Category: Survival

HOUSE OF THE BEAST

By Michelle Wong. NOW AVAILABLE.

Narrated by Jeanne Syquia

Rating 4*

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

Born out of wedlock and shunned by society, Alma learned to make her peace with solitude, so long as she had her mother by her side. When her mother becomes gravely ill, Alma discovers a clue about her estranged father and writes a message begging for help. Little does she know that she is a bastard of House Avera, one of the four noble families that serve the gods and are imbued with their powers—and her father is a vessel of the Dread Beast, the most frightening god of all, a harbinger of death.

In a desperate exchange for her mother’s medicine, Alma agrees to sacrifice her left arm to the Beast in a ceremony that will bind her forever to the House and its deity. Regardless, her mother soon passes, leaving Alma trapped inside the Avera’s grand estate, despised by her relatives and nothing but a pawn in her father’s schemes.

Now vengeance is the only thing that keeps Alma going. That, and the strange connection she has with her god—a monster who is constantly by her side, an eldritch being taking the form of a beautiful prince with starlit hair that only she can see. He tells Alma that she has been chosen to bring change upon their world, and with his help, Alma plots a perilous journey to destroy the House that stole everything from her.

A gripping coming-of-age fantasy novel marked by divine rituals, intense combat, and twisted romance, House of the Beast is a tale of revenge, resilience, and the power of love to see us through the darkness.

REVIEW

This was an interesting fantasy epic about an underestimated girl who is deeply connected to a god and driven by vengeance.

Alma had a terrible life after her mother died. She was despised by her entore family and used bybher father for his own devices hidden within a grand and altruistic outward agenda.

There are some slight romantic leanings, but this story is mostly about seeking justice and protecting those who cannot protect themselves, even if you are looked down at by the very people who ultimately depend on you to succeed. It had been awhile since I had read something where thr romance wasn’t high on the list and I actually did enjoy it.

Both the audiobook and the book were good, and I enjoyed the narrator.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an advanced Audiobook & ebook copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

After Dark Fantasy Spicy🌶️ Survival

PSYCHO SHIFTERS

BY Jasmine Mas. Now Available from Harlequin Trade Publishing!

Rating 4*

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

These alpha males think they own me.
After growing up with nothing, I’ve finally found my path to freedom: I’m a shifter, a warrior who transforms into a monster.
All I have to do is survive bootcamp.

I didn’t count on my three 6’5 roommates-slash-trainers. Covered in tattoos, jeweled, and horned, these are like no men I’ve ever dealt with before.

They don’t think I belong.
They don’t think I can fight.
They don’t think I’m strong enough for war.
They don’t think I can shift.
I’m about to prove them wrong.

Jax, Ascher, and Cobra are going to be devastated when they discover my truth…just wait until they see my shifted form.

REVIEW

This reverse harem fantasy is wild. I really liked this book. The world is massive, with the first three books covering three different realms.

But we’re here to talk about the first book, even though I immediately moved on to the 2nd and 3rd. There is a lot of spice (not with the MFC) and tension. It’s 100% the kind of read you want if you’re looking for something that is a guilty pleasure. It’s the reality TV of reverse harem fantasy romance. We don’t get the full characterization of any of the characters. You like them, but not really love them. It’s all lust, nothing deep, but again: guilty pleasure. If you want some hot quick trashy fantasy, read this. Again, I immediately read the rest of the series as it was available on KU, so this did scratch an itch for me. It’s a compliment. However, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. It’s PACKED with excellent voice talent reading you to filth.It honestly MADE the first book for me and gave me a deeper appreciation for the rest of the series. Honestly, without the audiobook setting the scene for me, I would have struggled with this book.

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

Adventure Fantasy Romance Spicy🌶️ Survival

A SCAR IN THE BONE

By Sophie Jordan, Pub Date 10-14-2025

Rating:

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

“It’s been a year since Tamsyn transformed. From royal whipping girl in the palace of Penterra to the bride of Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands. From the enemy in the Beast’s bed to the wife he sacrificed himself to save. From an ordinary girl…to a dragon. And not just any dragon—a powerful fire-breather…and the best hope to keep magic from flickering out forever.

With Fell gone, torn from her side in the dangerous swirling mists of the Crags, Tamsyn is heartbroken and alone among the dragon pride. An unwelcome outsider still learning to survive in this fiery skin of hers within a new cutthroat society, she trains in the arena until her muscles burn and her blood spills. Slowly, Tamsyn forges herself into a warrior in the shadow of Fell’s enigmatic brother, Vetr, whose silver eyes track her with distrust…and maybe something more.

But is Fell truly beyond her reach? Their bond pulls at her, as fiercely as the drive to protect both humans and dragonkind from the growing threat posed by Stig, once her closest friend, now a relentless enemy determined to hunt her down and destroy her—and with her, all things magic.

Magic stirs in the darkness, strengthening all who believe in it. But will it be enough to save Tamsyn, the pride, the kingdom…and a fiery love fated to endure for centuries, as deep as a scar in the bone?”

THOUGHTS

This book was absolutely heart wrenching but in the best way possible. There was a very tasty love triangle and enemies at every turn. There’s revenge, romance, intrigue, and anything else you could ask of a good fantasy. I adore Sophie Jordan, but I had not read her fantasy before this prequel series to Firelight. In other words, I have not read the Firelight series, but if it’s anything like this one, I probably need it on my TBR stat.

This is not a standalone and you need to read the first in the prequel series before you dive into this one. There’s no way you can appreciate the depths of the betrayals and the highs of the revenge scenes if you don’t. I love a good romantasy and this was a FEAST!

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

Adventure Fantasy Historical Fiction Paranormal Supernatural Survival

A LAND SO WIDE

BY Erin A Craig. Pub Date 9-9-25

Rating:

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped. Founded by an ambitious lumber merchant, the village is blessed with rich natural resources that have made its people prosperous—but at a cost. The same woods that have lined the townsfolks’ pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves, bears, and the Bright-Eyeds—monsters beyond description who have rained utter destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistaken’s founders made a deal with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will keep the Bright-Eyeds out—and the town’s citizens in. Anyone who spends a night within Mistaken’s borders belongs to it forever.

Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Determined to rescue Ellis, she figures out a way to defy Mistaken’s curse and begins a trek through the cold and pitiless wilderness. But there, Greer is hunted, not only by the ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistaken’s founding and her own origins.

Playfully drawing from Scottish folklore, Erin A. Craig’s adult debut is both a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus security: a stunning celebration of one woman’s relentless bravery on a quest to reclaim her lost love—and seize her own future.”

THOUGHTS

Erin A Craig understands how to write atmospheric settings, interesting characters, and stories that take bites of folklore and ties them tightly to strands of simple and realistic settings. Each one is like a delicate web made from the delicate memories of life, knots of horror, and amber droplets of love and yearning that traverse along its edges.

Basically, I’m a fan behind all the waxing poetic.

A Land So Wide is an interesting mash up of manifest destiny and ancient evil, clashing on the shores of untamed wilderness. At times of felt like a condemning parallel to how the colonies were settled, with an eldritch horror in place of disease. I cannot explain that further, you will just need to read it. I enjoyed the characters and the ending. Craig always leaves us devastated yet satisfied, and, as always, waiting for the next story to burst forth from her brain and into our greedy hands.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pantheon for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest, fair review.

Historical Fiction Mystery Romance Survival

The Madness of Miss Grey

By Julia Bennet

Rating: 4*s Madly in Love

Available now from Julia Bennet!

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Everyone thinks Helen Grey is mad but, despite ten years imprisoned in a crumbling Yorkshire asylum, she’s managed to cling to sanity. When a new doctor arrives, she sees an opportunity. William Carter may seem like an honorable man but she’s sure he’ll prove easy to seduce…and trick into helping her escape.

Will would never bed a patient, no matter how tempting she might be. But once he realises Helen’s been imprisoned for no good reason, he’s determined to save her. They need to work together but freeing her won’t be easy, not when her mysterious benefactor is determined to keep her locked up and hidden from society forever.

When Helen is entangled in her own trap and begins to fall for Will too, she must fight not only for her liberty but for her right to love.”

REVIEW

This is a dark historical romance with themes of mental and some physical abuse. Our MCs are not the typical handsome duke and debutante. No, this is a house of madness and explores the dark times when a woman could be committed for little to no reason at the whims of the men who were their appointed guardians. Helen does not present with “Madness”, something William Carter figures out quickly during their interactions. She does suffer much abuse at the hands of her supposed caregivers, which William finds himself often in need of intervening. Yet, despite his findings, it seems that someone outside of the hospital is taking great pains to see she does not emerge from this dark place. As Helen and William try to figure out a way to get her out, feelings begin to develop between them that may set their lives on fire.

Part mystery thriller, part forbidden romance, with the slightest sprinkling of horror. I really liked this dark historical romance. ❤️

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

After Dark Fantasy Mystery Romance Spicy🌶️ Survival Witchy!

ECHOES OF NIGHT

By Caitlyn MacFarland. Pub Date THIS TUESDAY, 04-15-2025!

Rating: 4*s

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

“She didn’t expect to survive the night…

To satisfy the terms of a treaty between her pack and the Alpha who murdered her brother, twenty-four-year-old Selene Beaumont finds herself taking the place of her spoiled sister as a sacrificial bride. Powerless as a wolfless pack servant, what chance does she stand against a monster like Killian Darrow, the only living heir of the depraved Alpha King?

But something happens when he touches her, something that echoes in her soul. Changed from monster to a man, a mysterious transformation is revealed, throwing all that is known about the murderous Alpha into doubt.

He’s looking to break a monstrous curse…

Killian prefers to keep others at a safe distance, but after Selene unlocks the mystery of his affliction, he has no choice but to keep her close. Skin-to-skin close. Or risk the monster rearing its ugly head.

But soon it becomes clear that not everyone wants him to be free, or see a wolfless woman married to the most powerful Alpha in a generation. As allies turn to enemies and old secrets stir, they will learn that nothing and no one is what it seems.“

THOUGHTS

This book scratched an itch for me in a completely satisfying way. I really wanted a spicy, angsty werewolf romance and this one dug deep into it with its claws and tore if up from the root. It’ll definitely grow back in time for the next installment.

There was plenty of plot, pack intrigue, political finagling between warring packs and other supes, and hidden origin story to keep this interesting throughout all 513 pages.

Not sure when we can expect the next one, but there will by 8 books in the Daughter’s of the Shattered Moon series including ECHOES OF NIGHT!

Thanks to NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review

Adventure After Dark Fantasy Mystery Romance Spicy🌶️ Survival

A FIRE IN THE SKY

By Sophie Jordan. Now Available from Avon and Harper Voyager!!

Rating 4.5*s

PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

“Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it’s her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard…though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride…but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead…it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.”

THOUGHTS

I honestly slept on this one. I did not expect it to be as good as it was. I don’t know what I was expecting, however–I LOVE Sophie Jordan’s historical romances and she’s one of my instabuy authors in that genre, but I guess it’s dragons? I’m relatively new. Late adopted to The Empyrean. I really need to stop being so hesitant to enjoy and indulge in less than cozy fantasy. This was dark fantasy at its finest, and so very spicy. I really love a good bonded couple and Fell and Tamsyn were delicious together. If I had to describe this book in food terms, I’d say it’s a dark chocolate lava cake with a dash of strong, spicy cinnamon. But that cliffhanger is going to kill me…

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

Adventure Contemporary Fiction Romance Survival

Crash Landing

By Annie McQuaid

Rating: 5*

Pub Date April 1, 2025!

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Piper Adams is completely, totally, one hundred percent over Wyatt, the former love of her life. At least, that’s what she tells herself. After he broke her heart, she stopped taking risks and focused instead on building a perfect—and perfectly safe—life. But bumping into Wyatt at the airport on the way to her best friend’s destination wedding wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was a canceled flight nor Wyatt’s offer of a ride on the tiny plane he’s flying to attend the same event. Desperate to make it on time, she accepts his offer, but things go from awkward to full-blown nightmare when their plane crashes in the Caribbean, stranding Piper on a deserted island with the last person she ever wanted to see again.

At first, rule-following Piper clashes with adventure-driven Wyatt, but as the days tick by, she can see the boy she once loved has grown into a man. A man who makes her laugh, knows his way around a fire, and is annoyingly hot shirtless. A man she could love again. As the chemistry still simmering between them boils over, Piper begins wishing Wyatt was more than just a survival partner. But for their love to survive a second chance, she’ll have to not only trust Wyatt again, but also learn to trust herself and find the courage to let go of her carefully curated life for the chance at something far greater—if they can survive the island long enough for rescue.”

REVIEW

I love Romcoms. I love survival stories. I love rivals/enemies to lovers. How could I NOT like this book when it did all three PERFECTLY.

Crash Landing has an excellent plot–survive on an island with your first love/ex until rescue comes, and try not to give into the romantic and sexual tension. Easy enough, right? Two people who once had intense feelings for one another, a misunderstanding that leads to a lifetime of hurt and longing, only to be brought back together in a scenario where there is an iffy chance of survival? So simple. The characters have great development and real problems to overcome. And it does not have that Hallmark movie feel to it, which is just another plus in my book.

If any of thisnappeals to you, put this one on your TBR.

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

Adventure Mystery Science Fiction Survival

Full Speed to a Crash Landing

Post author By Lady Nightwolf
Post date February 5, 2025
No Comments on Full Speed to a Crash Landing

By Beth Revis

Rating: 5* – You need to read this space heist NOW.

Available NOW from DAW.

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Ada Lamarr may have gotten to the spaceship wreck first, but looter’s rights won’t get her far when she’s got a hole in the side of her ship and her spacesuit is almost out of air. Fortunately for her, help arrives in the form of a government salvage crew—and while they reluctantly rescue her from certain death, they are not pleased to have an unexpected passenger along on their classified mission.

But Ada doesn’t care—all that matters to her is enjoying their fine food and sweet, sweet oxygen—until Rian White, the government agent in charge, starts to suspect that there’s more to Ada than meets the eye. He’s not wrong—but he’s so pretty that Ada is perfectly happy to keep him paying attention to her—at least until she can complete the job she was sent to pull off. But as quick as Ada is, Rian might be quicker—and she may not be entirely sure who’s manipulating who until it’s too late…”

REVIEW:

Beth Revis is a MASTER of space bound suspense and this book just frigging proves it. She set out to write something great to spite a critic and she absolutely did. This is a fins specimen of space heist sci-fi fiction and I almost can’t say more without giving anything away. The suspense was great, the action- amazing! And the characters–oh boy.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. I’ve been recommending it to everyone who will listen, and if you’ve gotten this far, kudos–now stop reading this review and start reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Adventure Fantasy Spicy🌶️ Survival

Fourth Wing

By Rebecca Yarros. Book 1 of the Empyrean series

Rating: 4*s

Publisher’s Synopsis:

“Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die.”

REVIEW

I was SERIOUSLY HESITANT to read this one for no real reason other than the length, which felt like a herculean task. I finally had a friend really lean into it and tell me to just give it a try. Well, you see the stars. Sometimes Violet annoyed me, but I loved the life or death feel and the danger around every corner. I devoured this book and Iron Flame in less than a week–don’t ask me how I crushed almost 1500 pages in a week, I honestly do not know.

The plot is fast paced and there is a stack of secrets that you absolutely race to reveal. The tension between the main characters is palpable and the stakes are sky high–any wrong move could be a death sentence. I was hooked on this in the same way I was hooked on Hunger Games and ACOTAR when they first hit shelves.

If you’re into high tension, some spice, and fantasy, get on the frigging band wagon, dude.