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Wicked Tales & Wild Romances

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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.
  • 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.

  • VERA STEIN IS FINE

    VERA STEIN IS FINE

    By Julie Murphy

    Pub Date: 7/21/26

    Genre: Rom Com

    LRating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥 Hunger Howl
    Tropes: Second Chance Romance

    REVIEW

    JULIE. MURPHY. Please keep approving me for your romances, because they are spicy and have me deeply emotionally invested every time. I cannot tell you how much I wish Starlight Palms was a real place in Palm Springs that I could retire to. Everyone felt so real and the descriptions of the place were immaculate and felt so old Hollywood. Also–ELI! OMG–Eli. Vera–Brody?!?!?! ELI, VERA!! ELI!!!! (IYKYK).

    I LOVE my lush lady romances, but this one was featured a middle age protagonist having a hard right turn in her life that pretty much flips her off a cliffs edge. Not literally, but it sure as hell feels like it. It was really refreshing to read a middle aged protagonist who is experiencing actual life. Finding yourself and finding epic love (and hot hot spicyness) doesn’t have an age limit. To top it off, this story takes place against the background of a retirement neighborhood, making it a multi-layered story of heartbreak, love, and self discovery.

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

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Welcome to Starlight Palms, a favorite retirement facility among Hollywood actors and industry professionals tucked away just outside of sunny Palm Springs. Filled with forgotten scream queens, eccentric screenwriters, and heartthrobs of the past, it has a brand-new resident: Vera Stein, age forty.

    Vera knows she’s missed her chance at a life worthy of the silver screen, just like she missed her chance at ever finding true love. But Vera isn’t one to take chances. She’s spent most of her adult years caretaking for her dying mother and her movie star boss’s ego. Now abruptly houseless and jobless, Vera has nowhere to land, so to grandmother’s house we go!

    The Starlight Palms Senior Living Center is midcentury Hollywood down to its pastel-painted bones. This desert gem isn’t lacking in saucy plot twists (swinging seniors, anyone?) or a leading man: Elias Buckley, the on-site doctor and Vera’s former ill-fated college fling and—for reasons that will stay in Vegas—legally her ex-husband according to the state of Nevada.

    It’s not long before Vera falls into a job as the activities coordinator and under the spell of a certain smart-mouthed doctor… Suddenly all those empty years in LA look less like mistakes and a lot more like backstory. With a fresh start at her fingertips, Vera begins to see that even with all the detours she’s taken, there’s still a Hollywood ending (and maybe even a happily ever after) in sight…

  • WILLING PREY

    WILLING PREY

    By: Allie Oleander
    NOW AVAILABLE
    Genre: Dark Romance

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥(feral)
    Tropes: Primal Play, Wealthy MMC, Touch Her & ☠️, Obsession

    REVIEW

    One Month. $30,000.00. Get ready to run.

    Willing Prey is a wild dark romance with moments of humor and loveable characters. Shane, a partner at the law firm where Claire’s ex worked, is interested in hiring someone for a month of primal play, something Claire herself is more than fine with. Buried in debt and freshly divorced from her asshole ex, Claire is ready to get over it–and under Shane. However, Claire doesn’t expect to get exactly what she craves. Someone willing to chase. Someone willing to catch. Someone willing to get dirty and take his prey exactly like she wants him to. But what Shane doesn’t expect is that Claire also has teeth.

    I really enjoyed this book. It was spicy and wild and there are a few reveals that I wasn’t expecting that I found to be very cute. Shane is large and brooding but with a good heart and Claire is fierce. Their relationship growth arc is relatable and their chases are amazing. I also enjoyed the tertiary characters and am very excited to see there is a second book releasing this year! If you want a dark but cute feral romance, this is an excellent pick.

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

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Divorced and buried in student loan debt, Claire Collins eagerly enters a spicy business agreement with an acquaintance who wants to explore his primal desires. The deal is simple: thirty days as his sexual prey, $30,000 in her bank account. All she has to do is give Shane Underwood the hunt of his life.

    Claire’s a physical education teacher and perfectly happy to spend her summer having wild, kinky sex instead of working her usual serving job. But once they cross the tree line, she realizes how little she knows about the corporate lawyer paying her to be his prey.

    Shane is different in the woods. Brutal. Devastating. Feral.

    That’s okay with Claire—she is, too. And she’s sinking her teeth a little deeper into Shane’s heart every time he catches her.

  • SILVER & BLOOD

    SILVER & BLOOD

    By: Jessie Mihalik
    NOW AVAILABLE
    Genre: Romantasy

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥(howl)
    Tropes: Fae, Magic, Mysterious Past, Grumpy vs Sunshine

    REVIEW

    I read this last year and it’s was one of those books I enjoyed so much, but it had so many twists and turns and I didn’t really know how to write a review without giving too much away. I loved all of the characters. Riela and Garrick, who seems like such a curmudgeon throughout most the book, but he has his reasons, along with his fiercely protective lupine friend.

    The tension in this grows to delicious levels and there is enough going on that the plot does not fall to the wayside in an effort to push forward the romance. There is so much to learn and you want Riela to succeed in figuring out why her powers seem to only break through when she is desperate.

    There’s also the mistrust from Garrick’s perspective. Usually it would be a red flag for me, but in this case you learn how warranted it is for him and how dangerous it is for Riela.

    It’s a very good book. It gets a little dark at times, like once they figure out how to cross and we discover who Garrick truly is. There’s some court intrigue later in the book and danger around every corner throughout.

    I highly recommend it. I’m very excited for the sequel. There is so much left to learn.

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

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    “There’s something in the woods…

    When a vicious beast begins attacking her fellow villagers, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forbidden forest and kill the monster as she’s the only mage available—or so she thought.

    Untrained and barely armed, Riela is quickly overwhelmed when one beast turns into two. She fears her death is at hand until the unexpected arrival of a scarred, strikingly handsome man with gleaming moonlit magic changes her fate—and provides a rare opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

    After being rescued and healed from the beast’s poison, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. She soon learns Garrick is both more powerful and far deadlier than a mere mortal mage—but thanks to a century-long curse, his powers are weakening.

    Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela’s magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets and lies connecting Riela’s past to Garrick’s, the tenuous threads of trust between them start to fray.

    Because Riela’s life—or her death—might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost.”

  • BONDED BY THORNS

    BONDED BY THORNS

    By: Elizabeth Helen
    Now Available
    Genre: Romantasy

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥(howl)
    Tropes: Reverse Harem, fairytale retelling, Chosen One, Fated Mates

    REVIEW

    Bonded by Thorns is a really good retelling of Beauty and the Beast and is an excellent introduction to Castletree and its inhabitants. The world building is gradual, but not the main focus.

    The beginning and the framework are very close to the classic story, but we find that instead of one cursed prince, we have four who each rule their own realm. As Rosalina gets to know each if these men, she also comes to understand the realms they inhabit and how magiv works in this–parallel universe?

    I also loved the complexities of the relationships and also that Rosalina had a Past before she was shifted into this Fae place. Her “Gaston” is an ass as he should be. And then she meets these guys who don’t ask much of her and like her for her and she starts to see her self worth and that’s the second best part of the book. The best? The heat. Those two thungs will drive you deep into the rest of the series, which are the thick kind, but packed with flavor and easy to devour.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the free ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Four beastly princes. One awkward bookworm. An enchanted world of fae, magic, and danger.

    I’ve always loved fairy tales. I never imagined I’d actually be in one.

    When my father wanders into the enchanted realm of the fae, I know I have to go after him. And when he gets imprisoned, I’ll do anything to save him…even trade my freedom for his. I had no idea I’d end up imprisoned by four fae princes who turn into beasts at night.

    I have to win my freedom, and that means making a bargain with them. They must find their mates in order to break the curse. If I can help them do that, they’ll set me free. Sounds simple, right?

    It’s not. Because against my better judgment, I’m starting to fall for these beastly princes. One is smart and sweet, the other mysterious and deadly, another flirty and confident, and the last prince… He’s handsome, strong, has a wicked temper, and is dead set against breaking the curse. Why does he want to keep me here forever?

    But it’s not just my freedom on the line. If I don’t break the princes’ curse soon, all the magic in the Enchanted Vale will be stolen by the evil—and stupidly hot—Prince of Thorns. And I’m not letting my princes stay cursed.

    Not after I’ve fallen in love with them.

  • HOLLOW

    By: Karina Halle
    Now Available
    Genre: Dark Romantasy

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌛
    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥(feral)
    Tropes: Shadow Daddy, Dark academia, Why Choose?

    REVIEW

    This was a spicy, dark remaining of the Sleepy Hollow legend coupled with a dark academia mystery full of witches, why choose?, and early puritan America vibes.

    The story of Ichabod and the Headless horseman is a widely known American legend. In Hollow, Ichabod Crane is a professor in the nearby school of witchcraft. The privileged daughter of the headmistress, Kat Von Tassel, is one of his students. He is immediately drawn to her and she to him. The love of her childhood, Bram, has been missing for three years after a night of passion with Kat and suddenly returns shortly after their meeting. However, something dark has happened to Bram that has caused him to become something other at night…something dark. Something deadly. Something possessive…over Kat.

    This story was mostly good. There were a few parts that were a little slow? But the spice was good and the dips into Crane’s past were illuminating. This is definitely a smit-droven book more than plot driven. Hopefully it will pick up in the next book.

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

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Kat Van Tassel’s life was predestined from childhood; she was to marry her best friend, Brom Bones. But Brom vanished from Sleepy Hollow years ago, leaving Kat alone to enroll in Sleepy Hollow Institute, a shadowy university for advanced witchcraft run by her powerful family. And now she finds herself drawn to the school’s enigmatic new teacher, Ichabod Crane, as he delves into dark magic.

    When Brom returns, suffering from amnesia and a dark transformation, the trio must confront gruesome murders attributed to a vengeful spirit, The Headless Horseman, while navigating their tangled relationships.

    As Kat, Ichabod, and Brom seek answers, their bonds deepen, and forbidden desires take hold. But Sleepy Hollow holds secrets more sinister than they imagined. The Headless Horseman lurks, threatening to claim them, while something even more terrifying looms in the shadows. Embark on a journey of dark mysteries, desire, and danger in the eerie heart of Sleepy Hollow.

  • MARS VOL1 – 30th Anniversary Ed

    MARS VOL1 – 30th Anniversary Ed

    By: Fuyumi Soryo

    Pub Date: 06-16-2026

    Genre: Manga Romance
    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

    Art: 🎨🎨🎨🎨

    Heat Level: 🔥(Tame)

    Tropes: Troubled Bad Boy, Quiet Artist Girl, Touch her and pay

    REVIEW

    It was really nice to revisit something that I read back in middle school. I had a friend who would read Manga and would let me read after her (special shout out to Ande for the intro which has lead to my love of graphic novels and appreciation for Asian culture that has grown deep over these many years!). It felt a little like stepping back in time with an old friend. It definitely wasn’t 30 years ago, but it was long enough that this was like taking the way-back machine to a time before smartphones.

    The story still holds up, although there were definitely a few parts I had forgotten, like the teacher in the art room, but it’s where we all became fascinated by Rei. The characters are loveable with many layers and there is so much that happens in just this first volume. I hope I get the chance to revisit the rest of the series!

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

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Kira’s life has been marked by pain. Gang violence took her father when she was young, and her mother’s remarriage only inflicted even more appalling scars. She has no trust left to offer the world, so when a ravishingly handsome boy asks her for directions one day, she draws a map and hands it to him without a word. On the other side of the map is one of her drawings, which catches the eye of the boy, a motorcyclist named Rei. When the two end up in the same class, an outrageous incident will bind them together—Rei promising to model for Kira, in exchange for more of her art. But Rei has also suffered a family tragedy that has worn down his temper to a short, flashing fuse. Can these two damaged souls with nowhere else to turn heal each other, or will they burn themselves out first?

  • CHRISTMAS WITH A CHIMERA

    By Isabelle Taylor
    Pub Date: NOW AVAILABLE

    Genre: RomCom, Contemporary Fantasy

    Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌗

    Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥(Howl)

    Tropes: Second Chance Romance, Grumpy v Sunshine, Celebrity, Small Town

    REVIEW

    Welcome back to Claw Haven, everyone! This was such a charming novella set in our favorite recently revamped little Alaskan town full of mythical creatures and beings.

    Arthur and Emma’s relationship is kind of hot. They are both looking for connection and love that they haven’t felt since the Big Betrayal of their high school years. Emma has been angry ever since, and Arthur has been faking it and making it but with no real interpersonal connection for the last couple of decades until a RomCom He’s filming decides that Claw Haven, his home town. Is the perfect place to shoot and at Emma’s Cafe no less. YIKES.

    I love how Athur goes about winning back the only person who ever made an effort to get to know the real him and how Emma has to come to terms with her anger and where it comes from.

    This is the perfect little fast paced romance novella to warm your heart on a winter’s eve.

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

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    Going home for Christmas wasn’t on chimera Arthur Pineclaw’s to-do list, not since he left the sleepy town of Claw Haven over a decade ago. He’s back now for one reason only—to film a cozy holiday romance. Two weeks of smiling for the cameras and charming his fans, and he can go back to LA. Easy. After all, there’s no one he can’t charm.

    No one except for Emma Curt, the high school sweetheart he dumped on Christmas Eve. The same woman who apparently owns the café they’re filming in.

    Emma never would’ve agreed to let her café be a filming location for a rom-com if she’d known Arthur Pineclaw was the lead. She’d rather eat rocks than be civil to the guy who abandoned her to become a movie star—on Christmas Eve.

    But as the two spend more time together, it’s easy to fall into old habits…and into bed. Just because things are still good between them doesn’t mean Emma’s ready for anything more, but when their unexpected reunion stirs up old feelings—and old arguments—a second chance romance might be the gift they both need.