ARC Book Review: What Fury Brings by Tricia Levenseller

September 23, 2025September 1, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 357 pages
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Publisher: Feiwel
Release Date: September 23rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

#1 New York Times-bestselling author Tricia Levenseller makes her adult debut in What Fury Brings, a sexy, empowering romantasy featuring a warrior general who must kidnap and train a husband in order to take her rightful place as queen.

Let’s get something clear, Prince. I have claimed you. That means you belong to me now.

There’s a shortage of men in the kingdom of Amarra. After a failed rebellion against the matriarchy, most noblemen in the country are dead. Now the women of Amarra must obtain their husbands (should they want one) by kidnapping them from other kingdoms.

Olerra, a warrior princess vying for the throne, is determined to prove her worth by kidnapping a husband. And not just any husband. To outmaneuver her treacherous cousin, she needs the best. Fortunately, the second-born prince of their greatest enemy is widely known for both his looks and his sweet, docile temperament. He’s the perfect choice to secure her claim to the throne.

Sanos, heir to the Kingdom of Brutus, has nothing but contempt for the idea of a society run by women. Trained from birth to fight, lead, and follow in his father’s overbearing footsteps, his path has always been set. Until he takes his younger brother’s place in a drunken prank and finds himself kidnapped, carted off to the Amarran Palace, and informed that he is to become the husband of Queen Potential Olerra. Sanos needs to escape before anyone learns his real identity, but the more he gets to know his captor, the less sure he is of what he truly wants.

Thank you to Feiwel for the gifted ARC.

OH WHERE DO I BEGIN.

I am a HUGE fan of Tricia Levenseller’s young adult romance. They are all gems and I highly recommend going to go pick those up first.

But if YA isn’t you’re thing, here are some of my thoughts on why this book was a miss for me.

I understood where TL was trying to take this story and what the book was trying to do. It really alllllll boiled down to execution. What the Fury Brings is only 350 pages and that was not enough time to feel satisfied by the end.

I feel like both of these societies had too many unredeemable qualities. There were luckily a few good characters that felt differently which kept this from becoming a hate read (one of those being the FMC, Olerra).

The romance had a Stockholm syndrome vibe that might have worked better spread out over more books. It seemingly grew too fast and was headed by physicality rather than emotion. Don’t even get me started on the spice and innuendo, it was not for me on any level.

While there were some thought provoking moments and the ending brought together some idea of peace and resolution I wish this had more going for it.

I would be very curious to see another adult romance from TL before deciding if those just aren’t for me anymore.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 3+ open door; innuendo throughout
Violence: high
Content warnings: mentions of sexual assault, physical/emotional abuse, dubious consent, kidnapping & bondage, mentions of grooming, animal deaths, war themes

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

September 13, 2025August 15, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

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

September 11, 2025July 19, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

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

September 9, 2025July 29, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

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: