• King Makers

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    Title:
    King Makers
    Series:
    Kingmakers
    Genre:
    Romance, Dark,
    New Adult, Contemporary
    Publisher:
    Bloom Books
    Release Date:
    Format:
    ebook
    Pages:
    532
    Source:
    NetGalley

    Leo Gallo (son of Sebastian & Yelena)
    Mafia families from around the world send their children to Kingmakers Academy to learn the skills of criminal enterprise.
    Under the rules of Sanctuary, students are forbidden to fight or kill. But rivalries are high, tensions inflamed, and forbidden love arises in the most unlikely places…
    Welcome to Kingmakers

    Kingmakers: Year One-A Dark Academia Mafia Romance by Sophie Lark is an entrancing mix of dark academia, forbidden love, and mafia politics. Kingmakers Academy is highly prestigious; it houses the best of the best in the mafia circles as they come to learn the ropes. The novel narrates a story of Anna and Leo maneuvering around this intriguing world of power, betrayal, and unstoppable attraction.

    A World of Intrigue and Danger

    Oh, my goodness, Lark has come up with such an intriguing world, as glamorous as it gets raw. Kingmakers Academy is one of those places where one could barely tell if it is education or manipulation. An interesting lot, all with their motives and secrets. She did just great-a great balance between romance and the harsh world of mafia politics, creating a story that’s as thrilling as it gets heartwarming.

    Forbidden Love and Betrayal

    The first and foremost romance within the novel is that between Anna and Leo. Their affair is taboo, powerful, passionate, corresponding to shared pasts and the respect they feel for each other. Besides, that is the tension that builds up – a further loyalty that is owed to their respective families, and the awakening of feelings towards one another that makes the story even more complicated.
    A Thrilling Plot

    This plot will be full of twists and turns to keep the readers in suspense. Besides that, there is also a disappearance of their fellow student and the trailing dangers involving power clashes across mafia groups.

    Conclusion:

    Kingmakers: Year One is truly a read that fans of dark academia, forbidden love, or any of those stories in which the stakes can literally get no higher, should not miss. Sophie Lark has created a magnificent world with her book, full of interesting characters and an entertaining plot. If you like reading about romance with a touch of danger, this would certainly be the book for you.

  • Whispers Most Foul

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    Title:
    Whispers Most Foul
    Series:
    –
    Genre:
    Fantasy, Romance, Lesbian, Mystery, LGBT
    Publisher:
    CAEZIK SF & Fantasy
    Release Date:
    Format:
    eBook
    Pages:
    380
    Source:
    –

    Rose Thenlif, the only student unable to cast spells at the elite Dunhollow Academy of Witchcraft, prefers keeping her nose in books and away from the sneers of her classmates, or the critical eyes of her headmistress mother. But when her fellow classmates begin to go missing, she finds that she alone can see their ghosts.
    Worse yet, Rose’s latest ghostly vision is her greatest academic rival, her talented and recently vanished classmate Sylvie. Now the reluctant pair must team up to uncover the deadly secret at the heart of Dunhollow. But neither of them are prepared to uncover their feelings for one another, a love that will take them to the edge of life and death . . .

    A Gripping Mystery amidst Academic Pressure

    Emma’s Whispers Most Foul is a deft mosaic of mystery and magic, coming-of-age amidst the turmoil of a community. Dunhollow Academy of Witchcraft is where magic and blood join to create the most elite and powerful strata of society. Rose Thenlif is just a tiny witch who does not fit anywhere in might and estate.

    Against the backdrop of relentless academic pressure and ruthless competition, Rose—who is an outsider and basically has a meager magic heritage to them—must not only keep up a complex social hierarchy but also live with a haunting secret. This secret is what sets her apart from the rest of her peers and becomes a key to unraveling a sinister mystery shadowing over the academy.

    A world full of intrigue and danger. There is a tension in the air with a threat starting from the very first disappearance of students, through to a long shadow cast across Dunhollow. She balanced this tightrope walk deftly, Rose’s mind torn between academic pressure and growing horror against the supernatural threat.

    It is also among the strong points of the novel that Rose’s character is actually developed. One gets drawn into her development from scared and insecure schoolgirl to determined and brave young woman, very inspiring and relatable. The mystery grows with her, and she makes for a most compelling lead protagonist.

    While the other characters are less fleshed out compared to Rose, they really help to push forward the mood of the story. There are rivalries and friendships at the academy that further flesh out the narrative.

    The novel balances everything out, with each chapter alternating between its academic world and its supernatural elements. The approach builds to a certain level of suspense, making the reader get attached to the book.

    This bundle of mystery and magic with loads of character growth only adds to the mix for a truly compelling read. It does flow and leaves one looking forward to the next installment in this series.

    Whispers Most Foul has everything, or at least almost everything, that readers who love young adult fantasy and mystery wish for.

  • Haunting Adeline

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    Title:
    Haunting Adeline
    Series:
    Yes
    Genre:
    Dark, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction
    Publisher:
    Hailey Carlton
    Release Date:
    Format:
    Physical Book
    Pages:
    583
    Source:
    Bookstore

    The Manipulator
    I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me.
    I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh.
    But my words don’t affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave.
    He’s always there, watching and waiting.
    And I can never look away.
    Not when I want him to come closer.
    The Shadow
    I didn’t mean to fall in love.
    But now that I have, I can’t stay away.
    I’m mesmerized by her smile, by her eyes, and the way she moves.
    The way she undresses…
    I’ll keep watching and waiting. Until I can make her mine.
    And once she is, I’ll never let her go.
    Not even when she begs me to.

    “A Spine-Tingling Tangle of Love, Loss, and Dark Secrets.
    Haunting Adeline” by H.D. Carlton is the first book in a two-part Cat and Mouse Duet, interweaving dark romance, suspense, and more than a hint of the supernatural. This story takes place on the backdrop of some sprawling Gothic manor, steeped in the reeking rooms of its tragic past. So here is Adeline, a gothic novelist, oddly appealing and mysteriously charismatic, who became a stranger, a mystery who turned into her tormentor and probably her savior, too.

    Adeline is a most complex heroine: a damaged heroine with a past. She inherits the imposing mansion of her grandmother, replete with the weight of a family history that was always shrouded in mystery. She is spirited, fierce, an author of great repute who has held her own against men in a writing world. There is just one chink in her armor: her loneliness and the psychological scarring from the heinous murder of her grandmother.

    A Mysterious Villain: Zade is the mysterious stranger who tunnels his way into Adeline’s life. The man is shrouded in shadows; his motives ambiguous, his actions unsettling. Is he a dangerous stalker, or is he the protector with a hidden agenda? Carlton has worked out a perfect character—one to instill both fear and a strange kind of fascination within a reader. Zade is dark with intensity and keeps the readers from knowing for sure who they can and cannot trust right to the very end.

    A world drenched in mystery: the manor in Blackwood Manor itself becomes a character. Creaking floorboards, dusty portraits, and hidden passages really create a chilling atmosphere that befits the carrying on of the act. Interspersed diary entries of her now-departed grandmother give a glimpse into Adeline’s past and eerily echo the events taking place at present.

    A Very Complicated and Layered Plot: “Haunting Adeline” gleams with plots within plots. The inherent mystery that drives the book is the murder of Adeline’s grandmother, entailing ideas of stalking, the power of storytelling, and a secret society working to punish human trafficking. While some feel this book becomes too much by the multiple plot lines, the way everything comes together in this story makes up for wonderful layering.

    It’s a dark romance: one feels the tension between Adeline and Zade. Of course, an interesting mix of fear, defiance, and smoldering attraction may turn to a boiling point at any moment. The story does do explicit in encounters and the emotional intensity. Still, know this is a dark romance, and the power dynamic that Adeline and Zade hold surely are not for the weak at heart. (Check your triggers)

    A Cliffhanger that Sets You on Fire: The novel ends on one of the most killing cliffhangers, getting the reader into a frenzy for wanting answers. Carlton masterfully increases the tension through the storyline, peaking it at a revelation that will have you so primed and raring to go in the next segment of the Cat and Mouse Duet.

    Recommendation: “Haunting Adeline” is going to glue your hands to the pages—a dark romance, gothic suspense novel, strong leading ladies: all super addictive. If you enjoy Sarah J. Maas or Laurelin Paige, get ready to be on the edge of your seat for hours with this one. Light and fluffy romance lovers—or those a bit nervous about the darker side of life—may look elsewhere.

  • The Last Immortal

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    Title:
    The Last Immortal
    Series:
    No
    Genre:
    Horror, Gothic, Gothic Horror
    Publisher:
    BHC Press
    Release Date:
    Format:
    eBook
    Pages:
    578
    Source:
    NetGalley

    I am Lady Ramillia Winmoore, daughter of the very late Earl of Brooksberry, or I was lifetimes ago. I am an immortal, and this is my story. Do what you will with it, but I must warn this tale is not for the faint of heart. Highborn Victorian Lady that I was, my life was one of violence and cruelty.

    Lady Ramillia Winmoore has suffered gaps in her memory her entire life. This darkness has proven to be a blessing until the day she awakens strapped to an examination table at the West Freeman Asylum for Lunatics. Imprisoned for the gruesome murder of her parents, she is forced to endure years of torture until salvation arrives in the form of a benefactor named Sir Julian Lawrence. Betrothed to her through an arranged marriage, Julian helps her gain freedom.

    But appearances are deceiving and soon Ramillia learns the cost she must pay. The horrors she encounters in his household are far worse than the asylum. When he inducts her into a society of bloodthirsty, cruel immortals, she is forced to join them and accept their way of life.

    Armed with talents she doesn’t know she has, Ramillia must break free of a prison she cannot see, kill an enemy who cannot die, and find a daughter who she cannot remember—all with the help of an ally she does not know.

    In this chilling gaslight-era Gothic horror novel where paranormal powers are bred and collected, friends and foes are not always what they seem when immortality is at stake.

    A Masterful Blend of History, Horror, and Humanity: The Last Immortal Earns 5 Out of 5 Stars

    It is precisely at this juncture—where history, horror, and humanity blend to perfection—

    The Last Immortal” is a sweeping historical epic Gothic horror tale of powerful exploration into what it means to be human by Natalie Gibson. Join Ramillia on a very deep dive in a Victorian asylum and sinister aristocracy, caged in an endless cycle of violence and immortality, as retold in the story of a woman.
    A Charismatic, Unreliable Heroine: Ramillia isn’t much of a heroine compared to those one might have ever seen. She stands as one of those gray heroines shadowed by memory gaps in her mind and haunted by a past stricken with violence, wrestling with monstrous abilities, dealing with immortality. Gibson deftly weaves in first person from Ramillia right into the last moments, so the reader never knows whether to doubt her memories or her intentions—actually, a very interesting story of unreliability.

    A chilling setting steeped in history: The Victorian asylum, Blackwood Manor, done to death in all its opulence, itself becomes a character. Perfectly underscoring the black undercurrents of a narrative, atmosphere steeped in details of history has fans of Gothic horror drawn to it.

    The plot keeps one on tenterhooks with all the turns that no one foresaw. The pacing, in fact, is really spot-on for this story, knowing when to balance all that action with beats of introspection. Mystery swirls a great deal around Ramillia’s past and the secrets the Blackwood family holds within itself.

    Through “The Last Immortal”, an action plot deepens into an exploration of humanity’s dark side and slides into violence and musings on the nature of good and evil and identity. The thought-provoking and emotionally poignant struggle with immortality and extremities one could possibly go to in search of a connection is explored through Ramillia.

    This will greatly appeal to readers of dark fiction, most especially those dealing with dark historical fiction, Gothic horror, or stories with a really high degree of intricacy and morally gray characters. If you enjoy Anne Rice or Sarah J. Maas, “The Last Immortal” will haunt you long after that final page is turned.

    A Final Word: “The Last Immortal” is, without a doubt, one of the great novels; its mesmerizing tugs and pulls on the plot, memorable characters, and thematically enriching storyline—all these no less give a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars to charm, horrify, and finally move you to this unforgettable tale.