The Viridian Priestess by Katrina Calandra

 The Viridian Priestess 

by Katrina Calandra 

My Rating: 🟊🟊🟊🟊

Spice Rating: 🌶🌶

Blurb:

She is a telepathic priestess, determined to rise the ranks of her temple. So why do her thoughts keep straying back to the masked commander? Priestess Ferren has devoted her life to her celestial deity, yet she has not been able to ascend the priestess order. But on the eve of a great planetary event, the chance to prove herself arises. She must accept the opportunity or succumb to a life of shame in the eyes of her temple. The potentially deadly mission comes with several complications when she crosses paths with a commander from a rival planet. Ferren must conceal her loyalty to the temple from her new travel companion and his questionable crew. But the longer she is in proximity to the mysterious commander, the more intrigued she becomes with his forbidden nature. As the threat of a common enemy closes in, Ferren finds solace in the commander. While working together in a hope of saving their people, they forge a profound connection that tethers them in unexpected ways. Ferren must decide if she can go back to the stoic existence she once led, when he has shown her a taste of the life she deserves.


Author's The Viridian Priestess is a slow burn, but spicy romance. It ends on a slight cliffhanger with a HFN. Please check CW's.

My Review:

I picked this book up at night expecting background noise. Something soft and easy to drift off to. What I got instead was a one sitting, no sleep, absolutely consumed reading experience that I was not remotely prepared for, and I would not change a single thing about it.

Let me set the scene. It is late. The lights are low. I open this book with zero expectations. And then Katrina Calandra reaches through the pages, grabs me by the collar, and refuses to let go until the very last word. That is not background noise. That is an ambush. A beautiful, magnificent ambush.

Our FMC Ferran is a priestess on a mission that means everything to her, proving herself worthy of divinity. It is the kind of goal that lives in your bones, the kind you would walk through fire for. And walk through fire she does, because nothing on this journey goes right. Everything goes left, sideways, and occasionally straight into chaos. Watching Ferran think on her feet, adapt, survive, and push forward with sheer relentless determination is the kind of thing that makes you sit up straighter just reading it.

And then there is the MMC. I do not know if Katrina Calandra did this intentionally, I genuinely do not know, but this man was radiating full Mandalorian energy from the moment he appeared on the page. That quiet, immovable, deeply principled kind of strength that does not announce itself and does not need to. The kind that just is. And I was done for. Completely and totally done for, eating right out of the author's palm without a single regret.

But here is what elevates this beyond a great adventure with magnetic characters, the world. Oh, the world. There is something almost sacred about the way Katrina Calandra builds this universe, layering it with unique creatures, lurking danger, and details so vivid and specific that your imagination does not have to work to picture it. It just appears. That is the magic of exceptional world building, it does not feel constructed. It feels discovered. Like it existed before the book and will keep existing long after you finish it. I am a complete and total sucker for that feeling and this book delivered it in abundance.

What makes it all hit harder is that the author does not go easy on her characters. The world is beautiful and it is also brutal, and Ferran earns every single step of her journey. Along the way she collects people she never planned to care about, and then cares about them deeply, in the way that sneaks up on you slowly and then all at once. The found family thread woven through this story is quiet but it is powerful, and by the time you realize how much you love these people it is already too late to protect yourself.

I went in knowing nothing. I came out completely in love with a book I never saw coming. And that, that right there, is the best possible reading experience there is.

If you are on the fence, get off it. Give this book a chance. You might just stay up all night and not regret a single lost hour of sleep.

The Feywild Job by C.L. Polk

The Feywild Job by C.L. Polk

My Rating: 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Spice Rating: 🫑

Blurb:

Sparks fly when bitter exes are forced to team up for an elaborate Feywild heist, in this cozy fantasy romance by the bestselling author of the Kingston Cycle and Even Though I Knew the End.

Saeldian has sworn never to fall in love. That oath isn’t just a personal promise, but rather a magical pact, granting them powerful abilities. The only catch? They must never give their heart away—a deal that Saeldian is perfectly content with. They’ve seen firsthand how messy love can get.

Saeldian prefers their no-strings-attached life as a con artist, pulling off heists and leaving a trail of broken hearts behind them. But when a grift goes horribly wrong, they catch the eye of a mysterious patron with a job offer they can’t refuse.

The mission? Steal a gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love” and return it to the Feywild. Simple enough, until Saeldian discovers their ex-partner, Kell—a charming bard—is part of the team.

The last time Saeldian saw Kell, things hardly ended on good terms. A kiss became a betrayal, leaving Kell hurt and confused for almost a decade. But Kell can’t just walk away—not when this job might finally be his ticket back to the Feywild.

Forced to work together again, their adventure takes them from high-society parties to Feywild couple’s therapy. But as Saeldian and Kell rekindle their chemistry, they realize the gem is much more than a fey bauble, and their simple heist has summoned powerful enemies. . . .

My Review:

I was not prepared for how much fun I was about to have.

Full confession; my entire Dungeons and Dragons experience before this book was Stranger Things and my husband going on about it.  And none of that mattered even a little, because C.L. Polk builds a world so vivid and alive that you do not need a single point of reference to fall completely in love with it. This book does the work. You just get to enjoy the ride.

And what a ride it is. A heist fantasy with a ragtag crew, a stolen gem, and a journey into the Feywild that goes sideways in the most delightful ways imaginable. We are talking characters getting turned into toads. Elderly woman disguises. The kind of chaotic, magical mischief that makes you laugh out loud and then immediately flip the page to see what breaks next.

But underneath all the fun is something with real teeth, two ex-partners, once in love, now forced back together after a decade of simmering resentment. Spikey, salty, and absolutely combustible together. Watching their sharp edges and bad tempers slowly reveal the vulnerabilities underneath is where this book truly shines. The tension between them is masterfully handled and completely impossible to look away from.

The pacing keeps things moving without ever feeling rushed, balancing big action sequences with quieter character moments that actually land. This is not an earth-shattering epic, it sits somewhere between cozy fantasy and real adventure, with genuine stakes and even more genuine heart.

If you want magic, mayhem, a second chance romance with serious bite, and a crew of characters you will be rooting for from the very first page, do not sleep on this one.

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent

 Daughter of No Worlds

by Carissa Broadbent

My Rating:  🟊🟊🟊⯨

Spice Rating: 🌶

Blurb: 

A former slave fighting for justice. A reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists. And a dark magic that will entangle their fates.

Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders’ intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future… or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders’ deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Fans of epic romantic fantasy like Sarah J. Maas and Raven Kennedy will devour this tale of dark magic, passionate romance, vengeance, and redemption.

My Review:

My book club picked this one, and I went in open minded and came out with a head full of questions and a heart full of feelings I am still trying to sort through, which honestly might be exactly what this book intended.

Here is where I land: I enjoyed it and I was confused by it in almost equal measure. There is something this series is building toward, some connection that is hovering just out of reach, and I can feel it the way you feel a word sitting on the tip of your tongue. It is there. I know it is there. And I have a feeling that when it finally clicks into place, this series is going to become a five star read for me without question. The potential is absolutely sitting in these pages, I just need the next installment to unlock it.

In the meantime, can we talk about Max? Because out of every character in this book, Max was the only one consistently making sense to me. While everything else was beautifully chaotic and mysterious and pulling in a dozen directions at once, Max was a fixed point. I appreciated that more than I expected to.

This is a series built for readers who love their fantasy wrapped in mystery, who do not mind a world that is genuinely harsh on its characters and does not soften the edges to make anyone comfortable. If that sounds like your kind of reading experience, and it absolutely is mine, this will be right up your alley.

I will be continuing this series. I do not know exactly when, but the pull is already there. This world is not done with me yet, and I suspect I am not done with it either.

This is not my art and here is the link to the artists Instagram page.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPOzl3vjQu7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Loving the Wicked by Rebecca Johnpee

 Loving the Wicked

by Rebecca Johnpee

My Rating: 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Spice Rating: 🌶🌶🌶

Blurb:

The next exciting novel in Rebecca Johnpee's Wicked trilogy where dark steamy mafia romance meets heist thriller.

Elio
They say obsession is a weakness. But I’ve never been stronger. No distractions. No softness. No Zahra.

Until she returns.

She’s trouble wrapped in a fantasy, and even as she threatens everything I've built, I find myself falling.

And for the first time in my life, I don’t want to stop.

Zahra
I’ve waited years for this.

Every lie, every con, every stolen secret has led me to the endgame.

Just as everything begins to fall into place, a ghost from my past appears. Now the clock is ticking. And if I make the wrong move, I won’t just lose the man I’m falling in love with.

I’ll lose everything.

Loving The Wicked is slow burn mafia meets heist romance that explores darker themes, subjects, and scenes that may not be suitable for everyone. Please see the author's content note at the beginning of the book.

My Review:

REBECCA. Where is book three. WHERE IS IT. I am on my knees. I am not okay.

Let me try to compose myself long enough to tell you why this series has completely taken over my brain and refused to leave.

Elio. That is it. That is the whole argument. I will love this man forever and without condition, and here is why, I am almost certain he is neurodivergent, and if that is the case, Rebecca Johnpee has done something I have genuinely never encountered before in my reading life. A neurodivergent MMC written with this much care, this much depth, this much love. The way he carries himself, the way he exists in the world, the way he loves, it is unlike anything I have read on a page before.

Now imagine this, a man who has spent his entire life convinced he was incapable of feeling real emotion. And then imagine being the person he feels it all for. The enormity of that. The tenderness and the weight of being loved by someone who never believed he could. I am not a book boyfriend person. I want to be very clear about that. I do not do that. And yet here I am, completely undone by a fictional man, with zero regrets and zero shame.

The pain in this book though, why do authors insist on ripping their readers apart? Why is that the job? I felt everything, and not gently. This series burrowed so deeply into my mind that I genuinely could not enjoy anything else after finishing it. Other books felt distant. My brain was still here, still with Elio, still processing.

If you want action, mystery, and the most compelling MMC you have ever had the privilege of reading, this series is everything. It is the whole package wrapped in something that will haunt you long after the last page.

Rebecca, I will be waiting for book three with every ounce of patience I can gather, which is not very much. I will be shaking my leg. I will be biting my nails. I will be checking for updates more than I should admit. But I will be here, ready, because this series deserves every bit of the wait.

Love this series completely and without reservation. Now please, for the love of everything, book three.

 Final Girls by Riley Sager

My Rating: 🟊🟊🟊⯨

Spice Rating: 🫑

Blurb:

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.
 
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.
 
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.

My Review:

What happens to the ones who survive?

That is the question sitting at the heart of this book, and Riley Sager does not let you look away from it for a single page. Final girls, the ones who made it out of mass killings, who somehow kept breathing when everyone around them didn't, are supposed to be the lucky ones. But luck is a complicated thing when the nightmares follow you home and normal starts to feel like a language you no longer speak.

Our FMC is not adjusted. She is not fine. She is doing what survivors do, holding it together on the outside while something much messier lives underneath. And just when the fragile life she has built starts to feel manageable, other final girls start turning up dead. The very women who understood her world in a way nobody else could, gone. And the feeling that leaves behind is not just grief. It is something darker and more unsettling that crawls under your skin and stays there.

This book gives you a lot to digest. The layers build slowly and deliberately, and just when you think you have found solid ground the story shifts beneath you. I had a feeling about the twist, that particular gut instinct that starts whispering halfway through a thriller, and even then, watching it unfold was deeply satisfying. The kind of reveal that makes you flip back through pages to see what you missed.

If you want a thriller that keeps you guessing, keeps you uncomfortable, and keeps you turning pages long past when you should have put it down, this is exactly the book for you.

 Bossed by the Orc by Saam King

My Rating: 🟊🟊🟊⯨

Spice Rating: 🌶🌶

Blurb:

The damsel in distress is supposed to fall for prince charming, not the monster in her fairy tale…right?

Cleaning offices was far from Penelope’s dream job. But dreams don’t pay the bills, and if she wanted to save her family’s home, she needed money fast. Her grumpy, annoyingly sexy orc boss didn’t factor into her plans at all. Or so she kept telling herself…

Dristan was too busy running his empire to waste time on things like romance. Then he saw his pretty new employee and everything changed. He knows Penelope would be a perfect mate. Too bad wooing is not part of his skillset…

When danger finds its way to Penelope’s door, Dristan will do anything to protect her. But when all is said and done, will it be enough to convince her to take a shot at happily ever after? Or will their love story end before it ever truly begins?

My Review:

Sometimes you finish a brutal, heart-wrenching fantasy saga and your soul needs a palate cleanser. Not just any book, the right book. This was exactly that, and I did not know how desperately I needed it until I was already fifty pages in and smiling like an idiot.

After everything Keera put me through, the grief, the betrayal, the relentless emotional devastation, this book was a warm blanket. Cute, funny, and completely charming from start to finish. I could physically feel the weight of the last few months of reading just melting off of me page by page. That is not a small thing. That is a gift.

Here is what I love about monster rom-coms and I will not apologize for it, they take every element you already adore about a classic romantic comedy and then hand the lead role to a monster. The awkward moments, the slow burn, the comedy, the heart, all of it is still there, just wrapped in something delightfully unexpected. It is a formula that should not work as well as it does, and yet every single time it absolutely does. I eat it up without shame and I will continue to do so.

This one moves fast too, the kind of book that disappears in your hands before you realize what happened. Light and fun and completely absorbing in the best possible way.

And can we please talk about the audiobook? Because it is everything. If you have the option, immersive listening is absolutely the way to experience this one. It takes an already entertaining story and turns it into something you want to live inside for a little while longer.

Highly recommend. Your soul will thank you.

 An Honored Vow by Melissa Blair

My Rating: 🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊

Spice Rating: 🌶

Blurb:

“Your land is not the one you take, it is the one you die for.”

Still reeling over her discovery of a staggering secret about her closest ally, Keera has no time to rest. She and her fellow rebels plan a desperate rescue mission after King Damien takes one of their own hostage. Opening the kingdom’s magical seals has transformed Keera in ways even the wisest Fae elders could not have anticipated. With the kingdom’s Halfling population suddenly posing a risk to the crown, the land is plunged into violence as the king begins a new blood purge.     Keera and her allies gather an army to meet Damien’s forces in a final confrontation of epic, and tragic, proportions.

The epic final installment in the Halfling Saga will thrill fans of Melissa Blair’s lush, action-packed, romantasy series.

My Review:

She got what she deserved. Finally. Finally.

If you have followed my reviews through this series, you already know what Keera's journey cost me emotionally. You know I was pained, furious, gutted, and at one point had to physically put the books down and read something gentle just to recover. So when I tell you that this final installment was everything I needed it to be, I need you to understand the weight of that statement.

I deliberately did not talk much about the love interest throughout this series because honestly, in the thick of everything Keera was surviving, romance felt almost beside the point. But here is what I will say now that we have reached the end, Keera needed someone in her corner. Genuinely, unconditionally, fiercely in her corner. And the person who turned out to have always been there? The last one you would ever expect. I love when a series does that. When it has been quietly showing you something the whole time and you only see it clearly at the end.

This book is healing. It is love. It is Keera finally being seen and protected and valued in the way she has deserved from the very first page of book one. And if Melissa Blair had denied her that after everything she put this woman through, after everything she put us through, we would have had a serious problem. A very serious problem.

What I also loved deeply is that Keera's worth, her importance, her place in this story, none of it was tied to a man. Her power was always her own. Her significance was always her own. The love she receives in this book adds to her story without ever becoming the whole of it, and that distinction matters more than I can properly express.

Yes, there is still trauma. There is still death and darkness and moments that will make you hold your breath. This is still a Melissa Blair book after all, and she does not do anything halfway. But it is all worth it. Every single page of heartbreak across this entire saga was worth it for where Keera ends up.

If this series teaches you one thing, and it teaches you many, let it be this: even in the deepest, most suffocating darkness, light eventually finds a way through. Keera is proof of that. And getting to witness her journey from broken to whole is one of the most rewarding reading experiences I have had in a long time.

Read this series. All of it. Feel everything. It is absolutely worth it.