Free Space Book Recs

QW 2025 Reading Challenge, prompt 12: free space!

Jan 01, 2026

The twelfth (and final) prompt on the Quiet Writers 2025 reading challenge is a free space! Go pick any book that takes your fancy!

Unfortunately due to a fun little combination of Substack being broken for a week or so, the new social media update requiring age verification, and personal responsibilities, this rec list hasn’t made it out in time for its intended purpose. That’s okay though! I’m sure there are folks out there who could always use some more indie book recs!

THE ONE WHO SLEPT by J.T. Adria
Genres: gaslamp fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: Alternate England, Romantic Fantasy, Immortals, Found family, Dual Timeline, Rivals to lovers, Multiple POVs, Plot twist
The immortal Nelle Foster wakes up after a century spent underground. She finally has a chance at independence, but only if she can fit into this new world around her. When the flamboyant and egregiously successful Maurice Howler offers her a job, Nelle might just save the world. Or so everyone thinks.
George Harridan never thought he'd get to meet the secret immortal hidden beneath his crumbling manor, but he's quickly becoming Nelle's new best friend. Her sudden appearance might be his liberation too. If only he could get Maurice Howler's annoyingly perfect face out of his mind.
Nelle's new job unknowingly puts her on a collision course with her own past, the exact thing she's been trying to move on from. If she has any chance of facing it, she'll need to team up with both George and Maurice to find out what it is she'd stumbled into. Can she find the right people to trust before her past lives come crashing down on her?

Goodreads • Storygraph • store page (Amazon) • author linktree

Manifestation of Prophecy by Gaius J Augustus
Genres: Fantasy with romance and sci-fi
Age category: adult
Notes: quirky humour, magic, queer & trans rep, prophecy, rejecting destiny, HEA love story, bittersweet ending
Maliah and Jarith are destined to work together to fulfill a prophecy promising ascension for all. Unfortunately, it also calls upon Maliah to gain magical abilities she doesn't want & Jarith to murder Maliah's mother. Neither of them is thrilled about this whole prophecy thing, especially when a powerful magician goes after their lives in order to stop it. The future depends on Maliah & Jarith, but making the right choice isn't easy - even when prophecy tells you what to do.

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Before I Deserved You by Nomi J. Avery
Genres: romance
Age category: adult
Notes: Small Town Romance, Coming of Age, Best Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, First Love, First Time, Found Family, Emotional Read, Angst, Deception, Cliffhanger, first in a duology
Jake
I’m in love with my best friend.
I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but I’ve been drawn to her since she moved to our small town in sixth grade. With her beautiful hazel eyes and radiant kindness. The desire I feel for her borders on uncontrollable. It doesn’t matter though; I can’t risk our friendship. Especially not now that my life has been turned inside out.
My old man is mean on a good day; now he’s downright unhinged. But I’ll take every ounce of his grief if it means he’ll keep his hands off my brother and sister. Protecting them and hiding the extent of my waking nightmare from the rest of the town is all that matters.
Tessa
I’m in love with my best friend.
I was enamored the second that boy found me alone under a tree all those years ago. I’ve been attached to his hip ever since. He’s mesmerizing, with his inky hair and deep blue eyes. All the other girls seem to think so, too. I’ve watched him charm the ladies too many times to count, wishing he’d turn around and notice me.
It feels wrong to make my move now that his world is falling apart, but as I look at his familiar features, I realize I don’t have a choice. My growing feelings can no longer be ignored, and he needs my love now more than ever.
I just hope it’s not too late to save him.
Before I Deserved You is Book One in the Despite It All Duet and should not be read as a standalone. This coming-of-age, small town romance is an emotional read with plenty of angst and ends on a cliffhanger. Intended for ages 18 and over, it contains some dark themes that may be upsetting.

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Love You A Latte by Corina Bair
Genres: sapphic romance novella
Age category: adult
Notes: banter as flirting, second chance, sapphic (F/NB) love, bi rep, non-binary rep, spicy, dual P.O.V.
*Do you ever wonder why the universe hates you? Addison Moore sure does.*
Tired of her toxic exes and ready for a break from city life, Addison leaps into a week-long escape in her hometown of Stone Ridge, Arizona. It just so happens that’s also where Frankie lives.
Frankie, the tattooed coffee shop owner Addison tried to kiss a few months ago. Frankie, objectively the hottest person alive, who rejected Addison, and who she hasn’t seen or spoken to since.
It only makes sense then, that Frankie is Addison’s last–and only–hope of rescue when her travel plans go awry. Next thing she knows, Frankie is treating her to orgasmic lattes and sweeping her off her feet to the dulcet tones of Ella Fitzgerald.
A few days of dog-sitting turn into a week of swoon-worthy dates and steamy nights, despite the universe seemingly working against them. Between Addison's exes wreaking emotional havoc and a competitive business owner threatening Frankie's livelihood, the freshly-brewed pair must move past their hang-ups to give love a second chance.
Things are finally looking up–just as Addison’s week of freedom ends. This week wasn’t meant to be forever, right?

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Two for Holding by S.B. Barnes
Genres: m/m hockey romance
Age category: adult
Notes: mild animosity to lovers, slow burn(ish), opposites attract, practice kissing, inexperienced older man/experienced younger man
Tom Crowler has been captain of the San Francisco Sea Lions for a decade of failures. With no cups or trophies to show for his time in the NHL, Tom retreated into himself a long time ago, and that’s exactly where he intends to stay until he retires. But when he catches the new team superstar, Jaxon Grant, in a compromising position, Tom finds it impossible to continue hiding his deepest secret behind a bland, pleasant mask.
Jax is everything Tom isn’t: loud, flashy, the winner of multiple NHL Awards, and—oh, yeah—gay enough to get traded to San Francisco because of a potential PR scandal with his old team. At first, he thinks Tom catching him means the next trade, the next rejection for being just a little too much for other people to take. When it turns out the two of them have more in common than talent on the ice, though, Jax finds himself drawn in by pulling Tom out.
As animosity gives way to a partnership neither of them saw coming, Tom and Jax are left facing new challenges. Will Jax’s impulsive nature put Tom’s deeply valued privacy at risk? Or will Tom’s reticence force Jax into pretending to be someone he isn’t? And if they can’t even figure each other out, how can they save a struggling NHL team from bad coaching and internal division?

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The Witch Hunter’s Daughter by Michele Baumann
Genres: Supernatural Fantasy
Age category: insert
Notes: spells gone wrong, stand-alone within a series, revenge, witches, mother-daughter struggles, adopted kids, dads and daughters, coven, vampires, goddesses and demi-goddesses, elemental powers

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Hockey Sticks and Lightning Bolts by T.K. Bennet
Genres: Hockey Romance
Age category: adult
Notes: college romance, obsessed MMC & FMC, fun destinations, found family, girl power, fun with friends and the Eras Tour, light kidnapping, secrets, MMC focused until FMC comes along, hockey captain & tech genius
Taylor Sinclair has spent the last nine years isolated on her family’s remote farm, finishing school online and living a life of quiet routine. But now, she’s stepping into the world she’s always dreamed of, leaving her aunt behind and moving to college with three roommates who quickly become her closest friends.
Quirky, nerdy, and full of life, Taylor is experiencing freedom, friendship, and first-time adventures. Then she meets Liam Fitzpatrick, the irresistible captain of the GHU Sharks hockey team. Focused on his NHL dreams, Liam isn’t looking for distractions, but Taylor has a way of turning his world upside down.
As sparks fly and friendships deepen, Taylor’s dangerous family secrets threaten to shatter everything she’s building. With heartbreak, laughter, and life-changing moments around every corner, Taylor must decide how far she’s willing to go for love and for the life she’s finally daring to live.

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Moonlight by Kiki Benson
Genres: romance
Age category: adult
Notes: KPOP romance, cosy and warm, comfort read, safe escapism, emotional healing arc
Charlotte never expected a concert to change her forever. Nearing thirty and caught in the rhythm of a life that feels too small, she takes a chance on herself and travels to Seoul to see the group that carried her through her hardest nights. She thinks it will be one extraordinary memory to keep, a reminder of the music that helped her breathe again. What she does not expect is Jihoon, the steady leader of 1HART, noticing her in a crowd of thousands.
One glance becomes a thread that begins to weave between them. Messages slip into the quiet hours, phone calls turn the night soft, and a closeness grows that feels both fragile and inevitable. Their worlds could not be further apart, yet something between them refuses to let go.
Between the distance, the silence, and the starlight, something impossible begins to take shape.

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SUPERFICIAL by Diane Billas
Genres: superhero
Age category: young adult
Notes: reluctant superhero, celebrity, wizcon, magic, museums, philly, found family, one bed with a twist, pirate villain
Embark on a thrilling adventure with Lea and Jake as they navigate the unexpected twists and turns at the biggest superhero fan convention of the year. When Lea finds herself trapped in an elevator during the event with superstar Jake, also known as The Amazing Boy, they realize something sinister is afoot. With everyone at the convention frozen, including Lea's friends, Lea and Jake must team up to unravel the mystery behind the villainous acts plaguing Philadelphia. As they race against time, Lea grapples with whom to trust, while Jake uncovers startling truths about his own identity. A pulse-pounding journey filled with friendship, betrayal, and the ultimate quest for justice, will Lea and Jake save the day, or will supervillains prevail? Dive into this gripping tale that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

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When Death Gives You Lemons by Alice G. Brooks
Genres: dark comedy
Age category: new adult
Notes: queer, exploration of morality, immortal x mortal, pining, grumpy x sunshine, first person, dual P.O.V., achilleean main pairing, sapphic & queer side characters
Isaac Frye is many things: Animal enthusiast, gay, guilty of three murders, dead.
Grim is only one thing: Tired of leading humans to their afterlife, day after day.
When Isaac dies and asks for a second chance to make up for what he did, Grim seizes the opportunity to explore the living realm with the excuse of wanting Isaac to succeed in his task.
But humanity isn’t at all what Grim expected, and now he’s stuck on the road to forgiveness with a guilt-ridden murderer by his side. Not that he can die, but there are far more pleasant ways to explore the world.
As Isaac searches his past for a forgiveness that may never come, Grim discovers the truth behind the murders; and whether his unwilling companion is irredeemable after all.

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Fabled Remains by R.E. Busby
Genres: action, adventure, fantasy
Age category: upper middle grade
Notes: quest, ancient power, battle, fae folk, self-discovery
As the breath of life, that is common to all, is remorselessly drawn from the Earth, the Earth, left more and more uneasy at each near fatal blow, begins to rumble and roar as its shifting gaze seeks out a way to restore the balance between itself and humankind, humankind who plunder, ever remorselessly, its riches. Hopes of a peaceful resolution are failing, have failed, and there are growing signs, for those who wish to see them, of an uprising taking place under our very feet.
In nooks and crannies hidden from the eyes of humans; peoples, fictionalised and forgotten, are awakened to time-worn portents. Portents, which some see as hope in the promise of reunion and reconciliation; others as the sign of a renewed ascendency and dominance. Each wait patiently as humankind, blinded by, and fettered to, their finite view of the empirical, blunders on towards their inevitable demise.
How far they fall, however, lies not in the hands of those who wait, or even in the insurgent earth itself, but in the hands of an ancient heritage; which one young woman is about to discover can lie dormant in the most ordinary of us, inherent in the very clay from which we sprang.

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The Forest Witch by Anna Cackler
Genres: dark fairy tales
Age category: adult
Notes: morally grey FMC, minimal spice, touch him and die, prophecies, mind powers (telepathy, coercion, precognition), wise old mentor (who lies), fantasy with romance subplot
Gwenna was born the Child of Prophecy, a plague of coercion and telepathy to be unleashed upon the world. But this fate was thwarted long ago. She was sent away, under the care of an elderly scholar named Michael, to grow up in isolation in the Sacred Wood – far from anyone she might hurt with her heinous abilities.
Gwen has known only happiness in the Wood, content to run wild forever beneath the ancient, gnarled trees. But when a band of travelers are ambushed by thieves, Gwen and Michael are caught in the fray. On that dark night, Gwen’s isolation comes to an abrupt and violent end.
Injured and afraid, Gwen must rely on a group of emissaries traveling north to the capital, led by the enigmatic John, who seems to know her. And so with every step she takes away from her beloved Wood, Gwen grows more certain that there is more to her history – and her prophecy – than Michael ever told her.
No more lies. No more decisions made for her. Gwen is the Child of Prophecy, and the time has come to take control of her own story.

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The Betrayal of the Guardians by Diana Calanguia
Genres: epic fantasy
Age category: young adult
Notes: set in multiple worlds, zodiac themed gods, racially diverse cast, dragon shifters, beastfolk, merfolk, high stakes, found family, Romeo and Juliet reimagined, fated mates, friends to enemies to . . . ?
When Arisa joined the trials to become a new Astral Guardian, she never thought she would have to fight for her survival.
Arisa, Kazuya, and Zen have been friends since childhood. For Arisa, their friendship is what makes her smile and what made her develop deep feelings she had to forget.
Living in a world that suffers attacks from other worlds' creatures, the chosen Guardians once fought for her world's survival. Blessed with the powers given by the Stars, those same Guardians have now become threats themselves.
Despite hearing tales of when Guardians were still heroes, Arisa refuses to grow a liking for them. Even when one is always there to save her from troubles, she doesn't believe that they will ever return to the heroes they once were.
Due to their more recent despicable behavior, she wishes she could do something to stop them. Her wish is granted when she is chosen as a candidate to compete for a spot to become a new Guardian.
Even though she hates the Guardians, she has to become one of them if she wants to overthrow them.
She accepts the challenge. But she never knew that the road to becoming a Guardian would be more challenging than she ever imagined.

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Colour Me Yours by Hélène Clément
Genres: contemporary romance
Age category: new adult
Notes: set in London, strangers to lovers, bi awakening, hurt/comfort, anxiety and grief, family dynamics, enduring friendships, fine arts
The life-defining love story between an upper-class young man struggling to reconcile himself with his past and the artist who will add brand-new colours to his life.
Charles Ledwell is anxiously heading towards a future planned out by his conservative parents. Trapped in a bleak London routine, he relies on a few steadfast friends and a collection of compulsive habits.
Until he meets Loris, a French barman and artist with a controversial opinion about Charles’ favourite painter. Initially annoyed, Charles grows to enjoy Loris’ challenging and refreshing attitude. As their friendship blooms, he finds the clarity of thought needed to unlock memories and uncover family truths.
But it doesn’t take long before Charles develops deeper, confusing feelings. Scared to embrace them and to complicate a life that he can barely handle as it is, he will have to decide if Loris is worth the risk.

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Twisted Souls: The Shattered Mirror by AUTHOR
Genres: grimdark fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: morally grey characters, manipulation, monsters, fae, magic, necromancy, horror, norse and celtic mythology, gore, dystopian nightmare fuel, unreliable narrator, trauma. trauma everywhere., queer romance, monsters & murderers
Valan Anartes has a secret. Many, in fact.
Growing up in the Unseelie Court meant learning how to fake a smile, how to lie directly to other sidhes’ faces, and to kill anyone who obstructs his path to power. At least, that’s the goal he’s led everyone to believe he has.
He’s not the only person hiding something in the shadows. A mysterious rogue, who has vowed his life and love to Valan, will risk everything to protect the truth.
But as their enemies—including Valan’s sadistic twin sister—close in and more than just their demi-immortal lives are at stake, Valan’s going to need something beyond an arsenal of magic and manipulation to keep their twisted secrets safe.

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Rebuild by D.L. Curran
Genres: romance, dark romance, contemporary
Age category: adult
Notes: second chance romance, grumpy x sunshine, emotional, trauma bonding/healing together, suspense, slow burn, he’s overly protective

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Off with their Sleds by C. J. Daley
Genres: murder mystery, christmas, thriller, crime, horror
Age category: adult
Detectives Williams and Ed Reyes are back.
This holiday season, the town of Cemetery is getting just a little bit stranger.
When a 911 call leads to a decapitated family and one hastily scrawled, bloody message, the duo will stop at nothing to arrest this latest killer.
But when the only witness is claiming Santa Claus is the killer, and the only evidence leads to a supposedly dead patient, they’re left scrambling.
Will they beat the odds and be home for Christmas dinner?
Welcome to Cemetery meets Silent Night, Deadly Night in this yuletide tale of revenge, justice and tinsel-themed references. A dark, humorous, seasonal read.

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Bound by Fate and Loyalty by S. G. Darley
Genres: gothic vampire romantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: she hates him x he likes her, golden retriever x black cat, reluctant chosen one, vampires (she’s the vampire), elves, dragons, trauma and healing, ancient races & prophecies, playful banter, low spice, fade to black, fated mates, found family, almost kiss scene, dark fantasy, horror elements, mental health rep, heavy Tolkien inspiration, revenge & betrayal
Raven Ilandi spent her first hundred years in solace, living out the beauty of the Renaissance while learning from her mother.
Now, four-hundred years later, she's survived torturous abuse from her father, Duke of the Slavic Vampire Court. Searching for refuge, Raven escapes to a small sanctuary in Mongolia, only to realize her father's reputation precedes her own. She's one of the most hated, enduring sharp-witted comments daily.
When her roommate goes missing, Raven finds her self subsequently kidnapped--except her 'rescuer' is another captor who knows more about her than Raven knows about herself. With so many people vying for her allegiance, who can she trust?
And if she's not a Vampire, who- or what -is she?
Sylvanor Trisdove grew up knowing royalty and none else, thriving in rich luxury in Sleekwook, New Zealand. Being crown prince, he's got an ego that outshines any less-than-desirable qualities; or so, that's what his people, the Aur Elves, think.
He leaves home under the will of his mother, wondering why his soul is incomplete. Having no hopes and dreams, this prince's sole purpose is to be the pawn his parents shaped him into. Plagued by ancient, dark magic, he is designed to be a master manipulator.
Sylvanor walks the tightrope between obligations and desires, and is forced to make a choice when betrayal strikes close to his heart. A land where he will feel truly understood, but where his morals will be compromised, or continuing to live in depression, all to hold onto the person his mate can see beyond the royalty.
Is family more than blood, after all?

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Nightsong by Annica Dehlin
Genres: Darkish fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: book 2 but can be read standalone, horror elements, 3 P.O.V., MM romance sideplot, monsters, swords & bows & magic, found family, cavs & dust & narrow tunnels, queernormative world
Disturbing letters mentioning experiments and dreams that are about to come true sends Sol'makar and Meloviana on a quest to find the woman who wrote the letters.
Together with new companions they head into the mountains of northern Tindaral, where there are rumors of chittering screams in the night.
When the group is attacked by mutated creatures, they head underground. A powerful enemy is revealed, and together with unexpected allies the group fights monsters, magicians, and the mountain itself. All to protect the innocent, both in the underworld and on the surface.
Who is behind the experiments and what is their goal?
Nightsong is the second book in the series Hunters and Protectors, following the troll Sol'makar, the elf Meloviana, and their friends.

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The Bloodwood Society by Ainsley Doty
Genres: dystopian
Age category: young adult
Notes: close proximity, found family, sisterhood, oppression, resistance, trials, who decides the “Greater Good”?
When 17-year-old Everly Dahl is recruited by the rebellion, she's offered the chance to fight back against the tyrannical force that destroyed her family. The rebels are humanity's last hope for freedom, but to join their ranks and become a part of the Bloodwood Society, Everly has to pass their deadly trials first.
The rebels make Everly a deal; if she survives until the Blood Moon, they'll help undue the tragic events that haunt Everly's past. But can the infamous underground society be trusted? The deeper she goes into their strange and dangerous world, the closer Everly gets to the truth—about the dark and twisted roots of the rebellion, and the fate of the only family she has left.
Set in the not-so-distant future, this science fiction / fantasy hybrid explores themes of resistance, love, sisterhood, and sacrifice. Fast-paced, exhilarating, and utterly addictive, The Bloodwood Society is about shifting alliances, impossible choices, and the parts of ourselves we sacrifice in the fight for a future worth saving.

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Home for the Holidays by Louise Emmerson
Genres: Christmas novella
Age category: adult
Notes: second chance, small town, family reuinion, festive, novella
After ten years chasing success in the 'big smoke', Claire Dawson never thought she’d find herself back in the sleepy little town she once called home. But when an emergency unexpectedly has her returning for a month before Christmas, she vows to keep things spend time with family, soak in the Christmas cheer and avoid Jack Turner, the man she left behind.
Fate, however, has other plans.
When Claire is roped into co-organising the children’s nativity festival alongside Jack, old sparks begin to flicker amid twinkling lights and carols. One stolen kiss threatens to melt the years of distance between them, leaving Claire torn between the glittering career she built in the city and the love she thought she’d lost forever.
A heartwarming holiday romance about coming home, rediscovering love, and finding where you truly belong.

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Speak The Ocean by Rebecca Enzor
Genres: Science fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: Murderous mermaids at SeaWorld, fish out of water, language barrier, enemies to lovers, royal captive, tear-jerker, angst
For Mer handler Finn Jarvis, the feral mermaid performers at Oceanica Marine Park are nothing more than ruthless aquatic predators, violent and unpredictable. That doesn’t stop the public from flocking to one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions. To them, the Mer are magical entertainment, too beautiful to be dangerous. They don’t see what happens to the ones who dare swim out of line.
Newly caught Erie doesn’t know what the evil landfolk want from her. Alone and voiceless, she watches the other merfolk from the confines of her tank. Broken into submission, they’ve become shells of the once vibrant creatures she knew. But Erie refuses to be subjugated. She’ll get the crowds to see her as something more than simple entertainment—starting with her captor, Finn.
While Finn trains Erie in her routine, she secretly teaches herself the air-words he and the other trainers speak. And when the language barrier falls, Finn starts to realize that the gap between human and Mer is smaller than he thought, and maybe it’s not the Mer who are monsters, after all.

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REDEEM ME by Miranda Faye
Genres: dark historical romance
Age category: adult
Notes: early 19th century, rural USA, dark themes, healing, spiritual reckoning, nightmares and fantasies, arranged engagement, love triangle, forced proximity, forbidden love, open door, dual P.O.V., sheltered FMC, obsessive villain
Evelyn Mayhew knows two things.
That it should be a blessing to be raised by a man of the Lord.
And that it should be a privilege to be betrothed to a man of power.
But when her awakening thoughts lead her not only away from the blind obedience she has been raised for but also toward a stranger offering her a glimpse of freedom, Evelyn is put at a crossroads.
Should she choose the shelter of a life confined, or risk the unknown with the man who would set her world — and her heart — on fire?

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The Hunt by Arianna Del Gaudio
Genres: dark urban fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: witch FMC, possessive vampire MMC, werewolves, forbidden romance, multi P.O.V., first in a series
Book One of The Karizma Chronfaicles.
Ryleigh Karizma is the last descendant of the Karizma line, a long line of powerful witches and vampire hunters. Kristopher Knight is the vampire known as the notorious Karizma Killer, sent to clean up the Karizma line when each witch ascends. Fate pulls them together with Ryleigh as an employee in Kristopher's club before her ascension. Once Ryleigh ascends into her magic, will Kristopher complete his mission, or will the Killer become the Protector to save her from the entire vampiric race?

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The Mochi Promise by RJ Greyta
Genres: contemporary romance
Age category: new adult
Notes: British boy × Korean girl, cross-cultural romance, a heartfelt promise that changes everything, soft K-drama vibes, found family & friendship
A childhood promise. A second chance. A K-drama romance about love that refuses to fade.
Years ago in Seoul, awkward, blonde-haired Ted shared mochi, secrets, and shy smiles with the girl next door, Soo-ah. Their tiny mochi promise—to never forget each other—became the quiet anchor of his childhood. But when his family moved back to London, that cross-cultural love story ended before it truly began.
Now he’s back in Seoul as a struggling music producer, stumbling through Korean phrases and long-distance memories. And Soo-ah? She’s one of Korea’s brightest K-pop stars—loved, envied, and endlessly watched. Her world is a whirlwind of idol contracts, curated perfection, and the kind of fame that makes real romance impossible.
Ted shouldn’t still recognise the girl beneath the spotlight. Soo-ah shouldn’t still melt when she hears his laugh. Yet when they meet again, everything clicks—warm, familiar, dangerously electric.
But in the K-drama world of obsessive fans, zero privacy, strict image rules, and the ever-present threat of scandal, even a whisper of affection can end a career. A single glance. A shared moment. A reunion caught on camera.
Their second-chance K-pop romance might cost Soo-ah everything she’s worked for. Still, they hold onto that small, sticky-sweet promise from years ago—a vow that asks if love returns, can they choose it?
This is a clean, wholesome K-pop romance book about long-distance hearts, cross-cultural love, and a story that feels like your favourite K-drama brought to life.
The question isn’t whether they still love each other—it’s whether the world will let them.

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The Milkyway Hotel by Marguerite Grimaud and Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud
Genres: Sapphic Christmas romance
Age category: adult
Notes: small town (in the French Alps), friends to lovers, lots of chocolate (and cheese), neurodivergent MCs, slow burn, christmas romance, Parisian MC meets chocolatier/astronomer in the mountains, cats with cute names, also available in French
The day she loses her job and her apartment, a third surprise awaits Celeste her great-aunt left her a hotel in a tiny town in the mountains. Is the universe nudging her—not very subtly—in a new direction? For the first time in years, Celeste ignores her anxiety and rushes to the French Alps. To Montlouis, where she has refused to go back since she was a child.
Rose Beauvoir has two chocolate and the stars. Or three, if you count Montlouis. The arrival of the clumsy Parisian disrupts her well-oiled routines, and she’d lie if she said she doesn’t enjoy the blast of fresh air.
As Celeste learns about life at high altitude and Rose shares her love for her hometown and its surroundings, the two women can’t deny the attraction blooming between them. The shift from Celeste’s boring yet comfortable life as a paralegal in the city to that of a hotelier in the mountains isn’t for the faint of heart, however. Will the beautiful scenery, the welcoming townies, and the deceptively reserved chocolatier convince her to stay?

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The Women Engines by S Hall-Wood
Genres: space opera
Age category: adult
Notes: sentient ship, found family, great conspiracy, dystopian society, femenist space opera, body horror, enhanced human, damsel rescues self
Scarred recruit Cara must learn to hear a sentient ship before the galaxy’s next cull makes soldiers of everyone.
Cara Artell ran from everything she knew. When she stumbles into the recruitment clinic of a military sisterhood, she chooses alloy limbs and the chance to become more. But the body‑tech she bears is only the beginning. A fragile peace is crumbling, and a new ruler is rising.
As Cara unearths a conspiracy that crosses alien species, it costs her the only family she has left. In the depths of her despair, the sentient ship AEVIS awakens and takes her under its wing. With allies who are as flawed as they are fierce, she discovers a darker machinery at work. Cara must choose between vengeance for the family she lost and the fight for humanity.
A character‑driven space opera about family, bodily autonomy, and the cost of rebellion.

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Mistletoe & Naughty by KL Hill
Genres: Dark Monster Romance
Age category: adult
Notes: krampus, shadow daddy, morally grey FMC, fated mates, bad santa, pierce MMC
Nicolette Evergreen has been called every word in the book—except for nice. Her latest scheme has her holed up in her remote cabin deep in the woods, far from the mess she’s left behind and the past she’s always been trying to outrun.
As Christmas draws near, she's utterly alone. The seemingly wholesome family she once cherished is shattered, and her childhood home now serves as a grim reminder of lost joy and the ghosts of Christmas past. With a brutal blizzard closing in, she plans to ride out the storm, cut off from the world, and remain hidden in the icy silence.
That is, until she comes face-to-face with a monster hellbent on claiming her. The same creature from the childhood tales, the one parents warn their misbehaving children about—the one she’s come to find in her darkest of dreams.
Krampus.
But the stories of the Christmas Demon don’t quite add up—his whips and chains inflict a different kind of pain, and even as the winter storm rages outside, he stirs a heat inside her that will burn her alive if she’s not careful. But now, Nicolette’s not sure she wants to escape or if she wants to watch herself burn.

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The White Widow by Justin B. Holcombe
Genres: Western supernatural fantasy
Age category: young adult
This a supernatural adventure fantasy story about two cousins and their battle between monsters and other creatures lurking beyond the shadows. In this epic adventure. On this particular winter night in December. It is a long and frustrating one which is full of apprehension. Venture forth through the dark and lonely forest as the cousins need to confront the villain behind the ongoing disappearances along with the otherworldly creatures lurking in the shadows. The clock is ticking for the small town of Helen, Georgia as a sense of dread looms over it. They will have to face a fiend unlike any other they have encountered before. This will be the most challenging night for them. Will the cousins be victorious in their efforts to save the victims from the impending doom? Or will they fall in defeat in the clutches of their enemy?

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Go Easy on Me by Bradley James
Genres: literary fiction, romance
Age category: adult
Notes: mental health, love triangle-ish, caregiver, surprise twists, sworn-off love
Eight years after a devastating accident left his father permanently disabled, Theo Branson is still carrying the weight of a decision no teenager should have been asked to make. Now in graduate school for mental health counseling, he hopes to find a way forward and focus solely on his education and building his career. After years of dedication to his caregiving responsibilities, he’s ready to live a life that’s his own.
But when it comes to romance—something Theo has sworn off entirely—he is urged by his best friend to open his heart to the idea of finding love in his new era of independence.
With this push, Theo meets Javier, a gentle music tutor with a quiet sadness, and Randall, an enigmatic Army veteran whose sudden arrival stirs something Theo can’t explain. As he navigates the growing pull between the two men, Theo’s home life begins to unravel—fractured by secrets, addiction, and another tragedy that threatens to undo everything.
Just when Theo thinks he’s lost his chance at love and healing, a revelation shifts the world beneath his feet—one that defies logic and opens the door to something both heartbreaking and miraculous.

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Tavern Tale by Kristina W. Kelly
Genres: fantasy adventure, sapphic romance
Age category: adult
Notes: inspired by RPGs and DND, cosy elements, flirty tavern owner, autumn vibes, high stakes, like all the side quests, lost her magic, goddess-based magic system
What if the side quest is really the main quest?
Divine, a healer of the Goddess of Souls, has chased the thief who stole her talisman across half of Trelvania. The talisman is the key to accessing her magic well, and without it, she is powerless. While chasing her betrayer, former girlfriend, and servant of the Goddess of Condemnation, Divine meets Saph, a flirty tavern owner with an eyepatch and a proposition. Saph will help Divine locate her talisman if Divine helps her complete a mysterious quest in a chest.
Inspired by RPGs and set in scenic autumn, prepare for an adventure with gods and goddesses, deceitful exes, axe throwing, and fantastical creatures. Can Divine learn to trust again and find romance in the middle of finding her magic?

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STARVED by Naomi Kelly
Genres: historical fantasy
Age category: young adult
Notes: deal with the devil, inspired by the Irish famine, shadow wielding & mental communication, strong FMC, paranormal romance, oppression & colonisation
Once upon a time in a forgotten corner of a forgotten isle, grew a dark forest which housed an even darker demon who cannot be named…
For years, local villagers have blamed the Dark Forest for their hardships. But Méabh knows the true enemy lies across the sea in Ravensland – the neighbouring island which has colonized their homeland, Carraig an Chroí, for centuries. When blight sweeps over the isle crops are decimated, and a devastating famine ensues.
Yet the Ravenish still demand their tithes from the starving.
Unable to pay the rent, Méabh's cottage is burnt down. Having lost her family, her home and perhaps her sanity, she has nothing left to lose. On the brink of death, she stumbles into the Dark Forest, willing to give anything to survive – even her life.
There, she strikes a deal with the shadow-dwelling demon which will change her life quite literally forever.
Follow Méabh as she discovers her newfound existence comes with hunger for change and an appetite for retribution which cannot easily be sated.

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Jin by AJ Kim
Genres: contemporary romance
Age category: adult
Notes: 2nd in a series of standalone novels following a fictional K-pop group, open door
He’s Seoul Boys’ enigmatic dance leader. She’s the woman who finally got under his skin. But when secrets are revealed can their love withstand the fallout?
Jin has always lived for others. As dance leader of Seoul Boys—the biggest K-pop act on the planet—he’s spent years repaying his parents’ sacrifices with perfect performances and spotless discipline. However, behind the flawless façade, Jin carries a secret that could destroy everything he holds dear.
Ava Holland is a British-Chinese NGO worker. She has no time for celebrities, and even less for idols. But something about the quiet, controlled Jin draws her in after a chance meeting at a charity gala.
When fate keeps pushing them together, a tentative friendship begins to bloom into something deeper. Until Ava thinks she’s found a way to help him, and everything threatens to unravel.
Some love stories burn slow—but leave the deepest scars.
A heartfelt, emotional romance with political undercurrents, hidden truths, and a love that dares to hope—even when the world is watching.
Jin is the second book in the Seoul Boys series.

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Fear Farm No Trespassers by S. J. Krandall
Genres: horror
Age category: young adult
Notes: edge of your seat, full body chills, heart punding, gruesome and terrifying, campfire horror, suspenseful, dark and engrossing
Within one year, reports of several missing people took over the media. The victims, all had ventured to parts of the deep wooded countryside never to return. Rumors, posted from local townsfolk, of what might have happened to them caught the attention of the public. Some said the undead may have taken them. Others believed that quick changes in weather patterns played part in their disappearances. A survivor, the only witness, was committed for madness as her story went uncredited. Even though some information was strange investigators, family, friends and adventure seekers all looked into them finding nothing. The lack of any evidence baffled the minds of the people involved as they continued to search for answers. Among them, a young woman so obsessed with these stories in her past that her own nightmares become a reality as she stumbles upon unspeakable horrors playing out before her very own eyes. Are they made up in her mind? Are they a dream? Or is she next? Whether real or fantasy, a story was unfolding before her and she could not stop the images that played out as she confronts who or what was responsible for these individuals grotesque fate.

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Unbreak You by Michaela Kuntzmann
Genres: romance
Age category: adult
Notes: Small Town Romance, Single Parents, Found Family, Literary Romance, 3rd POV, Stand Alone
If she stayed she would be dead...
Starting over is never easy. Starting over in a place where no one knows who you are is even harder. In a place like St. Barnabas Sound, second chances are the way of life. Audrey Delaney stepped off the train in the seaside village ready to start fresh. Armed with nothing more than frail hope, thirty-six cents and a determination to survive. Audrey and her infant son make this seaside Maine village their home. Haunted by a past that left its mark, Audrey learns to trust again.
Benjamin Brewer is fresh from the worst year in his life. Wanting nothing more than to cook in the family restaurant, raise his daughter the best he knows, he is unprepared for this girl his sister brought home. Ben sees in her the same pain he has seen. Together they embark on learning how to unbreak each other.

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Dance of Demons by Alyssa Lauseng
Genres: dark fantasy
Age category: young adult
Notes: disaster duo, shadow magic, dragon demons, sass everywhere, blood rituals, morally grey everyone, forced proximity, gay panic, feminine rage, multi-P.O.V.
Slave. Soldier. Spy.
Daisuke’s heart has always wandered far from home, hoping for a life beyond what he’d have as a Northern Nomad raised in slavery. One evening, when he learns the Giahatio’s imperial military has arrived in search of recruits, he seizes his chance to flee Okara’s plantations and start anew. However, becoming a footsoldier isn’t the easy escape he expected, and he soon finds himself struggling for a place within the infantry and Giahatian society.
Obito knows he should be grateful for the opportunity to serve as one of the Empire’s elite intelligence operatives, the onmitsu—it’s one of few he’ll ever have in life, and the highest possible honor for a nobleman’s youngest son. But with demons of anger and shame haunting him as he tries to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of a scandal, any pride to take in rank or family name is entirely hollow.
When an act of mercy is born from a senseless murder, the already unlikely friendship between Daisuke and Obito takes an unexpected turn. Not only are they now partnered together as onmitsu, but dark politics are on the rise, leading them toward an ancient, furious magic.

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A Touch of Kindness by R. Loomis
Genres: fantasy
Age category: young adult
Notes: slow burn, first in a trilogy, political intrigue, explicit free, Princess Diaries vibes, unicorns & dragons
Dori Livingston doesn’t want to be anything special. She’s fine staying in the background, helping her friends, and supporting her single mom in any way she can while living in her small Texas town. That all changes when she meets a strange girl at school who is running away. In true Dori fashion, she welcomes the girl into her home without hesitation. Little does Dori know that helping this girl will spark a chain of events that will change her life forever.
After showing Dori her ability to influence people with a single touch, Dori is left with more questions than answers. The next day, Dori is captured and taken to the Otherworld, a place full of magic and fantastical creatures. She learns the girl she helped was betrothed to a prince, and now Dori must fill the void and marry His Highness in the girl’s stead. Dori’s mission becomes clear: get back home no matter what. However, getting back to the Mortalworld will be harder than she could have ever expected.

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Shattered by CB Mason
Genres: dystopian
Age category: young adult
Notes: fierce female protagonist, oppressive government, budding romance, genetic manipulation, discovery of self-identity, navigating the complexity of high school’s social scene, science-centered society, rich world-building with deep character development, rebellion against authority, social stratification, resilience & emotional growth, complicated family dynamics
A fractured world. A hidden past. A future she never expected.
It’s 2134, and fourteen-year-old Tessa Wright’s quiet life in the Wilds has been shattered.
After the sudden death of her family, Tessa is forced to leave everything she knows and move to Bannock, a gleaming new urban center where the government promises safety, order, and genetic advancement.
But public school is a shock. Her weekly Remote Thought Intervention therapy sessions are mysterious. And the students known as Elites are too perfect to be real.
Her new anchor is Isaiah, a funny, caring boy who offers comfort in the chaos.
But her biggest question? Why is Elite golden boy Zeke watching her like he knows something she doesn’t?
When fragmented memories begin to surface—memories Tessa doesn’t recognize—she starts to suspect that her family’s deaths weren’t an accident . . . and that the truth about her past is more dangerous than she ever imagined.
In a world where nothing is as it seems, discovering the truth could cost her everything.

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The Impoverished Orphan by Kelly Miller
Genres: regency romance, mystery, historical romance
Age category: adult
Notes: Pride & Prejudice regency romance, a corrupt uncle, an unsolved murder, cosy mystery, a jealous cousin, deception and lies, a beloved horse
After a virulent illness takes the lives of Elizabeth Bennet’s parents and elder sister, she is raised at the Barton family estate in Salisbury. Unlike her Barton cousins, Noah and Cassandra, Elizabeth is penniless. Furthermore, she must be shielded from her uncle, a dissolute tradesman.
Whilst Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy stays at an estate near the Barton property, he seeks possible suspects for the murder of his London neighbour. Although Darcy is attracted to Elizabeth, he cannot overlook the disadvantages in her situation. To complicate matters, his impulsive act incurs Elizabeth’s hostility, whereas Miss Cassandra Barton’s preference for him is unmistakable.
In this sweet Pride and Prejudice Regency romance with a touch of cozy mystery, Mr. Darcy uncovers a web of lies that complicates his pursuit of Elizabeth. Will he find his way into Elizabeth’s heart?

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The Escapers by L. J. Monahan
Genres: science-fiction
Age category: young adult
Notes: first in a series
Escaping from prison is hard. Escaping from a prison guarded by aliens with advanced technology is harder. Escaping from an alien prison camp on an island hundreds of miles from the mainland seems impossible.
Fourteen-year-old Bryce hates the Imjac, the alien invaders who conquered Earth and, in the process, killed his parents. But he thinks their threats to him are over when he moves in with his aunt, uncle, and cousin Amanda on their dairy farm. But the Imjac capture Bryce and Amanda, forcing them to work in one of their prison camps, where the aliens seek the rich minerals of the Earth to fuel their domination of the universe.
When Bryce discovers his gift for using alien technology, will it be the key to escape from the island?

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The Standing Dead by WM Parslow
Genres: horror
Age category: adult
Prison can force you to face your demons. Sometimes though, you have to face more than just your own…
William Lees has been transferred to HMP Page. It’s an old prison, with even older secrets buried under its soil.
When a shocking act of violence takes place, something awakens. Something that thrives off bloodshed, that revels in violence, and it has seen Lees.
The Standing Dead is a tale of monsters, both the ones under our beds, and the ones that live in our heads.
Welcome to HMP Page.

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Ryker’s War by Terri Marie Pemberton
Genres: romance
Age category: adult
Sparks fly when a five-foot-nothing whirlwind of feistiness goes head to head with the President of the local motorcycle club!
This small town baker turns up the heat, testing his control at every turn without apology but when her past comes calling, he may be her best chance to take a stand.
Ryker
Leading the men and women of the Broken Souls Motorcycle Club consumes me.
Control is second nature. A must to keep my brothers safe.
That is until a five-foot-nothing whirlwind of feistiness upends my world, with a past chasing her across the country.
Now I'll do whatever it takes to protect her.
Demi
Moving to the idyllic Tennessee town was the best decision of my life, even if it was driven by fear. I've built a life here.
A chance taken to start a business that is now thriving.
But now the bad decisions of my past are threatening to ruin it all.
The leader of the local motorcycle club has made it clear he wants to be the man to slay my demons.
The question is, do I trust my gut and give him that chance?

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Wars in Wonderland by EJ Pepino
Genres: Dark Fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: sapphics with swords, ancient magic, morally grey FMC, dark fairytale reimagined, dual/multi P.O.V., bonded mates, FFF why choose, touch her and die, sirens, werewolves, shapeshifters
Join Alice as she ventures into this dark new Wonderland with a mash-up of fairytales in a way you've never seen them before...
Twenty years after Alice’s nightmares began, the rabbit has returned to draw her back in. Thrust into a twisted version of Wonderland, Alice quickly realises that the creature haunting her dreams is horrifyingly, terribly real. As she struggles to make sense of her shifting reality.

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The Book Reader by Astrid Rose
Genres: paranormal fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: he falls first, fated mates, paranormal/fantasy romance, special peen, blood play & knotting, strong FMC, magic, Charmed vibes, daemon love, touch her & perish, primal & erotica, pitch black content
What if this time, she’s powerful enough to stop them all. What if this time, they don’t destroy her?
Arianna Jay is born into a life of magic, she’s a low level witch in a world where daemons and other supernatural beings walk the earth. She thinks she’s destined to a life as a nightclub owner while doing the occasional spell, until one fateful meeting with the man that has been haunting her dreams changes everything.
Gaelan Illis has spent thousands of years reliving the pain and devastation of losing his soul mate. He’s cursed to find her and lose her over and over again, but this time when he finds her, she’s not the same.
Could this be the life he’s always wished for? One where he gets to keep her forever?
As dark secrets start to unfold and the purest of evil after them - can true love really conquer all?

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Phoenix Rises Dragon Soars by Charlotte Saulter
Genres: dark epic fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: magic mentor - but she doesn’t know everything, morally grey characters - but you root for them anyway, found family - but it takes work, trauma and redemption - but it isn’t a straight path, forbidden elemental magic - but its mastery is hard-earned, enemies to lovers - but it’s authentic and takes time, tortured heroes - but are they the heroes?, multi-P.O.V. - but not just the protagonists
An empire in turmoil. A forbidden magic promising death. Four lives changed forever.
The Emperor is dead and his widow’s rule drowns the land in fear. Soldiers terrorise the very people they should protect, taxes bleed the poor, and the executioner’s blade awaits any accused of using magic.
A mercenary haunted by his past risks his future for a chance at the family he thought he could never have.
A noblewoman, bereft of home and memory, begins reclaiming her past to avenge those she lost.
A disgraced commander hunts the truth behind his family’s murders, leaving death and destruction in his wake.
A shamaness is driven from sanctuary by the desperate actions of a grieving man.
Through everything, the thread of a dangerous magic runs deep. Volatile as its wielder’s emotions, it forges bonds of loyalty and love and holds the power to reshape the Empire’s fate.
But trust is fragile. And when long-buried secrets surface, bonds may shatter… And vengeance may be all that remains.

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Insolence by Gwin Savage
Genres: Dark sapphic romantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: polyam & genderfluid rep, magical amnesia, forced proximity, forbidden love, toxic love/hate, soul-bonded lovers, age gap, dub/non-con, plot twist, polyamory, creepy temple/cult, bratty amnesiacs, toxic lesbians, cliffhanger, secrets, overprotective genderfluid MC
In a fantasy realm where Sapphic women possess arcane abilities, are we goddess-blessed or are we cursed?
Tiss: I awoke in this temple with no memory of who I am. The Sisters say I dedicated my life to the goddess, but that’s impossible. When I see something not meant for my eyes, it becomes apparent things darker than worship happen here. Far darker.
All I want is to find out who put me here. Until I’m summoned by the High Priestess.
Capricious and captivating, Elodie’s magnetism is hard to ignore no matter how wildly her moods shift. Then, when the sweet and charming Sadrie makes her interest known, a dire hunger awakens inside of me. The longer I spend in both women's presence, the more voracious it grows.
Forced together and forbidden from intimacy.
Elodie: Four years on top of this miserable mountain. Four years of strict discipline to guard my secrets, and there she is prowling my temple.
Beautiful and bratty, Tiss sees both sides of me and all that I am. She's also irresistible. Her presence disrupts everything I've worked for, and her willfulness could get us both killed. With so much to protect, I must stay away. But my discipline is faltering.
In a remote temple where danger lurks and questions abound, can we survive the Prioress and her twisted deeds?

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Dragonslayer by Heather Shahan
Genres: epic fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: first in a duology, dragons, found family, kingdoms at war, world building, generational secrets, mental health rep, epic quest
In Dri’s world, dragons existed so long ago that nobody believes they were ever real, but Dri can see them. Shifted incorporeal, they still coexist with the people of Cretala, but now they feed off of their emotion, disease, and pain. One led Dri’s brother to his death and another has sunk its talons into her mother. She is on a mission to discover how to finish them off once and for all. But, can one ever really slay their dragons?
All Dri is told is that her answers lie in Arlyss, an isolated kingdom that her ancestors were exiled from centuries before. Along her journey, she meets a diverse cast of characters who somehow find their way past her hardened defenses and into her heart. Though her sight allows her to see many of the struggles the world offers, her new friends show her that the best healing comes when we open ourselves up to the good… even when our best efforts don’t always measure up.

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Applied Leverage by Aaron Sher
Genres: urban fantasy
Age category: adult
A little bit of power can get you into a lot of trouble.
Connor Rourke is one of the little people, supernaturally a psionic in a world of mages. He's happy being the top—okay, just about the only—supernatural locksmith in the Boston area. He doesn't aspire to adventure or heroism, but he's about to get pulled in whether he likes it or not ( he doesn't).
When he stumbles across a secret that was never meant to be known, he gets in trouble with forces far beyond him. Mixed up in a conflict between factions he can't match or understand, he'll have to find a way to survive for himself and those he loves. Along the way, Connor will learn secrets hidden for centuries, face and defeat threats to his life, and ultimately tackle an enemy who could annihilate him with a thought.

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Taming the Viking by Aurelia St James
Genres: romance
Age category: adult
Notes: spicy, MMA romance, opposites attract, found family, tattoed MMC, badass FMC, trauma healing, slow(ish) burn, hapilly ever after, he plays protector, “I need you” moment, reformed playboy, testing limits
Kerrington has a sharp eye for numbers, but when it comes to love, she doesn’t trust her instincts. After surviving an abusive relationship, she’ll never ignore red flags again.
And Logan “The Viking” Caswell—a dangerously charming MMA fighter—might be a walking red flag. But, he awakens desires she’s fought hard to bury, and he seems hell-bent on breaking through her defenses. She knows he could ruin her, but maybe some risks are worth taking.
As fear and passion collide, Kerrington is forced to confront her deepest wounds if she wants a future with Logan. But in a world where love can hit as hard as any opponent, can they survive the final round—or will her scars cost them everything?

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The Princess of Lunastra by Jennifer Stegmann
Genres: sci fi fantasy
Age category: adult
This is book 1 of a series of sci fi books about a space princess who is constantly on the run. She posseses a dark secret, that she is being sought out for. What is this dark secret? Read this book to find out! If you enjoy Sci Fi, you will love this!

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Sorcery & Spurs by A.K. Stuntz
Genres: paranormal romance
Age category: adult
Notes: fated mates, slow burn, forbidden love, witches, cowboys, enemies to loves, set in the 1800s
In the rugged expanse of the Wild West, Cory is a cowboy with a hidden identity. As a Hunter of the Night, Cory's job is to track down otherworldly beings, including witches. Salina, a witch, has done her best to keep her powers a secret, until a monstrous attack on her town forces her hand, revealing her abilities to the one person she doesn’t want to know, Cory.
Cory and Salina must unite to locate three other witches and seal the portal between worlds to prevent a surge of demons and monsters. Cory does his best to resist the attraction he feels for Salina, but her determination and strength steadily chip away at his defenses, drawing him closer to her with each passing day.
Salina grapples with conflicting emotions as she discovers an unexpected ally in Cory—a hunter whose actions defy everything she has ever been taught about Hunters. As they navigate a treacherous landscape fraught with danger, Cory and Salina find themselves entangled in a dance of trust and desire, where the line between enemy and lover becomes increasingly blurred.
Cory and Salina must confront their own prejudices and desires as they race to find the other witches and save their worlds from descending into darkness. Will their unlikely bond be enough to overcome the shadows that threaten to consume them, or will secrets tear them apart before they can close the gateway between this world and the next?

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Fire Up by Diana Tor
Genres: spy thriller, action, romance, crime
Age category: new adult
Notes: love/hate/betrayal, street kids, full of action, lots of secrets, forbidden love, from the streets to saving the nation and president, enemies to lovers to partners in crime, saved a plane from crashing, treoublesome relationships, second chances
Oh Hana knows trouble comes in sevens, but this time, it’s wearing a sharp suit and calling in blood debts. After years on the run from her own past in the intelligence agency of Korea, she meets him in the middle of a bank robbery—with backup as untrustworthy as he is irresistible. The plan is outsmart the boys, survive the city, and absolutely, under no circumstances, leave your own young lover ever again who sacrificed his own sanity only to save her.
But when bullets fly and secrets explode, the only thing more dangerous than loving him is trusting herself.
Family means never getting to leave—especially when everyone wants you dead.

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The Cabin Calculation by E.A.M. Trofimenkoff
Genres: holiday romance
Age category: adult
Notes: second chance, cute dog, awkward dinner, teenage playlist, one bed, first love, yule tree hunting, snowed in
It’s a very merry breakdown in Pine Ridge.
Charlie only wants one thing and that’s for everything to fit into her neat little equations and work themselves out. Unfortunately, there’s one variable she hasn’t solved breaking down in the middle of nowhere, and being saved by her childhood best friend and first love.
Okay. Make that two variables.
After thirteen years, Charlie is forced to confront the biggest regret of her Nari, the one who got away, and her only hope of survival through the imminent snow storm. Will the two of them be able to establish a new steady state together? Or will the parameters of their past push them to chaos instead?
The Cabin Calculation is a sweet and spicy holiday romance, and companion novella to The Cabin Clause.

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The Theory of Quantum Attachment by Amber West
Genres: Romantic Comedy
Age category: adult
Notes: healing & forgiveness, past trauma, banter, single dad, high school football coach/teacher
Returning home was never part of the plan for Callie Bernal, but when it's clear her mother's health is in steady decline, she returns to a place filled with memories she'd rather forget. Taking a job at her old high school feels like another unwanted step into the past, and places her directly in the path of Grant Stokes, the high school football coach.
Grant Stokes’ primary goal in life is to raise his daughter with the love and stability he never had. Between coaching, teaching, and parenting, his plate is full. But when forces beyond his control and the gentle persistence of his daughter keep pushing Callie into his orbit, he begins to see that maybe it’s time to make room for something more.
As Callie and Grant find themselves entangled in unexpected ways, old wounds resurface, and they learn that healirng isn’t about forgetting the past, but discovering and creating new patterns of forgiveness and love.
Hopeful, romantic, and a bit nerdy, The Theory of Quantum Attachment is a story about unexpected connections, and the power of friendship, forgiveness, and the bonds we create.

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Check Me Out by Megan Whiting
Genres: Romance
Age category: adult
Notes: love after divorce, meet cute, small mountain town, hilarious friend group, chasing dreams, green flag MMC, quirky FMC
Andee's life long dream has been to open a bakery. Ever since she can remember, she's wanted to bring joy to people through pastries. Finally, she finds the perfect spot for her bakery. It's on the cutest Main Street she's ever seen in a small mountain town called Silverthorne. When she goes home to tell her husband she found it, she finds him in bed with his receptionist. It couldn't be a more perfect time to escape to a mountain town and chase her dream like her life depends on it.
Dennis works in his grandmother's market in the small town of Silverthorne. It isn't a glamorous living but he can't dream of abandoning the woman who has done so much for him. What he really wants to do is open a food truck, but his ex-girlfriend always made him feel stupid for the idea so he pretends he doesn't want it anymore. He mans the store, each day seemingly the same. Until the night he meets Andee. She's new in town and stunning. He quickly learns that he can't predict what she'll say and their interactions light something in him that hasn't been lit in years. Will their flirty connections turn into something more?

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Love at First Blood by Sol Winter
Genres: sports romance
Age category: new adult
Notes: he falls first, esports/gaming, found family, spice, dual P.O.V., only girl in the team, first in a series but can be read standalone
Secretly crushing on the rookie is a-okay. Kissing her is an entirely different thing, but sleeping with her is an explosion waiting to happen.
Gio Rivera is one defeat away from his retirement, but when their current ADC gets hospitalized, the girl of his dreams steps in. With the new team dynamic, he gets another chance to play for one more season before he needs to decide whether to return to college or continue his pro gaming career.
Jay Song is used to being second, but not with Stormy Horizons (SYH), a PC MOBA game. Becoming pro and making it to the main roster is a dream come true and an achievement she has to keep from her family. The last thing she needs is another secret, but she couldn’t seem to resist kissing her captain.
When feelings begin to catch and secrets start to unfold, can their “relationship” withstand the pressure of trying to qualify for the World Championship while balancing their personal situations?

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The Mer King by Cecily Anne Winters
Genres: dark fantasy
Age category: adult
Notes: he’s morally grey, a little spice, mermen, slow burn
When I woke up, I found myself utterly alone in a new and unknown world full of danger and magic. Then I met the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. The Mer King
He called me his people’s savior. Heart of the realm, the long awaited Queen of all merfolk and the only person who could return the magic.
All I’d have to do was to participate in a simple rite to reverse the overlay of the worlds. Only, he didn’t tell me everything. Because magic like this always had a price...

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Beyond Faith by L. Woods & A. Wolf
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Age category: adult
Notes: slow burn, explosive chemistry (literally), he falls first, single dad, old enemy returns, forbidden romance, found family
Julia
As a Child Welfare Social Worker for the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, you never really know what you’re walking into when you’re assigned to notify someone that they’re the father of a pre-teen whose mother just passed away. But you definitely don’t expect said father-to-be to start flirting with you the moment his eyes land on you.
A crooked grin, messy hair, three-day stubble, broad shoulders, and tattoo-covered arms greet me the first time we meet. Milo Knight is everything I would never look for in a man. He’s cocky, a shameless flirt, infuriatingly handsome, and never afraid to say exactly what’s on his mind.
But the more I see him, and the more I get to know this big goof with a heart the size of Texas—and his adorable daughter—the more I find myself falling for him and his wonderful family.
The problem? He’s the father of my case.
And I’m engaged.
Lord help me.
Milo
Finding out that the hot-as-sin woman who just walked into your place is not a stripper your brothers pranked you with is shocking enough. Finding out you have a ten-year-old daughter you never knew existed—right when you’re about to open the restaurant you’ve dreamed about your entire life—is downright brain-melting.
Suddenly, it’s not just juggling my hours between setting up the wine cart, arguing with contractors about the “king of flushes,” and trying to track down team outfits that don’t make my staff look like deranged cruise employees. Now I’ve also got to prove to a social worker that I’m prime dad material.
Which would be a hell of a lot easier if I hadn’t hit on said social worker the first time we met. Or if I could stop making an idiot of myself and turning every encounter into a chaotic mess whenever we see each other.
But the real problem? I’m falling. Hard and fast. Not just for this incredible kid who suddenly feels like she’s always been mine—but for the social worker I have absolutely zero business wanting. I’m an adult, though. A responsible one. (My brothers would argue that part.) But I can keep my hands to myself until the custody case is done. Mostly. Sometimes. Look—I’m trying.
But just when I think things are looking up, life throws a curveball I never saw coming. An Endgame-level one. Yeah, I definitely need backup—but that’s what brothers are for, right?

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Izzy’s Story: Bermuda by V. Yospe & J. Flynn
Genres: historical, romance, action, adventure
Age category: adult
Notes: set in the Renaissance, time travel, first person, secrets, high seas adventure, interracial love story, magical realism, fish out of water, fast burn romance, slow burn spice
Izzy St. Germaine is an overachiever with a charmed life—privileged, polished, and perfectly on track. When her adoptive sister, Anne, invites her along for a Sisterly Summer at Sea, it feels like the break she’s long overdue for.
There’s just one little thing. Anne, who has been living a double life as a time traveler, doesn’t mention that their true destination is Somers Isles, 1649.
Thrust into a world straight from her beloved historical romance novels, Izzy takes on the alias and persona of the silken-clad Lady Isabelle, her only protection in a world of slavers and brigands.
Follow Izzy on a (mostly) light hearted romp through the Renaissance as she uses her modern knowledge to navigate a world of corsets, seventeenth century table manners, and flirting - all while unearthing Anne’s secrets / connections to the past.

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The Other Side of Nothing by Anastasia Zadeik
Genres: Literary Suspense
Age category: adult
Notes: mother-daughter relationships, self-determination, mental illness, poetry, photography, second chances, first love
The day after her eighteenth birthday, Julia Reeves checks herself into a psychiatric facility, longing to find a way out of the darkness that has engulfed her since her father’s sudden, untimely death. What she finds is fellow suicide attempt survivor Sam Lorenzo, a brilliant twenty-three-year-old photographer. Sam brings beauty and light back into Julia’s life, so when he asks her to escape with him on a cross-country odyssey, she agrees.
Before Julia can process what she’s done, the two young lovers are on the run.
When Julia’s mother, Laura, learns Julia has disappeared and authorities will do nothing to help find her, Laura forms an uneasy alliance with the sole person who has as much to lose as she does: Sam’s mother, Arabella. Armed with only a handful of clues, the two mothers embark on a journey of their own, desperately hoping to save their children before they are lost forever.
A moving exploration of family, friendship, and how far we are willing to go for the ones we love, The Other Side of Nothing is a powerful read about loss, self-determination, and second chances.

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Owen Able and the Two-Headed Dragon by JD Zeeman
Genres: Techno-Thriller, Action Thriller
Age category: adult
Notes: tech prodigy with a moral compass, badass female lead, couple in peril, explosive action & high-speed pursuits, high tech weapons, nothing to do with dragons
A murder. A mother seeking justice. Unexpected betrayal.After ten years, Nicole came across a lead that would crack the cold case of her son's murder wide open. She became a target of an unexpected enemy. Then her husband, an ex-special forces and ex-secret agent for South Africa, stepped in.
He's the man who has everything. But what he wants is payback.
Former secret service agent turned tech entrepreneur. Owen Able seems to be living the dream – the business empire, the beautiful wife, the houses and cars. The kind of lifestyle magazines write about.
But the Ables' perfect world has been scarred by tragedy. Ten years ago, their young son David was brutally murdered – the assassin unknown, the culprit unpunished.
Was it blowback from Owen's former profession? A message sent from deep within the criminal underworld? Tormented by unanswered questions, and with the official investigation going nowhere, Owen's wife Nicole has been making her own enquiries.
The trail leads around the world, bringing them face-to-face with corrupt cops, Yakuza bosses, and every kind of soldier for hire.
Dangerous men, not to be trusted.
But sometimes betrayal comes from closer to home…
Heart-pounding, breathless action until the very end. Sure to put you on an emotional roller coaster as the story unfolds.

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Darius by Jake Zuurbier
Genres: romance, drama
Age category: young adult
Two boys. One summer. A story of lust, love, and the complicated space in between.
When Darius returns to his family’s house in a quiet French village, he doesn’t expect to fall. Not for Rudy, his cousin’s handsome and charismatic best friend, and not for Lucien, the French librarian who offers something steadier.
Told in dual POV, DARIUS is a queer novel about falling in love, secrets, and learning the difference between being wanted and being loved.
At its core, it’s also a story about family, the messy, loud, loyal kind, and what it means to be truly seen by the people who think they already know you.