Tag: fantasy romance

Book Review: A Forbidden Fate (The Forbidden Fate #1) by Kaven Hirning

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 414 pages
Author: Kaven Hirning
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 6th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A centuries long war, an enchanted wood, and a curse.
Idalia leaves her castle to marry the new king of the Deep, certain that this union will be the final step in saving her kingdom. She must travel through the Florian Wood, a mysterious place shrouded in legend and myth. Things go awry when the Princess is captured by a band of thieves, and they soon discover that the stories of the Wood weren’t just stories afterall. To make matters worse, she is stranded in this nightmare with her rival; A shameless bandit who likes to talk and drink too much. Despite the dangers of the Wood, there is a threat far graver to the both of them–each other. Apart from their warring lands, they have also been cursed by the gods. They can never touch, or they will die and their entire kingdoms with them. Join Idalia and a group of misfits on this harrowing journey. One full of sorrow, terror, forbidden love … and plenty of drinks.

Thank you to LibroFM for the gifted audiobook.

I’LL READ BOOK TWO.

This book went on and off my TBR for a long time and when I saw an audio copy I snagged it and here we are. I thought the concept was good and I liked that they couldn’t touch each other. It added a level of tension that built in a nice slow burn over the book.

I didn’t have any big issues with pacing (which could be due to audiobook speed that kept things moving). It’s a travel plot with many diversions throughout a haunted wood. Some of the side quests seemed forced, but in the end it worked out well.

I loved the romantic aspects and getting those necessary flashback chapters to understand the character dynamics and how everything began when the curse tore them apart. The found family was SO GOOD. I loooved the banter and the respect and care that went into every relationship. I’m curious what will happen next!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: one open door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: New Adult Fantasy Romance
Length: 454 pages
Author: Katherine Quinn
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: February 3rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This magical new YA romantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of To Kill a Shadow will steal your heart. Set in Andalay, a world where the ruling Fates bestow gifts among the favored, a thief must join forces with the palace darling after he unwittingly steals a necklace with the power to change everything.

When Damien, a cold and hardened thief, is hired to steal a gift from the powerful Fates meant for Andalay’s sweetheart, Wren Hayes, he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets.

The gift? A locket containing his own phototroph.

Once the locket is opened, hidden truths unravel, ones that shed light on the ruthless ways of the upper-class society. Yearning for the three Fates and the magical gifts they bestow, the lords of Andalay will go to any length to keep their power—including murder.

Brought together by destiny, and fighting a temptation that neither understand, Wren and Damien navigate a seedy world where the truth can destroy not only their lives, but the city itself.

Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

I WANT BOOK TWO.

I was kind of up and down with how this book went. The world building was a bit confusing and I’m still not sure how the gods vs. the setting vs. the gifts vs. everything else truly work. The romantic connection between Damien and Wren grew on me. I liked seeing them come from different sides of the track and start to work together to unravel the mysteries before them. The regency vibes were really good too though.

It lost me for a bit in the middle. Things kind of dragged out and I was losing steam. That last quarter though was really good. And on top of that cliffhanger ending I decided I have to pick up book two to see where it goes next. This was my first book by Katherine Quinn and I had an enjoyable time.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: one fade to black
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: kidnapping, loss of life

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ARC Book Review: Silver & Blood (Silver & Blood #1) by Jessie Mihalik

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Jessie Mihalik
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: January 27th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

On a deadly mission to kill the mythical beast that has been haunting her woods, a desperate mage finds her fate intertwined with the handsome, powerful man who saves her in this dark and sexy romantasy—perfect for readers of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Callie Hart, and Holly Black.

There’s something in the woods…

When a vicious beast begins attacking her fellow villagers, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forbidden forest and kill the monster as she’s the only mage available—or so she thought.

Untrained and barely armed, Riela is quickly overwhelmed when one beast turns into two. She fears her death is at hand until the unexpected arrival of a scarred, strikingly handsome man with gleaming moonlit magic changes her fate—and provides a rare opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

After being rescued and healed from the beast’s poison, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. She soon learns Garrick is both more powerful and far deadlier than a mere mortal mage—but thanks to a century-long curse, his powers are weakening.

Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela’s magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets and lies connecting Riela’s past to Garrick’s, the tenuous threads of trust between them start to fray.

Because Riela’s life—or her death—might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost.

Thank you Avon Books for the gifted ARC.

FIRST HALF NONSENSE.

This was one of those books where I thought I quite possibly was going to DNF but it’s an ARC and persevere I must (I know you don’t have to but I’ve accepted this quality about myself).

ANYWAYS. Why the HECK are are we kissing at 15% and having two open door scenes before the halfway mark? Why was it literally only them and no other characters for 55% of the book? Both of these things bugged me 10x over. The addition of spice in the beginning just to call this book “spicy” was not it. And then there was nothing again until 85ish%? The big theme of my issues surround the plot organization.

The second half did get better. I liked finally seeing more of the world and the characters involved. It follows pretty typical fantasy romance lines but that’s not generally bothersome for me. There seemed to be some good bones in their that might help the second book succeed more.

I just don’t know how I feel about Silver & Blood. I went in with genuine excitement and I’m hesitant to pick up book two. I’m also now remembering that I like a different potential love interest more??? Is this a switch romance??? Honestly that actually might convince me more than anything else to pick up book two. WE SHALL SEE.

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantasy
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3-4ish open door
  • Violence: moderate+

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Book Review: The Last Wish of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats #2) by Mary E. Pearson

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 487 pages
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Flatiron
Release Date: November 13th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Everyone needs something to hold onto, even if it’s a lie.

After Bristol nearly loses Tyghan to the monsters her mother unleashed, their love deepens to a whole new level. Together, Bristol and Tyghan work to understand and reconcile their differences, moving forward with their common goal of saving Elphame. But, when a daring rescue attempt turns disastrous and a beloved knight dies, Bristol is forced to confront the fact that her mother is more powerful than she could ever have imagined – and more dangerous, too.

Meanwhile, Tyghan’s heart is laid bare when he re-encounters his betrayer, Kierus, and must wrestle with a new secret that throws everything he thought he knew about his past into question. Bristol is Elphame’s last chance for survival, but where do her loyalties truly lie? If she embraces the magic that has always been her birthright, she could become a monster just like her mother. Is she willing to risk losing the people she loves most if it means keeping them safe?

Discover the stunning second book in the Bristol Keats fantasy duology, from New York Times bestselling author Mary E. Pearson.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

WELLLLLLL.

I genuinely wanted to love this. Even more so because I did actually like book one!! But this book lost me in a few different ways and I think a portion of the ending scenes will be polarizing for readers. I unfortunately fell on the meh side of it and didn’t like how it all went down. Did it have a HEA? Sure, yes, it did. The execution of how we got there though bugged me.

While the sound of this narrator was great I wish this had multiple narrators or at least one more. The changing of POV’s in a book like this can be great but a solo narrator left me befuddled because I had the hardest time figuring out who’s POV I was in, constantly.

I never got MAD about reading this (which is why it was a three star), it just left me wanting more from multiple plot lines.

I’ll still read Pearson’s next book but I’m hoping it’s YA.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2-3ish open door
  • Violence: high

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