Tag: Romance

Serena’s Review: “The Enchanted Greenhouse”

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Book: “The Enchanted Greenhouse” by Sarah Beth Durst

Publishing Info: Bramble, July 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Previously Reviewed: “The Spellshop”

Review: While I didn’t love “The Spellshop” as much as other readers did, I definitely still wanted to give this sequel a chance. As many of my struggles with the first book came down to my dislike of the main character, I had a lot of hope for this one as it is following a new character; I mean, she’s a librarian, so….. And, as predicted, I did enjoy this book more for this very reason!

Overall, I thought Terlu was a much more interesting and sympathetic character to follow. I enjoyed the set-up, with her having spent the last six years frozen as a statue as punishment for creating a sentient plant. Thus, when she wakes up, she, like the reader, is seeing her world through fresh eyes. Yes, there were times where her internal monologues and reflections became a bit repetitive, and I think the book could have benefitted from some editing down. But, overall, her story was exactly the sort of low stakes cozy experience that readers of this genre are looking for.

I also think that the love story worked better here. Again, I did have a few quibbles with it (it was a bit too fast burn for my personal taste), but the grumpy/sunshine nature of their relationship worked much better here than it did in the first book (if indeed that was even trying to be a grumpy/sunshine relationship; I’m still not convinced the heroine wasn’t meant to be a better character than how she came across).

I also enjoyed the quirky cast of characters found in the greenhouses. As I was returning to this world, I was better able to turn my brain off a bit as far as the world-building goes, but the entire set up of the new location we explore in this one helped with many of my qualms from the first. Here, I think the whimsical nature of the greenhouses worked in natural-feeling manner and left me with few questions about how this all worked.

I have to say that I struggled with some of the inner narrative word choices at times. I just don’t like modern lingo in books like this, and there were too many instances of a casual “yay!” and such for me to fully settle in to the story. But, again, this is highly subjective, and there were many other parts of the writing that I enjoyed more, particularly some of the descriptions of the world and its magical creatures.

However, in many ways, this book was very familiar. This can be seen as a good or bad thing, depending on how you feel about that first entry. I think there were definite improvements with the main character and with the love story. But many of the beats of the plot felt very familiar, as well as the cozy elements. They were cute and quirky, but just a bit too shallow for me to fully enjoy any of them. That said, I’m not a huge cozy fantasy reader, and given the popularity of the first book, some of my negatives here will be definite positives for others! So, for readers looking for more of the same, this will likely be a hit! And even for those who were a bit on the fence with the first book, this may be worth a read!

Rating 8: Perhaps aggressively cozy at times, but I still enjoyed the love story overall!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Enchanted Greenhouse” is on these Goodreads lists: CozySFF and Heartwarming Books of 2025.

Serena’s Review: “Never the Roses”

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Book: “Never the Roses” by Jennifer K. Lambert

Publishing Info: Bramble, July 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: The Dread Sorceress Oneira has retired. She’s exhausted from fighting the endless wars of kings and queens, and has long accepted that her death is near. Alone at last but for a few uninvited companions―a near-mythical wolf, a goddess’s avatar, and a feline that embodies magic itself―Oneira realizes that she’s bored. On a whim, or perhaps at the behest of fate, she makes an unlikely trip to the most extensive library in existence: the home of her most powerful rival, the sorcerer Stearanos.

By recklessly stealing a book from him, Oneira inadvertently initiates a forbidden correspondence. Taunting notes and clever retorts reveal a connection neither has found―nor could ever find―in any other.

But Oneira soon learns that Stearanos, bound to a vile king, is tasked with waging war on the queen she once served. A relationship with him is far too dangerous to pursue despite their mutual desire―and yet, Oneira can’t seem to stay away.

A bond with Stearanos could alight the long-extinct flame of life within her… or it could destroy her entirely.

Review: This was such a fun read! From the mature main characters, to the slow (ish) burn of the romance, to the stand-alone (with an open ended conclusion) nature of the story, this is the kind of romantasy novel that is few and far between in a crowded but often too similar-feeling genre.

One of the first things that stood out was how committed the author was to establishing not only this world, but our main characters, disconnected from one another. So often, it feels like romantasy falls into the trap where the entirety of what makes up the characters is tied up in their dynamics together. Here, the book is largely focused on Oneira’s personal arc, one where she explores themes regarding regret, responsibility, and repentance. Through this journey, she almost backs her way into the relationship with Stearnos. And even there, through their love story, both she and Stearnos further these greater themes, even as they fall in love.

I also really enjoyed the slow-burn nature of the romance. The book gets through a solid quarter of the page count before there’s any interaction between the characters at all, and it’s not until closer to the halfway mark where they even really meet in person. That said, between the shifting perspectives and the interesting magical elements that make up this world, there was more than enough plot to go around. However, the story is definitely on the slower side, overall. I, personally, really enjoyed the more reserved approach to storytelling that was used here, as I think it matches well with some of the heavier themes explored throughout. But readers looking for more action may not connect as well. And, as much as I enjoyed the slow nature of the love story, the true highs of the story were found when we did finally get to see these two together. The banter was everything, and the author did a fantastic job with showing this relationship progress in a truly lovely way.

With this strong focus on the love story and the characters’ personal journeys, the greater plot conflict did fall a bit to the side and was wrapped up fairly succinctly towards the end. However, it never felt like any of these greater plot points were the true focus to begin with, so I felt satisfied with the way they were handled. There were moments where I perhaps would have liked to see a bit more fleshing out of the political systems at play and ways in which magic was used and monitored, but I was still happy enough with what we received.

The ending definitely fell on the bittersweet side of things. Though, again, I think the nature of this conclusion fit perfectly alongside the themes that were so strongly centered in the story. As of now, I don’t see anything indicating that this is the beginning of a duology or series, but the door is definitely left open for a return to this world. Readers looking for a beautiful stand-lone love story with a focus on mature main characters should definitely check this one out!

Rating 8: Luscious and deeply romantic, this book is a beautiful portrayal of forgiveness and redemption.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Never the Roses” can be found on this Goodreads list: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025.

Serena’s Review: “Bound by Stars”

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Book: “Bound by Stars” by E. L. Starling

Publishing Info: Entangled: Teen, July 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: She never belonged in his world. He never thought he’d leave it.

When Weslie Fleet wins a golden ticket aboard the Boundless, humanity’s most opulent starliner, it’s a dream―and a danger. Raised in the dust-ridden ruins of Earth, she is thrust into the gleaming luxury of Mars’s elite, where every whispered word carries weight and every glance is a silent judgment. And none watch her closer than Jupiter, the golden boy of Mars’s high society, bound by duty, legacy, and a future he never chose.

Their reluctant partnership was supposed to be a one-off assignment. Instead, it becomes a battle of wills, a spark that ignites, and a love neither of them anticipated. But fate is as cruel as it is unpredictable, and when the Boundless veers off course, love won’t be enough to save them.

The ship is failing. The odds are impossible. And in the darkness of space, survival is the only thing that matters.

But some loves are worth defying the stars for.

Review: This is one of those odd reads where what drew me to the book (science fiction re-telling of “Titanic”) is the specific aspect of the read that I most disliked. That is to say, there was a lot to like here whenever I could disconnect my brain from the parallel’s to the movie. While there weren’t any groundbreaking science fiction moments, the struggles between Mars and a vastly reduced Earth was an interesting political stage upon which to set the story. And the overall conflict and themes of the story (mostly centering around classism) were fairly well handled, especially for a young adult novel. The discussions of these themes was also done well and avoided straying too far into preachiness, a perpetual problem it seems in books like this. Further, the disaster itself that befalls the starliner was action packed and intense. However, this is a perfect example of how the comparisons to “Titanic” don’t work in the book’s favor.

Maybe I’m being nitpicky, but to me at least, there is a huge difference between the natural disaster that befell the Titanic with its ramming of the iceberg and a rebellion attack upon a luxury starliner. I picked this book up looking for a disaster and survival story; indeed, anyone who is promised a book that is a re-telling of “Titanic” would expect the same. A rebellion attack is a very different thing, and while not bad on its own, not what I been expecting or wanting from this read.

And you might say at this point “well, just try to read it as an original story, disconnected from the re-telling.” But you can’t! There are scenes that are direct call-backs/re-imaginings of scenes from the movie. From little things, like the FMC winning her ticket onto the starliner at the start of the book to a full scene devoted to re-imagining the “you jump, I jump” scene from the movie. There’s no getting away from the callbacks. (And I didn’t want to get away from the re-telling POV ultimately, I just wish the book had more confidently stuck to that premise in the first place!)

The change-out from disaster to rebellion attack was annoying enough, but I really began to get fed up with the way our main characters’ love story played out. Yes, classism is present in the dynamic between Rose and Jack in the movie. But there, we are seeing it through the lens of how restricted Rose is beneath the weight of this system, and Jack’s role is to free her from these binds and remind her of the joy and love to be found in life. That’s a lovely story! But here, a huge chunk of the first half of this book is devoted to Wes’s resentment towards Jupiter and his place within the wealthy uber-upper class. The enemies-to-lovers trope struck again, and in one of the most inopportune books you could find. Rose and Jack were NOT enemies! Jack didn’t spend all of his time resenting and lecturing Rose!

Not only does the change in this dynamic hurt a book that is being marketed as a science fiction version of “Titanic,” but it’s frankly a more boring choice. I’ve read a million stories that have this exact same romance and commentary on classism at their heart. And frankly, I didn’t need another. The book would have not only been more true to its concept had it stuck with the original dynamics between romantic interests, but it would have been a more interesting read on its own, as well.

If I really squinted, I could try to read this book disconnected from its “Titanic”-retelling origins. And for the brief moments where I could, it was a fine read. As a YA science fiction story, I think there’s definitely an audience for this book. But at the same time, I was incredibly disappointed with the more direct ties to the movie, especially the significant changes made to the love story at its heart. If you’re looking for a decent YA science fiction story, this may be a good fit. But if you were looking for a “Titanic” story, disaster and romance included, this is probably not for you.

Rating 7: Fine enough as a YA science fiction story, but disappointing as a “Titanic” re-imagining.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bound by Stars” can be found on this Goodreads list: Books with “Star” in the Title.

Serena’s Review: “A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace”

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Book: “A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace” by Emily Skrutskie

Publishing Info: Del Rey, June 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: On the eve of the battle that will decide the realm of Telrus’s fate, Katrien takes a hard look at her prospects. A mere legionnaire, she and her spear will be at the fore in the morning, facing off against the Demon Lord and his wretched army, and it’s all but certain she’ll perish in the fight. But if the end of the world is mere hours away, there’s no reason not to hook up with her handsome, dedicated battle partner Emory—despite any anti-fraternization policies their centurion may have in place.

Only, the world doesn’t end the next day. Instead, an insufferable prince raised in hiding comes out of nowhere with a plucky band of heroes, defeats the Demon Lord, and seals the rift to the hellish plane. The realm is saved. The war is over. And Kat suddenly has a lot more future than she knows what to do with. It’s a future that could include Emory . . . if only he weren’t so set on staying enlisted with the very army Kat was unwillingly drafted into.

And while the Demon Lord has been destroyed, peace is still a long march away. When Kat inadvertently draws the eye of the prince, she, Emory, and the rest of their motley unit are pulled to the fore of the formation—and the heart of the danger—as the army embarks on one last campaign. The mission: laying a road as a foundation for the prince’s future rule. The real mission: scouring the last of the Demon Lord’s servants from the material plane.

As Kat and Emory work to secure a lasting peace, they’ll have to decide what they want their futures to look like—and if there’s room for love at the end of the road.

Review: This was a breath of fresh air in the romantic fantasy/romantasy genre! I do think it skews more closely to romantic fantasy than romantasy, with a heavy focus on world-building and most of the conflict of the story coming down to plot points rather than the smaller amount devoted to internal, romantic conflict.

Some of this also has to do with the fact that we have a partners/friends-to-lovers love story, rather then yet another enemies/rivals-to-lovers. And boy, did I love that! The author makes the bold choice to start the story off right after Kat and Emory have gotten together for the first time. Of course, they both thought they would be dying the next day, so the rest of the story revolves around them now working out the consequences of changing their long-standing dynamic. Everything about their relationship was so lovely and wholesome. Their insecurities and fears were realistic and handled in a mature fashion (for once!), but I particularly appreciated the focus on how important their friendship remained to them. We see their growing passion, of course, but much of the emotional workings of the story relies on the deep friendship and respect that has driven their partnership for several years.

I also enjoyed the larger plot and fantasy elements. For one thing, in fantasy stories like this, we often follow characters who are either already leaders or rare in some way or are building towards a leadership role based on their emerging “special abilities.” Here, while Kat does have some magical growth, the story is much more narrowly focused on the lives of the foot soldiers. Kat is thrust into a leadership role against her will and spends the majority of the book trying to sidestep her way back to being a regular soldier. It was definitely refreshing to approach a story like this through this lens, with the bravery, teamwork, and skill of the regular people who make up these armies being the true heroes.

There were also some good themes explored regarding the balance between following one’s own dreams and what we owe to one another. Much of Kat’s internal struggle comes down to this fact. She is in a privileged position with her access to magic, so what does that mean for her choices going forward? Is she obligated to give up the life she wants in pursuit of using this rare ability for the greater good? For his part, Emory must also confront the realities of life after wartime. It’s not a huge focus of the story, but I think the book did a great job of exploring an aspect of military life that is often left unexplored.

Overall, this was a great read! There was an interesting world peopled with a great cast of characters, and the central love story felt fresh and new. What’s more, this was a stand-alone book, so it’s perfect for readers looking for perhaps their next beach read to bring along on vacation!

Rating 8: If you’re getting a bit worn out on enemies-to-lovers, this is the perfect book for you!

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Legionnaire’s Guide to Love and Peace” can be found on this Goodreads list: June 2025 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Serena’s Review: “Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night” by Kresley Cole

Publishing Info: Gallery Books, June 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: finished copy from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed—until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive.

His slow, hot touch is irresistible…

Temporarily stripped of her powers, Mari is forced to take refuge with her sworn adversary. It’s rumored that no one can tempt Bowen’s hardened heart, but soon passion burns between them. Though a future together is impossible, she fears he has no intention of letting her go.

No deed is too wicked for her seduction…

If they defeat the evil that surrounds them, can Mari deny Bowen when he demands her body and soul—or will she risk everything for her fierce protector?

Review: It’s been a while since I’ve checked out a paranormal romance read on this blog, so I was excited to see that Kresley Cole’s “Immortals After Dark” series was getting a new look and republished. I’ve had the first one down on my TBR list for a while (but honestly, those OG covers threw me off every time). After looking into it, the series seems like the sort where the world is connected, but each book follows a new couple. So I felt comfortable picking up the series with this, the third book, that was releasing in June. Let’s dive in!

This was a bit of a mixed bag right from the start. And I really do mean “right from the start.” The first chapter left me very confused about how I was feeling about the book. We jump right into the action (great!) and I really enjoyed some of the early grumpy/sunshine banter that we got from our two main characters. On the other hand, within a page or two (I kid you not!), these two were already getting hot and heavy. We went from zero to 60 in no time flat! What’s more, after shooting out of the gate at a gallop, after the first chapter, the book screeches to a stop, separating our characters and adding a bunch of backstory and other characters. Now, all of this backstory and the extra characters themselves weren’t bad by any means (indeed, much of the backstory for the MMC was incredibly important), but it did leave the pacing in a strange place and me floundering to settle myself in this world.

As the book continued, I was better able to piece things together. I can confirm that it was approachable as a stand-alone book, but also that there were numerous references to characters and portions of this world that I likely would have better understood had I started with the first book.

This also read as rather dated with its approach to the love story. We have a large age gap (not something that I typically quibble with), fated mates, and a lot of internal conflict driving the love story. All of these tropes are quite delicate to handle well, in my opinion, and this book walked right up to the line on a few of them. Particularly with the way the werewolves and their need to “claim” their mate was handled. There was the tiniest bit of “ick” to the entire thing, with how compulsive it all felt. This in particular was a bit that made the book feel a bit dated, as it was the sort of thing you often found in older romance book but that is more carefully handled nowadays.

This carried over a bit to the dynamics between the FMC and the MMC. Again, I don’t have an issue with age gaps on their own, but this one felt a bit egregious, especially when paired with the grumpy/sunshine trope and the fact that Mari was “fated” for Bowen. None of these things were bad on their own, but there was something about the way they all layered on top of one another to make me not fully able to invest in their love story.

All of this said, I very much enjoyed the world and society of this series. There was a ton of creativity to be found in the ways these various different creatures interacted with one another and shared a world. I’m definitely interested in checking out another book in this series, just to see more of this world and experience the dynamics between two other characters. (I’m going to avoid the first book, however, as a cursory look at it highlighted the fact that the whole “claiming” thing is perhaps even worse there). However, if you enjoy paranormal romances, I can definitely see the appeal in this series and I’m excited to see if another book/couple might be a better fit for me!

Rating 7: I didn’t feel like a few of the romantic tropes worked well together, but the world itself was super interesting, and I’ll likely check out the next book!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night” can be found on these Goodreads lists: So you love a Bad Boy or Tortured Hero and Best Highland/Scotland Romance Novels.

Kate’s Review: “The Ground That Devours Us”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Ground That Devours Us” by Kalla Harris

Publishing Info: Entangled Teen, June 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I received an eARC from the publicist via NetGalley.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: The world ended ten years ago. Vampires showed up, took over, and turned the whole planet into their personal all-you-can-drink buffet. The president? Bloodsucker. The government? Bloodsuckers. My social life? Absolutely nonexistent.

But hey, at least I had one thing going for me—slayer training. My twin sister, Ripley, and I were about to go pro, officially joining the ranks of the last people on earth who actually do something about the whole “undead overlords” situation.

And then X had to show up. The vampire boogeyman. The worst of the worst. And instead of killing Ripley, like any decent monster would, he turned her. Now she’s technically a vamp, but something tells me my sister is still in there. Which means I can’t slay her.

What can I do? Break every rule. Lie to my friends. Strike a deal with the most dangerous vampire on the planet: X will protect Ripley from everyone else who wants her dead—like, really dead—until I can snag the cure for vampirism. The catch? Risking my own head to help him free his good-for-nothing BFF from the very slayers who taught me everything.

If I want Ripley back, I’m going to have to play nice with the thing that ruined my life. And the worst part? I think he’s enjoying this.

Review: Thank you to Kaye Publicity for sending me an eARC of this novel!

Anyone who has followed my reviews of vampire fiction on this blog can probably tell you that I am VERY particular about the genre, and that in many cases I have a really hard time getting into straight up human/vampire romance. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS (love Spike and Buffy, I’ve really enjoyed the “My Roommate Is A Vampire” series by Jenna Levine), but overall it’s just not something I like. But when I was sent the description of “The Ground That Devours Us” by Kalla Harris, even though I knew it had romantic elements, I ALSO saw that it was a dystopia. And man I love dystopia. So I threw caution to the wind, hoping that the dystopic angles would outweigh the romantic ones.

This book gave me a mix of general dystopia, the book “The Coldest Girl in Cold Town” by Holly Black, the book/movie “Warm Bodies”, and some sprinkles of various CW vampire shows whether it’s “Buffy” or “The Vampire Diaries” (which was a direct influence according to Harris), and as a whole I found it very enjoyable and to be a well done mish mash. I liked the world that Harris built, with non-vampire survivors training and preparing to try and overtake the bloodsucker threat, while vampires are getting their own stuff in order, bringing more humans into the fold and turning them into vampires. And like with any dystopian stories worth their weight, we have a well established societal system, with our humans in one well guarded sanctuary compound, and our vampires (some sentient, some almost like zombies called ‘bloodwalkers’) outside the walls and living in their own society. I really enjoyed the vampires mythos, with there being more traditional vampires and the zombie-esque ones, and I liked the way that Harris slowly unveils the way that Vaille works, for better or for worse.

I also was a pretty big fan of our cast of characters, finding them all pretty well rounded and fleshed out. Our protagonist is Ruby, and she and her sister Ripley live in the compound Vaille and are training to be vampire slayers under the eye of Barnett, the head of their community. So when Ripley is turned into a vampire by notorious vampire X, Ruby wants to get her sister back because Vaille may be on the verge of a cure. It’s good hook, and Ruby is both an interesting and confounding protagonist, but confounding in a good way. She’s stubborn, bitter, and always on guard and ready to lash out at X, but when she teams up with him in hopes of getting Ripley back on her side, we really start to see her character growth. Especially as her worldview starts to be challenged the community she has put so much faith and devotion into starts to be revealed as not what she thinks. I was surprised by how well done this exploration of clannishness and blind devotion after being flooded with propaganda, and how Ripley has to start deconstructing what she thinks is true about her life in Vaille and being so tied to Barnett. It’s a pretty heavy theme, and Harris clearly trusts her reader to be able to parse out the nuance.

And okay, I probably have to talk about the romance, which was the element that I was the most nervous about. As mentioned above, I am really picky about my vampire romance. But I ended up really enjoying the relationship between Ruby and X. It wasn’t instalove, which is always a plus (and how could it be? He turned her sister into a vampire!), but it was done in a way that actually felt believable, going slowly enough that she could work through her anger, so he could help her understand his position, and so they could connect at a steady and acceptable pace (and there are some mitigating factors, too, but I won’t go into it here). X is a fun foil to Ruby, and I was definitely harkening back to some of the snide banter between Buffy and Spike in earlier seasons of “BTVS”.

I am such a predictable sucker for that kind of thing, take me back to swooning on the phone with my cousin after an episode of especially good Spike and Buffy banter! (source)

So overall, “The Ground That Devours Us” is a unique vampire dystopia tale that I found to be incredibly engaging. If Harris wanted to write more stories in this universe, I would read them for sure.

Rating 8: A unique and entertaining vampire dystopia that goes into some existential meditations on clannishness, blind allegiances, and propaganda. Oh, and vampire romance, too, and it didn’t make me want to pull my hair out.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Ground That Devours Us” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Novels of 2025”.

Kate’s Review: “Lore Olympus: Volume 8”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Lore Olympus: Volume 8” by Rachel Smythe

Publishing Info: Inklore, May 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it.

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: “You have no authority here.”

Revelations rock Olympus as Persephone’s trial ends, threatening to throw the gods into a new war.

Though Persephone and Hades become closer than ever after she opens up to him about all she has endured, their peace is shattered when another truth is revealed: Apollo is Zeus’s son. The announcement shocks the pantheon, and the king of the gods realizes that the would-be usurper wants Persephone’s power to take the throne.

Zeus banishes Persephone to the Mortal Realm and, out of fear, cuts it off entirely from the rest of the gods. This decree succeeds in undercutting Apollo’s plan, but also inadvertently begins a decade-long divine cold war when Hades strikes back by shuttering the Underworld. With the gods scattered and weakened, Kronos uses the ensuing bedlam to finally escape his imprisonment and begin staging his own coup.

Persephone has only one choice when she discovers all the realms on the verge of collapse: Descend into the Underworld to try to defeat the power-hungry Titan, claim her rightful place as queen, and reunite with her one true love.

This edition of Smythe’s original Eisner Award–winning webcomic Lore Olympus features a brand-new, exclusive short story from creator Rachel Smythe and brings the Greek pantheon into the modern age in a sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel.

Review: After dropping the ball on reviewing the previous volume of “Lore Olympus” in a timely matter, I promised myself that I wouldn’t let that happen again. I mean come on, it’s one of my favorite series, how can I let it fall by the wayside?! So here we are with “Lore Olympus: Volume 8”, in a more timely manner and at not a moment too soon! Because things are really heating up with the gods and goddesses of Olympus, barreling towards a wrap up of a THRILLING story arc that has SO MUCH going on.

And what an action packed conclusion to this story arc it is. To really get into the nitty gritty, we have to get into some spoilers for this volume, so proceed with caution if you don’t want to know anything. This volume really shows the dysfunction of the hierarchy of the Olympians, with Zeus being fully in charge, and making panicked decisions that are more about protecting his own power versus what is good for everyone, culminating with him banishing Persephone to the Mortal Realm and cutting it off completely. Not because he thinks this is a fair punishment, but because he realizes that Apollo, newly revealed as his son, is plotting to overthrow him, and needs Persephone’s mysterious powers to do so. Which, of course, results in disaster. Not just for Hades and Persephone, who are now ripped apart and both devastated and traumatized by this, but for the entirety of Olympus, as Hades, in retaliation and rage, closes access to The Underworld, which separates the Gods and Goddesses even further, and opens all of them up to new vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, Persephone is doing her damnedest to appease Zeus, though she is pretty certain she will never be able to meet his demands by design, which sends her on her own mission to take matters into her own hands (more on that in a bit). All of the pieces that have been put into place are starting to come together, and it’s a fantastic set up with a really satisfying pay off. We have a bit of a time jump so that we can fully see how bad things are, and Smythe slowly reveals what all has happened in subtle and ingenious ways without the pacing falling out of sync (for example, we see that Daphne is no longer a tree), while also having brief flashbacks to the fallout from Persephone’s banishment. It’s a well done device, and it makes for a more engrossing way to tell the story.

But what I loved the most in this volume is that I feel like we finally got some payoff for the way the story has been slowly revealing Persephone’s strengths and powers, even though she herself hasn’t quite figured out her own abilities. I will say that one of my (mild!) criticisms of this series in the earlier books is that Persephone, while being AWESOME in her own right for lots of reasons, was a little bit infantilized or treated in a way like a manic pixie dream girl, at least to start. Yes, we get insights into some darkness, and as her story progresses we find out that she is a fertility goddess and has a bit of wrath inside of her, but it always felt a LITTLE bit like she needed protecting and guidance from Hades. But that has fully fallen away, as their romance, while still pivotal to both of their motivations, is put on the back burner here, as they are mostly separated in this book and Persephone has to figure shit out on her own. And it is here that we finally get to see her come into her own, stand on her own, and fully round out as a character, who has for literal millennia been a bit of a wallflower in her own story throughout many adaptations. This feels like Persephone finally gets to come into her own. And I love to see it.

You’ve come a long way, baby. (source)

And even with all the very intense moments in this volume as a huge arc wraps up with high, high stakes, we still get some genuinely hilarious scenes and interactions, whether it’s wink wink nudge nudge references to the original myths dynamics, or just clever banter and laugh out loud physical comedy moments. Smythe has such a gift for hitting a wide range of emotional beats in her stories, and honestly I still think that her humor is one of her strongest elements in this series.

What a great wrap up of a first major arc to “Lore Olympus”! The foundation for where Persephone, Hades, and all of the Olympians are going next has been laid, and I am so excited to see what happens next. I guess we’ll find out in the Fall! Can’t wait!

Rating 10: A fantastic conclusion to a riveting story arc, “Lore Olympus: Volume 8” dazzles with deep emotion, engrossing romance, and a lot of humor.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Lore Olympus: Volume 8” is included on the Goodreads list “2025 Mythology Releases”.

Previously Reviewed:

Serena’s Review: “A Simple Twist of Fate”

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Book: “A Simple Twist of Fate” by April Asher

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Griffin, May 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: At the bright-eyed age of eighteen, witch Harlow “Harry” Pierce attended her first Fates Haven Finding Ceremony certain the Blue Willow Wisp would lead her to her Fated match, her cougar shifter boyfriend, Jaxon Atwood. But Fate had other plans, guiding her best friend to him instead. With a broken heart, all her belongings, and a vow to never return, Harry did the only thing a broken-hearted witch could do. Run.

Thirteen years later, she returns to her magical hometown—with her half-human, half-shifter goddaughter in tow—hoping that not only would the town work its magic on the troubled teenager, but that the local Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack could help Grace identify—and control—her fiery abilities.

Jaxon Atwood was a shifter of few words and even less patience… until his mother retired as Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack and left the running of things to him. It’s a headache he didn’t need, and one that brought the witch who’d ripped his heart from his chest knocking on his door.

Ever since the disappearance of the town’s Fate Witch over a decade ago, Fates Haven’s magic has been slowly going haywire. There hasn’t been a Fated Match made in thirteen years, putting the town in serious jeopardy of losing its title of Most Fated Mates Per Population. But now, something is stirring in Fates Haven, Colorado, and it smells like the past, tastes like change, and looks like A SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE.

Review: To start on a random note, I think this is one of the few cases where the cover actually spoils bits of the story. Now, I get why they included the dragon! Dragons are super popular right now, and I’m sure people will pick this book up based on this fact alone, so I can’t really blame the designers for making a savvy business decision. But on the other hand, this book is heavy on the cozy side of things, and one of the few actual plot points in the story has to do with a mystery about one of the characters. A mystery that is spoiled by this cover! Ah well. Like I said, this book lives and dies by its vibes, so the actual “twist” here is probably not that important anyways.

While this book didn’t perfectly click for me, I did enjoy the central romance. Over the last few years, as I’ve read more romance novels, I’ve discovered that I have a secret love of second chance romances, especially ones about highschool sweethearts re-connecting as adults (recs welcomed and appreciated!). So, in many ways, this was great match for me, especially with the supernatural twist of fate and the way that it lead our couple astray all of those years ago. I also enjoyed the angst that came from the fallout of this situation. Jaxon, perhaps, was owed a bit more of an apology from Harry. But at the same time, she was teenager at the time, and in a world where the concept of “fated” relationships exists, one can easily understand her reaction to the situation she found herself in.

I do wish Jaxon’s chapters had a bit more depth or a more established arc for him, as well, as his chapters became a bit repetitive with his thoughts fixated on his remaining attraction to Harry. Again, this is fairly standard in many romance novels, but I think it’s definitely an area of improvement for most books in the genre. Sure, it’s great that the romantic interest is so strongly focused on the heroine, but he needs to have an actual personality himself!

My biggest struggle with the book came down to the tone. As I said above, this is heavy on the cozy side of things, and part of the way it explores this light-hearted tone is through an abundance of, well, silliness. There was a point about a third of the way into the book where three adult women were spending their time…navigating a series of Legos on the floor to prepare for a competition at a festival. In this scene and throughout, especially when the women characters were together, it often felt like we were all back in not even high school, but middle school. We’re told these women have careers, but they behaved and talked like super young teenagers. You know how in “Friends” there is a running joke about the fact that they’re all hanging out a coffee shop all the time instead of working? Well, the same problem was here! I’m fine with a more light-hearted tone, but this one skewed too far, losing sight of the more serious aspects of the story and reducing the relationships between many characters to cliches.

In many ways, this was a fun romantic comedy with fun magic at its heart. Unfortunately, the tone was too silly and ridiculous for me, at parts. But fans of more light-hearted stories are sure to enjoy this one!

Rating 7: An enjoyable second chance romance, but the women characters behaved more like middle schoolers than adults, which took me out of the story a bit.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Simple Twist of Fate” can be found on these Goodreads lists: High School Sweethearts and Fated.

Serena’s Review: “Silver Elite”

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Book: “Silver Elite” by Dani Francis

Publishing Info: Del Rey, May 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: The world is divided. On the Continent, you’re either a Prime—immune to the biotoxin that nearly wiped out the Earth’s population 150 years ago—or a Modified, one who was enhanced by the toxin, developing powerful psychic gifts.

As conflict rages between the two sides, Wren Darlington lives in hiding. Occasionally running the odd op for the rebel Uprising against the Primes’ oppressive rule, she must keep a low profile. After all, if the enemy finds out that she is a Mod with a staggering four psychic abilities, she won’t just be sent to the labor camps. She’ll be executed—immediately and without trial.

When a careless mistake puts Wren in the crosshairs of the Continent’s military, she is taken captive and forced to join their most elite Silver Block. Unwittingly, they’ve handed her the perfect opportunity for the Uprising to strike a devastating blow from inside their ranks. That is, if she can keep her powers hidden, survive training, and prove herself to Cross Redden, her maddeningly cocky commanding officer.

Despite the explosive chemistry between them, Cross doesn’t trust her—even as he seems determined to destroy the remaining shreds of Wren’s self-control. Yet as the war between Primes and Mods escalates, and as Wren and Cross find themselves unable to stay away from each other, they must decide how far they’re willing to go for their secrets—and how much of the Continent is worth saving.

Review: While I love romance and romantasy, it’s always a breath of fresh air to wander into other genres. And while dystopian fiction had its day in the sun, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a title like this! However, my reading experience of this book was highly mixed. There were things I enjoyed for sure, but I also struggled to maintain interest at times.

Largely, I think this comes down to the balance between the romance and the dystopian aspects. This book promotes itself as slow-burn which I think is misleading. Perhaps I’m just a romance snob, but to me, slow-burn isn’t just “how far into the book does the sex scene happen” but instead refers to the slow development of interest/feelings which then leads to intimacy. Here, however, the book leans heavily into lust almost instantly, which very much turned off my slow-burn-loving heart.

It didn’t help that some of the “reveals” around the identity of one of the characters was telegraphed a mile away. I found that once I got further in the book and some of this information had come out, I was able to enjoy the romance more. That said, I never fully recovered from the instalust turn off, so by the end, the romance was solidly in the “meh” category. I also felt there were too many spicey scenes for my taste, leaning more heavily into the smut side of things, especially given some of the weaker aspects of the world-building as a whole.

The writing was approachable, but I also felt that it was a bit simplistic at times. The tone often didn’t seem to match the serious nature of the world that was being describing, coming across as far too unserious for the situations on hand. Similar to the reveals regarding characters, many of the plot points were very familiar. Again, this can be comforting for some readers who are more focused perhaps on the love story than the over-arching plot. But for me, it was a definite let down. Pacing-wise, however, it was fairly steady throughout. And readers who enjoy more straight-forward writing may be less put off by the writing style. For me, it came across as a bit too juvenile for an adult book.

This is a hard one to rate. I personally didn’t have a great time with it, as it felt very derivative and like something I had read many times before. That said, I also think it’s just the sort of story that will appeal to romantasy fans who are more interested in spice and the romantic plot line and who are looking for some more variety in their reading (after picking up the millionth dragon or Fae book). If the latter sounds like you, by all means, check this one out! But if you’re more interested in the world-building or the complexity of a dystopian novel, this might be a bit of a let down.

Rating 7: A bit too predictable in its plotting and its character reveals, but romantasy readers will likely still gobble this one up!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Silver Elite” can be found on this Goodreads list: 2025 Debut Novels.

Serena’s Review: “Chaos”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Chaos” by Constance Fay

Publishing Info: Bramble, March 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: He’s a mind controlled killing machine, until her touch frees him

Engineer Caro Ogunyemi thinks she has everything in control. Sure, she has a dark secret in her past and aim so bad that she can’t shoot the side of a spaceship when she’s right in front of it, but those are minor details in the life of a space mercenary. When Caro embarks on a solo mission infiltrating a prison planet that is run by the deadly Pierce family, she embraces the opportunity to prove she’s a hero.

It’s there that Caro meets Leviathan, a super soldier with a chip in his head that turns him into a mindless killer. He’s drop dead gorgeous with an emphasis on drop dead, until she touches him and renders his chip inert. The danger begins when she lets him go.

In the heart of enemy territory, where love is at stake, life is treacherous and time is short, Caro and Leviathan must figure out how to recover his agency, protect her crew from Pierce’s sinister machinations, and stage a prison-break before Leviathan is lost to her―and himself―forever.

Previously Reviewed: “Calamity” and “Fiasco”

Review: I’ve been really enjoying this science fiction romance series! Not only is it a breath of fresh air to see a blending of romance and science fiction instead of always fantasy, but Constance Fay is one of those rare authors who seems to have an effortless handle on the important factors found in both genres and effortlessly blends them into enjoyable, stand-alone novels! That said, while I enjoyed this one as well, it has been my least favorite in the series overall.

But let’s start with the purely positive points! As I said, the science fiction elements in this series have always been great, and this one was no exception. We had A.I., we had a luxury space prison, we had cyborgs, we had new aliens! And, on top of it all, the main plot of this one wove in and out of the greater political machinations going on between the powerful families who run the galaxy and who increasingly seem to be on target for a massive conflict at some point.

Another unique science fiction element is an ability that Caro develops after being exposed to an alien bug whose bite/sting leaves her with the ability (disability?) to essentially shut down any sort of technology with only her touch. Not only is this an incredibly interesting concept and we see many variations on how it can be utilized throughout the book, but I enjoyed the way that this specifically impacted Caro, a character whose entire sense of self-worth is caught up in her technical prowess. It wasn’t explored as thoroughly as I would have liked, but I did enjoy the brief moments of reflection we got from this.

But this also speaks to one of my first stumbling blocks: Caro’s inner journey. The first two books in this series were successful, in my opinion, not only because the romances were excellent, but because the main character’s had incredible backstories and personal arcs that were explored throughout their story. Now, there is an attempt here to give Caro something similar. However, it just doesn’t hold up against the incredible stakes and backstories that came before. Caro’s entire inner journey revolves around an incident that was A.) entirely accidental and B.) one that she immediately tried to remedy. That being the case, there really isn’t a whole lot more to do with this backstory or much of a character arc to explore. This is so much the case that another character pretty much lays it out for her exactly as I have here! In the previous books, both main characters had some dark stuff in their pasts, things that were heavily reflected in the way they saw themselves and the choices they made. This lead to incredible journeys for them to explore. Unfortunately, Caro just didn’t really have that.

I also struggled with the romance in this one. It’s not bad, by any means, and what we did get, especially in the latter half of the book, I really enjoyed. However, the nature of the situation lead to what felt a lot like an instalove situation. Levi barely speaks for the first half of the book almost! And while I liked the idea behind this romance, as well as Levi himself, especially when he became more involved in the story, the actual love story itself felt very truncated.

This wasn’t helped by the inclusion of a second POV character, something we’ve never seen before. And, unfortunately, I think this inclusion worked against this story in a few ways. For one thing, by devoting even a handful of chapters to another character, the book lost much-needed page time that could have been spent on better pacing for the primary romance. For another thing, this is one of those weird situations where I enjoyed this secondary character so much (and the hints of a future romance!) that I almost began to want to spend more time with her than Caro! Definitely not something you want, though I am very excited for what I hope is the next book’s main couple!

The pacing was also a bit strange here. There was a ton of action, which I really enjoyed. But there was also a “Mad Max: Fury Road” situation towards the end where our group of characters spend a significant amount of time breaking out of the prison only to travel for a few days before, for plot reasons, needing to turn right around and break back IN to the prison!

Overall, there was still a lot of great action and romance in this book. It just didn’t quite live up to the highs of the previous two books. That said, I’m incredibly excited for the next book, if the other POV character we had here is going to be the lead! Fans of this series should still definitely check this one out, as it’s still a fun time all around, these quibbles aside.

Rating 7: While Caro’s backstory was a bit weaker than previous characters’ in the series, this was still a fun, romantic science fiction romp!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Chaos” is on this Goodreads list: All the New Horror, Romantasy, and Other SFF Crossover Books Arriving in March 2025