Tag: romantic fantasy

This Chick Read: Ship of Spells by H. Leighton Dickson

Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn was serving her first post on a naval ship when they were attacked, her ship was sunk. As a Bluemage, it was her job to reinforce the magical spells of the head mage of her ship. As they were attacked, she threw spells above her seniority, and caught magical cannonballs that ate through her skin leaving her dying in the ocean. When she awoke she was on the mythical ship, Touchstone, run by a mysterious elven captain and a misfit crew. Their mission was tied to the Dreadwall, a crumbling barrier that has kept the Overland and Neversea from war for a hundred years. Renn carries in her bones, the remnants of a magic that is chimeric arcane and is slowly killing her but the Touchstone’s mission may be her only chance to survive. Her choice is to join its crew or die.

What girl doesn’t dream of joining a magical misfit crew with a handsome mysterious elven captain at its helm? If I’d have thought of it, I would have certainly had this dream. Reading Honor Renn’s journey was the closest I’ll ever come to holding magic and living the pirate life. I relished reading each page and living out a fantasy I never knew I wanted. I loved the hatred and confusion that Honor Renn felt for her captain at the beginning that soon changed to respect and admiration. There were so many things to like about our main character who held duty and honor in high esteem. She had an unusual magic, she was sassy, fearless, and had most importantly had a huge heart. The other characters were just as fascinating and added to that magical world with humor, anger, adventure, and love.

When I was a teen, I loved reading fantasy novels with an epic journey and Ship of Spells reminded me of those long ago novels that I’d get lost reading on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. What a fantastical novel. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Ship of Spells

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On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Tears of the Wolf (Wrath and Weaping #1) by Elisabeth Wheatley

After the murder of her child, Brynn seeks approval for a divorce from her cousin, the king. Heartbroken and still grieving, the king grants that divorce but immediately marries her to Cenric, a warrior from the North. Brynn will be his wife, but also sorceress to his kingdom. With ties to the king, Brynn is too powerful to stay unmarried for long. Cenric needs a sorceress in order to bring legitimacy and security to his homeland but with Brynn comes a lot of political machinations. There are factions in the kingdom that would choose to have a different king, and those factions want to use Brynn to take the crown.

Brynn has been treated horribly by her previous husband and is still grieving her child. Despite her predilection to not trust Cenric his gentleness and honesty start to win her over. She sees that this warrior from the North is a different man that her previous husband and as the story moves forward his honesty starts to win her trust. She starts to believe that happiness might be within reach. Of course, it wouldn’t be romantic fantasy if there weren’t a little conflict. Needless to say, she and Cenric have to fight for their freedom and any happiness that might come their way.

I found this novel to be very well written, easy to read, and the characters well developed and easy to like. I don’t think anyone with a hint of empathy wouldn’t feel badly for Brynn and when she gets her bad @$$ moment to fight for her right to live free, wouldn’t root for her to find happiness with Cenric. I felt like this story was pretty complete, so I’m not sure where a second book would take us, but when it comes out I’ll certainly give it a read and see what kind of journey this author will take me on.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Tears of the Wolf

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This Chick Read: Realm of Thieves by Karina Halle

Dragon eggs are highly coveted for their magic, and crime syndicates hire thieves to go into these dangerous lands to steal these eggs so they can be sold to the highest bidder. Brynla Aihr is searching for dragon’s nests with her magical dog when she’s kidnapped and blackmailed by Lord Andor to help steal eggs for House Kolbeck. Brynla and Andor clash at every turn sparking heat that Brynla’s never felt before. In a world rife with betrayal and secrets how close to the flames is she willing to stand?

When I read the synopsis for this novel I was immediately drawn to this world that dragons inhabit and the magic from their eggs is currency. As I started to read it I found it easy to read and the world that Karina Halle built easy to understand. Brynla was the kind of heroine I’m usually drawn to, so why did have such a difficult time enjoying this book? I made myself keep reading it because like I said, it wasn’t hard to read or understand. I just didn’t enjoy the story. Maybe it was the fact that eggs were being stolen, or that Brynla wasn’t the easiest person to like. When Andor entered the picture I kept reading because I thought their romance might give the story a bit of a push I felt it needed. Nope. In fact, I didn’t get them as a couple at all. Sure he was big and attractive and she was mysterious and had a magic dog. Truly the dog was the most interesting character in the book. I wish I’d known a bit more about his back story! LOL.

I finished the book, so it’s not on my DNF list, but that’s the best thing that’s come out of reading this novel. It took me about 10 days to get through, which I hate. Too many books to read and too little time to do it to spend on a book I am not really loving or hating. The cover was pretty awesome, so I liked that and the dog. Hey, it’s better than nothing! ❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Realm of Thieves

Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

In order to survive the monsters called the Crux, the five realms have signed a magical treaty. A princess in one realm, the Sparrow, would be wed to a prince of another realm, uniting the kingdoms so that they’d help each other in their time of need. The next Crux is coming and Odessa was not chosen to be the Sparrow by her father. Instead, her younger sister Mae is chosen to wed the Prince, except the Prince does not wed Mae, he weds Odessa and regardless of her feelings, she’ll be the next Queen of his realm. Odessa has not been trained, doesn’t know anything about his realm, and prefers painting and needlework to swords skills and spying.

Devney Perry’s typical novels are contemporary romances but I love it when an author tries something new, especially if they do it right. Devney Perry did an amazing job with her world building, she crafted unique and interesting characters, and she gave them all something to fight against, monsters that will wipe out humanity if they don’t learn how to stop them. Then on top of that she created a virus that is spreading and may be contagious, turning monsters and humans rabid.

There was a lot going on in this novel, but throughout it all Odessa was a rock. She was not prepared to be Queen – or a spy for her father, but she challenges herself to become what she is not. A skilled fighter who can defend herself and the ones she comes to care about. Her relationship with the Prince is pretty non-existent, but her reaction to The Guardian, or the monster killer, is immediate. She hates him with a passion. I love a good enemies to lovers trope and we certainly get one in Shield of Sparrows. The Guardian taunts her, trains her, and helps her become who she needs to be to survive in this deadly world. The two of them together were everything.

There were a lot of great characters and back story’s in this novel. You could tell the author spent time developing the world, the relationships, and well, the monsters. They were the ultimate bad guy after all. This was a fast-paced, fun book to read and I can’t wait until we get the next one! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Shield of Sparrows

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*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Things We Water by Mariana Zapata

Nina Popoca needs help. She has adopted a magical puppy and the only place that they’ll be safe is on a sprawling ranch in Colorado. It’s a place where a community of magical beings can live in safety and peace. And if that ranch is owned by her best friend’s handsome cousin? There are worse things than having to live next to Henri Blackrock.

Mariana Zapata normally writes slow burn contemporary romances and The Things We Water definitely had hints of her usual format. A pleasant heroine who has a traumatic family back story- check, a large somewhat surly romantic love interest- check, even the adopted child, this time in the form of a magical puppy- check, then there’s the romance itself and this instance definitely slow burn- double check. What makes this story unique for this author is the fact that it is her first attempt at the fantasy genre. I’m all for author’s trying new things and will never say that they should stick to the tried and true. If I were the writer I’d probably get bored doing the same format all the time too. So I was pleased to hear about her shift into romantic fantasy, but I was also a little fearful after the last disappointing novel (When Gracie Met the Grump).

What did I like about the novel? I loved Nina’s relationship with Duncan, her adopted magical dog. Duncan’s love for Nina was so sweet and beautiful. She was his mommy and you felt that from their bond to each other. As with all of MZ’s books, there are nicknames that you’re going to either love or hate. I found them charming, and was reminded of all of my own nicknames for my dog. They might have been used a little too much, but gosh, I called my dog Nashburger or Doodlebug more than I did his own name “Nash”. I can’t fault her for using Duncan Donut or donut.

I thought Henri was pretty obvious about his feelings for Nina pretty early on and so her insecurity in reminding him constantly that she asked him to marry her and he said he wouldn’t was a little annoying. However, how often have we seen this relationship question used from this author in a book that we have loved? I can think of two right off the bat- Luna and the Lie and Wait for It. It’s repetitive but not a make or break character default for me. In fact, it just reminded me of how much Henri had been showing her that he was all in, pretty much right from the beginning and made me like him for it. He was quiet but his actions showed his true feelings.

Let’s talk the fantasy elements of this novel. There was minimal world building which I was not a fan of, however, this world that Nina and Henri lived in was not unfamiliar to us. It was the modern world but all of the creatures that we’ve heard of before, werewolves, sasquatch, gnomes, etc. all presided in it. I didn’t have to learn what a werewolf was, I already knew. What I did need to know that might’ve been different in this world, the author shared with the reader. The history of the ranch was something the reader needed to know, and we learned that as we read the book. I wasn’t bothered by the minimal world building although I do think the story would’ve felt rounder with a little more detail.

I enjoyed reading this novel. I did think it was a little long, but I think that about all of her novels so wasn’t surprised at the length. I thought it was a solid first attempt at a romantic fantasy and if she does another one I know it will be even better. This author learns and grows with each novel she writes, I’m hopeful that we’ll get another from her a little sooner than the three years we had to wait for The Things We Water. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Things We Water

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This Chick Read: Dire Bound (The Wolves of Ruin #1) by Sable Sorenson

This debut fantasy novel did not read like a debut novel at all. I can’t wait to find out who the mysterious writing duo is that makes up Sable Sorenson and fully expect to read a couple of recognizable names. The world building was amazing, the characters well developed, and the action kept me turning the pages. I knew after the first few chapters that this would be a five star rating from me and crossed my fingers the author wouldn’t disappoint, and she didn’t!

Meryn Cooper helps her family survive by training and fighting in the underground arena and as a side job, teaching the kids in her neighborhood how to defend themselves from the “Nabber”. Someone who sneaks into their rooms at night and steals them and gives them to immortal monsters, never to be heard from again. Meryn is one tough cookie but she can’t save her sister Saela from her fate of being kidnapped. Knowing the only way to save her is to fight in the war at the front, Meryn enlists in the army. What she doesn’t realize is that the enlisted will be put through the bonding trials- bond with a direwolf or die trying. Meryn has never imagined being one of the Bonded but when she bonds with a direwolf, she also doesn’t expect that direwolf to completely ignore her. She and Anassa will have to learn to communicate or they will be seen as weak and be culled from the pack.

Meryn was such a great character. She had to learn to be hard in order to survive the poverty in her neighborhood, but her feelings for her sister, her boyfriend, and her mother showed different facets to her personality. As she was going through the Bonding Trials, her loyalty and honor also became apparent and it was hard not to like her. The one critique I’d give is that she had a one track mind and sometimes that became annoying and didn’t allow her to see the whole picture. She had tunnel vision and despite her need to save her sister, that tunnel vision became a weakness. Could I over look that? Sure! This world she was living in was really fascinating, her bond with Anassa was difficult but I couldn’t wait for them to connect and kick butt, and although I had doubts, the romance was also sizzling. What’s not to like?

If you liked the Fourth Wing series, you will love this book. No there aren’t any dragons, but there are Direwolves! They are huge, deadly, and have interesting personalities. I found them just as fascinating and really enjoyed learning all about this new world. I’m going to guess that if you love fantasy novels, you will too. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Dire Bound

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This Chick Read: Spark the Flames (Secret of the Syphon #1) by Ivy Asher

I haven’t loved all of Ivy Asher’s books, but this one hit all the right notes. It’s an epic fantasy with a strong female protagonist, the characters shift into dragons, the male lead is kind of quiet but strong and hot, and did I say there are dragons? The book starts off super fast. Ever has escaped from a stronghold where she’s tortured for her blood, the bad guys are after her and she chooses jumping off a cliff to a certain death instead of ending up back in her cell. Instead of dying she wakes up in a hospital where she’s told that the Horde has been called to retrieve her and again she must escape her fate. She’s been taught that the Horde (also dragons) killed her family and is her enemy, but when she comes face to face with them she sees a unit that acts loyal to their leader, is snarky, and makes her curious. The leader is Aeson Noctis, the King’s second son and he is fascinated with Ever.

The fast paced action and quick-witted dialogue kept me turning pages, but it was the mystery of Ever’s origin story that I was really curious about. She’s a kind of dragon called a Syphon, and her brand was supposedly wiped out with the killing of the previous king’s reign. Her identity as a Syphon is mysterious, as is Ever’s mission, to kill the people who took the Syphon powers away from them. As a plot, it’s not a bad one, but everything Ever thinks she knows about what happened to her family is not necessarily as she believes it, which throws a big kink into her revenge. Oh, and then there’s the love interest, Aeson- she doesn’t count on falling for one of the Horde.

As with most of Ivy Asher’s books, there are some great side characters, some of whom we want to know more about and don’t get to, but they do certainly add some much needed warmth and color. If the plot were only going to be about Ever’s need for revenge it would be kind of boring, but she develops some feelings for the people around her which makes her plotting even more tremulous. The reader is left hoping she knows the truth and her plans will be a redemption arc instead of Ever turning into an anti-hero. We’ll have to wait for the next book to find out which side of the coin she lands on. I can’t wait!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Spark the Flames

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*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1) by Callie Hart

Saeris Fane has lived in the Queen’s third ward living off ounces of water a day, stealing to survive. When she starts a chain of events by stealing the wrong item she is taken prisoner and the Queen orders her death. Fighting for her life, Saeris uses the powers she has kept secret her whole life and opens a gateway between realms and death comes walking through it’s door. Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior kills her enemy and sweeps her into this other realm filled with ice and snow. Unknowingly Saeris ties herself to Fisher and he uses her magic to achieve his own agenda.

I saw this on a best Fantasy of 2024 list and boy did this one NOT disappoint. I really don’t understand those reviews that gave it one and two stars where those people said they couldn’t finish the novel. What??!!! Despite the page count (615 pages), I thought this story was fast-paced, the characters were really interesting, and the romance riveting. I do love a good romantic fantasy and Quicksilver was all I’d hoped it would be.

Saeris is the type of heroine I just love. She struggles out of love for her family, and when she finds herself in this untenable position she fights to return to them, despite the horrifying way they live and how much better her situation is in this new world. When she meets Fisher, she hate him with a passion. He obviously has an agenda, which she doesn’t really understand, and is pretty awful. However, there are unguarded moments where the reader is given a glimpse into his own horrible past that lead you to believe that if these two got their act together they’d make a pretty amazing team. Despite their immediate sexual chemistry it does take them a while to like each other but I, unlike some other reviewers, reveled in that hate to like and like to hate reality.

The story’s fast pace was driven by a lot of action, fighting, and changes of scenery. I have to say the world building was pretty amazing and very easy to follow. We were left with some question marks at the end of the story so I can’t wait for this author to complete the next novel. I’m ready to jump back in!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Quicksilver

Copyright 2025 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Unity Experiment by N.K. Brown

Seventeen year old Anna is chosen to enlist in The Unity Project, a government run team-building exercise to promote unity between the species. She’s on a team with another human, a werewolf, fae, shapeshifter, and a spirit who only she can hear. It’s a race to the death in a competition between other interspecies teams to complete the course and hold the Vessel of Unity, which allows them to leave the game alive, that species to skip the next game, and gives them a voice during interspecies talks. Anna’s gift of speaking to the spirit world makes her an invaluable tool that all of the teams would like to use but Anna only wants to help the species find peace. Of course, she’ll have to avoid being killed by everything and everyone around her.

The Unity Experiment had elements that were reminiscent of other books I’ve read like The Divergent Series and The Hunger Games, but with a fantasy twist, introducing multitudes of species whose interactions are rife with secrets, distrust, and violence. Anna has lived a pretty mundane human life in comparison with her other teammates, with the exception of her childhood when her father performed experiments on her in their basement, and then again when she became of age and became eligible for the Unity Experiment lottery. I say mundane, but the world she lives in is much darker than our own world yet the humans live and work in “regular” jobs in between lottery picks. When Anna gets dropped into the experiment and lands in the jungle full of violence and subterfuge she relies on those instincts that her father helped her develop. As her character moves forward in the experiment you can see a light bulb turn on and her drive to know what happened to her father when he entered the experiment becomes her driving force- besides surviving, of course.

On her team, everyone has an ulterior motive, but she is drawn the most to Dylan, the werewolf who has sworn to protect her and keep her alive. There are elements of an attraction that makes this novel feel at times somewhat romantasy, but the author seems to have more interest in other aspects of the plot and leaves the readers emotions hanging a bit, which if there’s another novel is totally ok by me. There was enough action, and subterfuge to engage my mind and keep me reading. In fact, I blew through this novel in about four hours I enjoyed the writing so much.

As with any new world that I enter as a reader, there were moments of confusion. At times, Amura who could shapeshift, would turn into quite a few different insects, birds, etc. that a couple of times it took me a moment to catch on to who and what was going on. Despite a little confusion with that character, I loved how the author made each team member a different species (with the exception of Chris who was human) and gave the reader a new world to explore with each characters back story. So interesting!

Needless to say, I really enjoyed this novel! There were only a couple of moments where something happened from Anna’s viewpoint that took me out of the story and I said “what just happened?”. It was a new novel by a new to me author and I thought it was practically perfect in every way. Unless there isn’t going to be a second book. If that’s the case I may need to re-think my feelings for that ending! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this ARC from the author for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Unity Experiment

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*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

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This Chick Read: The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts

When Sonya MacTavish inherits a huge Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine, she moves right in, not knowing the house is haunted. She hears footsteps, doors slamming, and voices but it’s when a mirror appears that the haunting is taken to the next level. She steps through the mirror and sees a bride murdered on her wedding day and realizes it’s a scene that plays out again and again and she must be the person to break that pattern.

Her best friend Cleo moves in, which adds a fun girl power element to the fight against evil, and her cousin Owen and her new beau Trey round out the foursome. Sonya’s romance with Trey triggers the witch Hester Dobbs who amps up her haunting and seems to frighten more than physically hurt anyone. As the story moves forward Hester’s actions may become more of a threat and I can’t wait to see what book three brings.

What I think makes this series different than some of Nora Roberts other series is that the story follows Sonya through each book. Sometimes in her other series the side characters get their own books. I like that this is Sonya’s fight and that as each story moves forward the reader’s emotions become more entangled with Sonya and what she’s going through. Sometimes, with Nora’s writing it’s very easy to separate yourself from what you’re reading, this series, even though fantastical, seems easier to become involved emotionally.

As far as love stories go, I’m pretty ho-hum when it comes to Trey and Sonya. I like that he’s supportive, but I almost feel like he gets in the way of the plot more than becomes integral to it. Owen on the other hand, is family, and can see the spookiness, can walk through the mirror, etc. I think because he’s more involved I like his actions and reactions more. He and Cleo are just starting their flirtation and his steadiness is a good contrast to her artistic nature. They’re a fun couple to read.

I am really enjoying this series so far and am looking forward to the conclusion next year. I can’t wait to see how Sonya kicks Hester’s witchy butt, with her friends help, of course!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it is honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* The Mirror

Copyright 2024 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’l receive a small stipend.

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