Category: Fantasy

Review: Contested Crown (The Empty Throne Trilogy #2) by Kai Butler

Rating: 4.75🌈

Contested Crown, the second novel in The Empty Throne Trilogy, hits so many high marks. It easily overcomes the usual second book syndrome in a series, by ramping up the multiple storylines Butler has already established in the first book. The author does a great job introducing new characters whose meaning and connections to the men on the run are clouded by the new dark mysteries forming. Some of these new storylines include elements that are of a wildly magical nature while others are deeply rooted within the supernatural drug-related crime world.

It picks up right after the shocking events of Exiled Heir, with mage Cade and werewolf Miles on the run after Cade , Prince of House Bartlett, was betrayed by those closest to him m, stealing his throne and his heritage. But Miles, whose real name is Miles Castillo, is also a dethroned Prince in hiding from the very man he’s on the run with.

Butler’s narrative explores this tangled relationship that’s full of potential conflict between two cruelly connected pasts , pasts with dangerous secrets . The author’s dramatic choice to make the suspenseful , angst filled , hunted run the driving force behind the story is a fantastic narrative springboard.

Emotionally, the forced intimacy, their continued dependency under these circumstances, the constant peril, and the growing affection/attachment towards each other that this trip is allowing them to feel, it’s everything the reader wants and the author’s storytelling is beautifully achieving. It packs a darkly magical, sexual punch.

Butler’s writing simultaneously moves into new areas here with Cade and Miles, especially with regard to their magic, the use of tattoos, and the return of a old friend. The new creativity here giving their world more depth and diversity in its magical history as well as using it in the current criminal scene.

There’s so many great twists and shocks here, ones to delight and horrify. This is a book once you get started it’s impossible to put down.

That ending especially is a killer.

Now everything is in place for the dramatic events and tumultuous times to come in Ascendant King. That can’t be here quickly enough.

One last note, Contested Crown, as magnificent as it is, is definitely a bridge novel. It doesn’t exist without the first book . Nor the one to come. As a reader you must have read that first book, and have the knowledge to go along with it to understand and appreciate the events and stories that happen here.

I’m highly recommending you read both because both are outstanding.

The Empty Throne Trilogy:

✓ Exiled Heir #1

✓ Contested Crown #2

◦ Ascendant King #3 – June 17,2024

Buy Link:

Contested Crown (The Empty Throne Trilogy)

Blurb:

I can’t give him up, even if it costs me my life…

Miles and Cade are on the run. Without money, protection, or allies they have only each other to rely on as they flee the most powerful mage house in the country. Unfortunately, the outside world is even more dangerous than the lion’s den they just escaped from.

No matter how right it feels to have the mage prince relying on him, Miles knows the closer they get to each other the more dangerous it is for both of them.

A new mage house is Cade’s only chance to survive the magical war he started. With House Morrison exclusively interested in Cade, Miles will be left out in the cold. And can he stay with Cade when every moment together risks revealing Miles’s deepest secret?

• Publisher: (February 26, 2024)

• Publication date: February 26, 2024

• Print length: 468 pages

Review: How I Took the King on a Bone-a-Fide Quest of Piracy, Piemu, and Profit: Bone 1 (How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy Book 7) by A.J. Sherwood

Rating: 5🌈

In 52 pages, Sherwood fantastically opens up an entire new world of magical creatures, humorously giving us a newly enlarged found family of sorcerers, a talking dragon skull who has a name that has me giggling, and begins a mysterious adventure that will take 7 chapters to complete.

To my delight, there’s two very young apprentices that have been added to Tan and Devan’s odd little family. Zi Rui, who got his own story, and the very sassy little girl who matches her own way into the mix and our hearts, Lesia.

The dynamics and dialogue is funny, heartwarming no matter how alarming Tan might find that, and makes this story fly by all too quickly.

Especially since Sherwood delivers a sentient dragon skull and a gleeful Niran who ,along with his skelebabies , is willingly heading with them into the northern lands for magical adventures!

I can’t wait for the next episode to come out!

It’s highly anticipated and another great recommendation!

Love these covers.

💥How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy-6 books

💥How Tan Acquired an Apprentice

💥How I Took the King on a Bone-a-Fide Quest of Piracy, Piemu, and Profit

Bone #1

Buy Link:

Blurb:

Sentient dragon skull acquired! Do you wish to find rest of body? (yes) (no)

Tan: Yes!

Devan: No, but why?

Tan: We get half of his hoard~

Devan: We leave tomorrow.

Tags:

Tan’s field trips go awry, no one is surprised, only he can find a sentient dragon skull in a church’s basement, Quest time!, Wells gets stuck babysitting, again, Niran’s more excited than anyone else, except maybe the apprentices, gold is a great motivator, all the bone puns.

• Publisher: (February 16, 2024)

• Publication date: February 16, 2024

• Print length: 52 pages

Review: Justice (Damned Connections Book 2) by Lark Taylor

Rating: 4.5🌈

Justice is the second in Taylor’s Damned Connections paranormal romance series, a sequel to the original Reckless Damned that featured the sons of Lucifer and their mates. This one focuses on the outlier characters from that series and their own journey to find their mates.

Vampire assassin Sebastian has lurked about the edges of many a story, snarling and sneering, while providing evidence for his deadly powers with his legendary blade Bessy. Now we get his romance as his tragic history.

Taylor has paired him , that most “monstrous of men” , up with with a man most would consider a true innocent. That’s Matty, who’s brother and mate got their story in the first book, Patience. Matty is that sunny, effervescent personality, a knitting sunny bundle of emotions that’s recently undergone a severely traumatic experience. One that he still has nightmares about.

Please read the trigger warnings for this story. They happened in a prior story and anything here is off page details but those sensitive to this subject matter should be aware.

Taylor’s story gives us two men working through the darkness and damage that life’s worst has dealt them. Each character has let the traumatic violence , emotional damage and the deep fear of loss/death they’ve experienced impact their lives, but in different ways.

Sebastian has cut himself off from all relationships, removing himself ,and potentially anyone he might come to care for, from repeat of the history that continues to haunt him. Matty’s life has become more circumspect, he’s got protection 24/7 whether he wants it or not. Plus he’s unaware of the paranormal world and beings that exist in and around him. They’ve all kept him ignorant for his safety.

In Justice’s fast paced storyline, Clark brings everything together on a collision course. The previous plots from the Damned Connection series weaves together with the story here to bring Sebastian and Matty together.

It’s heartbreaking, tortuous, a definite hurt/comfort, but so satisfying when it all finally comes back together as the characters work through their own struggles and emotional damage to a realistic mating the reader feels fit them both as it should.

Sebastian was never going to be an easy fix but I didn’t realize how hard Clark was going to make the journey for Matty too. That balance was needed for this to be true for them both.

Now for the next novel, Temperance. I can’t wait.

This book and series is a must read.

Reckless Damned Series

✓ Devil’s Mark

✓ Devil May Care

✓ Deal With the Devil

✓ Luck of the Devil

Damned Connections Series

✓ Patience #1

✓ Justice #2

◦ Temperance #3

Buy Link:

Justice (Damned Connections Book 2)

Blurb:

Sebastian

Blood. Torture. Murder. They’ve been my only companions for centuries. I haven’t needed or wanted anything else.

Until I see Matty smile. Then something in me, something that’s been dormant for centuries, begins to reawaken.

Matty doesn’t belong in my world. He’s loving, innocent, and full of joy. The darkness of my life would corrupt him in a heartbeat, but when he’s dragged into it against his will, nothing can stop me delivering my personal brand of justice.

Matty keeps fighting for things I can’t give him, for things I’m no longer capable of. I can’t come between him and his family. I can’t give him what he needs.

But I also can’t stay away from him.

Matty

I’m surrounded by couples in love.

Once, I thought that’d be me. That I’d be swept off my feet and experience the kind of epic love you only see in movies.

Now, I know better.

A horrific night taught me to look for other things in a partner. Someone who’s predictable. Safe. Stable.

Sebastian is anything but.

Everyone tells me to stay away from him, but I don’t understand their concerns. How can he be a villain when all he’s shown me is kindness?

He makes me want things I thought I’d given up on. Things I’m too scared to admit I still want.

The trouble is, I can’t figure out what Sebastian wants. He tells me he can’t say no to me, but he won’t open up. He says to stay away from him, but he keeps coming around.

One thing is for sure, Sebastian is who I want in my future.

But how can I keep fighting for us if I’m the only one doing it?

Justice is a MM PNR romance about a grumpy vampire assassin and the sunshine human he can’t stay away from. The second in the Damned Connections series, each book will follow a different couple as they find their HEA. Although better read in order, these books can stand alone.

• Publisher: Lark Taylor (February 1, 2024)

• Publication date: February 1, 2024

• Print length: 476 pages

Review: How Tan Acquired an Apprentice (How I Stole the Princess’s White Knight and Turned him to Villainy) by AJ Sherwood

Rating: 5🌈

“The emergency contact mirror on his desk buzzed with an incoming call, jittering on the wood as if conveying the caller’s agitation.

Tan snatched it up promptly, still looking around suspiciously.

“Hi, I’m Tan. I own the place, and I’m going to go cry.”

Tan, that magnificent Black Sorcerer of Grimslock, is back in a short magical tale of acquisition and revenge. Mostly acquisition.

Here is how Tan and his husband, Devan, his Knight and now King of Goodwine, find/acquire a young “sorely in need of saving” apprentice, no really he’s family. And add another cat to their ever growing collection.

It’s got pathos, an enraged Tan, a fireball or two, an orphan, Knight Wells in a short appearance, and a highly satisfying, quietly loving ending.

Sigh.

Yes, I loved it.

The boy is Zi Rui. Be prepared to fall in love.

Buy Link:

Blurb:

Did Tan go looking for an apprentice? No.

Is Tan going to keep Zi Rui? Yes.

Did Devan agree to this decision? Debatable.

Tags:

Devan has CONCERNS, so does Wells, Tan thinks having a minion er apprentice is a wonderful idea, crackity crack, it’s a good thing Tan is cute, Villainy short story

• Publisher: (February 8, 2024)

• Publication date: February 8, 2024

• Print length: 27 pages

Review: A Thousand Second Chances (A Dash of Modern Magic Book 1) by Elric Shaw

Rating: 3.5🌈

I found it hard to rate A Thousand Second Chances (A Dash of Modern Magic Book 1) by Elric Shaw because, while it’s got so much to offer in terms of some of the characters and storylines, it’s also got a main character that presents a challenge to the reader in terms of how much we can expect to like or connect with him.

I don’t think Shaw sees this character in the way he comes across, at least not in the manner he does to this reader.

The story is a LGBTQIA contemporary Ground Hog day tale, one situated in an historic location that’s been the subject of many popular stories, lending itself to a magical atmosphere just by its very tone and history. That’s the famous Mackinac Island on Lake Huron in Michigan. No cars, bikes and carriages pulled by horses only, and the gorgeous Grand Hotel, along with all the many other shops and attractions, this is the perfect place to set a story that needs a magical twist to it.

It starts with a college trip, funded by the parent of one of the students, for a small group to go sightseeing, with an historic view, for the weekend, Professor in charge.

Chris, and his best friend, Quinn, are part of the group. Quinn has been the one who has been the instigator in getting Chris to come along. Chris has issues. He has a mother with boundaries problems, it’s her way or no way. Chris came out to family, friends and teammates at college and it didn’t go well. It’s turned him into a loner with self esteem issues. A former runner without a team. His past is also a part of his current issues, and it’s followed him on this journey.

Also on the trip, Percy, whose father set up the trip as a way for Percy to mourn the loss of his mother for both of them. Percy’s character is intertwined with that of Chris’, they have a long history, first as best friends, then as estranged secret lovers. It’s this last part that’s the main storyline of the book and most of the dramatic moments of the narrative.

Shaw’s two person POV gives the reader each character’s side of their journey to this point in their lives. Chris, who is bitter, out as gay, and fighting with his school, classmates (except for Quinn), with his parents, to be a writer. And the one person who he feels betrayed him is there on the trip, Percy.

Percy, whose story is complicated by the fact that he lost his mother to cancer, is a character I was frustrated by and unable to connect to. Yes, it was sad/heartbreaking his mother had died. That journey to a place where they had been happy as a family was a lovely touch but it was marred by a father, who much like his son, was unable to face his loss, so he pushed his “agenda of mourning “ onto his son. A legacy of cowardice that becomes a theme that the author never really thoroughly explores.

For 98 percent of this book, Perce is unable to deal with his own life fears/others expectations/inner voices, and truly face the devastating effect his actions have had on others. I’m not sure if the author is cognizant that they have written a character and a storyline that is so underwhelming weak in this way.

Perce is so unbelievably reliant upon other people’s perception of him that he has taken his own wants and even promises and dreams and tosses them away. Even if those included people who were counting on him. He did it without communication, without thoughtful process, even afterwards when he knew he must have inflicted great harm. It’s a role he set for himself and a path he continues on for almost the entirety of the book.

He says he knows he’s a coward. Chris waits for some word or actions to show that any of the multiple times or moments have changed the way things are. But while Chris is changing, there nothing but stasis for Perce.

And that’s almost certainly a killer when it comes to caring about a character going forward.

They repeat a day over and over, trying to figure out what they need to do to break the cycle. When the “aha” moment comes, it will surprise no one who the character is who makes the connection and saves the day.

Even at the end, Perce has made no concerted effort to talk in detail to anyone who he’s hurt about the choices or lack thereof that’s he’s made. Or really apologized to those people that he’s damaged. It’s left dangling.

So when it came back to the rating, it based solely on the character of Chris, the growth he underwent, the magic of Mackinac Island, and how well Shaw utilized the Ground Hog day format here that gave it that rating. Read it if you’re a fan of the author , the trope, and the storytelling elements above.

Dash of Modern Magic:

A Thousand Second Chances #1

See You In My Dreams #2

Buy Link:

A Thousand Second Chances (A Dash of Modern Magic Book 1)

Blurb:

The only thing worse than waking up stuck in a time loop is realizing your ex is trapped there with you.

When Chris begrudgingly agrees to accompany his best friend Quinn on a university trip to Michigan’s picturesque Mackinac Island, he expects to suffer through a weekend of sightseeing, school-mandated activities, and entirely too much souvenir shopping. What he doesn’t anticipate is also having to avoid the boy who broke his heart.

Percy used to love his family’s annual excursions to Mackinac Island, but that all changed with the loss of his mother. This school trip is his chance to revisit some of their favorite haunts and honor her memory. However, what’s already guaranteed to be an emotionally charged weekend grows even more fraught when he discovers that he’s not only caught in a time loop, but that the boy he’d walked away from two years ago is his sole companion.

Forced together by the fickle whims of the universe, Chris and Percy must reopen old wounds and confront their painful pasts if they ever hope to escape their infinite Saturday. But even as they grow closer across myriad iterations of the same unending day, they grapple with one terrifying question.

Can the fragile connection they’re rebuilding survive their inevitable return to the real world?

A slow burn, fade-to-black M/M contemporary romance featuring second chance, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and a hard-won HEA. Every book in the A Dash of Modern Magic series is standalone and can be read in any order. Perfect for fans of Roan Parrish, Eli Easton, and Emma Scott.

A Thousand Second Chances (A Dash of Modern Magic Book 1)

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/mackinac-island-places-to-stay-off-the-beaten-path/&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwi6pcbP06GEAxVnEVkFHfxQDQgQFnoECCwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2l0gIq-xPH3AOKfZ3L_Ndq

Review: The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires (Spellbound #1) by A.J. Sherwood / Devon Vesper

Rating: 4.5🌈

The first in a new fantasy series, The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires is a highly entertaining and fast paced fantasy adventure. It’s got reincarnated lovers, a sentient library, a found family of vampire warriors, and so much more.

All in all, a world of fun and magical action adventure, interwoven with love remembered and born again.

Sherwood’s characters are engaging, easily crossing time periods and a magical landscape to emerge in the modern world, embracing the cultural and technological aspects of the era, including even manga comics.

One of my favorite elements is the sentient library herself, Kassandra. A vibrant personality and key figure, even without a voice, I adored her. Master Declan, Ivy and the rest of the found family that defends and inhabits the library are amazing. Then there’s Kit, the one who was left behind, and Gun, the one who died and was reincarnated.

What a story and couple.

I was snared by the tragedy, pulled into the world by the adventures and hope of the future for the couple, and then just had a fabulous time with them along the way with the battles, the magic, and the ever enlarging foundation.

I can’t wait for the next in the series to come.

I’m highly recommending this to fans of this trope and author!

Buy Link

The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires (Spellbound Book 1)

The Insanity of Reincarnated Mages and Amorous Vampires (Spellbound Book 1)by AJ SherwoodBook 1 of 1: Spellbound

Blurb:

Reborn love. Unleashed magic. We won’t fail twice.

Hi, I’m Kit. Immortal vampire and technomage extraordinaire. You know how it goes.

For the record, I am absolutely not stalking my reincarnated husband.

Okay, I am, but it’s for his own good. And mine. Er, assuming I can somehow figure out how to tell him he’s reincarnated and a mage, and we all live in a sentient library.

Any thoughts on that? I’m currently taking suggestions.

One thing’s for sure. He’s not dying on me again. Never again.

Tags:

The fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, that y’know includes violence, magic, reincarnated lovers, vampires, sassy library, Kassandra the library has OPINIONS, found family, all the magical shenanigans, Kit and Gun are part time soulmates full time problem, authors have lost all discretion in this, Kit is a walking green flag, the crack ship armada is sailing at full speed here, master should never have access to a credit card, or a bookstore, no book is off-limits with that man, triggers involve too much sap and cuteness, occasionally blowing shit up, violence is not the question but it is the answer, Sentient Library Tells All, I’m absolutely a library book check me out.

• Publisher: (February 2, 2024)

• Publication date: February 2, 2024

• Print length: 312 pages

Review: Zachary (Demons-In-Law #3) by Louisa Masters

Rating: 4.75🌈

With Zachary, the wonderful Demons-In-Law trilogy comes to a heartwarming conclusion and for me, it’s way too early for this series to end.

I feel like we are just getting to know the extraordinary mountain enclosed village of Hortplatz, the most demon inhabitants, and run by an imperious demon grandmother who’s a remarkable figure. Plus we barely explored the mysterious dragon hoard , hidden behind a 12,000 ish year old puzzle door, that had been built into the mountain above the village by a long ago dragon, and it now the scientific find of the world. Oh, Hortplatz, we hardly knew you!

Masters finishes with the heartbreak couple. Ronan Draco, Steffen’s twin brother, who is burdened by their horrific past, and his self inflicted “prison” of guilt, doubts, and inability to connect with others. Ronan is selected by Brandt to catalog the items and help identify them as them come out of the vault. It’s terrifying to him.

On the other side, there’s Zachary, grandson to the formidable grandmother ,Damaris Bailey , who rules the family, town Council and everyone else with a steely voice and gaze to match. Zachary is the town’s forester, well, go to demon, depending on the job, despite having his own hopes and dreams. He’s continually sacrificed for the sake of the family and the community, letting family obligations and responsibilities become an invisible prison for himself. Until the bitterness is threatening to swallow him.

This is the setup that Masters introduces the reader to the situation and these haunted beings to each other. It is not a meet cute.

But the journey to redemption and love for both is a fabulous and heartwarming story to read. Ronan’s as he realizes his need to connect with the Hortplatz community and learn how to make friends. That’s a truly remarkable, funny, and joyful stumbling path he had to take, one that included pastries, group text sessions, and a box from the World of Wangs makes an important appearance. Ronan finds he can become part of a community, have a home, with a loving partner, leaving the past behind.

And Zachary? In Ronan, he finds someone to stand with him, support his passions, explore new experiences, even if it means staying in Hortplatz. For now.

Masters doesn’t forget Damaris, the stern, unyielding grandmother, whose actions and character become fully revealed in a wonderful, memorable scene.

So many great characters are brought in to help Ronan and Zachary achieve their dreams and HEA, from Steffen to all the many demon cousins and their families.

As I said, three books is barely breaking the surface of this village’s stories and what the future now holds for them.

It’s my wish that Masters might come up with another series that will find its way back into this world and town , so we can get an update on everyone there and the new couples to arrive.

In the meantime, I’m highly recommending this series and book. It’s fantastic and a grand bit of fantasy!

Demons-In-Law:

✓ Asher #1

✓ Micah #2

✓ Zachary #3

Buy Link:

Zachary (Demons-In-Law Book 3)

Blurb:

A dragon with endless secrets meets a demon with nothing to hide…

I’m the easygoing one. The fun one. The rare member of my family who gets along with anyone. Except there’s a chance I may have got off on the wrong foot with our new dragon liaison, Ronan. In my defense, he rubs everyone the wrong way. The only thing he’s got going for him is his looks… if the miserable frown weren’t there to mar them. But he seems to be trying harder to connect, and I guess I should do the same. Even if his arrival here was the beginning of all my problems.

When I cross the line and guilt compels me to apologize, I get my first glimpse of a different Ronan. Someone who enjoys baking, thinks glitter is amazing, and wants people to like him. Someone I could be friends with. And when that frown disappears? I want more than just friendship.

But there’s something going on with him, something he’s been carrying for a long time. He’s been hurt before, and the secrets he’s keeping are the kind that eat you inside. How can we take things to the next step if he can’t be open with me?

It’s only when he steps up to make all my dreams come true that I realize some secrets need to stay that way… and that loving Ronan means accepting him for who he really is.

• Publisher: (January 31, 2024)

• Publication date: January 31, 2024

• Print length: 251 pages

Review: I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc: Crack Fantasy Adventure Chapter Five by Jennifer Cody

Rating: 5🌈

The time has come, the wizard says, for all great adventures to come to an end and all the fabulous adventurers to tend to their wounds, gather their treasures, and head back home.

Necromancer Lawton, Half Orc Berklak, and the rest of the Beefcake Brigade are still on their quest to find the reason for the dreaded miasma that’s spreading over the lands, causing the females of various species to turn on the males in a murderous frenzy.

Now they are headed into the frozen southern landscape of Gwafellaw. There awaits such wondrous things as dragons, a crazy wood elf, and the solution to the murderous rage that’s seeping over the continent.

Cody’s final chapter in this fabulous adventure is a doozy. She gives us a bit of fatherly acceptance for Lawton, forest love for Berklak and new magical powers, some wildly inspired battles, and an ancient, devastating origin tale that is the beginnings of all the woe here.

Yes, that does contain mention in an ancient poem of multiple SA to a woman long dead. Be warned.

Cody pulls together all the pieces of the journey, the events of carnage, and magical scenarios to create one monumental experience as a cap to the adventure and a final chapter in this epic tale. Loved it.

What a strange and glorious romp this has been! I shall miss this motley, powerful, magical crew. And hopefully, one day, Cody will decide to send them forth to adventure once more.

Until then, I’m highly recommending all five chapters of this excellent adventure. Make sure to read them in order.

Love the covers too.

Buy Link:

I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc: Crack Fantasy Adventure Chapter 5

Blurb:

Lawton:

I honestly thought passing through the ward to the freezing land of Gwafellaw would be more miserable than it turns out to be. Who has time to be miserable when everything in the land wants to kill you? No one, that’s who.

Between fighting dragons, finding a new species, and saving a crazy druid, Berklak and I are learning exactly what it means to be anchored, tied together, bonded, and in love. We’re going to defeat the aelysou hurting Fasgard no matter what it takes, because I’m the high sorcerer of Fasgard and the most powerful necromancer alive. I won’t let anything separate me from the love of my life—not my father, not a goddess, not even death.

Berklak:

I’ve been adventuring for over fifty years, and I’ve adventured in Gwafellaw before, but I’ve never seen so much hostility. The only good thing walking this land is Lawton, and I’d follow him to the portals of death herself if that’s where he wanted to go.

I might not be sure exactly what we’re going to find in this frozen wasteland, but if it’s not my happily ever after, I won’t have done my job right. I’m proficient in weapons, and I’m confident we’ll prevail, but it’s a good thing we have Lawton to keep us from permanently making the ultimate sacrifice. I’d hate for him to lose me before we even figure out where we’re going to live after this.

I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc is a five chapter serial fantasy adventure with a light-hearted, fun TTRPG vibe. Expect big magic, lots of cuddles, plenty of steam, and a team of characters that might not get a natural 20 on every roll, but they make up for it with creative solutions to both magical and mundane problems.

• Publisher: (January 31, 2024)

• Publication date: January 31, 2024

• Print length: 138 pages

Review: The Necromancer’s Prisoner (Hearts of Allaria Book 1) by Elric Shaw

Rating: 4🌈

Elric Shaw is a new author for me and I found Shaw’s new fantasy novel a wonderful story and enjoyable start to a new series.

Several elements drew me immediately to this story. A misunderstood necromancer, a Paladin with a mission, and a magical mystery. Yes, please.

It’s actually more complicated than that, the two men, Alistair, Knight of the Church, and Ignatius, necromancer, both has painful, emotionally traumatic wounds from their respective childhoods. Each tragic event that ended up causing the deaths of the other’s parents, while the men not being actually responsible, the Church and magic was.

Shaws made Alistair and Iggie so relatable with their own doubts about the lives they are living, building such depths into their characters. For Alistair, it’s living the life his father and the Church wanted for him without any real introspection. Until the mission, Iggie, and a snowstorm intervened.

The same for Necromancer Iggie, alone, almost starving in his temporary home with his animated skeletons as companions, hating the Church, its Knights for his tragic past and what they represent. Until Alistair charges into his life bringing light and a huge change.

There’s a mystery that needs investigating. A village known for its magical crystals at its heart and a relationship between two men that’s uncertain to resolve until the end.

Just a couple of elements I wish were fully explored. The magic itself here. I loved the crystal elements, and there’s one amazing scene where Iggie sings to a dull solitary crystal bringing it to unbelievable splendor. There was poignancy and wonder. Why? What happened? I wanted more of that.

Alistair was someone whose actions as an indoctrinated Knight of the Church made sense but also frustrating from a narrative standpoint. Poor Iggie.

Shaw just pulls it all together in a smashing (literally) battle and has a satisfying ending, with a touch of the sadness. As it should.

I’m looking forward to the next book and more from this author. It’s a definite recommendation.

Hearts of Allaria:

◦ The Immortal Covenant #0.5

✓ The Necromancer’s Prisoner #1

◦ The Prince’s Curse #2 – May 2024

Buy Link:

The Necromancer’s Prisoner (Hearts of Allaria Book 1)

Blurb:

Sometimes the real villain isn’t who it seems…

Alistair’s first solo mission as a paladin sounded simple enough: purge the undead terrorizing a remote mountain village and bring the wicked necromancer controlling them to justice. But when he’s captured, he begins to suspect that the village faces a far greater threat than a few skeletons…and that his strange captor might need protecting just as badly.

Paladins have hunted Ignatius his entire life. His crime—daring to be born with the wrong kind of magic. The mountains seemed like the perfect place to seek refuge for the winter…until an obnoxiously handsome paladin arrives on his doorstep. Ignatius expects to loathe Alistair like the rest of his arrogant kin; however, when a harsh winter storm forces them together, he finds himself opening up to the paladin in ways he’d never dreamed possible.

Alistair and Ignatius both have every reason not to trust the other. Yet, as mysterious magic threatens to eradicate the nearby village, they have little choice except to combine forces if they hope to survive.

Can a paladin and a necromancer set aside their differences for the greater good…or will the rift between them prove impossible to ever bridge?

A slow burn, fade-to-black M/M fantasy romance featuring forced proximity, hurt/comfort, enemies-to-lovers, and a hard-won HEA. Every book in Hearts of Allaria is standalone and can be read in any order. Perfect for fans of K. D. Edwards, Tavia Lark, and Ben Alderson.

• Publication date: November 27, 2023

• Print length: 309 pages

Review: The Red Dragon of Oxford (Wings over Albion, #1) by Joy Lynn Fielding

Rating: 4.5🌈

The first in Fielding’s new Wings over Albion series, The Red Dragon of Oxford is a great intro to this author while diving into a favorite trope and subject matter of mine. I’m talking dragons! And librarians. As well as romance and mystery.

I love the setting and the imaginary Mortimer College in Oxford where the events take place. Fielding builds on Oxford’s tradition and history when creating the riches of architecture and atmosphere that’s Mortimer College and its library. It’s alive, full of students in every emotional state, and two very special and impressive librarians, one of which is a dragon.

A dragon into whose life comes a doctorate student of immense determination and courage.

I love the way Fielding unfolds the tale of Mark Stevens, post doc German theology student who happens to see a red dragon in the early morning hours to his utter delight and disbelief . Mark’s life is one of constant doubt about himself and continuous study and stress to get through his first year. The author paints a realistic picture of a the struggles and stresses that are present under this situation. Mark is definitely relatable.

Rufus Mortimer, the Liberian who’s so much more than a librarian is also not the normal idea of a powerful, confident dragon. His is a complex, intelligent, and layered character with a background that has just enough foundation to give his issues believability but also left the series and family history room to enlarge for future books. Adore Rufus.

The plot includes multiple characters, storylines, and the potential for dragon history and mythology to explore as the series continues to develop.

Fielding starts with a dragon who is on the edge of his own family’s power and outside of the inner circle and knowledge. Rufus by his color is an outlier . That’s exciting, satisfying, and starting to change by the end.

This, so far, isn’t a soul mate romance. But the relationship between Mark and Rufus evolves slowly and is so lovely to read. It’s a HFN.

The next picks up with another dragon, Rufus’s big brother who we met in this book. I wish I had my hands on it now. Unfortunately, no information as of yet.

Until then, Im highly recommending The Red Dragon of Oxford (Wings over Albion, #1) by Joy Lynn Fielding for lovers of paranormal romance, dragons, mythical tales, and mystery.

I absolutely adore this.

Wings Over Albion:

✓ The Red Dragon of Oxford #1

Buy link:

The Red Dragon of Oxford: MM Paranormal romance (Wings over Albion, Book 1)

Blurb:

Dragons aren’t real. Or so I used to think.

Oxford isn’t exactly what I’d imagined. Sure, the colleges are romantic, and everyone is brilliant enough to trigger my impostor syndrome. I expected that.

The dragon, however, was a big surprise.

I saw him on my first day. The beautiful beast spoke to me, then disappeared. I’ve been looking for him ever since.

When I’m not on a wild dragon chase, I spend my time in the library. I’d like to think I’m only there to study, but who am I kidding?

I’m there for him.

Rufus Mortimer is the world’s hottest librarian. He’s strict, enigmatic, and sexy. He makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

But he has a secret. One that could destroy everything.

So now, all I have to do is find a dragon, earn my doctorate, and try to not to let my new romance burn my life to the ground. Easy, right?

I wish…

The Red Dragon of Oxford, book 1 in the Wings over Albion series, is a sweet and spicy paranormal m/m romance. Download today, and get ready to fall in love with Mark and Rufus.

• Publisher: (January 15, 2024)

• Publication date: January 15, 2024

• Print length: 250 pages

Book 2 is Nate’s story.