This is dark, and brilliant. It’s a mystery, three women trying to solve who is killing girls in their area, but they were also the wives of serial killers. This is where the book really stands out, the tiny mentions of what their lives were like before, the way society has treated them and the way they’re bound together by these experiences
The blurb on the ARC said that it was like if Taylor Jenkins Reid had written a thriller and I 100% agree, its got the same distinctive unusual main characters and matter of fact acknowledgement of the domestic abuse and violence in the world.
Romance – not applicable to rate.
Plot – 5/5 – it’s shocking and rapid packed, you never know who it is but it’ll take you by surprise!
Characters – 4/5 – the women slowly evolve to be their separate characters over the book even though they seem very similar in the beginning just like how the public all sees them.
World – 5/5 – its dark its gritty and its realistic, delving into 1950’s serial killers and the families destroyed by them.
Romance Rating – explicit but only in one lines. There isnt any romance in this book, but there are mentions and short descriptions of sexual actions (a line or two each).
This was a fast paced survival story which I really enjoyed! I was expecting a little bit more of a thriller, but that only comes in at the end, most of this story is a fiercely waged war for survival during a storm and the growing mystery of why they were out in the storm.
I loved that Emmy showed flashes of intelligence despite the main characters annoyance with her best friends boyfriend obsession because too often it becomes the bff’s stupidity that drives the plot entirely and while it is partly that it also shows that Emmy isn’t just the vapid girl she appears to be in the beginning.
Megan is hands down one of my favourite main characters in a thriller/mystery/survival story I’ve read this year, she is so realistic and I was 100% onboard with her and her decisions throughout the whole book! I will say that the end totally shocked me tho, i was not expecting that!
World – 4/5 – it’s vivid and i was 100% in it all the time. Thrillers dont focus on the world but it did everything it needed to do.
Plot – 5/5 – THE PLOT REVEALS!
Characters – 4.5/5 – i liked or hated them in turn, and enjoyed Megan as a main character.
Romance – 3.5/5 – for me this was the least stand out part of this book, it’s not a romance driven plot but it does matter to the characters emotional reactions and complexities in the plot.
Romance Rating: Soft – kissing, little to no detail.
Violence Rating: Level 4.
Content Warnings: sea storm, lost at sea, survival, deaths of multiple characters.
I wanted a fun light rom-com read and this was not it at all. If this had been the beginning of a revenge arc or a thriller then I would have kept reading but as a rom-com it was awful.
Let me begin with the three main issues
the romantic lead was the most toxic man to ever be put to a rom-com page
Her friends were awful and from the blurb i know it gets worse
The main character had a smoke wisp of a spine and i have no words for how annoying it was to read.
Jay is the biggest red flag of this book which made me DNF it because honestly if she dates him she’s going to end up on an episode of Dateline. The first time they meet he starts of by insulting her on what she is wearing while ogling her (which falls also into section two on the friends are the worst breakdown and then THREATENS TO DROP HER OFF A CLIFF IF SHE DOESNT ADMITT SHES AFRAID OF HEIGHTS! Wtf is wrong with this boy? She is terrified, and he holds her out over the edge of that cliff for several lines of dialogue – it’s not banter it’s the beginning of a trauma dump therapy session or it should be. This should be the end of it – right?
No, no, no this isnt even the start. He comes to the place she works at and antagonises her, admitting that he looked up her skirt when she was on the edge of the cliff and starts asking about her underwear (not the only time either and I dnf’d early from this car wreck). I think this was supposed to be banter, he’s a creep and she’s uncomfortable.
Then THEN! they end up on a blind date (again which needs to fall into section 2 as well) and he asks about the underwear again – seriously why is this supposed to be attractive, this is a first date you weirdo and you literally have been antagonising (and threatening to drop her of a cliff in a mini dress and stilettos). When she texts her friend the exit word – the phrase itself needs to be noted down as a horrible idea “i have a hairy possum” this text accidentally goes through to him (I HATE that accidental text thing, do all female main characters have three thumbs and no names on their phone screens?) and he takes it as a sexual innuendo (because of course he does) and teases her about it at which point I DNF’D and I’m running because I’m not going to stick around for this car wreck, i don’t have enough five stars under my belt to follow this one sink into the negative stars.
Then the friends. Oh boy where do i start? To begin with, they all treat her like she’s pathetic because she’s single and the other two girls in her friend group are paired of. However, her ‘best friend’ is dating the boy she has liked for years whom she KNEW the MC liked, and dated him behind her back. This wasn’t enough for a blow up, no, the mc just held her tongue and DROVE THEM TO A PARTY MONTHS LATER LIKE NOTHING HAD HAPPENED WHILE THEY MADE OUT IN THE BACK.
Of course, Khalei’s boyfriend Emmett is gorgeous and perfect and the one who is trying to include Catrina (our very unfortunate mc in this friend group who should be applying to a university in Australia to get away from these people but instead is staying in Carolina *silent scream of frustration before i close these very long parentheses brackets*). They are doing all these couple activities, and she’s the fifth wheel all the time (because she has had horrifically humiliating failures at dating and so doesn’t want to try again oh and did i mention she’s in love with the boy her darling pyschopath oblivious or perhaps sociopathic best friend is DATING.
To recap, her best friend (imagine the finger quotes here) is dating the boy she has liked for years and her best friend knows and is doing this anyway, they are rubbing her singleness publically in her face, saying she has to get a boyfriend that fits with the group so that they’re not sad and pathetic at prom because Khalei is running for prom queen and a prom queens friend cant be sad and single! (Insert a jab about her talking about colour theory too much because she’s an artist – dear god I’ve read about bullies that pulled their punches less than this, its like a dissertation in how to be spineless and be bullied by your friends), and Emi is playing these weird power games with the rest of them telling them the wrong things to wear so that they turn up at the said party in mini dresses instead of bikinis and not letting them know they are going CLIFF DIVING (sixty feet up!) when one of her friends cant swim and the other one is scared of heights like um what the ——?
The main character would have been relatable but she was such a victim and i need her to run not walk away. She had some spunk when she was fighting back against Pink Shorts but she was a complete floppy spine with her friends. I feel really sorry for her but I’m not staying to see her end up in an abusive relationship so no.
One review said they were DNF’ing because they’re a Christian I’m dnfing because I’m a feminist. My hopes are at the bottom of Jay’s cliff and I hate him so much.
Welcome back to another mini mention for those books that dont quite have enough to chat about that i can write a long usual blog post on them but still deserve a little bit of a spotlight and i want to share the violence and spice ratings for!
The Royal Runaway by Kate O Keefe
This is a fun quick romcom and the main thing i loved was that they both were keeping their identity from each other. It’s not the best place to start a relationship but that they were both doing it made it feel a lot less toxic than some hidden identity romances. I loved all the rules that structured the beginning of the book and the way they slowly dispersed as Amelia gained more confidence. There was an interesting twist at the end which i knew must be coming because there were little odd clues but it was still a little bit of a surprise.
Romance Rating: Soft – just kisses, little to no detail.
Violence Rating: Level 1 – this is a ‘clean’ romance it doesn’t have any violence in it.
This is where I have all my little mini reviews (that you can also find on Fable, StoryGraph and Goodreads, although Fable is my primary short form reviewing platform) for books that were three stars or under and so I’m not going to write a whole blog post for but still want to give you my thoughts and the violence/spice ratings for them!
Royally Off Limits by Kate O Keeffe
This is the fourth book in this series, and it held up to the fun romcom expectations I had for it. This one is I think my favourite of the series so far – Max and Valentina had this amazing tension and chemistry and I always love a good secret identity/backstory. We alternate povs throughout book and overall it was a solid fun rom-com. It didn’t rock my world but it comfortably sat within it and I enjoyed the ride. My favourite part was when Max and Valentina were still in the interview phase, i would have loved more scenes of them interacting like they did at the archery range. Overall if you want a quick light rom-com this is the one to read and it’s a great series to binge over the holidays. I will say that that terse vibe between them in the beginning is perfection though and I really enjoyed it.
Romance Rating: Soft – kissing, little to no description. Violence Level – Level 1 – it’s a romcom we don’t have any violence in it. Content Warnings: none.
Pub Date: 21st of April 2026 Publisher: Bindery Books Genre: Fantasy, retelling, Age Category:
As I was reading this book, I was thinking that it almost was historical fiction in feel except set in a fantasy world. And I think that that is a really good way of describing the luxurious world but always realistic political landscape in this book – so many fantasy books ignore what you actually have to do to rule a country, and so I loved that this didn’t shy away from the fact that sometimes an arranged marriage is the only option for the countries future even if it isn’t the best for yours. Of course when I read the authors acknowledgments at the end which discussed how this was actually a fantasy retelling of the story of Rani Abbakka Chowta, an amazing queen whom like so many others has been diminished in history books but this I feel was a worthy tribute because honestly it has no faults. Every piece of language is beautiful and lyrical and all the emotions feel so real. I will admit to staying up late for this book and I’m so happy that I started November with this book because it’s a five star of five stars!
The “othering” of the colonisers is one of my favourite things I’ve read this year, just twisting the narrative to show a different perspective which is what all fantasy should do.
The arranged marriage relationship was so strong because the man she marries isnt her happily ever after but he isnt the worst human imaginable which are usually the two ways that the arranged marriage storyline goes so I LOVED that!
I can’t wait until this comes out because I need someone else to gush over all the little beautiful heartwrenching things in this book!
World – 5/5 – yess! I love Mantana and the birds so much, and the way that she interacts with them as a child and then as an adult. The world itself is so vibrant and seems to come off the page with food and smells and textures.
Plot – 5/5 – I loved it.
Characters – 4.5/5 – I’ve already talked about Mantana the green lion so let me talk about the others! They were all really individual strong characters which I loved but I wish that we had got a taste of Thevon and his childhood a bit more but I think that will come in the next book because the cliff hanger is a two hundred feet one!
Romance – 4/5 – we don’t get much at all, but its very promising so I cant wait!
Romance Rating: Sweet – kissing and making out are described and mentioned. We know that they sleep together but it is less than a paragraph in past tense and euphemistic on page.
Violence Rating: Level 4 – nothing unusual in fantasy but there are sustained bloody fights which go on for more than a chapter which I loved but might be a bit much for some people.
Pub Date: 12th of February, 2026 Publisher: Avon Genre: Cosy Fantasy, Romance Age Category: Adult
I have loved every page of the previous two books and so this one was a no brainer for me instant ARC request and first on my reading list once it was approved. This was extraordinarily good as all of her books are and once again it proves that romance books can be five stars for me just as much as epic fantasy and historical fantasy because honestly it was like she had read my mind and written the perfect book. Let me dive into it.
To begin with Emmeline and Luke have this raw chemistry that is so present in every line and gesture towards each other. It means that even something as simple as handing her a thermos of tea has so much emotional charge and feeling behind it and the whole book was devoured by me in one sitting because I couldn’t go to sleep before I had inhaled every word of this gorgeous gorgeous book.
Their history and rivalry is offset against moments where they genuinely connect and we get this slow growth throughout the book towards each other which is so beautiful to see. Often with enemies to lovers or rivals to lovers which this is, they go from rivals to lovers, its instant and overnight and usually just because they find the other physically attractive. However the way this is crafted makes it a love story that will last not just a lust story that will fizzle out when the pages close like a lot of romance books I read and yes. Just read it. This book is everything that the romance genre should be and it swirls in some gorgeously humerous baby dragon moments too (and also a few references back to the last couples if you’ve read the first two books!)
The character of Emmeline is eldest daughter incarnate, and I love that it isnt hammered home that point but slowly shown and developed through her actions. I may have got a tear in my eye when Luke noticed her efforts and helped her – okay I definitely did – because everything about this book was emotionally perfect and romantic and yet somehow builds upon the world that was established in the first two books. I loved seeing the Chimeras side of the valley and I’ve just got all my fingers and toes crossed that we get another book because this is AMAZING!
World – 5/5 – is it a hardcore epic world no but is it perfect and settled and everything that I need to to be yes.
Characters – 5/5 – literal perfection. I’m going to create a list of the top books I’ve read this year and this is going to be on it because PERFECTION!
Romance – 100000/5 – it’s so good that I cant describe it in any other way than perfectly imperfect and swoony!
Plot – 4.5/5 – I knew what was going to happen, it’s a romance book, they follow a three act structure but the way it happened? The way it was developed? If tropes were always represented like this I wouldn’t get bored of them!
Romance Rating: Suggestive Swoony B – we get some steamy making out and a very slow fade to black/less than a page sex scene with euphemistic language.
Violence Rating: Level 1 – its romance.
Content Warnings: mention of a girl getting her drink spiked at a party years ago and what could have happened if she hadnt been found in time. The man who drugged her drink interacts with some of the characters at one point but no justice is found.
Notorious Virtues was a fun trials led fantasy between two heroines from very different pasts. I enjoyed how Lottie and Honora didn’t fall into the trope of the one raised rich is evil and how Lottie wasn’t as innocent as she pretended to be to win the support of her relatives. With a love interest that is a journalist that hates the Holzafall family and a really interesting origin story of the monarchy/goverment this is a must read if you enjoy your fantasy with a side of trials!
This feels like the Inheritance Games but set in a fantasy world with a rebellion! We have trials, we have a family warring over an inheritance and we also have touches of world building that go delightfully deep and mention the economic power that these families wield.
World – 4/5 – it feels like the quintessential rebellion fantasy world but a little bit more Victorian and I honestly cannot wait for where this goes, I think the way the few locations that are described are all so vivid is really promising!
Characters – 3/5 – I didn’t love love love any of the characters but I didn’t hate any of them either (as characters, morality aside). I think that this books strength is the trials and the world and the characters were for me just a way of exploring that.
Plot – 3.5/5 – trials for me are a very predictable plot because they are so popular in fantasy right now but I did still enjoy it.
Romance – 4/5 – not there much, but what was was cute.
Violence Rating: Level 3
Romance Rating: Sweet
Content Warnings: family killing each other, magical slavery (forcing certain members to obey or die by magic, determined by heritage not race).
Let me just say I loved that she made the prince a pirate! It changes the entire dynamic, making them at sea (a place where Celeste the little mermaid) is comfortable and experienced as well as adding extra to the tensions between the two kingdoms! I have read a lot of Little Mermaid retellings that don’t make sufficient changes from the original fairytale that the plot is still entertaining to follow but the reveal at the end (even though there were clues!) I was still surprised by.
I also really liked that Celeste was able to speak and just didn’t because she knew her accent would stand out.
World – 3.5/5 – I mentioned that it was at sea, we get to see a little bit of the palace as well as generally her on the ship and then on the land for a brief amount of time. There isn’t much word building, the focus is Celeste and her personal relationships.
Romance – 4/5 – It was predictable, after all one of the major points of the Little Mermaid is that she falls in love with the prince, but I still liked the journey to get there and Raiden himself was interesting and I would have liked more development of his morals and character.
Plot – 3.5/5 – there was a twist at the end, but the rest of the plot stayed smooth and predictable. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, one of the things of retellings is we know the plot but it’s the journey to get there!
Characters – 3.5/5 – Mauve the Cecaelia was actually my favourite despite her limited page time because she had the interesting position of agreeing with the siren properganda/beliefs but also being friends with someone who is muddying up the waters (sort-of-pun intended!).
Damsel Reader Recommendation: 13+, for lovers of fairytale retellings!
Violence Rating: Level 3
Romance Rating: Sweet
Content Warnings: she is stripped at one point, I was worried it would lean into SA but it balanced on the edge.
I loved this one so much! The rapid plot takes us from Aphrodite’s birth from the sea and we get to see not only a retelling and a delve into Aphrodite’s myths which are often ignored in mythology retelling but Pierce also doesn’t flinch away from portraying a heroine who is vengeful and dangerous. Aphrodite herself narrates this tale and as she learns more of the world her perspective changes and we get this glorious depiction of Olympus in the eyes of someone who is on one hand only a few weeks old and yet cynical and powerful.
I love how other characters – especially her handmaidens reflect the world of Olympus. Anyone who is powerful, any woman who could be anything other than a marriageable pawn is reduced to a shallow facet of their true power and there is nothing better than seeing it unfold. Her handmaiden has experienced it before and yet Aphrodite is now experiencing it first hand but she can be supported by her.
I honestly can say that this will stay with me for a while! I can’t wait for another reread once it releases and a sequel because this stunning masterpiece has me hooked!
Bold, powerful and still loyal to the cruelty of the original myths with an exploration of personal power and patriarchy.
World – 5/5 – oh my goodness was the world beautiful and stunning in the cruelest of ways! Greek mythology retellings always have to bridge the gap between changing the myths beyond recognition and setting them in a time that allows the story to flow. Myths come from over thousands of years and so it is set in a relatively timeless but pre-Roman empire Greece just before the Trojan War.
Plot – 5/5 – how could it end like that? My one qualm with this book was the abrupt ending, I honeslty would have loved to see Aphrodite continue on her journey. We know from myth what happens but I would have loved to see Bryony Pierce’s interpretation of it.
Romance – 4/5 – Swoony B – Ares and Aphrodite is a couple that have gone down in myth for their affairs and yet their devotion to each other (if you ignore other paramours which aren’t present in this book) and the cruel separation by Zeus. The most infamous Aphrodite/Ares scene is present for fellow myth lovers but you could also read this if you know nothing!
Characters – 5/5 – complex, cruel and sadistic, these are the Greek gods and I love that they haven’t been changed because that is one of the things about the Greek myths. Their gods often were the worst of humanity and I enjoyed the parallel between what Aphrodite made the mortals do and what Zeus made her do which was very interesting.
Age Recommendation: Upper YA/Adult – 15+
Romance Rating: Open Door – Swoony C – very euphemistic, less than a page for one, less than a paragraph for another
Violence Rating: Level 6 – there is both physical violence throughout and fights as well as sexual violence which happens regularly and there is the threat of it throughout.
CW: SA, Rape, a lot of sexual undertones and innuecendo. If you are familiar with the golden net entrapment of Aphrodite and Ares naked from the myths that does happen and it is a particularly nasty bit because of the embarrassment and nudity and shame of Aphrodite.
Damsel in Delight 