A Simple Twist of Fate

A Simple Twist of Fate
by April Asher

Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pub Date: May 13, 2025
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Witches
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads  Bookshop  Amazon

 
A witch and a shifter get a second chance at love in this new paranormal romantic comedy from USA Today Bestselling author April Asher.

At the bright-eyed age of eighteen, witch Harlow “Harry” Pierce attended her first Fates Haven Finding Ceremony certain the Blue Willow Wisp would lead her to her Fated match, her cougar shifter boyfriend, Jaxon Atwood. But Fate had other plans, guiding her best friend to him instead. With a broken heart, all her belongings, and a vow to never return, Harry did the only thing a broken-hearted witch could do. Run.

Thirteen years later, she returns to her magical hometown—with her half-human, half-shifter goddaughter in tow—hoping that not only would the town work its magic on the troubled teenager, but that the local Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack could help Grace identify—and control—her fiery abilities.

Jaxon Atwood was a shifter of few words and even less patience… until his mother retired as Alpha of the Rocky Mountain Pack and left the running of things to him. It’s a headache he didn’t need, and one that brought the witch who’d ripped his heart from his chest knocking on his door.

Ever since the disappearance of the town’s Fate Witch over a decade ago, Fates Haven’s magic has been slowly going haywire. There hasn’t been a Fated Match made in thirteen years, putting the town in serious jeopardy of losing its title of Most Fated Mates Per Population. But now, something is stirring in Fates Haven, Colorado, and it smells like the past, tastes like change, and looks like A SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE.

 

My Review: This book was just okay.  

Harry left her home one day and has never been back since. Now, she has to return with her goddaughter in tow in hopes the alpha there will be able to help Grace understand what she is and how to control it.

She wasn't expecting her ex Jax to be the alpha. Apparently she didnt think his mom would retore at some point and he'd take over but here we are. 

It's certainly one of those books you read in between something else to just change it up. Its got cozy, supernatural, second chance and small town tropes. The main characters have a nice chemistry and the entire book moves at a good pace.  

If that sounds like you're cup of tea, than this may be just the book for you.  

However...

I did manage to finish the book, but overall it wasn't for me. There were many times it was just boring and parts where it could have done with some backstory. I'm not saying its a bad book at all. 

My Rating:

✪✪

Weekly Spotlight - Turkey Day Reads

Turkey Day Murder

Tinker’s Cove has a long history of Thanksgiving festivities, from visits with TomTom Turkey to the annual Warriors high school football game and Lucy Stone’s impressive pumpkin pie. But this year, someone has added murder to the menu, and Lucy intends to discover who left Metinnicut Indian activist Curt Nolan deader than the proverbial Thanksgiving turkey—with an ancient war club next to his head.

The list of suspects isn’t exactly a brief one. Nolan had a habit of disagreeing with just about everybody he met. Between fixing dinner for twelve and keeping her four kids from tearing each other limb from limb, Lucy has a pretty full plate already. So what’s a little investigation? But if she’s not careful, she just may find herself served up as a last-minute course, stone-cold dead with all the trimmings…

Get it Here

 

 

Turkey, Thievery and Twins 

They wanted a feast, but what they got was a mystery with all the trimmings.

Twins Samantha and Lizzie hoped for a peaceful Thanksgiving in their charming Texas town. But when Lizzie's boss, a seasoned private investigator, entrusts her with a baffling case, their holiday takes a curious turn.

A priceless family heirloom, on loan to the museum, vanishes during the annual Pilgrim Pageant in front of hundreds of witnesses. Left in its place is Gobbles, the town Turkey, who every year gets a stay of execution for the holiday feast.

Lizzie suspects the elusive newcomer orchestrated the daring switcheroo. Tensions flared between him and her boss, when he attempted to purchase the heirloom the day prior. The case seems open and shut. But there's a hitch: the town newcomer has an unbreakable alibi.

Samantha and Lizzie are determined to leave no cranberry unturned as they unravel a web of secrets and prove even the tightest alibis can't hide the truth when the twins are on the case.

Get it Here 

 

Once Upon a Thanksgiving

The PTA Mom series is filled with heart, holidays and three PTA Moms who find their own happily-ever-after.

The first in the series, Once Upon A Thanksgiving is about when Harry Met…Samantha.

Single mom, Samantha Williams is too busy for love. She’s already juggling work, four kids, a one-eyed cat and now the PTA’s Social Planning Committee. But when Samantha meets Harry Remington, she finds herself drawn to the kids’ principal. But not only is Harry recovering from a bad break-up, he’ll only be around until December. Maybe they can date knowing there’s an expiration date on their time together. But sometimes the heart has its own mind. By Thanksgiving, neither are ready to let go of what they've discovered together, but both are afraid to hold on. Will their love be enough to overcome their pasts as they look beyond their present to a future…together?

Reminiscent of Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cover series, this first book of the PTA Moms trilogy, Samantha and Harry discover that they’re a couple who have a lot to be thankful for.

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Stolen Vows

Stolen Vows
by Sav R. Miller

Book: Black Rose Auction #3
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Pub Date: February 25, 2025
Genre: Adult, Romance, Mafia
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
Book Links: Goodreads  Bookshop  Amazon

For three days, the doors to this luxe New York estate are thrown wide for anyone with a taste for the obscenely rich, the ultra-exclusive, and the once in a lifetime thrill of the where nothing is off the table and everything—and everyone—can be had for the claiming .

In STOLEN VOWS by Sav R. Miller, a Rapunzel remix, a virgin is forced to marry a mafia heir determined to kill anyone who touches her—only to flee from him the day after their wedding. But he's done waiting and has the perfect trap in mind to lure her back...

And that’s just the beginning. Accept your invitation to this exclusive auction. You never know who you might see there...

My Review: Stella and Leo were quite the read, but in a good way.

Stella is strong, smart and feisty. I love the way she won't take shit and will give it right back. Though there were moments that she seemed to shrink down a tad where she should've been able to be stronger and speak her mind and raise her voice. But not to worry, for we'll get that and more at the end.

Leo at first was kinda ehhh not too sure about him. He was very much act first and figure it out later, but in a way he meant well. After all he took out his own family after one of them put a hand on stella. So there is that. He became more likeable when he secretly asked one of the help to get Stella out and stage that she just up and ran off. Instead of being this big broody mafia guy, he left the stereotype behind and actually let Stella go live her life.

For years Stella was free. She went to school, graduated, got a job and is working to do good in the world. Of course it wasn't 100% perfect. Little did she know her husband was watching her every move (okay, so maybe he didn't let go of all the stereotype)  she couldn't go visit family or even go to her parents funeral. 

Then just when she thinks she has a chance at making it big, everything comes crashing down. The item at auction was bought, her husband shows up, there's an elevator mishap, poisoning and so much more.

But that ending is what made it worth the read. They way they finally came together and how well they actually are made for each other. 

I've only recently started to tackle my TBR pile of Sav's books and so far I'm loving her work! Next time, I won't let her books sit on that TBR pile!  

My Rating:

✪✪✪✪

A Land So Wide

A Land So Wide
by Erin A. Craig

Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: Pantheon
Pub Date: September 2, 2025
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Horror
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher 
Book Links: Goodreads  Bookshop  Amazon

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child comes an irresistible blend of dark fairytale and romantic fantasy.

The town of Mistaken has a secret…and it’s up to one woman to uncover the truth, confront her past, and save the man she loves.

Like everyone else in the settlement of Mistaken, Greer Mackenzie is trapped. Founded by an ambitious lumber merchant, the village is blessed with rich natural resources that have made its people prosperous—but at a cost. The same woods that have lined the townsfolks’ pockets harbor dangerous beasts: wolves, bears, and the Bright-Eyeds—monsters beyond description who have rained utter destruction down on nearby settlements. But Mistaken’s founders made a deal with the mysterious Benevolence: the Warding Stones that surround the town will keep the Bright-Eyeds out—and the town’s citizens in. Anyone who spends a night within Mistaken’s borders belongs to it forever.

Greer, a mapmaker and eccentric dreamer, has always ached to explore the world outside, even though she knows she and her longtime love, Ellis Beaufort, will never see it. Until, on the day she and Ellis are meant to finally begin their lives together, Greer watches in horror as her beloved disappears beyond the Warding Stones, pursued by a monstrous creature. Determined to rescue Ellis, she figures out a way to defy Mistaken’s curse and begins a trek through the cold and pitiless wilderness. But there, Greer is hunted, not only by the ruthless Bright-Eyeds but by the secret truths behind Mistaken’s founding and her own origins.

Playfully drawing from Scottish folklore, Erin A. Craig’s adult debut is both a deeply atmospheric and profoundly romantic exploration of freedom versus security: a stunning celebration of one woman's relentless bravery on a quest to reclaim her lost love—and seize her own future. 

 

My Review: Erm…. No. 

I’ve given her Sisters of the Salt series a try and while the first was meh the second was better and I thought maybe this book was going to be the one to get me hooked.

Uh…nope, not at all. 

This book was hard to enjoy. It was boring to the point it was a struggle to get into never mind enjoy it. The characters were both lacking in depth and ranged from annoying to dull. The retelling just wasn’t there for me either.

NOW, there were some chapters where it felt like it was finally picking up and I could get into it, but it was unfortunately short lived. As soon as I thought finally, it would fall back to painfully boring again.

It ended up being one of those books that you just skim through to the end to be done with it. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough to outweigh the fact that I may not consider any of her books in the future.

 

My Rating:

✪✪

Weekly Spotlight - Devils Rock

 

All Chained Up

There are bad boys and then there are the men of Devil’s Rock . . . Some men come with a built-in warning label. Knox Callaghan is one of them. Danger radiates from every lean, muscled inch of him, and his deep blue eyes seem to see right through to Briar Davis’s most secret fantasies. But there’s one major Briar is a nurse volunteering at the local prison, and Knox is an inmate who should be off-limits in every way. Knox feels it too—a shocking animal magnetism that drives him to risk his own life to protect Briar’s. Paroled at last, he tries to resist her. She’s too innocent, too sweet, and she has no idea what Knox is capable of. But a single touch can lead to a kiss—and a taste . . . until the only crime is denying what feels so right . . .

Get it Here

 

Hell Breaks Loose

Hell hath no hunger like a man let out of a cage . . .

Shy and awkward, First Daughter Grace Reeves has always done what she’s told. Tired of taking orders, she escapes her security detail for a rare moment of peace. Except her worst nightmare comes to life when a ruthless gang of criminals abducts her. Her only choice is to place her trust in Reid Allister, an escaped convict whose piercing gaze awakens something deep inside her. Reid is nothing like her other captors.

He’s tougher, smarter…and one blistering look from him makes her hotter than any man ever has.

Reid spent years plotting escape and revenge . . .years without a woman in his bed. For this hardened felon, Grace Reeves isn’t just out of his league—she’s from another planet, but that doesn’t stop him from wanting her. Escaping Devil’s Rock was tough, but resisting this woman could be the end of him. For a man with nothing to lose, protecting her . . . claiming her as his own, becomes more necessary than his next breath.

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Fury on Fire

When you live next door to the big bad wolf . . .

After years in prison, North Callaghan is finally free. But the demons haunting him still make him feel like a caged beast. He loses himself in work and hard living, coming up for air only to bed any willing woman to cross his path. So when his new neighbor snares his interest, he decides to add another notch to his bedpost. The only problem? Faith Walters is a white picket fence kind of girl.

Prepare to be devoured.

Faith’s new neighbor is the rudest man alive. He’d rather grunt at her than speak and he takes her “welcome-to-the-neighborhood” scones without a thank you. She knows she should run for the hills from the ex-con. If only he weren’t so smoldering sexy…if only the sounds of him with other women didn’t drift through their shared wall and fill her with longing…and if only he didn’t look at her like they were a collision waiting to happen.

Get it Here 

Beautiful Lawman

From the wrong side of the tracks and with most of her family in jail or dead, Piper Walsh is used to everyone in town thinking the worst about her. It doesn’t seem to matter that she’s worked hard to build a good life for herself. So she isn’t surprised that when she comes into contact with Sweet Hill’s wildly irresistible, arrogant sheriff, Hale Walters, they’re instant adversaries. Piper has nothing in common with the town golden-boy-turned-lawman—and she refuses to be a notch on his bedpost.

Despite rumors, Hale avoids fooling around with the women of Sweet Hill, many of whom are hoping to get him to the altar. But staying out of Piper’s path is proving near impossible. The infuriating troublemaker clearly has no respect for his badge. As she continues to push his buttons, it becomes clear to Hale that he must either arrest Piper—or claim her as his own.

Get it Here 

Beautiful Sinner

Locked in with the town bad boy . . . Most women would be scared, but Gabriella’s only worried about resisting Cruz Walsh, who’s even hotter than he was back in high school. Cruz was wrongly accused of the high-profile crime for which he was imprisoned; Gabriella’s desperate for the scoop that will get her career off the ground and get her out of Sweet Hill, where everyone still remembers her as “Flabby Gabby.” Being stuck in a supply closet with Cruz is the perfect opportunity to land an interview. What Bri doesn’t count on is Cruz taking “up-close and personal” to a whole new level. If there’s a silver lining to the hell Cruz went through, it’s that losing his freedom put everything in perspective. Maybe starting over someplace new would be easier, but after years locked up, Cruz values his family—and his true friends—more than ever. So he’s back home, facing the gossip, dodging reporters . . . and face-to-face with Gabriella Rossi. They’ve both Bri wants a story and Cruz just wants her. Another thing he’s learned? Don’t let a good thing slip away.

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Walking In Darkness

Walking in Darkness
by A.L. Jackson
 
Book: Darkness #2
Publisher: Montlake
Pub Date: November 18, 2025
Genre: Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Format: ARC
Source: Author
Book Links: Goodreads  Amazon  Bookshop
 
Torn between conflicting worlds—one light, one dark—two lovers plunge into the ultimate battle between good and evil in a thrilling romantasy by a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author.

I was born to hunt the evils hiding in this world. To slay and destroy.
My purpose was never supposed to be her. My forbidden soulmate. Protecting her was meant to be temporary—I’d stay close until I was certain she was safe, and then I would walk away.

I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her, and I sure as hell wasn’t supposed to take her to my bed. I’d heard my entire life that touching her would only bring us to our deaths.

Except that with my mere touch, power flows through Aria in a way it never has before, and it’s becoming clear that our gods lied to keep us separated and weak.

Together, our strength feels unstoppable. But the monsters hunting her are more sinister than we could have imagined—a threat that could end all humanity.

Will our newfound powers be enough to save us?

*Walking in Darkness is book two in the Darkness Duet. Please read the first book, Visions of Darkness, before enjoying this one.

 
My Review: This was heart wrenching, on the edge of your seat moments and I LOVED every moment of this book. 

Aria and Pax are back! Their work here is just about to become more intense than they could've thought. 

We start with Aria seeing her mum and siblings and having a conversation about everything. What seemed like a turning point for them to rebuild and reconnect again as a family, it wasn't long before things went south. Like seriously, the second everyone went inside the house this crazed person on a bike went for Aria. 

So much for that moment. Aria and Pax quickly deal with that situation and get back on the road. Not long after is when Aria finally remembers where she heard the name of the guy causing all of this. 

As if things weren't already complicated, they are going to shake things up even more when they suggest that everyone come together in the day. Perhaps what they were told wasn't the right thing after all. Everyone must come together and be together at all times. Not just for safety with the recent news of fellow members being hunted and taken out but they are actually stronger together.

But the best part of it all? Oh, it had to be that ending. In true A.L. fashion she gives us that HEA we all come to expect and love. 

Aria and Pax are together. They have this new expanded family. Everything is going great and they are truly free to forever have that. Them and their soon to be new addition will be all they need to worry about. No more dropping into another world, not when they finally won saved it. 

           

My Rating:

✪✪✪✪✪

The Curse of Penryth Hall

The Curse of Penryth Hall
by Jess Armstrong
 
Book: Ruby Vaughn #1
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Pub Date: December 5, 2023
Genre: Mystery, Historical, Gothic
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Book Links: Goodreads  Bookshop  Amazon

An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.

After the Great War, American heiress Ruby Vaughn made a life for herself running a rare bookstore alongside her octogenarian employer and house mate in Exeter. She’s always avoided dwelling on the past, even before the war, but it always has a way of finding her. When Ruby is forced to deliver a box of books to a folk healer living deep in the Cornish countryside, she is brought back to the one place she swore she’d never return. A more sensible soul would have delivered the package and left without rehashing old wounds. But no one has ever accused Ruby of being sensible. Thus begins her visit to Penryth Hall.

A foreboding fortress, Penryth Hall is home to Ruby’s once dearest friend, Tamsyn, and her husband, Sir Edward Chenowyth. It’s an unsettling place, and after a more unsettling evening, Ruby is eager to depart. But her plans change when Penryth’s bells ring for the first time in thirty years. Edward is dead; he met a gruesome end in the orchard, and with his death brings whispers of a returned curse. It also brings Ruan Kivell, the person whose books brought her to Cornwall, the one the locals call a Pellar, the man they believe can break the curse. Ruby doesn’t believe in curses—or Pellars—but this is Cornwall and to these villagers the curse is anything but lore, and they believe it will soon claim its next victim: Tamsyn.

To protect her friend, Ruby must work alongside the Pellar to find out what really happened in the orchard that night.

 

My Review:  The book starts off fun and playful. Ruby having another lovely evening of fun and entertainment is just having a casual chat with Mr. Owen. Who is kind and just lets Ruby live her life. All is going well until Mr. Owen asks Ruby to deliver some books to someone who lives in the very place she planned never to return to. 

Welp, suppose it won't be too bad. Drop of the books, turn around and then forget about it. Well, this trip turned into seeing an old friend that invites her over for dinner and stay the night. It'll be like old times. Ruby spends more time angry at Tamsyn's husband for how Tamsyn looks and has all these thoughts. But that's all it was right? So why is it that suddenly the man is found horribly murdered, Tamsyn seems lost in worry over this curse and Ruby has to no promise to keep her son safe. 

Oh, and all of that is merely just the start of everything.  

However, that's kind of where it ends for me. 

The entire book could’ve been faster paced, more in-depth characters and well, more interesting.  

While the ending may have saved it for me enough to consider the next book, I'm going to go with caution. I love a good mystery and gothic read and hoping the next book will give me all I'm looking for.

 

My Rating:

✪✪✪

Weekly Spotlight - November Anticipated Reads

Brimstone
Duty. Blood. Honour. Power.
Saeris Fane doesn't want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court's lips, but now that she's been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she's discovering that a queen's life is not her own. A heavy weight rests upon her shoulders.

Her ward - and her brother - need her back in her homeland . . . but the changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. Born under blazing suns, Saeris will surely die if she makes her way home through the Quicksilver. Which means that, once again, she must send someone else in her stead . . .

'Keep your mouth shut. Stick to the shadows. And for the love of all seven Gods, do NOT crack any jokes.'

Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors, but traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up. Hidden dangers await them down the narrow alleyways of the Silver City. Unfolding secrets pose impossible threats. Fisher must wrangle the smuggler and accomplish his goals quickly if he wants to see his mate again.
A darkness falls across Yvelia. The realm and their friends are in danger. Together, Saeris and Fisher will pass through fire and brimstone to save them.

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The House Saphir
From the #1 New York Times bestselling "Queen of Fairytale Retellings" and author of Cinder and Heartless, this is the tale of Bluebeard as it's never been told before—a thrilling romantasy and murder mystery.

Mallory Fontaine is a fraud. Though she comes from a long line of witches, the only magic she possesses is the ability to see ghosts, which is rarely as useful as one would think. She and her sister have maintained the family business, eking out a paltry living by selling bogus spells to gullible buyers and conducting tours of the infamous mansion where the first of the Saphir murders took place.

Mallory is a self-proclaimed expert on Count Bastien Saphir—otherwise known as Monsieur Le Bleu—who brutally killed three of his wives more than a century ago. But she never expected to meet Bastien's great-great grandson and heir to the Saphir estate. Armand is handsome, wealthy, and convinced that the Fontaine Sisters are as talented as they claim. The perfect mark. When he offers Mallory a large sum of money to rid his ancestral home of Le Bleu's ghost, she can’t resist. A paid vacation at Armand’s country manor? It’s practically a dream come true, never mind the ghosts of murdered wives and the monsters that are as common as household pests.

But when murder again comes to the House Saphir, Mallory finds herself at the center of the investigation—and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. If she has any hope of cashing in on the payment she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.

But that all sounds relatively easy compared to her biggest learning to trust her heart. Especially when the person her heart wants the most might be a murderer himself.

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Witchlight
Paths converge and prophecies unfold as Safi and Iseult―the legendary Cahr Awen―fight their way across the Witchlands to heal the final Origin Well. With ancient figures rising from the past, the Raider King’s armies gathering for war, and the magic at the heart of everything dying too fast, the entire world is now on the brink of collapse.
But when Safi and Iseult reach the Air Well with the Bloodwitch Aeduan at their side, they discover too late that Eridysi's Lament is not the prophecy they thought it was―and their journeys are only just beginning.

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