Fantasy

Broken Souls and Bones (Stonegate, #1) by L.J. Andrews

This is a great first book in a new fantasy series. Lyra lives a quiet life in a small village. It allows her to hide her magical abilities – abilities that are not allowed to exist outside the authority of the King. Roark, the Prince’s guard and rumored assassin for the crown, invades her village. In order to save her best friend, she reveals her rare ability, is taken captive by Roark, and taken to the King where she’s forced to use her magic on his behalf.

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April 12, 2026 0

Crown of War and Shadow (Kingdoms of the Compass #1) by J.R. Ward

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and enjoyed it. Sorrell is an outcast in the small village she’s lived in her entire life. She’s got magical abilities that everyone pretends she doesn’t. Events occur that force her to flee her small town and seek out a destiny she never knew she had. She makes a deal with a handsome mercenary, Merc, to help her on her quest. He’s got his own reasons for accepting her offer, and together they make a good team.

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April 12, 2026 0

Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

4.5 stars

Fairytale retellings is not my thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed this Cinderella retelling through the eyes of the “evil” stepmother. If more retellings were like this, I’d read more of them. In this book, Etheldreda, or Lady Tremaine, is a twice-widowed woman left with no money and saddled with a decrepit house, two young daughters, a priggish step-daughter (Cinderella – who can’t be bothered to help the family in anyway whatsoever), and a razor-taloned peregrine falcon that helps her hunt to put food on the table.

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April 5, 2026 0

Web of Vows and Vengeance (The Hirathean Path #1) by Aria Ashbrook

I listened to the audio of this book and LOVED it! The narrators did a fantastic job portraying the characters. They built tension and conveyed the emotions of the characters to bring the story to life.

This book is the first in a dark, spicy slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romantasy series, perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, The Serpent and the Wings of the Night, and Throne of Glass.

Tropes you’ll love:

Enemies to Lovers

Deadly Tournament

Slow-Burn Romance

Underdog Heroine

Brooding Royal MMC

Forced Proximity

Gods & Goddesses

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February 27, 2026 0

Dragon Bound (Dragon Rider Academy #1) by Sam Hall

Lady Fern is pressured by her family to marry to help the family, but the men gathered to “court” her are awful. She runs away and stumbles upon queen dragon Auren. She has her own family problems. Her father expects her to act as a breeding ground to mate with multiple dragons to add dragons to the family. They are both sick of being pressured and bond in their mutual desire for control over their lives. They go to the capital to get a plot of land from the King to live on, but are told they must join the dragon academy and serve there a year before they can be free.

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February 22, 2026 0

Flameborne: Fury (Emberquell Academy #2) by Aimee Lynn

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is the second book in the series and starts off right where the last one ended. Bren was set up to fail her last test and Donavyn charges after her knowing something is wrong. Their dragons are mated and turns out so are they. In the middle of the mission Bren’s dragon goes into heat, so when Donavyn and his dragon catch up to them, there is a lot of spice between the couples. A lot of spice. When they realize that what Bren observed was a real enemy camped out on the kingdom’s borders, they rush back to warn the King.

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February 22, 2026 0

Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy, #1) by Aimee Lynn

This is a very good first book in a new dragon romantasy series featuring the first female dragon rider cadet at the Emberquell Academy. Bren starts the book out as a lowborn country girl dating a newly raised Furyknight, the famous dragon riders that serve and protect the kingdom. She sneaks out of her house to say goodbye to him before he leaves on a mission, but discovers his betrayal. Embarassed and ashamed she throws herself off a mountain but is saved and bonded with a young dragon. Everyone that bonds with a dragon must go through the dragonfury Trials and if successful, will become a Furyknight.

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February 9, 2026 0

Your Knife, My Heart (Dark Forces, #1) by K. M. Moronova

4.5 stars rounded up

Wow, what a wild ride! What did I just read? I requested this book because of these two lines in the book blurb:

Cameron Mortem has a problem―he can’t stop killing his partners.

His one directive? Don’t kill the new girl.

I was intrigued, but had no idea how crazy good this book would be. I couldn’t put it down and literally read it in one sitting, and then went straight to Kindle Unlimited and downloaded the second book in the series My Blade, Your Back and read that book in less than 24 hours. So. Freaking. Good.

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January 20, 2026 0

The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a YA Fantasy/Romance vampire book and it’s great to get back to the genre. This book is a new twist, combining the Civil War and supernatural beings. I listened to the audio of the book and the narrators did a fantastic job portraying the numerous characters and instilling the danger they went through and the anger, desperation, grief, and determination of then during the story. Jerusalem is a black woman that spent years on a plantation as a slave with her family under the rule of a cruel and vicious vampire. After gaining her freedom she joins the military fighting the Confederate Army. She discovers she’s a Saint, people with enormous strength and incredible reflexes, and is paired with an ancient vampire, Alexei, and other Saint allies. The Saints often have special weapons that help them harness their power and Jerusalem’s is an ancient spear.

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December 31, 2025 0