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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; itā€™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. ā€‹Whether itā€™s a slow-burn magic system or a spicy contemporary trope, every story here is chosen to be Wildly Devoured.
  • THE IRON HEX

    THE IRON HEX

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

    Rating: šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ–
    Heat Level: šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„(Howl)
    Tropes: Touch Her and ā˜ ļø,  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 blurā€”but with her shop, her loyal rabbit familiar, and practicing only the potions magic still legal under the watchful eye of the Iron Empire, sheā€™s managed to remain unnoticed by the empireā€™s witch hunters.

    Until Hugo Venton walks through her door.

    Brash, clever, and infuriatingly handsome, Hugo is searching for somethingā€¦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 continentā€”and deeper into a past she canā€™t recall. As buried memories, mysteries in the Iron Empireā€™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 Empireā€™s forces as they draw ever closerā€¦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):šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ–
    Heat Level: šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„(feral)
    Tropes: Shadow Daddy, Touch her and ā˜ ļø, 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
    DƔinn 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, DƔinn is forced to devour the soul of a rival witch.

    But Jasper Prescott is no corrupt magical misfit. Heā€™s powerful and beautiful, with a soul worth savoring. DĆ”inn is eagerly devouring the witch when heā€™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 destinyā€¦or their ruin.

    Desperate for his freedom, DĆ”inn makes a deal with Jasper: kill my mistress, and Iā€™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 DĆ”inn 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 sheā€™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 Islandā€™s shores, Jasper and DĆ”inn 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:šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•

    Heat Level: šŸ”„(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!Ā Ā  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! šŸ”„šŸ’—

    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 didnā€™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 sentientā€”and Jellypop has a lot to say about Su-aeā€™s love life. High school romances are never easy, and Su-aeā€™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. Itā€™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:šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•

    Art: šŸŽØšŸŽØšŸŽØšŸŽØ

    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 ā€“ ultimately ā€“ 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 canā€™t control, appreciate what canā€™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: šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•
    Heat Level: šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„(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 everythingā€”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 Axefireā€”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 sheā€™s stuck on Blakeā€™s elite team racing to reseal the Anchors to the demon realm. With rebels striking, demons rising, and the Dominions at each otherā€™s throats, Rubi must unlock the truth of her magic and her pastā€¦while resisting her dangerous attraction to the ruthless warrior who could be her redemptionā€”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: šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•
    Heat Level: šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„(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, sheā€™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, sheā€™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 isnā€™t just the key to her salvation. Heā€™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 canā€™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 shouldnā€™t.

  • VERA STEIN IS FINE

    VERA STEIN IS FINE

    By Julie Murphy

    Pub Date: 7/21/26

    Genre: Rom Com

    LRating: šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ—

    Heat Level: šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„ 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 sheā€™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 isnā€™t one to take chances. Sheā€™s spent most of her adult years caretaking for her dying mother and her movie star bossā€™s ego. Now abruptly houseless and jobless, Vera has nowhere to land, so to grandmotherā€™s house we go!

    The Starlight Palms Senior Living Center is midcentury Hollywood down to its pastel-painted bones. This desert gem isnā€™t lacking in saucy plot twists (swinging seniors, anyone?) or a leading man: Elias Buckley, the on-site doctor and Veraā€™s former ill-fated college fling andā€”for reasons that will stay in Vegasā€”legally her ex-husband according to the state of Nevada.

    Itā€™s not long before Vera falls into a job as the activities coordinator and under the spell of a certain smart-mouthed doctorā€¦ 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 sheā€™s taken, thereā€™s still a Hollywood ending (and maybe even a happily ever after) in sightā€¦

  • WILLING PREY

    WILLING PREY

    By: Allie Oleander
    NOW AVAILABLE
    Genre: Dark Romance

    Rating: šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•
    Heat Level: šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„(feral)
    Tropes: Primal Play, Wealthy MMC, Touch Her & ā˜ ļø, 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.

    Claireā€™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.

    Thatā€™s okay with Claireā€”she is, too. And sheā€™s sinking her teeth a little deeper into Shaneā€™s heart every time he catches her.

  • SILVER & BLOOD

    SILVER & BLOOD

    By: Jessie Mihalik
    NOW AVAILABLE
    Genre: Romantasy

    Rating: šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ—
    Heat Level: šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„(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

    “Thereā€™s something in the woodsā€¦

    When a vicious beast begins attacking her fellow villagers, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forbidden forest and kill the monster as sheā€™s the only mage availableā€”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 fateā€”and provides a rare opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

    After being rescued and healed from the beastā€™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 mageā€”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 Rielaā€™s magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets and lies connecting Rielaā€™s past to Garrickā€™s, the tenuous threads of trust between them start to fray.

    Because Rielaā€™s lifeā€”or her deathā€”might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost.”

  • BONDED BY THORNS

    BONDED BY THORNS

    By: Elizabeth Helen
    Now Available
    Genre: Romantasy

    Rating: šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•šŸŒ•
    Heat Level: šŸ”„šŸ”„šŸ”„(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 himā€¦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 princeā€¦ 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 evilā€”and stupidly hotā€”Prince of Thorns. And I’m not letting my princes stay cursed.

    Not after I’ve fallen in love with them.