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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.

  • Vow of the Shadow King

    By Sylvia Mercedes

    Rating 3* – Cool Setting, suspense

    Pub Date January 14, 2025

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “After her deception is discovered, Princess Faraine is trapped in the Shadow Realm and at the mercy of her new husband. She’s surrounded by enemies and far from any allies. Dissolving their marriage alliance would spell disaster for her people, not to mention break her heart.

    With the instability in his realm growing daily, King Vor is more desperate than ever to find a solution. Only, it cannot involve his wife. At one time, he thought he might love her, but with his trust irrevocably shattered by her lie, he’s convinced their love cannot possibly flourish.

    Circumstances require them to spend more time together, forcing Vor to determine what is truth and what is deceit between him and Faraine. He cannot deny the way his blood stirs in her presence. If their love is truly poisoned beyond recovery, why is there a flicker of hope in the darkness?”

    REVIEW

    This sequel to Bride of the Shadow King brings us back to the Trolde realm and pulls us up from the edge of the cliff. The sequel brings us some answers, but opens up other mysteries for which we beg for answers. Court intrigue is strong, Faraine begins to figure out why her power seems so tied to the crystals of this kingdom, and Vor finds himself questioning not only those closest to him, but also what is most important to him as an individual. There’s conspiracy afoot and a cult with highly questionable motives.

    These stories are fast paced and being the sucker for mystery that I am in was invested. I’m still invested as there were some answers I’ve been waiting for since book 1, like I truly think Ilsevel is still alive and being married tonthe fae king and we have a spinoff series coming for us, but no confirmation yet. I find it super frustrating but the world is still cool and there are still a few characters that aren’t completely wearing on me. The MC is starting to annoy, which makes me sad because I really liked Faraine in Book 1, but the author is doing that thing where she’s super chosen and the only answer, whoch drives me nuts. I am really hoping that Heart of the Shadow King gives us some answers and brings us home, and also gives us more Haele who is my favorite.

    Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

  • In Want of a Viscount

    Final Novel in the Chessman series –NOW AVAILABLE

    by Lorraine Heath

    Rating:

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “American Leonora Garrison has come to England in desperate search of investors to keep her family business afloat but instead finds surprising pleasure when she visits an exclusive ladies’ club and dares to kiss a stranger, who leaves her yearning for more.

    With a libertine for a father, Viscount Wyeth, more commonly known as Rook, vowed to live his life above reproach, with nary a hint of disgrace. Until one night, he takes a mysterious beauty into his arms, a lady who tempts him to cast his sterling reputation aside in favor of more wicked pursuits.

    When fate reunites the couple, they are torn between desire and duty. Leonora may want the viscount, but she needs a stakeholder not a lover. When caught in a compromising situation that places everything they hold dear at risk, they must determine how best to win. However, in this scandalous game, nothing except love takes all.”

    REVIEW:

    The Chessmen series as a whole is a fantastic historical romance adventure, but I especially loved In Want of a Viscount.

    Our MC Lenora is inventive and secretly adventurous. She is on a mission to save the family business, a beloved memory of her late father. Her brother and mother could care less, but she’s bound and determined to save her father’s legacy. While visiting a club for women, she is offered an opportunity to kiss a stranger. She decides to take a chance and gets more than she bargained for when she ends up kissing Rook, who is filling in for an employee at his brother’s club. Sparks fly, but they part–never thinking they’ll see one another again.

    We know where this goes. Of course they see one another again, and that spark of passion is still intense. It leads to lots of spice and plenty of tension, which–wow. I truly loved the plot and the characters were very well thought out, but I wouldn’t expect less from Heath.

    Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

  • Fang Fiction

    by Kate Stayman-London

    Rating: 4*s – Excellent Bite- Drain ever spicy drop!

    AVAILABLE NOW TO RANDOM HOUSE PUB GROUP

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. An assault survivor and grad school dropout, Tess spends her nights managing a chic Brooklyn hotel and her days reading her favorite vampire novels, Blood Feud. She even dabbles in online conspiracies claiming Blood Feud is real—it’s fun to hunt for clues! But deep down, Tess doesn’t believe vampires actually exist . . . until one walks through her door.

    It turns out the sexy villain of Blood Feud is trapped, and only Tess can rescue him. Eager to escape her life, Tess agrees to help, and soon she’s on a secret island where the sun never shines, surrounded by deadly vampires—and most terrifying of all, she’s falling in love with one of them. (Meanwhile, back in New York, Tess’s estranged best friend is having a sapphic paranormal affair of her own.)

    Visiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream, but can Tess outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com, Tess will find out if it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future”

    REVIEW:

    I have recommended this book to many people. It’s the Vampire Fan Fiction fantasy that every romcom or vampire stan needs to read. It was lush, funny, and the characters were surprisingly well written. The romance was good and the world building was so interesting. I truly loved the alternate universe sci fi aspect that connected our world to the magical little vampire island in Blood Fued–just some multidimensional bar that was the hub of time and space? Such a neat touch. 

    I also really felt for Tess, our MC. Trauma responses are real and the disconnection she felt she had to make was so difficult, but watching her grow and reclaim the parts of her life she missed was super empowering. And finding that power to fight for the truth and liberation of good folks and found family? Awesome.

    Again. Highly recommend. ❤️

    Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

  • A Jingle Bell Mingle

    by Julie Murphy; Sierra Simone, BOOK 3 in the A Christmas Notch series.

    Rating: 4* – Super Hot –Perfect thing to warm you up in winter

    NOW AVAILABLE FROM AVON HARPER VOYAGER!

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “Part-time adult film actress/one-time adult film director/makeup artist Sunny Palmer has accidentally sold her very first screenplay to the Hope Channel. That was six months ago. Fast forward to a looming deadline, an uninspired Sunny has returned to the source of her inspiration in Christmas Notch, Vermont, to immerse herself in the local Christmas miracle on which her fever dream of a movie pitch was based.

    Isaac Kelly, former boy band heartthrob and the saddest boy in the music biz, is the latest owner of the town’s historic mansion. After his years of heartbreak following his young wife’s death, Isaac’s record label is done waiting for new music. What better place to attempt his first holiday album than a snow-covered mansion where he can become a hermit in peace?

    But after their best friends’ wedding leads to them waking up together in a freezing motel room with questionable wiring and a broken shower, Isaac takes a chance and asks Sunny to stay with him at his home. Surely the place is big enough that he’ll hardly see her or her unhinged cat. But when the two discover they’re both creatively blocked, they make a handshake deal: Isaac will help Sunny hunt down the truth behind the local lore, and Sunny will find Isaac a new muse.

    And with these two opposites under one roof, there’s no way this jingle bell mingle could go off script…right?”

    REVIEW:

    ]I am so sad this is the last of this series. I have been with it since day 1 and it really fed into my budding love of my now favorite genre, contemporary bbw romance, or as I currently like to call, “Thicc Queen Love Smut” – working title. 
    I am so glad I had the opportunity to read and review this book. It’s so good. We finally get to explore our lovely Sunny’s potential relationship with sad boy Isaac when he offers her a room and the developing feelings between the two super deserving of something more people in our favorite little holiday themed town of Christmas Notch. Their story was fantastic-excellent heat, tension, conflict…the perfect rom com recipe. And the end!! It honestly tied everything up so well and I definitely got misty eyed. 

    I really hope these authors team up again for another steamy little series. ❤️❤️

    Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!

  • 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.

  • Hot Hex Boyfriend

    By Carly Bloom

    Now Available from FOREVER Publishing!

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “As a child, Delia Merriweather believed with all her heart that she was a witch. Because all Merriweather women were witches. There was just one problem: they had no magic. As an adult, Delia no longer believes magic even exists. However, when she accidentally breaks a hex and restores her family’s powers, she’s forced to accept a new reality: she is a witch. And maybe that’s why the crushingly handsome guy next door has been looking at her like he’s expecting her to fly off on a broomstick, cackling into the night.
     
    Just when Max thinks he’s done keeping an eye on the bumbling Merriweather women, now he must help his neighbors learn to control their magic before they out witches everywhere. But Delia can’t decide if Max is helping or hexing, and Max can’t tell whether his growing feelings for Delia are real, or if he’s come under the spell of the most powerful—and clueless—witch he’s ever known. And the last thing Max needs is to fall for the one witch who could rule the entire witching world by controlling the hearts of men.”

    REVIEW:

    This was one of the coziest contemporary witchy romances I have ever read and I absolutely adored it. I’ve also read A LOT of witchy contemporary romances. I found the magic system very interesting and the characters were fully engaging and as layered as a flaky biscuit. There was also a little bit of spice and I will never complain about some tasty spice! It’s very cute, funny, magical, and surprisingly believeable given the subject matter. Overall, this was a superb first entry into a series (yes, I strongly feel this needs to be a series), and I highly recommend it for any of you witchy folk looking for a magical little cozy of found family, hot fellas, amazing women, love, and magic.

    Thanks to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Carly Bloom for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for this review. I am so excited for more Willow Root!

  • The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

    By Ally Carter

    Pub Date: Now Available from Avon Harper Voyager!

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.

    Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

    She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

    He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

    She hates his guts.

    He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

    But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.”

    REVIEW:

    This was like Clue at christmas time but with a rivals to lovers romance and plenty of twists, turns, and keep-you-up-all-night action. I loved the main characters who were just as layered as the rest of the plot. This was a HUGE nod to Agatha Christie’s books and personal history, which I suspected when I originally chose to read it, as I read it, and confirmed in the acknowledgements, and I think Carter did a fantastic job with that subject matter.  
    One thing I always want with romances is a little spice. There was plenty of will they won’t they, but not too much in relation to spiciness. Still a fantastically funny romantic mystery that I recommend. 

    Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Harper Voyager, and Ally Carter for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!

  • Much Ado About Margaret

    By Madeleine Roux, Pub Date October 22, 2024

    4*s. 2 🌶️. A historical romance for the bookish.

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “Margaret Arden yearns to live like the passionate and daring women in her novel. The idyllic life at Mosely Cottage with her two younger sisters and mother is fine, but Margaret wants more than the demure and dainty existence she’s known. After a particularly brutal rejection from an annoyingly attractive publisher, Margaret fears being forced into marriage to protect her family if their financial situation doesn’t improve—until her cousin’s glamorous wedding masquerade brings her onto a collision course with scandal, notoriety, and even love.

    Captain Bridger Darrow is starting over after fighting for his country. Now home, he is struggling to save his family from destitution and succeed in a new venture of passion: book publishing. It’s all going rather poorly, until he stumbles upon loose pages of an astonishing novel while in attendance at his dearest friend’s wedding. Bridger knows he must publish it. But upon meeting the author, Bridger is stunned to discover that he—she—is a woman, and he has already told her off in grand fashion.

    While Bridger is keen to gain her trust and rescind the initial rejection, Margaret can’t help but be skeptical of his intentions. Sparks fly between the two, just as the wedding of the season starts to descend into chaos when a masked dance leads to a case of mistaken identities.”

    My Notes:

    I really enjoyed Madeleine Roux’s House of Furies, so when I saw she was taking a foray into historical romance, I knew I need to check it out. I’m pleased to say that this was an excellent step into historical romance.

    Margaret’s character build is fantastic as is Bridger’s. I enjoyed Margaret (Maggie)’s will to flout the expectations of her overbearing aunts who want her to marry well and pay for the sins of her mother, who married for love. However, Maggie absolutely adored her father and received her pension for storytelling from him, which is why she has written a book in his honor that she is desperate to get published. 

    That’s how she initially gets into it with Bridger, who is a book publisher. She brings her book to a salon after having sent it to his publishing office without response. Bridger, who honestly didn’t give the manuscript much of a chance in the first place, turns Maggie down in a most embarrassing fashion. Of course, the embarrassment was not necessarily on purpose – with his less than excellent father on his death bed and his older brother Paul off gambling and galivanting when he should be preparing to take over the family title, the former soldier-come-publisher doesn’t have much patience for social affairs. Unbeknownst to either, this will not be the last time they will see one another. 

    Upon his arrival at his best friend Lane’s country house wedding, he finds himself once again face to face with Maggie, who just so happens to be Lane’s cousin. Neither expected to see the other, but they find themselves in a series of events that thrust them together in the most unpleasant – or perhaps very pleasant – of ways.

    The above is all well and good, but what the synopsis does NOT talk about is the scandal that happens at the wedding. The bride, Ann, a delightful woman of British/Indian descent, is seen kissing another man the very evening after her nuptials…or is she? As Maggie and Bridger pursue the real culprits, they find themselves stuck at an Inn in a storm with a one bed room and the perpetrator onto them. 

    It also doesn’t talk the issues that their adventure above will cause. There was plenty of mystery, heartbreak, enemies to lovers and one bed to keep anyone. Truly awful and unredeemable characters as well as survivors finding love. The Tertiary characters are also fantastic, and I look forward to seeing what else Roux can do with the genre. 

    Thanks so much to Netgalley, the author, and Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for the above honest review. 

  • When Grumpy Met Sunshine

    By Charlotte Stein. Pub Date Feb 6, 2024

    5*s, 4 x Spice ❤

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.

    And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.

    But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend—until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to decide: is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?”

    REVIEW

    When Grumpy Met Sunshine is the kind of romance I live for. Curvy/plus sized cheery MC? Check. Tall, handsome, super broody love interest? Check. A super unlikely romance, hijinks, spice, and a strangers to friends to lovers trope? Yes. Yes. Yes. Also yes. It’s a “something’s there that wasn’t there before” and I’m here for it.

    Mabel is a ghost writer and her latest assignment, writing a biography for footballer Alfie Harding, she’s ready for complications. She’s not the first ghost writer to try to tackle Alfie’s story. He’s rejected several who could have done the job. However, Mabel wins Alfie over when she stands up for herself on first meeting him. Unfortunately, what Mabel thought would be the biggest issue with this assignment, namely Alfie’s forbidding and grumpy nature, turns out to be less of an issue than the media speculation that they are a couple.

    What I loved most about this story was the friendship that blossomed between them and the way Stein wrote the potent chemistry of the two. It’s hard not to feel what the characters are experiencing and you end up falling in love right alongside them. Obviously this kicks up the impact of the spicy parts, and the ending is so heartwarming you may find out when you’re done reading that your face is a little wet for some odd reason.

    Thanks to Netgalley, Charlotte Stein, and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest, personal review.

  • The Duke Starts a Scandal

    By Sophie Jordan, Pub Date Oct 23 2023

    5 Stars, 3 🌶️🌶️🌶️ . This was my favorite installment in the Duke Hunt series!

    Publisher’s Synopsis:

    “A duke with secrets. 

    Lucian, the newly minted Duke of Penning, has much to prove— to himself, his family and the ton. Craving spotless respectability, he must find an aristocratic wife. Unfortunately, he can’t keep his eyes—and thoughts—off his deliciously distracting housekeeper. Such a dalliance can only mar the facade he’s constructed to protect his sisters’ future from the demons of his past…but this fiery passion is a temptation he cannot resist. While Susanna may not the bride he needs, she is everything he desires. 

     A woman with a past.

    As the housekeeper to one of the grandest estates in England, Susanna Lockhart has worked determinedly to become all that is proper and efficient, and she never steps over the line. Romance is an indulgence for the upper class, not for her—and most especially not with her employer. But every smoldering glance from the surly, handsome duke calls to the long-buried reckless wanton inside Susanna. A love between them can never be, but will Lucian and Susanna risk being together…Even if it starts a scandal…”

    My Two Pence:

    The Duke Hunt was a great Jordan series. I am a sucker for spicy historical romance, and this entire series was less of the Ton and set in a provincial town. That did not at all detract from the story or time period. If anything, that made it feel far more delicious.

    This installment – unfortunately, the final one – was especially tasty and had a healthy dose of my favorite enemies-to-lovers trope. The story is based on the actual duke arriving to the estate and finding a housekeeper that has been employed there for quite a while. The country manor has been under her care since the last (actual) duke was in residence, as is basically the only home she has ever known. Then the two start butting heads with how the house should be run. But at some point, that animosity turns into something far more delicious, and the risks reap their own rewards.

    The spice is great and Sophie Jordan is definitely one of my autoread authors. She never sacrifices plot for spice and the tension in her books is absolutely mouth watering. I highly suggest her to anyone, and The Duke Hunt series in their totality as well!

    Thank you to Sophie Jordan, Avon Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!