Four interconnected tales for readers who like their fairy tale retellings with an adorable happily ever after and a side of serious steaminess!

Beauty and the Goblin King-- They say the Goblin King will give a gold coin for every night a girl spends with him. I shouldn't be intrigued. Everyone whispered about him. But when my father lost his money, all my wonderings came true.

These Wicked Revels-- If I give my mask away, will I belong to the fairy king forever? A retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses!

Rapunzel and the Dark Prince-- It gets pretty lonely, spending your entire life in a tower. The Witch told me she was keeping me safe from a dangerous world. But one day, when I let down my hair, the Witch wasn't the one to climb up.

The Beggar Princess-- As the only princess of a prosperous kingdom, I have wanted for nothing--and refused all suitors. The lastthing I expected was for my mild-mannered father to insist I marry the next man who walks in the door, even if he's apeasant...and what do you know? But maybe he's not what he seems. A retelling of King Thrushbeard.


My Favorite Story: Rapunzel and the Dark Prince. I gave it 4 stars!
Rapunzel was used to a lonely life, high up in her tower. Her only company was the witch who isolated her. She amused herself with cleaning, making clothes, braiding and unbraiding her hair, talking to the birds, and reading children's books. Prince Dorin is a darkling, tail and all. He's looking for his bond mate and she happens to be Rapunzel. They mate and bond and she talks a lot and not only was their relationship funny and sweet and hot, but it felt natural to me. I only wish their story was longer!

The other stories include: ✦ Beauty and the Goblin King (4 stars) - Sabela was the youngest sisters, the one called 'Beauty'. When her family's circumstances change for the worst, they ask her to sacrifice herself for them. Years ago, the Goblin King sent out a message - Any young, unmarried woman willing to come to his castle would receive one gold piece for every night she spent there. Seeing as Sabela was fascinated with the King anyway, she didn't see the big deal. And when she finally met him, she knew there was more to him and his story than first perceived. There was a curse and she was determined to break it. ✦ These Wicked Revels (3 stars) - Evaline was the youngest with eleven sisters, the daughter of a pious and stern queen, and she was desperate for a bit of freedom. When her last sister is married off, she tells Eva "Never give your mask away." It takes years for Eva to understand what she meant. Eva was naive and foolish and rebellious and everything you'd expect of someone held virtually prisoner in her kingdom. She knew nothing of fun and the King of the Revels brought her into a world filled with music and dancing and laughter and ease. She never wanted to leave and the King never wanted to let her go. Her sexuality was awakening and he couldn't wait to take advantage. Too bad Will, the cobbler in her kingdom, insisted on standing in the way. I really liked Will. He was a broken hero, a disillusioned soldier, and I only wished that Evaline was a better woman for him. ✦ The Beggar Princess (3 stars) - While not as funny as my favorite of this series, this story was still pretty great. Princess Bethany questioned a woman's role in society. She didn't think that just because she happened to be born female that she should be forced to conform to societal norms. She would not marry. She would continue to write novels that tantalized the realms. She would choose how she would live because that was her right. She was spoiled, entitled, rude and unappreciative. Her father, the very man who created her this way, had finally had enough and stated that she would wed. After gathering all the eligible bachelors and having her turn them all away with outright impertinence and discourtesy, he tells her that she will marry the very next man who comes in. And that's what happens. While Bethany thinks Jack is a simple basket weaver and that she's destined for a life of poverty, we all know that he's actually King Brennus, the ruler of a prosperous kingdom. He's determined to teach his princess some humility and after many lessons, one of which was unplanned and downright scary, she did and all was better for it. I really enjoyed this tale!

I loved how the author took these classic tales and gave them her own unique twists. They were sexy and twisted and absolutely lovely, satisfying this retelling fan completely!


There are way more books in this series and I'll definitely be reading them at some point.

Tale of the Heart Queen by Nisha J. Tuli

Rating - 1/2
Book 4 of the Artefacts of Ouranos series
Release - November 26, 2024
Genre - Fantasy Romance / enemies to lovers
POV - Multiple 1st person
Heat - descriptive
Source - eARC provided by the publisher
Length - 672 pages




After the horror show of the last book, at least when it comes to the ending, I didn't know what to expect from this.
Would Lor finally be free?
Would the bad guys finally meet their deserved end?
And would I ever see my beloved Nadir again?

I've got to say, I enjoyed learning more about the goddess, Zerra, but I could've done without her strange perversions. Finding out she wasn't as 'godly' as she was renowned to be wasn't exactly a surprise, but she took it several steps further and for some reason I found it all very hilarious.

I loved that, once again, I got to be in the heads of several characters. My heart absolutely broke for my favorites and I continued to root for them to win.

I don't know how this author did it, but I'm still twisted over this entire series. I didn't want it to end and I was looking for ways for there to be a spinoff so I could spend more time with these characters.

It's the last book so obviously the good guys won, but it takes a lot of painful and dangerous steps to get there. Strap in!



Nisha J. Tuli is the bestselling author of Trial of the Sun Queen—the first in the Artefacts of Ouranos series—which became a BookTok hit thanks to her amazing fans. The originally self-published series was acquired by Forever Publishing and Orbit UK in 2023, and will soon be published in 15 other languages around the world.

She's also the author of Heart of Night and Fire, a South Asian-inspired fantasy romance and the first in a four-book series. Look for her rom-com debut in 2025 with NSFW (Not Suitable for Work), a workplace rivals to lovers rom-com publishing with Forever.

Nisha lives in Canada, where she spends most of her time reading and writing while enjoying travel, food, and camping with her partner, two kids, and their fluffy Samoyed, Mora.

Visit https://nishajtuli.com for more information.

Soul of Salvation by Ali Stuebbe

Book #2 of The Divide
Review of book one - Blood of Desiderium
Rating -
Genre - Fantasy Romance
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - explicit
Source - Kindle Unlimited
Length - 400 pages




MILD SPOILER, but Blood of Desiderium ended with Emma making a sacrifice—to stop her father from killing everyone, she went with him. Draven watched the life be snuffed from her eyes and the darkness take a firm hold of the woman he loved. It was devastating and waiting for the conclusion to THAT... lawd, the wait was excruciating.

But here I am and it was well worth it.

In Soul of Salvation, Emma is in the dark world inhabited by her father, Whiro, the god of darkness. He keeps giving her tests, the worst of which is taking the lives of random fae males. While in the realm, Emma feels nothing. She does what she's supposed to do, waiting for her next task. When her father commands her to betray Draven and bring him as the next soul to be sacrificed, it's her first time going back to her world. Will she remain cold and unfeeling or will Draven be the key to giving her her heart back?

On the flip side, Draven's a wreck. He drowns himself in drink to soothe the pain of Emma's absence and their friends aren't able to reach him. They understand, but there's really nothing they can do to help. When word reaches them of Emma's arrival, Draven can't stay away. And then it's a fight to save his mate and his kingdom from the worst being they've ever seen.

I loved the build up to battle and how these characters were able to still find time to renew their bonds. Emma was done fighting Draven and it was so freaking sweet to see them so in tune with each other. Draven would do absolutely anything to save, protect and keep her and she would do the same.

This duology ended so perfectly and I'm excited to see what's next from this author.


Ali Stuebbe grew up in the state of Ohio, near the city of Cleveland. At the age of 21, she married, becoming a military spouse, and has called three other states home. She studied English Literature at Cleveland State University and American Public University. She began writing her debut novel when she grew confident in her writing and felt ready to bring this story to life. When she’s not writing, she can be found at the gym or sitting on the couch with her nose in a book and a large coffee in her hand. Ali is the author of Blood of Desiderium, and currently lives in Texas with her loving husband and two beautiful children.

Visit https://www.alimariestuebbe.co for more information.

Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon

Rating -
Standalone - Royal Artifactual Guild #1
Release - October 15, 2024
Genre - Fantasy Romance / marriage of convenience
POV - Dual 1st person
Heat - explicit
Source - eARC from NetGalley
Length - 432 pages



Bull Moon Rising offered up so many goodies to entice a reader like me:

* monster romance

* marriage of convenience

* sexy and grumpy minotaur

* haughty and optimistic heroine

* interesting plot

* several side characters with endearing qualities

* made up history and archaelogical digs

Aspeth has always been intrigued by artifacts and has spent her life reading about the history and discovery of them. When her father gambles away the last of their most valuable artifacts, she decides that it's up to her to save their hold. Along with her best friend and maid, Gwenna, she travels to the guild to become a fledgling, hoping to grab a few artifacts for herself.

What she didn't count on was the immediate dismissal from the members of the guild. It was definitely a men's club and I loved how Aspeth didn't take any of their crap. She was there and she wasn't leaving without the chance to prove herself able. Booksmart and courageous, she was easy to root for.

My favorite character was Hawk, for many reasons. He was someone who lived with the guild without really being a part of it. His race was used and abused and discriminated against and still Hawk acted with honor and respect and devotion. He was such a wonderful male and I lived for his irritable attitude and movements, his self-reflections, and his growing feelings for Aspeth.

I thought this story would be absolutely filthy, but it wasn't. It had its moments, but this was a story about discovery—of self and of wonders.



Ruby Dixon is an author of Science Fiction Romance. She likes fated mates, baby-filled epilogues, and cinnamon roll heroes. She also likes to write biographies of herself in the third person, because it feels more important that way.

Ruby also loves coffee and dirty books and will probably be a cat lady at some point. :)

Visit http://www.rubydixon.com for more information.

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

Rating - 1/2
Book 3 of the Crescent City series
Release - January 30, 2024
Genre - Fantasy Romance / fated mates
POV - Multiple 3rd person
Heat - descriptive
Source - library ebook
Length - 951 pages
Previous books in the series - House of Earth and Blood * House of Sky and Breath



Writing a review for this book has been so hard because everything I've come up with has been pretty spoilery.

House of Flame and Shadow picks up right where the cliffhanger from the last book left us — Hunt, Ruhn and Bax are prisoners of the Asteri; Bryce is in the land of her ancestors; and everyone else is converging on the final showdown. There was so much revealed in this story and while I could appreciate the fact that there was a crossover of characters, I didn't read the other series, so I was meeting these people for the first time, without any preconceptions. I missed all of the Easter eggs and now I'm curious enough to read that series 😊

“I fell in love with you in the depths of my soul, and it's my soul that will find yours again in the next life.”

Without spoiling everything, I'll just tell you my feelings throughout the book. I was so proud of how far Hunt and Bryce had come in their relationship. Remembering where they started out, virtually enemies to allies to everything, I am a true sucker for the love, support and friendship they found with each other. Ruhn was still an absolute sweetheart and I'm excited for his future, especially one he will share with Day. My heart breaks for Bax, but dang that male came so far from where he used to stand. Never thought he would be such a staunch ally. I found this book scary and tense and exciting and incredible and I would not complain if there was another one in the series, despite the threat to their world being gone.

Shoot, just give me an extended epilogue or something!



Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Crescent City, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and the Throne of Glass series. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies and are published in thirty-seven languages.

A New York native, Sarah lives in Philadelphia with her husband, son, and dog.

To find out more, visit sarahjmaas.com or follow @therealsjmaas on Instagram.

Fate of the Sun King by Nisha J. Tuli

Book 3 of the Artefacts of Ouranos series
Rating - 1/2
Release - June 4, 2024
Genre - Fantasy Romance / enemies to lovers
POV - Multiple 1st person
Heat - descriptive
Source - eARC provided by the author
Length - 556 pages
Previous books in the series - Trial of the Sun Queen and Rule of the Aurora King




Seriously Nisha?! You're gonna do me like that???!!!

The entire entourage is hiding in plain sight and I was anxious for them. Who would find them first — Nadir's dad or the equally awful Sun King? While I waited to find out, I learned so much more about the history of the realms, the diabolical schemes of those in power, and what must happen to make things right. I think I know, but I need more details to be sure. Book four needs to appear in my hands pronto.

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed getting other perspectives for this story. I could finally root for these characters, understanding their motives and emotions. All I wanted was for Lor to finally see Nadir and when she finally did, when she finally accepted that her anger wasn't truly with him, when she recognized everything they could be together, I was delirious with hope and happiness. All I want is to see this couple triumph over it all, knowing they are end game.

This was my favourite book of the series so far, even though it practically killed me in the end. While I'm tired of the heroines of fantasy books being the 'greatest person of all time', I do believe Lor and her siblings deserve all of the blessings that seem to be in store for them. They've suffered more than anyone should have to, especially when their suffering was due to their ancestor's transgressions. But it seems that there is so much more to the story and I'm loving how complicated everything is getting.

Kudos to the author for keeping all of these facts straight, tempting me with juicy morsels, leaving me begging for more. I'm sitting here absolutely devastated and excited for the next book.



Nisha J. Tuli is the bestselling author of Trial of the Sun Queen—the first in the Artefacts of Ouranos series—which became a BookTok hit thanks to her amazing fans. The originally self-published series was acquired by Forever Publishing and Orbit UK in 2023, and will soon be published in 15 other languages around the world.

She's also the author of Heart of Night and Fire, a South Asian-inspired fantasy romance and the first in a four-book series. Look for her rom-com debut in 2025 with NSFW (Not Suitable for Work), a workplace rivals to lovers rom-com publishing with Forever.

Nisha lives in Canada, where she spends most of her time reading and writing while enjoying travel, food, and camping with her partner, two kids, and their fluffy Samoyed, Mora.

Visit https://nishajtuli.com for more information.