Title: Shield of Sparrows

Series: Shield of Sparrows #1

Author: Devney Perry

Genre: High Stakes Romantasy

Year of publication: 2025

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QUOTE

‘Only fools and liars burn books.’

BLURB

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.

I’ve spent my life kneeling―to their will and to my father’s. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.

I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.

But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.

Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him―bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.

Everyone wants me to be something I’m not―a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.

But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?

And what if―for the first time―I reached for it?

Despite owning this author’s MC series, I’d never actually read her work before — but I can safely say this won’t be my last! As a romantasy lover, this book ticked every box for me!

A marriage born from an ancient treaty, an overlooked princess, creepy priests, plenty of monsters, a prince, and a seriously hot character known as The Guardian… does it get any better than that?!!

The story was packed with action, banter, and a slow-burn romance that was absolutely delicious.

I was completely hooked from start to finish.I even managed to guess one of the big reveals about three-quarters of the way through — which never happens, because my predictions are usually way off!

And that ending… what the heck?! I need the next book immediately.

⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?

Title: The Dark Lords Guide to Dating

Series: Guides to Villainy and Love #1

Author: Tiffany Hunt

Genre: Dark Romantasy

Year of publication: 2025

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BLURB

When Dark Lord Kazimir Blackrose kidnaps Lady Arabella for a forced marriage, he expects an obedient, trembling bride. What he gets is a knife to the throat and a furious woman with her own terms. He may need her heroic bloodline to achieve ultimate dominion, but she’s not about to make this easy for him.

Arabella has already survived her father’s tower prison and a lifetime of being treated like property. Being abducted by the realm’s most notorious villain is just another Tuesday. If she must be married to the infuriating (and infuriatingly attractive) Dark Lord, she’ll do it on her terms: freedom within his fortress, hands strictly to himself, and complete honesty about his plans.

But when his plans go awry, Kazimir faces his most terrifying challenge yet. He must actually date his own wife. Between magical training sessions, playing golf with the eyeballs of his enemies, and aphrodisiac dinners gone spectacularly wrong, his villainous seduction plans are failing at every turn.

As they navigate magical explosions and jealous exes, they discover a far more terrifying prospect than war or magical catastrophe:

They might actually be falling for each other.

‘Step One: Kidnap someone cute.
Step Two: Force her into marriage.
Step Three: Try not to get feelings.’

The dark side of my heart loved this!
The light side also did!
The romantic part defo did!

It was funny, it was dark and there was banter. There was action and drama and, of course, schexy parts!

Dark Lord Kazimir was everything I wanted in a villain and I loved how cinnamon roll he went for Lady Arabella, just for her only!

It also has an animal familiar and a bit of found family which is always a plus!

Can’t wait for the next book!

⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Topic: Books on My Spring 2026 To-Read List

I’m a mood reader at heart but I am trying to read my tbr this year (same as every year though!) so these are the books I hope to read!

One Small Echo by Jane Washington
Innamorata by Ava Reid
Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher
The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty

West of Wicked by Nikki St Crowe
How to Fake it in Society by KJ Charles
Your Knife, My Heart by KM Moronova
A Crown So Silver by Lyra Selene
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson

What books do you want to read in Spring?

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hope you’ve had a good week!

I haven’t been around much this week at all so my apologies! My son had a hospital appointment and he had his GCSE food practical on Thursday (3 course meal!) so we spent a lot of time in the kitchen practicing and in the supermarket on top of working (end of tax year joy!), an office visit and getting my son ready for his weekend away on a rugby tour!  So I have been tired!

As I’m on my own this weekend I decided to do absolutely nothing…..and it was glorious!

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🎧 The Dark Lords Guide to Dating by Tiffany Hunt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

See my review soon!

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Review – Silver and Smoke by Helen Scheuerer
Review – Alchemised by SenLinYu

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Review – The Dark Lords Guide to Dating by Tiffany Hunt
Review – Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

What have you read lately?

Title: Alchemised

Author: SenLinYu

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Year of publication: 2025

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BLURB

Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.

In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.

According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?

To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.

Well… this book was HUGE. But I loved every single word, sentence, paragraph, and chapter.

Admittedly, it took me about two weeks to finish, so I won’t bore you with a full plot recap. Instead, here’s what I took away from it:

• Very dark, but with moments of beauty
• A determined, strong, and fiercely loyal heroine
• A deeply broken, scarred leading man who loves his people intensely—almost to the point of obsession
• A brutal, tragic, and horrific war.

It was heartbreaking and devastating, yet I genuinely really enjoyed this read.

That said, I do think it could’ve been trimmed down a little (please… no more wandering around the gardens or the house!) but still a solid 4.5 stars from me.

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Sound like something you’d like?

Title: Silver and Smoke

Series: Ashes of Thezmarr #3

Author: Helen Scheuerer

Genre: Romantasy

Year of publication: 2025

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BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Iron and Embers – review

Thorns and Fire – review

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BLURB

Alchemist. Poisoner. Reluctant Queen.

Wren Embervale knows her duty demands a crown, even if it means a strategic betrothal to the influential Lord Darian Devereux. Their arranged marriage promises the formidable army she needs to wrestle her kingdom from the clutches of the tyrannical usurper, Silas. Yet, Wren’s heart still belongs to Torj Elderbrock, her soul-bonded Warsword.

Torn between her pragmatic alliance and the visceral pull of her bond with Torj, Wren must navigate a treacherous landscape of courtly intrigue and looming war. As Silas’s shadow alchemy tightens its grip on the midrealms and a creeping poison steals Torj’s strength, Wren’s carefully constructed facade begins to crack.

Can she play the dutiful fiancée to secure her throne, while her body and soul yearns for the warrior who would lay down his life for her? Or will the tangled threads of political necessity leave her kingdom—and her heart—in ashes?

The war of silver and smoke….

The conclusion of the Ashes of Thezmarr series picks up right where left off in Thorns and Fire….

Wren and Torj may be soul-bonded, but Wren is now betrothed to Darian Devereux, her engagement to help save the kingdom from Silas, the shadow alchemist… and to protect Torj. The final battle looms…..

The first half of the book felt slow paced but then it builds to fast paced action and high stakes and I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough!

~ Torj’s devotion to Wren absolutely owns my heart.
~ Wren’s character growth throughout the series was immense and so well written.
~ And Kipp – I love that he never changes.
~ More Thea and Wilder was another highlight!

This was such a satisfying conclusion! Emotional, action-packed, and full of the found family moments that make this series so special. It gave me all the feels!

Is it me or did I get a whiff of romance from Cal and Zavier? Did I? Was it just me? Was it there or am I wishing for things that weren’t there?!

⭐ Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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Sound like something you’d like?

Top Ten Tuesday is featured by That Artsy Reader Girl. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Topic: Green Book Covers

Green Book covers mean nature and magic to me but they also give that St Patrick’s Day aesthetic!

Here are some green books I own!

Enchanting the Fae Queen
How to Fake It In Society
The Second Death of Locke
Katabasis
Fate and Furies

A Steep and Savage Path
One Dark Window
Greenteeth
A Pirates Life for Tea
Dead Happy

What green books do you have?

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer  It’s a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received.

Hope you’ve had a good week!

I had my MRI on my back and my ankle and have an appointment on the 20th to get my results!

This week I also had an MOT and service on my car and can we talk about the daylight robbery of how expensive tyres are. I had to pay nearly £500 for 3 tyres. Shocking.

And…..it took me 11 days but I did it! I finished Alchemised, the 36 hour audiobook!

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🎧 Alchemised by Senlinyu
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

See my review soon!

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Feature – Fairyloot Romantasy: February
Feature – April Book Releases

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Review – Silver and Smoke by Helen Scheuerer
Review – Alchemised by SenLinYu

What have you read lately?

Here are some new books releasing in April 2026 that I’m most excited for…

I can’t seem to behave myself with book buying, specifically, pre ordering! I’ve preordered these already!

Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry
The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune

Will you be getting any of these?