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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.

  • Love to Hate You

    By Marina Adair. Pub Date 4-22-2025

    Rating: 4*s

    “Wes Kingston is the cut-throat CEO of the bookstore chain, and he doesn’t believe in love—or failure. He runs his business the way he runs his life, alone. And he isn’t going to let a fiery femme fatale change that (even if she’s gorgeous).

    Summer Russo believes in destiny and true love . . . which is why she sank her life savings into reviving a nearly bankrupt indie bookstore. But just as she starts to get the hang of the business, a big-box shop moves in next door.

    At least Summer has her family’s annual vacation to look forward to. But when she arrives at the beachside cabin, she realizes her sister has brought along not only her boyfriend but a second guest—his brother, who just happens to be the same surly-but-infuriatingly-sexy bookstore mogul.

    Thoughts:

    This is a cute rivals to lovers romcom that gives You’ve Got Mail vibes. It goes deeper, also, into family drama and trauma, and complicated feelings around how much support someone should be responsible for to keep those they love afloat. Both characters had to deal with these feelings while discovering what really matters to them through the other person. It was such a delight and seeing the growth of the characters and how they confronted their issues with one another’s support. It really made it feel personal.

    Also supernatural funny and cute!

    Thanks to 8th Note Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

  • 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

  • Heartbreaker

    Hell’s Belles #2

    Sarah McLean, Pub Date Oct 18, 2022

    4*s Best Enjoyed when you want a truly delightful adventure romance with some Praise Kink

    Publisher’s Synopsis

    “A Princess of Thieves: Raised among London’s most notorious criminals, a twist of fate landed Adelaide Frampton in the bright ballrooms of Mayfair, where she masquerades as a quiet wallflower—so plain and unassuming that no one realizes she’s the Matchbreaker…using her superior skills as a thief to help brides avoid the altar.

    A King of Reputation: Henry, Duke of Clayborn, has spent a lifetime living in perfection. He has no time for the salacious gossip that arises every time the Matchbreaker ends another groom. His own reputation is impeccable—and the last thing he needs is a frustrating, fascinating woman discovering the truth of his past, or the secrets he holds close.

    A Royal Match: When the two find themselves on a breakneck journey across Britain to stop a wedding, it’s impossible for Clayborn to resist this woman who both frustrates and fascinates him. But late-night carriage rides make for delicious danger…and soon Adelaide is uncovering Clayborn’s truths, throwing his well-laid plans into chaos…and threatening to steal his heavily guarded heart.

    THOUGHTS

    Hell’s Bells is a great series by the AMAZING Sarah MacClean. This wasn’t my favorite of the three, that honor belongs to book 3, Knock Out, but it was still fun to experience Adelaide and Henry’s relationship from chase to spice.

    The cat and mouse aspect lead to a fantastic emotional growth arc that was somewhat expected but no less delightful. The danger they faced added a layer to the plot that helped move the story along, but also really illustrated why Adelaide was so closed off and the obstacles that the Duke must overcome to be with his lady.

    I really did enjoy this series. It has a very strong FMC vibe that it shares woth the best modern historucal romance renderings.

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

  • Accidentally His

    by Sabrina Jeffries

    Rating: 4*s

    NOW AVAILABLE FROM KENSINGTON BOOKS

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “As a viscount’s heir, Rafe Wolfford is obligated to take a wife someday. But she must be the right sort of wife—not too independent, and not inclined to delve into his escapades as a spy. The forthright, perceptive Lady Verity is altogether the wrong choice. But Rafe’s courtship is merely a ruse to discover whether Verity or anyone else associated with Elegant Occasions is leaking crucial information to the French. That mission is all that
    matters—until fate, and desire, intervene.

    After enduring one disastrous engagement, Verity won’t easily open her heart again, preferring to devote herself to Elegant Occasions. Rafe is charming, handsome, and kisses like the very devil, but she knows he’s harboring secrets. Still, when her ex-fiancé tries to ruin her reputation, Rafe offers his hand. For the sake of her family and business, Verity has little choice but to accept. Yet turning this arrangement into a true marriage will require daring and trust—which neither will embrace easily, making surrender all the sweeter . . .”

    REVIEW

    This is the culmination of the Designing Debutantes series. We FINALLY get the story about the mysterious man that Verity has seen following and spying on the sisters throughout the series, and it’s everything you wanted and expected. Intrigue, strong women  taking care of themselves even with incredibly supportive partners, and spice between Rafe and Verity that we have come to expect from Sabrina Jeffries.

    If you love historical romance and haven’t picked up this series, you are missing out.

    Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the free copy in exchange for a review!

  • 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!

  • FANGS FOR NOTHING

    By Steffanie Holmes

    Rating: 3.5*s. A decent romance to sink your teeth into.

    Available Now from Bacchanalia House

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “Lord Alaric Valerian has a problem. His mother is visiting his castle for the first time, but she doesn’t know that Alaric has filled every room with his centuries of artistic passions and creative pursuits.

    Desperate, he hires professional organiser Winnie Preston to help him tame the mess. But Alaric isn’t prepared for bubbly, passionate Winnie to show up at his castle and ram a metaphorical stake through his cold, vampire heart. Winnie sets his fangs on edge, but the more closely he works with her, the more he wishes she could be his.

    So when Alaric’s mother arrives with a new bride-to-be in tow, Alaric convinces Winnie to pretend to be his fiancee. He may be causing all kinds of scandal in the vampire court by being engaged to a human, but at least he doesn’t have to give up his reclusive life.

    But Winnie still doesn’t know Alaric’s a vampire, and Alaric didn’t count on Winnie’s meddling book club pinning him for a mysterious murder in the village. Will their maybe-not-so-fake-marriage survive once Winnie discovers the monster that lurks beneath his fangs?”

    REVIEW

    Let me preface this by saying that the romance was really good. I love a good, tension-filled romance. Add a supernatural flare? Fantastic. I’m a fated mates touch-her-and-die kinda girl. However, as spicy as this book had a tendency to be, it felt really long and rambling. It also had a lot of secondary characters with extensive back stories that were leaned into a little too hard and were obviously in previous books. Theu also weren’t hard to understand, accept, and move on to the current subject of the book, but there were moments that made me say “yeah, we get it!” where I just wished the author would Move. ON. The friendships and relationships ans world building were still good, I just think it could have been made a lot shorter and be just as good if not better.

    THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND BACCHANALIA HOUSE FOR THE ADVANCED COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR A FAIR REVIEW!

  • Bespoke & Bespelled

    By Karen Healey

    Rating: 3.5*s-Short Sweet Romance

    AVAILABLE NOW FROM 8TH NOTE PRESS

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “Stitch-witch and costume designer Marnie Taylor knew she was taking a risk when she left her solid studio job in L.A. and returned to New Zealand for a job on the film adaptation of her favorite fantasy book series. But she didn’t expect supernatural sabotage on set – or her inconvenient but pressing attraction to the leading man.

    A-lister Rider Adams was excited for something new – the lead in an adaptation of an iconic series. Instead, he’s trapped with a terrible script and a cursed production plagued by mysterious problems from flat tires to costumes that seem to almost magically resize overnight. And for some reason, he can’t stop making an idiot of himself in front of the gorgeous costume supervisor…”

    REVIEW:

    This was a short romance with a magical, thick FMC and a movie star MMC.  The on-set hijinx and off-set chemistry between the characters is very cute and the FMCs search for the person or thing cursing the production that is supposed to be her saving grace leads to plenty of fun.

    It’s an easy read and pretty cozy if you’re into that. Nothing really deep, the romance provides a little spice. The length is roughly novella. It’s a fun little escape if you need a palate cleanser.

    Thanks to NetGalley and 8th Note Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest Review!

  • What the River Knows

    By Isabel Ibañez

    Rating: 4*s

    NOW AVAILABLE FROM ST. MARTIN’S PRESS!

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.

    When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

    With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.”

    REVIEW:

    This book had everything. ANCIENT EGYPT, family secrets,  a smart and brave FMC, an MMC with a troubled past, dubious motives, and almost unhealthy heaps of tragedy that brought some very real feelings to the table. I was on the edge of my seat.

    The felt like I was in Egypt making discoveries alongside the characters and could feel the dust and heat and fear and longing that plagued Inez. Ibanez always does a fantastic job setting a scene and a story, and the world building around magic felt so very subtle that you could see the artifacts actually existing here.

    I usually have a really hard time with books that set out to break my heart over and over, but the raw emotions made the spicy, dramatic bits all the more delicious, and the pull between Inez and Whit is what kept me going. I definitely will need to pick up the sequel asap, but I am not sure I can let Ibanez keep breaking my heart yet. I know the adventure isn’t over for me, though, and there is still so much to discover!

    Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

  • THIRD SHIFT SOCIETY

    Series Rating 4.5*s

    VOLUME 1 & 2. By Meredith Moriarty

    VOLUME 1

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    “In one afternoon, Ellie discovers that monsters are real, she has latent psychic powers, and a well dressed man with a pumpkin for a head wants her to be his partner. It’s a lot to take in. Now the clumsy but determined Ellie and her Pumpkin-headed boss Ichabod have to team up and fight the things that go bump in the night.

    Before she can say “boo,” Ellie finds herself tangled up in a magical world where monsters are real, demons tend bar, and psychic conversations take place in a super unsettling mystical void. And there are even more dangerous forces at work, just out of sight.

    This volume collects Season 1 of the bewitching WEBTOON comic Third Shift Society.”

    REVIEW:

    This was an excellent start to a much beloved supernatural mystery Webtoon series and the page setup for the graphic novel did it justice. There’s this will they/won’t thay that really plays out well and the art is reminiscent of other paranormal animated media, like the old Ghostbusters show/Scooby Doo. I mean that as a delicious compliment because they are shows I loved and they hit that nostalgia for me while also giving me a one-two punch  right in my romantic tension/spooky loving adult feels.

    Thanks to Netgalley and Webtoon for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

    VOLUME 2

    PUBLISHER’S SYNOPSIS

    “Life’s funny. One minute you’re jobless, deep in debt, and on the verge of eviction; the next you’re in a fight with a monster and getting a job working for a paranormal detective with the head of a Jack-o-Lantern. It’s an age-old story. 

    Now the clumsy but determined Ellie (who’s recently discovered she has strong psychic powers) and her pumpkin-headed boss Ichabod have to team up and fight the things that go bump in the night.

    Ellie and Ichabod have some supernatural solves under their belts and Ellie has her psychic powers more (or less) under control. All they’re up against now are cryptic witches, sinister demons, and some ancient monsters hellbent on escaping their psychic prison. What could possibly go wrong?”

    REVIEW:

    This volume of Third Shift Society delves into Season 2 of the web comic in which we find Ellie getting more used to her powers. Ichabod is being really  secretive about stuff I suspect Ellie should probably know, especially now that we are beginning to understand the motivations of our demon friends and how they pose a major danger to sensitives like Ellie. The will they won’t they pull is a constant tug of war and I never thought some pumpkin headed guy in a suit would be so very alluring. Can’t wait to see where this story goes!

    Thanks to Netgalley and Webtoon for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

  • 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!