A mad blind fairy being delivered to her arranged marriage and a soft vampire who is taking her. Mary’s blindness and screaming abilities have left her in seclusion since childhood and when her mother tells her that her new arranged marriage comes with a powerful evil fiancee who can give her back her sight... she’ll do anything to get it back because she has nothing to lose... except now she’s got a very sweet and hot vampire who is distracting her and making her question her decision. From the moment Tucker met Mary, he knew, she was the one. Too bad he now is tasked with driving her to be married off to someone else and it doesn’t help that he is thirsting for her blood 24/7. Mary and Tucker were a cute and quirky couple. They both had insecurities, Mary with her sight and Tucker with his body. They both were caring and attentive to the other’s needs and the story was overall a nice read! Throw in a vampire/fairy war, family drama, spontaneous checklist adventures, and a couple who can’t help falling for one another.

Magic, drugs, the prohibition all taking place in an urban fantasy Seattle in 1929... what could go wrong? This is a such an interesting story that follows a nonlinear storytelling style. There are shapeshifters, magic, a complicated mission, a forbidden marriage and so much going on. The story is short but interesting and the tension builds. The ending was fit, as everyone got what they deserved and the story fit. Despite it’s short length it perfectly wraps things up nicely while telling an intriguing story!

*thanks for the sending me an arc Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom in exchange for an honest review*

Two women, a history of witchcraft and ill fraught relationships.... and their meeting. This is a great twist on a haunted house story mixed in with a split-timeline historical fiction. The story follows present day Augusta, a mild0mannered museum worker who is in a loveless relationship seeking to find some meaning in her life.... when a job listing calls for her and this new job will change her forever. The second timeline follows the beautiful and tempestuous Margaret Harlowe who lives in the 1970s and is gifted with magic and falls in love with a local shopkeeper... however their love story was doomed from the start. Augusta finds secrets at her new workplace that draw her into a 150 year old quest for revenge. Augusta finds that she is drawn to Margaret... and that they share many things... but soon the line between who she is and who Margaret is starts to blur and the mystery behind Margaret’s life consumes her while her own life might start to crumble under Margaret’s thirst for revenge. This was definitely an interesting story steeped in doomed romance with hints of magic and learning to find confidence in yourself.

*Arc Received in exchange for an honest review*

Obsession. Love. Lust. Friendship. Twenty-three year old Meggie meets her new coworker Sabine... and suddenly her entire life is changed. Everything in Meggie points to Sabine. She becomes obsessed with her, especially since Sabine is so hot and cold, so distant yet spontaneous.... yet destruction awaits them. The more Meggie falls under Sabine’s spell the more her life starts to spiral. Meggie wants desperately to be as close to Sabine as possible but she knows the more she tries to pull her in closer the more Sabine shuts her out... their game of push and pull consumes them. This was definitely a story about obsession and about falling for that one person who we all know is mysterious and beautiful but won’t ever truly want to be with us. Falling for the one person who will consume us but never truly love us, the obsession, the need, the want... and the self destruction. Meggie, albeit takes it to a whole different level, and the story isn’t a happy one. It’s framed from her present day reflections and truly leaves you feeling something else.

*Arc received in exchange for an honest review*

A new spin on a russian folklore with magical history, revolution, mythology, romance, power... This story follows Koschei the Deathless and Marya Morevna, Koschei is an ancient figure, he hides his death and is in the middle of a war. Marya is his new wife and between them there is power play, bdsm, romance, cruelty, wickedness, love... Marya is clever, cruel, and the perfect match for someone who wants someone just as clever and cruel as they are. Marya and Koschei are equals in their marriage but that all comes down when his death is approaching and Ivan comes. This is a bit of an odd story to be honest. It’s got the folklore/mythology aspect mixed in with more magical history and actual history. It’s an odd read, it definitely left me feeling a bit odd. The writing is gorgeous, no doubt about it but the overall story line and characters were just. huh. I don’t know how I feel about the ending particularly, it’s open ended and I definitely wish there was a bit more closure. The plot seems to switch gears towards the 60% mark and the story feels different.... though I preferred the start of the story more so than the later. Overall, definitely an interesting read if you like magical history and folklore reimaginings.

A artist with forbidden magic, a murder mystery, and a forbidden romance. Myra is gifted with magic that works through her art, she can change the appearances of things, heal them, and maybe even bring them back to life through her artwork. When the wife of the governor who is adament about getting rid of people like Myra comes to her door and offers her money that would let her save her sick sister, Myra takes the deal. However, what she is being asked to do might not be so simple, the governor’s wife wants Myra to bring back her dead son, who everyone has presumed to be sick only... except as Myra works on the body the death might not have been so accidental and more murder. Along for the journey is the other son, August, a boy who has been kept hidden from the public due to his crippling anxiety. August is a poet who suffers from anxiety and wants to help Myra solve the case. Myra and August soon must try and find out who the real culprit is, but in a house with so many secrets it could be anyone. It doesn’t help that Myra and August might be falling for one another, but with such drastic class difference and life stations.... they really can’t see a future. It doesn’t help that August’s family could destroy Myra and Myra has to focus on saving her sister. Old wounds are revealed, secrets are unfurled, hearts are broken, and lives are at stake... and magic is let loose. This was definitely an interesting murder mystery story with a splash of romance. It had fun twist and turns and had me questioning who the murderer was and the ending, though wraps up most of the characters, does leave it a little open for a potential follow up (which I would very much love).

*Thanks Netgalley and Inkyard Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A loose story based on Hades and Persephone but taking place in modern day and involving the mafia. Elena is the daughter of a mafia boss and has been innocent her entire life... all leading to being married off to an abusive husband in order to secure an alliance for her family... but behind her innocence is a darker being. Kal is a doctor and the family hitman, who has become obsessed with Elena... but has always kept a distance until now. Kal and Elena soon find themselves in a complicated situation when someone threatens Elena and Kal has plans in order to protect her, particularly making her his wife. The feelings between the two of them become complicated when the secrets in their lives start to unravel and when someone threatens to destroy them both. This was definitely an interesting take the persephone/hades myth, particularly since both characters refer to each other as persephone and hades haha. Overall it is definitely a dark romance and there are definitely a list of TW you should check out before reading this. I appreciated how the author lists them so that you have a full warning before diving into the story.