar and Rynthea. I enjoyed meeting all these different characters, they brought so much to the story, like humor and a found family for Zaira.

Romance: This is a grumpy/sunshine slow-burn romance, between Zaira, who is a mortal that just wants to save her sister from the clutches of a powerful sorcerer and Thane, a bad-ass, morally gray, sorcerer, who is always mad or grumbling about something. There are some spicy scenes between them which I thought was fun, but Thane is lucky that Zaira is a very sweet person who easily forgives because he is the type to test everyone’s patience. I did wish Zaira would have made him grovel a bit longer at the end, but she’s nice, that’s just her personality.

Story: Zaira is trying to save her sister and Thane is out for revenge. But is Thane trustworthy or is he hiding something? I really enjoyed all the action that happened throughout the story because of all the travel adventures. It made the story move quickly. The ending leaves it open for a book two, so it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Vibes: This story felt like a cozy fantasy adventure because of Zaira’s sunshine personality and the different beasts/species they encounter on their journey. But it also feels like a light fantasy, not so heavy on the details and world-building.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a fun, cozy, yet spicy fantasy read. I really enjoyed all the action that happened in the book and the grumpy/sunshine slow burn romance was full of bickering, yet it held a sweetness because of Zaira. This one is a light fantasy so it’s easy to read. Definitely check this one out if you like fantasies that involve a lot of adventure and travel.

Read if you like:

adventure, travel
found family
grumpy/sunshine slow burn but spicy romance

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Shadow Trials by. Evelyn Hart | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Shadow Trials (Heartless Gods, #1)

Author: Evelyn Hart

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 437

Publication Date: 4/14/26

Publisher: Evelyn Hart

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Series, Romantasy

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

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

She’s trained her whole life to kill monsters like him and the dragon he rides. Now, he may be the only one who can save her…

Humans are treated like cattle by the Godforged, the terrible creatures created by the gods to wage a never-ending war with each other. Fiona’s spent her life learning to wield magic stolen from the divine, to protect her people from the violence. Now she’s given the chance to become the thing she’s sworn to kill.

The God of Darkness’s champion is dead, and he’s holding a series of trials to decide who will be his next, open to anyone, including humans. If Fiona wins, she’d control his army… and how it treats innocent humans. And none of them know of the powers she wields…

These trials are filled with the strongest and most ruthless of the Godforged. But if they discover the secrets she hides, it will doom all her people.

In this world of magic and violence, there’s one person who truly understands secrets. Azric Cyrus, Death’s champion and first dragon rider, is the most brutal of all the Godforged. And the most beautiful. With wings of bone, shadows, and seduction as his deadliest weapons, even the gods listen when he speaks. Even more reason for Fiona to be wary when he takes an interest in her.

Destiny is not a fixed thing, and as its strings are pulled from behind the shadows, these two broken souls must learn to trust each other. Their lives are the least that hang in the balance.

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Crowns of Nyaxia, and The Games Gods Play, Shadow Trials is the first in a long, epic romantasy series that will follow multiple couples. It does not end an HEA, but the series will.

Content Warning: torture, death, violence, dark themes

+~ Shadow Trials is book one in a fantasy series that follows a human, Fiona, and her quest to complete deadly trials in order to become the Champion of Nixthos – who is the God of Darkness and Secrets. The world building is heavy, there are many gods, many champions of the gods, different species, different lands, prophecy, lore, dragons and it is a lot to process, which makes the beginning slow going because of all the information and names to know. But I settled into the story after 20% into the book and then I was addicted to the story. There are some dark themes in this book, especially with Fiona and Azric’s pasts. Also mentions of how some species are created is pretty gruesome.

+ There is a huge cast but our main characters are Fiona (the human with a Priest for a father) and Azric, the Prince of Bones. We get her POV for 90% of the book and then Azric for 10% at the end. I really like Fiona because she’s human and knows her limitations but she’s so brave because she wants purpose in her life even if it means her death. She questions everything, even her choices, but I like that she never takes anything at face value. Azric, is a complicated man, he is Fae, he is blessed by the Gods, but he is broken. Learning more about what happens to him is dark, but my heart broke for him because he had a good childhood, he had a good life until the god he is promised to comes calling. Then there are secondary characters that are very interesting, like Fiona’s father, Azric’s parents, the Fae like Darian, and so many more.

+~ There is romance but it is a very slow burn, barely there spice, though there is a some steam. I love that it is a slow burn because there are so many things happening in this story. It feels like the deadly trials were the most important thing in this story and it was appropriate that the romance take a back seat. I liked seeing Fiona and Azric get to know each other instead, especially with what happened to Azric in the past. I think a slow burn is good for them.

+~ It took me two days to read this book because I was so invested in Fiona’s story. I actually love the length of this book, it wasn’t too long and not too short. But because the world-building is dense, I felt like I missed a prequel or something. Sure enough I checked on Goodreads and I missed a whole series before this book – which now makes total sense why I felt the way I did. I think I got through this book pretty good though without even reading the previous series, but when I have time, I will pick it up because I’m sure it will explain so many things.

+~ The pacing was a little up and down, definitely slow in the beginning, but it was steady throughout, which I appreciated – personally I like a little more romance in my romantasy so I might have been searching it out and got impatient when I realized how slow of a burn this story is. But I love the build up to the ending, and I’m looking forward to book two!

Final Thoughts:

There is a series before this one I think you should read called Shadowed Debts, and I didn’t know it existed until I finished Shadow Trials. But I think if you read Shadowed Debts you will not feel like you are thrown into the world, like how I felt while reading this book. It’s not a bad thing, but it made me feel like I was missing a big chunk of history, despite that I still found this story addictive. Fiona’s character is new to this world also, so through her, I learn some of what took place before Shadow Trials. I love the world-building, but it is heavy. I love the slow burn romance and am invested in Fiona and Azric’s story, I’m totally rooting for them. I’m going to read the previous series while waiting on book two!

Read if you like: