Tag: fantasy romance

Book Review: Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant to the Villain #3) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Publisher: Red Tower Books
Release Date: August 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain…and their unexpected romance.

REWARD OFFERED: Apprentice to The Villain wanted for treason (light), magical property damage (alleged), and one incident involving a weaponized scone (accurate). Frequently seen with a grumpy frog (crowned, judgmental). Answers to “Evie” or “Stop that.”

Evie Sage didn’t mean to become the right-hand woman to the kingdom’s most terrifying villain. One minute, she was applying for an entry-level position that promised “light paperwork and occasional beheadings,” and the next, she was knee-deep in magical mayhem, murder plots, and an entirely inappropriate crush on her brooding, sharp-jawed, walking disaster of a boss.

Now, with a magical prophecy unraveling, assassins showing up in the break room, and a suspicious amount of frogs wearing crowns, Evie has to figure out how to survive her job without setting the kingdom on fire—or her dignity, which is hanging by a very sarcastic thread.

Being evil-adjacent was never part of the five-year plan. But then again…neither was falling for The Villain.

A magical office comedy with grumpy bosses, snarky frogs, and definitely-not-feelings.

LOOOOVED.

GOSH, these books are just so fun??! I love them. I love how unique and different they feel and the vibes are immaculate every time. The slowest of slow burns continues to burn at the perfect level and I am continually feral for every tiny interaction between Evie and Tristan.

And I liked all of the other POV’s too. They were a great addition and added more layers to the story and plot and all of the other scenes that we wouldn’t have otherwise seen. The other romances between these characters were cute too!!

Hands down, these have some of the BEST BANTER I have ever read and I love listening to the audiobook (though I will not I wish it had multiple narrators!!).

The ending cliffhanger had the reveal I was hoping for and I am chomping at the bit to hear information about book four!!!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: vague fade to black
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Wicked Sea and Sky (Curse of Ever #1) by Jenna Collett

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Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 443 pages
Author: Jenna Collett
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 23rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s a treasure hunter bound by dark magic. He’s the thief who shattered her trust. And now? He’s her only shot at survival.

Betrayed during a treasure hunt and sentenced to a watery prison, Marin has spent the last few years trapped beneath the waves. Now she’s back on land with three weeks to break her curse or die trying. Her only hope lies in a mythical artifact lost to the sky realm, and in the hands of the charming thief she vowed never to forgive.

Gavin was the only man she ever let close. This time, she wants revenge. He swears he never betrayed her and only wants to help, but every stolen glance and lingering touch feels like another trap.

With time running out, they’ll have to hunt together one last time. Through crumbling ruins, sky mazes, and battles with deadly creatures, their search will test more than just their skills. But as their partnership heats up and secrets unravel, Marin must face the truth: the man who broke her heart might be the one fighting to keep it.

Wicked Sea and Sky is a sizzling fantasy romance packed with thrilling adventure, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a love worth fighting for. Perfect for fans of fairytale retellings, dark curses, and high-stakes heists.

I HAD FUN.

This was a great standalone! I can’t believe I haven’t read this author before because I will definitely be continuing this series. I do want to note that this is a standalone (but it appears more books are coming?? I guess different main characters??). The arc for Marin and Gavin comes to a conclusion. I know that much at least.

With this being a standalone I do think the romance was a little faster paced than I like to see. I felt tossed into the beginning and was drowning a bit until things settled down. But the twist?? That threw me and I was heavily invested in the rest of the journey. There was impeccable snappy banter between the love interests and we also get dual POV!! I loved the found family and that this had a heist quality to it as well. It’s a fast paced read that was a lot of fun!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 2ish open door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 408 pages
Author: Mikayla Bridge
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: May 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Fourth Wing meets Iron Widow in this enemies-to-lovers romantic fantasy by debut author Mikayla Bridge. The hottest must-read of the summer!

On an island built from ash and shrouded in fire, phoenix racing is a sport just as profitable as it is deadly.

Kel Varra and her team of underdogs, the Crimson Howlers, are desperate to win the annual races and the fortune that comes with it. But the Howlers need a new rider, which leads Kel to join forces with Warren “Coup” Coupers – an arrogant rival she can’t get out of her head.

As tensions rise on and off the track, Kel accepts a job from a mysterious tech mogul who shows an unsettling interest in her phoenix, Savita. This thrusts Kel into a conspiracy that endangers everyone she cares about, especially Coup, as her resentment ignites into something dangerously new.

Heart-pounding pages full of fiery romance, jaw-dropping confessions, political scheming, and volatile magic culminate in a final battle that none may survive.

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.

So I absolutely picked this up on a whim at an indie book store PURELY based off of the cover, and assuming it was an adult romantasy. WELL, not quite the case but I am here for it and will be reading the next book for suuuure.

The characters are 17+ish and while I know some may say YA, the content is definitely leans NA/adult. Which doesn’t bother me, but I think is worthy to note.

I did love all of the phoenix content though!!!! This kind of felt like a mash up of Crown of Feathers (loved) and Fireborne (loved). With racing phoenixes, political turmoil and a race against a disease that is threatening the land. I thought the rage was well placed and the enemies to lovers worked well. I wish there had a bit more romance between them but it is a good slow burn overall.

I loved the audiobook and this had a great cliffhanger. I loved the world and how the phoenix magic played a part. Truly an awesome debut.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild – moderate
  • Romance: Makeouts with touching
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings; loss of life, loss of loved ones, graphic injuries

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Book Review: The Floating World (The Floating World #1) by Axie Oh

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 368 pages
Author: Axie Oh
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: April 29th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn’t realize she’s the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined…

WAS IT JUST ME?

I don’t know if it was just me & my mood or if other’s kind of struggled with this one? I’ve read many Axie Oh books and this one fell a bit flat for me. It mostly felt like it went in one ear and out the other. Nothing was compelling enough to glue me to the story. I think that having dual POV but not two narrators made the audiobook hard too because I had a hard time knowing who’s POV I was in sometimes. I might need to eyeball read for the next book.

The whole concept of a floating city was cool and I did like the world building. It kind of reminded me of Our Violent Delights (of which I loooove) with the medical/demon moments. The romance is more on the subtle side but I did like both of the main characters.

I will read book two because I do want to see where things will go. I’m hopeful for the sequel.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: blood/gore depiction, human medical experimentation

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