House Valdis Origins: Xenobia by Naomi Valkyrie My rating: 4 of 5 stars A short story that packs a lot into just a few pages. The intensity and the dialogue kept up the whole time but there’s still a lot of emotional pull throughout. This is a great opening into the first book of the […]
Master of the Abyss by Rob Samborn My rating: 4 of 5 stars This historical / thriller / fantasy series (seriously, it’s all those genres put together) is back for its third and final installment and I’m a little sad to see it end. I love the fast pace, the suspense, the adventure of it […]
The Befallen by Cambria Williams My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this fantasy romance. It’s the perfect reluctant heroine meets brooding love interest, which makes for a truly wonderful pairing that I always enjoy and in this case there’s just some gorgeous chemistry between the two main characters. The setting and world-building […]
Murky Murder: An Utterly Addictive Cozy Murder Mystery by Hazel Smith My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a fun quick cozy murder mystery. I didn’t realise this book is the fourth in a series but I enjoyed it anyway, so you don’t necessarily have to read the rest of the series first. I […]
Orenda by T.S. Simons My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve been following the Antipodes series and now the follow-up Latitude series, and this novel is the latest installment. The story is gripping, perfect for fans of dystopian romance, and the characters are strong and well-developed. I also think that the series is unique in […]
The Truth About Myths by Giovanna Siniscalchi My rating: 4 of 5 stars For fans of spicy historical romance with a twist—set in Spain/Portugal—but with all the crucial elements that make me love this genre. It’s got period details, romance tropes, and a plot that isn’t only about a love story. The characters are well-developed, […]
The Earl, Her Reluctant Guardian by Wareeze Woodson My rating: 4 of 5 stars A historical romance with a paranormal twist. Of course, I am a big fan of attention to historical detail to transport me to another time and place, which the author certainly delivers in spades. But I was also pleasantly surprised by […]
Notebook Mysteries ~ A Party to Remember by Kimberly Mullins My rating: 5 of 5 stars This little novella from one of my favourite series just put me in the right mood and now I’m so ready for Christmas season to arrive. It’s October, surely the festive season has already started?! Plus spooky season means […]
Granting Katelyn by S.E. Reichert My rating: 5 of 5 stars I am a horse girlie at heart and just like that, I’m back in my horse girlie era. Throw in an enemies-to-lovers trope, with a no-nonsense girl with her head on straight who meets a hurt, frankly traumatised guy with daddy issues and I’m […]
Parisian Intrigue by Kimberly Mullins My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love this series, combining my comfort genre (historical fiction) along with my childhood favourite (mystery). It also just keeps getting better, and this time we’re in Paris, a setting that is hard to go amiss! The pages fly by when I read this […]
Ladies of the Links #2 by Haley Rhoades My rating: 4 of 5 stars I haven’t read the first book in the series but this was a quick, easy romance read. I don’t usually read sports romance but I do like a second chance and this gave me what I wanted – angst, drama and […]
A Curse of Ash and Iron by Christine Norris My rating: 4 of 5 stars A relatively quick, easy read, as I would say this is more YA and I didn’t enjoy it as much. But I was pulled in by the idea of a Cinderella retelling with a steampunk twist, and since I don’t […]
Esprit de Corpse by Ef Deal My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a fun quick read, a paranormal steampunk that clearly draws on Dracula with strong female characters. The world-building is quite something in terms of its depth of research and lush descriptions. Although it has its unrealistic moments, it’s undoubtedly a page-turner […]
Notebook Mysteries ~ Suspicions by Kimberly Mullins My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve read several books in this series and always enjoyed the historical mystery aspect of it. I love the suspense and drama of the plot, of course. It’s fast-paced and intriguing, but I also think that Emma as the main character is […]
The 45th Parallel by T.S. Simons My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have always enjoyed this series and I really loved getting to know these two sisters as characters. In some ways, their storylines seemed more interesting. While the novel is of course full of suspense and makes you want to turn the pages […]
Straight for the Kill by Winter Austin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I read this as a standalone—as with most series, it would probably be better to read the series in order, but I enjoyed the novel anyway. It’s full of suspense and thrilling moments, I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough, and it […]
Spellbound Seduction by Halley Larkin My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second book in the Brightley Sisters series. I hadn’t read the first book going into this one, so I was a bit lost in the beginning, but the story picks up and I enjoyed it anyway. I might go back and […]
Divided Lives by K.R. Mullins My rating: 5 of 5 stars Having read some of the books in the author’s Notebook Mystery series, I was very excited to read this. I loved the crime/mystery plot elements with the historical details of life in New York in 1912. Really though, the interesting part of the novel […]
After She Became a Lady by Wareeze Woodson My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoy historical romance and I do prefer stories that follow after a couple has fallen in love. I particularly liked the Rebecca-style mystery, although the reveal fell kind of flat. Also, the ending wasn’t as punchy and climatic as I […]
Sessrumnir by T.S. Simons My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve really enjoyed the Antipodes series and the author has maintained the high standards of the entire series in this concluding finale. As with the other books, there’s plenty of sci-fi/dystopian, environmental and mythological themes, which I really enjoyed. But most of all, I was […]
The Prisoner of Paradise by Rob Samborn My rating: 5 of 5 stars I enjoy fiction with dual timelines set in contemporary times and the historical past, and I’m so happy to add this novel to my list. Set in present-day and 16th century Venice, the storyline was evenly paced and I just fell in […]
Ouroboros by T.S. Simons My rating: 4 of 5 stars Although I’ve read the first book in this series, I hadn’t read #2. I still really enjoyed this book and being able to read more about characters old and new and for the most part, it still made sense. I felt like the two main […]
The Liminal Space by T.S. Simons My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the second in the Antipodes series and I would suggest reading the first book prior to reading the second. This is my favourite of the series (although I’ve read it out of order), and this one made me more emotional than […]
Love in the Roses by T.L. Clark My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed this historical romance set during the War of the Roses in England. The characters themselves were well-developed. But I particularly liked the world-building and the attention to detail in terms of the setting, the dialogue style, and all of this […]
Pilot Who Knows the Waters by N.L. Holmes My rating: 4 of 5 stars I would read this series in order to get the most out of it. I’ve enjoyed reading this series, and as with the previous books, this one is filled with mystery and intrigue. The characters and the narrative are well-fleshed out […]
Dark Sparrow Box Set: The Complete 6-Book Series by India Kells My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve read plenty of India Kells’ books over the years and this series is one of my favourites. Each book in this set is about one of six bastard sons. #1 I enjoyed the Chicago setting. This is […]
The Curse of a Faeblood by M.K. Lorber My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love fantasy and I really enjoyed this book. It’s the first in a series, and I really enjoyed the mix of romance, politics, and magic all contained within this story. It’s full world-building that feels very integrated into the plotlines […]
A Veil of Gods and Kings by Nicole Bailey My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve read some Greek mythology retellings, but I’ve never read one about Apollo and Hyacinth, and I really enjoyed this one. It’s more YA in writing style but I also liked the fact that the mythology was modernised and it […]
Weep, Woman, Weep by Maria DeBlassie My rating: 4 of 5 stars I generally enjoy feminist gothic horror and this book is no different. It’s more or less a novella given its short length. I really just wanted more pages so that there would be more depth to the story, as some parts of the […]
Midnight Masquerade by Halley Larkin My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s been a minute since I read a historical romance but I really enjoyed this one. And I liked that while it’s a Regency romance, it also brings in Russian aristocracy. You feel for the characters, especially Charmaine, who seems to be caught between […]
