Book Review: Tomb of the Sun King (Raiders of the Arcana #2) by Jacquelyn Benson

April 26, 2025March 31, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy Romance
Length: 622 pages
Author: Jacquelyn Benson
Publisher: Vaughan Woods Publishing
Release Date: October 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Respectable lady scholars shouldn’t be dodging evildoers, escaping lost tombs, and chasing down magical artifacts.

Archivist and suffragette Ellie Mallory always dreamed of putting her scholarly skills to work in the ancient sands of Egypt. She never imagined she would be doing so in order to save an object of legendary power from a batch of ruthless villains. Racing baddies to an arcanum of Biblical proportions is only one of Ellie’s problems. Her hopelessly academic and perpetually mortified step-brother, Dr. Neil Fairfax, is about to learn that she’s been gallivanting around the globe with his danger-magnet best friend, Adam Bates—the roguish surveyor for whom Ellie harbors increasingly complicated feelings. Add the petite and terrifyingly fearless Constance Tyrrell to the mix, and Ellie either has a crack team of artifact-saving experts to hand… or a recipe for disaster. Together, they’ll need to follow a trail of three-thousand-year-old clues from the necropolis of Saqqara to the temples of Luxor and beyond, where the ruined capital of a heretic pharaoh hides a secret with the potential to upend history. To keep an earth-shattering magic from falling into the wrong hands, Ellie will need to pull out all the stops—even if that means resorting to fisticuffs, ignoring proper archaeological processes… and facing a terrible choice between doing what she knows is right or breaking her own heart. Dive into Tomb of the Sun King now to experience the next action-packed historical fantasy adventure in the Raiders of the Arcana series!

IN LOVE.

I’m so glad I jumped into this book quickly after finishing book one. I am in love with this series and can’t wait for more books. They are quirky and humorous while also tackling some heavy conversations and topics. I find the balance fitting and it continually draws me into the story wondering where the next turn will happen.

And we got a second romance in this one y’all!! Two new characters to fall in love with as they fell in love with each other. I adored this pairing. I loved seeing the conflicts and resolutions that arose as characters grew and changed with all the things they were learning on this expedition.

It’s got just a touch of magic that I think has been woven well into the historical elements. The audiobook is awesome and I’m still smitten with the original couple (Ellie and Adam) too.

Overall audience notes:

Historical Fantasy Romance
Language: low
Romance: closed door
Violence: moderate

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Book Review: When the Moon Hatched (Moonfall #1) by Sarah A. Parker

April 23, 2025March 12, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 718 pages
Author: Sarah A. Parker
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: January 13th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths …
They’re too poisonous to swallow.

When the Moon Hatched is a fast-paced fantasy romance for fans of witty banter and strong, sassy protagonists. Beneath the cover is an immersive, vibrant world with mysterious creatures, a unique magic system, and a love that blazes through the ages.

I AM AS SURPRISED AS YOU.

Well hey.

I wasn’t a big fan of this author’s previous series (never made it past book one), but I had multiple people mention this one to me and I really needed a five star, and this was that book!!

It in incredibly slow and intricate with beautiful writing that brought me deep into this world, the magic system and the lore of the lands (and did I mention, DRAGONS? All the dragon content y’all). While slower, do not mistake this for not also being dark and gruesome. There is some ACTION that is intense and heated and might make you cringe a bit. This is why I love dark fantasy.

The romance was the best kind of enemies to lovers slow burn. I was INVOLVED. And in an absolute puddle when pronouncements and those really hidden deep feelings started showing up and being spoken. The soft moments balanced beautifully with the heavy.

I am floored by the ending and the things happening. I love the set up for book two and scenes I know are coming. Very happy I took a chance on this. It was just the book I was looking for.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: strong
Romance: 3+ open door; mild innuendo
Violence: high; lots of blood and gore
Trigger/Content Warnings: are listed at the beginning of the book!

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Book Review: Lore of the Wilds (Lore of the Wilds #1) by Analeigh Sbrana

April 21, 2025March 10, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 339 pages
Author: Analeigh Sbrana
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A stunning Romantasy debut about an enchanted library, two handsome Fae, and one human who brings them all together.

A library with a deadly enchantment.

A Fae lord who wants in.

A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power.

In a land ruled by ruthless Fae, twenty-one-year-old Lore Alemeyu’s village is trapped in a forested prison. Lore knows that any escape attempt is futile—her scars are a testament to her past failures. But when her village is threatened, Lore makes a desperate deal with a Fae lord. She will leave her home to catalog/organize an enchanted library that hasn’t been touched in a thousand years. No Fae may enter the library, but there is a chance a human might be able to breach the cursed doors.

She convinces him that she will risk her life for wealth, but really she’s after the one thing the Fae covet above all: magic of her own.

As Lore navigates the hostile world outside, she’s forced to rely on two Fae males to survive. Two very different, very dangerous, very attractive Fae males. When undeniable chemistry ignites, she’s not just in danger of losing her life, but her heart to the very creatures she can never trust.

I LIKED IT.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting getting a chance to read this one. And it turned out pretty good. I’m excited to read the second book and see how the journey continues.

I enjoyed Lore a lot. She’s filled with strength and a sense of self I love to see. I liked her perseverance to accomplishing her tasks and figuring out ways to subvert the situation she had been forced into. I want to see those aspects grow even more as this series (or is it just a duology??) continue.

The romance is a bit meh. Things go from 0-100 quickly and I would have loved to have seen more development between Lore and Asher. There was initially a nice slow burn that I enjoyed. And then the love triangle was added in. I’m not mad about it though because when do I ever go for the first guy??

For the ending, I found it predictable based off of the fact that I’ve read multiple love triangles that essentially had the same scenario. It didn’t turn me off of the book but I didn’t have any jaw dropping moments either.

I loved the audio and recommend that format!

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 1-2 open door
Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Of Song and Darkness by Jessica Spruill

April 17, 2025March 5, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance Retelling
Length: 297 pages
Author: Jessica Spruill
Publisher: Night Pirate Publishing
Release Date: June 3rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Poseidon has fallen. The world won’t be far behind. Unless she can stop the rising darkness.

The world beneath the waves is in chaos.

Without Poseidon to hold it at bay, Dark Water is slowly spreading, devouring anything it touches. Even the mighty King Manta has given up hope.

But his daughter hasn’t. Rhea, the siren princess of Aquarius, will do anything to save her world. Even if it means hunting down the mythical Medusa—and partnering with a notorious pirate captain.

Blackheart Kai has more dangerous secrets than Rhea can fathom. He’d rather kill her than help her save her people. She knows he can’t be trusted. But knowing that doesn’t stop her from needing him…or wanting him.

With the survival of the seven seas hanging in the balance, can Rhea and Kai overcome their hatred and work together when it matters most? Or are they destined to share Poseidon’s dark fate?

ENDED AS A MISS.

Alright, I had some high hopes for this one based off of friends reviews and the fact that it’s a closed door adult fantasy (I’m always on the search for good books in this category!). And this book was not BAD, but it missed the mark and took me out of the story enough that I was a bit disappointed by the end.

I thought I was reading a full fantasy book and in my mind that means the world building is completely made up. This book referenced real world continents and locations that took me out of the story when everything else was fantasy. I also thought the romance was too fast for me (as is my struggle with standalone romantasy).

The little mermaid retelling + a handsome pirate idea was great though. I did like that idea and most of the execution worked well. There were some good banter moments and a few tropes I enjoyed seeing. I thought the writing style worked well enough for me, I’m just undecided if I will pick up another book from this author.

Overall audience notes: