Cover Reveal | Cannetella by Elodie Rowan

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Cannetella
Elodie Rowan
Publication date: March 2023
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance

A lush and dark fairytale retelling steeped in Italian folklore, Canetella is sure to please fans of Elise Kova, Sarah J. Maas, and K.F. Breene.

Cannetella is doomed to marry. As the only child of the bankrupted King of High-Hill, her twentieth birthday spells the end of life as she knows it. Cannetella dreams of adventure, not refilling the kingdom’s coffers. Determined to keep her freedom, she hatches a plan: Cannetella announces she will only marry a man with a face of pure gold. Pleased with her impossible standards, she prepares for a life unburdened by a husband.

But on the night of her birthday, a mysterious man appears. On his face is a mask made of the finest gold. The relieved King declares Cannetella will marry the man with enough wealth to save the heirless and penniless Kingdom of High-Hill. Cannetella is forced to wed and whisked away from the only home she has ever known. But the gilded gentleman is none other than her father’s most bitter nemesis, Enzo Fioravante, an infamous and feared Stregone, a dark Sorceror.

Tied to Enzo with no way of returning home, Cannetella learns she is a pawn in a game of revenge between the two families, and that Fioravante will do anything to gain what was stolen from him five years ago. But as Cannetella delves into her captor’s past, she uncovers a devious plot burrowed in both of their kingdoms, one of magic, murder, and lust. And worst of all, she learns Fioravante is not the villain he appears to be.

Together with her greatest enemy, Canetella and Enzo must break a curse that has claimed the lives of six others, or become the next victims. And as the unlikely pair grows closer, a dark and undeniable attraction blooms. But when magic is involved, no one’s heart will remain unscathed.

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Blitz | Queen of the Underworld by Felicity Heaton

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Queen of the Underworld
Felicity Heaton
(A Guardians of Hades Series Prequel)
Publication date: January 31st 2023
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Hades, the wickedly dark god-king of the Underworld, needs a queen…

And he’s chosen Persephone.

All Persephone has ever desired is control of her own life, and someone noticing her once in a while. Kept in her mother’s shadow, and overlooked by the entirety of Olympus, her dream seems impossible… and now she’s doomed to wed a dull god of her mother’s choosing…

Until she crosses paths with a handsome, dark warrior who rouses wildfire heat in her veins—a male whose immense power is unmistakable, and who matches the fearful tales whispered in Olympus—stories of a cruel, heartless king who rules his realm of death with an iron fist.

When Hades abducts her and imprisons her in the depths of the Underworld, a dormant part of her awakens. And as she slowly discovers the truth about him, Persephone isn’t sure whether the snarling, dark beast of a king is her doom… or her saviour… but she knows one thing…

She will embrace the fire he awakens in her with every heated glance, and every vicious growl.

And use it to tame him and forge her dreams into reality.

Because, Persephone, the quiet, gentle goddess of nature, desires a king.

And nothing will stop her from claiming his black heart.

Queen of the Underworld is a forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers paranormal romance novel retelling the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, and a prequel in my Guardians of Hades series. In the vein of an adult beauty and the beast, it features a grumpy-sunshine pairing that will steal your heart, with a secretly cinnamon roll hero and a secretly fiery heroine, and a powerful forever kind of love. All Guardians of Hades books have no cliffhangers, a guaranteed happily ever after, and some strong language.

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EXCERPT:

Feminine voices curled through the trees, a trio of them speaking while one continued her siren’s song, luring him towards her.

Hades stilled where rock met grass and tried to pinpoint their owners with his senses. One was closer to him than the other three, who were all grouped together at a distance. He edged to his right, his focus on that single female, curiosity rising within him again to have him trying to catch a glimpse of her.

That desire to catch just a glimpse transformed into something else—something powerful and demanding—as her soft voice grew closer, her song growing clearer, and he smelled the faintest hint of lilies.

Heat curled through his veins, that scent rousing a fierce need that thrummed in every inch of his body and had the darkness writhing harder, violently attempting to wrench control from him and make him find the owner of it. He needed to see her. He couldn’t remember the last time he had smelled such a delicate scent. His world was ash and smoke and blood, and death.

Everything about this female seemed to be the opposite of what he knew.

Her song teased his ears as her scent teased his nose, and his breath caught in his throat as he was swept up in her—a female he hadn’t even seen yet. Not just the man in him either. The darker side of him burned with a desire to see her too. He needed to know if her beauty matched her voice and her scent. He loosed a low growl and took another step forwards, remaining just within the shadows of the cave, the powerful need to see her colliding with a wariness of disturbing her.

He inched further to his right and straightened to his full six-eight height, the hard black plates of his armour shifting as he strained to catch a glimpse of her. He felt as if he wasn’t master of his own body as he tried to spot her, but it wasn’t the darkness in control of his actions.

It was the pressing desire to see her.

She was moving closer, but no matter where he moved, the trees blocked his view. His claws itched with the need to attack them until they were nothing more than splinters of wood and his view was clear of the obstruction.

He moved the other way, tracking her with his senses, and discovering something intriguing.

She was strong.

Not mortal.

There were mortals near to her though. The other three females. Were they her servants?

What goddess had come to this place, so far from Olympus or Poseidon’s realm?

Her power caressed his, grazing it lightly in a way that urged him onwards and made him forget about the mortals as it cranked up the desperation to see her.

Because he had never felt anything like her power.

It was light. Warmth. Goodness.

It was everything he wasn’t.

Hades edged closer, a predator stalking his prey, his mind churning with dangerous thoughts that roused the darker side of his blood and brought it to the fore again. Perhaps the Moirai had brought him here after all, seeking to give him something he desired for once, an attempt to appease him. Poseidon had his new queen. Zeus had his. Hades hadn’t even seen this female, but already his blood burned for her. The brush of her power against his and the delicate beauty of her voice were enough to entrance him and rouse his desire to an unbearable degree.

He wanted this female.

The thought of her warming his bed had his blood quickening.

It had been too long since he had taken a female, his duties keeping him too busy to indulge in such things as his brothers did. But he had the feeling it wasn’t his ignored physical needs that had his body aching for this female.

It was something else.

He growled low, baring his fangs, and his breaths came faster still as he moved to his right. He glared at the trees that continued to deny him, blocking his view. There had to be a better vantage point, one that would allow him to see more than tree trunks and the leafy scrub that covered the ground in places.

He froze, his entire body locking up tight.

His breath gusted from him.

A striking scarlet-haired maiden stepped into view.

She was beauty and light wrapped in flawless pale skin and rosy cheeks and pink lips that beckoned him, awakening something fierce in him as her tongue poked out to wet them. His breath lodged in his throat as he gazed at her, his awareness of the world destroyed and something fundamental inside him changing from just the sight of her. She was perfection, and she roused not only the man in him, but the darkness. It growled at him, sharpening his fangs and his nails as it whispered a fierce demand that echoed the desire that thrummed in his blood and beat in his heart.

Take her.


Author Bio:

I’m a NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY and International Best-Selling Author writing passionate paranormal romance books and series for adults.

I love to create detailed worlds, twisting plots, mind-blowing action, intense emotion and heart-stopping romances with leading men that vary from dark deadly vampires to sexy shifters and wicked werewolves, to sinful angels and hot demons! All of them alpha as you would expect in paranormal romance, and every book with a guaranteed HAPPILY FOREVER AFTER!

Sign up to my newsletter for exclusive sneak previews, freebies, special offers and more! (copy / paste link into your browser):

http://bit.ly/FH-VIPS

Fans of paranormal romance books by authors Lara Adrian, J R Ward, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter, Larissa Ione, Kresley Cole and Christine Feehan will love my books too.

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Review | The Cartopgraphers by Amy Zhang

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Struggling to balance the expectations of her immigrant mother with her deep ambivalence about her own place in the world, seventeen-year-old Ocean Wu takes her savings and goes off the grid. A haunting and romantic novel about family, friendship, philosophy, and love.

Ocean Wu has always felt enormous pressure to succeed. After struggling with depression during her senior year in high school, Ocean moves to New York City, where she has been accepted at a prestigious university. But Ocean feels so emotionally raw and unmoored (and uncertain about what is real and what is not), that she decides to defer and live off her savings until she can get herself together. She also decides not to tell her mother (whom she loves very much but doesn’t want to disappoint) that she is deferring—at least until she absolutely must.

In New York, Ocean moves into an apartment with Georgie and Tashya, two strangers who soon become friends, and gets a job tutoring. She also meets a boy—Constantine Brave (a name that makes her laugh)—late one night on the subway. Constant is a fellow student and a graffiti artist, and Constant and Ocean soon start corresponding via Google Docs—they discuss physics, philosophy, art, literature, and love. But everything falls apart when Ocean goes home for Thanksgiving, Constant reveals his true character, Georgie and Tashya break up, and the police get involved.

Ocean, Constant, Georgie, and Tashya are all cartographers—mapping out their futures, their dreams, and their paths toward adulthood in this stunning and heartbreaking novel about finding the strength to control your own destiny.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I will always try to give books featuring these subjects a chance, even if they might be somewhat triggering. These are subjects that I feel should be explored, especially in a YA space, instead of ignored as they have in the past.

At times the story does feel very raw and real. I really enjoyed the relationships between Ocean, Georgie and Tashya. It was nice to see how they grew and bonded as the book progressed and the different struggles they each had.

I did like the Google Doc exchanges that were included, but there were times I felt there could be a little less of them. Still, I enjoyed the different ways the conversations could be interpreted and how different readers could see the exchanges different ways.

This was a great exploration of Ocean’s growth and journey through her gap year and recovering from past events. Definitely be mindful if suicide talk, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues are triggering.

Happy reading!

Cover Reveal | Frenemies with Benefits by Lydia Sharp

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Frenemies with Benefits
Lydia Sharp
(Entangled Teen)
Publication date: September 5th 2023
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

One summer. One plan. Two boys.

Jess’s older brother’s best friend—aka her giant crush—is staying at their house for the summer. She either has the best luck ever or the worst. This is her chance to show him she’s not just his best friend’s shy little sister anymore. But he’s a college boy. And she’s…her.

Just turned eighteen. Just graduated high school. Just way too innocent for him.

Jess is a virgin. She’s never been ashamed of that, except now it’s holding her back from what she wants. Her lack of experience is wildly obvious, a repellant for boys who want a partner who knows what they’re doing. So the only way to get the boy she really likes to notice her is to ask the boy she really hates to show her how to be, well, less innocent.

And she hates Benjamin Oliver. Loathes. Despises. Can’t stand the sight of his stupid-hot face. He’s her frenemy throughout and through, and a player, so not the kind of guy she’d ever seriously consider. But she needs his help—and he’s actually willing to give it. All she has to do is promise him one little favor…

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Author Bio:

Lydia Sharp worked a number of different jobs, everything from retail management to veterinary medicine, before turning their passion for stories into a career. They are now an editor for Entangled Publishing and write young adult novels with lots of kissing and adventures. Lydia lives in Ohio with their family and an ever-growing collection of owls. When not completely immersed in a book, Lydia binges on Netflix, pines for Fall, and hosts mad tea parties in Wonderland. Follow on Twitter @lydia_sharp and visit lydiasharpbooks.com for more details.

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Review | Play the Game by Charlene Allen

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From debut author Charlene Allen comes a captivating YA contemporary mystery and coming-of-age story, celebrating the power of friendship, first love, and exploring the criminal justice system from the lens of restorative justice. Perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, and Maureen Johnson.

In the game of life, sometimes other people hold all the controls. Or so it seems to VZ. Four months have passed since his best friend Ed was killed by a white man in a Brooklyn parking lot.

When Singer, the man who killed Ed, is found dead in the same spot where Ed was murdered, all signs point to Jack, VZ’s other best friend, as the prime suspect.

VZ’s determined to complete the video game Ed never finished and figure out who actually killed Singer. With help from Diamond, the girl he’s crushing on at work, VZ falls into Ed’s quirky gameiverse. As the police close in on Jack, the game starts to uncover details that could lead to the truth about the murder.

Can VZ honor Ed and help Jack before it’s too late?

Rating: 4 out of 5.

This book was quite a ride and ended up being so much more than I originally thought it would be. It is an excellent debut, with amazing writing and an engaging story that tackling real world issues.

I found the characters very engaging and their stories to be very compelling, which really drove the story forward for me. The murder mystery aspect was engaging at the same time as being a very serious story components. There are a number of subplots that are sprinkled in, most were good contributions to the story but perhaps there could have been a little more focus on the main aspects of the story and less subplots.

I feel like the discussions of loss, the criminal justice system and especially racism were well handled and written and very important conversations to have. All in all I would definitely recommend this book as it’s a fantastic read.

Happy reading!

Blitz | Sea of Snakes by Heidi Stark

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Sea of Snakes
Heidi Stark
Publication date: January 26th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Reverse Harem, Romance

Zeke, Skyler, Dom and Rake—they grew up on this island and are in charge of protecting its various interests. They’re used to being in control of everything here. Including the surf. I’ve been kidnapped by a dangerous man, and am being used as collateral while my father comes up with the funds to pay off his debt (sadly not the worst thing he’s ever done although it’s up there), and if he doesn’t come up with the cash soon I’ll be auctioned off to the highest bidder. In the meantime, these four men are tasked with keeping me in their control and protecting me, and they take their role very seriously.

But they’re not the only people to be concerned about. I’m tough in my own way. I can tell that they want all of me, to take me over like they do everything else. But five can play this game, and I’m not good at losing.

**This is a Dark Reverse Harem/Why Choose Romance. 18+. Warning: this book includes graphic violence and sex scenes, and references of abuse/assault that some readers may experience as triggering.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“It’s a protection job,” says the clipped voice. “We need you to hold her for us. She’s collateral for a debt.”

“What does that entail, exactly?”

“Like I said, we need you to hold her for us.” The voices pauses. “You can do whatever you like with her while she’s with you.”

“Oh, really?” Now he has my interest. “How long do we need to keep her for?” I wonder what the other guys are going to think of this.

“No more than ten days,” says the voice. “That’s how long our associate has to repay his debt.”

“How is this associate connected with this girl?” Skyler’s been teaching me to ask more questions rather than just accepting information at face value. I’m trying.

“You ask too many questions. But it’s her father.”

“How old is she? An adult, I am assuming? We’re not babysitters.”

“Yes, an adult. Not that it’s any of your business, but he crossed a contact back on the mainland and is here on what he believes to be a business trip. His debt has been on-sold to us, and he’s evidently having a little trouble accessing funds, as his primary asset source has been frozen.”

“I see.” I need to know more. There must be an end game to this. Tane wouldn’t ask us to help if he didn’t have a grand plan, or if he simply intends on disposing of her after the time is up. “And if he doesn’t repay it? What happens then?”

“She’ll be auctioned off to the highest bidder. And I have a feeling she’ll attract a high price. Maybe higher than the value of the debt. Even if the debt is repaid, we might reassess our next steps.” His tone is clinical.

Jesus, these guys are ruthless. We make sure to do just enough to stay on their good side, but we try to avoid getting involved with the human trafficking and hard drugs that they also control across the island chain.

“Oh, so she’s attractive?” He’s really piquing my interest here. Numerous buyers bidding on a woman. I wonder how someone determines the price to purchase a human.

This isn’t something we’ve done before, harboring a captive, and it’s definitely on the cusp of what we’re prepared to do.

I wonder what Zeke will have to say. Skyler is slightly more mellow than him, but they both tend to be overly cautious. Whereas I’m usually up for anything. And, well, Rake is up for anything involving a woman.

“You’ll see.” The voice on the other end lets out an icy chuckle, causing a shiver to creep up my back.

I have no doubt that Tane’s men are evil, just like him. I’m no angel myself, but my soul is just dark, whereas his simply doesn’t exist.

“Do you expect anyone to come looking for her?” I glance at my free hand again and crack my knuckles.

I wouldn’t mind an excuse to use my fists, maybe curry a little favor with our captive to give her reason to be grateful to me. Nothing like a damsel in distress who owes you their life.

“That’s for you to worry about,” says the voice. “But again, she’s yours to do with as you please while she’s with you. Just don’t do anything that will… lower her market value too much, if you catch my drift.”

“That leaves a lot of options.” I can’t help but grin.

The person at the other end of the phone directs me to stay tuned for further instructions, and then they click off the call.

It’s been a while since I’ve been around a woman. I tend to avoid them. Sure, I’ll have a little casual fun with a random woman every now and then. No strings attached, a one-time event where nobody catches feelings.

But that’s where I leave things. Because ultimately women are dangerous, and from my experience, they inflict nothing but pain.



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Review | The Snowcat Prince by Dina Norlund

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Syv is a snowcat and the youngest in a family of princes. When his father dies, Syv and his brothers are all in line for the throne. Eager to become kings themselves and wary of how well-liked Syv has become by the citizens, Syv’s brothers send him on a dangerous quest to find the long-lost magical crown that once belonged to their royal ancestor, the Eldking. Legend says that the snowcat who finds the crown will break the curse on their land and bring great honor to the family. But failure could mark Syv with three black stripes, and he’d be banished forever.

Along his journey, Syv will face dangerous beasts, dark powers, and the ever-lurking sand foxes—sworn enemies to the snowcats. But when Syv discovers the truth about the legend of the Eldking and his magical crown, he’ll have to learn the new meaning of honor and find another way to break the curse. 

From Norwegian author Dina Norlund comes , a beautifully illustrated tale of bravery and honor. 

Rating: 4 out of 5.

When I saw the cover of this graphic novel I immediately wanted to pick it up, who could resist the adorable snowcat and the vibrant color scheme? I do not regret picking it up since the story was absolutely enchanting and beautiful. In it we follow Syv, the seventh and youngest of the Snowcat princes as he goes on a journey to recover a stolen crown. He has to learn some hard truths along the way about how he perceives the world and other beings. Overall it’s a beautiful story with vibrant artwork and some dynamic characters. It was definitely an enjoyable read.

Happy reading!

Review | The Future is Yours by Dan Frey

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Two best friends create a computer that can predict the future. But what they can’t predict is how it will tear their friendship—and society—apart.

If you had the chance to look one year into the future, would you?

For Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry, the answer is unequivocally yes. And they’re betting everything that you’ll say yes, too. Welcome to The Future: a computer that connects to the internet one year from now, so you can see who you’ll be dating, where you’ll be working, even whether or not you’ll be alive in the year to come. By forming a startup to deliver this revolutionary technology to the world, Ben and Adhi have made their wildest, most impossible dream a reality. Once Silicon Valley outsiders, they’re now its hottest commodity.

The device can predict everything perfectly—from stock market spikes and sports scores to political scandals and corporate takeovers—allowing them to chase down success and fame while staying one step ahead of the competition. But the future their device foretells is not the bright one they imagined.

Ambition. Greed. Jealousy. And, perhaps, an apocalypse. The question is . . . can they stop it?

Told through emails, texts, transcripts, and blog posts, this bleeding-edge tech thriller chronicles the costs of innovation and asks how far you’d go to protect the ones you love—even from themselves.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Anytime I hear a book is written in mixed media format I’m intrigued so when this one got recommended to me I immediately found a copy. This book was quite a ride and there were definitely twists I was not expecting, but also some things that were a little predictable towards the end. That may have just been because all the loose strings were coming together to be fair. This was an incredibly fast read that I really had a hard time putting down.

We’re following Ben and Adhi as they create “The Prototype” which allows them to pull information from the internet up to one year in the future. Their friendship is unique as they are very much opposites. At times Ben is insufferable, selfish, narcissistic and more but Adhi isn’t all sunshine and roses either and it is stated explicitly in the book that he suffers from mental health issues. One can imagine the possible ramifications that being able to know what is coming the future might be and many of them are explored in this book. If you’re looking for a fast paced sci fi about time travel that also tackles the ethics and morals that might come with that, this should definitely be on your list.

Happy reading!

Review | Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine

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What was the pandemic of the century like at the start? This swift, gripping novel captures not only the uncertainty and panic when COVID first emerged in Wuhan, but also how a community banded together.

Weaving in the tastes and sounds of the historic city, Wuhan’s comforting and distinctive cuisine comes to life as the reader follows 13-year-old Mei who, through her love for cooking, makes a difference in her community. Written by an award-winning author originally from Wuhan.

Grieving the death of her mother and an outcast at school, thirteen-year-old Mei finds solace in cooking and computer games. When her friend’s grandmother falls ill, Mei seeks out her father, a doctor, for help, and discovers the hospital is overcrowded. As the virus spreads, Mei finds herself alone in a locked-down city trying to find a way to help.

Author Ying Chang Compestine draws on her own experiences growing up in Wuhan to illustrate that the darkest times can bring out the best in people, friendship can give one courage in frightening times, and most importantly, young people can make an impact on the world.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I’m going to start my review off with a content warning, if you are at all triggered by talk of the currently ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, you may find parts of this book hard to read. This book talks about the beginning days of the pandemic where it began in Wuhan and there are definitely some portions that are raw.

That being said, books like this are important because they highlight the humanity of a crisis like this. Not politics but sides of humanity, both good and bad. It shows that fear is a powerful motivator in both good and bad ways causing people to either band together and take care of each other, or to turn to the side of fear that result in anger (such as hoarding food or treating others badly).

I really enjoyed Mei as the main character, someone who has hard hardships in her life and is still processing through grief at a very formative age. There are understandable moments of panic and anxiety on her part, but she processes everything and makes decisions in a real way. She’s truly the heart of the story and a great example about how one person can make very positive actions in hard situations, even if they are young.

Happy reading!

Review | Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

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The haunted season has arrived in the Antler Wood. No fox kit is safe.

When Mia and Uly are separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who hungers for their flesh, a witch who tries to steal their skins, a ghost who hunts them through the snow . . . and other things too scary to mention.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

First and foremost, this book took me by surprise because I had it in my mind that it was more of an anthology and not an ongoing story, so that set me a little off kilter. At the beginning of the story we are introduced to a litter of fox kits who desperately want to hear a scary story, so they go to see someone known as the storyteller. Over the course of one night the storyteller tells them stories about a pair of foxes and their adventures.

I did really enjoy the writing style in this, especially because between each story we get an interlude between the kits and the storyteller and I did like how all the stories came together at the end. I think a younger reader looking for something a little scary and adventurous would really enjoy this book and find it to be a fast and enjoyable read.

Happy reading!