We’re thrilled to present the cover for the next installment in the Fablenoir series, Rose Red Undead by Vic Sinclair!
Rose Red Undead (Fablenoir #2) Expected Release Date: Early 2026 Genre: Dark Fairytale/ Urban Fantasy
Tropes: Morally gray characters, sapphic romance, coming-of-age, antiheroes, dark fairy tale retellings, grimdark undertones, multiple POVs, urban fantasy with epic scope, hidden worlds, found family
After descending into the terrifying underbelly of magickal New York and uncovering unspeakable crimes, Detective Jackson Slade and the fierce outlaw Goldilocks must face a whole new level of death and destruction festering from a strange world below the earth.
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, an orphan nicknamed Snow White reunites with her black-winged guardian angel Lucifer as he appears during her shift in the night cafe. When the archangel convinces Snow her magickal abilities are needed to stop the darkness consuming New York City, harrowing memories are brought to the surface as she’s forced to face the demonic creatures from her past.
As paths of chaos cross and uncertain alliances are tested, the reanimated sorceress known as Rose Red stands at the center of a decaying world, leaving utter destruction in her wake.
With the wolves closing in and the butchered bodies piling high, it’s up to Jack, Goldilocks, and Snow to try and put an end to this nightmare of a fairy tale.
Read Fablenoir while you wait! Get it on Amazon!
🔗https://a.co/d/6EP5JNR
Book one – blog tour coming soon…
Triggers: Drug addiction, kidnapping, allusion to sexual assault, themes of human trafficking, body horror, injury detail, alcoholism, emotional abuse
We’re thrilled to present Reverie by, a stunning fairytale retelling by K.C. Rainey!
You can pre-order now for only $0.99 (only till release day)!
Reverie
Expected Release Date: February 10, 2026
Genre: Fairytale Retelling
Cover designer: @moridi_art
Fated Mates
Found Family
Fairytale Retelling
Banter
Star-Crossed Lovers
Yearning Tension
Slow Burn
Hidden Identity
In the quiet, sea-swept town of Mentaria, Lumi runs a cozy apothecary, surrounded by loving friends who’ve become family. Her days are simple, gentle, and full of purpose.
Until the evening she finds the book.
Bound in silver, the book feels wrong.
It’s pages are blank to all but her and once Lumi begins to read, the world she knows begins to shift.
Through mist and mysteries no one else seems to notice.
Tremors in the ground. People whispered to be missing, but no one recalls where they went or if they were ever real at all. Lumi believe she is going crazy.
As the veil lifts, Lumi realizes her perfect life may have been nothing more than a beautiful lie, and the book may be the key to unraveling everything…or to trap her somewhere far darker.
Welcome to the tour for Beyond the Border Forest by Molly Haniszewski. Read on for more deets on this gorgeous Snow White retelling!
Beyond the Border Forest: Into the Prawdziwy Las
Series: The Immortal Seasons Cycle Book 1
Expected Release Date: September 30, 2025
Genre: LGBTQIA+ Snow White Retelling
🍄 Fairytale retelling
🌈 Queer Rep
❤ Plus Size Heroine
🌲 Enchanted Forest
💙 Trans Love Interest
😂 Hilarious Banter
🦌 Slavic Folklore
☕ Studio Ghibli Vibes
💪🏻 Unlikely Heroes
🩷 Sapphic Romance
🌟 Riddles
❄ Seasonal/Elemental Magic
Two kings rule the ancient woods—the Oak King in summer, the Holly King in winter—and no mortal may cross into their realm without leave. But when eighteen-year-old Rowan Gwózdek’s sister vanishes, Rowan defies the old laws and enters the forbidden forest, desperate to find her. She isn’t alone for long. Keziah, a trans (and very handsome) hunter with a shadowy tie to the Oak King, offers his help—and a perilous path to the Bear Maiden, a creature said to grant wishes. Together, Rowan and Keziah face mossmen, a wood dragon, and other servants of the forest kings.
But danger lurks deeper still. Caught between the warring Oak and Holly Kings, Rowan is forced to take sides in a battle far older and fiercer than she ever imagined. Saving her sister could cost her everything—including her way home.
She’s the most scapegoated heroine in Greek mythology, but there’s never just one side to any story. This new framing uncovers the complexities of Helen of Troy–a woman tormented by the blame placed on her by others, and tortured by her own guilt.
“We all blamed Helen”
Haunted by her decision to leave her child behind in fleeing her unhappy marriage, Helen seeks to build a new life in Troy with her lover, Paris. She yearns to recreate the childhood family she lost when she married Menelaus, but her outraged husband vows to regain her by force, at the head of a vast army.
Facing hostility from all sides, Helen must decide where her loyalty–and her safety–lies.
Perfect for fans of Greek mythology retellings, and Madeline Miller’s Circe, Jennifer Saint’s Elektra, and Pat Barker’s The Women of Troy.
My thoughts: Helen of Troy might be one of the most hated women in literature, the face that launched a thousand ships, the woman who cuckolded her husband, ran away with a prince and brought about the destruction of the legendary (and real) city of Troy.
Narrated by the ghost of Achilles, this is Helen’s story.
When Agamemnon and Menelaus arrive at her childhood home, Agamemnon has already murdered her brother-in-law and nephew and forced her sister Clytemnestra to marry him, so she isn’t too favourable. His brother doesn’t appeal, he’s not the handsome prince of her imagination, but her father has little choice, Agamemnon threatens to seize their kingdom too.
Not the most auspicious start to a marriage, but not an entirely unexpected one considering the time. When Helen runs off with Paris to Troy, abandoning her daughter, and leaving her homeland behind, she hardly expects what happens next. King Priam refuses to send her back and the Greeks famously come together to lay siege to Troy for ten long years.
Achilles also tells us about the goings on inside the Greek encampment. Agamemnon rarely leaves his tent, preferring to let the others fight, like generals ever since, which annoys Achilles. Then comes the infamous falling out that results in the death of Achilles’ cousin and closest friend Patroclus, Achilles’ revenge killing of Hector and finally Paris’ cowardly killing of Achilles. Finally the horse makes an appearance.
Some of the most famous events of the Trojan war. I always wondered why Shakespeare never staged this – it feels very in keeping with some of his tragedies.
Obviously Homer (whoever he or they were) got there first, but Susan C. Wilson retells this most famous of stories from new perspectives – Achilles and Helen. Had Helen’s father held out and she married Achilles, none of this would ever have happened, nor any of the resulting events.
Helen’s account of the destruction of Troy is shocking, graphic and you can imagine people’s genuine horror as the Greek soldiers lay waste, killing the men and taking the women to be slaves. King Priam’s death is awful, the proud man reduced to blood and bones in moments.
But Helen’s end is equally gruesome, she won’t be returning with Menelaus, she will never see her daughter again. The Greeks have spent ten long years waiting for this moment. The judgement of Helen.
The title can be seen in different ways – Helen’s own poor judgement in running off with the vapid but pretty Paris, the judgement of the Trojans on her, and that final judgement after the long years of fighting. A fight that doesn’t really have much to do with her, one that feels like an excuse as the Greeks also want access to the Hellespont, and to establish themselves in Asia, beyond the walls of Troy and its allies.
This was a really interesting retelling of this most famous story, one I’ve studied in depth before and often enjoyed, but that gives agency back to Helen, and furthers the story of the House of Atreus from Clytemnestra’s Bind, the first book in this series.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re thrilled to present the cover for Beyond the Iron Gate by M.A. Brown! This one is going to be eerie, sweet, and a little spicy.
Beyond The Iron Gate: A Pennies Worth Of Dread Novella
Expected Publication Date: January 15, 2025
Genre: Gothic Romance/ Fairytale Reimagining
Rosewynn has lived her whole life along the iron fence that divides the town from the deep dark wood, protecting it from the evils that live in its depths. But now one of it’s legendary beasts is stalking her from beyond the bars, and she isn’t nearly as afraid as she should be.
Beyond the Iron Gate is a dark winter, Little Red Riding Hood reimagining that is eerie, sweet, and a little spicy.
Unravel seven suspenseful and chilling tales of mystery, fantasy, and murder. Pre-order Slumber Nevermore today!
Slumber Nevermore
Expected Publication Date: December 4, 2024
Genre: Short Stories/ Supernatural/ Horror/ Dark Fiction
Publisher: @midnighttidepublishing
In ‘The Stolen Child,’ Mae returns to her family’s cabin in a mysterious forest to search for her sister, who vanished without a trace. One night, she drifts to sleep in bed only to awaken in the depths of the woods, surrounded by eerie, indiscernible voices. She now faces the daunting task of finding her missing sister while struggling to escape the forest’s grasp.
A young man unexpectedly inherits his estranged grandfather’s secluded house in ‘Ping.’ Eager to make the place his own, he installs a doorbell camera for security. However, instead of peace of mind, he finds himself bombarded with unsettling notifications from unwelcome and ominous visitors.
‘The Axeman Among Us’ takes us back to 1918 and is inspired by true events. Two young Italian boys catch a chilling glimpse of the infamous Axeman of New Orleans fleeing a neighbor’s home following a brutal attack. In a desperate bid to prevent further bloodshed, the boys delve into the mystique of Voodoo in the French Quarter.
From murder to cannibalistic clans, immortal beings who siphon youth, and even a fairy or two, Slumber Nevermore is a collection of dark and twisty tales sure to keep you up at night.
Drawing on the Grimm Brothers’ dark fairytale, “Godfather Death,” this new novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows is a sweeping, fantastical saga of actions and consequences.
This is the story of Hazel, a young healer navigating a ruthless court to save the life of the king, grappling with a pantheon of gods with questionable agendas as she fights for agency and true love in her own life as the goddaughter of none other than Death himself.
All gifts come with a price.
Hazel Trépas has always known she wasn’t like the rest of her siblings. A thirteenth child, promised away to one of the gods, she spends her childhood waiting for her godfather—Merrick, the Dreaded End—to arrive.
When he does, he lays out exactly how he’s planned Hazel’s future. She will become a great healer, known throughout the kingdom for her precision and skill. To aid her endeavors, Merrick blesses Hazel with a gift, the ability to instantly deduce the exact cure needed to treat the sick.
But all gifts come with a price. Hazel can see when Death has claimed a patient—when all hope is gone—and is tasked to end their suffering, permanently. Haunted by the ghosts of those she’s killed, Hazel longs to run. But destiny brings her to the royal court, where she meets Leo, a rakish prince with a disdain for everything and everyone. And it’s where Hazel faces her biggest dilemma yet—to save the life of a king marked to die. Hazel knows what she is meant to do and knows what her heart is urging her toward, but what will happen if she goes against the will of Death?
From the astonishing mind of Erin A. Craig comes the breathtaking fairy tale retelling readers have been waiting for— what does a life well-lived mean, and how do we justify the impossible choices we make for the ones we love? The Thirteenth Child is a must-read for fans of dark fairy tales, romantasy, and epic fantasy alike.
ERIN A. CRAIG is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows, Small Favors, and House of Roots and Ruin. She has always loved telling stories. After getting her BFA in Theatre Design and Production from the University of Michigan, she stage-managed tragic operas filled with hunchbacks, séances, and murderous clowns, then decided she wanted to write books that were just as spooky. An avid reader, decent quilter, rabid basketball fan, and collector of typewriters, brass figurines, and sparkly shoes, Erin makes her home in West Michigan with her husband and daughter.
My thoughts: drawing on the Grimm Brothers’ Grandfather Death, this fairy tale features Hazel, the Thirteenth Child of the title, born to parents who should really have stopped at one or two children. The gods come to them and offer to foster her, her parents decline the offers until the Dreaded End, the god of death, arrives.
Then nothing. He doesn’t come for Hazel until she’s a teenager, whisking her away to the Between, the home of the gods, to fulfil the destiny he lays out for her.
There’s a twist to his requirements and as Hazel grows, she learns that there is more required of her than first appears. A healer must also become a killer. She must honour Death’s instructions. Until she finds she can’t, killing the king could cause devastation and ruin hundreds of lives, but the only way to save him could destroy the bond between her and her godfather. Can she risk it all?
Hazel is a fascinating character, her godfather, Merrick, has no humanity and doesn’t understand hers, her reluctance and her fear of death. Her choices upset and perplex him. He doesn’t understand free will or empathy.
The story twists and turns, humanity and the gods exist in such different spheres, their desires clash with those of the humans they manipulate and request worship from. Hazel struggles with her gifts, powerful as they are, but she cannot be what the gods desire and remain human. The book is clever and intriguing, beautifully written and at times moving and effecting.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
We’re thrilled to present the brand-new cover for Laura Holt’s fairy tale retelling, Fathomless, which is also available for pre-order!
Fathomless (Star-Crossed Book 5)
Expected Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling/ Greek Mythology
Enemies to Lovers
Lovers to Enemies
Star-Crossed Love
Fairy Tale Retelling
Strong Female Characters
Cinderella Didn’t Ask for a Prince
Angry Girls with Attitude
Greek Mythology
Cather Ganis didn’t ask for power. Now that her star-crossed curse is broken, all she wants is to settle down and live a quiet, normal life with her husband, Peter.
Unfortunately, things are never normal when you’re an immortal goddess, and as the Curse Breaker and Deity Killer of the gods, Cather has one more curse to break: the curse of reincarnation cast on Rhodopis, Cupid’s long-lost Cinderella. She and a bevy of other deities, including her former boyfriend Hermes, have until the clock strikes midnight on Rhodopis’s eighteenth birthday to end her never ending life cycle, or she’ll be doomed to repeat it until the end of time. That is, if Zeus doesn’t kill her first.
Roupie Sole has always been trouble.
Not because she means to be. Trouble just seems to find her no matter where she goes. So, when she moves in with a wealthy foster family a week before her eighteenth birthday, it seems like she’s finally getting a fairy tale ending.
But there’s something a little too perfect about her new school, and a series of near-death experiences soon put her on edge. When she starts having vivid dreams that feel a little too much like memories, she wonders if there’s more to her rags to riches story than good luck. And if so, how can she figure it out before it destroys everything and everyone she cares about, including herself?
We are touring Deceiving the Cursed Beast by Jen Lynning this week and highly recommend it for fans of Beauty and the Beast, magic, and romance!
Deceiving the Cursed Beast: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling (Once Upon an Enchantment #1)
Publication Date: June 27, 2024
Genre: Romantic Fantasy/Fairy Tales
Beauty and the Beast retelling
Banter
He falls first
Enchanted castle
Magically binding contract
Magical mystery
Slow burn
In this enchanted castle, only the truth can break his curse.
Felix is the Duke of Truthhold, tied to the most powerful magical node on the continent. But when he is transformed into a beast, he needs help to break the curse. He will do whatever it takes to regain his true form, even if it means using magic to trap a woman in his castle.
Isabel understands exactly why someone would resort to cursing the duke. He is selfish, contrary, and deceitful. She can’t afford to spend her days attempting to reverse his curse, not with her chance to become a full-fledged constable on the line. But the mysteries of Rose Castle are more compelling than she expected. As is the duke.
The duke’s enemies won’t stop with just a curse, though, and time is running short. But how can Felix and Isabel triumph if victory requires them to admit their growing feelings for each other?
Jen Lynning never outgrew her love of fairy tales. (She may have studied German just so she could read the Brothers Grimm in the original.) When she wasn’t reading about life in a magical world, she was imagining it. Eventually she decided to start writing her own stories where magic and romance meet.
Jen lives in Northern Virginia with her two cats, who make their own contributions to her writing by walking across the keyboard, and her bird, who offers commentary on the whole process.
Hera, immortal goddess and daughter of the ancient Titan Cronos, helped her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father so that they could rule the world. But, as they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera suspects that Zeus might be just as ruthless and cruel as their father was, and she begins to question her role at his side. She was born to rule, but does that mean perpetuating a cycle of violence and cruelty that has existed since the dawn of time? Will assuming her power mean that Hera loses herself, or can she find a way to forge a better world?
Traditionally portrayed as a jealous wife, a wicked stepmother, and a victim-blaming instrument of the patriarchy, Hera is ripe for a retelling that shows her as a powerful queen–ruthless when she needs to be, but also compassionate, strategic, and ambitious. With Hera, beloved and bestselling author Jennifer Saint delivers another epic and enthralling reimagining of a Greek heroine we only thought we knew.
Due to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. She spent the next thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students. She is the #1 internationally bestselling author of Hera, Atalanta, Elektra, and Ariadne.
My thoughts: Hera is an interesting choice after Ariadne, Elektra and Atalanta. Zeus’ sister/wife, not often seen very positively, driven to wreck terrible revenge on the women Zeus rapes (let’s face it, that’s what he does, it isn’t consensual 99% of the time) and the children he abandons.
I can’t think of a positive myth of Hera, she isn’t in many of the best known stories, and ones like that of Herakles (named after her in an attempt to please her) she’s all Vengeance and Wrath.
Goddess of women, marriage and sometimes childbirth (although her daughter Eileithyia actually is), represented by peacocks – which always seem more Zeus like in their look at me fanciness, especially as peahens are very plain.
I did find her a bit more sympathetic here, sometimes. Because she is vengeful and full of rage, bitter and constantly trying to bring Zeus down. But she is also a victim of his cruelty, her children never really seem to love her, the monsters she favours go off to serve or hide elsewhere, even her sisters don’t really bother with her. She seems very alone on Olympus.
Despite being Zeus’ partner in bringing down the Titans, seated at his right in the hall of Olympus, he doesn’t give her a domain of her own or a particular place to belong. She becomes the reluctant goddess of wives and marriage – and reluctantly a wife. Her anger and spite is born of resentment and perhaps if she’d been given more to do she wouldn’t have so much time on her hands.
I couldn’t decide whether I liked her or not – she wasn’t very likeable, spiky and disdainful, but I didn’t dislike her. This version of Hera seemed less black and white than the more commonly portrayed version I know from mythology. Jennifer Saint does this very well, her books are always very enjoyable, even when the protagonists do questionable things. Her Ariadne and Elektra – neither all good or all bad are certainly like this (Atalanta is more a straightforward hero).
I am really into these modern day re-evaluations of mythic figures – and Jennifer is one of the best at this, they feel like real women, even if they live in worlds peopled with gods and monsters.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 