Tag: romantasy

Book Review: Ashwalker (The Emberfall Trilogy #1) by S.M. Gaither

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 578 pages
Author: S.M. Gaither
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: June 14th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Long ago, dragons were unleashed as weapons of mass destruction, igniting a war that shattered the Empire of Kaldra. Now, the survivors of that once-great realm cower behind fortified walls, while the beasts terrorize the wilds between the broken kingdoms.

Arowyn Vale survives as an ashwalker—one of the few reckless enough to brave the burned-out roads between the walled cities, smuggling everything from supplies to secrets. But when she reluctantly saves a dying dragon hatchling on a routine run, she draws the eye of the ruler of Mouren, a brutal realm directly in the heart of dragon territory.

Once upon a time, King Reave Callahan’s people wielded powerful magic, bonding with dragons in order to crush their enemies with wing and flame. But now, that magic is fading, and law decrees that anyone who manages to bond with a dragon must serve the Mouren crown—even a gutter-born, half-feral ashwalker from the slums of an enemy kingdom.

Dragged into Reave’s glittering but cutthroat court, Arowyn must navigate a treacherous new life built upon secrets, ancient magic, and shifting alliances. As her connection to the hatchling deepens—and with the Mouren king watching her with a gaze full of both danger and desire—she will have to make a

To become a weapon of the kingdom that broke her world…

Or to burn it all down from within.

MY NEW OBESSION.

It’s been a minute since I feel like I have LOVED a SM Gaither book. But that feeling is back and I must tell you to get on this book NOWWWWW.

I have been begging that romantasy universe to bring back the slow burn. And I was stunned in the best ways to find that this was a slow burn. I think it could have been dragged out even longer but I was just happy to get this much. There was immaculate banter and heat that built chapter over chapter. I loved that Raeve and Arowyn got to actually know each other and let down those walls and communicate. That man is down baaaad.

And I love Gaither’s fierce heroines. Arowyn is not different. That woman gets up again and again to stand stronger each time. I loved her relationship with her dragon. The female friendships are incredible too. I love the loyalty they offer each other. There were many notable side characters that I am 100% attached to now.

The pacing and action beats were just right. It took me a week to read this purely because I was savoring it. Every time I picked it up I was locked into every word. I loved the world building and the reveals caused me to have to know what happens next. I must have book two! I need answers!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: mass loss of life, weapons/physical violence, war themes

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: What Echoes in the Dark (What Blooms From Death #2) by S.M. Gaither

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 566 pages
Author: S.M. Gaither
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: January 27th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Months ago, Bellanova Halestorn brought her world back from the dead.

But life is a fragile thing.

The magic reviving the decayed realm of Noctaris is unstable. Unpredictable. Worse, the one who helped Nova begin to balance that realm—Aleksander—is gone, his body overtaken by the vengeful divine being known as Lorien Blackvale.

As the survivors of her ravaged world look to her for salvation, Lorien offers Nova a dangerous bargain: Undo the curse that ruined him centuries ago, restore the scattered pieces of his true self, and she can have Aleks back.

Desperate to save the man she loves, Nova agrees.

But every step she takes uncovers secrets far more dangerous than Lorien himself. Secrets about her past, about a fanatical order hellbent on controlling the Vaeloran cycle…and about Aleksander’s true nature.

Because his Light is changing.

Something darker is waking.

And saving her world from that darkness might mean losing him for good

BETTER THAN BOOK ONE.

I’ve been sitting on the fence about picking up book two but I’m glad I did! I think this one was better than the first. I like the drama and tension between Aleks and Nova. The push and pull with wild circumstances keep them circling around each other until things burst. A bit of the spice was out of pocket but I thought was preferable to the management of it in book one.

I also liked the background I got on the antagonist and how that affected the overall plot. More things started to click and that drove my engagement level. There’s a strong found family that I love seeing work together and fight for peace. Some of the other world building pieces were lost to me (more than likely because I read What Blooms From Death over a year ago).

This was definitely enough for me to pick up the conclusion and to continue reading Gaither’s books. Her Shadows & Crowns series still remains my overall favorite.

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantasy
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 6ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: loss of life, mentions of past child abuse

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk (Crowns of Nyaxia #4) by Carissa Broadbent

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Romantasy
Length: 557 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Bramble
Release Date: August 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loves – and plunged the world into an eternal night. Now, imprisoned by the gods and obsessed with revenge, Asar is desperate to find her again.

When a goddess offers them a final path to redemption – and back to each other – Asar and Mische embark on an extraordinary mission. Together, they must seize the power of the god of death so Asar may do the ascend to true divinity.

Their journey will take them through mortal and immortal realms, alongside both old friends and ruthless enemies. But as the underworld teeters on the brink of collapse and the gods prepare for a war, Asar and Mische must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for the power to defy death. In a game of vengeful gods and ancient betrayals, there are some debts that even love may not be able to repay.

AUDIOBOOK IS KEY.

I LOVE the first two books in this series, big fan, reread them, loved them. I struggled with book three and didn’t feel compelled to get to book four IMMEDIATELY.

And then I decided to go with the audiobook and let me tell y’all, that’s the way to go. The narrators executed that beautifully and I found it much easier to pick and listen to rather than trying to read my physical copy.

I ended up liking this journey a lot. I do think it gets a bit scattered and dragged out but overall, there’s many good things here. I love the dynamic between Asar and Mische. The brightest of sunshine vs. the grumpiest of grumps. Filled with banter and tension, and the foreboding sense of wondering who will make it out alive and if that HEA will ever come.

I am looking forward to the next duet though!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4ish open door
  • Violence: high

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy #1) by Julie Soto

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Julie Soto
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: July 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This beautiful DELUXE EDITION hardcover featuring gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled art is only available for a limited first print run and while supplies last. This is a stunning special edition you will want to add to your collection.

YOUR NEXT ROMANTASY OBSESSION!

The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead.

Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, Briony Rosewood knows that the world as she knows it is changed forever. The dark forces of Bomard have won and her people, the Eversuns, face imminent servitude, imprisonment or death. Her brother, fated to be heir twice over and unite the warring kingdoms, is dead.

Stripped of her Mind Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly auctioned off to the highest bidders in an auction – and as the heir-apparent’s sister, she fetches the highest price.

After a fierce bidding war, she’s sold to none other than Toven a high ranking Bomardsun – and her long-time and ill-fated infatuation. Scion of a family known for their cruel control of Heart Magic, the Hearsts are ruthlessly ambitious, and Briony knows they will use her however they can to further their own interests.

Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost. Help – and hope – may yet arise in the most unlikely of places…

CURIOUS ENOUGH TO CONTINUE.

This wasn’t originally on my radar until a friend recommended I give it a go, and you know what? I liked it! It’s definitely a dark atmosphere but those little touches of hope woven in make me curious to see the overall plot arc over the course of the series.

And I appreciated the slow burn between Briony and Toven. It was an ACTUAL slow burn with this increasing tension that was only catered to by the flashback moments. As someone who doesn’t like flashback chapters I can say that these seemed to continually add to the plot and backstory and made for even better world building.

I think there’s a lot of depth to these characters and even though the plot was repetitive in the middle I had an easy time wanting to pick this back up.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 1ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: mentions of non-consensual sex, sexual assault, selling humans, forced sterilization, on page deaths

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph