I have be seeing mixed reviews about the trigger warnings regarding SA for this book. Can someone spoil those scenes for me so I can decide if I want to read the book or not.

I didn’t see a post already for this news, but I’m curious to hear what others think. I’m not super familiar with either actor’s work (other than knowing Esther is Ewan McGregor’s daughter). I’m a little surprised this project is finally getting out of development hell, seemed like we would never actually get a show!

Link to Deadline: https://deadline.com/2026/10/xaden-violet-fourth-wing-cast-leads-prime-video-adaptation-1237156221/

Image description: screenshot of a headline from Deadline, reading “Fourth Wing Finds Its Violet and Xaden: Ester McGregor and Emilio Sakraya to Lead Prime Video Series.” Also pictured is the cover for Fourth Wing and a headshot of each actor.

How big of an age gap do you feel comfortable reading?.

Im a 31 year old male and I LOVE fantasy. Ive read countless books over my life and I never get tired of the genre. I enjoy a good romance sub plot in my books so I thought I'd try to branch out into fantasy romance. Each of the books ive started so far just seem kind of cringe and geared more towards young women. I assume I'm just finding the wrong books so if anyone has some good recs for me id really appreciate it!

I'm getting really tired of the enemies-to-lovers trope. Sure, it can be interesting when done well. But so many books, especially newer releases, don't develop the dynamic convincingly enough for the eventual romance to feel believable or satisfying.

Lately, it seems like all I can find are MCs who viciously hate each other. Their "banter," which is presumably supposed to be adorable or sexy, often comes across as downright cruel. Sometimes they even physically assault each other. But then POOF! Somehow they're suddenly hopelessly enamored and willing to burn the world down for their love.

And I'm left wondering... Why? What do these people even LIKE about each other?

I've been reading fantasy romance for 20 years, and I genuinely miss stories where love doesn't have to grow out of hatred.

I want tension and yearning. A longing and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Give me a forbidden relationship, a difference in social standing, conflicting loyalties, or even an arranged marriage. But let the two people have every reason not to fall in love, but find themselves drawn together anyway.

Please, suggest books where I can actually see the affection developing. Where there's tenderness, mutual respect, admiration, or even just a growing curiosity about one another. Where I understand why these characters fall in love, rather than being expected to accept that hatred has somehow transformed into undying devotion.

I don't need the romance to be easy. I just need it to be believable.

Examples of well developed romance: 

{Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Mariller}

{Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey}

{Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn}

{Defender of Walls by Tanya Bird}

{The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon}

So, any recommendations for fantasy romances where the central conflict isn't that the MCs despise each other?

I’m a sucker for the dark academia x romfan/romantasy/fanro interface, especially this time of year, but I feel like I’m running out of the books I know. Please help! 

I’ve read Fourth Wing, An Academy for Liars, The Bewitching, Babel, Katabasis, Blood Over Bright Haven, the Alex Stern trilogy, Gothikana, The Will of the Many, Plain Bad Heroines, The Incandescent, the Scholomamce, Vita Nostra, Zodiac Academy, A Discovery of Witches, Emily Wilde, the Lady Trent books, India Holton’s books, the Atlas series, and the Villains series, as well as The Secret History, Spoiled Milk, Nocticadia, Voyeur, and more that aren’t fantasy. 

I liked all of the books above for different reasons. I’m a mood reader, so I like to have lots of options to choose from. 

I love a romance, but it doesn’t have to be super-prominent. If it is, I wouldn’t shy away from spice. A teacher-student dynamic is fine. As is student-student or teacher-teacher, but I really love a book from the student perspective. Gimme whatever genders. If there is a romance, I’d want an HEA. A strong setting with gothic (Gothic proper or gothic romance) elements is a plus. I like academic rivals in a non-school setting as well! 

What’s out there that I’m missing? Thank you for fueling my Fall obsession! 

Thank you to all who voted for November’s Book Club read with the theme of academia.

The winner is {Half City by Kate Golden}!

Viv Abbot is your average twenty-one-year-old girl. Except she’s also a demon hunter. She's been forced to hunt deviants alone since her father’s death, until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon. He tells her of a school for people just like her. If she enrolls, she'll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends can know about, not if the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv's father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, fast, all while trying to ace her classes, avoid falling for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

Please grab a copy and join us next month for the November Book Club!

Upcoming Book Club dates:

• October 20 - Second discussion for Astarion (up until Astarion's anger sustained him on the journey to his great grandmother's...).
• October 30 - Final discussion for Astarion (full book)
  
• November 1 - December nominations (theme: Cosy)
  
• November 8 - December voting
  
• November 10 - First discussion for Half City
  
• November 15 - December announcement
  
• November 20 - Second discussion for Half City
  
• November 30 - Final discussion for Half City
  

If you haven’t yet, you can still join us for the October Book Club! The first discussion for Astarion has been posted on 10 October. The next will be posted on 20 October, hope to see you there!

Previous book club discussion can be found in the Book Club Hub.

I just finished this book and I need to talk to you guys about it because it feels like I was edged for 450+ pages. Or worse, not even edged, but like...had a metaphorical hand hovering NEAR my metaphorical "mound"/"bud"/"bundle of nerves"/"apex of my thighs" for hours but NOT TOUCHING, gah.

For some context, I'm a huge slut for dark romantasy and I live for those ✨MOMENTS✨. That je ne sais quoi that dark romance (and especially, though not exclusively, enemies to lovers) delivers, that thrill when the dynamic moves into a liminal space. Prime examples of this are:

• the moment in ACTOR where we learn that the ONLY person to bet on Feyre's survival with the wyrm(?) was...Rhysand. Who has been presented as the most evil and sadistic subject of UTM.
• the bathhouse scene in KPop Demon Hunters where, MID-FIGHT, Jinu moves to cover up Rumi's exposed arm to protect her secret

honorable mentions:

• the entirety of captive prince (lol)
• the scene in The Untamed where WWX is on the run after slaughtering all of those soldiers and LWJ is forcing him to stand down, but he refuses and says something to the effect of, "You'll all have to kill me to stop me. But if I AM gonna be killed, then let it be by your hand." 😭

Anyway, while reading Rose in Chains, it felt like the plot was NONSTOP setting up these "moments" and then NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH ON THEM, oh my god. Here's a list off the top of my head:

Set-up: Briony hiding in her closet while enemies storm the castle and Toven bursts into her room, hunting for her, paralleled by her last memory of him being her chasing her through the forest, killing people to get to her, keeping pace with her from a distance through the trees (which btw, chills!) and herding her as she flees
Potential payoff: Toven bidding on and WINNING her at the auction!!! WHICH DIDN'T HAPPEN. (i know there's probably plotty reasons why this didn't happen, but still, bummer)

Set-up: the two of them attending those evil orgy parties together and being forced into intimacy
Pay-off: minimal

Set-up: Briony maybe having to take that aphrodisiac and then HAVING SEX WITH TOVEN in front of everyone (while they're still faking everything for the public and ignorant to each other's feelings)
Pay-off: DIVERTED

Set-up: Them having sex at all and him taking the stupid virginity that was mentioned every 5 pages
Pay-off: diverted/postponed

Set-up: him actually using her as a heartspring and drawing power from her while she struggles to trust and submit to him
Pay-off: diverted/postponed

There's probably more but that's all I remember for now. As an aside, I actually enjoyed the book! I inhaled it in the course of a day, lol. But....damn. It feels like so much evaded potential? Did any of you feel the same way, reading it??

P.S. I'm hungry for more Dramione-coded books now! HELP?!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. {by the light of the Stars by Emily Gray}

A princess in danger is whisked off planet by a handsome rogue smuggler. Is this Star Wars coded? These days you can’t tell if this was a Princess Leia/ Han Solo fan fic originally, or just a writer who liked the idea of well born aristocracy who is swept off her feet by the handsome rebel.

There are more than a few similarities to Star Wars symbolism but considering that the original storyline is adapted from a Kurasawa film and the visuals heavily borrowed from the Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl any references to imperialist forces in space will be reminiscent of the original trilogy. But, that is not necessarily a bad thing, there are no limits to the amount of stories that can be told about humans rebelling against oppressive regimes in space. It just makes good space opera.

At the core, this is more of a romance in space, with the majority of the book is about the relationship between the princess Lyrii Thana and the handsome Kade Maxwell. Lyrii is the second daughter of the Empress Thanii of the planet Boaterra, who is betrothed by treaty to the Commander Vega of Chinov. These are the two planets that exist in this system, having been populated hundreds of years earlier by people fleeing their home planet. Both planets are starkly different – Boaterrans celebrate art and music and beauty, while Chinov is militaristic, technocratic and severe, their nearly inhospitable planet made rich by being the only place that mines the crystals that powers the ships and all technology produced by these people. Both planets are populated by proud, aristocratic families that can trace their lineage through hundreds of years, marriages on both planets are arranged for the most advantageous genetic progeny. While the Boaterrans are free with their love and the Chinovs are traditional and paternalistic when it comes to relationships and sexuality, when it comes to who can have children among the noble classes, they are carefully planned. Unplanned children among the non aristocratic households are given away to families who would actually appreciate the children. And the number of children among the worker families are limited.

In fact a lot of freedoms among the worker and servent classes are limited. These are some of the truths that Lyrii is confronted with on her impromptu escape off planet. After her second assassination attempt and ensuing riot, she is saved by this irritating but handsome man, in his spaceship, that is barely holding together. (remember how the Millenium Falcon kept breaking down ? it’s kind of like that, although Kade doesn’t brag about making the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs) While it was not safe for Lyrii on her home planet, she feels that she must fulfill the marriage contract on Chinov, so a ransom is made in order for Kade to deliver Lyrii to her future husband.

On the way the ship dies and they are forced to make a stop at a secret colony, housed on a life ship that Lyrii had no idea existed. She was not in line to be Empress so she was only taught the things she needed to know to live her life as a wife under contract.

Once her eyes have been opened, she learns a few more things, her attraction to Kade grows and she dreads having to fulfill her contract, but she also believes that if she does not, the lives of many people she has met and those that she cares for on Boaterra would be in danger. She believes that she can help from a position of power, working from the inside. And so, she must be delivered to the austere, colourless and racist planet of Chinov. (the Chinov’s think the Boaterrans are ugly people who grow their hair out and look for beauty and growing things everywhere)

So that is the premise of the first half of this novel, the first of a series. Things do not go as planned on Chinov. Lyrii has seen too much and learned too many secrets to play the part of a docile and agreeable partner.

What I really appreciate in this book one of a series is that while there is a bit of a surprise at the end of this book it actually gets tied up and we are left literally floating in space, with the story complete only to reveal a much larger story to move on towards. And this is how a multi book series should be written, action completed but the overall storyline unresolved. It makes me want to read on, but I won’t have to worry about will I remember where we were when the last book ended. And it’s quite satisfying even when the next book has not been released.

This is a debut novel and lets be real, space stories in this genre are far fewer than the fantasy settings. Even sci fi based romance books set on new worlds are generally focused on the flora and fauna of the new world, not so much on the ships, asteroids and off planet activities that occur out in space. I think for romantasy readers looking for something a bit different, but not wanting to stray too far from your favourite tropes this is a good start.

I gave this a 4.25 in storygraph rounded down to 4 in applications that do not have partial marks.

We’re approaching the holidays! What November new releases are you looking forward to? Can be new books in a series, a new series, anything! Please share (:

Been on a huge knight kick and kind of wanting to pivot to another type of MMC in the same vein... Wondering if anyone has suggestions for books that have a superhero vibe?? and/OR also in the market for any books with a MMC that wears a mask/helmet he eventually lets the FMC take off. Would love any books where the MMC is normal by day/hero by night, double life type situation, but doesn't have to be! I prefer older settings but am open to contemporary since superheroes probably end up in that category a bit more. Interested in big spiderman/batman vibes. Maybe not as tragic as batman but something from an FMC like MJ's perspective would be dope. Also any level of spice is fine though I prefer it 2 or 3+.

The last few books i've read have been solid but kinda slow, so also just looking for anything with action/excitement that you can't put down.

If there are any adjacent subs where this might fit better let me know!

Fan art by @luaartiste of the characters of The Witch Walker series

I find that most fmcs in urban fantasy are on the snarky side, and i want something different! I want a gentle and kind female lead, with maybe a morally grey mmc who's a vampire or something 🔥 I would like high spice + a great plot and juicy romance. Also, the mmc doesn't necessary have to be a vampire lol he can be human or anything.

I liked {written in red by Anne Bishop} but i wish it was more spicy. I didn't like {Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning} I have {Demonized by Annette Marie} on my TBR, but i think it's YA?

-No fated mates or insta love

-MF romantic pairs only

any help is appreciated !!

I’m feeling a bit down, and I’m not in the mood for something super energetic and in your face.

Instead I’m looking for something that takes place somewhere dark and dreary with a sad or downtrodden FMC and/or MMC. Anything but peppy and energetic. Maybe they could be soft spoken—a man and a woman of few words.

I just feel like melting into an easy story if that makes sense.

And yes I’m okay, just overwhelmed with life an need something calm and easy with a little darkness🖤

Hi folks!!

Had to stop The Knight and the Moth due to the cringe factor. It just felt juvenile and I had no connection to the leads (apart from Bartholomew). Looking for more mature romance with a less predictable plot. My favourite of all time is The Everlasting by Alix Harrow, it’s had me in a chokehold since Xmas 2025. The relationship and plot were perfection. I also love Nettle and Bone by T.Kingfisher, less romance focused but the characters and plot were so well done, when the romance did happen it felt so impactful.

I’m not against spice, so open to it! Thanks in advance.

First, I absolutely loved this book series. It consumed me to the point that I spent several nights sacrificing sleep because putting it down was nearly impossible. Most of the time, I wasn’t reading a book; I was living it. Running with the characters, fighting with them, crying with them. The world felt real, the characters were incredibly deep, and the story had me completely in its grip. This is exactly what I want from fantasy.

And yet, here I am, five stars in hand, with a rather significant complaint about the ending.

When Melissa first mentioned that this was a conclusive series and that readers wouldn’t be left hanging, I thought that was such a thoughtful thing to do. It genuinely made me even more excited to read it. I expected the major storylines to receive the closure they deserved.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we quite got that. Some questions are answered, but others remain open, and a few major plotlines feel as though they were built up throughout the story only to receive a rather underwhelming resolution. There are also some things I genuinely cannot believe we finished the series without learning!!!!

Maybe these questions will be answered in another series set in the same universe, but I thought this series was supposed to stand on its own.

And the frustrating thing is that this is still a genuine five star read for me. The characters, the world-building, the emotional depth, the sheer immersion… Melissa absolutely got me. I just wish the ending had done justice to everything that came before it.
Am I the only one who can love a book this much and still be utterly baffled by some of the author’s choices? 😂

Wooooo boy. Sharing my Fable.co review here of {The Poison Daughter by Sheila Masterson}. That was…. a lot.

As is tradish, below there be spoilers so proceed at your own risk!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

SHEILA. Ma'am.

That was… a lot. A lot of everything. Some of it good. A lot of it not so good. I’m not sure I can actually describe it in any singular way. For a moment there I genuinely thought this review might just be a full page of sweating emojis. (Honestly, it’s still on the table.) All I can say with any semblance of confidence is that it was nothing less than relentless.

What the hell does that mean?

It means this book punches you in the face with everything. There are no light tippy-taps on the cheek here. You're in a fist fight for your life on every page and there is no moment to take a breath. Weirdly, I don't mean that it's action-packed or even fast-paced. Quite the opposite. It's drawn out and takes its sweet time moving forward, but somehow even the languid pace punches you right in the face with just how languid it is. It is the most languid anything has ever been. Extreme languidity? (Is that a word? A completely unnecessary word? It is now and based on the writing I know Sheila would want it this way.)

And the excess doesn't stop at the pace. It's the prose. The characters. The plot. The spice (MY GOD THE SPICE). This book is the personification of that person who gives you way more information than you will ever need. It's TMI in literary form. It's a three-volume essay when all we needed was a blurb.

So let's start there.

This book is, overall, a bloated mess. I still cannot believe it's a standalone. There is enough lore, world-building, political maneuvering, and complex family dynamics in here for a 3–5 book series. You guys know me - I love deep world-building, and I love when we take the time to let things exist so we can build relationships to them. And honestly, it's impressive how wholly realized this world is. But my goodness. This was too much. It felt like I was reading it for a hundred years. It’s nowhere near the longest book I’ve read this year but yet, I aged. My TBR aged. Sheila crammed in so much detail it was almost overstimulating.

Exhibit A: there is a whole scene where we follow the FMC into a back room of a bar to steal a bottle of wine to drink while she waits for something.

See how quickly I said that sentence?

In the book, we are with her as she slowly makes her way to the room. Breaks into the room. Searches for the hidden compartment where the wine is. Peruses the bottles. Takes a bottle. Wanders to the back outside of the bar to sit and drink it.

She drinks it.

Once she's done, she goes back to what she needed to do.

This. Took. Pages.

Riveting. Truly!

The wine doesn't progress the story. The searching of the room doesn't provide context to the character or her relationships in any way. We just… needed the passing of time described in excess, I guess. I truly believe this book may be 200 pages too long. Trim them, and we might have something that feels a little more like a book and a little less like being punched in the face by one.

Because there is some really good stuff underneath the mess, and when it's good, it's excessively good. (Of course it is. Nothing in this book knows how to be moderately anything.)

It starts incredibly strong. We get a deep understanding of the universe we're in, the family dynamics, and our main character, Harlow. It’s different enough to stand out as something fresh in the romantasy genre while still retaining tropes, world-elements, and creatures that feel familiar. Additionally, this book works very hard to say very important things about very important issues. I know that sounds scathing, but I mean it with sincerity. There are meaningful, dark themes here that deserve some light shone on them: abuse, family violence, trauma, manipulation, assault. The pain women are forced to endure and manage, both in private and in public. How women are perceived as objects, as tools to control, as pawns in the game of men. It's about fury and righteous retribution, and the pieces of ourselves we're forced to hide in the face of unimaginable violence. I was immediately drawn to Harlow. I understood her, rooted for her, and was excited to unpack all of her trauma, her secrets, and to burn down the world with her.

But all that intrigue and potential gets lost. Lost in the never-ending angst that never seems to let us move forward. In family secrets hiding behind every corner. In clearly telegraphed twists yet to come (OMG GUYS YOU SEE COLOUR WHEN YOU FALL IN LOVE I WONDER IF THAT WILL HAPPEN LATER). In the painful and relentless use of the nickname “Lovely," (UGH), the pursuit of “intimacy” (BLECH) and so much chuckling into necks. (So many necks. So much chuckling.) Oh. And of course, getting boned by your husband in public. Yup. A lot of times.

Look, I'm not here to kink shame, and I won't pretend I didn't have a delightful time despite it not quite being my thing. But boy oh boy is this yet another thing done relentlessly. At a certain point I just wanted to ask - can't we just… love each other yet? Behind a door, maybe? Doors exist in this world. I checked. They were very thoroughly described.

All this potential disrupted by the middle of this book going in circles. The people of Mountain Haven distrust Harlow. She does something reckless to defy her husband. She likes it when he humiliates and/or takes her in public. She gets scared of her feelings and wants to bolt. He tells her never to run from him (HUH I WONDER IF THAT'S A HINT FOR SOMETHING LATER), but she frequently does, to no actual effect (except that one time). I truly thought that running was dangerous, that it meant he'd chase her… you know because that’s what he said he’d do. Turns out chasing might be more my thing, and turns out I got all excited for nothing. Womp womp. At one point they literally go on a jog together. After he told her to NEVER run here because it’s dangerous. Okay. Cardio! How romantic. A threat always seems to call Harlow back home, where she's forced back into her family trauma, fear for her sister, and hatred of her parents before she inevitably returns to Mountain Haven, and the cycle repeats.

Rinse. Repeat. Public sex. Repeat.

Except sometimes we sprinkle in verbal and physical assault from a rotating cast of disgusting assholes, which we must fight off in the flimsiest, least fight-ready silk dress of all time. Every time. Who is dressing this woman? Oh wait. It’s Henry. For some reason. And the number of times we trip on said tangled silk dress is (you guessed it) FUCKING RELENTLESS.

Again, it's not all bad. The characters are often legitimately interesting, their behaviours fairly representative of their experiences, pains, memories, and family drama. And those experiences, pains, memories and family drama is truly affecting. It’s hard not to feel something in the darkness of all this. The villains, while often caricatures of bad guys, are truly monstrous. Pretty easy to hate them. The friend circles are a little shallow, but they're voices of reason - logical, loving, and appropriately pleasant. The only people in this book with any chill, honestly. There's withheld information and miscommunication which I normally despise, but it’s not tropey and it’s for reasons that all make sense. These are warring families, after all.

And the romance does feel palpable. The tension and want between Henry and Harlow is definitely heavily physical-forward (GUYS THE SPICE IN THIS IS WILD), but you can see the emotional heartbeat slowly evolving underneath. The moment Henry finally sees colour (WE NEVER SAW THAT COMING) was legitimately beautiful, I must admit. Their final moment of tenderness (aka their first time behind closed doors) when she almost tells him she loves him had me holding my breath. So there's that.

But by the last quarter of this monstrous tome, we've been running in circles at breakneck speed and punched in the face so many times by revelations, twists, turns, and public sex that I am… tired. And I honestly think Sheila was too. Because when it's finally time to wind this party down, we are cutting corners like no one's business.

Whole plot points are conveniently revealed in the final breath of a dying bodyguard. (That dying breath, by the way? At least 20 minutes. Gavin. Sir. Please. Go into the light.) Twists we both did (and did not) see coming are drop-kicked into our guts, quickly and painfully. The final reveal of who Rochelli has been the whole time is so obvious, so clean, so convenient, it’s hard to feel the true impact of it in any meaningful way. It's literally Rochelli monologuing every secret in the book out loud to the entire town of Lunameade, so we can wrap everything in the perfect bow we didn't have time to properly tie over the last 6,000 pages. A town-wide Scooby-Doo unmasking. Minus the dog. Minus any subtlety. Relentless mediocrity.

The only time we slow down here is to spend a full chapter slowly and relentlessly torturing our parents to death. Yup. In the absence of all sense, at least we have revenge.

It's a wild and often insane ride. There's some genuinely interesting stuff in here. Some real spicy moments that managed to make me blush despite my having read much wilder stuff (Anthony Palmini whispering it all into my ears may have helped…). Some twists that made me feel anguish and pain and anger alongside Henry and Harlow (sisterhood is a short path to make a girl cry). But a lot of that good got lost in just all that bad. The drag. The bloat. The circular plot. The rushed ending. The excess… everything.

The reality is we had a solid idea that got lost in the sauce, lost in an exploration of kink that unfortunately overshadowed the actual story.

One thing's for sure - I have no idea how they're going to turn this into a TV series. They're going to have to cut out…a lot. And I'm going to have to sit through it sweating. Profusely. Emoji-ly.

Victoria Aveyard announced Tyrant, the follow up to Tempest and the conclusion for The Lyrian Sea series for Fall of 2027!

A bit bummed to wait a year when Tempest didn’t give much in terms of plot or fantasy tbh but I really enjoy her writing style so I’m excited to see what book 2 brings. I feel like the wait will be worth it, given the fact it was originally supposed to be one book!

okay we need to talk about this. so i read the ascended right. and it was the best book iv read in this genre in past 3 years. AND IV READ A LOT. 40 hrs a week at one point like it was my mf job ☠️ i hear there’s another book interconnected called RIFTBORNE by the same authors. but when i was reading what yall were saying about it on here i got shook. yall made it out like it was the worst trash story you’ve ever read and i almost didn’t read it bc of that 😭😭😹😹 it was NOT that bad. obviously it’s no Ascended and feels a bit more YA but compared to the other hot garbage out there that some of yall call your favorite book it doesn’t even come close to being as bad 😭 like the fact that i can get through the whole thing and not DNF speaks volumes. id give it at least a 7/10. i heard the next book in the series is really good so if it only gets better from here that’s a gg.

edit: i just read the ending and it was so iconic i got fucking chills and now i kinda wanna give it an 8.5 or a 9/10 😜

I just finished reading {White Raven by Stacey Marie Brown}

And it infuriated me! Probably the worst new release that I've read all year, and that’s not me being malicious. It seemingly had a lot of tropes that I normally enjoy.

✅  Class difference

✅  Enemies to lovers

✅  Forced Proximity

✅  Morally Grey, Possessive Hero

✅ Forbidden Love

🌶️ 🌶️

But oh goodness...this book was such a disappointment!!

My initial problem was the first-person POV. Wrenn has the most annoying inner monologue! She’s 19 years old but sounds like a middle schooler. So immature, and that doesn’t change at all over the course of the book. It actually gets worse.

The dialogue is often way too modern, which is my biggest turn-off in a fantasy romance. She calls the MMC a “dickbag.”

Speaking of the MMC, Onyx is messed up. He was a thrall/slave in the past, and yet he treats Wrenn like one after he kidnaps her. Chokes her, binds her wrists, verbally threatens her all the time, and actually puts a mark of ownership on her. The author tries to turn these interactions into "sexy" moments, but it was just too much. And I read and like darker romances! I'm no pearl clutcher.

The most egregious aspect was the ridiculous repetition of Wrenn being in danger because of her thoughtless, careless actions. Almost every TEN pages, she is close to being sexually assaulted by men. The first page of the novel describes her training in self-defense, something she’s been doing for years, but she never utilizes anything close to those skills when actually threatened. Sure, she doesn't have to be an expert warrior. But the girl rarely even tries to fight back when in danger.

I finished the book, but it was a STRUGGLE. I’ll admit it had a good potential premise. The storyline with the Norse/Viking influences was intriguing, but it needed to be much more fleshed out.

FMC and MMC are so lacking in development as to be redeeming... or even likable... characters. And their relationship shouldn’t have had such an extreme power imbalance. I wasn’t sure why they were even attracted to each other beyond the physical. Yawn.

Anyone else read this one? Thoughts?

This is by Tessonja Odette and is slated to come out February 2, 2027. This is the sequel to The Lies that Summon the Night.

The book picks up exactly where book 1 left off — FMC, Inana, has had a big shock and some revelations, and now it’s time to process. From the blurb, it’s clear that she has to come to terms with what and who she is. I just didn’t expect it to take so long. At least half of the book is spent grappling with insecurities which contributed to the pace of this book: fairly slow going. The blurb also makes clear that FMC has to learn to use her magic, and this also plays a role in the slow pace of the book. The book was slow until the last 10-15%. The ending was really beast though. I absolutely loved it and felt it was strong and unexpected (which was nice as I had guessed every other twist in this book).

World building was decent but could use more description. For example, we spend a lot of time in certain places and get to see what’s going on there, which is cool, but, we don’t get the best description of the magic system. Over all, I understood it, but I think she could’ve added more description. I know some reviews on netgalley found it confusing. It seems like such a cool concept, so I’d love more lore on it.

FMC had to go through some insecurities like mentioned in the blurb. MMC stayed constant. I felt like they both grew in different ways, and I appreciated that MMC had his own tasks/life outside of worshipping FMC. I also appreciated his constancy. The two of them together at times felt a little stilted or awkward though. There was also a moment that particularly has my radar up, but I won’t mention it here bc I don’t want to give spoilers.

I gave this a 4, but I have to say it’s mainly because I liked the end so much. This book suffered from middle book syndrome in that the first book had a lot going on and the third book likely will too. I get why it was split this way, and I still like the story, but I think compared to book 1 it drags a bit and includes some of my least fav tropes (like training).

I’m looking for a good chunk of recommendations for things I can read on my beach vacation next week.

Must have:
Kindle Unlimited

DO NOT WANT:
Bully, dark, CNC, etc.
Monster/alien romances
Academy settings

Would be nice:
Older FMC

Other than that, I guess I’m relatively open minded. I would prefer more plot, less smut, but I am totally fine with smut.

Some books I’ve read and enjoy:
ACOTAR/Fourth Wing, etc
Ember in the Ashes
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
Tairen Soul
Charmed Leaf Legacy
The everlasting
Dungeon Crawler Carl (not romantasy but eh whatever lol)
Kushiel’s Dart
Legends of Thezzmar
One Dark Window/Knight and the Moth
Some RH including Marie Mistry, Auryn Hadley

Books I DNF’d:
Mages of the Wheel
The Broken Kingdoms
Bridge Kingdom
Gods and Monsters

Hope you all can look forward to these upcoming AMAs, in case you missed the announcements the first time!

• October 27, 2026 - Ariel Sullivan - Conform series
• November 3, 2026 - Thea Guanzon - The Hurricane Wars series; Tusk Love
• November 10, 2026 - Jacqueline White - Souls in Ruin

AMA time: Times are approximate based on author time zone and availability. AMA posts typically will be posted approximately 24 hours before the scheduled start time for readers to ask their questions ahead of time. Please check the sub the day before the scheduled day to look out for the post!

Book Bingo reminder! Don't forget, that if you're doing Book Bingo this year, "hard mode" is to "Read a book by an AMA author, AND participate in the AMA." If you haven't checked this hard mode box off, these last three AMAs are your last chance to do so!

We are always working on scheduling more AMAs, too. If there are any particular authors you'd like to see, please let us know below. We cannot promise that we can get those AMAs, but we'll try our best!

That said, this is the schedule for all the AMAs for the rest of this year. We will be taking a break for AMAs for the rest of November and December to focus on other year-end sub events. We'll start scheduling AMAs again during the new year. Thank you everyone!

For links to past AMAs, check out our AMA Wiki Hub.