Lady Wolf's Library

Wicked Tales & Wild Romances

recent posts

about

Step into a sanctuary of Wicked Tales & Wild Romances, where we explore the most captivating corners of dark fantasy and heart-tugging rom-coms. This is more than just a reading log; it’s a collection of Curated Chronicles for the Modern She-Wolf who isn’t afraid to get lost in the shadows or fall for the monster. ​Whether it’s a slow-burn magic system or a spicy contemporary trope, every story here is chosen to be Wildly Devoured.
  • CURSED EVER AFTER

    CURSED EVER AFTER

    By: Andy C Naranjo
    Pub Date: 6/30/26
    Genre: Romantasy

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
    Heat Level: 🔥(Tame)
    Tropes: Found Family, Cursebreaker, He Falls First, Forbidden Romance

    REVIEW

    Cursed Ever After is one of those epic fantasy romances where the adventure truly comes first and the romance is secondary. It reminded me a lot of Ella Enchanted, but for an older audience, with more blood and darker themes but still with a romp through a world of fantasy where the mission is to get the Prince to the kingdom of…um…yeah, that place that no one can seem to remember the name of. It’s on the tip of my tongue…

    You meet many important and very well fleshed out tertiary characters that make the world feel alive and give it a very strong vibe that you’ve heard this sotey told before, but it’s very clearly and obviously 100% original. Not to mention the numerous and varried landscapes and tropes that the MCs encounter along the way. And there’s also a cat, which is just an ordinary cat. Just a normal, everyday cat.

    If you enjoy fantasy and will they won’t they wholesome vibes and want to go on a fun adventure, this will absolutely fill that craving.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Love is not for cursed girls. Risa is better off without it.

    Risa Porto is a Bad Thing who was born on a Bad Day and is cursed with Bad Luck. After years of taking the blame for every calamity, mishap, and minor inconvenience that befalls the townspeople of Barrow, Risa longs for an escape. And on her seventeenth birthday, her wish is granted.

    Sort of.

    Risa owes a (very annoying) witch a favor, and it comes in the form of a quest: She must escort Prince Javi—the youngest, handsomest, and least significant of the kingdom’s princes—through the dark (and deadly) Bosque to his wedding. This measly errand quickly spirals into a struggle with greedy assassins, a murderous cult, a vicious tyrant, and Risa’s own curse.

    Most unfortunate of all . . .

    Risa is not immune to Javi’s charms, and the more time she spends with the prince, the more she feels the highly irritating urge to kiss him. Flirtations aside, as Risa and Javi continue their trek, they find themselves working with a mysterious figure, who has a secret all her own. If Risa is to uphold her bargain with the witch, she’ll need a lot more than luck to untangle the web of lies threatening the kingdom. Is Risa willing to pay the price of happily ever after? What if the only person she’s meant to save is herself?

  • CHAOTIC ORBITS

    CHAOTIC ORBITS

    By: Beth Revis
    Pub Date: 8/4/2026
    Genre: Romantic Scifi Space Heist

    Rating (Story): 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌖
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥(Tame)
    Tropes: Space heist, romantasy, cat and mouse

    REVIEW

    I had the opportunity to read all three books before the compendium came out and I absolutely loved all of them. However, I saw there was a new story at the end of this and I absolutely had to check it out. I am hoping this is going where I suspect it is going and I am so psyched!

    Seriously, this is such an excellent book series.  I can’t say enough about it. ❤️

    Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Ada Lamarr has a very good reason for being the first at the wreckage of an intergalactic ship. If Rian White, leader of the government ship sent to examine the remains, can’t tell truth from lie when it comes to her excuses, well, that’s his problem. And Ada has absolutely no issue whatsoever being his problem—in fact, when Rian’s in the picture, she’s determined to do the wrong thing. Whether looting an “off limits” shipwreck, stealing something from a high-security museum at an intergalactic gala, or pulling off the heist of the millennia at a trillionaire’s home base, Ada always has a plan.

    Even when Rian corners her.

    In this collection of all three of the original Chaotic Orbits novellas, readers can follow Ada’s elaborate cat-and-mouse schemes and the will-they-won’t-they temptation of a romance with Rian. Featuring a new, exclusive short story told from Rian’s point of view, fans will love this epic spacemance from the reigning queen of romantic science fiction!

  • ONLY ONE FOR THE ORC

    ONLY ONE FOR THE ORC

    By: Isabelle Taylor
    Pub Date: 08-25-2026
    Genre: Supernatural/Fantasy Romance

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
    Heat Level: 🔥 🔥 🔥 (Howl)
    Tropes: She Doesn’t Like Him, He Falls First, Fated Mates, Friends with Benefits

    REVIEW

    I really love visiting Claw Haven, and I’ve really been curious about Vi and Nick’s story. I wasn’t disappointed. It was full of humor, chivalry, misunderstandings, and enough spice to make a curry.

    I loved how Nick navigated his fated mate love for Vi even with how much she disliked him at first. He presented himself so confidently, but there was an awkwardness born from not thinking he was good enough. Unbeknownst to either, I think Vi had the same issues. It’s why she would rather be as useful as possible than let anyone see her. Until Nick.

    I loved how thier ultimate care for one another to be better versions of themselves and how their relationship grew on the same trajectory as their personal growth. Plus, they were SO into one another. So spicy. ❤️ Still our same knotty Claw Haven.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    In Claw Haven, Alaska, monsters are real—but fated mates? Bookseller Vi Harper doesn’t believe, and it’s up to one smitten orc to prove otherwise in this sweet and spicy romance.

    Vi Harper is good at many things. Fixing problems for everyone in Claw Haven, for one. Keeping Sweethelm Bookstore running smoothly, for another. Above all, Vi is great at pretending she’s got her life figured out. The truth is, she’s a hot mess inside—especially when cocky, gorgeous orc Nick Wicker goads her in his infuriating way.

    Nick has found his mate. That’s the good news. The bad: he’s already blown it. Every time Nick speaks to soft-spoken, overworked bookseller Vi, she seems to hate him even more. What’s a lovestruck orc to do but stress-bake and look for some way to redeem himself? Even it means joining the book club.

    Then a batch of apology brownies sparks one passionate night together and suddenly, sensible Vi is doing something completely out of character: offering her one-time enemy a friends-with-benefits arrangement. It’s more than Nick dreamed. Phenomenal. And it won’t be enough. Not until he’s found a way to show her that sometimes, fate gets it exactly right…

  • I PUNCHED AN ALIEN AND NOW WE’RE IN COUPLES THERAPY

    I PUNCHED AN ALIEN AND NOW WE’RE IN COUPLES THERAPY

    By Kimberley Lemming. Pub Date 8/18/26

    Genre: SciFi RomCom

    Verdict: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌖

    Spice Level: 🔥🔥🔥 (Howl)

    Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Mated, Forced Proximity

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    It’s not in Blair’s nature to just give up. Not when she’s beamed up to a spaceship and then dropped on an alien planet. Not even when she’s in the middle of a forest fire surrounded by dinosaurs. And definitely not when she’s captured by an arrogant alien king. If King Osid thinks he can break her, he’s in for a shock. Blair lives by one motto: If you stay ready, you never have to get ready.

    But absolutely nothing could have prepared her for finding out that she’s that arrogant King Osid’s mate.

    Despite recent hiccups, the alien researchers are determined to get their breeding program back on track. With that in mind, Blair and Osid are bundled off to the research center for what they’re told is couples counseling. As they face a series of increasingly dangerous challenges, it soon becomes clear the research aliens may have confused an episode of The Bachelor with Survivor. Bonding over their common enemy, and shall we say…encouraged by love darts, Blair and Osid let down their walls (and take off their clothes). When they discover that there are—somehow—even more secret plans in the works, another hilarious, steamy, over-the-top adventure is in store.

    REVIEW

    I cannot recommend this series enough. Book two is packed full of adventure, spice, and hilarity. Our two morally gray MCs are going through couples therapy that feels more like some kind of wild ass video game than anything that could possibly be constructive. Perhaps it would work with two people having some minor disagreements, but Blair and Osid have LITERALLY 👏TRIED 👏 TO👏 KILL 👏 EACH 👏 OTHER👏!!

    But the line between love and hate is thin, right? It might be thin, but it is NOT nonexistent.

    I loved reading from their perspective and getting the story from another angle. They are volatile people on their own, but together? EXPLOSIVE. Plus, so much happens in the book that sets us up for at least one more book, though I suspect at least two more. And all I haVe to say is that I AM READY FOR IT, LEMMING!!! BRING IT ON!

    Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!!

  • THE IRON HEX

    THE IRON HEX

    By Victoria S Walsh
    Pub Date: 8/4/26
    Genre: Romantasy

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌖
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥(Howl)
    Tropes: Touch Her and ☠️,  Curvy FMC, Witchy, Second Chances, Unreliable Narrator

    REVIEW

    It’s refreshing to have a thick, beautiful queen  as the FMC of a Romantasy. I loved the world building and the multiple POVs. The story was fantastic and I can still see the world in my head. It’s just enough to build a beautiful picture, but not so much that it bogs you down in unnecessary details that won’t come up again. I’m not a fan of world building for its own sake.

    I loved and hate the characters (respectively) and the twists were wild. You have a low level witch in a world where most witches were wiped out by the Iron Watch rebellion. She has no memories prior to the last three years and you learn first from Eira, whose world seems so small in the beginning, and then you have other characters who fill in the blanks around her. Hugo is also an interesting character. Definitely morally grey. His relationship with Eira is also interesting but also LAYERED and SPICY. Not to mention Sir Rhona’s perspective, a lady knight deeply entrenched in the politics of the Iron Guard who slowly learns the secrets of this kingdom in upheaval.

    It was a good book. I’m excited for the next one, especially with that twist that was at the end–very intrigued as to where this is going!

    Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Eira Eckhart has spent years building a quiet life in a small town at the edge of a recently overthrown kingdom. Her memory is fractured, her past a blur—but with her shop, her loyal rabbit familiar, and practicing only the potions magic still legal under the watchful eye of the Iron Empire, she’s managed to remain unnoticed by the empire’s witch hunters.

    Until Hugo Venton walks through her door.

    Brash, clever, and infuriatingly handsome, Hugo is searching for something…and seems to know more about Eira than she knows about herself. But when a terrifying encounter with an unnatural, deadly new breed of soldier puts a price on her head, she has no choice but to join Hugo on his quest.

    Their hunt for a missing princess pulls Eira across the continent—and deeper into a past she can’t recall. As buried memories, mysteries in the Iron Empire’s capital, forgotten feelings, and the truth behind her identity begin to surface, Eira realizes the forbidden magic simmering in her veins might be the very thing that could save them from the Iron Empire’s forces as they draw ever closer…if she can remember how to control it in time.

  • DEVOUR ME

    DEVOUR ME

    Devour Me Book 1

    By: Emily Rath
    Pub Date: 8/4/2026
    Genre: Paranormal/Supernatural Romance, Contemporary

    Rating (Story):🌕🌕🌕🌕🌖
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥(feral)
    Tropes: Shadow Daddy, Touch her and ☠️, Grumpy v Sunshine

    REVIEW

    It’s been awhile since I’ve read a hidden world fantasy that felt so real and full let alone one this deliciously sexy.

    Dainn has been stuck in servitude to a truly evil witch for centuries, bringing her souls and destroying her enemies. He hates it. He hates her. But he’s stuck. Until one night when he is on one of his missions and is stopped in the middle of feeding from a delicious Jasper Prescott, by a young woman with a soul made of color and light. One who has absolutely no clue what she just did or what she just interrupted, and Dainn is OBSESSED.

    Jasper almost died, saved by his niece’s friend and his seasonal employee. She’s non-medical, so how the hell did this tempting young woman stop a wraith mid-feed? And why does he feel so tied to her? The last thing he needs is a distraction while he is trying to stop a noisy archeologist from digging up the graves of his covenant ancestors.

    Birdie has no idea what she’s up against, but part of her really wants to be up against Jasper. This summer internship woth the local historical society was supposed to be the saving grace of her grad school scholarship, and the part tome apothecary job was a means to an end. But now, she’s being introduced to a whole different world, one she finds herself wanting to save, with people–witch and wraith alike–that she has come to care for.

    This was such a spicy and amazing contemporary why choose romance that has an excellent plot and cast of characters. It was also very, very hot. I absolutely loved this book and I am patiently awaiting the next.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS
    Dáinn the Devourer has spent the last two hundred years of his undead life reluctantly bonded to a dark witch, doing her dirtiest work. Devouring corrupt souls may not be satisfying for a wraith, but it keeps him fed. Sent on a job to Burr Island, Dáinn is forced to devour the soul of a rival witch.

    But Jasper Prescott is no corrupt magical misfit. He’s powerful and beautiful, with a soul worth savoring. Dáinn is eagerly devouring the witch when he’s abruptly stopped. By a human no less. With one word, Birdie Rhodes does what no being has ever done: she takes his breath away. Now the witch, the wraith, and the human are set on a path that could lead to their destiny…or their ruin.

    Desperate for his freedom, Dáinn makes a deal with Jasper: kill my mistress, and I’ll let you keep living. But Jasper wants more than just to live. He has a coven to protect. Their secrets are being threatened by magical forces on and off the island. Bound together in this strange new deal, Jasper fights his growing attraction to the wraith, who is far more human than he appears. And Dáinn fights the urge to devour the delectable witch whole.

    The only one who can save them is Birdie Rhodes, hapless historian and sometimes shop girl. Birdie only came to Burr Island for summer work. She has no idea magic is even real. She certainly has no idea she’s now the only thing standing between her witch boss and the hungry wraith aching to devour them both.

    As magical forces of darkness loom at Burr Island’s shores, Jasper and Dáinn are both determined to keep Birdie close in Devour Me, book one in a dark, spicy paranormal romance trilogy.

  • OPERATION: TRUE LOVE

    OPERATION: TRUE LOVE

    Vol 1

    By: kkokkalee, Dledumb

    Pub Date: 7/28/26 (Print)

    Genre: Webcomic, Angsty Teen Romance

    Rating:🌕🌕🌕🌕

    Heat Level: 🔥(Pup love)

    Tropes: Will they won’t they, Finding Your Way, Learning What’s Important

    REVIEW

    I’m such a sucker for Webcomics like this one. The drama, the catching of feelings, the angst!   For the first half I just wanted to smack Su-ae in the right direction and punch Minu. Then the betrayal!! But was it betrayal? I don’t know yet. It’s a mystery. But Eunhyeok? He’s the fix, and I’m hanging in for dear life for Su-ae to WAKE THE HECK UP.

    Vol 1 doesn’t cover much regarding the magic Jellypop phone, but we know by the end that something is up with it and we are left wanting more of all of it! 🔥💗

    Thanks to NetGalley and WEBTOON for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Phones are perfect for sending messages, snapping photos, and most importantly, talking to your friends. One thing Su-ae didn’t account for, however, was that her phone would be able to talk back.

    Su-ae discovers that Jellypop, a flip phone stored in her locker, is sentient—and Jellypop has a lot to say about Su-ae’s love life. High school romances are never easy, and Su-ae’s relationship with her nonchalant boyfriend seems to be going nowhere.

    Lacking the charisma of her step-sister Ra-im is one thing, but seeing the growing sparks between her and Minu just adds salt to injury. It’s up to Jellypop to help Su-ae navigate the peaks and pits of teenage love, and finally get the high school love story she deserves!

    This volume collects episodes 1 to 10 of the sensational WEBTOON comic with over 260 million reads, Operation: True Love.

  • HOW LUCKY AM I

    HOW LUCKY AM I

    By: Christian Watson

    Pub Date: 07-28-2026

    Genre: Art, Picture Book, Feelgood

    Rating:🌕🌕🌕🌕

    Art: 🎨🎨🎨🎨

    REVIEW

    This was an incredibly beautiful and uplifting picture book with little mental health notes that really made me feel things. Good things. I’ve seen and reposted Christian Watson’s art many times. The juxtaposition of a cute skeleton in everyday places like small town hardware stores, cabins, and quaint fields of flowers paired with words about being kind to yourself or finding your soulmate always made me feel some kinda way. A good, deep feeling.

    This is the kind of book you would want prominently displayed on a coffee table for friends and family to look through. It’s like a little literary pickup for the soul.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Join beloved Mr Skelly, a gentle skeleton wandering across lush landscapes and treacherous terrains, through times of joy, loss, grief and love, to find his family and – ultimately – a safe home.

    Along the way, he discovers life lessons which help us remember what to hold onto and what to let go of, to realise how lucky we all are, because this beautifully fragile present moment is truly all we have.

    Mr Skelly invites you to shift your lens, make peace with what you can’t control, appreciate what can’t be seen, and live your life to the utmost of your ability.

    How Lucky Am I is a simple reminder that, in the end, we’re all made of the same bones. With gentle words and hand-painted imagery, this book hopes to shine a softer light on what’s often overlooked – and maybe, in doing so, help us remember what truly matters.

  • DOMINION

    DOMINION

    By: Jean Kwok
    Pub Date: 07-14-2026
    Genre: Romantasy
    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥(Howl)
    Tropes: Chosen, Caste System, Enemies to Lovers

    REVIEW

    I won’t lie, I was expecting something potentially formulaic given how many romantasies share a similar SYNOPSIS, but i really loved how different it felt. There were definitely some themes that seemed borrowed, but it was different enough in the execution to feel new. Yes, you have someone who ends up being chosen, but the WHY and who of this person is a delicious twist. Maybe you see it coming, maybe you don’t. However, the best part of the journey in my opinion is the tension between our MCs.

    I enjoyed Dominion and I’m hyped for the next book in the trilogy. I am excited to see this one take off.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    In a world divided into four rival Dominions, power is everything—and Rubi Morningtail has almost none. Three years after the Annihilation destroyed her homeland and shattered her memories, she lives as an Azure refugee in the Dominion of the Silver Tyger, scraping by as a ribbon dancer and hiding her little bit of singing magic. When she wounds a massive battle tyger on her doorstep, she draws the notice of Blake Axefire—supreme metal mage, leader of the royal tyger warriors, and the last man an Azure should trust. His sentence? Cast her into the Bonding, a brutal trial where tygers choose their riders and slaughter the rest. Surviving is unthinkable.

    But survive she does. Now she’s stuck on Blake’s elite team racing to reseal the Anchors to the demon realm. With rebels striking, demons rising, and the Dominions at each other’s throats, Rubi must unlock the truth of her magic and her past…while resisting her dangerous attraction to the ruthless warrior who could be her redemption—or her ruin.

  • AN EDUCATION IN LONGING

    AN EDUCATION IN LONGING

    By: Charlotte Stein
    Pub Date: 07-07-2026
    Genre: Dark Academia, Dark Romance

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥(Howl)
    Tropes: Dark Academia, Witchy, Enemies to Lovers, Supernatural Twists

    REVIEW

    I love Charlotte Stein books. I liked this one. I did. I have a few criticisms, but they are similar to other reviews. I feel like we didn’t get enough details or world building and I wanted the characters to be a little more fleshed out. I loved the concept, and the animosity that Harper shows toward Mina is kind of delicious, especially because we can tell there’s more to it. Mostly. But that’s how Stein keeps it spicy. And the spice is very good. I love having more fat rep in Romantasy. I’ve noticed the trend and I’m here for it.

    I did finish this book very quickly. Despite the moments when I’m wondering what I missed, I really did like the story and the Alice in Wonderland aspect of the underground. The concept and relationship were beautiful, I just wish there were more color.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    When Mina manages to pass The Test and gain entry to a university that reveals a world of magic just beyond ours, she’s determined to go and prove her worth. But Harrowhall is full of dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered. And every one of them seems designed for only the privileged to pass. If she has any hope of becoming the witch she longs to be, she’s going to have to rely on the last person she wants to: Harker St James, the most lethal student to ever walk those haunted halls.

    And once she unearths his dark secret, she has the means to persuade him. Not to mention a way to keep him at bay. Because Harker isn’t just the key to her salvation. He’s the deadly snare that daily threatens to drag her down. Desire fires her magic, but any feeling for him is a poison she simply can’t afford.

    Even though the fate of Harrowhall, and the magic it was built on, may very well depend on doing all the things she really shouldn’t.