Warning: third degree slow burn ahead Synopsis A SOUL TAKEN. A SOUL RESTORED. A WAR AT HER FINGERTIPS. Suri’s deal with the Fae has left her a shadow of herself. Revelations about the prophecy sew confusion, new allegiances come to light, and Suri grapples with the darkness inside her. Insidious plots toll countless deaths as […]
Romantasy
Review: The Floating World (The Floating World #1) by Axie Oh
Synopsis From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens. Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from […]
Review: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
Synopsis Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love. Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal […]
TBRCon2025 Highlight: Romantasy vs. Fantasy Romance (with Stacey McEwan, J.D. Evans & More)
Every Friday, we’re highlighting a panel from the TBRCon2025 all-virtual SF/F/H convention, looking back on the incredible variety of discussions that we had the honor of hosting.
This week, join moderator/author Stacey McEwan and panelists Chelsey Ann Tompkins, J.D. Evans, Juliette Cross and Analeigh Sbrana for a panel on “Romantasy vs. Fantasy Romance”.
Book Review: Dungeons and Dragon Dating by Virginia McClain
TL;DR Review: Legends and Lattes goes on an adventure disguised as a dating game. Lovely, heartwarming, satisfying queer cozy romance I adored. Synopsis: WHAT KIND OF DRAGON SENDS A BLIND DATE TO A CURSED FOREST?! Quiet café owner Lyra Stranglevine knows that she’s too broken for romance. So, she never expected to wind up killing […]
Review: Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark
A demon-strably good book Synopsis A bloody war between demons and the Vatican has waged for more than a century, with two elite soldiers now at its center: Selene Alleva, a high-ranking exorcist running from a dark family legacy, and orphan Jules Lacroix, recruited by the Vatican and unrivalled on the battlefield. When their paths […]
Review: A Kingdom of Lies (Realm of Fey #2) by Ben Alderson
For me A Kingdom of Lies had a slow start, there was a bit of time where I was wondering if I should just put it down, but I persisted and I’m happy to say I really enjoyed the second half of the book. Once the plot got out of ‘what do we do next’ and people were no longer trapped in places I found that I was quite enjoying myself.
Review: The Courting of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats #1) by Mary E. Pearson
By the end I was really enjoying myself. This is romantasy where it’s light on the fantasy plot and heavier on the romance. The Courting of Bristol Keats’ main fantasy plot is ‘there’s a portal open and we need to close it using a rare power’, by all means not a bad fantasy plot, this is really just the intro book to it where Bristol is learning to use her power and learning about faerieland as a whole. The romance I got quite swept up in by the end of the book.
Book Review: Spark of the Everflame (The Kindred Curse Saga #1) by Penn Cole
TL;DR Review: A spitfire of a heroine. A lovely balance between warrior and healer, fighter and caretaker. Synopsis: When old secrets catch fire, everything will burn. In a mortal world colonized by the gods and ruled over by the Descended, their cruel offspring, Diem Bellator yearns to escape the insular life of her poor village. […]
Book Review: Swordcrossed by Freya Marske
TL;DR Review: High on the steam, spice, and sass. An insightful exploration of the burdens of duty and the cost of desire. Synopsis: Low stakes. High heat. Sharp steel. Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. Sword-challenge at […]
Review: A Promise of Blood (Amefyre #2) by R A Sandpiper
Death becomes her Synopsis Suri survived the fallout of Queen Lera’s ceremony, but now finds herself deep in unfamiliar territory—the City of the Damned. The City’s deadly ruler, Kol, believes she’s the key to breaking the curse upon the desert wasteland. Suri just wants to save her brother and forge her own destiny away from […]
Book Review: Amethysts and Alchemy by Rachel Rener
TL;DR – A grumpy/sunshine match made in neurospicy heaven, and a singularly ADORABLE animal companion. Synopsis: I used to eat rocks as a child. The family doctor diagnosed me with pica, dooming me to years of intensive therapy and extensive dentistry work. It wouldn’t be until much later that I would understand the all-consuming, insatiable […]