Fiction

Seek the Traitor’s Son (The Burning Empire, #1) by Veronica Roth

4.5 stars

This is the dystopian book I’ve been looking for the last couple of years! Earth has been ravaged by a fever that took more than half the population. Now the world is separated into two warring countries. Cedrae who shun the fever and do everything they can to avoid it and Telusar, who embrace the fever and worship it. All Telusar citizens are subjected to the fever. Those that survive the fever are gifted with powers. The powers are unique and varied.

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May 10, 2026 0

Empire of Flame and Thorns (Flame and Thorns #1) by Marion Blackwood

4.5 stars

Wow. What a wild ride!! I lost a lot of sleep reading this one. This is the first book in an enemies-to-lovers romantasy series featuring fae, dragons, and magic. I love books that have trials that the main character must endure to achieve a goal. In this case, Selena is a fae trapped in the Seelie Court and controlled by dragon shifters. She’s part of a rebel alliance determined to free all trapped faes. Her only chance to gain her freedom is by entering the Atonement Trials: a deadly competition that pits fae magic users against each other. Only three people can win, and Selena intends to be one of them.

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May 10, 2026 0

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

I absolutely loved this book. I listened to the audio and the narrators did a fantastic job. They instilled the perfect mixture of sweet, snarky, and sarcastic into their voices to bring Elsie/Mabel to life. The story is told in two storylines, present day and Mabel as a young girl. In present day the main character goes by Elsie and as a young girl, she goes by Mabel. Elsie is 81 years old and has lived on her street for over 60 years. She’s the neighborhood curmudgeon that has an opinion about everything and everyone. Her peace is disrupted by the appearance of a little girl named Persephone who relentlessly inserts herself into Elsie’s life.

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May 6, 2026 0

We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune

4.5 stars (release date 4/28/26)

This is a beautiful, emotional, heartwarming, sad book that will give you all the feels. I love this author’s writing and I’m not surprised that he made a story about the end of the world feel like a warm hug.

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April 26, 2026 0

Test of Time (Blossom Peak #3) by Harlow James

This is book 3 in the Blossom Peak series but can be read as a stand alone. This time it’s sheriff and single dad Rhonan’s time to fall in love. He meets Vienna in a bar while playing wing-man for a friend. They have an instant connection, but before they can act on their attraction, she disappears, leaving Rhonan confused and quietly obsessing about her.

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April 24, 2026 0

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

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

A Ghastly Catastrophe (Veronica Speedwell #10) by Deanna Raybourn

It’s hard to believe this is already book 10 in this entertaining historical fiction mystery series and it still provides plenty of twists, turns, and creative cases. This time the mystery involves a young man entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to a cemetery. He’s got two small holes in his neck a la Dracula. Another young man dies in an apparent suicide. The two are connected by a mysterious society that’s existence is only mentioned once in society.

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March 31, 2026 0

Mistakes Were Made (Story Lake, #2) by Lucy Score

4.5 stars

I love this book series and reading how Zoey and Gage find their HEA was so fun. Zoey is broke and needs to hang on until her BFF and only client Hazel’s new book comes out. Until then, she hunkers down in Story Lake and tries not to go crazy. Ever since his brother’s engagement, Gage has not stopped thinking about finding the perfect wife to start the perfect family and life together. Zoey is pure chaos and Gage is as steady as they come. They could not be more opposite and are looking for completely different things, but sparks fly whenever they get close to each other and it’s hard to ignore.

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March 31, 2026 0