This was a Best Book of 2020 for us. Have you read it? originally published in February 2020 A generation past, the western realms were embroiled in endless war. Then the Destroyer came. From the blood and ashes he left behind, a tenuous alliance rose between the barbarian riders of Parsathe and the walled kingdoms…
The Ippos King is the third book in Grace Draven’s Wraith Kings series. Everything that happens in this story is a continuation of events that took place in the previous volumes, so I strongly encourage the books be read in order. The Wraith Kings defeated the demon horde known as the galla and drove them…
The Beast of Blackmoor was first published as part of the Night Shift anthology, and it was far and away my favorite part of that collection. This review is an adaptation of the original review I wrote for the whole anthology, because Milla Vane has reissued her story. It’s a prequel to her A Gathering…
In The Fiery Crown, the second book of Jeffe Kennedy’s Forgotten Empires series, we rejoin our marriage-of-convenienced monarchs Con and Euthalia as they await the evil emperor Anure’s reaction to their marriage (since, you know, Lia was technically Anure’s fiancee). The first book was one of my top ten reads of 2019, and while this…
I’ve had some occasional exposure to Jeffe Kennedy’s work through fantasy anthologies, but this is the first full-length book I’ve read. Judging by how well The Orchid Throne turned out, I have a new fantasy author to add to my TBR shelf. Sixteen years earlier, a despot rose to power in the kingdom of Ackis….
Phoenix Unbound is the first book in Grace Draven’s Fallen Empire series. It’s a lovely romance set in a fascinating world, and I’m so glad I picked it up. Gilene is a fire witch who is honor-bound to put the safety of her village above that of her own. Each year, every village in the…
Night Shift is a collection of three alternate reality/paranormal romances and one fantasy romance, all by established genre authors. The first three stories were solid visits to worlds those authors have written about in other books, which contributes to the generally-strong worldbuilding in the collection. The fourth, my favorite, was by Meljean Brooks under a…
The first book in The Kingmaker Chronicles, A Promise of Fire was an absolute gem. I was incredibly lucky to have a chance to review it for AAR, and when I saw the sequel was coming out soon, I jumped at the chance to read it. Breath of Fire picks up almost immediately after the…
You know when you start a book, get about 25% into it and your spine starts to tingle and you KNOW it’s going to be big because it has already sucked you in to the point that you are oblivious to all of your surroundings? Yeah…début author Amanda Bouchet did that to me with her…
Raise your hand if you’ve been looking for a new fantasy series to start. Keep it raised if you’ve been waiting quite a while. I don’t know about you, but I feel like fantasy romance, with a few notable exceptions, has been a bit slow to develop, unlike some of the more recently popular contemporary…