ARC Review: ON THESE BLACK SANDS (Aisling Sea #1) by Vanessa Rasanen

ON THESE BLACK SANDS (Aisling Sea #1)

by Vanessa Rasanen

Release Date: August 10, 2021; Crab Apple Books

From Goodreads:

AN HEIR ON THE RUN 

In one month, Aoife Cascade will turn twenty and take her seat on the Council of Cregah, an honor she’s been preparing for her whole life. But when she lets a secret slip to her mother with devastating consequences, all her plans for the future crumble. Believing her people to be better off without her, she flees Cregah, stowing away aboard a pirate ship bound for dangerous waters. 

A PIRATE CAPTAIN WHO NEEDS HER HELP

Captain Declan McCallagh is young compared to the pirate lords, but after twelve years on the grueling sea, he has earned a well-respected ship and the attention of the lords, who’d like nothing better than to see his ruin. All he wants is to leave the Aisling Sea—and his past—behind him. But when his sister demands he find the enchanted dagger her rebel faction needs to overthrow the ruling Council, he’ll have to decide whether to cast off all family ties or take the perilous voyage to waters guarded by sirens, only passable with the help of the last remaining fae, currently imprisoned by the Council. 

ARC Review: STOLEN THREADWITCH BRIDE (Stolen Brides of the Fae #6) by Clare Sager

STOLEN THREADWITCH BRIDE (Stolen Brides of the Fae #6)

by Clare Sager

Date Published: June 11, 2021

From Goodreads:

True names hold power. Fae cannot lie. And the women they steal become their brides. 

When threadwitch Ariadne is taken by a fae lord as part of a centuries-old bargain, she expects to marry him whether she likes it or not. But, desperate to return home, she won’t give in easily. Even if Lysander claims he doesn’t want her hand in marriage but for its skill with needle and the threads of magic, everyone knows the fae are not to be trusted.

Plotting her escape, she sews spells into cloth and tries her hardest to ignore his charms as well as the fae realm’s equally alluring beauty. 

But she soon discovers his world is as dangerous as it is beautiful. With dark creatures in the forest and enemies who wear friendship as a mask, Ariadne must make every stitch perfect if she wants to not only escape but also keep Lysander alive. Which, it turns out, is something she wants far more than she ever expected. 

ARC Review: GLEAM (The Plated Prisoner #3) by Raven Kennedy

GLEAM (The Plated Prisoner #3)

by Raven Kennedy

Date Published: May 31, 2021

From Goodreads:

King Midas made me the woman I am today. Notorious. Unattainable. His. 

The thing about being confined is that you believe it’s to keep the bad out... Until you realize it’s about keeping you in. 

I’m now in a strange kingdom surrounded by liars, with no allies of my own, but I won’t sit idly by and let myself wither. No, there’s something that’s bloomed from the pit of my repression. Something dark. Something angry. 

But the last thing I expected was for my anger to call out to him. King Ravinger. 

He’s sinister and powerful and entirely too seductive. I’ve learned my lesson with trusting manipulative kings, so why does my chest constrict every time he’s near? I need to tread carefully, or I’m at risk of losing much more than just my freedom. 

ARC Review: FOR THE WOLF (Wilderwood #1) by Hannah Whitten

FOR THE WOLF (Wilderwood #1)

by Hannah Whitten

Release Date: June 1, 2021; Orbit

From Goodreads:

The first daughter is for the Throne.

The second daughter is for the Wolf. 

For fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale comes a dark fantasy novel about a young woman who must be sacrificed to the legendary Wolf of the Wood to save her kingdom. But not all legends are true, and the Wolf isn't the only danger lurking in the Wilderwood. 

As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods. 

Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again. 

ARC Review: THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN by Ava Reid

THE WOLF AND THE WOODSMAN

by Ava Reid

Release Date: June 8, 2021; Harper Voyager

From Goodreads:

In the vein of Naomi Novik’s New York Times bestseller Spinning Silver and Katherine Arden’s national bestseller The Bear and the Nightingale, this unforgettable debut— inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology—follows a young pagan woman with hidden powers and a one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen as they form an unlikely alliance to thwart a tyrant. 

In her forest-veiled pagan village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. The villagers blame her corrupted bloodline—her father was a Yehuli man, one of the much-loathed servants of the fanatical king. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king’s blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered. 

But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. Except he’s no ordinary Woodsman—he’s the disgraced prince, Gáspár Bárány, whose father needs pagan magic to consolidate his power. Gáspár fears that his cruelly zealous brother plans to seize the throne and instigate a violent reign that would damn the pagans and the Yehuli alike. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it’s like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother. 

ARC Review: THE SHAADI SET-UP by Lillie Vale

THE SHAADI SET-UP

by Lillie Vale

Release Date: September 7, 2021; G.P. Putnam's Sons

From Goodreads:

In this witty and heartfelt rom-com debut for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Emily Henry, and Tessa Bailey, an Indian-American woman signs herself and her boyfriend up for a matchmaking site to prove they’re a perfect match, only to be paired with her ex instead. 

High school sweethearts Rita Chitniss and Milan Rao were the golden couple, until the day he broke her heart. Now, six years later, Rita has turned her passion for furniture restoration into a career and has an almost-perfect boyfriend, Neil. The last thing she needs is for Milan to re-enter her life, but that’s exactly what happens when her mother, an unfailing believer in second chances, sets them up. Milan is just as charming, cocky, and confident as he was back in school. Only this time, he actually needs her business expertise, not her heart, to flip a hard-to-sell house for his realty agency. 

ARC Review: AGAINST DARK TIDES (Beneath Black Sails #2) by Clare Sager

AGAINST DARK TIDES (Beneath Black Sails #2)

by Clare Sager

Date Published: September 23, 2020

From Goodreads:

Enemies. Lovers. Enemies once more. Now they must work together to survive.

Notorious pirate Lady Vice has lost everything: ship, crew, and friends. Even her body has betrayed her, leaving her magic weak. To make matters worse, she’s stuck at sea with the man who stabbed her in the back. 

Knigh Blackwood is no longer a captain, no longer a pirate-hunter, no longer … anything. All he has left is the woman he betrayed, and she’d rather cut out his tongue with his own dagger than forgive him. 

There’s just one thing that might make up for what they’ve lost: Drake’s treasure. But they’re not the only ones searching for clues and the elusive X that marks the spot. Between them and the treasure stand a scheming duke, a former lover, and a sea monster thought the stuff of legends – not to mention Vice and Knigh’s complicated feelings for each other. 

ARC Review: A WICKED AND BEAUTIFUL GARDEN (Witches of the Island #1) by Katie McGarry

A WICKED AND BEAUTIFUL GARDEN (Witches of the Island #1)

by Katie McGarry

Release Date: May 5, 2021; Katie McGarry LLC

From Goodreads:

Twenty-eight year-old Cassie Strega can’t escape fate. 

All she wants is to live a normal, quiet life delivering the babies in her small town. But when she discovers she comes from a lineage of witches, her life becomes extraordinary—in the gravely dangerous type of way. 

Then, she’s reunited with her first love. 

Orion, the sultry Fae warrior who broke her heart years before, is searching for a baby. Not just any baby, but the queen of the Fae who will one day lead them in their final battle against the demons determined to rule the world. The same baby who has been calling to Cassie for help in her dreams. 

Fighting the intense attraction of their former blood bond, Cassie and Orion work together to find the child. But when the heartbreak that nearly destroyed Cassie nine years before looms once more, she’ll have to decide whether getting involved in the supernatural war is worth losing everything, including her life.

ARC Review: BENEATH BLACK SAILS (Beneath Black Sails #1) by Clare Sager

BENEATH BLACK SAILS (Beneath Black Sails #1)

by Clare Sager
Date Published: March 30, 2020; Independently published 

From Goodreads:

Sometimes it takes a pirate to catch a pirate. 

With weather magic on her side, Lady Vice is the bane of the high seas, but she isn’t captain of her own ship. Yet. If she can persuade her captain to give her a command, she’ll be in charge of her own fate. 

To pay off his family’s debts, Knigh Blackwood hunts pirates for the Royal Navy. And he’s damn good at it. When the bounty on Lady Vice increases, he’s determined to make her face justice, even if that means using unorthodox methods. 

Forced to work together, neither can deny their mutual attraction. As they face battles at sea and schemes aboard their ship, they discover hints about a long-lost treasure that could be the answer to both their problems. 

ARC Review: SHIPPED by Meredith Tate

SHIPPED

by Meredith Tate
Release Date: May 18th 2021; G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:

Can two IRL enemies find their happily ever after online? 

Stella Greene and Wesley Clarke are Gene Connolly Memorial High School's biggest rivals. While the two have been battling it out for top student, it's a race to the bottom when it comes to snide comments and pulling the dirtiest prank. For years, Stella and Wes have been the villain in each other's story, and now it's all-out war. 

And there is no bigger battle than the one for valedictorian, and more specifically, the coveted valedictorian scholarship. 

But Stella and Wes have more in common than they think. Both are huge fans of Warship Seven, a popular sci-fi TV drama with a dedicated online following, and the two start chatting under aliases--without a clue that their rival is just beyond the screen. They realize that they're both attending SciCon this year, so they plan to dress in their best cosplay and finally meet IRL. 

ARC Review: WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE

by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka
Release Date: April 20, 2021; Viking Books for Young Readers

From Goodreads:

An academic enemies-to-lovers YA with all the nerdy drama, high school antics, and heartpounding romance of the Netflix original series Never Have I Ever 

Since high school began, Alison Sanger and Ethan Molloy have competed on almost everything. AP classes, the school paper, community service, it never ends. If Alison could avoid Ethan until graduation, she would. Except, naturally, for two over-achieving seniors with their sights on valedictorian and Harvard, they share all the same classes and extracurriculars. So when their school’s principal assigns them the task of co-planning a previous class’s ten-year reunion, with the promise of a recommendation for Harvard if they do, Ethan and Alison are willing to endure one more activity together if it means beating the other out of the lead. 

Cover Reveal: ROYAL SPY (Fate of Eyrinthia #2) by Heather Frost

ROYAL SPY (Fate of Eyrinthia #2)

by Heather Frost
Release Date: May 20, 2021

YA Fantasy Romance

From Goodreads:

A DECOY recruited to be a spy. 

A PRINCE compelled to become an assassin. 

A SERJAH pressured by an unwanted crown. 

A WORLD covered in shadows. 

Mere months ago, Clare was just a kitchen maid. Now, she is a decoy for Princess Serene and a novice spy, caught in the royal family's web of secrets. While journeying to Mortise to finalize the princess’s betrothal to Serjah Desfan, Clare lives for the stolen moments she has with Bennick, the bodyguard who is quickly claiming her heart. But when a notorious assassin is hired to kill her, Clare’s life and the alliance hang in the balance. 

In Ryden, Grayson prepares to leave for Mortise with his brother, Liam. Their orders are to ignite a war between their enemies, and Grayson has been tasked with assassinating Princess Serene. It may cost his soul, but he is ready to comply, as long as he gets something in return: freedom for Mia, the girl he loves. But the more time he spends with his brother, the more he begins to wonder if Liam is what Grayson wishes he had the courage to be . . . a traitor. 

ARC Review: GILDED SERPENT (Dark Shores #3) by Danielle Jensen

GILDED SERPENT (Dark Shores #3)

by Danielle Jensen
Release Date: April 27, 2021; Tor Teen

From Goodreads:

From bestselling author Danielle L. Jensen comes a thrilling new novel in the Dark Shores world, a series that Sarah J. Maas called "everything I look for in a fantasy novel." 

THEIR BATTLES ENDED IN VICTORY 

Lydia returns to Mudaire to enter training at the healing temple. But instead of fighting to save lives, she’s convinced she is doing more harm than good. She delves into the history of the gods only to discover a truth that will change her life forever. 

His birthright as commander of the Royal Army is finally in his grasp, but Killian feels anything but victorious. Burdened by his past, he embraces the darker side of his mark—and in doing so, risks starting a war. 

BUT THE WAR HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN 

Having defeated the tyrant Urcon, Marcus struggles to form a lasting alliance with the Arinoquians. But he is plagued by the knowledge that there is a traitor among his friends, and it could cost him everything that he’s fought for. 

ARC Review: TWICE SHY by Sarah Hogle

TWICE SHY

by Sarah Hogle

Release Date: April 6, 2021; G.P. Putnam's Sons

From Goodreads:

Can you find real love when you've always got your head in the clouds? 

Maybell Parish has always been a dreamer and a hopeless romantic. But living in her own world has long been preferable to dealing with the disappointments of real life. So when Maybell inherits a charming house in the Smokies from her Great-Aunt Violet, she seizes the opportunity to make a fresh start. 

Yet when she arrives, it seems her troubles have only just begun. Not only is the house falling apart around her, but she isn't the only inheritor: she has to share everything with Wesley Koehler, the groundskeeper who's as grouchy as he is gorgeous--and it turns out he has very different vision for the property's future. 

Convincing the taciturn Wesley to stop avoiding her and compromise is a task more formidable than the other dying wishes Great-Aunt Violet left behind. But when Maybell uncovers something unexpectedly sweet beneath Wesley's scowls, and as the two slowly begin to let their guard down, they might learn that sometimes the smallest steps outside one's comfort zone can lead to the greatest rewards.

ARC Review: DOWN COMES THE NIGHT by Allison Saft

DOWN COMES THE NIGHT
by Allison Saft
Release Date: March 2, 2021; Wednesday Books

From Goodreads:

He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness. 

Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend—the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself. 

The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.

Review: WE FREE THE STARS (Sands of Arawiya #2) by Hafsah Faizal

WE FREE THE STARS (Sands of Arawiya #2)

by Hafsah Faizal

Date Published: January 19, 2021; Farrar, Straus and Giroux

From Goodreads:

The battle on Sharr is over. The dark forest has fallen. Altair may be captive, but Zafira, Nasir, and Kifah are bound for Sultan’s Keep, determined to finish the plan he set in motion: restoring the hearts of the Sisters of Old to the minarets of each caliphate, and finally returning magic to all of Arawiya. But they are low on resources and allies alike, and the kingdom teems with fear of the Lion of the Night’s return. 

As the zumra plots to overthrow the kingdom’s darkest threat, Nasir fights to command the magic in his blood. He must learn to hone his power into a weapon, to wield not only against the Lion but against his father, trapped under the Lion’s control. Zafira battles a very different darkness festering in her through her bond with the Jawarat—a darkness that hums with voices, pushing her to the brink of her sanity and to the edge of a chaos she dare not unleash. In spite of the darkness enclosing ever faster, Nasir and Zafira find themselves falling into a love they can’t stand to lose…but time is running out to achieve their ends, and if order is to be restored, drastic sacrifices will have to be made. 

ARC Review: TARNISHED EMPIRE (Dark Shores #0.5) by Danielle Jensen

TARNISHED EMPIRE (Dark Shores #0.5)

by Danielle Jensen
Release Date: January 26, 2021

From Goodreads:

DEFIANCE IS TREASON. TREASON IS DEATH. 

A siege is laid against the last resistance to the Senate’s rule. As the battle rages, a commander, a soldier, and a rebel will decide how far they are willing to go for victory. 

THE COMMANDER 

Marcus is forced to choose between destroying the rebel forces and liberating his legion. He must face the true cost of being a leader. And an oppressor. 

THE SOLDIER 

Agrippa sets his sights on glory to fill the deepening void within him. He discovers that the price of fame might not just be paid in blood, it might be paid by his heart. 

THE REBEL 

Silvara joins the rebel forces to fight against the legions who would see her family dead. While she dreams of being a warrior, she finds her sharpest weapon is seduction. But to defeat the Empire, she’ll have to betray the young man who now has her heart. 

ARC Review: RUTHLESS GODS (Something Dark and Holy #2) by Emily A. Duncan

 RUTHLESS GODS (Something Dark and Holy #2) 
by Emily A. Duncan
Release Date: April 7, 2020; Macmillan

About the book:

The stunning sequel to instant New York Times bestseller, Wicked Saints 

"Ruthless Gods opens the door to a world of fallen gods and eldritch horrors... Gruesome, grotesque, and so, so glorious." - Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows 

Nadya doesn’t trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn’t belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he’s become. 

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. Their paths are being orchestrated by someone…or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer. 

In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless. 

ARC Review: OF WICKED BLOOD (The Quatrefoil Chronicles #1) by Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz

OF WICKED BLOOD (The Quatrefoil Chronicles #1) 
by Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz
Release Date: February 2, 2021; Twig Publishing

From Goodreads:

NO REST FOR THE WICKED . . . OR THE CURSED. 

SLATE 

I didn’t mean to steal the Bloodstone from the De Morel’s crypt. 

Scratch that, I did mean to steal it. 

Until I realized it was a curse-magnet that only comes off if I, along with a jolly trio, successfully defeat four curses. 

If any of us fail, I’m dead. 

I’ve never been a glass half-empty sort of person, but my glass looks in dire need of a refill right about now. 

The only highlight of this wicked treasure hunt: feisty, entitled Cadence de Morel. 

CADENCE 

I was raised on tales of magic, in a small town reputed to be the birthplace of French witchcraft. 

Did I believe all the stories I heard? Absolutely not. I mean, if magic existed, Maman wouldn’t have died, and Papa wouldn’t be stuck in a wheelchair, right? 

Wrong. 

The night Slate Ardoin waltzes into my life, wearing a ring he stole from my mother’s grave, I call him a monster. 

But then I meet real ones, and Slate, well . . . he becomes something else to me. 

Something frustrating to live with but impossible to live without. 

Something I will fight for, no matter the cost. 

*Warning: profuse cursing (and not just the magical kind).

ARC Review: CAST IN FIRELIGHT (Wickery #1) by Dana Swift

CAST IN FIRELIGHT (Wickery #1) 
by Dana Swift
Release Date: January 19, 2021; Delacorte Press

From Goodreads:

The first book in an epic, heart-pounding fantasy duology about two royal heirs betrothed to be married, but whose loyalties are torn, and a ruthless enemy who threatens their world, perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal, and Renée Ahdieh. 

Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.

Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who's mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child. 

Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery's most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet. 

Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross...and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.