It’s cover reveal day for Arrow of Fortune! Book 3 of the Raiders of the Arcana series is perfect for readers itching for a historical fantasy adventure packed with magical artifacts, real history, witty banter, slow burn romance, dastardly villains, and all The Mummy vibes.
This time, Ellie and Adam are off to India to keep the most dangerous artifact of the Ramayana from falling into the wrong hands. But of course, they’re also bringing along her haplessly academic stepbrother, Dr. Neil Fairfax, and her danger-loving bestie, Constance Tyrrell.
Expect haunted forests, sprawling royal palaces, a highly excitable dog, new lessons in practical chemistry, a shocking lack of shirts, and more than a few monsters–including the kind that walk around on two legs.
Arrow of Fortune is coming later in 2025. Sign up for Jacquelyn’s newsletter to be notified when preorders are available.
We have the most gorgeous book rec for you today! If you love Beauty and the Beast retellings with Gaslamp vibes, read it now on Kindle Unlimited!
The Musician and the Monster (The Castamar Duology Book 1)
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Genre: Gothic Romantic Fantasy
💖 Forbidden love
☑️ Morally grey MMC
⚔️ Determined heroine
🎶 Music is powerful
🔥 Slow burn to steamy
❄️ Wintertime
🥀 Gothic vibes
❤️🩹 Hurt/comfort
🗡️ Touch her and 💀
✨ Magic
🎭 Masquerade
Music says things words never can. I love you. I miss you. I’m sorry I killed you.
Every night, Ceridwen Kinsley plays music on her rooftop for the spirit of her dead mother. A peaceful if odd ritual, until she witnesses a murder by something not quite human. The monstrous encounter earns her notoriety within the city and a visit from the reclusive Lord Protector Drystan Winterbourne.
Charged with protecting the backwater city of Teneboure by the king, Drystan is failing at his task, and he can’t afford another slip up. But when fate and the very monster he means to conquer bring Ceridwen to his notice, he seizes the opportunity and presents her with an offer: play music for him at his manor in exchange for the money her impoverished family desperately needs. Music eases the strain of his magic, and who better to hire than the woman whose tunes he secretly listens to at night?
At first, Ceridwen is put off by Drystan’s unkempt appearance and harsh demeanor, not to mention the odd ailment that plagues him. But as he embraces her passion for music and she draws the recluse out of his lonely tower, the two develop an unlikely attachment. Class lines begin to blur as fearful indifference shifts to unexpected desire, and Ceridwen yearns to help Drystan subdue the monster as well as provide for her family. However, the monster prowling the night isn’t their only enemy, and as terrible secrets come to light, protecting those they love may risk their lives and their hearts.
This retelling of Beauty and the Beast incorporates themes and motifs from Phantom of the Opera, and is set in a gaslamp fantasy world with strong gothic vibes. It should appeal to fans of romantic and atmospheric retellings and fairy tales by authors such as Hannah Whitten, Tessonja Odette, and Stephanie Garber.
We’re thrilled to present the cover for A Fate Drawn to Flame by Skylark Melody. Pre-order a copy today!
A Fate Drawn to Flame (Realm of The Halo Book 1)
Expected Pub Date: April 8, 2025
Genre: Romantasy
• A dark, slow burn epic fantasy romance and a bit of spice.
• A unique premise and delicious angst with a genre-blending, multi-layered plot.
• A soft but confident FMC and a strong but conflicted MMC.
MORE TO LOVE:
Found family
Fated mates
She falls first/he falls harder
A Fate Drawn to Flame is the first book of the Realm of The Halo series and ends with a satisfying cliffhanger.
Is their love fated in forever, or will it be the beginning of the end?
Marked by a life of tragedy and sorrow, Araxia Arevin’s search for a new start begins with a harrowing accident in a place filled with old memories and ancient mysteries.
While she recovers, Arax meets the mercurial Konstantine. Cold and harsh, he wants nothing to do with her, but she is drawn to him.
Who is this man? What is this place? And why, of all things, does she feel most at peace by his touch?
An alpha meant to rule since birth, Konstantine has had a life filled with political turmoil, betrayal, and loss. To deny himself almost everything for the sake of duty means survival, including keeping the one destined for him from being dragged into the uncertainty of his world
Aggie has reached that “certain age” – in her case, a thousand years or so, give or take a decade. After centuries of bringing kings to their knees, running a small-town cafe isn’t how she imagined her life would pan out. Now, thanks to the machinations of the false vegan from across the road, she risks losing even that.
And just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, along comes her old friend, Babs, in her House-on-chicken-legs, ready to ruffle some feathers with her unique blend of borscht, tough love and alcohol. But everybody has a secret – the grocer who hides his loneliness behind a cheery smile, the neighbour crippled by debt and grief, and the young woman who jumps at her shadow – and before Aggie can help anyone else, she has demons of her own to lay to rest.
Can she confront her past to save her future? What is the ‘Vegan’ really hiding? Will Babs ever let her have the last word?
Raucous, rowdy, and heart-wrenching and heart-warming in equal measures, Babs and Aggie is a magical tale of love, loss and the comfort of a friendship forged through food, laughter and a LOT of slivovica.
Hazel Hitchins is a writer who spends her days having conversations with her imaginary friends, some of which she writes down. She lives in Wales with her normal family, normal(ish) cat, and entirely abnormal laundry pile.
My thoughts: Growing up the one thing I was genuinely terrified of was the Baba Yaga and her house with chicken legs. My mum had read me a story about her and I was terrified that this Eastern European/Russian witch was going to turn up outside my window in the North London suburbs. I don’t know why, but there you go.
However, the Baba Yaga in this story, known as Babs, is a lot less terrifying, although she still has House with its chicken legs, and she is still a powerful witch. She’s come to help her sister in witchery Aggie, aka Black Agnes or Black Annis (from Leicestershire according to English folklore).
Aggie runs a café, dispensing tasty treats in a little shopping arcade, but she’s been struggling with a nasty bully known as The Vegan. His girlfriend owns a health food shop across the way and he likes to menace the other shopkeepers and seems to be focused on Aggie, maybe thinking an older woman would be the weakest.
Unfortunately for him, ancient sorceresses do not like being bullied. And Babs is here to help Aggie remind him of that. And when they discover the extent of his bullying ways, well, he’s done for. These ladies do not take kindly to his sort at all, calling on some old friends to give them some help to get him gone.
It’s a funny, empowering read, a reminder of the power of women, especially older women, of community, and of how we can stand up to bullies (including the one in the White House, my American chums) and get rid of them. I think I would be ok if this Baba Yaga dropped round with some pierogis and slivovica.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
James Alistair Henry’s debut Pagans is a set in an alternative 21st century Britain where Christianity, The Norman Conquest and The Industrial Revolution never happened, but where crimes still need to be solved.
The small, mostly unimportant, island of Britain is inhabited by an uneasy alliance of Pagan tribes – the dominant Saxon East, the beleaguered Celtic West, and an independent Nordic Scotland – with tensions increasing by the second. Supermarket warpaint sales are at an all-time high, mead abuse shortens the lives of thousands, and social media is abuzz with conspiracy theories suggesting the High Table is putting GPS trackers in the honeycakes.
Amid this febrile atmosphere, a serial killer is on the loose, and the brutal murder of a diplomat from the Celtic West, has drawn the attention of two mismatched police detectives: Detective-Captain Aedith, Saxon daughter of the powerful Earl Lod of Mercia and Inspector Drustan, a heavily tattooed police officer from the Celtic West.
For fans of Game of Thrones, The Last Kingdom, Terry Pratchett, Pagans is currently optioned for a major Apple TV series by Media Res (The Morning Show, Pachinko, Extrapolations, Scenes from a Marriage) with a cast announcement due in early 2025.
James Alistair Henry is the writer behind smash hit comedies including Green Wing, Smack the Pony, Bob The Builder, Hey Duggie, Sean the Sheep, cult comedy TV hits Delivery Man (ITV 1), Piglets (ITV 1) andCampus (C4), and who regularly writes for BBC Radio 4.
My thoughts: I thought this was great. Really well written (no surprise considering the author’s other work), clever, funny and entertaining.
Wondering, what if the Normans never bothered conquering Britain and the Saxons carried on ruling, keeping things pretty much as they were. Scotland still a separate country, Wales too. They have technology, but worship the old gods as well as the Christian one (He predates 1066 so still arrived), carrying seaxes (basically a big knife for fighting and also cutting up your dinner) and tribal life.
Once you get to grips with the idea of modern Saxons (I had quite a lot of fun imagining them) and that Britain never did any of the things it has (no Empire here, but plenty of African Brits still as instead empires have risen in Africa and the Middle East that weren’t conquered and oppressed and people still move around).
Then it’s also a crime novel – pairing Saxon detective Aedith with Celtic Inspector Drustan, as the victims are visiting Celts in town for a summit. Lovely political chaos on top of the killing kind.
Aedith has a lot to deal with, her dad’s the Earl of Mercia, which means a lot of people are hoping she messes up, and there’s pressure from him to do well, as he’s got his own schemes and ambitions. She’s also got to deal with the anti-Celtic sentiment, her new partner isn’t exactly subtle with his tattoos and accent.
I was fascinated by all the differences between history as we know it and a potential other version of events, and I love a good crime read, so this was a really good blend of fantasy and police procedural. Can’t wait to see how this develops and how the partnership between Aedith and Drustan continues.
Out now from all the usual places.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for reading and reviewing it, but all opinions remain my own.
We are thrilled to share the second epic installment in the Heroes of the Empire series, The General by Israh Azizi!
The General (Heroes of the Empire Book 2)
Publication Date: November 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy/ Epic Fantasy
THE EMPIRE IS CRUMBLING, AND THE FATE OF A KINGDOM RESTS IN THEIR HANDS.
Tropes:
Morally Grey Characters, Mistaken Identity, Royal Intrigue, Multiple POV, Chosen One, Slow Burn Romance, Found Family, Warring Kingdoms, Forbidden Love, Hidden Powers, Character Driven
Mordon dedicated his life to his father; his only dream was to prove himself worthy of Verin’s general. But with the ruthless Tariqin attack comes a brutal awakening. Captured by enemy forces and dragged into a war camp full of the people he was trained to kill, his hopes of proving himself worthy are dashed to pieces. When the enemy offers him a chance for a grand future, he’s faced with a test that stretches him beyond his limits.
Coralie’s burden has never been heavier. After the Dark Lord Prolus’s recent assault and her uncle’s declining health, it is up to her to keep her kingdom together. The inevitable return of the Tariqin army lurks at their doorstep and her time is running short. Coralie turns to the newest residents of Verintown for assistance. Branded traitors and hated by many in the castle, they may very well be her downfall. Using their pledge for change in her favor, she tasks them with a mission most would consider a death sentence.
Two determined warriors separated by a river of blood. Mordon must risk everything to become the man he yearns to be, and Coralie must fight to become the queen she was born to be.
The Defiant and the Damned is now available! Read the whole series now on Kindle Unlimited
The Defiant and The Damned (The Dragon Queen #2)
Publication Date: February 24, 2025
Genre: NA Dark Fantasy/ Gridmark Fantasy
🖤Morally Gray Cast
🖤Reluctant Antiheroine
🖤Vengeance Plot
🖤Multi-POV
🖤Sapphic & Queer
🖤Dragon Lore
🖤Heist
🖤Found Family
🖤NA & Spicy w/ Medium-Burn
🖤Inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy: Purgatory
🖤 Feminist John Wick meets Eragon and Game of Thrones
*The following blurb contains spoilers for The Forgotten and the Feared.
Amalia Roth is dead.
She died alongside the Crimson Queen in the arena two years ago. Donning her Gray Wytch persona, Amalia and the Dragon Ryu have spent the past year hunting down the Fae who wronged her. All the while, Amalia struggles not to crumble under the weight of grief.
Across the Midheym Sea on the isle of Elysium, Dyana grapples with her newfound magyk under the guidance of the ancient dragon, Vesimyr. She quickly learns that Elysium isn’t paradise – it’s a prison. Trapped under the claws of the Dragon Regent, she cannot leave. But Dyana knows Amalia is alive and will stop at nothing to get back to her sister – even if it means taking on the Regent alone.
The rebel Mirielle has lost everything. Her life’s goal was to take down the High Council, but doing so only made things worse. Lost and alone, Mirielle begins plotting a way back home, regardless of the risk.
With the High Council gone, the Archmage has risen. Storms shake the continent as the situation grows more dangerous by the day. Ur Daoine lies on the brink of civil war. In secret, the heretic Prince Nyall Drayven leads the growing rebellion. After Nyall convinces Amalia to join him at the front, a divide within the rebel factions, and his carefully built control begins to crumble.
When one of the rebels’ carefully planned missions goes wrong, a familiar face steals Ryu and reveals a truth that will change everything; someone from Amalia’s past is alive.
FROM ASHES AND PAIN, AMALIA ASTEROTH HAS RISEN.
Return to a world full of romance, rage, rebellion…and Dragons, in the stunning sequel to EC Garrett’s debut novel, The Forgotten and The Feared.
TD&TD is extremely dark & violent. The Dragon Queen series is set in a Grimdark, medieval fantasy world, with a high amount of violence, gore, and danger. All incidents involving animals are inspired by the real-life cruelty animals in our world experience every second of every day. If The Dragon Queen series was a movie, it would be rated R or NC-17 due to graphic violence, graphic sex, language, and dire situations. The full TW list can be viewed at the beginning of the book or on my website. https://authorecgarrett.com/pages/trigger-warnings
The Quasi-Crystal by J.D. Rasch is now available! If you enjoy fantasy adventure with themes of magic, morality, and self-determination, this one’s for you!
The Quasi-Crystal
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Genre: Fantasy/ High Fantasy
The Moment changed everything. But was it enough?
Bracat has changed since the Moment-the collective joining of minds-opened up new possibilities of peace for its people. Even the rogue wizard Malzus is seeking forgiveness for his past sins. But this new feeling of unity is tentative, and the future is never certain . . .
In the midst of this change, gem cutter Theb discovers something curious: It looks like an ordinary stone, but he knows it is something extraordinary. A crystal that exists in two realms at once, but only Theb can see its uniqueness.
Then Theb begins to have dreams of a woman, calling for help from a deserted island far away from Bracat. An impenetrable fog is threatening the island, and the strange crystal seems to be the only answer.
There are others who hear the woman’s call. To find the source, Theb joins with a reformed wizard, a former thief, and an old enemy. Together, they vow to find the voice, braving the turbulent ocean to discover what is hidden behind the fog.
The Quasi-Crystal is a literary fantasy adventure with themes of magic, morality, and self-determination. It is the third book in The Wanderer series, which uses the structure of the fantasy genre to explore social justice issues.
We’re celebrating the release of Masquerade of Bones with a tour this week! This gorgeous fantasy romance is available February 25th in all formats!
Masquerade of Bones
Publication Date: February 25, 2025 (Print, ebook and audio)
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Villain gets the girl
Shadow daddy
Heists
Royalty,
Found family
Quest
One bed/horse/tent
Magic
Outlaws
Dragons
Vibes:
Six of Crows (but make it spicy) x Beneath Black Sails (but wild west outlaws instead of pirates)
A Blood Oath ~ A Botched Heist ~ A Dangerous Deal with the Enemy
Everly Thorn knew she was doomed when she came down with witch fever. She’s spent the last ten years hiding her symptoms and will do anything to keep her cursed gift a secret for fear of being conscripted into the military and used as a weapon to hunt others like her.
Reeling from the death of her parents and a broken betrothal, she’s racked up a fortune in gambling debts. Her job at the Menagerie of Magical Beasts doesn’t pay enough to keep the collectors from threatening to take her home—the only thing she and her brother have left.
Silas Drake is an infamous outlaw in need of a witch with a unique set of skills and exactly the kind of man Everly has vowed to stay away from—tall, dark, and deadly. He’s determined to steal a powerful dragon relic being held in the Menagerie’s vault.
When he discovers Everly’s secret, the ruthless shadow summoner presents her with an impossible choice—swear a blood oath to him and help his crew steal the relic in exchange for paying off her debts or be handed over to the crown.
Everly, however, is done with men who want to control her and refuses to accept her fate without a fight.
We’re celebrating the upcoming release of Reformed, book one in The Rift Wars series by Holly Monroe! Pre-order or get it February 21st!
Reformed (The Rift Wars Book 1)
Expected Publication Date: Feb 21
Genre: PNR/ Why Choose/ Academy
– Why choose
– MFMMM
– Academy (prison reform school)
– Mythology and folklore inspiration
– Slow burn
– Virgin MMCs
– Shy cyclops
– Golden retriever reaper
– Hot for teacher
– Mystery to solve
– Politics and subterfuge
In a realm where being supernatural is all but illegal, Stella Mikers has hidden her supernatural spirit and done it well for over a decade. Up against the wire to produce a piece of hard-hitting journalism to solidify her career and no other ideas, she decides it’s time to come out of hiding and embrace what she truly is – a Valkyrie.
She dusts off her wings and goes undercover at Robert Sinclair’s Reformation Academy, the prison alternative that boasts the ability to turn supernaturals into simplynaturals, removing what makes them different and allowing them to better assimilate into society.
But there is something fishy about a vampire who can now be a phlebotomist and a necromancer who works as a mortician. Stella is determined to discover what is going on behind those golden gates and expose the Academy to the realm.
What she didn’t expect to find at the Academy were starving vampires who wanted to feed from her feet, a shy cyclops suitemate, or a reaper who is sunshine personified. Even one of her simplynatural professors draws her attention in a way she can’t explain. Stella’s plan didn’t include making friends, but now that she has, she’s dead set on doing whatever it takes to keep them safe.
Robert Sinclair’s Reformation Academy has a dark secret, and it’s up to Stella to uncover it before all of them are reformed.
Reformed is the first book in a planned four book why choose paranormal romance series, meaning Stella will not have to choose between her love interests. This slow-burn MFMMM book is intended for adult audiences and contains explicit content.
ramblingmads 