Title: When the Moon Hatched

Series: Moonwalk #1

Author: Sarah A Parker

The Creators did not expect their beloved dragons to sail skyward upon their end. To curl into balls just beyond gravity’s grip, littering the sky with tombstones. With moons.

They certainly did not expect them to fall.

As a valued Elding Blade of the rebellion group Fíur du Ath, Raeve’s job is to kill. To complete orders and never get caught. When a renowned bounty hunter is employed by The Crown to capture a member of the Ath, Raeve’s world is turned upside down. Blood spills, hearts break, and Raeve finds herself at the mercy of the Guild of Nobles—a group of dual-beaded elementals who intend to turn her into a political statement. Only death will set her free.

Crushed beneath a mourning weight, Kaan Vaegor took the head of a king and donned his melted crown. Now on a tireless quest to assuage the never-ebbing ache in his chest, his hunt for a moonshard lures him into the belly of Gore’s notorious prison where he stumbles upon something that rips apart his perception of reality. A shackled miracle with eyes full of rage and blood on her hands.

The echo of the past sings louder than the Creators themselves, and even Raeve can’t ignore the truths blaring at her from a warmer, happier time.
However.
There’s more to this song than meets the eye, and some truths …
They’re too poisonous to swallow.

I was excited to get to this book because it was so hyped. I obviously bought the exclusive edition with the beautiful dragon stenciled edges and immediately preordered the matching book 2!

And now I don’t know what to do. This book was ok, but just ok.

I did love the premise behind this story….magical girl goes from old life to new life with a man who loves her unconditionally. And dragons!

I also loved the diary entries from Elluin.

This was an actual heartbreaking tale and I fear it will only get worse in book 2 because of ‘the secret’.

What I didn’t love was Raeve. She made some absolute rubbish decisions and she seemed full of self importance. Maybe I’m wrong, but she wasn’t for me.

I also didn’t love all the fluff in the writing. It was….a lot. Especially the part explaining the crying in the rain….I was like what’s going on here?!!

So my dilemma is, do I read book 2?!

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 I Never Reviewed

Many, many, many years ago in a land (where I still live) I used to read books and….get ready…..NOT REVIEW THEM unless they were arcs.

There. My shameful secret.

Then I read that reviews help authors…and my blog hobby took off!

So here are some books I read a long time ago (for the first time) and have never reviewed….

Throne of Glass by SJM
Any of the Percy Jackson books
Any of the Harry Potter books
Any of the Twilight books
Any of the Rock Chicks by Kristen Ashley
The Three Series by Kristen Ashley

What did you choose?

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.

I hope you had a great week!

This week was mostly work and, as I have a project due to implement next week, I worked extra hours to make sure we were ready so that was nice (not really!)

I had my first dnf of the year this week too, I got 30 odd percent into Heavenly Tyrant and realised that I didn’t know why things were happening and I didn’t have a clue what was going on – it might be a me thing – not sure!

---

🎧 The Language of Dragons by SF Williamson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my review soon!

---

Feature – March Releases
Calendar – Valentines

---

Review – When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker
Mini Review – Greenteeth by Molly O’Neil

What have you read lately?

Happy Valentines Day to all you book lovers!

Friday is here and so is Valentines Day!

Hope you have all your book boyfriends close to hand so you can hug them!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Here’s what’s tantalising me that’s releasing in March (that I may have preordered!!)

I did say I was going to be better about book buying in 2025….but I’m not off to a great start!!!!!

 Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn
Emberclaw by LR Lam
His Mortal Demise by Vanessa Le
The Shadow Bride by Shelby Mahurin

Will you be getting any of these?

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: Love Freebie!

This time I thought I’d go for my favourite romantasy reads

Fall of Wrath and Ruin by JLA
The Cursed by Harper L Woods
Slaying the Vampire Conquerer by Carissa Broadbent
Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent
Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
The Coven by Harper L Woods
Frost by CN Crawford
What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L Woods
Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac by Caroline Peckham
Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham

What would you choose?

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.

I hope you had a great week!

I was ill a couple of weeks ago with a flu virus and this week I came down with a cold and cough – can you believe it! But I did what any woman does, I just got on with life!

Because I felt under the weather, I did some rereads….and it was glorious!

Oh and….I bought a new car today – a Honda HRV! I pick it up in 2 weeks!

---

Rock Chick Rescue/Redemption/Regret by Kristen Ashley (rereads)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎧 The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Look out for my review soon!

---

Review – Iron and Embers by Helen Scheuerer
Review – The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune
Review – Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

---

Feature – March Releases
Calendar – Valentines

What have you read lately?

Title: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales

Series: Emily Wilde #3

Author: Heather Fawcett

---

BOOKS IN THE SERIES

Encyclopedia of Faeries – my review here!
Map of the Otherlands – my review here!

---

BLURB

Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm-as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival-now fiancé-the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare, filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal world-how could an unassuming scholar like herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in-Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic-and Emily’s knowledge of stories-to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

Wendell, now King of Faerie, and his new fiance, Emily, are going back to Faerie to reclaim his Kingdom. But the old Queen is still there and has caused a blight upon the land, so it’s up to Emily and Wendell to solve this as per their MO!

Let me get this out the way first….and I hate to say this….this book didn’t quite have the draw of the other books, but I am still in love with Emily and Wendell!

Now the great bits!

Firstly, Emily’s dry wit made me laugh as per usual when it comes to Wendell…..’Wendell had gone back to staring at the door— savouring the moment, I suppose. I wondered if he would give a speech or something.’

Also Shadow has a new so-not-friend, Orga the murder cat!!! Fabulous!

Emily’s character growth in this series has been immense and I loved seeing her totally give in to her feelings for Wendell and he gives her every freedom she needs – I love him and his needlework skills!

I don’t know if this is the last book in this series but, not going to lie, I do hope that Ariadne takes over the reigns now and finds her Faerie Prince!

Don’t forget you can read my reviews from the previous books in the series ➡️

Encyclopedia of Faeries – here!
Map of the Otherlands – here!

Title: Iron and Embers

Series: Ashes of Thezmarr #1

Author: Helen Scheuerer

---

BLURB

Wren Embervale, alchemist-turned-assassin, finds solace in only one thing: seeking vengeance for the death of her friends. The wars of the past may be over, but her thirst for revenge is far from quenched.

For years, she has been content with her poisons and potions for company, but when an unknown form of alchemy is used to attack a king of the midrealms, Wren’s time in the shadows comes to an end.

She’s offered a place at the ancient alchemy academy of Drevenor to find a cure to the dark magic threatening the kingdoms. To win her spot, she must conquer the Gauntlet, a grueling series of deadly trials that could cost her sanity, or her life.

More is at play than sabotage from fellow competitors. Magic wielders are being targeted and Wren becomes tangled in a dangerous web of deception and bloodshed that puts the entire realm at risk.

But the biggest threat of all might come from the man assigned to protect her—Torj Elderbrock, the silver-haired war hero who has hated her since she assassinated his last charge.

Their shared history ignites a simmering tension that threatens to consume them both.

Peace is fragile, trust is scarce and enemies lurk around every corner… Will love heal all wounds—or will it be the most lethal poison of all?

Have I read the original series?
No.
Will I?
You bet I will – I bought book 1 and it has arrived!

Wren, a Princess to a fallen kingdom, finds herself in a place she always wanted to be, Drevenor Academy……to become an Alchemist.

‘I swear fealty, until the academy releases me, or until death claims me.’

Her guard is Warsword, Torj. They already know each other from the past and they both suffer from a curse of sorts. They also aren’t on the friendliest of terms….and there’s also a band of loyalists who want the Royals gone…….and this is our story.

Oh this book was AMAZING. Just everything! The characters, the setting, the world, the plot, the tension, the chemistry, the schexy times, the side characters, the drama, the grip factor, the brilliant writing style. It’s got it all!

I know I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time – and of course I’ll be looking for a release date of the next book!

Let me just say that this is a new-to-me author….and I have been missing out! Don’t let this be you – read this!!

---

Sound like something you’d like?