A fast-paced, action-packed paranormal romance that teases a more promising sequel.
A witch discovers her true lineage after she’s abducted by a handsome werewolf in this dark Victorian romantasy.
All her life, Cordelia Carter has believed that she’s descended from a line of powerful witches—and that’s true, but now that she’s moved in with her aunt Lenora in London following her mother’s death, certain traits, such as her heightened sense of smell, ability to see at night, and increased appetite, have brought up lingering questions. After crossing paths with a handsome, top hat–wearing stranger, Cordelia quickly uncovers the truth. She’s a lycan, someone who happens to be both part witch…and part werewolf. The latter half she inherited from her father, an Alpha werewolf who’s just sent his second-in-command, Bishop Daniels, to abduct her and return her to her rightful place at Trevelyan, the estate belonging to the Albion Pack. Unfortunately, Cordelia’s father also has more nefarious intentions for her, and they start with forcibly marrying her off to Bishop, his intended successor, in order to ensure the Pack’s strength continues for generations to come. Surrounded by dangerous werewolves at every turn and unsure of whom she can really trust, Cordelia has been restricted from using her magic to save herself—and she can’t challenge her father’s authority as Alpha, either. Under Bishop’s guidance, she begins training to understand her new lycan abilities, but she’s also confronted with her increasing attraction to her father’s strongest lieutenant. Archer’s debut romance is a quick, diverting read, but it struggles to balance heavy themes with more lighthearted ones. The will-they, won’t-they tension between Cordelia and Bishop contributes to some of the book’s best scenes, but their building romance sits in sharp contrast to some pretty dark twists that may take readers by surprise. The ending hints at the clear possibility of a stronger sequel with the two characters positioned as a united front against multiple antagonists, and there’s the potential for an already rich supernatural world—consisting of witches, werewolves, demons, necromancers—to be built out even more extensively.
A fast-paced, action-packed paranormal romance that teases a more promising sequel.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393074
Page Count: 368
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
A book about revenge that’s more punishing than purposeful.
A woman from a matriarchal society kidnaps a prince from a neighboring kingdom, planning to force him into marriage.
Five hundred years ago, the wife of the abusive king of Amarra prayed to her goddess for mercy; in return, the goddess granted every woman in the country the ability to rule over men. Amarra’s queens have governed with vengeance ever since, creating a fiercely violent matriarchy. Now, 21-year-old Olerra Corasene, a gifted military strategist and powerful general, is competing with her cunning and devious cousin, Glenaerys, to be the next queen. Since Glen is trying to secure the throne by currying favor with the wealthy nobles, Olerra decides on a different tactic, the time-honored Amarran tradition of kidnapping a husband. Her target is a good-looking younger prince from the neighboring country of Brutus, but she accidentally and unknowingly nabs Sanos, the king’s eldest son and heir to the throne. She drags Sanos back to Amarra, where he’s treated with all the contempt for men that is normal in her society: He’s dressed as a sexual plaything, forced to shave his beard and body hair, leashed and restrained for bad behavior. Olerra can’t understand Sanos’ objections to this treatment, and the ensuing power struggle makes up most of the plot. Marketed as romantasy, Levenseller’s first adult novel falls flat as both romance and fantasy. There is little connection or chemistry between Olerra and Sanos, and since both are more caricature than character, neither experiences the kind of growth that creates challenging or interesting romantic relationships. In addition, the worldbuilding is paper thin. Amarra is a world built on reverse misogyny, but the motifs, imagery, and scenes often read more like a brainstormed list (a penis guillotine!) than a fully realized attempt to say something meaningful about women’s rage.
A book about revenge that’s more punishing than purposeful.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9781250379375
Page Count: 368
Publisher: FEIWEL
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance.
Two ambitious athletes plus one fake-dating arrangement—what could go wrong?
Though it’s only his first season for the Boston Bearcats hockey team, Robbie Corrigan has a well-established reputation as a playboy. He’s got major skills on the ice, and he’s also much more likely to love ’em and leave ’em than he is to build any long, meaningful relationships. Naturally, he’s just met the one woman who seems completely resistant to his charm: Skylar Page, a Boston University softball pitcher. When they meet over a friendly Saturday morning baseball game, Robbie instantly makes a poor impression by bragging to his teammates about his latest conquest within Skylar’s hearing. He thinks she’s gorgeous, though, and when he sets his sights on her, he’s surprised that she doesn’t seem to know it. Despite her initial distaste for Robbie, Skylar grudgingly confesses that she could use his help. If they pretend to date, maybe her current crush—her brother’s best friend—will finally sit up and take notice of her in a romantic way. The timing is less than ideal, since Robbie will have to team up with Skylar in the Page family’s latest wilderness competition, but it turns out that Robbie’s willingness to play fake boyfriend stems from some very real feelings. He wants to prove to her that he’s a changed man, and redeeming himself in her eyes starts with making sure she knows that she can really trust him. The latest addition to Bailey’s Big Shots series is a sexy, feel-good romance brimming over with the author’s trademark humor and dirty talk. While Skylar and Robbie’s dynamic doesn’t quite reach the level of enemies-to-lovers—he’s so head-over-heels for her that there’s no room for any real mean-spiritedness—their playful snark doubles as a welcome dash of foreplay in the lead-up to some seriously steamy scenes. Robbie’s efforts to show Skylar that he’s turned over a new leaf also result in some of the book’s best moments, emphasizing his commitment to becoming the type of man he knows she deserves.
Bailey hits it out of the park with her latest spicy romance.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780063380837
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Avon/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
