Featured in our spotlight today is the newly released I KNEW HER ONCEby R.M. Carpus.
I Knew Her Once
Release Date: June 2, 2026
Genre: Gothic Suspense/ Horror
Grieving novelist Rose Harper flees to the sleepy town of Griffin Bay to find a new muse, revive her writing career, and leave the past behind. She finds a place to stay, lands a job, and the plot ideas begin to flow. Things are looking up.
Until strange, unexplainable things start happening and she winds up entangled in Griffin Bay’s poisonous web of lies. There’s something not quite right about her new home, and it isn’t long before she realizes that some stories, like secrets, were never meant to be told.
R. M. Carpus is the co-founder of Wraith House and a member of the Horror Writers Association. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and professional writing from Saint Joseph’s University and lives in Seattle, always on the lookout for orcas, Brandi Carlile, and Eddie Vedder. Her forthcoming Gothic suspense novel, I KNEW HER ONCE, releases summer of 2026.
A YA high-seas fantasy adventure is in the spotlight today with Against All Wavesby Chelsea Ray! Providing the perfect mix of a slow-burning romance with scheming crewmates, deadly sea creatures, and found family with a dash of magic. Let’s read on!
Against All Waves
Release Date: August 2025
Genre: YA Fantasy
Featuring ⦁ Slow-burn Romance ⦁ Scheming Crewmates ⦁ Deadly Sea Creatures ⦁ Found Family ⦁ Magic
Shes a pirate. He’s a prince. Together they must conquer sea and land.
As a pirate, and only female crewmember, eighteen-year-old Elle fights daily to prove her worth despite being deemed bad luck. Facing dangerous waters, she secretly searches for her mother who had mysteriously disappeared. But she must tread carefully, for the tyrant captain of The Turbulence, her father Velis Whitlock has one rule: never to speak the name of Elle’s mother.
Axel Ardanian’s life has been laid out for him since birth. Soon to be ruler of the peaceful island of Glendora, he decides to share what the island has produced for centuries: a remedy known to cure any sickness. But during his travels to other lands, he witnesses the harsh realities of poverty and greed, which he fears will threaten the land he loves. To protect Glendora, the council and his father agree that Axel must unite with one of the kingdoms through an advantageous marriage.
When The Turbulence targets and attacks Axel’s ship, his and Elle’s lives are suddenly intertwined. In the end, both will have to choose to face their fears and protect what they hold dear to their hearts but also the truth that lingers between them.
Chelsea Ray is a hopeless romantic who is addicted to iced lattes and all about happily ever afters. She writes fantasy adventure with swoon-worthy banter and heroines who persevere, which you will find in her debut novel, 𝑨𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑾𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔.
When she’s not writing, you will find her training horses, playing with her corgi, or spending time with her husband on their small Kansas ranch.
Learn more and follow Chelsea at IG: @chelsearaywrites TIKTOK: @chelsearaywrites
Releasing today, THE GIRL WHO DREAMED IN THORNS by Rebecca L. Garcia and Dawn Darling is in the spotlight! A lovers-to-enemies Peter-Pan-inspired bully romance, set against the grim, death-filled backdrop of Never, where wickedness lurks beneath every fairy-dusted leaf, innocence demands sacrifice, and a broken heart can kill you.
The Girl Who Dreamed in Thorns: And So She Withers (The Never After Duet Book 1)
Release Date: May 21, 2026
Genre: Dark Romance/ Bully Romance/ Dark Fairytale
Featuring ⦁ Bully Romance ⦁ Dark Fairytale ⦁ Lovers to Enemies ⦁ Peter Pan Reimagining ⦁ Villain gets the Girl ⦁ Unhinged MMC ⦁ Found Family to Enemies
One year ago, Holly returned home with no memories, a bloody scar, and a torrent of nightmares. On the night of her debut into society, a mysterious stranger offers her the answer to the question that has haunted her since her return: What happened to Wendy Darling? Desperate to find her sister, she goes with him to the thorny island from her dreams. Except, Never has changed. The forest is rotting. The faeries are dying. And Kit, the handsome, brutal Wyard who she once loved, hasn’t forgotten her betrayal.
Caught between the boy who wants to punish her and the pirate begging to save her, Holly begins to suspect that the most dangerous thing on the island was never the magic or the one who controlled it. It was the moment she allowed him to feel anything at all. Because very few lived long enough to break the heart of a Wyard, and none survived it.
CW: This book contains dark themes and is intended for adults 18 and over, including murder, death of a character, kidnapping, bullying, degradation, torture, death of a child (off-page, mentioned), graphic violence, orgasm denial, profanity, breath play via drowning, and sexual content.
Follow on Instagram: @dawndarlingauthor @rebeccagarciabooks
VITALIA by Eliza Benner is the first book in The Circus of Souls series!
Vitalia (Circus of Souls Book 1)
Release Date: February 2026
Genre: Spicy Fae & Dragon-Shifter Romantasy
Spice Level: 3 Peppers
Features ⦁ Competent FMC ⦁ Morally Grey MMC ⦁ Dragon-shifters ⦁ Fae ⦁ Slow Burn ⦁ Enemies-to-Lovers ⦁ Forced Proximity ⦁ Touch Her and Die ⦁ “Who did this to you?”
Synopsis The King’s Circus doesn’t come to villages like hers. Or, at least, it didn’t until now. Naevyn just wishes she’d stayed the hell inside. When the performers lock the crowd in place and shift into dragons, ripping souls from bodies to feed an immortal king, Naevyn should be dead alongside everyone else. Instead, she’s dragged into a centuries-old rebellion because her blood does something it shouldn’t—it kills.
She’s supposed to be human. A girl from Xardon who just wants to keep her family safe. But in the fae realm, nothing about her makes sense, and the prophecy everyone whispers about marks her as their salvation. Then there’s Cairos—a dragon-shifter with centuries of blood on his hands and a smirk that makes her want to strangle him. Cursed to collect souls for the very king he used to serve, Cairos is powerful, lethal, and, unfortunately, the only one who can help Naevyn survive. She should hate him for the atrocities he’s committed.
She should definitely fear him. So why does he feel like the one thing she can’t stop wanting?To save her family and shatter the cycle of death, Naevyn will have to trust a monster, face what she really is, and get close enough to a king to destroy him. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes that everything she thought she knew about herself was a lie. Love has a price. Prophecies have power. And this one demands blood.
Eliza Benner writes dark-ish romantic fantasy filled with dangerous curses, morally gray heroes, and heroines who refuse to stay powerless. Her stories blend high-stakes adventure with slow-burn tension, fierce loyalty, and enemies-to-lovers romance.
She is the author of the Circus of Souls series, a spicy romantasy featuring fae, dragon-shifters, rebellion, and a heroine who discovers she may be far more than human. She has also authored a young adult urban fantasy series titled Wings of Shade and Starlight featuring angels, demons, and epic adventure. Her books explore power, identity, and what happens when love collides with destiny.
Eliza lives in Minnesota with her husband and their five children, where she spends most of her time writing, reading, and dreaming up new worlds filled with dangerous magic and complicated love stories.
Learn more about Eliza and her books, follow her on Instagram @elizabennerwrites
Happy Thursday! As I bring you the horror comedy RILEY DOESN’T WANT TO FIGHT EVIL. This book looks hilariously fantastic! A YA comedy horror that you’re gonna like, whether you like it or not. Let’s read on!
Riley Doesn't Want to Fight Evil (Book One)
Release Date: October 2025
Genre: Horror Comedy
Riley Thomas is the main character of this story – whether he likes it or not. Riley Thomas has always been a normal, regular, average guy. He has a crappy job, a few friends, and a boring homelife–and that’s just fine with him. Unfortunately for Riley, fate has other plans.
Death gods, immortal psychopaths, haunted dolls, and serial-killer neighbors are only a handful of his problems. So far, he’s managed to sidestep his responsibility as the main character, but all that changes when he finds himself wrapped up in a prophecy that holds the fate of the world in the balance.
An ancient force of Hell is rising up. Reckoning is coming. The path of a hero is a hard one, but with enough tenacity and quick thinking, Riley might be able to stay completely out of it. Or at least, he’s going to try.
Available on AMAZON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
D. R. Mills is a young-adult horror author who is currently hard at work on his debut series, MONSTERS. He was born and raised in Wyoming, where he’s still lurking around somewhere. When he isn’t writing, he’s playing video games a borderline unhealthy amount or spending time with his beautiful wife.
Follow D.R. Mills and their books at @author_drmills on Instagram
Thrusting into the spotlight this week is the newly released BRIDE OF ASH & DUST by Meredith Hart! Featuring tension so thick you can cut it with a knife, let’s read on!
Bride of Ash & Dust Book one in the Snake & Crown series
Published: April 10th, 2026
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Features *Arranged marriage *Forced proximity *Political intrigue *He falls first… and harder *Morally gray MMC *They meet on their wedding day *Sleeping in the same bed… but not touching *Emotional support weapons
Princess Lilias has one day to pack her life into trunks before her wedding to a man she's never met. They call him the Snake of Vsenrog: assassin, spy, and the foster son of a ruthless king. Everyone tells her to be terrified. They're right. But not for the reasons they think. Because Zarek isn't cruel. He's careful. He sleeps with daggers strapped to his body but refuses to touch her when she's drunk. He climbs through windows but asks permission before his fingers brush her thigh. He walks through palaces and slums like he owns them, but avoids their bedchamber. Keeping her safe, he claims, means keeping his distance. And Lilias learns that the worst torture isn't fear. It's wanting. But when their honeymoon tour becomes a trap, staying apart is no longer an option. As Vsenrog's armies gather, Lilias and Zarek realize their forced marriage might be the opening move in a war neither of them saw coming. And in a palace where mirrors are windows and lovers are spies, falling in love isn't romantic. It's a weapon. And someone's waiting to use it against them.
Raised by wolves in the mountains of Colorado, Meredith Hart traveled the world to seek her fortune, fell in love with a half-elf ranger, and now lives in a cabin deep in the Maine woods where she writes steamy fantasy romance with snarky, reluctant heroes and the warrior women who love them. She also writes Loki-inspired paranormal romance under the pen name Samantha MacLeod.
I am back with another Book Spotlight Thursday! Shining this Thursday is Chasm of Dreams, a dark fantasy romance by Dakoda Mazzii! Chasm of Dreams takes place in a primitive world where only brute strength, cunning, and cruelty have enabled its humans to survive. Let’s read on!
Chasm Of Dreams (The Fate of Astaran Series Book 1)
Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
Release Date: March 3, 2026
Features
✨Touch her and die ✨One horse ✨” Who did this to you?” ✨ FMC goes from reluctant hero to BAMF ✨Hurt/Comfort/Consent ✨Mysterious mind link between MCs ✨ Strangers to lovers ✨Yearningggg
More than a thousand years ago, the humans of Astaranwere conquered by a vengeful Fallen Angel named Chemosh a.k.a “The Sovereign”. Through the deception of Hel’s general---the mighty black wolf and demi-God, SkÖll---she betrays the Gods of Lyrath to declare war on a race of humans with powerful psychic abilities. The Gods then exile her to Astaran and sever her black wings. With the help of her acolytes, The Anakaii, she takes control of Astaran. AIDA is an orphan and nomad whose parents vanished when she was seven. Her gift of Dream Walking allows her to project into anyone’s mind and plant a suggestion that will compel them to comply. When her power leads to deadly consequences, she vows to never use the gift on anyone again. During her time in the wilderness, Aida’s relationships are sparce, except for the mysterious presence that has been linked to her consciousness for as long as she can remember… When an Astaran Guard and tracker named TYRAN is tasked with finding an escaped prisoner, he finds Aida after she has been captured by four vicious servants of The Sovereign. Upon saving her from a brutal assault, the pair flee into the dangerous depths of The Furian wood, far from the reach of The Sovereign’s stronghold in Opeth city. As they travel to the bounds of their known world and approach the towering Vazaketh mountain range, they encounter ancient beasts, discover a hidden race of exiles, learn the answers to the secrets of their past and future, and a solidify a soul-bond that may be the key to the liberation of their entire realm.
Dakoda Mazzii is an author-in-bloom from the great state of Texas. Always a lover of creative writing and fiction novels, she received her Arts degree from Florida Keys Community College in 2014. Her debut Romantasy novel, CHASM OF DREAMS, was crafted to satisfy her craving for a gut-wrenching, bone-crunching, and swoon-worthy story with a supernatural twist. When not reading or writing, you can find her enjoying a coffee at the park with her daughter and husband.
Follow Mazzi on INSTAGRAM @dakodamazziiauthor TIKTOK: @dakodamazziiauthor
Welp, the title earned this week’s spotlight as we dive into FILTHY ROYALS by Kahley Burwell! A spicy dark academia romantasy!
Filthy Royals
Release Date: October 2025
Genre: Dark Academia Romantasy
Featuring
⦁ 3rd person POV ⦁ Dislike to lovers ⦁ Love triangle between a set of twins ⦁ Forbidden romance ⦁ Bodyguard x princess ⦁ Dark academia ⦁ Supernatural college ⦁ Multiple fantasy creatures ⦁ Found family/sisterhood
In the United Realms, five young queens, born to rule but raised in chaos, are more than just heirs. They’re warriors, schemers, and monsters wrapped in silk and crowned in gold. Magic is forbidden to mix, love is a dangerous luxury, and betrayal is woven into the very fabric of their world. When their reckless reputations catch up to them, they’re banished to New Charms University, a cutthroat academy where only the strongest survive. Stripped of their crowns, Bella, Diana, Naomi, Reina, and Selene must prove they deserve their thrones. But enduring the academy’s punishments is only the beginning. Dark forces lurk in the shadows, and the halls of New Charms are steeped in secrets, lies, and blood. When students start turning up dead, the queens realize their exile isn’t just a punishment—it’s a trap. Someone wants them powerless. Someone wants them dead. To reclaim their crowns, they’ll have to master forbidden magic, forge dangerous alliances, and uncover the truth behind the murders. Because in this game of power, you either rule…or you bleed like the roses at your feet.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kahley Burwell is a current third year college student at Loyola Marymount University, pursuing a BFA in Screenwriting with a minor in English. Aspiring to write, produce, and act in her own projects, she specializes in adapting literary works for the screen. She has previously interned at CatchLight Studio and The Jackson Agency, gaining hands-on experience in development and production.
Originally from Philadelphia, Kahley Burwell now studies in California but plans to move soon to pursue her creative ambitions. In her free time, she loves reading, binge-watching TV, traveling, and hanging out with friends at Yogurtland.
Follow Kahley and her book:@kahleybookwell on Instagram.
Welcome to Teir—a shining beacon of hope amidst the ravages of war…or the trappings of a gilded cage? SUMMER of DUST and ASH is the exciting sequel to RED SUMMER by Ana Lee. After reviewing the first book,RED SUMMER,I got a chance to get an ARC copy of the soon-to-be-released next book in the Stone and Scale series.
Summer of Dust and Ash (Stone and Scale Book 2)
Expected Release Date: April 26, 2026
Genre: Epic Romantasy
Featuring
– Multi-POV
– Slow burn
– Fated bonds
– Antagonist turned ally
– Love triangle
– Ultimate good vs evil
– Dragons and ancient magic
– Prophecies
– Corrupt government
– Political intrigue
– Secret high-stakes battles
Synopsis
Following an unforeseen treason and an unexpected attack on the New Orleans Council House, Wilder and his friends escape to the safety of Teir. But secrets, greater still than the ones kept by the people they trusted, arise just in time for Summer Solstice.
As the Red War builds between worlds, another—more ancient and more deadly—brews in the heavens. And its whispers are creeping into the heart of the Eadar.
The dragons, once believed by most to have never truly existed, begin to return—and they’re not playing by the rules. The mysterious Jeselle, born of both dark and dragon magic, takes her place as the first rider. And the hunt for the stones, all that stands in the way of Markus claiming control of everything he touches, finally begins.
But can Wilder and his friends stay alive long enough to find them? Can they truly trust the Magistrie to protect the Eadar, and the humans, from the Dahrk and the havoc it’s wrought? And most of all, can Wilder trust himself?
Book one was like “Harry Potter” meets “Percy Jackson” on Bourbon Street. Book two sends us into “House of Dragons” territory as Wilder’s journey continues. His and Terra’s will-they-won’t-they tension blends effortlessly with the dark political tension that’s brewing in the magical realms and threatening the human realm. And the dragon egg finally hatches!!!
Summer of Dust and Ash explodes! The stakes are high. Lee keeps a good pace as we learn more about each character and their stakes in the matter, without losing sight of our main character, Wilder. Speaking of Wilder, his character has grown a bit, too, but he is still in denial about some things, which I liked. He’s not, “oh, I am magic, so I know it instantly and am very good at it.” No, Wilder still has no clue, really; he is more powerful than he knows.
We also start to wonder whether Wilder and his friends are on the right side of it all. Our villain is starting to look less villainous, perhaps? Or is it just all a lie to lure Wil in? I was so with Wil in his internal struggle. We end, though, with the question, What do the dragons have on the overall situation?
I can’t wait to find out in the next book, “Son of Summer.”
My Rating 4 out of 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ana Lee is the debut author of Red Summer—the first novel of the upcoming dark, gritty, and fast-paced epic contemporary fantasy series, Stone and Scale.
Ana lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she spends her time reading, writing, or dreaming about reading and writing.
Her influences include (but are definitely not limited to) Cassandra Clare, Rebecca Yarros, Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Follow Anna and her books at @analeewrites on Instagram.
Secrets and suspicion define the environment in AURORA’S EDGE by Dane Reavers. Our sci-fi fantasy book spotlight for the day. AURORA’S EDGEreleases March 17th!
Aurora's Edge: Space Age Adventure: Sabotage
Publish Date: March 17th 2026
Genre: Sci-fi fantasy/ Adventure
Suiteable For Ages: 13 to 18
In 2425, New Geneva dominates the skyline while the Dredges endure beneath it. After losing her parents in a Dominion explosion, sixteen-year-old Elara stows away on the starship Aurora seeking distance from grief. Instead, she enters a contained society shaped by rigid structure and underlying tension. Captain Mira commands with discipline, though deeper histories influence her decisions. As Elara’s engineering abilities earn her responsibility aboard the vessel, she struggles to reconcile her prejudice toward the Imperial Dominion with the realities she encounters. Pulse, an AI carrying her father’s neural imprint, complicates her sense of memory and identity. When sabotage disrupts the ship’s core systems, suspicion fractures trust among the crew. With danger escalating and alliances uncertain, Elara must decide whether she will allow anger to guide her—or accept the weight of protecting others.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dane Reavers is a U.S. Navy veteran and electrical engineer whose career spans military service and industrial system design. He served as an Electronics Technician aboard the USS Vandegrift before returning to the Pacific Northwest to work in high-tech and manufacturing environments. His hands-on technical background brings a grounded, “wrench-in-hand” realism to Aurora’s Edge. He lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest with his family.
Learn more about Dane follow him on Instagram: @dane.reavers
Freelance Writer Janny(Jan Marie)C 